She's Out Of My League

I'm Reed Fish meets John Tucker Must Die meets Beauty And The Beast

This coming of age comedy (even though the main character is over 20) tackles the topic of self esteem and why listening to your friends is such a bad idea. In short, listen to your heart, not your friends.

Jay Baruchel stars as Kirk, an insecure airport worker with a disfunctional family and shallow, superficial friends. He's hung up on a former lover who is closer to his parents than he is, until he meets the gorgeous Molly. Quite by accident he stumbles across her phone, goes to return it to her, and thats where our story begins. When the two start dating, his friends and family are all in shock. Adding to the mix is Molly's handsome, successful, pilot ex-boyfriend who's determined to win her back. Kirk can't believe his luck, but things are never quite as they seem. His best friend classifies him as a 5, with Molly as a "hard 10." Kirk's unsupportive family only makes things worse. With so much on the line, our hero is faced with many choices with shocking and often hilarious results. This light hearted comedy is not a movie to be missed. Don't go looking for any moral value, but if you've got nothing better to do, give "She's Out Of My League" a spin.

5 Stars

Observe and Report

Right Now the World Needs a Hero...and it Sure as Hell Ain't Seth Rogen

I finally got around to seeing this movie and looking back now I wish I hadn't. This foul mouthed "action" comedy isn't funny...at all. Its full of profanity, graphic male nudity (don't ask me to elaborate on that) and just about everything else we as human beings don't need to see. The worst thing though, is its just so unoriginal. In short, this movie is a rip off of Paul Blart: Mall Cop without the laughs and good natured humor of Kevin James. Seth Rogen should stick with Judd Apatow.

Rogen stars as overweight rent-a-cop Ronnie Barnheart who spends his days pretending to be a hero at the local mall and his nights with his alcoholic mother. He hides his dream of being an actual cop from everyone and secretly crushes on cosmetics counter cutie Brandi (Anna Ferris, stealing the show as always, though in a movie like this it isn't that hard). When a chubby pervert clad only in shoes and a bath robe starts flashing his private parts to women in the mall parking lot, Ronnie sees his chance to become a real cop. Only thing standing in his way? Tall, handsome, sucessful Detective Harrison (Ray Liotta) who actually knows how to do his job. Theres a lot more to the plot, but I'm not even going to bother going into detail, as this is a movie no one needs to see. Observe and Report ranks with Norbit (http://wiseguyreviews1.blogspot.com/2011/02/norbit.html) as one of the worst movies ever made. Avoid it at all costs.

1.5 Stars

Rise Against - Endgame

Solid Band, Solid Album

Rise Against continues to impress me. They remind us what alternative rock is all about, and their usual sprinkles of war and political themes always make for a great record. With so many bands selling out these days I was a little worried about RA, but I needn't have been. Rise Against still has their signature sound, mostly heavy guitar riffs mixed in the occasional acoustic track. Help Is On the Way and Survivor's guilt get my votes for the top tracks, but really, this album doesn't have a bad song. All I can say is Rise Against won't let me down, down (yes, that was a reference to Prayer of the Refugee, not a track from this album, but a great Rise Against track never the less) Fans of the band will not be disappointed. If you'r just thinking about trying out Rise Against, there's no better time than now.

4 Stars

Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps

Guess the Stock Market isn't the Only Thing that's Recently Crashed...

Money never sleeps but Oliver Stone sure does. This follow up to the Douglas/Sheen classic was began filming 23 years after the first. That's right, 23 years. Oliver Stone, like many filmmakers seemed to have fallen asleep at the wheel, but when it looked like bad times were coming he seized his chance to step back into action.

Shia LaBeouf is truly a rarity among today's young stars. He went from Disney Channel to Wall Street, I'd like to see Miley Cyrus do that. LaBeouf plays Jake, an ambitious young trader who just so happens to be dating the daughter of fallen Wall Street kingpin Gordon Gekko. Just as he's set to propose to his girlfriend Gekko is released from prison and his mentor, Lou (skillfully portrayed by Frank Langella) takes his own life when his company boots him. Josh Brolin is solid as Bretton James, greedy new megalomaniac behind Lou's demise. Gekko's daughter has a broke relationship with her father which she doesn't want to fix. Jake wants to fix things for them but discovers that the deeper he goes, the worse things get. All that said, its not a bad movie, by any means. "I once said that greed was good, not it seems its legal" states Gekko. "We take a buck, shoot it with steroids and call it leverage." This movie should hit home for anyone who lost money or was hurt in any way when the stock market crashed in 2008. If you liked the original give Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps a try.

4 Stars

The Other Guys

Die Hard Meets Dumb and Dumber

Action comedy is a hard genre to perfect. You can either have Die Hard or Dumb and Dumber, not both. However, this movie found a way around that rule.

Featuring action stars Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson, Samuel L. Jackson and Mark Wahlberg along with comedy mastermind Will Ferrell, this movie has just about everything. The bullets fly fast, but the laughs fly faster and theres even some romance. Johnson and Jackson star as flashy, heroic cops who meet their demise in the line of duty early on. When New York City needs a hero, who's left to save the day? Certainly not the other guys, the desk cops who do the real cop's paperwork. At least thats what the city thinks. Among the desk cops are an unlikely pair; Terry (Wahlberg) is an angry cop who longs for action. His demise was mistakenly shooting Derek Jeter during the 07' worse series. Allan (Ferrell) is his easy going parter who just likes things quiet. When duty calls, however, the dimwitted duo is forced to step into action and thats just where our story begins. Weather your taste is action, comedy, or both, give The Other Guys a spin. Not a movie to be missed.

5 Stars

Dropkick Murphys - Going Out in Style

You'll Never Beat the Irish

With St. Paddys Day rapidly approaching I've been jamming out to a lot of Irish music, both folk and rock. When the Dropkick Murphys's new album hit the shelves I knew I had to give it a listen. I've long been a fan of the band and they didn't disappoint me here.

This album features great covers such as The Irish Rover first made famous by Irish folk group The Pogues years ago. I didn't think anyone would be able to beat their version but The Dropkick Murphys proved me wrong. There are of course many great originals, including the title track. Rock and Roll legend Bruce Springsteen is featured on Peg O' My Heart, which is my favorite track of the album. If they Dropkick Murphys never released another album they would certainly be going out in style with this. So far the year's top album this is not an album to be missed. Happy St. Patrick's Day to The Dropkick Murphys and all those who love the Shamrock Shore.

5 Stars

The Catcher in the Rye - J.D. Salinger

First and Biggest Name in Young Adult Fiction. Emphasis on First

I'm like tons of American teenagers. I enjoy reading but I can rarely find a book that I simply can't put down. When The Catcher in the Rye was assigned as an English assignment I didn't think much of it. I had heard mixes reviews from adults and teens alike regarding the book. I knew, however, that it had once been banned in schools and I was curious as to why. By the end of the first chapter I knew I had stumbled upon something special.

I'm sure your familiar with Holden Caulfield, the depressed and complex heroine of Catcher in the Rye. Confused and unsure of himself and what he wants he runs away from his posh Prep School and heads to New York City before telling his parents that he's been expelled form yet another school. He wanters through the city almost in a daze where he encounters, old friends, old flames, prostitutes and their pimps and eventually his own younger sister, the sole human being who he feels truly understands him.

Told in a remarkable teenager like voice, this is truly a book every teenager should read. I think everyone can find a little bit of Holden Caulfield if they search deep enough. Its not an overly long book but I sometimes wish it was. Its really a remarkable book, the likes of which have never been seen since.

5 Stars