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"Due Date" with Robert Downey Jr and Zach Galifinakis - Quick Movie Review

Last night, while celebrating our 18th wedding anniversary, I took my wife to see "Due Date", starring Robert Downey Jr. and Zach Galifinakis.  We had seen the ad for this movie weeks ago, and it was one of the few things I can recall recently that we immediately both wanted to see, mainly because of the cast.  We're big fans of both of these actors, and I was anxious to see their onscreen comedic chemistry together."Due Date" met and exceeded my expectations, which were high.

I really enjoyed both of these guys and their performances. Robert Downey Jr. is one of the most natural actors around, in my opinion.  When I'm watching him, I usually forget that it's even a performance.  He also strikes me as someone who is highly intelligent, despite any personal mistakes he has made over the years.  He's likable and funny, even when he's being sarcastic.

Zach Galifinakis is one of those people who can make you laugh just by looking at him (and I mean that in the nicest possible way). He seems to have an interesting blend of vulnerability and confidence that makes him a terrific "everyman" comic.  My wife and I have mentioned several times that we're very happy that he became famous - I've enjoyed his stand-up comedy for years.  You may remember Zach as the overweight bearded brother-in-law in "The Hangover".

The premise is straightforward here - it's a little bit like a modern day "Planes, Trains, and Automobiles". Through a series of weird misunderstandings, both guys end up on the "No Fly" list and are forced to travel across the country in a rented car together, although they are complete strangers.

Although they use a large dose of comedy, there are touching moments throughout, as Galifinakis has just lost his father and Downey is trying to get home to witness the birth of his first child.

I won't give away any of the big-time jokes here, but a few of the scenes made me laugh so hard that milk would have come out of my nose, had I been drinking milk.  :)  Some of them made me laugh again today.

I found myself rooting for these guys, even when they were breaking the law, or getting injured, or just generally being stupid.  The character development was really well done, which is tough to pull off in a "buddy" comedy.  Downey's character is a no-nonsense architect who is at least moderately wealthy, and Galifinakis' is a dowdy, unfashionable, somewhat effeminate lonely guy with a heart of gold.

I would highly recommend seeing this one in the theater (if you get out) or via Netflix/rental/cable (if you don't).  Either way, it provided some solid laughs and I would happily see it again.  For me to say that is a big deal, because I'm rarely interested in watching movies more than once, unless they're classics.

Don't miss this one if you have a chance.  It's well worth the time.  It's a solid "R" for language, drug use, and generally raunchy comedy, so it's definitely not kid-friendly.

Thanks for reading!

 

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If you're looking for a home in the Austin area, you can also visit my primary Austin real estate website at www.austintexashomes.com.  If you're interested in social media training, visit 210 Consulting. Thanks!

Highly Recommended Movie: "Dear Zachary: A letter to a son about his father" - NO SPOILERS

My wife and I don't get a chance to sit through very many movies all at once.  Typically, it takes 2 or more evenings for us to get through a whole film, since our time is limited to the hour or two after all of our kids are asleep, assuming that we don't get interrupted by our newborn baby or toddler. 

That being said, we watched a movie a couple of nights ago that was so interesting and well-made that we couldn't wait to finish it the next night.  As with many of the things we watch, this was available via our Roku device, which streams movies from Netflix to our TV.

"Dear Zachary: A letter to a son about his father" is quite possibly the best and most memorable documentary that I have ever seen.  We were intrigued because it is one of the few selections we have seen with a 5-star rating from other Netflix users.  It turned out to be time well spent.

In a nutshell, "Dear Zachary" was made by an independent filmmaker, Kurt Kuenne, who wanted to provide a complete portrait of his murdered friend Andrew for Andrew's newborn son Zachary. He tirelessly travelled around the country, interviewing Andrew's friends and family, and he included a lot of footage from when they were kids growing up together.

If you commit to watching this movie, please be advised that it is somewhat emotionally draining, but it is an editing masterpiece, and the story is incredibly compelling.  Be prepared to cry - maybe a lot.  As you get to know the people who loved Andrew (including Kuenne himself), the emotions are palpable and raw.

I don't often give such a ringing endorsement, and this is certainly the type of movie that requires more attention and thought than average, but my wife and I have been talking about it for days.  I think it's very worthy of more exposure and word-of-mouth.

It was released last year, and it has received a lot of attention from critics and film festival audiences alike, including being selected as one of the Top 5 Documentaries of 2008 by the National Board of Review.

If you have a chance, don't miss this one

 

If you enjoyed this post, why not connect with me elsewhere or subscribe via email?

If you're looking for a home in the Austin area, you can also visit my primary Austin real estate website at www.austintexashomes.com.  If you're interested in social media training, visit 210 Consulting. Thanks!

"The Tale of Despereaux" - Movie Review

I took my kids to see "The Tale of Despereaux" earlier this evening.  It's rated G, which always makes my life easier, since there are no worries about language, or super-scary scenes for our kiddos. 

The title character is a small mouse with giant ears, who is essentially fearless.  In fact, his teachers and parents are concerned about him, because he doesn't cower or scurry like the other mice.  Instead, he seems to possess an inborn calm.  The setting appears to be during medieval times.

The opening scene involves a rat that causes someone to die (by fright perhaps?), which leads the king to make a series of proclamations that steal the joy from the kingdom, along with the very sunlight itself.  Dreariness covers all during this time.  As with many movies of this genre, our intrepid hero is placed in a tough position, and has a chance to save the day.  I won't give away any key plot points beyond that.

I mentioned to my wife that the animation was fantastic, much like a lushly illustrated storybook.  Clearly, over the past decade, they have made huge strides with animation, so I guess that's not as surprising anymore.  What made this movie unique was the fact that they used multiple types of animation, some for the primary story and some for Despereaux's daydreams, which look more like they were created with actual paper.

I would highly recommend this movie for the whole family, especially if you have kids aged 5-10.  The story is engaging and entertaining, and it wasn't terribly long, clocking in at around 85-90 minutes. 

My seven-year-old daughter loved the movie so much that she proclaimed, "That was a GREAT movie!!" as the closing credits began to roll.  We are going to buy the book so that she can enjoy that, too.

Thanks for reading!

 

If you enjoyed this post, why not connect with me elsewhere or subscribe via email?

If you're looking for a home in the Austin area, you can also visit my primary Austin real estate website at www.austintexashomes.com.  If you're interested in social media training, visit 210 Consulting. Thanks!