In The Seats

In 2009, for the 30th anniversary of the ESPN sports network, regular columnist for ESPN.com Bill Simmons pitched the idea of a documentary series, exploring 30 sports stories that had not been full explored on there initial reporting. He wanted to find talents from Hollywood who were personally interested in that particular story. Beginning on October 6th, 2009, "Kings Ransom" directed by Peter Berg explored the 1988 trade of Wayne Gretzky from the then four time Stanley Cup Champions to the L.A. and the ramifications of that which shook an entire nation. The best documentaries are always when the director has a legitimate passion for the story, and "Kings Ransom" is no exception. The sports fan and the cinema/documentary fan don't always mix, but these films take the inheriant drama of sports and translate them to film so well that even the most jaded anti-sports fan would get roped in by this fantastic series. To learn more about this entire series visit htt...

In the year 2009, the world went through an economic upheaval that we are still feeling the effects of today and as a result of that many Hollywood film productions got either postponed or cancelled all together. But what of the many screens that need filling? Of course the success of such 3D films like Avatar, How To Train Your Dragon & Clash Of The Titans are filling that gap, and the balance of those openings seem to be going to foreign cinema. Today I took in the excellent "The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo" with a star in the making Ms. Noomi Rapace(See Pic). Don't let the 152 min run time turn you off, this is a tight thriller that just flies by and is my early favorite for film of this year 2010. Even if it is out of necessity for the multiplexes around North America to start taking in more foreign films, I as a movie goer applaud this move and hope audiences will follow suit and enjoy a wider palette of great cinema.

Went to see the film "Chloe" last night, and while it certainly had it's problems, I can appreciate that it was an interesting twist on the whole "Fatal Attraction" vibe and had some good moments, for a quick rating I would have to say 2.5 stars out of 5...It's a renter. However, in perhaps her first "serious" role the title role of this film went to upcoming starlet Amanda Seyfried of "Mamma Mia" & "Big Love" fame. I can see why she is becoming popular, a beautiful 25 year old that people want to put on there movie posters in order to sell whatever they need too, however we have one small problem. SHE CANNOT ACT Now granted this skill may be developed overtime, the perfect example of this would Scarlett Johannson, who by no means is the female second coming of Laurence Oliver, but has developed some skills. Ms. Seyfried playing a sociopathic high end prostitute was completely out of her realm...and it showed I implore that...

This year of American Idol has certainly been an interesting one, replacing Paula Abdul with Ellen DeGeneres combined with the announcement that Simon is leaving at the end of this year has seriously changed the dynamic between the judges bordering on self-satire and I can't really blame them. With a thinning talent base(it has been 9 YEARS!!!!), the judges have lost interest. It's too bad too, this years group does have some talent, but they are very rough and could use some guidance. Ellen was a nice addition, but Paula tripping on painkillers mid-show could never be replaced, Randy & Kara are milking the exposure for all they can(and rightly so) while Simon has dialed out, and a little nastier then usual, but not having Paula next to him has given him new energy for X-Factor in 2011. LOL! :) Performances from the remaing ten have been all over the map...but we saw a little promise tonight, not surprising since historically this is the week, people get down to work. ...

This week we learned that the current season of the hit Fox show "24" will be it's last. Citing productions costs and the desire the end on their own terms Season 8 will be its last. As we started this year with Jack in NYC recovering from his near fatal illness of last season, Jack was looking to have a normal life and being (believe it or not) a grandfather, but like on all previous seasons, somehow the shit hits the fan, and Jack is back in the saddle. Without giving away any spoilers, many fans and pundits have deem that this season has officially jumped the shark tank and is more ridiculous then ever! I say chill people, this is FICTION, its supposed to be ridiculous, that is what has kept us glued all these years...but what of the man, what will become of Jack Bauer. Hollywood usually demands a happy ending, and with an impending film upcoming, this will more then likely happen, but with all the personal and physical torture that he has endured over the previous 7...

Well, I figured it would be about time for me to stop pontificating and time for me to start typing. For those unaware my name is Davey V., I'm a poet, a writer, music fan, a movie lover and all around professional appreciator. With this blog, I will comment on all of the above(including anything else I can think of), and as you ask "How will I be different from every other blog?", I'll be quite honest and tell you right now...I don't have a clue, but I hope you join me along the way... Cheers, Davey V