Movie Review - Be Kind, Rewind

Right off the bat, I am going to admit that this movie could have, and probably should have, had more character development. We never really find out the motivations behind the characters, or even the relationship between them. Instead, Michel Gondry relies on his vision and the talent of the cast to make this a very satisfying film, and it works. Gondry has a distinct visual style and it shows, even in a film that isn't anything like his masterpiece, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind. Both Mos Def and Jack Black are fantastic in their roles as two losers who come up with an idea to re-make movies starring themselves to save the video/thrift store owned by Danny Glover. The movie scenes that are "Sweded" throughout the film are a riot, and despite the lack of depth, the film has a lot of heart, making this movie a pleasure to watch.

Rating: 4 (out of 5)

Jack Black Movie Rankings
School Of Rock
Tenacious D In: The Pick Of Destiny
Nacho Libre
Be Kind, Rewind
Shallow Hal
High Fidelity
Saving Silverman
Envy
Orange County
The Holiday
King Kong

No Way Out Recap

WWE held their second pay-per-view of 2008 and had high expectations that I believe most will agree they met. Here's a quick recap of the show.

1. CM Punk vs. Chavo Guerrero
This was possibly their best match and had a nice flow to it. They gave them about the time I expected, but I definitely didn't anticipate them doing a clean Chavo victory. Perhaps Punk is in the doghouse, but I still don't like that he got pinned so easily. Chavo retains his title via pinfall.

Unofficial Rating: 2.75 (out of 5)

2. SmackDown Elimination Chamber
I was surprised this was so early on the card, but I really liked that they spread out the Chambers. This one had some dead weight in it (Big Daddy V and Great Khali), but made up for that with some memorable spots. I would have like to have seen MVP look a little better, but I can't really complain. This had a great final sequence seeing the Undertaker getting the pin over Batista.

Unofficial Rating: 3.5 (out of 5)

3. Ric Flair vs. Mr. Kennedy
This was another match that was about the length I predicted and was pretty solid. Flair seemed to be more on than he was at the Rumble and it made for a pretty fun match. Flair got another figure four victory.

Unofficial Rating: 2 (out of 5)

4. Rey Mysterio vs. Edge
I'm amazed that Mysterio was able to last 5 minutes and I give him a lot of credit for gutting it out. The match was fine given the circumstances, but the angle afterwords was classic. Edge wins via pinfall.

Unofficial Rating: 1.75 (out of 5)

The Big Show returned after taking over a year off and definitely made a big impact. The entire angle with Mayweather was just awesome. He took a few shots to the face and it made for a great visual. If they can keep this angle at least half as intense, we could get another treat come WrestleMania.

5. John Cena vs. Randy Orton
I originally thought they would do a cheap finish, but changed my mind and figured they'd just go HHH/Cena at WrestleMania. When they put this on before the Elimination Chamber, I was back to thinking that they were doing a cheap finish. Then both Orton and Cena were teasing countouts, so I was looking for a clean finish. Then of course came the DQ ending that some I'm sure hated, but in the story, it actually worked quite well. This was not as good as their SummerSlam matchup, but it was definitely a fun contest that saw Cena win by DQ and then go crazy on Orton.

Unofficial Rating: 3.5 (out of 5)

6. Raw Elimination Chamber
This is most definitely the first flat out match of the year contender. This match was non-stop action and did a good job making all 6 guys look strong. I have to say that Umaga put on a great show and played his role brilliantly. I also was glad to see Hardy kick out of a pedigree, giving most of us that one last hope that he could maybe pull it off. Of course, Triple H was the victor, but most really couldn't complain about the quality of this matchup.

Unofficial Rating: 4.5 (out of 5)

Overall, another great show that had another big surprise. I have to say that this was one of the best non-Big 4 shows in the past few years. This was a huge upgrade over last years No Way Out and it really seems that the WWE is making a strong effort to make their pay-per-view's memorable and worth our hard earned money. Awesome show.

Overall Rating: 91%

No Way Out Rankings
No Way Out 2008
No Way Out 2006
No Way Out 2000
No Way Out 2007

Match Of The Year Tracker
No Way Out - Raw Elimination Chamber (4.5)
Royal Rumble 2008 (4)
Raw March - Jeff Hardy vs. Chris Jericho (3.75)
Royal Rumble - Jeff Hardy vs. Randy Orton (3.5)
Raw February - Chris Jericho vs. Jeff Hardy (3.5)
ECW March - John Morrison + Miz vs. Tommy Dreamer + Colin Delaney (3.5)
Raw March - John Cena vs. Shawn Michaels
No Way Out - SmackDown Elimination Chamber (3.5)
Royal Rumble - Edge vs. Rey Mysterio (3.5)
Raw January - Jeff Hardy vs. Umaga Cage Match (3.5)
No Way Out - Randy Orton vs. John Cena (3.5)

Pay-Per-View Scores
No Way Out (91%)
Royal Rumble (88%)

Booking No Way Out

WWE will be presenting their second pay-per-view of 2008 and it has a chance to be a great show. Like most things I do, this is quite pointless, but here is how I would book the event.

1. CM Punk vs. Chavo Guerrero
I hate sticking a title match first, but this really is the match with the least interest. I have no clue where they're going with Chavo Guerrero (or CM Punk for that matter), but I still think Punk is pretty over and Chavo can still play a role without the title. CM Punk wins via pinfall after a failed cheat attempt by Chavo.

Length Of Match: 9:25
Winner: CM Punk via pinfall
Expected Rating: 2.5

2. Mr. Kennedy vs. Ric Flair
There is no way anyone would book Ric Flair to end his career at No Way Out. So we get another quick match, with Shawn Michaels giving the assist to help out Ric Flair. This of course will lead to the rumored Shawn Michaels/Ric Flair match at WrestleMania.

Length Of Match: 8:31
Winner: Ric Flair via pinfall
Expected Rating: 1.75

3. Smackdown Elimination Chamber
I'm really torn here on the match order from here on out, especially since I hate making Smackdown look like the B show. I just really think that they need to split up the elimination chamber matches and this one is definitely lacking the star power of the Raw one. So here is the order of entrance and the order of elimination.

Order Of Entrance:
1. MVP
2. Batista
3. Great Khali
4. Big Daddy V
5. Undertaker
6. Finlay

Order Of Elimination:
1. Big Daddy V (by Batista)
2. Great Khali (by Undertaker)
3. Finlay (by MVP)
4. MVP (by Batista)
5. Batista (by Undertaker)

Length of Match: 22:48
Winner: Undertaker via Pinfall
Expected Rating: 3.5

4. Rey Mysterio vs. Edge
These two had a solid match at WrestleMania, but the feud feels thrown together. This will be similar to their Royal Rumble match with Edge getting another pinfall thanks to Vickie.

Length Of Match: 11:03
Winner: Edge via Pinfall
Expected Rating: 3.5

5. Raw Elimination Chamber
I'm not even positive that they would be able to set up the chamber twice in one night, so this may be impossible. However, here is the order of entrance and order of elimination for this match.

Order Of Entrance:
1. Chris Jericho
2. Umaga
3. HHH
4. Jeff Hardy
5. JBL
6. Shawn Michaels

Order Of Elimination:
1. Umaga (by Jeff Hardy)
2. Chris Jericho (by JBL)
3. JBL (by HHH)
4. Shawn Michaels (by HHH)
5. HHH (by Jeff Hardy)

Length Of Match: 28:17
Winner: Jeff Hardy via Pinfall
Expected Rating: 4.5

6. John Cena vs. Randy Orton
I went back and forth on making a three way match at WrestleMania, but if they're going to give away this match at No Way Out, I'm going to have to give Cena the title via the STFU. Cena vs. Hardy and Undertaker vs. Edge at WrestleMania 24.

Length Of Match: 18:11
Winner: John Cena via Submission
Expected Rating: 4.25

6 total matches, 6 clean finishes. All of the matches get a good amount of time. There is no doubt that this has a strong possibility to be one of the top shows of the year if booked correctly. Not that my opinions are the best way, but I would definitely be happy with the outcomes that I have presented.

Total Match Time: 88:15
Average Rating: 3.33

Album Review - Brian Vander Ark

Artist: Brian Vander Ark
Album: Brian Vander Ark
Year Released: 2008

For those of you who know me, it is no secret that I am a Brian Vander Ark fan. For those of you who don't know me, probably don't know who Brian Vander Ark is. So here's a quick history lesson. Vander Ark was the front man and primary songwriter of the band named The Verve Pipe. They had one huge hit with "The Freshmen" and two minor hits in "Photograph" and "Villains". They toured the world, most notably opening up for Kiss in Europe and went to record their follow-up album with big name producer Michael Beinhorn. The album tanked and the band seemed to be falling apart (despite it being a great record). They were able to pull it together for one more album, but then Vander Ark embarked on a solo career. Brian Vander Ark is his third solo release and quite possibly his best. He has perfected his new sound and there is a new found confidence in his voice. On songs such as "Lily White Way" and "We Were Never The Same", Vander Ark displays that he can be charming even while he is ranting on society. His vocals are, as always, among the best in rock today and it truly is a shame that this album won't get more exposure. It's only February, but it will be hard for anyone to top in 2008.

Album Rating: 4.75 (out of 5)
Key Tracks: "Lily White Way", "And Then We Fell", "Optimism's Glow"

Brian Vander Ark Album Rankings
The Verve Pipe - The Verve Pipe
The Verve Pipe - Villains
Brian Vander Ark - Brian Vander Ark
Brian Vander Ark - Angel, Put Your Face On
Brian Vander Ark - Resurrection
The Verve Pipe - Underneath
The Verve Pipe - Pop Smear
The Verve Pipe - I've Suffered A Head Injury

Album Of The Year Tracker
R.E.M. - Accelerate (4.75)
Brian Vander Ark - Brian Vander Ark (4.75)
Vampire Weekend - Vampire Weekend (4.25)
Nada Surf - Lucky (4)
The Raveonettes - Lust Lust Lust (4)
The Black Crowes - Warpaint (3.25)

Sheryl Crow - Detours (TBD)
The Raconteurs - Consolers Of The Lonely (TBD)
Phantom Planet - Raise The Dead (TBD)
Weezer - Weezer (The Red Album) (TBD)
Coldplay - Viva La Vida (TBD)

Now That's A Perfect Ending!

Last night, as we all know, the Giants pulled off the impossible and took down the mighty Patriots. Some people might have found the first 3 quarters to be boring, but I disagree with that notion. This was the very definition of a chess match and the Giants were able to outcoach the Patriots. That's right, Bill Belichick got outcoached. Funny, since Tom Coughlin seems to always be disliked wherever he goes. Nevermind the fact that he always is able to put out a competitive team on the field and that he is the reason that the Jacksonville Jaguars are nothing like the Houston Texans. He is a good coach, folks. Is he great? No, he is nowhere near the Lombardi's and Parcells of the world, but he is no doubt a very solid football coach. There were so many highlights in this game, but none greater than the Eli Manning scramble leading to a leaping David Tyree reception, which will undoubtedly be shown over and over for the next 100 years. However, the other great highlight was seeing Belichick run off the field before the game was even over, once again showing how classless he is. This was a game that was won by the best team at this point of the season. An underdog story for the ages, the New York Giants were far from perfect, but at the same time they were able to overcome adversity and become World Champions. Boy, Tiki, aren't you glad you retired? I know the Giants sure are.

Rating: 5 (out of 5)

Overall Super Bowl Rankings
New York Giants vs. New England Patriots (XLII)
New England Patriots vs. Carolina Panthers (XXXVIII)
New England Patriots vs. St. Louis Rams (XXXVI)
New York Giants vs. Buffalo Bills (XXV)
St. Louis Rams vs. Tennessee Titans (XXXIV)
Denver Broncos vs. Green Bay Packers (XXXII)
Indianapolis Colts vs. Chicago Bears (XLI)
New England Patriots vs. Philadelphia Eagles (XXXIX)
Green Bay Packers vs. New England Patriots (XXXI)
Dallas Cowboys vs. Pittsburgh Steelers (XXX)
Pittsburgh Steelers vs. Seattle Seahawks (XL)
San Francisco 49ers vs. San Diego Chargers (XXIX)
Denver Broncos vs. Atlanta Falcons (XXXIII)
Dallas Cowboys vs. Buffalo Bills (XXVIII)
Tampa Bay Buccaneers vs. Oakland Raiders (XXXVII)
Washington Redskins vs. Buffalo Bills (XXVI)
Dallas Cowboys vs. Buffalo Bills (XXVII)
San Francisco 49ers vs. Denver Broncos (XXIV)
Baltimore Ravens vs. New York Giants (XXXV)