Date Night

No, I didn't have one. I'm talking about the movie Date Night with Tina Fey and Steve Carell.

I know it's been out for a while, but now's your chance to see it, right? When it's at the dollar movie! Now, I don't mean anything by that comment, so don't read into it.

Several other critics say that it's crap, that having Tina and Steve together as a couple in a movie was an genius idea but this movie wasn't it, and that the script hold these two actors back. Here's what I say to that:

I still thought it was freakin' hilarious. So, if I did see it again, ok, maybe I'd start to agree with them. And looking back at it now, I agree that the script could have been better and that if Carell and Fey were allowed to improv a little more it could have been even more hilarious (at the end of the credits, the outtakes are amazing!). But, that didn't keep me from laughing several times during the movie.

There are several cameos by several actors/actresses, so I won't try to list them all, but I really did enjoy the movie. Ok, so maybe I have a soft spot for Steve Carell and Tina Fey and I'd probably love anything they were in. But, now that it's at the dollar theater, I say go see it multiple times, or maybe once. (I'll be honest, I'm afraid if I see it again I might not like it as much.) But, do go see it... now.

How To Train Your Dragon

This movie was great! It was funny, cute, great for kids, and the animation was awesome. I saw this with my family in 3D, and I will say that seeing the movie was worth the 60 bucks we had to pay for us all to go see it (this is another subject in which I'm not too happy about with this whole new surge in 3D movies, perhaps another post). I would in fact see it again, it was that good.

The movie is basically about this tribe of Vikings whose village is constantly being attacked by dragons. The village has gotten so use to this occurring that their children are taught to fight these dragons and most of the adults continue to venture out to find and destroy the dragons' nest. In comes our main character, Hiccup (voiced by Jay Baruchel) the son of the brave, tough village leader, Stoick (voiced by Gerard Butler), who is the complete opposite of his father. He is rather weak, clumsy, and try as he might is never able to fight or capture a dragon and instead gets in the way. His one redeeming quality: he is incredibly smart.

Hiccup creates a contraption to trap a dragon, and as luck would have it, actually catches himself a bonafide dragon, not only that but one that has never been seen by anyone in the village because it is so illusive. As I'm sure you can guess, he and the dragon make friends and through the encounters with his dragon, Hiccup is able to defeat the other dragons in his fighting training. His secret friend is uncovered and his father uses him to find the nest, only to discover a more sinister problem than their run of the mill sheep-stealing dragons. Action-sequence ensues.

Oh, there's a little love story in there two, but who cares about that, right? Stoick's brother and the young viking trainer is voiced by Craig Ferguson, whose lines are hilarious! There are a few other big names as voices (America Ferrara as Astrid, the love interest, Kristin Wiig, and Jonah Hill to name a few), but they do such a good job that you can get past their famous voices and just see the characters.

This movie is great for kids and adults alike. I mean my whole family loved it, and my youngest sibling is 12 and my dad is 50. It's a good family movie. With a few more great films like this and Kung Fu Panda, DreamWorks might finally give Pixar/Disney a run for their money.

Fantastic Mr. Fox

Ummm. I LOVED this movie. I have been wanting to see it for a long while, and I have heard rave reviews about it. I finally bought it on demand and watched it with my two younger siblings, and they loved it too. It's just a fun movie with some great voice acting and very funny jokes. And some pretty dang fantastic animation!

It is claymation, and let me tell you, it looks awesome. The fur moves and just has a nice texture, and the details are amazing. I thought it was great every time Mr. Fox (voiced by George Clooney) smiled because he barred his teeth and it made me laugh. I'm a huge fan of claymation movies because to me it's almost as good as 3D.

The basic story is that Mr. Fox, being what he is, loves stealing chickens etc. However, his wife (voiced by Meryl Streep) tells him he needs to stop stealing because she's pregnant. We then fast forward 12 years and Mr. Fox finds himself bored with his newspaper gig and is itching to steal again to liven up his boring life. He decides to have one last heist that puts him up against three of the meanest farmers known to animal. Of course, the farmers figure it out and decide that this means war. Chaos ensues and all of the animals in the area must face these three farmers to survive.

There is a small subplot involving Mr. Fox's son Ash (voiced by Jason Schwartzman) and his cousin, Kristofferson (voiced by Eric Chase Anderson, brother of the director Wes Anderson), along with a bit of conflict between Ash and Mr. Fox. I don't want to ruin anything so I won't go further because I actually think this subplot was very cute, and I'm glad it broke up the main conflict against the farmers.

I think adults and kids alike will like this movie because there are humorous situations for both, and the adults will probably better appreciate the quirkiness that is a Wes Anderson film. I'm glad Wes ventured out and did something different because I think he really made this story great and come alive. I highly recommend this movie to everyone!

Yeah... I'm a Slacker

So, it's been a little over a year since we've last updated this blog. In fact, Megan is off being a world famous book editor, so I think she pretty much forgot about this blog (which is why she isn't on the blog anymore). As for me, I've been trying to focus on my personal blog and remembering to update that. But still, I apologize for the lack of posts.

Although, I don't think anyone really cares since every week I get an update from our site tracker and every week it tells me there were 0 visitors. It is because of this fact that I really hadn't worried too much about not posting anything in such a long time. But, I'm going to try to be better.

I have started helping with a coworker's blog that comprises reviews of different media, but since it's a mostly private blog, I think I will take what I write on there and alter it a bit for this blog. I was importing this blog into my facebook notes, but I think I'll wait till I get a few more posts up before I start that up again.

So, in conclusion, I will try to be better and hopefully soon, more people will come visit since we'll have a few more posts. If anyone has any suggestions, I'd be more than willing to hear them. I just want to make sure everyone is aware, so be looking on more updates from me. I promise!

ER... Wait, what? I missed how many seasons?

I've never been one of those faithful ER watchers. In fact up until a month ago, I had never seen a full episode. I had always figured I wouldn't like it, so I never bothered to check it out. Well now that it is nearing it's last 2 episodes, I actually started watching it (thanks to Hulu), and let me tell you I'm now interested.

I started watching on Episode 16 ("The Beginning of the End") of Season 15th (the current and last season), which I might add was the first episode in which Noah Wyle returned (I love him). I actually liked it. It might be because of Noah Wyle and of course John Stamos doesn't hurt. But, I also enjoyed the fast paced banter and dialogue. Granted as we near the end of the show the episodes do the best they can to tug at the viewer's heartstrings, well more like yank until you can't take it anymore.

Not to mention, since it is in fact it's last season, ER and its producers are pulling out all the stops. For every character that was previously on the show (that wasn't killed off in the show) that they can get have returned for the final farewell. They've had George Clooney, Noah Wyle, Maura Tierney, Eriq La Salle, William H. Macy, and Julianna Margulies, and others that I don't know since I just started watching it. Along with bringing back old characters, they've had big name stars and other celebrities come on the show as well like Susan Sarandon, Judy Greer, Courtney B. Vance, and Steve Buscemi.

Despite the fanfare and my lack of knowing the details and backstories, I would actually say that I'm hooked, and I will for sure watch the last two episodes. I'm not sure if I loved it enough to go and get the beginning seasons on DVD and watch all the episodes from beginning to end, but I may consider watching a few seasons on DVD. Again thanks to Hulu, you can watch the last 11 episodes of this current season along with clips, excerpts, recaps, and interviews.

I recommend watching ER and its last episodes, especially if you can sit and watch them on your computer and or other "portable computing devices" as Alec Baldwin says in the Hulu commercial. I laughed, I cried, it moved me... go watch it.

Christmas Movies! I mean... "Holiday" Movies

So, I've been meaning to update. I've seen tons of movies that I could have reviewed, but my lazy self refused to sit down and type them all up. Therefore, my sincerest apologies for my lack of posts. I have a feeling that my good friend Megan has abandoned our blog, so I'm kind of on my own with this. Don't worry; I'm up to the challenge. But, now our title doesn't quite make sense since it's just one "M." If you have any better suggestions, let me know, or bug Megan to post something.
As it is the season, I've made a list (with a short reason) of the top ten Christmas movies that no celebration of the holiday should be without. I've got some old classics and some new favorites. Let the countdown begin!
10. Home Alone- A classic, I still wonder how it's even possible those two guys are still alive to make a sequel. They should have quit while they still had their dignity...
9. Dr. Seuss' How the Grinch Stole Christmas- I enjoy the one with Jim Carrey, but who says you can't watch that and the cartoon version. Just don't start speaking in rhyme!
8. The Santa Clause- I love it; it answered so many questions for me in regards to Santa. Who knew fireplaces just appeared if there wasn't one? Denny's--it's an American Institution! Yuk.
7. White Christmas- The songs in this are great. I mean everyone loves a white Christmas even if the only way you can get it is to watch Bing Crosby tap dance with Danny Kaye. Hope you're more superior than a cockerspaniel.
6. Miracle on 34th Street- I'm partial to the new one because I love looking at Dylan McDermott, but if you're more traditional, go for the black and white. If only more people believed in Santa and all the "intangibles" he entails, how different the world would be.
5. National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation- So hilarious, I always have to watch this for it to be officially Christmas. Just remember being enrolled in the Jelly of the Month Club is the gift that keeps on giving the whole year.
4. Elf- This movie is so funny and really cute to boot. Grab a roll of Tollhouse cookie dough and watch it with someone you love and you don't care who knows it. Afterwards, hum some carols because the best way to spread Christmas cheer is singing loud for all to hear.
3. A Muppet Christmas Carol- Of course there has to be some version of Dicken's immortal classic in the lineup, and in my opinion, this is the best version (although I do enjoy Scrooged with Bill Murray). The songs are fantastic, and who doesn't love those little muppets? It's always nice to hear the story from someone who knows it like the back of their hand...
2. A Christmas Story- There's a reason why TBS has 24 hours of A Christmas Story every Christmas eve. This movie is amazing, and I'm surprised kids still don't want a Red Rider BB gun. No holiday celebration is complete without seeeing Ralphie look like a pink nightmare. (Which little fact, the actor that plays Ralphie is in Elf as the guy who reassures Will Farrell that he isn't a "cotton-headed niny-muggins.") Someday I'll be introduced to Chinese turkey... Fa Ra Ra Ra Ra Ra Ra Ra Ra.
1. It's a Wonderful Life- Ok, you got to know this was coming. I know it's old and for a while it got a little overplayed, but I still think this movie is amazing. If only I could get someone to lasso me the moon. Maybe I should ring some bells...

If you have time, I think you should watch some Claymation movies too because they are great. You know what I'm talking about: Santa Claus is Comin' to Town, The Little Drummer Boy, The Year Without a Santa Claus, and of course Rudolph the Red-nosed Reindeer. I'm sure being a dentist instead of an elf would be really rewarding.

MERRY CHRISTMAS and HAPPY HOLIDAYS EVERYONE!!!!!!!!

Out with the Old, In with the new...

It is now that time to return from vacations, start a new year of school, and get back into the routine that summer kicked us out of. Now, is also the time for new television shows to rope us in, and sadly, for others, to remain in syndication or be available only on DVD. With the writer's strike earlier this year, many shows were forced under a microscope of whether or not to continue a new season or not. Many shows even continued through the summer (after the interruption) to have a "summer finale" and a two week break before the official season premiere.

Let us now take a moment to remember the shows we loved that, for this point in time, will no longer be with us. (But, not to fear fans of "24," "Lost," and "Scrubs" for they will return in January)

There will be of course several returning champs vying for our attention and DVR space this season. Loyal followers of "Boston Legal," "The Shield," and "ER" will probably cry at the end of the season for these shows will not be returning for another round. Personally, I'm excited for "The Office," and "Chuck," and I'm pleased that USA felt "The Starter Wife" needed more than a six-episode miniseries (let's hope it won't ruin it).

However, there are several newcomers that are ready and willing to take out their elder opponents for our ratings. Has anyone else noticed the growing trend of shows that are "The [verb]ist/er"? There's "The Closer," and "The Cleaner," and now "The Locator," and "The Mentalist."

Also, many of these new contenders seem almost exactly like previous things we've seen/heard about. There's a show on HBO (sorry for those who don't subscribe, not to worry, neither do I) called "True Blood" that sounds an awful lot like a racier version of the Twilight series by Stephanie Meyer. Since the movie Crash did so well at the Academy Awards, Starz has decided to make a television series by the same name and along the same theme (obviously trying for an Emmy to go with that Oscar). Based on the book Robinson Crusoe, another T.V. show "Crusoe" hopes to put a little twist on the classic novel.

Then there's the remakes, such as an updated, modern, more "true to life" version of "90210" that I'm sure many young, corruptable teenagers will latch on to, and a remake of "Knight Rider" whose main character is significantly more promising than it's predecessor (David Hasselhoff). Also, since we Americans love to take television shows from other countries, "Hole in the Wall" based off of the Japanese tetris like game show looks rather promising in the "watch people make fools of themselves" category.

A few shows are getting a lot of buzz, and hopefully they can live up to it, is a new J.J. Abrams creation titled "Fringe," and Hellboy turned biker show "Sons of Anarchy." Oh, what a fantastic Fall television season awaits us... let the recording begin!