The Dilemma

Overview:  Ronny and James are the best of friends, and both have landed relationships with babes, or did they?  Ronny had the unfortunate experince of seeing James' wife cheating on him with a G. I. Joe, and because he doesn't want to discourage him during their huge deal with a car company, he keeps it a secret about as awkwardly as a 6-year old red head who had just stolen a snickers bar from a Marathon station.

The Good:  C and I were pleasently suprised how good this movie was.  I haven't broken the truth to many people that their spouses are cheating on them, but according to Vince Vaughn it's quite the crappy position to be in.  Winona Ryder has finally dropped the "I'm shoplifting for my hubbie Edward Scissorhands" mojo, and has now turned into the unlovable tramp we always knew she would.  Channing Tatum went back to his stripper roots in order to do a really good job being a white-trash home-wrecker, and I don't fully know the reasons why I like this man, especially since he was in that piece of crap also called "G.I. Joe", but I have a great feeling that he'll be the next Rock/Schwarzenegger.  Vince Vaughn delivers a good role once again, and although it isn't as funny as all of his crashing in "Wedding Crashers", he did a good enough job that I would take him to get unlimited bread-sticks at Olive Garden.

The Bad:  It's not that I don't like overweight comedians, because Chris Farley and I used to be tight, and I've always been a fan of Kevin James on "King of Queens".  For some reason Kevin James dances in every movie, which as far as i'm concerned started with "Hitch", but now it's starting to get old.  Now whenever I see him dance (which he does a lot in this movie), I want to revisit my days preparing for a colonoscopy where poop and upchucking comes like Niagara falls.  Jennifer Connelly for some reason falls short in this movie, it might be because it's mostly centered around Vince and Kevin and Winona's flusie ways, so it seems  that Connelly doesn't have much to contribute.  The biggest problem this movie had was it's marketing.  C and I were always confused when we saw the trailer for this because it looked like it was trying to be the next "Dumb and Dumber", and then we realized it was a drama film with only a handful of laughs; we were mislead like we were with O. J. Simpson's book.

The Ugly:  Don't go see this movie thinking that it's going to be the next "Dumb and Dumber", because that will ruin everything for you.  This was a great drama-filled flick that kept C and I interested all the way through.

3 out of 5

Into The Wild

Overview:  Sick and tired of living the rich-boy life style, Christopher McCandless (played by Emile Hirsch) decides to forsake his career, his family, and all of society in order to live in the wild of Alaska.  Along his journey he meets all kinds of neat people, including Bella Swan before she was wooed by Edward, and a very nice old man that you just want to hug.

The Good:  I’m the kind of person who loves to live life dangerously, whether that includes going kayaking during a tornado warning, drinking an entire “Monster Energy Drink” even though I have crohns, and making fun of large bears when they are on the opposite side of the fence in the zoo.  This movie is really good at making you want to be active out in the forest area, and forgetting what goes on in real life.  “Into the Wild” was amazing to look at, and at times it was so tranquil that you almost felt you were on Chris’ journey with him.  Along with how beautiful it looks, it was also the amazing soundtrack that gave the film its tranquility.  Mad Kudos out to actor Emile Hirsch, who must have undergone a lot of physical challenges in order to meet this role; it’s like he spent several years hanging out with the guy from “Man vs Wild” in order to understand nature.  As opposed to what the trailer will tell you, this movie isn’t ONLY about Christopher finding ways to keep himself entertained in the woods, its more like a “Curious Case of Benjamin Button”, “Forest Gump” and “Big fish” kind of movie.  I say that because he meets and befriends a wide variety of people all throughout his journey, and each person he meets carries a very emotional story; watch out for the old guy in the end, that man will make you bawl like Miss USA after being awarded the crown. 

The Bad:  For what kind of film this is, the movie is freakishly long! By the time the two hour mark roles around you want to yell at director Sean Penn “WE UNDERSTAND!! He hates society and he won’t shoot a deer if it has a child!”  I would have liked a little bit more of Chris’ parents in the movie as well.  William Hurt and Marcia Gay Harden are wonderful actors who shine in basically every movie they’ve been in, but in this movie they fall short a little bit, which is disappointing because they are usually a treat to watch… I especially love how William Hurt has the eternal constipated look on his face.

The Ugly:  This is the ideal movie for those of you who are adventurers out there.  For me what I loved most about it is how it made you feel like you were actually in nature, and it makes you want to do more out-doorsy stuff.  It may be a little long, but it’s definitely worth it.

4 out of 5