Goofy with a guarantee of laughs

You know, I always thought Pearl Jam was more than a little overrated at its heyday, mostly I guess because they were just way too earnest for my tastes.

But, over the years, I've warmed a lot to at least Eddie Vedder, mostly because of the great soundtrack for "Into the Wild," but also because their cover of "Last Kiss" is just a little delight.

Anyways, I tell you all that to tell you this: You can stream the new Pearl Jam album, "Backspacer," on the band's MySpace page here. I'm only on song three now (mostly because it has the nasty habit of crashing my Firefox at the end of each track), but it sounds pretty epicly good to me so far.

And on a different subject, it seems that Neil Patrick Harris hosting the Emmys will deliver a bonus for anyone who bothers to tune in for the almost completely suspenseless broadcast. According to Entertainment Weekly's seriously TV-obsessed scribe Michael Ausiello, there will be a "Dr. Horrible"-themed production number about midway through the show. Harris and his castmates already won an Emmy for the Web show "Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog" created by Joss Whedon. No word yet if Whedon will be involved in tonight's show, but that's still more of a reason to tune in than watching "30 Rock" win 20 awards yet again (though I do love the show.)

But on to the main event: "Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs" is an almost thoroughly enjoyable animated delight and, blasphemy I know, more entertaining (and frankly that's what matters most to me) than "Up."

What makes it, if not unique, at least original enough to work is the goofy spirit of both the story and its voice actors, who are clearly all in on the fun. I think it helped going in to this one that I really knew just about nothing about the children's story by Judi and Ron Barrett, on which this is based.

The story itself is indeed so silly that you have to wonder how it could possibly work for anyone over the age of 4: Our hero, Flint Lockwood (voiced by Bill Hader) is a boy and quickly man who just wants to invent things rather than get any kind of actual job (and really, who doesn't?) He lives in the quickly dying town of Swallow Falls, dying because its most famous export, sardines, are simply disgusting (though I've always kind of liked them.) I don't want to give too much away, but Flint somehow invents a device that turns water into food and, on a grand scale, causes it to rain food down on the town.

You can tell early on that this won't go extremely well, and it surely doesn't, but the jokes do. From the outset, they're not throwaway pop-culture references, but quick-flying bits that fit organicly with the story, from Flint's one-word commands to himself and his helper monkey Steve to the newspaper headline "Sardines are really gross."

The best jokes of all though, largely thanks to Anna Faris as the voice of wannabe-weather girl Sam Sparks, come at the expense of The Weather Channel. For me, the only weather channel I've ever tuned in to has been my front window, so the puns and especially the cut-in to a cute animal just hit their target spot on.

And with Bill Hader and Anna Faris leading the cast, plus Neil Patrick Harris (yes, him again), James Caan, Andy Samberg, Mr. T, Bobb'e J. Thomson (that fantastically foul-mouthed kid from "Role Models") and even Bruce Campbell in the voice cast, this could easily have turned into a hipster-irony disaster, but for the most part they disappear into their parts with ease. Faris (a favorite around here, in case you couldn't tell) fares the best of all, but Bruce Campbell as the mayor of Swallow Falls who jumps all over the opportunity to promote the town with Flint's new creation, is also a hoot. Lauren Graham is somehow in this too, though only for about 90 seconds at the very start, which is about as good a summary as any of just how well her movie career has gone since "Gilmore Girls."

As with any animated movie for kids and goofy-minded adults, there comes a point when the directors, here Phil Lord and Chris Miller, want to tell us the message about gluttony and obesity rather than simply show us through the story. Luckily though, after about a 10-minute dead space (in what is only an 81-minute movie), they quickly realize that any town covered one day with giant hot dogs and the next with kids sliding down giant scoops of ice cream pretty much speaks for itself.

I guess you can tell by now that I had a heck of a lot of fun with this one, but I'll leave you with just one more word about why: I watched it through exactly one pair of glasses, MINE. The colors of "Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs" jump from the screen, and I thoroughly enjoyed watching them unfold in 2-D rather than being muddied with those silly 3-D glasses. Judging from the packed house at our Saturday afternoon screening, I'm apparently far from the only one who doesn't want to pay an extra $2 for this worthless gimmick. Peace out.

Demko's DVD shelf: The return of "W."

Actually, the best thing out there this morning was more about "The Rum Diary," which it looks more and more like will turn into an actual movie in 2010.

So far, we know that "Withnail and I" (watch that, already!) director Bruce Robinson is writing and directing the Hunter S. Thompson adaptation for Johnny Depp to star in as Thompson's alter ego at the time its set - Paul Kemp, a washed-up journalist in 1950s Puerto Rico. And now the movie is quickly assembling a first-rate supporting cast.

Just announced are Aaron Eckhart as a wealthy landowner competing with Depp for the affections of Amber Heard, and - even better- "The Visitor" star Richard Jenkins will play Depp's boss. Bring it on now!

Also out there is this morning is word that one of my favorite directors who I was fairly convinced might never work again is indeed staying in the game.

I think I was one of about seven people on the planet who really liked Noah Baumbach's "Margot at the Wedding." Dysfunctional and uncomfortable, sure, but to me at least also very entertaining.

Now it seems he's up to something along the same lines with another relationship dramedy titled "Greenberg," set to star Ben Stiller and now Greta Gerwig, an indie actress who I'd never heard of before. Details are scant so far except that it's set to begin shooting in March and be set in Los Angeles.

Even better, Baumbach might even soon direct a movie that won't make people want to hate just about everyone in it. He apparently reunited with Wes Anderson (remember him?) to co-write Anderson's animated take on Roald Dahl's "Fantastic Mr. Fox," now scheduled to come out in November. And he's also signed on to write and direct the "9/11 tale" "The Emperor's Children," based on the novel by Claire Messud.

But here today it was supposed to be all about DVDs, and from here on out it will be, because it's actually a week jam-packed with great stuff. Given the state of my economy and nearly everyone else's, I'm not recommending that anyone buy any of these, but they're (the three I've seen, anyway) well worth a rental.

"W."

I'm not sure anyone wants to see anymore of our recently past president, but Oliver Stone's flick is well worth checking out for both a fairly nuanced portrait of a man in over his head and a star-studded cast that pretty much completely shines. Josh Brolin makes W. a likable enough character while not shying away from his "cowboy" tendencies, and Elizabeth Banks, Stacy Keach, Jeffrey Wright and Richard Dreyfuss (as tricky Dick Cheney) in particular are great in supporting roles. The only weak link is Thandie Newton as Condoleezza Rice, who is just unwatchable (I'd like to give her a lifetime pass since "Flirting" still remains one of my all-time favorite movies, but she really is just truly horrible in this.)

"Miracle at St Anna"

If Spike Lee hadn't stepped in it so deep by getting in a verbal spat with Dirty Harry over the lack of black soldiers in Eastwood's World War II movies, he might have generated a bit more goodwill for his own flawed but still often fascinating effort. Like many of Spike's recent flicks, this tale of four Buffalo Soldiers who get trapped behind enemy lines in a Tuscan village is more than a bit of a sprawling mess, but it's beautifully shot in Italy and is full of little moments that make the flick still worth a rental.

"Soul Men"

Like most of the world I just snubbed the late Bernie Mac's final film - directed by Spike's cousin, Malcolm - during much of its theatrical run, and I'm still sorry I did. A silly movie in many ways, yes, but the tale of Mr. Mac and Sam the man Jackson as two aging soul stars reuniting for a comeback tour is also very funny, especially when the two of them really start to go at it. With "Undercover Brother," "Roll Bounce" and now this, the other Mr. Lee is starting to put together a small stable of movies that I really like.

OK, from here on out are movies I haven't seen, either because I never had the chance or simply missed my window of opportunity.

"Frozen River"

"Homicide" vet Melissa Leo has rather shockingly received a Best Actress Oscar nomination for her role in this drama about two women who get into the business of immigrant smuggling through an Indian reservation border crossing between New York and Quebec. This one was just ordered from Netflix and should be here when I get back from Ohio on Thursday, and I can't wait to see it.

"Blindness"

Fernando Meirelles' "City of God" remains as easily one of my favorite films, so I'm rather ashamed I didn't jump on this one during the ONE WEEK it played in my little corner of the world. Julianne Moore and Mark Ruffalo star in this flick about a world struck by a mysterious case of the titular "Blindness," based on the Nobel prize-winning novel by Jose Saramago.

"My Name Is Bruce"

I can't see any way this can be anything but extremely funny. B-movie king Bruce Campbell stars as himself and takes on Guan-di, the Chinese protector, who has been awakened by teenagers (these kids today!) in the small mining town of Gold Lick.

And with that, I'm off to Ohio to watch the Americans stomp the Mexicans in a World Cup qualifier (honestly, I really have nothing against Mexicans off the pitch, but on it they can will hopefully just suffer a slow and very humiliating defeat.) On a much more civil note, I'll leave you with a rather nifty video showing how they created the Rorschach mask that Jackie Earle Haley will soon don for "Watchmen." Peace out.

Elvis battling vampires? Please say yes to this, Bruce

Having failed to watch any movies this weekend except "Serenity," I was beginning to think there was nothing to talk about today. And then I found something so crazy it made me wake up right away.

If you somehow haven't seen "Bubba Ho-Tep," do so as soon as possible. It's much more fun and surprisingly moving than I can make it sound here, but you've got Bruce Campbell as Elvis and Ossie Davis as JFK and, well, a mummy. And now, thanks, to the twisted mind of Don Coscarelli, it seems we may be in for even more fun.

In a prequel of sorts, "Bubba Nosferatu and the Coven of She-Vampires," the king would be filming a movie in Louisiana when he runs afoul of a coven of, well, she-vampires. And, believe it or not, Paul Giamatti is somehow involved in this madness, to play Col Tom Parker.

What in the world would compel him to do this? Well, as you can probably guess just by looking at him, Giamatti is just a big geek at heart. Here's what he had to say about this to Rotten Tomatoes:

"Did you ever see Bubba Ho-Tep? Great movie. And that director [Don Coscarelli], I love that guy's movies. All the Phantasm movies and stuff. But we are trying to do it."

I'm definitely with him on the "Phantasm" movies (of which there will apparently be a fifth, also from Mr. Coscarelli, in 2008.) The only thing holding this up, apparently, is Elvis. I'd be surprised if Bruce Campbell really does turn his back on this, but so far he's apparently hesitating. Again, Mr. Giamatti:

"Bruce Campbell was waffling around about whether he wants to play Elvis or not again. So that's the problem. I'm playing Colonel Parker, which will be great, but you gotta have Elvis and you really want him playing Elvis, so hopefully we can get him to do it. If not, I'm sure they will try and find somebody else but I think it's contingent on whether he'll do it or not."

Mr. Giamatti, of course, will be in another extremely silly movie very soon, "Shoot 'Em Up," set for release Sept. 7. In the meantime I at least get to spend my Monday thinking about Elvis battling she-vamps, which is of course so much more pleasant than anything else that might come up at my actual job.

Warning: It's gonna get geeky in here

Oddly enough, I found this e-mail from the folks at TFAW.com just after I had finished watching all the "Serenity" extras (and this is a special edition truly worthy of the name, for once.)

It seems that among the "Serenity" and "Firefly" toys you can buy there is a brand new release, the actual papers for the Serenity vessel (no, I'm not kidding.) If you actually have $120 to spend on something as silly (yet undeniably cool) as this, you can get 13, 8 1/2-14 inch papers from the ship, one of which I've included at right. And, if you somehow missed out on the Buffy Season 8 comics, TFAW recently reissued the first four titles (which quickly sold out), and they're promising to do it again very soon, so stay tuned.

And, possibly even better than that is that Eliza Dushku is coming back to Fox TV, and possibly in something that's not craptastic. This rather radical idea comes from Aintitcool, so I'll give all credit before proceeding.

Faith has apparently signed a development deal with Fox and is now in the process of meeting the networks's stable of writers. And who's sitting at Fox with nothing to do at the moment? "Angel" veteran Tim Minear (having been mercifully removed from the sure-to-be-wretched "Angel" ripoff "Moonlight.") So, and as I said I can't take credit for this idea, why not bring the two together for a "Faith the Vampire Slayer"?

That's not even a rumor at this point, but every idea has to start somewhere. Dream with me, people, and I guarantee you'll have a much more bearable Monday. Peace out.

Demko's DVD shelf: Why I love the Muppets so much

In one of my many moments of daily distraction yesterday, I stopped to think of just why I miss the Muppets so much. Was the show ever really that good, or am I simply letting nostalgia cloud my vision?

Well, this week on DVD comes the evidence that it's most likely the former. With season two of "The Muppet Show," you get guest stars including Judy Collins, Don Knotts, Bernadette Peters, George Burns, John Cleese and Bob Hope. And, of course, all your favorite Muppets, from Kermit the Frog on down to the Swedish Chef.

But just what made the Muppets so great, beyond the fact that it came on TV when I was 6 years old and, therefore, rather susceptible to a TV show with awesome puppets? Looking at what passes for "quality" TV nowadays (with a few exceptions that I still tune in for every week), I think I have the answer.

When's the last time there was a genuine variety show on primetime television? The closest thing I can think of (and yes, I understand it's not often on during primetime) is "Saturday Night Live," which hasn't been as funny as "The Muppet Show" since the late 70s. Dave Chappelle, by including great rap acts to close out every show and, of course, offering the funniest skit television in many years, came awfully close too before he cracked up (absolutely no pun intended.)

But the Muppets, in their own way, were every bit as funny as Dave Chappelle, albeit in a much more family-friendly way. Season 2 offers proof in the form of 24 episodes with great skits like "Pigs in Space" and "Veterinarian's Hospital" (there's no way you can't laugh at Rolf operating on his fellow animals.)

And the Muppets weren't just funny. The music, by Muppets and humans alike, was almost always fantastic too. In season two, you get Kermit crooning "It's not Easy Being Green" and Judy Collins' "Send in the Clowns," among many others.

If you don't like the Muppets, well, I guess I can understand that, but, well, I just kind of feel sorry for you.

Other picks this week:

The Simpsons: Season 10: Watching these again on DVD, I've yet to find the point where the shows stopped being fall-down funny. It had to happen sometime in the last five years or so, but until I find the turning point, I'll keep being a sucker for the DVDs.

Bubba Ho-Tep: I can't see any reason to put out yet another version of this on DVD except that we're soon to come upon the 30th anniversary of Elvis' death. Pretty shameless timing, but a great movie nonetheless. A nursing home with Bruce Campbell as Elvis and the late, great Ossie Davis as JFK as residents? It's even better than it sounds here, and almost as touching as it is funny. If you haven't seen it yet, do so now.

Crime Story: Instead of shelling out your hard-earned cash for yet another "Rush Hour" crapfest, why not rent a great Jackie Chan Hong Kong movie. In this one supposedly based on a true story, Jackie's a special agent (shocker!) assigned to protect a wealthy business magnate who gets kidnapped in a daring ambush. Jackie being Jackie, he kicks many butts to get him back, and its just fun to watch.

The most inappropriate Youtube clip ever?

Well, probably not, but I've yet to see one that made me laugh this hard, and it's been at least a week since I pimped for "Superbad," so here goes.

Be warned before you even think of clicking on this one at work: It features, many, many times, Jonah Hill's character drawing pictures of, well, the male unit. If that bothers you, please don't watch this, and I can't stress enough, please don't do so around any of your co-workers. I don't want to get anyone fired here.

If you do watch it, however, be prepared to laugh out loud. I can't tell you anymore except that it contains the words "Ghostbusters lunch box dick treasure chest" in that order. Enjoy!



And, if I didn't lose you with that perfectly crude bit of entertainment, why not another plug for the current best way to waste time on the Internet,
Clarkandmichael.com. Click on it for a very funny series of webisodes featuring George Michael Bluth Cera and bud Clark Duncan trying to pitch a TV series. It's just extremely funny stuff.

And, brace yourself, because it's about to get completely shameless around here. I have no idea if the movie "The Other Boleyn Girl" will be any good or not, and we'll have to wait until December or so to find out, but for now we get this poster featuring Natalie Portman and Scarlett Johansson in rather alluring attire (and, if your eyes can find him in the middle, that is indeed Eric Bana.) Hope this makes your Tuesday just a little more bearable. Peace out.