Drillbit Taylor

MPAA Rated – PG-13
It’s 1:40 Long
A Review by:
– The Dude on the Right

Drillbit Taylor
Movie Stats & Links
Starring: Alex Frost, Josh Peck, Owen Wilson, Leslie Mann
MPAA Rated: PG-13
Released By: Paramount Pictures
Release Date: 2008
Directed By: Steven Brill

This trailer really made me laugh, and with Judd Apatow involved, there is a lot potential for this movie, and instead of teens at the end of their high school years (ala “Superbad”), Drillbit Taylor gives us life from a Freshman perspective, from three dudes getting bullied like there is no end. What to do for them – Put out an ad for a bodyguard. And who is the bodyguard they can afford? – Well it’s Drillbit Taylor (Owen Wilson), who infiltrates the high school to protect them and works to give them all kinds of pointers on how to stick up for themselves, as well as grow up.

As much as the high school seniors in “Superbad” were fantastic, these Freshmen look even better. I’m just curious as to what the rating of this movie will be. Not that I really care, because I’ll be there anyway, because I can totally relate.

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

Dreamcatcher

MPAA Rated – R
It’s 2:14 Long
A Review by:
– The Dude on the Right

Dreamcatcher
Movie Stats & Links
Starring: Morgan Freeman, Tom Sizemore, Jason Lee, Donnie Wahlberg
MPAA Rated: R
Released By: Warner Bros.
Release Date: 2003
Directed By: Lawrence Kasdan

Even though I’m not really sure about the story, I do know it’s based on a Stephen King novel and that’s usually good enough for me to go and see the film. The trailer seems to show some dudes who have some weird powers, out on a hunting trip in a blizzard. Then let’s throw in some alien invasion where Morgan Freeman is hell-bent on making sure the aliens get killed, even if it means killing everyone inside the perimeter.

In any case “Dreamcatcher” looks like a good suspense film, with some horror, action, and violence. I’m just hoping it get an R rating meaning the horror, action, and violence are at the level they should be.

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

Dragonfly

MPAA Rated – PG-13
It’s 1:32 Long
A Review by:
– The Dude on the Right

Dragonfly
Movie Stats & Links
Starring: Kevin Costner, Susanna Thompson, Kathy Bates, Joe Morton, Linda Hunt
MPAA Rated: PG-13
Released By: Universal Pictures
Release Date: 2002
Kiddie Movie: Nah. Leave them at home.
Date Movie: She might get a little scared and grab your arm.
Gratuitous Sex: One kinda sensual scene, but nothing bad, other than some jungle tribe women with their breasts exposed – kinda like National Geographic.
Gratuitous Violence: Nah.
Action: Nah.
Laughs: Only as it got dumb.
Memorable Scene: None.
Memorable Quote: None.
Directed By: Tom Shadyac

Dear Movie Promotion People,
Please stop telling me in your ads that this movie “has a surprise ending” that you shouldn’t tell anyone, it will astound you, it will make you inspired, or some other crap like that. You want to know why? Because then I, the person who sees a few too many movies, will be able to ruin the surprise ending myself because of the obvious foreshadowing that most likely will be in the film.

Sincerely,
The Dude on the Right

I try sometimes not to pay attention to the foreshadowing in a movie, but when you tell me there is a surprise ending, it just makes it so much easier to find it. Such was my case with “Dragonfly.”

“Dragonfly” gives us Kevin Costner in another role where we wonder what might have possessed him to take the role. It’s not that it’s a bad role, it’s just that it is a role that doesn’t fit him, nor his acting ability. For this one he is a doctor, Dr. Joe Darrow to be specific, and his wife apparently dies in an avalanche accident in Venezuela. He’s having a pretty hard time with her death, especially with his atheistic ways and the fact that they didn’t find the body, but then things start happening. First we find the connection between Emily (Susanna Thompson), his wife, and the whole dragonfly thing. Now the good doctor has a dragonfly paperweight mysteriously role around in the bedroom, little kids in the hospital cancer ward have messages from Emily to Joe telling him to meet her at the rainbow, only where is this mystical rainbow? Then his parrot goes berserk, the little kids have been making drawings, and yes, eventually the Doc figures out where he should go. I could just go ahead and give the ending away, but I’ll let you go to the movie and see if you can figure it out before it happens just like I was able to do.

The problem with “Dragonfly” isn’t that it is a bad movie, I think it’s just that it tries too hard to push this message of Doctor Joe getting a message from beyond. Other movies have done it subtly, with great success, and the messages from the little kids when they have their near-death experiences is fine, but when the scene comes where Joe starts to pack away Emily’s stuff, then gets distracted by strange noises in the house, then comes back to the room and all of her stuff is back in its original place, it just took the movie to the wrong level and totally tosses out any credibility the movie was trying to have. And that’s too bad.

“Dragonfly” does have some potential, and the ending is touching, but I saw it coming a mile away. Costner does his best to pull of the role, but as the movie became more of a joke than something I could take seriously, well, it was almost too bad his performance was wasted, as well as that of Kathy Bates as his lawyer/neighbor, trying to help Joe through his wife’s death. The movie went for cheap “shock-factor” things, like the little boy, dead on the table, suddenly opening his eyes, and it really didn’t need to because the story was already there.

In the end I’ll give “Dragonfly” 2 ½ stars out of 5. Catch a matinee, or wait for the video, but just don’t expect too much.

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

Drag Me to Hell

MPAA Rated – PG-13
It’s 1:39 Long
A Review by:
– The Dude on the Right

Drag Me to Hell
Movie Stats & Links
Starring: Alison Lohman, Justin Long, Lorna Raven
MPAA Rated: PG-13
Released By: Universal Pictures
Release Date: 2009
Directed By: Sam Raimi

So you’ve got this dudette, Christine, and she works at a bank. An old lady needs some help with her loan, but hey, the girl wants to get ahead in the eyes of her boss and bam, the lady gets turned down. Turns out this isn’t such a great idea as the lady puts some kind of curse on Christine.

Christine’s life is now crap, and she is destined for hell, unless she can reverse the curse. And so Christine enlists some help, her boyfriend doesn’t understand, and hopefully she can be all good again and end up in heaven, or at least live a happy life.

The news about this movie is that Sam Raimi is back doing horror movies, but what bums me out is that it’s going to be rated PG-13 so it will be low on the gore fest

Dr. T & The Women

MPAA Rated – R
It’s 2:02 Long
A Review by:
– The Dude on the Right

Dr. T & The Women
Movie Stats & Links
Starring: Richard Gere, Helen Hunt, Farrah Fawcett, Laura Dern, Shelley Long, Kate Hudson, Liv Tyler, Tara Reid
MPAA Rated: R
Released By: Artisan Entertainment
Release Date: 2000
Kiddie Movie: Don’t even think about it.
Date Movie: Don’t go with her, let it be a girl’s night out, unless, of course, you want to see Farrah Fawcett’s boobies.
Gratuitous Sex: Farrah shows her boobs, so does Helen, and there’s some sex going on.
Gratuitous Violence: Nah.
Action: Nah.
Laughs: A couple of chuckles.
Memorable Scene: The ending because it sucked.
Memorable Quote: None.
Directed By: Robert Altman

Alright, dudes, don’t let your dudette take you to see “Dr. T & The Women.” Period. You will see the glowing reviews, you will think it can’t be that bad, and your dudette will want to see it because it looks cute, has Richard Gere, and you made her see “Remember the Titans.” But don’t let her take you. Suggest she get together with her gal-pals and make an evening of it. Then let her come back home and when you say “How was the movie?” have her lie to you and say it was great. How’s that for an opening paragraph?

I almost looked forward to seeing “Dr. T & The Women.” It looked kinda cute and yea, maybe a chick-flick, but I can get in touch with my sensitive new-millennium side for a couple of hours and get a chuckle, but then I started seeing review ratings from critics who usually don’t find a funny movie funny but think an artsy movie is the funniest thing since sliced bread. They found “Dr. T…” a great film and I wished I had spent my hard-earned dough on “Ladies Man.”

“Dr. T & The Women” revolves around Dr. Travis (Richard Gere). He’s a gynecologist in Dallas with an upscale clientele. Yup, rich bitches. His life is quickly falling apart as his older daughter, Dee Dee (Kate Hudson) is planning her wedding. Bad things start happening to him like his wife (still looking good Farrah Fawcett) stripping naked and dancing in a fountain at the mall then getting institutionalized, his clientele getting even more uppity, bad luck on the hunting excursions, cheating on his wife with Bree (Helen Hunt) – well, maybe that’s not a really bad thing, but anyway, just a lot of crap keeps happening to him. His younger daughter Connie (Tara Reid), can’t deal with the wedding happening, and for very good reason, and his office manager nurse has the hots for him but doesn’t really show it. All is going to hell for Dr. T, and that’s just the beginning.

I won’t waste any more time on the story line because, well, other than his life going to shit there isn’t one. Alright, sure there is if you get all artsy and symbolic and like seeing rich people made fun of, but for me I was just a hodgepodge of too many people around Dr. T. Yes, Richard Gere was good in his role, I generally always love Helen Hunt and liked her in this movie too, and Farrah was great in playing the truly spacey wife, but this movie was so damn over the place that in the end I just didn’t care. And, oh yea, then there is the symbolic ending complete with tornado and baby being born. I didn’t need to see it, it just seemed stupid, and I know Robert Altman is one for symbolism and artistic films, but give me his M*A*S*H any day over “Dr. T & The Women.”

You will either think this movie is great or think this movie sucks. I thought it sucked. I’ll give it a star for the acting, give it a star for Farrah getting buck-naked in a fountain, give it a star for Helen Hunt and her somewhat nude scene, but take away a star for the stupid ending. Altman should have skipped the tornado and had Dr. T drive his ruined convertible off of the bridge because his life just hit the total bottom.

Adding the stars it’s 2 out of 5. This film could have been great, it had so much potential, but a potentially good movie gets fucked up by a director just making it too artsy.

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

Doctor Dolittle

MPAA Rated – PG
It’s 1:25 Long
A Review by:
– Stu Gotz

Doctor Dolittle
Movie Stats & Links
Starring: Eddie Murphy, Ossie Davis, Oliver Platt, Kristen Wilson, and animal voices by Norm MacDonald, Albert Brooks, Ellen DeGeneres, Chris Rock, and more.
MPAA Rated: PG
Released By: 20th Century Fox
Release Date: 1998
Kiddie Movie: Too much bathroom humor for the really little one’s.
Date Movie: I took one.
Gratuitous Sex: No. But a lot of jokes around the topic.
Gratuitous Violence: No.
Action: No.
Laughs: I thought so.
Memorable Scene: Norm MacDonald as a dog loosing a thermometer up his butt.
Memorable Quote: Anything that Chris Rock said while playing the part of a Guinea Pig, but “Why do they call me a Guinea Pig? I ain’t Italian, and I ain’t pork” comes to mind.
Directed By: Betty Thomas

If you have fond memories of the classic musical, “Dr. Dolittle,” then you may not like 20th Century Fox’s updated version, in fact I dare say you’ll hate it. In his latest incarnation, Doctor Dolittle (Eddie Murphy) is an uptight, overworked, big city physician about to sell out his practice to an HMO for big bucks. On a particularly hectic day Dr. D. whacks a stray dog and bumps his head on the steering wheel. This awakens a long lost gift of his by which he is able to communicate with animals, a talent which had been dormant in him since childhood. So here is the good Doctor thinking he’s crazy, and pretty soon everyone else does too. But, not to worry, Dr. D. isn’t destined to spend his life in the loony bin. Nope, in the end Dr. D. comes to terms with his gift and people respect him for it. Aww… How nice. How predictable. How funny.

OK… So the movie lacks substance (it does make a poor point about selling out) but it did make me laugh. Granted I saw all the jokes coming a mile away, but they were funny none the less. I think that had to do with the writing and casting. You know how the movie “Clerks” was terribly acted but you didn’t care because the writing was so good? Well, this movie is no “Clerks” and it’s not as smartly written, but the point is that the dialogue in “Doctor Dolittle,” along with the situations and acting, all lead to funny outcomes. Am I making any sense? Anyway, I thought that Albert Brooks was a perfect suicidal tiger, Norm MacDonald was a great street mutt with an attitude, I’ll never be able to look at a Guinea Pig again and not think of Chris Rock, and oh so many more actors lent their voices to make this a very funny movie.

A lot of the reviews that I read had the critics pretty much trashing Eddie Murphy’s new comedy, “Doctor Dolittle.” Most of the big-town C’s bitched that the movie was predictable, used too much toilet humor, and went for the easy jokes. Well… That’s all true. But none the less I laughed my ass off through the whole movie. Hey, isn’t the point of a comedy to make you laugh? So I say to all the big paper critics that not all movies are art and sometimes a predictable joke delivered at the right time by the right person is just what a movie audience needs. I didn’t mind laying out eight bucks to see this movie, but this movie is definitely better at matinee prices. All that being said I give “Doctor Dolittle” 3 of 5 stars. I’m Stu Gotz and “Doctor Dolittle” is a good film. ‘Nuff Said!

The Departed

MPAA Rated – R
It’s 2:31 Long
A Review by:
– The Dude on the Right

The Departed
Movie Stats & Links
Starring: Leonardo DiCaprio, Matt Damon, Jack Nicholson, Martin Sheen, Mark Wahlberg, Alec Baldwin
MPAA Rated: R
Released By: Warner Bros.
Release Date: 2006
Directed By: Martin Scorsese

I guess this is a remake of some big Asian film from a few year’s back, but if it gets released on its tentative date, October 6th, Oscar buzz will already start hitting this film if only because Martin Scorsese is directing and it’s got a great cast of Leonardo DiCaprio, Matt Damon, Jack Nicholson, Martin Sheen, Mark Wahlberg, Alec Baldwin. From what I can gather you get the Irish-American mafia infiltrating the Boston police department, and the Boston police department infiltrating the Irish-American mafia, and they all have their allegiances both to who they’re spying on and who they’re spying for.

Right now the movie looks to be very entertaining, and it’s rated R for three great reasons in my book, strong brutal violence, pervasive language, some strong sexual content and as an added bonus, drug material.

Scorsese’s got the track record, especially when it comes to movies like this, so I doubt he’ll screw it up.

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

In Time

MPAA Rated – PG-13
It’s 1:49 Long
A Review by:
– The Dude on the Right

In Time
Movie Stats & Links
Starring: Justin Timberlake, Amanda Seyfried
MPAA Rated: PG-13
Released By: Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment
Released On: January 31, 2012
Kiddie Movie: Not too young, better send the little ones to bed.
Date Movie: It’s snuggleable, but she might find it stupid.
Gratuitous Sex: Justin and Amanda get it on, but she’s only in bra and panties. The PG-13 is in effect.
Gratuitous Violence: Some killings, but mostly people die when they’re out of time.
Action: Lots of chasing is going on.
Laughs: Nope.
Memorable Scene: Even though it was foreshadowed, it was nice to see Will get the bad guy.
Memorable Quote: Nothing really.
Directed By: Andrew Niccol
Cool things about the Blu-ray: The Blu-ray is pretty lean on extras, but the “The Minutes” featurette is a nice “documentary” of the fictional city and adds some insight into the characters.

It’s a futuristic world where you stop aging at age 25.  Now that sounds all great and swell except for a few things.  First off, what if your “I’m hot!” age is actually 35 and you find yourself stuck at the “I’m ugly” age of 25? Also, what if you’re into older men or women?  I mean, that girl you are hitting on may have actually been alive for 110 years, but she doesn’t look a day over, well, 25, so you’re S.O.L. And lastly, once you hit 25, you only have one more year to live unless, well, you can get someone to give you more of their time, you can figure out how to purchase more time, you steal someone else’s time, or, well, who cares because in any event you are constantly reminded of how much time you have left because there is this countdown clock embedded in your arm.

As we begin our movie-cal journey we enter at a time when Will (Justin Timberlake) has tripped into that stage of life after age 25 when you have to figure out how you can keep getting more time, and thus keep living (this concept isn’t as complicated as it sounds once you see the movie).  He’s got his mother whom he keeps giving time to so she can stick around, but unfortunately for Will he lives on the wrong side of the tracks, or time zone as it would be, where things are a little more rough and where inflation takes your time away quicker than you can get more (yes, you have to pay for things with hours of your life, i.e., a bus ride might cost you two hours of your life).  As Will’s life would have it there’s a tragedy with his mother that truly teaches him the value of time, and also a meeting with a stranger who is sick of having so much time.  When said stranger gives Will the time he has left (and it’s a lot of time), as well as explains to Will the corrupt world that leaves Will’s side of the tracks with less and less time, Will ends up accused of killing said stranger but takes it upon himself to expose the system of time is money, and share the wealth.

Okay, I know, the movie sounds a little preachy, and yes, when Will finds himself on the “right” side of the tracks he finds a rich man’s daughter (Amanda Seyfried) to fall in love with, but in the end, if you can get past some of the goofiness of the story and obvious foreshadowing of its progression, it’s not that bad in the entertainment side of two people on the run, robbing “time” banks, and spreading the wealth to the poor.

The movie looks great in that futuristic, “The Matrix,” “Gattaca,” kind of way, which makes sense with Andrew Niccol who also directed “Gattaca” as director, and sure, the chase scenes are a little contrived and simplistic, but for a nice, little “two people on the run but not totally guilty but still trying to do good for people” movie, with a villain who isn’t that villainous, it’s okay for a rental and maybe a snuggle on the couch.  Justin Timberlake is his likeable self but doesn’t break any real acting ground in this movie, which is sort of too bad because there are times that I find him a phenomenal actor (“The Social Network” and “Alpha Dog”), but other times it’s like he’s just in a movie that might sound cool (this one).  So, in the end, it’s 3 stars out of 5 for “In Time.” Don’t go expecting the world get past some of the goofiness, and just enjoy the ride.

The Blu-ray doesn’t have too many extras, really.  There are the obligatory deleted/extended scenes that really don’t add much, but I do have to say that if you do like the movie, even a tad, go ahead and watch “The Minutes” featurette.  Rather than a standard “making of” documentary, this feature is told from the perspective of the characters, giving a little more insight into the characters from their own point of view, and kind of helps explain some of the quirks in the movie that might have you scratching your head a little bit.

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

Annie Hall

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

Annie Hall
Movie Stats & Links
Starring: Woody Allen, Diane Keaton, Paul Simon
MPAA Rated: PG
Released By: MGM Home Entertainment / Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment
Released On: January 24, 2012
Kiddie Movie: Lots of dry humor. Send them to bed.
Date Movie: If she likes dated movies with dated dialogue.
Gratuitous Sex: Lots of talk about it, and people in bed, but nothing gratuitous.
Gratuitous Violence: Nope.
Action: Nope.
Laughs: Ehh.
Memorable Scene: None.
Memorable Quote: None.
Directed By: Woody Allen
Cool things about the Blu-ray: None.

I guess I’m just never going to be a fan of Woody Allen movies, at least that is all I can come up with after watching “Annie Hall.” It’s now out on Blu-ray, it’s a movie that Woody Allen won four Oscars for making, but when the credits rolled I just thought “Ehh.”

The basic story is that Alvy (Woody Allen) is a comedian in New York City, and supposedly a very good one at that, but when it comes to the ladies, well, he comes across more like, well, Woody Allen.  As we are introduced to Alvy we learn a little about his back-story, his family life (dysfunctional as most are), and eventually how he ends up meeting Annie (Diane Keaton).  She’s kind of goofy, wants to be a singer, and their relationship seems more like a train-wreck than a love story, especially with Alvy’s being mostly just a dorky comedian, and not seeming to understand how a relationship really works.

Low and behold, Annie get her chance to become a star thanks to Tony (Paul Simon), a record dude in L.A., and Annie, has to decide whether to pursue her dream in L.A., or stay with the neurotic Alvy.  She heads to the west coast, Alvy is distraught, he heads to L.A. to try and get her back, and hilarity is supposedly still supposed to be ensuing.

Now, I can understand the creativity in movies, even movies made at a time when I was like ten years old, but as I was watching “Annie Hall,” and yes, I know it’s from 1977, but it really seemed dated and doesn’t seem to hold up well, as some movies seem to be able to do.  Yes, the acting is good, and Diane Keaton is adorable, and if you grew up in that era you will probably love to revisit the movie if you enjoyed it in your youth, but for me I found the dialogue very dry and not that witty (although, I can see, how in 1977, it was risqué and edgy, and oddly enough rated PG (and yes, I know they didn’t have PG-13 back then, but other than the lack of nudity, a lot of the topics of conversation veered into Rish territory)).

If you are a Woody Allen fan this is probably a 5 star masterpiece, but for me it was 1 ½ stars of hour-and-a-half “Ehh.” I’ll average them together and give “Annie Hall” 3 stars out of 5.

As far as the Blu-ray, you’re getting it because you have a Blu-ray player, and pretty much nothing else as it doesn’t have squat as extras.

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

Dumb and Dumberer: When Harry Met Lloyd

MPAA Rated – PG-13
It’s 1:25 Long
A Review by:
– The Dude on the Right

Dumb and Dumberer: When Harry Met Lloyd
Movie Stats & Links
Starring: Eric Christian Olsen, Derek Richardson, Eugene Levy, Cheri Oteri, Rachel Nichols
MPAA Rated: PG-13
Released By: New Line Cinema
Release Date: 2003
Kiddie Movie: Nope.
Date Movie: Nope.
Gratuitous Sex: Two dudettes kissing and it appeared a little cold on the set sometimes.
Gratuitous Violence: Slapstick.
Action: Nah.
Laughs: Not really.
Memorable Scene: I don’t remember it.
Memorable Quote: None.
Directed By: Troy Miller

Okay, other than the movie being pretty much, well, for no better way to put it, dumb, there’s another significant problem with “Dumb and Dumberer: When Harry Met Lloyd,” at least for me – the jokes seem to be aimed at 10 year old boys, but the story is something better comprehended by 16 year olds. I know that may not make sense, but pretty much it’s more of a high school comedy with jokes 10 year olds aren’t really old enough to experience yet.

“D & Derer” has Erick Christian Olsen as Lloyd, the character Jim Carrey made famous. It’s also got Derek Richardson as Harry, the loveable character originally portrayed by Jeff Daniels. In the film we are exposed to how the two characters we fell in love with in “Dumb & Dumber” first met, their high school year, and a bizarre sub-plot of the principal (the usually better Eugene Levy) and the lunchlady (Cheri Oteri) trying to embezzle money for a condo in Hawaii. Sort of like the first movie, our boys innocently get wrapped up in the lives of the bad people and there’s a high school hottie, Jessica (Rachel Nichols), who both boys fall in love with, trying to expose the principal, but unlike the first movie, it just isn’t funny.

There are the obligatory fart jokes, you get a creepy Lloyd thinking Harry’s mom is in love with him, even fantasizing her (Mimi Rogers) and Jessica having a make-out session in a pool, and what are supposedly super-funny things like drinking a slushy to fast and getting brain freeze, as well as making fun of an Asian student. Well, alright, the Asian student thing was kinda funny, especially when, all of the sudden, she starts speaking perfect English, but one Asian joke doesn’t fill an hour and a half.

I think one of the main problems “D & Derer” has is the fact the boys are in high school. It’s easier to laugh at grown men acting like innocent teenagers than to find seniors in high school with the wits of, well, most ten year olds have more wit than these guys. There is that, and there’s also the fact there is no way this movie could have come close to living up to the standard set by the original.

Even for those easily amused, of which I am proud to one of them, I wasn’t. Not that there wasn’t a funny line or two, or a scene where I did bust out laughing, but I can’t remember what that scene was nor what that lines were because, for the most part, you get lines like: Harry – “Who’s Principal Collins?” Lloyd – “He’s the Principal.”; and Lloyd – “Chicks are for fags.”; and scenes where the boys are drooling or have food all over their faces. Even the smeared melted chocolate bar in the bathroom wasn’t that funny. However, if you think those lines and those scenes might be hilarious, you might really like “Dumb & Dumberer: When Harry Met Lloyd.” Me, I didn’t, and it’s ½ star out of 5 for this movie. Wait for it on local TV and then watch something else.

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