Thought of the day

Fed up with Klout?

I am. You see, in order for me to be eligible for Bottlenose- an all in one social media site, I must have a Klout score of 30 or more. I join and do what is expected. Invite others, link accounts etc. and sure enough, the score rises and I am into Bottlenose. Like many of you, I am spoiled by the efficiency of Twitter, Facebook and now Pinterest. And I expected the same from Klout. After all they claim to know and rank you on how conversant you are in the social media space. Well, they are far from it. I have attempted on numerous occasions to contact them and resolve a simple issue. I have 60+ requests on Facebook from friends to join my network. Problem-no answer from Klout and so my friends sit in Klout limbo land. Solution-drop Klout and don't waste your time signing up for this service. All I can say is thank God it's free because if I had paid to join and given their record of consumer responsiveness, I would probably never see my money again.
More tomorrow......

Newspapers

For thirty plus years, scanning the morning papers- Washington Post, New York Times, USA Today etc. were part of a daily morning routine. Needless to say, after retiring, I did not miss the ink on my fingers from the morning scans. Like most of you, my news is found online and about the only magazine I read is the Economist. Today, while waiting for a friend and after many years, I picked up the Washington Post left behind by another reader. What a bore! It's no wonder subscriptions are off. I found nothing useful in the paper and content dated. Then, I saw a USA Today. Pretty much the same story. My opinion-RIP and if you think people will pay for an online subscription for your news source-think again.

opening this week

Dustin Putman's Movie Reviews


Opening This Week:



<http://www.dustinputman.com/reviews/b/12_bernie.htm> Bernie
★★ (out of ★★★★)

Select Cities - An off-beat dark comedy with an assured indie spirit, the
film is played largely for giggles despite a violent true-crime premise.
For a motion picture about one person losing her life and another losing
his freedom, "Bernie" doesn't deserve to be as flippant as it ultimately is.
<http://www.dustinputman.com/reviews/b/12_bernie.htm> Read the Full Review
>>

<http://www.dustinputman.com/reviews/d/12_darlingcompanion.htm> Darling
Companion
★½ (out of ★★★★)

Select Cities - Like an over-the-hill fogey sorely mistaken about still
being hip, this treacly comedic drama is startlingly out of touch. The film
is egregiously contrived from one end to the next, and also at a loss for
how to fill up its past-the-point-of-no-return 103-minute running time.
<http://www.dustinputman.com/reviews/d/12_darlingcompanion.htm> Read the
Full Review >>

<http://www.dustinputman.com/reviews/f/12_fiveyearengagement.htm> The Five-
Year Engagement
★★★ (out of ★★★★)

Nationwide - While not exactly overthrowing conventions entirely, "The Five-
Year Engagement" takes the invaluable time to listen to and understand its
characters, mixing things up enough that it feels neither musty nor tired.
A grown-up, mainstream, studio-released comedy made for actual grown-ups.
Imagine that.
<http://www.dustinputman.com/reviews/f/12_fiveyearengagement.htm> Read the
Full Review >>

<http://www.dustinputman.com/reviews/r/12_raven.htm> The Raven
★★½ (out of ★★★★)

Nationwide - A darkly sumptuous, exceedingly enticing murder mystery, the
film, directed by James McTeigue, reminds of 2001's Jack the Ripper saga
"From Hell," or, what Guy Ritchie's overly silly, dull and inconsequential
"Sherlock Holmes" movies should have been from the start. John Cusack's
turn as Poe is just plain terrific.
<http://www.dustinputman.com/reviews/r/12_raven.htm> Read the Full Review
>>

<http://www.dustinputman.com/reviews/s/12_soundofmyvoice.htm> Sound of My
Voice
★★★ (out of ★★★★)

Select Cities - A contemplative look at the power of indoctrination and
belief with fantastical underlying insinuations. Though perhaps too
claustrophobic for its own good, "Sound of My Voice" is the work of
visionaries, excitingly about much more than just a fishy cult and smart
enough to allow each viewer to take away from it what they personally
choose to.
<http://www.dustinputman.com/reviews/s/12_soundofmyvoice.htm> Read the
Full Review >>


ⓒ 2012 Dustin Putman
<http://www.dustinputman.com/> dustinputman.com
<http://www.twitter.com/DustinPutman> twitter.com/DustinPutman

Maybe a good weekend for gardening instead of the movies.......

Dustin Putman's Movie Reviews

Opening This Week:

<http://www.dustinputman.com/reviews/c/12_chimpanzee.htm> Chimpanzee
★★ (out of ★★★★)

Nationwide - Just in time for this year's Earth Day comes "Chimpanzee," and
if it's a marginal step up from the cheap exploitation of "African Cats,"
it still falls into many of the same egregious traps. The film is earnest
enough that it's difficult to hate, but it's also such a squandering of
resources that one can't help but sort of resent it.
<http://www.dustinputman.com/reviews/c/12_chimpanzee.htm> Read the Full
Review >>

<http://www.dustinputman.com/reviews/l/12_luckyone.htm> The Lucky One
★½ (out of ★★★★)

Nationwide - Far-fetched and then insulting as decisions are made for no
good reason other than to complicate a thread-thin plot, "The Lucky One" is
but a series of lovingly lit shots in search of a purpose for existing.
It's a new nadir for Nicholas Sparks in Hollywood, and director Scott Hicks
is left holding the shovel.
<http://www.dustinputman.com/reviews/l/12_luckyone.htm> Read the Full
Review >>

ⓒ 2012 Dustin Putman
<http://www.dustinputman.com/> dustinputman.com
<http://www.twitter.com/DustinPutman> twitter.com/DustinPutman

"Three Stooges" spend weekend at "Cabin in the Woods" looking for "Damsels in Distress" and end up in "Detention" and then a "Lockout"

Opening This Week:

<http://www.dustinputman.com/reviews/c/12_cabininthewoods.htm> The Cabin in
the Woods
★★★★ (out of ★★★★)

Nationwide - A motion picture about the endurance of horror as a historical
watermark, where it has been, and where it might be able to go from here,
it's no less than an all-encompassing celebration of a too often spit-upon
genre. Fans will be savoring this one for decades to come.
<http://www.dustinputman.com/reviews/c/12_cabininthewoods.htm> Read the
Full Review >>

<http://www.dustinputman.com/reviews/d/12_damselsindistress.htm> Damsels in
Distress
★★★ (out of ★★★★)

Select Cities - "Damsels in Distress" isn't much more than a low-key
slice-of-life accented by shrewd farcical flourishes, but when a film's
actors are this good, and their delivery of such one-of-a-kind writing is
this on-target, there isn't much room for complaint.
<http://www.dustinputman.com/reviews/d/12_damselsindistress.htm> Read the
Full Review >>

<http://www.dustinputman.com/reviews/d/12_detention.htm> Detention
★★★ (out of ★★★★)

Select Cities - A labyrinthine but not impenetrable bubble gum pop
explosion, "Detention" should earn major "cult hit" status if for no other
reason than for its fierce, unflinching juggling of genres and conventions.
It's an overstuffed but ridiculously fun and gleefully original concoction.
<http://www.dustinputman.com/reviews/d/12_detention.htm> Read the Full
Review >>

<http://www.dustinputman.com/reviews/l/12_lockout.htm> Lockout
★★ (out of ★★★★)

Nationwide - It's the sort of film a person might waste a lazy Sunday
afternoon watching on cable, but not one that anyone needs to go out of
their way to experience. In fact, it's all rather metallic and loud and
junky, highlighted by a central performance far superior to the film he's
in.
<http://www.dustinputman.com/reviews/l/12_lockout.htm> Read the Full Review
>>

<http://www.dustinputman.com/reviews/t/12_threestooges.htm> The Three
Stooges
★★ (out of ★★★★)

Nationwide - There are stretches of "The Three Stooges" that are total dead
zones of comedy, and then, just when the instinct is to give up, something
surprisingly quick and acerbic will come along to reclaim hope. All things
considered, the film is a few sawed-off ladder steps better than the
alternative of sheer, brain-numbing misery.
<http://www.dustinputman.com/reviews/t/12_threestooges.htm> Read the Full
Review >>

(c) 2012 Dustin Putman
<http://www.dustinputman.com/> dustinputman.com
<http://www.twitter.com/DustinPutman> twitter.com/DustinPutman

RIP Mike Wallace

http://mediadecoder.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/04/08/mike-wallace-60-minutes-pioneer-dies/?emc=na

A Reunion weekend

Opening This Week:

<http://www.dustinputman.com/reviews/a/12_americanreunion.htm> American
Reunion
★★★ (out of ★★★★)

Nationwide - A walk down memory lane as well as a hopeful look to the
future, "American Reunion" is a winning comedy that knows the formula of
this franchise, and knows just as well how to pull it off. The film is
nearly as good as the teen classic original, only with the added benefit of
nostalgic hindsight.
<http://www.dustinputman.com/reviews/a/12_americanreunion.htm> Read the
Full Review >>

<http://www.dustinputman.com/reviews/c/12_corridor.htm> The Corridor
★★ (out of ★★★★)

OnDemand & Select Cities - Unsettling individual moments and a doom-heavy
tone make way for one-dimensional characterizations, stagey performances,
and a plot that grows ever weirder without adding up to anything of note by
the end. "The Corridor" is alternately offbeat and derivative, reminiscent
of a "Twilight Zone" episode without a satisfying payoff.
<http://www.dustinputman.com/reviews/c/12_corridor.htm> Read the Full
Review >>

(c) 2012 Dustin Putman
<http://www.dustinputman.com/> dustinputman.com
<http://www.twitter.com/DustinPutman> twitter.com/DustinPutman