Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby

Genres: Action/Adventure, Comedy and Sports
Running Time: 1 hr. 50 min.
Release Date: August 4th, 2006 (wide)
MPAA Rating: PG-13 for crude and sexual humor, language, drug references and brief comic violence.
Distributors: Sony Pictures Releasing

Director: Adam McKay

JJ Rating: B+

I saw the previews for this movie and laughed at the bits that they showed in there. I repeated them all day long while with my friend and then we went and saw it and I still laughed at the parts that were in the movie that I laughed at in the preview. I was very amused. However, I do think it lasted too long for my liking.

I like the humor that was in this movie because it made me laugh out loud and that makes it good. It made me want to laugh and that is also good. Since it is a NASCAR thing there is expected to be product placement and that is what there was. But the way that it was done made it all the more funny. They had Ricky Bobby product place a lot of random things that were major products for the most part.

His children were very rough around the edges and it would do them good to get smacked around the room a few times but that doesn’t mean they weren’t funny. I laughed so hard during the dinner table scene. That was one long scene but it was so funny. The kids were talking back to grandfather and then Ricky Bobby going on and on about which Jesus he liked. I was really amused by that part.

The best part of the preview was where Ricky Bobby thought he was on fire and he was running around. That scene in the movie was still funny even after seeing it a few billion times on TV and at the theater. I really love that line about Tom Cruise it’s just so funny.

Ricky Bobby’s dad is so apathetically funny with how he just acts like, “Oh I can’t change enjoy me or not.” Then that cougar part was great. His dad was funny and his mother was just as funny when she tried to straighten out his rotten kids. Oh and Applebee’s part in all this was great. I love that and how their commercial makes a funny cameo.

Ricky Bobby’s rival is a French man who gets so close to talk it almost is like they will kiss. That was making me lean far into my chair to get away from that kind of view because anyone getting that close and talking makes me uncomfortable. It was also amusing how he would describe things to Ricky Bobby and also how he pronounced his name. Spit everywhere I do believe.

I got a little tired of the movie because of how long it was taken to finish and I don’t like comedies that last almost 2 hours and feel like it. That ruins the fun for me. But because it did not stop being funny and had a good thing going during the credits it didn’t annoy me too much that it lasted longer than it should have.

It is a good comedy and it’s different enough to make it something enjoyable on a second viewing if I had to. But I don’t know if it’s one I’ll be buying. The funny thing is that they change the name of the movie and in the movie itself it’s still the same name they had before the change. That amused me.

If you like Will Ferrell then you will not be disappointed in the movie and how it plays out. You will laugh. I laughed and I love laughing. Saying Ricky Bobby is fun also. Go on and say it. See told you so.

Accepted

Genres: Comedy
Release Date: August 18th, 2006 (wide)
MPAA Rating: PG-13 for language, sexual material and drug content.
Distributors: Universal Pictures Distribution

Directed by: Steve Pink

JJ Rating: A-

I was supposed to see Miami Vice for free last week but I got their late and the place was packed so they gave me free passes to see Accepted but it was for the following week, this week. I went with my friend Dez and it was great and well worth the drive and I would have paid to see it. I just might pay to see it again.

The over all idea is that many have not been accepted to a college so a college was created to accept those that were not accepted. The thing is that this college was created for a few people not a lot of people. It was suppose to be kept a secret but as with all things that are made it’s kind of hard to keep it on the down low. Then more people found out about it and more wanted to be apart of a college that would accept them instead of reject them like they had in the past.

The movie is well written and has good characters and is one of those movies that would be funny after several viewings. It’s different to me because it focused a little more on the friend relationship than the new found romantic relationship. Considering where I am in my life the friend part is more important to me than the romantic ha.

I like how the movie mocks the importance of a prestigious college or university to parents for their kids. The amount of money spent doesn’t match the amount that is learned or retained for use at a latter time.

I liked the one liners that are in the movie. I like the wall that is created about the courses in which the students want to take. I also like the name of the school and can’t wait for them to come up with shirts from the movie so that people can get them and wear them. I really like shirts so I’d actually buy one. I’m sure they’ll sell them if they are smart.

Accepted is fun and appealing because of the fun it shared in the story with what was going on. The story didn’t take a long time to present itself nor did it take a long time to tell. Though what is not acceptable is the amount of pink that was at this theater and the fact that all the pink was worn by guys and not girls. It was kind of freaky.

This movie did make me wish that there was such a place because I think that if a College or a University was run the way South Harmon Institute of Technology was run then the world of education would be a better place. I love fictional ideas they rock my socks man. I accept it.

Clerks II

Genres: Comedy and Sequel
Running Time: 98 min.
Release Date: July 21st, 2006 (wide)
MPAA Rating: R for pervasive sexual and crude content including abberant sexuality, strong language and some drug material.
Distributors: MGM Distribution Company, The Weinstein Company

Directed by: Kevin Smith

JJ Rating: B

I did not see the first one but Andy was here and he wanted to and was to indecisive with what he wanted to see even though he really wanted to see Clerks II because the first one, to him, was funny. SO because he wanted to see it that was the movie we all went to see even though it took ME to say we are going to see it since HE wouldn’t bother just saying that’s what he wanted to do. Lame. I know.

I did not know what to expect. This should be bad considering how much I say I love movies but oh well I didn’t. I don’t feel like lying and saying ooh I know what to expect. I was not expecting to laugh really that much because I think crude humor is by far the easiest of all humor and the lamest of all humor to use in movies or in jokes. A two year old can use crude humor that’s how easy it is.

So this movie was full of mostly crude humor and I kind of figured that that would be what it would have so I was prepared for such things. However I was not prepared for one scene. That is why I like this movie for the most part was because of that once scene. Actually there are two scenes that I liked that made me like this movie over all.

This first one has to do with one character talking about his “girlfriend” and something she has that keeps her from having sex with him. It’s kind of hard to describe what it is that she has without giving away the entire scene and I don’t wanna do that because it’s way too funny to ruin. The other scene is more abrupt and out of the blue which is why it’s funny. It’s a “number” that is all I’ll say on that too because it’ll ruin the shock of it all.

I probably enjoyed the movie mainly because of the company but I did laugh for real so I guess I did enjoy it enough to laugh but not enough laughing from me to have me buy. I’m sure Andy will get it and I have been told I will be seeing the first one. He says the first one is better so I’ll just have to take his word on that until he brings that movie over and I watch it.

I can say that the movie was entertaining and I did have fun watching it. I guess that is what matters most…right? I think so.

Lady in the Water

Genres: Science Fiction/Fantasy and Thriller
Running Time: 1 hr. 50 min.
Release Date: July 21st, 2006 (wide)
MPAA Rating: PG-13 for some frightening sequences.
Distributors: Warner Bros. Pictures Distribution

Directed by: M. Night Shyamalan

JJ Rating: A-

I saw this movie a while ago but did not have the motivation to write what I thought. I saw it with friends and it has meaning because of that in a way. Andy said something that made it more meaningful because the story deals with people being together for a reason so yeah that’s cool I suppose. Ha.

I love M. Night Shymalan’s movies because they are wrapped in his creativity. I love how he creates interesting characters that have so much depth in them without having them hog the screen to show it. There are details that are small but if they didn’t exist then the movie would not be awesome. In his movies there are some things that are just wowing because of the way they are presented.

Lady in the Water is simple telling of a very simple story and is not shockingly wowing like The Sixth Sense. For the most part his movies have not been that shocking like that movie and I tend to not understand why people expect that out of the movies he creates when that was the only one that was shocking in such a away.

I liked the way he presented the characters and the lines in the movie were linguistically fascinating to me. I like words and how they can convey thoughts as simply as this story and yet make it very interesting still. It also helps that the characters are unique enough to be entertaining while still carrying the story to the end with believability and for me this movie did that.

I have no doubt that people will not like this movie over all due to how simple it is and how much it’s not like they expected. It’s as if they should expect things when those same people didn’t like the Village for the same reason. I find that to be rather lame. If you don’t like the way he tells stories why bother seeing them and then complaining?

I liked it and I would see it again if I had the time but I’ll just wait for it to come out on video and then buy it and add it to my collection that I have. He is one of my favorite story tellers because I marvel at his creativity that is seemingly unmatched in this world of dried up creative minds.