Andy Labis, Author at Entertainment Ave!

A Corn Dog Quest, Good Beer, Free Food, Bad Rubbish, and GWAR is Coming

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There is nothing like a corn dog from a carnival, festival, or a fair, and as a photo of Michele Bachmann eating a corn dog over the weekend seems to be stealing any corn dog talk I may have, during this episode of our “Weekend Wrap-Up!” podcast, I tell Stu about my and The BFF’s quest for a good corn dog, as well as some funnel cake, and fresh-squeezed lemonade. Stu’s weekend, although sans corn dog, was filled with corn difficulties, but with beer goodness, though not necessarily in that order. He relates to me the good times of hanging out with The Mystery Dude and also finding a new, nearly-favorite beer called Dark Horse, where, thanks to Mama Gotz going to some jewelry party, or some crap like that, he got to hang out at Tribes Ale House, partaking knowing he wouldn’t be driving home.

Stu finds out that kids eat for free sometimes at IKEA, I’m not excited about the Chicago Bears yet, Stu saw “The A-Team” movie on TV, most people, in reference to Carlos Zambrano of the Chicago Cubs, are saying “Goodbye to bad rubbish!”, I debate busting out of concert review retirement to see GWAR, and both Stu and I lament the end of the summer movie season.

Thanks for listening!

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

Buh Bye Netflix, Some Salsa (not Seltzer), Revisiting the 80’s, and It’s Not a Full Moon, Yet.

By: The Dude on the Right

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During this episode of our “Weekend Wrap-Up!” podcast, I find out that Stu Gotz has a farm for a back yard, and Stu finds out that I gave up on Netflix. Okay, Stu doesn’t really have a farm for a back yard, but he does have enough stuff growing in his garden to make a mean salsa, and yes, I cancelled my Netflix account. Yup, it took the BFF and me about six weeks to watch “Inception,” and during the podcast I tell you if you should watch it if you haven’t seen it yet. Oddly enough, it really wasn’t their rate increase that finalized my Netflix decision, but Stu and I break it all down. Stu, meanwhile, was enjoying a weekend without the Little Gotz’s, so he and Mama Gotz caught “Cowboys & Aliens” and revisted the 80’s by catching some Cheap Trick and having Mama Gotz doing some tequila shots.

I found people crazy on Saturday, Stu won some cool stuff in a SCUBA raffle, I’m looking forward to the return of Millionaire Matchmaker, and both Stu and I think “30 Minutes or Less” might be funny. It’s another weekend, and we talk about it.

Thanks for listening!

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

American Dreamz

MPAA Rated – PG-13
It’s 1:47 Long
A Review by:
– The Dude on the Right

American Dreamz Movie Stats & Links
Starring:	Mandy Moore, Hugh Grant, Dennis Quaid
MPAA Rated:	PG-13
Released By:	Universal Pictures
Directed By:	Paul Weitz

Here it is, a movie poking fun at the “American Idol” phenomenon, while throwing in some terrorism. Can that really be funny? From the trailer, I have to say I chuckled quite a bit, and am actually looking forward to this.

For “American Dreamz” we get Dennis Quaid as the President. He’s been in a bit of a funk lately, and needs to spruce up his image. We also get Hugh Grant as the host of the TV show, “American Dreamz,” you know, a talent show where singing is important. He’s not happy with what he’s doing anymore, but still does it because, well, he’s popular. Mandy Moore is Sally. She has dreams of being a big star, much like many a girl who thinks she can sing. How does this involve terrorism? Well, it seems that to spruce up the President’s image, his people decide that the Big Man should be a guest judge on “American Dreamz,” and why not? Well, some terrorist dude sees this as an opportunity to kill the President, so he convinces an Arab contestant on the show that he better get to the finals, where he can be a suicide bomber to off the President. The scene is meant to be funny, but I’m sure there will be some backlash at this part of the movie.
Anyway, the film looks quirky, and I’m a fan of both Mandy Moore and Dennis Quaid, so I’ll be heading to my local gigaplex to catch it.
That’s it for this preview! I’m The Dude on the Right!! L8R!!!

A Tee Pee, the Chicago Bears, Cowboys & Aliens, a Carnival, and Shooting Up in a Theater!

By: The Dude on the Right

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We don’t have time to talk about no stupid debt ceiling, nope, we’ve got tee pees, bungholes, and Cowboys & Aliens! It must be another “Weekend Wrap-Up!” podcast!

Yup, Stu Gotz built a tee pee in his backyard, as he had threatened to do during last week’s episode, and a little skimping on his work ethic caused some smokiness when the Little Gotz’s decided they needed a bigger fire. And speaking of tee pees, I saw “Cowboys & Aliens,” a movie that had Indians in it, too, and if I recall, a couple of tee pees, and I let you know if you should see it (Here’s a hint: If you like westerns and aliens, you should.). And with movie talk, we also have some “Going to the movie talk” with wondering if it’s okay to pull out the insulin and needle in the movie theater.

The Gotz family went to a carnival, I worked on my old iPhone app called Make Me Smile, Stu did some diving at Haigh Quarry, and I begin my excitement for a crappy season of Chicago Bears’ football. It’s a weekend wrap-up, it’s a podcast, and it’s so much more!

Thanks for listening!

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

Source Code

MPAA Rated – PG-13
It’s 1:33 Long
A Review by:
– The Dude on the Right

Source Code Movie Stats & Links
Starring:	Jake Gyllenhaal, Michelle Monaghan, Vera Farmiga
MPAA Rated:	PG-13
Released By:	Summit Entertainment
Release Date:	July 26, 2011
Kiddie Movie:	Not too young, they may never ride a train again.
Date Movie:	It’s a good movie for you to snuggle on the couch.
Gratuitous Sex:	Nah.
Gratuitous Violence:	There is some killing and, well, the train does blow up a number of times.
Action:	There is some chasing, but nothing crazy.
Laughs:	A chuckle here and there.
Memorable Scene:	The ending e-mail.
Memorable Quote:	Nothing stood out.
Directed By:	Duncan Jones

As the credits started to roll when my wife and I were watching “Source Code,” she simply said, “Is there some extra special feature on there that will explain what the fuck they meant?” Happily, on the “Source Code” Blu-ray, there is, but sadly it’s embedded in the “Access: Source Code” feature, which pretty much makes you watch the entire movie, again. She didn’t have time for that and relied on my infinite knowledge of the space-time continuum for an explanation, which, in transposing space and time, I basically shifted the conversation to “Did you like the movie?” She did. And so did I.

Here’s the basics…

Jake Gyllenhaal is a soldier, Captain Colter Stevens, and he finds himself transported into the body of a man on a commuter train. It seems that this train gets blown up, and through the magic of a government program, he can “infiltrate” the last eight minutes of a person’s life. So, his new mission is to find out who blows up the train, or at least gather enough intel to prevent the second attack that is coming soon. The problem is that Colter has to pretty much re-live this explosion over and over again, each time going back to his mission-control capsule to report on his findings. The other problem is that, along the way, he finds himself falling for a train passenger, Christina (Michelle Monaghan – and who wouldn’t?), and also learns that in conjunction with re-living the last eight minutes of this mystery dude’s life, he can also manipulate the events happening along the way.

So, for our multiple train rides, we get Captain Stevens learning from each trip, falling in love, learning the true value of the “Source Code,” and hopefully saving Chicago from being blown-up.

You want the key to why I really liked “Source Code?” Well, the movie people didn’t get too crazy with stuff, and by that I mean that we don’t get a lot of back-story about Captain Stevens, just enough to pretty much know he is a good soldier and misses his father, we also don’t get too crazy in the back-story of Christina, and we also don’t get too crazy into the total science of the story. Nope, like an action-packed version of the movie “Groundhog Day,” instead of Bill Murray continuing to go back until he learns about love, we get a mission of saving humanity, with a touch of love. And I’ve got to say, as the movie was ending, I almost got a little weepy knowing the fate of Captain Stevens, or did I? And even better? The movie clocks in at about and hour and half, just long enough to give you a great movie, and not one of those movies where you get antsy thinking it’s about 15 minutes too long!

I don’t want to give too much of the movie away because the joy of this film is the journey Captain Stevens takes from his first infiltration to his final conclusion, and telling anything more would really ruin the fun.

Your wife might not understand it, hell, you probably won’t understand it either (although you’ll probably try to make something up to satisfy her and make her think you are super-smart), but just sit back, strap it in, and enjoy a movie that takes you on a wild ride, albeit it’s sort of the same ride over and over again, on the same train, for about an hour and half. But it sure is fun! It’s 4 ½ stars out of 5 for “Source Code,” and not just because the commuter train blows up in front of my college alma mater, Illinois Institute of Technology. It’s a great rental for the both of you to snuggle, and even the older kids to enjoy with you.

In terms of the extras, for the Blu-ray, most of them are embedded in the “Access: Source Code” feature, which is really cool even if you do have to watch the movie again. During the movie, you will get pop-ups with movie trivia, interviews with the cast, and most importantly, experts telling you about time travel that might help explain the movie’s ending.

That’s a Lot of Rain, He Says His Wife is Smokin’ Hot, Who is Doctor Who, and Cars, Cars, and More Cars!

By: The Dude on the Right

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I’m becoming a mall walker, and Stu Gotz is becoming a “Doctor Who” nerd – It’s another “Weekend Wrap-Up!” podcast episode!

Yup, my weekend was pretty uneventful, as I did some analysis of Woodfield Mall here in Illinois, I cleaned my balls, and I wondered if I should change churches or start following NASCAR again thanks to the rousing Pastor Nelms getting the racers ready for a race over the weekend. And speaking of auto racing, Stu and Mama Gotz are quickly becoming demolition derby aficionados, if one can be a demolition derby aficionado, and on the same note, sort of, Stu breaks down “Cars 2” for everyone.

Neither of us saw “Captain America” yet although a lot of other people did, there were obscene amounts of rain over the weekend in the Chicago area and I was oblivious to it, Stu is building a tee pee, and both of us are looking forward to the return of “Beavis and Butthead” this fall, thanks to a reminder from Comic-Con. And hey, if things go well, I’ll also see “Cowboys and Aliens” this weekend, though I’m not holding my breath.

Thanks for listening!

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

Avatar

MPAA Rated – PG-13
It’s 2:42 Long
A Review by:
– The Dude on the Right

Avatar Movie Stats & Links
Starring:	Sam Worthington, Zoe Saldana, Michelle Rodriguez, Sigourney Weaver, Stephen Lang, Giovanni Ribisi
MPAA Rated:	PG-13
Released By:	20th Century Fox
Kiddie Movie:	Lots of people and Na’vi get killed. Hire a sitter.
Date Movie:	It’s got a love story and lots of Na’vi butts and the dudes get quality violence.
Gratuitous Sex:	There is some jungle love and the Na’vi are in skimpy, jungle outfits.
Gratuitous Violence:	Arrows are pretty brutal when they go right into your chest.
Action:	There’s running, jumping, and flying bird-things.
Laughs:	There’s some chuckles.
Memorable Scene:	Pandora is cool.
Memorable Quote:	“I’m probably just talking to a tree right now, but…”
Directed By:	James Cameron

I will never admit how many times I actually went to the theater to see “Titanic,” but let’s just say that I went at least one time by myself, went to see it with a group of friends who hadn’t seen the movie yet, and then, well, I went, umm, never mind. Since “Avatar” and “Titanic” are both by James Cameron I thought I would mention my weird desire to see “Titanic” multiple times because as much as I liked “Avatar,” I suppose I would like to see it one more time, but not in 3-D, in order to compare the 3-D and 2-D versions, and sure, when it comes out on Blu-ray, I can see myself watching it again, but for me, as much as I enjoyed the movie, and I know it sounds cliché, it’s no “Titanic.”

Let’s start with the story…

“Avatar” takes us down the road a bit, into the future, at a world called Pandora. Pandora is occupied by these really tall, and really fit, blue creatures called the Na’vi. The problem for the Na’vi is that Pandora has a mineral called unobtanium, us Earthlings want it, but the Na’vi are content to be one with Mother Pandora, hunting with bows and arrows, while we have flying machines and bullets. As it would be, us humans, we suck, and rather than actually work with these people whose land we invaded, the corporate dopes decide to just bring in the bulldozers and gunships to move the un-cooperating “savages.”

Enter Jake Sully (Sam Worthington). He’s a marine who lost his ability to walk on Earth, but since his brother was a scientist and was going to be a part of the Avatar program on Na’vi (sorry, I forgot to mention a small group of scientists using these hybrid creatures, Avatars, that the humans can control while plugged into this MRI-looking device – kind of like being in The Matrix but not – to easier investigate Pandora and try to live with, and understand, the Na’vi), well, Jake gets to become part of the scientific expedition. As things would have it Jake gets indoctrinated into the Na’vi world, (Most people compare it to “Dances With Wolves” but I felt a weird connection to “The Air Up There” for whatever reason), and his mission/feelings, especially because he is now in love with a tall, blue chick, Neytire (Zoe Saldana), deviate from the operation the Colonel (Stephen Lang) wants him to take on, namely infiltrate the Na’vi and learn their weaknesses, and the scientific mission that the good Doctor is leading them on (Sigourney Weaver – still great), namely not to have sex with them. But, alas, it’s time for the corporate meanies to further invade the land, and Jake has to take sides. Guess which side he ends up on?

Okay, so the story is pretty straightforward, and the acting is up there on being good enough for this kind of movie, but what transcends this movie from just a basic story of foreign invaders overtaking the locals, intertwined with a love story, is, well, The James Cameron Effect. Yup, a James Cameron movie can’t just be a movie for the sake of it, it needs to be an experience, and as technology advances so does his vision, and he takes everything to a level that movies now have to achieve. How? Well, in “Titanic” he made you feel like you were actually there, on the Titanic, and in “Avatar,” dammit, you are on Pandora, in all of its mythical and glowy splendor, and it looks scary real for being a fictitious place.

Yup, technology and filmmaking has advanced, thanks in part to the visions of James Cameron, and as you get sucked into the story there will probably come a minute or two of simply being in awe of the world of Pandora, probably wishing you had a jellyfish-looking thing land on you hand or that you could scale mountains that seemed to hover over the land, and it is reasons like this why a movie like “Avatar” really needs to be seen on the biggest screen you can find, just maybe not in 3-D, yet.

Now, I have to admit that I haven’t seen the 2-D version of the movie yet so I can’t really compare, but as cool as the 3-D effect is, and maybe it’s because I’m weird, but for me the times the 3-D looks the best seem to be in the “landscape” shots rather than the close-ups because they don’t look real, yet. How to explain? Hmm, I guess the easiest thing I can say is that during a close-up the main action looks in 3-D and in focus, but if I shift my eyes to the background it doesn’t come into focus like things do in real life. I guess I’m just a visual person and when a movie looks in 3-D I want it to act the same as my eyesight, i.e., look behind the actor and see what’s behind them, but it doesn’t work. I know, that probably doesn’t make much sense, but the effect is close, just still not “real.”

Okay, so let’s combine everything…

In comparison to “Titanic,” I would say there just wasn’t something that totally clicked with the story in “Avatar” that would make me want to see it again, and even again, and enjoy it each time, and as I think about it, maybe it was because Jake didn’t make the ultimate sacrifice for his newfound love, like Jack did, or even the other way around. I guess the easiest thing to say is that the movie ended exactly as I thought it would, in a sappier way, and that doesn’t make it different. I’m not saying it’s not good, because I don’t want to explain how it ends, but it’s just a normal Hollywood ending, rather than the main dude drowning, which now that I think about it, really made the ending of “Titanic” just a little different. In the end, though, “Avatar” is totally a must-see movie, if you like movies, and as I was wavering on just giving it 4 stars out of 5, the more I think about the awesomeness of Pandora, that’s worth an extra star. So, it’s 5 stars out of 5, and after telling my BFF that she probably doesn’t need to see it until it comes to Blu-ray, now I’m wondering if I should try to change her mind, if only so I can see it on a normal screen to fully compare the two. Hmm?

Oh well, go see it, keep the little kids at home because it’s got some gratuitous violence and they would probably have to pee a couple of times during the movie, and just enjoy some quality time with your honey.

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

Angels & Demons

MPAA Rated – PG-13
It’s 2:15 Long
A Review by:
– The Dude on the Right

Angels & Demons Movie Stats & Links
Starring:	Tom Hanks, Ewan McGregor, Ayelet Zurer
MPAA Rated:	PG-13
Released By:	Columbia Pictures
Kiddie Movie:	There’s a lot of violence and they’d just be confused. Leave them at home.
Date Movie:	My BFF enjoyed it, so I say bring them along.
Gratuitous Sex:	Robert Langdon stays celibate, and keeps his clothes on, too.
Gratuitous Violence:	Some people get burned, shot, drowned, etc., so yea
Action:	There’s a lot of running and chasing.
Laughs:	A chuckles here and there.
Memorable Scene:	I still like the puzzle solving, and would love to visit the Vatican archives.
Memorable Quote:	Nothing really.
Directed By:	Ron Howard

I still can’t figure out what all of the hubbub was about that the Catholic Church originally brought up because my take on “Angels & Demons” is that the church might have their problems, but most of the problems in this movie are caused by a rogue priest, or maybe a couple of rogue priests, much like the problems in any religion, so Catholicism bashing aside, is the movie any good? You betcha!

“Angels & Demons” is actually a book that was released before “The Da Vinci Code,” but for the movie they shift it to being after the movie you probably saw, and you know what, you get the same kind of problem-solving, good looking girl, let’s try and save a life or two, and let’s get to the root of this problem to save something, kind of flick that you found in that Da Vinci film. And like that Da Vinci film, don’t try to hard to understand all of the story, just enjoy the ride.

Pretty much “Angels & Demons” involves a supposed plot from a group called The Illuminati (yea, you might also remember them from the Lara Kroft: Tomb Raider movie – I guess they get around, don’t they?). In any case, the Pope is dead, the Cardinals are getting ready to elect a new Pope, some Cardinal dudes get kidnapped, and a super-duper energy source also gets stolen. It seems that The Illuminati are pissed, looking for revenge on the Catholic Church for some atrocities years earlier, and to get their revenge, and fulfill an ancient prophesy, they are going to kill the four Cardinal dudes and then blow up The Vatican. Enter Robert Langdon (Tom Hanks). Sure, the Church is still pissed at Langdon for the whole “Jesus had siblings” thing from the previous movie, but they need the best, especially since there are only a few hours to get the puzzles solved, so in comes Bob, and with the help of Vittoria Vetra (Ayelet Zurer), the scientist who can stop the anti-matter bomb from exploding, well, it’s a race across Rome to find the places the Cardinals are set to be killed, and also find the anti-matter bomb.

Along for the ride are some police dudes, all in conflict with each other because the Swiss Guards don’t like the Roman police, etc., but keeping everyone together is the good Camerlengo (Ewan McGregor). The Camerlengo, kind of the person in charge in between Popes, seems to have it all together, but maybe something is up with him as well.

Look, like “The Da Vinci Code,” “Angels & Demons” is just a fun ride at the movies where I don’t think you are supposed to understand everything, just sit back and have a little fun while your brain gets confused, and like “The Da Vinci” code, most critics are bashing it, but not this one, I’m like the movie for exactly what it is – just a fun romp with some clues to solve so that the good people can be saved.

Tom Hanks does his normal, steady self in the Langdon role, although I liked him better with the hair in the Da Vinci film, Ayelet Zurer is good enough as the easy-on-the-eyes dudette who tags along for the ride, and Ewan McGregor is fine in his role as the Camerlengo. You do get a good chunk of violence in this movie as the Cardinals do end up dying in some pretty gruesome ways, but hey, the movie is about a sinister society, hell-bent on getting revenge on the Catholic Church.

I say, much like you did for “The Da Vinci Code”, ignore all of the critics except me and go see “Angels & Demons.” Yup, the story is kind of preposterous, you might see the ending coming even if you haven’t read the book, and you might have some fun. What you probably won’t get is coming out of the movie thinking the church is a bunch of anti-science, old-school farts who don’t care about the current world we live in. For me it’s 3 ½ stars out of 5. Go ahead and see it, and don’t worry if you don’t understand what anti-matter really is, it doesn’t matter that much to the plot other than it will explode if it touches real matter.

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

The Andromeda Strain

MPAA Rated – Unrated
It’s ?? Long
A Review by:
– The Dude on the Right

The Andromeda Strain Movie Stats & Links
Starring:	Benjamin Bratt, Eric McCormack, Christa Miller, Daniel Dae Kim
MPAA Rated:	Unrated
Released By:	Universal Home Video
Kiddie Movie:	Only if you want them to fear aliens.
Date Movie:	She will probably snuggle with you.
Gratuitous Sex:	Only a little talk.
Gratuitous Violence:	There are some quality kills.
Action:	Nah.
Laughs:	A chuckle or two.
Memorable Scene:	The “countdown to destruction” scene is stupid.
Memorable Quote:	None.
Directed By:	Mikael Salmom

Watching a “made for TV” movie on DVD is kind of weird, simply because the movie can’t fully flow as “commercial break” pauses are prevalent throughout, but I have to say that if you are looking for a decent “This is the end of mankind” kind of movie, in the spirit of “Star Trek: The Next Generation” episodes, put the 2008 version of “The Andromeda Stain” on your list of DVD’s to watch. And sure, I hate to put the “Star Trek” reference in there, but like most TV shows, “The Andromeda Strain” gives you about two hours and thirty minutes of set-up, conflict, theories, and then is able to wrap up the solution for the devastating problem in about fifteen minutes. Such is TV sometimes.

Here’s the story…

A satellite crashes to Earth and suddenly a small town of people finds itself dead. Also finding themselves dead are the first military folks to find themselves in the town. It’s now time to bring in the scientists, including Dr. Stone (Benjamin Bratt in a role I kinda like him in), Dr. Noyce (Christa Miller in full “I have to overact” role), and a few more, seeming to have to fight, of course, with the government folks, especially General Mancheck (Andre Braugher), who don’t want to give the scientist folks the necessary information to solve what might be something to destroy mankind.

Low and behold, as the story plays out, “The Andromeda Strain” deals with all kinds of things, like wormholes and creatures at the bottom of the oceans, and as our scientist folks decipher all of the clues, damn, wouldn’t you know it, they are in a super-sealed bunker where a simple accident might also destroy humanity.

This DVD review will be quick because I will simply say that as much as “The Andromeda Strain” has lots of potential as a “here comes the end of humanity” movie, it so much loses itself in becoming totally predictable, especially as a “made for TV” movie (although being an A&E TV movie does allow for some quality kills), complete with a “self-destruct” sequence, with countdown music, when Dr. Stone, thankfully, is able to save the world with only a couple of seconds left before we are doomed.

I’d say you should rent it, but the extras on the DVD aren’t that spectacular, so maybe you should just wait for A&E to replay the mini-series, and find out why we might want to pay attention to what is really going on at the International Space Station.

This DVD gets 2 ½ stars out of 5.

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

DVD: It’s got some extra stuff, but unless you are a total sci-fi geek, you won’t care.

Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy

MPAA Rated – PG-13
It’s 1:35 Long
A Review by:
– The Dude on the Right

Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy Movie Stats & Links
Starring:	Will Ferrell, Christina Applegate, Paul Rudd, Fred Willard, Chris Parnell, Vince Vaughn
MPAA Rated:	PG-13
Released By:	Dreamworks SKG
Kiddie Movie:	Only if you want to explain a boner joke.
Date Movie:	It’s funny for couples.
Gratuitous Sex:	No nudity, but Ron and Veronica get it on.
Gratuitous Violence:	A very strange fight scene between anchormen including an arm getting chopped off.
Action:	Nah.
Laughs:	Tons.
Memorable Scene:	The boner scene.
Memorable Quote:	Too many to list.
Directed By:	Adam McKay

Let me start this review with a letter to Will Ferrell:
Dear Mr. Ferrell,

I would just like to commend you on your latest comedy, “Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy.” I found it very enjoyable and laughed a lot. Actually, you know, lately I’ve been laughing a lot at all of the movies you’ve been involved in. From your childish demeanor in “Elf,” to Frank the Tank in “Old School,” all the way back to Mustafa in the “Austin Powers” movie, you are showing that you have the versatility to bring comedy to every role you fill. In looking at your upcoming projects, at least according to IMDB, it appears that you are sticking to the comedic genre, and in my opinion, that’s good (although I am a little leery about the Woody Allen flick, but I’ll take a wait and see attitude on that right now). All I ask is one thing: Please, please, please stick to comedy. Look, down in your heart somewhere you might have this strange inkling to be a serious actor, and maybe you could be, but all I ask is please don’t pull a Jim Carrey on me like he did with “The Majestic.” You make people laugh, that’s your talent, and maybe it won’t get you a little gold statue, but you’re probably entertaining a hell of a lot more people doing what you do best than in any serious role you could fill. I mean, when was the last time a Robert Redford movie had me laugh so hard soda-pop came up my nose. Just my two cents.

Have a nice day,
The Dude on the Right

Okay, now to the review…

It’s the 70’s baby, when male chauvinism was at its peak, or at least it really seemed that way, especially because men kept treating women like the sex objects we all think they are, we just can’t act that way now because it’s not socially acceptable for a man to grab a woman’s butt and women can’t just go up and run her fingers through a man’s incredibly hairy chest on the street anymore. Anyway, enough lamenting about the old days when I was, well, approaching that impressionable age of 10. Well, for this movie we get Will Farrell as Ron Burgundy. He’s THE anchorman in San Diego, the anchorman all of the ladies love, yet he can’t really find love. But popularity is his game, and he holds that over the rest of the San Diego anchors like it’s a gold medal at the Olympics. But enter Veronica (Christina Applegate – looking just as great as ever). Her dream is to be a network anchor, something that in those days seemed like a total impossibility. She’s relegated to field reporting, things like an animal beauty pageant, and can’t stand it, but knows maybe someday, if she works hard enough, she might get her shot. But Ron is smitten with Veronica, and they begin an office romance destined for destruction. Now it’s war, with Ron and his anchor buddies set on bringing Veronica down, mostly because all of them feel threatened.

You know what, enough of the story synopsis. Will Ron and Veronica make nice, and will Veronica eventually become a network anchor? Will Brick (Steve Carell) say something that remotely makes sense, and will Jack Black be targeted by the ASPCA? All of these questions and more will be answered.

But is the movie funny? Hell yes, especially if Will Ferrell has ever made you laugh in any other movie. You get a wonderful cast of characters, especially Ron’s fellow newsmen, and some people complain about Fred Willard being wasted in his role as the boss, but I found him perfect, especially talking to the nun over the phone. If the trailer made you laugh, you’ll probably really like this movie, especially if you like a good boner joke, but if you just don’t get the humor of Ron doing a cannonball into the pool, stay away. It’s 4 ½ stars out of 5 for “Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy.”

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