A Few Good Men

I've seen this movie before, and you can usually find it on some of my top 10 lists, but rather than review it (it should be a classic in everyone's eyes....), I'd like to share the moment when I first saw this film...

I was maybe about 15 when I first saw this movie, and it was during a Boy Scout retreat. We were going white water rafting for the weekend, and on our way down to the campsite, we drove in our Scoutmaster's car, who also happened to be the father of my good friend, Steve. Now, this car was sweet because it was one of those vans that had a tv in it so that we could hook up the Nintendo 64 (yup....old school....) and watch movies. So after we had enough of GoldenEye on the N64, we decided to watch "A Few Good Men."

Now, I had never heard of this movie before, but I HAD heard one of it's most famous quotes before ("You want the truth? You can't handle the truth!"), but I just never knew it was in this film. So we're watching the movie, and we get to the campsite, and it's not finished. So we continue to watch the film as everyone else sets up their tents (I know, so scout-like of us, lol), but before you know it, all the other scouts start piling in the car to join us. So we get to the part where Jack Nicholson gets put on the stand, and the conversation between him and Tom Cruise gets heated, and FINALLY...he says it....

"You want the truth? You can't HANDLE the truth!"

And then the power shut off....

And it was a beautiful moment! It was like we were meant to see the movie ONLY for that one quote! And honestly, I don't even remember watching the rest of the film until a few years later, but I just remember that line, and the amazing acting on all accounts, and even though I think lawyer movies are super boring, I thought this one was more than entertaining.

And so, that's my story about seeing "A Few Good Men," and I don't think I'll ever forget it... :)

Clearly, this movie needs NO RED BULLS!!!

The Good Son

Wow! I gotta give credit to my roommate, Megan, for making me watch this movie. Who know McCaulay Culkin could be so scary!?

I wouldn't classify this as a horror film, but definitely more of as suspense thriller. And trust me---it was suspenseful! LOL!!!

Without giving anything away, Culkin is just plain evil. He's almost like a skinny Eric Cartman from South Park. Actually, I think the two are EXACTLY alike!

Elijah Wood, of course, is perfect as the "good son," but who I really admired the most is Wendy Crewson. Her role as Culkin's mother was more than genuine and completely motivational. In fact, I thought the entire story had great motivation for each of it's characters, including the "bad son."

SPOILER ALERT!!!!

The only part of the story I didn't like was the end.... I didn't like how Crewson has to make a choice as to which son to save. Clearly, Culkin got what he deserved in the end, but did he really have to die? He couldn't have just ended up in a mental institution? I even wouldn't have minded the set up for a sequel if this was the case, lol. But I just tried to put myself in the same situation as the mother, and I probably would have done my best to save both children. But then again....I really only feel sorry for Culkin because he was only a child. If he had been that evil and closer to my age, I wouldn't have minded his death so much....

I give this movie 1.5 RED BULLS

(as much as I liked the film, I would still need 1 and a half Red Bulls to watch it again, and mostly to help myself from cringing during the freaky Culkin scenes...)

I Love You, Man

This movie was good....but only good.....

I'm not going to say much about it, but I did laugh, so that's gotta count for something. Honestly, I love Paul Rudd and Jason Segel, but I must admit that I think Paul does better as a secondary character rather than our male lead. I also thought Jason was brilliant in "Forgetting Sarah Marshall," but only bland in this movie. Both actors were extremely natural, which I think is key, and I guess in a comedy that's all you need. As long as the jokes are there, which they were.

I should also give Paul and Jason credit for perfectly depicting a typical "straight relationship," simply between two men. As a gay 20-something year old, all I want to do is love another person who just happens to be the same sex as me. So I must thank Paul and Jason for showing us that a gay relationship can be the same thing as a straight "bromance."

I give this movie 1.5 REDBULLS!

(meaning I would need 1 and a half Red Bulls to watch this movie again, and mostly just for the slow parts....)

John Pallotta Master Classes

Hi bloggers!

So today I was contacted by John Pallotta, and I may be taking master classes from him at some point so that I can become a better coach! He told me he googled "master actors" and my name came up, so HOW AWESOME IS THAT!!!

So please check out his website for John Pallotta Acting Studios at www.johnpallotta.com! If anyone else is interested in taking FREE classes and considers themself a "master actor" as well, I suggest contacting John immediately!

Here's to learning together! :)

JD

Russ Weatherford

So, I have a new friend/mentor (I have many mentors!), and he is a playwright/brilliant man! His name is Russ Weatherford, and if you haven't heard about him, please check him out at www.russweatherford.com. I will be taking over as his web designer, and we will be working together on his blog and so much more! I hope you all take the time to check out his site. Thanks so much! :)

JD

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Billy Elliot (the movie)

Wow. This is one emotional film....

I'm so glad I watched this again since high school. I thought I didn't like it way back when it first came out (2000), but now I realize that it was just the fact that I "didn't get it." Because tonight, I thought this movie was brilliant!!!

First off, right from the bat, I want to recognize Julie Walters. This woman is a phenomenal actress! Being the nerd that I am, I always knew Julie for her role as Molly Weasley in the Harry Potter films (and I am uber excited to see her duke it out with Belatrix Lastrange in the last movie...), but watching her as Billy's ballet teacher was more than inspirational. You don't see many teachers these days who want to teach just for the sake of teaching, or in this case--because she sees a boy with talent. And although they never mention this in the film, we as an audience know that Mrs. Wilkinson is the mother figure that Billy always longed for, and Julie Walters was more than perfect in the role. So already, I THANK YOU, Julie, for such a wonderful performance... :)

Next--the story is well beyond inspirational. I like to consider myself a musical theatre major, but these days, you have to be a triple threat, and if I have one thing missing, it's my ability to dance. But I've always WANTED to dance! I can just never find the time or money to take classes. But what Billy Elliot showed me is that that doesn't matter. The money will come if we are meant to do something. But in the meantime, you just have to do what you love...

And Jamie Bell as Billy Elliot! His dance sequences had me in awe! It's like he would mix jazz with tap with ballet with modern with you name it! But more importantly, he danced what he felt! After his audition, when he is asked how dancing makes him feel, and his response is:

"Don't know. Sorta feels good. Sorta stiff and that, but once I get going...then I like, forget everything. And...sorta disappear. Sorta disappear. Like I feel a change in my whole body. And I've got this fire in my body. I'm just there. Flyin' like a bird. Like electricity. Yeah...like electricity..."

Well, that moment made me cry. I feel like we all feel this way sometimes. Like there's something we're meant to do, but we just don't know how to explain how amazing it feels...

I must also give credit to Gary Lewis as Billy's father. To watch him go from being 100% unsupportive to 150% supportive of his son was quite the journey to behold! I especially love his reaction at the end of the film when Billy comes out on stage to dance. And to see Jackie Elliot almost give up on his beliefs and work in the mines again just to support his son's dreams....well....that makes up for how mean he was at the beginning of the movie.

But who I felt was most touching in this movie was the simplest character of them all--the Grandma (played by Jean Heywood). Most of her lines were, "I could have been a professional dancer..." And although everyone thought she was crazy, she was right! We can ALL be what we want to be with determination and hard work, otherwise we let life go by and wither away like dear old Grandma...

But I think that's just what Billy Elliot is about....it's about not missing out on our chances before it's too late. That and to always follow our dreams--no matter how ridiculous someone else may think they are....

I give this movie NO REDBULLS!!!

(meaning I could watch this movie over and over again without the need for my favorite energy drink...)

Here's to happy dreaming.... ;)

Robin Hood: Men In Tights

This is the FUNNIEST Mel Brooks movie of all time! I've seen it before, so I'm not really going to "review" it, but let me just say this....

Last night, I put a quote up from the movie as my Facebook status. The quote was: "From this day forth, all the toilets in the kingdom shall be known as.....JOHNS!!!" (A beautiful quote made by the handsome Patrick Stewart in reference to Prince John, played by Richard Lewis.) Well, let's just say that people are STILL commenting on my Facebook status, leaving one new quote after another! THAT'S how funny this movie is.....the jokes just keep coming and coming! And even after you've seen it plenty of times, the jokes are STILL funny! That's the power of Mel Brooks...

"Faigalas???"

"No, we're just merry...." :)

I give this movie NO REDBULLS!!!

(meaning I would not need a single Red Bull to stay awake to watch this movie over and over and over again...)

Sandy Hook

So last week, for the first time in my life, I went to a nude beach...

....and I LOVED IT!!!!

My friend Brett took me to Sandy Hook, NJ, and I'm not gonna lie, but it was actually pretty easy to take my clothes off in front of everyone. People were so free and relaxed there that no one really cared what you looked like.

And I thought NYC was diverse! But there were so many DIFFERENT kinds of people at this beach....people who were skinny, fit, overweight, out of shape, hairy, smooth, old, young, saggy, baggy, big, small, etc, etc, etc. But most of all, they were all FRIENDLY! I saw one group of guys having a conversation with each other and joking around and laughing and touching each other as if they were in the middle of Times Square, yet their junk was hanging out! And then I saw a family there with a 2 year old boy who was naked, too! It was just so comforting to see people there of all ages, shapes, and sizes...

But here's what I realized....

Nude beaches are NOT about the nudity. Honestly, I've seen more sex and people hook up through websites and at bars where people usually have clothes on. But nude beaches are about the people. They're about that feeling of freedom, which I feel we have lost as a society lately...

In any case, I recommend that EVERYONE try going to a nude beach at least ONCE in their lifetime. And if you need some encouragement, don't hesitate to ask yours truly... ;)

JD