THE SIGNAL
Divided into three separate segments (dubbed here as “transmissions”) – each one the work of a different director – THE SIGNAL is an effective post-apocalyptic/pseudo-zombie flick about a broadcast signal that causes nearly everyone to become homicidal. The first part in particular does what the best entries in the genre do: it creates a tense, scary portrayal of a world going gradually (but nonetheless exponentially) to hell that you can be horrified by. Things do go a bit downhill from there, with the second part shifting a bit too drastically (but not fully committed) into SHAUN OF THE DEAD territory, while the third becomes too cerebral and lets the movie whimper itself into an ending. Nevertheless, as a whole to film is recommendable for those wanting to watch a solid gory, end-of-the-world horror movie. Overall rating: B
George Clooney’s LEATHERHEADS is two movies when it should have really been one. The film fumbles in and out – seemingly blindly at times – of being a nostalgic throw-back to the screwball comedies of the 1930s and an underdog sports movie, when it should have forfeited the later for the former. Instead the film awkwardly shifts its rickety frame from one genre to the next, never successfully melding the two together well enough for it all to work. It’s too bad because there’s a delightfully fun screwball film buried beneath it all, and when it peeks out you wish the rest of the film were like it.
The basic sports story centers on Dodge Connelly (George Clooney), who runs the Duluth Bulldogs football team, a down-and-dirty professional football team before rules were brought in, and the fun removed When the team goes broke, Dodge hatches a plan to hire a superstar college football player and war hero, Carter “The Bullet” Rutherford (John Krasinski) to save the team, and legitimize – or at least popularize – the sport.
It’s because of things like this that I wish George Clooney were my best friend. Yes, he’s devilishly handsome, talented, charming and – as this video indicates – really funny, but most of all what I love about the guy is that when you’re watching things like this, you’d be hard pressed to even realize this guy is one of the biggest movie stars in the planet right now. He comes off as nothing more than just a dude (as he did here). Just like me and my (real) friends, he seems prone to inappropriate jokes, gentle and humorous insults, trash-talking, the occasional use of the word “brah,” and horrible renditions of The Robot. While I’m at it, I wish John Krasinski were my friend too.
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