Deep into the backwoods of Georgia, four friends, all businessmen from Atlanta, take on an adventure. With their canoes and can-do attitude, the men paddle down a wild river, soon to be tamed by a man-made dam. They maneuver through troubled waters, hunt with bow and arrows, and bicker once in awhile. The male bonding is so far so good until the river becomes crooked. The men drift towards a predicament where (gulp!) there can be no paddling back.
I thought I could recapture the magic. One early morning, on my commute, I turned on the neurotic mindset and listened to “Rhapsody in Blue.” I looked around, imbibed the city by the sunrise. It was my way to duplicate the movie’s intro. You know … Woody Allen’s fickle narration. George Gershwin’s pulsating music. Glimpses of New York City in black and white.
Suddenly, it became crowded. I was pushed and shoved. I smelled coffee breath from one guy and the stink of cologne from another. The majestic view vanished as the train descended underground. On a prolonged subway delay, the iPod ran out of battery. All I had left, in full blast, was the paranoia of being late to work.
So much for versus. Nature and nurture teamed up against Claireece “Precious” Jones (Gabourey Sidibe). The African-American teen is not only morbidly obese; she lives in an abusive Harlem home. I won’t go into details as to how un-precious her life is. To do so would be to rob you of the movie’s initial power. I didn’t know when I sat my ass down and watched. My reaction: eye brows yanked up!
An accident leads to death. The death leads to another accident. And the second accident leads to…
This is the chain reaction that starts off Douglas Sirk’s “Magnificent Obsession.” Rock Hudson plays Bob Merrick, a thrill-seeking bachelor, who, at a need for speed, crashes his boat on a lake. He survives but his rescuing inadvertently claims another life – the well-loved Doctor Philips. The community is heartbroken and grudgingly despises the hedonistic Merrick, who’s no trade-off for the philanthropic doc.
Out of guilt, Merrick reaches out to Helen Philips (Jane Wyman), the doctor’s widow. He offers her money but she refuses. But he’s persistent; he’s gung-ho to be a better person and do good deeds. This I’d-like-to-help-you / get-away-from-me tug-of-war inevitably leads to another accident. This time, it is at Helen’s expense. And waiting in the wings, Bob Merrick is still the eager helper … and perhaps still the magnet for bad luck.
“The Hangover” is about a uhm.. hang on… a hangover. I apologize I’m a bit hangover from last night. I mean, because of last night. I had the dim-light-bulb idea of writing this with a throbbing head. So stupid. Or … maybe not so stupid … so I can lower your expectations just in case what you are about to read is a crappy rambling review. That’s right. You’ve been warned.
Two days before his wedding, Doug (Justin Bartha), the dapper groom drives out to Las Vegas for an all-out bachelor partay. He is joined by his bud Phil (Bradley Cooper), Stu the dentist (Ed Helms), and weirdo bro-in-law Alan (Zach Galifianakis). After one rowdy night, two things strangely vanish: the memory of the night and the groom. To solve this mystery, Phil, Stu, and Alan are left with these clues: a chicken, a baby, a police car, and a Siberian tiger. Raaawwwrrr. (Sorry, that was my stomach. Let me hurl just a sec.)
