DodgeBall: A True Underdog Story

DodgeBall: A True Underdog Story (2004)

Directed by: Rawson Marshall Thurber

Written by: Rawson Marshall Thurber

Starring: Ben Stiller, Vince Vaughn, Christine Taylor, Alan Tudyk, Justin Long, Rip Torn

Rating: PG-13

My rating: 4 out of 5 stars!

Well, after this is over I'll finally be caught up on all the movies I've watched recently. If there weren't a lot of new TV on, that number would probably be doubled, but good news! I'm going on vacation in just a matter of days so I will probably have 5-10 movies worth of new material by the time I am back. Hooray!!

Anyhow. If you have not seen DodgeBall: A True Underdog Story at this point in your life I am very sad for you, because you are missing out!!

A "Quick" Synopsis:

Dodgeball is the story of Peter La Fleur (Vince Vaughn; Wedding Crashers) who owns Average Joe's Gym. His gym is in financial trouble and is about to be taken over by Globo-Gym owner, White Goodman (Ben Stiller; Zoolander). La Fleur finds out about this takeover when Kate Veatch (Christine Taylor; The Wedding Singer) comes from the bank to evaluate Average Joe's Gym's financial situation. It isn't good. But when Peter breaks the news to the regulars of Average Joe's, Justin (Justin Long; Accepted), Dwight (Chris Williams, Friday After Next), Gordon (Stephen Root; O Brother Where Art Thou?), Owen (Joel David Moore; Avatar) and Steve the Pirate (Alan Tudyk; I, Robot), they don't take the news well, and are determined to raise enough money to avoid the buyout. After meager fundraising attempts, it looks like hope is lost until Gordon discovers that there is a Las Vegas DodgeBall tournament being held, and the prize money is exactly what they needed to win. Our heroes, with the help of Kate and legendary dodgeball player Patches O'Houlihan (Rip Torn; Men in Black), embark on a legendary journey that does indeed turn out to  be a true underdog story. 

Some thoughts:

I have seen this movie a bajillion times. Yes, I counted. I love every minute of it. Most recently, I shared this magical movie with my brother Joshua, who also quite enjoyed himself. This movie is comedy gold. It's got a great story line that is far-fetched but not so much that you're turned off by how unlikely it is to ever happen. Everyone likes to root for the underdog, unless you're Barney Stinson.

This movie has a great core of cast members, many of whom have come into their own since making this movie (especially Joel David Moore) and it also has a ridiculous collection of cameos and bit parts played by incredibly famous people. Gary Cole (Pineapple Express) and Jason Bateman (Horrible Bosses) play commentators Cotton McKnight and Pepper Brooks, who are fantastically comical, and whose lines have been hurled at me in one too many a Halo game. Also appearing in this film are William Shatner, Hank Azaria, David Hasselhoff, Lance Armstrong (before the fall, of course), All That favorite Lori Beth Denberg, and of course, the game changing ADAA (American DodgeBall Association of America) judge, Chuck Norris.

Vince Vaughn and Ben Stiller deliver classic comedy performances. Stiller did a fantastic job getting his real life wife, Christine Taylor, to hate his character in the movie. Stephen Root's character acting is especially outstanding in his role here. Justin Long, as a young actor, was a great addition to this cast, and Alan Tudyk's "Steve the Pirate" is still one of my favorite minor characters of all time. Movies that require actors to be this ridiculous....gotta be doing something right. My favorite cameo is probably Chuck Norris, but I can't get over Jason Bateman. They're all really fantastic. Rip Torn has the best lines.

Really, I don't see how you can't give this movie a shot. It has great humor, a pretty good story, and tremendous cast of both characters and cameos. This is one you shouldn't miss.

What Can We Learn?

Simple. Determination and Courage can get you through almost anything. Even if you're a pirate. Oh, and the sassy black guy, Dwight, is pretty much right about everything.

Final Thoughts:

See this movie. Rent it. If you have children, do not rent the unrated version. The PG-13 version is cleaner and frankly funnier than the unrated version. If you are an adult and can look past a few crude moments to appreciate a good story and some great fun, please do. I highly recommend this movie. It's definitely in my top 30-50 movies of all time. Maybe Top 25 comedies. Even at age 23, when I hadn't watched this movie in several years, it brought the same joy and laughter it always had. 

So Stiller fans, Vaughn fans, and comedy fans in general: SEE THIS MOVIE. Don't regret it!

I know this was kinda short but I'm sleepy and I've seen this movie too many times. It's good. Go see it. 4 stars. Huzzah!

Please don't hesitate to send me feedback, movie suggestions, comments, questions, what have you. I'm always in the mood for a good movie discussion. Click my little clicky buttons. Like. Share. Be merry.

Happy Thanksgiving TAR readers, if I do not visit you before then!!

God bless!

NAH

Fever Pitch

Fever Pitch (2005)

Directors: Bobby Farrelly, Peter Farrelly

Writers: Lowell Ganz, Babaloo Mandel, Nick Hornby

Starring: Jimmy Fallon, Drew Barrymore, Jack Kehler

Rating: PG-13

My rating: 4 out of 5 stars

Guys!! I'm back again!! I know you missed me. Come on...admit it. Here's some blank space for you to come to terms and admit it so we can both move forward.

Okay. How's that? Better now. Yes. I missed you too.

Tonight I got off work a little early so I decided that I would watch a movie after dinner (which turned into two movies..more on that later). Anyway, I decided that I would leave it up to a random number generator. I put in the beginning and ending numbers of my list, and the first one I hadn't seen, I'd watch. So here we are.

I acquired this movie probably 4 years ago. It was definitely my freshman year of college and I'm certain that I bought it out of the $5 bin at Wal-mart, you know, before it was filled with the classics of my generation. It has been sitting in "The Archives" forever, and I have just now gotten around to watching it.

Given the story, though? Couldn't have come at a better time.

The story is about Ben (Jimmy Fallon; Late Night with Jimmy Fallon), who is a lovable thirty year old man to whom I (and many others, I'm sure) can relate. He's a sports fan. And he's not as casual as I am. He's a die hard Red Sox fan. He discovered it at an early age and he's loved them all his life. He was left season tickets for life by his Uncle Carl (Lenny Clarke; TV's Rescue Me) He teaches high school math for a job, and as a second job he follows the Red Sox. Everywhere.

And of course, you don't have a baseball themed chick-flick without the girl half of the classic "boy meets girl" scenario. Meet Lindsey (Drew Barrymore; Never Been Kissed), who is a business woman, very much invested in her career. She is pushing for a promotion at her large corporate job, and is also a thirty year old woman troubled by her being consumed by her career, instead of sports fandom.

The two meet (WHAT!???!!!!!! SPOILERS!!!!) on a field trip that Ben takes a few select students on to meet someone who has an interesting career involving math (which Lindsey does). Yadda yadda yadda, we have a story!!

Needless to say, Ben's hardcore fandom and Lindsey's career create some roadblocks for each other. They have both been focused one way for so long that it's hard to change their ways. I won't reveal too much, but trust me, it's good.

My favorite part of the story is the concept. It deals with compromise and quirks in relationships. You can't have two people as different as Ben and Lindsey without a little compromise, but for the right person, you're willing (and yet, oddly might not have) to give it all up, just for them. Let's just say...I can relate. This movie re-affirms some life decisions I've made lately, to say the least.

A nice touch: It was set during 2004, which is the year that the Red Sox broke the "Curse of the Bambino". This movie is probably a little more enjoyable with a little bit of baseball history knowledge. I have a lot of that. You would too growing up in my house.

I loved the story. I thought it was well written, creative, and altogether an enjoyable film. Jimmy Fallon has a bad rap as an actor because of his problems keeping a straight face on SNL, but I REALLY enjoyed him in this role. Drew Barrymore has always had a certain loveliness that keeps her afloat, and did well too. I also really enjoyed the performance of Al (Jack Kehler; Men in Black II) who was the narrator and played Ben's fellow season ticket holder and long-time friend. Frankly, the Farrelly brothers will always be comedy gods to me, but it's hard not to think that after Dumb & Dumber. I mean, come on! Comedy GOLD!

It's predictable, it's not star studded, and there has been better acting, but as far as an enjoyable movie, A+, Jimmy Fallon and company. Well done. Romantic, truthful, and fun. And frankly, the PG-13 rating is understandable but it's nothing compared to some others I've seen that are family friendly. 

Ultimately, this movie will make you laugh out loud by yourself. It's worth one watch, especially for baseball fans or people with things that distract them from relationships. Thanks for reading. I'll try to get the next one up soon! Also, I've decided that I'll do a "Summer 2012 Release" series, where I review some movies I saw in theatres over the summer, and that I'm going to do a review for every movie I have archived, eventually. So expect a lot more writing, and let's UP THIS BLOG TRAFFIC BABY!!!!!!!!!!! WOOOHOOO!!!!

Okay. I am an adult with two jobs to work tomorrow. Enough for now. Please leave your feedback in some way shape or form, and I'm always down for movie suggestions (especially from the list, but if you know I saw one this summer, hit me with that one too!)

Peace, Love, and God Bless,

NAH

Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind

Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (2004)
Director: Michael Gondry
Writers: Michael Gondry, Pierre Bismuth, Charlie Kaufman
Starring: Jim Carrey, Kate Winslet, Tom Wilkinson, Kirsten Dunst, Mark Ruffalo, Elijah Wood
Rating: R
My Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars!

I know what you're thinking, and yes, I'm SO glad to have another entry here too! I've missed me too. :)

I watched an awful lot of TV shows in my 4 month absence, and will gladly review any of them for you if my two readers insist. Long story short, I highly recommend Community, Parks and Recreation, and Franklin and Bash. Anywhooooooooooooo

I watched this movie the evening previous with my brother Adam. It definitely made me think. I really don't want to give away the plot, but I will give a little here and there so I can give you an accurate depiction and about a thousand reasons you should watch this movie. 

The movie is storyboarded and told out of order, so I'll just lay down a basic synopsis. Joel Barish (Jim Carrey; The Truman Show) goes to see a special doctor (Tom Wilkinson; Batman Begins) so that someone he once loved and once loved him, Clementine (Kate Winslet; Finding Neverland), will be erased from his memory (after he finds out she had this done, too). The story primarily takes place when three of the doctors employees Stan (Mark Ruffalo; The Avengers), Patrick (Elijah Wood; Lord of the Rings Trilogy), and Mary (Kirsten Dunst; Spider-man) have come to his house at night to work on erasing these memories. There is more to all of their stories, of course, but I hesitate to reveal more in fear that it might cross into spoiler land.

What did I think?

Honestly, it was incredible. It was a tad hard to follow in the beginning, but those are the kind of movies that you have to stick out through the end. It asked and then proceeded to answer questions, just like a good work of art should. Jim Carrey gives an incredible performance (He should have an Oscar nod by now) and so does Kate Winslet, though we have come to expect this from her. The rest of the cast have shown us why they have come into their own as actors, and I got what I expected from them, which was incredible acting. 

The film, like I said, was a bit hard to follow at first, but I only took one half of a star away, for being a tad predictable. Once I had the story put together in my mind, and was listening to the characters intently, I pieced together the main plot. Not everyone will, though, and there are enough twists to keep you on your toes. It  tugged at my heartstrings as well, but kept the romanticism very grounded in realism.

Carrey and Winslet made a lovable duo, and Ruffalo, Dunst, Wood, and Wilkinson all added something great to the story. I expected something that was "supposed to be really good" and I was not disappointed. 

In short, I would highly recommend you watch this movie, but only in a scenario when you can pay attention instead of talk to people through the whole thing. I know your tricks!

If you want to find out more about this movie, you can see what people are saying on GetGlue, here:

http://getglue.com/movies/eternal_sunshine_of_spotless_mind/michel_gondry

 (I hyper-linked to the actual GetGlue homepage, if you don't have an account, you should get one. Seriously.)

Or, you can visit the imdb page, here:

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0338013/

My blog contains much of the basic information that IMDB does, but you can watch the trailer or view things in greater detail there.

Anyway, Thanks for reading. Please recommend me to your friends! And if you have movie suggestions send 'em my way.

Peace and Love,

NAH