Andy Labis, Author at Entertainment Ave!

One Last Fling, Who’s Got America’s Talent, Paul is An Alien, and Stu Gotz Isn’t Here.

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I missed connecting with Stu Gotz, I missed seeing Cathy Richardson and the Macrodots, and I missed staying on my diet, but what I didn’t miss was a weekend, and although late, it’s solo podcast time for our “Weekend Wrap-Up!”

Yup, my mistake caused a missed joint podcast yesterday, Stu got tied up so we didn’t talk today, but I didn’t want to wait any longer to chat about my Labor Day Weekend. Some of it was just plain restful, but a lot of it was some fun running around. I hit Naperville, IL’s, Last Fling carninval, where a super-dog was procurred, and I should have paid more attention because one of my favoritest bands/singers, Cathy Richardson, was performing, but I missed them/her. I did get to catch up with some family time for a birthday where I learned that no matter how much I’ve been walking, well, I’m still out of shape, and I’m not really missing Netflix as My BFF and I watched the movie “Paul.”

I quesiton if fresh-squeezed lemonade can come from a spigot, is Facebook killing family conversations, can I talk up a record, and I’ve got my favorite for “America’s Got Talent” (I’m rooting for the illuminate people, the Sillouette people, and some dude named Landau), how about you?

Thanks for listening!

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

Prom

MPAA Rated – PG
It’s 1:44 Long
A Review by:
– The Dude on the Right

Prom Movie Stats & Links
Starring:	Aimee Teegarden, Thomas McDonell
MPAA Rated:	PG
Released By:	Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment
Kiddie Movie:	Tween girls is probably best.
Date Movie:	Only if she’s the mom.
Gratuitous Sex:	Just some kissing. It’s Disney clean.
Gratuitous Violence:	A small fight.
Action:	Nah.
Laughs:	If you’re a tween girl, maybe.
Memorable Scene:	Nothing really.
Memorable Quote:	Nothing really.
Directed By:	Joe Nussbaum

I know it’s a Disney movie, and I know it’s not really made for the likes of me, a 40-something year old reviewer, but please, Disney, you are better than this movie. I mean, it’s like they took the cookie-cutter, mostly perfect world of Hannah Montana, changed characters, and decided to make a movie about prom. Yup, the movie is “Prom,” I don’t think there is any school in the world that has a prom like this, and I suppose if you want to shield your pre-teen about high school and give them the “perfect world” version, Disney did its job. Let’s get to the story…

It’s the end of high school in Perfectia, or at least some high school, and Nova (Aimee Teegarden) is the go-getter, cute girl who dreams of the perfect prom and is in the midst of planning it. She is hoping her prince-charming will ask her, but ever-so-slowly things go wrong when she is asked to prom by someone else, and then there is a fire destroying all things prom decoration. Enter Jesse (Thomas McDonell). He’s the bad-boy in this story, if you really want to call him that, whose biggest problem seems to be that he has a complicated life outside of high school. As punishment for something minor by most any other high school standard, he is ordered to help Nova rebuild all of the decorations for prom, and yes, you can pretty much assume what happens when Ms. Perfect is paired with Mr. Bad-Boy, right before the prom.

And so, we get little stories about various high schoolers, from the jock, to the nerd, to the dork, to the Goth, and how their lives get effected by A) Having to leave high school soon, B) Having to ask the right person to prom, C) Having to deal with the jock making the moves on your girl, D) Girls breaking up best friends, and E) Just about every other cliché you can think of, but in a Disney-safe kind of way.

Look, the movie is pretty much harmless, as long as your daughter doesn’t get ultimately delusioned that high school will be the way this movie shows it to be. Yes, the stories probably end up similar, but the real world always seems a little, or maybe a lot, edgier than a Disney film, so I guess, sure, for your younger daughter, she who likes something like a Hannah Montana, “Prom” will give her a Disney-fake world, but if your girl has already hit freshman year I’m guessing she will already know nothing happens like it happens in “Prom.”

In the end the acting of the lead characters is fine, it’s your classic story of good-girl falls for bad-boy who really isn’t that bad when you get to know him, all wrapped up in Disney goodness. For me the movie was a 1 star, cliché mess, but for some young girls I can see them finding it a 4 star gem. I’ll average stuff together, drop it a bit for a lot of bad acting by most others in the film (watch the “Making of” featurette on the Blu-ray and you’ll find out why), and leave this movie at 2 stars. And I hate to say it, I remember the trailer, laughed a little during the clips of Justin (Jared Kusnitz) trying to ask girls to prom, and thought it might be better. Sadly, in the end, even those scenes turned out bad.

As far as the Blu-ray you get a “Making of…,” which is nice enough in telling you how the film ended up on the big screen, the blooper reel is pretty lame, you find that they made the right decision in leaving out the deleted scenes, and there are some music videos for your viewing pleasure. They don’t really add that much, so for the most part your tween is getting this to keep watching the movie, making her own dream of how her prom will be, and probably finding Jesse dreamy. And, oh yea, I almost forgot the “Last Chance Lloyd” short, highlighting Lloyd’s various exploits at trying to ask a girl to prom. Cute enough, but then it just dragged on too long. Oh well.

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

Prom

Below is an excerpt from his full review. For “Prom”, The Dude on the Right understands that it’s a Disney film, and that the tween girls might like it, but he really thinks Disney could have made a better movie. …

… it’s like they took the cookie-cutter, mostly perfect world of Hannah Montana, changed characters, and decided to make a movie about prom. Yup, the movie is “Prom,” I don’t think there is any school in the world that has a prom like this, and I suppose if you want to shield your pre-teen about high school and give them the “perfect world” version, Disney did its job. …

VMA Talk, The Doctor is Back, Here Comes Beavis & Butthead, and Someone Likes Skinnygirl Sangria.

By: The Dude on the Right

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Stu Gotz and I haven’t gotten together for a couple of weeks for a “Weekend Wrap-Up!” podcast, and maybe that’s why the swear words are a-flyin’. That, or maybe it’s just our way of trying to convince MTV that it’s finally time to really get edgy and not bleep out anything during the VMA’s. Yup, I give Stu my breakdown of wasting a few hours and watching the Video Music Awards, and yes, I did like Lady Gaga’s performance. Stu, meanwhile, has seen a couple of movies on DVD, namely “Cedar Rapids” and “Source Code,” and he gives his analysis. Both of us are looking forward to the return of “Beavis and Butthead,” although TiVo issues might be issues for both of us in maintaining our fix.

Stu is happy that “Doctor Who” is back on the air, I’m very handy, the tee pee is down for the season, and we don’t talk about the Chicago Bears because, well, it’s still preseason and no one really cares. And, oh yea, I like Skinnygirl Sangria. There, I said it.

Thanks for listening!

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

A Corn Dog Quest, Good Beer, Free Food, Bad Rubbish, and GWAR is Coming

By: The Dude on the Right

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There is nothing like a corn dog from a carnival, festival, or a fair, and as a photo of Michele Bachmann eating a corn dog over the weekend seems to be stealing any corn dog talk I may have, during this episode of our “Weekend Wrap-Up!” podcast, I tell Stu about my and The BFF’s quest for a good corn dog, as well as some funnel cake, and fresh-squeezed lemonade. Stu’s weekend, although sans corn dog, was filled with corn difficulties, but with beer goodness, though not necessarily in that order. He relates to me the good times of hanging out with The Mystery Dude and also finding a new, nearly-favorite beer called Dark Horse, where, thanks to Mama Gotz going to some jewelry party, or some crap like that, he got to hang out at Tribes Ale House, partaking knowing he wouldn’t be driving home.

Stu finds out that kids eat for free sometimes at IKEA, I’m not excited about the Chicago Bears yet, Stu saw “The A-Team” movie on TV, most people, in reference to Carlos Zambrano of the Chicago Cubs, are saying “Goodbye to bad rubbish!”, I debate busting out of concert review retirement to see GWAR, and both Stu and I lament the end of the summer movie season.

Thanks for listening!

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

Buh Bye Netflix, Some Salsa (not Seltzer), Revisiting the 80’s, and It’s Not a Full Moon, Yet.

By: The Dude on the Right

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During this episode of our “Weekend Wrap-Up!” podcast, I find out that Stu Gotz has a farm for a back yard, and Stu finds out that I gave up on Netflix. Okay, Stu doesn’t really have a farm for a back yard, but he does have enough stuff growing in his garden to make a mean salsa, and yes, I cancelled my Netflix account. Yup, it took the BFF and me about six weeks to watch “Inception,” and during the podcast I tell you if you should watch it if you haven’t seen it yet. Oddly enough, it really wasn’t their rate increase that finalized my Netflix decision, but Stu and I break it all down. Stu, meanwhile, was enjoying a weekend without the Little Gotz’s, so he and Mama Gotz caught “Cowboys & Aliens” and revisted the 80’s by catching some Cheap Trick and having Mama Gotz doing some tequila shots.

I found people crazy on Saturday, Stu won some cool stuff in a SCUBA raffle, I’m looking forward to the return of Millionaire Matchmaker, and both Stu and I think “30 Minutes or Less” might be funny. It’s another weekend, and we talk about it.

Thanks for listening!

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

American Dreamz

MPAA Rated – PG-13
It’s 1:47 Long
A Review by:
– The Dude on the Right

American Dreamz Movie Stats & Links
Starring:	Mandy Moore, Hugh Grant, Dennis Quaid
MPAA Rated:	PG-13
Released By:	Universal Pictures
Directed By:	Paul Weitz

Here it is, a movie poking fun at the “American Idol” phenomenon, while throwing in some terrorism. Can that really be funny? From the trailer, I have to say I chuckled quite a bit, and am actually looking forward to this.

For “American Dreamz” we get Dennis Quaid as the President. He’s been in a bit of a funk lately, and needs to spruce up his image. We also get Hugh Grant as the host of the TV show, “American Dreamz,” you know, a talent show where singing is important. He’s not happy with what he’s doing anymore, but still does it because, well, he’s popular. Mandy Moore is Sally. She has dreams of being a big star, much like many a girl who thinks she can sing. How does this involve terrorism? Well, it seems that to spruce up the President’s image, his people decide that the Big Man should be a guest judge on “American Dreamz,” and why not? Well, some terrorist dude sees this as an opportunity to kill the President, so he convinces an Arab contestant on the show that he better get to the finals, where he can be a suicide bomber to off the President. The scene is meant to be funny, but I’m sure there will be some backlash at this part of the movie.
Anyway, the film looks quirky, and I’m a fan of both Mandy Moore and Dennis Quaid, so I’ll be heading to my local gigaplex to catch it.
That’s it for this preview! I’m The Dude on the Right!! L8R!!!

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!!!