Adam Movie Review

Adam is a movie that deals with adult Asperger Syndrome, an Autism Spectrum Disorder. We saw this movie in a test preview at the Landmark Magnolia Theater in the West Village last night. Due to our personal connection with Asperger Syndrome and Autism, it was difficult for me to see this film objectively. As a matter of fact, I made it about five minutes before the tears started coming.

As the title character makes his way through professional, financial, romantic and social challenges, I would see my son, my daughter, and their friends with ASD saying or doing similar things. One scene in particular was word for word identical to a real life conversation I had with my daughter the day before. To say the script was dead-on would be an understatement.

Given the subject matter, this film could have been exploitative or maudlin. It was neither.
Adam is a sweet, funny film with lovable characters and a smart storyline.
Yes, I cried, but I also laughed and had a good time rooting for the characters from the opening scene to the very satisfactory ending. This is a Very. Good. Movie. And judging by the awards it has received, I'm not the only one who thinks so.

I highly recommend seeing it. Because it is an independent film, it will probably be in limited release. Thanks to DVDs I hope you will be able to give it a view even if it does not play in your town. Adam is worth looking for.

Funny People? Not Particularly

Went to see Funny People last night because that was the movie that was starting next when we arrived at the theater. It was OK. I laughed at some parts, particularly the big cameo sequence when Eminem tries to instigate a brawl with Ray Romano.

A lot of the humor though was very blue to the point of being repugnant. The constant (and I do mean constant) ugly locker room talk began to feel like an assault on the senses and really irritated me. Also?

Note to the woman who brought her teenage daughter and four of her friends to see this: If I found out you'd taken my kid, I'd punch you in the nose.

You'd think if Adam Sandler is going to do a movie about stand-up comics, he'd get some new material. Most of the stand-up stuff was just his OLD routines re-hashed.

Note to Adam Sandler: It wasn't funny the first time around.

The plot was fairly interesting and in between all the off-color remarks, there was some good stuff about friendship, priorities and the meaning of life blah, blah, blah. Still, I wouldn't recommend seeing it on date night. Wanting to shower with bleach after a movie is not conducive to the romance. Unless you're into that. Are people into that? I need to Ask The Bloggess. On second thought, I don't really want to know.

So to sum up: Funny People is a very long movie because they anticipate at least an hour having to be cut out before it can air on regular television and it could have used a sharp pair of scissors.

Note to Seth Rogan: You personally needed a sharp razor for those fugly sideburns you were sporting through most of the film. After an hour and forty-five minutes of them, I became fixated on the notion of hunting you down and shaving them off myself. If you see a middle aged woman coming at you one day with a large can of shave cream, beware.

Dial Emmy For Murder Book Review

note: Two copies of this book were provided to me at no cost, for the purpose of review and giveaway.

Dial Emmy for Murder is the perfect beach book.

This light entertaining read is second in a series of Soap Opera Mysteries from Emmy® nominated daytime drama star Eileen Davidson with veteran paperback detective author, Robert J. Randisi.

"Soap operas can get so dirty
Tabloids and fans are stunned when daytime soap opera star Alexis Peterson leaves her show. She’s too busy with her new job as presenter at the Daytime Emmy® Awards to even notice. But when a co-presenter goes missing on award night, Alexis is determined to find who is killing Hollywood’s biggest and brightest before another burns out…"

Dial Emmy for Murder is a quick, fun book to stash in your beach bag this summer. Featuring short, snappy chapters, this book is peppered with enough adventure and romance to keep you reading long after everyone else has put up their beach umbrella and gone home.

Author Eileen Davidson's behind the scenes peeks into the world of daytime television are great fun, and Dial Emmy for Murder's crimes, car chases and mystery adventures are exciting without being gruesome. Even the romance is fun but safe for sensitive readers, which is just the way I like it.

I would recommend this book to both mystery novel and daytime drama fans of all ages.

Would you like a copy of Dial Emmy for Murder? Leave a comment here, and on Saturday July 18, I'll select one winner to receive a new copy direct from the publisher.

Can't wait that long? Dial Emmy for Murder is available now at Amazon and your local bookseller.

Secret Recipes For The Modern Wife-Review and Giveaway

note: Two copies of this book were provided to me by author, Nava Atlas at no cost for the purpose of review and giveaway

First, I have to start by telling you that I love Nava Atlas. I am a big fan of her Modern Romance Comix, and eagerly follow her on Twitter. It is no wonder then that
I loved her retro-licious new mock cookbook Secret Recipes for the Modern Wife.

The story behind this eye-popping delight of a book is wonderful. Nava Atlas is not only an acclaimed vegetarian cookbook author, she is also a fine artist whose work is displayed in museums and private collections. According to the acknowledgment notes, this book began as a private project in response to girlfriends experiencing "marital malaise". With encouragement from her friends, she found as the hilarity grew, so did the project.

Are you thinking marital disappointment can't be funny? Think again. I just about doubled over reading her "recipe" for "What a Turkey Noodle Soup" and "People Pleasing Tossed Salad". And the graphics!

By the time I got to her sweetly touching recipe for "Happily Ever After Ambrosia" my eyes were tearing up a little in just the nicest way, and I had at least half a dozen of my own girlfriends in mind who I simply MUST send this book to.

That is where you come in. If you would like a copy of Secret Recipes for the Modern Wife, Leave a comment here. On Friday I will pick one lucky reader from the US or Canada to win. Good Luck and Happy Reading!

The Spirit

I have been looking forward to seeing The Spirit directed by Frank Miller so when we went to the theater last night I was expecting a real treat. We pulled up to the stadium seating multiplex the first Saturday after Christmas and the parking lot was nearly empty. Whoa. As a teenager, I worked in a movie theater and I know that the place should have been packed last night with kids spending their holiday cash. This is not a good sign.

Once inside I looked around and noticed that I was the only person in the theater with a vagina. As a matter of fact, I believe my husband may have been the only man in there to have actually had a date within the last two years. To call the audience a pack of comic book geeks would be an understatement.

As a comic book lover myself (and a fan of the late Will Eisner's The Spirit series), I hoped that Miller would stay true to the film noir feeling of the original. He did not. On the upside, I liked several things about The Spirit including the fond tongue in cheek humor and Frank Miller's signature stylized comic book look. It was a shame the movie just wasn't good.

I had my own ideas about the central villain, "The Octopus". In the comic books he was never seen. I wish I'd never seen Samuel L. Jackson's performance in the role. It was just like watching Jules Winnfield from Pulp Fiction in drag.

And while we are talking about bad acting and characterization, may I just say that if Scarlett Johansson has any class, she will reimburse the studio for the cost of her private assistant, private driver, hairdresser, and endless other flunkies mentioned in the end credits because by no stretch of the imagination can her work in this film be called acting. Her turn as the villainous mad scientist's assistant was a wonderful opportunity to camp it up and really shine. Instead, it was like watching the smart kid slap something down on her test paper and walk out of the exam room 30 minutes early. She just didn't care and she looked like she was too busy to be bothered to participate in the film.

On the other hand, Eva Mendes just got it. She slinked and swayed and vamped her way through the movie and certainly engaged the audience as The Spirit's old flame, the larcenous Sand Seref. Personally, I loved the scene where her latest smitten henchman asks if they will get married after they pull the big heist. She tells him, "Yeah sure, now shut up and bleed." That's my kind of villainess.

I'm also a big fan of Paz Vega, and she did not disappoint in her quick turn as the sadistic Plaster of "Par-ee". Hilarious. Sexy. Great fun.

I wish I could say something nice about the performances of the good guys. I'm afraid they were all utterly forgetable. As a matter of fact, the entire movie was completely forgetable. The stylized look of the film was beautiful, but there was nothing in it we haven't seen before in Sin City. Rather than spending $20 to go see this in a theater, wait for some evening when you have nothing better to do and rent it. Aside from a stunning shot of Eva Mendes' character's derriere, you won't miss a thing.

Zack and Miri Make a Porno

Photo courtesy of the Weinstein Company and View Askew Productions

Zack and Miri Make a Porno is the cute and funny new offering from Kevin Smith.

If you are a fan as I am of the Silent Bob & Jay films, you will like Zack and Miri. If you are of a certain age and can appreciate bawdy sight gags and goofy porn references, you will like this movie. On the other hand, judging by our fellow theater patrons, if you are young, sensitive or naive, much of the humor will be lost on you, and you may just walk out of the theater saying "That was gross".

As it happens, I am none of those things and I loved Zack and Miri Make a Porno. Why did I love it? Let me count the ways.

1. Traci Lords as Bubbles. How did they talk the world's most successful crossover porn star into playing the role of a seasoned "adult entertainer"? She was wonderful as Bubbles and oh, so funny.

2. Jason Mewes (yes, Jay) nekkid and giving lessons on "The Dutch Rudder". Hilarious.

3. But the real reason I loved this movie was the performance of Elizabeth Banks as Miri. Her dorky, sweet and subtle portrayal of Miri is beautiful. Yeah, yeah, I know you didn't expect me to use the word subtle when describing anything in this film, but there you have it. Elizabeth Banks was a joy to watch. I can't wait to see what she does next.

So, tonight I went to see a gross, funny, offensive, hilarious movie that managed to get an R rating only by the skin of it's teeth after an NC-17 appeal. Would I recommend it? Yes, I'd send my girlfriends, but no, I don't think it would be appreciated by everyone. Hrm, kinda like porn itself.

The Secret Life of Bees Movie Review & Give Away

Photo courtesy of Fox Searchlight Pictures

It's been a while since I read Sue Monk Kidd's novel The Secret Life of Bees. It's the story of a young girl and her closest companion who are on the run from a tyrannical father, the law and their own bad memories. They find shelter in the home of three wise beekeeping sisters.

While reading the book, I cast some of my favorite movie stars to be the faces of the characters. I can safely say that Queen Latifah never entered my head. And Jennifer Hudson? Back then, I'd never heard of her. Alicia Keyes? Who knew she could act? As a matter of fact, doesn't anyone else think it's strange that most of the primary cast in a non-musical film is made up of women famous for their singing, not their acting?

Although there were a few pretty scenes and an amazing soundtrack (see above, duh), I was disappointed. While the movie followed the basic storyline of the book, it was sanitized for your protection. I'm not sure whether major characters were skimmed over in the interests of time or due to the limits of the stars. I suspect however, that most of the story's meat hit the wastepaper basket in an effort to make a "nice" movie. What do they call them? A "feel good" movie.

I believe I would have liked this film better if the director had chosen to embrace the talent of the beautiful Sophie Okonedo. It was a shame that such a brilliant actress was lost in a film filled with countless close ups of glamorous Alicia Keyes and repetitive flashbacks to the opening scene.

So, would I recommend this movie? Sure. It was nice. Would I encourage you to spend big bucks to see it in the theater? Nah. This one is definitely a Rent It Instead kind of film.

To read more about this film, other reviews, or to see the trailer, click here.

Now for the Give Away:
If you would like to win a copy of the novel, an essential body kit from Burt's Bees, and a $10 Blockbuster gift card, click here. Contest Starts Monday October 27th. A winner will be announced the following Saturday. Shhhh! To qualify for an extra bonus prize, tell me in your comment if you will see the Secret Life of Bees Movie. If you will, then tell me if you will be seeing it in a theater or renting it when it comes out on video. Good Luck!