This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2008, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
Video File
Perfect thriller
No Country for Old Men (rated R)
Grade: A
Superficially, "No Country For Old Men" is a simple chase story. It's Josh Brolin being hunted by Javier Bardem with Tommy Lee Jones a couple of steps behind them. What makes it worthy of Hollywood's highest honors (it won, among other prizes, Best Picture at the Academy Awards) is the superlative filmmaking skills (read: ability to manipulate an audience) of directors Joel and Ethan Coen. In less capable hands, "No Country" could have been an average genre film; in the hands of the Coen brothers, it is a transcendent blend of comedy, horror and drama, and easily one of 2007's best. Based on the bloody Western tale by great American novelist Cormac McCarthy, "No Country" follows the exploits of the aforementioned fellows as they traverse Texas, dodging bullets and contemplating fate and morality while trying to recover - or keep, in Brolin's case - $2 million from a drug deal gone bad. DVD extras include 45 minutes of worthwhile behind-the-scenes footage and interviews with the cast and crew.
- Sam Vicchrilli
Slow and painfully unfunny, 'Bee Movie' is a real buzz kill
Bee Movie (rated PG)
Grade: C
Anyone who thinks this computer animated adventure starring Jerry Seinfeld will be full of amusing one-liners will be sadly disappointed. This is more like "Bizarro Jerry" - every joke falls flat and every plot point is like any other animated feature. Jerry plays Barry, a member of the hive who wants to see what life is like on the outside. So he ventures into the world of humans, becomes friendly with a flower shop owner (voiced by Renee Zellweger) and learns that people are harvesting honey, which is destroying the bee population and Earth's ants. It begins as an adventure and becomes a courtroom drama for a time, which likely will bore kids and adults looking more for animated escapades than closing arguments. The two-disc set is loaded with extras including deleted scenes, a commentary track with Seinfeld and the filmmakers and kids games.
- Vince Horiuchi
DVD releases
* "Hitman"
* "August Rush"
* "Dan in Real Life"
* "Sleuth"
* "Nancy Drew"
* "Stargate - The Ark of Truth"
* "Tin Man"
Today's viral video
"Brother on Christmas Unwraps Fake XBOX 360": Christmas is long past, but this is an object lesson in how not to celebrate it. Though the back-story is that Johnson apparently receives the gift eventually, the prank is both a window into emotional and (threatened) economic poverty. And child abuse. Worth watching. Once. (Warning: sound quality is poor.)
- Julie Checkoway jcheckoway@sltrib.com
Audio file
Jackson takes few risks with these straight-up original country tunes
Alan Jackson, "Good Time"
Grade: B-
The fiddles and steel guitar are still front and center, yet Alan Jackson claims this album is a career-first. For the first time, he has written every song on this long album, and he is so proud he included a whopping 17 tracks. For someone who once sang "Murder on Music Row," decrying the move of country towards Shania-style pop, Jackson himself doesn't exactly write edgy traditional country, but he is a consistent songwriter who will be ruling the radio in small Southern towns like Morgan City, La. He sings about love of God, family and the virtues of being a "Small Town Southern Man." His song "I Still Like Bologna" is a silly criticism of technology, but other than that, Jackson takes no risks and is as smooth-voiced as ever.
- David Burger
Kathleen Edwards digs deep to produce achingly beautiful 'Asking for Flowers'
Kathleen Edwards, "Asking for Flowers"
Grade: A
Kathleen Edwards is a 29-year-old Canadian singer-songwriter who isn't easily pigeonholed but writes achingly beautiful songs and whose voice is reminiscent of the divine Dolores O'Riordan of the Cranberries. Her third album is near-perfect, full of personal stories about men and women living in the margins and trying to scratch through the darkness on the edge of town. She could be called alt-country or even mainstream acoustic rock, but she defies labels by rocking sturdily one moment and quietly eulogizing a lost love the next. The occasional string quartet or omnichord never overwhelm but only enhance Edwards and her incisive, hurting lyrics: "Asking for flowers is like asking you to be nice." Even when the songs turn political, like in "Oil Man's War," she never opts for Neil Young-style obviousness but tells the story of a young couple forced to respond to desperate measures in light of the war. This is an impressive album and not to be missed.
- David Burger
Gaming
Roots of this 'Tree' are planted firmly in enchanting game play
The Great Tree (PC)
Grade: B+
There is more to computer games than shooting, killing and running. That's partly what makes this casual game about playing a fairy (what?!) so refreshing - you don't really battle anything. You simply collect glowing particles (oh, let's just call it what it is - fairy dust) to help a mystical tree grow. Before you manly men laugh this off as a game for pre-teen girls, consider that there is a fleet of nasty flying creatures who will try and stop you from gathering the dust, and they make it challenging for even hard-core gamers. The graphics have a nice artistry to them, and the game play, which is part action, part role-play, is unique. There's even a story behind all this mythological nonsense, but it's the original game mechanics that will get you addicted. You can download for a mere 20 bucks at http://www.reflexive.com.
- Vince Horiuchi
THE LIST
Music charts
BILLBOARD 200 TOP 10 ALBUMS
From a national sales sample compiled by SoundScan.
No. Album Artist
1. ''Discipline" Janet Jackson
2. ''New Amerykah: Part One" Erykah Badu
3. ''Sleep Through the Static" Jack Johnson
4. ''Savage Life 2" Webbie
5. ''As I Am" Alicia Keys
6. ''Hannah Montana 2" Miley Cyrus
7. ''Once'' soundtrack
8. ''Juno'' soundtrack
9. ''Little Voice" Sara Bareilles
10. ''Back to Black" Amy Winehouse
BILLBOARD HOT 100 TOP 10 SONGS
Compiled from radio lists monitored by Broadcast Data Systems and sales compiled by SoundScan.
No. Song Artist Featuring
1. ''Love in This Club" Usher Young Jeezy
2. ''Low" Flo Rida T-Pain
3. ''With You" Chris Brown
4. ''Don't Stop the Music" Rihanna
5. ''Love Song" Sara Bareilles
6. ''No Air'' Jordin Sparks, Chris Brown
7. ''Apologize'' Timbaland OneRepublic
8. ''No One" Alicia Keys
9. ''Independent" Webbie, Lil' Phat, Lil' Boosie
10. ''Sensual Seduction'' Snoop Dogg
TOP CD RELEASES
Compiled from icemagazine.com, cmj.com, amazon.com
Album Artist
"Now That's What I Call Music..." various
"Randy Jackson's Music Club, V. 1" Randy Jackson
"Ego Trippin'" Snoop Dogg
"Honeydew" Shawn Mullins
"Now That's What I Call Music 80's" various
"These Are The Good Times People" Presidents of the USA
"Words of Love: Voice of Edith Piaf..." Jil Aigrot, Marion Cotillard
"He Touched M" Elvis Presley
"Capitol Collection" Mcguinn Clark Hillman
"Voyage" Stan Getz
"Impact Is Imminent" Exodus
"Trilla" Rick Ross
"Obzen" Meshuggah
"A Perfect Place" Mike Patton
"Romantic Arias" Jonas Kaufmann
"Enigma" Ill Nino
"Autumn Fallin'" Jaymay
"Alopecia" Why?
Television ratings
NIELSEN TOP 10
A.C. Nielsen Ratings for week of February 25-March 2:
No. Name of show Network Rating Viewers (in millions)
1. ''American Idol"-Tue. Fox 16.0 28.6
2. ''American Idol"-Wed. Fox 15.7 27.6
3. ''American Idol"-Thu. Fox 14.9 26.2
4. "Oprah's Big Give" ABC 9.5 15.7
5. ''Deal or No Deal" NBC 9.2 15.4
6. ''ABC Premiere Event ABC 8.6 12.7
7.(tie) ''Don't Forget the Lyrics'' Fox 8.4 14.4
7.(tie) ''Extreme Makeover: Home" ABC 8.4 14.9
9. ''60 Minutes" CBS 8.1 12.3
10.(tie) "Law and Order" NBC 7.7 11.4
10.(tie) ''Lost ABC 7.7 12.9
Top grossing movies
WEEKEND TOP 10 MOVIES (FRIDAY, SATURDAY AND SUNDAY)
No. Name of Movie Earnings*
1. ''10,000 B.C." $35.7
2. ''College Road Trip" $14.0
3. ''Vantage Point" $7.5
4. ''Semi-Pro" $5.8
5. ''The Bank Job" $5.7
6. ''The Spiderwick Chronicles" $4.8
7. ''The Other Boleyn Girl" $4.0
8. ''Jumper" $3.8
9. ''Step Up 2 the Streets" $3.0
10. ''Fool's Gold" $2.8
* Estimated earnings in millions.