Talladega Nights (comedy): This is the story of Ricky Bobby, a NASCAR driver who has it all, loses it all, and has to fight his way back to the top. I really think Will Ferrell is funny, but like Jack Black, he is one of those actors who has the ability to really disappoint me with some of his movies. Thankfully, this was not one of them. It was all stupid humor, and I found myself laughing more often than not. Dear little baby Jesus, who’s sittin’ in his crib watchin the Baby Einstein videos, learnin’ ’bout shapes and colors, I would like to thank you for bringin’ me this movie. A-

Da Vinci Code (thirller): For those who live under a rock, the Da Vinci Code explores all the conspiracy theories revolving around the Knights Templar and the early Church. I enjoyed reading the Da Vinci Code so much that I blew through it in a couple of days, but the movie seemed like it took a bit longer. Tom Hanks and Audrey Tautou were completely miscast for the main roles, which caused the movie to move a little slower than I would’ve liked, but my biggest gripe was that they left out a pretty significant part of the ending. I hate to say it, but the movie didn’t live up to the book. C+

Totally Awesome (comedy): This is a spoof/blend of every 80’s movie that you can remember. Unless you are an 80’s movie fanatic, most of the references will probably go over your head, making the movie a large waste of time. I can say the only saving grace of the movie was Tracy Jordan’s Kurtis Blow like character, who never failed to crack me up. I still crack up #1GF! with the phrase “Plug me in!”. C-

Little Miss Sunshine (drama): A little girl wins a beauty contest and her family drives with her across country to attend the National beauty pageant. I was really impressed with the fact that someone created such a diverse cast of characters to cram into a VW bus: There was a heroin addicted grandfather, a philosophical son who won’t talk, a father with a failing self-help business, a gay, suicidal uncle, and an ugly beauty contestant. Unfortunately, that’s about where it ended. Sure, the characters were interesting, but the story built up to an ending that didn’t really deserve it. C+

You, Me & Dupree (romantic comedy): There’s a chick, and a guy and the guy’s best friend who gets in the way. There are a million romantic comedies based on this re-hashed, formulaic plot. It wasn’t really that bad, but I won’t say it was good, either. Actually, I’m bored with talking about it already. Let’s move on. (I think this is the worst review I have ever written. I owe you thirty seconds.) C

Trailer Park Boys Season 4 (tv comedy): Trailer Park Boys is one of my favorite comedies that I can’t talk to anyone about because no one seems to have seen it. In my opinion, this is the finest season of the Canadian series, and it should be begged, stolen, or borrowed. It is sort of important to go through the first three seasons, but you can’t borrow them until my Dad is finished with them. A.

Beerfest (horseshit): Some dudes go to Germany because of a will or something and some excuses for lame jokes and boobs show up. I picked this up without any high expectations on the remote chance that it would end up being another Harold and Kumar. It wasn’t. If I said that the funniest parts were in the trailer, I’d only be telling half the truth because the trailer wasn’t all that funny. F

The Devil Wears Prada (chick flick): Girl goes to the big city to reluctantly get into the fashion industry and of course, fall in love. I can’t really say this was a bad movie, but to go so far as to make the point that the fashion industry is something to be seriously admired is taking it a bit far. I think they must’ve hired the same people that write for the TV show “Ugly Betty,” because this could’ve been a lengthy episode. B-

Comedian (documentary): This is a documentary that compares the lives of two stand-up comedians. One is a cocky, young nobody, and the other is a post-TV Jerry Seinfeld. The interesting part about this documentary wasn’t the comedy, but the people talking about what it is to be a stand up comic. Seinfeld’s goal was to work up an hour of brand new material, which most comedians consider a monumental task. It included a bunch of celebrity comics, but I think my favorite part of this movie was Chris Rock talking about recently seeing Bill Cosby in concert. Cosby did two and a half hours of material that Rock had never heard before. Because comics typically only do twenty minutes of re-hashed jokes on stage, Rock laments, “I felt like a fuckin’ fraud, Jerry.” B+

The Whole Ten Yards (comedy): It’s Bruce Willis and that guy from Friends running through the holes in a poorly written sequel to “The Whole Nine Yards”. This was in my queue for a long time and accidentally worked its way to the top when I wasn’t paying attention. I know this review sucks, too, but please just avoid this movie. Let’s not remember Bruce Willis this way. He was once an action hero. D

The Last Kiss (drama): Oh look Zach Braff is a confused thirty something in a romantic movie. Fuck. This movie is the reason that I am sick of Zach Braff. It’s so artificially heavy that it makes me want to punch the new generation of twenty somethings and tell them to quit fucking whining and go get a decent haircut. C-

Zathura (kiddie): Two brothers move to a new house and find a game called Zathura under the stairs. As they start playing it, they’re transported to another world. I originally heard about this movie from an episode of The Apprentice, and despite it being a kiddie movie, I was completely entertained by it. There is no denying that the plot was lifted straight out of Jumanji, but frankly, I can’t say that I care. It was awesome. They spent a lot of effort to avoid using a lot of computer generated effects, and it really enhanced the movie’s believability. When you see an explosion, it’s a real planted charge explosion. When you see the house tilt, a giant hydraulic lift physically tilted the whole house during filming. As an adult, I got totally sucked in by this movie, and it’s safe for the whole family to watch. A

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