Tag / Breaking In

by admin

2019: The Year In Movies

Movie_Reel_22

The return of my annual long December vacation, with very little to do otherwise, saw a big increase in movie watching for me, with my highest total since 2011.  I managed to watch 89 movies last year, my eighth consecutive year under 100.  Again, many things contributed to this, chiefly the insane amount of TV I’ve been watching, the greater effort made towards going out for walks, and the awful amount of time I spend either at work or getting to and from work.

Here’s a look back at the first 50 movies I did manage to watch last year and what recollection, if any, I have of them. The films are listed in the order I saw them.

Life Of The Party (2018)
Melissa McCarthy joins her daughter at college after her husband leaves her.

The Haunted Mansion (2003)
Eddie Murphy tackles a movie based on the Disneyland ride.

Downsizing (2017)
Matt Damon shrinks himself to 5 inches tall, gaining wealth but losing a wife.

Knight And Day (2010)
A young woman gets mixed up with a disgraced spy who is trying to clear his name.

Keep Watching (2017)
A gang of intruders takes a family hostage and forces them to play a game.

The Space Between Us (2017)
The first human born on Mars heads to Earth to find his long-distance crush, even if it will kill him.

Black Mirror: Bandersnatch (2018)
A choose-your-own-adventure film about a young kid trying to make it in the video game industry.

Bird Box (2018)
A woman tries to save her two children in a world where seeing things leads to death.

Hereditary (2018)
A grieving family is haunted by tragic and disturbing occurrences.

Invasion Of The Body Snatchers (1978)
Aliens take over the human race. Continue reading →

by admin

Post Mortem – Mind Games

mindgames-676x250I’ve been a fan of Christian Slater dating back to 1988’s Heathers.  Unlike most, I have enjoyed his recent forays into television, including My Own Worst Enemy, The Forgotten, and Breaking In.  I’m also a fan of Steve Zahn.  That said, putting the two together in this vehicle so the two could shout at each other did not result in a winning formula, which is why ABC pulled Mind Games off the air after only 5 episodes.

Mind Games was the tale of a bi-polar human psychology genius teaming up with his ex-con brother to start a new business where they use the “real science of human motivation and manipulation” to solve the problems of their clients.  Not a great concept, but with two likeable stars, alongside reliable bit players like Megalyn Echikunwoke and Jaime Ray Newman, the show earned a spot in my rotation when it premiered in February.  Unfortunately, with all of the screaming, things never really came together.

by jim

Post Mortem – Breaking In

FOX originally cancelled Breaking In, a decent comedy starring Christian Slater and Bret Harrison, following the 2010-2011 season, but then decided to bring it back at the last minute.  Due to the timing of the renewal, some changes had to be made, and none of them were for the better.  Michael Rosenbaum was out completely and Odette Annable, who had snagged a role on House, only came back for two episodes before being written out.  In their place, the always annoying Megan Mullally was brought in, which totally changed the tone of the show, again not for the better. The one good addition for season 2 was Erin Richards, as Mullally’s assistant, who gave the show a brief ray of sunshine.

Only 5 of the 13 episodes filmed for season 2 have been aired to this point, and there is no word if or when the remaining 8 episodes will see the light of day.  I have no idea why FOX even bothered to bring the show back if it was going to be handled in this way.