"You crapped on my heart."

That's how I felt after the SO told me she didn't "feel it" with this movie.  How can you not feel it with a movie about Vermont highway cops just trying to keep their jobs by screwing with everything and everyone they meet?  That's right, I'm talking about Super Troopers.

Pretty simple plot, really.  So this will be a short post, which is a shame.  For this movie has so much comedy oozing from it, you might need to get it checked out.  So, here's the plot.  Vermont is going through a bit of an economic crunch (sound familiar to the current state of our economy, hmm?).  Well, the governor of Vermont is closing some branches of the police force, and one of them might be this rag-tag bunch of Vermont state troopers.  They seem to find any way possible to have fun on and off the job.  Wonder if there was a huge increase in applications for the department back in 2001...

Well, anywho, they also like to pull pranks on the local police force of Spurbury, and of course the pranks go back and forth.  So you know someone will have to win in the end (hint: not Spurbury).  Both departments investigate a huge drug smuggling operation occurring in their area, but things aren't adding up correctly.  The state troopers stumble (literally stumble, because they are drunk... yeah, anything can happen with this police force) onto the shenanigans (hehe) of the real culprit and appear to save the day... until they get shut down.  What will they do?  Of course, because it's a comedy, they have to end up on top.  End of movie.

What you don't get out of this review is the hilarity that ensues from the Broken Lizard comedy group, who have been a part of other hits like Dukes of Hazzard and Beerfest.  This is still their best work, because it seems very fresh and new.  Clearly a cult favorite, this movie is probably continuously being played on college campuses around the nation.  What is key is keeping track of the pranks that are being pulled and who's getting the raw (sugar) end of the deal because that is what keeps the movie hilarious.  A few gross-out points, which I think totally shocked the SO, who was waiting for a movie that would have tons of quotable lines.  Sorry that this isn't Van Wilder or Anchorman.  It's all about boys being boys, even when they're grown men.

So although I don't own it, it could potentially end up in a Future Purchases post (wink wink), but for now, I was satisfied from the DVR recording.  May not be everyone's taste, but it does leave you wanting more... and by more, it definitely could fit into this green week of reviews, if you know what I mean... I mean pot, and not the kind you put plants in.  Later!

I'm 420! During the week of 4/20! How cool is that?!

Quick sidenote:  I noticed my place in the top blog sites list, and it's 420.  That is freakin' awesome during this most auspicious occasion of green week.

And so it remains I have three more reviews, which I will space out for one a day for the next three days.

Oh, and so I don't forget...a new DVD purchase this week!!!  I'll update you on that, too.

Finally, to give a shout-out to a place that rocks:

Von's Book Shop and Von's Comics, both great places to find just about anything you need when it comes to books, comics (obviously), music, DVDs (to buy and rent), beads, cards, and a whole bunch of things.  So please stop on by to support this local business, or if you aren't from around here, support local businesses around you, especially during this green week.

Later!

"I'm sorry Dave, I'm afraid I can't do that."

I totally apologize for not writing for over two weeks on this blog.  If it wasn't lab work, it was school work.  If it wasn't school work, it was a sinus infection that made my head feel like someone was squeezing out the last drop of toothpaste from my noggin.  But with a majority of these distractions quieting down now, I can get back to more important things, and this is one of them.  In the time that I've been away, I've seen 4 movies, but not all were seen in one continuous loop.  I'll explain with the first of four reviews.

Almost two weekends ago, the SO  wanted to lighten up the memory load on the DVR, and since most of the movies I had kept on it were "boring" to her, it came as no surprise that we would watch 2001: A Space Odyssey.  I really don't where to being to describe the plot of this movie, but here goes...

Cue "Thus Spake Zarathustra" theme, which we all know as the theme to 2001, where we see the moon, earth, and sun in alignment.  We then go into the "Dawn of Man."  This basically entails where primates first learned to use bones as weapons to not only hunt but also to take down enemies.  They learn this all-important skill from a huge black bar, or monolith.  How this happens, I haven't a clue.  But at this end of this phase of the movie, the primate throws his weapon up into the sky and we move to the second phase of the movie, which is untitled.

Described as TMA-1, we are introduced to Dr. Heywood Floyd who travels to Clavius base, which is a U.S. base on the moon.  There has been a huge mystery surrounding this base, as no contact has been received from this region in some time.  The thought is an epidemic has broken out and killed any individuals there.  Dr. Floyd's actual purpose is to investigate an strange anomaly dug up on the moon that emits a magnetic signal.  This anomaly is described as "Tycho Magnetic Anomaly One," or TMA-1.  When Dr. Floyd and a group of scientists travel to this site, the huge black monolith is the anomaly, which emits a high-pitched signal and the second phase of the movie ends.

Third phase is described as "Jupiter Mission: Eighteen Months Later," or as I like to call it, "I knew we shouldn't have given computers artificial intelligence."  Yes, this is where we meet two space pilots headed to Jupiter with three scientists cryogenically frozen until they reach Jupiter, and HAL-9000, the computer that gives everyone the heebie-jeebies.  Everything is working fine until one day HAL reports something is wrong with the communications system.  When the two pilots start to question HAL, that's when HAL goes nuts.  Well, to make a long story short (which I'm sure the SO would like to have known BEFORE we started watching the movie), HAL is turned off and we find out from a video that the mission to Jupiter is because the monolith on the moon was sending the signal to Jupiter.

The final phase of the movie is called "Jupiter and Beyond the Infinite" or as I like to call it "It's time to do drugs and watch the pretty colors part of the movie."  Really, it's totally trippy as we follow the surviving pilot from the Jupiter mission continue his travels to Jupiter, but as he's getting there there are all these weird colors and lines the we see, which are intermittently disrupted by a close-up of the pilot's eye (in weird colors).  This goes on for what seems like 10 minutes, until we end up in a room with a slightly older version of the pilot.  We follow this version until it witnesses an even older version, until we eventually see the version ready to "kick the bucket" and at this point the monolith returns.  Then all of a sudden we see a fetus in a bubble and the musical theme of 2001.

So yeah, totally trippy movie from 1968, when it seemed like it was encouraged to take acid or smoke the mary jane and create a movie, besides using these drugs while watching it.  The SO said she had to watch it because it's considered the movie that is the foundation for science fiction movies since its premiere... but she wouldn't watch it again.  She said this after the third phase of the movie, when the DVR recording stopped...

Yeah, missed the last twenty minutes of the movie because TCM had it only going for two hours, and the movie is two hours AND twenty minutes long.  Kind of a bummer really, because we had to wait until it was on again five days later on another movie channel.  Kinda killed the buzz, especially if you were hoping to get the entire experience over quickly.  Which I think is how the SO felt, who was just dying during the slow parts of the movie (which is most of it, for her anyways).  And the strange singing/screaming when the monolith entered the film...

So at least we won't have to buy the DVD.  And even though it is this monumental film, when it first premiered in theatres, it was panned.  Only after watching it a second and third time did reviewers give it the praise it has received for over forty years.

Funny story (not really funny at all...for me, anways), the first time I watched this movie was with my father which was not a good idea.  Imagine watching this movie with your dad, who's strong in his Christian beliefs and the start of the movie begins with an evolutionary theme.  Awkward...

So it's a historical movie for science fiction, but I'm going to guess it's the only time the SO will ever watch it.  I think it's pretty cool, at least for the music, but it's going to remain one of this films that only will be viewed by these blue eyes when I have to introduce it to someone naive to the movie.  Hoping that will be a long time from now...

Later!

"That meat lover's pizza is NOT loving me back!"

It seems like it's been forever since I've been on a regular schedule of reviewing DVDs, so it was nice to get back to some normalcy for this weekend.  And because I felt bad that the SO didn't pick a DVD last week, I thought she could have the first crack for this weekend (So does this count as last month's SO pick or this month's SO pick?  Hmm...).

And of course, she never disappoints with her pick, meaning it's going to be a Disney selection, and what better selection to make than the most recent DVD purchase involving a film from that lovable mouse... about a dog.  But not just any dog, I'm talking about Bolt.

Yes, yes, I know.  It's pretty obvious that Disney went the old-fashioned route of selecting a topic for a movie: they copied someone else's idea, then Disneyfied it.  You know what I'm talking about.  They even stole from a company they routinely work with (Pixar) by using the same premise as with Buzz Lightyear in Toy Story.  Then they had to increase the cuteness factor of the main character the only way they know how: increase the size of the eyes and you have millions of girls lining up to want to see the film.  I know, the SO is one of them.  She didn't see it in theaters, but she didn't hide her feelings for buying the DVD once it came out.

So here's the quick synopsis: Girl buys Bolt (voiced by John Travolta) from a shelter when he's a puppy, they are part of a television show, and just like The Truman Show, Bolt doesn't know he's a character in the production.  He thinks it's all real, including his super powers (including Super Bark... ooh, sc-ary).  To boost ratings, the show has Penny (voiced by Miley Cyrus... thank God she played a minimal part, her voice alone can be quite annoying!) kidnapped, but Bolt really thinks she needs to be rescued.  He's able to escape into the real world, and along the way, he learns from his new acquaintances that he's living a fantasy world.  As much as this hurts, Bolt still searches for his human.  And in typical fashion, there's a climax and a resolution to the problem.

This movie felt like Homeward Bound: the CGI version.  Bolt has to go across America to find his human, with the help of a cat and in this case a hamster.  And it seemed like every other movie that Disney does these days and in the past.  Usually there's a new take on the theme, but there didn't seem to be that new take.  I will say that if you had never seen a Disney movie, and you were under the age of 10, you probably love this movie.  But I can't say the same, as I've seen a lot of Disney movies, and the last time I checked, I couldn't pass for a 10-year old if I tried.

I think the only reason the SO loved it was because of how cute Bolt was.  How could I tell this?  She gets this look in her eyes that says, "I want a puppy."  We can't afford a bunny, let alone a canine, so as much as she may look at me with those puppy-dog eyes of hers, we can't get one.  And why did I agree to get this DVD?  If you are in a relationship (straight or gay) you know there are certain things you have to do to keep your SO happy, and if this is one little thing that does that, I'll suffer... for now.

That's okay, I get her back with this blog, including her incredible spelling skills...

Yeah, I didn't know Indiana's capital was named for Native Americans AND the eastern European nation of Poland.  That's good to know.

Ultimately, this is how I break it down.  Typical Disney trite, but it keeps the SO happy.  So I lose on all fronts.  Except in this post...hehehe!  Later!

NOW we have a fund cap!

It finally happened, a purchase which raised the issue with how to manage the DVD-Yarn/Shoe Fund.  And again, I can blame Borders for it all...

So on Thursday, I received an e-mail (I should probably just unsubscribe to the mailing list) from Borders that said select DVD titles were going to be 40% off regular price Friday through Sunday.  You know what that means:

"B-A-By...do you think we can go to Borders Friday night?"

And then, the look.

But the difference in this look is that the SO knows she can get more yarn this way.  So she agreed.  I wasn't looking for anything pricey this time around.  Just a week ago, I had used a 40% off coupon to buy The Public Enemy for 12 bucks, so I was looking for something I really wished to have, that I couldn't find at Best Buy (i.e. any classic movie), that wasn't going to cost an arm and a leg.

Of course, I had a few in mind.  The first being Amadeus, but it wasn't a "selected" title.  They didn't have The Awful Truth (oh, Cary Grant...).  Super Troopers can easily be bought at Best Buy, so I didn't want to waste this opportunity.  That didn't leave much, but oh...

What's this?

Can it be?

What is THIS doing in the bargain counter?

Finally, a purchase worthy of 40% off its regular price.  I'm talking about The Chaplin Collection: Volume One.  I know!  How was this still available?  I don't know.  About a month ago, I had seen it at the top of the shelves in the comedy DVD section.  Last week, I didn't see it, so I thought it had been purchased by some evil person who didn't want me to enjoy some silent movie action.  But for some strange reason, it was still here.  And it was "tagged" (with red tape), meaning it counted for 40% off!!!

So originally, the price of the collection was $76.99.  So 40% of that price is $30.80, meaning the final price was $46.19!  Totally worth it.  But this led down to a dark, dirty road known as the "Fund Cap"...

Originally, the SO and I had agreed that however much I spent on DVDs, she could spend that amount on yarn and/or shoes.  But with this purchase, the SO put her foot down and said that there had to be a limit to my happiness.  Meaning that this could easily get out of hand, and what would really be the purpose of this fund if one person could still spend hundreds on their vice, when this was meant to curb that spending?  The current cap is set at $75, but it may be brought down slowly until it reaches a $50 limit, total.  I know, bummer, but I just need to get the SO to buy more yarn/shoes (which I hate, but if there's a DVD I really want...).

And I know there's a DVD I'm wanting...

Later!