Funny People (FP) is both amusing and touching at the same time.FP isn’t Judd Apatow best or funniest movie, but it certainly is his most personal film to date.It feels like a faithful nod to the stand-up clubs scenes of today.With a few glaring story structural flaws, the movie still manages to be better written than most of the family seasonal comedies that have come out recently.If you give this movie a chance, it will be rewarding to most.
The story focuses in on two comedians at opposite ends of the comedy scene.Adam Sandler plays George Simmons.Simmons is just another version of Sandler.He makes major motion pictures that aren’t exactly that good, but are popular and family friendly.His is a mixture between Eddie Murphy and Sandler.So, Sandler is playing himself here.The other character is Seth Rogen, and he plays the up-in-coming Ira Wright.Here, he is just playing himself as well.These two comedians find common ground and Ira ends up working for Simmons.This is because Simmons discovers that he has a life-threatening disease.
The stand-up portions of the film are some of the best scenes as are the Rogen and his roommates scenes.This is probably Sandler’s best acting job since Spanglish.Sandler’s character is a bit of an asshole, and especially the way he treats Rogen’s character.His character is a bit mean-spirited during the third act.
And, the movie partly jumps off the rails in the third act.Sandler ends up falling back in love with Leslie Mann.But her character is already married and has two children.This is where the film becomes very awkward and it makes George Simmons look like a total a-hole.While I liked that the movie does play around with the romantic conventions a bit, the third act of the movie is at its weakest here.
However, the movie as a whole is very rewarding to me.I am currently going through something very similar with a family member that is currently going through treatment, and I can now understand what both Rogen and Sandler’s characters are going through.With an unstable third act, the movie is still a better film than Knocked Up.
Grade: B+
I hate to say this, but Jonah Hill is getting pretty big. It is very noticeable in this movie.
While listening to the Mighty Sabo podcast, they mentioned the old Quartz watches that transformed into tiny robots. I remember having two of these watches. I believe I had the black one. But, they came in different colors. What was cool with the watch was it was actual functioning watch, but was also a toy too.
I remember every boy had one of these watches. I would totally sport one of these watches today.
Man, this brings back memories.
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BTW, this picture of Megan Fox came up when I did a search for pics for this topic. I'm sure she is on the phone with her agent trying to get out of showing up for Transformers III.
I used to view Cyrus as no more than a prepackaged Disney product that only the masses of little girls found interesting. I never really gave her much thought and simply overlooked her as an entertainer. Now, she has my complete and utter support.
She hates Twilight and doesn't understand the appeal.
(("I don't believe in it," said Miley in an interview.. "I don't like vampires. I don't like the wolf that pops out of the screen when I'm watching my TV at night. I don't like it. I don't want anything to do with it. I don't like the shirts. I don't like any of it." ))
I like vampires, but not emo ones that sparkle. Tell us how you really feel about the Twilight fans, Miley.
((“I think it’s a cult. I think it’s bad. I think it’s, like, just people get too [much] into it. I feel really lame because everyone is so excited and I’m like, ‘Don’t even talk about it,’” she blurted. ))
Great, she just compared Twilight fans to Scientology followers. I think it is a ballsy move because her fan-base is the same base that watches and reads the Twilight series. Part of me wonders if this is a measured move on her part to distance herself from the teen audience.
She probably does have point in that Twilight Fans will go after anyone that makes fun of their franchise in the same way the Scientology folks use the Fair Game doctrine. Is there really a connection there?
I never thought I'd say this, but, Miley, you're my hero. At least for today...
Do you remember those “interactive” exploring puzzle games? They were all the rage back in the 90s. And the fuzzy FMV scenes were in many of the videogames at the time. Ripper was one of those games with an outstanding cast of actors, but it is clear that most of these actor are phoning it in.
Christopher Walken: He is just playing himself here, just a little sillier. I can’t believe they got him for this crappy videogame. He plays such a big role too.
Burgess Meredith: This one of his last roles before his death. You can clearly tell that he isn’t all the way there. He looks very sick, yet he sounds more like his character from Batman. Was this really the way people wanted to remember him?
Karen Allen: Yes, that Karen Allen. You can tell she isn’t happy about doing this role. I feel bad for her because her career wasn’t exactly on fire during the mid-90s through the 2000s. She certainly looks better in the last Indiana Jones movie than here in this game.
I’m no sports fan and this is neither a sports blog, but it should be noted that the big news to come out of Louisville is the loser coach Steve Kragthorpe has been fired from U of L. He was able to get fired from his job from sheer suck-ness and without any sex scandals or other issues.
I hate going to sporting events and watching them on TV, but even I knew that Kragthorpe was a terrible coach. (I haven’t seen a single game from his losing seasons.) When you get a non-sports fans attention, you must be doing something wrong. Part of me feels bad for him, but he just wasn't cutting it.
From the school sports director, ((“I felt we needed to go in another direction and get the program on the track we all wanted to be on,” Jurich said at a news conference.))
I'll willing to bet if I got fired, it wouldn't sound this nice.
First off, the hot chick that looks like Rihanna is named Cassandra Ventura. She has the walk and look of Rihanna down in this video. I have to agree with the writer in the EW post, something is very uncomfortable about this video. Listening to the lyrics, it is certainly a 'love letter' to Rihanna. He talks about having “one more chance” throughout the song.
It feels like this is merely another PR move in order to save his career, but the song isn't that bad. I just can't get that image of Rihanna's beaten-up face out of my mind every time I see Chris Brown. Sorry, Chris, I can't forget that.
The actual video isn't that bad, but the Rihanna hairstyle is a bit much.
Notes:
-MJ Style: He even does a Michael Jackson tribute. But, I'm not sure if he's a Jumper, because he jumps from the wet streets of a nameless city to the middle of a desert.
-Did someone fool with the heating controls in his hotel room? You can see his breath.
-Chris Brown seems to have a heart condition, because his heart is transparent and a cartoon in the early portion of the video.
MC has inspired me to start doing a few of these again, and I have some spare time to do it this week. So, let's go through a few of these amusing terms shall we?
Stress to Impress: ((Temporary anxiety caused by the need or want to show off a certain skill in front of a person or group. The skill can usually be attained unless others are watching, causing the stress.))
Comment: I've never heard of this one before, but I guess it means showing off. I guess when a boss walks around or a hot chick comes around to watch you.
Comment: Who knew Turkeys could bark or fart? I knew that eating turkey could make you sleep, but causing you fart is a new one on me. So, does that mean the person that smells the turkey fart will fall asleep?
Trailer Fraud: ((When a trailer misrepresents the movie it advertises. When you view the actual movie, you see the trailer has nothing to do with the narrative, characters or plot. You are a victim of trailer fraud. ))
Comment: This happens all the time. It usually means the movie is either too deep to market to wide audiences or too crappy to promote otherwise.
man chair: ((A man chair is the chair that men sit in while their partner is shopping for long periods of time. They can be found in almost any clothing or shoe store. What can we, as men do while our gf's or wives are shopping, we can sit in a man chair.))
Comment: I'm a single guy, but I see these man chairs filled up with unhappy men sitting there waiting for their women to finish wasting money. They always have this distance expression on their faces as if they're kissing a portion of their life goodbye. One of the few benefits of being single is not having to sit in the man chair or go shopping. I have to give stores credit for supplying the man chairs.
spit take: ((A visual gimmick used in film and on stage where a person is surprised or taken aback by another's actions or words while drinking, and spits or sputters that liquid. ))
Comment: I remember when every movie would have a spit take back in the 80s. You really don't see this trend anymore. Let's bring it back.
Indoorsman: ((A person who spends considerable time in indoor pursuits, such as computing, sleeping and watching sports on television. ))
Comment: I think this is a clever term. I've met many Indoorsmen in my time. Hell, I was one of these people back in the day.
maybe later: ((a slightly less (or more) dick way of saying "no fucking way." ))
Comment: I never realized it, but that is true. Most people that say, “Maybe later” never really mean it. It is a passive aggressive way of saying F' No.
Well, that certainly looked entertaining.The storyline seems to be loosely based on the Crime Syndicate of America storylines that involve Earth-Three superheroes.
What is interesting about this new Justice League project is that it was supposed to be a set in the DCAU.The producers planned on having this movie as a prequel set right before the switch from Justice League to Justice League Unlimited.They took that script and removed all the DCAU info and made it a separate story outside the DCAU. That is a real shame because I still think there are still some stories to be told in the DCAU.I think this one and the Superman/Batman movies could have easily worked in the DCAU.
~Crocodile Tears: I am always amazed when I get referenced from a site or message board. It seems I am linked to a cool site that explains idioms in a dictionary form. You can see the link is connected to my post on the crocodile tears page. In 2005, I wouldn't believe everything that has happened to me because of this blog. I still can't myself. BTW, I will be using this site like I do with the urban dictionary.
~Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles: I rented the first DVD and I have to say I am enjoying what I am watching so far. The series follows closely with the continuity of the first two movies, but resets the events in Terminator III, but doesn't exactly ignore it either. Here's hoping the show doesn't turn the characters too emo.
~My Life in Ruins vs. I Hate Valentine's Day: I ended up getting confused and thinking these two Nia Vardalos movies were the same damn movie. Nia even wrote both movies. Let’s call them My Greek Wedding II & III.
~Michelle Banzer: A friend of mine is a fan of hers on facebook and I have to say she is one nice looking woman. If people want to know the difference between hot and cute, Michelle Banzer is hot. This is one of those girls you say are way out of your league.
~Is it wrong for me to say I find Katie Couric Sexy? And, how exactly did these drunk photo pictures get out there? I personally think they're rather tame to me, especially when you consider of the there are far worst photo scandals out there. This is just an older woman having a little fun that's all.
Yes, that is the title for the fourth Shrek movie that's coming out on May 21, 2010. I'll admit that I liked the first movie and loved the second movie in the series. I thought those two movie combined were good pop cultural stories that gave a huge middle finger to Disney. The franchise hit the wall when they shoehorned in the third Shrek movie. It was by the numbers and not very funny.
With this supposedly being the last film in the Shrek main set of movies, Dreamworks can redeem themselves with this fourth movie. Though, I highly doubt it. Plus, I'm willing to bet this won't be the last one.
I would also like to point out that John Lithgow will be reprising his role as Lord Farquaad.
Is anyone really looking forward to this new Shrek IV?
You would think a vampire that’s been around for a long time would understand how to fix his damn hair in non-D-bag manner.
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Twlight II makes a lot of money.
“$72.7 million...has the world lost it? I'm done with this planet.”
I wrote this statement on my facebook when I noticed the box office returns for the opening day to the Twilight: New Moon movie.I was bit angry with that, but someone from Film School Reject radio mentioned that this was essentially the female version of Transformers II Revenge of the Fallen.I realized it doesn’t matter what I think, because the unwashed masses will see it anyway.And, at this point, it really doesn’t matter because the damn movie has made $153 million.
The person I really feel bad for because of this sequel’s success is director Catherine Hardwicke.She was the director of the first movie (Twilight) and pretty much even the most hardcore fans hated the movie. (Yet, they made it a success.)I would hear how much they hated the movie but still loved the books.
Summit Entertainment I guess took this as a sign to fire her, so they did.The best part of this story is that the studio fired her from making the sequels when she was doing promotion for her first Twilight movie.That’s messed up.
Now, Chris Weitz has come in to fill the director’s seat and he gotten far better praise than Catherine Hardwicke.Even people that hated New Moon have stated, “Well, it’s better than the first movie.”Poor Hardwicke…
I guess I could go on about the extreme nature of many Twilight fans I’ve encountered over the years, but I’ll just mention a certain flame war that went on Facebook when a woman remarked how stupid the series was and the twilight fan ripped into the Twilight hater.
Edward Cullen:“Hey, you’re off in a rush.Don’t you want to sit down and watch me sparkle and glitter for a hour?”
Bella Swan:“Whatever!I’m trying to get home to watch True Blood.”
Edward Cullen:“F’ you, Bella.Stop rubbing in the fact it is a better written series.”
She reminds me of that girl at the party that gets a little too drunk and starts stripping down to her panties and making a complete ass of herself. She's the one that ruins a party because it is more sad than alluring.
Usually when someone goes bat-crap crazy it is behind closed doors.But, Internet/Reality show hack Tila Tequila had her nervous breakdown live on her Ustream Channel. Thousands got to see her sitting around naked and spouting out illogical nonsense (instead of logical nonsense).
Keep in mind, Tila usually sluts it up on her Ustream channel by first talking to her audience and then going into a striptease on air. She never really shows any nudity per say, but this was a little different.While she was naked, she went off on her (possible D-Bag) ex-boyfriend NFL Shawne Merriman.(I think MC saw my reaction to one of her PG-13 strip shows this year.)
You can check out a portion of her naked meltdown here. It is rather amusing and sad to watch, but it is not safe for work in the least bit. The clip doesn't have that much nudity in it though. But, her rants are somewhat confusing too.
Hightlights of the 16-minute video...
~She claims her ex-boyfriend was sleeping with minors. Did this happen while you were dating him, Tila? Is she confusing him for Roman Polanski?
~Her best line: “He don't even like black girls. He don't even support black people. He don't represent his people. He only dates white girls and Asian girls.” Is this the reverse race card? I'm confused. So does the glove fit?
~She seems to have a conversation with her own ass in the clip, which is strange.
BTW, here is a PG-13 portion of her meltdown.
Basically, we’re finally seeing the wheels fall off after a long time of barely keeping it together.I always felt there was something wrong with Miss Tequila.Listening to Loveline for about tens years seems to have made me aware of spotting damaged goods.And, Tila Tequila shows a lot of signs of past abuse.
Even she claims She had flashbacks to her “abuse” by Shawne Merriman. While I believe there is abuse somewhere in the mix, there seems to be a certain touch of “Hey, look at me, look at me!”The fake boobs, the stupid reality show, and her breakdown seemed to be well-constructed scheme to keep her in the news.While I think her breakdown was real, I do believe she made sure the camera was rolling to spot it all.
((Please read this email carefully. This is the last time we will be discussing this. ))
Okay, sounds okay to me.It goes downhill from here.
((This weekend, saturday and sunday we had 451 customers. Guess how many emails we collected? 60? 80? 40? No. None of those. We, or more acurately you, collected 2 emails. Thats less than half of one percent. 2 fucking emails.))
You see the owner wants his waiters to collect E-mail addresses in order to contact the customers about things involving the restaurant.He’s attacking his staff because he just got two e-mails out of 451.What he doesn’t understand is not everyone wants to give out their e-mail addresses to some person that they just met.
((WHAT THE FUCK IS WRONG WITH YOU ASSHOLES?!?!?! How many times do we have to tell you how important it is that you collect emails. Everytime we have a slow night and you make no money and you sit there bitching about how you make no money, remember its because youre fucking lazy motherfuckers. YOU SHOULD ALL BE FIRED IMMEDIATELY!!!!! ALL OF YOU, INCLUDING THE HOSTS!!!!))
Yes, calling you’re staff lazy MF-ers will surely bring morale up.And calling them a-holes is the cherry on top.Are E-mails really that important?How about making great food and getting the word out there instead about the good service?
And, wait you’re firing your hot hostesses too?
((Let me guess, youre probably sitting there saying "Vadim is such a fucking asshole. How dare he speak to me like this. I dont need this." Youre right, you dont, so why dont you get the fuck out. Any and all of you.))
At this point, I would have. You have to have enough self-respect to take a stand and say, “I’ve had enough of this crap.”
He goes on to repeat himself.
((Youre probably sitting there saying "How dare he speak to me like this. How dare he not have respect for me". Youre right there also. I have absolutely no respect for any of you. Why? Because every fucking day, all of you continue to show that you have absolutely no respect for me or Alex. So if you dont respect us enough to do the little that we ask you to do, then GET THE FUCK OUT YOU FUCKING LAZY DISRESPECTFUL ASSHOLES!!!!!))
Soooo, you’re telling me you out me to quit, right?I couldn’t read it through the damn CAPS!!!!
((Effective immediately, any server or host who fails to collect at least 20 emails per week, will be fined $100. Anyone failing to collect at least 20 emails for two weeks in a month will be fired immediately. No matter what. No matter who you are.))
Fined $100?That’s a bit harsh.
How about not spamming your customers at the table about getting their E-mails.If I’m sitting at the table trying to eat, the last thing I want is having a frightened waiter begging me for my e-mail address.Some customers might find that annoying.
Let’s skip to the end of this love letter to his employees.
((I am sick of all this shit, you bunch of fucking children. This is what I have to deal with at 6AM?!?!? I wouldnt tolerate this from my 13 year old, and Im sure as shit not going to tolerate it from any of you assholes.
You give no respect, you get 10 times back.))
Way to keep it classy by mentioning your child in the fiery e-mail.
It is awkward to ask for e-mail addresses at a time when Spam and viruses are out of control on the Internet.People are weary of that and some find it intrusive.
I know advertising is expensive, but there are other ways to keep your customers aware of the restaurant.Facebook and Myspace:You can post your Facebook on the check at the bottom or hand out a small card telling them about the Facebook page.They can join it for updates.
What Mr. Ponorovsky fails to understand is that the reason the e-mail was leaked was because you pissed someone off and this was his or her way of getting back at you.Think of this as good old Internet Justice.If you worded the e-mail a little nicer, this probably wouldn’t have happened.And, now everyone around the Inter-Tubes knows you’re a major prick.You’re “You give no respect, you get 10 times back” is now biting you in the ass now.How fitting…
Coming from a passing fan of the show, I enjoyed the movie.I actually feel it is a more fulfilling movie than Battlestar Galactica: Razor.It plays with a lot of time jumps and a large expansive cast.Part of the credit goes to the writers for making it understandable for even part-time fans.There are many nice little character moments throughout this story.
Director Edward James Olmos is a very good director, but he’s only done a few movies here and there.I’ve come to enjoy both movies Walkout and American Me.Olmos transfers his street gritty style into this movie.But, Olmos sometimes goes too far with the camera movements, and it gets a little too shaky.However, his footage does fit with the episodes the story runs concurrently with throughout the series.
Let it be known that this is Dean Stockwell’s movie.The movie pretty much surrounds him.His Brother Cavil is the driving force behind the movie.Stockwell is amazing here.Stockwell does a good job handling the more comedic moments that actually made me laugh out loud.He also shines during the dramatic moments too.He aI now have a different view of Cavil…well a version of him.
I also liked the view of the Cylons attack on the colonies and the various other points in the series.The huge Cylon ships are just breathtaking, and they look slightly different than the ones in the series.
It should be noted that there are some violent scenes in this movie.However, there is a great deal of nudity in the movie, both male and female.If you know me, you’d know I did not have a problem with it.
In the end, the movie will not be accessible to no one that hasn’t seen an ounce of NuBSG footage.For hardcore fans, this will help give you a more complete view of the whole mythology behind the series.I enjoyed the movie on both the level of character development and mythology.Dean Stockwell is truly a sight to see here, and it makes me want to go back and re-watch "Quantum Leap".
Grade:B+
Notes:
-You can see the Pegasus getting attacked in the early scene in this movie.I had to rewind back to that ship cameo and smiled.It goes back to the Razor film at that moment.Nice callback there.
-Here’s an interesting thing.The young boy in this movie that Cavil keeps meeting never really interacts with anyone else in the movie.There has been talk around the Internet that kid might not be real. The kid seems to give a judgmental looks at Cavil. Cavil reacts uneasy around the kid.
-Grace Park is extremely cute.I’m not sure if I find her more attractive than Linda Park.Now, if I could have both Park ladies then I’d die a happy man.BTW, they’re not related.
~Erin Andrews stalker: All stalkers are crazy, but this Michael David Barrett takes it a step further in the stalker department. He followed Erin around wherever she went and called various hotels to find out where she was staying. He used a camera through the peephole. This is a new low. Well, he has been charged with it.
~Glee: Man, this show is surprisingly good. I mean sure the show is fluffy, but there are some great drama moments throughout and superb character development. I'm also surprised how well the show is handling the gay issue, and this is on a Fox network. The latest episode is probably one of the best written episodes this season. The episodes deals with a lot of current issues going on today. They even make the main villain have a heart in this episode.
~Dalia Dippolito video hiring contract killer (Undercover Cop) video: This is chilling because she sits there and chats about finding money to hire him to kill her husband like it is nothing. There is no anger behind her plotting, she just discusses it like she's asking the cop to take out her trash. Check out I guess you can't trust a pretty face. Here's a portion or her interrogation.
~One thing that always bothers me is when people say, “There's always someone out there for everyone.” Oh, shut up. If that were true, then no one should be dying alone. Does that mean the person that divorces their special soulmate picked the wrong one? I hate this BS. It's all the roll of the damn dice anyway.
I guess this cheap knock off wanted to ride on the coattails of the other 2012 movie.The studio behind this movie, with the fitting name of The Asylum, has made other movies like this one.The funny thing is the studio isn’t making those spoof movies or those porn parodies, but cheap knock offs that are played completely seriously.They’re just cheaper than the ones they’re copying off of.
The director of this “wonderful” piece of movie magic is Anthony Fankhauser.Looking at his IMDB, I see other knock off works he’s been producer on.Uwe Boll would be proud of this guy.Hell, he might be related to Mr. Boll.
Snakes on a Train:Would you like them on a boat or on a goat?Would you like them on a plane or a train?Really, Snakes on a Train?
First off, is Spencer’s hair is extra Douche Baggy-ness in the video. I love how the interview turns into a five year old argument. Sure it is an act, but why not start a beef with someone like Ice Cube or that Transporter dude? As I stated before, starting a fight with the (Al Roker) wimpiest newsman in the world doesn’t make you a badass. Then you get owned by Roker is just priceless.
A billion didn’t tune in to see you, Heidi. And, maybe it's just me, but Heidi's face seems to be getting longer and longer. (I'm I calling her a horse face?)
You tell me why I really enjoy this commercial.While watching Glee on Hulu, this ad came up.I did something I thought I’d ever do for an ad; I paused it and restarted it…twice.
“Better legs and a better with every step,” says the commercial.At two points, the cameraman scrolls down on the woman’s butt and lingers.Any shoe company that is willing to do that has my vote, and thank goodness there isn’t a dud version of this add.Maybe because I am a dude, I’d like to see more of these ads.
I've been looking everywhere to find out who the woman is in this video. She is obviously an athlete of some kind, because her body looks like a runner's body.
So, now people are talking about this ad because of its “butt” focus. People have to remember this is what Reebok wants. The more “sexism” controversy they can drum up, the more free press they get, and more market share they can gain. (Reebok:Take that Nike.)
((88% of men are speechless.
76% of women jealous.
EasyTone helps you get better legs
and a better butt with every single step. ))
Then you get the view of the Easy Tone shoes covering a naked woman's crotch area!Plus, there is an ad on the site where a woman’s boobs start talking to each other about being jealous of the attention the women’s butt is receiving!Yes, there are talking boobs in the ad…
Here’s a review on the “butt” shoes.
I kind of like the designs, but I'm not a shoe guy.
For a while Alan Silvestri stopped writing scores like this and wrote smaller scores.He would write grand themes with huge orchestras.Remember, he wrote the music to Predator 1 & 2, and Back to the Future 1-3.There is a certain sound that comes with Alan Silvestri (Early Silvestri) that you can spot his work just by listening to it.
Here is the direction Alan has taken recently.
Tomb Raider II
The Mexican
I love his score here because it is a complete departure to his other works.And, it really is a throwback to the old Western movies.He is clearly channeling and paying tribute to Ennio Morricone’s wonderful scores from the 60’s and 70s.He even has the Native American drums and chanting!Listen for it at the 8:55 mark.
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