National Treasure (Movie Review)

Nicholas Cage stars in this action/adventure about one family’s search for a spectacular hidden treasure. Cage plays Benjamin Franklin Gates, a man determined to find the treasure his ancestors couldn’t…a treasure that many claim doesn’t even exist. If only they had known there was a map to the treasure on the back of the Declaration of Independence, they could have found it years ago.

Anyway, I have mixed feelings about this movie…and its star. Some parts of the film are downright laughable not to mention flat out ridiculous. But there are also quite a few fun and interesting moments that keep you paying attention. In fact, I even learned a couple of tidbits of information from National Treasure. Trust me…I’m a dork…I went home and looked them up afterwards just to make sure. Same deal with Nicholas Cage…no I didn’t learn anything from him…I’m just not sure what to make of him. Sometimes I really enjoy him onscreen and believe that he is truly a good actor. Other times I am convinced that he is the worst actor on the planet and I wonder how he ever gets any speaking roles. And to think that up until a year ago he was supposed to play Superman in the new movie coming out. Pardon me…HAHAHAHA. It would have been the worst thing to happen to Superman since Kryptonite.

Ok that’s enough. Bottom line, National Treasure is worth checking out on DVD or at your local discount theater…just don’t expect too much from it.

In Good Company (Movie Review)

This romantic comedy starring Topher Grace, Dennis Quaid and Scarlett Johansson is neither romantic or comedic…but it is pretty good…although I’m not sure why. Quaid plays Dan, a married father who is the head salesman at a sports magazine. Life is good…until the magazine is bought by another company and Dan is demoted. A young whippersnapper with zero magazine experience (Carter…portrayed by Grace) is given Dan’s old job. Carter is very uncomfortable in his new position…not to mention quite lonely since his wife left him. So he latches on to Dan and his family…especially his daughter…played by the lovely Miss Johansson. Can you see where this is going?

I don’t really know how to describe the film. Okay let’s just say it is interesting. It is not funny…I laughed maybe three times. It also is not the love story it is advertised to be (thankfully). In fact, the majority of the movie focuses on the work dynamic between Carter and the much older Dan. We see Carter adjust to being the boss of people twice his age and dealing with the hardships of firing employees. Simply put…it is a nice visualization of what it is like to be young and in charge.

In Good Company is not a fun movie…it is just…nice. Check it out. It will be a good rental in a couple of months.

Coach Carter (Movie Review)

Samuel L. Jackson stars in this “based on a real-life story” movie about a businessman that returns to his old high school to take over as head coach of the basketball team. The team is troubled…to say the least. The players have to worry more about getting shot on the way to school than getting good grades. Coach Carter decides that he is not just interested in having a winning basketball team…he also wants to prepare his players for life after basketball. He requires his players to attend all their classes, maintain good grades and to function as well-mannered members of society. Problems arise when some of the players do not uphold their end of the deal and Coach Carter cancels basketball games. Some of the great parents of our world think he is crazy and want him fired.

Coach Carter is an inspirational film that is well worth your time… even the basketball games look real. Samuel L. Jackson gives the best performance of his career…other than his portrayal of Mace Windu…of course. I thoroughly enjoyed this movie.

On a side note…Coach Carter is significant because it marks the return of Rob Brown (the guy from Finding Forrester). This guy has been MIA since that movie and it was nice to see him return…in a completely different role of a high school student that plays basketball.

The Aviator (Movie Review)

Ok, I am way behind with my movie reviews (five of them…to be exact) and it has really been bothering me. So I’ve decided that since these movies have all been out for a really long time…I’m just going to do short little reviews and then move on with my life. That way I can get back to reviewing movies as soon as I see them. Sound good? Great.

First up…The Aviator starring Leonardo DiCaprio, Cate Blanchett and the most excellent girl in all the land…Kate Beckinsale. DiCaprio plays Howard Hughes, a really weird rich guy that comes to Hollywood in the 1920s with dreams of making BIG movies with BIG special effects…especially movies with airplanes. This movie covers Hughes career in Hollywood, his ownership of a huge airline company, his battles with the government and his downfall into a life full of eccentricities and alcohol. I knew absolutely nothing about Howard Hughes before I saw this film. Jack Dawson…I mean Leonardo DiCaprio gives a good performance and is very deserving of his Oscar nomination. Cate Blanchett supposedly is dead-on in her portrayal of Katherine Hepburn (I have no idea) but in my opinion it was the most annoying performance of the year.

The Aviator is a very interesting film, especially if you are interested in the early days of special effects. It is slow at times, but is definitely worth checking out…although I do not think it should have been nominated for Best Picture.

Jesus Is A Stockbroker?

Today I received an email from Jesus...yes Jesus. There it was, plain as day underneath the Sender heading in my Inbox…very simply… “Jesus”. Of course I was quite curious…what does Jesus want? Did he have something very important to tell me about The Bible? Perhaps he wanted to share a favorite little parable with me? Then I began to think…I haven’t gone to church lately and my prayers have been a little irregular…but am I so hard to reach that Jesus had to resort to email? I mean what’s next…a follow-up phone call? I began to worry that Jesus may be a little mad at me…and nobody wants that.

So I opened the email to see what important message Jesus was trying to get to me. With anxious anticipation I looked at the Subject line and saw…”Timing is everything when buying stocks”.

I mean…what???

All my concerns and worries were about…stock tips? What is going on here? Have parables and miracles been replaced with mutual funds and dividend reinvestment? Who are the Disciples…Charles Schwab and Merrill Lynch? I can see the bumper sticker now, “My Father Is A Jewish Stockbroker”.

Relax…I am just kidding…I don’t really think that Jesus is a stockbroker. But I DO think that Norton AntiSpam is the devil. Hey, I don’t like to point fingers but I’m not the one that labeled an email from “Jesus” as SPAM.

Fun With Bananas

Yesterday my buddy Dave was eating a banana (insert joke here). I started thinking about how people always say that bananas are really slippery. But what evidence do we really have for this? The only time that I have ever seen someone slip and fall on a banana is on a cartoon. So needless to say, Dave and I decided that we needed to test this theory. We took his banana peel outside and threw it on the ground. I got a head start then proceeded to walk and step on the banana peel. And let me tell you something...it is very slippery. In fact I almost fell both times that I conducted my experiment....as did Dave. Therefore, I have concluded after much research and experimentation that cartoons are correct...banana peels are very slippery.

I have to say that I am very excited about this discovery. I envision weeks and weeks of fun dropping banana peels to watch people slip and fall. Yes...I am easily entertained.

One more thing...do NOT try to pass me on the road when I am driving. I will be carrying banana peels with me at all times and I WILL wreck your ass...Mario Kart style!!