Chuck Heath

Ya know..sometimes critics are so impressed with themselves, and can't wait to go back and reread what they just wrote several times, because it's all about them, and not the film..right? Wrong. They completely missed the boat on this movie, because..honestly..most of them can't stand Gary Shandling's brand of comedy. Honestly, I appreciated what this movie was, and I thought it was hilarious. And this is coming from a guy who loves TV and Film, who's been in five movies, who had his own radio talk show, and who performed stand-up comedy for a few years. The thing is, when you see the cast and you see the name Mike Nichols, you still have to remember it was largely conceived and written by Gary Shandling. That all of those quality actors and actresses agreed to appear in it, and probably for less money than they normally would have made, is a testament to how much THEY like Shandling's brand of humor. If you're a Gary Shandling fan, you will LOVE this flick. Shandling is hilarious. Greg Kinnear is so smarmy and just perfect for his role. So is John Goodman, and Annette Benning playing off of Shandling..well..it just works. She was great. If you liked how she contrasted against and then blended with Michael Douglas in the American President..well.. there's just a certain cuteness factor that makes this romantic comedy more unique and enjoyable than others. To fully appreciate what this film was trying to be, and succeeds IMO, you've got to suspend your normal expectations and embrace your inner theater of the absurd. There are some extremely funny moments and interactions in this movie, and I think the combination of Nichols and Shandling..which seems like an odd mix..worked great. Sometimes..critics just don't get it..and they just plain suck.

Once again, you can't make a decision to watch or not watch a film, based on what critics and some effed up people have to say. If you're a Simon Pegg and Nick Frost fan..this is just as good or even better than Sean of the Dead, Hot Fuzz..and Paul. In fact..it's better than Paul, and I liked Paul. The thing I love about this movie is that we all know a guy like Gary King, who just refuses to grow up. In fact, some of us ARE Gary King, or at least we kept a little Gary King in us..just enough to keep from growing old. He's a great character, and the supporting ensemble who begrudgingly agree to go along with his little escapade, start to erode their stoicism, and embrace Gary as the film goes along. In that way..this film has a lot of something the rest of the world keeps losing at a rapid pace..and that's "heart." Remember when we used to go to the movie theater when we were young..what a big deal that was? I really feel for the younger generation that is so sucked into every new bit of advanced technology and the latest new gadget they just have to have. They have truly missed out on what movies are supposed to be..and that's fun. This movie..is a lot of fun. To those who don't think so..you need to grow down.

Wow..what a phenomenal movie. I wasn't surprised to discover the Farrelly connection. Though it was a bit of a departure from the typical Farrelly Bros vehicle, there were certainly a number of features that were familiar, and most welcomed. Ali as Dr. Donald Shirley was amazing. But Viggo Mortensen? Outstanding. He must have put on like 50-60 lbs for that role. So different from any other character he's ever played. When casting this film, I would never have thought about Mortensen in that role..but he was incredible. The chemistry between the two was tremendous. Such a good movie. I mean, I love based on true to begin with, but this was a remarkable story from beginning to end. This one is now one of my all time fave films, to the point of wanting to write letters to the principles involved in making it..and thanking them. It's a must see..for everyone.

I just finished watching the first few episodes, and this is great stuff. It's quickly becoming my favorite Star Trek series, because it's such a departure from all the rest, kinda like Rogue One and the rest of the Star Wars movies. Yes, I agree with other reviewers that this has a "feature film" quality, and it's much darker, as opposed to the episodic tv nature of the other Star Trek adventures that came before this. For those of us who love the Star Trek stories, and also fans of Battlestar Galactica..this new one tends to inject more of what made Battlestar Galactica so popular, but goes beyond the darkness of that series. This is exceptionally well cast, written, directed and acted. VERY impressed so far, and can't wait to watch more. The only thing that's kind of weird when watching a prequel story to the timeline of the original Star Trek..is that the product quality, the uniforms, everything that historically came before James T. Kirk's Star Trek, is so much more advanced in this series. Bottom line is, this show is intense. The only thing that bothers me is the purposely annoying "Tilly" character. Could really do without her.