SNMR 7.25: "I Love You, Man"

GREEN'S JAM SESSION IN THE MAN CAVE REVIEW:

Peter Klaven (Paul Rudd) is a Los Angeles real estate agent who has just proposed to his girlfriend Zooey (Rashida Jones). She's got tons of female friends for her bridal party. When asked who his best man will be, Peter realizes that all of his friends are women - he has no close male friends. So the quest begins, as he's set up on man dates by his gay brother and his mother. All end disastrously. Then Peter meets Sydney (Jason Segel) at an open house for Lou Ferrigno, his biggest client - and the bromance is on.

Paul Rudd is an excellent comic actor in his own right but he seems a little awkward playing the shy straight man to Segel's obnoxious character. But Rudd and Segel do display some chemistry and do manage to play off of each other pretty well. Rashida Jones, due to the nature of the movie and given her small part, does a good job holding her own with the boys. She's got large, beautiful eyes and a winning smile. The supporting cast is good, especially interplay between Jaime Pressly and Jon Favreau.

John Hamburg is a bright young director with a good eye for comedy. I liked his previous feature film, 2004's Along Came Polly. He does a fine job managing the talented cast and keeping the story from getting too silly. My two favorite scenes were Peter, Sidney and Zooey at the Rush concert (I loved her WTF look during the whole thing) and Lou Ferrigno giving Sidney the sleeper hold.

The extras on the DVD were good, especially the 'making of' featurette and the extended scenes.

A friend of mine saw this movie in the theater and thought it was funny and that I should have seen it in the theater myself. But I didn't and I'm glad. Yes, this was a funny movie - in places, but I'm glad I got to watch it for free.

*** out of *****

I Love You, Man (2009, R, 104 minutes), starring Paul Rudd, Jason Segel, Rashida Jones, Andy Samberg, Jaime Pressly, Jon Favreau, Sarah Burns, Jane Curtin and JK Simmons. Screenplay by Larry Levin and John Hamburg. Directed by John Hamburg.

SNMR 7.24: "Just Friends"

GREEN'S "YOU DON'T SEE THAT EVERY DAY" REVIEW:

Chubby and awkward as a teenager, Chris Brander (Ryan Reynolds) has been best friends with Jamie Palomino (Amy Smart) for a long time. Jamie just happens to be the most beautiful girl in school who everyone wanted to date. Chris' dream was to take his friendship with Jamie to the next level but all she wanted was to remain friends.

Flash forward ten years. Chris is now thin and fit and a hot Hollywood music executive, trying to sign the next "big" talent, shallow, airhead blond Samantha James (Anna Faris), who has a crush on Chris. On their way to Paris for Christmas, their plane makes an unscheduled stop in New Jersey, close to where Chris grew up.

Now with a girl in tow whom he cant stand, Chris accidentally runs into Jamie at the bar where she works, and the sparks fly as Chris tries to woo his high school best friend and lifelong romantic fantasy. But can he escape the "friend zone?"

This is one of those movies that I kept seeing in the library and ignoring because there was always something better. Finally I decided to give it a shot, since I thought Ryan Reynolds did a good job in a couple of other movies I've seen him in.

I haven't laughed so hard watching a movie in a long time.

Yes, it's a movie with many silly moments but rings true for any of us who have been in the dreaded "friend zone" with a girl we had a hopeless crush on. You know what I'm talking about, fellas.

Ryan Reynolds and Amy Smart are excellent and do display a good on-screen chemistry. The supporting cast is very good, with Anna Faris, Chris Klein and Chris Marquette.

This is writer Adam "Tex" Davis' first feature length screenplay which has its moments and for a first timer is pretty good. Roger Kumble hasn't directed too many films, but he has worked on some good ones, such as Cruel Intentions (which he also wrote) and The Sweetest Thing, so has experience with drama and romantic comedy.

The movie has a run time of 94 minutes, which is just about right, though could have been six or seven minutes longer.

The DVD extras are excellent and include nine behind the scenes featurettes, deleted scenes and a feature length commentary.

If you're in the mood for a fluffy, funny romantic comedy, this is as good as any.

***½ out of *****

Just Friends (2005, PG-13, 94 minutes), starring Ryan Reynolds, Amy Smart, Chris Klein, Anna Faris, Chris Marquette and Fred Ewanuick. Writen by Adam 'Tex' Davis, Directed by Roger

traveling down Route 66 for the next 12 months

no, not me.

Happy Birthday, Mom.

Valentine's Day 2010 or still single...grrrrr...

What more can be said about love? Not much, I'll wager. Happy Valentine's Day everyone! (BTW, in the King James Version, the word love is translated as charity)

1 Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, and have not charity, I am become as sounding brass, or a tinkling cymbal.

2 And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries, and all knowledge; and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, and have not charity, I am nothing.

3 And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, and have not charity, it profiteth me nothing.

4 Charity suffereth long, and is kind; charity envieth not; charity vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up,

5 Doth not behave itself unseemly, seeketh not her own, is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil;

6 Rejoiceth not in iniquity, but rejoiceth in the truth;

7 Beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things.

8 Charity never faileth: but whether there be prophecies, they shall fail; whether there be tongues, they shall cease; whether there be knowledge, it shall vanish away.

9 For we know in part, and we prophesy in part.

10 But when that which is perfect is come, then that which is in part shall be done away.

11 When I was a child, I spake as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child: but when I became a man, I put away childish things.

12 For now we see through a glass, darkly; but then face to face: now I know in part; but then shall I know even as also I am known.

13 And now abideth faith, hope, charity, these three; but the greatest of these is charity.

1 Corinthians 13 KJV

SNMR 7.23: "How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days"

GREEN'S "I'M GONNA MAKE YOU WISH YOU WERE DEAD" REVIEW:

Andie Anderson (Kate Hudson) is fashion magazine Composure's 'How to' girl, writing columns on such things as how to get a better bod in 5 days, how to talk your way out of a speeding ticket and how to feng shui your apartment, among other things. Her latest assignment, based on her best friend's dating failures, is to write a column on how to lose a guy in 10 days, using the common dating faux pas that many women commit which drive guys away.

Benjamin Barry (Matthew McConaughey) is Warren Advertising's star for selling alcohol and athletic equipment - beer and sneakers. But now he wants to break into diamonds and be the agency's pitch man for the company that controls 70% of the world's diamond market. But first he must convince Phillip Warren that he's the man for the job, much to the chagrin of the Judys, Ben's co-workers and friendly adversaries. In order to win the bet and the account, he must get a woman to fall in love with him in ten days.

Aside from being one of the hottest actresses in Hollywood these days, Kate Hudson (a raw 22 years old during filming) has her game on, more than a match for the boyish charm of Matthew McConaughey. That Hudson looks almost like a younger version of her mother, Goldie Hawn, is almost scary. McConaughey seems to play different versions of the same character in many of his movies, but he does it so well and brings a likable charm to each role. The supporting cast is excellent and play off of the lead actors brilliantly. Notable is the performance of Bebe Neuwirth, who is absolutely wonderful as the hard nosed magazine editor.

The script is well written and once cast, tailored to the personalities of Hudson and McConaughey, who have a natural on-screen chemistry. Some of the exchanges are hilarious and I couldn't help laughing at the silliness of the situations. It is evident that the actors had a good time filming this movie and it shines through in the performances. Donald Petrie does a good job directing and keeps the pace moving. The music soundtrack is upbeat and adds to the emotional core of the story.

The extras included on the DVD are very good. They include featurettes on choosing the various locations as well as cast and crew interviews. There are also some deleted scenes and a music video by Keith Urban.

This is one of the better romantic comedies to come out in the last ten years and I think you'll enjoy it. I bought my copy for under $10 and have watched it many times.

**** out of *****

How To Lose A Guy In 10 Days (2003, PG-13, 115 minutes), starring Matthew McConaughey, Kate Hudson, Adam Goldberg, Michael Michele, Shalom Harlow, Kathryn Hahn, Annie Parisse, Thomas Lennon, Robert Kline, and Bebe Neuwirth. Based on the book by Michele Alexander and Jeannie Long. Screenplay by Kristen Buckley, Brian Regan and Burr Steers. Directed by Donald Petrie.

Lincoln and Darwin: 201st edition

Abraham Lincoln and Charles Darwin. Two brilliant men, unrelated in every way but linked for all time because they happen to share a birthday.



My favorite US President from American history and the man whose theory has poisoned the minds of brilliant men and women in the last 150+ years.

Oh, well. Nothing to be done about it now.

Happy Birthday, boys.

Winner - Best looking single 41 year old woman in Hollywood

Happy Birthday to my favorite Hollywood crush, who turns 41 today.

So what are we to believe?

This week, as reported in the Hollywood dish magazines, Jennifer Aniston and some close friends, Courteney Cox-Arquette and Sheryl Crow and also her "The Bounty Hunter" co-star Gerard Butler (whom the tabloids report that she is now dating), have spent the last week or so vacationing in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico.
Last week, all the gossip magazines were focusing on the supposed Brangelina "split" and how Jen would take Brad back instantly, as if both were already a done deal.

Fisrt of all, Jen would be crazy to take Brad back after he dumped her for an even younger woman. Whose to say he wouldn't dump her again? Also, I believe Angelina hates Jennifer with a passion (for no reason really that makes sense, since she stole Brad away in the first place) and would never willingly allow Brad to go back to her and would make his life miserable if he tried, let alone allowing Jen to have contact with or become friendly with Brad and Angelina's brood.

Secondly, I don't believe Gerard is a good match for Jennifer, considering he has said that they are just friends and that he has too much fun being a flirtatious ladies man to settle down with anyone.

It seems that the vast majority of Hollywood relationships, marriages, etc, fail because both people work in the same stress filled, high profile industry and live primarily in the heart of it all - Los Angeles. I mean if Susan Sarandon and Tim Robbins split, then which couple in Hollywood is safe?

I'm led to believe that the Hollywood relationships or marriages that survive are those that involve couples who live elsewhere and stay out of the spotlight - like Harrison Ford and Calista Flockhart, or Johnny Depp and Vanessa Paradis. Even better is where one of the two people is not Hollywood famous, like Julia Roberts and Danny Moder or even Geena Davis and Dr. Reza Jarrahy.

Anyway, that's my take on the whole thing, like it or not.

Super Bowl XLIV @ Miami, FL

My Prediction: Colts 40, Saints 35

Colts 10, Saints 0 END 1^st Quarter
Colts 10, Saints 6 HALFTIME

Ballsy decision by the Saints to call an onside kick to open the second half. Good thing they recovered the ball...

Colts 17, Saints 16 END 3^rd Quarter
Saints 31, Colts 17 FINAL

Recap & Box Score

QB Drew Brees, MVP (32/39, 288 YDS, 2 TD, 0 INT)
[32 completions ties Super Bowl Record - Tom Brady, Super Bowl XXXVIII]

Congrats to the New Orleans Saints, Super Bowl XLIV Champions.

SNMR 7.22: "He's Just Not That Into You"

February is supposedly the month of love: where red, pink and white are the colors du jour for the month. That being the case, this month's SNMR reviews will showcase films that have love and relationships as the theme. However, they are not all rosy and fluffy because I am still depressingly single.

GREEN'S "YOU MAY BE THE BEST FRIEND I'VE EVER HAD" REVIEW:

This is the story of the relationship successes and failures of five women and four men who are all tied together in some fashion.

First we have the story's anchor and sometimes narrator, Gigi (Ginnifer Goodwin) who is a hopeful romantic, always falling for the wrong guy thinking he may be the one. Then there's Ben (Bradley Cooper), who is married to Janine (Jennifer Connelly) who works with Gigi and Beth (Jennifer Aniston).

Beth and Neil (Ben Affleck) have been living together for 7 years, yet Neil refuses to get married, which Beth not so secretly wants. Then there's Anna (Scarlett Johansson), a free spirited yoga instructor and struggling singer, who falls for Ben but is being pursued by Conor (Kevin Connolly), a real estate agent who is attracted to Anna, and friend of Alex (Justin Long) the bar owner/manager who gives sage advice about men to Gigi.

Finally, there's Mary (Drew Barrymore), who sells advertising for a small newspaper and a friend of Anna's, who keeps getting rejected in her pursuit of an online relationship that she hopes will become something more.

Confused? Good, you're supposed to be. Because relationships, interpreting signs and body language from the opposite sex is confusing and frustrating but can be oh, so rewarding if you get it right.

The screenplay is based on the book of the same name, by Greg Behrendt and Liz Tucillo, which was inspired by a 2003 episode of Sex and the City and was adapted well. I saw this movie in the theater when it came out a year ago today.

I also bought and read the book, an easy read which I found interesting because I wanted to see what crap men pull that women fall for to see how much of it can be reversed, since reading signs and body language is equally confusing for men trying to understand women. As I suspected, most of the stuff men do can be easily be done to a man. It's a two way street wide enough for an ox cart to turn around in.

This ensemble cast of stars is excellent and blend well together. No one seems to mind not having center stage. For example, Jennifer Connelly's combined screen time is 25 minutes and Jennifer Aniston's is only 20 minutes in a film that is over two hours long (thanks IMDb for that info.)

Ken Kwapis has only directed a handful of feature films; most of his directing experience comes from various television shows. With good material and a talented cast, Kwapis has no difficulty keeping all of the stories relevant.

What I liked about the film is the ode to the king of modern romantic comedies, When Harry Met Sally and the scene from Some Kind of Wonderful, a quirky but charming r/c in its own right. But what I liked best is that not every character arc ends positively, much like real life romantic relationships, but leaves you satisfied none the less.

I would have liked to see a separate widescreen/full screen release of the DVD, but is not the case here, as both formats are included, one on each side of the disc. Aside from some additional scenes with optional director comentary, there are no special features, which is rather disappointing, not even a movie trailer.

Despite that, this is an excellent film which any r/c fan should enjoy.

**** out of *****

he's just not that into you" (2009, PG-13, 129 minutes), starring Ben Affleck, Jennifer Aniston, Drew Barrymore, Jennifer Connelly, Kevin Connolly, Bradley Cooper, Ginnifer Goodwin, Scarlett Johansson, Kris Kristoferson and Justin Long. Based on the book by Greg Behrendt and Liz Tucillo. Screenplay by Abby Kohn and Marc Silverstein. Directed by Ken Kwapis.

Dreams - The Cranberries (c) 1993 Island Music

Yesterday I was trying to find out the name of the song and artiste who sings it that I keep hearing on the radio and in various movies like "You've Got Mail" and others.

Finally I remembered that the radio station I listen to most of the time has a list of the title and artist (they call it T & A on air...) of every song they play. So I went back over the play list of the last 24 hours and specifically when I was driving in the car last and heard it.

I posted the link over on my facebook page and a friend of mine copied the link herself, having never heard the song before my posting it.

I'm going to buy the CD that has this song on it to see what other songs this band sings that I might know but not know they sing, if you follow me.

Below is a link to the video which has the best sound. Click on it to hear the song...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XjRM7zzRg5s