(MOVIE REVIEW) LARRY CROWNE

If this movie would have been made in the 90's it would have cost $100M just for salary of the main cast. It also would have made a lot more at the box office. The world has kind of pass Roberts and Hanks by at this point. They don't draw the crowds like they once did and they are starting to see the decline of their once fruitful careers. That said, they actually make a pretty fun (yet completely unbelievable) couple on screen.

Plot: Until he was downsized, affable, amiable Larry Crowne (Hanks) was a superstar team leader at the big-box company where he's worked since his time in the Navy. Underwater on his mortgage and unclear on what to do with his suddenly free days, Larry heads to his local college to start over. There he becomes part of a colorful community of outcasts all trying to find a better future for themselves...often moving around town in a herd of scooters. In his public-speaking class, Larry develops an unexpected crush on his teacher Mercedes Tainot (Roberts), who has lost as much passion for teaching as she has for her husband. The simple guy who has every reason to think his life has stalled will come to learn an unexpected lesson: when you think everything worth having has passed you by, you just might discover your reason to live. Written by Universal Pictures

Thoughts? A cute movie. It's a movie about starting over and finding a new path when you are no longer able to continue on the old path. It's about growing as a person. I actually really like movies like that. I didn't care for them to make Roberts a drunk. That didn't add anything to the character, but I liked her in the movie and loved Hanks. He, as a middle aged man, can still pull off those "awe shucks, golly gee" scenes like a champ. Check the movie out!

(Movie Review) The Change Up

Ah. The switch up! It was great when I first saw it in Freaky Friday. Since then it has been an overused and under effective staple in the movie industry. So, as I heard the news that Bateman and Reynolds would be taking on this genre I was very hopeful....but in the end, it was just a slightly funnier cookie-cutter film that tries to stuff a "grass is greener" message into an "R" rated film.

Plot: Dave (Bateman) and Mitch (Reynolds) are lifelong friends. Dave is a married lawyer that seems to have it all together, but at the end of the day he takes all of the wonderful gifts in his life for granted. Mitch is a single slacker that has spent his whole life shrugging off responsibility. He sleeps with numerous random women and loves his uber- bachelor life. After a night of drinking and a pit stop at a fountain, the two wish for each other’s lives and end up getting exactly what they wish for. They must find a way to survive in each other’s bodies until they can correct the problem, and maybe learn to appreciate their own lives in the process.

Thoughts? It's an ok comedy. It's not horrible, but it sure as hell isn’t really setting the world on fire with its take on the body switch comedy. I can name a hand full of movies that do this much better. The one thing that The Change Up has going for it is that it is the first of its kind in the R-rated category. The problem is that it seems like they abuse rating and only use it for cheap laughs. Either way, the movie is just fine for a night in, but not worth putting the effort to track it down. 

FYI: I think that they pull a giant BS move with a very specific scene. Leslie Mann is shown topless in a scene. However, the CGI boobs on to Leslie in Post Production. What kind of movie is so hard up for breasts to be shown that they CGI them on to the cast? Also, what kind of actress takes a part but wont go the extra mile for the role. Not sure why, but when I found out about that it aggravated me.

(MOVIE REVIEW) The Lincoln Lawyer

I make it a point to hate everything that Matthew McConaughey is in. He, since the 90's, has been a stain on the film industry. Sure, he has been in some films that actually make money. That is not in question. The problem is that he is always in these really one dimensional movies and always plays one note characters. I hate that for him because the fact of the matter is that the guy can actually act (in very specific situations). This movie is one of the best that I have seen him in. It's not perfect, but way better than his many past sins.

Plot: A sleazy defense attorney has a crisis of conscience when he represents a wealthy client who has a foolproof plan to beat the system. - from IMDB

Thoughts? This movie is the best that McConaughey has put out since A Time To Kill. He is very relatable as a man with his back against the wall that must get himself out of a sticky situation. He shows that he really does have the chops to play a more serious role if Hollywood would give him more chances to do that. Good movie with a good cast. Watch it.

(TV REVIEW) Whitney Cummings : Money Shot

Good female comedians are like unicorns. Extremely rare and worth big bucks if you can find one. Suuuure. You can glue a cone to a horse and claim that it is a unicorn, but that is really just forcing something to be something that it isn't. There are a lot of female comedians that fit that analogy, Cho, Barr and even Sarah Silverman (who I once thought was the funniest person alive). Silverman suffers from a serious problem that makes her popular but only to certain people. She does waaaaaaay too much "gross comedy". This makes her popular with teen males, but once they get older theyrealize that she is just a grown woman (I think in her 40's) making fart noises on stage and describing what diarrhea is.

Cummings is a little different. I absolutely believe that she only got a break because she was funny and much more attractive than a lot of female comedians, but over the years she has grown into a pretty solid comedian. While she will get into the "gross comedy" area from time to time, most of her comedy in this special is "gender comedy". She has one REALLY annoying problem with starting off each sentence at a higher level than the rest of the joke. I realize that this is nitpicking, but watch this special and tell me that I am wrong. Other than that, I think that you should check this one out on Netflix.

(TV REVIEW) Russell Brand in New York City

I love some good stand up. I watch it on Comedy Central and online a good bit and I love the courage that it takes to get up on stage and just let it rip. It takes a very special and specific attitude to do what stand up comics do. So I will judge ole Russell on a curve for this.

Brand is a funny guy. No doubt. His comedic performances in movies are always spot on. You cant ACT funny. You are either born with that quality or you aren't. So, for him to do funny movies proves to me that he is a funny person. That being said, stand up exposes every weakness you have as a comedian. Brand has a lot of them. He relies too much on his English-ness (is that a word) to make the joke work. Also, he over uses his one trick shot...androgyny. He plays the "is he isn't he" role a little too much and it gets old after a while.

Overall, the stand up was ok. Check it out on Netflix of Comedy Central. But I wouldn't break my neck looking for it, as it lacks in a lot of departments.

(Movie Review) Harry and the Hendersons

It's funny to see a movie at two very different parts in your life. Once as a child and once as an adult. The things you take away from it are so much more lighthearted as a child, but there is usually some very meaty drama or emotion that you don't pick up on at a young age. Having not seen this movie for almost 20 years I was surprised by how many times I found myself teary eyed when I watched it last week. It is amazing what perspective does to a person.

Plot: Returning from a hunting trip in the forest, the Henderson family's car hits an animal in the road. At first they fear it was a man, but when they examine the "body" they find it's a "bigfoot". They think it's dead so they decide to take it home (there could be some money in this..). As you guessed, "it" isn't dead. Far from being the ferocious monster they fear "Harry" to be, he's a friendly giant. In their attempts to keep Harry a secret, the Henderson's have to hide him from the authorities and a man, who has made it his goal in life, to catch a "bigfoot". -from IMDB

Thoughts? An absolutely wonderful film. The movie has plenty of heart and brains. A story about how sometimes man is the most animalistic creature that we will ever come into contact with and how sometimes we are reminded of that by unusual circumstances. The actors are all perfect in their rolls and the overall message is a great one to live by. Check it out (again)!

(Movie Review) The Greatest Movie Ever Sold

Morgan Spurlock. The name alone sends chills up the backs of many companies. Why? Because Spurlock busted open a giant can of worms when he helped show the underbelly (and the stretch marks on that belly) of the food industry. So, as you can imagine, Spurlock and Corporate Sponsored goes together like a diabetic and candy taste tester. None the less, Spurlock wanted to reach out to the corporate world and pitch the idea of a movie about corporate sponsorships that is paid for by corporate sponsorships. An AWESOME idea.

Plot: A documentary about branding, advertising and product placement that is financed and made possible by brands, advertising and product placement. Spurlock gives you a glimpse inside the world of Corporate Product Placement in everyday life.

Thoughts? Some people are not as in love with the idea of this documentary as I was. I thought that it did a fair job of showing exactly how much we are subjected to the product placements in everyday life. TV is full of it these days. I had to watch a commercial (basically) within the show Bones about their car self parking. So obvious that it yanks you right out of the show. So, for others to see the billions of ways that they are advertised to that are NOT as blatant as the example from Bones was actually really interesting. Check it out.