…with the opening of “PAUL” this past weekend we have the continuation of a disturbing trend. In North America, people just don’t go out of their way to see Simon Pegg on screen… at all

I started thinking about not only Simon Pegg movies, but the bulk of movies that find success only on DVD. The two I picked for this discussion are Shaun of the Dead and Zack and Miri Make a Porno. Both are movies that were a disappointment at the box office, but has had huge success on DVD. Think… 9 out of 10 people you know has seen these movies and enjoyed them, but maybe 1 of them saw it in the theater.

I started to formulate an opinion once I went back to watch the Paul trailer. Like Shaun and Miri before, I noticed that the way Paul was marketed almost asked you to wait for the DVD. I then went back to the Shaun and Miri trailers and saw the same thing. The tone of the trailers are such that it doesn’t give you the desire to see soon, or at the theaters. The tone of the trailer is no different than a SyFy movie or straight to DVD film. When I first saw the trailer to “Paul” I actually said to my wife, “I can’t wait to see that on DVD”.

I’m not saying this is the reason, no one can understand the proclivities of the movie-going public, but I believe it’s part of the cause. What do you think? Does the tone of the trailer have something to do with the lack of box office success?

The film is visually perfect. I couldn’t tell what was puppetry, and what was CG. The world of the wild things is beautiful, and captures the essence of the children’s book illustrations. It is not very colorful, but wonderful to look at for young and old.

The film was both confusing and boring. It was too much like the book. When you adapt any media into another, things must be changed. Especially when you have such a short single-minded book. Yes, they added a backstory, but that was all. The movie was just an expression of childhood anger, much like the book. Once Max got to the land of the wild things the plot ceased to move forward and just became a series of angry expression by Max and the wild things. Too much like the book. The filmmakers appear to use the book theme as an excuse for not having a good story.

The synopsis of the expanded story could’ve been pulled right from H.R. Pufnstuf. Hopefully, Sid and Marty Krofft will see this movie and use it to help determine the direction an Pufnstuf feature film should take. Honestly, the 1970s camp film “Pufnstuf” was a much better movie.

I give “Where The Wild Things Are” a didn’t really need to see it.

The real life friendship of Vaughn, Bateman, Favreau and Billingsley (director) really pays off on screen. Their interaction is seamless. Yes, the core of their characters is the same as in previous movies, but it’s so good that your not distracted at all. They are all just so entertaining to watch.

I am very glad to see Kristen Bell playing mature roles. She was somewhat typecast with her excellent portrayal as Veronica Mars, but between Sarah Marshall and Retreat she has now established herself as a ‘adult’. She was the perfect choice to play opposite Bateman. I was pleasantly surprised by Malin Akerman. I’ve never been a huge fan of hers before, but she was great in this movie. She is on her way to becoming another Leslie Mann.

As with The Break-Up, writers Vaughn and Favreau bring real feelings and issues to the screen. Every married couple can find a way to relate to at least one of the couples in this movie. What was missing that The Break-Up had was pulling you in so far that you began to feel uncomfortable watching. Retreat could have accomplished this during the montage of arguments between the couples. They started to, but never went all the way. I’m guessing it ended up on the cutting room floor.

I give Couples Retreat at really glad I seen it.

On September 19th, Smith met with Albom at Joe Louis Arena. That night at his show, Kevin said that one of Mitch Albom’s conditions was that it be shot in Detroit. He went on to say that it’s kind of a no-brainer to “…shoot a hockey movie in Hockeytown”, and that shooting would most likely begin summer 2010.

UPDATE: Kevin sat down with Vanity Fair and talk about “Hit Somebody”. ViewAskew has the good stuff.

Here is the song that inspired the movie:

Kevin came out on stage appearing as if he just woke from a nap and hurried over from his hotel (which we learn early in the show is pretty accurate). He then proceeded to disrobe and adorn a trench robe, mimicking his signature trench coat. After a slight introduction he started right into the Q&A. The first question was a great way to start the night.

Those show follow Kevin on Twitter were aware that he spent the morning at Joe Louis Arena, the home of the Detroit Red Wings. The first question was if Kevin has any plans to film in Michigan. Kevin then explains that he was at Joe Louis meeting with Mitch Albom discussing his next film, “Hit Somebody”, which he plans on filming in Detroit. So we should suspect to see a lot more of Smith in Michigan next summer.

Smith gets better and better the more he does these shows. He’s funny, but not a comedian. That is a great combo, as his stories are interesting and informative as well as being hilarious. One of the questions involved a guy whom wanted a tattoo of Kevin’s autograph on his forearm. Kevin eventually convinced him the tat should be on his ass-cheek. I hope this doesn’t start a trend. The guys buddy eventually got up and started heckling Kevin…stupid. You don’t heckle a heckler. Even though Kevin handled it well, it kind of ruined the high the show was on at the time.

The highlight of the night was at the end of the show. A woman started her question with, “…as a member of the clergy…”. The genuine reaction as Kevin looked up at her (like a deer in headlights) was priceless. The following exchange between the two was awesome, and illustrated how cool Kevin is, and how cool his genuine fans are. It was the perfect thing to top off the night.

The only downside is that being a SModcast fan, I’ve already heard a few of the stories he told. That said, the way he told them still made me chuckle. I can’t wait until Kevin comes back to Hockeytown.

Have you seen Kevin on this latest tour? Leave your comments below.

For more pictures of the night, check Twitter.

Several of the Krofft family was there, including Marty Krofft himself. For coverage of the Krofft portion of the show, go to KROFFT.NET.

The main attraction was the Happy Days cast. Everyone of the core cast was there except Ron Howard. Throughout the day there was a huge lineup to see get autographs and pictures with the cast. I spoke with Henry Winkler and Marion Ross. They were both amazing to talk to, and Marion hasn’t aged a day. The whole cast seemed to be enjoying there time at the show, especially Erin Moran. She was just as excited to see some of her celebrity friends as the fans were to see her.

As a big fan of The View Askewniverse, it was exciting to meet Jason Mewes (not to mention my wife’s infatuation with him. He was very genuine, and was the only celebrity to spend the entire day in front of his table. As I expected, he was very humble, and put on the “Jay” attitude for pictures. It was great (now if I had only remembered my Clerks DVD for him to sign. It already has Kevin Smith’s autograph). My wife took a picture with him and got a great autograph.

Along with The Brady Kids, Christopher Knight’s wife, and the first America’s Next Top Model, Adrianne Curry was there supporting Precious Paws. As I’ve mentioned before, I didn’t watch Top Model but first discovered Adrianne on The Surreal Life where she met her husband Chris. It was a joy meeting Adrianne in person. We arrived as they were setting up (the show was so unorganized) and had a chance to meet Adrianne and Chris before the crowds came. She was very down to earth (as was the whole Brady group) and very good to her fans. I only wish I had more time to talk with her as I do love to read her blog and would have enjoyed discussing some of her life philosophy in person.

From what I’ve heard, Lou Ferrigno is a sweetheart, but he is very intimidating to meet in person. The man is huge and solid. I had him autograph two pictures for my sons. I felt like a little kid when I shook his hand.

There were many other celebrities there, but the show itself was run horribly. The celebrities were told it opened at 10am, but they let us in at 9am (and 80% of them weren’t there, and the ones that were there were setting up). They had Marty Krofft in a corner next to Playboy Models no where near the other Krofft actors. They had Rosanna Arquette stuffed in the corner behind the Happy Days line where she couldn’t be seen. They had Jason Mewes next to the Munchkins from the Wizard of Oz. Not to mention Phil LaMarr and Billy West (Futurama) buried in the corner of the lobby next to a Psychic. But, would I got again…Yes.

Please leave you questions or your own experiences below in the comments.

According to MTV, Connie Sellecca says that the famous trio — her, Katt, and the splendid Robert Culp, have all received offers for cameos in the remake. Whether they take Stephen J. Cannell up on the offer remains to be seen. But at least that’s something. In the meantime, there’s also a comic book and animated webisodes on the way, so Katt-style Ralph is far from finished.

MTV has an excellent article discussing the upcoming movie, comics and webisodes. Also, there is an interview with the trio.

Greatest America Hero is my all-time favorite television superhero show. It was great for its time, and still holds up today. Robert Culp, William Katt, and Connie Sellecca were terrific, and for years after I absorbed anything they were involved in simply because it was them. Having the old cast make cameos is a great nod to the fans, and I’m excited.

What are your expectations for the new movie? Do we have to have the Joe Scarbury song?

I found myself watching the movie with a very critical eye. To have a Starship Troopers-esqe announcer instead of an opening crawl was disappointing, but over quickly. Also, not having the traditional John Williams theme was confusing, but passable. In the end, I decided that what it was a very deliberate way to signify that this is a new-Star Wars right from the beginning of the movie. This isn’t your father’s Star Wars….it’s your son’s.

As I sat there and attempted to enjoy the film for what it was, I started to see a video game unfolding. Each scene gave the characters an time-based scenario to complete. It first became apparent when Anakin and his Padawan had to destroy the Separatist shield before they reached the Republic cannons. I felt very much like I was watching a game that was all cut scenes. Much of today’s children’s entertainment is done this way, but it isn’t very appealing to anyone over 15 I would think.

The movie looked beautiful. If you replaced the human characters with actors, it would have passed for a live-action movie. The sets were amazing, and the characters moved perfectly. If this quality of animation is going into the TV series, it will be a must watch.

I was a huge “Star Wars” fan from the moment I first saw the movie in 1977. We saw it at the drive-in, and I had a Han Solo and Chewbacca action figure by the end of the week. I was obsessed with everything “Star Wars” for years. I once joked that if they released freeze-dried turd with a Star Wars logo on it, I would probably buy it. When “Star Wars” was shown on TV for the first time (OnTV), I recorded it on my Dad’s VCR. My neighbor and I proceeded to watch the movie every day for an entire year. I can still recite Episode IV verbatim. But now, I’ve passed the torch to my son…it’s his “Star Wars” now.

The movie was good, but it felt more like something that should have been on Cartoon Network. It felt as if they took the first 3 episodes of the new series and released them as a movie. If it hadn’t had been my son’s birthday, it would have been the first Star Wars movie I didn’t see in the theaters. I give “Star Wars: Clone Wars” a could have waited for the DVD.

The good part of “Wall-E” is the production. Actually, it is great not just good. The animated environments in this film are better than most CGI in live action movies. I was visually stunned, and until the human characters appeared, it didn’t feel like I was watching a cartoon. Also, the personalities of the robots come though amazingly. With nearly no words spoken, the two robots become very real characters that you care about.

The bad of this movie was that I was just bored most of the time. The great thing about Pixar movies are that the stories are so well done and directed, that it could have been live action. The pacing of this film was horrible. Many of the scenes were repetitive (look at the cute robots), and lacked substance. A good 15-20 minutes could have been cut from this movie, and it would have been the masterpiece everyone is touting. But as it stands, it was the worst Pixar movie I’ve seen (I’ve missed a couple).

A perfect Pixar movie is “Ratatouille”. If any animated movie should have won the real Best Picture Oscar it is “Ratatouille”, not “Wall-E”. I believe that the combination of the Pixar-halo and the visual beauty of the film is why critics are mistakenly calling this film “the best animated film ever”. They were ready to herald it before it ever premiered.

Even my children (ages 7,8,10,12 & 13) agreed that it was slow.

Should you go an see “Wall-E”? Maybe. If you enjoy beautiful rendered environments, then yes. Otherwise wait for the DVD and check it out. I give “Wall-E” a should have waited for the DVD.

What I’ve always loved about the Indiana Jones movies was the feeling of old-timey serials; the kind of movie my grandparents would have seen when they were kids. All of the Jones movies had that feel, but some more than others. Crystal Skulls was in parts, but the overall storyline took was the problem. Although Raiders, Doom and Crusade always had an element of the supernatural, they were based on myths and traditions that real archaeologists studied. In Crystal Skull moving into the realm of aliens (or “transdimensional beings”) was a bit much. It pulled me out of the Indy-Universe and into something else. The ending was more X-Files than Indy.

There were also a couple of out of place things that took me out of the movie, or McGuffin’s that didn’t materialize. First, the 3 gopher scenes. They were just too cutesy and very out of place. Only these 3 scenes of the entire movie had this absurd tone. Lucas ‘jar-jar’ed’ this one. Then, there was the “McCarthyism”. This appeared to be a MacGuffin that would later affect Indy in the story. Instead, it was an obvious political statement about the current climate in America. Not that I don’t agree with Spielberg/Lucas on this one, but I don’t watch “Indiana Jones” for political statements. Leaving out both of these would have made this movie nearly perfect.

Most people don’t believe me, but this movie was almost exactly what some friends and I talked about in college in the early 90s. We were discussing the Indy Trilogy back and I brought up the idea that Indy had a son/daughter that he didn’t know about when him and Marion hooked up in Raiders. I was inspired by Jones Sr. in Crusade and the Young Indy TV show. What I hypothesized at the time is almost exactly what we got in Skulls, and I loved that. It made for a great story, and the only ‘cheese’ was the usual Indiana Jones ‘cheese’. I’m glad that they went with this storyline. I would be very open to continuing the franchise with Henry Jones III, but I’m not thrilled with Shia Labeouf. I like him as an actor, but he doesn’t have the charisma that Ford brought to Indy. To continue the saga, we would need that attitude.

More and more I come to enjoy the character interactions and character development in movies, film and books. “Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skulls” was very character driven, in my opinion. The interactions between Marion, Indy, Ox and Junior were amazing. This is what made the movie for me, and why I’ll watch it again. During the traditional Indy chase scenes, they played off each other beautifully and made their dysfunctional family very believable.

Even though I had problems with the movie as a whole, the terrific greatly outweighed the bad. I can’t wait to see this again, and I hope you see it too. I give “Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skulls” a have to see it again!