Outside of the In-Crowd – Fall Movies: The ones that will make your puppies cry

Outside of the In-Crowd 3 Comments
Courtney Enlow

Courtney Enlow

This fall, something magical will happen. Something that happens so rarely. Something so gem-like, sparklier than Robert Pattinson’s shins.

This fall, the good movies are coming!

Now I am not of the cynical Internetty thought that Hollywood spews nothing but shit all year round. This summer alone has released some greats. The Hurt Locker, Moon, The Hangover, (500) Days of Summer and The Proposal (shut your mouth before you open it) have all been varying levels of really good to great, and Inglourious Basterds has already earned itself a place among my top ten favorite movies ever ever.

But this autumn seems so shiny and new. There are tons of movies coming out that I’m just a-bliss over. And not even just the absolutely-certain-to-be-good ones. I’m possibly the only person on the Internet excited for Jennifer’s Body (boner-y Megan Fox fans not-withstanding), I’m still stoked for The Box even after Southland Tales/Cameron Diaz’s ruin-y spoilers at Comic Con, and you can count on my fawning pillow talk to the latest entry in the Saw series come October (especially if those Cary Elwes return rumors are true).

And that is why, gentle reader, I must warn you of the bad so that you might only see the good. I mean, I could focus on the awesome stuff, like The Informant, or Where The Wild Things Are, but this is the Internet! We don’t have time for that shit! So now, I present to you the fall films that may kill you, Final Destination-style. And coming off Death’s Summer of Total Deathiness, you just can’t risk that.

All About Steve
This is a film that invokes feelings, not of rage or even mild annoyance, but of sadness for its stars. I genuinely enjoy the whole cast, and this was obviously made during a shared lull in the careers of Sandra Bullock and Thomas Haden Church, and immediately before Bradley Cooper blew up all over the place. It just burns of direct-to-video, and may never have gotten a solid release if not for The Hangover. Todd Phillips is probably real real sorry about that one, guys.

Sorority Row
Speaking of direct-to-video, this one doesn’t even have the decency to “star” anyone except Carrie Fisher, who should know better, but has really been through a lot, so how dare you judge her. Other than Ms. Leia, the other people that camera points at a lot are Rumer Willis and that Audrina person from The Hills whose eyes don’t look at things. I’m pretty sure they probably both die though, so do with it what you will.

Love Happens
Love Happens has the special distinction of being a film that enrages me double; once for its plot (formulaic is too kind and forgiving a word), and again for its really dumbass title. I can’t really even put into words why I hate it so much, I just do, and that’s good enough. For reasons of familial peace, I cannot say anything remotely unkind towards its female lead, lest my father disown me and cut me out of any will there might be, so I’ll just say it stars the non-Billy Dee Williams Harvey Dent and the lady with the pretty hair and move right along, without indicating my feelings regarding said female lead starring in yet another one of these Oprah-y shitshows and yet again avoiding having to actually act once in her entire career. Again with the moving right along.

Surrogates
Forgettable and goofy, but that’s entirely beside the point. The point is this: am I wrong in assuming that the trailer is the whole movie? Literally? Like they took out 120 minutes of Willis being gruff and shooting things and were left with two minutes plotting out the beginning, middle and end?

Fame
Hearing 80s tunes, even bad ones, re-done in that cheap pop/R&B High School Musical kind of way makes my skin crawl in the same way it does when my grandpa shows me a new bruise.

Law Abiding Citizen / Gamer
Gerard Butler has been in exactly one good movie, and putting it out on Front Street here, that one wasn’t even good. He has no reason to have appeared in TWO trailers preceding Inglourious Basterds.

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Twilight: New Moon
Because portly divorcées wearing cherub t-shirts need to masturbate, too.

Did You Hear About the Morgans?
Despite all my better judgment, I still like Hugh Grant. He so earned my adoration in Bridget Jones’s Diary that I generally forgive him for even the second Bridget Jones’s Diary. But this movie looks like painful shit. A couple witnesses a murder and enters the witness protection program and is sent to a farm in Wyoming. A) Either Kirstie Alley already made that movie, or that was a dream I had after eating pickles before bed, B) why do the feds always seem to send people into the most absolute fish-out-of-water place they can possibly find? Because the killer totally always finds them, which really sucks, even though they’re always stopped by the locals, goodhearted people wrongly judged by our protagonists and we the audience. You just think by now they’d figure out a better way is all I’m saying.

You’ve now been warned, my friends. Be careful with your hard-earned recession money/unearned trust fund coke-cash, and select wisely. Barring that, see Fame. Because pretty colors and dancing.

Courtney Enlow is a writer living in Chicago and working as a corporate shill to pay the bills. You can contact her at courtney@hobotrashcan.com.

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From the Vault – One on One with Neal Jones

From the Vault No Comments

While many actors seek fame and recognition, Neal Jones would be pleased if you never realized he was on your TV screen. The journeyman character actor enjoys creating unique characters and blending seamlessly into films and TV shows without having the audience realize that it’s him playing the role. Luckily, he was still willing to step out and talk with us about his work on Rescue Me, Generation Kill and Dirty Dancing.

If you missed our interview with Jones last year, here’s a second chance to enjoy it:
http://www.hobotrashcan.com/2008/09/04/one-on-one-with-neal-jones/

  

Hobo Stu’s Weekly Recap

Weekly Recap 1 Comment
Hobo Stu

Hobo Stu

Hello everyone,

First and foremost, I want to wish HoboTrashcan a happy anniversary. It’s hard to believe its been four years and Joel hasn’t run this place into the ground yet. (I had six months in the office pool.) If you missed his anniversary post on Monday, I highly recommend going back and reading it.

Unfortunately, this week’s celebration was a bit bittersweet. Brian Murphy, a writer who has been with the site since day one, has announced he will no longer be a full-time contributor to the site. As many of you know, he started his own site a while back called Homer McFanboy, which has really taken off, which unfortunately means he doesn’t have much time for us hobos anymore. He will still be popping up here from time to time with guest posts, but his days as a full-time writer are officially over.

Brian has done a lot of work behind the scenes; he was instrumental in helping this site get off the ground. He will be greatly missed. But, we encourage you to go support Homer McFanboy and to send him your own well wishes.

Here’s what’s new on HoboTrashcan.com this week:

Murphy’s Law – Big man on campus
Joel Murphy has decided to return to college to get his bachelor’s degree. However, at 28, he is feeling a bit out of place on campus, so this week he turns to the films Back to School, Necessary Roughness and Old School for advice on how to fit in.

Note to Self – Why your team won’t win the Super Bowl 2009
With preseason underway, sport’s columnist Brian Murphy takes a look at all 32 teams and gives you the reason why each one won’t win the Super Bowl this season. Even the best sports analyst have trouble predicting the outcome of the NFL season this early, but we guarantee Murphy will get 31 of these right.

Outside of the In-Crowd – Now that people are dead, can we finally reject reality TV?
Former reality show contestant Ryan Jenkins apparent murder/suicide has Courtney Enlow wondering about the screening process for reality shows and what motivates us to watch these trashy, train-wreck type shows in the first place.

Positive Cynicism – How not to sell me a PlayStation 3
Sony has announced plans to release the PlayStation 3 Slim, a smaller, cheaper version of the Playstation 3. While the $300 price tag makes the system appealing, Aaron R. Davis refuses to buy a PS3 until Sony makes the console backwards compatible.

Management Update – Happy Anniversary
This week, HoboTrashcan is celebrating its four-year anniversary. Our editor-in-chief, Joel Murphy, thanks all of you for the support over the years and takes a look at how much the world has changed since the site launched in 2005 in this special post.

One on One with Michael K. Williams
When HoboTrashcan launched on August 23, 2005, it featured an interview with Michael K. Williams (Omar on the best show on television, The Wire). It helped put this site on the map and through the years it has continued to be one of our most popular interviews. So if you still haven’t read it, here’s your chance.

- Hobo Stu

Hobo Stu’s Weekly Recap is also available as an email newsletter. To sign up for the newsletter to ensure you never miss an update, send an email to newsletter-subscribe@hobotrashcan.com.

  

Note to Self – Why your team won’t win the Super Bowl 2009

Note to Self, Why your team won't win 1 Comment
Brian Murphy

Brian Murphy

Ladies and gentlemen, it’s time for the six-annual “Why your team won’t win the Super Bowl” column. So head to Las Vegas and put money on it – this is why your favorite football franchise won’t get it done one this year.

Arizona Cardinals – I don’t care if he bagged groceries for Jesus Christ himself, Kurt Warner will not stay healthy for the entire 2009 season.

Atlanta Falcons – Matt Ryan, Michael Turner and friends snuck up on the league a year ago. You’ve got a better chance of spotting a pair of underwear on one of The Real Housewives of Atlanta than seeing the Falcons surprise the rest of the league a second time.

Baltimore Ravens – Other than The Wire, name something noteworthy to ever come out of Baltimore. And you’re not allowed to say herpes.

Buffalo Bills – The career of Terrell Owens is amazingly easy to break down. All you need is a quality quarterback and T.O., and he’s good for two things – elevating your offense to new heights while simultaneously driving your QB crazy. Buffalo brings an intriguing variable – they don’t have an NFL-caliber quarterback. What happens now?

Carolina Panthers – The last time we saw Jake Delhomme, he completed 22 out of 34 passes he threw. Unfortunately for Carolina, five of those completions were to Arizona defenders. Unfortunately for 2009 Panther fans, Delhomme is still your starting QB.

Chicago Bears – Great idea acquiring Jay Cutler. If only someone in the front office thought to bring in a capable receiver or two to go with him.

Cincinnati Bengals – It can’t be good when Chad Ochocinco has been a better teammate over the last year as a back-up kicker than he ever was as a receiver.

Cleveland Browns – If the Brownies had acquired Mike Vick, folks would have at least tuned in to see what happened the first time he came anywhere near the Dawg Pound.

Dallas Cowboys – Only in Dallas can you build a billion-dollar stadium with an illegal video board.

Denver Broncos – At least Jay Cutler kept things interesting.

Detroit Lions – Detroit Lions, banana peel. Banana peel, Detroit Lions. I know you’ve worked together for years, but I don’t think you’re ever been formally introduced.

Green Bay Packers – Brett Favre.

Houston Texans – Because the good Houston team now plays in Tennessee.

Indianapolis Colts – What has the world come to when Marvin Harrison is waiving a gun around?

Jacksonville Jaguars – Maurice Jones-Drew is a great all-around back, but someone has to give him a breather from time to time. With Fred Taylor (and groin) now in New England, who fills the void?

Kansas City Chiefs – Dear Matt Cassel, Dwayne Bowe and Bobby Engram are not Randy Moss and Wes Welker. But what do you care? You got paid.

Miami Dolphins – Ronnie Brown is fragile. Ricky Williams is high.

Minnesota Vikings – Brett Favre.

New England Patriots – Honestly, what have the Patriots won since they got caught cheating and had to start playing by the same rules as the rest of the league?

New Orleans Saints – Pierre Thomas is New Orleans feature back, and the French aren’t winners.

New York Giants – Eli Manning makes more money than Peyton Manning. Karma alone will keep the Giants from winning it until this egregious foul has been corrected.

New York Jets – Brett Favre.

Oakland Raiders – Because they’re the Raiders.

Philadelphia Eagles – PETA.

Pittsburgh Steelers – Big Ben gets sacked so often, even whores can bring him down.

San Diego Chargers – Last time I checked, Norv Turner was still the head coach. And last time he checked, Turner simply doesn’t win playoff games.

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San Francisco 49ers – Wide out Michael Crabtree is holding out because, even though he was picked 10th overall in the NFL draft and Darrius Hayward-Bey was picked seventh, he feels he should make more money than DHB because he was “ranked higher on mock drafts.” Seriously, you can’t make this up.

Seattle Seahawks – Like grunge, Matt Hasselbeck was relevant a decade or so ago.

St. Louis Rams – Chris Long has his father Howie’s ruggedly-handsome looks. So at least he’ll have that going for him when his team is losing by double digits each week.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers – Luke McCown. Byron Leftwich. Josh Freeman. Josh Johnson. Four roster spots, and not a quarterback in the bunch.

Tennessee Titans – With Albert Haynesworth gone, who will be the man to step up … on a Dallas Cowboys’ face?

Washington Redskins – The downfall of the 2008 Washington Redskins was a substandard offensive line. So naturally, the team spent the offseason adding Albert Haynesworth, Brian Orakpo and DeAngelo Hall to a perennial top 10 defense and largely ignored the offensive line.

Brian Murphy is an award-winning sportswriter who also goes by the name Homer McFanboy. Contact him at murf@homermcfanboy.com.

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Murphy’s Law – Big man on campus

Murphy's Law 3 Comments
Joel Murphy

Joel Murphy

I know you must think I have it all – good looks, a winning personality and a beloved four-year-old pop culture website. But friends, while all of those things are indeed pretty sweet, my life is still incomplete. You see, there is one piece of the puzzle that is keeping me from being perfect; one final hurdle I must leap over before I can truly be a great man.

I must get my bachelor’s degree.

Yes, friends, that is my secret shame. After getting my associate’s degree from one of the finest community colleges the state of Maryland has to offer, I decided to do the rest of my learning in the school of hard knocks. That served me well, but part of me has always wanted to return to higher education to get my bachelor’s degree, especially since the wise Thorton Mellon once said, “I don’t care how rich and successful a man is – he’s nothing without an education.”

So this year I decided to just go for it. I am officially enrolled in college once again and am just two short years away from getting that elusive bachelor’s degree. Now, while I am incredibly excited to be entering into a classroom once again, there is one downside to this whole effort – I’m old.

I’m 28.

Now, I realize that in the grand scheme of life, that’s not very old, but it means that I am officially a decade older than the average freshmen. I’m going to school with kids who were born in the 90s. That’s right – they completely missed out on the 80s. They probably think these Transformers and G.I. Joe remakes are original ideas (and that Michael Bay is some kind of innovative genius for creating robots that turn into cars).

It’s going to be tough for me to relate to these kids. How do I find common ground with someone who was still wearing underoos and wetting the bed when I was in college the first time around? How can I get along with these kids while avoiding the label of “creepy old guy” in class?

In order to solve this dilemma, I turned to the one place I thought would have the answer – Hollywood. In movies, older guys go back to college all the time. And it always ends up being a wacky adventure filled with hijinks and mischief (and some good ol’ fashioned softcore nudity).

So, after scouring Netflix for the best way to fit in at college, I’ve come up with three possible courses of action, each with their own positives and negatives. I’ve summarized them for you below:

Option A – The Thorton Mellon Method
Using an endless supply of cash and zany one-liners, I win over the students by throwing awesome parties and buying them things. I pay others to do my homework, then learn everything I need to know at the last minute, montage-style. Along the way, I seduce one of my teachers, battle with an annoying dean, win the big diving meet with my patented Triple Lindy and help my emo son and a fashionably-challenged Robert Downey Jr. feel more accepted at the school.

Flaws in this plan – Unfortunately, there are quite a few. HoboTrashcan has yet to afford me the kind of cash Thorton Mellon was throwing around in Back to School. Also, I have no son (that I know of) and I don’t exactly know how to high dive. I guess I could try to befriend Robert Downey Jr. It might be tough to pull off, but it would really make up for everything else I’m lacking in this approach.

Option B – The Paul Blake Method
I become the star quarterback on the school’s ironman football team. Then I butt heads with the head coach over leadership styles and almost quit the team, but Jason Bateman convinces me to stay and play in the big game. Along the way, I seduce one of my teachers and battle with an annoying dean. My whole college experience somehow ends up feeling a bit like a two-hour special Quantum Leap episode.

Flaws in this plan – Well, for starters, the school I go to doesn’t have a football team, so that’s a pretty big setback. I suppose I could try to start one. Hell, most of the actors in Necessary Roughness aren’t doing anything these days, I could probably get the actual cast to show up and recreate this experience for me. (I’m quite positive that Rob Schneider and Sinbad are in my price range and they were two of the “bigger” names in the film.)

Option C – The Mitchapalooza Method
I throw the sickest parties on campus and then start my own fraternity. In the process, I am nicknamed The Godfather. I also host KY wrestling events and Snoop Dogg concerts. I hang around with a wacky bunch of guys with names like Frank the Tank and Blue. Along the way, I seduce a random mom and battle with an annoying dean. I also sleep with my boss’ teenage daughter. Ultimately, I end up passing a series of tests to legitimize the fraternity and take the dean down in a blackmail scandal.

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Flaws in this plan – Honestly, this seems the most feasible of the three. I’ve always wanted to be called The Godfather and I am a fan of wrestling (KY or otherwise). I’m pretty sure I could round up a crew that resembles the fraternity in Old School. Plus, Snoop Dogg is a total whore, so for the right amount of weed, he’ll perform anywhere. As an added bonus, I don’t even have to go to my classes to make this one work.

However, while the Mitchapalooza Method seems like the most logical approach, I’m still not convinced. I don’t really like loud parties and I’m not overly fond of Elisha Cuthbert (she’s always had that “sloppy seconds” kind of vibe). Plus, I have no interest in being in a frat, even if it’s one I started.

I think I’m going to have to keep brainstorming to see what else I can come up with. Clearly, the two key components seem to be battling with the dean and dating a teacher and/or hot mom. But beyond that, I think I’m going to have to find my own niche – something besides football and diving and frat parties.

And, if all else fails, I’ll reach out to Rob Schneider and Sinbad.

Joel Murphy is the creator of HoboTrashcan, which is probably why he has his own column. He loves pugs, hates Jimmy Fallon and has an irrational fear of robots. You can contact him at murphyslaw@hobotrashcan.com.

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