The Joy of Zach: December 18, 2010

I somehow let two weeks slip by without updating, so I've got a lot to tell you about! Mostly TWoP pieces, but it feels good to see how much I've done there.

- We're doing a lot of year-end wrap-ups at TWoP, including a piece on our favorite movies of the year, which I wrote maybe 70 percent of, and our most hated movies, which I did maybe 40%. What can I say, I'm a positive person.

- My reviews for the past week have been The Chronicles of Narnia: Voyage of the Dawn Treader, The Tourist and, just today, Tron: Legacy. One I liked, one I loved, and one I despised with a passion. Read 'em to find out which! Next week I review True Grit and Gulliver's Travels, which I expect to be similarly divided on.

- To tie in to Tron: Legacy, I did a couple of photo galleries: the best and worst virtual realities in film, and other actors who should meet their younger, CGI selves on the big screen, like Jeff Bridges does in Tron. The latter one I'm pretty proud of, if only for the split-panel shots I put together. I also compared Narnia to Middle-Earth, and I jumped the gun and updated our best movie eyepatches gallery for True Grit. I love that gallery.

- I still haven't seen The Fighter, but that didn't stop me from writing a Mark Wahlberg set diary, and from converting my list of the best movies about fighting to a gallery, to tie in to the movie.

- Awards season began in earnest this week, and I posted my responses to the SAG Awards nominations and the Golden Globes. My comment on how wacky the foreign press's picks seem to me was interpreted as American superiority, when I merely meant that different cultures like different things. Like The Tourist, for example.

- Back in the Moviefile, with Yogi Bear coming out this weekend (I won't be reviewing), I ran down some classic Hanna-Barbera animated properties that should get the big screen treatment. I focused more on the action shows than the talking animal shows, because Yogi looks like a train wreck. Think less Hong Kong Phooey, more Herculoids. I also did a fun (I thought) piece on directors who should take over Iron Man 3 now that Jon Favreau's gone.

- I posted a rundown of all of my co-author Ruben Procopio's upcoming projects over at the Pop Sculpture blog. I was actually surprised to find out about some of them, and my rekindled love of Tron has me craving a couple of his pieces. But I've been denying myself even a $10 light-up Tron action figure, so I probably won't be buying myself a bust or statue any time soon. Let me know if the picures don't load for you, because I can't see them half the time.

I Came, I Observed, I Laughed My Ass Off

Do not let the recent Paul Blart: Mall Cop turn you off to the vast genre of mall cop movies. Seth Rogen's latest -- which was written and directed by Foot Fist Way and Eastbound & Down helmer Jody Hill -- is hysterical, if slightly disturbing, incredibly violent and pretty raunchy. But it's got one of the funniest casts I've ever seen, plus Ray Liotta, who is funny in his own way. Read my review at MoviesWithoutPity.com, either before or after you see the movie, depending on your preference.

Observe & Report: Paul Blart Can Kiss Seth Rogen's Sizable Ass

'The Spirit' Has Broken My Spirit

I used to love Will Eisner's The Spirit. I had all of these Warren magazine-sized comics from back in the '70s, plus some of the Kitchen Sink reprints, and even the new DC stuff by Darwyn Cooke and J. Bone wasn't so bad. Frank Miller's The Spirit, however, is a train wreck. Just watching the trailers depressed me so much that I never saw it in theaters, only recently watching the DVD. And it's awful. My brother got me a Spirit T-shirt for Christmas, and I will wear it like a brand, like a scarlet letter that will remind me to never let anything that horrible happen ever again. I've written about my five big problems with the movie, and what could have been done to make it better -- mediocre, even -- over at MoviesWithoutPity.com.

The Spirit: What Could Have Been Done to Save It

Adventureland: Not Just Another Teen Movie

Saw Adventureland on Tuesday. Loved it. It's not at all what I was expecting, but in a good way -- the movie has a real indie vibe, and is more of a dramedy than a true comedy. Mismarketed? Maybe, but that "From the director of Superbad" tag was just so tempting, I'm sure. Hopefully, people won't be disappointed, but rather pleasantly surprised like me. Check out my review at MoviesWithoutPity.com.

Adventureland: This Isn't the Sex Comedy You're Looking For

Bond, Glorious Bond

I love James Bond movies, but I have to admit -- they're a little ridiculous. Even the last two, with their heavy dose of gritty, Bourne Identity realism, had their share of preposterous moments. So I went out and picked up the new DVD of Quantum of Solace and wrote up a guide to the most unbelievable things that happened in the film, complete with the time stamp for when each item happens. Check it out at MoviesWithoutPity.com!

Quantum of Solace: Bond's Most Preposterous Moments

Bring the Payne

If there was an Oscar given out in the category of Video Game Movies Starring Mark Wahlberg, Max Payne would win hands-down. For a movie that takes place almost entirely at night, is based on a Matrix rip-off and stars Mila Kunis as a Russian assassin, I enjoyed the hell out of it, and I'll tell you why it succeeds in the face of adversity over at MoviesWithoutPity.com. (Warning: Film may contain trace amounts of Chris O'Donnell.)

Max Payne is Better Than It Has Any Right to Be

Watchmen Review #849

I know, I know -- everyone and their mothers has reviewed Watchmen. But so many of those people are bitter, jaded monsters! Wouldn't you want to read a review by Zach Oat, fair and balanced journalist? ...I'm kidding, I don't have a balanced bone in my body. If you want to read my review anyway, click below to get the deets at TelevisionWithoutPity.com. Or just read my buddy Sean Collins's, which is probably much better. See? Fair and balanced.

Watch and Release: Zach's Non-Spoilery Watchmen Review

Sean's Attention Deficit Disorderly Review