Dean's Thoughts on Entertainment

Supporting Actor of the Week

Jack Palance



Did you know they nominated him for an Oscar for City Slickers? I was dumbfounded. But not to detract from his power, Jack Palance is one of the best at playing an older powerful man. City Slickers is probably his most famous role, where he plays the part of Curly, the near sadistic yet sage cattle herder. The roles you might have missed include his villainous roles in Tango and Cash, Batman, and Young Guns; as well as his heroic roles in Cops and Robbersons and City Slickers 2. Plus, he played Dracula in one of the many portrayals of the caped ghoul when he was a bit younger. Actually, he rocked it out a lot when he was younger with roles in Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, Shane, Sudden Fear, and Panic in the Streets. Plus, he's Ukrainian and us Ukrainians need to honor each other.



American Splendor



A terribly unique movie, that was quite enjoyable. The story chronicles the life of a man who chronicled his life into a comic. The twist is that this man is an angry loser, and his life is hardly ideal or exciting. Paul Giamatti is excellent as the star, and the movie is often intercut with the real life star which was an interesting spin. The movie was unlike any I have seen, and I am glad I bought it for a quarter on DVD. AH HAHAHA. It’s not quite worth owning but it would be a good renter.

Looney Tunes: Back in Action



A decent family flick although it was a bit too goofy to be fully enjoyed. Its strange to say of Looney Tunes but the movie is too cartoony. The movie all too often played with the conventions and made too many jokes to the audience. I liked it because Daffy is the lead more than Bugs Bunny, and Brendan Fraser is always delightful as the star. Steve Martin was awful, whether its his fault or the writer's he was barely stomachable. As for the Warner Bros regulars, you will most likely see everyone you want to, from Wiley Coyote to Marvin the Martian. I'll give this a "rent" for you family folks, but it isn't going to become a guilty pleasure for us adults.

School of Rock



Another good family pick, although Julie took offense to the kids swearing a little during the movie. Other than the minor swearing the movie was much more kid friendly and family oriented than I thought. As for Jack Black its him playing himself, therefore its excellent. The kids in the cast were all good, which is impressive for kid actors who are notoriously irritating. The supporting cast was enjoyable with highlights from Joan Cusack and Sarah Silverman, both of which never grow old on me. For those of you who love Rock and Roll or Jack Black this is a "purchase", everyone else should rent this. I would recommend that kids under 11 might want to skip this one though, older than that should be cool.