Hard to believe it has been over a month since I said I would review this movie — time flies…

So I found myself with some time to kill and near the Seminole Town Center theater, I decided to go check out Baby Mama.  Now, as Spaldy can attest to, there is something I just love about seeing Tina Fey or Amy Poehler on screen — combining them?!?!?!?! You know I am going to check it out…

The story centers on Fey’s character, a career woman trying to have a baby but unable to.  Choosing to go with surrogacy, she is paired up with Poehler, who agrees to carry her baby.  I wish at this point I could say a smart, funny movie unfolded…

Unfortunately, wishes do not always come true.

What ends up unfolding on the screen is a predictable mess — something that should have aired on ABC Family and not wasted the talents of Fey, Poehler, Greg Kinnear, or Sigourney Weaver.  I love all of these actors and enjoy much of what they produce onscreen.  Maybe that is why I am so disappointed in this movie.  In reviewing the credits at the end, I noted that there were four writers credited, none of them Fey.  That makes me feel a little better, but looking at this publicity shot, I get the feeling that Fey knew it wasn’t going to be good.

My advice: see it on cable, but don’t get your hopes up….

Nothing like catching up on old reviews…

Flashback to May. Everyone was talking about Iron-Man and hoping Indy would not disappoint. I was a couple of weeks into my layoff and jonesing for some entertainment. Even though I had heard that it wasn’t that good, I wanted to see Leatherheads.

It is a simple movie that attempts to 3 dissimilar audiences: sports fans, period piece fans, and romantic comedy fans. Unfortunately, in trying to please all, it disappointed all.

My biggest beef is with the casting. Individually, great choices; together, not so hot. In order to pull off a love triangle story, the lead actress must have chemistry with the main guy and a little with the other guy. Renee Zellweger, while fun to watch in period pieces, had zero chemistry with George Clooney and Jim Krasinsky; as a matter of fact, the guys had better chemistry with each other. This made it hard for me to believe that they would fight over each other.

The story had potential, but lacked focus. Everything else was fine.

My advice: catch it on cable – fun, but not worth paying for…

I read the books as a kid, but that was over 25 years ago.  I have forgotten everything except some of the titles.  So it is safe to say that I am not a huge fan.  Disney, having passed on Lord of the Rings, chose this series as a competitor.

Swing and miss….

While the first one released had a good story, this one appears to have left its story behind.  Everything that was made important was dismissed quickly in the final 10 minutes.  Maybe it’s my improv training, but a story that has that happen is not satisfying.  The 4 heroes did nothing to solve their own problems; they kept hoping Aslan would show up.

My advice: skip it; save the 2 hours for much better movies out this summer…

Growing up in the late ’70s, two shows were mandatory Friday night viewing for me: The Dukes of Hazzard and The Incredible Hulk.  Granted, I was 8 at the time, but they were still cool.  Those who know me know that I tend to have a nasty temper at times and I found myself during that time saying “Don’t make me angry.  You wouldn’t like me when I am angry.”

So, Rich calls me up to go see Hulk and of course I am agreeable.  After grabbing a quick bite, we found ourselves in the Waterford Lakes Regal, waiting for the movie to start.  For the next two hours, we and the rest of the audience are treated to a movie that exceeded guarded expectations.

Unlike most people, I appreciate the version Ang Lee directed in 2003.  In order to do that, you have to put it in the context of a graphic novel telling a different story (ala Elseworld-style).  What we see in 2008 is what we wanted to see back then.

Yes, the Hulk is all CGI; yet he seems very human and more proportionate to the rest of the world.  For those that loved the TV series, there are several nods to the show, including appearances by Lou Ferrigno and the late Bill Bixby.  The story is kept simple, only adding complexity when necessary.

What I found interesting was the realization that it mirrored the story of King Kong at times: the only thing that could calm the beast was the beauty…

My advice: pay the full price and see it in a GOOD theater; not quite as good as Iron Man, but pretty darn entertaining…

In the late ’80s, when MTV still played videos, the mammoth network broke up the monotony of each day with a game show called Remote Control.  Besides putting Colin Quinn in everyone’s home each night, the show also had questions/clues delivered by a wacky young kid who did various characters.   Later in the early ’90s, that kid showed up on Saturday Night Live and I learned his name was Adam Sandler.  Over the next few years, Sandler honed his characters with an eye towards the big screen.  His first release, Billy Madison, was a big hit because it came out at a time when audiences loved stupid humor like it and Dumb And Dumber.  He soon followed it up with Happy Gilmore and others.  Each film got better (well, ignore Little Nicky) and smarter with story and humor.

So I was out with a friend and we wanted to see a movie.  Not caring to see anything else at the time, we opted for Zohan and Sandler.  We had to sit extremely close; luckily it was not a movie with handi-cam work.

It is typical Adam Sandler fare: basic thread for a story, various types of humor thrown in and guest stars (Mariah Carey) you would not expect.  As he has for many of Sandler’s movies, Dennis Dugan directed this average piece of entertainment.  For me, it felt like it was only slightly better than Billy Madison, but not as good as Happy Gilmore.

My advice: wait for DVD or cable; if you have to see it in theaters, then wait for the dollar theater…