Category: whatsnew

A3

Date: November 9, 2000
Venue: The Metro
City: Chicago, IL
A Review by:
– The Dude on the Right

So you are a fan of “The Sopranos” and every week you hear the opening theme song, “Woke Up This Morning,” and say to yourself “Self, I wonder who does that song?” Maybe even one week you actually watch all of the credits to see if they say who does the song, but sadly, it isn’t listed.

You, however, are not as anal as I am, so you just let it go, as opposed to me who starts doing internet searches up the wazoo and finally finds that the song is by a band from across the pond called Alabama 3, for some legal reason called A3 here in the states, and then the challenge is to hit all of the local stores around me to find their CD because I can’t wait a couple of days for it if I order it over the internet.

I buy the CD for one song and find a band that has such a strange mix of influences that I can’t help but like this band.

With that it was with much anticipation that I made my way to The Metro in Chicago to catch a band with so much sound that I wondered how it would fit on the little Metro stage. It was a tight fit on the stage, but sadly not as tight a fit in the audience, and for a band that was able to draw two dudes all the way from Indianapolis, Indiana at this show, as well as one dude from overseas who says that A3 can fill a place five times the size of The Metro back home, it ended up being an intimate show for not too many people by a band that you could see was slightly disappointed in the audience showing, but still gave the show their all.

A3 opened with “Woke Up This Morning” and I, at first, was kinda worried. The crowd wasn’t that big in the first place so I figured that having heard the song they wanted to hear, well, the audience might begin to thin as the night went on, especially since it looked like most of the crowd didn’t really know any more of the band’s songs. But you know how I know A3 did their job? Because it didn’t seem like anybody left until the lights came on after “Sinking…”

Me, I knew a good majority of the songs because “Exile on Coldharbour Lane” had been on a high rotation in this dude’s CD playlist. They didn’t disappoint me with the likes of The First Minister of The First Presleyterian Church of Elvis the Divine, Dr. D. Wayne Love, leading the crowd through “Hypo Full of Love”, then a rousing “Mao Tse Tung Said”, and later “U Don’t Dans 2 Tekno Anymore” showed some of the country in this band’s mix of country, acid, house music with funky blues mixed in. But this hour and a half show also highlighted much of A3’s new material from “La Peste” which has quickly gone to the top of my “must get” list of CD’s. “Too Sick to Pray” hits that great mix of techno and blues that A3 does so well, a nice tribute to the country side with the Hank Williams cover in “Mansion on the Hill,” and at first I thought, as D. Wayne said “I wanna play one we didn’t write,” and the band went into John Prine’s “Speed of the Sound of Loneliness”, and the crowd reacted so well, that “Speed…” should have been the show closer and not “Sinking…”, but as “Sinking…” wrapped up the show, well, it’s just as good a show closer.

Some other highlights included another new song “Wade Into the Water,” which they labeled as REO Speedwagon crossed with Merle Haggard (D. Wayne said he liked REO Speedwagon for their album covers), and I really liked “Sad Eyed Lady of the Lowlife.”

A3 is a band that to me seems hard to market in the radio environment of today, at least here in the United States. You’ve got techno with your traditional looping and house beat. Then you’ve got some classic country mixed in, the inspirations of people like Merle Haggard and Hank Williams. Now add a touch of gospel. And finally take the inspiration of a bunch of blues greats. All together you get A3, a mix of sound that sadly won’t make the dance stations, is tough to add to the rock stations, is almost too alternative for alternative, and you couldn’t put the country sounding songs on a country station today if God said so. But A3 puts on a great live show and if you like “Woke Up This Morning” from “The Sopranos,” well, I highly recommend picking up their latest CD and trying to see them live. Who knows, maybe they’ll make it on the radio anyway.

Let’s wrap up my preaching and just say that A3 preaches just a little bit better than I do, especially this night at The Metro. The crowd stayed, had a good time through songs they didn’t seem to know, and when a band can do that, well, the band is doing their job. It’s TWO “I’m Converted!” THUMBS UP! for A3 and I really hope more people find them because I look forward to their return to Chicago.

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

Yourself or Someone Like You

Artist: Matchbox Twenty
Listenability Scale: 100%
Released by: Atlantic/Lava Records
A Review by:
– The Dude on the Right

Every now and then you hear a band you just can’t seem to get enough of. You play the CD over and over until you think that it’s all you can take, and then you get to see the band live and all of a sudden now you have images to go along with the songs so you play that CD over and over, again. All of a sudden you forget about all of the other bands you liked because this band is it, and wish there were more bands out there like these guys. Well, the latest band that does this for me has these five guys calling themselves matchbox 20, and the CD is called “Yourself or Someone Like You.”

Why matchbox 20? Why “Yourself or Someone Like You?” Well, maybe my listening tastes need something different from the angry, the world hates us, alternative stuff that has been shoved down our throats for the last few years. Maybe I’m tired of trying to figure out what the Eddie Vedder’s of the world are trying to say and am looking for rock and roll with lyrics that are intelligible (has anyone ever really figured out the lyrics to “Yellow Leadbetter” yet?), a band that tosses in some harmonies, a band using more that three chords for a song, and a band that still keeps the energy level that alternative bands have brought to the stage. All of that seems to happen with matchbox 20.

Rob Thomas leads the five guys by handling the lead vocals and most of the songwriting. Filling in the other four of this talented band are Kyle Cook playing one hell of a lead guitar, Adam Gaynor handling rhythm guitar, Brian Yale on bass, and Paul Doucette pounding out the drums.

So that’s the band, what about the CD? Well, “Yourself or Someone Like You” can probably be over-analyzed by the best of them. Many of the lyrics jump right out at you, making you think one thing, but as you look at the entire song you see something entirely different. But then there are the subtle lines that themselves can keep ringing in your ears, lyric lines like “She thinks that happiness is a mat that sits on her doorway” from “3 am.” It’s just different. Without going into therapy figuring out the lyrics, I’ll just say that the CD is remarkably easy to listen to. From the acoustic driven, cool harmonies, and winding down “Hang” to the electric guitar, up-beat, and in your face “Long Day,” this CD will have you drifting calmly at one point and then singing while nearly banging your head a little later.

It’s refreshing hearing a band drawing on the clean-sounding rock and pop that was present in the eighties, but they’ve changed it a notch to keep it fresh and new for the nineties. The only problem, at least in the Chicago radio spectrum I’m stuck in – is that no one seems to play them. And you know, I don’t think it’s because no one likes them, but in all honesty their sound doesn’t fit the stale playlists that are hitting my radio. That’s really too bad because for a change there’s a band that is fresh, mixing clean rock of old with energy of today, and the number three market in the country has yet to recognize them. But me, I found them, and am telling you that if you don’t want to take a chance buying the CD then head to their web site or the Atlantic Records site and check out some of the audio samples. If you’re still not sure, head to your favorite records store and pop the CD in a listening station. I think you just might like the energy, you just might like the musical stylings, and you just will probably head home with the CD.

In all honesty, I can listen to every song on the CD over and over and not skip any of them – and that’s rare. A very cool band, a very cool CD, and here’s hoping you like them too. I won’t do this often, but it’s a 100% for “Yourself or Someone Like You” from matchbox 20 on the Entertainment Ave! listenability scale. It’s good to hear a talented band doing something a little different again, it’s good to hear harmonies and backing vocals again, and it’s good to hear clean intensity for a change. It’s good to hear matchbox 20.

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

Here’s Your Sign

Artist: Bill Engvall
Listenability Scale: 90%
Released by: Warner Bros. Nashville A Review by:
– The Dude on the Right

Bill Engvall is one funny guy. My appreciation for his humor started when I saw him open for John Michael Montgomery who opened for Reba, and then continued to grow when I saw him play emcee between Jo Dee Messina, Toby Keith, and Joe Diffie. I guess, like most good comics, his talent comes from translating everyday life situations into anything we can laugh at. I kind of liken him to Bill Cosby. Mr. Engvall goes from golf, to the fair, to the family and gives a reason for people to laugh. Now, it’s really kind of hard to review a comedy CD without really listing all of the jokes, but that can’t even relate the jokes because a lot of times it’s in the voice and inflections of the comedian that the jokes take a life. So, I guess I’ll just kind of go through the track by track synopsis thing and kind of abbreviate.

Track #
 Track Title
1.
 Introduction
Just what it says.
2.
 I Love Golf
Who hasn’t played golf, or any other sport with the “self-proclaimed” pro. Bill relates it perfectly.
3.
 Going to the Fair
He puts it simply. “If you’re ever feeling down about yourself, just go to a state fair and look around. I saw people who could be their own dad….” And who does have this talent for butter carving?
4.
 We’ve Got a Full House
The addition of pets to your house, and great comedic differences between cats and dogs.
5.
 Here’s Your Sign
Jeff Foxworthy has rednecks, Bill Engvall has signs. Yep, I agree, stupid people should wear them. And he raises some good points of warnings on products – they’re for stupid people, and if the stupid people wore signs we wouldn’t sell these products to them. Like why does a tube of Preparation H have to have a warning like “Do not take orally,” or “avoid spraying this into an open flame” on a can of shaving cream. This little track also starts with a hilarious take on Texans, especially their language like “I tell you what” being a complete sentence.
6.
 Nobody Disciplines Their Kids Anymore
He’s right, in a comical way, what’s up with this whole “time-out” thing, anyway. Let’s try a knock-out. Where was that “sitting in a chair and thinking about it” when we were growing up?
7.
 Things Have Changed
It used to be fun going out on Halloween, and where were those car seats when we were growing up? Nope, didn’t have them, as he puts it, “we were up there jumpin’ on the front seat.”
8.
 Caught Big Time
A great segment on the trials and tribulations of kids growing up, asking about sex, and parents almost getting caught in the throws of passion.
9.
 I.G. Joe
A cute take on how your children can’t pronounce things, how dinosaurs might just be extinct because of Barney, and where is “white-trash” Barbie?
9.
 Baby Barf and the Turkey Hunt
I think I’ll start to work on the “baby barf” alarm clock, I just hope he doesn’t want any royalties!
9.
 Tell Me What I’m Thinking
There are certain places fingers are not meant to be put.
9.
 Love Magic
Bill does a great take on what keeps a marriage together. Simply put – don’t play board games together.

I like a great comedian as much as the next person, there is nothing like a great laugh, especially when you’re laughing at yourself. His jokes are basically clean, but geared towards adults or at least those who can understand the adult world. The CD is a great representation of his live show, but like just about any comedian, go see him live. Just be sure you wear some adult diapers because you might find yourself peeing in your pants. As a comedy CD, Bill Engvall’s “Here’s Your Sign” is a winner. It’s a 90% on the listenability scale, and if you see his name anywhere near your town, go to see him live – that will tip it to 100%. That’s it for this one, I’m The Dude on the Right! L8R!!

Alchemy – Live

Artist: Dire Straits
Listenability Scale: 95%
Released by: Warner Bros. Records A Review by:
– The Dude on the Right

Sure, I always liked “Sultans of Swing”, but never classified myself as a Dire Straits fan. That changed when I saw a band called Crack’d Actor play in college, doing a cover of “Expresso Love.” For some reason that song got me hooked, and “Alchemy” is one of those CD’s that I love to crank-up because in my opinion, it’s much better on the louder side.

This is a collection of a bunch of great Dire Straits’ songs, from the mentioned “Expresso Love” to “Romeo and Juliet”, “Solid Rock,” and after you’ve listened to the CD’s a couple of times, who doesn’t yell with Mark Knopfler, “Thank yououou” before a great version of “Sultans of Swing.”

Dire Straits always did a great job of mixing fantastic guitar with great keyboard nuances, and Alchemy is a great live collection showing the multiple talents of one of the great bands.

It’s a 95% on the Entertainment Ave! listenability scale. It’s better loud – go ahead, bother the neighbors.

That’s it for this quick review. I’m The Dude on the Right!! L8R!!!

Pump

Artist: Aerosmith
Listenability Scale: 90%
Released by: Geffen Records
A Review by:
– The Dude on the Right

Sometimes having a lot of CD’s isn’t a good thing because you forget how much you really liked some of them. Case in point for me was Aerosmith’s “Pump.” As I went from song to song, I realized that every song on this CD is a keeper for me. Sure, there is a similarity in songs, with the usual driving guitar of Joe Perry and the over-the-top voice of Steven Tyler, but if you listened to any rock radio in the late 1980’s and ‘90’s, you can recognize many a tune from this one, namely “What it Takes,” “Love In An Elevator,” “The Other Side,” and “Janie’s Got a Gun,” and along with those you also remember every music video.

This is just a great, rockin’ album, and even past the radio hits, everything is solid and shows the talents of one of the best bands out there. 90% on the Entertainment Ave! listenability scale.

That’s it for this quick review! I’m

The Dude on the Right!! L8R!!!

Do You Like Trail Mix?

Lately I’ve been on a trail mix kick. Not just a trail mix kick, but tiny twist pretzels and trail mix. The pretzels are pretty standard, usually some Rold Gold as it would be, but the trail mix depends on who has what on sale. The only problem I have is that lately it’s been the Sam’s Club stuff that is the cheapest, but unfortunately their brand also has a ton of raisins. It’s not that I don’t like raisins, because I do, but it tends to have these clumps of raisins, kind of like when you open that small box of Sunmaids, and not enough M&M’s. Yup, I’m weird, especially as today’s daily plight is simply: Do you like trail mix?

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

Aerosmith

Date: May 23, 1999
Venue: The New World Music Theater
City: Tinley Park, IL
A Review by: The Dude on the Right

I really have only one complaint about attending the Aerosmith concert this kinda cool spring evening in May – it was too cool, as in cold weather. And because of that, well, to sound like a male pig, most of the dudettes wearing tight clothing had on coats. Damn. Anyway, enough ogling, about the show…

Aerosmith – what more needs to be said? Not much, but I’ll say some things anyway, like – it was great to see them cover some Rolling Stones, Joe Perry did a way-cool cover of “The Wanderer,” Steven Tyler missed the start of “Walk This Way” but made a fantastic recovery, and Steven Tyler tried to see down some dudettes pants that he brought on stage to dance with him. Ah, sometimes it’s good to be a rock star!

Opening with “Toys in the Attic,” the boys took the crowd through two hours of just about everything they could want to hear. You had your “Ragdoll,” you had your “Living on the Edge,” you had your “Pink,” and they even pulled “out some old shit” as Tyler called it, that I had no clue but seemed to be about the only one because the crowd sure followed along. And all along, even though the last stop on their current North American tour, the boys of the band know what they had to do to keep their fans happy, and they did that with the best of them.

Different from the last time I saw them, there were some changes in the song selection, not as many youngins (their love of “Don’t Want to Miss a Thing” is over), and Tyler’s knee brace was gone. But, similar to the last time I saw them, the opening of the show was the same with the curtains and shadows, the pyrotechnics going off, the rotating drum kit, and Steven Tyler shoving his face in the video camera, pelvic thrusting just about everything, and singing his ass off. And you know, that’s about all the crowd could ask for, a band that rocks, and Aerosmith is that band.

There were lots of extended guitar jams, Steven Tyler utilized every inch of the stage, some of the lyrics got changed a little (i.e. “all those late night promises, I guess they don’t mean shit”) and yes, they did play “Don’t Want to Miss a Thing,” after Tyler instructed the audience “If you love somebody, turn around and give them a big kiss,” which made me kind of weepy, there all alone, and I don’t think the boyfriend of the girl behind me would have appreciated my advances on his girl. So, I just sang along.

Anyway, the show rocked, and that’s all I really wanted, and that’s all the crowd really wanted, and that means “TWO ROCKIN’ THUMBS UP!!!” It’s Aerosmith dammit, and if I didn’t give them a good review the dude sitting next to me who asked what paper I was with and if I liked the band would probably hunt me down and kick my ass (he was a pretty big dude).

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

Eye of the Beholder

MPAA Rated – R
It’s 1:45 Long
A Review by:
– The Dude on the Right

Eye of the Beholder
Movie Stats & Links
Starring: Ashley Judd, Ewan McGregor, k.d. lang
MPAA Rated: R
Released By: Destination Films
Release Date: 1999
Kiddie Movie: No way.
Date Movie: She might get a little scared, or might thing you’re a stalker.
Gratuitous Sex: There’s some.
Gratuitous Violence: Some quality kills.
Action: Not too much on the action side.
Laughs: Only at things that didn’t make sense.
Memorable Scene: Ashley Judd (Joanna) stabbing a dude.
Memorable Quote: None.
Directed By: Stephen Elliott

There are many ways to go for realism in a film. Sometimes you try to get shootings to look real. Sometimes you try to get acting to seem real. And sometimes you try to get scenery to look real. Now this might not make sense to anyone who hasn’t seen a Chicago police car, but I just had to chuckle as I was watching “Eye of the Beholder” when The Eye (yea, no name really, just “The Eye”) (Ewan McGregor) and Joanna (Ashley Judd) ended up in Chicago. Other than the fact that there aren’t many cobblestone streets, who told the filmmakers that the police cars had red stripes on them? I saw the Chicago rollers and there they were, painted in red instead of the blue that every person who has seen any other movie with Chicago coppers, from a film like “The Blues Brothers” to “The Fugitive,” would know. It was at this point that “Eye of the Beholder” just took a downturn from “Ehh” to “wait for cable.”

So, in “Eye of the Beholder” you have The Eye, a spy dude with a couple of screws loose because he lost his daughter who is, well, spying, on Joanna and her latest conquest. She’s not playing with a full deck either as she sort of has the black widow thing going. You know, using men for their love (and money) and then killing them. Well, after seeing Joanna and hearing voices from his lost daughter, The Eye basically bails on his spy career and turns into a stalker, trailing Joanna across the continental United States and ending up in Alaska. We get to see The Eye using his high-tech spy things to catch her words, her actions, her falling in love, and her finally seeming to have a happy life with a blind dude until The Eye messes that up. But he thinks that he is meant for her, she doesn’t really know him until it’s too late, and, well, the movie doesn’t have a happy ending except to have you going “That’s it?” At least that’s what the lady in back of me said as the credits started to roll.

There were lots of problems with “Eye of the Beholder” and none of them had to do with the acting of McGregor nor Judd. McGregor is in a roll right after the Star Wars flick, maybe so he doesn’t fall into the “Mark Hamill Syndrome.” He’s a good enough actor, playing the messed in the head spy who can’t help but try to help Joanna, but the role is stuck in a story that really ends up making little sense. Ashley Judd, still one of my favoritist actresses lately, is great as the disturbed man-killer, really just looking for someone to love her and not see her for what she is, and does her role well. But the problem comes in the story, especially on the The Eye side. Yea, he’s great at being a detective, but he’s a little, as my mom might nicely say, loony. His co-workers know this, but they don’t do anything except maybe enable him. And when he finally snaps, well, even with all the spy gear and the spy agency he works for, well, they can’t find him, which I find odd because he always wears the dingy red coat and looks disheveled. At first he seemed like a great spy, but by the end he just made me laugh, especially with his shrine of snow-globes, and his final inability to tell Joanna just who he is.

So, McGregor was good and Ashley, I’m happy to say, is a great actress with a great body and isn’t afraid to show it. But the rest of the movie, well, it was good until you realize that The Eye is basically a stalker with cool spy shit.

So, as I checked my watch during the movie I was deciding to give “Eye of the Beholder” 2 ½ stars, then came the Chicago roller’s blunder and I just can’t handle that. At least get the color right. As much as McGregor was good, as much as Judd was good (and she got naked too), I just couldn’t get over the red coloring on the Chicago cop cars and the story just seemed really dumb after that. I really hate giving this rating for an Ashley Judd movie, but it’s 1 ½ stars for “Eye of the Beholder.” It was a movie with a lot, and I mean a lot of potential, but at least give me a little bit of realism, or at least find out what color the cop cars are.

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

Extract

MPAA Rated – R
It’s 1:32 Long
A Review by:
– The Dude on the Right

Extract
Movie Stats & Links
Starring: Jason Bateman, Mila Kunis, Gene Simmons, Kristen Wiig
MPAA Rated: R
Released By: Buena Vista Home Entertainment
Release Date: 2009
Kiddie Movie: Put them to bed.
Date Movie: My BFF liked it, so go ahead and watch it with her.
Gratuitous Sex: Lots of talk but clothes are kept on.
Gratuitous Violence: A dude loses a testicle.
Action: Nah.
Laughs: Lots of chuckles.
Memorable Scene: Every scene with Ben Affleck
Memorable Quote: Nothing sticks out.
Directed By: Mike Judge

Who knew Gene Simmons was such a great actor? Okay, maybe not great, but as scheister lawyer Joe Adler, I loved him. The movie is “Extract,” and you are definitely getting this Blu-ray for the movie because the extras, well, let’s get to that at the end.

Here’s the story…

Jason Bateman is Joel. From his youth he has been fascinated with “extracts,” you know, things like vanilla that your grandmother would use in baking. Turns out that Joel is also a chemistry wiz and developed special versions that, well, I didn’t really understand it, but they are better extracts used in baking than most extracts. But, that’s not important right now. What is important is that Joel has turned his knowledge into a business, owning and running a bottling plant for his extracts, being married to Suzie (Kristen Wiig), and have a best friend in Dean (Ben Affleck). But things at an extract plant can get a little hairy, especially when you don’t always have the most intelligent or dedicated workforce, and especially when things aren’t the greatest in your love life, as is the case with Joel, and you have recently hired the hottie Cindy (Mila Kunis).

So, Joel wrestles with whether or not he should sleep with Cindy, he hedges this by seeing if Suzie will be faithful while in the company of a new pool boy, and finally, Joel’s big payday might be ruined because one of his employees has hired said scheister lawyer, Joe Adler, and might just drive the company into bankruptcy. Things are rough in the extract business, and Joel knows it.

Look, “Extract” is a Mike Judge film, and as such develops itself into a quirky look at the workplace. “Office Space” had Mike analyzing people in the corporate office, this movie has the folks in an extract processing plant, and it has its moments that I think most anyone can understand and/or relate to. The weird thing about this movie is that it takes many strange turns, from the thievery aspect of the drifter Cindy, to the setting up your wife to cheat on you aspect, to a dude getting a testicle blown off in a freak plant accident, and I think the place that “Extract” lost a little character is almost trying to have too many tentacles in the movie instead of just maintaining the focus on what could have been the funniest of aspects, namely Step getting his ball shot off and hiring Joe Adler as a lawyer.

I have to say that I’m kind of happy that I didn’t catch the movie in the theater, I think I would have been disappointed, but as a DVD I think it’s a nice little comedy that takes a funny look at a food processing plant. For that, it’s 3 out of 5 stars, especially if you enjoy the Mike Judge type of humor.

Now, as far as the Blu-ray, or the DVD for that fact, don’t even worry about the extras. I mean, there’s a little clip about how Mike Judge goes about putting a movie together that is nice enough, but the “Blu-ray” extras, namely the deleted scene and extended scene, aren’t worth it at all. You’re getting this movie on Blu-ray only because, well, you own a Blu-ray player.

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

Evolution

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

Evolution
Movie Stats & Links
Starring: David Duchovny, Julianne Moore, Orlando Jones, Seann William Scott
MPAA Rated: PG-13
Released By: Dreamworks SKG
Release Date: 2001
Kiddie Movie: Some of it is pretty intense. Keep the kids older.
Date Movie: She’ll probably chuckle like you’ll chuckle.
Gratuitous Sex: Talked about but nothing on screen.
Gratuitous Violence: Alien bugs get shot.
Action: Alien bugs get chased.
Laughs: What you will expect.
Memorable Scene: Our boys chasing the flying alien in the mall.
Memorable Quote: Nah.
Directed By: Ivan Reitman

You know, as stupidly funny as “Evolution” was, I know it is one of those movies that when it shows up on cable I’ll watch it over and over again. Such is the genius of Ivan Reitman – his films never come off as movie masterpieces, but they are movies you will watch over and over again because they are what they are – fun movies.

“Evolution” gives us David Duchovny as Ira. He’s a professor at a community college in Arizona. So is Harry (Orlando Jones), but Harry has the slightly better gig also coaching the girls volleyball team. Then you’ve got Wayne (Seann William Scott) – he’s a firefighter wannabe practicing out in the dessert one night when a meteor totals his car. Harry gets called to the scene because he is a geologist and he brings along Ira for the ride. They sense something might be up from the get-go because, well, the meteor is oozing liquid. Harry and Ira collect some samples and it’s back to the lab.

Well, back in the lab Ira discovers something – there are living things in that ooze and they are evolving way to quickly for this world. A quick visit back to the meteor site and it’s clear they will either be on their way to claiming the Nobel Peace Prize or something bad is coming. Meanwhile, without our heroes’ knowledge, the government steps in to contain the meteor site and they want nothing to do with Ira and Harry. Eventually they befriend Allison (Julianne Moore). She’s working with the feds in studying the site and also has the hots for Ira but just doesn’t show it.

Well, the government people have no clue what they’re in for, Harry and Ira show Allison what is coming, Wayne gets hooked up with our boys and girl because he has caught one of the aliens, and it’s up to our foursome to save the world. Yes, you can guess it, they do.

Lots of people are making comparisons of “Evolution” to “Ghostbusters” and sure, there are similarities, but who really cares. “Evolution” gives us one of the next great movie comics in Orlando Jones, Duchovny shows he has a witty style of humor that can take him past his “X-Files” days, and Julianne Moore, well, she’s Julianne Moore. And, oh yea, he may never get past the dopey dude moniker, but Seann William Scott is perfect as the dopey dude. And let’s not forget the special effects for the aliens. They fly, they crawl, the look like cute blobs that will take your hand off, and they take us a lot farther than the ghosts did in the ghost movies.

Ivan Reitman has a great touch at developing lovable, dopey characters and maybe that’s why a movie like “Evolution” will, in the end, be one of those movies you will keep watching for the hundredth time when it lands on cable. It may not be the movie masterpiece you are looking for this summer, but “Evolution” is exactly what you probably will expect from it – a cute movie to chuckle along with. It’s 3 ½ stars out of 5.

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