Movie Matters: Ghost Town

As a self diagnosed Ricky Gervais fiend I was surprised at how heartwarming his first leading man major Hollywood picture, Ghost Town turned out to be. Don't worry, the character Gervais plays, Bertrum Pincus, is perfectly drawn to capitalize on his comedy of manners style of humor.

The plot is fairly simple, a misanthropic dentist, Bertrum Pincus, has a brush with death during a routine operation and now he is haunted by a legion of ghosts visible only to him. These ghosts are on missions to finish unfinished tasked. The leading ghoul,Frank ,played by a betuxed Greg Kinnear, enlists Pincus to break up his widow, played my Tea Leone, and her fiancé. Hilarity and self discovery ensue. If you're looking for a safe romantic comedy to share with that special someone, pick up Ghost Town today.

Movie Matters: Frozen River

Frozen River, is an adult version of The Women. Manicures and facials are out, survival and sacrifice are in. Instead of an affected glossy world of testosterone free bliss, Frozen River is grounded in an unglamorous reality where abandoned women make hard choices for their families. There is no kitschy bond between girlfriends here, instead the bond between women is about survival.

In upstate New York, near the Canadian border, during Christmas time, Ray Eddy, played with grit by Melissa Leo, and her two boys are abandoned and robbed by her husband who's gambling away the down payment for their new home. While looking for her husband and the missing money, Ray gets entangled with a Mohawk woman named Lila who smuggles illegal aliens across the boarder.

As the story unfolds the movie explores the excruciating decisions women make to protect their children. Our mothers sacrificed everything to make sure we had what we needed to survive. There is something uniquely feminine about that kind of strength and I commend the film's writer and director Courtney Hunt for unapologetically portraying real women. See this film if you, like me, like to see woman portrayed as more than mannequins for nice bags and great shoes.

Movie Matters: Paul Newman Dies at 83

Paul Newman was an American treasure and he will be sorely missed. Thanks for entertaining us and inspiring us. Rest in Peace.

TV Matters: Letterman Exposes McCain

Rarely does entertainment intersect so succinctly with current events. Here we have McCain telling a bold face lie to Letterman for no apparent reason. McCain could have easily said, "David, I have to do "The Evening News" because I suspended my campaign today." End of story. Instead, this clip is going viral and the entire affair exposes McCain to endless ridicule.

The best thing to come out of the McCain campaign are the Sara Benincasa Palin vlogs.

Movie Matters: Tell No One

Tell No One is a movie that's so great that no one will see it until after it wins an Oscar. A taut murder mystery, Tell No One asks, "What happens when you bury the truth to protect the ones you love?" In this film, the answers are unsettling but always authentic.

I'm going to avoid going into the particulars of the film, the mystery is part of the fun, but I will say that the performance of the lead actor, François Cluzetis, is utterly breathtaking. Tell No One will be released on DVD on October 15, 2008. You can still catch it at the E Street Cinema or Bethesda Row.

Blogs Matter: Entertainment Matters

One reader asks:

Entertainment Matters? Does it?

Discuss.

Movie Matters: The Women

In a movie with more estrogen than my friend group, The Women, starring Meg Ryan, Annette Benning, Debra Messing, Jada Pinkett-Smith, Eva Mendes, Bette Midler, Murphy Brown, and Princess Leia, is a jumble of emotions and designer footwear. With mindless quips like "Nobody hates Saks," The Women strikes a tired mantra of, "It's hard out here for a princess."

Four friends, a working mother fashion heiress wife of a hedge fund manager, Mary Haines (Meg Ryan); a high powered fashion magazine editor with a shopping addiction, Sylvia Fowler (Annette Benning); an earthy mother of many, Edie Cohen (Debra Messing); and an accomplished lesbian author, Alex Fisher (Jada Pinkett-Smith) lean on each other to face the challenges of motherhood, marriage, work, and friendship.

The only Y chromosome that actually appears on screen emerges from Edie's womb during the final frames of the film in a truly uterus-tugging moment. The movie is generally cute, but somehow misses the mark. If you like nice bags and sassy women you will like this film, but it’s an empty calorie snack.

Movie Matters: Lakeview Terrace

The above trailer makes Lakeview Terrace look like nothing more than a slightly more serious installment of the old movie trope: frat house A pranks frat house B. Instead, it's a sharp character study about modern day racial tensions, the complexities of marriage, and self discovery.

Samuel Jackson puts in a solid performance as Able Turner, a widower cop who's trying to raise two kids. Tension mounts when bi-racial newlyweds Chris and Lisa Mattson, played with startling authenticity by Patrick Wilson and Kerry Washington, move in next door.

The primary conflict is between Chris and Able who are negative images of each other. Chris is a young liberal carefree optimistic Good (Whole Foods) exec who just wants us all to get along. Able is a conservative 28-year veteran of the Force who sees the world as a dangerous place that he must protect his kids from. These world views collide in interesting and explosive ways as the physical proximity of these two characters force them to interact with each other.

I highly recommend Lakeview Terrace because it exposes truths about the world we live in with a flare only Hollywood can deliver.

YouTube Matters: Black vs. Black

Racial humor is one of the cornerstones of my funny. The above clip explains why exploiting racial stereotypes for comedic affect is so effective. (Did he use affect and effect correctly in that last sentence? - If you asked yourself that question read this other bastion of race based comic genius.)

Music Matters: <{The Electives}>

<{The Electives}>, Astrodynamics, EP, International Rocket Service (I.R.S.)and Unique Bias Records, Inc.
Download Now: Cleopatra

Remember when you were 16 and all you cared about was impressing that P.Y.T. in 4th period? Well, if you're like me, you always failed because there were always kids like <{The Electives}> in that same Bio class who just got back from the studio and performed at the local "18 to party, 21 to drink" club last weekend. Before the flashback of your humiliating adolescence blinds you with irrational rage against the <{The Electives}> give these aspiring rock stars a chance. Their music is brimming with possibilities and fun to listen to.

For full discloser's sake band member, The Incredible {Maskot} AKA The Kick-Rocker AKA Captain Kidd is my kid brother, Joseph Mosby. Joseph, as you transcend to rock stardom I want you to remember uncle Sput's words, "Don't have a family unless you are planning on having a family." Keep up the fresh.

Satire Matters: Rachel Maddow and Sara Benincasa's Sarah Palin

My number one crush at the moment is on Rhodes Scholar and hottie Rachel Maddow who is only out of my league because she's a lesbian. My second biggest crush right now is on Sara Benincasa who portrays Sarah Palin in a series of leaked vlogs from the McCain/Palin campaign. What really makes the volgs work is the work of Diana Saez whose Dina Heath-Barr apparently loves Rachel as much as I do. The sad truth is that Dina Heath-Barr has a better shot at Rachel than I do. Tear.

Satire Matters: Sara Benincasa's Sarah Palin

While the world has been clamoring for SNL to bring back Tina Fey to do Sarah Palin, I'm throwing Sara Benincasa's name into the ring. Sara Benincasa's Sarah Palin is likable, believable, and completely insane. With her comic partner Diana Saez as Dina Heath-Barr, Palin's cousin, personal stylist,and campaign manager, Benincasa lampoons the ridiculous vice presidential run of Governor Sarah Palin with an inspired improvisational style.

I was tempted to include all of the Palin Vlogs, but just visit Benincasa's YouTube page. For even more Benincasa comedy visit her blog Que Sera Sara - Whatever will be, will be Sara B.