A Tee Pee, the Chicago Bears, Cowboys & Aliens, a Carnival, and Shooting Up in a Theater!

By: The Dude on the Right

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We don’t have time to talk about no stupid debt ceiling, nope, we’ve got tee pees, bungholes, and Cowboys & Aliens! It must be another “Weekend Wrap-Up!” podcast!

Yup, Stu Gotz built a tee pee in his backyard, as he had threatened to do during last week’s episode, and a little skimping on his work ethic caused some smokiness when the Little Gotz’s decided they needed a bigger fire. And speaking of tee pees, I saw “Cowboys & Aliens,” a movie that had Indians in it, too, and if I recall, a couple of tee pees, and I let you know if you should see it (Here’s a hint: If you like westerns and aliens, you should.). And with movie talk, we also have some “Going to the movie talk” with wondering if it’s okay to pull out the insulin and needle in the movie theater.

The Gotz family went to a carnival, I worked on my old iPhone app called Make Me Smile, Stu did some diving at Haigh Quarry, and I begin my excitement for a crappy season of Chicago Bears’ football. It’s a weekend wrap-up, it’s a podcast, and it’s so much more!

Thanks for listening!

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

Source Code

MPAA Rated – PG-13
It’s 1:33 Long
A Review by:
The Dude on the Right

Source Code
Movie Stats & Links
Starring: Jake Gyllenhaal, Michelle Monaghan, Vera Farmiga
MPAA Rated: PG-13
Released By: Summit Entertainment
Release Date: July 26, 2011
Kiddie Movie: Not too young, they may never ride a train again.
Date Movie: It’s a good movie for you to snuggle on the couch.
Gratuitous Sex: Nah.
Gratuitous Violence: There is some killing and, well, the train does blow up a number of times.
Action: There is some chasing, but nothing crazy.
Laughs: A chuckle here and there.
Memorable Scene: The ending e-mail.
Memorable Quote: Nothing stood out.
Directed By: Duncan Jones

As the credits started to roll when my wife and I were watching “Source Code,” she simply said, “Is there some extra special feature on there that will explain what the fuck they meant?” Happily, on the “Source Code” Blu-ray, there is, but sadly it’s embedded in the “Access: Source Code” feature, which pretty much makes you watch the entire movie, again.  She didn’t have time for that and relied on my infinite knowledge of the space-time continuum for an explanation, which, in transposing space and time, I basically shifted the conversation to “Did you like the movie?” She did. And so did I.

Here’s the basics…

Jake Gyllenhaal is a soldier, Captain Colter Stevens, and he finds himself transported into the body of a man on a commuter train.  It seems that this train gets blown up, and through the magic of a government program, he can “infiltrate” the last eight minutes of a person’s life.  So, his new mission is to find out who blows up the train, or at least gather enough intel to prevent the second attack that is coming soon.  The problem is that Colter has to pretty much re-live this explosion over and over again, each time going back to his mission-control capsule to report on his findings.  The other problem is that, along the way, he finds himself falling for a train passenger, Christina (Michelle Monaghan – and who wouldn’t?), and also learns that in conjunction with re-living the last eight minutes of this mystery dude’s life, he can also manipulate the events happening along the way.

So, for our multiple train rides, we get Captain Stevens learning from each trip, falling in love, learning the true value of the “Source Code,” and hopefully saving Chicago from being blown-up.

You want the key to why I really liked “Source Code?” Well, the movie people didn’t get too crazy with stuff, and by that I mean that we don’t get a lot of back-story about Captain Stevens, just enough to pretty much know he is a good soldier and misses his father, we also don’t get too crazy in the back-story of Christina, and we also don’t get too crazy into the total science of the story.  Nope, like an action-packed version of the movie “Groundhog Day,” instead of Bill Murray continuing to go back until he learns about love, we get a mission of saving humanity, with a touch of love.  And I’ve got to say, as the movie was ending, I almost got a little weepy knowing the fate of Captain Stevens, or did I? And even better? The movie clocks in at about and hour and half, just long enough to give you a great movie, and not one of those movies where you get antsy thinking it’s about 15 minutes too long!

I don’t want to give too much of the movie away because the joy of this film is the journey Captain Stevens takes from his first infiltration to his final conclusion, and telling anything more would really ruin the fun.

Your wife might not understand it, hell, you probably won’t understand it either (although you’ll probably try to make something up to satisfy her and make her think you are super-smart), but just sit back, strap it in, and enjoy a movie that takes you on a wild ride, albeit it’s sort of the same ride over and over again, on the same train, for about an hour and half. But it sure is fun!  It’s 4 ½ stars out of 5 for “Source Code,” and not just because the commuter train blows up in front of my college alma mater, Illinois Institute of Technology.  It’s a great rental for the both of you to snuggle, and even the older kids to enjoy with you.

In terms of the extras, for the Blu-ray, most of them are embedded in the “Access: Source Code” feature, which is really cool even if you do have to watch the movie again.  During the movie, you will get pop-ups with movie trivia, interviews with the cast, and most importantly, experts telling you about time travel that might help explain the movie’s ending.

That’s a Lot of Rain, He Says His Wife is Smokin’ Hot, Who is Doctor Who, and Cars, Cars, and More Cars!

By: The Dude on the Right

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I’m becoming a mall walker, and Stu Gotz is becoming a “Doctor Who” nerd – It’s another “Weekend Wrap-Up!” podcast episode!

Yup, my weekend was pretty uneventful, as I did some analysis of Woodfield Mall here in Illinois, I cleaned my balls, and I wondered if I should change churches or start following NASCAR again thanks to the rousing Pastor Nelms getting the racers ready for a race over the weekend. And speaking of auto racing, Stu and Mama Gotz are quickly becoming demolition derby aficionados, if one can be a demolition derby aficionado, and on the same note, sort of, Stu breaks down “Cars 2” for everyone.

Neither of us saw “Captain America” yet although a lot of other people did, there were obscene amounts of rain over the weekend in the Chicago area and I was oblivious to it, Stu is building a tee pee, and both of us are looking forward to the return of “Beavis and Butthead” this fall, thanks to a reminder from Comic-Con. And hey, if things go well, I’ll also see “Cowboys and Aliens” this weekend, though I’m not holding my breath.

Thanks for listening!

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

Take Me Home Tonight

MPAA Rated – R
It’s 1:37 Long
A Review by:
The Dude on the Right

Take Me Home Tonight
Movie Stats & Links
Starring: Topher Grace, Anna Faris, Dan Fogler, Teresa Palmer
MPAA Rated: R
Released By: Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment
Release Date: July 19, 2011
Kiddie Movie: Send them to bed!
Date Movie: My wife said it was “Cute.”
Gratuitous Sex: It’s got a lot, complete with boobs and some weird voyourism in a bathroom.
Gratuitous Violence: Nothing gratuitous.
Action: Nah.
Laughs: Lots of chuckles from start to finish.
Memorable Scene: Nothing totally stood out.
Memorable Quote: Nah.
Directed By: Michael Dowse

Sometimes a movie is perfect for a certain age group, and from the variety of reviews I’ve seen of “Take Me Home Tonight,” you can probably gauge if the reviewer was in high school in the mid-eighties, maybe went to college during that same time period, also could have been a geek during said eighties and always wanted to ask out the hot chick in high school but never had their “in.” That person will probably love “Take Me Home Tonight,” while most everyone else might have a hard time relating and/or laughing.  I am that person who lived the 80’s, and I laughed a lot, but I do understand if you don’t get it.

“Take Me Home Tonight” gives us Topher Grace as Matt, and he’s got a sister, Wendy, played by Anna Faris.  Yup, it’s the eighties, Matt is in love with Tori (Teresa Palmer), but he’s a geek heading to MIT and she’s the cool chick.  Alas, college comes and goes, Matt finds himself still trying to discover his path in life, a path that now includes working at Suncoast Video, but upon seeing Tori again, it’s time for Matt to step up his game, and what better place to step up a game than at a weekend semi-reunion party at the cool kid’s house.  Yup, everyone is old enough to drink legally now, and Matt is on a quest to get Tori’s phone number.

So, sort of like “American Pie,” we have a get-together where lots of people are trying to maybe impress someone else, or just get through it.  On the ride is Matt’s friend, Barry (Dan Fogler), recently fired from his job but finding some cocaine in a car he “borrowed” from his previous employer.  With that we get a movie with drugs, boobs, sex, a look at high finance (It seems Tori made good, finding herself in the finance world which sets the stage for the second part of the movie as the party-goers end up in Beverly Hills), and oddly, something I could kind of relate to, and laughed a lot.

Look, the movie isn’t the funniest thing out there, and Chris Pratt plays a nice version of Stifler ala “American Pie,” but there is enough to keep the movie going that can make you chuckle from start to finish, that is if you can relate to the time-period of the movie.  Seriously, I can see someone being 55 years old thinking this movie is stupid, I can also see the twenty-something’s not really getting it, but for those of us old enough to remember how you always were trying to compete, how sometimes you did stupid stuff but now you grew up and live a little more vicariously through movies, and love classic 80’s music, you’ll probable enjoy “Take Me Home Tonight.”

I nice, little, solid comedy with some romance for people who can relate to graduating in the eighties, I’ll give “Take Me Home Tonight” 3 1/2 stars out of 5, though I can understand if you think it sucks.

As far as the Blu-ray bonus stuff, this isn’t a movie destined for a four disc box set, but the extras are nice enough with some deleted scenes (sure, most were better off deleted), and for music fans, it’s an eighties plethora of memories with quick access to songs during the movie, and a little cast get-together for good measure.

Go ahead, rent the Blu-ray, and put yourself back in the eighties where you sometimes wish you still were.

Soccer is Done, Harry Potter is Done, Netflix is Done (Sort of), and Summer is Here!

By: The Dude on the Right

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With the woman’s USA team losing to Japan for the World Cup, after today’s Weekend Wrap-Up! Podcast Stu Gotz and I don’t have a reason to talk about soccer for a while. And with Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part II hitting theaters over the weekend, we won’t have a reason to talk about Harry Potter, either. But that won’t stop us from wrapping up our weekends, because there is always something to talk about, because, during this episode, we also talk about other movies, like “Bridesmaids,” “Take Me Home Tonight,” and “Get Him to the Greek.”

We also have some discussions about maybe my possibly cancelling our Netflix account, Stu did some SCUBA diving, I went to Hooters, and neither of us are that excited about “Captain America” opening next weekend. Man, 20 minutes goes by so quickly!

Thanks for listening!

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

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part II

MPAA Rated – PG-13
It’s 2:10 Long
A Review by:
The Dude on the Right

Harry Potter
and the
Deathly Hallows: Part II
Movie Stats & Links
Starring: Ralph Fiennes, Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint, Emma Watson
MPAA Rated: PG-13
Released By: Warner Bros.
Release Date: July 15, 2011
Kiddie Movie: It’s pretty violent at times so be careful.
Date Movie: Even if you’re date isn’t a fan, they should be able to follow along.
Gratuitous Sex: Nah.
Gratuitous Violence: No real blood, but some gruesomeness occurs.
Action: There is a lot of chasing and people falling off of tall things.
Laughs: Some good chuckles, especially if you know the story.
Memorable Scene: The final revelation of Snape.
Memorable Quote: Nothing stood out.
Directed By: David Yates

I was a little worried going into “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part II”, especially since I hadn’t seen the “Half-Blood Prince” nor Part I of the “Deathly Hallows,” but I’ll tell you what – For the final version all you really need to know is that there is this wizard, Harry, and his nemesis is this dude with a smooshed-in-face, Voldermort, and this is their final battle.  Ignore the rest of the stuff, the “who loves whom,” the “who is related to whom,” the “what is this stuff with snakes and gremlins and dragons,” and just enjoy a ride of a fun battle of good versus evil where magic wands control their world.

In any case, here it is, the finale, the end, the second part of a book that took two movies to tell the story, it’s “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part II.”  Pretty much we find Harry, Ron, and Hermione (Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint, and Emma Watson), whom many of us have grown up with as we have grown up, coming upon the final quest of Harry’s life – to finally battle Lord Voldermort, and maybe find out the truth about his life.  Yup, there is adventure as they need to find these three things that can make Voldermort immortal, or something like that, and if they can destroy all of them, they can then, hopefully, get rid of Voldermort once and for all.  Through it all we get transported to the roller-coaster ride of the bank vaults that the gremlins protect, a dragon ride, and a really cool battle between statues and, oh, I can’t remember what the big dude are, as wizards throw spells and the army of Voldermort fights the do-gooders of Hogwarts.

As a movie, with maybe just a five minute intro, “Part II” could really stand on its own as a film because it’s got everything – Love, excitement, sadness, good, evil, and some kick-ass battle scenes, but really all you need to know is it’s Harry against Voldermort, and somebody has to die.

The visuals are stunning in the movie, and for a change I opted for a 3-D film and liked it because it wasn’t shot for “Oh look, this is 3-D,” but rather “Here’s a film with a great story, and the 3-D is there to just enjoy.”

I am a little sorry to see the series come to an end, but I think that one of the best things about the Harry Potter series is that it had a great start, followed the book story for the most part, and then came to an ending, rather than just trying to push out versions that seem like “Hey, we need to make another movie because the last one made so much money.”  I know this might be a little bit of blasphemy, but in terms of a movie series I think, in the grand scheme of stories, Harry Potter blows Star Wars out of the water as a full body of work. I know this is sort of a tangent for this review, but hey, it’s what I think.

A solid ending for Harry Potter is what I think “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part II” is, and hey, you can probably see it even if you never saw and of the previous films – Enjoy the ride!  It’s 4 ½ stars out of 5, and I even say spend the extra bucks and see it in 3-D.

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

Get Ready to Get Source Code, Zookeeper is Fine, Stu Hates the Heat, and I Didn’t Wear a Captain’s Hat.

By: The Dude on the Right

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So Steve Dahl, radio dude in Chicago, announced he will be charging $9.95/month for an unregulated and uncensored podcast starting in August, but we’ve got your unregulated, and since Stu drops an s-bomb in less than one minute during our “Weekend Wrap-Up!”, I guess you could also call it uncensored, podcast right here! All for free! And if this seems like a shameless mention to plug the Stever’s new business model, and maybe get us a hit or two on a search, so be it.

In any case, for this episode, Stu Gotz and I recollect that there are many movies we know all of the words to, like “Caddyshack,” yet if we were to try and do some calculus – forget it! “Caddyshack” was on my mind as I made a trip to the Chicago Yacht Club for some family bonding over the weekend, while Stu finally had enough family bonding, in the heat, humidity, and buggyness of a Saturday, and retreated to the air-conditioned comfort of the Gotz tenement-on-wheels.

On the movie front, I give a high recommendation for “Source Code” when it comes out on Blu-ray on July 26th, while Stu says that if you have kids you will probably do okay at “Zookeeper” as long as you expect exactly what you find in the trailer.

I’m back watching “Big Brother,” Stu wonders how many seasons of it there have been and I can’t help him, the Chicago Cubs are probably happy the All-Star break has hit as they seem to be on their way to a 74-110 record (Okay, I know there are only 162 games, at least I do now as I did some research, but I thought the All-Star break was at the mid-point of the season, so I suppose I should say a 65 and 97, but hey, who’s counting?), and somehow I watched a little bit of “Doctor Who,” to which I also found out Stu knows Doctor Who like some people know Star Trek.

Hopefully, next week, Stu will give his final thoughts on the “Harry Potter” series as the 2nd part of The Deathly Hallows opens this week, but who knows what next weekend has in store, all I know is that this weekend is done!

Thanks for listening!

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

Happy Birthday America, Beastly is Bad, Whitey’s is Good, Burn Notice is Back and Everyone Loves a Parade!

By: The Dude on the Right

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As a founding member of T.G.A., I explain to Stu Gotz during our "Weekend Wrap-up!" podcast that I am due some sanctions for missing the latest "Transformers" movie, especially when it was in lieu of driving to Moline, IL, in search of ice cream at Whitey’s and then finding some good ribs at "Jim’s Rib Haven" in nearby Quad City, Rock Island. Stu, happily, still has all of his digits after the 4th of July weekend, probably because he let the professionals set off the fireworks, and also controlling himself from getting into any altercations with White Sox fans during a Crosstown Classic game at Wrigley Field. I saw a small-time looking parade in a city that isn’t small-time, Stu is happy that "Burn Notice" is back, I’m sad that " Men of a Certain Age" is almost over for the summer, and Stu saw some movies that are old – but at least from the 2000’s, and doesn’t recommend "Beastly," at all.

Hopefully all of you have all of your digits left and your hearing is able to listen to our podcast, because even with all of this, somehow we also talk about more!

Thanks for listening!

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

Blago Wants to Get Away, Flying Solo, Cedar Rapids is Okay, and Milo Done Good.

By: The Dude on the Right

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Stu Gotz went M.I.A., so for this “Weekend Wrap-Up!” podcast I’m flying solo. Excitement was the name of the weekend, especially if your version of excitement is having to buy a new router (and I have to admit that, during the podcast, I hint that it was my BFF going bonkers without the Internet, when, yes, it was I who was going nuts not being able to play “Empires and Allies.” Sorry, Honey.), or getting your haircut, but it was kind of exciting, and along with telling you my Linksys woes, I do let you know if “Cedar Rapids” is a good rental for you and your honey.

I saw interesting people in Chicago, there was a little girl in church who needs a lesson in tithing, and low and behold, our dog, Milo, actually gets along well with other dogs! Who knew? And, oh yea, ex-Governor of Illinois, Rob Blagojovich, is guilty, a lot.

All of that and more, and thanks for listening!

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

Eating Chocolate Cake, Hopping at Two Brothers Brewing, Driving to Camp, Ogling a Woman, and Watching Cyrus.

By: The Dude on the Right

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I’m still trying to figure out why a diet can’t include chocolate cake, and during this "Weekend Wrap-Up!" podcast, Stu Gotz can’t seem to figure out why not, either. And even though beer is also a big topic of Stu’s weekend, thanks to a trip to Two Brothers Brewing, we don’t talk only about food and drink, but also about Stu sending a Little Gotz to camp, how I was a swimming champ, and about dudes ogling a woman in f-me shoes at a gas station. We reminisce on the passing of Clarence Clemons and Ryan Dunn, Stu is watching TV on BBC America again (He’s still trying to get me to watch "The In-Betweeners"), I let you know if the movie "Cyrus" is worth a rental, and neither of us really care about this year’s Crosstown Classic here in Chicago, between the Cubs and the White Sox, especially since neither of us have tickets for the series when its at The Cell. Maybe that will change when it ends up at Wrigley Field in a couple of weeks.

All of that and more, and thanks for listening!

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