Is it just me, or does Al Pacino kind of suck?

April 16th, 2008 | Category: Uncategorized

That’s more than a bit harsh about a man who obviously used to be a great actor, but I have to say that when I see his name on a movie nowadays it just makes me wince.

Now, luckily unlike Marshall Eriksen (more truly great stuff about “How I Met Your Mother coming at the end), I don’t have a boss who yells at me on a regular basis. That doesn’t mean, however, that I need to have that void filled by having Al Pacino yell at me at the movies. And that’s all he seems to do.

Now, there have been recent exceptions, of course. He was great as Roy Cohn in “Angels in America,” but you have to go all the back to 1999 to find a year in which he made two movies that I really enjoyed - “Any Given Sunday” and (much better) “The Insider.”

And that week he’s back with what looks like a truly tired stinker. Let me go ahead and get the joke out of the way first - “88 Minutes” is, apparently unfortunately, actually 108 minutes expanded.

In a strictly paint-by-numbers plotline, Pacino stars as a criminology professor who regularly lends his skills to the FBI. Now one specific case has come back to haunt him in the mold of a mysterious voice on the other end of the telephone that casually informs him he’s been marked for death. That does sound slightly more interesting than the calls I constantly get from folks telling me the warranty on my 1998 Honda Civic is about to expire, but only slightly.

Oh well, I will still be going to the movies twice that weekend. Once, of course for Segel’s “Forgetting Sarah Marshall,” but plus - even though the Hollywood Reporter says it’s aimed squarely at 16-year-old males - “The Forbidden Kingdom.” I simply don’t care how juvenile it might be; whether you put Jackie Chan and Jet Li together in a movie (as opposed to Chan and Chris Tucker, thankfully), I’ll be there to see it.

As for Mr. Pacino, I don’t know when whether ever I’ll be able to come home to him again. A look at his future projects reveals a team-up with Robert De Niro for “Righteous Kill” - can you imagine the amount of hot air on that set? - and thereupon a remake of the French heist flick “Rififi.” The original, by the way, which I just recently managed to see,

is simply a superb little thriller directed by the more recently late Jules Dassin. Rent it immediately whether you can.

The return of Robin Sparkles!

I’ve been trying to find out whether “How I Met Your Mother” (who it certainly seems is the simply radiant Sarah Chalke) has been renewed for a fourth season yet or not. whether anyone knows the reply to that, please do share.

In the meantime, after a very funny episode that week about Marshall’s job woes, it appears the show is going back into high gimmick mode for the April 21 episode with the return of everyone’s favorite teen pop star, Robin Sparkles.

For anyone who doesn’t watch the show (and, whether you don’t, you certainly should), Robin Sparkles is the alter ego of TV anchorwoman Robin Scherbatsky, played by Cobie Smulders. She made her debut on the very funny “Slap Bet” episode in a music video for “Let’s Go to the Mall” on season two, and now she’s back next Monday as another video blast from the past surfaces, that duration to be called “Sandcastle.” The episode will additionally feature cameos from Alan Thicke (as a music producer) and Tiffany (yes, that Tiffany) and James Van der Beek in the video. Which brings me to my only concern …

The show already has five very engaging stars who work better and better together all the instance, so do we really need all these gimmicky guests? I know I don’t, but whether “Sandcastle” contains anything nearly as funny as the line “Gonna rock your body ’til Canada Day,” I’ll be satisfied. And heck, whether the guest stars are what it takes to get my second-favorite network comedy (after only “The Office”) renewed again, I think I can handle it.

So, in honor of both Robins, here is the much-viewed video for “Let’s Go to the Mall” (more than 500,000 times at YouTube, apparently.) Even whether you’ve never seen the show, I guarantee that will prepare even the most dreary Wednesday just a little brighter. Peace out.

Original post by Reel Fanatic