Devil’s DVD Advocacy: Bridesmaids

I have never been a bridesmaid. Probably not shocking based on my gender, appearance, and lack of ovaries. I have, however, been in many wedding parties. Not only that, but I’ve been the best man in at least six weddings (the last being that of Joseph “Mumbles” Wilhelm). Why you ask? Because I am literally the best man there is…for the job. And even then I still, always, screw up some aspect of my responsibilities. Now, imagine you put an insecure, self absorbed, lady-child in charge of everything. Would anything go right?

Devil’s DVD Advocacy: Paul

You’d have to search pretty hard to find a single person-of-a-certain-age in the Western world who has escaped childhood without having seen E.T., Close Encounters of the Third Kind, or a single Star Wars movie at least once. If you were young, receptive, and imaginative enough the first time you saw them, some of their images and themes (and the emotions they evoked) probably will stay with you forever, whether you like it or not. Such is the power of sci-fi, particularly of sci-fi movies: their pervasiveness in our lives, popular culture, and collective memory make us feel that we’re not alone, not only in terms of extraterrestrial life, but for the even stranger creatures that walk the earth – us, each alone, wondering if there’s anyone else who feels the same way and remembers the same things that we do. If you need proof that you’re not alone, here come Simon Pegg and Nick Frost, and the movie Paul.

Bridesmaids

I have never been a bridesmaid.  Probably not shocking based on my gender, appearance, and lack of ovaries.  I have, however, been in many wedding parties. Not only that, but I’ve been the best man in at least six weddings (the last being that of  Joseph “Mumbles” Wilhelm).  Why you ask?  Because I am literally the best man there is…for the job.  And even then I still, always, screw up some aspect of my responsibilities.   Now, imagine you put an insecure, self absorbed, lady-child in charge of everything.  Would anything go right?

Paul

You’d have to search pretty hard to find a single person-of-a-certain-age in the Western world who has escaped childhood without having seen E.T., Close Encounters of the Third Kind, or a single Star Wars movie at least once. If you were young, receptive, and imaginative enough the first time you saw them, some of their images and themes (and the emotions they evoked) probably will stay with you forever, whether you like it or not. Such is the power of sci-fi, particularly of sci-fi movies: their pervasiveness in our lives, popular culture, and collective memory make us feel that we’re not alone, not only in terms of extraterrestrial life, but for the even stranger creatures that walk the earth – us, each alone, wondering if there’s anyone else who feels the same way and remembers the same things that we do. If you need proof that you’re not alone, here come Simon Pegg and Nick Frost, and the movie Paul.

Devil’s DVD Advocacy: How To Train Your Dragon

Extra, Extra Read All About It…Gerard Butler Makes A Good Career Decision!

Since 300, the stoic actor, who voices a character named Stoick, hasn’t made many good career decision (though I quite enjoyed RocknRolla) since his breakout role as King Leonidas.  The key to his success here was:  a) being heard and not seen and b) playing the supporting role in the film.  Oh, and being the animated equivalent of Leonidas. 

Devil’s DVD Disappointment: MacGruber

Generally, no one should have had high hopes for this movie; it is a feature length film culled from 30-second clips on Saturday Night Live.  And those are usually hit-or-miss.  But I believed, given the ability to stretch beyond post-primetime television into an R-rated, creative medium, that MacGruber would be a spring/summer sleeper comedy.  With an upper-decker joke in the previews, how could it go wrong?

MacGruber

Generally, no one should have had high hopes for this movie; it is a feature length film culled from 30-second clips on Saturday Night Live.  And those are usually hit-or-miss.  But I believed, given the ability to stretch beyond post-primetime television into an R-rated, creative medium, that MacGruber would be a spring/summer sleeper comedy.  With an upper-decker joke in the previews, how could it go wrong?

How To Train Your Dragon

Extra, Extra Read All About It…Gerard Butler Makes A Good Career Decision!

Since 300, the stoic actor, who voices a character named Stoick, hasn’t made many good career decision (though I quite enjoyed RocknRolla) since his breakout role as King Leonidas.  The key to his success here was:  a) being heard and not seen and b) playing the supporting role in the film.  Oh, and being the animated equivalent of Leonidas. 

Whip It

It’s tough to be original in Hollywood these days. Sure, you can occasionally find a unique idea or two, but if it’s too new, producers won’t want to back it. Instead, they’d prefer tried and true ideas that have proven themselves capable of making money. Whip It, the directorial debut of Drew Barrymore and starring Ellen Page, does not cover any new ground in the area of coming-of-age tales, except maybe the concept of roller derby as a means of belonging. Instead, it embraces the classics and reminds its audience of the ability to imbue oneself with initiative and pride and to fulfill anything one desires.