The Incredible Hulk | A-

director: Louis Leterrier
starring: Edward Norton, Liv Tyler, Tim Roth, William Hurt

HulkNot quite “incredible,” but outstanding nonetheless, the incredible Hulk returns to the big screen for a tighter, more action-packed outing that is sure to revitalize the franchise and further augment the burgeoning Marvel film universe, which now includes the X-Men, Iron Man, Spider-Man and the Punisher (and coming soon: Thor and Captain America). Unlike George Lucas, there is no raping of my childhood here; the faithful adaptations that Marvel’s produced over the past several years not only encourage nostalgia, but they also work pretty damn well for people that have no inkling of the characters’ origins.

Going back a bit, the much maligned 2003 edition of Hulk is widely regarded as a misguided flop; with many thinking Ang Lee’s inventive and unique approach to the story was corny and awkward. This, despite a $132M box office haul (read more about the film here).

I thought it was an excellent if slightly off-beat approach to telling the story, and I’m a bit baffled by the depth of the loathing some people have for Ang Lee’s version. I liked it a lot…but with all that being said, it ain’t as good as the 2008 iteration.

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Tim Russert

Ugh. What a terrible way to start the weekend, with the news of NBC newsman and Buffalo native Tim Russert passing away today at the age of 58.

Russert was proud to be from Buffalo, and took every opportunity to make sure everyone knew it. He’d declare his support for the teams at the end of his Meet the Press telecasts, often holding up jerseys or donning hats of his hometown Bills and Sabres. More than his sports fandom, he was a tireless and fervent supporter of this city, a city that’s had more than its fair share of heartache and economic upheaval. His enthusiasm for Buffalo broke through the constantly maintained stereotypes of Buffalo being a Rust Belt ruin far past its prime with year-round blizzards and ice storms, a town where there’s nothing to do. He knew better, and made sure everyone watching and listening to him knew it.

russert

One of the things I’ve come to appreciate even more about Russert over the years is the objectivity and integrity he’s shown in his role as Washington bureau chief for the NBC News and host of Meet the Press every Sunday morning. Like any Buffalonian, he surely has strong opinions of his own, but he kept them to himself in the course of his work, and did his very best to ensure both sides of any argument got their equal time. He’s also not one to put up with the political bullshit we see so often these days, both from politicians and many members of the media itself. If a politician didn’t respond to his direct questions with direct answers, instead meandering all around them with political doublespeak, he’d just ask it again and again, ensuring that he’d get an answer or the politician’s deflections became obvious enough to make their character clear.

Buffalo has lost more than just a native today, Russert was part of the very fabric of this city and the potentially bright future it now has thanks to enthusiastic citizens who love this region and want to see it prosper. I can think of no better way to honor him than to continue working toward that goal of prosperity, and taking an active role as a citizen to make Buffalo a city that we’re proud to live in now and for our childrens’ futures. In a different, more specific way, I think he’s given everyone a greater appreciation for their fathers in light of the two books he’s written, and for this to happen on Father’s Day weekend makes it all the more tragic, but meaningful.

Chalk up another one…

Yet ANOTHER accident at the Intersection of Death™ a few minutes ago, in what is undoubtedly the deadliest of cross streets in North Buffalo: Colvin Avenue and Sanders Road. I’ve lived in my current apartment since July of 2006, and since then I’ve seen or heard roughly fifteen accidents there. Yes, FIFTEEN! And those are only the ones I was actually at home for.

intersection

The Intersection was mentioned in one of my True Stories of Buffalo, NY a while back (which is overdue for another, by the way), which may be a more enjoyable read than this current post: read on.

This was a relatively low-key entry in the logs for the Intersection, as neither driver called the cops, and there was no yelling as they exchanged their insurance information. Very disappointing for my fellow tenants and I. Not to worry, there will undoubtedly be another accident in the very near future, ripe with all manner of cursing and hysterical flailing. Stay tuned…

Check out past accidents here. (Don’t get too freaked out; no one’s ever been hurt or killed there, that I know of.)

No Such Thing as Miracles

While that was certainly an enjoyable finale, chockful of stuff that was just plain “cool,” I’m not sure it did much to advance the story, instead just filling in some of the holes created by the season three finale a year ago. In a broad sense, this episode served to highlight the transformations some (but not all) of the characters have undergone since we first met them in 2004. I’ll get to the “cool” stuff in a minute, let me handle some old business first.

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Indiana Jones & the Lost Kingdom of the Beaver

Dr. Jones and I took a weekend trip down to Allegheny State Park for some hiking and camping, little did we know we’d find ourselves smack dab in the midst of Beaver Central. Our campsite, situated in a small valley flanked by dense forest, featured not one–not two–not three–but at least four beaver dams, two of them sizable. The largest of the three looked like it’d been blown apart by some well-placed park ranger dynamite.

beaver dam

That would’ve been cool to see. Anyway, it was a good time and place to recharge the proverbial “batteries” of life, though that newfound energy was quickly sapped by a return to work on Tuesday. No matter, as I have pictures to remember the fleeting moments of peaceful tranquility, broken only by random, repeated chipmunk attacks and the ever-present fear of bear maulings. Enjoy the image gallery: click here.

Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull | ?

director: Steven Spielberg
starring: Harrison Ford, Cate Blanchett, Shia LaBeouf, Karen Allen, John Hurt, Ray Winstone, Jim Broadbent

Indy 4I’m not sure where to begin with this review. My mind was all over the place during the movie, and it’s still going in a million different directions now, as I write this, struggling to reconcile the power of nostalgia with what might’ve been a much less than perfect fourth entry into the Indiana Jones franchise…an entry almost twenty years in the making. It’s strangely affecting on an emotional level to walk into a movie theater and see Indiana Jones posters on the walls; it’s like walking into my childhood. And I think that resonance the first three Indy films have, two decades prior, largely informs my approach to this review.

This review is going to contain some mild spoilers, so if you want to go in with a completely unbiased viewpoint, stop back after you see it once–and you should definitely see it at least once. I don’t spoil any big plot points, so if you must know more, continue onward.

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Bad Mojo

Almost four years ago, in the early days of Lost yore, it would not have have been a stretch to imagine the show’s final episode containing a scene of our castaways finally touching down on the mainland, reunited with their families and loved ones and at last free of the harrowing trials and tribulations of an extended stay on a mysterious, deserted and deadly island. Although we’re only a third of the way through Lost’s fourth season finale, some imagination revision might be in order.

cargo bay opens

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