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By: The Dude on the Right

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During this episode of our “Weekend Wrap-Up!” podcast, the crappy weather must be getting to Stu Gotz as he drops the S-bomb a few times and tries to spread a rumor about the Agent Phil character in “The Avengers,” but Stu didn’t live a real-life version of Angry Birds like I did so I don’t know what he has to be crabby about! We both saw “The Avengers,” and I work to dispel Stu’s rumor while we both seemed to have liked the movie, although Stu does say the Little Gotz’s got a little antsy during the film. “Avenger” talk did lead to the “Super Hero Augmented Reality” app and Stu’s almost getting pissed off enough with Android to jump to the iPhone dark side. I thought he would have hated it because it makes you go to Wal-Mart.

I’m worried “The Amazing Spider-Man” movie is going to suck, we are both looking forward to “Prometheus,” Stu wonders if any of “The Voice” contestants can have a real career, I’m hoping for an Arsenio v Aubrey “Celebrity Apprentice” finale, and Stu introduced me to the term “cracker-crust” pizza.

Thanks for listening!

That’s it for this one! I’m The Dude on the Right!! L8R!!!

By: The Dude on the Right

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Did you know that there is a clip of a version of the Theta Xi “Rounders Song” on the Internet? Stu Gotz didn’t either, but during this “Weekend Wrap-Up!” podcast I prove to him that it’s true.

Our Fraternity anniversary gave us a chance to reminisce a tad of the college days, mostly about Work Week and how it took over 20 years but I was finally a part of a strip-and-wax crew, but sadly this one didn’t include a lot of beer. Stu didn’t mention doing any manual labor over the weekend, but did get a chance to take the Gotz clan to see “The Pirates! Band of Misfits” and lets you know if you should take your clan to see it, also, whereas I’m finishing up my Spring TV viewing, somehow still liking “Celebrity Apprentice” but might be totally over “American Idol” now.

We talk a bit about Derek Rose and the Chicago Bulls, I seem more excited about “The Avengers” opening this weekend than Stu does, and Stu isn’t Timelined yet, and I might be the only person that likes the Timeline on Facebook.

Thanks for listening!

That’s it for this one! I’m The Dude on the Right!! L8R!!!

By: The Dude on the Right

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I didn’t need to see a man about a horse, but during this episode of the “Weekend Wrap-Up” podcast, I let Stu Gotz know if “War Horse” is any good. Stu, meanwhile, gives his take on “The Sitter” and is happy he didn’t pay the big bucks to see “Tower Heist” but was happy to throw a dollar or two away on it.

The Chicago Cubs aren’t very good, Stu is upset that all of the shows he likes on cable TV have mini-seasons, Penn Jillette is off “Celebrity Apprentice”, Stu ate kangaroo and bear, and it doesn’t matter what else opens the weekend of May 5th because “The Avengers” is all that matters. All of that and more during this podcast!

Thanks for listening!

That’s it for this one! I’m The Dude on the Right!! L8R!!!

Stu & The Dude’s Weekend Wrap-Up! A Movie About a Horse, Mini TV Seasons, Movie Talk, and Eating Kangaroo and Bear.

MPAA Rated – PG-13
It’s 2:26 Long
A Review by:
- The Dude on the Right

I was a little worried when my wife and I started watching “War Horse” because, after about the first five minutes, as they were setting up the relationship between Joey (the horse) and Albert (Jeremy Irvine), my wife turns to me and says sarcastically, “Oh, this is riveting.” I could tell she was bored, and there was over two hours of the movie left to go.  Thankfully things got much better.

“War Horse” takes us back to the early 1900’s, as World War I was about to break, horses were used to plow the fields, and you read books made out of paper by candlelight.  Young Albert sees a horse being born, and although not the greatest build of a work horse, there is a bond formed between Joey and Albert, much like most people would form to their pet dog, but the war is now here, and in those days horses were used for everything, from transporting troops and the wounded, to pulling the giant cannons, and the best horses were rounded up for use in the war. Joey was now gone, on his way to war, and Albert was sad.

So, we get the story of Joey, a horse that doesn’t look like the strongest but has the heart of a thousand horses and touches lots of life’s in many way.  We see Joey in battle, developing bond with a giant of a horse that most everyone thinks is stronger, helping a young girl discover life, yet all the while never forgetting Albert.

Okay, fine, “War Horse” is much more that that, as intertwined with the story of Joey is the family bond Albert has back home on the farm, a look at a young little girl and her grandfather, a glimpse of the brutality of trench warfare, and how an animal can make friends out of enemies, if only for a few minutes.  Yup, the “This is riveting” had turned into a wonderful story.

Wonderfully shot and what turns out to be a fantastic story, “War Horse” is the kind of movie that is probably better seen on the big screen to envelop you, but will do fine on your big screen, and will allow you to get weepy in the privacy of your own home (Yup, the ending is a tear-jerker in many ways).  So, get through the first five minutes of unrivetting-ness, and enjoy this 4 ½ our of 5 star movie in all of its horse splendor.

Now, Blu-ray wise, if you get the 4-disc combo pack, you get extras to keep you busy for hours, and if you have any interest in how an Academy Award winning Director constructs a movie, this is the combo pack for you. Among other features, you get “War Horse: The Journey Home” which gives you a round-table format of discussions about the film, the characters, and how things went from seeing a play and thinking it would make a great film to ending up on the big screen. Then there is “A Filmmaking Journey” which gives you a detailed look at Steven Spielberg’s creative process, while “Editing and Scoring” dictates how the film is put together. There isn’t the standard “Deleted Scenes” nor “Gag Reel,” which is probably better since generally those just add easy extras to a release, but if you ever just wanted to be that guy in the background of a shot, you get “An Extra’s Point of View,” a nice look at being, well, an extra on a film. Lastly, take the film with you because you also get the copy for your portable device. This combo pack is why you buy a combo pack.

A great story, a great film, and a worthwhile batch of extras when you buy the whole set, I am a little sad I didn’t see the movie on the gloriousness of the big screen, but snuggling on the couch and the both of you getting a little weepy with a great movie does have a niceness about it.

That’s it for this one! I’m The Dude on the Right!!! L8R!!!

By: The Dude on the Right

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As millions of people were doing yesterday, I was celebrating Emancipation Day. Okay, I wasn’t really celebrating, I just couldn’t quite get to the podcast, but for those of you wondering why April 17th is Tax Day this year, instead of at least on the 16th, all is revealed in this podcast episode. Also revealed in the podcast – if “We Bought a Zoo” is any good. It’s a movie now out on Blu-ray about a dude (Matt Damon) who buys a zoo. Okay, it’s a little more complicated than that, and it also has Scarlett Johansson as a zookeeper/potential love interest, but it does have real animals for your kids to watch instead of a movie with cartoon animals that can talk.

Watching golf makes me remember my college days, I had vegetarian food for Easter, Apache Helicopters are invading Chicago, and don’t look now but it’s less than a month to the return of “America’s Got Talent” with new judge, Howard Stern. You may love him or you may hate him, but you’ll probably at least watch out of curiosity. All of that and some movie news in this week’s podcast!

Thanks for listening!

That’s it for this one! I’m The Dude on the Right!! L8R!!!

MPAA Rated – Unrated
It’s 1:22 Long
A Review by:
- The Dude on the Right

I have to say that my favorite babysitter movie of all time is “Adventures in Babysitting.” It was fun, it was a romp of kids through the mean streets of the city, it was slightly over the top at times, and it was fairly safe for kids even though it was rated PG-13.  After seeing “The Sitter” I have to say it didn’t eclipse “Adventures…” as my favorite babysitter movie, but it was mostly fun, it was a romp of kids through the main streets of the city, it was way, way, way over the top at times, but for the love of God, put the kids and teens to bed before you even think of watching this in front of them.  Then go ahead and have a laugh or two.

For “The Sitter” we get Jonah Hill as Noah, a slug living at home, looking for love, and good at oral sex.  We pretty much find all of this out in the first 5ish minutes of the film.  It seems like all he really wants in life is to have his divorced mom find a good man, get laid, and maybe be an astronomer.  As his life would have it, to facilitate his mom going on a date, Noah takes the gig of watching the neighbor’s kids comprised of the little girl, Blithe (Landry Bender), who likes to dress in beauty pageant clothes and just wants to go out clubbing, Slater (Max Records), who is having issues of keeping friends, and Rodrigo (Kevin Henrnadez), the adopted son of said family and a little terror. Of course the kids hate Noah, and of course Noah gets a call from his girlfriend want-a-be telling Noah he’ll get laid if he brings her some cocaine, so Noah is off in the family minivan, with kids in tow, in search of Karl (Sam Rockwell), the drug kingpin, and then to meet up with Marisa (Ari Graynor). And hilarity is supposed to ensue.

I say “supposed to” because although funny is some aspects, most of it just seems rehashed or telegraphed from a mile away.  And yes, here is the proverbial spoiler alert…  Do the kids try and run away? Rodrigo does. Is there some kid mayhem? Yup. Does Noah have to come up with money to pay back Karl so he doesn’t kill someone? You betcha. Will Noah and the kids end up in a bar none of them really belong in? What do you think?

Some of it is kind of funny, in a truly adult kind of way, but a lot of it just plods along until the eventual end of Noah with the right girl, and the kids loving their new babysitter.

Jonah Hill is well, Jonah Hill, I’m not really sure what is going on with the Marisa character, and go figure, kids just want to be understood.  Kinda funny, definitely not for anyone close to a kid’s age, and for me it’s 2 stars out of 5. Oh hell, make it 2 ½ for a “totally unnecessary to the plot” boob shot.

As far as the Blu-ray it’s got some standard fare that pretty much ends up just being filler, although I did watch the “Totally Irresponsible” unrated version and honestly can’t tell you what the difference was.  The rest of the extras are “Ehh.” The deleted scenes are pretty much better deleted, and the extended scenes would have made the movie drag a ton more. Some of the outtakes are kind of funny, but the “Gag Reel” really didn’t do much.  If you want there is a “Making of…” featurette which is fine and all, but really, you’re just getting the Blu-ray for raunchy fun.

That’s it for this one! I’m The Dude on the Right!! L8R!!!

By: The Dude on the Right

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As weeks have gone by since Stu Gotz and I have done a “Weekend Wrap-Up!” podcast, being back together again means a lot of movies were watched, at least by Stu. Me, I let you know if “The Sitter” with Johan Hill is any good to rent (One hint – don’t watch it with the kids), while Stu breaks down “Wrath of the Titans,” the new version of “Footloose” (I still have no idea why he rented it), “The Girl with the Dragon Tatoo (Who Likes to Show Her Boobies)”, and we find out that if you read “The Hunger Games,” as Mama Gotz did, you might not like the movie, while if you didn’t, as was the case with Stu, you may like the movie.

Stu is sad at the changes “Playboy” has taken with its magazine, I let Stu know that the Borat version of the Kazakhstan National Anthem is not the official version of the nation, Stu doesn’t sound that excited about the Chicago Cubs home opener, I’m not liking “American Idol” anymore, Mama Gotz and my BFF are more cautious about upcoming storms than me and Stu (although the new National Weather Service graphic tornado warnings might make us take notice), I’m liking the new TV show “Touch,” and Stu needs to watch more “Celebrity Apprentice.”

Thanks for listening!

That’s it for this one! I’m The Dude on the Right!! L8R!!!

By: The Dude on the Right

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In honor of St. Patrick’s Day I ate chicken tikka masala, and in honor of St. Joseph’s Day I had bangers and mash. I really wish Stu Gotz were here to make fun of me for my food choices, but sadly it’s a solo “Weekend Wrap-up!” podcast as Stu is out running around.

With Summer already here in Chicago, even though Spring officially starts tomorrow, it was a weekend where I reminisced about St. Patrick’s Days gone by, and how downtown Chicago this year was filled with revelers and drunks by two in the afternoon. I also reflected on my experiences with Indian food, and how I enjoyed my St. Patrick’s Day dinner at Sara’s Grill and Eastern Cuisine.

I’m wondering why no one blind-sides Colton in “Survivor: One World,” I’m not liking “American Idol” that much and I blame it on the fact that they don’t have a British person with a condescending accent, “The Hunger Games” opens this weekend and I probably won’t see it, hopefully Mitt Romney will defeat Rick Santorum in the Illinois Primary tomorrow so the political ads will be done for a while and Stu Gotz might not be available for next week’s podcast so if you want to be a special podcast guest, feel free to email me at podcast@entertainmentavenue.com

Thanks for listening!

That’s it for this one! I’m The Dude on the Right!! L8R!!!

By: The Dude on the Right

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Who doesn’t love a parade? I sure loved the St. Patrick’s Day parade I was a part of, and during this episode of our “Weekend Wrap-Up!” podcast, I tell Stu all about it. Stu, meanwhile, had a busy weekend even though it was his birthday but without a lot of stories, so this podcast is a little shorter than normal. That doesn’t mean we don’t have things to say, so topics include: Waiting for a repair guy, Saturday Night Live is sort of funny, I’m watching too much Bravo as now I’m sucked back into “Real Housewives of Orange County” and now am into “Million Dollar Listing – New York” complete with red pants, Stu’s in need of eggs, “John Carter” analysis, and “21 Jump Street” might be good.

Thanks for listening!

That’s it for this one! I’m The Dude on the Right!! L8R!!!

MPAA Rated – PG
It’s 1:40 Long
A Review by:
- The Dude on the Right

It’s a movie that has three, comedic powerhouses in the likes of Steve Martin, Jack Black, and Owen Wilson. It’s a movie that is ripe for making fun of a culture many might find odd – namely birding. It’s a movie that’s rated PG? Uh oh. It’s “The Big Year.”  Okay, maybe not that big of an “Uh oh,” but an “Uh oh,” none-the-less.

So, it turns out a “Big Year” in the birding world has to do with an informal competition among birders (people who like to spot birds), in trying to spot the most species of bird in a period of time.  For our movie, the lead Big Year-er is Kenny Bostick (Owen Wilson).  For our movie we have two other main characters, Brad (Jack Black) and Stu (Steve Martin). Brad is in a dead-end, no fun job, Stu is the elder statesman of a company and looking to retire, and Kenny is a lost soul whose relationships always fall apart because he likes birds.

And so it’s a new year, and for a movie length we get to see our three birders travel the countryside in search of birds, and the competition is fierce.  Yup, things start out kind of calm, with the birders calling a magical phone number telling them where the next, magical sighting seems to be, and they all flock to the various locals. They are cordial, nice even, until it starts to come out that they are trying to get the Big Year record, currently held by Kenny.  Kenny, of course, doesn’t like this, and some trickery starts to happen.  And all along hilarity is supposed to ensue, or at least lessons about life.

Here’s the thing – I felt like “The Big Year” wanted so much to be like a mockumentary about birders, kind of like the movie “Best in Show,” but sadly it tried to keep things a little too nice, namely the PG rating, to push the funny to the next level, which is too bad because Wilson, Black, and Martin do their best to be their funny best – it’s just the movie can’t get there.

It’s not that I didn’t like “The Big Year,” because I sort of did, but I just wanted more.  It was a nice enough movie to hang out on a couch and relax for an evening, and it’s kid safe if you want them around, but don’t expect a lot of hilarity, just some chuckles along the way to find out who actually has the “big year.” 2 ½ stars out of 5.

As far as the Blu-ray, as a lot of birding is scenic-oriented, it looks beautiful, and is beautifully shot, so it will look great on your big-screen.  The deleted scenes are probably better off deleted, the gag reel isn’t that funny (I’m finding that most movie-people can’t put together a decent gag reel), but if you do want a nice explanation of how the movie was made, it does have a great featurette called “The Bird Migration” to help along.

That’s it for this one!  I’m The Dude on the Right!!  L8R!!!