‘Whip It’ Equals Skip It

Don’t waste cash on this Fox Searchlight Pictures comedy/drama that marks Drew Barrymore’s debut as director. This sports movie starring Ellen Page as a young roller derby queen has the teen angst and issues of an after-school special.

Let’s take a brief look at the plot and then uncover the good, the bad, and the ugly about this Flower Films production.

Dishing About ‘Meatballs’

Liz Lane and I enjoyed discussing the meatier aspects of the fun, animated flick Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs on radio station Positive Hit Radio The Current.

Listen to this edited audio clip about the movie.

Audio Commentary:

— Laura J. Bagby

Stalkers, Road Trips, and Pits!

Liz Lane from The Current and I enjoy chatting on the topic of All About Steve. As part of that radio discussion, we talk about stalkers, crazy road trips, and what lessons we learn when we fall into a literal and figurative pit (like Mary Horowitz –  aka Sandra Bullock – does in the film ).

Hope you will listen in now…

Audio Commentary:

— Laura J. Bagby

Radio Review of ‘All About Steve’

Just wanted to say thanks to my friend, Liz Lane, for the enjoyable discussion of All About Steve on The Current FM this morning.

And if you want to check out that other blog I mentioned to all those radio listeners on the broadcast, it’s called Manna For The Moment.

OK, here is the run-down on the new romantic comedy starring Sandra Bullock, Bradley Cooper, and Thomas Haden Church – in audio format.

All About… Mary

Don’t let the title All About Steve fool you.

Yeah, sure, Steve (played by Bradley Cooper – of the unfortunate The Hangover buzz) is the hot blind date who happens to have a cool job as adventuresome news videographer and also happens to be the obsession of one crazy, red-boot-wearing word meister called Mary Horowitz (Sandra Bullock, who also happens to be the film’s producer).

But, after viewing this new PG-13 20^th Century Fox comedy, all I can say is , “There’s something about Mary.”

Quick Thoughts on ‘All About Steve’

I just saw a matinee for the new 20th Century Fox comedy All About Steve, starring Sandra Bullock and Bradley Cooper, with a respectful nod to Thomas Haden Church. I am actually writing the official review for Blue Ridge Christian News, so I can’t share all my thoughts with you just yet.

But I will say that I did think the film was generally funny, and I liked the overarching message, which is the fact that what you think you are looking for externally is really something you need to find within yourself. You can’t look to the outside world for internal validation. That’s what Bullock’s character, Mary Horowitz, was trying to do in her crazy chase of handsome camera man, Steve (Cooper).

‘District 9’: Disturbingly Powerful

In a battle between “us” vs. “them,” no one thinks what it would be like to walk in the enemy’s shoes. The groups are clearly demarcated and everyone knows exactly what side they are on.

But what if “us” and “them” got suddenly switched? What if the so-called good guys were really the bad guys, and the so-called bad guys were actually not that bad after all? Better yet, what if the hunter becomes the hunted?

These questions and more are part of Neill Blomkamp’s creepy new R-rated sci-fi action/adventure film called District 9.

Delicious Comments on ‘Julie and Julia’

I had the distinct pleasure of seeing the wonderful film Julie & Julia starring Amy Adams and Meryl Streep with my good friend and radio personality Liz Lane from The Current several weeks ago.

She asked me my first thoughts post-film and I said beaming, “I am simply inspired to blog and cook!” It’s true, the film does tickle the creative juices in more ways than one.

Together we relished every nuance in this fabulous film in our weekly radio discussion on The Current.

I have here an edited version of that radio commentary. Please excuse the static issue. It’s on the original recording and there isn’t much I can do about it. (I tried!) The phone line was particularly crackly that day – probably due to construction in our area. Ugh!

Audio Commentary:

— Laura J. Bagby

 

‘The Time Traveler’s Wife’: Audio Commentary

Once a week, I tape a radio segment with my friend Liz Lane from The Current FM about the latest movie. I get on the phone line from the comfort of my home and she calls me up from the local radio station studio.  So what you will hear in this MP3 clip isn’t the final on-air version; it’s my version from my phone line.

We both had lots to say about The Time Traveler’s Wife starring Eric Bana and Rachel McAdams. Here is the audio clip for your enjoyment.

— Laura J. Bagby

‘Time Traveler’s Wife’: Genetic Wardrobe Malfunction Meets Melodrama

Rachel McAdams and Eric Bana star as two destined lovers, Clare Abshire and Henry DeTamble, who try desperately to nurture a relationship constantly complicated by Henry’s uncontrollable time traveling tendencies.

Henry has learned to live with this genetic disorder since childhood that not only strips him of his present reality, but literally of his clothes as he travels through time. (Can we say constant ‘wardrobe malfunction’?)

But the faithful Clare is becoming increasingly tired of Henry’s sudden and unpredictable disappearances that have caused him to disappear into thin air at the worst of moments. (I say ditto to that.)