HOT SPOT OF THE WEEK:  Inside the North and South Rivers for stripers and bluefish. Nasty, wind weather – stay inside the protected bays and harbors. The North River is still good for Fall fishing.

Jonathan Levine’s previous film before “50/50” was a 2008 film called “The Wackness” and it is an underrated gem.  So I was excited for this movie because of Levine directing and the fact that this film has an impressive cast. So upon seeing the picture I can say that “50/50” is an excellent film that is filled with smart comedy, heartfelt drama and an all-star cast giving some great performances.

I couldn’t wait to see “Moneyball” due to the fact that I am a huge baseball fan and the fact that the film was being directed by Bennett Miller. In case you didn’t know, Miller was the one who directed the 2005 film “Capote”, a film I liked a lot. So upon seeing the picture, all I can say is that it is one of the best sports movies I have seen in a very long time.  Most sports films follow the same formula, but “Moneyball” has a different approach. It is not like those other sports films which have the basic formulaic sports elements. One such element would be the “big game” at the end of the movie. Bennett Miller’s picture doesn’t have that, or the clichés, and it is better a better movie because of that. Bennett Miller’s “Moneyball” is a phenomenal and insightful movie full of heart, excitement, a well written script and great performances.

Most fighting movies follow the same formula. We get a guy who is a fighter who is down on his luck and is considered the underdog. No one thinks he has chance to win and the odds are against him. However, he proves everyone wrong and starts to win and will eventually lead to a championship round were no believes he will win but does. “Warrior” does it different because instead of having one underdog, it has two. Yes it does follow the typical fighting clichés, but it has enough elements in film that are worth liking for the audience to excuse this. “Warrior” is a very good film filled very memorable performances and heartfelt drama.

I knew that the latest picture from David R. Ellis entitled “Shark Night 3D” wasn’t going to be a masterpiece. However, my expectations of this film was going to be along the same lines and tone as films such as “Piranha 3D”, and Ellis’ other film “Snakes on a Plane”. If you have seen those films then you would realize that those films were fun “creature features” that were purposely made bad on purpose. They were making fun of themselves because those films (particularly “Piranha 3D”) had excessive amounts of gore and nudity, wise humor, fun characters, and just a consistent tongue-in-cheek tone. Those films knew what they wanted to be. That’s what I thought “Shark Night 3D” was going to accomplish, however that’s not the case since everything that made “Piranha 3D” and “Snakes on a Plane” fun, “Shark Night 3D” doesn’t have. In fact, it is one of the worst films of the year.

HOT SPOT OF THE WEEK:  Once again – Peaked Hill Bar. A whale watch show and many pods of tuna and jumbo bluefish.

I wasn’t really expecting much from the “Rise of The Planet of The Apes”. Could it be because of the way the blockbuster season has been going as of late? The last few blockbusters have been average with the exception of the last “Harry Potter” film. Or could it be the fact that I am getting sick of constant reboots? Maybe it’s both. All I know is that I wasn’t expecting anything out of this film (I thought it was just going to be an average picture with only a few inspired moments). However, “Rise of the Planet of The Apes” is a very good surprise of film because of some extremely well made special effects, some exciting and frightening action sequences, and one very good performance by Andy Serkis. That being said, “Rise of The Planet of The Apes” is not without its flaws, but those flaws don’t bring the film down and it manages to still escape with something exciting and strong.

HOT SPOT OF THE WEEK:  Peaked Hill Bar. There is a hot bite going on for tuna, with many in the recreational keeper range of 47 to 59 inches, including many fish between 55 and 59 inches.

How can you not get excited for a movie whose title is “Cowboys and Aliens”? Think about it. It’s a movie about cowboys fighting off alien invaders. Sounds cool right? Let’s also not forget to mention that “Cowboys and Aliens” was directed by Jon Favreau. He was the one who directed the 2008 superhero film “Iron Man” (A film I greatly admired). So by now you are probably thinking that a film with Cowboys, Aliens, and Favreau would be a fun summer blockbuster. However, “Cowboys and Aliens” is not that fun summer blockbuster everyone was anticipating. Despite its unique premise, it just comes across as average because of some cinematic flaws, because of those flaws “Cowboys and Aliens” will be considered one the bigger disappointments of 2011.

HOT SPOT OF THE WEEK:  The southeast corner of Stellwagen Bank-plenty of tuna at 55 to 80 inches and many jumbo stripers.  You must not have any stripers in your possession on stellwagen bank-these are federal waters.