What Is It?

This is a take off of every claymation Christmas special from the 60’s – 80’s with heavy emphasis on Rudolf the Red Nosed Reindeer. Will Ferrell plays Buddy The Elf. He is a very tall human who, much like Steve Martins “The Jerk”, did not notice that he was different from the hoard of Santa’s 3 foot elf’s who raised him. So taking all the attitude of said Christmas Specials and the three rules of an elf, Buddy travels to New York to meet his Dad (James Caan) even though Dad is a tough business man on the “Naughty List.”

How Was It?

It was funny. Will Ferrell manages to seem natural in this over the top character. My favorite part though is the introduction to elves and the north pole stammeringly narrated by Bob Newhart as Papa Elf. The other great thing is the sheer nuttiness of all the other characters. Well acted side characters all have there own quirks that help Buddy move seamlessly through New York. I think you will find this movie to be a series of very funny vinyets with just enough story and garland to string them together.

Is It Good For Kids?

Kids of the age for the original claymation will find a lot of fun and familier gags. Older kids will understand more of the juxtaposition of “Real Life” and “Elf Life”. There are a couple of jokes involving Buddy not understanding “adult” things, such as sending sexy women’s sleepwear to his father because the sign said it was perfect for “Someone Special” or following music to the woman’s locker room where a young lady is singing in the shower. It is very clear Buddy just wanted to sing along as in all his other whimsical misunderstandings. Buddy also uses God as a cuss word when he gets excited.

You can check Screenit.com for a break down of the elements on the screen.

What About Spiritual Issues?

First off this is all about Christmas and has not one reference to Christ. Luckily we do not get a “this is the meaning of Christmas” line to tell us it’s not Him, but just family or life or presents.

The odd thing here is the talk about Belief and Christmas Spirit. There is an easily made connection between Santa in this movie and God. (Spoiler) The end of the movie involves Santa (Edward Asner)crashed down in Central Park. In a Tinkerbell style conundrum, he can not fly because there is no more Christmas Spirit. Most likely the lack of Christmas spirit comes from a lack in belief in Santa, but it may just be a lack of belief in the concepts of love and magical generosity that Santa represents. He can not show himself because that would take away the correct type of Faith. A boy steals his gift list and reads it on TV. People are shocked at the accuracy where he even knows personal desires not just the one’s that kids wrote in their letters.

Spiritually we are left with some interesting questions.

Should Santa have attributes of God?

Faith is the evidence of things unseen, But is that faith based on wishful thinking?

Does prof destroy faith?

What Is Your Recommendation?

This is a funny light hearted movie. This does not destroy of de-mythologize fairytale but shows that they help us to live fuller more beautiful lives in the “real world”. In that light it is almost the kids version of “Lady in the Water”. Still the absence of God except as a cuss word and the notion of faith in Santa should give you something to think about when deciding if this film is right for you and your family and something to talk about if you do invite Buddy the Elf into your Christmas.

PS

If you do watch it. Keep your eyes open for a great re-do of the original big-foot “sighting” .

Elf

Ok so I know that this video is old. But I still find it hilarious and wanted to post it up just in case some people haven’t seen it. Enjoy!

Rule #1: Don’t make a deal with the Devil.

Rule #2: If you do decide to make a deal with the Devil, get a sample of his work before you agree.

If your kids have not watched elf, rent it this weekend!  I am not a Will Ferrell fan, but this movie was too cute!  Our kids watched elf and the next morning got a note from OUR elf saying “You watched the ELF movie last night!?!?  That movie makes me laugh every time I watch it.  That elf, Buddy, is SO COOL, he comes up with some of the BEST ideas!  Have you tried maple syrup on spaghetti?  It IS quite tasty!”

Want to guess what OUR elf left the kids for breakfast this morning?

Breakfast is ready! Syrup, anyone?

The movie is FULL of ideas!  I am sure you will have some of your own when you watch!

The world cherishes classics like A Charlie Brown Christmas and A Christmas Story, but when is the last time a newly released holiday song, movie, or TV show joined the running for all-time holiday classics?

It’s that time of year again; people have an excuse to curl up on the couch with a cup of comforting hot chocolate and a bowl of popcorn or a mandarin orange, and turn on the holiday classics for a full month. Sure, it’s a love-hate relationship, because by the time January 1^st rolls around, another note of “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer” makes just about everyone cringe. But, there’s about a month – December 1-25, anyway – when the classics are pumped through the airwaves with watchers and listeners gladly soaking up the holiday cheer.

It’s those classics: A Charlie Brown Christmas, both show and soundtrack, induces shivers of memories almost despite the time of year. A Christmas Story, Frosty the Snowman, Miracle on 34^th Street, The Grinch, the original Simpsons Christmas…there’s so many holiday favourites to look forward to over the next month. What about the songs?  ”White Christmas”, “Ruldolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer”, “Santa Baby”, or even “The Dreidel Song”? They’re all awesome shows and songs to look forward to every year. But when is the last time a decent holiday-themed movie, show, or song was on route to becoming a classic?

I think the movie Elf is the closest source of entertainment released in the last ten years that might be considered a classic one day. It’s pretty hilarious, shows a more realistic view of the meaning of Christmas nowadays, with a bit of embellished classic Christmas beliefs thrown in through Will Ferrell’s hilarious ignorance. I look forward to seeing Elf every holiday season, so I guess it might be becoming a classic.

But really, what else is there? Anything holiday-Disney, released recently, pretty much gets brushed under the radar. Shrek the Halls? Dora’s Christmas Carol Adventure? Olive the Other Reindeer? No thanks. These recent holiday productions just aren’t going to cut it.

The question is, why is this happening? Why does it seem more timeless to listen to Frank Sinatra croon out “Have Yourself a Merry Christmas”, than hear Michael Buble’s rendition of “I’ll Be Home for Christmas”?

Maybe it’s just a matter of years before another song, book, movie, or TV show joins the ranks of being a traditional holiday treat. For now, I’ll leave it to the classics, and curl up beside the Holiday Log on channel 4 with my hot cocoa, and let Ella Fitzgerald wish me a “Swingin’ Christmas”, or Vince Guaraldi’s incomparable score to A Charlie Brown Christmas warm my soul this holiday season.

-Birdie Hamilton, Assistant Editor (Broadcast Jourmalism)

“When we trust in him, we’re free to say whatever needs to be said, bold to go wherever we need to go. So don’t let my present trouble on your behalf get you down. Be proud!” (Ephesians 3:12-13 MSG)

A few years ago I wrote a blog about one of my favorite Christmas movies called Elf. I was reminded of the movie on Sunday night when we were playing a game with our youth where they had to do voiceovers to scenes from different movies, and this was one of the clips. If you have not seen the movie, this blog is probably not going to make much sense to you. The whole movie surrounds the character named “Buddy the elf” played by Will Ferrell. He is a human being that was adopted by an elf in the North Pole, and is encouraged to go find his real father in New York City. He is one of the only humans to have ever seen Santa’s workshop and to have been involved in the toy-making process at the North Pole.

The comedy is mainly found in him being in a city like New York, dressed ridiculously, and interacting with cold New Yorkers. One part of the movie Buddy is told that Santa is coming to a department store the next day. He freaks out yelling, “Santa is coming!” Buddy spends the entire night decorating the department store getting it up to shape for the coming of Santa. The next day, “Santa” comes out and is the normal mall Santa Claus. He smells like beef and is wearing a fake beard. Buddy keeps insisting in front of the kids that he is not the real Santa. This is because he has actually seen the real Santa. Buddy eventually freaks out and pulls his beard off screaming that he is a faker. All of the children are horrified seeing the elf and Santa fighting and knocking over store displays. On top of this, their faith in Santa could be ruined because Buddy has exposed this imposter.

When watching Elf, you may wonder, “What harm is it doing to the kids to see a “fake Santa” as opposed to the “real Santa”?” What Buddy has done seems to destroy children’s faith in Santa as opposed to building it up. The only thing is that Buddy has seen the real Santa, and this guy is not him. He doesn’t have to be convinced that Santa exists because he personally knows Santa.

I believe, in a way, this is the type of faith we are called to live out in a world that thinks belief in God is as practical as belief in Santa Clause. As I think about the overall lack of courage and faith that most Christians have (including myself) and why we’re not living out our faith boldly, I have to wonder if it’s because we are not sure if we really know God. We know of God. We do things for God. We talk and read about God. But in all of these activities, do we actually know Him? Do you know what He likes and dislikes? Or here’s a better question: Does God know you?

In Matthew 7:21-23, Jesus describes groups of people that have plenty of actions towards God, but no relationship with God. He says that these people in the end will hear, “I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!” But it shouldn’t surprise us that so many people know about God in our culture today while having very little faith in God. Think about how we treat sports stars and celebrities. There are some people that can tell you how much Peyton Manning weighs, how many yards he’s thrown for, and other random and creepy details about him. But knowing about Peyton Manning doesn’t mean you know him. It doesn’t mean you can call him up on his cell phone and go over to his house. Knowledge about someone is not knowledge of someone.

At the end of Elf, Santa is forced to use an engine on his sleigh because it was formerly flown by belief. Belief in Santa had dwindled over the years, and so he was forced to use other means so he can do his good deeds on December 24th. His engine breaks down in Central Park and he is unable to fly unless the people begin to restore their belief in him. While this part of the movie is corny, it does provide some insight as well. One of the kids asks Santa why he doesn’t go out and show himself, and Santa responds that it is about belief, not visual proof. He says, “In fact, the paparazzi have been chasing me for years.” Maybe this is where God is today with us.

If you have truly met Him, I challenge you to live as you know and trust the messiah. I challenge you to begin to live with courageous faith in Him. Because, “(w)hen we trust in him, we’re free to say whatever needs to be said, bold to go wherever we need to go.”

Here are some interesting films that are currently filming (from IMDB Pro):

A-Team - With Bradley Cooper as Peck, Jessica Biel, Liam Neeson as Smith, Sharlto Copley as Murdock, and Quinto ”Rampage” Jackson as Baracus. To tell you the truth I know very little about the A-Team and most of these actors. I miss Mr. T.

Resident Evil: Afterlife with Milla Jovovich, of course. She’s good at this sort of thing.

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part II: Part I is finished. They will be released 6 months or so apart. I can’t wait for this one!

Toy Story 3 in 3D: Love it! Of course Tom Hanks and Tim Allen are Woody and Buzz, with Joan Cusack as Jessie the Cowgirl, but Michael Keaton is also on board as Ken and Jodi Benson (The voice of the Little Mermaid) is Barbie. Bonnie Hunt and Whoopie Goldberg also have parts, but no word on what those are.

The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader - Little Christian boys and girls who aren’t allowed to watch vampire movies rejoice! Something for you! I never got past the first book in the series, personally.

Knight and Day – With Tom Cruise and Cameron Diaz. “An action-comedy centered on a fugitive couple on a glamorous and sometimes deadly adventure where nothing and no one – even themselves – are what they seem. Amid shifting alliances and unexpected betrayals, they race across the globe, with their survival ultimately hinging on the battle of truth vs. trust.” Sounds dumb. Cameron should not be doing drama. She’s best when she’s in comedy and in her underwear.

The Green Hornet - Seth Rogan wrote the screenplay and beefed up to play the lead role. Cameron Diaz is in this film too. Michel Gondry is directing, which is interesting. He made Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind which is one of my favorite films. Is he a good choice for Hornet? He and Rogen seem an odd combination.

Little Fockers - A baby Focker is born! (That sentence sounds awful!) Dustin Hoffman will not be in it due to scheduling conflicts. That sucks. De Niro is in, and so is Jessica Alba. I hope Streisand signs up. She’s great in the films.

The Other Guys - An action/comedy with Mark Wahlberg and Will Ferrell as detectives. Also in the film are Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, Eva Mendes, Sam Jackson, Anne Heche, Michael Keaton, and Paris Hilton. I don’t know what this film is, but it looks promising.

Predators - Written, but not directed by, Robert Rodriguez. “A group of elite warriors are hunted by members of a merciless alien race known as Predators.” I hear it’s a re-imagining, which is good because the last film was awful. It stars Topher Grace and Adrien Brody. Danny Trejo is in it too. I bet he can kick some Predator ass.

The Karate Kid - Remake, not a sequel. I’m rolling my eyes at this one. Jackie Chan is the new version of Mr. Miyagi which isn’t so bad, but Jaden Smith (Will’s son) is the new Karate Kid. Gag me.

It’s the 1st of December!!!

This means that I can finally be excited about Christmas… My ABSOLUTE FAVOURITE time of year!!!

In my opinion Christmas starts on the 1st of November, But there are just too many cynical Scrooges out there to allow me to begin the celebrations that early!!!

So now bring on the festivities….

Stole the above picture from someones blog, sorry!… It’s so true… I had to have it!

Things I Love About Christmas:

“Hello Buddy the Elf, what’s your favourite colour??”

“Smiling’s My Favourite!”

Will Ferrell’s vanity basketball team find circuit training a little too much to handle in Semi-Pro.

Now that holiday craziness is upon us, I wanted to get a holiday film on my list of the ten best movies of the decade (remember that the list is based on whatever movie I feel like writing about at any particular time), and I really wanted that film to be Bad Santa, which is simply hilarious in every foul way possible. But three things kept me from choosing it: 1) I wasn’t sure I could find a quote beyond “I made you a wooden pickle” that could be posted here; 2) my obsession with screenplay structure led me to a more classically designed film; 3) every time I think about Will Ferrell sitting on Bob Newhart’s lap, I laugh out loud.

The Will Ferrell/Bob Newhart scene, of course, is from Number 5 on the list:

Elf

Released in 2003, Elf is the story of a human baby, Buddy, an orphan who stowed away in Santa’s gift sack and ended up being raised in the North Pole by elves. Grown up and ungainly in the elf-sized world, Buddy, played by Will Ferrell, learns from Papa Elf (Bob Newhart) that he’s adopted and that his biological father lives in New York. Innocent as any child-like elf should be, Buddy goes to New York to seek out his birth father (James Caan). Along with experiencing a brand new culture, Buddy disrupts his father’s life and job. Fortunately for all of us, Buddy helps reinvigorate Christmas spirit throughout the city and the world so that Santa can make his deliveries.

Like Legally Blonde, Elf is an essay in ideal film structure. It opens with Buddy as an elf unable to fit into the elf world. The middle features a new world, New York, that’s a far cry from the simplicity of the North Pole. Buddy’s human size fits in but his elf-like goodness is out of place in a city where it’s hard to find any Christmas spirit. His new-found friend is certainly an opposite from his North Pole days – a fake department store elf played by Zooey Deschanel. In fact, as things get worse for Buddy and he can’t seem to do anything right, we get a moment rarely seen in holiday comedies: Buddy is about to commit suicide. Fortunately he’s distracted from that moment by Santa’s crashing sleigh and goes on, in the third world of the film, to bring the Christmas spirit of the North Pole to New York, and especially his birth father, just in time to save Christmas.

Memorable scenes include Buddy walking through the Lincoln Tunnel in his elf clothes as open-mouthed New Yorkers look on, a hilarious high-powered snowball fight, Buddy stomping around Central Park in a Bigfoot-film parody, and, of course, Will Ferrell sitting on Bob Newhart’s lap.

Quote from Buddy discussing his food preferences:

Buddy: We elves try to stick to the four main food groups: candy, candy canes, candy corns and syrup.

And just for kicks, when the kids have been thoroughly drugged with cough syrup and are sound asleep, give Bad Santa a look.

I spent much of the long holiday weekend in a sickly, weakened state on my couch, remote in hand, weeping at sappy movies. Honestly, between the two monsters — viral and hormonal — battling for evil dominion inside me, I was a sniffly, sobbing mess for a solid four days. Good flocking times.

And, of course, much of my weeping was prompted by music. It began on Wednesday night, with “Glee.” Much of the episode drove me bonkers, as it centered around the increasingly prominent and deeply irritating Quinn, but then there was a stunning musical piece: a deaf choir performing John Lennon’s “Imagine.”

Oh my goodness. I am probably (definitely) just a sucker, but something about the signing, as well as singing, of that song — already an emotional tune — just killed me. I’m getting teary again just typing about it.

On Thanksgiving morning, one of my local radio stations played “Alice’s Restaurant” around noontime, just as one of my local radio stations growing up had done. This made me grin, remembering countless Thanksgiving treks to my aunt and uncle’s house, with my younger siblings hollering at my parents to change the station so they didn’t have to listen to old Arlo ramble on any longer. And then this made me sad, missing my family on Thanksgiving day.

Then, over the course of the weekend, I watched quite a few holiday movies, in whole or in part, and many of them broke me right down again. I mean, I cried at Elf. Elf! Should one really cry at Will Ferrell movies? (Oh wait, I totally cried at Stranger than Fiction too.) But when Zooey Deschanel starts singing? And the crowd sings with her? And they all are filled with Christmas spirit? Oh my goodness. Waterworks.

Also I saw The Family Stone, which I have to say: possibly one of my favorite movies. I mean, come on: Dermot Mulroney! Diane Keaton! Luke Wilson! Claire Danes! Sarah Jessica Parker! Paul Schneider! Rachel McAdams! Craig T. Nelson! What is not to like? Also it has the lovely Elizabeth Reaser, who at one point watches one of my absolute favorite movies, Meet Me in St. Louis, and weeps when Judy Garland sings “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas.” And who wouldn’t? Oh so sad. So there I am, weeping at a movie within a movie, getting all caught up in the Christmas spirit — or at least its maudlin stepsister — before Thanksgiving was even fully over.

Today I am, alas, back at work, and operating at about 80% of normal health. I heard nothing worth commenting on during my commute this morning — but my head is full of the weekend’s tear-inducing tunes.

Could be worse.

Fratellastri a 40 anni è un film del 2008 diretto da Adam McKay, prodotto da Judd Apatow e Jimmy Miller, e gli interpreti sono Will Ferrell e John C. Reilly.

Leggi altre notizie su: | Commedia | Adam McKay | Will Ferrell | John C. Reilly | Mary Steenburgen

Will Ferrell may have had the most crap year at the box office, even being named America’s most overrated film star of the year, in terms of ROI with movie tickets sales for each dollar he got paid to act… BUT his family still love him.

Awww, how sweet. Will 42, and wife Viveca Paulin journeyed with son Magnus, 5, and Mattias, 2, out for a family breakfast at Chelsea Market, Saturday. Brekkie was then followed by family exercise with a wee stroll through the Meatpacking District. That’s what life is all about. Family as well as fame. Balance.

[Source: Tree Hugger]

~Posted by Horiwood.Com, Hollywood California USA. 11.29.09~

For Ricky Bobby, winning isn't just the only thing, it's something else entirely.

(Columbia) Will Ferrell, John C. Reilly, Sacha Baron Cohen, Leslie Bibb, Michael Clarke Duncan, Gary Cole, Amy Adams, Jane Lynch, David Koechner, Greg Germann, Molly Shannon, Andy Richter, Houston Tumlin, Grayson Russell, Pat Hingle, Ted Manson. Directed by Adam McKay

I will admit to not being much of a NASCAR fan. The thrill of auto racing is something that has never really wrapped itself around my spine. I do get why people go gaga over it but it’s just not my thing so when I heard that Will Ferrell was making a NASCAR-themed movie, it wasn’t something I was particularly excited about.

Ricky Bobby (Ferrell), however, would undoubtedly be absolutely smitten with a movie about going fast. He was born in the back of a car doing 100 MPH with his ne’er-do-well drug dealing dad (Cole) at the wheel. The one bit of paternal advice he would give his son before disappearing out of his life entirely is this – if you don’t finish first, you’re last. They would be words that would drive Ricky Bobby his entire life.

It’s no surprise, then, when he becomes part of a pit crew for a sad-sack NASCAR racing team that has become the laughing stock of the circuit, with a driver who stops mid-race at the concession stand to enjoy a chicken sandwich. When opportunity knocks, Ricky Bobby leaps into the drivers seat and his innate ability to go real fast – and drive without fear – makes him the hottest thing in NASCAR, with the help of his best friend Cal (Reilly) who is content to play second fiddle to Ricky Bobby’s diva.

He marries a hot-looking NASCAR groupie named Carley (Bibb) who gets his attention with a timely boob flash, and the two create a family with two demonic kids named Walker (Tumlin) and Texas Ranger (Russell) who torment Carley’s dad (Manson) and everyone else. He wins race after race, but irritates the head of the race team (Germann) because he never wins the points championship because he gets penalized for unsportsmanlike-like conduct so often, but that’s just Ricky’s obsession with winning – anything else just doesn’t occur to him.

Bobby’s on top of the world, but it begins to unravel with the arrival of French Formula One driver Jean Girard (Cohen), who wants to prove himself better than his cocky American rival. Girard turns out to be even more ruthless on the track than Ricky Bobby, and the inevitable happens – Ricky Bobby gets into a crash. He walks away from it, convinced at first that he is on fire but later on, convinced that he is paralyzed. Neither is true, of course, as Cal and Ricky’s harried crew chief (Duncan) try to convince him. The truth is, Ricky Bobby has lost his nerve.

He winds up losing a lot more than that, as his sponsors drop him, the race team fires him and his wife leaves him for his best friend. Ricky Bobby is reduced to moving in with his mom and delivering pizzas on a bicycle. Fast is a distant memory.

That’s when Ricky’s dad re-enters the picture, and if ever he needed a father figure it’s now. Of course, Ricky’s dad is something of a whacko, so battling the fear that still lives inside him is no easy task. Everyone he’s ever counted on has left him – can he ever count on himself?

I have to admire the instincts of Ferrell and McKay, who also co-wrote the movie. This movie plays to Ferrell’s strengths without getting so over-the-top that the audience gets lost. Ricky Bobby is not unlike Ron Burgundy had Ron been born in an Alabama double-wide.

Also wisely, the movie never makes fun of racing itself, only some of the things that go on within it – the bitter rivalries, the pressure brought on by corporate sponsorships and the sometimes eccentric personalities of the drivers, crew and fans. NASCAR fans will probably not take too much offense, although there might be a few who find the movie crude.

This is as good a cast as you’re going to find in a comedy, with Oscar-nominated actor Reilly once again playing second banana, but doing it as well as anybody. Baron hams it up as the nearly indecipherable Frenchman and Cole shows a surprising comic talent in his part as well. Blink and you’ll almost miss Amy Adams’ turn as a loyal assistant, although she figures much more in things near the end of the movie – and she does a great job in a role which others might have phoned in.

The laughs are plentiful – if I’m laughing out loud during a movie when I’m supposed to, I figure the filmmakers are doing their job. While you don’t need to be a big NASCAR fan to enjoy the movie, a lot of in-jokes undoubtedly went whizzing by me. I liked this movie a bit more than I thought I was going to – which is turning out to be a theme in this week’s newsletter and that is the kind of theme I can get into.

WHY RENT THIS: It’s laugh-out-loud funny, certainly one of Ferrell’s better efforts to date. Some of the most iconic comedy sequences of the decade can be found here.

WHY RENT SOMETHING ELSE: Like most comedies, it can be pretty scattershot. Those who really cannot stand NASCAR or auto racing in general may not find much in the movie to grab onto.

FAMILY VALUES: Some of the jokes are a bit on the crude side and the language occasionally drifts into the foul lane but by and large reasonably acceptable for younger crowds.

TRIVIAL PURSUITS: Blu-Ray Discs of the movie were included with the first 400,000 PlayStation 3 units sold.

NOTABLE DVD EXTRAS: As you might expect, there are a plethora of them including a gaggle of fake interviews with the cast members in character, the now-standard Line-o-Rama feature that is included with most Judd Apatow-produced DVDs as well as a commentary track that is a spoof of DVD commentary tracks with the director acting pretentious and giving out facts that are patently untrue.

FINAL RATING: 7/10

TOMORROW: Fantastic Mr. Fox

Land of the Lost | Brad Silberling, 2009

I understand why this movie got so many bad reviews, but I liked it. Yes, it does feel slow for a movie that is less than two hours, and yes, some of the scenes are rather horrible, but I found my self having fun, laughing at some of the lines and situations.

Will Ferrell is just doing his usual schtick; Danny McBride is pretty funny; and Anna Friel is lovely in a severely lacking role. The visual effects and set are intentionally cheesy, and I liked that. The movie captures the feeling of the original show, and just adds some modern humor to it. I had fun, and that was enough for me.

The Great Buck Howard | Sean McGinly, 2009

This movie was surprisingly engaging. After a rather stylish opening sequence, the movie slows down to tell us the story of The Great Buck Howard (John Malkovich), a mentalist who used to be a favorite of Johnny Carson’s but faded away after a while. Now he has been reduced to playing in small towns where his shows do rather great. The story is told through the eyes of Troy (Collin Hanks), a law school drop-out, aspiring writher, and Buck’s assistant.

John Malkovich gives one of my favorites performances of the year here. I just forgot that I was watching him and truly believed he was the character. Hanks holds his own against Malkovich, and Emily Blunt is good as Buck’s PR person. It was constantly funny, heartfelt, and good fun.

The Others | Alejandro Amenabar, 2001

I’ve already said that this is one of the best horror movies of the decade, but I finally had the chance of rewatching it and I loved it as much as I did the first time. Horror movies that rely on atmosphere rahter than gore are rare these days, so it was nice to travel a little bit back in time before J-horror remakes and torture porn began to take over.

Nicole Kidman gives her third-best performance here. She is controlled, and doesn’t over act, even whens she has the chance. The performances from the rest of the cast are also great and creepy. Then there’s the ending. I already knew the twist, but I still could not help but be surprised at how it is revealed. One of the best movies of the decade.

wooow...that dinosaur almost kind of looks somewhat realistic...in a way.

PG-13

Will Ferrell, Anna Friel, Danny McBride

Matt Lauer: You’ve spent 50 million dollars of your own money studying time warps??
Rick: No…that’s adorable.  No, tax payer’s money.  I don’t have 50 million dollars.

Dr. Rick Marshall (Ferrell) has invented the tachyon amplifier, which allows him to travel sideways in time to another dimension.  Along for the ride is Holly Cantrell (Friel) and Will Stanton (McBride), the owner of a little souvenir shop next to the legendary cave that the three encounter a time portal in.

I knew going in that this wasn’t a very well received movie, so I was prepared for the worst, and while I can’t say I was pleasantly surprised, it wasn’t as bad as I thought it might be.  It was just kind of…there.  Not particularly funny, but not painfully unfunny.  I laughed a few times, and generally smiled enough to make it watchable.  Of course, Anna Friel being in it helped.

The character of Chaka is one I could have done without.  Just plain old unfunny.  And how does Holly speak his language so easily?

I guess I’m in the camp that is not annoyed by Will Ferrell.  I don’t think he’s all that hilarious, but he doesn’t bother me.  He’s usually at his most amusing in subtle ways.  Ya know, subtle…like when he’s pouring dinosaur urine all over himself to disguise his scent.  Actually, that is a humorous scene, but it goes on too long.

That’s kind of the story of the whole movie.  The gags are dragged out too long, probably because they didn’t have enough funny stuff written.  So, let’s just drag out what we do have!  It’s a thin concept and a thin story, stretched out over 102 minutes.  It wants to be a big, exciting adventure, but when the T-Rex isn’t around, it’s fairly boring.

When in an alternate dimension, don’t taunt the dinosaurs.

10 – 2.1 for a thin, predictable story – 1 for that annoying Chaka character – 1.4 for not being funny enough = 5.5

TNA wrestler Kip James enjoys some NBA action. Obstructing his view of the game are Will Ferrell, Mark Wahlberg, Rosie Perez, Brooke Shields and Tracy Morgan.

Green Day performs East Jesus Nowhere with Will Ferrell on CowBell – SNL

I’m not sure if i’ve made myself clear, but i truly, deeply, lustfully love Billie Joe and he is the only one on my “list“.    My sister and I went to Ikea last week and on the way down, I confessed to her that I was hoping we’d run into him and his family there.  He lives in the east bay.  Ikea is in the east bay.  The Armstrongs are moving into a new house.  People need stuff from Ikea when they move.

Irrational as that may sound, it could happen.  So i always dress nice for Ikea.

(incidentally, i truly admire his wife, adrienne, and would be almost as gaga over her as i am him, if and when we accidentally bump into each other at Ikea)

(and another thing, it’s obvious in the video that Will Ferrell had never heard this song.  -10 pts for his tragically unhip faux pas)

Happy Thanksgiving everyone! Most of this week’s essential events include turkey, football, good friends, and shopping but there are 2 releases I’m looking forward to: Adam Lambert’s new CD (out Tuesday) and The Road (out Wednesday.)

But it’s that time of the year for me to give thanks to the people that matter most:

Lady Gaga, I want to thank you first for this. No one will ever wear a mane the same way again.

Thanks a lot Kanye for propelling Taylor Swift into the position of America’s sweetheart, ensuring her success for years to come.

Black Eyed Peas, Thank you for your song “Boom Boom Pow.” It truly proved, once and for all, that no one cares about lyrics.

Will Ferrell, or should I say, W. thanks for sharing this story:

Thank you Tina Fey for writing a show that stars you as a loser, completely inept with relationships or life. It makes the show so funny.

Thanks 500 Days of Summer for one of the best dance sequences ever:

Bill Murray, thank you for putting in that cameo.

And most importantly, thank you Sarah Palin for distracting the Republican party from finding a viable candidate for 2012.

Green Day perform “East Jesus Nowhere”  with Will Ferrell on cowbell. Classic.

Por Antonio Golmar

Pocos actores cuentan con un currículum como el de Mark Wahlberg, quien hace unos meses contaba en un programa de la televisión británica que su primer coche le salió gratis porque lo había robado, aunque luego, desde la cárcel, lamentaba no haber seguido los pasos de sus hermanos, los New Kids on the Block.

Nadie que viese a Mark Walhberg por primera vez ahora, con su raya a un lado engominada, su cara de no haber roto un plato en su vida y sus maneras tranquilas y educadas, sólo perturbadas por alguna palabra malsonante, podría imaginar ese pasado propio de alguna canción de Lou Reed.

No es que sienta simpatía por los rufianes. Gracias a dios, dos meses en chirona bastaron para que Mark diera un giro de 180 grados a su vida y aprendiera a ganarse la vida sin fastidiar a los demás. Tras su paso por la música y la publicidad (junto a Kate Moss, muñeca rota de la moda internacional, fue la imagen de la ropa interior de Calvin Klein) Wahlberg comenzó a hacer cine. Un poeta entre reclutas, Diario de un rebelde y sobre todo Boogie Nights, esa descarnada visión de la noche neoyorquina de los años 70, lo consagraron como actor.

En 2007 fue nominado al Oscar como mejor actor secundario por su papel en Infiltrados y acaba de terminar The Lovely Bones, un thriller dirigido por Peter Jackson (El señor de los anillos, District 9) que promete. Además, ha producido varias series de televisión, entre ellas Entourage, y actualmente rueda The Other Guys junto a un reparto variopinto en el que figuran Will Ferrell, Samuel L. Jackson, Michael Keaton y la mismísima Paris Hilton. Sin embargo, Mark no parece un hombre frívolo: el más joven de nueve hermanos, está casado, es padre de tres niños y es católico practicante.

A sus 38 años, Wahlberg  puede mirar a su pasado con una sensación de vértigo, pero seguro que también de satisfacción por lo conseguido. Y los aficionados al buen cine y a los papeles de verdad sólo podemos desear que siga proporcionándonos buenos ratos, y que el ángel de la guarda que lo salvó de morir en los atentados del 11-S (tenía reserva en el vuelo 93 de United Airlines, pero en el último momento cambió de planes y voló a Toronto) no le pierda de vista.