August 8: Movie Reviews

Dinner for Schmucks - A group of business men invite unusual guests to a dinner party. The most unique guest wins the trophy. He is also given the prestigious title of biggest idiot behind his back. I have never experienced such a strong love/hate relationship with a film before. I hated this movie. The story was unbelievably unbelievable. I hate Paul Rudd as the straight man. Rudd is at his best win he plays the sarcastic man/boy that isn't blinded by love (Anchorman, Knocked Up and Role Models) which was not the case for this role. I don't think his character did one interesting thing. This film was supposed to be the reuniting of funnymen Rudd and Steve Carell and Carell was the only funny thing about this reunion. In fact, it Carell was the only thing I liked about Schmucks; and I loved him. Every tiny nuance small remark was pure hilarity. Every moment his face appeared on the screen, I was holding my sides and laughing uncontrollably. Was his character well-written? No. Not at all, but because Carell is such a comic genius I didn't care. I simply enjoyed his antics. How can I recommend a movie that I loathed so much? Two words: Steve Carell.

The Other Guys - There are the badass cops that tackle the criminals with car chases and shoot outs and there's the captain of the squad and a few up and comers. Then there are the other guys. Will Ferrell and Mark Wahlberg play the sit-down cops that do the paperwork for the bigwigs. Wahlberg was once on his way to the top before he mistakenly shot a New York celebrity giving himself the title of the Yankee Clipper. Ferrell works behind a desk hiding from a scarred past. I don't know. I couldn't get into this one. Don't get me wrong. I love when Ferrell and director Adam McKay get together. I loved Anchorman and Talladega Nights. I love their online videos too but like Rudd, when Ferrell plays a real person, his movies just aren't that funny. Couple that with Wahlberg and the movie doesn't have a chance. Keanu Reeves gets a bad rapt because Wahlberg is by far the worst famous actor ever. He was decent in The Departed but sucks in everything else. The Happening would have been so much better if they had cast anyone other than him as the lead. So when you take these two components and throw in a few old jokes, you're going to get a lame movie. Again, it had its moments but was nowhere near the hilarity and quotability of previous Ferrell/McKay projects.

Inception - Today was the second viewing for me. I was blown away by the visuals the first go around and the ability to piece together the story this round made for one heck of an experience. I had seen this before but felt like I was experiencing it for the first time throughout the entire film today. Without the distraction of drugs, how often can one say that about a film? If you've only seen Inception once, you were probably left with the feeling of, "I should probably see that again." Follow that feeling. Trust me. Inception has the action and the romance. It tugs at the emotional strings and massages the brain at the same time. I can't say it enough. This film was so much better the second time. Simply brilliant.

July 21: Movie Reviews

Despicable Me - A man tries to prove how villainous he can be by coming up with a scheme to steal the moon. I usually don't fall asleep until the third or fourth movie, but I was out before (I assume) he completed his task. The animation looked great and the film makers really took advantage of the 3D format. There was a fun bit during the credits where they stretched the technology to its max. Children of all ages would enjoy this, but I don't think it could entertain the adults like a Pixar film could.

Grown Ups - A group of childhood friends reunites with families of their own. This was Adam Sandler at his most Adam Sandler-esque. All of the Sandler regulars made appearances (even Steve Buscemi) and the entire script was nothing but one liners...one liners that weren't funny, that is. There was everything you would expect from a Happy Madison film from fart jokes to fat jokes but they all just seemed forced.

Inception - A team of experts devise a way to go through people's dreams. If you don't like to think when watching a film, stay as far away from this one as you can. It's really easy to get lost, but if you're able to hang on, it's a really great trip. I don't do very well with accents and there were a lot of them in this one so a second viewing would clear a lot up, but the visuals alone are truly amazing.

Eclipse - I only saw the first thirty minutes of this one because I had to wait for the next movie to start. I haven't read any of the books nor have I seen any of the movies. Thirty minutes of this one was too much as it was. Vampires and werewolves fighting for the attention of a human girl? No thank you. I honestly don't know how those actors take themselves seriously after being in such crap.

Knight and Day - Two groups fight over the possession of a battery that never loses power. This is what a summer movie is all about. Sure it was dumb, but it was fun. Nonstop action and peril. Funny dialogue. Great stunts. Tom Cruise was great and Cameron Diaz looked great. The actors had a lot of chemistry which made the film that much more enjoyable.

Toy Story 3 - I think we all know how I feel about this one. I've now seen it in 3D, IMAX 3D, and traditional 2D and I still get choked up. By far the best movie of the day.

July 12: Mighty Fine Burger

The West Coast has In-N-Out. The East Coast has Five Guys. Texas has the cattle, but where can one go to eat said cattle? The first day I was in Austin, I stumbled upon the answer in a quaint and clean shopping center just off of Brodie Lane in Sunset Valley.

Mighty Fine Burger makes the best hamburger I have ever had the pleasure of biting into. The buns are soft, the tomatoes are ripe, and the onions and pickles: crisp. The lettuce is perfectly shredded so you aren't constantly fighting with it to stay on the patty. The meat, however, ties it all together. The 100% fresh, all-natural beef is ground and hand-formed on-site and you can definitely taste the quality!

A trip to Mighty Fine Burger without getting a hand-dipped Blue Bell ice cream milkshake is like going to Disneyland without riding Space Mountain. I've always been a malt kind of guy and sadly, MFB doesn't have the proper ingredients to prepare one, but their chocolate shakes are a pretty darn good substitute. Smooth, creamy, and fantastically delicious. A MFB shake is the perfect compliment to their always hot and crispy crinkle cut fries which are always prepared in 100% peanut oil.

Not only is the food fresh and delicious, but the general atmosphere of Mighty Fine Burger is perfect. Whether you're standing in line next to a trough of bottled beers and ice or washing your hands in the wall-mounted CleanTech 500 EZ, the restaurant is a joy to visit. The dining room is designed with simplicity in mind and it works beautifully. Guests sit on red, metal folding chairs at the picnic-styled tables with blue and white checkered tablecloths.

While waiting to refill my Orange Fanta, I overheard a little girl tell her mother, "This is the best restaurant I've ever been to." Mom replied with, "The best ever?" and the little girl nodded with an affirmative "Mmm Hmm." I wouldn't go as far as calling Mighty Fine Burger the best restaurant (that honor still belongs to Souplantation) but it is unquestionably the best burger I have ever had.