Winner and Losers of Summer 2010

I can't believe the Summer is almost over!

This Summer I saw a lot of movies, here are some of my favorites and the one that I did not enjoy as much:

Movies I Loved:
The Kids are Alright - Definitely an Oscar contender. Great cast, amazing story, thoroughly entertaining. I truly loved this movie and would gladly watch it again. Annette Benning deserves another Oscar nomination and I loved Mark Ruffalo as a free loving hippie who makes some bad decisions. It's a must see.

Toy Story 3 - My favorite movie of the year so far. Loved everything about it.


Scott Pilgrim Vs. the World - The most creative movie of the year. As a fan of the comic books I really loved the adaptation and I think the cast was spot on. I thought Michael Cera did a great job. I would really be surprised if this movie wasn't nominated for a best editing Oscar because it was insane and so original. If you loved the movie, I do think you should go back and read the comics because there is a lot more stuff they didn't include. I'm hoping the DVD will be an awesome extended cut.

Get Him to the Greek - Probably the funniest movie of the Summer. I think Russell Brand is just so naturally funny and the Albous Snow character is so fun to watch. I thought this would be kind of a crappy sequel to Forgetting Sarah Marshall, but I really could not stop laughing during this movie. I also loved seeing Elisabeth Moss from Mad Men being funny.

Movies I Liked:
Karate Kid - I really liked the updated version of this movie. I'm really skeptical about remakes, and although this was really long I really enjoyed it. I thought Jaden Smith was a very cool martial artist, and how can you not love Jackie Chan? Best Supporting Actor nomination?

Inception - I'm sorry that I did not love this movie, but I did enjoy it. I love Christopher Nolan, I think he's amazing director and story teller. I might have put this on the love list if the movie wasn't so over hyped before I saw it.

Dinner for Schmucks - I thought this movie was really funny. I love Steve Carrell and Paul Rudd, and although this movie wasn't flawless, it was was definitely a really funny movie. Jemaine Clement should be in every movie.

The Good Guys - A funny movie starring Will Ferrell and Mark Wahlberg. There was some minor plot holes and didn't really have a strong story line, but definitely had a lot of laughs.

Movie I Didn't Like:
Sex and the City 2 - An overindulgent movie making Carrie Bradshaw a nagging wife who for the first time doesn't deserve Big, WTF?

America Gets It Wrong...Twice

If you've been reading my blog you've been seeing my rants about America's Got Talent this season. Finally, and I do mean finally, we're down to the semi-finals and I realize that these top 24 performers are actually good, and some of them really deserve to be there. I didn't get to watch the results of Tuesday's episode until today, and I warned I would be upset about the outcome almost to the level of how upset I was when Adam Lambert lost American Idol. Out of the 12 performances I thought there was 3 acts that deserved to go through.

Prince Poppycock(Video below), Antonio Restivo(Fire Guy) & Arc Attack(Lightning Guys)


Out of these 3 performers only ONE got through. Arc Attack was eliminated in the first round of eliminations and everyone was surprised, especially the judges. I personally thought it was because they had some girl in their act who kept saying "Brains" and it was quite annoying. Better luck next time guys...

Antonio Restivo who I thought was a sure shot into the top 10 was eliminated in the final round against Christina and Allie(singers with cystic fybrosis) and Connor Doran (kite guy). In the end Christina and Allie went through, which I think was the wrong choice between the two but I guess it's not my call...obviously.

The other 3 remaining acts that went through were Anna and Patryk(tiny ballroom dancers), Michael Grimm(singer) and Taylor Matthews(younger singer). There's not a whole lot of variety. Two singers, a dance duo, Opera singer and a singing duo.

My top 5 would have been Prince Poppycock, Antonio Restivo, Arc Attack, Michael Grimm and Anna and Patryk based on the performances from that night. I do think next weeks performers are more talented, so it should be interesting.

I guess next week I should actually vote?

Why This Season of Weeds is Promising

I have been a fan of Weeds since season 1, but since the start of Weeds to show has lost a lot of direction. The main plot of the show was supposed to be about a suburban housewife Nancy Botwin (played by Mary-Louise Parker) who loses her husband and decides to start a job as a pot dealer. The show also starred Romany Malco as her supplier, Elizabeth Perkins as her nosy friend, Justin Kirk as her brother-in-law and Kevin Nealon as her accountant covering up her business. It was a very original concept and was a very good show with a catchy theme song(Does anyone else miss "Little Boxes", I do!).

Since Season 1 the show has gone in all kinds of different directions. She married a DEA agent who was killed when she became allies with the Mexican mafia, she moves to Mexico and marries the mayor of Mexico, moves to Mexico, has a baby, has come close to death way too many times, and show really stopped being a simple story about her selling in weed. In fact, she hasn't sold weed in the last 2 seasons, maybe more. I still enjoyed the show, I enjoyed the main characters, but the show kept losing what it was originally about and characters got lost in the mix and the main plotline became fuzzy. What kept the show together was the character of Nancy, who lost her mind more and more and became a worse mother with every season, but still remains a likable character(Hello? Where's here Emmy?).

This season has taken an interesting turn. It's only two episodes in but currently the family is on the run (I'd explain in detail but it's a big spoiler). No, the show has not gone back to it's roots but I'm really into it. I think it could be a very interesting season and there's a lot they can do with it. I'm a lot more into it then I was in the previous scene. Sure the show has jumped the shark, but now it's gone back to being slightly more realistic. You got to give the writers credit for mixing it up every season. You can at least say it's never been boring.

And maybe I'll learn some hints if I ever want to live off the grid...

No Ordinary Family: A TV Pilot that is Ordinary and Familiar

As someone who watches a lot of television and movies, I was actually excited to hear of a new show by ABC called "No Ordinary Family". The show stars Michael Chiklis(The Sheild) and Julie Benz(Dexter) as a dysfunctional married couple who discover they have super powers after surviving a plane crash. Their children who were also involved in the plane crash also have super powers as well. When I first heard the premise of the show it sounded like it could be a live action version of the "Incredibles" especially since it's an ABC show which is owned by Disney. However, I would have preferred that compared to what I saw.

Let's be honest, almost all television pilots are nowhere good as what the series can become. It's a pilot, it's supposed to be a lot of back story and testing out what the show can be. If you look at a show like "Sex and the City", their pilot is very different than what the show became but it had the basics: friendship, sex and comedy, but it was no where near as good as what the show became.

My issues with the pilot of "No Ordinary Family" are a little nit picky, but for the most part they are valid concerns. For one thing, I don't think the acting was very good. That statement does not just apply to the main actors, but the supporting characters as well. I don't know why the acting is not great, I love all the main actors themselves, especially Romany Malco(who I still miss when I watch Weeds); perhaps odd direction? There's a school counselor who's acting was so bad I was cringing. I also didn't like the format of the show. You have Chiklis and Benz talking to the camera like it's documentary style (Modern Family) but then the rest of the show is the opposite and it's weird flip flopping. You find out later on that they're not talking to the camera but to a psychiatrist, but it feels weird as a viewer. I don't know...maybe that's just me.

I also had an issue with the main plot of how they got super powers. It was very quick and kind of brushed off. Basically the family goes on vacation to Brazil, takes a tiny airplane, gets caught in a storm, the plane crashes, they survive the crash and land in water and BOOM they have super powers. Halfway through the episode, Julie Benz remembers that in the water there was some green ooze or something green that was weird and she thinks that could be what caused it. As an audience member I felt that was a little forced. They couldn't think of anything cooler to make them get super powers, especially after they all survived a plane crash? Let's give them the benefit of the doubt and say that it comes up in a later episode.

I'm afraid this show is going to become another "Heroes". So far the four family members have powers, and they encountered another character that does as well. Basically it's a story about a dysfunctional family that has powers and now they're discovering that others could too. Does everyone remember the first season of "Heroes" and how cool it was seeing normal people have super powers, and then the show got super bad and no one wanted to watch it anymore?

The show just doesn't feel all that original to me. It's "Heroes", "The Incredibles" and any dysfunctional family show mixed together to create an hour long drama.

I want to watch this show succeed, I want to see it get better. Does it have potential to be good? Yes. Does it have potential to be bad? Yes. Only time will tell.

New Jersey Reality Shows: Love them, Loathe them, Embarassed by Them

Please don't be a hater, but I hail from a state called New Jersey. New Jersey has always been a state that has always had a bad reputation. In the last few years there has been a trend of New Jersey reality shows that has made this reputation worse. Those shows include The Real Housewives of NJ, Jerseylicious and the most popular Jersey Shore. (I'd include Cake Boss but that's really about awesome cakes and not really a huge reflection of NJ.) There's more like Jersey Couture, but I am done keeping tabs on what new stereotype show they'll produce on NJ.

Out of all these shows I do actually watch and enjoy one of them, refuse to watch another and when the third is on I unfortunately can't take my eyes off it. Here is why:

Real Housewives of New Jersey: The Show I Enjoy

There's a couple of reasons why I enjoy this show. For one thing, there's a whole lot of drama and it's fun to watch it go down. What I think sets this show apart is that I feel that most of the drama that exists is not staged. If you are a viewer of the show you know that the main characters are Jacqueline, Caroline, Teresa, Danielle and Dina, even though Dina "quit" in the beginning of the season. Caroline and Dina are sisters, Jacqueline is a sister in law, Teresa is Dina's BFF and Danielle is a big pile of crazy. I also think Danielle is legitimately crazy and does cause all the real drama on the show. Some of the things on the show cannot be faked, especially Danielle taking Jacqueline's crazy daughter Ashley to court. Sure, some of the scenarios are definitely planned, but I do think there is some "real" in the Real Housewives of NJ. Not only do I appreciate the somewhat realness of it, but I do like the Housewives themselves. I would love to be apart of the Manzo family(Albie and Christopher are my favorite) and I think Jacqueline's hilarious, as is Teresa. Danielle is nuts, I do not want to know her, but I also do not want her to leave the show. There's a big rumor that Danielle will not be on next season, and the finale is tonight explaining why. I can't wait!

The Jersey Shore: The Show You Don't Like to Admit You Watch

Let's start off with a big important fact: only one of the people of this show are actually from NJ. Therefore, thinking that these trashy, drunk people are a reflection of what people are from NJ are like then you are WRONG. Your beloved Snooki is from NY, your oddly named JWOWW is from NY and your high haired "DJ" Pauly D is from VERMONT. Unfortunately the character who is from NJ is the stupidly named "The Situation" and more unfortunately he's from my home town. However, he is not a reflection of NJ either. These clowns were all cast on the show because MTV saw an opportunity to get a much a drunk idiots in a house and see what would happen. Sure the jobs are fake, but that drunk drama is definitely real and I cannot take my eyes off of it. I just wish it wasn't called the Jersey Shore...

Jerseylicious: The Show I Refuse to Watch

Another obnoxious "reality" show where the drama is definitely staged. I watch commercials for this shows and I can tell those girls are acting. Those girls are ridiculous with their big hair and pressed on nails, they are inforcing a stereotype of what they think girls from NJ look and sound like. It's aggravating. And I hate that its called Jerseylicious, what an annoying title! Why are we turning a state into an adjective? And it's on the Style network? Please.

I'm not going to defend NJ entirely. Some of the stereotypes that come up on that show are real. I know plenty of fist pumpers, gym rats and obnoxious rich people, and I definitely know people in NJ that cause lots of drama. That being said, reality shows are never real. Once you put a camera is someone's face they are going to act differently, no matter what the content of the show is.

Just give NJ a break. Let's just make a show called "The Real Real People from NJ" and show people who aren't crazy, who don't have big hair and aren't drunk all the time.

I'm Back Baby!

So if you are a reader of my blog, or a fan on facebook or follow me on twitter(do all 3!), then you have noticed that this blog was on a brief hiatus. There are two reasons for that.

1. I wanted to re-format it and make it look cooler
2. I wanted to do something different with my blog

When I first started this in January I had ideas of what I wanted to do with this. I didn't want to be another Perez Hilton or Iwatchstuff.com, I wanted this blog to be my voice with my opinions.

I have been a pop culture junkie my whole life. I am always up to date on the latest movies and television, I am an active Netflix and Sidereel user, I'm constantly on IMDB and my room is filled with pop culture spanning from Disney snow globes to a Dundie.

I wanted this blog to be more editorials, something that would set me apart from other entertainment blogs. I wanted it to be smarter, hence the name Enter"Brain"ment. So from now on that is what I'll do. If I have random gossip or something I find interesting I'll post it on twitter or facebook, but I mainly want this blog to be a commentary on entertainment and the things I find entertaining.

So readers, if you enjoy what I have done, I think you will enjoy what I do from now on. Please recommend this blog to people you think would enjoy it as well.

Your thankful host,
Cyd

Under Construction

EnterBRAINment is taking a short hiatus to make the website better. In the meantime keep up with entertainment news on twitter @enterbrainme and on our facebook fan page.

The Other Guys Credits

For those who left when the credits started or wanted to see them again

Seinfeld Season 7 Wrap Up

Here are my favorite episodes:
"The Soup Nazi" - Any episode is great when it spins off a saying like "No Soup for You!" Too bad that guy is forever known as the Soup Nazi, even when he was on Scrubs.

" The Caddy" - Or the "bra" episode where Elaine buys her ex-roommate a bra to spite her, and she wears it as a top, causing Kramer to get in a car accident.
"The Cadillac" - Co-starring Marisa Tomei, it's the episode where Jerry's dad has to end his presidency because they think he's stealing money due to his new cadillac.
"The Bottle Deposit" - Newman and Kramer have decided to recycle their bottles in Michigan, Jerry's car gets stolen by Brad Garrett and George gets committed to a metal hospital.

Also notable things, Susan get engaged in episode one and she dies in the finale due to bad envelopes. Jerry gets engaged in the finale to Janene Steinberg, a woman exactly like him, who is played by Jeannine Garafalo.

Top 13 Friday the 13th Moments

Courtesy of the Angry Video Game nerd...

PS I didn't watch this because I get scared

My Review: The Other Guys

Finally! A comedy that stars Will Ferrell that is actually funny and quotable!

The Other Guys is no Anchorman, but it definitely brings the laughs. Mark Wahlberg is hilarious in the movie as well, who knew he could be so funny?

What I liked about this movie was that it was an action movie, but it definitely made fun of the action movie genre as well. I thought that Samuel L. Jackson and the Rock were totally over the top characters making fun of the ridiculous over the top cops you see in all the action movies. Some of the stunts they do are some of things that you definitely see in old school action flicks where there's so much fire and so much buildings being destroyed...just insane.

It's hard to describe a comedy like this. Because some of the scenes in the movie are so ridiculous I'd hate to ruin something. There is one scene where Mark Wahlberg touches Steve Coogan's hair and I laughed so hard. I think that all the supporting cast members did a great job like Eva Mendez, and it's always nice to see Michael Keaton doing work.

The only thing I didn't like about it was the big scandal that was going on wasn't explained all that well. There was a lot of build up to what it could be about and I didn't think there was that big of a pay off. Maybe that's just me, but I think that could have been better. Also there's a voice over that comes in at some parts and just seems out of place and awkward.

I'd recommend it. It's definitely a laugh out loud kind of movie. You don't need to see it in theaters, but it is fun to laugh with an audience who is having fun.

Grade: B+

Who Will Replace Steve Carell?

So there's been a lot of speculation about who is taking over for Steve Carell, including Ricky Gervais, which I never believed for a second. Gervais has released a statement saying:

"I'm not taking over from Steve Carell and will just continue to make millions for doing fuck all because I created the show and all the characters, and own the format and it's being syndicated now and I get paid every time any episode of any version is played anywhere in the world… and I don't want to go back to that and get up at 6am every day of the week for 7 years."

Geez. Other possibilities, or just names that are being thrown out there, are Rhys Darby from Flight of the Conchords(Who I think would be a good choice, even if he just played Murray), Danny McBride from Eastbound and Down and even Portia DeRossi. I think that putting in a new boss is better than promoting Dwight or any of the other characters BUT I do think this season should be it's last. I mean c'mon, the show's last 2 seasons were no where near as good as the first 3, and Steve Carell has been carrying the show despite it's being bad.

Cut your losses NBC and end the show on a high note!

My New Favorite Video

I was watching the best of Will Ferrell 3, which is kind of a waste, BUT it had this gem as a bonus feature. I think it's really funny and most of all awesome. "I need more cowbell"

Green Day + Will Ferrell = Gold

WTF AGT

American's Got Talent...what can I say? First of all, not so much talent this year. A lot of "singers" are making it through and I've only seen one act that could possibly make it in Vegas.

But last night I witnessed an episode that not even Nick Cannon could revive. In fact, Nick Cannon looked just as bored as I was. AGT decided to find 12 contestants who did not audition but were found on youtube. This could have been promising, maybe, if the "judges" chose people that could be potential Vegas acts, but instead "they" chose singers, dancers and even a pizza tosser. Not one of those acts are Vegas acts. There was only 2 out of the 12 acts that were decent.

There was a weird Marilyn Manson type magician who grossed out the audience and nearly killed Howie Mandel.


And there was also a ten year old girl who sang like an older girl. She was actually really good.


But the whole episode was terrible. Most of the acts got X'ed. I understand that the show is doing badly this season, but this was a step backwards not forwards.

But this made me laugh so hard:

I love Pup.

Why Are Shutter Island and Inception the Same Movie?

Okay, they're not the same movie but there are a lot of similarities. I also see I'm not the only one who sees these similarities.

For one, the star of both movies are Leonardo Dicaprio. Weird

In both movies Leo Dicaprio is haunted by his dead wife, and in both movies their dead wife is crazy. In Shutter Island she was murdered and in Inception she committed suicide. Not only is he haunted by them but he is haunted by them in an some kind of alternate reality.

Both movies are psychological thrillers where you feel like you need to understand whats going on within the movie. For example, in Shutter Island you know something is up so as an audience member you're trying to figure it out and in Inception because the movie is so intricate you are trying to figure out the underlying meaning of it.

Both have creepy, haunting music. Both movies have a very similar tone.

Maybe Leo should do like a comedy or something. And he should definitely stop trying to do a Boston accent.

If Oregon Trail was Turned Into a Movie

NPH Directs RENT

Rehearsals for Rent!

My Review: Dinner for Schmucks

I do not understand the negative criticism of this movie, I thought it was hilarious!

First of all, anything involving the mice was funny. Especially the beginning and end sequences. Sure, dead mice can seem very disturbing but if you pose and dress them correctly it can be very awesome. There's one particular shot of the mice inventing the first BLT that was classic.

Second of all, Steve Carell was so funny. I could not stop laughing at the some of the things he did. Zach Galifanikis and Jemaine Clement were also very, very funny. There are many scenes in this movie that I would love to see the blooper reel because I have no idea how they kept a straight face.

I do have some complaints about Paul Rudd. I'm used to him being so lovable and clever, and in this movie he was just a douche. I kind of didn't want his character to end happily ever after even after he redeemed himself. Also, this movie put me in constant anxiety. It was directing by the same guy who did Meet the Parents, and the reason I don't like that movie is because I'm way too anxious for Ben Stiller's character because nothing good happens to him. Same concept in this movie. It was a little hard for me to sit through the movie knowing that nothing good was going to continue to Paul Rudd's character.

It was a funny movie. Yes, it was silly, but there are plenty of laugh out loud moments. It's just a fun movie to sit through and laugh, especially if you've had a bad day and you like laughing at other people's misfortune.

Grade: B+

My Review: Despicable Me

I thought this was a cute movie, but I wouldn't neccessarily say its a good movie. I actually found it pretty boring. I think that the character Gru was interesting and I loved the minions, but I thought the characters were either boring or pointless. I also don't understand this trend in animated movies where they have to use celebrity voices to voice the characters.

One of the other things about Despicable Me is I feel like it gives kind of a weird message. The main character is a villian, and even though he develops feelings he's still a villian, so now you have children looking up to a villian? I don't get it. Or does he change into a good guy and they just don't show it?

I thought the movie was just okay. I didn't find it highly entertaining, the best moments of the movie were in the trailers. I didn't laugh out loud once either. I know I'm not a kid, but I really have a soft spot for animation and this did not cut it.

And eye popping 3D? Please. My eyes did not pop. I think that maybe kids would like this, but I don't think the parents that have to bring them will enjoy it. I guess nothing can top Toy story 3 this year in terms of being an awesome animated movie.

Grade: B-

Seinfeld Season 6 Wrap Up

I'm so close to being done! Season 6 is a wrap...so here is, what they say in the business, the lowdown.

Favorite Episodes:
"The Switch" - We meet Kramer's mom, and find out his name is Cosmo
"The Beard" - Elaine tries to turn a man straight and we find out Jerry is a closeted Melrose Place fan
"The Fusilli Jerry" - First appearance of Puddy. Also two words: ASS MAN
"The Face Painter" - We find out Puddy loves to paint his face and body for the Devils. He also accidently confuses a priest that he is the devil.

Future celebrity sightings:
Patton Oswalt in "The Couch" as a video store clerk

Mel Gibson Rant-a-day Calendar

Definitely what I'm getting people for the holidays.

Probably the Greatest Movie of Our Time

Let's start August off right. I wasn't around in July too much, so I was lacking in the blogging department. But this is my chance to make it up to you: Sharktopus. Not just a shark, not just an octopus. Oh Syfy, what will you think of next...