#83 - Little Black Book - 2004

The 6th movie I chose to watch this week was the 2004 Romantic Comedy Little Black Book. I've seen this movie a couple of times before and although I do enjoy this one I have to be honest I enjoyed it more the first couple times I saw it. Don't get me wrong I still enjoyed this movie but I will admit it was weird seeing Brittany Murphy since she passed away last December. She was so young and it is so weird that she passed away already and died so young. Below is my detailed review of this film.

Obviously the main star of this movie was Brittany Murphy. Also included was Ron Livingston (Derek) think Office Space, Holly Hunter (Barb), Kathy Bates (Kippie Kann), Julianne Nicholson (Joyce), Rashida Jones (Dr. Rachel Keyes) think I Love You Man and the Office, and Stephen Tobolowski (Carl). I really like Ron Livingston but I'm not a big fan of Holly Hunter. She is too butch for me. It was a pleasant surprise to see Paul Rudd's wife from I Love You Man in this film and I really like Rashida Jones as an actress. I have to admit this though ever since I saw Single White Female I always think of Stephen Tobolowski as a molester and I know that's bad but I cant help it, its creepy in fact.


Watching this after How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days it was very ironic since this film had a strong Carly Simon theme and actually started out with the song "Your so Vain" which coincidently was a major themed song in How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days and was actually the song that Ben and Andie sang at the end of the film during their huge fight. Weird little bit of irony there. Ok enough about that movie lets talk about this one. Since were on the topic of music lets stay there. Yes there was a lot of music by Carly Simon which was ok I guess but I don't really know her music other than Your So Vain. Other than her music there wasn't much else in it not that it needed more there just wasn't much else.

Although overall I enjoyed this movie there were things I didn't care for. For starters there was way too much time spent on the scene where Kippie Kann's employers are discussing plans for possible sweeps episodes. This got boring real quick and was dragged on too long. One casualty of this meeting was an episode with Grandma hookers, now come on, how disgusting! Just stupid! I couldn't stand Holly Hunter's character and she was annoying throughout the entire film. Her chain smoking throughout the film was too much as well and I just really didn't care for her character at all but then again she was like the villain in this movie. Considering this was a romantic comedy it didn't give me the ending I was looking for either. I mean yes a great job and chance to meet your icon is nice but in the end love conquers all, right?


Ok onto the stuff I enjoyed, mostly Brittany Murphy. I have enjoyed almost all of her films and really liked her as an actress. Her raspy voice and fun loving jovial personality makes you feel like that is someone you would really like to be around. I don't know if that is how she was in real life but she seemed pretty cool and down to earth. I thought her exam scene with Dr. Keyes was hilarious and after seeing that I was reminded why I am thankful to be a guy! haha. Murphy's expression during the interview with her boyfriends model exgirlfriend were also pretty classic and probably dead on how someone would feel. Under the circumstances of what she was finding out I actually don't believe what she was doing was wrong and that may surprise some people considering that is coming from a guy's mouth!

Some small things I thought were interesting and noteworthy was seeing Bush front man and Mr. Steffani himself Gavin Rossdale as the coffee shop employee when Stacy (Murphy) went to meet her boyfriend's most beloved ex, Joyce. I also think, but cannot confirm, that the set they used for the street scenes including where she walked Bob and where Dr. Keyes lived was the NY street at Universal Studios in Hollywood. If it wasn't it sure looked like it. I always think that is cool since I've seen that set several times before it went up in the fire. Haven't seen it since but I'm interested to see what it looks like now! Easily my favorite scene of the film was when Stacy danced around in Derek's apartment and did a handstand while a Carly Simon tune played in the background and no it was not because I got to see her pink undies! haha.


The show culminated with Barb backstabbing Stacy and exposing all that she did behind Derek's back. It led Stacy to realize that her boyfriend and her were not meant to be and it embarrassed her on national TV during sweeps week. It was a downright horrendous thing to do and the confrontation between Stacy and Barb was very unsatisfying. I personally would have like to have seen a bitch slap to Barb but that did not happen. I did however thing the ending where Stacy meet's Carly Simon was pretty unique and pretty cool but like I said before an ending with her in love and with the man she loved would have been better. Oh well. I give this one a C+!

#82 - How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days - 2003

The 5th movie that I decided to watch this week is one of my favorite movies of all time and my absolute #1 favorite Romantic Comedy of All Time and yes that is saying a lot I know. Considering all of the movies I've seen including numerous amongst numerous romantic comedies that is quite the bold statement I know but its true, I absolutely love this movie and for so many reasons! Below is my full detailed review.

This film stars one of my favorite actors around Matthew McConaughey. He is by far the funniest character in this film and without him as the lead this film wouldn't have been that great. Kate Hudson is the main female lead in this film and although I'm not a big Kate Hudson fan I really enjoyed her in this movie. Other notable co-stars were Kathryn Hahn, Robert Klein, Thomas Lennon (Reno 911 & more recently A Guy Thing), and Adam Goldberg whom I loved from his episodes on Friends as the creepy roommate! Bebe Neuwirth also starred but was more annoying than enjoyable.


I thought the story for this film was very unique and original. A writer at a fashion and trend magazine writing an article on How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days and a Sports Marketing agent who has placed a bet that he can make a women fall in love with him in 10 days. Now obviously you would need some very convincing actors for these roles and McConaughey and Hudson were great for this! Their 10 day relationship had all kinds of ups and downs and twists and turns and Hudson's character Andie really drug Ben through the ringer during this stint. I've included some of my favorite scenes below.


The first meeting between Andie and Benjamin (Ill call him Ben to shorten it up) made me think that this was exactly what McConaughey is like in real life. I loved the one word association when meeting Andie for the first time at the bar. It just seemed very realistic and authentic as did their crab leg dinner that followed. I just really felt like this is exactly what type of guy McConaughey is. Laid back and super cool. I think it took having an actor like him to pull this role off because I don't think there are many other actors in Hollywood who could have made it so convincing nor believable that someone could get a women to fall in love with them in 10 short days.

Each character has two friends in this film but really only Ben's are worth mentioning. There is Thayer played by Thomas Lennon. This guy is funnier and funnier to me the more I see him. His outlandish outfits with bow ties and his calm demeanor are quite comical. In one scene he wore a yellow sweater very similar to one Michael Jackson wore for a popular poster shot back in the 80's! His quote to Ben that he is a "vision in khaki" and "congrats little plaid family" had me rolling! My favorite friend however was Tony played by Adam Goldberg. This guy is a very funny actor and I really loved him in this film. During the same scene Thayer made those quotes above Tony muttered that Ben's shirt, a present from Andie, "looked like the inside of a raincoat". These guys were funny throughout and great in every scene they were in!


I loved the sports element of this film. Not sure I'm buying a Knicks/Kings NBA Finals but I still thought it was cool. I did however notice that there were 4 games played at Madison Square Garden within a 10 day time frame. Obviously basketball fans know this couldn't have taken place because even if the Knicks had home court advantage, which they would have had to have had to host 4 home games, it would not have been completed in a 10 day time period. Simple mathematics that is easily forgotten in a movie but for a sports fan like me it was quite noticeable. Staying on the sports topic let me say this. There is no way that any guy, any guy at all would have gone to get his girl a drink during the final minute of an NBA Finals basketball game. That scene was a little stretched for the imagination in my mind and very unrealistic.


I thought the scene at the Chickflick Marathon was funny when Andie got Ben punched in the face with her antics in the theater. It was also quite funny how she decorated his place with teddy bears and feminine products and one day even brought over a scrapbook filled with pics of their "future" family. Ben's expression during this scene was classic. It was also very funny Andie took Ben to a Celine Dion concert and they just so happened to exit while the NY Knicks fan were exiting their game. Andie disrupting the poker game was funny too and I read that a lot of clips in that scene were improvised to get real reactions from the guys, I could totally see that. Like I said previously I am not a huge fan of Kate Hudson's however I thought her little dance in Ben's apartment to the song "Your So Vain" was quite cute. One thing I noticed in this film was that Matthew McConaughey was once again cooking and looking quite comfortable doing so, again. I'm assuming he is a good cook in real life too. Just a guess.


I really thought the entire sequence at Ben's parents place in Staten Island was very sweet and endearing. Now granted his family partook in a game of Bull Shit but still this is where we can tell Andie was falling for Ben. Could it have been Ben's Duke University shirt he was wearing or the motorcycle ride with the Keith Urban song or the sweet encounter in the bathroom back at his parents place with Andie with the "feels like home" track playing that made this sequence so great? I say it was all of it. Easily my favorite scene was when they got on the motorcycle and the Keith Urban song "Somebody to Love" came on.


This film had a great conclusion and of course like most romantic comedies had the fairytale ending as well but not before some fireworks at the gala where both Ben and Andie found out what they did to each other. All in all this was a great film and for a comedy that ran almost 2 hours long there was never a dull moment which is rare. This film gets the highest rating possible, A+!

#81 - Hitch - 2005

The 4th movie I watched this week was a stellar hit from 2005 that I absolutely loved! This one easily fit into the romantic comedy category but had so much more and is easily one of my favorites of the week, easily! There were some scenes in this film that I literally had tears in my eyes after watching but Ill explain more below. Below is my detailed review.

This film had one hell of a cast. Will Smith was the lead and based on his suggestion because he was a fan of the TV Series King of Queens (who isn't??) Kevin James was cast and basically the 2nd lead of this film, 2nd male lead that is. Eve Mendes was the female lead in this film after Jennifer Lopez turned it down, thank God! Lopez wouldnt have fit in this film and Mendes was perfect! Amber Valletta was the other main female lead in this film and was great as well. In smaller parts were Jeffrey Donovan (think Burn Notice) and Julie Ann Emery and Adan Arkin.


Will Smith was perfect for the role of a "date doctor" or "Hitch" as he was known as. He played Alex Hitchens and his smooth super cool carefree style made him ever so convincing in this role. On the flip side Albert Brennaman couldn't have been played better by anyone other than Kevin James so kudos to Smith for suggesting him for this role because he was perfect!! James chubby appearance and clumsy habits made him a perfect candidate for a dose from the date doctor! James character Albert was by far my favorite character in the film, hands down!


One thing I loved about this film is that besides the fact that there were a lot of very very funny scenes it had a good overall story and theme. It was positive and uplifting and although at one point in the film Hitch's methods are questioned when in fact they were only questioned because they were not fully understood, his methods worked and it was a very cool concept and something that I could see working in real life. Does that mean I believe there are real life Hitch's out there in the world, no I don't but I do believe some people like to believe they are date doctors or call themselves cupid and that's ok, no hard in that.


Ill just get this out of the way now because I just have to break down some scenes in this film that were so funny. This movie was great, absolutely great on every level so lets just get down to it. Below are scenes I thought were cool, funny, adorable, funny, sexy, all of the above. There are so many lets see how to start here. Ok I got one, lets go. Hitch's uber coolness was on full display when he showed how to get a sexy girl in a bar away from a group of guys in one quite unique way. I thought this scene was creative. It made me laugh even harder when we got a glimpse of the "college" glasses wearing Hitch with the background music of Fine Young Cannibals blaring. I love flashback's in movies so I loved this scene obviously.


Now onto Albert Brennaman. Right from the get go we see Hitch has his hands full when we see Albert trying to eat lunch on the steps outside of his office building and he is struggling at this normally easy day to day task. Like I said before James was perfect for this role. I had visions of Doug Heffernan throughout this film and that made me happy. His meeting scene with Allegra Cole (Valletta) and the phone conversation shortly after were classic Albert (Doug Heffernan) type scenes. From the attempts at smooth talking to the trip and fall scene while on the phone Albert is one hell of a work in progress for Hitch!


By far the funniest scene in the film and easily one of my favorite dance scenes in any movie, ever was the scene where Hitch tries to teach Albert how to dance. All the clips in this 10 minute sequence from Albert meeting Allegra's acquaintances to showing Hitch his dance moves were pure comedy gold! Hitch's instructions on where Albert should place his hands were funny and watching Albert try to put these instructions to use was even funnier. Too high = friends, too low = ass, right in the middle = me! Funny funny stuff! Albert's dance moves that he showed Hitch were amazing and downright rolling off your chair laughing dance moves! James actually created these moves himself for this scene which makes it even funnier to me! From the Q-Tip to the pizza making steps they were so funny! You cant leave out the MC Hammer side to side step, haha! Like I said before, pure comedy gold!!


I loved Eve Mendes in this film as well and she was great in the role of Sara. Her freak out at Ellis Island was quite odd and she doesn't look like the type of person you'd want to lie to but she was great in this movie. I still liked Valletta's character Allegra Cole more though. Her incredibly adorable dorky dance moves were so cute and funny and she was the perfect mate for Albert in this film. They were a match made in heaven! Donovan was very convincing as the ass (Vance) in this film Mr. Power Suit Power Tie guy who is trying to use Hitch's services to just get laid! In one of those "hell yeah" scenes Hitch takes Vance pulls his arm behind his back and slams his head forward on the table and says "I will literally break your shit off, ok pumpkin"? Loved that scene! Another great scene was watching Hitch after his allergy attack. Great special effects on this one and advertisement for Benadryl! haha.


The final scene of this movie treats us to one last dance scene with Albert and Allegra, Hitch and Sara, Albert and Hitch, and Allegra, Sara, and Casey all together. More adorable dorky dance scenes by Allegra before the grand daddy run and slide through by Albert. Again a very very funny dance scene so funny in fact I added a video of it below. Enjoy!


With all that being said its real simple, this movie gets an A+!

#80 - Failure to Launch - 2006

The 3rd movie I chose to watch this week was the 2006 hit Failure to Launch. This was my third time watching this movie and it gets funnier and funnier every time I see it. I think this movie more so than the previous two was more up the "romantic comedy" alley. It did have Matthew McConaughey in it so you knew there had to be a little romance and a little comedy. Below is my detailed review.

So obviously Matthew McConaughey is in this film and stars as the lead role of Tripp. There are plenty of other great actors in this film and that is what makes this film so great. Sarah Jessica Parker whom I don't particularly care for stars as Paula. Her roommate in the film, Kit, is played by super cute and personal favorite Zooey Dechanel. Tripp's best friends are played by two other recent favorites of mine, National Treasure star Justin Bartha as Ace and Hangover star Bradley Cooper as Demo. Tripp's parents are played by Terry Bradshaw and Kathy Bates. Patton Oswalt has a small part as a star wars geek nerd and shockingly enough he plays it well. haha. Good old Spence!


I am a big fan of Matthew McConaughey and Zooey Dechanel so the fact that both of them are in this film made it wonderful to start. McConaughey's pure charm and comedic ability and Dechanel's nerdy straight forward persona were on full affect in this film and just watching them reminded me why I enjoy their movies so much. You might think Dechanel was McConaughey's love interest in this film but she wasn't, I just enjoy her so much and she far outshines Sarah Jessica Parker as the main female lead in this role in my mind!


I loved this story and the entire concept. Crazy as it may sound I think there are probably a lot of young guys out there still living with their parents, probably more so now with the economy but anyways, I think although it may be the case it does not mean it is appealing unless of course you are Matthew McConaughey, Bradley Cooper, and Justin Bartha. haha. It was rather hard to believe McConaughey as a stay at home son but as the film progressed you could actually visualize it. I thought it was unique and different and the entire "parents pay someone for him to fall in love with and move" concept was very funny.


Even though this is a romantic comedy yet again I chose a film with more comedy than romance. I cant help it, I have to get my comedy in! With that being said there were plenty of funny scenes in this film, very, very funny scenes in fact and below Ill list my favorites. Lets start with Tripp's Dad, Terry Bradshaw. His scene with the other parents at a BBQ who all have stay at home kids was very convincing and you could tell he was dying to get Tripp out of the house. That obviously did not compare to him dancing to Dr. Dre's Aint Nuthing But a G Thing in his "naked room". Easily one of the comedic pinnacles of this film hands down!


Most of the most enjoyable scenes for me involved Tripp and Kit or Kit and Tripp, however you want to word it. I love how Kit celebrates Champagne Thursday on Friday. She is so quirky and adorable. Her obsession with that damn bird is pure fun to watch especially when she aims to arm herself with a weapon and pays a visit to the gun shop! Very funny stuff! I think the hook up of her and Tripp's friend Ace was perfect because they fit so well together. This tandem twosome was was on full affect when after a failed shot at the ever so irritating bird backfired and Ace had to resort to mouth to mouth recitation on the bird to bring it back to life.


Since Tripp was so used to having everything done for him like he was a child it was funny when his Mom told him in front of his friends that he had to go get more chips if he wanted them and also had to do his laundry because she didn't have time. This led his friend Demo to say, "something is wrong with your Mom". There was a sentimental scene with Tripp and his Mom mixed in this film and was placed perfectly. It was very sweet and endearing and although these type of scenes may seem frequent in romantic comedies they are more so in true, sappy, type romantic comedies like Ghost or the Notebook (so Ive heard - Ive never seen it!) but not as much in these more comedic films. I thought it was a nice touch though.


I also thoroughly enjoyed all Tripp's adventures and encounters with different animals both on land and sea! From his chipmunk encounter after bike riding to the dolphin scene in the ocean (both in the middle of the film and at the end) all the way to the laughing lizard who bit him while mountain climbing these scenes were very funny and ironic at the same time. The producers managed to get a nice little Paintball scene in the film too and every time I see paintball it makes me want to go play. Looks like so much fun but also possibly painful!


McConaughey plays and angry fellow pretty well in this movie and it was quite evident when he made dinner and exposed his parents and Paula for what they were doing. I will have to admit the scene with him cooking and preparing the food did make me hungry. haha. Things obviously turned around as family and friends plotted to lock these 2 lovebirds up and they eventually stayed together which completed the happy ending. One of the funniest lines in the entire film was when Tripp was tied up hands around his back he was asked by Paula if he "wrote that note" which she received. His ever so hilarious sarcastic response was "yeah I wrote that right after I tied myself up and taped my mouth shut"! So very funny!! The film ends with Paula and Tripp on a sailboat and Tripp playing with a dolphin, presumably the one who played with him earlier in the film and Tripp's parents naked under a blanket on their new recliner singing "Hit the Road Tripp"! Great ending for a great film! I give this one a big A!

#79 - A Guy Thing - 2003

The 2nd movie I decided to watch this week was the 2003 romantic comedy A Guy Thing. I remember seeing this one for the first time at home on dvd and really enjoying this film. I hadn't heard much of Jason Lee at the time but I did think he was hilarious in Chasing Amy and he has obviously gone on to much bigger things since then, most notable My Name is Earl. This sleeper hit was really good and very enjoyable. Below is my detailed review.

As mentioned above this film's main star is Jason Lee who plays the character Paul. Selma Blair plays his fiancé Karen and her cousin, Paul's eventual love interest in the film, Becky, is played by Julia Stiles. James Brolin, David Koechner, Julie Hagerty, and Thomas Lennon also star in this film. Both Paul and Becky were my favorite characters in this movie however Tomas Lennon always seems to steal the scenes he is in for every movie he is in. That is truly one funny actor. Just the way he carries himself, he is so damn funny!


This movie had a great story and a wonderful cast to fill that story. It was important to have a lively bunch since this film surrounded a wedding and two familiar merging as one. All of the family members were great but my favorite was Buck played by David Koechner. He was Paul's father in the film and his sense of humor and redneck style was just too funny. He is always good in the films he is in and this was no different. One of the funnier scenes was when he was holding a draw contest with Becky and another person at the Rehearsal Dinner and when I say draw I mean an imaginary old western draw contest with fake guns and all. He is just one funny dude!

The beginning of this film had one of my more favorite scenes in the entire film. It was when Becky is part of the hula dancers at Paul's bachelor party. The awkward dancing was so adorable and you could tell she was not quite comfortable being a hula dance. After all it was her first night. I thought right from the beginning she was really cute in this film. Throughout the film I thought it was funny that she had 4 different jobs. A Hula dancer, toll taker, record store employee, and bartender. It all fit well with her character though because she was very independent and free.


The scene where Paul wakes up next to Becky after his bachelor party was every guy's nightmare. I mean can you imagine having this happen to you? On top of that the mother in law calling to notify that his fiancé Karen was on her way over only made matters worse. Paul's behavior during this scene was typical of what you would probably see in real life and you almost feel bad for the guy. Things obviously got worse for him when Becky turned out to be Karen's cousin and he saw her at a family dinner a few nights later. How awkward would that have been? Gotta be honest though there is no way that diarrhea lasts an entire dinner so that was a little stretched. If you saw the movie you know what I mean.


Ray, Becky's ex boyfriend who is a crazed lunatic cop who is obsessed with her was a very funny character as well. Played by Lochlyn Munro this character was perfect for this actor. He played a similar role in Dead Man on Campus and he has that crazed hyperactive personality so this made him a great fit for the role. Larry Miller also had a small role in this film as Paul's neighbor who is a priest. His interactions with Paul's are quite funny and seeing him up there at the altar at the end of the film only added more humor to the end especially considering that he saw Becky come out of Paul's place originally and his son also found pictures of Paul and Becky in a trash bin outside their apartment complex which Ray had gotten from a Private Investigator.


From the incredibly embarrassing "crabs" scene at the drug store to the phone call made to Spinmart about the dirty underwear all the way to the pot laced brownies at the Rehearsal dinner this film had plenty of humor to fill its run time. In probably my favorite sequence of the film Paul describes who mugged him to police officers after Ray had been the actual perpetrator. Paul obviously could not state who it really was so he created someone, a very interesting someone. He states he was about 5'6 or 6'2, not sure. Weird red braided hair, very different looking. Barb wire choker tattoo and a scar over his left eye. In order to complete this fake suspect he said he was both white and black. There's a description for you huh? To his amazement the next day he gets from the cops stating they believe they found the suspect. This guy ended up being the taxi driver at the end of the movie when Paul and Becky get into his Taxi.


Overall I thought this was a very funny movie! Kind of like Employee of the Month in the aspect that this wasn't your typical romantic comedy but still there was enough there to include it in this week's movies. Don't worry though I have some Mathew McConaghy movies on the way so those are true romantic comedy flicks! As for this one, I really like it and would easily give this one a B+!

#78 - Employee of the Month - 2006

It's Romantic Comedy week for me this week as I enter into the home stretch of my Big Fat Summer Movie Marathon. I cant believe that Ive seen 77 movies already during my marathon and I only have a couple of weeks and 2 days left before I complete it all. Craziness!! My first choice was actually not as much of a Romantic Comedy as I remembered but still I feel it fit the bill. It was the 2006 flick Employee of the Month. Below is my detailed review.

This film starred two personal favorites of mine. Jessica Simpson played the role of Amy and Dane Cook was cast as the lead Zack. This film also starred Dax Shephard as Vince, Andy Dick as Lon, Harland Williams as Russell, Tim Bagley as Glen Gary, and Efran Ramirez (Pedro from Napolean Dynamite) as Jorge. For me and for obvious reasons Jessica Simpson and Dane Cook were my favorites. Let me just say this, Jessica Simpson looked beautimus in this film and yes I just made up that word. Dane Cook was his comedic self and easily provided the most humor in the film. Ive actually met both of them and they are really cool people so it was cool to see them both in the same film.


This film had plenty of laughs and gags and quotes throughout but Cook's and Shephard's back and fourth competition throughout the film was really the best part of the movie. Fortunately for the audience that goes on throughout the majority of the film and culminates with a hilarious final checkout scene which is quite fun to watch! Vince's (Shephard) sidekick is Jorge who is played by the actor who played Pedro in Napoleon Dynamite and Zack (Cook) has a group of friends led by Lon (Dick) and Russell (Williams). Personally Harland Williams kind of irritated me in this film and wasn't very funny and I don't know just the way he talks bothers me. I think they could have made a better casting choice with his character.


I loved the setting of this film which mainly took place inside a large store like a COSCO or Sam's Club. From the price tags it looks as though this was filmed inside a COSCO but I cannot confirm that was the case. There were several funny references to the extremely large quantity items you would typically buy at a store like this but 14 boxes of condoms? haha. I can honestly say I don't recall a store of this nature selling coffins but I guess some do or do they? I highly doubt it. I loved the scene where Vince rang up a tag for a "piece o shit Honda" only to find out that it was his 81 Honda that was placed on a shelf for sale. Best gag of the film hands down. The sound of Vince yelling out "this is an 81 Honda, how dare you" ring in my ear even though that comment was yelped out at an entirely different scene in the film. Too funny!!


There were a lot of funny scenes in this film as one would expect and below are a list of some of my favorites. The first that comes to mind is the joke Zack tells Vince when referring to a Sharpie Marker being 10 times larger than Vince's actual penis. Vince's response was classic, "that's heeeelarious"! One can't talk about funny scenes without mentioning the popper which nearly shocked Lon's glasses off at their friends kid's birthday party which leads me to this question. Where the hell do you order a 20lb bag of tortilla chips like they had at that party because I'm pretty sure COSCO and Sam's Club don't even sell sizes that large??


I thought the date that Zack had with Amy was very unique and cool. I personally would love to race around a large store on go karts, play some outdoor rooftop miniature golf, and then settle in for a nice movie on some comfy recliners. Very cool touch and it fell right in line with Zack's character. I thought the addition of absolutely ridiculously large ears to Amy's character was hilarious or as Vince would say, heeeelarious! Not quite a flaw for someone as sexy as Simpson but still a funny touch. Jessica Simpson looked about as hot in this film as she has in any of her other roles besides the Dukes of Hazards, obviously. I mean if they had added that pink bikini in this film then it would have been perfect, kidding, just kidding - kind of.


I loved Zack and his friends hideout up in the upper shelves down one of the aisle in the store. It was a cool little hang out spot that reminded me of a kid's tree house. Nice touch. I thought the softball game was also added in nicely but I had trouble seeing Dane Cook and Dax Shephard as real softball players but Jessica Simpson's outfit at the game made me forget all about that. Whew, nice! I enjoyed the character Glen Gary who was the manager of Super Club. He had a small role as one of the Heffernans neighbor's on King of Queens so I remembered him from those shows and he is a funny actor. His toy policeman scene in his office was too damn funny!


Overall I'd have to say this wasn't as much of a romantic comedy as it was a comedy but still since there was some romance and a final ending that would follow suit for romantic comedies (i.e. guy and girl kissing to popular song) I felt this worked and was strong enough to fit into this category. That along with the fact that I just really wanted to see movie with Jessica Simpson in it, haha. Overall I thought it was very funny but surprisingly enough I wouldn't give it a top grade and no its not because the pink bikini was missing. haha. I would give this a strong B+!

#77 - The Strangers - 2008

The 7th and final movie I watched the close out the suspense/thriller week was 2008's The Strangers. Categorized by most as a "horror" film I felt this was much more of a suspense/thriller due to lack of blood and gore. It loosely reminds me of a Vacancy type film where basically the victims are being held hostage in a house by people who are mostly outside terrorizing them. It was incredibly creepy and different and definitely another one of those movies that would make you think, "what would I do in this situation"? Besides freak the hell out I don't know but I have an idea. Enough about that though, this isn't about me its about the film so lets move on. Below is my detailed review.

This film's casting was as bare bones as it gets. Not many characters needed besides your basic five and then the helpless friend and two young kids on their bikes. The main character of this film is Kristen McKay played by Liv Tyler and her boyfriend James Hoyt who is played by Scott Speedman. The three killers who are categorized as Doll Face, Pinup Girl, and Man in the Mask are played by Gemma Ward, Laura Margolis, and Kip Weeks. Yes I just said Kip Weeks and yes I believe that is his real name. Crazy huh? I don't think I've ever heard a name like that before and it is just weird for me to type that, Kip Weeks. All the actors were good but Tyler was easily the most convincing throughout the film up until the end. He anguish and screams while getting stabbed did not seem real enough to me but then again I have a fear of knives and getting stabbed so maybe I was looking for a more blood curdling I'm about to die scream? Who knows. Other than that she was good throughout.


The setting for this film was basic, extremely basic. A house out in the middle of nowhere on a quiet street. Add the fact that it takes place at 4am in the dark of the night and you have a great atmosphere for a suspense/thriller or horror if you will. Sometimes the scariest films have the most basic setting. Its kind of like the saying, "less is more". I thought the house out in seclusion was a perfect setting for this film. Even the interior of the house, the front yard, and the shed were great backdrops for this film and all added to the essence of this film.


Similar to the last movie I saw, Running Scared, the beginning of this film starts with the actual end of the movie. Its weird but it doesn't give away a lot besides that there is blood, a knife, a gun, and a broken windshield on a car outside. Two young children call 911 so basically something went wrong, horribly, terribly wrong and something bad happened but you don't know what and that is what is great about it. Now I have to be honest I knew going into this film what it was about based solely on previews and articles so it wasn't like I was expecting a happy ending but based on the first 3 minutes you knew things went really really bad and something horrendous happened in that house. I also enjoyed the creepy voice and narrative at the beginning of the film and the words placed on the screen describing what we were about to watch. I'm always intrigued when it says "based on real life" or something similar.

This film basically follows a young couple who have gone to the man's (James) father's house for a nice getaway after a friends wedding. James had planned an elaborate set up including rose petals, champaign, and ice cream for his girlfriend as he had planned that they would be coming home engaged. This was not the case. His girlfriend Kristen did not accept his proposal so right from the start there was tension between the two and an uncomfortable ness in the air. The film started a bit slow but once it started it never really let up. Their first encounter with the trio from hell came at 4:05am when they heard a loud knock on the door. They go and see a girl asking if Tamara was home and after they said she must have the wrong house she left but the games were about to begin.


What took place inside that house and on the property could only be explained as a pure nightmare, something you wouldn't wish on your worst enemy. It wasn't just the physical pain and infliction which eventually led to death for James and his friend but it was the emotional and mental tole and the sheer terror this couple endured in that house. This film did a great job of providing that terror to this couple and in making it seem real and authentic. I absolutely loved the loud knocks on the door that eventually turned into bangs and scratches. That only heightens the victims fear and for the audience when watching at home with a surround sound system it was pure suspense and I love that. With each knock came a vibration to my wall and it only got better as the film moved along.


There were a lot of truly scary scenes in this movie and the most notable to me was when Kristen first saw the Man in the Mask through the back sliding glass door. That to me was unexpected and absolutely terrifying. It ranks right up there with the scene where Kristen is hiding in the closet and Doll Face appears out of nowhere right in front of her. Those two scenes were probably the two overall scariest ones but there were others that were downright eerie and frightening as well. I thought the scene where we first see the Man in the Mask as he appears behind Kristen without her knowledge in the house while she is standing there quietly alone was so unbelievable creepy as were the scenes where Kristen and James saw all three of them outside just teasing them and playing on there every fear. A simple swing on a swing set never looked so scary.

Other notable scares were when they went upstairs and "hello" was written all over the place while loud bangs against the window and side of the wall could be heard. We cant forget when something (I'm assuming a brick or something similar) comes crashing through Mike's car while he is talking on the cell phone outside. I little jumpy after that no doubt. The Pinup girl makes quite a ruckus in the shed as she pops out of nowhere and the truck scene with the Pinup Girl ramming James car while the Man in the Mask appears in front is pretty darn scary as well. This film had a lot more scares and creepy scenes throughout than I remembered and I really enjoyed it the 3rd time around. I actually liked it better this time than any other.

One thing I haven't touched on is the music and it was brilliant. During some of the most intense nerve racking scene's we hear an array of hillbilly old western type music that makes you feel as if your in the middle of a Wrong Turn or Hills Have Eyes movie. Very creepy and amazingly perfect for this film. It added so much and it did so by just small short doses at the perfect time in the film. In this movie almost as much as any other I've watched up until this point in any genre the music was absolutely perfectly placed in the film. As far as gore and blood and death there was not much of this throughout other than one scene where James accidentally shoots and kills his friend Mike accidentally mistaken him for the Man in the Mask. Besides that we don't see much else except for the torturous knife scene at the end which was hard to watch for me since I have a fear of knives and getting stabbed. To me personally that final torture scene where they get stabbed repeatedly would literally be my worst nightmare. It was tough to watch even though you don't see much if that makes any sense at all.


All in all I thought this was a great film and much much better than I remembered. I can see watching this again on bluray with all the lights out and the surround sound on high just to experience it again in crystal clear high definition. I will have to say the two children on their bikes riding around handing out "Christian Living" pamphlets was so hilarious to me and even more so when one of them asks Doll Face, "are you a sinner" and she politely responds "sometimes". haha. Yeah, you think? Great great great way to end suspense/thriller week! I give this a firm A!