VH Corner

John Hartnett meets a girl who reminds him of an old girlfriend who went missing and he starts his search for her again.

When discovering the Postal Service a few years back, I downloaded their cover of Against All Odds. That’s when I realized it came from the soundtrack of this movie, but wasn’t available anywhere else. While flipping through cable the other day, this movie was about to start and I mentioned to Jer that the song came from this movie’s soundtrack. We decided we would watch it just to hear the song, even though we could just go play it anytime we wanted in our mp3 collection.

I am not a Josh Hartnett fan. I think he’s stupid and I don’t get why people find him attractive. He’s engaged to some big teeth girl in the movie but doesn’t really want to get married to her since he’s still in love with some girl he dated two years ago when he lived in Chicago. He now lives in New York where he met big teeth. He is visiting Chicago when he thinks he sees former girlfriend. We start to get weird ass flashbacks to how he met her, and he becomes obsessed with finding this woman that he is sure is his ex-girlfriend.

He runs into an old friend, Matthew Lilliard, who seems to be the only sane person in the movie, except I kept expecting him to put the Scream mask on and kill everyone. I think that would have improved the movie since it becomes more convoluted with the flashbacks, coincidences and the inability of anyone to actually own a cell phone. He has a cell phone in the beginning of the movie, but for some reason no one can get a hold of each other. There is all sorts of missed connections and I just wanted to yell at everyone to quit being so stupid about getting a hold of each other. It seriously isn’t that hard, but he misses ex-girlfriend over and over again, while meeting some other girl with the same name and other stupid crap happens. I don’t want to give too much away in case anyone has the need to watch this movie.

Even though this movie declared itself dumb about 30 minutes into it, we continued to watch it, just to hear the song. While the movie was going on, Jer guessed that the song was used over the credits. We watched the entire movie and no song. We watched the credits, no song. I thought maybe I was crazy so I checked Amazon and it lists the song on the soundtrack. It didn’t even play for five seconds in the movie so why the hell is it on the soundtrack? There were other good songs on the soundtrack that I would have recognized that also weren’t played in the movie. This is a perfect example of why this movie is so incredibly lame.

After that, we went and played the mp3 over and over again to try to erase the stupid movie from our minds. It made me quite angry with its lack of songs that I expected to hear.

Grade: F

I thought I’d post what I thought of the season finales that I watched this past season and rate them from best to worst. Some shows I haven’t seen everything from this past season, so I’ll eventually see what happened to those shows this summer, but I think I watched the most important ones by now.

The Best

Lost
After a pretty uneven season, this episode was awesome. It answered tons of questions while not really giving away the overall mystery. It also asked a bunch more. I love the mystery of the island and didn’t mind not knowing everything in the first season finale. I did mind the sometimes boring episodes this season though. This episode was very satisfying and now I can’t wait for next season.

The Office
Whoa! This episode shocked me the most out of anything else this season. I thought Jim would be transferring and telling Pam that. I did not expect him to tell her he loved her. I did not expect them to kiss. Everything just threw me for a loop at the end of the episode. I loved it! Up until those points, it had the same wacky humor that I love about the show. Steve Carell wrote a great episode.

Veronica Mars
It wrapped everything up for the season-long mystery of who killed all the kids in the bus crash. I was nowhere close to guessing correctly who the evil genius was behind the entire plotline. I half bought the story since it almost came out of nowhere, but there were clues leading up to it. You would only notice them if you watched the entire season again knowing what to look for. I was most happy that Veronica and Logan got back together. Too bad it took all season. Let’s hope they are actually together for next season and that there is a next season. Yeah! Then maybe we’ll find out what is in her dad’s briefcase (Pulp Fiction glowing effect) and why he didn’t meet her at the airport.

Alias
It was a decent ending and wrap up to the series with flashbacks including good Francie. Too bad, not another scene with Will but we did get that earlier in the season. Syd and Vaughn were able to live happily ever after as well as Dixon and Marshall. Too bad for Syd’s dad, but he did go out in a spectacular way. I was pretty bored with Irina at that point, so I was glad she was finally dead. Yeah for Sloane’s torture forever and I’m glad that Sark survived so that he can show up for an Alias movie, if one is ever made.

NCIS
Gibbs came out of a coma and didn’t know who he was or what had happened for the past 15 years. We were able to learn more about his past and what made him become an agent. We were able to see his mentor and learn where some Gibb-isms came from. Then he became pissed off at the governments decision to destroy innocent lives for the greater good and walked off the job. No Gibbs can’t leave! All signs point to Mark Harmon being around next season so he isn’t really gone. Thank god!

24
For a season that started out great, it did seem to run out of steam a bit at the end. I did totally fall for Jack’s trick with the bug plant on the pen. I really thought he was going to torture the president. I did love the look on Martha’s face when Logan was eventually taken into custody and figured out what happened. I liked the events that happened, but they did seem to drag out a bit too much over the two hours. I was wondering why we were wrapping up when there was 15 minutes left in the show, so I totally didn’t believe that there was a phone call from Kim for Jack in some random building. Hello! They would just patch her through to his cell phone like always. Dumb Jack. Now he’s taken hostage by the crazy Chinese that are still pissed off. I was wondering how long before they realized he was alive. Awesome ending to the season.

Middle of the Road

These weren’t horrible season finales, but nothing super spectacular happened or they were as consistent as the rest of the season.

Amazing Race
It was decent season and so much better than the family edition. For a while, I thought that maybe the dumb frat boys would win so I was glad they had a puzzle for everyone to figure out at the end. I’m glad with how it ended, but it was about as suspenseful Amazing Race is each week and the teams I really hated were already gone.

Scrubs
The season finale had little shockers like Jordan being pregnant again, which was funny, but most of the episode was just like another Scrubs episode. It was hilarious, but nothing super life changing going on. It could be that way since they didn’t know if they were going to get renewed, but they did. It also had the awesome subplot of the older gay men taking up residence on J.D.’s deck on his half-acre lot. Which led to him saying “Get off my porch ya queens!” and while drinking a appletini left on his deck saying to himself, “I didn’t know they liked straight drinks.” Awesome!

CSI
I guess the season finale had the cliffhanger of Brass hanging on for dear life with the gunshot wound, but it still didn’t seem all that urgent when people were solving two different cases. It just seemed like another episode. I didn’t like the ending with Grissom and Sara in bed together. I didn’t mind the innuendo between the two of them, but to just jump and show us that they are already dating/sleeping together/whatever. It seemed kinda cheap and dumb and didn’t fit in with the rest of the show. I like it when it only shows us glimpses of their real lives, but not too much. It doesn’t fit on this show. Or maybe I’d rather see Grissom with Catherine or Lady Heather over Sara.

Desperate Housewives
The season finale was better than most of the episodes for the second season. The second season sucked compared to the first. It got away from the humor that I loved about the first season. I wouldn’t even call it a comedy, but a drama. I was sad that Bree’s psycho son Andrew was not in the season finale since he became one of my favorite characters this season. Lynette made me sad when she was so sad at the hospital when she told her husband she had already let him go. I also loved Lynette yelling at the stupid one-night stand lady in the diner. That was awesome. I did not like one-night stand lady and it looks like she’ll be around next season. The actress was highly annoying moreso than the character. ick! I liked the flashbacks and the goofy ass hair in the flashbacks. I liked seeing the gardener again in the Gabi flashback. I didn’t like Mike and Susan getting their date ruined, but I’m curious about what is up with the dentist guy. I don’t like that another psycho (dentist guy) is interested in Bree. Didn’t we just do that with the pharmacy guy? Overall, I found the season finale decent, but not outstanding.

Smallville
It was fun to watch Lex go super evil and then Clark was sent off into who knows where, but most of the episode felt like a major set up for next season. I love that Lana and Lex are together, but I want Lana to go all super evil too. That would be lots of fun. I didn’t buy the kiss between Clark and Chloe. I think I could have a few seasons ago, but now I think they are stuck in friends mode with no other chemistry going on. She used to have a wanting and longing when she looked at Clark, but when I see her try to look that way at Clark, I don’t buy it anymore. Their chemistry has changed. Now I see more of one building with Lois, which I guess makes sense for long-term things. Anyway, the episode wasn’t as exciting as I thought it was going to be, even though a lot of stuff happened. There wasn’t any real shockers except when Clark was sent off into space stuck in that glass thing.

The Worst

Gilmore Girls
I actually liked this season, even though I know it wasn’t a favorite among a lot of fans, but I hated the season finale. I actually hated Lorelai the last few episodes of the season since she wouldn’t just go yell at Luke about what she was feeling with his daughter and the non-marriage and instead avoided him like a school girl. WAT! It was annoying to watch and not like her character at all. I wasn’t thrilled with Rory not forgiving Logan, but then I can see how she might have wanted to forgive him, but was still hurt and angry over what happened. The whole accident helped clear all of that up so I thought that was good. I wasn’t super sad that he was really leaving, probably because I expect him to show up at some point next season. The Lorelai/Luke/kid storyline had turned from mildly annoying when it was introduced (mostly because I don’t like the actress playing Luke’s kid) to highly annoying due to the way Lorelai is acting. I do want Luke and Lorelai together, so I don’t get them having to be torn apart again and again as a plot line. Why she went to Christopher was just stupid. Bleah! It doesn’t make me miss that the creators of the show are not going to be around next season if they left this mess for the series.

Other shows that I watch, but haven’t watched the season finales yet for various reasons:

• CSI:Miami and CSI:NY - we save up the other CSIs to watch over the summer when we can’t get our regular CSI fix.
• Cold Case, Without a Trace, Close to Home, Numbers, Everybody Hates Chris, Medium, My Name is Earl, Invasion, Prison Break, ER, L&O: Criminal Intent, L&O: SVU, Crossing Jordan and Supernatural - have watched about half the seasons to almost all of it for most of these series, but will finish watching the rest of the season this summer
• House and Charmed - didn’t have enough TVs to record these shows so had Tivo record episodes here and there. Will end up watching most of the past season this summer, but not sure if I’ll see all the episodes.
• West Wing - We haven’t watched the past two seasons but still have all the episodes on Tivo. We’ll watch it all eventually.

When I was staying at Coni and Jer’s house once, I made these and they went over REALLY well.

4 large Baking Potoatoes (peeled and sliced thin)

1 Pound of cheddar cheese (shredded)

1 small red onion chopped

1 can of evaporated milk

Butter (1/2 a stick)

Garlic Salt and Pepper

Non-Stick cooking spray

1. Heat oven to 425 degrees
2. Spray caserole dish with non-stick cooking spray.
3. Place slices of potatoes in a single layer into caserole dish.
4. Cover with cheese, 2-3 pats of butter, sprinkle a few onions, garlic salt and pepper.
5. Cover with layer of potatoes. Repeat 2-3 until all potatoes are gone.
6. End with cheese on top.
7. Pour evaporated milk over the top.
8. Bake for 60 mins to 90 mins. (test with a fork for done-ness.)

My notes - this isn’t the “healthiest” side dish. You can always use non-fat/low-fat cheese, butter substitute and low fat evaporated milk to lower the fat content. Some suggestions have been to add crushed garlic to the layers which is yummy also.

One of my favorite recipes from BC.

 (it can be a little messy, use tongs to coat the meat with the batter.)

Sweet and Sour Pork

Enjoy this take out restaurant of fried pork, sliced carrots, green bell peppers and pineapple at home. 2 pounds pork boneless top loin  Vegetable oil 1/2 cup Gold Medal® all-purpose flour 1/4 cup cornstarch 1/2 cup cold water 1/2 teaspoon salt 1 egg 1 can (20 ounces) pineapple chunks in syrup, drained and syrup reserved 1/2 cup packed brown sugar 1/2 cup white vinegar 1/2 teaspoon salt 2 teaspoons soy sauce 2 medium carrots, cut into thin diagonal slices 1 garlic clove, finely chopped 2 tablespoons cornstarch 2 tablespoons cold water 1 medium green bell pepper, cut into 3/4-inch pieces 8 cups hot cooked rice 1. Trim excess fat from pork. Cut pork into 3/4-inch pieces. 2. Heat 1 inch oil deep fryer or Dutch oven 360ºF. 3. Beat flour, 1/4 cup cornstarch, 1/2 cup cold water, 1/2 teaspoon salt and the egg in large bowl with hand beater until smooth. Stir pork into batter until well coated. 4. Add pork pieces, one at a time, to oil. Fry about 20 pieces at a time about 5 minutes, turning 2 or 3 times, until golden brown. Drain on paper towels; keep warm. 5. Add enough water to reserved pineapple syrup to measure 1 cup. Heat syrup mixture, brown sugar, vinegar, 1/2 teaspoon salt, the soy sauce, carrots and garlic to boiling in Dutch oven; reduce heat to low. 6. Cover and simmer about 6 minutes or until carrots are crisp-tender. Mix 2 tablespoons cornstarch and 2 tablespoons cold water; stir into sauce. 7. Add pork, pineapple and bell pepper. Heat to boiling, stirr constantly. Boil and stir 1 minute. Serve with rice.

1 Serving: Calories 575 (Calories from Fat 125 ); Total Fat 14 g (Saturated Fat 4 g); Cholesterol 100 mg; Sodium 440 mg; Total Carbohydrate 82 g (Dietary Fiber 2 g); Protein 32 g % Daily Value: Vitamin A 50 %; Vitamin C 18 %; Calcium 4 %; Iron 22 % Exchanges: 4 Starch; 1 Fruit; 1 Vegetable; 2 1/2 Medium-Fat Meat

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Nationwide Releases

Nothing wants to compete with X-Men 3 this weekend so there is only one nationwide release while everything else is limited. It does not earn fresh marks though.

X-Men 3: The Last Stand

There is a “cure” for the mutant gene so everyone must decide if they want to be boring normal humans or super cool freaks.

Rotten Tomato Score: 52%
Rotten Tomato Consensus: Director Brett Ratner has replaced the heart and emotion (and character development) of the previous X-Men films with more action and explosions. The film should still provide ample entertainment, but viewers may truly wish this to be the Last Stand.

“When other mutants approach Leech, their special talents vanish. It’s much the same effect Ratner has on actors.”
– Phil Villarreal, ARIZONA DAILY STAR

“This is interesting stuff. So why does The Last Stand feel driven to dumb itself down, as if embarrassed by its own ideas?”
– Lisa Schwarzbaum, ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY

“Billed as the climax of a trilogy, the third and weakest chapter in the X-Men series is a blatant attempt to prove there is still life in the franchise.”
– Peter Travers, ROLLING STONE

“Where Singer played up the real-world parallels inherent in the franchise’s premise, Ratner clearly feels more comfortable when things are going boom.”
– Ethan Alter, PREMIERE MAGAZINE

“X-Men: The Last Stand — reputedly the last in the series (we’ll see) — still manages to be an eye-filling fantasy extravaganza and a big crowd-pleaser.”
– William Arnold, SEATTLE POST-INTELLIGENCER

“The X-Men have survived mutation, persecution, and supervillainous foes hell-bent on their destruction. But can they survive Brett Ratner? Well, no.”
– Nathan Rabin, ONION AV CLUB

Limited Releases

An Inconvenient Truth
Documentary presented by Al Gore about the effects global warming are having on the planet right now and what will happen if we don’t do something different now.

Rotten Tomato Score: 90%
Rotten Tomato Consensus: A powerful and informative documentary about one of today’s most debated topics, presented by Al Gore with compelling scientific evidence.

“[Y]ou don’t need to like Gore, or trust him, or even believe him to get a swift kick in the pants, one that’ll scare the hell out of you…”
– MaryAnn Johanson, FLICK FILOSOPHER

“… the film makes for compelling psychobiography despite the fact that Gore, stiff as an air-conditioned breeze at the Four Seasons, isn’t the least bit compelling himself.”
– Rob Nelson, VILLAGE VOICE

“It’s as a piece of entertainment that the movie scores its most surprising victory, taking the audience on a dizzying emotional and intellectual journey.”
– Brett Buckalew, FILMSTEW.COM

“What one comes away with hoping for the future is that we do not look back on Al Gore as we look back now on Eisenhower (”Why We Fight”) or Edward R. Murrow (”Good Night, and Good Luck”) - as a man who gave a warning unheeded. “
– Laura Clifford, REELING REVIEWS

“I wish that there was a way to get the facts in this film in front of the audience that needs to see it, the audience that takes the words of human mockeries like Michael Crichton and Michelle Malkin as gospel.”
– Devin Faraci, CHUD

Cavite

An American citizen visiting his homeland of the Philippines for his father’s funeral finds out that his mom and sister have been kidnapped by terrorists and he must do what they say if he wants to see his family alive.

Rotten Tomato Score: 75%
Rotten Tomato Consensus: A gritty, low-budget thriller, Cavite takes us on a heart-pounding ride through the seedy Filipino underworld.

“It’s fast-paced and grittily entertaining, but never in that safe and generic way that most Hollywood thrillers shoot for.”
– Scott Weinberg, EFILMCRITIC.COM

“Alarming and unrelenting”
– Chris Cabin, FILMCRITIC.COM

“Gamazon and Dela Llana have accomplished a neat trick: delivering a piece of terrific entertainment while opening a window on bigger issues and a rarely seen culture.”
– Pam Grady, REEL.COM

“Shows how a movie with no budget can still thrill.”
– Harvey S. Karten, COMPUSERVE

“It might have worked if co-director/star Gamazon had taken an acting class, or if the kidnapper didn’t sound like a villainous GPS navigating device.”
– Scott Tobias, ONION AV CLUB

Lower City

Two friends in Salvador meet a girl and they both fall in love with her. She doesn’t seem to mind playing with both of their emotions while they fight for her.

Rotten Tomato Score: 67%

“Enjoyable drama that is like a cross between City of God and Y Tu Mama Tambien, with lashings of sex and violence and even the odd bit of ****-fighting thrown in.”
– Matthew Turner, VIEWLONDON

“Though the storyline is dirt simple (can friendship outlive jealousy?) and not particularly meaningful or involving, the action in this character-driven film is scintillatingly sexy.”
– Deborah Young, VARIETY

“The Lower City is a disappointing picture that’s less than the sum of its sporadically involving parts.”
– Timothy Knight, REEL.COM

“Spunky performances and a dynamic, earthy style boost an otherwise predictable, albeit sexually-charged, latino love triangle.”
– Simon Crook, EMPIRE MAGAZINE [UK]

“It’s unlikely that even the most sophisticated or jaded of festival audiences will kindly endure the onslaught of viciousness on display.”
– Duane Byrge, HOLLYWOOD REPORTER

Stagedoor

Documentary about Stagedoor Manor Performing Arts Training Center where aspiring teenage actors go to train. Past graduates include Robert Downey Jr., Jennifer Jason Leigh, Zach Braff and Natalie Portman.

Rotten Tomato Score: 60%“Divas-in-training, overacting, pouting, and enough angst to fill a season of reality TV… but there are also some terrific performances by some extremely talented kids.”
– Cherryl Dawson and Leigh Ann Palone, THEMOVIECHICKS.COM

“… bears an unfortunate resemblance to one of the ambitious three-week productions the Stagedoor Manor campers strive to put on.”
– Merle Bertrand, FILM THREAT

“Fans of Todd Graff’s endearing Camp will also enjoy Alexandra Shiva’s documentary about Stagedoor Manor, the real-life Catskills summer workshop that inspired Graff’s Camp Ovation.”
– Ken Fox, TV GUIDE’S MOVIE GUIDE

“Alexandra Shiva’s Stagedoor is a sloppy and only mildly engaging documentary about Stagedoor Manor, a legendary summer performing-arts camp in the Catskills.”
– Lou Lumenick, NEW YORK POST

“… unimaginative but diverting …”
– David Edelstein, NEW YORK MAGAZINE

The Big Buy - How Tom DeLay Stole Congress

Documentary about how Tom DeLay bought Congress and ended up gettin indicted for it.

Rotten Tomato Score: 50%

“This film certainly encourages you to learn more and trust less… and makes you wonder whatever happened to government ‘by the people, for the people’.”
– Cherryl Dawson and Leigh Ann Palone, THEMOVIECHICKS.COM

“Unapologetic partisanship underscores the central question and problem of The Big Buy: For whom and what is it intended?”
– Tom Maurstad, DALLAS MORNING NEWS

“For some viewers, it will be a simple hatchet-job; for others, a joy to watch. The truth is, it’s both.”
– Frank Swietek, ONE GUY’S OPINION

“The scrappy small-budget pic remains persuasive throughout, and occasionally offers ‘Gotcha!’ moments that are laugh-out-loud funny.”
– Joe Leydon, VARIETY

Shem

A bored London kid goes off on a mission to find his grandmother’s father’s grave in Europe since he went missing in WWII. He has lots of adventures to find his true self.

Rotten Tomato Score: 17%

“Shem is the flipside of the similarly juvenile My Summer of Love–condescending about sex and ostensibly reverential to faith.”
– Ed Gonzalez, SLANT MAGAZINE

“A pointless hodgepodge, with a finale that will leave viewers scratching their heads.”
– V.A. Musetto, NEW YORK POST

“A muddle of good intentions and bad direction, this amateurish road movie follows a young Brit across Europe as he reconnects with his Jewish roots.”
– Elizabeth Weitzman, NEW YORK DAILY NEWS

“Perhaps the most distinctive thing about Caroline Roboh’s rambling follow-up to her 1983 debut Clementine Tango is that it features one of the least likable protagonists ever.”
– Ken Fox, TV GUIDE’S MOVIE GUIDE

Pork Medallions with Porcini Mushroom Sauce
from Cooking Light

Dried mushrooms keep for up to six months in an airtight container. Water used to reconstitute the mushrooms becomes a flavorful broth. Serve with steamed carrots, squash, and zucchini.

1 1/2 cups (1 1/2 ounces) dried porcini mushrooms
1 1/2 cups boiling water
1 (1-pound) pork tenderloin, trimmed and cut crosswise into 8 pieces
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 teaspoon minced fresh rosemary
3/4 teaspoon salt
1 garlic clove, crushed
2 teaspoons olive oil
1 teaspoon butter
3/4 cup diced red onion
1/2 cup dry Marsala or Madeira
1 cup fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth
Fresh rosemary sprigs (optional)

Combine mushrooms and 1 1/2 cups boiling water in a bowl. Cover and let stand 30 minutes or until tender. Drain in a colander over a bowl, reserving 1 cup liquid. Finely chop mushrooms.Place each piece of pork between 2 sheets of heavy-duty plastic wrap, and pound to 1/2-inch thickness using a meat mallet or small heavy skillet. Sprinkle both sides of pork with pepper.

Combine rosemary, salt, and crushed garlic in a small bowl; mash with a fork into a paste. Heat olive oil and butter in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add garlic paste; sauté 30 seconds. Add pork; cook for 2 minutes on each side. Remove from pan. Add diced onion to pan; sauté for 5 minutes or until tender. Add chopped mushrooms and Marsala, and cook for 1 minute. Add reserved mushroom liquid and broth; bring to a boil. Cook until reduced to 1 1/2 cups (about 10 minutes). Reduce heat to medium-low. Return pork to pan; cook 3 minutes or until thoroughly heated. Garnish with rosemary sprigs, if desired.

Yield: 4 servings (serving size: 2 pieces pork and 1/3 cup sauce)

NUTRITION PER SERVING
CALORIES 269(25% from fat); FAT 7.6g (sat 2.2g,mono 4g,poly 0.9g); PROTEIN 28.2g; CHOLESTEROL 76mg; CALCIUM 28mg; SODIUM 612mg; FIBER 2.5g; IRON 4mg; CARBOHYDRATE 13.2g

Weight Watchers Points: 5

My Notes: Extremely yummy. If you can’t find dried porcini mushrooms, go searching for them in a foofy grocery store. I had to search, but I’m glad I did. The sauce was so good and it made great leftovers for lunch the next day too. I also made the following Weight Watchers side dish to go with that was also yum:

Balsamic Asparagus and Cherry Tomato Salad

POINTS® Value | 0
Servings | 4

1 1/2 pound asparagus, (about 40 spears)
1 cup cherry tomato(es), about 10, cut in half
1 Tbsp balsamic vinegar
2 tsp orange juice
1 tsp minced garlic
2 Tbsp shredded Parmesan cheese
1/8 tsp table salt, or to taste
1/8 tsp black pepper, or to taste

1. Chop woody ends off asparagus. Microwave for 2 to 3 minutes, or cook in boiling, salted water until barely tender, about 4 to 6 minutes.
2. Plunge into ice water to stop cooking. Drain. Add cherry tomatoes.
3. Stir together vinegar, orange juice and garlic; season to taste. Spoon dressing over asparagus and tomatoes.
4. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese.