The summer movie season has started early and “Oblivion” knocks it out of the park.

This sci-fi thriller starring Tom Cruise is 126 minutes of heart-pounding, plot-twisting fun. Seeing it on an IMAX screen makes the experience even better.

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Joseph Kosinski, director of “TRON: Legacy,” adapts his own unpublished graphic novel into a screenplay — with help from Oscar-winning screenwriter Michael Arndt and a few others — and directs this sci-fi set on post-apocalyptic Earth.

It’s 2077 and Jack Harper (Cruise) is part of the mop-up crew in charge of securing an evacuated Earth. An alien threat invaded and the battle for Earth raged on for decades.

“We won the war, but lost the planet,” he says during his opening narration.

Now, survivors have fled. Soon, Harper and his partner Victoria (Andrea Riseborough) will join the others once their mission is complete. All remaining resources are being taken from Earth and it’s the pair’s job to protect the machines doing the work. Some of the aliens, called Scavs or Scavengers, remain in hiding and are working to disrupt the operation.

Official poster.

As audiences watch “Oblivion,” elements from other great sci-fi movies are apparent. And this is not a bad thing. Think “The Matrix,” “Independence Day” and “Wall-E” all rolled into one. Others come to mind immediately, but this reviewer will omit them as to not spoil the plot. These borrowed elements infuse a solid plot, making this movie enjoyable all around.

The pulsating score is reminiscent of “TRON: Legacy” and features bombastic beats similar to Hans Zimmer’s score for “Inception.”

This great score only adds to the fantastic production design of the movie. Every detail has been thought out, from the costumes, the set and stunning visuals similar to last summer’s “Prometheus,” an equally impressive sci-fi feature.

“Oblivion” was filmed in digital 4K resolution — the highest projection quality available, four times the standard projector’s pixels — and on location across the United States and Iceland. The cinematography by Claudio Miranda, who recently won an Oscar for his work on “Life of Pi,” complements the visuals very well. Even though Earth is uninhabitable, it looks like a beautiful place to live.

The acting is also spot on. Cruise slips into his normal action shtick. Morgan Freeman and Melissa Leo deliver some memorable lines. Look for great performances from Riseborough and Olga Kurylenko.

“Oblivion” was originally scheduled for a July 10 berth. Luckily, audiences don’t have to wait that long and benefit from a great sci-fi summer blockbuster a little early.

/ 5

Official trailer:

Rated PG-13 for sci-fi action violence, brief strong language, and some sensuality/nudity.

Read more: STAR @ the movies

Toledo Free Press Lead Designer and Film Editor James A. Molnar blogs about all things Oscar at TheGoldKnight.com. Watch him discuss movies on “WNWO Today” around 5:50 a.m. on Fridays. Also, listen to James discuss movies on “Eye on Your Weekend” on 1370 WSPD every Friday at 6 p.m.

Tags: Earth, Film, James A. Molnar, Movies, oblivion, sci-fi, summer movies, The Gold Knight, Tom Cruise, universal pictures

This entry was posted on Friday, April 19th, 2013 at 12:01 am and is filed under Arts and Life, Film, Star, The Gold Knight.
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Attention fellow citizens of Northwest Ohio:

As some of you may have heard, one of Toledo’s most famous alumna just went through a divorce. Not only is she going through one of the more public break-ups in recent memory, she is going through it with her 6-year-old little girl. Katie Holmes and her daughter, Suri, have been spending some time in Toledo, away from the paparazzi, trying to catch a breath and get their feet back underneath her.

I am writing this “Open Letter” to ask my fellow residents to allow Katie and Suri some normalcy while back in Toledo … meaning please just let them be.

Katie, Suri and their family tried to enjoy some shopping at Westfield Franklin Park on Aug. 12. How do I know this gossipy tidbit of information? Because I witnessed Katie and her sister flip though the close-out rack at a clothing store while Suri hung out with her cousins, playing. I mention the close-out rack because while Katie may have been married to one of the most famous men on the planet, there she was, holding Suri’s stuffed animals in her arms, while shuffling through the various clearance items. Katie looked like a woman who’d recently been through a divorce. She looked skinnier than the last time I saw her, and it almost appeared she had forgot how to smile. The gawkers started almost instantly, trying to sneak their phones out to snap a picture. I saw one woman hide in a rack of clothes trying to capture a digital image. I really felt bad for Katie.

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Anybody who has been through a divorce knows you need your support system; you need comfort and usually you need your family. Katie Holmes is no different from any of us in that aspect. Any Christ the King parishioner knows how strong, close and genuine the Holmes family is. Although very private, especially since Katie’s success, their warmth and compassion has never changed, showing why Katie is still so grounded.

Her family and this town are the perfect ingredients needed for a broken heart.

There is a reason most of us choose to live in Toledo; it’s comfortable. Toledo has little traffic, we have plenty of great food, a close distance to Detroit, Cleveland and Chicago and most of our families are here. Toledoans are mostly kind, warm and neighborly human beings. Katie and her daughter can live a laid-back life here, if we would simply allow them.

Some radio stations sent out Facebook updates asking for Katie “sightings,” encouraging listeners to snap pictures, almost giving it the feel of a manhunt. I am going to ask you to do the opposite. Please, if you see Katie Holmes in public, with or without her daughter Suri, leave her be. She has put the city of Toledo back on the map, and did so in a positive way. She has earned her privacy, especially shopping on a Sunday at the mall. If she chose to move back home or at least spend more time here, it could mean good things for our city.

Katie Holmes is, now more than ever, closer to you or me. She’s a recently divorced single mom, with a bright-eyed 6 year old girl at her side trying to figure out what’s next. She shops with her sisters at Westfield Franklin Park, she enjoys close-out racks, all while carrying her daughter’s stuffed animals, if that’s not Toledo, then I must not be from here.

If you see Katie Holmes out and about, Instead of asking her for a picture, or an autograph, how about you wish her a simple “welcome home.” Let’s treat her as a sister and mom and let’s remind her why her family still chooses to call Toledo home.

If you would like to see more Jeremy Baumhower’s words you can follow him on Twitter @Jeremytheproduc.

Tags: Jeremy Baumhower, Katie Holmes, Suri, Tom Cruise, Westfield Franklin Park

This entry was posted on Wednesday, August 15th, 2012 at 12:45 pm and is filed under Community, Media Watch, Opinion.
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“It’s funny how one insect can damage so much grain.”

— Elton John, “Empty Garden”

About 30 minutes into the 10:15 p.m. July 20 showing of “The Dark Knight Rises,” a man left his seat in the front row and headed for the exit door. I, and scores of people in Theater 1 of the MJR Theater in Adrian, Mich., audibly and visibly tensed. I had mentally rehearsed the movement it would take to throw my wife to the floor and suspend myself between the seats to shield her from attack, but in that vague mind-movie way that rarely becomes reality. When the man took an abrupt left turn for the lobby, there was palpable relief. When he returned a few minutes later with popcorn, there was muted, “What were we afraid of?” laughter.

Of course, what we were afraid of was that the man was going to copycat his way into the 24-hour news cycle by opening fire on the crowd of moviegoers as hellbound 24-year-old James Eagan Holmes had allegedly done less than 24 hours before in Aurora, Colo.

Do you remember the first time you boarded an airplane after the Sept. 11, 2001, terror attacks? That same low-thrumming anxiety that defies intellectual analysis and sharpens the senses accompanied many to the dark theater that night. I love going to the movies, as I love traveling by plane, and I resent the intrusion into normalcy such capitulation represents.

Cowering does not honor the dead. Bowing to the wishes of madmen does not provide shelter. But it seems that when these slaughters take place, there is a swift reaction taken to ward off the grief, helplessness and terror, that is tantamount to throwing a feather at a raging rhinoceros.

So, as bodies are prepared for burial in Colorado, our freedoms and choices are also corroded. The limitations on choice may be temporary, but once yielded, how many freedoms fully bounce back?

Before Sept. 11, 2001, family members could accompany each other all the way to the departure gate, or wait for them at the arrival gate in airports. One of the indelible images of my life is silently walking through the Fort Lauderdale International Airport in October 2001, focusing on the rifles cradled in the arms of military personnel as passengers checked bags, bought magazines and generally acted as if they were preparing to walk the Green Mile, not fly the friendly skies.

Those rifles and soldiers are gone, but the security measures and intrusions on freedom are likely permanent.

It is too early to say how the Aurora shootings will impact one of our most popular and compelling entertainment habits, but the immediate surrendering of normalcy in the name of “safety,” happens with a swiftness that indicates a frightening willingness to abdicate freedom for “protection.”

MJR Theaters canceled midnight screenings. AMC Theatres chain banned the wearing of costumes to showings. Whether you have ever donned a Jedi robe or brandished a Harry Potter wand at a screening is not the point; many people do, but for now at least, they no longer have that option.

As the nation shook its collective head in denial and grief, Warner Bros. pulled its “The Dark Knight Rises” ads from TV. The film industry announced it would not release its daily box office numbers, a trivial pursuit followed by millions of people. DC Comics postponed the delivery of the comic book Batman Incorporated because it contains “content that may be perceived as insensitive in light of recent events.”

“Recent events?” The Penn State punishment? The Tom Cruise/Katie Holmes divorce? The casino opening? Are we so sensitive, easily offended and unable to deal with reality that DC couldn’t even directly refer to the massacre?

I understand all of these reactions to an event that shook and shocked us. But there is a line between honoring the victims and giving in to the psychopath, and every time a horrific event takes place, that line increasingly takes the shape of a noose tightening itself around normalcy and our freedom of choice.

Which path best preserves the honor of the victims? Shutting down or standing up? Twisting reality to appease or living life as normal? As this strain of murder invades more sanctuaries (schools, churches, army bases, restaurants, now movie theaters), the reactions become more frequently geared toward protection via surrender.

Remember the now-cliché line that if we give up Freedom X, the terrorists win? That’s not such a funny concept when our society is increasingly eager to hide its collective head in the sand. And while some may find comfort in that cocoon of darkness, they may not realize just how prominently exposed their asses are.

Michael S. Miller is editor in chief of Toledo Free Press and Toledo Free Press Star. Contact him at mmiller@toledofreepress.com.

Tags: AMC Theatres, Aurora Colorado, Batman, James Holmes, Katie Holmes, Lighting The Fuse, Michael S. Miller, MJR Theater, The Dark Knight Rises, Tom Cruise

This entry was posted on Friday, July 27th, 2012 at 12:00 am and is filed under Lighting The Fuse, Opinion.
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Mud Hens Opening Day rocks. The streets around Fifth Third Field are alive with excited conversation, live music and the buzz of people filled with optimism and pride.

This year’s Toledo Free Press Opening Day issue, compiled and edited by Special Sections Editor Sarah Ottney, positively thrums with the vibrations of a young season. We are grateful to our staff, advertisers, readers and the Mud Hens organization for helping to make this issue one of our biggest and best of the year.

We asked local illustrator Penny Collins to create a cover that embodied the sense of community and fun Opening Day inspires. She rose to the challenge with an image that contains nearly every element of the sights and feel of the first home game of the season. In her grand image are many notable (or notorious) local figures.

See if you can spot:

• Ed Beczynski (The Blarney Irish Pub)
• Toledo Mayor Mike Bell
• Crystal Bowersox
• Lee Conklin (13abc)
• Leon “Bull” Durham (Mud Hens hitting coach)
• Jamie Farr
• Former Toledo Mayor Carty Finkbeiner
• Former Toledo Mayor Jack Ford
• Shaun Hegarty (FOX Toledo)
• Katie Holmes and Tom Cruise
  

  CLICK TO ENLARGE: Illustration by Penny Collins

• Rep. Marcy Kaptur
• Chris Kozak (Columbia Gas of Ohio)
• Fred LeFebvre (WSPD)
• Jim Leyland (Detroit Tigers coach)
• Ralph Mahalak Jr. (Monroe Dodge Superstore)
• Doni Miller (13abc)
• Dean Monske (Regional Growth Partnership)
• Muddy the Mud Hen
• Mudonna
• Racing with the Stars

Jim Flealand

Kitty Holmes

Jamie Farrmadillo

• Richard St. Jean (Hollywood Casino Toledo)
• Paul Toth (Toledo-Lucas County Port Authority)
• Samuel Wurzelbacher (“Joe the Plumber”)
• Andrew Z (Star 105)

Penny is rumored to have even worked in herself and the two faces that appear on Toledo Free Press’ Page A3 every week. You can see more of this local artist’s work at http://studio566.daportfolio.com.

There are scores of additional storylines taking place on the cover, just as there will be on Opening Day.

Enjoy this special issue, and we hope to see you at the game!

Thomas F. Pounds is president and publisher of Toledo Free Press and Toledo Free Press Star. Contact him at tpounds@toledofreepress.com.

Tags: 13abc, Andrew Z, Blarney Irish Pub, Carty Finkbeiner, Chris Kozak, Columbia Gas of Ohio, Crystal Bowersox, Dean Monske, Detroit Tigers, Doni Miller, Ed Beczynski, FOX Toledo, Fred LeFebvre, Hollywood Casino Toledo, Jack Ford, Jamie Farr, Jamie Farrmadillo, Jim Flealand, Jim Leyland, Joe the Plumber, Katie Holmes, Kitty Holmes, Lee Conklin, Leon “Bull” Durham, Marcy Kaptur, Michael S. Miller, Mike Bell, Monroe Dodge Superstore, Mud Hens, Muddy the Mud Hen, Mudonna, Paul Toth, Penny Collins, Ralph Mahalak Jr., Regional Growth Partnership, Richard St. Jean, Samuel Wurzelbacher, Shaun Hegarty, Star 105, Toledo-Lucas County Port Authority, Tom Cruise, Tom Pounds, WSPD

This entry was posted on Friday, March 30th, 2012 at 10:48 am and is filed under Mud Hens Opening Day, Opinion, Publisher's Statement.
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Talking with Sebastian Bach is highly entertaining — just like you think it’d be.

The former frontman of Skid Row who went on to star on Broadway and appear on TV shows chatted during a phone call from Beverly Hills, Calif.

“I’ve been very lucky to do things in my career, that life has imitated art and art has imitated life,” he said. “When I sang the song ‘Youth Gone Wild,’ I was 19 and I was f****** wild; there was no doubt about that. And in my new record, ‘Kicking and Screaming,’ the lyrics totally fit my life.”

Bach will bring guitarist Nick Sterling and drummer Bobby Jarzombek to an 8 p.m. show Feb. 3 at the Omni, 2567 W. Bancroft St. Tickets are $20 in advance and $25 the night of the show. Also on the bill are Sugar Boxx and Stohl-n. Doors open at 6:30 p.m.

Bach

Toledo Free Press: “As Long As I Got the Music” sounds like your theme song.

Bach: It’s kind of like my KISS song of the record, you know, get your fist in the air; that’s the anthem of the record. I like the sparseness in the verses where it’s just me and the drums with big power chords. And the lyrics are incredible; they fit me so good: “What you say don’t mean a thing/ I’ve got the open road and my six-string/ Cuttin’ loose is all we know/ Don’t matter where we go/ Out of luck, no soul to spare/ Broke and stranded I don’t care.” It’s saying as long as I got the music, you can’t bother me, and that’s 100 percent true. If I’m having a rough day or things aren’t going my way, I can put in my iPod, listen to music, and it takes me away into another world. I think that’s the best part about all music. It really is so visceral and it makes you feel so much.

TFP: Are you planning to return to Broadway?

Bach: They’re asking me to be in the Broadway production of “Rock of Ages.” I’m the first person they ever asked to be in that, but, to me, I didn’t know if that was making fun of rock. I’m not interested in making fun of what I do for a living. But I just did the movie “Rock of Ages” with Tom Cruise and Catherine Zeta-Jones and Russell Brand and Alec Baldwin, and the movie was incredible. So I haven’t seen the play. Maybe I’ll go watch it and maybe I’ll enjoy it and maybe I’ll do that play.

But the plays that I did, “Jekyll & Hyde” and “Jesus Christ Superstar” and to a lesser extent “Rocky Horror,” were totally legitimate Broadway productions … and that interests me more than some rock ’n’ roll Broadway thing.

TFP: What Broadway role would you like to play?

Bach: I would like to be in the “Spider-Man” musical; I’d like to be the Green Goblin, but I know everybody’s on trapeze, swinging around the venue, so I don’t know if I’d really be into that [laughs]. I’m into the role of the Green Goblin; I’d like to kick the crap out of Spider-Man onstage eight times a week. I’d really love to do that; it’d be a lot of fun.

TFP: How did the gig on “Gilmore Girls” come about?

Bach: I’m the rock guy that people come to if they need a rocker, that’s what it seems to be, and they were impressed with my Broadway credentials. The producer Dan Palladino called me at home and I read the script and we laughed, thought it was quite funny, and the next thing I knew I was on a plane out to Hollywood. It was a lot of fun; I miss the cast.

TFP: Any chance you’d reunite with Skid Row?

Bach: Yes, I would consider it if they gave me $5 billion. I think that’s what I’ll do it for, [laughs] that’s a nice round figure. You give me $5 billion, I’m in.

Tags: Alec Baldwin, Broadway, Catherine Zeta-Jones, Russell Brand, Sebastian Bach, Skid Row, Spider-Man, Stohl-n, Sugar Boxx, Tom Cruise

This entry was posted on Friday, January 27th, 2012 at 2:29 pm and is filed under Arts and Life, In Concert, Music, Uncategorized.
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After 25 years, “The Oprah Winfrey Show” called it a wrap on May 25. It was a glorious 3-show farewell celebration fit for a Queen, or as we call her… Oprah. The remarkable farewell shows featured the biggest names alive from Tom Cruise, Katie Holmes, Will Smith and even highlighted the first public appearance of Maria Shriver following her very scandalous split from husband Arnold Schwarzenegger, The Finals Shows were taped in front of a massive audience of 13,000 screaming fans at the United Center, and I believe Oprah herself heard the screams of joy and sadness from two different newsrooms in Toledo.

“The Oprah Winfrey Show” has long been the perfect lead-in for WTOL Channel 11’s newscast and the longstanding nemesis of WTVG 13 ABC.

There is no better ratings race in Toledo than WTVG and WTOL. Both feature iconic anchors. WTOL has Jerry Anderson and Chrys Peterson, WTVG has Lee Conklin and Diane Larson. Both have outstanding weather personalities, and although WTVG has more with Stan Stachak and ‘Blizzard’ Bill Spencer, do not discount the lai back delivery of Robert Shiels. The sports edge would go to longtime anchor Dan Cummins, whose involvement in the community makes him an irreplaceable asset to the station. WTVG took a big loss with Rob Powers’ exit to NYC’s WABC. Dave Holmes is trying but those are some huge shoes.

So when Oprah announced that May 25 was her last day, the collective moans and screams could be heard across Toledo. TV show’s ratings are only as good as the show that is one before you, WTOL had Oprah and WTVG has “The Ellen DeGeneres Show.” Oprah’s ratings had been dwindling, but bounced back for her final season. Oprah beat Ellen in Toledo by a full share this last year.

The 4 o’clock hour is the most crucial hour of programming for local TV stations. This time slot allows the stations to promote what is coming up and why Toledoans should stay tuned to watch their 5 O’Clock news. This is called a “lead-in”.

The back and forth ratings battle between WTOL and WTVG ended in a tie with a 6 share in July for the 5 o’clock news hour… A TIE!!! WTVG and WTOL would like to claim victories in certain demographics but in the hopes of keeping this piece simple, I will not even attempt to break those down. The simple explanation is that the same number of households in Toledo watched WTVG and WTOL.

The Million Dollar Question in Toledo television is … how do you replace one of the most beloved personalities in TV history? The bigger markets decided to start their newscasts an hour earlier in hopes of competing, but Fox 36 proved that is an incredible task to undertake. Channel 11 went a different direction and this is where this story gets interesting. WTOL was recently purchased by Raycom Media, the former owners of WNBC 24. Raycom’s solution in replacing Oprah is America Now, a TV Show that Raycom owns. In case the last sentence confused you as it did myself, let me repeat it… Raycom replaced Oprah with a show… that Raycom produces…. not good!

“America Now” is hosted by Leeza Gibbons (Entertainment Tonight) and Bill Rancic of NBC’s Apprentice but who may be better known as the husband of Giuliana Rancic from E. The show’s format features news and infomercial like segments. America Now is beyond the worst case scenario for the fine newspeople at WTOL, and in my opinion the worst of the 4 shows that air on local stations.

The November Sweeps will be crucial as it will be the first time since Oprah’s exit and America Now’s premiere that Toledo’s TV stations will see the ripple effect of the Queen’s exit. My fear is the loss of Oprah’s lead-in will greatly lower WTOL’s ratings which will lead to budget cuts, firings etc.

Toledo‘s 5 O’Clock ratings war has given us two exceptional newscasts to choose from as viewers. The competitive nature of the programs drive the other to be better and give Toledoans a choice. Raycom’s purchase of WTOL and cheap solution of replacing Oprah with America Now will have long lasting effects, not just for Channel 11 but 13 as well. If WTVG begins to dominate, WTOL will reduce staff and cost. The scarier thought is what WTVG will do… will they be satisfied with winning or will they want to win and save money? A dollar saved is a dollar earned, but will Toledoan’s pay the price?

My prediction and hope is WTOL will have a 4 O’Clock newscast starting in January of 2012. Let’s hope that Oprah’s exit does not mark the death of local TV news.

Jeremy Baumhower is a self-proclaimed media expert who writes and produces for morning radio shows across the country. Please follow him on twitter @jeremytheproduc.

Tags: 13abc, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Bill Spencer, Chrys Peterson, Dan Cummings, Dave Holmes, Diane Larson, Ellen DeGeneres, Jeremy Baumhower, Jerry Anderson, Katie Holmes, Lee Conklin, Maria Shriver, Media Watch, Oprah Winfrey, Rob Powers, Stan Stachak, Tom Cruise, Will Smith, WTOL

This entry was posted on Friday, October 21st, 2011 at 12:00 am and is filed under Community, Media Watch.
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