'Iron Man 3' Review

When it comes to the Iron Man franchise, I'm probably not to be trusted. I found the first film to be perfectly fine and quite funny, but it was merely the appetizer for Summer 2008's real comic book movie, The Dark Knight. If I thought Iron Man was a touch overrated, then I think Iron Man 2 is a bit underrated: Mickey Rourke and Sam Rockwell made for better bad guys than Jeff Bridges, and Scarlett Johansson was a welcome addition. (And as much as I've liked Robert Downey Jr. in these movies, Gwyneth Paltrow has been a wonderful foil.)

I mention all that because in some of the reviews I've read of Iron Man 3, the takeaway seems to be that this latest installment is a happy return to form. But that's only if you subscribe to the belief that the first film was great and the second was junk, which I don't. Though it's ultimately successful on its own terms, Iron Man 3 benefits greatly, as several of the Marvel films have, from being the first big summer movie out of the blocks. If this movie came out two months from now, when we've all been properly pummeled by several of these, one after the other, it would seem somewhat disposable. At the beginning of the season, its silly overkill feels almost novel and charming.

To get prepared for Iron Man 3, you don't just need to remember the first two films but also The Avengers, whose finale is crucial to where Tony Stark (Downey) is emotionally as the new movie begins. Shaken by his near-death experience battling the Chitauri alien race and saving Manhattan from nuclear destruction, Stark now suffers from PTSD, unable to sleep and constantly afraid for the safety of his beloved Pepper (Paltrow). But the man doesn't have time for therapy: A onetime-nerd-turned-evil-genius named Aldrich Killian (Guy Pearce) is in cahoots with a dangerous Middle Eastern terrorist known as the Mandarin (Ben Kingsley) who keeps detonating explosives around the U.S.

Stark wants to help, but all he does is incite the wrath of the Mandarin and his minions, who have the ability to generate extreme levels of heat within themselves. (I wondered if director Shane Black and co-writer Drew Pearce have watched much Fringe: The Mandarin's chums seem like the sort of freak-of-the-week concoction that the Fox show used to showcase on a regular basis.) Unfortunately, Stark puts everything he cares about into danger, including Pepper and his envy-inducing Malibu pad. Like Star Trek III and The Dark Knight Rises, Iron Man 3 is the edition in the franchise where our hero loses a lot of his cool gadgets or an iconic location gets trashed. We're meant to realize that, hey, the filmmakers aren't messing around in this one.

Of course, messing around has been a hallmark of the Iron Man films. It was Downey's cockeyed "I'm starring in what kind of movie?" take on Stark, helped immensely by director Jon Favreau, that made the first two films so light on their feet. They were wiseass while still being smart. (When other comic book movies have tried to follow in its footsteps, they've only come across as hokey, like Green Lantern.)

Favreau declined to direct Iron Man 3, although his wry bodyguard character returns, and in his place steps Black, the onetime hotshot action screenwriter of Lethal Weapon and Last Action Hero whose previous directing effort was Kiss Kiss Bang Bang, also with Downey. There's always a bit of a franchise-by-committee feeling to the Marvel movies, but Black has maintained the Iron Man films' sarcastic sense of humor. (Happily, he continues the series' best running gag, which is that it's completely ridiculous when Stark or Don Cheadle's James Rhodes character try to have normal, mundane conversations encased in their imposing, ass-kicking metal suits.) By now, we know the drill: Downey will improvise some of his best one-liners, and there will be a general what-me-worry demeanor to the whole affair.

That's fine as far as it goes, and the movie gets a surprising amount of comic mileage out of an unexpected pairing between Stark and a small-town kid (Ty Simpkins) who has to help him rebuild his badly damaged suit. (Also, anybody who knows Black's previous work will be amused to learn that Iron Man 3 continues his tradition of setting movies during Christmastime.) But as Stephanie Zacharek points out, Iron Man 3 is like a lot of recent comic book movies in that it's hampered by "too many pseudo-feelings." It's not enough that Stark has to save America from a scary foreign terrorist: He has to be haunted by the harrowing adventures he's endured and tormented about his inability to be a good partner to Pepper. (As a rule of thumb, if you're a character who's spent much time with Stark, your life will be gravely threatened in Iron Man 3, mostly so that Stark can have a worthy personal motivation to get the baddies.) The Iron Man films have been a sort of wisecracking counterpart to Christopher Nolan's grand-gravitas Batman movies, but the darker Iron Man 3 gets -- the more it reaches for pathos -- the more apparent it becomes that such nuance is better left to the Dark Knight.

As a result, Iron Man 3 starts and stops, picking up a little momentum and then sagging, rallying for a superb action set piece but then losing its way a little when Stark's emotional through-line gets addressed again. (This movie is only a few minutes longer than either of the first two films, but it feels quite a bit longer.) When it's in action-thriller mode, the film is wholly confident, and it stirs the giddy enthusiasm of a thousand summer movies past. But I can't say I felt very engaged in what was happening on a human level. The strengths of Iron Man 3 are the same as they were in the first installment: Downey's irreverent attitude and some world-class effects. (For a third straight time, the movie's principal antagonists are merely OK. Where is Iron Man's Joker?) But just like the obligatory Stan Lee cameo, the movie doesn't really surprise or delight you. It entertains you plenty, but it's oddly perfunctory. After the usual slog of bad early-year studio fare, offset by a few fine indie and art-house offerings, it's always fun to have summer movies back. But Iron Man 3 makes you hope that we'll see some better blockbusters soon.

'Let the Fire Burn' Review

I think Let the Fire Burn is one of the year's best films, and it's almost certainly 2013's best film you haven't heard of. Premiering at the Tribeca Film Festival, this documentary looks back at a deadly altercation between Philadelphia law enforcement and an African-American extremist organization that took place in 1985. The genius of the film is that the movie consists entirely of archival footage: Director Jason Osder and editor Nels Bangerter use this existing footage to craft an utterly absorbing whodunit as public officials (along with the audience) try to figure out exactly what happened. The movie doesn't have a distributor yet, but I hope that changes soon. Here's my Screen International review.

Skee-Lo - "I Wish"

I find the new Toyota commercials that use this song so stupid I'm not even going to link to them. Just enjoy Skee-Lo parodying Forrest Gump in the video. And consider how this track represented a kinder, gentler version of the G-funk era ushered in by The Chronic and other gangsta rap.

'Pain & Gain' Review

"How was Pain & Gain?"

"I think it's Michael Bay's best movie since The Rock," I replied. "That blurb would mean more if he had made any good movies since then."

My review is up at Deadspin.

'At Any Price' Review

The betting is that most people will think of At Any Price as "the Zac Efron film," but for fans of its director, Ramin Bahrani, this character study is very much in keeping with his previous efforts. Sadly, though, it's not quite as good as Goodbye Solo or Chop Shop. My review is up at Paste.

What's the Best Film of the Last 25 Years?

Each Monday, Criticwire surveys film critics to get their response to movie-themed questions. Today, the question is pretty straightforward: What is the best movie of the last 25 years? I didn't have to think about it too long. With honorable mention going to Safe (not the Jason Statham one) and Dogville, I went with Hoop Dreams. (No surprise, really, since it's the only film from the last 25 years to make my Sight & Sound Greatest Films ballot.) My reasons for this pick can be read here, along with other critics' responses.

U2 - "Discotheque"

For whatever reason, I was thinking about U2's Pop the other day. You may recall that people aren't too fond of that particular record. The pinnacle of their let's-drown-in-irony shtick, some say. The album they rushed to finish in time for their upcoming world tour, historians note. All true, but I still have a fondness for a few of its songs -- like "Discotheque," the lead track and first single. How can you resist the Edge in a shiny shirt?

What Happened With 'Scary Movie 5'?

For my "Bomb Squad" column over at IFC Fix, I look at the box office disappointment of Scary Movie 5. The obvious answer for why the movie failed is, "Hey, these movies stink -- that's why." But, as I argue in my piece, artistic feebleness has nothing to do with it. Not one of these movies has gotten good reviews, and yet three of the four previous installments grossed over $90 million. So why did audiences suddenly decide now that they weren't interested in this franchise? I try to explain why here.

(Update: You can now read this piece here.) 

What's the Best 'Saturday Night Live' Sketch of All Time?

IFC has been putting together a bracket over the last month that pits all the best Saturday Night Live sketches against one another. They were kind enough to have me weigh in on the championship round, which is between "Wayne's World" and "More Cowbell." These sorts of brackets are just meant to be fun but, because I'm me, I spent a lot of time debating which of these should be the winner. You can read my verdict here.

'Scary Movie 5' Review

The last movie I reviewed before my wedding was Scary Movie 4. I always wondered if the excitement leading to my nuptials led me to have an overly positive opinion of the film -- my rave lasts here for posterity -- but I think it had more to do with my undying love for David Zucker, who directed that installment. Alas, Scary Movie 5 is helmed by Malcolm D. Lee, and it's really, really awful. Here's my Screen International review.

Also, one last thing: I know that some of my colleagues have objected to the way actress Lidia Porto is degraded in the movie. Or, more specifically, how her ethnicity is mocked in the film. In Scary Movie 5's very meek defense, I think the movie is actually mocking the offensively stereotypical Latina housekeeper character from Paranormal Activity 2, played by Vivis Cortez, who knew a comical amount about religious voodoo. Like everything else in Scary Movie 5, this particular piece of satire is handled poorly, but I wanted to just throw that out there.

Huey Lewis and the News - "Heart and Soul"

As you may have heard, Huey Lewis is going to be touring to support the 30th anniversary of Sports. This news item made me immediately think of "Heart and Soul." I hadn't seen the video in forever. Watch it now and you really do see the 1980s personified. The video has something of a narrative, but it's also meant to be "funny" in a "Hey, we don't take ourselves too seriously" kind of way -- a real staple with these guys. As for the song, it's a perfect amalgam of '80s keyboards (pleasant and insistent) and '80s guitars (processed within an inch of their lives). That I like the song regardless is a clear indication that nostalgia is an evil, evil narcotic.

'42' Review

For years, Spike Lee wanted to make a movie about Jackie Robinson. It didn't work out, but writer-director Brian Helgeland has now made 42, a disappointingly square inspirational sports movie. Unless, of course, there's more going on under the surface, which I explore a little in my Deadspin review. Also, one thing I wanted to add that I didn't have room for in my review: Nicole Beharie, who plays Robinson's wife, is just dynamite. She was great in Shame, and I hope I keep seeing her in more stuff.

'To the Wonder' Review

First, a bit of housekeeping: You may have heard that Backstage will no longer be running reviews. It's sad for me, obviously, but it's much sadder for people on the theater side, especially Erik Haagensen, a great critic and editor.

It's been a pleasure and a thrill to write for the publication. As I mentioned about a year ago when I was first invited to do a column for them, Backstage has always had a special place in my heart thanks to an old actress girlfriend of mine who picked up the magazine on a weekly basis back in the day. Daniel Holloway, Backstage's executive editor, brought me in and has been incredibly supportive and encouraging. I thank him for that, and I hope our paths cross again soon. He's a great guy and a smart guy, and that's a rare combination.

My final review for Backstage is of To the Wonder. It's a movie very much concerned with life's impermanence, which seems appropriate. It's a lovely, lovely film that I hope you seek out.

'Oblivion' Review

A little bit Wall-E, a little bit I Am Legend, the post-apocalyptic sci-fi film Oblivion is a sumptuous visual-and-musical feast. Is that enough? I say yes, but barely: As this Tom Cruise vehicle rolls along, it becomes obvious how lacking it is in the story department. Usually, that's a deal-breaker for me. This time, I was willing to forgive -- up to a point. My review is up at Screen International.

Neil Young and Crazy Horse - "Safeway Cart"

Neil Young has so many great songs, but it's fun to root through his deep album cuts to find some real gems. One such track for me is "Safeway Cart," off Sleeps With Angels. Incredibly evocative, it paints a picture of a "ghetto dawn" that's moody and unnerving. Nothing seems to be happening, but the ominous stillness of the song could almost be the setting for a post-apocalyptic landscape. Or maybe it's simply a rundown part of town populated by the poor, homeless and forgotten.

Roger Ebert Has Died

If there is one single thing that's most responsible for getting me into movies, it was Siskel & Ebert. Gene Siskel died in 1999, and today Roger Ebert did. For Paste, I wrote about what both men meant to me. Like a lot of people, I owe them so much. Here's the article -- I hope you enjoy.

On 'Simon Killer' and Brady Corbet

I saw Simon Killer at Sundance in 2012, really enjoyed it, and have been looking forward to catching it again before its theatrical release. That moment has come. For Deadspin, I talk about the film's under-the-radar star, Brady Corbet, and his terrific performance. You can read it here.

'Upstream Color' Review

I'm here to tell you that seeing Upstream Color twice won't answer all the mysteries within that fine film. My second time through, I was more convinced that there were certain things I simply didn't get and that, frankly, I was OK with that. (The Coen brothers have some advice on such problems.) For Backstage, I review this beguiling, moving drama.

'Trance' Review

My three favorite Danny Boyle films, in ascending order, are Sunshine, Shallow Grave and 28 Days Later. I thought that was worth mentioning in case you feel the exact opposite when it comes to the Oscar-winning, Olympic opening ceremony-overseeing filmmaker. His latest, Trance, is a crime thriller that's all flash. So much flash. My review is up at Deadspin. (By the way, this still should be captioned, "Watch out, James McAvoy! There are out-of-focus actors right behind you!")

What's Eddie Murphy's Best 'Saturday Night Live' Sketch?

IFC Fix is currently doing a bracket for all-time best Saturday Night Live sketches. Today, I size up a pairing between two Eddie Murphy bits. This was fun to write. Hope you enjoy.

Paul Simon - "The Coast"

Sunday is Easter. There aren't a lot of secular pop songs about Easter, but one that comes to mind is "The Coast," from Paul Simon's fine, fine, fine The Rhythm of the Saints. "But, Tim," you're saying, "I don't remember that song having anything to do with Easter." It sorta does, and this guy agrees with me.

'The Place Beyond the Pines' Review

The Place Beyond the Pines is the follow-up film from Blue Valentine director Derek Cianfrance. Both star Ryan Gosling, and my guess is that both will enrapture and annoy audiences in equal measure. Blue Valentine I loved. This one I'm more mixed on. You can read my review at Deadspin.

'G.I. Joe: Retaliation' Review

Whew, boy, I really didn't like G.I. Joe: Retaliation. My love of Dwayne Johnson is well-documented -- and, hey, I enjoy me some Bruce Willis. But this movie? It's just plain cruddy. I never hated G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra, but I did think it was dopey and jokey and pretty forgettable. But all of a sudden, it's starting to look like a modern-day masterpiece. Yes, that's right: The sequel is so bad that I actually caught myself longing for Marlon Wayans. That's grim, folks. My review is up at Screen International.

What Happened With 'Admission'?

We've had back-to-back weeks with comedy bombs at the box office. First, it was The Incredible Burt Wonderstone. Now, it's Admission, which I think is underrated. Regardless, for IFC Fix, I did another of my Bomb Squad columns, figuring out why people weren't interested in this Tina Fey film. You can read my conclusions here.

In Praise of 'Room 237'

At the 2012 Sundance Film Festival, one of my favorite discoveries was Room 237, a documentary that compiles all the different conspiracy theories about the hidden meanings buried within Stanley Kubrick's The Shining. This Friday, it finally gets a release. For Deadspin, I try to explain what makes this film so special, especially for Kubrick fans. Hope you enjoy.

What Happened With 'Burt Wonderstone'?

For IFC Fix, I'm going to start doing an occasional column called "Bomb Squad" where I try to figure out why a recent film tanked at the box office. For the inaugural column, I take a look at The Incredible Burt Wonderstone, which, you may remember, I actually sorta like. My IFC Fix piece is here.

True/False 2013: The Wrap-Up

Early this year, I was invited to attend the True/False Film Festival. It was my first time going to the festival, now in its 10th year, and I was curious after hearing good things about the weekend event, which celebrates the best in documentary filmmaking (not to mention the occasional fiction film that also studies the relationship between truth and fiction). I reviewed several films for Screen International during my time there, and now for Paste I have a lengthy rundown of my time in Columbia, Missouri. A combination of first-person account and critical analysis, this piece looks at the current state of nonfiction film, festival culture and the experience of having my family with me during the festival. I hope you enjoy.

And while I'm at it, here's my ranking of the films from True/False, including those I saw during the festival and ones I screened in advance. Links lead to individual reviews...

15. Computer Chess
14. I Am Breathing
13. Which Way Is the Front Line From Here? The Life and Time of Tim Hetherington
12. The Machine Which Makes Everything Disappear
11. Twenty Feet From Stardom
10. Blackfish
9. Dirty Wars
8. After Tiller
7. The Last Station
6. No
5. Sweetgrass
4. The Gatekeepers
3. Cutie and the Boxer
2. Stories We Tell
1. Leviathan

El-P - "The Full Retard"

Writing about El-P's 2007 album, I'll Sleep When You're Dead, I commented that it "[d]emands its own Grammy category: Best Apocalyptic Hard-Rock Album by a Hip-Hop Artist." That could just as easily apply to last year's Cancer 4 Cure. The lead single, "The Full Retard," is a real brain-scrambler. (And the official video is like some Harmony Korine fever dream, complete with psychotic squirrel puppet.) Pump this, pump this, pump this like they do in the future...

'Starbuck' Review

Starbuck is a Canadian comedy about an average schmoe who in his youth earned extra money by donating to a sperm bank. Now those kids are in their 20s and want to meet their biological father. Does hilarity ensue? Only slightly. My review is up at Backstage.

'Olympus Has Fallen' Review

If you didn't know, there are going to be two movies coming out this year in which the White House is overtaken by terrorists. The first of these two is Olympus Has Fallen. After seeing it, I feel rather confident that the second, this summer's White House Down, will be the better of the two. That one is directed by Roland Emmerich. This one isn't. As I explain in my Deadspin review, that makes all the difference.

'Admission' Review

I wish Admission was better than it is, but judging from other people's reviews, I still think I like it more than most folks do. This comedy-drama starring Tina Fey and Paul Rudd really feels like a latter-day James L. Brooks film, which, I realize, isn't exactly a ringing endorsement. I wrestled with the movie's strengths and weaknesses in my review at Deadspin.

'The Incredible Burt Wonderstone' Review

Steve Carell's latest, The Incredible Burt Wonderstone, may not be hilarious, but it has a stream of enjoyable chuckles throughout. To my mind, it's a more buttoned-down version of Talladega Nights, and the film has its charms. Most critics are pretty down on Burt Wonderstone, but I liked it enough to recommend. My review is up at Backstage.

Danger Doom (featuring Talib Kweli) - "Old School"

The Mouse and the Mask came out during that great period in the mid-2000s when hip-hop supergroups were popping up left and right. Producer Danger Mouse and rapper Doom combining forces with Adult Swim characters? Fun fun fun. Here's "Old School."

"I might be buggin'/but it seems to me/that cartoons be realer than reality TV."

'Ginger & Rosa' Review

Writer-director Sally Potter sets her coming-of-age drama Ginger & Rosa at the eve of the Cuban Missile Crisis. For her young hero Ginger (a very good Elle Fanning), the possible end of the world is somehow more tolerable than the romantic anguish she's witnessing in her own backyard. It's a modest film, but it sticks with you. And Robbie Ryan's cinematography really is out of this world. My review is up at Paste.

Nas (featuring AZ) - "Life's a Bitch"

From Illmatic, which of course you know. If you haven't seen Andrea Arnold's Fish Tank, she incorporates "Life's a Bitch" quite nicely into the film's final moments. A great example of placing a song from one context into a completely different context without sacrificing the underlying meaning.

Colin Farrell Does His Best With 'Dead Man Down'

For Deadspin, I didn't so much review Dead Man Down as I thought out loud about Colin Farrell's career at this exact moment in time. The two things are intertwined, I swear. Read for yourself.

True/False 2013: 'Twenty Feet From Stardom' Review

Twenty Feet From Stardom will do quite well with its target audience. I mean, some folks are gonna love this movie. Directed by Morgan Neville, the documentary sings the praises of background vocalists. We don't know their names or what they look like, but we recognize them on songs like "Gimme Shelter." This is one of those feel-good, crowd-pleasing films, although it's rather predictable in how it goes about its rock-doc business. Nonetheless, it gets the job done. My review of Twenty Feet From Stardom can be found at Screen International.

On a side note, at the Q&A after the True/False screening, Neville said that he had enough material to do a sequel, and if he ever did, I hope there's some discussion about how integral female voices were to Steely Dan's sound. (I may be the only person interested in this, but, hey, it's my blog.)

True/False 2013: 'Which Way Is the Front Line From Here? The Life and Time of Tim Hetherington' Review

Anyone who was affected by Restrepo, the 2010 Oscar-nominated documentary, will be interested to see Which Way Is the Front Line From Here?, which was made by one of that film's two directors, Sebastian Junger. This new film is a tribute to Tim Hetherington, Junger's co-director who died in 2011 in Libya. (In the above still, Junger is on the left, Hetherington is on the right.) Which Way arrives on HBO next month, and it's a touching farewell to one exceptional photojournalist. My review is up at Screen International.

True/False 2013: 'The Machine Which Makes Everything Disappear' Review

The film with the most evocative title at True/False would have to be The Machine Which Makes Everything Disappear. It's a documentary from the country of Georgia, and it has a terrific premise. Filmmaker Tinatin Gurchiani put up ads looking for local young people to audition for a movie. When the would-be actors showed up, she asked them questions about their lives, which led her to follow them into their worlds, learning more about a specific aspect of them. It's a rambling, meditative film that grew on me as it went along. You can read my Screen International review here.

True/False 2013: 'Blackfish' Review

Blackfish seeks to open our eyes about the inhumane treatment given to orcas at parks like SeaWorld. I still remember going to SeaWorld as a kid with my family, wowed by the killer whale show. Little did I know then what misery those gentle creatures were going through. This documentary draws much of its power from interviews with former SeaWorld trainers: Collectively, they still seem quite saddened by what they helped perpetuate. My review is up at Screen International.

True/False 2013: 'Cutie and the Boxer' Review

I've always been interested in bands in which the members either are currently romantically involved or once were: Low, Sonic Youth, Yo La Tengo, Handsome Furs, Richard and Linda Thompson, Fleetwood Mac. The ways that art and real life intertwine and feed off each other can be quite powerful, and it can also be true in disciplines other than music. Take Cutie and the Boxer, which looks at the 40-year relationship between painter Ushio Shinohara and illustrator Noriko. They're an adorable couple, but as documentary filmmaker Zachary Heinzerling points out, there's more going on under the surface. Here's my Screen International review.

True/False 2013: 'Dirty Wars' Review

Dirty Wars will serve as a good reminder to all my fellow Obama voters that our War on Terror, while improved in some ways since the Bush administration, is hardly free of moral gray areas. The documentary looks at the efforts of investigative reporter Jeremy Scahill, who has uncovered troubling revelations about the United States' Joint Special Operations Command. You probably haven't heard much about this group, but I'm betting you will soon. (Once Andrew Sullivan gets a whiff of this film, he's going to have weeks' worth of blog fodder.) My review is up at Screen International.

True/False 2013: 'I Am Breathing' Review

I was invited to attend this year's True/False Film Festival in Columbia, Missouri. The festival focuses on documentaries, as well as fiction films that play with the notion of how "reality" is captured, such as the Oscar-nominated Pinochet drama No. For Screen International, I reviewed several films, including I Am Breathing, which looks at the final months in the life of Neil Platt, a Scottish architect diagnosed with Motor Neurone Disease. Like Amour, it doubles as a love story. Here's my review.

'Oz the Great and Powerful' Review

Sam Raimi making a dark prequel to The Wizard of Oz sounded promising. Then I started seeing commercials for the film. "It sure looks like Alice in Wonderland," I thought. This was not meant as a compliment. Sadly, Oz the Great and Powerful is an effects-driven mess that lacks the spirit of the original film. Put another way, the films Great and Powerful most reminded me of were the Star Wars prequels. Again, not a compliment. My review is up at Screen International.

'Jack the Giant Slayer' Review

I'm sure Warner Bros. will be thrilled with the amount of, "Hey, at least it's better than The Hobbit!" blurbs they're getting from critics about Jack the Giant Slayer. Well, remember that I actually liked The Hobbit. (Seeing it in 2D probably helped.) And I didn't care much for Jack the Giant Slayer. My review is up at Backstage.

50 Cent - "In Da Club"

Nowadays, 50 Cent is something of a joke. His rap career has fallen off, and as for his acting, well, the less said the better. But 10 years ago, he seemed destined to be major. And "In Da Club" was the reason why. He had Eminem and Dr. Dre on his side -- what could go wrong?

Goodbye, Oscar Season

This is my final column about the Academy Awards for this year, I swear. For IFC Fix, I list five good things about this Oscar season that has, mercifully, ended after five months. For whatever reason, this year it really took it out of me. Still, it wasn't all bad. Enjoy.

So, Was Seth MacFarlane a Terrible Oscar Host?

To my shock, I have to answer "no." (I say shocked because my feelings about this man are well-documented.) Granted, he wasn't good, either. But I do give an Academy Awards points for at least injecting a little energy and new ideas into the show. Of course, I do think MacFarlane was helped by the fact that he hosted one of the more unpredictable Oscars in terms of the winners -- that always helps. My review of the show is up at Deadspin.

My Best Picture Ballot for the 2013 Academy Awards

I know, I know: They're not called the Academy Awards anymore. Regardless, here's how I would fill out my Oscar ballot. (And here's some very humorous background on the Academy's preferential voting system.) To be clear, these aren't predictions: This is how I would fill out my ballot if I was an Academy member....

1. Zero Dark Thirty
2. Amour
3. Lincoln
4. Silver Linings Playbook
5. Life of Pi
6. Les Miserables
7. Django Unchained
8. Argo
9. Beasts of the Southern Wild

And here's my quick overview of 2012's best movies.

No matter how slice you it, the Academy did a pretty good with its Best Picture picks. Yes, The Master isn't on there, but not one of these movies is less than solid. (But, of course, I liked Les Miz.)

The Oscars ... in the Year 2029

The Academy Awards will be celebrating their 100th anniversary in 2029. For Paste, I decided to speculate about what the ceremony might be like at that time. What the piece is really about, though, is figuring out how the broadcast will reflect possible changes in the film industry. My thanks to Michael Dunaway for bringing me into the Paste fold; it's an honor. You can read the piece here.

De La Soul - "In the Woods"

If I had to pick a greatest De La Soul album, I would probably go with Buhloone Mindstate, although any of their first three records is worth considering for that distinction. Remember when hip-hop used to feature female vocalists who didn't just sing the chorus hook? There are many fine songs I could have picked off the album, but I went with "In the Woods," in part, yes, because of its inspirational line that's such a great kissoff to "hardcore" rappers.

'Snitch' Review

I'm happy to report that Dwayne Johnson's new movie, Snitch, is probably the best thing he's done in a while. Now, that doesn't mean this is a great film, but it's smart and tough and there's some real feeling coursing through its veins. That's not everything, but it's enough to recommend. My review is up at Deadspin.

Oscar Predictions: The Major Categories

Yesterday, I offered my predictions for the lesser Oscar categories -- "lesser" in the eyes of most award handicappers, anyway. Today, I go through the eight major categories. Lincoln fans aren't going to be too happy with me. Will and I discuss our predictions at Deadspin.

Oscar Predictions: The Technical Categories

I'll have my picks for the eight major categories tomorrow, but today here are my predictions for the other Oscar categories: everything from Best Visual Effects to Best Makeup and Hairstyling. (Yup, they changed the category name.) If I get 75 percent of these correct, I'll consider myself lucky.

Why I Love Dwayne Johnson

The man who once went by "The Rock" is starring in Snitch this Friday. I haven't seen it yet, but I remain optimistic. Why? What has Dwayne Johnson ever done to reward such faith? I examine that in this week's IFC Fix column.

Common (featuring the Last Poets) - "The Corner"

It was with a certain amount of alarm and embarrassment that I noticed recently that my Friday Videos tend to feature very few black artists. That changes right now. Common's Be came out in 2005 and was helped by the success of his buddy Kanye West's breakthrough record, The College Dropout, the previous year. West produced a majority of Be, and you can hear him providing some background vocals on the single "The Corner." For fans of West's R&B-sampling style of his early career, this track is pure bliss.

'Pretty Woman' and Valentine's Day

For Deadspin, Will and I both picked a romantic comedy whose happy ending never sat right with us. Will went with Clueless; I selected Pretty Woman. Our argument: In real life, these couples would not end up together at all. You can read the piece here.

'A Good Day to Die Hard' Review

Before watching A Good Day to Die Hard, I was convinced that no Die Hard movie could ever be as bad as Die Hard With a Vengeance. I was wrong, people -- at least, I think I'm wrong. I'm not going to go back and revisit Die Hard With a Vengeance to see. My review of this stinker is up at Screen International.

'Die Hard' at 25

When I was working on FilmCraft: Screenwriting -- my new book of interviews with the world's best film writers -- I was very happy to get to speak to Mark Bomback, an action-thriller writer who wrote Live Free or Die Hard. Action writers in general don't get much respect, so I was doubly pleased to include his voice in my book. One of the things we discussed was what made the original Die Hard so great; his enthusiasm and insight reminded me all over again what a fantastic movie that is. With A Good Day to Die Hard about to come out, I decided to write about the old Die Hard, which opened in the summer of 1988. Can it really have been 25 years? Yup. My piece is up at IFC Fix.

'Beautiful Creatures' Review

With a movie like Beautiful Creatures, it's always a bit of challenge judging its merits since it's clearly aimed at a gender and an age group of which I am not a part. Still, some nice Southern atmosphere and an initially tart tone didn't go far enough toward winning me over. (And Alden Ehrenreich and Alice Englert do make a nice couple, I suppose.) My review is up at Screen International.

The Coup - "The Magic Clap"

Public Enemy was a major band in my formative years, forever establishing in my mind what a socially conscious hip-hop group was capable of. If I was that age now, I think the Coup would rewire my nervous system in comparable ways. Party Music and Bigger Weapon are both terrific, and their latest, Sorry to Bother You, ain't too shabby, either. "Magic Clap" kicks off the album, and it shows how frontman Boots Riley's digression into rap-rock with Tom Morello for their side project Street Sweeper Social Club has rubbed off on his principal group. Hell yeah.

'Identity Thief' Review

I can't say that I held out a lot of hope for Identity Thief, but the actual film might be even more disheartening than I feared. It's not that it's unfunny or crass -- trust me, it's both. It's that it's just simply stupid. It's the sort of film that thinks if a male character is named Sandy, then everyone else in the movie should make fun of him about that because Sandy is a girl's name. If that notion makes you laugh, you may enjoy Identity Thief more than I did. May god have mercy on your soul. My review is up at Deadspin.