No Orff, Yummy XOCO, Goodbye Chuck, Happy Birthday, and Bad Movies

By: The Dude on the Right

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(Dude note: Computer woes can’t stop a podcast, but they can delay it getting posted for a day or so. All seems well again on the Entertainment Ave! front, but a belated Happy Birthday to Mama Gotz is in order!)

Orff’s “Carmina Burana” came through Chicago again, and again I missed it, but that doesn’t dampen the mood of this “Weekend Wrap-Up!” podcast episode.  Nope, it’s a podcast of a Happy Birthday for Mama Gotz complete with good food and good friends; It’s a podcast of Mexican street fare compliments, well not really compliments of because we had to pay for it, but damn, XOCO was a good little restaurant place; And it’s a podcast of liking how the TV show “Chuck” wrapped up.

Google is changing their privacy policy, Stu watched some of “Little Fockers,” I watched some of “2012,” Stu doesn’t know who is playing in the Super Bowl, and I don’t think either of us will be seeing a movie about whales.

Thanks for listening!

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

Supermarket Scooters, Bears v Eagles, Harold & Kumar Go 3D, TV Talk, and I Should Have Invited a Podcast Guest.

By: The Dude on the Right

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With Stu Gotz away I didn’t really get to play, but I did get to try out some supermarket scooters and I let you know, during this “Weekend Wrap-Up!” podcast, what store has the best ones so far.  Gimpiness aside, I’m looking forward to the Chicago Bears tonight on Monday Night Football, even with some slight allegiance to the Philadelphia Eagles.  I was also looking forward to “A Very Harold & Kumar 3D Christmas” when, low and behold, there was some free time to see it, and somehow, low and beholder, my wife ended up seeing one of the greatest comedies of 2011 with me even though I thought there was no way in hell she would go and see a Harold & Kumar movie.

I give my take on how I think “Desperate Housewives” will end, I’m liking “Survivor,” another Herman Cain accuser is talking, I want to like “Chuck” more than I am liking it right now, and I really need to plan ahead when I’m going to have a solo podcast to try to get a guest. Oh well.

Thanks for listening!

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

Hooray for Survivor, Hooray for Chuck! Boo for The Green Hornet, Boo for Flat Tires.

By: The Dude on the Right

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Sure, we’re a week and a day late for this podcast, but that don’t stop us none! Nope, during this podcast episode of our “Weekend Wrap-Up!”, I explain to Stu Gotz how Boston Rob was a great player during “Survivor,” and truly deserved to win. I also give my breakdown of the movie “Thor” to him, but with the summer movie season now upon us, Stu figures he still won’t go and see it, but does have hope for the new “Pirates of the Carribean” flick. Stu sort of had hopes for “The Green Hornet,” but those hopes were quickly squashed, while both of us had the hope of the TV show “Chuck” come to fruition.

I’m excited by the Chicago Bulls and Stu isn’t; Stu had a fun time with the Gotz family and their RV, and I don’t have one; I forgot to send an RSVP and Stu didn’t; Neither of us have tickets to Oprah’s final show, but both of us know how to pronounce library.

All of that and more, and Thanks for listening!

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

Tangled

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

Tangled
Movie Stats & Links
Starring: The voices of: Mandy Moore & Zachary Levi
MPAA Rated: PG
Released By: Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment
Release Date: March 29, 2011
Kiddie Movie: Not too young, but definite girls.
Date Movie: Mom and Dad can watch it nicely with the kids.
Gratuitous Sex: There is some love, but it’s Disney-safe.
Gratuitous Violence: Cartoon.
Action: Some chasing and scenes of peril.
Laughs: Nothing gut-busting, but cute enough.
Memorable Scene: Nothing was super-special.
Memorable Quote: Nothing really.
Cool things about the Blu-ray? Other than the picture looking cool, and the DVD copy for on-the-go, it’s pretty much a movie for the movie. The “making of” segment might be cute for the kids, but the other extras seem to be thrown on there for the sake of having extras.

As I was watching “Tangled,” it occurred to me that maybe, just maybe, Disney is starting to shift the vision of a Princess to the modern times, and I’m thinking it’s a smart thing. I will explain this a little more at the end of this review, but let’s get to the story first.

“Tangled” tells a tale loosely based on the “Rapunzel” story from the Brothers Grimm. Gone is the family that gives their baby to Dame Gothel and in its place is a Princess with magic hair, being kidnapped by Mother Gothel. It seems Mother Gothel, years ago, found a plant that, when she sang to it, would keep her young, but now that the power was transferred to Rapunzel through the Queen drinking flower broth and giving birth to Rapunzel, it seems the magic power is now in Rapunzel’s hair.

Okay, so Mom Gothel kidnaps Rapunzel (voiced by Mandy Moore) and keeps her in a tower for her selfish self, but Rapunzel is getting older, wanting to explore the world, and Mom keeps her at bay by convincing her the world is a bad place. Enter a dude who is far from a Prince, namely Flynn (voiced by Zachary Levi), who finds Rapunzel while on the run after stealing the Princess’ tiara from the castle. And so, yup, adventure ensues as Rapunzel convinces Flynn to take her out of the tower and to the town to see the flying lights, Flynn obliges so that she’ll give him the tiara back, and wouldn’t you know it, our happy couple falls in love.

It’s a nice story, you pretty much know how things will end up, after all it is a Disney movie, but what is great about “Tangled” is that it is smartly written, and rather than just being a princessy Princess, Rapunzel has spunk, yet at times is still just a girl at heart, and the movie does a fantastic job of showing this. Sure, she wants to be pretty, but Rapunzel’s not afraid to get her feet wet or wield a wicked frying pan.

Probably okay for younger boys (they’ll like the Flynn and horse characters), and the girls will relate and love Rapunzel, so I say it’s nice to see Disney taking what could have just been a generic Princess character and turn her into a girl that today’s youngins can relate to.

With that it’s 4 stars out of 5 for “Tangled.” I enjoyed it, it’s a movie I think most can enjoy, and if Disney can keep with this trend of movie I think it might have a future in keeping the Princess motif, but making her a 2010 kind of girl.

As far as the Blu-ray and DVD, I almost hate to say it but you’re pretty much getting this version for the movie, with a smattering of extras. The deleted scenes were pretty much better off cut, sure, you could probably sing along to the extended songs, and the alternate openings were better as alternates. The “Untangled: The Making of a Fairy Tale” is nice enough, probably better for the kids with the banter of Zachary and Mandy, but for me, loving the technical aspects of making films like this, the funniest part was the scene with the women trying to decide the best looking characature for Flynn.

Get the Blu-ray because it looks good, and just enjoy the movie as a smart movie that moves the concept of the Princess nicely into the 2010’s.

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

A Scrubbed Shuttle, Wax On, Funny Movies, Stupid People and Doggie Diet Pills

By: The Dude on the Right

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Stu Gotz is back! Hooray! Yup, Stu is back from Florida for our "Weekend Wrap-Up!" podcast, and he tells me all about his failed attempt to see a space shuttle launch. Luckily for the podcast it did lend for some good storytellin’, and speaking of storytellin’, a smell of freshly waxed floors over the weekend made me reminisce of college days where I was relegated to cleaning the fraternity house kitchen while the floor crew got sloshed. Ah, college days!

But as weekends do go, I let Stu know that "Due Date" is a pretty funny movie and he should go and see it, Stu told me that "Date Night" is a pretty funny movie and I should add it to my Netflix queue, Stu is sucked into "Supernatural" on TV while I"m sucked back into "Smallville," and Stu has a story of stupid people in Spain.

And speaking of stupid people, Milo had a quick trip to a vet on Sunday where I found that yes, people are lazy and stupid, especially when I saw a pharmaceutical ad for doggie diet pills. How lazy is that?

Thanks for listening! I’m The Dude on the Right!! L8R!!!

Fall TV Spectacular, Go Bears, Two Miles or Three, and Katy Perry has Boobs.

By: The Dude on the Right

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Even though Stu Gotz saw “Legend of the Guardians: The Owls of Ga”Hoole,” most of this edition of our “Weekend Wrap-Up!” podcast is about television and the return of the fall season. Yup, I’m all about “Chuck” and its various references to pop culture (Come on, who doesn’t like a Vandelay Industries or Drago from the Rocky movies reference?) as well as “Survivor: Nicaragua,” still cheering on Jimmy Johnson but glad the Shannon dude is gone, meanwhile Stu is nestling back in with “Medium” and “Hawaii 5.0,” sort of, while neither of us are buying into the hype of “The Event.”

Stu is proud of his little Gotz’s as one completed his black belt training and the other was a patient, little lad, and I’m proud of myself, patting me on the back for some cleaning I did on Saturday. And, oh yea, there is some wedding talk, this time about seating arrangements and how easy they are, and talk about Katy Perry and her boobs on Saturday Night Live. Lastly, sort of, Stu is addicted to the internet, and it’s not a porn site for a change – this time it’s some doodle cartoons on YouTube that have caught his fancy, and he tries to rope me in. But I’ll have none of it – I’ve got the Chicago Bears playing the Green Bay Packers on the TV tonight! Go Bears!

Thanks for listening! I’m The Dude on the Right!!  L8R!!!