« November 2008 | Main | January 2009 »

December 30, 2008

What's New? A DVD Review of: Eagle Eye

The Dude on the Right always wondered if a helicopter scene in "Eagle Eye" showed St. James, a church in Chicago where he used to sometimes go to for mass on Sundays, as well as a view of Keating Hall, the "sports center" for the Illinois Institute of Technology where The Dude used to do can-openers off of the high-dive board, at the college where he also started doing reviews, but that's not important right now.  What is important right now is if he thought the DVD of "Eagle Eye" was any good, and pretty much The Dude on the Right thought it held up as well on his plasma as it did at the movie theater.  He was disappointed that the alternate ending version on the DVD wasn't the realistic version The Dude was looking for, he did like the "making of" features, and always loves a gag-reel, and maybe the commentary feature was cool, but The Dude rarely, and didn't, watch the movie with the commentary floating around in the background.  He does feel, though, if you want an action movie reminiscent of movies like "I, Robot", "The Italian Job", and "War Games," but with the effects of 2008, the DVD of "Eagle Eye" will let you enjoy your time at home, and then wonder if your cell phone is watching you.  Happy viewing!

Posted by Rightdude at 8:27 PM | Comments (0)

December 29, 2008

What's New? A Podcast of: Stu & The Dude's Weekend Wrap-Up! Christmas Talk, an Asshole in a Maserati Talk, but no Oprah Talk.

Stu Gotz is back for this "Weekend Wrap-Up!" podcast, complete with special guest, Mama Gotz!  Of course there is Christmas talk amongst them all, with Mama Gotz telling about Christmas at the Gotz's, and The Dude on the Right wondering about Santa showing up at church.  Gift giving is a topic of discussion, Stu saw "Bedtime Stories," and they witness an asshole in a Maserati decide he is the most important person to pull into a Starbucks' parking lot.  There is also the final talk about the Chicago Bears for this season, but no talk about Oprah not pumping her own gas, even though Stu wanted to talk about it.

Posted by Rightdude at 6:51 PM | Comments (0)

December 28, 2008

What's New? A DVD Review of "Ghost Town."

The Dude on the Right thought "Ghost Town" was okay when he saw it in the movie theater, but for this DVD review he feels it does a little better on the small screen, where you and your honey can snuggle a little more, make fun of things during the movie, and easily take a pee break without missing much.

Posted by Rightdude at 8:08 PM | Comments (0)

December 24, 2008

Global Warming, Global Cooling, A Cuban, Electric Cars, Cheap Gas, and Happy Holidays

By: The Dude on the Right
Oh the weather outside is frightful, or, well, it’s at least warmer, but as we are definitely going to have a white Christmas here in Chicagoland, I had to laugh at a lot of the comments on the radio when we were having the sub-zero temperatures about “Where is this global warming?”  Some pundit-types were using the cold weather to say, “See, Al Gore is wrong.  We don’t need to worry about the environment.  Everything is cyclical.  This year we might be global warming, next year we’ll be global cooling.  See, Al Gore is a dufus!”  Then there are the environmental types spinning that the cold weather is an affect of global warming because the environment is all out of whack.  Me, I don’t really know who to believe, all I know is that on TV yesterday I saw a news story about a Chinese company that is supposed to have an electric car, similar to the Chevy Volt, that is supposed to come out a couple years earlier, cost a bunch less, only won’t be as luxurious.  Me, I’m not that worried about the carbon emissions, my carbon footprint, or if I fart too much, what I do think is cool would be a car that pretty much doesn’t need gasoline, and somehow the Chinese are ahead of us in developing that car.

And that leads me to the loan offered to the auto manufacturers and a great post from Mark Cuban, the owner of the Dallas Mavericks, the won’t be owner of the Chicago Cubs because baseball owners are a bunch of dufi, but does write a nice blog where a few days ago he mentioned how Chrysler is toast because, well, what better way to waste money than to put a full-page ad in the Wall Street Journal thanking America for, well, investing in Chrysler, “America’s Car Company” that used to be sort of a Mercedes Benz car company until the Benz people couldn’t even take it anymore.  My simple analysis is that the car companies are in this mess much the same way Motorola is in their cell-phone mess.  Motorola rested all of its laurels on the Razr line, not seeing that things are changing, and now no one gives a damn about the latest Razr phone.  The car companies have become just as complacent, resting on their laurels without seeing the innovation consumers want in order to buy a new car.  A little Chinese company might just show that even with the Chevy Volt coming out, a once mighty car company gets beaten to the punch by a company that sees car buying differently.

Than again, with gas prices around $1.50 a gallon again, who cares about electric cars anymore.

In any case, I’m just waiting for my BFF before we start our holiday celebrating, so I thought I would write about something, so why not mix global warming, the loans to the auto companies, and cheap gas all in one post.

Happy Holidays.

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

Posted by Rightdude at 3:12 PM | Comments (0)

December 22, 2008

What's New? A Podcast of: What's for Dinner, It's Cold, and No Stu :-(

Flying solo for a "Weekend Wrap-Up!" podcast, The Dude on the Right only skips one thing he was planning on talking with Stu Gotz about, so instead he just discusses them with you, the listener.  Topics include a different take on your Holiday dinner menu, how he liked "Yes Man," how he is sick of the cold weather even though winter has just begun, and how he is looking forward to this Christmas even though he won't see any movies that day.  With The Dude from Illinois he also talks a little Rob Blagojevich, some Chicago Bears, and upcoming Christmas Day movie releases, but he does skip one story because that really is one Stu will also be upset that he didn't think of the idea, either.

Posted by Rightdude at 7:11 PM | Comments (0)

December 21, 2008

A Missing Picture, A Mean Letter, but Thank You, and Here's to 2009!

By: The Dude on the Right
As I have been getting a bit sentimental lately, coming on Christmas (did I ever mention that I really love Robert Downey Jr’s version of "River", and him in "Iron Man"?), it’s been a season of happiness, sharing it with my new BFF as well as old friends, and a season of sadness, being the first Christmas after both my Mom and Dad died. In preparation for this blog post, well, I tried to do some quick looking through old family photos for a picture of the Christmas tree we, or mostly Mom, would put up, but sadly I couldn’t find one of the tree, a beautiful tree – an artificial tree, white instead of green, some forty years old, with some ornaments that were probably older than that, and Mom always put bubble lights on the tree, and as kids we would each pick a bubble light, hoping ours was the first to bubble. It also had normal-er sized bulbs, not those tiny bulbs most trees have, some were blinky bulbs, and back in the day we would have the train set up on the floor, on a sheet of plywood, that would drive the dog nuts! In my searching I did, however, find some pictures of my first girlfriend, my first car, Dad smoking a stogie, my fraternity brother Ken, one that my brother’s girlfriend would get a kick out of, and some pictures of me I hope no one ever see. I also found a copy of a letter I wrote to my sister that even I have to admit was kind of mean, but sadly, no picture of that Christmas tree. It’s not that they don’t exist, I know they do, and if I recall correctly, we had a picture of it on the collage of photos at my Mom’s funeral, but I don’t have the photos from that collage, and I don’t have days to search through the boxes of family photos and negatives that I have, to find one.  Yet.

So, without getting uber-sentimental, in the few days before Christmas this year, all I can give you right now is a picture of my Christmas tree (filled with ornaments thanks to my Mom), and wish all of you, no matter what you celebrate, a nice end to 2008, and a 2009 filled with more joyness than sadness, more loveness than hateness, and more smileness than frown-ness.

2008 has been a year of weirdness, but thankfully to all of you who visit, and my friends, and my BFF, it's also been a year of happiness through it all!

Here's to 2009, and if it goes as I hope, it will really be a year of change!

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

Posted by Rightdude at 7:15 PM | Comments (1)

December 20, 2008

What's New? A Movie Review of "Yes Man"

The Dude on the Right went to see a movie and was worried it would be "Liar Liar" revisited, but doing as he does, he reviewed "Yes Man," and still likes Jim Carrey.  Surprisingly enough it was actually a nice romantic comedy with Jim Carrey only being slightly over-the-top, although during a scene when "Jumper" from Third Eye Blind plays out, well, the limits were actually pushed, but still played out funny.  For the most part, though, things are kept simple and happy, and Zooey Deschanel is great as Allison, the romantic girl in the movie.  The Dude is really worried that you will have to explain to your youngins why Jim Carrey is, in the end, excited after he put up some shelves in his elderly neighbor's apartment, but just don't tell your little ones why Grandpa is happy when Grandma takes out her teeth.

Posted by Rightdude at 7:12 PM | Comments (0)

December 15, 2008

What's New? A Podcast of: Stu & The Dude's Weekend Wrap-Up! Lousy Audio, Airport Travels, A Polar Express, and An Abrupt Ending

So The Dude on the Right ends up with some audio issues for this podcast of "Stu & The Dude's Weekend Wrap-Up!", but Stu Gotz powers on trying to keep things flowing even if The Dude sounds like his microphone is being hit by an electric storm.  They both do their best, however, to tell you their take on the movie "The Day the Earth Stood Still," Stu Gotz got to spend some quality family time with the Little Gotz's and Mama Gotz at an Enchanted Castle and on a Polar Express over the weekend, while The Dude regales stories of going to New Jersey, a digital boarding pass, and why People Magazine is worse than Playboy (although Stu has his own thoughts).  Some topics don't come up during this podcast, like why the dog in the picture is trying to do The Dude's hair, and that The Dude finally saw "It's a Wonderful Life" from start to finish.  Hopefully the next episode of the "Weekend Wrap-Up!" will be audio-problem free!

Posted by Rightdude at 7:09 PM | Comments (0)

December 14, 2008

What's New? A Movie Review of: The Day the Earth Stood Still

The Dude on the Right is slowly getting back into a routine, a routine with newness, a routine with oldness, but thankfully the routine includes a movie review of "The Day the Earth Stood Still."  The Dude isn't sure if he should have included a lame-ass movie like "The Day the Earth Stood Still" in the new routine he is trying to develop, but good movies or crappy movies, he's always going to tell you what he thinks.  The simple hint is that he loved Keanu Reeves as Ted Theodore Logan, loved Keanu Reeves as Neo, but as Klaatu, his loving Keanu Reeves isn't so much.  Go and see the movie for John Cleese and Jaden Smith, or maybe rent the original.

Posted by Rightdude at 7:14 PM | Comments (0)

December 8, 2008

What's New? A Podcast of: Stu & The Dude's Weekend Wrap-Up! A Fraternity Dinner, TV Talk, and Girls in Skimpy Outfits

The Dude on the Right shirked his duties for a few days to reunite with some friends from his fraternity days, and since Stu Gotz was also a friend in The Dude's fraternity days, and since friends came in from near and far, for this "Weekend Wrap-Up!" podcast, Stu & The Dude reminisce a bit, reflect on a weekend with friends, and aren't really sorry that they can't party any more like it's 1999.  And as they reflect on a weekend of getting together with old friends, they don't forget new things, like the Chicago Bears beating a different football team, Stu seeing some old movies like "Bring It On," "Stick It," and "The Day the Earth Stood Still," and they both love TV, with The Dude really loving "Chuck," even if it is very predictable, and Stu eagerly awaiting the return of "Battlestar Galactica" to the TV airwaves.

Who knows what they'll talk about next?

Posted by Rightdude at 7:34 PM | Comments (0)

December 3, 2008

History Shows that The Dude on the Right was Left, and The Dude on the Left was Right

By: The Dude on the Right
Little did I realize that it's been over twenty years, last October, that this odyssey that is Entertainment Ave! began, and thanks to the historical nature that is The Mystery Dude, and the continuing work of Mookie, the first review from The Unknown Reviewers, from our days at the Illinois Institute of Technology, incognito as we were, has been posted.  With no fanfare, or really any coolness, we reviewed a band named "1313." The Dude on the Left and I, or actually, for our first article, me being "LEFT" and him being "RIGHT," well, we gave the band "Two Thumbs Up!", and suddenly, two dudes just looking for a way to make beer money, helped to develop an internet entity that has lasted 20 years, sometimes strong, sometimes not so strong, but in the end letting some people have some fun.

The weird thing for me is that I can almost remember every picture I have taken, but as I read our first review, I have no recollection of the band "1313," sort of.  Then I became obsessed, scoping out the photos in that issue, and those in the rest of the 1988 archives that have been posted, and can honestly say "I took that picture!" many a time.  Yup, back in those days we had cameras, with film, and we had to develop it in a darkroom, and I knew how.

But as I also perused those 1988 archives, and the year came to an end, I don't want to say one band influenced me to love seeing music, but as I read our review of "Shuddup 'N Drive," who knew a bar band would be so influential in my appreciation for hard-working bands?  Those early days instantly brought supporters and initial non-supporters (Barry - Where are you?), and I would like to say that over the years we have become more polished in the review department, but that definitely is not the case.

As the IIT Galvin Library continues adding to the Technology News online archives, I'm really looking forward to the progression of things, the changing of the guard at times, our online advice column, Dear Dudes, and how we slowly transformed from just reviewing bar bands to shifting to national acts.

More looks back at our early days will be coming soon, but for now I can't believe how thin I was back then.

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

Posted by Rightdude at 5:39 PM | Comments (0)

December 1, 2008

What's New? A Podcast of: Stu & The Dude's Weekend Wrap-Up! Black Friday, A Walnut Room, Painting, Gambling, Movies, and More!

Thanksgiving led to the lack of a Thursday podcast last week, but The Dude on the Right & Stu Gotz do their best to make up for it during this episode of their "Weekend Wrap-Up!" podcast.  The thing is, with an extended weekend, they talk about a lot of the same things, like movies ("Bolt," "Tropic Thunder," "Iron Man," "Delta Farce," and "Australia"), music (Britney Spears has a new CD, "Circus," coming out), TV ("The Big Band Theory" and "How I Met Your Mother"), and The Chicago Bears losing, but the holidays brought some new stuff like a visit to the Museum of Science and Industry for the Gotz's, a new holiday tradition that should probably stop in its tracks (it's a visit to The Walnut Room at Macy's, which used to be Marshall Fields), The Dude having dinner and lunch with a variety of friends, and both Stu and The Dude disgusted at people who helped lead to the death of a dude at Wal Mart on Black Friday.

They both cover a lot of ground, but the podcast is under 20 minutes, so what the hell, go ahead and give the podcast a listen.

Posted by Rightdude at 7:01 PM | Comments (0)