Monthly Archives: June 2006

The Devil Wears Prada

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OK, so I realize it has been a while since I have done any book reviews. I’m still trying to power through Holy Blood, Holy Grail…it ain’t easy reading. So in lieu of my latest book review, I am here to give you my special advance review of a book that was made into a movie, The Devil Wears Prada.

When Alli and I went to see The Break-Up on Sunday, she grabbed an invite to this advance screening of the movie. From what I gathered, they were looking to see how it would test with a similar audience because there were other attendees at the movie who came from some other theaters who had also seen The Break-Up.

Alli and I have been to our share of screenings, but we rarely ever get to attend advance screenings where we get to give feedback on the movie. This was one such occasion…some very official looking guy (maybe a director or producer) introduced the movie to us and told us we were the first audience to see the movie. I felt like a Hollywood insider in Kansas City…it was pretty cool.

Once the movie finally started (we had to be at the theater an hour early to ensure a seat…we brought in our own dinner…CHIPOTLE BABY!), it went quickly. The movie lasted about an hour and fifty minutes and just about all of it was really entertaining. In fact, it was so entertaining that I’m still thinking of it the next day. A day of space actually usually helps me to get a better perspective on movies. I absolutely love the experience of the movies so much that it is usually better for me to review a flick the day after to let that movie high wear off a bit.

There really wasn’t any wearing off on me for this movie (unlike X-Men, which got worse the further I got from it)…I thought this was terrific. From the people I have talked to that have read the book, it was built to transfer to film well. The story is interesting and the characters come alive on the screen. What is difficult to tell is whether that is a function of Lauren Weisberger’s original story and characters or the absolutely stellar acting of nearly the entire cast.

Meryl Streep leads this ensemble and she REALLY leads it. She elevates the level of acting of just about everyone around her in the movie (save Simon Baker, who is absolutely terrible). Rumor has it that Anne Hathaway was brought to tears by how good Meryl’s acting was in one of the many scenes that they shot together. I can understand how (not that I was brought to tears…it’s just that she is so ON that you can’t help but just marvel at her).

In addition, it was nice to see my boy Vinnie Chase in a movie…oh wait, that was Adrian Grenier, the actor who plays Vinnie Chase on Entourage (starting Sunday baby!!!). Grenier basically tweaks his Entourage character just slightly to play Nate, Andy’s boyfriend. He does a good job, but I was more pleased for him to just have some work, considering his last role in a movie that was this big was playing Melissa Joan Hart’s love interest in Drive Me Crazy (yes, the movie that featured the Britney Spears song).

For those of you who think this is a “chick flick”, I would say this: in some ways, it is. I can’t deny that the movie is about fashion and the two main characters are very strong women. But that being said, I would not classify this as a chick flick, just as I wouldn’t classify The Break-Up as a romantic comedy. This is a really different movie that is more about self-discovery and growth than it is about fashion. And not in a cheesy way. It still manages to be funny too, which – considering all the other things that I think it accomplished – is pretty impressive.

So here’s my recommendation:

Ladies…you’ll like this movie. It is very funny and smart and showcases the talent of two terrific women – one of them a Hollywood legend, and the other, most recently best known for making out in a backseat with Jake “I wish I knew how to quit you” Gyllenhaal.

Fellas…I know this is a tougher sell. I have been to a lot of “chick flicks” in my day and I’ve seen bad ones and good ones alike. This is one of the least “chick flick” feeling movies that I’ve seen in quite a while out of that genre. I imagine that your lady will want to see this movie (and after reading this review, why wouldn’t she?). I suggest that you go with her on this one. It’s a good flick and I think you’ll be surprised like I was.

It will be in theaters on June 30.

Sean, You’re Hired

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In the absolute SNOOZER of a finale last night, Sean Yazbeck was hired as Donald Trump’s fifth Apprentice. There was a point last night where I thought that Trump was going to look to the camera and say, “Just kidding….these guys are a couple of clowns would could barely manage their way out of a pair of pants, let alone a multi-million dollar company. I’m changing the rules and I’m going to hire Rebecca like I should have last season.”

Seriously…the season started off so well. Lots of drama, interesting, seemingly talented people, but none of them panned out. The season was an absolute trainwreck. It’s no wonder that George and Carolyn were scarce this year. They didn’t want to be associated with these untalented hacks. I know that reality TV should have some amount of drama, but what really suffered here is the Trump Organization. They didn’t have a chance with these morons to pick from.

Hopefully, the next season in Los Angeles will result in better candidates. The show needs a fresh look (one that sorta started gestating this season with the addition of Ivanka and Don Jr. and more of Bill, who is still the best Apprentice out of all 5) and hopefully the California sun will provide the spark that the show needs.

My idea for a task? Come up with the best new hairstyle for Mr. Trump.

Shotgun Rules

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Today in my internet travels (i.e. reading my feeds), I stumbled upon a little site that may settle a long-standing contention between male friends across the globe.

This site aims to put to rest the confusion that resonates from parking lots across the nation when a guy says those two little syllables:

Shot. Gun.

Some brilliant fellows have catalogued and come to a relative conclusion on what the definitive shotgun rules are and they have published said rules both on their web site and in a handy $6 book.

The 3 main rules:

  1. You must say the word “Shotgun”
  2. Whatever activity you were doing previously (watching a baseball game, sitting on the couch, playing a pick-up basketball game) must be completed before you can call “Shotgun” (e.g. you cannot call Shotgun on Monday for your trip to the antique mall…errr…gun show…on Friday)
  3. You must be outside to call Shotgun

These rules constitute the main rules, but there are exceptions and penalties to the rules (“the barefoot rule” – you must have your shoes on, “Hand on Door” – Shotgun cannot be called once someone’s hand is on the door, and my personal favorite, the “Significant Other Exception” – which gives full Shotgun voidability to the driver’s significant other.

In addition, the rules also state a long-standing tradition within my shotgun clique: all discrepancies will be rectified using Paper, Rock, Scissors.

I commend the authors Joshua Pearson, Thomas Reuter, and William Henderson for their visionary work on the subject. Their commitment to peace and fair car habitation will be commended for centuries to come.

The Break-Up

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If you are planning on going and seeing the latest Jennifer Aniston-Vince Vaughn flick, bear this in mind: it is not a typical romantic comedy.

There has been so much hype surrounding this movie that I think a lot of people are going expecting to see Wedding Crashers II with Vince & Jen. The thing is, this is less a romantic comedy and more a “relationship dramedy”. It’s really a great take on what happens to relationships when the lines of communication break down. You’ll find both parties somewhat at fault, but at the core is really a misunderstanding of how to communicate.

That being said, I really really liked this flick. Vince Vaughn and Jennifer Aniston give what I think are their best acting performances to date.

Vince Vaughn is really impressive. The guy has made the “fun-lovin’ party guy” role famous in movies like Old School, Dodgeball, and Wedding Crashers, but here, he shows that he can reign it in when it is absolutely necessary. (Vaughn fans, don’t worry, there are plently of quotables and Vaughn rants in this flick, they just don’t account for the meat of the movie.) His portrayal of Gary Grobowski, a typical Chicago guy who is just trying to carve out his own place is so genuine that you really have to ask yourself if you’re just watching a movie about the real Vaughn (possible, considering that Vaughn is credited with assisting in the story creation).

Where I thought Vaughn was at his best in Break-Up wasn’t during his hilariously funny first meeting with Aniston’s Brooke, but it was when he wasn’t saying anything at all. His pensive looks, his moments of introspection just rang true with me.

Director Peyton Reed (Down With Love) did an absolutely phenomenal job at making us feel like we were a part of the scenery. When Gary and Brooke fight, I almost felt uncomfortable because it seemed like I was eavesdropping on a private conversation.

As far as Jennifer Aniston’s performance goes…from what I understand, Vaughn and his writing partners wrote Brooke with her in mind (this is before they were an item, mind you. I thought that her portrayal of Brooke was great and it helped to solidify the commonly accepted belief that she was one of the best of the actors from Friends. The chemistry between them makes a lot of sense because they are so good at being normal. They are normal people with normal problems (although few people are as skinny as she is) and that is what makes this movie so interesting.

If I were a filmmaker, this is the kind of movie I would want to make. It won’t win any awards, but it will ring true with audiences because they can identify with the characters. They are real people who have problems communicating and coming to a common ground. That’s the stuff that us people in the real world deal with every day. That’s why I appreciated this movie so much. It wasn’t the scene-chewing Vaughn or the beautiful Aniston that made this movie. It was their interaction and their interpretation of what a real relationship is like – the struggles, the highs and lows, and all the stuff that happens in between all the really good times.

As long as you realize that you are not going to see a typical Vince Vaughn movie, you might like this as much as I did. And I liked it a lot.

UPDATE: This movie ended up doing incredibly well at the box office, out-pacing X-Men: The Last Stand by about $5 million. Considering that its budget was about a quarter what X-Men was…that isn’t too bad.

Bunnicide

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So it has been a long time since I mowed my yard. It was a combination of my serious SERIOUS grass allergy (I hate early summer) and my completely crazy weekend and the recent rain that we’ve had. I TRIED to mow on Tuesday night, but there was the bunny incident and then it rained the following night as well.

Finally, I had the time tonight. I came home early because Terminix was coming and we had a consultation with California Closets about building me a custom desk for my office. It was over before 5, so I rushed out to mow my overgrown fescue/bluegrass jungle. I made the choice not to mulch or bag the grass, but to use the side-distributor-thingy for the first time. It went really fast for how long it was (I like the side-distributor-thingy).

Once I finished the front, I went to the backyard and things were going great until I was mowing around the bradford pear we planted. That’s when it happened.

I stepped on a bunny.

I stepped on a bunny and the bunny died. I killed a living thing that was not a bug. It wasn’t intentional, mind you, but I felt awful. If there is a bright side to this story, it’s this…I found another one nearby that was VERY alive. Trying to use the same method as before, I tried to catch him with the pooper scooper and guide him into a box so I could carry him across the street to field.

I couldn’t catch him and he escaped under the fence. I imagine he was terrified of my feet considering he likely witnessed the earlier bunnicide.

Thinking about it with a few hours of distance between the incident and now, I am still sad. That bunny didn’t get to experience much. For some reason he ended up in our backyard and under my foot. I don’t know why. But I’ll tell you what…I feel awful about it.

Congratulations Buffalo Clubbers

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I’ve talked before about how my best friends are a bunch of guys that I grew up playing volleyball with. Well, today, I’m really excited for them.

They recently participated in the USA Volleyball Open in New Orleans and they won the Mens’ AA championship. Not only that, but my former college roommate (you are the man, Stowell!) – was named MVP of the tournament. Not bad for a bunch of volleyballers from Kansas City. From what I understand another one of my roommates (the winner of the Biggest Loser contest) – was named to the all-tournament team as well. That’s the rumor, but I haven’t yet confirmed that.

My team went to nationals, but I didn’t participate. A small part of me wishes that I would have, but in the end, I had a great Memorial Day weekend with Alli’s parents. Volleyball season didn’t go as I planned this year, which is too bad, but we’ll see what next year brings.

I just want to say congratulations to the Buffalo Club, the team that I helped name back in the day. I’m proud of you guys and really happy for you.