Stardate 0806.10

Hey, don't I know you from somewhere? Oh yeah, you were my vacation. I'll see you again next week....



Another Descent Into...

My Vacation, Part I-
Oh by the time I went back to work Wednesday, I felt more relaxed then Hugh Hefner in the girls shower. It was so nice to go back home to Pittsburgh to explore things I had never discovered in the ol' hometown. Jo and I went the Carnegie Science Center, the Western Pennsylvania Sports Museum, ate at a Primanti Bros., visited the zoo where I saw my dad(lol, j/k) but the centerpiece of the 'Burgh was KISS!

Other than a few bad steps in the beginning and a rather bad one at the end where the confetti went off a bit premature, the show was awesome! Eric Singer and Tommy Thayer fill in quite nicely for the departed Ace and Peter, Paul had some vocal problems, and Gene screwed up some words, but nothing to get in a twist over.

Dinner For Schmucks-    Normally, I don't have alot of respect for newer comedies. I find them playing from an old playbook developed by Revenge of the Nerds, Animal House and Porky's. Steve Carell vehicles are really no different, but in his case, he convinces me he could stand along side those classic films of old.

Tim (Rudd) is a mid-level financial executive, who acquires a negotiation over special novelty lamps with wealthy Swiss businessman Mueller (Walliams). Impressed by Tim's ingenuity, his boss Fender (Greenwood) invites him to a "dinner for winners" in which he must find an eccentric person with a special talent to invite; the winner earns a trophy and the executive that brought him or her gets glory. He soon learns it is more of a "dinner for idiots", and the guests will be mocked mercilessly. Meanwhile, Tim's girlfriend Julie (Szostak) lands a curator deal for eccentric artist Keiran Vollard (Clement), and Tim unsuccessfully proposes to her, as he has done several times before. After learning of the cruel nature of the dinner, Julie forces him not to attend.

The next day, Tim accidentally hits IRS employee Barry (Carell) with his car when Barry tries to retrieve a dead mouse in the road. Witnessing Barry's bizarre behavior (he stuffs mice and arranges them into elaborate dioramas), Tim realizes he is perfect for the dinner. That night, Barry shows up at Tim's apartment unannounced, and accidentally invites over Darla (Punch), a woman of Tim's who is stalking him. Barry attempts to send away Darla, but mistakes Julie for Tim's stalker, giving Julie the mistaken impression that Tim is cheating on her. Tim and Barry chase her down to Vollard's ranch, where he accidentally offends Barry (which further hurts his and Julie's relationship), but he makes amends and they go to the dinner with Mueller, despite a disastrous lunch that afternoon.

Barry is a hit with the group and is a shoo-in for the trophy, but unexpectedly his boss and rival Thurman (Galifianakis) arrives and displays his "mind control" power over Barry. After that, Tim tells Barry everything, and after some encouragement, gets Barry to win, before causing his boss and fellow executives to reveal the truth and cause havoc. Tim is fired, as is Julie after Barry makes Vollard realize it would be a problem to have her. In the end, Tim marries Julie, Barry gets in a relationship with Darla, does some artwork with Vollard, and hosts a monthly "breakfast for champions" for all of the "losers". Thurman gets a new book in the mental hospital, as well as Tim getting a new museum started in Switzerland for Mueller. After the credits, it is revealed Fender's company has gone under and Forbes Magazine has named him the "World's Biggest Loser."

If not for Carell's goofball acting, this film would be middling at best, but he saves the film from itself.
8/10

The Cinema Snob-
The Snob was a busy bee while I was away. 3 posts await your viewing

Hell's Bloody Devil's-
This late-60's bikersplotation film features Colonel Sanders in a cameo role. Seriously!



Redneck Zombies-
The director could've easily have cast customers from a southern Wal-Mart.



Super Hornio Brothers
Yep! A parody of the piece of garbage featuring Ron Jeremy. God help me!



Hope to post during Vacation, Part II next week in which I get to reviewing Mars Attacks!