NEW MOVIE REVIEWS:
“Kung Fu Panda 2” (B-)
“The Hangover Part II” (C+) [Film.com]
MOVIE COLUMNS:
Eric’s Bad Movies: “Thrashin'” (1986). There were several skateboard-centric movies in the 1980s. I chose this one because it was available on Netflix. “Gleaming the Cube,” alas, is not. [Film.com]
What’s the Big Deal?: “Jaws” (1975). I hadn’t seen this in a while. Man, this is one GORY PG film. The fate of the Robert Shaw character is particularly alarming. Anyway, this article mostly focuses on how “Jaws” changed the summer blockbuster season. [Film.com]
An Obsessive-Compulsive’s Guide to the Summer Movie Season: Here’s my first piece for Movies.com, where quite a few former Cinematical writers and editors have found refuge. It’s a nerdy thing full of statistics about the summer blockbuster season. [Movies.com]
MY OTHER STUFF:
Snide Remarks: “It Takes All Kinds” — We are diverse, and also kind of fat.
Movie B.S. with Bayer and Snider: Reviews of “Kung Fu Panda 2” and “The Hangover Part II,” plus a chat with “Saturday Night Live” writer Bryan Tucker. What’s up with “What Up with That”? We ask. [Cascadia.fm] or [iTunes]
In the Dark: Subscribe to this weekly e-mail and get all the latest movie reviews, DVD releases, and other pertinent info delivered to your electronic mailbox. [Eric D. Snider’s In the Dark]
MISCELLANEOUS MERRIMENT:
The Boston Globe’s Ty Burr exposes how movie theaters are letting 3D ruin 2D movies, too: by leaving the 3D lenses on the projectors, resulting in dimmer 2D showings. You should not put up with this. [Boston Globe]
Not to revel in the misfortunes of others, but … “HuffPo Employees Flee AOL After ‘Brutal’ ‘Awful’ ‘Worst Few Weeks.'” [Business Insider]
The “SNL” season finale was pretty solid, as is always the case when Justin Timberlake hosts. Here’s a funny sketch that was cut after dress rehearsal. [Hulu]
Speaking of “SNL,” a fellow enthusiast, Mike Ryan, interviews former cast member Will Forte about his current activities. [Movieline]
Sean O’Connell launches a new column for movie geek parents: “When Can I Watch ____ with My Kids?” First up is “Star Wars.” [Movies.com]
Are you a fan of “Parks and Recreation”? Of course you are, unless there is something wrong with you. Here’s a compilation of Rob Lowe’s character’s best moments. (By the way, the footage is mirror-imaged because somehow that keeps the network from pulling it down quite as fast. The more you know!) [YouTube]
How did we not notice this before?? [Funny or Die]
A see-through frog? Thanks, nature. Thanks a heap. [National Geographic]
Remember how dumb children used to write to me thinking I was Raven-Symone? Turns out Oprah Winfrey has some fans who are just as dumb. [Opera News]
