Posts tagged music
“I Love You, Man” Overlook the Major Flaw
Apr 8th
Overlook the Major Flaw
“Hotshots” looks at a movie!
I LOVE YOU, MAN is a very funny movie about a pleasant-enough man who intentionally tries to meet some men he can become close friends with.
Well, one, actually, and herein lies the major flaw in the story.
You see, Peter, played by Paul Rudd, has just gotten engaged to his girlfriend, Zooey, played by Rashida Jones, and it becomes clear that Peter doesn’t have any male friends, much less anyone he can ask to be his best man.
In fact, at a dinner with Peter’s parents, his mother, played by Jane Curtin, tells Zooey, “Peter always connected more with women.”
So, everybody and his brother try to fix Peter up with some men whom he can become friends with and maybe find a best man.
Naturally, the meetings are very funny, and naturally Peter doesn’t meet anyone he would like to become friends with, which means still no best man.
Peter is a real-estate agent, and his biggest project is to sell the house owned by Lou Ferrigno, the actor who played The Incredible Hulk on television.
So, Peter holds an open house for prospective buyers, and a man who shows up strictly for the food and perhaps to meet some recently divorced women is Sydney Fife, played by Jason Segel.
Peter and Sydney get to talking, and they exchange business cards.
Later, Peter decides to call Sydney, but he is so nervous that he rehearses what he is going to say, and when Sydney isn’t home, the message that Peter leaves is as funny as the rest of the movie.
However, they finally connect, agree to get together, and the rest, as they say, is what makes this movie worth seeing.
They share similar interests in music, they jam together, and Sydney gets Peter to open up more, although Peter tries too hard in practically everything he does, which is all the more funny.
And, of course, there are problems.
And, or course, they are overcome.
Now, the major flaw in the story is that I was being literal when I said “everybody and his brother,” because Peter does have a brother and you might wonder why Peter doesn’t ask him to be best man.
I LOVE YOU, MAN asks you to overlook this major flaw, enjoy the movie, and stay for the closing credits.
I’m Dan Culberson and this is “Hotshots.”
“Rachel Getting Married” Kym Ruining a Lovely Weekend
Nov 20th
Kym Ruining a Lovely Weekend
“Hotshots” looks at a movie!
RACHEL GETTING MARRIED is a disturbing movie for a number of reasons, any one of which can ruin it for the audience.
First, the title doesn’t reflect the story. Yes, there is a character named Rachel, and she does get married at the climax of the weekend over which the story takes place, but she is not the main character and the story is not so much about her getting married as it is about her sister, Kym.
Second, Kym is played by Anne Hathaway, a stunningly beautiful actress, but here she has a short, unattractive hairdo, and she plays a drug addict who is allowed to leave her drug-rehab facility for the weekend in order to attend her sister’s wedding, but because she is a narcissistic addict, she is compelled to turn every conversation to be about her and to take over every gathering of people she intrudes upon.
Third, Rachel’s and Kym’s father is played by Bill Irwin, who had a previous career as an annoying mime, and everybody hates mimes. So, whenever he is on-screen, my eyes were immediately drawn to him, and I caught him always mugging for the camera, even when he had no lines and the scene isn’t about him.
Fourth, Kym did something in the past that tragically affected her family, and before we learn what it was, we get a teasing reference to it when she stops in a convenience store on the way home and the clerk says to her, “Hey, didn’t I see you on ‘Cops’?”
Fifth, every scene gives the impression that it could have been cut shorter and ended up better, particularly the one that consists of a competition on how best to load a dishwasher, which doesn’t seem to have any point at all until the very end of the scene.
Sixth, the musicians for the wedding ceremony are there for the entire weekend rehearsing their music, which the audience has to hear, too, and it just gets to be annoying.
Seventh, Debra Winger plays the mother of Kym and Rachel, she hasn’t made a movie for a number of years, and you might get a shock at how old she looks now.
And finally, the movie gives weddings a bad name.
RACHEL GETTING MARRIED would be more accurate as KYM RUINING A LOVELY WEEKEND.
I’m Dan Culberson and this is “Hotshots.”
Colorado Magazine February 4th – 10th, 2008
Feb 4th
On this Colorado Magazine we visit some great businesses in Boulder starting at the Boulder Army Store we check out some quality winter gear, a hot cup of Joe at Joe’s Espresso, Transmission Technology Services full car repair and care and then we grab a slice at Jalino’s Pizza. News about Boulder’s most wanted criminal and then Jann goes to the Boulder Police Department’s Annual Honoring Awards Ceremony for officers and citizens. Our weekly movie reviewer Dan Culberson critiques the movie “There Will Be Blood” and music channel 1 brings us the Grammy nominee for record of the year by Rihanna and Jay-Z and their song “Umbrella” on this episode of Colorado Magazine.
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