KC Confidential.com

You’ve got to love an action-thriller in which the underground network for illegal immigrants is headquartered in a taco truck!

MACHETE is a completely over-the top blast (literally) and is probably the only movie ever to be totally based on a fake movie trailer—one of several that appeared inside of Quentin Tarantino’s GRINDHOUSE a few years ago.

What we’ve got here is a timely splatterfest action story of shady, right wing Senator Robert DeNiro working with a Mexican drug lord to ’secure’ the border—for his own crooked purposes.

What he didn’t count on was that MACHETE - does his name proud – complete with a weed whacker attack. Continue reading

It has all the trappings of an exciting mystery suspense thriller.

A professional international hit man’s adventures across Europe.  George Clooney in the starring role.

I couldn’t wait for the screening of THE AMERICAN.

Instead what I got was a lifeless, slow insight into this guy’s persona and last assignment.

THE AMERICAN brought back memories of those mid-60’s slow Euro-Thrillers which bored anyone other than the Art House crowd half to death. Continue reading

During the week John Morris is one of corporate radio’s mild-mannered engineers who keep Entercom’s 8 local stations humming.

But on weekends John transforms his persona to K.C. Music Man John Christopher offering fans the sounds of the greatest records ever pressed.

John calls the program THE NEON BEAT airing all day Saturday’s through noon and on Sunday’s with a JACK-FM approach to the Baby Boomer hits of the 50’s, 60’s, and early 70’s. Continue reading

I hadn’t planned on watching the PRIMETIME EMMYS this Sunday night.

But on second thought I think I will.

Why?

Because Conan O’Brien is nominated in the Outstanding Variety, Music or Comedy Series catagory for his short-lived stint as NBC’s TONIGHT SHOW host.

And should he win, his acceptance speech could be one for the books! Continue reading

GET LOW is a performance driven ‘high’ during this late summer at the movies.

It’s setting is the backwoods of Tennessee during the depression where the locals are terrified of an old recluse named Felix Bush, played to perfection by Robert Duvall.

People say he’s done all sorts of unspeakable things. That he’s killed in cold blood.

He supposedly wields strange powers and if you buy into the rumors, is in the league with the devil himself.

So when one day Duvall shows up in town with a shotgun at hand and carrying a wad of cash, localites were really bent out of shape. Continue reading

The trailer and TV spots for the movie looked promising enough.

Could it be that LOTTERY TICKET would become the next BARBERSHOP?

That was my hope as I headed off to the screening.

What I got instead was 1:45 hours of stereotypical African-American fluff that made Tyler Perry’s offerings play like Oscar contenders by comparison.

LOTTERY TICKET’s high concept is what actually peaked my curiosity. I’m sure we’ve all wondered what would happen in the hours and days after we’d won the big lottery jackpot. Continue reading

According to a story in today’s HOLLYWOOD REPORTER, Paul Reubens—better known as Pee Wee Herman—has told PLAYBOY that he is innocent of the 1991 charges claiming that he was caught masturbating in a Florida theater.

You’ve got to love his reasoning! Continue reading

The stylized Universal logo at the beginning of the film should have been the tip-off…

This is not your typical summer action-adventure or romantic-comedy.

It’s both—and so much more!

No wonder it was such a hit at the recent COMIC-CON conclave in San Diego.

So how does one describe SCOTT PILGRIM VS. THE WORLD?

I see it as this summer’s teen angst rock opera. Continue reading

JACK GOES CONFIDENTIAL: Weekend Movies Tear Apart Relationships!

This weekend Hollywood sets up the perfect battle of the sexes at the movies!

For Her: The summer’s second (the first was SEX AND THE CITY 2) most anticipated chick-flick EAT PRAY LOVE starring Julia Roberts.

For Him: Sylvester Stallone’s nitro-fueled THE EXPENDABLES featuring Tinsel Town’s mightiest (almost) over the hill gang!

So who will win out? Will she be dragging him to the movies or will he stand his ground in favor of the testosterone-driven flick?

First there’s good news and bad about EAT PRAY LOVE.

The good: it’s a much better picture than last May’s SEX AND THE CITY 2.

The bad: It’s 2 hours and 20 minutes l-o-n-g! Continue reading

In case you haven’t noticed, there’s a Dollar Movie House Squeeze going down…

Once a flourishing part of Greater Kansas City’s movie exhibition scene, our local so-called Dollar Houses are nearing extinction.

As in we’re down to just one.

The latest to shutter was the TRAILRIDGE CINEMA at 75th and Nieman Road, leaving what’s left of the discount movie market exclusively to the NOLAN FASHION SQUARE 6 THEATERS at 13520 East 40 Highway, where the anytime ticket price remains at $ 2.00.

So what’s killing the movie discount scene? Continue reading

Online testing exchange OTX reports that for one in five moviegoers, the decision to see a film in a theater occurs in advance of its release.

For most, OTX says, the actual decision occurs at one of two points in time:

Either on the day the movie is released or the day that they are going to the theater.

Regardless of age, gender or ethnicity, about seven in ten moviegoers make their decision on one of those two days, OTX says.

With one exception! Continue reading

Let’s be upfront about it. THE OTHER GUYS is definitely not a critic’s picture!

On the other hand if you’re looking for a night out of laugh-out-loud, nonsensical testosterone laden side gags, this is your movie.

The setting here is a NYC police precinct where its top cops—Dwayne Johnson and Samuel L. Jackson—break all the rules. Yet they alsways bring in the bad guys. Continue reading

THE KIDS ARE ALL RIGHT— but Mom and Mom?

Annette Bening and Julianne Moore play lesbian moms experiencing midlife crisis.

More about that later.

They’re also the parents of Mia Wasikowska (ALICE IN WONDERLAND) and her younger brother Josh Hutcherson—both products of artifical insemination.

Then Josh gets the notion to track down their birthfather.

But since according to the law he’s still to young, he gets 18 year-old sister Mia involved. Together track the birthfather (Mark Ruffelo) and introduce him (Mark Ruffelo) to the moms.

A rather awkward situation at best as, as Ruffelo now tries to bond his way into the family and redefine—make that re-RE-define the family ties. Continue reading

What we’ve got here is a third coming…

Of Steve Carell and JoCo export Paul Rudd following their collaborations in ANCHORMAN and THE 40 YEAR OLD VIRGIN.

But this time out it’s the Americanization of the French farce THE DINNER GAME.

In charge of the project was veteran comedy director Jay Roach whose past credits include the AUSTIN POWERS and MEET THE PARENTS franchises.

Does it work? Does the power threesome pull it off?

Sort of. Continue reading

Some followers of all things KC Confidential say they’re tired of Stanford’s main man Craig Glazer honking his own horn…

Allow me to do the honors this time out.

Glazer has inked a deal for a followup to his 2008 true crime hardcover book, “The King of Sting; The Amazing True Story of a Modern American Outlaw.”

The first book came out in a paperback edition in May and a major motion picture deal is in the works.

“I’m starting on King of Sting II this week,” Glazer says. “That’s not the title, it’s the working title. The title will be something like, ‘Sex, Drugs & Comedy by the King of Sting.’ ”

The $64 million question: fiction or non? Continue reading