LOOPER

Would you sacrifice the future to enjoy the present?  Conversely, how far would you go to protect the future?  These are some of the questions raised in Looper, a very original science fiction thriller that delves deeply into time travel -- and personal choices.

"Time travel has not yet been invented. But thirty years from now, it will have been."  So says Joe (Joseph Gordon-Levitt), an assassin known as a Looper in the year 2042.  We're told that in 2072 time travel was invented and almost immediately outlawed, so it's only used by organized crime.  Since people are almost impossible to make vanish in the future, the mob sends its victims back to 2042 (hands bound, with a hood over their face), where a waiting Looper blasts them with a blunderbuss and collects a reward of silver bars tied to the victim's back.  However, there's a price: Since the mob wants to sever all ties with time travel, if a Looper lives to 2072 their 2042 version will kill their future self ("closing the loop"), enjoying a reward of gold and living it up until their inevitable self-termination.  Future versions don't get far (as injuries to the present version carry through to the future self), and Abe (Jeff Daniels) is a mob rep from the future who runs the 2042 Loopers to make sure nothing goes wrong.

Of course, something goes very wrong: The future version of Joe (Bruce Willis) is sent back, but he escapes and is determined to change the future.  "Old Joe" wants to restore the life he had and then lost, while "Young Joe" is determined to kill his future self to get back in Abe's good graces and return to a life of hedonism and self-destruction.  There are also flying vehicles, low-level telekinetics, farmer Sara (Emily Blunt) and her creepy kid Cid (Pierce Gagnon), and a mysterious future mob boss called the Rainmaker who single-handedly took over five cities.

Looper is an intriguing look at the potential of time travel -- and its potential abuses.  While I don't know why the mob wouldn't use time travel to make a fortune (from the stock market, betting on sports, etc.), the setup allows for a class of people who sell out their futures to party in the present.  Gordon-Levitt and Willis are great as two sides of the same coin: the young kid who wants to enjoy himself no matter what, and the older one willing to commit a horrible plan to fix the future.  There are times Looper falls into action movie cliches (like people dodging bullets), but this movie is exciting, thoughtful, and entertaining.

Overall grade: A-
Reviewed by James Lynch

THE SECRET LIVES OF ADULT STARS dvd

So, what's it like making a living in the world of porn?  What cliches are ridiculous, and which common beliefs are true?  These are some of the "secrets" covered in The Secret Lives of Adult Stars, a 2004 documentary consisting of interviews with the people who make their living making adult entertainment.

This documentary takes a simple approach: Get some adult film professionals (mainly actors and directors) and let them chat about different topics.  The folks discuss everything from how they got started in the industry, to fans, to the challenges of maintaining relationships with people who aren't part of the industry.  They discuss the need to "approach women as a consumer," the rise of the internet and technology (the shots of vhs boxes suggest this was made right before the advent of the dvd), and how little male performers make compared with women.

Folks looking for deep, dark secrets won't find them here.  There are no outsiders giving different perspectives on the pros and cons of filming and selling sex, just industry professionals discussing mostly how much they enjoy working in the industry.  (All may not be perfect, as the stars who become more popular can work less.  Asia Carrera comments that she made "seventy movies in my first six months.")  There's no discussion of feminism, politics, or controversy.

What The Secret Lives of Adult Stars delivers is most of the big names of the adult industry, such as Brittany Andrews, Julie Meadows, Anna Malle, Nina Hartley, Julia Ann, Asia Carrera, Michael Raven, Steven St. Croix, and more.  (Notably absent is megastar Jenna Jameson.)  This documentary shows that the people in the adult entertainment industry are regular people, not sexaholics or damaged goods.  Beyond that, though The Secret Lives of Adult Stars isn't particularly illuminating on this fascinating genre.

Overall grade: C+
Reviewed by James Lynch

Pink, THE TRUTH ABOUT LOVE (Deluxe Version)

Love may be, as the poets say, a many-splendoured thing -- but it becomes something quite disappointing, thrilling, sexy, and addictive in the world of bass-ass singer Pink.  The Truth about Love, her latest album, shows that motherhood hasn't softened either her writing or delivery -- or her skills.

Following the opening we're-a-community-of-rebels anthem "Are We All We Are," The Truth about Love takes on love in all its glorious and reckless facets.  There's the simultaneous mix of love and hate ("True Love"), unconditional support ("The Great Escape"), the joy of sex ("Slut like You"), the shame of sex ("Walk of Shame"), co-dependent neediness ("How Come You're Not Here") and saying adios to an ex (the first single, "Blow Me (One Last Kiss)").  The Truth about Love isn't simple in its message, avoiding both excess sentimentality and man-bashing lyrics.

What the album has is Pink in fine form.  She keeps things nicely varied from start to finish, mixing up her sound to go from pop to rock to near-acoustic ballads.  Her songwriting doesn't pull any punches ("At the same time I wanna hug you/ I wanna wrap my hands around your neck/You're an asshole but I love you/And you make me so mad I ask myself/Why I'm still here or where could I go?") and her vocals carry both the jagged and soft songs with ease.  The album isn't perfect -- "Beam Me Up" is a weird mix of sentiment and science-fiction, and I could have lived nicely without the Eminem cameo -- but The Truth about Love is a terrific reminder of how forceful and terrific Pink can be.

The Target deluxe version (disclaimer: I work for Target -- as a ninja!) has four bonus tracks that don't quite fit in with the theme of the album but are still enjoyable.

Overall grade: A-
Reviewed by James Lynch

AFTER

"Where did everybody go?" This is the starting point for plenty of horror/suspense where someone seems to be the only person left in the world. It's also the basis for After, though the movie goes more for sentiment than science in its trip to the end.

Ana (Karolina Wydra) is taking a bus home to Pearl, Maryland, when she's hit on by Freddy (Steven Strait). She's a nurse who's trying to write in her journal, and he's a comic book artist chatting her up. It turns out that they live on the same street, though they've never met. Suddenly there's a crash on the side of the bus.

In the next scene, Ana wakes up in her home. She heads to work -- only no one is there. No one is anywhere: Every home and office is deserted, cars are empty, and there's no answer on the radio or signal on the TV. Then she runs into Freddy, and the two of them decide to pair up and figure out what's going on.

That's when the weirdness starts (or intensifies). The whole town is surrounded by a wall of swirling black smoke, and it's slowly moving towards them and the center of town. Ana and Freddy seem to walk into each other's flashbacks, scenes from decades ago in their past. Somewhere in the smoke is the sound of a monster on a chain. And everything seems to have a connection with their past.

Writer/director Ryan Smith runs into the problem so many stories like this face: The explanation isn't as satisfying as the mystery. While Wydra and Strait do a good job with their roles -- regular people forced together by a nightmare situation -- as the pieces of After start coming together the situation gets less interesting. And, as is so often the case, the monster is more fearsome when it's just heard than when it finally shows up.

The intrigue of After is interesting (the swirling blackness closing in on the town, the giant door with hundreds of keys in front of it) while it lasts, but the payoff is a bit lackluster. This movie would have worked better if it had, to quote Iris DeMent, let the mystery be.

Overall grade: C-

Reviewed by James Lynch

THE ULTIMATE GUIDE TO KINK by Tristan Taormino, et al

If you want to learn about a subject, talk with some experts on that subject. This simple principle is the guiding force behind The Ultimate Guide to Kink: BDSM, Role Play and the Erotic Edge, edited by Tristan Taormino. She has collected essays by some of the "superstars" of the kinky community to write an essay or two on different aspects of the alternative sexual lifestyles. The results are, for the most part, terrific.

The Ultimate Guide to Kink is divided into two parts. The first half, "Skills and Techniques," provides information on the "mechanics" of kinky sex (as well as an overview of the terminology from Taormino herself), from training a slave to bondage, piercings, and er, things that can be done with a fist. Following that is "Fantasies and Philosophies," which encompasses everything from the basics of role play to the mindset of a sadist and masochist (different essays) to different genres of role play and the darker realms of the imagination.

The twenty essays from various writers give not just a variety of not just sexual arenas, but writing styles and attitudes as well. Many of the writers are as adamant about the necessary precautions as the erotic potentials ("Don't kill 'em, don't harm 'em, don't bore 'em") and most urge testing the waters carefully instead of diving right in. Some writers use humor (from "Homer Simpson rewards" to "Lord Eduardo, King of the Goats") while others get very personal; the last three essays delve into very dangerous territories, and Edge clarifies, "Finally, I'm going to sound like a psycho killer at times. I am not. Promise."

The Ultimate Guide to Kink works as much as a philosophical basis for kink as for a discussion of how to expand one's sexual experience into different areas. The writing is quite good for the most part, and even discussions of activities that don't interest a reader might still provide insights and possibilities for the reader in other areas. This book does explore some pretty hardcore areas, both physically and mentally, and it's certainly not for the faint of heart. (One description made me queasy.) With that in mind, it's easy to see why these authors are the superstars of their kinks, and Tristan Taormino did a great job gathering and editing their thoughts to create The Ultimate Guide to Kink.

Overall grade: A
Reviewed by James Lynch

BAR RESCUE

For those keeping score: We can clone a sheep, we can't clone a human, and Spike TV can definitely clone a television show. The network has taken the restaurant renovation show Kitchen Nightmares and copied it for troubled bars in Bar Rescue, from brash-but-knowledgable expert to near-hopeless owners and employees.

Bar Rescue features Jon Taffer, the expert with over 30 years of experience in fixing up bars and making them profitable. Each episode, the owners of a failing bar request his help, and the same things happen almost every episode. Taffer (or a friend) go in incognito to the bar to see how the service, food, and drinks are. He fills the bar with tons of customers, to see how the staff and management work under pressure. He brings in experts (usually a chef, a bartender, and a service coordinator) to work with the staff on proper and improved customer service. He packs the bar for a "stress test," seeing how well they perform under tough conditions. He plans and executes a renovation of the bar, from simple decor to new equipment (supplied, I suspect, by the show's sponsors) to sometimes changing the identity of the bar. A relaunch happens, testing how well the revamped bar does. And there's a brief report, from days to months later, on how the bar is doing.

Then there's the yelling and manipulation. If Taffer were an actor, he's be a great Brooklyn tough guy: He's loud, passionate, and profanity-filled as he screams about the mistakes made and problems found in the bar. (Basically, Gordon Ramsay without the British accent.) At the same time, Bar Rescue uses pretty standard reality tv trickery to play with our emotions: dramatic music to tell us how to feel, cuts to people talking to the camera in the middle of conversations, and plenty of editing to make the bad employees look even worse.

But there's entertainment to be found here as well. Brash as Taffer is, he certainly knows his way around a bar -- and the bars that take his advice seem to do well in the long run. (I think the toughest part of the show must be finding bars that are having massive financial problems, yet are run by people who ask for help but fight the changes and advice every step of the way.) It's somewhat fun to see how the bars improve, often turning things around in the space of less than a week. And there's plenty of drama that happens between Tafferty and anyone he considers incompetent.

I might like Bar Rescue more if it had come first (and definitely if it had fewer commercials), but it's still a somewhat enjoyable guilty pleasure. Where else can you see a bar virtually indistinguishable from its attached strip club get turned around, or a pirate bar go corporate?

Overall grade: C+

Reviewed by James Lynch

FLAMING CARROT

There has been plenty of comedy in most superhero comics, and there have been plenty of parodies of superheroes, but for sheer surreality and goofiness -- with a heart of gold and violence -- none have ever topped the Flaming Carrot. This bastion of lunacy, written and drawn by Bob Burden, has been around since 1979, jumping from publisher to publisher and entertaining fans to this day.

While most of us imagine being as smart and fearsome as Batman or as powerful as the Hulk, in our heart of hearts we know we'd probably be a lot more closer to the Flaming Carrot. His origin (video below) is similar to that of Don Quixote: After reading 5,000 comic books in a row to win a bet, a man suffered brain damage and became the Flaming Carrot. While he has no powers per se, his giant fake carrot head has a flame that can be increased or decreased, and he keeps a nuclear-powered pogo stick in his snout. He carries guns (and usually shoots the bad guys), gets a wide variety of weird gadgets, and always wears flippers (in case he has to swim).

Flaming Carrot is the defender of Palookaville, a neighborhood in Iron City. While he is something of a neighborhood hero, he makes a living by running a laundromat and taking the money he finds at crime scenes. He has battled mobsters, aliens, the cloned feet of Hitler, wannabe supervillains, and even a giant talking chicken wing (the latter in "Crouching Carrot, Hidden Hotwing"). He's teamed up with such local heroes as the Mystery Men (the team of second-rate heroes who inspired the movie of the same name) and Sponge Boy and appeared in comic books with the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and Cerebus the Aardvark.

While parody is easy, there's a certain heart and charm to the world of the Flaming Carrot that elevates it past simple superhero jokes. This lunatic hero may be a crimefighter, but he also spends plenty of time doing regular things (in costume), from dating the ladies to performing as a lounge singer. He often speaks in sentence fragments, likes to exclaim "Ut!" when surprised or excited, and makes massive leaps of logic that usually turn out to be true (like assuming the evil Umpires in NY would be hiding at the Umpire State Building -- and then finding them at the Empire State Building). It's a weird, goofy world the Carrot lives in -- but it sure is fun!

The most recent new issues of Flaming Carrot Comics were a 4-issue miniseries put out by Image Comics in 2004, with an issue in 2006 using photos instead of artwork. The older issues are collected in black and white collections, and the Flaming Carrot Kickstarter Project has met its goal, which means more hardbound and digital copies of the classic stories will be available. The Flaming Carrot has also been on a t-shirt (which I had) and had his own action figure (which I have).

One of the Flaming Carrot collections proclaims "The wild shall wild remain" and that certainly applies to the orange avenger. With all the changes that have happened in the world since the Flaming Carrot first appeared, his unique charming lunacy remains as fun as ever.

UT!

Overall grade: A-

Reviewed by James Lynch

PARANORMAN

"I see dead people" may be the most famous line from The Sixth Sense, but it's also the impetus for the movie ParaNorman, a stop-motion animated film about adventure, bullying, and friendship. And zombies.

Life is rough for Norman Babcock (Kodi Smit-McPhee), a spiky-haired kid living in the town of Blythe Hollow. Norman sees and talks with dead people, from his deceased grandmother (Elaine Stritch) to a variety of folks on his walk to school. (Norman also loves horror movies, though the movie doesn't say if this began before or after his talking with the dead began.) Unfortunately, Norman's gift also makes him an outcast. He's bullied by Alvin (Christopher Mintz-Plasse) and called "Abnorman" by the other students. At home, he's berated by his teen sister Courtney (Anna Kendrick), told by his father Perry (Jeff Garlin) how disappointing he is, and poorly consoled by his worried mom Sandra (Leslie Mann). Norman's only real friend is Neil (Tucker Abrizzi), a cheerful fat kid who isn't bothered by insults.

But strange things are brewing in Blithe Hollow. It's the 300th aniversary of the witch Aggie by the founders of Blithe Hollow, and Norman's weird uncle Mr. Prenderghast (John Goodman) has been responsible for keeping Aggie from returning. But when he dies, his ghost passes on the duty to Norman. Unfortunately reading from the book doesn't work, and soon seven colonial American zombies are shambling around the town, an angry mob is forming, and the witch's visage appears in the storm that grows bigger and more powerful. Can Norman, Neil, Neil's dumb jock brother Mitch (Casey Affleck), Courtney (who has a crush on Mitch) and Alvin (who has a crush on Courtney) put an end to the supernatural events? Or will the witch's curse destroy the town?

ParaNorman is a Halloween movie (the events take place at Halloween; throughout the town witches and the supernatural are used as tourist traps) released at the end of the summer. It's enjoyable at times, and too simplistic at other times. There are some very nice touches, from the cheap zombie movie Norman watches at the beginning, to a few clever horror movie references, to a surprise about one character at the end. However, most of the characters are caricatures, from the overly-dramatic drama teacher to the quickly-formed angry mob who blame Norman for all the problems. The animation is pretty good (from the same people who gave us the creepy Coraline) and the voice talent is fine, but ParaNorman never quite makes the leap from kiddie humor to humor that works for both kids and adults. It's an entertaining movie, but it could have been quite a bit more than it is.

Overall grade: B-

Reviewed by James Lynch

CTHULHU FLUXX

Looney Labs had adapted its core game Fluxx -- with Keepers, Actions, Goals, Ungoals, New Rules, and Creepers -- to several genres. Cthulhu Fluxx is their most recent entry in the world of Fluxx, and it works extremely well at capturing the horror, madness, and even humor of the mythos of H.P. Lovecraft.

The basic rules of Cthulhu Fluxx will be familiar to anyone who's played Fluxx before. At the start of the game, players have three cards and draw one, play one. Keepers are played in front of players, Goals present conditions for victory (usually by having the right mix of Keepers), Actions let the players perform, well, actions, and New Rules change the gameplay for all players. There are also Creepers (which are played automatically and prevent a player from winning -- unless the Creeper is part of the Goal) and Ungoals (which result in a loss for everyone). So what's new?

For starters, anyone familiar with Lovecraft's stories will recognize how the Goals reflect his stories. If you read "The Whisperer in Darkness," you'll appreciate that the Goal with the same name requires the Professor and Fungi; likewise, the Reanimator and Tomb combine for the Goal "Meat Market." All of the goals match the Lovecraftian body of work.

Lovecraft's work also has a sense of inevitable doom -- and that's here as well. Bad cards have a number of Doom icons on them, and the Ungoals are met if a certain Creeper or Keeper is in play with a certain number of Doom points. But more positive cards have Anti-Doom icons, and each of these is subtracted from the Doom points in play. Furthermore, some cards give victory if an Ungoal's requirements are met (like the Secret Cultist), reflecting the ebb and flow of Lovecraftian horror and doom, and how some fight to make it happen while others oppose it.

Cthulhu Fluxx does a wonderful job mixing the basic, familiar rules of Fluxx with the Lovecraftian mythos. The numerous Creepers, Ungoals, and potential Doom points match Lovecraft's sense of impending peril quite well, and giving players multiple options to victory (by holding off the darkness or strengthening it) makes this more strategic than most other Fluxx games. This actually improves on the core game very nicely.

Overall grade: A-

Reviewed by James Lynch

HIT AND RUN

It's ironic that sometimes real-life relationships don't translate well to the screen; it's unfortunate that sometimes action movies wind up pretty boring. Both of these problems plague Hit and Run, an action-comedy that's not exciting or funny -- or romantic, despite the leads being involved in real life.

In a small town, Charlie Bronson (Dax Shepard) seems content hanging around and dating Annie Bean (Kristen Bell). When she gets a unique opportunity to teach her specialty in L.A. 500 miles away, Charlie insists she go for it and drives her there. Unfortunately, Charlie is in the witness protection program (something universally known where he lives), and leaving creates problems.

Inept U.S. marshall Randy Anderson (Tom Arnold) keeps following Charlie to keep him self, even as Randy keeps having accidents with his car and gun. Gil (Michael Rosenbaum), Annie's ex-boyfriend, is convinved that Charlie will kill her so he pursues the two of them. Worse, he alerts Alex Dimitri (Bradley Cooper, sporting dreadlocks and yellow shades), the crook who went to jail because of Charlie's testimony. There's also gay cop Terry (Jess Rowland), Gil's brother, and his partner Angela (Carly Hatter) in the mix. So it's a madcap chase, as everyone seems to pursue Charlie and Annie as they speed along in one car after another.

Alas, "madcap" is giving Hit and Run far too much credit. While there's supposed to be humor and discovery in the relationship between Charlie and Annie (she knows nothing about his life before they dated; he's always fighting and stealing), the two actors are surprisingly dull. Most of the actors seem unilvolved with the action (with the exception of Kristin Chenoweth as a foul-mouthed, pill-popping college administrator), and there's little humor (despite the attempts at jokes) or excitement (despite numerous car chases). There's also no explanation given for the title. Hit and Run is a dud.

Overall grade: D

Reviewed by James Lynch

Larry Niven, THE MAGIC GOES AWAY

Magic is a staple of much fantasy literature -- but what if it was a limited resource that was rapidly running out? This is the basis for Larry Niven's 1978 illustrated novel The Magic Goes Away, which adds this new twist to a familiar setting.

The setting for The Magic Goes Away is an amalgam world, where magical lands, American Indians, and Atlantis all co-exist. Wizards were once feared -- doing everything from creating stable buildings to destroying armies -- but mana (the power behind magic) has been drained from the planet largely due to overuse. Magical creatures are dying, and spells can suddenly fail in areas where there is no more mana. Several magicians -- the Warlock, the Indian Clubfoot, the beautiful Mirandee, and the still-living skull of the necromancer Wavyhill, and the dubious Piranther -- have met, and Warlock reveals his idea to return to magic to the world. Then there's Orolandes, the non-magical soldier who feels guilt over his role in the Greek attack on and destruction of Atlantis. He sees the quest as a means of redemption; he's also a romantic interest for Mirandee, and a "mundane" who can survive quite well without the magic the others are desperate to replenish.

The Magic Goes Away is an enjoyable tale (though the comic book-style illustrations are quite unnecessary) of both sword & sorcery and a sort of environmentalism. While much of the adventures here are familiar to the genre -- giant monsters (and giants), magic travels, planning and betrayal -- Larry Niven shows his skill as a writer, both with the internal consistency of this magical world and his ability to combine fine description and original ideas. The Magic Goes Away is a trip into an interesting world where magic exists -- but perhaps not for much longer.

Overall grade: B
Reviewed by James Lynch

RIFFTRAX: MANOS, THE HANDS OF FATE

Sure it's been years since Mystery Science Theater 3000 went off the air, but Mike Nelson, Bill Corbett, and Kevin Murphy keep the fun going with their commentaries about bad movies with their Rifftrax project. Even better, every few months a Rifftrax special is shown "live" (actually taped live, then broadcast later) in the movie theater. Last night I got to see the comedy trio take on what many consider to be the worst movie ever with Rifftrax: Manos, the Hands of Fate.

For those (fortunate enough) not to be familiar with Manos: The Hands of Fate, it's a horror movie that includes: a Satanist with giant hands on his robe; a "monster" with fat legs (Torgo!) who can barely walk; a forgettable family of victims; useless cops; a bizarre catfight between women in unrevealing gowns; and plenty of random camera cuts and terrible theme music. It's no wonder that this movie supplies plenty of material for the Rifftrax folks; and rather than simply redo the jokes done when Manos was shown on MST3K, Rifftrax: Manos the Hands of Fate provides new material, from referencing 50 Shades of Grey to "complimenting" the director who's also the father in the film.

The evening opened with the Rifftrax take on several three shorts: a bleak 1970s "comedy" called Welcome Back, Norman; an uninformative educational film about cylinders; and a commercial for prune juice. These were just as fun as the Manos jokes, and while the "live" tag for the movie may have been misleading, there was a festive feeling through the theater.

Around Halloween, Rifftrax will be returning to the big screen with a showing of the cgi bird attack film Birdemic. I can't wait!

Overall grade: A-
Reviewed by James Lynch

COW BOY: A BOY AND HIS HORSE

The Wild West setting provides lots of opportunities for action, adventure, justice, and violence. In the comic book Cow Boy: A Boy and His Horse by Nate Cosby and Chris Eliopoulos, the Wild West gets something new: a little kid.

Boyd Linney was born into a family of outlaws. He chose a different path for himself, becoming a bounty hunter and focused on capturing and turning in his wayward family members for the reward. However, he didn't wait long to pursue his vocation: Boyd is heading after his kin at the ripe young age on ten years old. Riding his horse Cee Cee (who's so much bigger than Boyd) and armed with a toy horse-based shotgun, Boyd travels far across the U.S. (and Mexico) pursuing his family.

Cow Boy: A Boy and His Horse is a simple idea that works pretty well. Boyd is in many ways the typical tough-guy cowboy except for his age and size but who simply follows the creed "Justice ain't got no age." Boyd is far from perfect -- facing both errors in judgment and moral questions in his quest -- and yet his determination to do good (and make some money along the way) is appealing. This is helped by the artwork of Eliopoulos, who makes Boyd look like he'd be at home playing in the world of Calvin and Hobbes.

Cow Boy: A Boy and His Horse is a simple story that's nicely told. I look forward to the next collection in this series (which will hopefully have the foreshadowed meeting between Boyd and his criminal mother), and I enjoy rereading my hardbound copy of the story of a little kid with a big gun.

Overall grade: B

Reviewed by James Lynch

THE CAMPAIGN

While politics has plenty of unintentional comedy -- especially in an election year -- there's always room for caricature. The Campaign is a comedy that dodges any philosophical or party differences to simply tackle the "win at all costs" approach to politics.

Cam Brady (Will Ferrell) is the Democratic congressman from North Carolina. He's experienced, popular, and about to run for his fifth term -- without an opposing candidate. He's also bigger on crowd-pleasing speeches than empty policies (when asked what his slogan "Freedom! Jesus! America!" means, he answers, "I don't know -- but people love it when I say it") and a tremendous womanizer. When his obscene phone call gets released after he misdialed and left it on a religious family's answering machine, the Republicans see a chance to take the district -- and more.

The Motch Brothers (John Lithgow and Dan Ackroyd, parodying the Republican billionaire kingmakers the Koch brothers) want to open a Chinese sweatshop in North Carolina, and they want a politician who'll waive any EPA and minimum wage requirements for their planned factory. They decide to go with Marty Huggins (Zack Galifianakis), a meek, slightly effeminate man who's happiest praying with his family and giving local tours.

Marty is initially unprepared for the cutthroat world of politics -- Cam's first attacks take place at a "civility brunch" for the two candidates -- but then the Motch brothers bring in Tim Wattley (Dylan McDermott), a ruthless campaign manager who provides Marty with scripted talking points and remakes everything from his dogs to his family. Meanwhile, Cam's campaign keeps running into problems -- from drunk driving to punching a baby -- and Mitch (Jason Sudeikis), his campaign manager, is more and more upset about how extreme Cam is getting in order to win.

The Campaign largely steers clear of ideological differences between the parties (except for their Motch brothers and a commentary on the Citizens United ruling) to go for borderline slapstick humor and the old themes that politics is about image and the quest for victory can be corrupting. Fortunately, with all the profanity-filles silliness, Ferrell and Galifianakis are terrific guides through this absurdly over-the-top world of politics. Ferrell is a hoot as the slick, experienced candidate who can't keep control of himself, while Galifianakis is a hoot as the slightly pathetic nice guy forced to become a warrior for his side. I also really enjoyed McDermott as the "Mr. Fixit" sent in as an election specialist who is focused solely on victory.

Even with cameos from news folks from CNN and MSNBC, The Campaign inhabits a world closer to the Marx Brothers than our world. Still, goofy as the movie is, The Campaign is often funny as well.

Overall grade: B-

Reviewed by James Lynch

Kylie Minogue, THE BEST OF KYLIE MINOGUE cd/dvd

Back in July 1987, Kylie Minogue hit the pop scene. It's now 25 years later, and EMI Catalogue celebrates her career longevity with The Best of Kylie Minogue, an album containing 21 of her hits from the years (and their accompanying music videos).

The Best of Kylie Minogue covers Kylie's career from her first hit -- her cover of "The Locomotion" -- to her most recent album, Aphrodite. As such, the album shows her evolution from a perky teen pop singer to, er, a perky disco-inspired pop singer. It's not much of an evolution (her voice is decent from her early work to the present), but it's impossible to tell from this collection, which eschews chronology and simply mixes the songs up. Perhaps this is deliberate, demonstrating that her early and later songs are interchangable; it's not exactly a compliment. The music videos show how Kylie used her image as much as her voice, with later music having more glamour and choreography than the basic early videos.

While this collection is missing is anything extra. There are no new songs, no rarities, and no live tracks (as there were on her Greatest Hits collection, covering her more recent music). The lyrics to all her songs are in the cd booklet -- but not which albums they came from, or her thoughts on the songs, or anything the singer has to say about her 25-year music career. Eighteen of the songs made the top 5 in the U.K., and five of them made number one there -- but I learned that through the description on Amazon.com; none of that info is included here.

Kylie Minogue has always enjoyed more success overseas than in America -- despite her brief return to the charts here with "Can't Get You out of My Head" -- so it's both ironic and appropriate that The Best of Kylie Minogue is an import album in the United States. While it's hard to capture 25 years of music with 21 songs, this collection demonstrates Kylie Minogue's ablity to create danceable, fluffy pop -- which, depending on the listener, makes her a producer of enjoyable, simple pop or someone who's done nearly the same thing for 25 years. Either way, The Best of Kylie Minogue should have had something new, to add to what was already out there.


Overall grade: C
Reviewed by James Lynch