Category Archives: Jack_Poessiger
Jack Goes Confidential: ‘MARGIN CALL’; Greed Is Good—Until It Implodes
Fans of American business classics like GLENGARRY GLEN ROSS and WALL STREET are in for a treat!
MARGIN CALL is an excellent thriller set in one 24 hour cycle during the 2008 Wall Street meltdown. It revolves around a number of key players at a major investment bank on the brink of imminent chaos and collapse.
It’s a real Wall Street nailbiter delving into the actions and reactions of the people who choreographed those complex financial schemes and whose after effects continue to blight the lives of tens of millions of their fellow citizens.
What makes it so compelling is it’s told through their eyes. From their point of view and almost makes you feel for them and root for these flim-flam artists as they dump huge chuncks of worthless assets on unsuspecting customers—many of whom will go bust so that the firm can survive.
It’s convincing, complelling—-and scary as hell!
JACK GOES CONFIDENTIAL: Johnny Depp’s Hunter S. Thompson Adventure Underwhelms
Honest to God, I was really looking forward to this one…
After all, having Johnny Depp tied to a autobiographical Hunter S. Thompson project as both its star and producer should make for an extraordinary night out at the movies.
In THE RUM DIARY Depp dumps the madness of 1960 New York, escaping to tropical Puerto Rico and a rum soaked lifestyle as an island reporter for The San Juan Star—shady dealings and all.
Industry rumors that this movie’s been sitting on the shelf for almost 2 years now should’ve been my first clue that I’d be in for disappointment. This thing is incoherent, unfocused and its editing leaves a lot to be desired.
Jack Goes Confidential: ‘Puss’ Goes At It Alone. Unveils New Family Franchise
Look what the cat dragged in…
Ooops, that IS the cat. PUSS IN BOOTS, one of the most popular characters from the SHREK franchise, gets the spotlight here alongside an equally loveable cast of characters. While taking us back to Puss’ origins—his orphanage upbringing and early days of mischief with running buddy Humpty Alexander Dumpty – today still chasing his childhood dreams. Going for the magic beans. Climbing the bean stalk. Jack and Jill. The Golden Popper (a.k.a. The Golden Goose)…and so much more.
Antonio Banderes leads a strutting, star-stutted voice tracks cast of Salma Hayek, Zach Galifianakis, Billy Bob Thornton and Amy Sedaris.
NEW JACK CITY: Holy Cornholio; The Boneheads Are Back!
Beavis and Butt-Head ruled MTV between 1993 and 1997…
Beavis’ HnHnHnHn and Butt-Head’s UhhhUhhhUhhh became signatures of a generation.
And we all know how they fared….
For years now MTV’s been trying to get creator Mike Judge to ressurect his knuckleheads. But Judge showed little interest. After all, he’d sold off his ownership of the series to the network and gone on to other projects.
There was KING OF THE HILL and 4 feature length movies that followed including his animated BEAVIS & BUTT-HEAD DO AMERICA and one of my all time favorites, the cubicle-comedy OFFICE SPACE.
Then there were the controversies that surrounded the series.
Jack Goes Confidential: ‘The Three Musketeers’—All for One and One for 3-D
How many times can Hollywood remake a classic?
When it comes to THREE MUSKETEERS movies I stopped counting at about 15.
And that’s not even going way back to 1921’s silent version which starred Douglas Fairbanks.
But then, this newest addition doesn’t really qualify in the count. It’s not a Hollywood offering but a German, French and British co-production filmed primarily at Berlin’s fabled UFA Studio now called Studio Babelsberg in Munich, home to such cinematic gems as METROPOLIS and THE BLUE ANGEL.
Here movie maker Paul W.S. Anderson takes time off from the RESIDENT EVIL series to devote his talents to THE THREE MUSKETEERS.
NEW JACK CITY: Smoke And Mirror Airfare Pricing – Don’t Get Bagged by Majors
Used to be a given that when searching for an airfare out of MCI you’d get the best ticket pricing…
Rates on discounters like Southwest Airlines and AirTran. But legacy carriers like American, Delta, United-Continental and USAirways have become much more competitive of late.
I keep finding very competitive, even lower fares to popular destinations on airlines other than say Southwest. That’s especially true to a popular destinations served by Southwest with multiple daily non-stop flights. Whereras other carriers serving that particular city pair only with connecting flights.
But not so fast, there are other considerations.
Jack Goes Confidential: Get Ready to Cut ‘FOOTLOOSE,’ Y’all
Back in 1984 an unknown big city kid named Kevin Bacon moved to a small southern town where he confronted a dancing ban and a hellfire preacher…
It was in a pre-GLEE era that included dance flicks like FAME, DIRTY DANCING, FLASHDANCE and, of course, FOOTLOOSE.
Now 27 years later there’s a new FOOTLOOSE, and yes another dance restriction.
But this time not so much based on morals and religion but strictly in response to a deadly car crash that killed 4 high schoolers after a party.
Welcome to readin’, ridin’ and red-neckin’ in Bomont, Georgia!
New Jack City: ‘Jack Goes To The Movies’ – My Way Or The Highway
When one reviews movies, as I have for more years than I’d like to admit, you get lots of questions—and often pointed comments…
It almost never fails when I get introduced, I get the usual, "Aren’t you that guy that does movies on radio?"
Yes I am, and the German accident is a dead giveaway.
Just to clear the air, the accent is not fake. I AM a former refugee from the East Germany who immigrated to the United States LEGALLY. My home town is Leipzig.
So what is the most frequently asked question?
Jack Goes Confidential: Clooney, Gosling, Hoffman Shine in ‘IDES OF MARCH’
George Clooney‘s THE IDES OF MARCH isn’t so much a political thriller as a morality tale…
What we’ve got is some terrific insight into the backroom politics of Pennsylvania Governor George Clooney’s race to win the Ohio primary for his party’s presidential nomination.
And tensions are building.
Press secretary Ryan Gosling is being lured by rival campaign manager Paul Giamatti, while New York Times reporter Marisa Tomei is ready to blow-up anything that leaks out of the campaign. And she’s close to blowing the lid off a boat load of indiscretions.
All while senior campaign manager Philip Seymour Hoffman tries desperately to keep it all from falling apart.
Loyalty being the only currency you can count on—or so they say.
Written, produced, directed and co-starring George Clooney, THE IDES OF MARCH is chock-full of performances that the Academy is sure to take note of!
So does the movie favor Democrats? Or does it stay fair and balanced?
New Jack City: IMAX & AMC Get Jump On ‘M:I-4’
.jpg)
IMAX and Paramount have proclaimed that the 4th installment of the MISSION IMPOSSIBLE franchise will get a 5 day jump on IMAX screens over the rest of the nation’s movie theatres!
‘MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE-GHOST PROTOCOL‘ starring Tom Cruise and slated for worldwide release Wednesday, Dec. 21st will now actually begin Pre-Opening Previews on Friday, December 16th—but only on IMAX screens.
Every other theatre has to wait.
New Jack City: The Case of the Missing Clock Hands or Time Flies in Downtown Overland Park
Been a while since we’ve given downtown Overland Park’s hallowed-if-unpredictable timepiece a second glance.
You may recall an earlier column this year in which I noted that the various times displayed on the towering clock tower’s four faces were out of whack.
Well, a check today found the following; the clock’s north and south faces are (finally) giving the correct time. And the east face of the venerable timepiece overlooking the city’s charming downtown is running approximately 13 minutes behind.
Confusing, but liveable.
New Jack City: Chaos Reigns First Weekend @ New Nordstrom’s Rack
First Trader Joe’s, next Jack in the Box, now Nordstrom’s Rack…
Kansas City is on fire with trendy new businesses hitting town. So after writing about Nordstrom’s new Rack at 95th and Quivira a couple of weeks back I decided to take on the masses and check it out this past weekend…
Unfortunately, I went by Saturday afternoon—two days after its grand opening – not a good idea. The parking lot was jammed forcing me to park clear down by Gordman’s to the south and walk and walk and walk to the Rack.
Jack Goes Confidential: ’50/50′ Delivers Heartfelt Hilarity
Who would’ve thought it?
A cancer movie that works on many levels. Or as Seth Rogen tells best bud Joseph Gordon Levitt in ’50/50′: "If you were a casino game, you’d have the best odds."
’50/50′ is a bittersweet comedic approach to a pretty taboo subject.
Bottom line: A massive malignant tumor on his spine is what Rogen’s best friend and NPR producer Levitt is diagnosed with and doctors give him a 50/50 chance of survival. Something his girlfriend Bryce Dallas Howard has trouble dealing with in more than one way.
New Jack City: Why High School Reunions Totally Suck (Like Mine Just Did)
They say you can’t go back home…
Unfortunately, that’s exactly what I did this past weekend. I went to my millionth high school reunion in Grand Island, Nebraska. And let me just tell you up front, this three-day affair was two days too long.
The nightmare unfolded with a Friday, ‘Let’s Get Reacquainted ‘ cocktail bash and finger food fandango. Followed by a Saturday morning walkthrough of the old high school and either an optional golf game or sipping-of-the-grapes luncheon at a nearby Nebraska winery.
See what I mean?
Then came the big event, a Saturday night sitdown dinner and dance with an obligatory oldies band. And finally – blessedly – a Sunday morning see-you-next-lifetime breakfast.
Overkill? You bet! Like I said, one night would’ve been plenty.
Now allow me to count the many ways these sort of reunion rituals suck so badly.
Jack Goes Confidential: Yale Economics (and the Royals) Fuels ‘MONEYBALL’
Let me say right upfront MONEYBALL is a terrific movie…
And like me, you don’t have to be a baseball fan to enjoy it. Why?
Because it explores ones true worth, being an underdog and one of the most unorthodox comebacks in Major League Baseball. Let’s be real, back in 2001 there were rich teams, poor teams and crap teams like the OAKLAND A’S.
And there was no money to ‘buy-up’
Enter legendary general manager Billy Bean (Brad Pitt) who hires nerdy Yale grad Peter Brand (Jonah Hill) whose analysis techniques revolutionized the way teams evaluated players and took the A’s all the way to the playoffs despite having one of the lowest payrolls in the majors!
Jack Goes Confidential: Brooding Ryan Gosling Shifts Gears In ‘DRIVE!’
When Carey Mulligan asks Ryan Gosling: "What do you do?" he answers "I drive."
What we’ve got here is a side of Gosling we haven’t seen before. He’s brooding, aloof, calculating and low on dialogue. He’s the anti-hero.
In DRIVE Gosling plays a movie stunt driver who, during his nights off, hires out as a heist getaway driver. And he’s good at it. Damn good.
Enter next door neighbor Mulligan and her young son whose lives seem to intersect with Gosling’s on an almost daily basis. Problem is her ‘Ex’ is being released from prison and now squarely drags Gosling into his underworld.
But be aware this isn’t your typical run of the mill heist thriller.
New Jack City: Channel 41’s JiaoJiao Shen Honored With Ron Burgundy Mention
Every so often I like to tip my hat to a local TV anchor with an honorable ‘Ron Burgundy: Anchorman‘ mention for uttering a completely senseless statement…
Happened today during KSHB-TV, Channel 41’s midday newscast.
JiaoJiao Shen was delivering a story of the pending AMC Theatres corporate offices move from downtown K.C. to Leawood.
The big story, of course, is that AMC is staying in the metroplex–not moving to L.A. or New York — as some had predicted. Channel 41’s story did a nice job reporting the basics, complete with a B-roll of AMC shots, weighted remarks by K.C. Mayor Sly James and a less inspiring soundbite from Leawood Mayor Peggy Dunn.
All in all a good package.
New Jack City: Round & Round They Go, Hollywood’s Numbers Game
In case you may be swayed to rent some of this year’s earlier filmfare, let’s review what America’s movie fans wisely stayed away from in droves when Hollywood unleashed these stinkers.
That’s not to say that these films are totally unwatchable, but you should have fair warning that not everything here that shines actually glitters.
According to THE HOLLYWOOD REPORTER these are the biggest flops of 2011—SO FAR!
* MARS NEEDS MOMS—Estimated production cost $150 million / Domestic ticket sales $21.4 million.
Jack Goes Confidential: ‘WARRIOR’ Wallops Punch-To-Gut During September Drought
For movie critics like me who deal primarily in so-called commercial releases (as opposed to art and speciality
films), September is usually not something I look forward to.
It never fails!
From about the last week of August through the later part of September, the studios seem to dust off their shelves and pretty well throw their leftovers into the marketplace.
You can’t really blame Hollywood.
The public’s attention span during early fall turns to back-to-school, sports and the new TV season – and not to movies.
That all changes though on or around late September and October when the Oscar hopefuls and more serious films begin to invade local cineplexes. Until then the old, saying seems to come into play: ‘If they don’t want to see it—there’s no stopping them!’
But hold it right there!
New Jack City: ‘GREASERAMA’ Rocks Boulevard Drive-In Tonight & Sunday
Looking for a last minute blast from the past this weekend?
Then check out this Labor Day Weekend’s annual ‘GREASERAMA‘ going down today and Sunday from 12 noon ‘to Midnight at–where else—the BOULEVARD DRIVE-IN THEATRE on Merriam Drive in KCK.
What is it?
It’s nostolgic pre ’65 rod and kustom cars, old school low riders, cycles, scooters and muscle cars. All that plus four live bands playing each each day. And if that’s not enough to float your boat, both evenings wind down with a hard rockin’ double feature movie progrtam consisting of Ralph Bakshi’s WIZARDS and HEAVY METAL.
Ooops, almost forgot…
