Ricky Gervais knows what makes people laugh and he is very particular about what roles he takes. This means if Gervais takes a role, you know he is going to shine, and shine he does in "Ghost Town."
Gervais plays annoyed-with-the-world dentist Bernard Pincus who would rather sit at home drinking laxative than spend one minute with the people in his office or on his street or in his building. After a standard medical procedure, Pincus begins to see people dressed strangely [or in some cases not dressed at all] following him everywhere he goes. He returns to the hospital where his procedure took place only to find he had died on the operating table for a little less then seven minutes.
Pincus quickly discovers the people he sees are ghosts and they all want something from him. As someone annoyed with the living, the apparitions quickly find there is not a worse person in the world to ask a favor from. One particular ghost, Frank Herlihy [Greg Kinnear] is particularly pesky and wants Pincus to help him break off his widow's upcoming nuptials to a "real scum bag."
After seeing Herlihy's widow, Gwen [Tea Leoni], Pincus decides he will break off the marriage by seducing the woman.
The movie is Gervais' first leading role in a film and he is fantastic. He is not playing someone who is likable, in fact he is playing someone normal people would hate because he is a jerk who doesn't care about anyone. He is also awkward to boot so you are wondering why such a character would be someone the audience roots for at any time in the movie.
Then something magical happens.
While it is cliche to watch a scrooge type character shed his armor and fall in love, "Town" delivers this formula to perfection. I found myself buckled over with laughter throughout most of the film, but I also occasionally found a lump in my throat in several surprisingly poignant moments. Gervais is one of the main reasons the transition from hate to love works so well. He does a fantastic job of being mean to people, but he also does a fantastic job of convincing the audience he is a nice guy and just "misunderstood."
Kinnear also shows he can hold his own with a comedy powerhouse like Gervais. While at first you may think Kinnear's character is the sympathetic one of the bunch, but quickly discover not only is this not the case, he is actually probably the least likable. And he still makes the audience laugh and not hate him like they should.
Leoni does fine in her role, neither shining nor stinking, but her character is just kind of there to fill a void. You don't really care what happens to her because you like her, but more because you like Pincus and want him to be happy. I have never really seen much in the ways of talent from Leoni, she pretty much always plays the same role. She does fine with the role, but she isn't ever memorable. Luckily, Kristen Wiig, who plays Pincus' surgeon makes the audience laugh enough for herself and Leoni. While she is only a small role, Wiig absolutely steals the show from everyone but Gervais.
Billy Campbell also has some scene stealing moments as Leoni's "scum bag" boyfriend who turns out to be a peace-loving human rights activist. I'm not sure if it was Campbell himself or Gervais' interactions with him that were entertaining, but either way, I enjoyed it.
I am a big fan of films which reel you in under the pretext of comedy, then immediately tug at your heartstrings and make a movie something profound. If the audience allows themselves to be immersed in the film, they can learn valuable life lessons and be better people for doing so. The great thing about the film is even if you are just going to laugh you will enjoy the movie. You will probably still be touched, but you will laugh out loud, guaranteed. If you are going for a romance, there is one buried in the plot, which is probably more realistic than any movie with Diane Lane and Richard Gere.
Ghost Town
Starring: Ricky Gervais, Greg Kinnear, Tea Leoni
Rated PG-13 for language, sexual content and thematic elements
Rating: 3 stars
Wednesday, October 1, 2008
Tuesday, September 30, 2008
Iron Man on DVD
The movie which began a golden summer movie season is now on DVD.
I have to admit that I am a comic book fan so I had a special excitement and skepticism about "Iron Man." However, after I walked out of the theatre not only were my expectations met and exceeded when it came to the adaptation of the comic, it was also an all-around great movie.
Robert Downey Jr. was back for his first leading role in several years and he knocked it out of the park. He took the role of Tony Stark, billionaire weapons designer, womanizer and alcoholic turned superhero and makes the audience fall in love with him.
Stark starts off as a pompous millionaire who is just fine with the nickname “Merchant of Death,” who gets captured by terrorists who are armed to the teeth with his weapons. After escaping, he discovers his weapons have been given to terrorists by some of his company colleagues and changes his goal in life to protect those who have been hurt by his weapons.
Downey is actually able to make an action movie more about the character than the action in the film. Yes there are amazing action sequences chock-full of CGI, but you almost want them to be over so you can get back to more of Downey’s antics.
His supporting cast of Jeff Bridges, who plays “Obadiah Stane,” the friend turned enemy, does an excellent job of not stealing the scenes he is in, but making his presence loom over the other characters in a subtle kind of terror.
Terrence Howard, who some might say is too good of an actor to be in a summer blockbuster, also does an excellent job of playing his character with just the right amount of playful humor without becoming just comedic relief.
Gwyneth Paltrow also uses her Academy Award winning skills to make a background character someone the audience roots for and cares about. She has just the right amount of sass, cuteness and humor to make her the perfect match for Downey’s character. The chemistry works perfectly and the audience can feel it.
While the biggest complaint I heard about the film was the slow pace in some scenes, I felt the movie has a nice flow to it. There are slower, character-building scenes but those are necessary in any film looking to become a franchise. In an origin movie, you have to have a good amount of plot so the audience cares about what happens to the protagonist —otherwise, you end of not caring if the characters win or lose.
Director Jon Favreau, who past directing credits include “Zathura: A Space Adventure” and “Elf,” knows how to engage audiences and how important characters are in any movie, even a summer blockbuster. However, he also shows he knows how to do action with CGI-packed scenes of fighter jets, tanks and explosions without overdoing it to the point of it becoming boring and taking away from the rest of the film.
This movie is for everyone and is the perfect way to kick off the summer movie season. You don’t have to be a fan of comics to enjoy this film. (However, if you are a fan of the comics, you should make sure to stay for the scene after the credits roll.)
The new DVD includes behind-the-scenes featurettes and commentary from Favreau and most of the cast. The special edition comes with several hours of special features which only a true fan could probably enjoy, but as a true fan, I will be purchasing this edition and watching all of the extras.
Iron Man
Rating: Three and a half stars
Rated PG-13 for some intense sequences of sci-fi action and violence, and brief suggestive content
Starring: Robert Downey Jr., Terrence Howard, Jeff Bridges and Gwyneth Paltrow
I have to admit that I am a comic book fan so I had a special excitement and skepticism about "Iron Man." However, after I walked out of the theatre not only were my expectations met and exceeded when it came to the adaptation of the comic, it was also an all-around great movie.
Robert Downey Jr. was back for his first leading role in several years and he knocked it out of the park. He took the role of Tony Stark, billionaire weapons designer, womanizer and alcoholic turned superhero and makes the audience fall in love with him.
Stark starts off as a pompous millionaire who is just fine with the nickname “Merchant of Death,” who gets captured by terrorists who are armed to the teeth with his weapons. After escaping, he discovers his weapons have been given to terrorists by some of his company colleagues and changes his goal in life to protect those who have been hurt by his weapons.
Downey is actually able to make an action movie more about the character than the action in the film. Yes there are amazing action sequences chock-full of CGI, but you almost want them to be over so you can get back to more of Downey’s antics.
His supporting cast of Jeff Bridges, who plays “Obadiah Stane,” the friend turned enemy, does an excellent job of not stealing the scenes he is in, but making his presence loom over the other characters in a subtle kind of terror.
Terrence Howard, who some might say is too good of an actor to be in a summer blockbuster, also does an excellent job of playing his character with just the right amount of playful humor without becoming just comedic relief.
Gwyneth Paltrow also uses her Academy Award winning skills to make a background character someone the audience roots for and cares about. She has just the right amount of sass, cuteness and humor to make her the perfect match for Downey’s character. The chemistry works perfectly and the audience can feel it.
While the biggest complaint I heard about the film was the slow pace in some scenes, I felt the movie has a nice flow to it. There are slower, character-building scenes but those are necessary in any film looking to become a franchise. In an origin movie, you have to have a good amount of plot so the audience cares about what happens to the protagonist —otherwise, you end of not caring if the characters win or lose.
Director Jon Favreau, who past directing credits include “Zathura: A Space Adventure” and “Elf,” knows how to engage audiences and how important characters are in any movie, even a summer blockbuster. However, he also shows he knows how to do action with CGI-packed scenes of fighter jets, tanks and explosions without overdoing it to the point of it becoming boring and taking away from the rest of the film.
This movie is for everyone and is the perfect way to kick off the summer movie season. You don’t have to be a fan of comics to enjoy this film. (However, if you are a fan of the comics, you should make sure to stay for the scene after the credits roll.)
The new DVD includes behind-the-scenes featurettes and commentary from Favreau and most of the cast. The special edition comes with several hours of special features which only a true fan could probably enjoy, but as a true fan, I will be purchasing this edition and watching all of the extras.
Iron Man
Rating: Three and a half stars
Rated PG-13 for some intense sequences of sci-fi action and violence, and brief suggestive content
Starring: Robert Downey Jr., Terrence Howard, Jeff Bridges and Gwyneth Paltrow
Eagle Eye Review
There aren't many actors who make me want to see a film just because they are in them, but Shia LaBeouf has already become one of my favorites.
LaBeouf is a good actor and he picks good movies to be a part of, with a few exceptions of course ["Charlie's Angels: Full Throttle."] LaBeouf's newest cinematic accomplishment is "Eagle Eye" a cyber-thriller that will make you never want to use technology again.
LaBeouf plays Jerry Shaw, a slacker who plays by his own rules who can never seem to get out of the shadow of his more successful, all-around better twin brother. Shaw has nothing going for him in life and works at a "Copy Cabana" as a "copy associate."
His life quickly changes, however, when he comes home to find his apartment full of guns and bomb-making material. After a strange woman calls him and informs him he is about to be arrested, Shaw is then broken out of captivity by the same woman and teamed up with Rachel Holloman [Michelle Monaghan] whose son is being threatened by the same woman.
Shaw and Holloman are forced to obey the woman's every command or else they and their families will die. The duo find themselves in the midst of high-speed car chases and shootouts with the FBI while following the orders of the woman who can see them wherever they are and can control all things technological.
Billy Bob Thorton, Rosario Dawson and Michael Chiklis make up a strong supporting cast which keeps the film on its feet as opposed to falling flat during the scenes that don't involve the main characters. Normally, it is hard for the audience to enjoy scenes without the main characters or big action sequences, but this group of veteran actors know how to hold their own and involve the audience with every aspect of the story.
The film has a somewhat drawn-out running time of 2 hours, which is normally a bad idea for a thriller. The audience will get so jacked up on action sequences they tire out when it is time for scenes surrounding plot without gunshots or car chases. However, "Eagle Eye" keeps a steady fast-paced atmosphere the entire film. I normally will look to see what time it is if a movie is running too long, but I never had this problem while watching "Eye."
While the film is a thriller and has a fast pace, it is also a thinking movie which engages the audience. This turns off some moviegoers who just want to see action and don't want to have to engage their powers of reasoning or thought during a film. "Eye" doesn't lose itself or the audience in the plot, which can be jumbled at times, and does a great job of explaining itself in the end to allow an enjoyable experience for all.
It can be considered bad when a movie has to explain itself, but for a thriller it is almost necessary. People aren't going to see "Eagle Eye" to think about the world at large and its problems, they are going to be entertained. The movie doesn't have a heavy-handed political agenda, but does a good job to slip just enough in there without grabbing you by the shirt collar and screaming it at you.
The action sequences in the film are phenomenal and even someone who knows nothing about movie-making can rest assured that a lot of money went into the production of the movie. The "all seeing" antagonist made me want to throw away my cell phone after the film. A sure-fire sign of a good film is something which makes you talk after the movie and a good thriller makes you talk and paranoid at the same time. The filmmakers show the audience everything we trust in today's world could turn on us and we would have nowhere to go. It also shows moviegoers a sharp stick is always better than a computer when it comes to weapons manufacturing [Have the Terminator movies taught us nothing?]
LaBeouf is great in all of his roles, but he has a knack for the thriller. His facial expressions and acting skills make him believable as a regular guy thrust into a bad situation. It makes him easier to identify with and root for throughout the film. Monaghan is unimpressive as she has been in her other films ["Made of Honor", "Mission Impossible III], but holds her own. You like LaBeouf enough to like Monaghan because he is with her and you feel obligated.
It is a good film and a great thriller. In a time of mediocre films just before a slew of Oscar-worthy movies, "Eagle Eye" is a great reason to go to the theaters during the month of September.
Eagle Eye
Starring: Shia LaBeouf, Michelle Monaghan and Billy Bob Thorton
Rated PG-13 for violence and language
Rating: 3 stars
LaBeouf is a good actor and he picks good movies to be a part of, with a few exceptions of course ["Charlie's Angels: Full Throttle."] LaBeouf's newest cinematic accomplishment is "Eagle Eye" a cyber-thriller that will make you never want to use technology again.
LaBeouf plays Jerry Shaw, a slacker who plays by his own rules who can never seem to get out of the shadow of his more successful, all-around better twin brother. Shaw has nothing going for him in life and works at a "Copy Cabana" as a "copy associate."
His life quickly changes, however, when he comes home to find his apartment full of guns and bomb-making material. After a strange woman calls him and informs him he is about to be arrested, Shaw is then broken out of captivity by the same woman and teamed up with Rachel Holloman [Michelle Monaghan] whose son is being threatened by the same woman.
Shaw and Holloman are forced to obey the woman's every command or else they and their families will die. The duo find themselves in the midst of high-speed car chases and shootouts with the FBI while following the orders of the woman who can see them wherever they are and can control all things technological.
Billy Bob Thorton, Rosario Dawson and Michael Chiklis make up a strong supporting cast which keeps the film on its feet as opposed to falling flat during the scenes that don't involve the main characters. Normally, it is hard for the audience to enjoy scenes without the main characters or big action sequences, but this group of veteran actors know how to hold their own and involve the audience with every aspect of the story.
The film has a somewhat drawn-out running time of 2 hours, which is normally a bad idea for a thriller. The audience will get so jacked up on action sequences they tire out when it is time for scenes surrounding plot without gunshots or car chases. However, "Eagle Eye" keeps a steady fast-paced atmosphere the entire film. I normally will look to see what time it is if a movie is running too long, but I never had this problem while watching "Eye."
While the film is a thriller and has a fast pace, it is also a thinking movie which engages the audience. This turns off some moviegoers who just want to see action and don't want to have to engage their powers of reasoning or thought during a film. "Eye" doesn't lose itself or the audience in the plot, which can be jumbled at times, and does a great job of explaining itself in the end to allow an enjoyable experience for all.
It can be considered bad when a movie has to explain itself, but for a thriller it is almost necessary. People aren't going to see "Eagle Eye" to think about the world at large and its problems, they are going to be entertained. The movie doesn't have a heavy-handed political agenda, but does a good job to slip just enough in there without grabbing you by the shirt collar and screaming it at you.
The action sequences in the film are phenomenal and even someone who knows nothing about movie-making can rest assured that a lot of money went into the production of the movie. The "all seeing" antagonist made me want to throw away my cell phone after the film. A sure-fire sign of a good film is something which makes you talk after the movie and a good thriller makes you talk and paranoid at the same time. The filmmakers show the audience everything we trust in today's world could turn on us and we would have nowhere to go. It also shows moviegoers a sharp stick is always better than a computer when it comes to weapons manufacturing [Have the Terminator movies taught us nothing?]
LaBeouf is great in all of his roles, but he has a knack for the thriller. His facial expressions and acting skills make him believable as a regular guy thrust into a bad situation. It makes him easier to identify with and root for throughout the film. Monaghan is unimpressive as she has been in her other films ["Made of Honor", "Mission Impossible III], but holds her own. You like LaBeouf enough to like Monaghan because he is with her and you feel obligated.
It is a good film and a great thriller. In a time of mediocre films just before a slew of Oscar-worthy movies, "Eagle Eye" is a great reason to go to the theaters during the month of September.
Eagle Eye
Starring: Shia LaBeouf, Michelle Monaghan and Billy Bob Thorton
Rated PG-13 for violence and language
Rating: 3 stars
Sunday, September 28, 2008
Lakeview Terrace Review
Samuel L. Jackson loves to make movies, and he makes a lot of them. Jackson sometimes lucks out and and takes a good movie like "Lakeview Terrace," his most recent onscreen venture.
In "Terrace," Jackson plays Abel Turner, a single father who is trying to raise his children to be good people while serving the city of Los Angeles as a police officer. However, Turner's world and conservative views are turned upside-down when an interracial couple moves in next door.
Chris Mattson [Patrick Wilson] and his wife Lisa [Kerry Washington] purchase the home next to Jackson and he is none to pleased about what he sees. The couple quickly find themselves to be the victims of what starts as harmless pranks and snide comments from Jackson informing them they are not wanted in his neighborhood. The couple and Jackson find their worlds colliding and soon find it quite literally burning around them.
A symbolic background plot of the film is a raging fires reminiscent of the fires of San Diego in late 2007. As the film begins, the fires are far away, but are still noticeable. However, as tensions rise between the neighbors the fires draw nearer to their homes ending in a fiery climax both literally and figuratively.
The film takes an interesting turn which has not presented itself in many films leading to this point. It is a touchy subject, but the filmmakers charge right into it and shove it in the audiences face. The idea of an interracial couple is not an uncommon idea in today's world, but Jackson's character makes it clear his world is not the same. Throughout the film, Jackson makes racist remarks to Wilson's character and does everything in his power to make his life a living hell. The film tests the audience's ideas about race and challenges moviegoers to take a long, hard look at themselves in the process.
Despite having a heavy-handed political undertone, the film is actually a decent thriller to boot. When the couple realize Jackson's "pranks" are becoming more dangerous and intrusive, they also realize there is nothing that can be done. Lisa's father in the film [Ron Glass] tells the couple there is nothing to be done because "There is the issue of color, and that color happens to be blue."
Because Jackson is a police officer, he comes across as even more terrifying. Not only are the filmmakers showing the audience the one group they can trust can be untrustworthy, they can also make sure you are never safe. At one point Washington threatens to call the police to which Jackson hands her his phone and says, "Go ahead, I will tell you who is on duty."
I have always known Jackson had great "crazy eyes" and he uses them to perfection in this film. His chilling performance is even more scary when he isn't using the "crazy eyes," but a sly smile informing everyone he has nothing to fear.
Wilson and Washington are both great actors, but they don't hold a candle to Jackson in this film. He knows being a tough guy can be intimidating, but being a tough guy who is slick and has nothing to lose is terrifying and he plays the part to perfection. The idea of living next door to his character is enough to make me want to move now, even though I don't even live in the same state.
On the down side, there are moments where his acting is somewhat over-the-top, but this is expected from Jackson. This would have been fine if it hadn't changed some of the more poignant moments in the movie into a scene which is almost comedic.
I knew this film was either going to be great or terrible with little to no in-between area. But, I was wrong. In the end, the film is good, but had the potential to be great. There are a few obvious tweaks the filmmakers could have made to ensure a great film, but as it is, the film just lands in the arena of a good time instead of as a great movie.
Lakeview Terrace
Rated PG-13 for language, violence some sexual content and intense thematic material
Starring: Samuel L. Jackson, Patrick Wilson and Kerry Washington
Rating: Three stars
In "Terrace," Jackson plays Abel Turner, a single father who is trying to raise his children to be good people while serving the city of Los Angeles as a police officer. However, Turner's world and conservative views are turned upside-down when an interracial couple moves in next door.
Chris Mattson [Patrick Wilson] and his wife Lisa [Kerry Washington] purchase the home next to Jackson and he is none to pleased about what he sees. The couple quickly find themselves to be the victims of what starts as harmless pranks and snide comments from Jackson informing them they are not wanted in his neighborhood. The couple and Jackson find their worlds colliding and soon find it quite literally burning around them.
A symbolic background plot of the film is a raging fires reminiscent of the fires of San Diego in late 2007. As the film begins, the fires are far away, but are still noticeable. However, as tensions rise between the neighbors the fires draw nearer to their homes ending in a fiery climax both literally and figuratively.
The film takes an interesting turn which has not presented itself in many films leading to this point. It is a touchy subject, but the filmmakers charge right into it and shove it in the audiences face. The idea of an interracial couple is not an uncommon idea in today's world, but Jackson's character makes it clear his world is not the same. Throughout the film, Jackson makes racist remarks to Wilson's character and does everything in his power to make his life a living hell. The film tests the audience's ideas about race and challenges moviegoers to take a long, hard look at themselves in the process.
Despite having a heavy-handed political undertone, the film is actually a decent thriller to boot. When the couple realize Jackson's "pranks" are becoming more dangerous and intrusive, they also realize there is nothing that can be done. Lisa's father in the film [Ron Glass] tells the couple there is nothing to be done because "There is the issue of color, and that color happens to be blue."
Because Jackson is a police officer, he comes across as even more terrifying. Not only are the filmmakers showing the audience the one group they can trust can be untrustworthy, they can also make sure you are never safe. At one point Washington threatens to call the police to which Jackson hands her his phone and says, "Go ahead, I will tell you who is on duty."
I have always known Jackson had great "crazy eyes" and he uses them to perfection in this film. His chilling performance is even more scary when he isn't using the "crazy eyes," but a sly smile informing everyone he has nothing to fear.
Wilson and Washington are both great actors, but they don't hold a candle to Jackson in this film. He knows being a tough guy can be intimidating, but being a tough guy who is slick and has nothing to lose is terrifying and he plays the part to perfection. The idea of living next door to his character is enough to make me want to move now, even though I don't even live in the same state.
On the down side, there are moments where his acting is somewhat over-the-top, but this is expected from Jackson. This would have been fine if it hadn't changed some of the more poignant moments in the movie into a scene which is almost comedic.
I knew this film was either going to be great or terrible with little to no in-between area. But, I was wrong. In the end, the film is good, but had the potential to be great. There are a few obvious tweaks the filmmakers could have made to ensure a great film, but as it is, the film just lands in the arena of a good time instead of as a great movie.
Lakeview Terrace
Rated PG-13 for language, violence some sexual content and intense thematic material
Starring: Samuel L. Jackson, Patrick Wilson and Kerry Washington
Rating: Three stars
Hawaii Fun Time
Sorry I haven't updated in a while. Here is some details about my recent trip to Hawaii.
I have been on several vacations in my life, but I have never been able to fully appreciate them until now.
I recently traveled to the great state of Hawaii with my wife and my in-laws to take a break from the working world and "hang loose." This is my first vacation since joining the working world and I took full advantage of it. I love working at the Burleson Star and especially all of the wonderful people I meet and interact with on a daily basis in the great city of Burleson, but I didn't miss it while I was gone.
I graduated from college in May 2007 and got hitched a month later. After returning home from my honeymoon, I immediately began working at my internship in Wimberley. While interning, I interviewed at the Burleson Star and received a job offer. I left my internship on a Wednesday and began working in Burleson the next day. I say all that to say I haven't had much time off in the past year.
I know this makes me sound young and many of the people reading have been in the working community for many years, but waking up everyday is a new experience for me. Even in college, just because my alarm went off did not mean I was going to get up and go to class [don't worry, I have a much better track record at the Star].
After a year of hard work and many new experiences, I was happy to turn off my brain for a week and enjoy the Hawaii sun. Well, I actually didn't enjoy the sun because I am a smidge overweight and the sun didn't really do anything for me except burn my skin and make me sweat for a week straight. And I didn't even lose any weight!
I thought there was a magical portal people stepped through when they went to Hawaii which made them tan with a defined abdomen. No such luck on my end of the magical portal. When I got to Hawaii and just started sweating. It was nice for me to be in a place where not wearing a shirt was commonplace because I believe this to be my natural state. However, I'm not sure how nice it was for my in-laws.
When I go on vacations I always go with little to no expectations to make my trip enjoyable no matter what and Hawaii was no different. All I wanted to do on the trip was sit on my big Texas booty and play in the ocean.
I succeeded.
If this was all I did, I would have chalked Hawaii up to a great vacation, but I did even more because my wife is persistent. And it was great. Sarah tried to convince me to go snorkeling, but I am not much of a snorkeler. Maybe its because I can never get the mask on right and end up almost drowning in a life jacket in two feet of water or because people always end up pointing at my belly trying to figure out what new kind of whale species has come to the Hawaii shore.
The family did go to a luau, which was a fantastic experience. The food was amazing and several locals were available to tell the history of the island and sell their wares. The entertainment was also exciting, but hula dancing gets somewhat old after about one minute. The mai tai's helped with that.
Sarah and I also went cliff jumping which was a fantastic experience for both of us because Sarah had never done it before and because I got to watch Sarah's face right before and as she jumped off the rock. Priceless.
Swimming in the ocean was also a treat for the whole family. My idea of a good time in the ocean is just letting the waves crash down on me and tumble me to the shore. The other people on the beach who enjoyed this activity ranged in ages from 3 to 5 years old. And Sarah. That is why I love her.
Some of the in-laws decided to boogey board during the week, which I considered until my father-in-law almost broke his nose on a particularly harsh wave. I figured I got Sarah to love me with my face in its current condition and I shouldn't be pushing my luck.
I also took Sarah on a date to the Ritz-Carlton for dinner during the week, which she loved but my wallet hated. I'm not normally a nice restaurant kind of guy and my order usually goes something like, "and can you replace the vegetables with french fries?" Don't worry ladies, I was on my best behavior and ate everything placed in front of me, which my taste-buds were happy with half the time and angry the other half. But Sarah had a great dinner and that was all that mattered.
Now my favorite thing about Hawaii [and this is going to make some people want to shoot me] was the pizza. There was a pizza place across the street from where we were staying which served the best pizza I had ever eaten. I was in Hawaii for eight days and I ate there at least five times. At the end of the week, the owner gave me a free t-shirt and took a picture with me — one of the highlights of the week. I found out the owner was actually from Texas, which made the experience all the better.
My trip taught me an important lesson — even the best things in other states come from Texas. It also taught me as much as it is nice to go on a trip to Hawaii and enjoy a change of scenery for a week, it always feels great to come home. And what better home to come back to then Burleson?
I have been on several vacations in my life, but I have never been able to fully appreciate them until now.
I recently traveled to the great state of Hawaii with my wife and my in-laws to take a break from the working world and "hang loose." This is my first vacation since joining the working world and I took full advantage of it. I love working at the Burleson Star and especially all of the wonderful people I meet and interact with on a daily basis in the great city of Burleson, but I didn't miss it while I was gone.
I graduated from college in May 2007 and got hitched a month later. After returning home from my honeymoon, I immediately began working at my internship in Wimberley. While interning, I interviewed at the Burleson Star and received a job offer. I left my internship on a Wednesday and began working in Burleson the next day. I say all that to say I haven't had much time off in the past year.
I know this makes me sound young and many of the people reading have been in the working community for many years, but waking up everyday is a new experience for me. Even in college, just because my alarm went off did not mean I was going to get up and go to class [don't worry, I have a much better track record at the Star].
After a year of hard work and many new experiences, I was happy to turn off my brain for a week and enjoy the Hawaii sun. Well, I actually didn't enjoy the sun because I am a smidge overweight and the sun didn't really do anything for me except burn my skin and make me sweat for a week straight. And I didn't even lose any weight!
I thought there was a magical portal people stepped through when they went to Hawaii which made them tan with a defined abdomen. No such luck on my end of the magical portal. When I got to Hawaii and just started sweating. It was nice for me to be in a place where not wearing a shirt was commonplace because I believe this to be my natural state. However, I'm not sure how nice it was for my in-laws.
When I go on vacations I always go with little to no expectations to make my trip enjoyable no matter what and Hawaii was no different. All I wanted to do on the trip was sit on my big Texas booty and play in the ocean.
I succeeded.
If this was all I did, I would have chalked Hawaii up to a great vacation, but I did even more because my wife is persistent. And it was great. Sarah tried to convince me to go snorkeling, but I am not much of a snorkeler. Maybe its because I can never get the mask on right and end up almost drowning in a life jacket in two feet of water or because people always end up pointing at my belly trying to figure out what new kind of whale species has come to the Hawaii shore.
The family did go to a luau, which was a fantastic experience. The food was amazing and several locals were available to tell the history of the island and sell their wares. The entertainment was also exciting, but hula dancing gets somewhat old after about one minute. The mai tai's helped with that.
Sarah and I also went cliff jumping which was a fantastic experience for both of us because Sarah had never done it before and because I got to watch Sarah's face right before and as she jumped off the rock. Priceless.
Swimming in the ocean was also a treat for the whole family. My idea of a good time in the ocean is just letting the waves crash down on me and tumble me to the shore. The other people on the beach who enjoyed this activity ranged in ages from 3 to 5 years old. And Sarah. That is why I love her.
Some of the in-laws decided to boogey board during the week, which I considered until my father-in-law almost broke his nose on a particularly harsh wave. I figured I got Sarah to love me with my face in its current condition and I shouldn't be pushing my luck.
I also took Sarah on a date to the Ritz-Carlton for dinner during the week, which she loved but my wallet hated. I'm not normally a nice restaurant kind of guy and my order usually goes something like, "and can you replace the vegetables with french fries?" Don't worry ladies, I was on my best behavior and ate everything placed in front of me, which my taste-buds were happy with half the time and angry the other half. But Sarah had a great dinner and that was all that mattered.
Now my favorite thing about Hawaii [and this is going to make some people want to shoot me] was the pizza. There was a pizza place across the street from where we were staying which served the best pizza I had ever eaten. I was in Hawaii for eight days and I ate there at least five times. At the end of the week, the owner gave me a free t-shirt and took a picture with me — one of the highlights of the week. I found out the owner was actually from Texas, which made the experience all the better.
My trip taught me an important lesson — even the best things in other states come from Texas. It also taught me as much as it is nice to go on a trip to Hawaii and enjoy a change of scenery for a week, it always feels great to come home. And what better home to come back to then Burleson?
Friday, August 22, 2008
Rocker Review
When rock stars try to be in movies or movie stars try to be rockers, it is rare that the transition is successful.
Was "The Rocker" one of these rare exceptions? No. It wasn't.
Rainn Wilson plays Robert "Fish" Fishman, an original member and drummer for one of one of the biggest bands in the world, Vesuvius. However, the band unceremoniously removes him from the band in order to sign on with a major record label. Skip ahead 20 years and Fish still hasn't given up his dream of being a rocker and still living in the past with a strong hatred for his former band-mates.
After being fired and dumped, Fish goes to live with his sister until he can get back on his feet. He discovers that his awkward and socially-inept nephew, Matt (Josh Gad), has a band that requires a drummer. Since this is the "only way" Matt will ever make it to prom, Fish dawns his drumsticks once more to help out his nephew. However, he only ends up making things worse by providing an embarrassing, overzealous and unfunny performance
After the disastrous show at the prom, Fish promises to land the group a gig to make up for his actions. Matt decides to set up a practice that allows each of the band members to practice from their homes. However, Fish, who doesn't quite understand technology, decides to practice naked thinking the camera is a microphone.
It is one of the only funny scenes in the film, and that is just because an ugly guy being naked and playing drums is just always going to be funny.
After the video hits YouTube and becomes an internet sensation, the band is swept away on a tour with Wilson trying to teach the youngsters how to be rock stars but only causing trouble.
Wilson playing a rock star is about as believable as me playing a track star (FYI that is unrealistic because I'm heavyset). I'm not sure if that is part of the joke, but if it is, it doesn't translate well and the joke falls flat on its face. Wilson, who is hilarious as Dwight on NBC's "The Office" all but confirms that he is good in one role — Dwight from "The Office."
Wilson does deliver some funny lines, but mostly tries to do physical comedy that just wasn't funny. Gad does maybe too good of a job of playing an awkward nerd and falls from funny to just pathetic and annoying. I know half of his lines were supposed to be jokes, but they may as well have just put in the noise of crickets chirping because they were just terrible.
The lead singer of the band, Curtis, is played by real-life musician Teddy Geiger and he does an excellent job of playing the character. Mainly because the character he is playing is him. A teenager with a lot of built up angst and a great voice. However, having Geiger in the film does make for a good soundtrack. I found myself wanting to buy the music after watching the movie. Hey look, a silver lining on a terrible movie.
Amelia (Emma Stone) is another character that just falls short of what they are trying to accomplish. The supposedly-punk-rock-girl-power teen doesn't display a strong teen spirit, but more of a confused look throughout the 90-minute run time of the movie.
Jason Sudeikis is the one redeeming factor in the movie. Sudeikis plays sleazy record manager David Marshall and delivers the best lines of the movie. He is only in a small number of scenes, but he was the only one making me laugh throughout the whole movie. However, Demetri Martin also has a funny cameo as a eccentric music video director, which only lasts for two minutes and wasn't enough to make it work the seven dollars I dropped to see the movie.
The movie seemed like it was trying to come across as a sweet comedy with a lot of heart, but it doesn't quite achieve its goal. There are moments that are somewhat heartwarming, but again, they are spread out and don't last long making the film just seemed like a confused comedy.
If you are interested in good music, go buy the soundtrack for the movie. It is catchy. If you are looking for a laugh, however, look somewhere else.
The Rocker
Starring: Rainn Wilson, Josh Gad, Teddy Geiger and Christina Applegate
Rated PG-13 for language and crude humor
Rating: One star
Was "The Rocker" one of these rare exceptions? No. It wasn't.
Rainn Wilson plays Robert "Fish" Fishman, an original member and drummer for one of one of the biggest bands in the world, Vesuvius. However, the band unceremoniously removes him from the band in order to sign on with a major record label. Skip ahead 20 years and Fish still hasn't given up his dream of being a rocker and still living in the past with a strong hatred for his former band-mates.
After being fired and dumped, Fish goes to live with his sister until he can get back on his feet. He discovers that his awkward and socially-inept nephew, Matt (Josh Gad), has a band that requires a drummer. Since this is the "only way" Matt will ever make it to prom, Fish dawns his drumsticks once more to help out his nephew. However, he only ends up making things worse by providing an embarrassing, overzealous and unfunny performance
After the disastrous show at the prom, Fish promises to land the group a gig to make up for his actions. Matt decides to set up a practice that allows each of the band members to practice from their homes. However, Fish, who doesn't quite understand technology, decides to practice naked thinking the camera is a microphone.
It is one of the only funny scenes in the film, and that is just because an ugly guy being naked and playing drums is just always going to be funny.
After the video hits YouTube and becomes an internet sensation, the band is swept away on a tour with Wilson trying to teach the youngsters how to be rock stars but only causing trouble.
Wilson playing a rock star is about as believable as me playing a track star (FYI that is unrealistic because I'm heavyset). I'm not sure if that is part of the joke, but if it is, it doesn't translate well and the joke falls flat on its face. Wilson, who is hilarious as Dwight on NBC's "The Office" all but confirms that he is good in one role — Dwight from "The Office."
Wilson does deliver some funny lines, but mostly tries to do physical comedy that just wasn't funny. Gad does maybe too good of a job of playing an awkward nerd and falls from funny to just pathetic and annoying. I know half of his lines were supposed to be jokes, but they may as well have just put in the noise of crickets chirping because they were just terrible.
The lead singer of the band, Curtis, is played by real-life musician Teddy Geiger and he does an excellent job of playing the character. Mainly because the character he is playing is him. A teenager with a lot of built up angst and a great voice. However, having Geiger in the film does make for a good soundtrack. I found myself wanting to buy the music after watching the movie. Hey look, a silver lining on a terrible movie.
Amelia (Emma Stone) is another character that just falls short of what they are trying to accomplish. The supposedly-punk-rock-girl-power teen doesn't display a strong teen spirit, but more of a confused look throughout the 90-minute run time of the movie.
Jason Sudeikis is the one redeeming factor in the movie. Sudeikis plays sleazy record manager David Marshall and delivers the best lines of the movie. He is only in a small number of scenes, but he was the only one making me laugh throughout the whole movie. However, Demetri Martin also has a funny cameo as a eccentric music video director, which only lasts for two minutes and wasn't enough to make it work the seven dollars I dropped to see the movie.
The movie seemed like it was trying to come across as a sweet comedy with a lot of heart, but it doesn't quite achieve its goal. There are moments that are somewhat heartwarming, but again, they are spread out and don't last long making the film just seemed like a confused comedy.
If you are interested in good music, go buy the soundtrack for the movie. It is catchy. If you are looking for a laugh, however, look somewhere else.
The Rocker
Starring: Rainn Wilson, Josh Gad, Teddy Geiger and Christina Applegate
Rated PG-13 for language and crude humor
Rating: One star
Mirrors Review
Kiefer Sutherland should take a long, hard look in a mirror — and then stick to television.
Sutherland's newest venture to the big screen is "Mirrors" a horror film that surrounds the murderous intent of, well, mirrors.
The movie is a poor reflection of other horror films, but doesn't completely fall on its face. Sutherland plays Ben Carson, an ex-cop with a sordid past (surprise), who gets a job as a night watchman at a burned down department store where strange things begin to happen to him (surprise #2). Sutherland quickly discovers that the store is haunted by those who died in the fire and something else and must destroy whatever it is before it kills his estranged family. This is difficult, however, because everyone thinks he's crazy because he sees dead people in mirrors.
Personally, I would just quit that job.
Ignoring the fact that a burned-down department store needs a security guard when the only thing of value to steal are the demon-possesed mirrors, the movie failed to impress me in several ways.
I am admittedly a scardey-cat in horror films, but I still like it when a movie really gets me. I have seen enough horror movies to know when there are going to be scary moments and the movie is chalk-full of obvious "boo!" moments. However, the film did get me a few times that I wasn't expecting and made me throw my popcorn in the air in fright. My favorite type of scare moments are the very subtle scares of things stirring in the background or something or someone just acting absolutely creepy.
I was happy that the film relied more on scare tactics then it did on gore, but don't get me wrong, there is plenty of gore to go around.
The mirrors kill their victims by showing them a reflection of a gruesome death that becomes reality. However, the movie never really explains the rules about how not to get killed by the mirrors so no one is safe. The mirrors cause one victim to slit his own throat and another to rip off their own jaw. Those being the only moments of extreme violence was a pleasant surprise from the director of "The Hills Have Eyes," which mainly relied on its gore factor.
One of the most important things in a horror movie is the ending. You can either go the happy route with the everyone-is-going-to-be-okay ending or the we-are-going-to-scare-you-out-of-your-pants-once-last-time ending. "Mirrors" climax was also somewhat disappointing. It seemed like the writer was going for something good, but then just decided to rip off an ending seen in countless horror films. Getting scared is fun and if I get scared at the end of a movie, I walk out of the theatre giggling or calling my wife to comfort me. When I left this movie, I had almost forgotten about the entire film by the time I reached my car.
I'm not exactly sure why Sutherland chose to do this movie. I'm not sure why people would want to see Sutherland in this movie, either. With all the films I have seen the actor in, I'm pretty sure he always plays the same character, Jack Bauer from 24. He always seems conflicted and angry, even when he is supposed to be happy. I like 24, but I don't like watching the same character in a movie that requires more than a grimace and shooting a gun. Especially in a horror movie, everybody knows that guns don't work until the end of a horror movie and even then they probably still won't kill the bad guy.
Amy Smart plays Sutherland's sister Angela, and has to keep reminding the audience that she is his sister and they are not together. I think I got it after the first time she blatantly stated the relationship, but the director really wanted to drive the point home because they mention it about six more times. It really got me wondering why it was so important to know that she was his sister, and maybe there was a secret to be reveled about their family's past. Nope. It was just bad writing.
None of the acting in the film was all that great or all that believable, but, hey, its a horror movie, you just have to be able to act like you scared. I guess when Sutherland is scared, he looks angry and constipated.
The movie isn't really worth seeing in theaters or even spending money on a rental. If you happen to pass by it on a Saturday afternoon, you can watch 15 minutes or so and get the drift of the movie, or look in a mirror and imagine a bad horror movie save yourself two hours.
Mirrors
Rated R for language, graphic violence and brief nudity
Starring: Kiefer Sutherland, Amy Smart and Paula Patton
Rating: One and a half stars
Sutherland's newest venture to the big screen is "Mirrors" a horror film that surrounds the murderous intent of, well, mirrors.
The movie is a poor reflection of other horror films, but doesn't completely fall on its face. Sutherland plays Ben Carson, an ex-cop with a sordid past (surprise), who gets a job as a night watchman at a burned down department store where strange things begin to happen to him (surprise #2). Sutherland quickly discovers that the store is haunted by those who died in the fire and something else and must destroy whatever it is before it kills his estranged family. This is difficult, however, because everyone thinks he's crazy because he sees dead people in mirrors.
Personally, I would just quit that job.
Ignoring the fact that a burned-down department store needs a security guard when the only thing of value to steal are the demon-possesed mirrors, the movie failed to impress me in several ways.
I am admittedly a scardey-cat in horror films, but I still like it when a movie really gets me. I have seen enough horror movies to know when there are going to be scary moments and the movie is chalk-full of obvious "boo!" moments. However, the film did get me a few times that I wasn't expecting and made me throw my popcorn in the air in fright. My favorite type of scare moments are the very subtle scares of things stirring in the background or something or someone just acting absolutely creepy.
I was happy that the film relied more on scare tactics then it did on gore, but don't get me wrong, there is plenty of gore to go around.
The mirrors kill their victims by showing them a reflection of a gruesome death that becomes reality. However, the movie never really explains the rules about how not to get killed by the mirrors so no one is safe. The mirrors cause one victim to slit his own throat and another to rip off their own jaw. Those being the only moments of extreme violence was a pleasant surprise from the director of "The Hills Have Eyes," which mainly relied on its gore factor.
One of the most important things in a horror movie is the ending. You can either go the happy route with the everyone-is-going-to-be-okay ending or the we-are-going-to-scare-you-out-of-your-pants-once-last-time ending. "Mirrors" climax was also somewhat disappointing. It seemed like the writer was going for something good, but then just decided to rip off an ending seen in countless horror films. Getting scared is fun and if I get scared at the end of a movie, I walk out of the theatre giggling or calling my wife to comfort me. When I left this movie, I had almost forgotten about the entire film by the time I reached my car.
I'm not exactly sure why Sutherland chose to do this movie. I'm not sure why people would want to see Sutherland in this movie, either. With all the films I have seen the actor in, I'm pretty sure he always plays the same character, Jack Bauer from 24. He always seems conflicted and angry, even when he is supposed to be happy. I like 24, but I don't like watching the same character in a movie that requires more than a grimace and shooting a gun. Especially in a horror movie, everybody knows that guns don't work until the end of a horror movie and even then they probably still won't kill the bad guy.
Amy Smart plays Sutherland's sister Angela, and has to keep reminding the audience that she is his sister and they are not together. I think I got it after the first time she blatantly stated the relationship, but the director really wanted to drive the point home because they mention it about six more times. It really got me wondering why it was so important to know that she was his sister, and maybe there was a secret to be reveled about their family's past. Nope. It was just bad writing.
None of the acting in the film was all that great or all that believable, but, hey, its a horror movie, you just have to be able to act like you scared. I guess when Sutherland is scared, he looks angry and constipated.
The movie isn't really worth seeing in theaters or even spending money on a rental. If you happen to pass by it on a Saturday afternoon, you can watch 15 minutes or so and get the drift of the movie, or look in a mirror and imagine a bad horror movie save yourself two hours.
Mirrors
Rated R for language, graphic violence and brief nudity
Starring: Kiefer Sutherland, Amy Smart and Paula Patton
Rating: One and a half stars
Tropic Thunder Review
Robert Downey Jr. started the summer movie season with a bang with "Iron Man" and ended the season on the same high note with "Tropic Thunder."
The film surrounds the making of a war movie based on a book, based on a true story. The movie is a disaster, costing too much money and running behind schedule.
Downey plays five-time Academy Award winner Kirk Lazurus, an Australian method actor who undergoes a controversial surgery of having his skin pigmented so he can play the platoon's African-American sergeant.
Lazurus bumps heads with Tugg Speedman, an action hero played by Ben Stiller who appeared in a huge action film and its seven sequels. The two prima donnas can't find real emotion behind the characters and are slowly destroying the film.
It doesn't help their co-star, Jeff Portnoy (Jack Black), who is famous for playing an entire family of obese people in "The Fats" and "The Fats: Fart Two," has a small problem with heroin and Brandon T. Jackson, who plays Alpa Chino (sound it out), a rapper turned movie star who is more focused on promoting his energy drink, "Booty Sweat" than the film.
With the movie going down fast, rookie director Damien Cockburn (Steve Coogan) and war veteren Four Leaf Tayback (Nick Nolte) hatch a plan to bring out the true emotion in the actors by "taking them off the grid."
Coogan and Nolte fly the actors out to the jungle, which has been rigged with hidden cameras and tells them the rest of the movie will be filmed guerilla-style. However, the actors have actually landed in drug territory and are being hunted by a heroin cartel.
Stiller is soon captured and still thinks he is being filmed, thus really enjoying being tortured and spit on, saying, "that was good, keep doing that."
Ironically, the rest of the cast must rescue Stiller from his captors, just like they were supposed too do in the movie they are no longer making.
In short, the movie is hilarious.
Stiller wrote and directed the film, and made sure to poke fun at every Hollywood stereotype you can imagine. From a heroin addicted comedy star, to the method actor who "doesn't drop character until he does the DVD commentary," every stab is spot on.
One of the more clever jabs has recently caught severe flack from several groups. The movie Speedman starred in called "Simple Jack." The movie is about a mentally-challenged farm hand who can speak to animals. Speedman hopes the movie will mark him as a serious actor, but the movie just ends up being terrible and slammed by critics.
Is the idea offensive? Yes. However, it is also true.
Several actors in Hollywood have taken roles as someone mentally handicapped or deformed to mark themselves as a "serious actor." I find it hard to believe that this movie gets tagged as bad because it shows actors use mentally-challenged people to gain award-recognition. Shouldn't that make people angry?
And, it's a comedy. There is no sacred ground. Downey is an Australian playing an African-American, and it's funny. It is funny because it is what actors really do in real life.
The movie is one of the best satire films I have ever and has a fantastic cast. Each actor fits his character perfectly and plays them so well you forget you are watching Stiller, Black and Downey and start to think of them as Speedman, Portnoy and Lazurus.
Downey is the best out of the bunch — which may be because he is not tagged as a comedy actor and people don't expect him to be funny — but he outdoes both Stiller and Black in the laughs department. Black is sort of funny, but his character quickly becomes annoying and you aren't sure why you ever thought he was funny in the first place.
Stiller is always great at playing tough guys without a clue and he plays the part to perfection in this film. Watching him interact with the people who have captured him is one of the funniest things in the entire film.
However, the funniest moments in the film don't belong to any of the main cast.
They belong to Tom Cruise.
I never thought I could like another movie with Cruise, but he changed my mind when he put on a bald wig and glasses as Less Grossman in the film. He alone is worth the price of full admission. Cruise plays and extremely foul-mouthed producer who occasionally breaks out in dance to the tune of rap music.
I can honestly say I'm not the biggest of fan of foul language being used to excess in films because I feels it takes away from the movie, but when Cruise is spitting out his lines, I was buckled over in laughter.
Another side character bringing big laughs is Cody, the pyrotechnics supervisor, played by one of my new favorite comedic actors, Danny McBride. McBride recently starred in "Pineapple Express" and brings the same gut-busting material in this film. I don't want to spoil all of his good moments, but I will say he describes his past experiences with pyrotechnics as "almost blinding Jamie Lee Curtis on the set of 'Freaky Friday.'"
I can't say this is the best comedy of the summer, but it is a close second. It is definitely worth seeing and then going back again to show your friends Cruise's new dance moves.
Tropic Thunder
Rated R for graphic violence, language and crude humor
Starring: Ben Stiller, Robert Downey Jr., Jack Black and Tom Cruise
Rating: 3 and one half stars
The film surrounds the making of a war movie based on a book, based on a true story. The movie is a disaster, costing too much money and running behind schedule.
Downey plays five-time Academy Award winner Kirk Lazurus, an Australian method actor who undergoes a controversial surgery of having his skin pigmented so he can play the platoon's African-American sergeant.
Lazurus bumps heads with Tugg Speedman, an action hero played by Ben Stiller who appeared in a huge action film and its seven sequels. The two prima donnas can't find real emotion behind the characters and are slowly destroying the film.
It doesn't help their co-star, Jeff Portnoy (Jack Black), who is famous for playing an entire family of obese people in "The Fats" and "The Fats: Fart Two," has a small problem with heroin and Brandon T. Jackson, who plays Alpa Chino (sound it out), a rapper turned movie star who is more focused on promoting his energy drink, "Booty Sweat" than the film.
With the movie going down fast, rookie director Damien Cockburn (Steve Coogan) and war veteren Four Leaf Tayback (Nick Nolte) hatch a plan to bring out the true emotion in the actors by "taking them off the grid."
Coogan and Nolte fly the actors out to the jungle, which has been rigged with hidden cameras and tells them the rest of the movie will be filmed guerilla-style. However, the actors have actually landed in drug territory and are being hunted by a heroin cartel.
Stiller is soon captured and still thinks he is being filmed, thus really enjoying being tortured and spit on, saying, "that was good, keep doing that."
Ironically, the rest of the cast must rescue Stiller from his captors, just like they were supposed too do in the movie they are no longer making.
In short, the movie is hilarious.
Stiller wrote and directed the film, and made sure to poke fun at every Hollywood stereotype you can imagine. From a heroin addicted comedy star, to the method actor who "doesn't drop character until he does the DVD commentary," every stab is spot on.
One of the more clever jabs has recently caught severe flack from several groups. The movie Speedman starred in called "Simple Jack." The movie is about a mentally-challenged farm hand who can speak to animals. Speedman hopes the movie will mark him as a serious actor, but the movie just ends up being terrible and slammed by critics.
Is the idea offensive? Yes. However, it is also true.
Several actors in Hollywood have taken roles as someone mentally handicapped or deformed to mark themselves as a "serious actor." I find it hard to believe that this movie gets tagged as bad because it shows actors use mentally-challenged people to gain award-recognition. Shouldn't that make people angry?
And, it's a comedy. There is no sacred ground. Downey is an Australian playing an African-American, and it's funny. It is funny because it is what actors really do in real life.
The movie is one of the best satire films I have ever and has a fantastic cast. Each actor fits his character perfectly and plays them so well you forget you are watching Stiller, Black and Downey and start to think of them as Speedman, Portnoy and Lazurus.
Downey is the best out of the bunch — which may be because he is not tagged as a comedy actor and people don't expect him to be funny — but he outdoes both Stiller and Black in the laughs department. Black is sort of funny, but his character quickly becomes annoying and you aren't sure why you ever thought he was funny in the first place.
Stiller is always great at playing tough guys without a clue and he plays the part to perfection in this film. Watching him interact with the people who have captured him is one of the funniest things in the entire film.
However, the funniest moments in the film don't belong to any of the main cast.
They belong to Tom Cruise.
I never thought I could like another movie with Cruise, but he changed my mind when he put on a bald wig and glasses as Less Grossman in the film. He alone is worth the price of full admission. Cruise plays and extremely foul-mouthed producer who occasionally breaks out in dance to the tune of rap music.
I can honestly say I'm not the biggest of fan of foul language being used to excess in films because I feels it takes away from the movie, but when Cruise is spitting out his lines, I was buckled over in laughter.
Another side character bringing big laughs is Cody, the pyrotechnics supervisor, played by one of my new favorite comedic actors, Danny McBride. McBride recently starred in "Pineapple Express" and brings the same gut-busting material in this film. I don't want to spoil all of his good moments, but I will say he describes his past experiences with pyrotechnics as "almost blinding Jamie Lee Curtis on the set of 'Freaky Friday.'"
I can't say this is the best comedy of the summer, but it is a close second. It is definitely worth seeing and then going back again to show your friends Cruise's new dance moves.
Tropic Thunder
Rated R for graphic violence, language and crude humor
Starring: Ben Stiller, Robert Downey Jr., Jack Black and Tom Cruise
Rating: 3 and one half stars
Monday, August 4, 2008
Pineapple Express Review
At first glance, "Pineapple Express" might seem like a typical stoner movie, but in reality it is one of the best buddy comedy's in the past several years.
I have to admit, I am a little biased to this film because Huey Lewis and the News wrote the theme song. How can you go wrong with Huey Lewis and the News? The new song pales in comparison to "Power of Love" from "Back to the Future," but it fits the movie with its uplifting and just plain fun attitude.
The movie's plot is fairly straightforward, a marijuana smoking loser played by Seth Rogan witnesses a murder so he and his drug dealer, played by James Franco, have to go on the run. Again, at first glance it seems like a stoner movie. However, the premise is actually much sweeter than it initially seems. Rogan and Franco play two people who know each other, but slowly become friends throughout the film.
Following them on their journey is as much about watching their friendship bloom as it is of the characters trying to escape the assassins trying to kill them. I am a sucker for buddy comedy's and this particular story was one of my favorites. While several other movies with a pot that surround pot would only allow audiences who are either high or stupid to enjoy, this movie actually has the most clever writing I have seen in a comedy all summer.
There is easy humor in the movie, but most of the laughs can be found in the subtle humor that is prevalent throughout the 90-minute run time.
Franco, who is normally tagged as a pretty-boy and given roles that accentuate that stereotype, returns to his roots from his days on "Freaks and Geeks," one of the best shows to ever grace the television screen.
Rogan has established himself as a comedy icon in the past two years, but Franco blows him out of the water with his performance as the simple-minded drug dealer who just wants to be friends with everyone. I can only hope and pray that Franco will continue to dig into his comedy roots and take more roles like this one.
That isn't to say that Rogan does not do a phenomenal job as well. He is also spot on as a pot-smoking process server who is 25 and dating a high-school student, which could have been a disgusting side-plot, but is tastefully done as just another hilarious story-line.
The humor in the movie is crude and cursing is prevalent throughout the film. However, most of the movie I was laughing at the subtle humor that takes place in the background of most scenes. It is the type of humor that is targeted at a very particular audience and people expecting a cut-and-dry comedy will walk away with less than those who are looking for the underlying humor in the scenes.
Another up-and-coming comedy frontman, Danny McBride, also delivers a hilarious performance as Red, a drug-dealing friend of Franco's who spends his time equally split between helping Rogan and Franco escape the assassins and helping the assassins kill Franco and Rogan. McBride is easily the funniest character in the cast and has the audience waiting for the next scene he will appear.
The other supporting cast of Rosie Perez and Gary Cole do a great job, but still can't hold a candle to Rogan, Franco and McBride.
I knew how good the movie was when my wife had to tell me to stop quoting the movie she hadn't seen every day and then pointed out that I would just occasionally laugh to myself and mutter a line or two. The film is definitely one I will see again in theaters and then purchase when it comes to DVD.
I can't say the film is for everyone because the humor is very complex, but I can say if you enjoyed "40-Year-Old Virgin," "Knocked Up" or "Superbad," you will love it. And, again, how can you go wrong with Huey Lewis and the News?
Pineapple Express
Rating: 3 and one half stars
Rated R for violence, language and crude, sexual humor
Starring: Seth Rogan, James Franco, Danny McBride, Rosie Perez and Gary Cole
I have to admit, I am a little biased to this film because Huey Lewis and the News wrote the theme song. How can you go wrong with Huey Lewis and the News? The new song pales in comparison to "Power of Love" from "Back to the Future," but it fits the movie with its uplifting and just plain fun attitude.
The movie's plot is fairly straightforward, a marijuana smoking loser played by Seth Rogan witnesses a murder so he and his drug dealer, played by James Franco, have to go on the run. Again, at first glance it seems like a stoner movie. However, the premise is actually much sweeter than it initially seems. Rogan and Franco play two people who know each other, but slowly become friends throughout the film.
Following them on their journey is as much about watching their friendship bloom as it is of the characters trying to escape the assassins trying to kill them. I am a sucker for buddy comedy's and this particular story was one of my favorites. While several other movies with a pot that surround pot would only allow audiences who are either high or stupid to enjoy, this movie actually has the most clever writing I have seen in a comedy all summer.
There is easy humor in the movie, but most of the laughs can be found in the subtle humor that is prevalent throughout the 90-minute run time.
Franco, who is normally tagged as a pretty-boy and given roles that accentuate that stereotype, returns to his roots from his days on "Freaks and Geeks," one of the best shows to ever grace the television screen.
Rogan has established himself as a comedy icon in the past two years, but Franco blows him out of the water with his performance as the simple-minded drug dealer who just wants to be friends with everyone. I can only hope and pray that Franco will continue to dig into his comedy roots and take more roles like this one.
That isn't to say that Rogan does not do a phenomenal job as well. He is also spot on as a pot-smoking process server who is 25 and dating a high-school student, which could have been a disgusting side-plot, but is tastefully done as just another hilarious story-line.
The humor in the movie is crude and cursing is prevalent throughout the film. However, most of the movie I was laughing at the subtle humor that takes place in the background of most scenes. It is the type of humor that is targeted at a very particular audience and people expecting a cut-and-dry comedy will walk away with less than those who are looking for the underlying humor in the scenes.
Another up-and-coming comedy frontman, Danny McBride, also delivers a hilarious performance as Red, a drug-dealing friend of Franco's who spends his time equally split between helping Rogan and Franco escape the assassins and helping the assassins kill Franco and Rogan. McBride is easily the funniest character in the cast and has the audience waiting for the next scene he will appear.
The other supporting cast of Rosie Perez and Gary Cole do a great job, but still can't hold a candle to Rogan, Franco and McBride.
I knew how good the movie was when my wife had to tell me to stop quoting the movie she hadn't seen every day and then pointed out that I would just occasionally laugh to myself and mutter a line or two. The film is definitely one I will see again in theaters and then purchase when it comes to DVD.
I can't say the film is for everyone because the humor is very complex, but I can say if you enjoyed "40-Year-Old Virgin," "Knocked Up" or "Superbad," you will love it. And, again, how can you go wrong with Huey Lewis and the News?
Pineapple Express
Rating: 3 and one half stars
Rated R for violence, language and crude, sexual humor
Starring: Seth Rogan, James Franco, Danny McBride, Rosie Perez and Gary Cole
Monday, July 28, 2008
Mama Mia Review
I want to begin this review by saying that I am happily married to a beautiful woman and my manhood should not come into question in my next statement.
I like musicals.
I always have, and I think everyone can get on board with the idea of a world where anyone can randomly burst into song and dance. I have been fortunate to see some great musicals on the stage, and some even greater musicals on the screen, and while "Mama Mia!" isn't the best musical I have ever seen, it was still a wonderful movie-going experience.
The movie centers around the wedding of a young girl named Sophie (Amanda Seyfried) who has invited three men who could all potentially be her father to her upcoming nuptials. Meryl Streep plays Donna, Sophie's mother, who has no idea that her three ex's are coming to her small hotel in Greece for the wedding, and she is as fantastic as ever.
The movie's plot is pretty straightforward and it doesn't have to be complicated because musicals don't need a great plot to keep people entertained, they just need good music. And what better music could you ask for than that of ABBA? Okay, there is better music out there, but ABBA's pretty dang good.
As I said earlier, I am a man and I took my wife to the film as my date and I'm not sure who enjoyed the movie more. One of the reasons I love movies is because it is easy for me to become involved with the characters and the story and I get enthralled for the next hour or two hours, but with this film, anyone can get involved.
The supporting cast in the movie make everyone laugh and wish you had friends like them. Streep's two best friends and ex-band mates, Tanya (Christine Baranski) and Rosie (Julie Walters) are hilarious and steal any scene in which they appear. You almost wish the movie was about them and the three potential fathers played by Colin Firth, Pierce Brosnan and Stellan Skarsgard.
While some of the humor in the movie is slightly vulgar and sophomoric, you feel like it's okay to laugh because you are in such a good mood. That is what musicals do to people. How could you not want to laugh after tapping your feet to Meryl Streep and a bunch of Grecian women singing "Dancing Queen."
This movie weekend will no doubt be ruled by "The Dark Knight," but "Mama Mia!" deserves its due as a great musical. It is a fantastic date movie and it is perfect for just simple entertainment.
Mama Mia!
Rating: 3 1/2 stars
Rated PG-13 for some sexual humor
Starring: Meryl Streep, Amanada Seyfried, Pierce Brosnan and Colin Firth
I like musicals.
I always have, and I think everyone can get on board with the idea of a world where anyone can randomly burst into song and dance. I have been fortunate to see some great musicals on the stage, and some even greater musicals on the screen, and while "Mama Mia!" isn't the best musical I have ever seen, it was still a wonderful movie-going experience.
The movie centers around the wedding of a young girl named Sophie (Amanda Seyfried) who has invited three men who could all potentially be her father to her upcoming nuptials. Meryl Streep plays Donna, Sophie's mother, who has no idea that her three ex's are coming to her small hotel in Greece for the wedding, and she is as fantastic as ever.
The movie's plot is pretty straightforward and it doesn't have to be complicated because musicals don't need a great plot to keep people entertained, they just need good music. And what better music could you ask for than that of ABBA? Okay, there is better music out there, but ABBA's pretty dang good.
As I said earlier, I am a man and I took my wife to the film as my date and I'm not sure who enjoyed the movie more. One of the reasons I love movies is because it is easy for me to become involved with the characters and the story and I get enthralled for the next hour or two hours, but with this film, anyone can get involved.
The supporting cast in the movie make everyone laugh and wish you had friends like them. Streep's two best friends and ex-band mates, Tanya (Christine Baranski) and Rosie (Julie Walters) are hilarious and steal any scene in which they appear. You almost wish the movie was about them and the three potential fathers played by Colin Firth, Pierce Brosnan and Stellan Skarsgard.
While some of the humor in the movie is slightly vulgar and sophomoric, you feel like it's okay to laugh because you are in such a good mood. That is what musicals do to people. How could you not want to laugh after tapping your feet to Meryl Streep and a bunch of Grecian women singing "Dancing Queen."
This movie weekend will no doubt be ruled by "The Dark Knight," but "Mama Mia!" deserves its due as a great musical. It is a fantastic date movie and it is perfect for just simple entertainment.
Mama Mia!
Rating: 3 1/2 stars
Rated PG-13 for some sexual humor
Starring: Meryl Streep, Amanada Seyfried, Pierce Brosnan and Colin Firth
Step Brothers Review
Will Ferrell is a hit-or-miss kind of guy.
I find myself loving half of the films he's in, but the other half makes me want to bang my head against a wall for an hour. However, when he teams up with John C. Reilly in "Step Brothers," it is a grand slam.
To make a clarification, I find stupid humor extremely funny if done correctly. So when I say I found this movie to be hilarious, I should also warn you that I am the target audience for this type of film. I have a 12-year-old's sense of humor in a 23-year-old's body.
The film follows two nearly-40-year-old men who are still living with their parents and spend most of their days sitting on the couch or playing their drums. However, there is trouble in paradise when Ferrell's character's mother meets Reilly's character's father and the two fall in love.
Reilly and Ferrell share their first scene at their parents' beautiful, white wedding, where both sons storm out because either their parents didn't order the salmon they wanted or incorrectly told the audience they were recently fired from Pet Smart when they were actually "laid off" because the company was making cut-backs.
Then it is time for the two families to move in together and for Ferrell and Reilly to begin their relationship as step-brothers.
The first scenes with Ferrell and Reilly as step-brothers are hilarious, as the duo verbally abuse each other and try to kill one another with bicycles and bats. After a short while, the pair decides it is better if they join forces and become best friends. At this point, Ferrell and Reilly start telling the same types of jokes from other movies and I started to get bored.
I like Ferrell and Reilly together and I think they are a recipe for hilarity, but they can also get hard to watch after too much exposure and the two actors toe that line a little too frequently in this film.
The last half-hour of the movie had me belly-laughing, and when I say last half-hour, I mean I was laughing that entire time. I actually hurt for a little while after the movie ended. Before that point, however, half the scenes had me laughing and the other scenes annoyed me, but they were spread out well enough through the movie that I really enjoyed myself.
While Ferrell and Reilly may be the names above the title, Adam Scott, who plays Ferrell's younger brother Derek, and his family steal the show right out from under them. In the first scene revealing Derek, he is forcing his family to harmonize and sing "Sweet Child of Mine" in their car. He is the typical perfect, in-your-face kind of guy who has no problem letting you know that he is more successful than you. Scott and Kathryn Hahn, who plays his wife, Alice, had me laughing in every scene they were in.
Mary Steenburgen and Richard Jenkins appear as the enabling parents and are also phenomenal. They are both the type of actors that you don't see in comedy, which makes it 10 times funnier when they appear in a film like "Step Brothers" and bring on the big laughs.
The film is aptly rated R for its extremely crude humor and the language is fairly strong throughout the film. If you are not in the mood for potty humor and male nudity, this is not the film for you.
If you aren't bothered by the crude humor and bad language, you will find yourself enjoying yourself during the 90-minute run time. I have to say that I feel the movie is geared a little more toward the male audience and more specifically the young, stupid male audience like myself. So guys, take a group of your friends and don't force your girlfriends to endure what we find to be funny.
Step Brothers
Rating: Three stars
Rated R for strong language and crude, sexual content
Starring: Will Ferrell, John C. Reilly, Adam Scott, Richard Jenkins, Mary Steenburgen, and Kathryn Hahn
I find myself loving half of the films he's in, but the other half makes me want to bang my head against a wall for an hour. However, when he teams up with John C. Reilly in "Step Brothers," it is a grand slam.
To make a clarification, I find stupid humor extremely funny if done correctly. So when I say I found this movie to be hilarious, I should also warn you that I am the target audience for this type of film. I have a 12-year-old's sense of humor in a 23-year-old's body.
The film follows two nearly-40-year-old men who are still living with their parents and spend most of their days sitting on the couch or playing their drums. However, there is trouble in paradise when Ferrell's character's mother meets Reilly's character's father and the two fall in love.
Reilly and Ferrell share their first scene at their parents' beautiful, white wedding, where both sons storm out because either their parents didn't order the salmon they wanted or incorrectly told the audience they were recently fired from Pet Smart when they were actually "laid off" because the company was making cut-backs.
Then it is time for the two families to move in together and for Ferrell and Reilly to begin their relationship as step-brothers.
The first scenes with Ferrell and Reilly as step-brothers are hilarious, as the duo verbally abuse each other and try to kill one another with bicycles and bats. After a short while, the pair decides it is better if they join forces and become best friends. At this point, Ferrell and Reilly start telling the same types of jokes from other movies and I started to get bored.
I like Ferrell and Reilly together and I think they are a recipe for hilarity, but they can also get hard to watch after too much exposure and the two actors toe that line a little too frequently in this film.
The last half-hour of the movie had me belly-laughing, and when I say last half-hour, I mean I was laughing that entire time. I actually hurt for a little while after the movie ended. Before that point, however, half the scenes had me laughing and the other scenes annoyed me, but they were spread out well enough through the movie that I really enjoyed myself.
While Ferrell and Reilly may be the names above the title, Adam Scott, who plays Ferrell's younger brother Derek, and his family steal the show right out from under them. In the first scene revealing Derek, he is forcing his family to harmonize and sing "Sweet Child of Mine" in their car. He is the typical perfect, in-your-face kind of guy who has no problem letting you know that he is more successful than you. Scott and Kathryn Hahn, who plays his wife, Alice, had me laughing in every scene they were in.
Mary Steenburgen and Richard Jenkins appear as the enabling parents and are also phenomenal. They are both the type of actors that you don't see in comedy, which makes it 10 times funnier when they appear in a film like "Step Brothers" and bring on the big laughs.
The film is aptly rated R for its extremely crude humor and the language is fairly strong throughout the film. If you are not in the mood for potty humor and male nudity, this is not the film for you.
If you aren't bothered by the crude humor and bad language, you will find yourself enjoying yourself during the 90-minute run time. I have to say that I feel the movie is geared a little more toward the male audience and more specifically the young, stupid male audience like myself. So guys, take a group of your friends and don't force your girlfriends to endure what we find to be funny.
Step Brothers
Rating: Three stars
Rated R for strong language and crude, sexual content
Starring: Will Ferrell, John C. Reilly, Adam Scott, Richard Jenkins, Mary Steenburgen, and Kathryn Hahn
My Take on the Dark Knight
In His divine wisdom, God instilled a love of movies and comic books into me as a young child. In other words, I was destined to be a geek.
I don't mind it, however, I have the uncanny ability to get wrapped up in stories and really see all the aspects of what I am watching or reading. I am also able to hold on to things I loved as a child, like comic books and my teddy bear, Chocolate.
One of the many comic books I loved as a child was Batman. I read the comics and watched the cartoon and even watched any episodes I could find of the the 60s television series with Adam West, and I always used to think the comics were so much better than anything in the multi-media platform.
Until two weeks ago.
I was able to finally see "The Dark Knight" and it was everything I was hoping it would be and more. As a fanboy, I could point out that not all of the story-lines were accurate, but I would be nit-picking. The movie was just about perfect.
Before I get to Heath Ledger's absolutely phenomenal performance as the Joker, I would like to point out that Christian Bale is the best Batman to ever cross the screen. People may say his rough and gruff "Batman voice" is over the top, but they would be wrong. The way Bale portrays the crime fighter is straight out of the comics. Beat up the bad guys, put the fear of God into them and then probably fight them again because apparently jails and insane asylums in Gotham are just horrific at keeping inmates locked up.
Aaron Eckhart as Harvey Dent and Two-Face is also straight out of comic books. Not the way he transforms into the villain, because that was wrong, but the way he portrays his villainous side. Two-Face is the bad guy I like because of his simplicity. He believes in justice, but he also thinks everyone deserves a second chance. For Two-Face it is simple. If you land on the right side of the coin you live, you land on the wrong side, you die. It is such a simple concept, but also one that is very powerful because he is what Batman wishes he could be.
Batman only has one rule: he doesn't kill people. The whole premise of "The Dark Knight" is the Joker trying to convince Batman that people are inherently evil and even the masked crime-fighter has no hope of winning the war on crime, much less following his one rule.
The film shows the Joker beating down the city of Gotham and its hero to prove his point, and it shows how people react in a time of terror.
Call me a cynic, but I believe the film did a fantastic job of showing how easily people will turn on the person they praised the day before. Even in the Bible it shows Jesus being praised by people with palm branches one day and the same people cursing him and killing him the next.
One difference from the Bible, however, is that the people end up not being so evil at the core. They may act scared, but that is just because they are scared.
For Two-Face, it is all black and white. You did something bad, you are a bad person. Batman on the other hand believes that people are good, but justice must also be served.
The Joker believes in nothing but chaos. He wants to sow the seeds of chaos and just "wants to watch the world burn." He does evil things just to do them because he believes that life and money hold no importance.
Watching the cartoons and reading the comics as a child and teenager, I could always tell a distinct difference in the way the character was portrayed. In the comic book, the Joker was a homicidal maniac who killed without a second thought. In the cartoons and old television show, the Joker seemed just like a goofy uncle who also liked to rob people.
In the 1985 "Batman," Jack Nicholson does a great job as the Joker, but he leans a little to the campy side and I always felt like it wasn't an accurate portrayal of the villain that made me fear clowns.
Ledger's performance was what Batman fans have been waiting for as long as there have been movies about Batman. He tapped into something no one has been able to capture before and brought the villain from the comic to life. I watched the film and knew that Ledger was playing the Joker, but even with all the hype surrounding his performance, he did such an excellent job at transforming himself into the villain that I would often forget it was an actor. It was like the filmmakers actually hired a crazy clown to play the role of the Joker. I have heard many people say that Ledger deserves a posthumous Academy Award for his performance, and while I am not ready to say I agree, it would take an incredible performance to overshadow the late actor's performance. His performance alone is worth seeing the movie.
While I was a big fan of the film because it delved into the dark side of characters and presented itself almost like a Greek tragedy, not everyone will share my enthusiasm. I was really glad that non-comic book fans enjoyed the film, I also am aware that rating the movie PG-13 was pushing the limits of the rating system. I know that as a 13-year-old I would like the movie because of the action, but I would be terrified of the Joker and Two-Face.
The film is by far the best movie of the summer and arguably one of the best comic book movies ever made. But, then again, I am a comic-book geek.
I don't mind it, however, I have the uncanny ability to get wrapped up in stories and really see all the aspects of what I am watching or reading. I am also able to hold on to things I loved as a child, like comic books and my teddy bear, Chocolate.
One of the many comic books I loved as a child was Batman. I read the comics and watched the cartoon and even watched any episodes I could find of the the 60s television series with Adam West, and I always used to think the comics were so much better than anything in the multi-media platform.
Until two weeks ago.
I was able to finally see "The Dark Knight" and it was everything I was hoping it would be and more. As a fanboy, I could point out that not all of the story-lines were accurate, but I would be nit-picking. The movie was just about perfect.
Before I get to Heath Ledger's absolutely phenomenal performance as the Joker, I would like to point out that Christian Bale is the best Batman to ever cross the screen. People may say his rough and gruff "Batman voice" is over the top, but they would be wrong. The way Bale portrays the crime fighter is straight out of the comics. Beat up the bad guys, put the fear of God into them and then probably fight them again because apparently jails and insane asylums in Gotham are just horrific at keeping inmates locked up.
Aaron Eckhart as Harvey Dent and Two-Face is also straight out of comic books. Not the way he transforms into the villain, because that was wrong, but the way he portrays his villainous side. Two-Face is the bad guy I like because of his simplicity. He believes in justice, but he also thinks everyone deserves a second chance. For Two-Face it is simple. If you land on the right side of the coin you live, you land on the wrong side, you die. It is such a simple concept, but also one that is very powerful because he is what Batman wishes he could be.
Batman only has one rule: he doesn't kill people. The whole premise of "The Dark Knight" is the Joker trying to convince Batman that people are inherently evil and even the masked crime-fighter has no hope of winning the war on crime, much less following his one rule.
The film shows the Joker beating down the city of Gotham and its hero to prove his point, and it shows how people react in a time of terror.
Call me a cynic, but I believe the film did a fantastic job of showing how easily people will turn on the person they praised the day before. Even in the Bible it shows Jesus being praised by people with palm branches one day and the same people cursing him and killing him the next.
One difference from the Bible, however, is that the people end up not being so evil at the core. They may act scared, but that is just because they are scared.
For Two-Face, it is all black and white. You did something bad, you are a bad person. Batman on the other hand believes that people are good, but justice must also be served.
The Joker believes in nothing but chaos. He wants to sow the seeds of chaos and just "wants to watch the world burn." He does evil things just to do them because he believes that life and money hold no importance.
Watching the cartoons and reading the comics as a child and teenager, I could always tell a distinct difference in the way the character was portrayed. In the comic book, the Joker was a homicidal maniac who killed without a second thought. In the cartoons and old television show, the Joker seemed just like a goofy uncle who also liked to rob people.
In the 1985 "Batman," Jack Nicholson does a great job as the Joker, but he leans a little to the campy side and I always felt like it wasn't an accurate portrayal of the villain that made me fear clowns.
Ledger's performance was what Batman fans have been waiting for as long as there have been movies about Batman. He tapped into something no one has been able to capture before and brought the villain from the comic to life. I watched the film and knew that Ledger was playing the Joker, but even with all the hype surrounding his performance, he did such an excellent job at transforming himself into the villain that I would often forget it was an actor. It was like the filmmakers actually hired a crazy clown to play the role of the Joker. I have heard many people say that Ledger deserves a posthumous Academy Award for his performance, and while I am not ready to say I agree, it would take an incredible performance to overshadow the late actor's performance. His performance alone is worth seeing the movie.
While I was a big fan of the film because it delved into the dark side of characters and presented itself almost like a Greek tragedy, not everyone will share my enthusiasm. I was really glad that non-comic book fans enjoyed the film, I also am aware that rating the movie PG-13 was pushing the limits of the rating system. I know that as a 13-year-old I would like the movie because of the action, but I would be terrified of the Joker and Two-Face.
The film is by far the best movie of the summer and arguably one of the best comic book movies ever made. But, then again, I am a comic-book geek.
Saturday, July 26, 2008
Mr. Clean ain't got nothing on me!
I have achieved the impossible. I spent a whole day cleaning...with Sarah. That's right, I got my wife to help me clean. If you don't know Sarah, she HATES to clean. Hates to the point where she would probably rather eat her young than clean up after them.
Well, I finally got her to clean because it was just absolutely necessary. Our apartment was a pig sty. We actually had a pig come ring the doorbell and ask if he could rent the extra room because he said it was "so beautiful" and "reminded him of home."
I know what you're thinking, "Luke, that story is really unrealistic. Apartments don't have doorbells."
Well, it may be unrealistic, but our apartment was really, really messy. We spent all day cleaning and I can honestly say I have never felt better about how I spent a Saturday. We still have work to do, but our apartment is 10 times cleaner than it has ever been. I didn't even know we had carpet in our bedroom until today!
After we were finished cleaning, we decided to treat ourselves to a little gourmet dining. That's right ladies and germs, we went to Chili's-To-Go. When I was there, I realized I was a little short on cash and wasn't able to tip very well. It wasn't a horrible tip, but it wasn't that good either. However, I figured since it was the To-Go section, they didn't deserve that much of a tip. I mean, if the girl came to my house to refill my drink she would deserve one heck of a tip, but as it stands all she does is stand there and hand me what the kitchen staff prepared.
When I handed over my tip and said, "I'm sorry. I know it isn't much of a tip, but I thought I had more money on me." And I could tell she was thinking, "That's okay. Enjoy the spit in your food."
I then actually became terrified that my food had spit in it, but then realized that I am fat and hungry and would probably eat it anyways.
And I did. And it was delicious.
Moral of the story: don't live with regrets. If life gives you lemons, eat them quickly.
Well, I finally got her to clean because it was just absolutely necessary. Our apartment was a pig sty. We actually had a pig come ring the doorbell and ask if he could rent the extra room because he said it was "so beautiful" and "reminded him of home."
I know what you're thinking, "Luke, that story is really unrealistic. Apartments don't have doorbells."
Well, it may be unrealistic, but our apartment was really, really messy. We spent all day cleaning and I can honestly say I have never felt better about how I spent a Saturday. We still have work to do, but our apartment is 10 times cleaner than it has ever been. I didn't even know we had carpet in our bedroom until today!
After we were finished cleaning, we decided to treat ourselves to a little gourmet dining. That's right ladies and germs, we went to Chili's-To-Go. When I was there, I realized I was a little short on cash and wasn't able to tip very well. It wasn't a horrible tip, but it wasn't that good either. However, I figured since it was the To-Go section, they didn't deserve that much of a tip. I mean, if the girl came to my house to refill my drink she would deserve one heck of a tip, but as it stands all she does is stand there and hand me what the kitchen staff prepared.
When I handed over my tip and said, "I'm sorry. I know it isn't much of a tip, but I thought I had more money on me." And I could tell she was thinking, "That's okay. Enjoy the spit in your food."
I then actually became terrified that my food had spit in it, but then realized that I am fat and hungry and would probably eat it anyways.
And I did. And it was delicious.
Moral of the story: don't live with regrets. If life gives you lemons, eat them quickly.
Tuesday, July 1, 2008
I Dream of Jeannie...I mean Sarah! I dream of Sarah, only!
Have you ever gone to sleep, had a dream and woken up still kind of thinking the dream was real? I hate that.
I used to have the dream where a girl liked me and was about to kiss me and I had a six-pack and great skin, and then I would wake up confused because I was chubby and alone. That was the worst. I also had a dream my brother died and that was pretty bad...but the girl one was worse. I mean, come on, it's just my brother. How often to I get a chance with a pretty girl?
All that to say that the other night I was dreaming that I finally found a puppy bulldog that was free to adopt. Sarah and I have been wanting to get a bulldog for a while but they are really expensive to purchase as puppies. However, you can adopt an adult for little to nothing.
But Sarah wants a puppy.
Every night I tell her we should just adopt a dog from the pound and every night she says she wants a puppy and then starts describing what the puppy will do and how cute it will be and then she starts talking to the fantasy puppy and I get creeped out.
Well the other night I had a dream that I finally found a puppy that was up for adoption and it was free. I was ecstatic. I told Sarah about the puppy and showed her the puppy, but she said she didn't want it.
I was angry.
Why would she not want this free puppy? She said she didn't like the way it looked or something. I don't recall because right about that time, Sarah's alarm went off and she got up for work. She leaned over to give me a kiss and I rolled over because I was still angry that she didn't want the free puppy. By the time I realized that it was a dream and I had no reason to be mad at the real Sarah, she was out the door on her way to work.
I then had a dream I was a firefighter and there was nothing disappointing about that dream.
I used to have the dream where a girl liked me and was about to kiss me and I had a six-pack and great skin, and then I would wake up confused because I was chubby and alone. That was the worst. I also had a dream my brother died and that was pretty bad...but the girl one was worse. I mean, come on, it's just my brother. How often to I get a chance with a pretty girl?
All that to say that the other night I was dreaming that I finally found a puppy bulldog that was free to adopt. Sarah and I have been wanting to get a bulldog for a while but they are really expensive to purchase as puppies. However, you can adopt an adult for little to nothing.
But Sarah wants a puppy.
Every night I tell her we should just adopt a dog from the pound and every night she says she wants a puppy and then starts describing what the puppy will do and how cute it will be and then she starts talking to the fantasy puppy and I get creeped out.
Well the other night I had a dream that I finally found a puppy that was up for adoption and it was free. I was ecstatic. I told Sarah about the puppy and showed her the puppy, but she said she didn't want it.
I was angry.
Why would she not want this free puppy? She said she didn't like the way it looked or something. I don't recall because right about that time, Sarah's alarm went off and she got up for work. She leaned over to give me a kiss and I rolled over because I was still angry that she didn't want the free puppy. By the time I realized that it was a dream and I had no reason to be mad at the real Sarah, she was out the door on her way to work.
I then had a dream I was a firefighter and there was nothing disappointing about that dream.
Monday, June 23, 2008
Bet you wish you had dated me now, don't you various girls in my life?
Hey everybody! I won an award! I got second place for feature photo at the Texas Press Association Awards. I won in the whole state of Texas for weekly papers in our division. Woo-hoo!
I don't feel as though I am being pompous because the only other award I remember getting was when I got third place at the science fair in first grade.
There were three entries. And yes, there were more than two entries in this contest. There were like five or six. I actually don't know that to be true. There could have been only two. Oh well, I don't care..I'm an award winning journalist!
Wednesday, June 18, 2008
Not a Man...in the traditional sense
I have discovered that I don't like doing things that most people would call "manly."
I don't work on cars or repair things that are broken. I strongly believe there are people who God gifted with the ability and desire to fix all sorts of different objects, so in a way, if I were to want to repair them myself, I would be taking away some joy in someone's life.
Also, I am fat.
I'm not saying that in the "Oh, feel sorry for me because I am insecure." No. I am very secure. I also am aware of my larger-than-normal stomach (that seems most pronounced whenever I am trying to look nice.) So, as a fat man, I obviously don't like doing too much because I get sweaty and tired and cranky. I am am much less sweaty, tired and cranky when I am just sitting down or eating...hence my fluffy exterior.
The other day, I picked up my lovely wife, Sarah, and her co-worker from the airport after a business trip. We took her co-worker home and Sarah offered me as a bell-hop and said I would carry the girl's bags up the stairs. I didn't recall ever offering this myself so I was confused as to why Sarah would think this would be something I would like to do.
As I carried the girl's bags up the stairs, Sarah made another discovery. The girl's car had a flat tire. And then it happened.
You know those moments where you vocal chords and mouth act entirely on their own and your brain can't stop it. That happened to me as I said, "I could help you change it if you want."
Why in God's green earth would I say something like that? To this day I do not know what evil being took control over me for that small moment, but it happened.
I was hoping she would do the friendly thing and say, "No, that's okay. I have AAA."
That didn't happen.
She looked at me and said, "Wow, that's awesome. I will get the keys and we can get out the spare and tools."
Now before this moment I had only changed one tire. And by changed the tire, I mean sat next to my friend and watched him do it and almost had my foot crushed when the car fell off the jack. By the way, my one job was to set up the jack.
Well somehow, I managed to remember most of what you are supposed to do and didn't do too badly. I did scratch the girls car almost every time I turned the tire iron, however.
I managed to survive with dirt on my hands and a shirt that looked like it was painted on because I was sweating profusely. Afterwords, my sweet Sarah said, "See, aren't you glad you did that, my man?"
No. No, I wasn't. It confirmed everything I believe about working on stuff that I have no business working on. I took the joy away from some mechanic who would have loved to change that tire and wouldn't have put a scratch on the car.
However, working on the car did cause me to write this story, which is something that I enjoy doing, so I guess it all comes full circle. Sometimes you have to do something you hate so you can do something you enjoy.
P.S.
Ladies, I am not a terrible husband. I clean up around the house and do the laundry. I have also recently learned how to boil water, so I'm on my way to being a cook and a full-fledged house-husband.
I don't work on cars or repair things that are broken. I strongly believe there are people who God gifted with the ability and desire to fix all sorts of different objects, so in a way, if I were to want to repair them myself, I would be taking away some joy in someone's life.
Also, I am fat.
I'm not saying that in the "Oh, feel sorry for me because I am insecure." No. I am very secure. I also am aware of my larger-than-normal stomach (that seems most pronounced whenever I am trying to look nice.) So, as a fat man, I obviously don't like doing too much because I get sweaty and tired and cranky. I am am much less sweaty, tired and cranky when I am just sitting down or eating...hence my fluffy exterior.
The other day, I picked up my lovely wife, Sarah, and her co-worker from the airport after a business trip. We took her co-worker home and Sarah offered me as a bell-hop and said I would carry the girl's bags up the stairs. I didn't recall ever offering this myself so I was confused as to why Sarah would think this would be something I would like to do.
As I carried the girl's bags up the stairs, Sarah made another discovery. The girl's car had a flat tire. And then it happened.
You know those moments where you vocal chords and mouth act entirely on their own and your brain can't stop it. That happened to me as I said, "I could help you change it if you want."
Why in God's green earth would I say something like that? To this day I do not know what evil being took control over me for that small moment, but it happened.
I was hoping she would do the friendly thing and say, "No, that's okay. I have AAA."
That didn't happen.
She looked at me and said, "Wow, that's awesome. I will get the keys and we can get out the spare and tools."
Now before this moment I had only changed one tire. And by changed the tire, I mean sat next to my friend and watched him do it and almost had my foot crushed when the car fell off the jack. By the way, my one job was to set up the jack.
Well somehow, I managed to remember most of what you are supposed to do and didn't do too badly. I did scratch the girls car almost every time I turned the tire iron, however.
I managed to survive with dirt on my hands and a shirt that looked like it was painted on because I was sweating profusely. Afterwords, my sweet Sarah said, "See, aren't you glad you did that, my man?"
No. No, I wasn't. It confirmed everything I believe about working on stuff that I have no business working on. I took the joy away from some mechanic who would have loved to change that tire and wouldn't have put a scratch on the car.
However, working on the car did cause me to write this story, which is something that I enjoy doing, so I guess it all comes full circle. Sometimes you have to do something you hate so you can do something you enjoy.
P.S.
Ladies, I am not a terrible husband. I clean up around the house and do the laundry. I have also recently learned how to boil water, so I'm on my way to being a cook and a full-fledged house-husband.
Sunday, May 25, 2008
I Hate Severe Weather
When I was a child I saw an episode of a show called “Magee and Me” in which a tornado tears through a town when a child’s parents aren’t home. The episode climaxes when a tree branch breaks through the window of the child’s house.
How terrifying is that?
Honestly, every time I knew that scene was coming I would hide behind my couch and clamp my hands over my ears so I wouldn’t even hear it. Yes, I watched the episode more than once. Why? I have no idea, I wasn’t exactly a brainiac as a child. Ever since that time I have not been comfortable during storms.
Okay, truth be told I get really, really scared.
This fear of harsh weather was particularly poignant in the spring because of the storms that blew through the area. I have a wife now, so I try not to be as scared around her. However, she has a job that requires her to travel and she has been out of town during the past two storms.
No wife, no having to act tough. Scardey-cat mode activated.
During one storm, I was pacing my apartment chanting, “You are fine. It is just a storm. It can’t hurt you.”
Then the power went out. Somewhere, God was laughing.
My chant then changed to, “All right, I am going to freak right out.”
My phone rang and I saw that my friend was calling. I thought, “That’s nice. He saw that there was a storm and he knows I don’t like (AKA am terrified of) harsh weather and wants to see if I’m okay.”
I picked up the phone only to hear laughter and my friend say, “Dude, there is a huge storm where you are. I hope a tree branch doesn’t break through your window.”
I hung up on him.
Word to the wise: never tell your friends what makes you scared. I probably deserve it though because I know he has a crippling fear of snakes and I always pretend to see them when I am around him and he freaks out. I now know what it is like on the other side and I am a changed man (not really, I owe him a rubber snake in his truck).
My wife called me amidst the storm and tried to tell me about her day at work. I was obviously not listening because I was in a major crisis. There was a storm outside and it was trying to get in and get me. My wonderful bride did not yell at me and tell me to quit being a pansy. She comforted me and told me to quit being a pansy. I love her.
In the end, I was able to weather the storm and come out okay. I was even able to fall asleep at 2 a.m. when my adrenaline stopped pumping and had a very good night’s sleep.
How terrifying is that?
Honestly, every time I knew that scene was coming I would hide behind my couch and clamp my hands over my ears so I wouldn’t even hear it. Yes, I watched the episode more than once. Why? I have no idea, I wasn’t exactly a brainiac as a child. Ever since that time I have not been comfortable during storms.
Okay, truth be told I get really, really scared.
This fear of harsh weather was particularly poignant in the spring because of the storms that blew through the area. I have a wife now, so I try not to be as scared around her. However, she has a job that requires her to travel and she has been out of town during the past two storms.
No wife, no having to act tough. Scardey-cat mode activated.
During one storm, I was pacing my apartment chanting, “You are fine. It is just a storm. It can’t hurt you.”
Then the power went out. Somewhere, God was laughing.
My chant then changed to, “All right, I am going to freak right out.”
My phone rang and I saw that my friend was calling. I thought, “That’s nice. He saw that there was a storm and he knows I don’t like (AKA am terrified of) harsh weather and wants to see if I’m okay.”
I picked up the phone only to hear laughter and my friend say, “Dude, there is a huge storm where you are. I hope a tree branch doesn’t break through your window.”
I hung up on him.
Word to the wise: never tell your friends what makes you scared. I probably deserve it though because I know he has a crippling fear of snakes and I always pretend to see them when I am around him and he freaks out. I now know what it is like on the other side and I am a changed man (not really, I owe him a rubber snake in his truck).
My wife called me amidst the storm and tried to tell me about her day at work. I was obviously not listening because I was in a major crisis. There was a storm outside and it was trying to get in and get me. My wonderful bride did not yell at me and tell me to quit being a pansy. She comforted me and told me to quit being a pansy. I love her.
In the end, I was able to weather the storm and come out okay. I was even able to fall asleep at 2 a.m. when my adrenaline stopped pumping and had a very good night’s sleep.
Pointer Tooth
I had a pointer tooth when I was a child.
I called it a pointer tooth because it jutted out of my mouth and, wherever I looked, it pointed in the same direction. Aside from being just an annoying looking tooth, it also proved to be very dangerous.
One summer while I was at a summer camp in Tyler, I found out how dangerous my pointer tooth could be. The whole camp was playing a giant game of freeze tag (or some other game that required a bunch of hyper middle-school students to run around in circles) and I wasn’t exactly doing a good job of looking where I was going. At one point I looked behind me to see if I was being chased and when I turned back around, it happened.
I slammed into another camper’s head. I grabbed my mouth and he grabbed his head. Almost instantly I knew what had happened. I had stabbed his head with my pointer tooth. He started to look up at me and I bolted. I didn’t want to be known as the kid who ran around biting people in the head.
Oh how wrong I was.
The next day I was standing in line at the concession stand when I heard, “What happened to your head?” I slowly turned around to see a familiar face with a giant bandage on his head. In answer to the inquiry about his head the boy just shrugged but one of his friends answered the question for him.
“Some guy was running around during the game yesterday and bit him in the head.”
Suddenly I wasn’t in the mood for the concession stand anymore. I had gone from a fun-loving middle school student to the “Anonymous Head Biter,” scourge to all camp games. Needless to say it didn’t feel good at all and it mostly didn’t feel good because I was hiding from what I had done, even though it was an accident.
The guilt wrecked me for the entire week and I could just picture in my mind the boy who I bit growing up to become a shut-in because he didn’t want to leave his house only to be attacked and have his head chewed on once again.
So, the last night of camp, I went looking for the boy with the bandage. I found him with the girl who had told the concession stand line that someone had “bitten him in the head,” and just pointed at his bandage and said, “Hey man, that was me. I’m really sorry about that.”
He looked at me with a shocked expression and his friend looked at me like I was a monster. Then the guy said, “That’s cool man. I’m sure you didn’t mean to do it.” Suddenly a weight was lifted off my shoulders. I could live life knowing that I had not caused someone to become a recluse.
I called it a pointer tooth because it jutted out of my mouth and, wherever I looked, it pointed in the same direction. Aside from being just an annoying looking tooth, it also proved to be very dangerous.
One summer while I was at a summer camp in Tyler, I found out how dangerous my pointer tooth could be. The whole camp was playing a giant game of freeze tag (or some other game that required a bunch of hyper middle-school students to run around in circles) and I wasn’t exactly doing a good job of looking where I was going. At one point I looked behind me to see if I was being chased and when I turned back around, it happened.
I slammed into another camper’s head. I grabbed my mouth and he grabbed his head. Almost instantly I knew what had happened. I had stabbed his head with my pointer tooth. He started to look up at me and I bolted. I didn’t want to be known as the kid who ran around biting people in the head.
Oh how wrong I was.
The next day I was standing in line at the concession stand when I heard, “What happened to your head?” I slowly turned around to see a familiar face with a giant bandage on his head. In answer to the inquiry about his head the boy just shrugged but one of his friends answered the question for him.
“Some guy was running around during the game yesterday and bit him in the head.”
Suddenly I wasn’t in the mood for the concession stand anymore. I had gone from a fun-loving middle school student to the “Anonymous Head Biter,” scourge to all camp games. Needless to say it didn’t feel good at all and it mostly didn’t feel good because I was hiding from what I had done, even though it was an accident.
The guilt wrecked me for the entire week and I could just picture in my mind the boy who I bit growing up to become a shut-in because he didn’t want to leave his house only to be attacked and have his head chewed on once again.
So, the last night of camp, I went looking for the boy with the bandage. I found him with the girl who had told the concession stand line that someone had “bitten him in the head,” and just pointed at his bandage and said, “Hey man, that was me. I’m really sorry about that.”
He looked at me with a shocked expression and his friend looked at me like I was a monster. Then the guy said, “That’s cool man. I’m sure you didn’t mean to do it.” Suddenly a weight was lifted off my shoulders. I could live life knowing that I had not caused someone to become a recluse.
Jolly Rancher
I know it has been awhile since my last update, but I'm pretty sure the only person who has read this is me so I'm not too worried. Anyways, I thought I would update the blog with some columns I wrote for the Burleson Star. Here is the first one. Hope you enjoy.
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When I was younger, I thought the world was a simple place. If I had $5, I knew where it was going…straight to the gas station to buy me an ungodly amount of Jolly Ranchers.
Needless to say, after graduating college and getting married, my priorities have changed. Not about the Jolly Ranchers, they still are and always will hold a very special place in my heart. However, I have noticed some other significant changes in my thinking.
I have been married for nine months now and while I know that is not a long time, it has changed me. I love my wife, Sarah, and I would do anything for her. I would even (and I know this is crazy) share my Jolly Ranchers with her. I have discovered how lucky I am to have all the things I have.
In a not-so-great economy, my wife and I have jobs. I have a loving family and in-laws that like me. I even have a movie theatre right across the street from where I live (proof that God likes me). Sarah and I don’t have a lot of money. We aren’t working on buying our fifth yacht or anything, but we have enough. We are happy.
It is a really great feeling to be able to look at your life and be happy with what you have. I don’t have a lot, but I have enough. I would like to have more, sure, but who wouldn’t?
I see people whining about what they don’t have all the time and even I fall prey to the materialistic wants of the world. But most of us are doing pretty good. I ate lunch with a Sudanese family that attends my church last week and they are some of the happiest, friendliest people I have ever met. These are people who carried two children across a desert while being hunted by soldiers who thought of them as nothing more than a pest problem that needed to be exterminated.
They made it to America and live in a small apartment with a family of nine. The father works nights at a factory loading heavy equipment into trucks and the mother irons other people’s clothes all day. But every time I see them, they are smiling. They know how lucky they are to have what they have, which isn’t much.
And here I am, grumpy because I can’t go out and buy the new DVD that came out this week because I already blew my money on a 100-gallon tub of Jolly Ranchers. Let’s all take a cue from my Sudanese friends and find the happiness with what we have in our lives. Enjoy the Jolly Ranchers in your life.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
When I was younger, I thought the world was a simple place. If I had $5, I knew where it was going…straight to the gas station to buy me an ungodly amount of Jolly Ranchers.
Needless to say, after graduating college and getting married, my priorities have changed. Not about the Jolly Ranchers, they still are and always will hold a very special place in my heart. However, I have noticed some other significant changes in my thinking.
I have been married for nine months now and while I know that is not a long time, it has changed me. I love my wife, Sarah, and I would do anything for her. I would even (and I know this is crazy) share my Jolly Ranchers with her. I have discovered how lucky I am to have all the things I have.
In a not-so-great economy, my wife and I have jobs. I have a loving family and in-laws that like me. I even have a movie theatre right across the street from where I live (proof that God likes me). Sarah and I don’t have a lot of money. We aren’t working on buying our fifth yacht or anything, but we have enough. We are happy.
It is a really great feeling to be able to look at your life and be happy with what you have. I don’t have a lot, but I have enough. I would like to have more, sure, but who wouldn’t?
I see people whining about what they don’t have all the time and even I fall prey to the materialistic wants of the world. But most of us are doing pretty good. I ate lunch with a Sudanese family that attends my church last week and they are some of the happiest, friendliest people I have ever met. These are people who carried two children across a desert while being hunted by soldiers who thought of them as nothing more than a pest problem that needed to be exterminated.
They made it to America and live in a small apartment with a family of nine. The father works nights at a factory loading heavy equipment into trucks and the mother irons other people’s clothes all day. But every time I see them, they are smiling. They know how lucky they are to have what they have, which isn’t much.
And here I am, grumpy because I can’t go out and buy the new DVD that came out this week because I already blew my money on a 100-gallon tub of Jolly Ranchers. Let’s all take a cue from my Sudanese friends and find the happiness with what we have in our lives. Enjoy the Jolly Ranchers in your life.
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