Home Page Archives - Page 46 of 52

Packers or Steelers, Bears or Horses, Secretariats or Inceptions, Oprah or Secrets?

Download and Listen

With the Chicago Bears losing the NFC Championship Game yesterday, I find myself torn as to if I should cheer on the Pittsburgh Steelers or Green Bay Packers in the Super Bowl, and during this episode of our “Weekend Wrap-Up!” podcast, I work out my issues with Stu Gotz. Both of us, with our wealth of football knowledge, give our analysis of the Bears loss and if Jay Cutler is to blame, but the other question now is who’s having the Super Bowl party, and which one am I going to?

It was also a weekend for movies with me watching “Secretariat,” which comes out on DVD and Blu-ray tomorrow, and generally liking the movie. I give Stu my quick breakdown, with my full review coming shortly, and on the other side of the coin, Stu saw “Alpha and Omega” and gives his reasons for not liking the movie. Stu also saw “Inception,” and he liked it, so we’ve got that going for us.

I hung out during the football game with The Dude on the Left and other friends, Stu dropped the kids off at a birthday party at a bowling alley on a second floor and that had us both reminiscing about the old Peterson Bowl in Chicago, I cleaned my balls, Stu has seen two movies nominated for a Razzie, and Oprah has a secret, well, at least she had a secret about a half-sister when we recorded the podcast but as of this typing the secret is out.

Thanks for listening!

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

Thank God for Steven Tyler!

Okay, I have to admit I was very worried about my American Idol. I mean, with the failed Ellen experiment over, no hope for Paula Abdul returning, and Simon Cowell heading out of town, or at least to another show, all that was left was top dog Randy Jackson from the old guard. Would Simon’s snide remarks be missed? How many times would Randy say “Dog?” No Paula Abdul nuttiness, or at least Ellen thinking she could be nutty? Would I care?

Turns out I did care, as this was probably the first time in a few years I actually enjoyed the auditions, although it did get off to a rocky start.

Yup, there she was, some girl who auditioned a few years ago and somehow the “Does she ever stop smiling?” Jennifer Lopez remembered her. The girl wasn’t that good, if Simon were there I’m thinking he would have blasted her, or at least given her the big “No,” but oddly enough the three judges let her through, with J-Lo and Randy basing their judginess on her previous audition and the fact she made it to Hollywood. Steven Tyler thought she was a flower that would blossom, and then, as I began to see it, Steven Tyler is really the reason to watch American Idol right now.

Sure, Jennifer Lopez is working the “sweetness, oh I don’t want to say ‘No’ but I have to” act to the hilt, and many times Randy just seems to be sitting back, analyzing a contestant like they were a business proposal, but there is Steven, goofy face for goofy singer, getting into the groove with the good singers, slinging wacky anecdotes, and so far, at least for one show, just seeming to have a great time, and even when he tells someone to go back home because they aren’t very good, somehow it just sounds nice.

I do admit that part of me misses Simon Cowell because quite frankly, some of these people really need someone just to crush their hopes and dreams so they can get on with their lives rather than getting let go with some glimmer of hope that they could be that girl who makes it through again, but all in all, I’ve got to give a big hug to the new trio, because even when they say “No,” it’s like a big “We’re sorry but you suck,” group hug.

The producers weren’t too annoying with the “background” spots before a singer, they didn’t give some of the overly annoying people too much time, you can already see some standouts where, with a makeover, have a great shot at stardom (but sorry one dude, your nose is huge), and if the auditions continue like this first episode, American Idol will be back on my “Must see” TV viewing list.

And Steven Tyler, thank you – I hope your act doesn’t get old.

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

Is Ricky Gervais Mean, Will the Chicago Bears be in The Super Bowl, and Would the Dalai Lama be Offended?

By: The Dude on the Right

Download and Listen

I forgot to give a “Happy Birthday” shout-out to the world’s fantastical niece, as well as wish Steve Jobs from Apple a “Get well soon” during this episode of our “Weekend Wrap-Up!” podcast, but at least Stu Gotz was somehow able to fit an f-bomb and Dalai Lama into the same sentence, and such is how it goes sometimes for a podcast!

In the meantime, though, Stu and I talk football, with me ready to book my ticket to see the Chicago Bears in Dallas for the Super Bowl, but Stu thinking there might be some trouble as the Green Bay Packers come to the wonderful turf of Soldier Field. We also give our analysis of Ricky Gervais and his handling of The Golden Globes, because, well, Stu and I are the experts when it comes to award show hosting, and I also give Stu the prediction that Jake Gyllenhaal will end up with Anne Hathaway soon, now that he is busted up with Taylor Swift, but hey, only time will tell.

We are both excited about TV starting back up again, with new episodes of “Chuck,” “House,” “Glee,” the NBC Thursday night lineup, and of course “American Idol,” Stu was okay with “Salt” but not “The Bounty Hunter,” I think Stu is a cheap-ass for bitching about reading a free newspaper, and neither of us are really excited about the upcoming movies of “The Company Men” nor “No Strings Attached.” At least we have the Chicago Bears v Green Bay Packers in the ultimate game of “Winner goes to the Super Bowl!” Hopefully next Monday will be an elation podcast of “We’re going to the Super Bowl!,” but we’ll talk about it for sure.

Thanks for listening!

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

Beer-Snobbery, Understanding Women, Lots of Movie Talk, and Stu Likes Boobs!

By: The Dude on the Right

Download and Listen

Stu Gotz is back! Yup, Stu Gotz is back for our “Weekend Wrap-Up!” podcast, but sadly, sound effects are not. Yup, I’ve got some technical difficulties with an upgrade of my Podcast software and bad testing on my part, but that doesn’t stop Stu and I from recollecting things that have gone on while Stu was away with the Gotz family. Stu, it seems saw a lot of movies, so I do my best to move Stu’s various synopsi along while he tells you if you should see “Black Swan,” “Tron: Legacy,” and “Gulliver’s Travels.”

Since Stu was gone, I was wondering how the Little Gotz’s fared being away for Christmas and if Santa was able to find their boat, and Stu was happy to report that the boys enjoyed Christmas, even without snow, and that Santa made it to the boat to keep the kids happy.

Me, meanwhile, being newly married, am trying to understand women, and who better to ask for advice than Stu!

We talk about “Dinner for Schmucks,” Stu hopes to convice Mama Gotz to see “The Green Hornet” with him while I have to work on convincing My BFF to come with me to “The Dilemma,” we are both looking forward to “Chuck” coming back and think the new Paula Abdul show sucks. Yes, we do talk a little about the shooting in Arizona, but that’s too serious for the two of us so I tell Stu about some bat-shit crazy women on “The Bachelor” and work to convince Stu that the Chicago Bears will be in the Super Bowl.

Stu tells of beer-snobbery, I tell of Idol-aprehensiveness, and Stu likes boobs. Yup, Stu is back.

Thanks for listening!

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

The New Year is Here, I Loved “The Fighter,” Advice for Carol Mosley Braun, and Yup, I’m Watching “The Bachelor.”

By: The Dude on the Right

Download and Listen

It’s a New Year, it’s a “Weekend Wrap-Up!” podcast, and Stu Gotz isn’t here because, as it turns out, you can’t really just leave your kids at their school when school is not in session. Alas, I’m flying solo for this podcast, that, for reasons beyond my control, couldn’t get posted until tonight even though I recorded it a few days ago, but during it I give my recap of my New Year’s Eve festivities, my take on Dick Clark, my strange addiction to Janet Davies handling the Chicago countdown, and wouldn’t you know it, I saw some movies!

Yup, the extended weekend allowed me to catch “The Fighter” and really like it, allowed me to watch “The Kids are All Right” and like it, and watch “Wall Street: Money Never Sleep” and play Cityville at the same time. And in further review, I realize I don’t have “Eat. Pray. Love.” up next on my Netflix queue as I mention in the podcast, so we’ll see how My BFF enjoys something a little different, or hits me with a frying pan.

Also, “The Bachelor” has kicked back in to TV land, and I’m not totally into it, find the vampire girl creepy, and am sad the Palos Hills, IL, girl did not get a rose, but, I’m sure once we get rid of some of the dead weight, I’ll be sucked right back into it!

Hopefully Stu will be back next week where we can recap his holiday travels, recap CES that neither of us attended, talk about movies we want to see, see if Stu agrees with my mayoral advice for Carol Mosley Braun, and maybe he’ll find out if my wife hits me over the head with a frying pan or not for my Netflix selection.

Thanks for listening!

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

Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps

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

Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps Movie Stats & Links
Starring:	Michael Douglas, Shia LeBeouf, Josh Brolin, Carey Mulligan, Frank Langella
MPAA Rated:	PG-13
Released By:	Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment
Kiddie Movie:	I don’t think they’ll get it, nor enjoy it.
Date Movie:	My wife fell asleep during it.
Gratuitous Sex:	I’d like to say it would have helped, but I doubt it.
Gratuitous Violence:	Nah.
Action:	Nah.
Laughs:	Nah.
Memorable Scene:	Nothing really.
Memorable Quote:	None really.
Directed By:	Oliver Stone
Cool Things About the Blu-ray	The normal audio commentary stuff, conversation with the cast, and stuff that was left on the cutting room floor, among other stuff.

Yes, I will admit that I didn’t see the original “Wall Street,” at least I don’t think I did. I mean, that was 1987, I was just out of high school and wanting to be an engineer, so high finance was the furthest thing from my mind. What I do remember is that Michael Douglas was in it, and he was a bad man, and that is all. Yet here we are, 2011, I no longer want to be an engineer, “Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps” is here, and as much as I want to be involved in high finance, and after even watching the movie, I think I cared even less about the movie franchise.

I do know that Shia LaBeouf is in this version. He’s Jake, a young whippersnapper on Wall Street, with desires of saving the world by helping a fusion energy source get funded, or something to that effect. He’s also in love, with Winnie (Carey Mulligan), who also happens to be Gordon Gekko’s daughter. Yup, that’s Gordon played again by Michael Douglas. Well, Gordon is getting out of jail for the bad stuff he did in the original movie, I guess, and as the firm Jake works at is on the brink of disaster, and his boss kills himself, Jake decides to enlist the help of Gordon, the old master, to set things right.

Gordon, of course, can’t easily be swayed, and what better way to get Gordon back into the picture than to try to get him and his estranged daughter back together, so there Jake is, trusting a snake like Gordon to help humanity, himself, and his daughter. And yup, you can guess it, Gordon is still up to his old tricks, even in this new, digital age that he isn’t very familiar with, but yup, there is some “awakening” by Gordon thanks to, well, I won’t spoil that.

Look, “Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps” wants to play off of the market crash we just experienced, wants to have some heart and soul, and seems to want to send some kind of message, only I’m not sure what that message is, other than don’t trust Gordon Gekko. Michaell Dougles is great in his role, but I’m sorry Shia, you’ve’ already been typecast with the “Transformers” seriously so there isn’t any way I’m buying you as the go-getter Wall Street whippersnapper sometimes with a conscience, and sometimes without.

Sadly this movie seems like something just put together like “Hey, the markets collapsed, we need another ‘Wall Street’ movie to explain it all,” and in the end, I pretty much had forgotten most of it by the time the inevitable ending came about. I’ll give Michael Douglas a 3 star performance, dropped the movie some because Shia just is not the person for his role, and drop it a little more for the goofy “technology/internet” montages. With that it’s 2 stars out of 5 for “Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps.” I really wanted more, and just didn’t get it.

The Blu-ray does have some extras that seem interesting enough, namely things like a conversation with Oliver Stone and the rest of the cast, some deleted scenes that are probably best deleted (but at least Oliver Stone might explain why since he also does some commentary for them), and some extra character analysis and Wall Street analysis. I was pretty bored with the movie, so I’m not going to lie and say I watched the extras because I didn’t, but I’m guessing that if you like the movie, well, they will give you some fun insight into the movie-making.

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

The A-Team

MPAA Rated – Unrated
It’s 1:59 Long
A Blu-ray Review by:
– The Dude on the Right

The A-Team Movie Stats & Links
Starring:	Liam Neeson, Bradley Cooper, Jessica Biel, Quinton “Rampage” Jackson, Sharlto Copley
MPAA Rated:	Unrated Blu-ray
Released By:	Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment
Kiddie Movie:	Not too young, but the boys will like the explosions.
Date Movie:	Only if she likes explosions.
Gratuitous Sex:	Mostly talk.
Gratuitous Violence:	Lots of it, but on the PG-13 level.
Action:	There’s a whole lot of chasing going on.
Laughs:	Ehh.
Memorable Scene:	Nothing really.
Memorable Quote:	None really.
Directed By:	Joe Carnahan
Cool Things About the Blu-ray	It’s got some extra insight into the characters, how things were made, and some deleted stuff/bloopers that are, ehh.

When I was a kid I loved “The A-Team” and for the longest time I heard about them wanting to make a big-screen movie based on the series, but I figured that as long as there was some fun action, some goofy stunts, and not taking themselves too seriously that things might work out. As the trailers began to come out for the movie I was mildly excited because there seemed to be all of these. Sadly, though, in my assessment of the TV series I forgot about one necessity that made it work, and that was chemistry. In the TV show there was tons of it, carried a lot by Mr. T and George Peppard in the roles of Hannibal and B.A. respectively. Sadly, in the movie, chemistry seemed to have been an afterthought.

As it is, the movie version that hit the theaters and is now out on Blu-ray adapts itself for the 2000’s, shifting our heroes from Vietnam veterans to Gulf War veterans, but instead of diving right into the theme of the TV series, about veterans framed for a crime they didn’t commit and helping others who are innocent, the current version decides to focus on the early days, how the team came together, and the mission that set them up for their being framed. All along it’s just a bunch of explosions, followed by explosions, followed by a thin story, followed by explosions.

As things move along it’s to prison they all go, it’s breaking out of prison they next go, and then it’s to the boys working to track down who originally set them up who might be trying to sell some treasury plates (Hey, we can make money!) to the Arabs. So, of course, there’s this elaborate plan to stop the bad guys, lots of things blow up some more, and our heroes are heroes, only they still aren’t getting the credit, still are considered criminals even though they saved the world economy, and the movie ends setting up a sequel if this one makes enough money.

If you’ll notice, during this synopsis I didn’t mention of the players. I sort of did that on purpose because this version of “The A-Team” focuses more on the explosions and dumb story rather than the players involved, but the thing is, what made the TV series so enjoyable was the players, the interaction, and the chemistry.

For what it’s worth, the main players are Bradley Cooper as “Faceman,” Quinton “Rampage” Jackson as B.A., and Sharlto Copley as Murdock, and, oh yea, I almost forgot Liam Neeson as Hannibal, who I think was the worst of the mis-cast people. Look, I love Liam Neeson as an actor, but for me it always seems like a loner, an stand-off-ish kind of guy, and that seems to translate into the roles he plays. As Hannibal he just wasn’t fun, you didn’t seem him as the Colonel, and I just plain didn’t like him in that role.

As it is, if you want a movie with a lot of things blowing up in a hail of gunfire, go ahead and get “The A-Team,” but for characters with chemistry, with story, with actually caring about them, this isn’t the movie. It’s 2 stars out of 5 for the movie version of “The A-Team.”

As far as the Blu-ray extras, the set actually has an “Extended Untrated Cut” that I didn’t watch because, well, I didn’t really need to see anything else blow up. There is some more detailed explanations of the characters, which is nice, and I’m always liking seeing how various action scenes are done, so that is nice, too.

American Idol is Coming, Sex and the City 2 Sucks, The A-Team Sucks Less, and Happy New Year!

By: The Dude on the Right

Download and Listen

With Stu Gotz out playing with his family it’s time for a solo “Weekend Wrap-Up!” podcast, and what better weekend to wrap up than Christmas weekend! Yup, mine was nice, what with my new wife and all, but it was also nice because it was a time to be with my new family, the Chicago Bears won, and it brings us a little closer to the 2011 season of “American Idol.” (How’s that for a brief summary of topics included in this podcast?!?)

With the weekend also came movies, and although My BFF Wifey and I didn’t go to see “Little Fockers” due to my grumpiness, we did see “Sex and the City 2,” and as much as I couldn’t believe how bad that movie was, I was as much shocked that my BFF thought it totally sucked, only saying it might be deserving of ½ star in total suckiness. She found it flabbergasting, okay, maybe not flabbergasting, but just wondered how those involved in the franchise that has been so successful could make the movie so bad. Oh well.

In other movie news I saw “The A-Team” on Blu-ray, and although my full review will be coming later this week, during the podcast I let you know if you should rent it. I guess I’ll just tease things with “There’s a lot of action.”

Stu should be back next week for a recap of his time off, maybe a reflective look back at a busy year, and maybe a look ahead at what 2011 may have in store. That, or he’ll just talk about “Burn Notice” and “Psych” some more.

Thanks for listening!

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

Bells v Founders, Taft v Skilling, Bears v Patriots, and What’s a Snapback Cap?

By: The Dude on the Right

Download and Listen

With the weather here in Chicago not nearly as bad as it is in Indiana, Stu Gotz and I were easily able to record this episode of our “Weekend Wrap-Up!” podcast, and I tell Stu who won, in my opinion, in the battle between Jerry Taft v. Tom Skilling and their respective” last weekend” forecasts. Here’s a hint – I’m fascinated by Mr. Skilling’s weather maps, but I’m a bigger fan of The Taftman! Stu, meanwhile, had his own battle to report on, one that left him a little tipsy, a battle of beer as it would be, specifically a couple of Michigan brews, Bells v. Founders. We also discuss some box office battling that was done over the weekend, but with the crappy weather here in Chicago, we can’t really comment if any of the movies were andy good or not because we didn’t see them. Stu, however, was able to catch an Indiana Jones’ Marathon on cable, and oddly enough likes the scene with Indy, the nuclear blast, and a refrigerator.

With Christmas coming we do talk a bit about the season of gift giving, and I have to hip Stu to what a snapback hat is, made famous now thanks to the likes of Tyga and Chris Brown. We also talk a bit about movies coming out this weekend, but more about a movie coming out next summer, “Cowboys & Aliens,” with hit director Jon Favreau.

Stu won’t be around for next week’s podcast so if you might want to be a guest podcaster, feel free to shoot me an e-mail or comment, and, as always, thanks for listening!

I’m The Dude on the Right!! L8R!!!

A Boatload of Meat, Hawaii Five-0 No Go, Chicago Bear Talk, and A New Facebook, sort of.

By: The Dude on the Right

Download and Listen

A nice weekend at a restaraurant called Texas de Brazil brought Stu Gotz and I together over the weekend, so for this “Weekend Wrap-Up!” podcast there is talk about a lot of meat, a good meal, and a nice time with old friends! Eating, however, wasn’t all we did over the weekend, as both of us got to experience Santa Claus and his magical ability to be in many places at nearly the same time!

And as weekends go, neither of us did much movie watching, and aren’t really sure if we will catch “The Tourist” this weekend, but we both agree that it might be time to put a fork in “The Chronicles of Narnia” series as neither of us have any desire to see the new version coming out and feel it is done. As TV goes, I’m still a fan of this year’s “The Apprentice” and look forward to it’s finale, I can’t believe people quit on “Survivor,” and Stu says that Mama Gotz is pretty much done with the re-make of “Hawaii Five-0.”

We disect another Chicago Bears’ win, although it might take a win over the New England Patriots next weekend for Stu to finally jump on the bandwagon; Stu doesn’t want to call the old Marshall Field’s store, Macy’s; and I’m not a fan of the new Facebook design because it impeeds my trolling for cool stuff as I play Cityville while Stu did change his profile picture to a cartoon character from his youth because, well, Facebook, or rather some meaningless person on Facebook, told him to.

As always, thanks for listening! I’m The Dude on the Right!! L8R!!!