The Benchwarmers

The Benchwarmers (2006)

Directed By: Dennis Dugan

Writers: Allen Cover, Nick Swardson

Starring: Rob Schneider, David Spade, Jon Heder, Jon Lovitz, Nick Swardson

Rating: PG-13

My rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars

This past weekend was kind of a "movie weekend" for me. After a Friday night with The Avengers I moved on to a sillier weekend. This is one of my all time favorite "stupid" comedies, The Benchwarmers.

I'm sure most of you are turned off just by the look of it. But, Happy Madison (Adam Sandler's production company) produced this movie, so if you are a Sandler fan, well...this is right up your alley.

I saw this movie for the first time in 2006 in theatres (and owned it since it's 2006 DVD release). I believe I was finishing up my junior year in high school. I was a with a group, and don't remember entirely who I was with, except I distinctly remember that Drew Allen and Ben Bradley were there...but I digress.

What it's about:

Clark (Jon Heder; Napoleon Dynamite) and Gus (Rob Schneider; The Animal) stumble upon a kid getting bullied on a baseball field. Gus runs them off, and finds out that Clark has never played baseball, because if he went near a baseball field as a kid, he'd get bullied. They make an appointment to come back out and hit some balls, and Clark brings Richie (David Spade; Joe Dirt) who has also never played baseball, along with him. They run into some kids upon their return that are obviously bullies, and the bullies demand that the field be given up. Gus says "we'll play you for it". Even though Clark and Richie are incompetent, Gus wins the game for them. Afterwards, they are approached by Mel (Jon Lovitz; Rat Race) who wants to start a movement to teach bullies all across the world a lesson. They agree, and begin a round robin tournament with the meanest teams in the league.

What I think:

The whole movie is really, really hilarious. It has that quotable quality that only some films have. The comedy not only uses words but is also very physical, and I'm a huge fan of physical comedy. My brother Joshua and I watched this together over the weekend and laughed constantly throughout. The message (like most movies involving or produced by Sandler) is a positive one, speaking out against bullying and encouraging people to stand up for themselves. The movie has lots of children in the cast and speaks to children, so with a little parental bleeping, (or maybe the TBS version) this would be a great family movie to watch together.

Sidenote: One of the best tools this movie possesses is the former professional athletes who have roles in it, like Bill Romanowski, Sean Salisbury, and Reggie Jackson (or as Mel says "Reggie Reggie Oxen Free"). Their participation adds not only to the comedy but to the validity of the message. 

What can we learn from it?:

It's been said already: Bullying. It's happening everywhere and it has to stop. It happened to me as a child, and my self worth even into my 20's has been crippled.  One of the hardest things I've ever had to do is turn my head away from what other people think, especially about me. I am proud to say that I've recovered from that part of my life, but some scars take a long time to heal. 

I'm getting off topic a little, but I find that I very rarely disagree with a message that an Adam Sandler movie carries, and this one is no different.

To sum it up:

This movie is worth watching. It doesn't have particularly good ratings on IMDB or Rotten Tomatoes, but trust me on this one. If you've agreed with me on any of my other reviews, you'll enjoy this movie. It's funny, only slightly inappropriate (let's face it, movies today are way worse) and it has a good message. Do whatever you have to to watch this movie at least once. It's not Oscar quality, but then again, who cares what they think? :)

Please let me know if you read this!! I hope you enjoyed it! As always, comment on Facebook, on here, or at least click the little clicky boxes below! I have at least two more reviews coming soon, and thanks so much (again) for reading!

God bless!

NAH

He's Just Not That Into You

He's Just Not That Into You (2009)

Directed By: Ken Kwapis

Written By: Abby Kohn, Marc Silverstein, Greg Behrendt, Liz Tuccillo

Starring: Jennifer Aniston, Kevin Connolly, Scarlett Johansson, Bradley Cooper, Ben Affleck, Drew Barrymore, Jennifer Connelly, Ginnifer Goodwin, Justin Long

Rating: PG-13

My rating: 3 out of 5 stars

This movie is an unusual case for several reasons. One: I have seen it before the most recent viewing (ask my pal Austin Funcheon about this one, too). Two: It's been a few weeks since my last viewing, instead of a few days. Three, I'm adding a new segment to TAR's posts in some of the movies that I've seen before. This is called "what can we learn from this movie"? and this movie is the perfect one to start with.


Anyway, this is the story of about 9 different people (I may or may not have just counted the names under "starring" to get that number) that are slightly entangled in one another's lives, whether they be blind dating, best friends, co-workers, or casual acquaintances. They are all exploring the relationships in their lives. This movie (again, ask Austin) makes me CRINGE for so many reasons, but there is a lot of truth to it.

The Story:
GiGi (Ginnifer Goodwin; TV's Once Upon A Time) is actively seeking her prince charming, most recently after a blind date with Conor (Kevin Connolly; TV's Entourage), who still can't stop thinking about Anna (Scarlett Johansson; The Avengers) who gets wrapped up in an affair with Ben (Bradley Cooper; The Hangover) who is married to Janine (Jennifer Connelly; A Beautiful Mind), who works with GiGi and Beth (Jennifer Aniston; Horrible Bosses), who is not married to but forever committed to Neil (Ben Affleck; Daredevil). GiGi ends up seeking advice from Conor's bartender friend, Alex (Justin Long; Accepted), who seems to be the only one in this story with any sense. That's why he got his own sentence.


The Tangent:

I know what you're thinking, and yes, this is insanity. It's just enough to keep the plotline's pulse up, as any one of these isolated stories would flatline, and yes you're also thinking:"This piece of devil worship is where they got all those ideas for those star studded movies with no plot like Valentin'es Day and New Year's Eve", and frankly, you're probably right. I know I only gave this movie three stars, but this is still a must watch, because....wait for it....


EVERYTHING SAID IN THIS MOVIE IS TRUE. UNABRIDGED, UNSATURATED, UN SOME OTHER FANCY WORD....TRUTH.

People cheat because they have doubts, they don't call because they're not interested, they get married because they love each other and they don't get married because they don't love each other. Every day another crazy girl is born because they are seeking the best in people, or trying to force finding their prince charming. I'll tell you. I've seen this movie before, but now that I'm watching from the outside (A relationship standpoint) it all seems a little....trivial.

The Review:

This is a good movie. The acting is pretty solid throughout, but nothing special. Standout performances are Justin Long and Ginnifer Goodwin. Though I'm not actually sure if G.G. (see what I did there?) is a talented actress or if she's just that crazy town banana pants. Either way, she pulled it off well.

As I mentioned earlier, the plot was held together through all of the intertwining story lines, though it worked well for the film. I've never read the book so I don't know how that all works together. The writing is clever and altogether it's a "fun little movie". I mean, you'll never get the full experience without Austin being there to pause it every so often to say "YOU'RE AN IDIOT!!!" ...but I digress.


The Segment You've All Been Waiting For: What We Can Learn From This Movie

I've been so psyched to write this section that it took me forever to get back here from Facebook and start again...wait....gotta like one more picture....

Okay. Now I'm ready. What can we learn from this movie? Besides the obvious, like "If a guy doesn't call you, he doesn't want to talk to you", or "he'll see you if he wants to see you". These lessons are spelled out pretty easily in the movie. I wanted to dig a little deeper.

In this movie, Alex tells GiGi that all of the stories you hear that contradict the rules I listed in quotations above are exceptions. They are the exception and you are the rule. This principle can be applied to a larger part of life. Like politics. Everyone on both political sides has sob stories that tug at the heartstrings for their argument. I won't give any examples so that I don't lose my heavily convicted right or left wing readers (all 3 of them)! But, next time you hear one think...what if that story is the exception....and not the rule?

Anyway, there's my deep "food for thought" moment of the day. I hope you enjoyed this post and I would really, REALLY appreciate your feedback. Even if you say "Hey Nick, your blog sucks, please stop wasting your time" You'd actually be doing me a huge favor. I appreciate honesty. You can always click the little clicky buttons below and comment, or feel free to Facebook or tweet me as well! (@nickyahogan).

I love you all and truly value feedback of any kind!

God Bless!

NAH
The Archives Report

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