An easy, funny book if you like Carolla’s humor. He’s definitely not politically correct, but some of his observations are dead-on. Not uproariously funny, but some good stuff in there.
A gut-wrenching documentary chronicling a platoon’s 15-month deployment in the Korengal Valley of Afghanistan. These young man are attacked by fire several times everyday. They also try to reason with locals to help them locate and kill the “bad guys”. You see their strong bond and their devastation as several platoon members are killed. A very emotional, but worthy, film.
A documentary about a charter school lottery in Harlem while people argue for and against the existence of these schools. The subject matter is worthwhile, but the film lacks creativity or a clear point of view. Pretty boring.
A divorced man’s relationship is sabotaged by his new girlfriend’s grown son. Starring John C. Reilly, Jonah Hill, Marisa Tomei, and Catherine Keener.
Matt liked this movie a lot more than I did. I was a little bored, although I did like Reilly a lot. His character could have been played as a total loser, but he makes you see why these women would fall for him. Hill was also great - damaged and creepy.
An entertaining documentary chronicling a few months in the life of Joan. It’s interesting to see what a workaholic she is (she won’t turn down any job). But she complains an awful lot about not being treated fairly. And it seems like there are still skeletons in the closet not revealed.
You can’t get something for nothing. There are always consequences.
We went to this play for my birthday at the El Centro 99-seat theater, and we loved it. It was directed by James Roday (the star of Psych on the USA Network), and features a couple of his Psych costars (Maggie Lawson and Kurt Fuller). It is very funny but very dark.
Lawson plays a scam artist trying to run the “Nigerian email” scheme. She begs her brother (Brad Raider) to help her, while his wife (Amanda Detmer) is obsessed with an abandoned baby at the hospital where she works. Kurt Fuller/Peter MacKenzie (the part is double cast) is the troubled doctor who falls for the scam, and Ivana Milecevic is his gold-digger Bosnian trophy wife.
Lawson hasn’t done a lot of stage work, but I was very impressed. Her character is very different from Juliet on Psych. She’s also shockingly smaller in person. I read a review that criticized her for not making her character likeable. But she doesn’t need to be likeable. I thought she did a great job.
Detmer as a butch security guard steals the show. She is hilarious, but with an underlying sadness. Fuller is fantastic and just belongs on stage.
I didn’t care as much for Raider and Milecevic. Raider doesn’t really have presence, and I didn’t feel for his character when I was supposed to. I couldn’t decide if Milecevic’s character is an idiot or a genius. She is beautiful and funny but very one-dimensional.
But as a whole, we loved the play and had a great time. It runs through January 29.
A villian tries to outdo the younger generation while getting mixed up with a trio of cute orphaned sisters.
These movies really can’t go wrong, but it wasn’t my favorite. All of the interaction with the kids was great, but the stupid robot assistants were really annoying. Enjoyable, but forgettable.
This film is about a self-absorbed loser who doesn’t know how to deal with life. This is the perfect role for Stiller. Although the character is a horrible person, Stiller makes him real. I was very impressed.
