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

Funny People

I hate to say it, but I was a little disappointed in this movie.... :(

I mean, don't get me wrong, it was very funny! But the jokes got old, and I was expecting SO MUCH MORE!

That being said, let's start with what worked...

The opening: Watching old footage of Adam Sandler make prank phone calls was the perfect set up for a film. It brought me back to my childhood when Sandler was doing more slap-stick comedy.

And after this, the jokes were pretty good. I enjoyed how Seth Rogan and Sandler meet and begin working together, and the scenes between them were almost always hilarious! I also give props to Jonah Hill for using his comedic timing all the way to the end. This movie wouldn't have been the same without him... :)

But here's what DIDN'T WORK...

The story: Honestly, I think the trailer for this film COMPLETELY RUINED the movie for me when I saw it in it's entirety. In the trailer, we find out that Adam Sandler is going to die. Fine. I can totally see a movie being PHENOMENAL with "funny people" who USE their comedy and laughter to cheer people up or get through the worst of times in life. We all do that, no matter how funny we are...

But the trailer also tells us that Sandler becomes cured of his deathly disease. Which is only ok... Perhaps the cancer could have given him a second look at life. Fine. I wish we all had a chance at that, but I also wish the trailer hadn't given this piece of information away. I think I would have been more emotionally attached to Sandler's character if didn't know he was going to live BEFORE seeing the movie. Even without seeing the trailer, the fact that he becomes cured almost makes the cancer pointless. UNLESS he LEARNED from his "second look" at life, but I don't really think that he did...

Furthermore, when Sandler learns that he is dying, he goes after the "girl that got away." This is great. But it totally just BOMBED in the end. :( First off, it all worked out too fast. One minute, Leslie Mann (who is still hilarious, btw...) doesn't want to talk to Sandler because he used to stalk her, and the next minute they're best friends again and she's dumping her husband for him. And then a minute later, she's back to loving her Australian husband and leaving Adam Sandler again...WTF??? Did anyone else get that? Lol! Just like the cancer, in the end, things go back to the way they were set up in the beginning, and it only makes the whole affair completely pointless.

I admit, as funny as these people are, this movie could have been SO MUCH BETTER if Sandler's character died in the end, even after having his little affair with his old girlfriend, but the rest of the cast all used their comedy and jokes to help them deal with their loss. Now, THAT'S a movie I would see....and more than once....

I give this movie 2 REDBULLS!!!

(In other words, I would need 2 Redbulls to stay away to see this movie again, and mostly towards the end of the film...)

P.S. Although this movie was FAR too long for a comedy (even for a dramady...), and there was really NO ending, what I DID get out of this movie, especially from the last scene, was that it's the "funny people" in our lives (or our good friends) who should matter more to us than the "girls that got away." Friendships can last a lifetime, but only if we let them. Romantic relationships last....well....one never knows...