The IMDB game - An explanation

When I was in University, I (like many) was forced to write a multitude of ridiculous essays. While I generally enjoyed the topics I wrote about in school, I hated the strict, regimented way in which I had to organize (re vomit) information in academic "essay" form. That strict Hamburger method generally left me feeling uninspired to do more than was necessary to finish an essay. Lets be real here; there is no art to University essay writing. If you can figure out the formula (it's not that hard), you can crank out mindless, quote-laden schlock to support your wildly baseless arguments in mere hours. What fun! 

I always found it beneficial to my overall well-being to stretch these mere hours into days. Some would call this procrastination, but I preferred to call it "extra-curricular research time." To escape the monotony of school work, I, like many, tended to drift to the wide expanse of the Interweb. While others spent their time playing mindless flash games on ebaumsworld, I chose to waste valuable essay hours surfing IMDB.com.

Love it or hate it, IMDB is the single best resource for pertinent film news on the web. Of course, IMDB doesn't approach the industry with the same robust intellectualism of a trade magazine or well-informed blog, but its database format allows IMDB to synthesize mountains of key film information easily and in one place. It's ultra-clickable interface also makes it invaluable in determining who worked on what and, more importantly (or so says I), who's working on, or will be working on what in the near future. For click-hungry, film buffs or for those who just don't feel like sifting through a bunch of text to figure out what's going on, IMDB is the place to be.

I spent hours in university foregoing essays in favour of semi-conscious IMDB clicking. I found that by beginning with a particular actor/director/film of interest, I could start on a click adventure and discover what new/exciting projects were in the works while still keeping in the spirit of wasting time. Soon after, I began trying to work my click adventures into full circles; trying to see if I could start and end with the same person/film. And thus the IMDB game was born.

Feel like playing? Here are a few rules I created to make the game challenging and super FUN!!!

1. Beginning with any actor, alternate between individual (actor, director, producer) and film title. When possible, try to keep the loop going using new film projects (the ones with red writing next to them). This way, you'll get a better handle on what's going on.
   
2. Don't be a hero. There are millions of entries in IMDB. If it's been an hour and you still haven't come full circle, just quit. After all, this is supposed to be a mindless distraction from important computer-related things, not a psychotic obsession. If you're feeling industrious though, write out your connections (see below) and pick up where you left off later. 

While the IMDB game doesn't always produce high-calibre projects, it does give you an informative - and potentially hilarious - whitewash of information (you'd be surprised how many actors have starred in now-defunct TV series'). This game also forces you to select people in the industry who are well-know, relevant and most-likely still working and keeps you abreast of many new and proposed major films coming out in the near future.   

So with that, here is my first IMDB game entry. I will be playing it from time to time, then posting my results on my blog. If you'd like to play as well, I encourage you to record your connections and post them in the comments section under the IMDB game blog posts.

I began this IMDB game entry last week, shortly after writing my The Rocker post. However, because of my erratic laptop battery, I lost my original post and was discouraged to reproduce it until now. Don't you just hate when that happens?

Anyway, here's my first entry. I managed to go full circle on this one. I had to trudge through A LOT of terrible one-off TV shows, but it was worth it. Have a look

The Rocker -> Rainn Wilson -> Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen -> Megan Fox -> Ironclad -> Paul Giamatti -> The Last Station -> Christopher Plummer -> Up -> Edward Asner -> Trim -> Bruce Dern -> Hart's Location -> Diane Ladd -> American Cowslip -> Val Kilmer -> The Dirt -> Christopher Walken -> Kevin Approaches -> Guy Pierce -> In Her Skin -> Sam Neill -> Daybreakers -> Willem Dafoe -> The Wild Bunch -> Elizabeth Hurley -> The Last Guy on Earth -> Carol Burnett -> The Post Grad Survival Guide -> Jane Lynch -> The Rocker

Happy IMDB gaming!!!

Film Review: The Rocker (2008)

I knew this would happen. 

I was at the local video store looking for something to rent on the weekend. It has been a while since I had perused the new releases section, and I was eager to see what bountiful booty had found its way to the shelves. As I generally hate being major chain video stores (especially the half-assed branches that exist in my home town), my goal was to pick a flick quickly, then leave with my soul intact.

It was a toss up between two flicks: the new X-Files release (X-Files: I Want to Believe) with Billy Connolly, and The Rocker, with Rainn Wilson. While I'm interested to see what sitting in production purgatory for 10 years did (or didn't) do for the X-Files film, I decided The Rocker was the way to go. After all, who wants to deal with heavy Alien/Conspiracy dialogue on the Sunday night of a long weekend?

Here's the other side of the coin though. Reading the back of The Rocker, I knew it had the potential to...well...rock. Hair-Metal, Rock cliches, Rainn Wilson? Guaranteed to illicit a few laughs, right? Yet with all the awesome-ness, there was that nagging possibility that The Rocker could take a nosedive 2/3's of the way through. I knew it going in, but It was a risk I was willing to take.

....And, well, I was right.  

As mentioned, The Rocker stars Rainn Wilson (The Office) as Robert 'Fish' Fishman, a 30-something desk jockey vehemently obsessed with the rock star life he once had as original drummer for the hair-metal mega-band Vesuvius.  

Fast-foward to 10 years (or so) later. Vesuvius is the biggest band in the world, and Fish is stuck floundering in an office. A series of events brings him in contact with his nephew Matt (Josh Gad), and his teenaged angst-ridden high-school band A.D.D. Fish eventually joins A.D.D., whose mismatched musical line-up produces hilarious results...for a while.

Watching this film, I hoped - no prayed - that it would take the high road and not stroll down the Skid Row of American comedies: the three-act rags-t0-riches-with-a-touch-of-love plotline. But after the first 30 minutes, it became quite apparent The Rocker was not only going down to Skid Row, but it was looking to score some smack and die the OD death of a rockstar on the curb. 

The film opens up with some absolutely hilarious moments. Vesuvius' opening performance with Rainn Wilson along side Will Arnett (Arrested Development, this hillarious clip), Fred Armisen (SNL, the "creepy Italian" in EuroTrip) and Bradley Cooper (Alias, He's Just Not That Into You...ugh) is so well executed, that it's oddly and accurately reminiscent of the flamboyant hair-metal performances that typified the '80s. 

Other comedic heavy weights, including Jeff Garlin, Jane Lynch, Human Giant's Aziz Ansari and SNL's Jason Sudeikis as the slimy, over-confident band manager (check this clip out) give this film a hard and fast comedic edge that fools the audience in believing the laughs can last right to the end.

Performances newcomers Josh Gad, and Emma Stone are particularly brilliant, and a pleasure to watch on-screen. Both actors display an astute sense of comedic timing and presence well beyond their years, and hold their own in obvious ad-lib matches with the much more seasoned professionals in the film. 

And then it happens...Enter Christina Applegate. 

I like Christina Applegate, but her abrupt appearance 2/3's into the film meant only one thing: Love Interest. Well, it meant two things: Love interest followed by me vomiting in my mouth.

Her appearance sets of a cataclysmic chain of events where characters start falling in love, learning about morals and coming to terms with their pasts...Wonderful. As a result, the last 1/3 of the film was a blur to me, because I stopped paying attention and started looking for blunt instruments to gouge my eyes out with.

I'm not opposed to love on film (I think The Notebook is wonderfully directed and beautifully acted). I am opposed to love subplots when they're injected in a formulaic manner into a film that doesn't need it. When Applegate is introduced, it's not hard for the audience to guess the sequence of events...

1. Girl introduced to guy, is annoyed by his childish ways (etc.)

2. Guy, in turn, thinks girl is a prude and says/does things to annoy her

3. Cosmic forces intervene to bring Guy/Girl closer together for some mutual goal

4. Guy/Girl realize they're not that different after all.

5. Guy/Girl eventually realize Cinderella-like love story

6. Life works out, everyone's happy and Guy/Girl buy a house and make Rice Krispie squares

I had hoped when renting this film that it was going to take the School of Rock approach to Rock-flicks, namely that Rock take primacy over all other subplots, thus squashing them out of the film. After watching School of Rock, I applauded director Richard Linklater for not resorting to the love-interest three-act American comedy model, when it would have been so easy to do so. Of course his comedy was light movie-going fare (it had a bunch of kids in it, after all), but it was intelligent because it picked the theme of rocking out and stuck with it.

The Rocker, by contrast, chose to start off thrashing right out of the gates, only to halt its momentum by poisoning itself with love at the end.

In a way though, The Rocker typifies the genre it portrays: Strong and full of energy at the beginning, flaccid and dead at the end.

Sometimes I hate being right.....

Pros:

• Great ensemble cast of well-established comedians give comedic bits a sharper edge
• Excellent performances from newcomers Josh Gad and Emma Stone
• Decision to cast teen heartthrob and John Mayer-like musician Teddy Geiger as the singer of A.D.D. gave the band some performance believability.

Cons:

•  Cliched love-interest subplot insertion ruined all momentum this film built up in the first 2/3's of the film.
• Christina Applegate's performance was unfortunately lack-lustre and vomit-inducing.
• Where are all the guest appearances by Skid Row, Cinderella, Poison and all other Hair Metal bands that made this period in music history so hilarious?