I was introduced to this a few weeks ago by a colleague, and warning: it’s goofy/silly/dumb, but I laugh.
every.
time.
Hope you enjoy and happy Monday!
Click here for other Monday mix clips, and one warning, be sure to have your earbuds in, volume on medium/low for this one.
A couple things about Michael Bay’s new movie “Pain and Gain.”
PRO: Michael Bay FINALLY stops taking himself so seriously.
In one scene, crippled Tony Shalhoub (Monk from “Monk”) tries to pick a bun up off of the floor, insisting he “needs to do this on his own.”
It takes him a long time, and Bay’s choice of music: something sappy with violins.
It sounds simple and a little ridiculous, but I couldn’t stop laughing. Bay must’ve realized he can make fun of himself AND have fun.
Bro. Pass me the juice.
CON: Keep your expectations low.
“Pain and Gain” was awesome because I’ve don’t expect much from Michael Bay movies, and, that definitely heightened my experience.
PRO: The Rock.
Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson plays a born-again ex-con with a penchant for nose candy. He’s a gentle giant, and it totally works. The Rock really shows off his solid comedic timing (in this and “The Other Guys), and I really hope he keeps it up.
CON: It’s based on a true story.
Kinda wish I hadn’t known that before I saw this movie. It get pretty violent, and I couldn’t help feeling horrible for the real-life victims. I eventually eased up and that’s thanks to next up on my list.
PRO: Tony Shalhoub.
I’ve never seen “Monk,” but I’m gonna check it out now. Tony Shalhoub is insanely funny. All of my favorite scenes were with him. (I almost hate to say this about a Michael Bay movie, but) I’ve never laughed so hard at anything that wasn’t a Dave Chappelle sketch. And Shalhoub had a LOT to do with that.
More pros than cons. And, I feel a little gross for saying this, but Michael Bay kinda hit it out of the park with this one. It’s definitely worth seeing.
Check out Herald movie columnist Tim Albrecht’s take on Pain & Gain. http://www.grandforksherald.com/event/article/id/262621/group/Accent/
Watch this week’s Screen Time. Tim and I duke it out over “The Crowe.” http://www.grandforksherald.com/event/article/id/262560/
I saw “The Place Beyond the Pines” and walked outta the theater thinking: “That was the best movie I’ve seen this year.”
I don’t want to give too much away, so here are some spoiler-free bullet points.
Ryan Gosling, Eva Mendes and some baby in “The Place Beyond the Pines.”
There was so much hype around Charlie Sheen when he was axed on “Two and a Half Men.” He filed a $100 million lawsuit. He rampaged. He unknowingly became the No. 1 spokesman for psychiatry in the world. But today, CBS announced his replacement on the hit TV show! Ashton Kutcher will come on as a wealthy, bearded Internet genius who’s unlucky with the ladies. His character is set to move in with Alan (Jon Cryer) and young Jake (Angus T. Jones).
They'rrrrreee baaaaaack
“Two and a Half Men” returns for its ninth season Monday. The show’s writers and producers had a couple of challenges dealing with the loss of Charlie Sheen, who met his end on the show in a a fatal car accident. But according to co-star Cryer:
The writers had an enormous challenge and you’ll see they handled it beautifully. Change is often shocking but it’s so true to the show. And sometimes stuff you don’t see coming happens in life. And in that respect it was very true to life.
Kutcher seems to be a good-natured, safe addition to the trio. I think after getting “Sheen-ed” last seaon, the show creators were looking for the goods Kutcher can deliver. But I guess we’ll see how the revamped cast pans out next week.
Click here for more on Sheen and click here to read the full news article.
“Contagion” opened at midnight today, and I was pumped. The trailer is action-packed, thrilling and promises thrills and chills (no pun intended), but the movie doesn’t follow suit. It opens to a black screen and the isolated sound of coughing. (Kudos to director Steven Soderbergh and screenwriter Scott Z. Burns.) It all starts with one contact.
The movie’s jam-packed with Oscar winners and star power, (Matt Damon, Kate Winslet, Marion Cotillard, Laurence Fishburne, Jude Law) but there’s little time for them to shine. The movie bounces between story lines and loses momentum.
Jude Law, sporting a false tooth, does a great job as a blogger intent to cash in on hysteria; Kate Winslet is convincing as a selfless medical investigator running to the front lines of a lethal pandemic; and Laurence Fishburne (who arguably hasn’t had such a strong role since “The Matrix” trilogy) slam-dunks as the CDC front-man who’s not immune to bending the rules when his loved ones are concerned.
Oh, Gwynnie! I wouldn't do that if I were you...
We witness hysteria as food and meds dwindle, men knocking down pregnant women, looting mobs and a band of modern-day cowboys who, we can deduce by the sound of gunshots, murder a family to steal supplies. Matt Damon calls 911 only to find an automated message. “Press 4 if you need to dispose of a body.”
We get it. When the fear of apocalypse rears its ugly head, civility is the first casualty. But that seems to be the meat of “Contagion.” (Spoiler) When a vaccine is discovered (thanks to the Nobel-prize seeking courage of a lone doc), we’re on to the next point: “Who will get the life-saving meds first?” And thus begets social commentary Round 2.
The movie is very present-day with talk of pharmaceutical company conspiracies and H1N1, but it might have been better-suited in the sci-fi genre. It’s a suspense film that loses suspense, but it does a good job of showing that there are no purely good guys or bad guys, especially during a pandemic.
It’s worth seeing if you’re curious. I was at the edge of my seat for the bulk of it, and in the vein of “Invasion of the Body Snatchers” or “Night of the Living Dead,” nobody, rich or poor, was safe in “Contagion.” The movie’s true to its tagline: Nothing spreads like fear, but in the end, you can easily wash your hands of it … though sanitizer will do.
Bruce Leroy. The Glow. The Sho-Gun of Harlem. Any of these ring a bell? If not, you might be missing out on a cult classic.
“The Last Dragon” came out in 1985 and has been described as a martial arts, dance movie. If you haven’t seen it, it might be too late. It’s pretty campy and one of those movies that gets immediate amnesty if you grew up with it. It features your typical characters: A black belt trying to reach the “Final Level” who eats popcorn with chopsticks; the damsel in distressed played by 80′s seductress Vanity; and the bully in martial arts garb made complete with black Converse sneakers and shoulder pads.
Sho-Nuff discovers who the REAL master is.
Having said that, “The Last Dragon” may be best known for its music, which was supervised by Motown Records founder, Berry Gordon. The soundtrack featured “Rhythm of the Night,” which hit No. 3 on Billboard’s Top 100, Stevie Wonder’s “Upset Stomach,” Vanity’s “7th Heaven” and the immortal theme, “The Last Dragon,” by Dwight David.
All a “Last Dragon” die-hard need do to weed out like-minded people is to sing a couple of words from this theme.
Take life one day at a time
That’s what a wise man said to me.
He said, “Life, in all it’s complexity
Is the ultimate test for you and me.”When you walk holding your head up high
For the masters watching you from the sky
I know not what trouble lies ahead
Before you fight, use your head.It’s time to leave my nest where you were born
This journey you must make alone.
(Spread your wings and fly)
There’s a power deep inside you, an inner strength
You’ll find in time of need.
(The Glow)Like the seasons, love will come and go
If it’s right, you’ll automatically know.
The world of mystery exists only in your head.
When you become one with yourself
The wall will fallThe journey now before you is the final test
You’ve learned your lesson well.
(I can teach you no more)
There’s a power deep inside you, an inner strength
You’ll find in time of need.
(The Glow)You are the Last Dragon
You posess the power of the Glow
“The Last Dragon,” theme song by Dwight David
“The Glow,” by Willie Hutch
“7th Heaven,” performed by Vanity
Theme Song Thursday extra: The character Sho’Nuff makes a cameo in Busta Rhymes’ 1997 music video for “Dangerous”:
Theme Song Thursday is a weekly look back at memorable, not-so-influential, nostalgia-inducing theme songs by the Herald’s Melinda Lavine and Ryan Johnson. Click here to read other Theme Song Thursday posts and feel free to share!
The final installation of Harry Potter drops at midnight on Friday. How many of you are boning up on the films or in the middle of an HP marathon?
I’m one of the unfortunates who haven’t read all of the books, but I’ve been in theaters opening night for the past three movies. The energy is always electric, I’ve most often felt out of place sans Hogwarts garb and I’ve cursed being without a drawn thunderbolt on my forehead.
East Grand Forks’ RiverCinema will show the film on all screens at midnight Friday. As of Wednesday afternoon, there were only 200 tickets left, said RiverCinema employee Caleb Marten. The theater’s been selling them for two weeks, and sales were at 1385 (give or take a few more after I bought mine). RiverCinema will also show Part 1 of the Deathly Hallows at 9 p.m. Thursday for $3. That’ll be handy if you want a refresher AND if you want to avoid the seating scurry.
When I asked if the RiverCinema employees had seen the movie already, they weren’t able to tell me, but they seemed pumped for Thursday night.
I’ll be there Thursday night, waiting in line with all the others. Feel free to say hello. I’ll be the one with the lightening bolt on my forehead.
Here’s a link that might soothe the pain of the end and test your Potter knowledge here! I’ll also be live-tweeting before and after the show. Click here to view my Twitter feed.
For this week’s Monday mix, I thought we could take a look back to one of the cutest TV shows, “Kids Say The Darndest Things.” This clip features a little Cassanova who has tips on why older women are better. Hope you enjoy and happy Monday! Click here to view previous Monday mix clips.
In the late ’80′s, Will Smith broke out as the MC in DJ Jazzy Jeff and the Fresh Prince. In 1988, they were the first ever to win a Grammy in the Rap category. His popularity and fame spawned the TV show “Fresh Prince of Bel-Air.” It ran six seasons from 1990-1996 and was loosely based on Smith. His character’s named Will and they’re both street smart teens from West Philadelphia.
Nothing says the '90s like a neon green backdrop
The show’s theme is catchy and quintessential Will Smith. Humorous, good-natured and sans swear words, just like his rap career, and it sets up the context of the show.
The theme music was produced by QD3, the son of show executive producer Quincy Jones, with lyrics written by Smith. The full version was cut in the later seasons to allow more time for the show. I was rapping this song in the bathtub as Naughty By Nature and Public Enemy rose the charts.
The theme would later grace “Big Willie Style’s” Greatest Hits album and reach No. 3 on the charts in The Netherlands. If you’re like me, you still remember all the words to this (and Salt N Pepa’s “Shoop”), but if not, here ya go.
Now this is a story all about how
My life got flipped-turned upside down
And I liked to take a minute just sit right there
And tell you how I became the prince of a town called Bel-AirIn west Philadelphia born and raised
On the playground is where I spent most of my days
Chillin out, maxin, relaxing all cool,
And all shooting some b-ball outside of the school
When a couple of guys who were up to no good
Started making trouble in my neighborhood
I got in one lil fight and my mom got scared
And said “You’re moving with your auntie and uncle in Bel-Air”I whistled for a cab and when it came near
The license plate said FRESH and it had dice in the mirror
If anything I can say this cab was rare
But I thought naw forget it yo homes to Bel-AirI pulled up to the house about 7 or 8
And I yelled to the cabby “Yo homes smell ya later”
I looked at my kingdom I was finally there
To sit on my throne as the Prince of Bel Air
Studied up? Try your skills during the video.
Click here to watch the video.
Theme Song Thursday is a weekly look back at memorable, not-so-influential, nostalgia-inducing theme songs by the Herald’s Melinda Lavine and Ryan Johnson. Click here to read other Theme Song Thursday posts and feel free to share!
Here’s a Theme Song Thursday extra. These moves never go outta style (or so I tell myself on the dance floor).
Here’s another clip from “Family Feud,” with Steve Harvey. He asks a question that two married men refuse to answer, and I have to say I don’t blame them. Hope you enjoy and happy Monday! Click here to view other Monday mix posts.
