Author Archives: Frank Rodasky

CoCo + TBS = Very Funny

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I'm With COCO!

At one time, NBC’s The Tonight Show was the dominant force in late night television.

For over fifty years, millions of viewers watched from their beds as celebrities sat on a couch and chatted with a friendly host from a television stage in Hollywood.

Americans fell asleep to The Tonight Show, and talked about it the next day with friends, classmates or co-workers.

In June of last year, Conan O’Brien, star of Late Night With Conan O’Brien, became the fifth man to host The Tonight Show, succeeding Jay Leno, who’d held the job since 1992. A former Simpsons and Saturday Night Live writer, O’Brien had polished his appeal to college age viewers on Late Night, with the help of self deprecating humor and inventive comedy bits featuring Triumph the Insult Comic Dog, a bear that practiced lots of “self love,” and gimmick episodes like the one filmed in clay animation.

Only a few months into his tenure, Jay Leno and NBC began to have a major case of seller’s remorse. The complicated details would require much more space than I have on this page, and other publications have explained it all before, better than I can. Continue reading →

Undercover Boss: CEOs Get In Touch With Reality

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PHOTO | COURTESY OF CBS TV

Modern corporate CEOs aren’t the most popular guys in America. While workers face stagnant wages and high unemployment, the Chief Executive Officer is not only guaranteed a fat paycheck, but usually also multi-million dollar bonuses, even if their company is suffering. Given these circumstances, CEOs tend to be the very definition of “out of touch.”

Undercover Boss, a new reality show on CBS, takes a CEO out of his comfort zone and onto the front lines of his company.

Each week, the show follows a different CEO and goes undercover as a new employee in his own company. The other participants are told the camera crew is on hand to film a documentary on entry-level jobs. The result is surprisingly enjoyable and effective.

All the participants seem genuinely changed by the events of the show. The workers share their personal stories of trying to make it on low wages, while the CEO is humbled by their dedication and his own inability to do the same work. The CEO meets good and bad employees. Some are overworked or suffering from poor work environment or personal tragedies.

One early episode featured the head of Hooter’s Restaurant, Coby Brooks. As a male worker, Brooks was not subjected to the same tank top and hot pants outfit as his much younger female coworkers were, but he saw first hand the negative public reaction the Hooter girls deal with, not only from the public but also from a chauvinistic male manager.

Brooks, perhaps a little tone deaf to modern sexual politics, was surprised by the hostile environment created by the manager (who forced his waitresses to participate in degrading food eating contests for his own enjoyment). For the first time, Brooks seemed to question if his restaurant was the type of place he would want his own daughter to work.

At another Hooters location, Brooks was impressed by a female manager who seemed to care about her workers as people first, becoming a surrogate mother to her employees.

Another episode followed David Rife, the owner of White Castle, a fast food chain. Rife found disorganization and low morale, while also realizing that working the drive-thru window was even tougher than it looked.

Fortunately, the worker who trained him for the window was an employee with a heart of gold, straight out of central casting. The worker told Rife he must work long hours in order to provide for his vision-impaired son.

At one of the company’s food processing plants (where the burgers are prepackaged) Rife met a supervisor who seemed to enjoy taking breaks when her employees need her most.

At the end of each episode, the CEO reveals himself to the duped workers, congratulating those who impressed him and rebuking those who disappointed him. The reveal is also used to award those employees who really touched the CEO’s heart, sometimes with cash gifts, scholarships or promotions within the company.

It would be easy to dismiss the show as pure theatrical manipulation. To some degree, it is. Each episode features the good employee who loves his job because it represents the American dream, along with the employee who suffers personal hardship or tragedy.

Featured also is a bad employee who distresses the undercover boss because he/she is rude to customers, hard to work with and generally fails to live up to the corporate code of conduct.

The structured nature of each episode doesn’t mean it is staged, however. The situations never seem contrived or scripted, just carefully selected for maximum impact.

It can be argued however, that the show is thinly veiled public relations. The awards given to the employees with hardships are really very small on the corporate level, much less than a 30 second TV commercial would cost. For only a few thousand dollars (the size of the typical award given on the show), the CEOs buy themselves millions in good PR.

Or maybe it really is just an enjoyable show spotlighting good-hearted corporate bosses. Undercover Boss airs Sunday nights at 8 P.M.

Green Zone Takes the Easy Road

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PHOTO | UNIVERSAL STUDIOS

Any films on recent history tend to be a tricky endeavor. The timeliness makes for relevancy, but mining modern events and issues for entertainment value can seem exploitative. Green Zone addresses the complexities of why the U.S. went to war with Iraq, without fully embracing the shades of gray prevalent in international politics. Like most Hollywood films, it wants the answers to be easier than they really are.

The film’s trailers make the reteaming of director Paul Greengrass (The Bourne Supremacy) with Matt Damon look like another espionage action movie. The action scenes are there, but the thrills are more of the political nature.

Damon plays Roy Miller, the leader of a U.S. military squad charged with finding locations housing Saddam Hussein’s weapons of mass destruction. Frustrated by fighting their way through hostile citizens and deadly insurgents only to come up empty on WMDs, Miller wants answers. The bureaucratic pushback he receives from a Pentagon officer (Greg Kinnear), along with information from a CIA officer (Brendan Gleeson) suggests a political cover up.

Damon’s character begins to voice concern with the shaky intelligence that spurred the Iraq invasion. With the help of a pro-American Iraqi called “Freddie” (Khalid Abdallah), Miller begins to see General Al-Rawi, one of Saddam’s former top lieutenants, as the key to the story’s mystery.

The Green Zone is the name for the heart of Iraq’s provisional government in the city of Baghdad. There U.S. military, intelligence and Bush administration officials are portrayed as trying control the direction of Iraq’s future government, with little or no local influence. The film’s story is “inspired by” a nonfiction book about the real life area.

But like typical film adaptations, the complexities are simplified, characters are flattened and it’s nearly enough that the hero knows he is right, even if no one else believes him.

Damon is always steady; he’s perfected the morally strong everyman type that Harrison Ford used to be known for. His character struggles with the human cost of war in a shadow world of international politics, willing to risk his career for the truth.

Yet except for less believable action scenes near the end of the film, there seems to be little direct consequences for Miller and his men. Roadside and suicide bombers don’t figure into this story, and his men don’t seem to be threatened by insurgents beyond the opening scene. It is only when he goes out on his own when Damon’s character seems really at risk, and that’s mostly because his government has deemed him collateral damage.

Any appearance by Brendan Gleeson is also always welcome; he’s another great British character actor that radiates realism and authority. It’s interesting to see a film where a CIA agent is portrayed as a champion of truth and justice instead of part of a rogue agency that topples foreign governments.

Khalid Abdallah has the most three dimensional character, playing an Iraqi that wants what is best for his people, yet distressed by the Americans’ inability to understand what that is. Abdallah’s nuanced character becomes two dimensional at the climax, in order to fit the parameters of the too tidy ending.

The likable Greg Kinnear is a one-note villain, seemingly focused on his political maneuvers, damn the consequences. Kinnear comes across like an evil department of motor vehicles clerk; no humanity behind his eyes and completely closed off to common sense and reason. His character is a good example of modern political thought; people of different ideology are simply evil and must be stopped at all costs. This indictment is true of the current left and right sides of the political aisle.

Green Zone will likely receive criticism for being anti-American. This may not be entirely fair; the issues the film brings up are legitimate. But it’s clumsy attempts at answering tough questions is hard to defend. Although Damon’s character is simply trying to do what is right, the villains are clearly administration officials and a group of U.S. Special Forces there to do the government’s dirty work, Saddam’s former general is portrayed sympathetically.

For those wishing to watch a more realistic version of U.S./Middle East politics, Damon’s film from 2005, Syriana is recommended. Green Zone commits a major sin common in filmmaking; it paints the real world in simple black and white.

Shutter Island – Thriller compels second viewing

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Official Movie Poster

When the trailer for Shutter Island first appeared last year, it suggested a creepy, perhaps a bit “over the top” horror film starring Leonardo DiCaprio, set for an October 2009 release. Partially the result of a bad economy (production studio Paramount claimed an inability to muster the $50-60 million for advertising) and DiCaprio’s unavailability for an international press tour (he was working on his next film by the fall), Shutter Island was held back until February 2010.

February is typically the worst month for movies; box office is down so studios don’t waste their best films during this time. It’s like the bargain bins after Christmas; only the junk no one else wanted is left.

This is unfortunate for Shutter Island, a very good film by legendary director Martin Scorsese (Raging Bull, Goodfellas), but good for the audience. Shutter is a fast moving psychological thriller that gets better as it proceeds, with a payoff that warrants a second viewing in order to appreciate all the little details that may have been missed the first time around.

Set in 1954, DiCaprio is a U.S. Marshall named Teddy Daniels, who travels with his new partner (Mark Ruffalo) to Shutter Island, where a hospital for the criminally insane is reporting a strange disappearance of one of their patients. The hospital’s psychiatrist (the great Ben Kingsley) tells the investigators that the missing patient is a woman who murdered her own children and has created a delusional world to avoid facing the guilt for her actions.

The island has the oppressive feeling of a prison colony, and Daniels is not only dealing with the strange circumstances of a case which seems impossible to solve; he is also haunted by flashbacks of Nazi concentration camp atrocities he witnessed in World War II and grief over the murder of his wife.

Daniels admits to his partner that he requested assignment to the Shutter Island case because the man he thinks responsible for his wife’s death is also a patient in the hospital.

Already tasked with finding a woman who seems to have vanished into thin air, Daniels’ obsession with the suspect of his wife’s murder threatens to unhinge him.

DiCaprio cannot really be described as a great actor who can tackle any role, but in this film he perfectly captures the soul of a man who cannot let go of his grief, no matter what the cost.

Mark Ruffalo is very good as always. More than just a partner, he is Daniels’ lifeline in a place that seems to inspire madness instead of treat it. Kingsley manages a balance of medical humanity and bureaucratic obfuscation.

Director Scorsese employs his usual visual flair. Life on Shutter Island seems gray and muted, dream sequences and memory flashbacks are bathed in harsh colors, sharp enough to cut. As events progress, the world around Daniels and his partner seems to close in, becoming more foreboding.

Audiences may feel misled by the film’s trailer. Shutter Island is not a “torture porn” scare-fest along the lines of Saw or Hostel.

Although disturbing images abound, the thrills are more of the psychological nature, and those who rely on a high body count to be entertained will be disappointed. Scorsese’s films focus less on the events and more on their effect on characters in the story.

Shutter Island ranks among his best in the last decade, and is a welcome piece of high quality entertainment in an otherwise graveyard of movie releases. It lingers with the viewer and holds up under reflection.

BIT Presents Enjoyable ‘Night’

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Canyon may seem a strange place to watch a performance of any William Shakespeare play; the Panhandle doesn’t exactly remind theatergoers of Elizabethan England.

Yet West Texas A&M University’s strong Fine Arts program, in conjunction with the Branding Iron Theatre, is clearly capable of putting on lively interpretations of even Shakespeare’s lesser known works.

Twelfth Night, or What You Will, is a fine example of a university drama company at its best. Enthusiastic actors finely directed, buoyed by minimalistic stage dressing and creative costumes combining to breathe life into what some readers of Shakespeare consider one of his less readable plays (okay, this is mostly my opinion).

As soon as the lights come up on the sparsely furnished stage, Duke Orsino (Bryan Lewis) calls out, “If music be the food of love, play on.” Orsino is hopelessly smitten with Lady Olivia, who is mourning the death of her brother and not in the mood to be wooed.

Subtle lighting design by Shawn Irish and sound effects by Andrew Donnelly shift the story to another location, where a shipwreck has cast ashore Viola (Terah Zoman), who has been separated from her brother and fears him lost.

The only other known survivor, the ship’s captain (Nathan Gregory), tells Viola of the love struck Duke in nearby Illyria, and Viola decides to disguise herself as a man in hopes of finding work with either the Duke or Lady Olivia.

Like other Shakespearean comedies, the plot of this play hinges on mistaken identities or situations. The direction and performances of the cast are careful to highlight the absurdities of the plot.

Emmy Harris as Lady Olivia, the center point of the play’s love interests, fits her part well. As a grieving and slightly petulant object of desire, she is more than a little tired of being pursued while her own interests are neglected.

Two of the standouts of the performance are Kirk Corely as Lady Olivia’s uncle Sir Toby, and Keith Gamblin as Sir Andrew, Toby’s partner in drinking and mischief. Both actors use clever physical comedy to draw out some of the biggest laughs of the play. The creative costume work of Anne Medlock deserves special attention, too. Instead of stately period clothing, each actor wears what appears to be hybrid of time periods, basing color and pattern on each character’s personality. Toby and Andrew are dressed like garish racetrack patrons; Lady Olivia’s dress is stately and beautiful.

Another highlight is Casey Hayes as Malvolio, the delusional, uptight steward of Lady Olivia’s house who gets tricked into making a fool out of himself for love. Zeke Lewis as Feste provides some quality song performances, ably supported by Lars Maurseth’s musician.

The fast paced play is a credit to the direction of Perry Crafton, associate professor of theatre. For the uninitiated, Shakespeare’s dialogue can be a labyrinth to get lost in. But the production keeps things flowing, and all the actors seem to enjoy their work, making it easy for the audience to join in on the fun.

Performances run February 17-20th at 7:30 p.m. at the Branding Iron Theatre. Admission is $10 for reserved seating, $7 for children and seniors. WT students get in for free.

Top seeds battle for Super Bowl Time

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PHOTO | NEWORLEANSSAINTS.COM

This weekend’s Super Bowl has a pervasive ring of justice to it. The two best teams, led by the two best quarterbacks; no Bret Favre after maneuvering his way out of New York and into Minnesota, bypassing training camp. No inconsistent Tony Romo and Jerry Jones’ multi-billion dollar stadium. No scowling Bill Belichick coldly running up the score with his Patriots. No Jets, Jaguars or Eagles. No pretenders.

Just two great teams. One the model of football excellence, the other trying to desperately wipe away decades of frustration and bring a broken city its first major pro sports championship. The game may be a masterful game of chess between two great quarterbacks and their coaches, or an offensive shootout in which the result is decided midway through the third quarter. Either way, Super Bowl XLIV in Miami will provide the payoff this season teased us with.

The Indianapolis Colts have experience and pure excellence in the form of quarterback Peyton Manning on their side.

The New Orleans Saints have a loving fan base; perhaps the second best quarterback in the game (Drew Brees) and the glow of an underdog. Let’s face it; it’s hard to root against New Orleans after all that city has been through.

Much was made of the regular season storylines of these two teams. Both started 13-0 before losing out on the quest for the perfect year. The Saints stumbled against an inconsistent Dallas team and ended up losing the last three games of the regular season.

The Colts sat most of their starters in week 17, declaring playoff preparation more important than the perfect season. Sports writers and broadcasters screamed doom and gloom for Indy; they’d lost their momentum and in the process, given other teams confidence enough to beat them in the playoffs.

Too bad confidence doesn’t equal success. The Colts looked as sharp as ever when they handled the New York Jets.

The Saints’ win over the Vikings was exciting and error filled. Needing overtime and a late errant pass by Bret Favre to make it to Miami, New Orleans will have to play better against Peyton Manning and the Colts.

A closer look at some of the stats and storylines provides some indication as to which team should hoist the Lombardi trophy next Sunday night.

Offense

New Orleans was slightly better on the road (7-1) versus home (6-2) and ended this regular season first in overall offense and fourth in passing and sixth in rushing. In the playoffs, they seem a little more mortal. In total yards, they drop from first in the regular season to fifth in the playoffs. Indy jumped from ninth in the season to fourth in the post season.

Indianapolis finished the season 14-2, 7-1 at home and on the road. The Colts passing offense was ranked number two this regular season and their sometimes almost non-existent rushing game was ranked eighth. They perform with their backs to the wall, besting the Saints’ third and fourth down conversion percentage by about five points in the regular season. In the playoffs, the numbers tighten a bit.

X Factors

The Saints’ Reggie Bush is currently 11th in rushing for this year’s playoffs. Against the Vikings, he was merely an afterthought. New Orleans needs him. Tight end Jeremy Shockey will be playing in his first Super Bowl, having missed out with the New York Giants in 2007 because of an injury. The fiery Shockey was ineffective against Minnesota in the NFC title game, saying his bad right knee had him basically playing on one leg. If anyone can grit through the pain, it’s Shockey.

Colts wide receiver Pierre Garcon ranked second in the NFL in receiver yards this season and took advantage of New York’s focus on teammate Dallas Clark to rack up 151 yards in the AFC title game. His speed and hustle could be a deciding factor.

Quarterbacks

Drew Brees’ 109.6 quarterback rating (third overall) and steady leadership is the main reason why the Saints are such a juggernaut. At 6-feet, Brees is small for a QB, but his stature hasn’t kept him from success; he is the all time franchise record holder in several single game and single season passing records, including 5,069 yards in one season.

Brees is known as lower key and less intense than his Colts counterpart. He seems to fit the city of New Orleans; he’s an undersized guy who works hard and seems to get it done out of sheer determination.

Four-time NFL Most Valuable Player, Peyton Manning, had another spectacular season, further cementing the argument for his consideration as one of the greatest players of all time. With a QB rating of 104.6 (fourth overall) and unmatched instincts and knowledge of the game, Manning is as close to a one-man team as a football player gets. Always seeming to be the smartest guy on the field and nearly unshakable in the face of pressure.

PHOTO | COLTS.COM

X Factors

Nearly completely destroyed, the city of New Orleans is still fragile, slowly rebuilding after Hurricane Katrina in 2005. If Brees leads the Saints to a Super Bowl victory, he may go down as one of the Big Easy’s greatest heroes. The weight of an entire city may be just a bit too much.

Manning was born in New Orleans and his father, Archie holds many of the Saints franchise quarterback records Brees has yet to claim. It’s doubtful Manning has any conflicting emotions about playing his hometown team in the Super Bowl. He’d be just as competitive going to the New York Giants, his younger brother Eli’s team.

Whatever Drew Brees can do, Peyton Manning can do better. Brees may have big game jitters; Manning definitely won’t.

Defense

Ranking sixteenth in defense doesn’t seem to give the Saints much chance at stopping the Colts’ passing game. Add to this the fact Indy ranked second in fewest quarterback sacks this season, and Saints’ defensive coordinator Gregg Williams’ promise to give Manning some memorable shots doesn’t seem that likely. Manning has a high-speed clock in his head, allowing him to get rid of the football quickly and avoid big hits.

The Colts had the second best defense and proved it many times this season; shutting down teams like the Patriots on fourth down and consistently tightening the screws against their opponents in the later quarters.

ESPN.com has reported defensive end Dwight Freeney’s ankle injury, originally thought to be just a sprain is actually a torn ligament. Publicly the team says it expects Freeney to play. If he does, he won’t be effective.

X Factors

The referees will probably be watching New Orleans a little closer than last time, given the NFL’s admittance that defensive end Bobby McCray should have received more penalty calls for his late hits on Bret Favre last time. This could be a high scoring game.

Head Coaches

Sean Payton came to New Orleans the same year as Drew Brees; one could argue he is just as integral to their success. A former quarterback coach in Philadelphia, Payton knows how difficult it is to go toe to toe with Manning. Brees will be as prepared as possible. The Saints’ ugly win against the Vikings was worrisome, though. If Favre hadn’t thrown that bonehead interception, the city of New Orleans would be talking about what could have been right now.

Jim Caldwell took over following Tony Dungy’s retirement, and kept most of his system in place. This resulted in Caldwell’s Colts equaling Dungy’s Colts for best regular season record of 14-2. Not bad for a rookie head coach. His decision to sit Manning and most of his starters in a winnable game against the Jets was a bit of a head scratcher. He’s more likely to have big game jitters than his quarterback.

X Factors

Caldwell has a winning blueprint from the Dungy days. Payton may be able to inspire his players by convincing them how badly the city of New Orleans needs this win; needs something, anything to celebrate.

Final Analysis

There are so many reasons to cheer for the Saints – great quarterback, sad history, great city trying to comeback. But they’re not playing sentiment. They’re playing Peyton Manning and the Colts, who are like UFC middleweight champion Anderson Silva; taking a few rounds to figure his opponent out, then system-atically dismantling them.

The Colts have done that all year, starting slow before taking out the other team in the third and fourth quarters. Sunday should follow that pattern, with a 34-17 Colts win, adding a third Vince Lombardi trophy to the Manning family trophy case.

3-D Sports on the Horizon

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GRAPHICS | ESPN.COM

The announcement of a three-dimensional sports channel conjures up images of major league fastballs or NFL tacklers appearing to bust through the television screen at the viewer. The reality is not so dynamic, although still impressive to those who have sampled early offerings. Like all new technology, it will not be immediately widely available, and it won’t be cheap.

3-D movies are the hot thing right now, with Pixar’s Up and James Cameron’s Avatar being to recent successes. ESPN, one of the early adopters of high definition broadcasting, is spearheading 3-D television.
After two years of testing and development by parent company Disney, ESPN 3D is slated to debut on June 11th, with a World Cup soccer match and 85 more live events throughout the next year including the Summer X games, NBA and college football and basketball games.

Each event will use seven 3-D cameras and high quality graphics along with standard 2-D cameras in order to create a high “depth-of-field” environment. In other words, a Tony Romo pass won’t appear to fly toward the viewer’s hands; that would require cameras mounted on Dallas Cowboy receivers. 3-D miniature cameras that players can wear are still down the road.

The effect will more closely approximate watching the game through an open window instead of a flat television screen. Foreground images will seem closer and more real, while background images will have more depth, creating a more “real world” sensation than typical television.

The high cost of producing the 3-D content will have several ramifications. ESPN 3D will be a subscription channel (not part of standard cable packages) and a strictly live network, causing repeat programming to go “dark” or off the air when no events are broadcast.

Not only will customers have to purchase a subscription to the network, they will need 3-D televisions, 3-D glasses and possibly 3-D cable boxes. All which would be pricey (Wired magazine suggests the TVs to sell in the $3,000 price range). Also, 3-D viewing has been known to cause eye strain and headaches in many viewers. Perhaps not least of all, how many people will want to watch the Super Bowl wearing those dorky 3-D glasses for four hours?

The tech industry doesn’t seem worried, however. Consumer Electronics Association predicted sales of 3-D television sets to reach over 2 million this year, with an increased market share of 25 percent within the next three years.

With Discovery Communications (The Discovery Channel, TLC) planning its own 3-D programming (who can’t wait for Toddler’s & Tiaras in 3-D?), the technology looks as if it will get a decent tryout with the consumer audience. ESPN is firmly committed to at least one year of broadcast, with evaluation on its future to follow. For now, the sports network seems confident in the new technology.

“ESPN is an industry leader in developing creative and dynamic technical innovations that enhance the experience for fans – such as being the first to launch a 24/7 high-definition network in March 2003,” ESPN Senior Vice President and Executive Producer of Event Production Jed Drake said in a statement.

“With 44 Sports Emmys for technology, it is only fitting that ESPN plays a cutting edge role in exploring the use of 3-D game telecasts to better serve the fans.”

‘Freaky’ Flight of Fun with the Conchords

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PHOTO | Album - Sub Pop

Like their previous releases, Flight of the Conchords’ new CD, “I Told You I Was Freaky,” is more of a soundtrack to their self-titled HBO comedy show than a stand-alone album.

For fans of the New Zealand comedy folk duo’s show, each track brings to mind the hilarious television segments/music videos.

For new listeners, songs such as the synthesizer laden “Fashion is Danger” may lack some of the comedic impact without the 1980s “New Wave” visuals.

But the cleverness of the duo (Bret McKenzie and Jemaine Clement) is evident in their offbeat lyrics and creative takes on many forms of popular music.

As the second season of the show didn’t quite live up to the first, the same can be said of this album. Not quite the gem of its predecessor, but still worth the money.

The thirteen tracks offered are mostly strong. The title track features Bret’s attempt at “freakiness” to impress a prospective girlfriend.

“Rambling Through the Avenues of Time” finds Bret wistfully recalling an idealized afternoon with a mysterious woman while Jemaine drops skeptical comments.

Bret: She looked like a Parisian river…

Jemaine: What, dirty?

Bret: She looked like a chocolate éclair…

Jemaine: That’s rare.

“Petrov, Yelyena and Me” is the story of three Russian sailors lost at sea, with two of them seeing the third as food. Bret uses a reggae beat to steer Jemaine from a life as a male gigolo in “You Don’t Have to Be a Prostitute.”

Jemaine has two of the albums’ other highlights. “Carol Brown” recounts his failed relationships (“Carol Brown just took a bus out of town, but I’m hoping that you’ll stick around”).

“Too Many D**ks on the Dance Floor” is about the desperate guys who scare away all the women from the night club scene (“Goin’ to a party, sippin’ on Bacardi, wanna meet a hottie, but there’s Adam, Steve and Marty”).

Unfortunately, like previous albums, the negative lies in what is left out. The Conchords are building quite a stable of good songs that for some reason or another appear on the show but not on disc, including the charity song for epileptic dogs and the swashbuckling ballad “Love is a Weapon of Choice.”

For fans that like to buy songs from iTunes, the previously unreleased “Pencils in the Wind,” where the boys compare love to office supplies, is now available. Maybe the overlooked tracks from this new season will be available as downloads in the future, as well.

Since the Conchords came to the attention of American audiences, they’ve been constantly touring, recording in the studio or filming their HBO series. With a well-earned rest, this may be their last output for a while. Fortunately, the appeal of their material goes beyond the comedic; the songs are catchy enough to justify a prominent place on their fans’ iPods.

Here or There: Night of the Living Dead/Zombieland

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Night_of_the_Living_Dead_

Official movie poster.

HERE – NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD (DVD, Image Ten)

Review by Frank Rodasky

“They’re coming to get you, Bar¬bara…”

When George Romero’s Night of the Living Dead was released on October 1968, it was another in a long line of “zombie” horror movies, a genre that had been around for more than thirty years. But the film’s use of a black man as a strong, intelligent hero during the height of America’s Civil Rights upheaval, shocking violence and stark, black and white photography made the film ground¬breaking.

With a tiny production budget using amateur actors, mortician’s wax for zombie makeup and chocolate sauce for blood, the film created a new sub-genre, the “zombie apocalypse,” in which humanity faces extinc¬tion at the hands of the undead cannibals.

Set in rural Pennsylvania, the story opens with Johnny (the film’s co-producer Russell Streiner) and Barbara (Judith O’Dea), brother and sister, visiting their father’s grave. Barba¬ra’s phobia of cemeteries makes Johnny taunt his sister, telling her that a man they can see walking nearby is after her. When the man, acting as if in a trance, wordlessly attacks her, Johnny is killed trying to defend her. The killer, joined by several others who are actually reanimated corpses, chase her into a nearby abandoned farmhouse. Soon after, a mysterious man (Duane Jones) arrives to fight off the zombies and secure the house as a fortress for the human survivors.

Jones’ role as Ben, the leader of a group of people trying to survive a zombie plague, was historic. Not only was he the first black actor to star in a horror film, but his role was completely race neutral. In a time when black Americans were margin¬alized in film and society as a whole, Ben is more than an equal to the white char¬acters. He takes charge of their survival, demonstrating a strength and resourceful¬ness unheard of for blacks in film of that time.

Released six months after Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated, the film’s intent was to scare, not preach. Director Romero has said that he had no real intention to make a statement on race; he was simply cast Duane Jones because he gave the best film audition.

The character’s race is never di¬rectly addressed in the film; tension between the characters is grounded in their fight for survival. Still, much credit has been given for letting the character of Ben be more than a racial stereotype.

Compared to today’s expensive digital effects and “torture porn” style of horror, Night of the Living Dead is dated. The film is grainy black and white, with poor audio synching. Multiple production gaffes (watch for film crew member’s hands placing props into frame) help to create the overall low budget feel.

But the film generates some real tension. There is an overwhelming sense of dread from the first frames, a dread that continues to the shock ending.

As a time capsule of the turbulent sixties, the film is a flawed classic.

zombieland_movie_poster_99

Official movie poster

THERE – Zombieland (Sony Pictures)
Review by Sam Carter

The newest addition to the Zombie movie saga is Ruben Fleischer’s new film, Zombieland. This movie stars Woody Harrelson and Jesse Eisenberg as two of the last survivors in a post apocalyptic, zombie-ridden world. This movie completely represents what zombie movies have evolved into. It is well done but still hinges on moments of cheesiness and gore. It follows the narration of Eisenberg’s character, Columbus, through his cowardly ways of surviving since the virus hit. He meets Harrelson’s character, Tallahassee, who is a zombie-killing freak who prides himself on his killing ability and is searching the earth for the world’s last Twinkie. The movie actually becomes a story of family and love as the last survivors band together in one of the greatest zombie fight scenes ever at the end of this film.

This movie is action- packed at the beginning and end and does a great job of being ominous and building tension. You can’t help but feel the tension, as you believe there is a zombie around every corner. Even greater than the horror in this horror-comedy is the comedy part. Zombieland is full of laughs; the banter between Tallahassee and Columbus is hilarious as they are complete opposites.

Zombieland isn’t quite the groundbreaking film that some of its predecessors in the genre have been, but it is an entertaining film that would make for a great Halloween outing. This movie has funny and scary moments; it has a Bill Murray cameo and zombies. What more could you possibly ask for?

Here or… just here!: Flight of the Conchords

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Frank Rodasky
Guest Reviewer

When The Flight of the Conchords, a comedy music duo from New Zealand burst onto the American scene during the summer of 2007, their irreverent, deadpan humor and catchy songs made the pair an instant cult favorite.

Broadcast on HBO, the first season of the series told a fictionalized account of two musicians (Jemaine Clement and Bret McKenzie) trying to make it in New York City, with a little help from their clueless manager, Murray (Rhys Darby) and their one and only fan, the obsessive Mel (Kristen Schaal).

Each episode found Jemaine (not “Jer-maine”) and Bret (sounds like “Brit”) struggling to land a decent music gig, fend off Mel’s advances and convince everyone that New Zealanders are in fact in no way similar to their arch-nemesis Australians, intermingled with hilarious folk/rap/synth pop novelty music.

The second season was released on DVD recently and for anyone who missed the cable broadcast of the episodes, the set is a must have. With all ten episodes and few extras including a “making of” documentary, season two is not the flawless jewel that its predecessor was, but will keep the FOTC fan warm until the next season, if there is one.

The first three episodes are fairly disappointing, suffering from somewhat uninspired songs and uneven pacing. Having many of the supporting characters take on singing duty seems more like an attempt at spreading the screen time instead of offering the best product.

The quality picks up with episode four. “Murray Takes It to the Next Level” finds Jemaine and Bret’s manager graphing his friendship progress with the two. Rhys Darby gets some of his best bits here; being clueless and resolute at the same time.

In “Unnatural Love,” Jemaine realizes with horror that he has spent the night with an Australian woman and features the best song of the season. In “Carol Brown,” he sings of all his past girlfriends (“Mimi would no longer see me, Britney—Britney hit me”) while they berate him in chorus.

In another great episode, “New Zealand Town,” the boys get addicted to coolness inducing hair gel, inspiring the ultra stylistic tune, “Fashion is Danger.”

The rest of the season features Jemaine and Bret doing a benefit show for epileptic dogs, posing as a Simon and Garfunkle tribute band, becoming the stars of a Murray-penned stage musical and seeing their dream of American success finally shattered.

HBO has expressed interest in the series continuing, but Clement and McKenzie have not publicly committed; citing the long preparation time of writing quality scripts, to say nothing of plot appropriate songs. If this is the final Flight of the Conchords, the brilliantly creative duo went out on top.