"The Soloist," "Crank: High Voltage," and some TV goodness

I've been to a couple of movies the last few weeks, "Wolverine" not being one of them. I just can't get excited for it, I'm sorry. I am however VERY excited for "Star Trek." Already have my ticket for Thursday night at 7. If it were the standard midnight screening there's no way I'd be able to go so it's nice to have a pre-opening day showing I can go to for a change.
I don't really have a heck of a lot to say about either "The Soloist" or "Crank: High Voltage" except I enjoyed both of them, but I'll give you just a little more than that.

The Soloist - Robert Downey, Jr. is outstanding (as always) as Los Angeles Times writer Steve Lopez, the real life journalist who discovered troubled musical prodigy Nathaniel Ayers (Jamie Foxx) and saved him from the dangerous streets. Director Joe Wright injects a bit more heart into this one than his previous effort, "Atonement." It's a moving story and a must for any fan of Downey. 7.5/10.

Crank: High Voltage - Remember how insane "Crank" seemed when you first saw it? Well, the return of the seemingly unkillable Chev Chelios (Jason Statham) is even more out of control. It's as if someone had a fever dream, then woke up and said to himself, "Hey! That'd be a sweet movie!" Nevertheless, I was entertained. While not as consistently enjoyable or clever as its predecessor, it's still quite a bit of fun. 7/10.

In TV news, if you have Starz and you're not watching "Party Down," slap yourself in the face. I'll give you a moment. ...Good. Now that you've done that select the first episode from your On Demand menu and get watchin'. All seven episodes are there. It's the story of struggling actors (and a writer) in Los Angeles, scraping by as caterers. Each episode takes place at a different party. The best one so far features J.K. Simmons as an angry father at his daughter's Sweet 16 party. The main cast includes Adam Scott (easily the funniest part of "Step Brothers"), Ken Marino, Lizzy Caplan (Janis Ian from "Mean Girls"), and Martin Starr ("Freaks and Geeks" and "Adventureland"). It's a very very funny show from the minds that gave us the late, great "Veronica Mars."
Then there's "Chuck." Any executive at NBC considering dumping it in favor of another hour of Howie Mandel, Jay Leno, or Donald Trump must now slap themselves in the face. You have the most entertaining show in some time on your hands. Don't let this one get away. Jeffster alone should be reason enough to give "Chuck" a third season.