FilmMattic

Pretty But Perfunctory *Editors Note: Pretend Clint Eastwood is narrating this entire post!       Beyond an investment of $3.5 million (per 30-seconds, up from $3 million last year) and a critical mass upwards of 90 million, what distinguishes a Super Bowl spot from any other spectacle-less day of advertising? Well, because of the exorbitant monetary outlay and the mammoth exposure, the biggest distinction is, presumably, creative disbursement. All that money—enough to feature Taylor Kitsch in two prominent spots—has to go to good use, correct? The answer, of course, is yes. But, more important, do the yeoman efforts, from marketers, actors, directors, and sponsors, produce effective results? Sadly no. In the hotbed of filmic fanaticism, the 2012 Super Bowl will be synonymous with three words, transitively etched in the amorphous footprint of Twitter: Pretty but perfunctory.

Hooked On Trailers       Is it just me or does every summer movie season feel like Hollywood's deliberate attempt to introduce moviegoers to a new Bond character: you know, trailers galore? The busy blockbuster-laden landscape of movies represents, for studios, what Christmas time means to retail/online merchants: BIG business. The influx of new and more polished looks at some future blockbusters is always met with great anticipation. The summer of 2011 is no different; Green Lantern, Transformers: Dark of the Moon, Super 8, 3 0 Minutes or Less and Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows; Part 2 represent some of the studios' more hopeful attempts to draw hordes of moviegoers to the box office. Whether you want to see the breathtaking world of Oa, the nefarious exploits of an evil transformer/alien robot copy machine, ascertain the "secret" of Super 8 , watch Aziz Ansari mold the minds of young, impressionable kids or witness the final showdown between Harry Pot...

     A Super Pick               The 2011 Super Bowl is a momentous occasion, not merely for the two combatants on the field, but for the millions of people who tune into the yearly mega spectacle. Though, in lieu of last night's contest, I must digress for a moment. I am not a fan of either team, but I still must graciously extend a meek congratulatory message to the victorious Green Bay Packers. I absolutely detest the Pittsburgh Steelers, not for any tangibly logical reason, but because they represent an embarrassment of riches. Their fanbase has already gluttonously enjoyed six Super Bowl championships. I am a lowly Detroit Lions fan. Consequently, I cannot stand for such an excess of winning. The cheese heads are pretty bad too, but they represent the NFC North. Therefore, my abhorrence to them is minimized ever so slightly by their geographical closeness to the Lions franchise. So...thank you Green Bay Packers...