Movie Review: Sex and the City

There is good news and bad news for all male moviegoers.

The good news? There is less than two months until The Dark Knight opens in theaters.

The bad news? It looks like we will be hearing about Sex and the City until then.

The movie starts right where the show left off, following the lives of Carrie (Sarah Jessica Parker), Samantha (Kim Cattrall), Charlotte (Kristin Davis), and Miranda (Cynthia Nixon) around New York City.

The movie picks up pace rather quickly as Big (Christopher Noth) and Carrie are set to be married. This would be the perfect ending for everyone’s favorite couple. Of course there is some drama that surrounds their pending nuptials. What would Sex and the City be without its drama? Miranda and Steve (David Eigenberg) have a few issues to work out, as well as Samantha dealing with her life adjustment and boyfriend Smith (Jason Lewis).

I’ll be the first to admit that I’m not a huge fan of the show. I watched the first 2-3 seasons religiously, but found myself bored soon after that. With that said, the movie was surprisingly entertaining and well written. Some of the really tense moments in the film really pull you in and allow you to feel for the characters involved. The funny moments are well placed so you won’t feel like you are watching some serious drama.

Kristin Davis was great as Charlotte. She helped keep the movie light and fun for those of us who were not going to cry our eyes out. Jennifer Hudson plays Louise, Carrie’s assistant, adding some humor and a fresh face to the cast. Louise seems fit right in.

In the tradition of the show, there are some good scenes with the four women discussing their views on relationships. As a man I find these scenes very interesting. Do women really talk like that?

One of the glaring questions I had was, for the male characters in the movie: Where are their guy friends? I know the show doesn’t revolve around the men, but I didn’t see any groomsmen with Big. When I brought this up to my female friends they say “we’ll that’s just how he is” or “he’s always been a loner.” What successful guy has no male friends? The only guy I can think of is Michael Jackson. That’s really not good company for Big to be in.

I wonder if an Entourage movie would be just as entertaining.

My suggestion: If you are a fan of the show, you’d be a fool not to watch this movie. It’s a must see for all Sex and the City fans. Without giving away too much of the movie, I’d compare it to the Lakers making it through the playoffs and then I decide not to watch the NBA Finals. It’s entertaining and has a lot of good points in the movie. There is some nudity and some sex in the movie. If you are offended by that I’d wait for the edited version on TNT. The movie may spark some good conversation. I had a discussion with Ms. LA last night about different points in the movie. She was surprised we agreed on a major point in the movie. I’m not surprised at all; she’s a believer in love. I think most people will enjoy this movie. The film will at least provide you with some fun conversation with your friends at happy hour.

Movie Review: Made of Honor

Patrick Dempsey really fits the mold for “male lead in a romantic comedy”. The success of Grey’s Anatomy in addition to the McDreamy nickname is allowing him to take the crown from the likes of Matthew McConaughey and Hugh Grant. His look is good for about three or four more of these movies.

Patrick Dempsey plays Tom, a rich womanizer, who has a ton of women and seemingly a ton of rules about dating them too. Tom is best friends with Hannah (Michelle Monaghan) and has been since college. While Hannah is off in Scotland for work, Tom realizes that he has strong feelings for her. After Hannah returns they meet up for dinner where Tom is introduced to Colin, Hannah’s fiancé.

Hannah proceeds to ask Tom if he would be her maid of honor. He agrees to be her maid of honor in an effort to thwart the wedding and confess his love to Hannah.

Made of Honor is a predictable romantic comedy that does not offer anything new to the audience. What guy is really going to be a maid of honor? That’s just a little too ridiculous for me. The movie is so predictable to the point I was able to tell my friend how it ended and what Tom was going to say. Maybe I watch too many movies. Maybe it’s just that predictable.

The movie is not without its entertaining moments.

Michelle Monaghan is fantastic in the movie. I enjoyed her last year in The Heartbreak Kid and Gone Baby Gone. I think she’s a very beautiful actress, but they made her look very plain for this movie.

The scenes with Tom and his buddies, played by Kadeem Hardison (Dwayne Wayne where have you been), Chris Messina, and Richmond Arquette help hold the movie together. Some of those conversations are conversations that men have from time-to-time. Each one of them has a different view on life, relationships, and marriage. It was good to see that dynamic in this movie. There is also a hysterical basketball scene with Tom and Colin that is definitely worth watching.

One of my favorite actors Sydney Pollack plays Thomas Sr. who ads some more laughter to the film. I wish he had a little more camera time.

My suggestion: I’m not too high on this movie because I feel like I’ve seen it before. If you happen to enjoy romantic comedies, you can go see it OR you can rent My Best Friend’s Wedding, Love Actually, How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days and sort of mix and match those movies. Kind of like putting together a Lego set, but only you would be building a chick flick. For those who enjoy this genre they will be pleased with this film. You’ll like it, but not love it.

Forgettig Sarah Marshall

The Summer movie season officially starts in May (at least that’s what I’m told). Audiences are in for a treat with the new comedy Forgetting Sarah Marshall. I love how funny/ironic relationships can be. The same things that can make you laugh hysterically can drive you crazy the next minute. It was great to see some of that on film.

In Forgetting Sarah Marshall, Peter (Jason Segel) breaks up with his TV star girlfriend, Sarah (Kristen Bell). After being a mess for weeks, he decides to take a vacation to Hawaii and stay at an exclusive resort. The only problem is that Sarah is staying at the resort too with her new boyfriend, rock star Aldous Snow (Russell Brand).

The premise for the movie alone is pretty funny. I ranked this movie #6 on my list of movies to see this summer. After watching it, I should have ranked it a little higher………definitely ahead of Semi-Pro.

Jason Segel does a great job as Peter. He’s very believable as the guy who dated a girl who was out of his league, then has to come to grips with them not being together. I really could have done without the frontal male nudity. They should have warning signs that pop up on the screen so you know to cover your eyes. He was able to carry the movie and not to mention the fact that I’ve been singing that Dracula song since Friday night.

No comedy is complete without beautiful co-stars. Mila Kunis was great in the film as Rachel. I’ll go on record as saying I didn’t know she was that cute. This role should bump her up a few notches on Maxim’s Hot 100 list for next year. She’ll be the “it” girl that all the guys will be buzzing about after the movie. There is something attractive about someone who can really play the sweet innocent girl or the really bad I-think-you-may-be-a-psycho girl. Maybe psycho is the new sexy. Kristen Bell was last seen in Heroes strike shortened season. Bell was able to pull of her role as Sarah Marshall. She was surprisingly funny in her CSI like TV show.

The supporting cast which includes Paul Rudd, Bill Hader, Jonah Hill, and Jack McBrayer did a good job filling in for some of the movies funnier moments. The surprise comedy comes from Russell Brand who plays Sarah’s new boyfriend, Aldous. Some of the one-liners he delivers are gut busting. You mix that with his accent and you get a great sleazy Euro pop star boyfriend. The kind of guy that most men love to hate. He may easily win the MTV Movie Award for Best Villain

My suggestion: It’s one of the first “must see” movies of the year. If you don’t like dirty jokes or as my friend would say raunchy comedy, don’t see this movie. It reminded me why I love comedy so much. It’s a hilarious look at one of the most uncomfortable situations, seeing your recent ex with a new love. They make light of the situation, but this film will definitely have you thinking of what you might do in that situations. This is a great comedy and I hope more people go to see it.

Not So Romantic Comedies

SPOILER ALERT!!!!
If you haven't seen any of these movies, I will be giving away some plot details (as if they aren't already predictable). I apologize in advance

I went to see Juno with one of my female friends and they showed a trailer for Definitely, Maybe. My friend leans over to me and says, "Awww that looks cute". I was thinking that movie is about a guy telling his daughter about his past relationships. How appropriate is that? Who in the world would want to watch that?

The sad truth was that a lot of women would watch that movie and movies just like it.

It reminded me of a girl I dated who must have uttered the phrase, "Just like in Love Actually…… (fill in her irrational comparison)" at least a hundred times. Not only that, but she quoted the movie like a preacher would quote bible verses during a sermon.

I think she believed what she was watching was real. I had to remind her that Love Actually is not a documentary. Sadly, after surveying friends and co-workers I realized that the young woman was not alone. Brace yourself fellas, because most women see these movies the same way no matter age, race, class, or even their level of education.

After subjecting myself to hours of "romantic comedies" I realized that most of these movies weren't romantic, most of them were unrealistic, and unapologetically sappy. They were so unrealistic to the point where I felt I was watching the Sci-Fi Channel only all the movies involved earth and people falling in love.

Wow! That was quick

A common theme in these movies seems to be how fast these couples fall in love. How To Lose a Guy in 10 days basically gives it away in the title. After spending 8 days not being themselves the two suddenly fall prey to Cupid's arrow? I find that hard to believe. Has this ever happend? Dishonesty is exactly how I want to start off my next relationship.

Anyone who has ever been in love, or at least thought they were, knows how insane the premise for that movie is.
Fools Rush In may hold the Guinness record for falling in love after 24 hours with a three month gap in between. I wish I could find love that fast! It's like fast food relationships. We all know how healthy fast food is.

That's Soooooooooo Inappropriate

Some of the relationships in these films are wildly inappropriate. Somehow women seem to be okay with relationships in these movies that any rational/normal person would be completely against in real life. Don't believe me?

One of my sister's favorite movies is While You Were Sleeping. The movie is about a subway worker who is obsessed with a stranger. Before she can fall for him, he falls into a coma. His family then mistakes her for his fiancée. Instead of telling the truth, she goes right along with the story. To top it all off, she falls for his brother. How is that okay?

If I read this story on CNN it would be a scandal, and I think most women I know would would be outraged. In this movie you are made to feel for Sandra Bullock's character. She's just a woman looking for love…………..not a liar.

The most draw dropping example is my favorite movie of all time Love Actually. One of the stories the movie depicts is a man who's madly in love with a woman that is recently married. What's the problem? It's his best friend who she is married too. Once she realizes how he feels, he shows up at her door with cue cards (how cute) professing his love to her. Did I mention that it's his best friend's wife? After the cue card stunt, he walks away with this accomplished look on his face, and she chases him down and kisses him. IT'S HIS BEST FRIENDS WIFE!

Maybe that was too soon?

The promiscuity in these movies is off the charts. What's not even on the charts are how damaging it really is.

In the opening scene of How to Lose, one of the characters is complaining that this guy is not calling her back. She mentions that she slept with the guy after two days. After discussing the issue with her friends they come to the conclusion that she calls him too much. Ummmm maybe you shouldn't have slept with someone who doesn't know your last name. I'm not a gambling man, but I would bet that may be why he's not calling you.

Last time I checked, women don't like other women who sleep around. I hear it all the time with my friends, at work, at the gym. If I told my friends I was dating that girl my female friends would give me the "I don't know about her" speech. My female friends also love that movie. Go figure

When Pigs Fly

There are moments in a lot of these films where I say, "Yeah right!"

Fools Rush In is one of moments for me. It's a wonderful story about a man who's on business from New York to Vegas. On this trip he has a one-night stand. He doesn't hear from the girl for three months and finds out she's pregnant. He decides to step up to the responsibility and propose? Maybe he skipped a few steps. I think that's ridiculous

Pretty Woman falls in the category. She's a prostitute (yes she is) and you want her to find love. How ridiculous is that they should do a Pretty Woman II: I Thought You Were Going to Quit.

How To Lose lost me early in the film. The wonderful scene where they are at the Knicks game. It's the NBA Finals and she asks him to get her a drink with 1:00 left in the game. Not only did he go once, but he went it TWICE. He eventually misses the end of the game. I still refuse to acknowledge that scene. As a sports fan you don't know how painful that was to watch. I know some die hard Knick fans. There would have definately been a homicide at MSG that day.

Now I really don't dislike these movies. I think they serve a purpose in film, an even greater purpose for young women. It is good to know that people want the finer things in life like love, happiness, romance. I think both men and women essentially want the same things. I just need women to realize how out of control these movies can be. Women should not be allowed to reference them in arguments, discussions, or use them as measuring sticks for their lives/relationships. When you get down and out (as we all do), don't sulk on your couch eating ice cream thinking, "When is a guy going to come me off my feet". It happens................just not like you see in the movies.

On second thought, the next time I'm in an argument I'm going to make my point saying, "Noooooo because in Batman Begins…"

Trailer: Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull

Am I the only one who can't wait to see this movie? Its ranked #5 on my movies to see this summer. When it's all said it done it could end up being #2. The big elephant in the room is that some believe Han Solo is a little too old to be searching for lost treasure. According to this trailer, he'll be just fine. Here to hoping Shia, Dr. Richard Kimble, and Cate Blanchett can pull it off.

The Hammer

Is it me or does The Hammer sounds like an old 1970's TV show. One of those shows where the lead character is a tough-as-nails detective who's known for roughing up the bad guys. The type of guy who doesn't care about the rules, his only concern is justice……………..STREET JUSTICE.

So when I heard that they were making a film I was shocked to hear it was about boxing; not the action drama that I've scripted in my head.

The Hammer stars Adam Carolla as 40 year old Jerry Ferro. The former amateur boxer who is now a construction worker/ boxing instructor at a local gym. With life now getting the best of Jerry, he decides to take an opportunity at the Olympic tryouts and return to competitive boxing.

Two words to describe this movie: original and funny………… a lot funnier than I expected. (that's more than two words I know)

Adam Carolla is Adam Carolla in this film. If you listen to his radio show or have seen him on Jimmy Kimmel Live, you know what to expect from him. Carolla likes to rant and rave about random observations. Carolla will say, "Do you know what bothers me? What bothers me is…….". I swear the man could go on for hours on one topic alone. That happens to be part of what makes Carolla funny. His character in the film is the same way. Not only does it work well, it works very well.

The movie also has a nice love story involving Jerry and one of his boxing students Lindsay (Heather Juregensen). If you need to convince a woman to see it, here is your angle. There is enough "romance" in the movie that it will keep her interested plus she won't drag you to see 27 Dresses for making her watch this movie.

There is also a funny comedic performance from Oswaldo Castillo as Oswald. Harold House Moore plays Robert Brown, a light heavyweight competing with Jerry for that elusive Olympic spot. Moore does a great job as the young, hot shot, up-and-coming boxer.

My suggestion: Go see The Hammer! If you like Adam Carolla you will like this movie. It's a nice original story that's also funny, and entertaining. It's going to be one of those movies that people will re-watch on cable. Well worth the $9.75 I paid to see it.

Reason # 47 I Love YouTube

I still can't believe this actually aired on TV.

Welcome Home Roscoe Jenkins

Last week I was home sick watching some movies on cable. What else am I suppose to do with my sick day? So as I’m scrolling through channels and I land on
Blue Streak starring Martin Lawrence and Luke Wilson. The movie also has a small role with a comedian by the name of Dave Chappelle. I realized that I forgot how funny Martin’s movies used to be. There are some real laugh-out-loud moments in that movie. This is film had a okay plot, but Martin’s antics carried the film turning this okay action/comedy into a decent movie.

This weekend I ventured out of my home to see Martin’s latest movie Welcome Home Roscoe Jenkins. Martin stars as Roscoe Jenkins, a talk show host who is going home for his parents 50th wedding anniversary. He’s bringing ex survivor contestant/fiancée Bianca (Joy Bryant) along for the trip.

Most of the film revolves around Roscoe’s relationship with his father Papa Jenkins (James Earl Jones) and his competition with cousin Clyde (Cedric The Entertainer) for the love of Lucinda (Nicole Ari Parker).

Most of the film just seemed dry. Some of the subplots are underdeveloped and leave you uninterested. There was a lot of physical humor, but if you aren’t into that you may want to sit this one out. I’m not a big fan of physical comedy. It doesn’t take much to make a face like I just smelled something nasty. It was the same old bits from the early 80’s. I just wasn’t amused. As funny as the comedians in the film are, Martin, Mike Epps, Mo’Nique, and Cedric The Entertainer, it felt like they were on a leash and couldn’t really be funny. I’ve seen them all be good in other movies so I wonder where all that funny went

The bright spot of the movie had to be Mike Epps as Roscoe’s cousin Reggie. Some of his one-liners were hilarious and he stole a few scene with just his facial expressions. The movie would have been much better if it had more that comedic freedom. You do get to see a glimpse of that freedom from the other comedians as closing credits roll. That by far was the funniest part of the movie and half of the theater had already left. The funniest moment of the night did not come from the a scene in the movie or the girl with the haircut from Mad Max that I saw at Applebee’s later that night. About halfway through the movie a baby starts crying and a man yells from across the theater, “Oh no! You got to take that out in the hallway”. Reason #184 I love going to the movies.

My suggestion: I’d wait to see it. It’s extremely predictable and doesn’t showcase anything that we haven’t already seen. This could have been a really clean family comedy or a really raunchy R rated comedy. Welcome Home seems to be stuck somewhere in between. With no real identity, this movie doesn’t flow well an may leave you wanting more or just wanting to leave.

Juno

When I first heard about the movie Juno for some reason I thought it was about that small town in Alaska. Why would I want to see a movie about that? Alaska is cold and boring like the last 3 minutes of Sopranos.

Turns out that Juno is a movie about a young woman who gets pregnant in high school and decides to put her child up for adoption. She meets this great adoptive couple early on in her pregnancy and that adds to some more complications in her young life. Like Juno says in the movie, “I’ve been dealing with things way beyond my maturity level.”

The film is a common tale of youth and pregnancy. Juno is played by Ellen Page who was great in Hard Candy and had a minor role in X-Men 3 as Kitty Pride. She delivers in this movie too as a confused teenager. She also has some of the movies laugh-out-loud moments with her witty one-liners. When discussing with the adoptive parents their options she says, “You should've gone to China, you know, 'cause I hear they give away babies like free iPods. You know, they pretty much just put them in those t-shirt guns and shoot them out at sporting events.”

The adoptive mother Vanessa is played by Jennifer Garner of Alias fame. I’m not usually a big fan of her work (I’m still bitter about seeing Daredevil), but she’s even good in this movie. She plays that mom who is unable to bear children. She wants a child so bad and the movie shows the effects on her marriage. Her husband Mark is played by Jason Bateman (He seems to be landing a lot of roles these days). Mark is classic as an old musician who never saw his Rock N’ Roll dreams come true so now composes cheesy tunes for commercials. The relationship between him and Juno is very awkward to watch in the movie. Some of the scenes with just the two of them had a weird feeling to them. I left feeling like he was sort of attracted to his high school kid even though he was older and married.

The supporting characters in the movie are hilarious. Juno’s father Mac MacGuff (J.K Simmons) and boyfriend Bleeker (Michael Cera) are great and add a lot of depth to the characters they play. Bleeker is her nerdy boyfriend who is obsessed with orange tic-tacs. The kid seems to be lost most of the film but that’s what you like about the character. He gets a girl pregnant and she decides to give it up for adoption with no real conversation about it. Her father Mac is a dad who’s dealing with his daughter being pregnant at 16. I couldn’t even imagine what that would be like. The film takes a very light approach on the subject. Rainn Wilson (Dwight from The Office) makes a nice cameo in the beginning of the movie and has some pretty funny lines in the film.

Juno is a look at how people deal with those situations. What was different about this movie was when they added the comedy to level of the seriousness of the subject matter. There are some very tense/real moments in the film and instead of taking a serious turn, the movie makes light of it with the comedy. It allows you to still get the message but not leave the film feeling heavy. I left Gone Baby Gone feeling like I had been in an emotional battle royal.

My suggestion: See Juno. Great movie that’s full of laughs and also has a nice message too it. Not too preachy and not too funny. It’s a good mix.

The Heartbreak Kid

Wrestlers usually have pretty lame attire and look goofy but what makes them stand out is the name. Names like Andre the Giant, Ultimate Warrior, Ravishing Rick Rude, The Undertaker, and The Road Warriors. One of my friends swears the best professional wrestler of all time is Shawn Michaels The Heartbreak Kid. He will not allow you to say anything negative about HBK in his home or you will quickly see the door. I may not have to liked him but I had to admit that his name was great. It can go both ways he can be the guy who never gets a break with the ladies or the guy who never gives the ladies a break.

With the Farrlley brothers adaptation to the 1972 movie set to hit theaters, I wasn’t sure which Heartbreak Kid was going to show up.

HBK opens with Eddie Cantrow (Stiller) a 40 year old single man set to spend his Valentine’s day alone at his ex-fiancés wedding. After sitting through the ceremony he meets the girls of his dreams. Soon after they are married and plan a trip to Mexico. As quickly as they get married Eddie realizes that he may have been in way over his head. At the resort he meets Miranda (Michelle Monaghan) and falls instantly in love. Now he’s faced with the dilemma of getting rid of his wife and spending time with his new love.

I would love to recommend this movie to my mom, but I know she wouldn’t get past the first few minutes. There is a lot of crude, rude humor. Those happen to be some of the funniest scenes in the movies. None of which they are able to show on a the trailer for the movie. If you are easily offended, this movie is not for you.
This movie has some of the most ridiculous love scenes I’ve ever seen. It’s not just the physical humor but some of the lines that are delivered are priceless. I was laughing after the movie.

Some scene stealers include Carlos Mencia as Uncle Tito. I’m not even a fan of Carlos Mencia. I actually think he’s not very funny, but he’s great in this film. Malin Akerman as Lila the good girl gone crazy. She does a great job as her story unravels and Eddie finds out more and more about her past. Jerry Stiller as Doc has a very small role, but all of his scenes are funny. He even reminds me of my dad. My dad is constantly trying to pimp me out to young women. We had a conversation one day that went like this

Dad: Hey son how are you?
Me: I’m good, just watching tv (girl laughing in the background)
Dad: Is that a girl?
Me: Yeah that’s my friend, she’s over here hanging out
Dad: (rushing off the phone) I’ll let you go. Take care of business son!

Hopefully once I’m married those phone calls will stop


My suggestion: Other than Superbad it’s the funniest movie I’ve seen all year. I laughed more at this than I did at Pirates (yes I’m still mad). I’m off to see this movie again this week. You will definitely leave this movie with a few more slang words that you didn’t have before.

My grade: 3.7 – You can get a good grade just by making the teacher laugh. What a skill!

Balls Of Fury: "I'm going to Disneyland"

I use to see sneak previews all of the time. It felt like I was going every week. Somehow I got too busy working out, taking boxing lessons, or just sitting at home doing nothing, that I forgot how much fun they are. You can say, “I saw movie x and it was pretty good”. When they say, “Is that out already?” you can say, “No! It’s not out yet” with a smile on your face, leaving them a little puzzled as to how you saw the movie. Last night I had the pleasure of seeing a sneak preview of the new comedy Balls Of Fury.

BOF is a tale about an ex ping-pong champion Randy Daytona (Dan Folger) who is brought out of retirement by FBI Agent Rodriquez (George Lopez) to catch a dangerous criminal, Mr. Feng (Christopher Walken).

After being out of the game for so long Daytona is trained by a blind man Master Wong (James Hong) and his niece Maggie (Maggie Q). They both put Daytona through grueling training to get him ready for Feng’s tournament. Maggie Q is the “eye candy” for the movie. She’s definitely going to be bumped up on next year’s Maxims Hot 100 after her roles Live Free or Die Hard and BOF.

This movie has so many comical references to Enter The Dragon. The group travels to Feng’s island compound which is very reminiscence of Mr. Han’s compound in Enter the Dragon. Even down the scene in ETD where all the fighters are practicing, there is a scene just like it in BOF put instead of martial arts, it’s ping pong.

BOF has some great characters Mr. Wong is funny and there is a lot of subtle jokes they use about him being blind. Him not facing people while he’s talking, and asking “What just happened? What am I missing?”

Daytona’s nemesis is German Karl Wolfschtagg (Reno 911’s Thomas Lennon). He beat Daytona back in the ’88 Olympics and has showed up at Feng’s tournament to win it all. Karl is extremely sarcastic, rude and hilarious all at the same time.

Walken is great as Feng. He has great timing with his jokes in the movie, not to mention all the ridiculous outfits and sunglasses he randomly shows up in. I can’t tell if he’s a alien or a vampire. The first time I can remember seeing Christopher Walken was when I was a kid in that movie The Dead Zone. He was pretty creepy in that. Who knew that 24 years later I’d be laughing at him in comedies.

My Suggestion: BOF is a great comedy. May not be the funniest movie I’ve seen all year, but worth the matinee price for a good laugh. If not for the great ping pong scenes, see it for Christopher Walken and his futuristic vampire outfits.

My grade: 3.0- Not the best student, but it pays to show a little effort when nobody else is.

High School High

I loved my time in High School. I attended a ton of schools from grades K thru 12th grade, 12 total to be exact. My remaining three years being spent at Garfield High School. Some of the craziest, funniest, wildest years of my young life. With that said I really enjoy high school movies. I think they are a riot. Sometimes I look at characters and feel like that’s me on screen, but most of the time I think it allows writers, directors or whoever else is working on the film to relive their high school days.

Superbad is a film about two high school friends Evan (Michael Cera) and Seth (Jonah Hill) living their last two weeks of high school. When their friend Fogell (Christopher Mintz-Plasse) gets a fake ID (under the name McLovin) they are asked to bring alcohol to the party where the girls of their dreams are. Seth’s plan is to get drunk and lose his virginity to Jules (Emma Stone). Evan just wants to tell his dream girl Becca (Martha MacIsaac) how he feels.

With most plans you make in high school, things quickly get out of hand. McLovin is punched in a robbery at the liquor store. Now with no money and no liquor Seth and Evan scramble to find ways to get alcohol or they have no chance of hooking up with the girls of their dreams.

Fogell aka McLovin is one of the funniest characters in the movie. He’s this nerd who I don’t think realizes he’s not really all that cool. He talks like a wannnabe gangster and makes this scratching sound with his voice. McLovin spends most of the movie with two incompetent police officers Slater (Bill Hader) and Michaels (Seth Rogen). These two cops run around town not doing their jobs and playing light sabers with thier flashlights. To protect and to serve is the last thing on their minds.

Seth spends most of the movie sounding like he’s going to lose his mind over not hooking up with Jules. He blast Fogell with insult after insult. Sometimes it out of frustration and others because he considers Fogell not to be the coolest guy on the planet. A lot of Seth’s scenes provide some the movies vulgar and hilarious moments.

Although this movie is a riot to watch, and almost non-stop humor from beginning to end, there are some good points to the movie. You get to see how two friends deal with going off to different schools, underage drinking, high school parties, trying to have enough guts to tell a girl how they feel, and just trying to fit in. The movie is great because it tackles those issues and never misses a beat.

My Suggestion: May be the funniest movie of the year. This movie is not kids or anyone who’s offended easily. It’s really one of those R rated, vulgar, offensive, high school movies. Although it’s a tale as old as time, the movie seems pretty fresh. Maybe it’s the string of PG-13 comedy that has been out the past few years. In the film they try some new gags and new bits in the film that I’m sure some new movies will try and copy. You’ll be seeing a ton of kids using the name McLovin. It’s already the name of my Fantasy Football team. “What’s up Gangstas?”

My Grade: 3.7 – Keep this up and you’ll get into any party you want to all year long.

3 The Hard Way

I have a personal rule about the third installment of movies and that’s the John Starks Rule. John Starks was a great 3 point shooter for the New York Knicks in the 90’s. Starks was some fans favorite Knick and some others most hated player because of how streaky he was. When he was on he was ON (wipe him down), but when he wasn’t he really wasn’t. That’s how I feel about third installments for movies. Sometimes the third a movie can work well. Movies like Die Hard with a Vengeance, Mission Impossible 3, Return of the Jedi, The Return of the King, and most recently Oceans 13 and Spiderman 3. Most of the time these movies are not so good. The only problem is that the list for movies that don’t work is much, much longer. Some of the worst ones I can remember are Back to the Future 3, Beverly Hills Cop 3, The Matrix Revolutions, Blade Trinity, Scream 3, The Godfather 3, Fast and The Furious Tokyo Drift, and most recently Pirates of the Caribbean at Worlds End (Yes I’m still mad about it)

The only way the Starks Rule works is that people have to buy in to the first two movies. Starks was a great player and has been involved in some of the NBA’s greatest moments. He would score 35 one night and the next night this same guy would shoot you out the game. That’s how those movies are. The first movie has to be good and the sequel has to be at least tolerable but you don’t have to love it. It has to pull you in enough so that when the third movie is as entertaining as watching old people shuffle board, you feel like you’ve been wronged in some way. You give the guy at the ticket booth a look like, “You knew this movie sucked and you let me buy a ticket anyway. Why didn’t you warn me?”

Rush Hour 3 had the potential to land on either side. I went in wanting the movie to be entertaining enough that I didn’t feel like I was robbed without a gun or any use of force but not enough so that Bret Ratner would be sitting at home this spring writing a script that involved Lee and Carter going to Australia and fighting Aborigine Triads steroid smugglers.

Rush Hour picks up where it left off. Carter (Chris Tucker) is a uniform cop directing traffic. (After all this guys done he’s directing traffic? How’s this possible?) Lee (Jackie Chan) is protecting Ambassador Han (Tzi Ma) as he is about to expose a secret of one of the world’s most dangerous gangs. Han is shot as he delivers his speech and his daughter Soo Yung’s (Jingchu Zhang) life is in danger as well. Carter and Lee set off to find who is responsible. This search leads them to Paris.

The two are joined by Genevieve (Noemie Lenoir) and their cab driver George (Yvan Attal) who provides some funny dialogue. The movie starts off funny and continues to be funny all the way through. A few of their bits work and some of them seem really forced, but I did laugh out loud a few times. A lot of the humor seems to be Chris Tucker just being Chris Tucker and how comfortable he seems on screen with Jackie and how well they work together.

I always felt that the first two were good action movies that were funny. I felt that this movie was a funny movie with some okay action. None of the fight scenes made me say “ohhhhhhhhh”. The movie was missing something.

The plot itself was crazy and didn’t really make sense at all. The ending was pretty terrible. I thought my 10 year old niece wrote it. The crazy thing is I was laughing so much that I didn’t realize it until the end of the movie.

My Suggestion: This movie reminds me of the good John Starks. Go see it. I know I may have made it sound like Ernest Goes to Jail meets Shanghi Surprise but it is worth seeing. The comedy alone is worth the trip. It’s no Spiderman 3 or Return of the Jedi but definitely not Blade Trinity or that Pirate nonsense.

My Grade: 3.0 – You only passed because you were funny in class all year long. Great job!

Pirates Blunder

Pirates Of The Caribbean – At Worlds End

Branded as one of this summer’s blockbusters and for some a “sure hit” At Worlds End does not deliver. The film was 167 minutes of slapstick comedy, cheap gags, double-crosses (too many to keep track), and a weak love story between Elizabeth Swann (Kiera Knightley) and Will Turner (Orlando Bloom). The plot seemed to be all over the place. After the film a friend called and asked me what the movie was about. I felt like I needed a flow chart to explain what was happening.

The best part about the over 2 ½ hours I spent in my squirming in my seat was the Transformers trailer that showed.(If I would have known that’s as good as was going to feel, I would have left. Encore movie channel had a Jaws marathon on) Unlike its predecessors, The Curse Of The Black Pearl and Dead Man’s Chest, At Worlds End replaces elaborate sword fighting scenes with witty one-liners from Jack Sparrow and big budget ship explosions and characters who’s problems never seem to get resolved. The most irritating scene of the movie is in the middle of a huge sword fight Elizabeth and Will decided to get married. I had no problem with that…….except that they actually recited vows to one another as Captain Barbossa played the role of the Minster. All three fought off bad guys while going through the ceremony. At points the lovely couple would be thrown into one another just long enough to gaze into each other’s eyes and say their vows.

The movie wasn’t a total waste. Bill Nighy does an excellent job as Davy Jones. He really brought a lot of life to that character that we didn’t see in the previous movie. I just wish we had more of him in the film.

My suggestion: If you feel you REALLY need to see it, I would rent, Netflix or borrow from some die hard Pirates fan who won’t admit the movie stunk. If you miss this last (hopefully) installment don’t feel bad. I’m going to pretend I never saw it.

My grade: 2.0 – Enough to get you on the basketball team, but your parents are going to be upset when you get home.

Knocked Up

Knocked Up

Still depressed about the $9.75 I spent to see Pirates Of The Caribbean 3: Waste Your Money On This . I realized I could have done a lot with that $9.75. I could have had lunch at Specialty's Bakery, food and drinks at happy hour, bought a health and fitness magazine I' ll never read (but looks really cool on my table) or even some new Star Wars stamps ! People are tired of hearing me complain about how much I couldn' t stand the movie. I really needed to see something good. I needed something positive to talk about. My choice this weekend was the comedy Knocked Up. Writer/Director Judd Apatow gives us is a fresh look at dating, relationships, marriage and pregnancy. Just not necessarily in that order.
Alison (Katherine Heigl) is out on the town after receiving a promotion and meets Ben (Seth Rogen). The two of them get drunk, have a one night stand, and 8 weeks later she realizes she' s pregnant. The film follows as both characters navigate through their lives as things start to change around this unplanned pregnancy.

Not only is this movie funny, I felt like Knocked Up is a very real movie with real characters and real dialogue. This is hard to find in cinema these days. Even with the raunchy jokes and foul language, the movie never feel off track. The conversations seemed to be plucked from real life and placed on film. From the awkward post one-night stand conversation, advice Ben and Alison receive from their friends and family, to the many discussions/arguments that you witness during the movie. It gives you that weird "maybe I shouldn' t be listening to this conversation " feeling. If you' ve ever walked in on your friend arguing with their spouse you know what I mean. I saw the movie with my friend and his wife. It all seemed so real to me, but then again I' m single. When I told them my feelings on the dialogue they agreed. I glanced over at them a few times during the film to catch a reaction and I could see them talking laughing as if they could relate.

One of the added bonuses of the film is Alison's sister Debbie (Leslie Mann) and her dissolving marriage with Pete (Paul Rudd). The two of them go back in forth in the film. It 's like they both can' t stand each other but are still really in love and just trying to figure things out. The parents-to-be look at them as maybe a glimpse into their not so happy future. Some of the films funniest moments come from Ben's roommates (Jason Segel, Jonah Hill, Jay Baruchel and Martin Starr) who argue fight like brothers. Also funny are two very short scenes with one of Alison's coworkers (Kristin Wiig) who makes very subtle but rude comments about Alison during a meeting with her boss.

Knocked Up is not a film about romance or a geek gets he girl tale. Don 't let the trailer for this film fool you. It 's a smart comedy and a real look at how this generation views relationships. You see how the characters grow throughout the film. There are some really good life lessons disguised as in slacker jokes and gross humor.

My Suggestion: Go see the film. You can A) get lost and laugh at all the jokes and take a timeout from life or B) Have a discussion about relationships and responsibility. I know you may think I 'm crazy for saying that, but see the film and then we'll see who 's crazy!

My Grade: 3.5 - The only reason you didn't get a 4.0 is to not show up your friends.