Grandma's Boy UNRATED [HD]

"Don't judge me, monkey."
Allen Covert, who we all know from his character parts in numerous Adam Sandler movies, stars in this film. The movie definitely has a familiar Sandler-type feeling to it, but I thought it worked well with the given cast.

It all starts out with a hilarious scene where Alex (Covert) is being evicted from his place while playing video games. It turns out his roommate has acquired a penchant for Filipino hookers and he's spent all the rent money on his addiction. It sounds pretty weak, but it's a great scene and it's really well done.

A good number of actors make guest appearances. Rob Schneider is the Middle-Eastern landlord, David Spade is a feminine waiter at a health food restaurant, Kevin Nealon is an overly spiritual boss, the kid from Dodgeball (Joel Moore) plays a video game designing genius who has a robot as part of his dual personality, the mother from Everybody Loves Raymond plays Alex's grandmother... Nick Swardson (who is a professional stand-up comic)...

Surprisingly funny
I'm usually leary of anything bearing Adam Sandler's Happy Madison production label, but much to my surprise, Grandma's Boy is a blast. Allen Covert (who also co-wrote and produced) stars as a 35 year old video game tester working on a hit new game, and in his spare time he is secretly designing his own game while smoking a lot of marijuana. When he gets kicked out of his house, he ends up living with his grandmother (Doris Roberts) and her two room mates (Shirley Knight and Shirley Jones) while dealing with his best friend (Nick Swardson), his ultra tan dealer (Peter Dante), his super hot new boss (the ultra hot Linda Cardellini), and some other weirdos as well. Despite it's predictable plot and gags, Grandma's Boy works mainly because of it's stars and the blast they're having filming it. Covert, Swardson, and Dante (all of which had a hand in either writing or producing the film) are quite funny in their roles, with Swardson stealing the show as a granny loving master of Dance...

Idiotic Perfection
It's rare that I give a comedy five stars, but "Grandma's Boy" is perfect. Comedic timing, a brief romantic angle, wonderfully silly acting and a fun plot make this one of the most perfect comedies I've ever seen. Allen Covert plays Alex, a recently homeless video game tester who's just looking for a break. He visits his local weed dealer, played tightly by Peter Dante, to see if he can stay at his house for awhile. Alex has second thoughts about staying there when he finds out that Dante's African tribesman buddy, Dr. Shokalu, has acquired an actual lion to protect the stash. His next attempt at bedding down is with his game-testing buddy, played with stereotypical geek charm by Nick Swardson. His sleepover experience at Swardson's home reveals that Swardson still lives with his parents, has a lot of toys, and a really cool car bed. It also leads up to the first really funny (and really wrong) confrontation involving Covert and one of Swardson's family members. From there,...

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Welcome To Mooseport [HD]

Ray, you ruined this movie.
Simply put, Mooseport is a bad movie. Far fetched, not funny, slow-paced and boring. A waste of 90 minutes of my life. This is why this movie went straight from the theaters to DVD and HBO. Ray Romano's poor acting (as "Handy" the plumber) in particular ruined the movie. Romano was dull, lifeless and easy to root against. If it was not for Gene Hackman, who as usual, does a great job, I would have quit after the first 30 minutes. If you want to check this out, I would wait until the DVD hits the 5 dollar rack at your local Wal-mart/Target.

More Like, "Welcome to DULLSVILLE"
This is what one might call a "work movie" or an excercise in filmmaking. WELCOME TO MOOSEPORT has an impressive cast from Ray Romano, Gene Hackman, Marcia Gay Harden, Maura Tierney, Rip Torn, and Fred Savage. However, the plot is predictable and the characters are one-dimensional. Hackman plays ex-President of the United States, Monroe Cole. He has retired to Mooseport, Maine and is asked by the local citizenry to run for a vacated Mayor's position. Then, he finds himself running against the local hardware store/plumber owner Handy Harrison played by Ray Romano. Then, the writers throw in a lame side-plot of Cole trying to win the heart of Handy's fiance (Tierney). Handy/Romano is so likeable and low-key in the movie that he gets lost amongst the townspeople and his co-workers at his hardware store during most of the movie. Hackman as ex-President Cole has the proverbial phoned-in performance. The real stand-out comedic performance is that of Fred Savage (tv's THE WONDER YEARS) as...

Welcome to Mooseport (2004)
Director: Donald Petrie
Cast: Gene Hackman, Ray Romano, Marcia Gay Harden, Maura Tierney, Christine Baranski, Fred Savage, Rip Torn.
Running Time: 115 minutes.
Rated PG-13 for some language and gross elderly nudity (just an old man's behind).

"Welcome to Mooseport" has enough charm and some quirky moments to make those who are fans of Ray Romano's "Everybody Loves Raymond" television show giggle somewhat, but ultimately it is caught trying to be a comedy that does not have much scripted humor and relies too much on Romano to get laughs just because of his fame. Gene Hackman is well-casted as Monroe "Eagle" Cole, one of the most famed former Presidents of the United States of America, who has moved to the small Maine town of Mooseport due to a sloppy divorce that left him without his Baltimore home. Ray Romano stars as Handy Harrison (who happens to be a handy man-go figure), a goofball that knows the ins-and-outs of the town, but does not know when to commit to...

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Just B Live - Pilates Express: Stability Ball, Ring, Resistance Tube

Three very nice Pilates routines using a stability ball, resistance tubing, or Pilates ring
This DVD was my first experience with Pilates instructor Berndadette Giorgi. I was mainly interested in this DVD because it offered three short routines; I like to do Pilates as add-ons, so this was perfect for me. As the title suggests, Giorgi teaches these classes live: she is on a platform in front of 2-3 students with a mural of a nature scene behind her. Although she uses a different piece of equipment in each workout (as well as added dumbbell in the ring routine), Giorgi stresses that the props are NOT necessary (it would have been nice if one of the participants had showed modifications without props, but this does not occur). I found the music a bit odd, as it sounded like the theme to a cheesy 80s TV show, but once we got going, I mostly didn't notice it.

The Main Menu provides the option to choose one of the three workouts. I have given an overview of each below.

STABILITY BALL (22.5 minutes)
Giorgi cautions not to have the ball overfilled...

Pilates Express is a "must have" in your workout regime!
Berndette's dvds have been keeping me in shape for years! I prefer her style of workouts because they are effective without risking injuries.I just purchased her new Pilates Express and I am thrilled that it is in wide screen format! I feel like I am right there taking one of her master classes. The DVD is fabulous because of its versatility, rigor, and results. I love the idea that I can use this dvd to meet my lifestyle needs. The dvd has three separate sections, which gives options based on what workout is best for me that day. Yesterday, I had the time and energy, so I worked out to all three segments, and I followed her instructions on how to get a more challenging workout using the stability ball, ring, and resistance tube. I felt great! The workout targeted all areas of the body for a challenging workout. Pilates Express in a must have in your workout regime!

Prepare yourself for an amazing workout!
Bernadette Giorgi has the most incredible talent of making something look incredibly easy, and at the end of the workout, you are drenched with sweat, the delicious feeling of being "worked out." but utterly stretched out and centered. The minutes fly by, and Bernadette's soft voice challenges you but tells you how to move within your own body. And she makes you feel(even though there are other people in the class) that it's actually a one on one (she and you).

This DVD holds three 30 (apprx) workouts, using apparatuses

Stability Ball (which you DO need - it would be good to have your ball to be slightly deflated because there will be a lot of work that you need to balance your heels on the ball.), Resistance Ring. (you could use a small squishy ball here for some of the moves), and resistance tubing (which you DO need - I would actually have several different tensions, as I find some moves work better with a lighter tension and some work with a better - and a...

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Brain

Fun to watch comedy
A great David Niven comedy. If you like those 60s cops and robbers comedies like the Pink Panther you will probably enjoy this.

Slightly silly but glossy and enjoyable 60s caper comedy
Headlined by Jean-Paul Belmondo and Bourvil at the height of their fame, The Brain aka Le Cerveau is a slightly silly 1969 French caper comedy with one eye firmly on the English language market with the casting of David Niven and Eli Wallach, though Olive's new Blu-ray and DVD release is of the French-language version that's some 15 minutes longer than the simultaneously shot abridged English language version released in the US, with Niven and Wallach rather impressively delivering their French and Italian dialogue themselves rather than being dubbed. Niven is the Brain of the title, the criminal mastermind behind the Great Train Robbery whose cerebrum is so large that in moments of stress his neck can't support it, and Wallach the Mafioso he wants to launder his loot from an encore of his greatest triumph with a NATO train carrying a $16m payroll. Unfortunately Belmondo's escaped small time convict and his reluctant pal Bourvil are planning to take the same train using the Brain's...

Amazon you lying Dogs
This is the second time I have bought this movie from Amazon. If I could give it no stars I would. I bought the DVD "Le Cerveau" which was supposed to be in French and dubbed to English and have subtitles only to find out it was in French with no subtitles. According to the description above it is supposed to have German and English dub. Unless you can understand French DON'T WASTE YOUR TIME. Put it in my Blu-ray player and the first 5 mins you hear David Niven speak English then it has English subtitles with French audio. What part of English dub doesn't Amazon understand. Could you please check your products before you sell them and make sure the product description is correct. To make things worse the video conversion is pathetic. Obviously they found the grainiest film copy to convert and then did nothing to the quality. To sum up: French Audio without an English Dub and very poor video. My second bad purchase from Amazon with Le Cerveau being my first.

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In The Line Of Fire [HD]

Eastwood Vs. Malkovich, with the President in the Middle...
Clint Eastwood, in his first film after completing his masterpiece, UNFORGIVEN, chose a winner with Wolfgang Petersen's suspenseful IN THE LINE OF FIRE. As 30-year veteran Secret Service agent Frank Horrigan, Eastwood had the misfortune of protecting President Kennedy, November 22, 1963, and the specter of not reacting quickly enough has never fully left him, through the subsequent years. At the other end of the spectrum is ex-CIA assassin Mitch Leary (brilliantly portrayed by John Malkovich), who had become 'excess baggage' for the intelligence community, due to budget cuts. After surviving a bungled attempt to kill him, Leary decides to vent his rage at his 'betrayal' by assassinating the President. In his research, he discovers that the only agent still active from the 1963 team is Horrigan, and, deciding they shared a kinship, he begins to tease Horrigan with clues about himself, and how he'll kill the President.

The film builds up a 'head of steam' from the very first scene, as...

Secret Service Gets Boost from Eastwood
This review refers to the Special Edition DVD(Columbia)......

He was there when Kennedy was assassinated. It still haunts him 30 years later. If he had moved a fraction of a second sooner he may have saved his beloved president, But a what cost to him? He is Frank Horrigan(Eastwood), an aging Secret Service Agent, trained to do whatever it takes to protect the President of the United States. Now he has a chance to redeem himself in his own eyes.
A psychotic, but very clever, would be presidental assassin is on the loose. He calls himself Booth(Malkovich), (Because Booth had so much more "panache" then Oswald). He taunts Horrigan about the day Kennedy is shot, through phone calls. Lets him know that he intends to assassinate the president,even if it means dying himself, and taking Frank with him.
Frank does everything he can to track down this killer and save the president. Most of the other agents feel Frank is too old to keep up the pace of the Presidental...

In the Line of Fire on Blu Ray
Individual plot summaries of these movies can be found everywhere as well as opinions on the plots, acting and actors so I will focus only on the quality of the transfer of this movie to Blu Ray.

In the Line of Fire was shot some time ago but still has legs as an intriguing and suspenseful film. This Blu Ray came only with the one Blu Ray disc.

The video transfer is really quite clean with good details in the dark and shadow areas. At no point did I see any artifacts or dirt and, except in one of the deleted scenes, no stair stepping or color banding anywhere. The Mbps rate appeared to average in the mid twenties. Colors were natural looking and the focus of the transfer to blu ray is generally soft and film like without the video type color popping that we often see on some of today's films. Since I do not have the Standard Def version I really can't make a comparison between the formats but the Blu Ray transfer offers good contrast and clean imaging...

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The Amazing Spider-Man [HD]

The Amazing Spider-Man - point by point
I read a lot of reviews for this movie before watching it myself. In the end, they all boiled down to a few basic criticisms, which I kept in mind as I made my own appraisal. Here are the major problems people seem to have had with Marc Webb's "Amazing Spider-Man", along with my responses.

1. The reboot was too soon.

This more or less depends on your point of view. True, the last Spidey movie was in 2007, a mere five years ago - more than long enough to warrant another Spider-Man film; not exactly long enough to call for a complete reboot. On the other hand, I think a lot of people would agree that it's been more like eight years since the last GOOD Spider-Man film. I loved Raimi's work with the character, though I do criticize him on some minor points. But in the end, he really dropped the ball with Spider-Man 3, running a lot of good characters into the ground and painting himself into a corner with two hours of very messy plotting. In the end, whether a reboot...

Fitting Reboot of a Comic Legend
After watching the first five minutes of The Amazing Spiderman, I knew I was gonna like it; after the first hour (which includes a lot of exposition without being tedious) I actually preferred this one to the Raimi versions mainly cuz I think it possesses an intensity and believability that the previous films lacked.

Marvel seems to be producing more mature, rebooted versions of all their super-hero series and I actually prefer this variation on the Spider Man story as well, especially the disappearance of the pointless Mary Jane obsession (which always made me respect Spidey a little less). I suspect that a more scientifically savvy audience appreciates an ever evolving origins story and I also enjoyed the initial dealing-with-new-superpowers interlude which was very amusing and again just seemed a much more realistic reaction from Peter Parker to his new abilities. Exceptional performances for Peter and Gwen are what truly make this production stand out from every other...

I Miss the Old Peter
I miss the old Peter Parker, from the old comics. The one who was actually a nice guy. The one who acted like a jerk for just one panel of his origin story, and then spent the rest of his life doing good. The one who had a tough life, but who was too busy worrying about others to wallow in self pity. That guy was pleasant company. And if I can't have him, I'll take Toby McGuire.

Just once, I'd like to see a Spiderman movie where Peter keeps his mask on and does not reveal his secret identity, and/or show off his superpowers, to everyone he meets and her dad too. But of course, he must get this credit and applause, because it really is all about him.

Just once, I'd like to see a superhero movie, where the film-makers do not need to resort to the cheap ploy of threatening an entire city with destruction (which we know ain't going to happen). Why are not the lives of individual human beings enough of a threat to sustain our interest and sustain a movie? The...

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Andre Rieu: Home For The Holidays [Blu-ray]

incredible
BEST CHRISTMAS ALBUM I HAVE EVER SEEN. BEST VIEWED IN BLUE-RAY AND SURROUND SOUND. THE ALBUM IS VERY GOOD IN THE FIRST HALF, BUT BECOMES OUTSTANDING ING THE SECOND. I'M NOT A MUSIC STUDENT. I CAN ONLY REPORT ON WHAT GIVES ME PLEASURE. DON'T FAIL TO ORDER THIS ONE. AMAZON DELIVERED THIS WITHIN TWO DAYS OF RELEASE.

Wonderful Christmas experience-worth every penny-Andre is the best
This is the best Christmas DVD I have ever watched. Anyone who is a fan of Andre and loves Christmas must get this one.

Wonderful Andre Rieu Christmas Album
A wonderful Andre Rieu Christmas album. The setting is a winter wonderland. The blu ray version is outstanding. It has become one of my favorite Andre Rieu albums.

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