Andy Labis, Author at Entertainment Ave!

“The Avengers” is a Movie, “Angry Birds” is Real, “The Voice” is Ending, and Do You Really Have to Tease “Celebrity Apprentice?”

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During this episode of our “Weekend Wrap-Up!” podcast, the crappy weather must be getting to Stu Gotz as he drops the S-bomb a few times and tries to spread a rumor about the Agent Phil character in “The Avengers,” but Stu didn’t live a real-life version of Angry Birds like I did so I don’t know what he has to be crabby about! We both saw “The Avengers,” and I work to dispel Stu’s rumor while we both seemed to have liked the movie, although Stu does say the Little Gotz’s got a little antsy during the film. “Avenger” talk did lead to the “Super Hero Augmented Reality” app and Stu’s almost getting pissed off enough with Android to jump to the iPhone dark side. I thought he would have hated it because it makes you go to Wal-Mart.

I’m worried “The Amazing Spider-Man” movie is going to suck, we are both looking forward to “Prometheus,” Stu wonders if any of “The Voice” contestants can have a real career, I’m hoping for an Arsenio v Aubrey “Celebrity Apprentice” finale, and Stu introduced me to the term “cracker-crust” pizza.

Thanks for listening!

That’s it for this one! I’m The Dude on the Right!! L8R!!!

Dreamgirls

MPAA Rated – PG-13
It’s 2:11 Long
A Review by:
– The Dude on the Right

Dreamgirls Movie Stats & Links
Starring:	Jamie Foxx, Beyoncé Knowles, Eddie Murphy, Danny Glover, Anika Noni Rose, Keith Robinson, Jennifer Hudson
MPAA Rated:	PG-13
Released By:	Dreamworks SKG / Paramount Pictures
Release Date:	2006
Kiddie Movie:	Only those that like singing.
Date Movie:	It’s more for the dudettes.
Gratuitous Sex:	Mostly gyrations.
Gratuitous Violence:	Detroit is kind of scary in the early 70’s, but nothing gratuitous.
Action:	Nah.
Laughs:	Eddie Murphy has some funny scenes.
Memorable Scene:	Jennifer Hudson singing “And I’m Telling You I’m Not Going” nearly brought down the theater.
Memorable Quote:	Nothing stood out.
Directed By:	Bill Condon

“Dreamgirls” is a big screen adaptation of a Broadway musical, but then you may already know that. And this is going to sound maybe a little strange, but it is the “being a musical” aspect of the movie that I didn’t like. First the story…

Deena (Beyoncé Knowles), Lorrell (Anika Noni Rose), and Effie (Jennifer Hudson) are a struggling singing act, The Dreamettes, in Detroit looking for their big break. At a talent competition they lose, and yet they still win. This is because Jimmy Early (Eddie Murphy), a showman in the likes of James Brown, loses his back-up singers when they are sick of his cheating on his wife with them, and slick car salesman, music manager wannabe Curtis (Jamie Foxx), convinces Jimmy that the trio he “manages” would be a perfect fit. At first the girls are reluctant, they don’t want to be back-up singers, especially Effie, but they cave at the prospect of getting their foot in the door. Little do they realize that the door they are entering is the corrupt world of music in the ‘60’s and ‘70’s.

Effie has her sights on Curtis, and at first things are going swimmingly for them. Curtis, meanwhile, quickly realizes how the business of music works, complete with payola, and he at first thinks he has Jimmy on the fast track to stardom all until a spotlight show in front of batch of white folk in Florida shows him a new path, that his back-up singers should be their own group, with Deena fronting “The Dreams,” contrary to Effie’s dream.

You see, Effie’s problem is she is the best singer in the group, a fabulous front-woman, only she is on the heavy side, and Curtis knows that Effie won’t “sell” the group. Nope, Deena is the hottie, with a voice generic enough for pop radio. Effie, still being suckered in with Curtis’ promise of her doing some solo material, sticks with the group for a while until something sidetracks her progress. Curtis and the other girls in the group are tired of Effie’s moodiness and always feeling under the weather, so Curtis boots her out of the group and now he is hooking up with Deena. The group changes to “Deena Jones and The Dreams” (sure, you could throw the parallels at Diana Ross and The Supremes, complete with Deena sporting the giant hair in the disco era), on the path to super-stardom, while Effie is back in the real world, trying to find a job, and get on with her life with her child, Magic (Mariah Wilson).

Some tragedy strikes, Effie and her brother/songwriter C.C. (Keith Robinson) get screwed over by Curtis one last time, but Deena sets things straight and there is a lovely reunion of all of the members of “The Dreams.”

Hooray!

Here’s what I really liked about the movie: It was a great story, showing how corrupt radio was back in the sixties and seventies, how songs got stolen left and right, and until you paid the people to get your song on the radio, you were never going to make it. Curtis turns being a scumbag car salesman into an art form in the music industry, and although there might be some personal feelings for the women in his life, namely Effie and Deena, in the end for him it is about money and image. Effie gets some redemption, Deena fixes her backstabbing ways, and Jimmy’s flipping from showman to sap-man back to showman is great. The songs were great, Jennifer Hudson has probably parlayed her “American Idol” stint into a hell of a lot more than a singing career because she was fantastic as Effie, and Eddie Murphy showed that given the right role, he is still fantastic.

Here’s what I didn’t like about he movie: This will be hard to explain, but as I said in the open it was the “being a musical” aspect of the movie that I didn’t like. How do I explain this? Okay, “Dreamgirls” centers on the girl group “The Dreamettes,” later “The Dreams,” and even later “Deena Jones and The Dreams.” Also there was Jimmy “Thunder” Early and his act. For the most part, especially for the first half-ish or so of the movie, all of the musical numbers centered around a musical performance, whether it was “The Dreamettes” performance at the talent contest, Jimmy Early’s bringing the girls into his band, and even Effie rehearsing a song where she tells Curtis she loves him. The rest of the story was done without the songs telling the story, or somehow it was better masked in the background. The movie flowed well, all until Effie wanted to quit the band when Curtis made Deena the lead singer, and they all bust into “Family”, singing to convince Effie to stay. As nice as the songs were, it was the musical numbers that didn’t fit in with a “performance” that I hated, thought they halted the telling of the story, and tossed me back from a great story with great music into “this would be great if I were seeing it on Broadway, but it just doesn’t work for me on the big screen.” And yes, as much as I thought Jennifer Hudson was most fantastic singing “And I’m Telling You I’m Not Going,” it brought me back to “musical-dom.”

Unlike “Grease,” which for me is still one of the few musicals that worked on the movie screen, I think mostly because it starts as a musical and stays one throughout (it’s not about them being musicians), “Dreamgirls” starts as a movie with an intriguing story to tell, with songs filtering in as musical performances. Then, midway, all of sudden it seems to switch back to “this is a musical and your going to have to wait about three or four minutes for Effie’s friends to sing to her to convince her to stay with the group.”

Okay, that probably didn’t explain why I didn’t like the movie as much at the end as I did when the movie started, but I tried. Here’s the other weird thing I found in the movie, and that was as solid as Jennifer Hudson and Eddie Murphy were, and as good as Beyoncé did trying to play the diva, it was Jamie “I want to be a singer” Foxx that seemed a little lost at times. As the slick manager/salesman he was fine, but every time he was in one of those musical numbers he seemed discombobulated.

I did like “Dreamgirls,” but make sure you set yourself to remember it is a musical and there will be times everyone starts singing in a scene that has nothing to do about singing. In the end I give it 3 ½ stars out of 5.

That’s it for this one! I’m The Dude on the Right!! L8R!!!

Down to Earth

MPAA Rated – PG-13
It’s 1:27 Long
A Review by:
– The Dude on the Right

Down to Earth Movie Stats & Links
Starring:	Chris Rock, Regina King
MPAA Rated:	PG-13
Released By:	Paramount Pictures
Release Date:	2001
Kiddie Movie:	Not too young.
Date Movie:	Nah.
Gratuitous Sex:	Some talk.
Gratuitous Violence:	Not really on screen.
Action:	Nah.
Laughs:	Only when the old white dude is on the screen.
Memorable Scene:	When the old, white dude is on screen.
Memorable Quote:	Chris Rock’s jokes.
Directed By:	Chris and Paul Weitz

You know what disappointed me the most about “Down To Earth?” Of course you don’t, but I’m gonna tell you. It is simply that the movie had so much potential and didn’t use any of it.

The story is one that has been done before, your classic “dude’s soul has been taken before its time so he comes back to earth in another dude’s body.” It’s just that I think it was done wrong.

This time we get Lance (Chris Rock). He’s a struggling comic whose only goal is to get one of the last amateur slots at The Apollo before it closes. Then he gets whacked by a truck, only it isn’t his time. In heaven the error is discovered and Lance is given the option to go back to Earth in another man’s body. What body does he chose? Well, that of an older white dude, Mr. Wellington, only so that he can get closer to the girl of his dreams. Mr. Wellington is basically a rich, pompous asshole, so his co-workers and staff are a little perplexed by the change that has come over him, but they don’t really care too much as long as they are still getting a piece of his money pie. The premise sounds funny – a dude from the hood in the body of an older white dude making the older white dude act like a dude from the hood. The only problem is that for most of the movie we see Chris Rock on the screen instead of the old white dude that the characters see, and that just isn’t funny. Why do I say this isn’t funny? Because, well, most of the only scenes people laughed at were when they showed the old dude acting like Lance.

Some people will say the premise of the older white dude hitting on the younger black dudette is stupid; some people will say Chris needs to go back to doing stand-up; but I say the only problem with “Down To Earth” was that they needed to have an older white dude playing the black dude in a white dude’s body. We needed to see more of the older white dude and less of Chris Rock.

I like Chris Rock, think he is hilarious, and the writing for “Down To Earth” could have been funny, but this wasn’t the movie for Chris Rock to be the leading man. Had the story been the other way around, say an older white dude being put into the body of a young black man, making Chris Rock’s role playing himself but possessed by an older white dude, well, that would have been the leading role for him in a role-reversal film. I want to give “Down To Earth” a better rating, but sadly it’s only 1 ½ stars out of 5.

That’s it for this one! I’m The Dude on the Right!! L8R!!!

Domino

MPAA Rated – R
It’s 2:07 Long
A Review by:
– The Dude on the Right

Domino Movie Stats & Links
Starring:	Keira Knightley, Lucy Liu, Christopher Walken, Mena Suvari, Mickey Rourke, Jacqueline Bisset, Delroy Lindo
MPAA Rated:	R
Released By:	New Line Cinema
Release Date:	2005
Kiddie Movie:	Only if you want your little girl to be a bounty hunter.
Date Movie:	If she likes some violence.
Gratuitous Sex:	Keira gets naked. It’s kinda artsy, but I’m liking her mosquito bites. It’s rated R and about bounty hunters, what do you think?
Gratuitous Violence:	It’s rated R and about bounty hunters, what do you think?
Action:	Not really, although you would think there would be.
Laughs:	Some pretty good lines.
Memorable Scene:	The “Mix-ed Race” Flowchart at the Jerry Springer Show.
Memorable Quote:	“He hasn’t aged well.”
Directed By:	Tony Scott

I know it’s sometimes a tough call for moviemakers: Do you take what can be a pretty good action movie and just let it be an action movie, or do you try to make it more artsy, with more symbolism and tricky camera-work, than just people kicking ass? For “Domino,” they opted for the latter, and as much as I could appreciate it, I could have probably appreciated it even more if the story wasn’t so convoluted. I’ll try to give you just enough without giving too much away…

“Domino,” as the opening credits state, is “a movie based on a true story, sort of.” Pretty much Domino Harvey was the daughter of a Hollywood screen star, her father, who died when she was a young girl. That much is true. The movie says that mom tried to stay tight in the Hollywood circles, that Domino was a model and in a sorority, but I can’t confirm any of that. Domino Harvey became a bounty hunter in the movie. That much is true. Then there is the rest of the movie which starts as a story that seems believable, up until the armored car heist.

Alright, as the movie gives us, we see Domino (Keira Knightley) being interrogated by the FBI, agent Taryn (Lucy Liu). Taryn is trying to get the story of what happened to the money in the armored car. From this point it is a series of flashbacks as the “sort of” stuff really starts to take shape. We see Domino shuttled to boarding school, break a nose in a sorority house, dressing kinda slutty, and hooking up with Ed (Mickey Rourke) and his partner Choco (Edgar Ramirez), thus her transformation into being a bounty hunter. Domino is hot, can kick some ass, and there’s some sexual tension between her and Choco. The story is pretty simply, Domino, Ed, and Choco, go about their bounty hunting business, but then get approached by a reality TV producer, Mark (Christopher Walken). He convinces our trio that they should be on a reality TV show about their work as bounty hunters, and they agree.

But there is a problem in bounty hunter land, namely that their major employer, Bail Bondsman Claremont Williams (Delroy Lindo), has cooked up a scheme to get $300,000 for one of his women, Lateesha (Mo’Nique), who needs the money for a lifesaving surgery for her granddaughter. Oddly enough, now the mob, a casino owner, the FBI, and dozens of other are involved, and the story turns from kinda fun and serious, to just a convoluted mess, which I probably could have gone along with if the movie was just normal action fare, but with it trying to be artsy and with a message, I just got tired of following it all especially when some people who are supposed to be dead really aren’t, there had to be an easier way to get into that freezer, and the poor throw money into the air only to see some of it blow away.

Look, I loved the characters. Keira, Mickey, Edgar, and damn just about everyone else were fabulous in all of their roles. Even Ian Ziering and Brian Austin Green were great at playing themselves. And damn, Keira even gets naked. But the story, especially as it played out, wasn’t an artsy story at the end, it was an action story and I think should have been treated as such, kinda a “Lethal Weapon” but much darker. Convoluted stories generally work when we aren’t trying to take the movie too seriously, but “Domino” was set up as a serious movie, and a convoluted plot development just falls apart.

In the end, I really wanted to like “Domino,” but just couldn’t, even with the blatant nudity and gratuitous violence. It’s 3 stars out of 5 for “Domino.”

That’s it for this one! I’m The Dude on Right!! L8R!!!

Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood

MPAA Rated – PG-13
It’s 1:57 Long
A Review by:
– The Dude on the Right

Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood Movie Stats & Links
Starring:	Sandra Bullock, Ellen Burstyn, Ashley Judd, Maggie Smith, James Garner, Fionnula Flanagan, Shirley Knight, Angus Macfadyen
MPAA Rated:	PG-13
Released By:	Warner Bros.
Release Date:	2002
Kiddie Movie:	It’s an adult story, and gets a little hairy at times. Leave them home.
Date Movie:	She’ll make you go along.
Gratuitous Sex:	Nah, but Sandra gets in her undies and Ashley has a nice nightgown.
Gratuitous Violence:	Nah.
Action:	Nah.
Laughs:	Quite a few one-liners.
Memorable Scene:	The beginning scenes where Vivi develops her desire to disown Sidda.
Memorable Quote:	Too many to list.
Directed By:	Callie Khouri

Alright, go ahead and slap a dress on me. Why? Because I must be a girl because I really liked “Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood.” Yes, it’s a chick flick; Yes, of an audience of about 60 people there were maybe six guys; And yes, the group of blue-hairs that got there before me, getting the good seats, thought the movie was “incredible” and “enjoyable.” And if you ever got a kick of listening to older ladies bickering amongst themselves, or even younger ladies doing the same, yet knowing they are the best of friends, you will probably like this movie, too.

I’ll try to give the synopsis without giving too much away…

It’s the late 1930’s and a group of four girls go into the woods, forming the Ya-Ya Sisterhood. They seal it with blood. As the years go on, these four girls remain the best of friends, doing whatever it takes to help each other. Now it’s the present day and Sidda (Sandra Bullock), the daughter of Vivi (older as Ellen Burstyn, younger as Ashley Judd, and still younger as Caitlin Wachs), has given an interview to Time magazine, basically portraying her mother as an obnoxious mother who drank too much. Vivi doesn’t take it well, Sidda is more like her mother than she wants to admit, and it’s up to the other three Ya-Yas to get Sidda and Vivi back together.

So the other three Ya-Yas, Teensy (Fionnula Flanagan), Necie (Shirley Knight), and Caro (Maggie Smith), head to New York to kidnap Sidda, actually using the date-rape drug, even enlisting the help of Sidda’s fiancé, Connor (Angus Macfadyen), and bring Sidda back to Louisiana. Their plan: Let Sidda see that her mother isn’t such a bad person by making her look through the Ya-Ya scrapbook, aptly titled “Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood”, and listen to stories of the four of them growing up (shown as flashbacks utilizing the always gorgeous Ashley Judd as the twenty to thirty something Vivi). Meanwhile the three of them also work on Vivi to show her why Sidda sees her the way she does. Maybe this insight will help Sidda forgive her mother, help Vivi see why Sidda feels the way she does, and then they’ll be the best of friends. Let’s toss in James Garner as Shep, Vivi’s husband who took the marriage oath and is standing by it no matter how much of a loony his wife tends to be. And that’s enough of the story.

What works in “Ya-Ya” are the likes of Flanagan, Knight, Smith, and Burstyn, as well as Sandra Bullock playing the daughter whose underlying fear is she doesn’t want to end up as her perception of her mother. The problem is that the daughter doesn’t always know the whole story, or sometimes doesn’t want to believe it, and it takes friends to put things in perspective. The four ladies show what it is like to be friends forever, fighting and bickering amongst themselves yet ready to help each other at the drop of a hat. You’ve also got the daughter showing how we, as children and grown-ups, want to know how our parents lived before they were parents, but in the end are we ready to know the real lives of our mom and dad?

The movie just cracked me up because although I don’t know four older ladies as devoted to each other as the Ya-Yas, I’ve seen my fair share of older ladies goading each other, and hell, I’ve seen my share of younger ladies doing the same. Yet in there is a bond that can’t be broken. Dudes have that bond, dudettes have that bond, and sometimes that bond exists between the sexes, but in the end it’s always good to have friends.

Flanagan, Knight, Smith and Burstyn were fabulous. Bullock is always one of my favorites, and Ashley Judd does a great job portraying the younger Vivi who, try as she might, doesn’t know if she’s being a good mom or not. Macfadyen as Connor ads that “fiancé just trying to get mother and daughter back together” role, and Garner plays that “husband who just excepts things as they are because he will always love his wife” role perfectly.

So, yes, I really liked “Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood,” and I’m one enough with my manly self to even admit it. Hell, Bullock and Judd even kept their clothes on and I still liked this movie and that’s got to say something (although you do get a nice shot of Sandra in her underwear and Judd in an almost see-through nightgown). Yes, it is overblown and unrealistic in many aspects, but takes things to a level it is humorous. Granted, if you’re a beer-drinking, pizza-eating kind of guy, you probably won’t be caught dead in the theater for this movie, but if you ever got a kick of your grandma and her friends telling stories, you might just enjoy it. In the end it’s 4 stars out of 5 for this one. Sure, it gets a little cookie-cutter by the time the movie finishes, but it’s still fun.

That’s it for this one! I’m The Dude on the Right!! L8R!!!

Disturbing Behavior

MPAA Rated – R
It’s 1:24 Long
A Review by:
– The Dude on the Right

Disturbing Behavior Movie Stats & Links
Starring:	James Marsden, Katie Holmes, Nick Stahl, Chad E. Donella ]
MPAA Rated:	R
Released By:	MGM Pictures
Release Date:	1998
Kiddie Movie:	Not at all.
Date Movie:	She might jump in your lap.
Gratuitous Sex:	Implied oral homage and a quick tit-shot until the chick goes psycho.
Gratuitous Violence:	Some pretty brutal beatings.
Action:	Not really.
Laughs:	Lots of one-liners that fit the scenes perfectly (see quotes below).
Memorable Scene:	A few: Gavin and U.V. explaining to Steve the various cliques at school, the dude getting the hummer, Steve and Rachel cruising the mental hospital, and the dude getting his nose-ring taken out the hard way.
Memorable Quote:	A few: – Gavin’s parents reason for making him a “Blue Ribbon”: “He’s spending too much time listening to rock-n-roll music and masturbating.” – Steve tells Dr. Caldicott “Oh shut the fuck up.” (The timing was perfect) – U.V. to Steve “What’s the capitol of North Dakota?” Steve replies “How the fuck should I know.” (Again, prefect timing.)
Directed By:	David Nutter

You’ve got to love a movie that opens with the scene of a dude getting a hummer but then deciding that, well, he should be “retaining his fluids” for the big game, so he snaps the girl’s neck and calls her a slut. Such was the opening of “Disturbing Behavior,” and if you think that is a violent end to some oral gratification then you might also appreciate a dude getting his nose-ring taken out the hard way. Yep, “Disturbing Behavior” gives us a bunch of do-good high-schoolers who sometimes have a mean side.

Alrighty, here’s the story in an elongated nutshell. Our hero is Steve (James Marsden). He is up-rooted from his exciting life in Chicago after his brother kills himself, and his parents drag him and his sister to Cradle Bay, a lovely, picturesque, supposedly small town. So he’s new in school and a few stoners, Gavin (Nick Stahl), U.V. (Chad E. Donella), and Rachel (Katie Holmes), befriend him, explaining to him the cliques of the school. Gavin also tries to explain to Steve that the “Blue Ribbons,” a high school clique of too-smart jocks and cheerleader types, are possessed or something. Well, Gavin becomes possessed before he can figure out what’s up, so it is up to our hero Steve, and the love-interest Rachel, to figure it out. Guess what – they do, almost too directly for their own good. Now they’re on the run, but how do you save yourself from a bunch of do-gooders with bad attitudes? Well, you get lucky that your janitor (William Sadler) isn’t as dumb as he seems, as well as pretty creative with some electronics and an el-Camino (I’m pretty sure that was his ride, but I could be wrong). Yay! Our heroes are safe, or are they (sorry, but the movie screamed “sequel” from the beginning)?

The story sounds simple, and sure, it probably is, but “Disturbing Behavior” is a decent movie. I won’t say it is a masterpiece of a thriller, in fact as you’re watching the movie there aren’t many surprises, but I did like it. Gavin and U.V. are pretty right-on in their stoner roles, Rachel is a great rebellious chick but with a caring side, and in all honesty, for me, the only person who seemed out of place a little was Steve – since when does the pretty boy who is shy, in high school, hang out with the stoners? Alright, I’ll give him that his brother killed himself, he’s in the new school, and coming in a loner, but I just couldn’t picture him hanging with Gavin and U.V. I’m guessing he just hung out with them because Rachel was Gavin’s friend. Alright, enough about Steve’s love life.

“Disturbing Behavior” gives you a decent movie for your buck. You’ve got a little suspense, some violence, a little sex, some laughs, and some truly fucked-up teenagers. That’s a pretty good mix. So, without going into it any more and boring you, I’ll give “Disturbing Behavior” 3 stars out of 5. It’s worth the price of admission, maybe a little more worth a matinee, but a fun way to spend an hour and a half.

That’s it for this one, I’m The Dude on the Right!! L8R!!!

Did You Hear About the Morgans

MPAA Rated – PG-13
It’s 1:43 Long
A Review by:
– The Dude on the Right

Did You Hear About the Morgans Movie Stats & Links
Starring:	Sarah Jessica Parker, Hugh Grant
MPAA Rated:	PG-13
Released By:	Columbia Pictures
Release Date:	2009
Directed By:	Marc Lawrence

Let’s see, Sarah Jessica Parker and Hugh Grant play a married couple who are having marriage problems and things aren’t going well. They are also true city folks, living in The Big Apple, New York City. Just when things can’t get better for them, and maybe they are really heading for the skids, well, they witness a murder, enter witness protection, and get shipped off to Wyoming where hilarity is supposed to ensue because they are a city couple who doesn’t get along transplanted to a small town.

Here’s the thing, I’m not that big a Sarah Jessica Parker fan, although I do admit I like her in “Sex and the City,” and Hugh Grant I can take or leave, but the story is a retread of a hundred other stories, so unless the writing on this is utterly great, the only reason you will be seeing this movie is because A) “Avatar” is sold out or B) you owe your significant other a romantic movie and “Avatar” is sold out. I’m not holding out too much hope for this film, but it will probably be a nice DVD rental down the road.

That’s it for this preview! I’m The Dude on the Right!! L8R!!!

The Devil’s Own

MPAA Rated – R
It’s 1:41 Long
A Review by:
– The Dude on the Right

The Devil’s Own Movie Stats & Links
Starring:	Harrison Ford, Brad Pitt
MPAA Rated:	R
Released By:	Columbia Pictures
Release Date:	1997
Kiddie Movie:	Not really. There’s no sex, but lots of gunfire and the story might get them bored.
Date Movie:	Sure. Guys can talk about the kills and the girls can talk about how cute Brad Pitt is.
Gratuitous Sex:	Nope.
Gratuitous Violence:	Lots of quality kills, especially at the beginning.
Action:	Some suspense moments, but no real car chases.
Laughs:	A couple placed nicely.
Memorable Scene:	Everyone but Brad and his buddy getting blown away in the big gunfight at the beginning of the movie.
Memorable Quote:	When Brad comes in to Harrison’s house, Harrison Ford says “It’s good to have someone here that pees standing up.”
Directed By:	Alan J Pakula

I’m was kinda worried going in to see “The Devil’s Own.” Yep, this was the movie where it seemed every entertainment show on TV and the entertainment magazines were having stories about the troubles on the set. Brad Pitt said this, Harrison Ford was having problems on the set, the story keeps changing, Sony’s suing Brad, Harrison’s pissed; you name it, it seems someone said it, and people had this movie doomed before the trailers even hit the theater. Then I saw the trailer and thought to myself that it sure doesn’t look that bad – maybe they all pulled it together and two of Hollywood’s premier actors made nice and made a great movie. Well, I don’t know if they made nice or not, but I do know they made a good movie – not great, but good none the less.

In its simplest term “The Devil’s Own” is about an Irish Republican Army dude, played by Brad Pitt, coming to America to score some cool weapons, in this case some stinger missiles. Harrison Ford meanwhile is playing an Irish cop on the streets of New York who has only shot his gun four times in his 23ish years on the force. He’s got his own problems with his partner, and the last thing he really needs is a criminal staying in his house, but he gets duped by an IRA supporting judge to let Pitt stay in his house, and in the end it turns into a clash between a cop and a criminal. Not always liking deep and meaningful story lines, I personally think they should have left the story at that – let’s have some quality kills, good guys versus bad guys, and maybe blow up some stuff. But no, they gave this film a meaning and maybe for some people that’s what they liked about it, but for me, it made the film a little slow at times.

So, where do all of these meanings and lessons to be learned come in? Well, it seems Frankie, the IRA dude played by Pitt, got to see his dad gunned down when he was a little boy. This turns him into one of the most wanted IRA members in the old country. You’ve got little Frankie growing up without a dad, becoming a great killer supporting his cause, and low and behold, you place Frankie, who has probably shot as many people as Rambo, in a house where dad’s got three daughters and his wife. Yep, you get the feeling dad, played by Harrison, always wanted a son, and now he’s got one, too bad for him it’s Frankie. Well, not to ruin a lot of things because the story does have some surprises, but some of the overblown messages permeating this movie for me were ones like – we can’t understand the fighting in Ireland because we’re not a part of it; if you’ve got a gun you should shoot people with it; even the best of cops are crooked; and people in Ireland don’t eat corned beef and cabbage.

Now I know that this movie wasn’t supposed to be just another action movie, it was supposed to teach us something, but I think the social messages were overblown for my tastes. Sure, put them in the movie, but don’t ram shove them down my throat with a plunger.

Now, getting past all of that stuff, “The Devil’s Own” is still a pretty decent movie played by two of the best actors out there. Harrison Ford plays the “torn between the good guy and bad guy” role perfectly. He comes off as the perfect family man, a great cop who has dedicated his life to protecting and serving rather than blowing away the bad guys, and just being an all around good guy. Brad Pitt, in total contrast, is the consummate bad guy, able to shoot anyone at the slightest sign of danger, able to ram his now good friend Harrison’s head into a window, and hell bent on getting those stinger missiles. Viscous and brutal meets Mr. Nice Guy – it’s a great plan but just sometimes drags a little.

You’ve got some action, some surprises, but some spots slow the movie to a crawl. If you like a movie that preaches more than it teaches, “The Devil’s Own” will be for you. If you’re looking for an action movie like the adds seem to show you might be a little disappointed.

It’s 2 1/2 stars out of 5 from me and that’s it for this one. I’m The Dude on the Right, L8R!!

Fraternity Reminiscing, Facebook Timelining, Movie Opening, Bulls Falling, and Spring TVing.

By: The Dude on the Right

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Did you know that there is a clip of a version of the Theta Xi “Rounders Song” on the Internet? Stu Gotz didn’t either, but during this “Weekend Wrap-Up!” podcast I prove to him that it’s true.

Our Fraternity anniversary gave us a chance to reminisce a tad of the college days, mostly about Work Week and how it took over 20 years but I was finally a part of a strip-and-wax crew, but sadly this one didn’t include a lot of beer. Stu didn’t mention doing any manual labor over the weekend, but did get a chance to take the Gotz clan to see “The Pirates! Band of Misfits” and lets you know if you should take your clan to see it, also, whereas I’m finishing up my Spring TV viewing, somehow still liking “Celebrity Apprentice” but might be totally over “American Idol” now.

We talk a bit about Derek Rose and the Chicago Bulls, I seem more excited about “The Avengers” opening this weekend than Stu does, and Stu isn’t Timelined yet, and I might be the only person that likes the Timeline on Facebook.

Thanks for listening!

That’s it for this one! I’m The Dude on the Right!! L8R!!!

A Movie About a Horse, Mini TV Seasons, Movie Talk, and Eating Kangaroo and Bear.

By: The Dude on the Right

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I didn’t need to see a man about a horse, but during this episode of the “Weekend Wrap-Up” podcast, I let Stu Gotz know if “War Horse” is any good. Stu, meanwhile, gives his take on “The Sitter” and is happy he didn’t pay the big bucks to see “Tower Heist” but was happy to throw a dollar or two away on it.

The Chicago Cubs aren’t very good, Stu is upset that all of the shows he likes on cable TV have mini-seasons, Penn Jillette is off “Celebrity Apprentice”, Stu ate kangaroo and bear, and it doesn’t matter what else opens the weekend of May 5th because “The Avengers” is all that matters. All of that and more during this podcast!

Thanks for listening!

That’s it for this one! I’m The Dude on the Right!! L8R!!!

Stu & The Dude’s Weekend Wrap-Up! A Movie About a Horse, Mini TV Seasons, Movie Talk, and Eating Kangaroo and Bear.