That's My Boy - Movie Review

US Release  June 15, 2012

Screened on Wednesday May 30, 2012 at Edwards Mira Mesa

That’s My Boy is a return to Adam Sandler’s roots of raunchy and kick-ass laughter inducing jokes and scenes.  I’ve been a big Sandler fan since Happy Gilmore and Billy Madison, with The Wedding Singer and 50 First Dates as 2 of my top favorite movies of all time. 

That’s My Boy stars Adam Sandler as Donny Berger who had an affair with his teacher, Miss McGarricle, as a junior high schooler.  Their affair leads to him impregnating her and she being charged with statutory rape and sentenced to 33 years in prison.  The young Miss McGarricle is played by Eva Amurri, who bears a striking resemblance to her real life mother, Susan Sarandon.  Donny is left to care for baby Han Solo as a single parent under the guardianship of his father since he is still only 13 years old.

*Spoilers ahead*

Fast-forward 30 years and Donny has squandered his 15 minutes of fame (and the bit of fortune that came with it).  He is a babbling alcoholic that owes the IRS $45,000 and has not had any contact with his son for over 12 years.  In order to avoid jail time, he must find a means to pay off the $45,000.  He goes to see a smut television host to see if his story is still worth something.  The host only offers him a show if he can get a reunion with his son Han Solo visiting Miss McGarricle in prison.

The rest of the movie showcases Donny’s attempts to reconnect with his son, who in the stab to distance himself from his parentage has changed his name to Todd Peterson.  As with the majority of Sandler’s movies, hilarity and vulgarity ensues as the father and son rekindle their bond.  There are many uproarious scenes and dialogue between the characters throughout the movie.  A special mention to: Vanilla Ice and Milo Ventimiglia for their awesome comedic timing.

Overall, That’s My Boy may have some critics questioning the morality of statutory rape as the basis for this comedy but it is rated R so it should restrict the audience to a more mature group.  I think Adam Sandler and his wickedly awesome and hilarious cast has done a great job.  Go see it!

-Ris

21 Jump Street - Movie Review

21 Jump Street – US Release March 16, 2012

Screened on February 15, 2012 at Regal Parkway Plaza

CHANNING TATUM. I think I start my movie reviews with my thoughts (or feelings) for the lead man. I think women everywhere will agree with me when I say he is a gorgeous man. He WILL draw crowds to the movie even if its crap…just for the 2 hours of eye candy.

Luckily, that’s not the case for this movie. Based on the late 1980’s television show that starred none other than Mr. Johnny Depp himself, 21 Jump Street is a very witty, clever, and action packed film. It’s penned by Jonah Hill and Michael Bacall (who co-wrote the screenplay of one of my faves, ‘Scott Pilgrim vs. The World’ with Edgar Wright).

The story revolves around 2 newly graduated police officers, Jenko and Schmidt, played by Channing Tatum and Jonah Hill. One being a nerd and the other a jock, they forge a bond that started at the police academy to help each other with their strengths; Jenko’s being physicality and Schmidt’s being academics. After a snafu during their first arrest, they are sent to work on a revamped program from the ‘80’s and are to report to 21 Jump Street. Led by Captain Dickson, played by Ice Cube, they are assigned to go undercover at a local high school to infiltrate and bust a drug ring.

21 Jump Street is filled with hilarious moments and pretty packed with action. It also includes a few surprising cameos. Overall, it’s a great movie. And it stars Channing Tatum. That may just be enough of a reason.

Lemon Cake with Speculoos (Biscoff) Frosting

As of late (due to my addiction to Pinterest), I’ve been finding recipes and having the immediate urge to try them. This was the one that caught my fancy on this particular day.

lemon speculoos layer cake

I L-O-V-E lemon and anything that has lemon in it, so I do enjoy experimenting with different lemon recipes. When I saw that this recipe paired up lemon cake with speculoos…actually I had to look up what speculoos were before I was intrigued by it, haha.

Speculoos wiki - Oh! They’re Biscoff cookie spread basically! I love Biscoff cookies and I’m a noob Biscoff spread fan too. So NOW I knew I had to try it.

The recipe is simple enough. I did however use All-Purpose flour instead of the whole-wheat pastry flour that was included in the recipe. Besides the switch of the flour, I pretty much stayed true to all the other ingredients. I added a bit more than 2Tbsp of lemon juice because I squeezed the whole lemon and I’ll be honest, I like when lemon cake actually tastes tart like lemon. The cake had a good consistency of moistness but still holding it shape.

The frosting recipe was also pretty simple. I used Biscoff spread that I bought from World Market since Trader Joe’s was out of their version of cookie butter. I only made half of what the recipe called for since I was using it to frost cupcakes rather than the 3-layer cake that it was originally made for. This is a good frosting to top on any kind of cake. I think Biscoff spread is like Nutella in that it complements everything it’s paired with.

Since I didn’t really plan on posting this as a blog, all the pictures were taken with my iphone. Enjoy!


-Ris

This Means War - Movie Review

This Means War – US Release February 14, 2012

Screened on January 26, 2012 at Regal Parkway Plaza

Reese Witherspoon. Tom Hardy. Chris Pine. Those 3 names alone should have you wanting to watch this movie. Reese is a great actress in (almost) everything she does. If you liked him in ‘Inception’ or ‘The Warrior’, then this will just add to your collection of Tom Hardy movies. I know a lot of people are just gaga over Chris Pine and his sparkling blue eyes or think he’s awesome because he was the young Captain Kirk, but personally, I just think he’s aiiight. I’m a Tom Hardy lady myself…those lips and that accent….sigh. But I digress…back to the movie review.

Tuck, played by Tom Hardy, and FDR, played by Chris Pine, are CIA operative partners and best friends. Tuck is a divorced father and FDR is a single playboy. One day Tuck decides he wants to get back into the dating world to find love. Along comes Reese Witherspoon who has managed to turn the heads of the best friends. In order to win her love, Tuck and FDR pull out all the stops (using the CIA resources).

I really enjoyed this movie. Not only did it have an ample dose of eye candy (for me, in the awesome form of Tom Hardy) but it was filled with a good amount of laughs. It also had enough action to keep that boyfriend you dragged to see a Tom Hardy Reese Witherspoon movie entertained =D

The Vow - Movie Review

The Vow – US Release Date February 10, 2012
Screened on January 25, 2012 at UA Horton Plaza

I love the 2 main actors in this movie. Rachel McAdams and Channing Tatum are one of the cutest paired couples I’ve seen in a really long time. Channing is just plain HOT and Rachel has been one of my faves since ‘The Notebook.'

Channing plays Leo a husband who desperately tries to help his wife deal with her memory loss after a severe head trauma due to a car accident they were both in. Rachel is his new bride that struggles to remember him and their life together.

Without giving too much away, this is a love story. It’s a story of love found, then lost, and found again. This movie will make you at least tear up, if not bawl your eyes out. Granted, it’s not a Nicholas Sparks movie so you are spared. (If you’re a Nicholas Sparks movie fan, you’ll know what I mean =p). Funny, how both Rachel and Channing are alums of Nicholas Sparks movies.

This movie was based on true events, which makes it pull at the heartstrings even more. If you’re a sucker for sappy movies that make you cry or want to drool at a 20ft tall Channing Tatum then SEE THIS MOVIE!

Real Steel

Real Steel – Screening, Mira Mesa Edwards Cinema 9/16/2011

Release Date: Friday October 7, 2011

I must start off by saying I was surprised by how much I enjoyed this movie. The premise of fighting robots (not even on their own) is a bit silly, yes, but it does give you 2 hours of heartwarming entertainment. It’s a great movie to bring your kids to or if you just want to stare at Hugh Jackman’s gorgeous face on the big screen.

Hugh Jackman is Charlie Kenton who is a former boxer that is a regular in the underground fighting robot world. He is a hotheaded, quick-tempered man and it shows in his fights with his robots. He learns early on in the movie that his former girlfriend had passed away, leaving behind their son Max to Charlie because he is his next of kin. Charlie’s been absent from Max’s life since birth so it makes for the tried and true, father/son broken relationship storyline.

They share a love for the fighting robots and you can see how their relationship develops. But it’s not just a story about father and son. The movie features awesome robots that FIGHT! It’s nerds that are at the controls of the robots in the World Robot Boxing league, which are big events. They are televised on ESPN and sponsored by such bigwigs such as XBox 720!

Overall, it’s a fun movie. It’s the Rock ‘em Sock ‘em version of Rocky! Go see Hugh Jackman it!!!

"remove to improve"

i love this mantra from one of my favorite blogs, Small Notebook. "remove to improve" can apply to makeovers of any size and any kind, from homes to your makeup bag. one project at home on my to-do list is to go through my shoe stash and purge. i try to do this with my clothes at least once a year, and i always feel good when i do...especially when i can pass them on to loved ones or donate them.