School of Rock

Dude--how AWESOME is this movie!? I mean, I've seen it before, but I forgot how GOOD Jack Black can be! And with an all-star cast like Sarah Silverman, Joan Cusack, and even....dare I say it....ADAM PASCAL!!!! How can you go wrong!?

I just love the message behind this movie. Kids should be in school to learn. We should ALL be learning every day of our lives! The learning should NEVER stop! And it doesn't matter HOW we learn something, just as long as we LEARN SOMETHING! We ALL have special talents, and they should NEVER be held back! Sure, we may want someone else's talent, but if we always be true to ourselves and showcase who we are, we can never go wrong....

As much as I WANT to give this movie a FULL Red Bull.....

I give this movie HALF A RED BULL!!!

(It's definitely a film I can watch over and over again, but I would only need a few sips each time...)

Thanks for making a classic movie, Jack! :)

P.S. Now it's YOUR TURN to dish about Kathy Griffen..... :)

Superior Donuts

From talented writer, Tracy Letts, author of the popular August: Osage County, Broadway's new Superior Donuts is a BEAUTIFUL play about the slowly fading "American Dream."

From start to finish, this play had me in stitches! Yasen Peyankov plays the perfect Russian small business owner in Chicago's Uptown district. He complains about every little thing with ultimate detail and dedication, lol. And who would have known that Jane Alderman as Lady used to work in casting. Her comedic timing never missed a beat!

But who really stole the show in terms of laughter was Jon Michael Hill as Franco Wicks. His role was very stereotypical, but Jon was so committed to his character, practically everything he said was hilarious! YET...at the same time....Franco was completely inspirational. He showed us the true value of the long-forgotten "American Dream," and that it can start at such a young age. We all have dreams and aspirations, but why are there so many people in this world who want to stop those from happening? Maybe more of our dreams would come true if we helped OTHERS with their own dreams first...

As for Michael McKean, this was a very different role for him, but he played it brilliantly. We are used to seeing Michael in Christopher Guest's mockumentary movies, but the role of Arthur was a little more sensitive than his usual taste. The relationship between him and Franco, however, was marvelous! One would never expect two people with such an age difference to click so suddenly, but Michael and Jon pulled it off with flying colors! It was the two of them who truly show us how important we are to each other, no matter what color, race, or sexuality we are. This relationship moves you to tears by the end of the play....

The ONLY THING I DIDN'T LIKE about this piece (and I blame no one but director and author...) was the monologues....I mean, seriously, guys? It was like you were trying to put a Shakespearean soliloquy into a really good contemporary play! You made them SOOOOOOO over-the-top important, but WHY!?!?!? First of all, I saw no reason for them. I could have cared less about what Arthur's father did to him when he was 5 years old, or how much Vietnam affected him. Honestly, I barely listened to him every time that spotlight burnt his face as Michael spoke directly to the audience, yet it still didn't affect my memory of the play. They were completely unnecessary! I mean, did you need a way to change the scene or something? Why couldn't Michael have talked to Franco directly? Could he have revealed this "need-to-know" information through more dialogue? That I would have enjoyed! But the way it is now....the play would be 110% perfection without the monologues completely. But for now, it's only 100%... ;)

The good news is that I saw Superior Donuts during previews, so hopefully the director reads this note before the show opens. I think the entire cast and production team has a smash hit without the monologues. Otherwise, it's still a hit! :)

I give this play 1 RED BULL!!!

(meaning I would only need 1 Red Bull to go see it again...and I usually have one every day, so that's only natural for me, lol!)

P.S. Thank you, Michael and Jon for your inspiration! You truly put on a wonderful show. :)

Manny Adventures -- PARKOUR!!!

Here's mine and Linus' take on parkour from NBC's "The Office!" :)

Parkour on NBC's "The Office"

Jennifer's Body

This isn't a review, especially considering I will NEVER SEE THIS MOVIE!!! But I just wanted to say that I think this is a HORRIBLE way to exploit Megan Fox! Honestly, I can't even believe she let Hollywood do this to her! I mean, we know she was hot in the first Transformers movie, but she had so much potential! This movie, however, is just totally going in the wrong direction for her...

I give this movie 10 RED BULLS!!!

(that's how many Red Bulls I would need in order for someone to get me to watch this movie...)

P.S. Megan, Fox, I like you....but this movie makes you seem desperate for sex and is a cheap ploy to get straight men to want you....but deep down, we know you're better than that....so please do something with more class for your next film....and Transformers 3 doesn't count....

New Moon: NEW TRAILER!!! :)

Fanboys

A not so long time ago in the same galaxy we live in now....

HOW DID I MISS THIS MOVIE!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?

For some reason, I thought this movie was a documentary that followed real nerds at some Star Wars convention, but MAN--was I wrong!!!

This movie was INCREDIBAD!!! And not just because I'm a Star Wars fan.... But the plot alone is simple (as most comedies usually are), yet touching and sincere at the same time. It makes you think, "What would you do for a dying friend?"

But all the Star Wars references and connections to the actual films were brilliant, and the actors had PERFECT comedic timing! Dan Fogler (who I forgot won a Tony Award for his role in "Spelling Bee") is hilarious! He makes being stupid so natural! LOL! I am also a huge fan of Kristen Bell and Seth Rogan, so kudos to them! And all the original Star Wars actors!!! WOW! is all I have left to say....

If you are a Star Wars fan....GO WATCH THIS MOVIE NOW!!!! After all....George Lucas calls this movie a "love letter to the originals..."

I give this movie NO RED BULLS!!!

(clearly, I would not need a single DROP of Red Bull to watch this movie over and over again...)

May the force be with you... ;)

Slings & Arrows

So I know this is mostly a movie blog, but I discovered a new favorite TV show....

It's a Canadian classic called "Slings & Arrows" (and by classic I mean 2005...)

The show was supposed to be a 6 part mini series, but was SO GOOD that it was made into 3 seasons!

It follows the lives of a group of actors who are all part of a theatre company, and each season, they do a classic Shakespeare play. But what's so brilliant is that every character in the show is also based on a Shakespearean character, usually from the play they are trying to put on. How genius is that!?!?

Oh, and did I mention that one of the leads is Rachel McAdams??? (She's my fav....) :)

So if you're an actor, or you like Shakespeare, or if you like TV, or even if you just like Rachel McAdams, or maybe even C) for all of the above....GO WATCH THIS SERIES NOW!!!! It's shows like this as to why the tube was made.... ;)

Clearly, this TV program gets NO RED BULLS!!!

(In other words, I could watch it all night without any Red Bulls to carry me through, but too bad I'm watching it one episode at a time with the housemates....too bad....)

Surf's Up

I've seen this movie before, so this will be a short review, but I must admit that it is super cute and honest. I think I laughed harder the first time around, and probably because the friend I watched it with was cracking up, but I definitely love the "style" of the movie. When it first came out, there were so many penguin movies in the theaters that I didn't know which ones to like. So when I finally saw this on DVD, I thought it was a great depiction of not only the "surfer life," but also of someone who has "fallen off the path" (which happens to the best of us....).

This all-star cast (Msrio Cantone, James Woods, Shia LaBeouf, Jeff Bridges, Jon Heder, Zooey Deschanel, Diedrich Bader, etc) works so well together, you couldn't have asked for a better voiceover lineup! I applaud them all for being honest and truly captivating.

I give this movie 1 RED BULL!!!

(In other words, I would only need 1 Red Bull to watch it all over again...)

"New York, I Love You" Trailer

New York, I love you, too.... :)