The Rabbi Is Busy

12 Oct

To say that Larry Gopnik, the lead character in the new film A Serious Man, is “put upon” is putting it mildly.

The guy, a college professor, has so much weighing on his shoulders that Hercules himself probably couldn’t handle it.

His wife suddenly announces she wants a divorce.

His son, days away from his bar mitzvah, continually complains about the poor TV reception.

One of his neighbors is scary.

Another torments him by sunbathing in the nude.

A student is bribing him for a better grade and threatening to sue him for defamation.

The tenure committee will soon decide on Larry’s professional life.

No rabbi ever seems to have time for him.

His brother … well, you get the idea.

Larry’s got tsuris. Why is all of this happening to him, and why now? Continue reading →

Greed Is Bad

11 Oct

God bless Michael Moore.

When he gets going making an argument, there’s just no stopping him.

He’s got such a knack for making persuasive — and entertaining — movies that clearly push an agenda but aren’t like sitting through a thesis presentation.

Films like Fahrenheit 9/11 and Bowling for Columbine presented Moore’s worldview regarding the Iraq War and gun control, and regardless of what you thought of Moore’s arguments, he made them convincingly and with passion.

Now Moore is back with Capitalism: A Love Story, a treatise about how our economic system is flawed and only benefits a small fraction of our country.

Moore benefitted from having the economic collapse happen while he was making the film last fall, and he takes full advantage of the situation. Continue reading →

I Wonder What’s in Store

8 Oct

People who know me know I get excited about the silliest or simplest of things.

Like the fact that when I went to get gas last night, the price was just $2.39 a gallon — six cents cheaper than the place I drive by on the way to work every day.

What can I say? I think it’s a good thing that it doesn’t take much to make me happy. Continue reading →

Not Quite Asstastic

7 Oct

The new film Couples Retreat is the kind of middle-of-the-road comedy that’ll play real well when it hits cable a year from now.

Starring Vince Vaughn, Jon Favreau, Jason Bateman, Kristen Bell, and Kristin Davis (among others), the film is about four couples who go to an exotic couples therapy resort. Wouldn’t you know it, each pair learns to love each other again.

Insert Vaughn spazzing out, plenty of eye candy (for the men and the ladies), some laughs, some pretty scenery, and you’ve got this film. Continue reading →

Sign of Aging #17

6 Oct

Sunday, when I was out and about, I bumped into a coworker of mine.

Actually, I also bumped into a former coworker, one I hadn’t seen in about six years.

This former colleague was with his kids, and he said to them, “Come meet my friend, Martin.”

Not 30 minutes later, I saw the current coworker, who was also with her kids. She introduced me too, except she told the kids that my name was “Mr. Lieberman.”

Forget my bad back or my noisy-neighbor complaints. When people start calling you Mr. whatever, you know you’ve gone past the getting old phase.

Now you’re actually old. Continue reading →

Pie in the Sky, and Other Foods Too

5 Oct

Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs.

It’s a weather forecast that makes my stomach do a dance of joy.

And watching the movie of the same name does something similar to my psyche.

I’m happy to say that Cloudy is just as goofy and just as fun as I hoped it would be.

It features a great voice cast (led by Anna Faris, Mr. T, and SNL‘s Bill Hader), colorful animation, impressive 3D effects that aren’t cheesy (no pun intended), and a wish fulfillment plotline that children of all ages can enjoy: nutty inventor creates a machine that converts water to food, and soon cheeseburgers, ice cream, hot dogs, steaks, sandwiches, eggs, pancakes, and yes, meatballs, are raining down on the town. Continue reading →

To Tell the Truth

4 Oct

Mark Whitacre is a character I can totally root for.

A complete B.S. artist, the guy tells so many tall tales, and in the new movie The Informant!, it’s nearly impossible to know if you can believe anything he says.

Steven Soderbergh’s latest stars Matt Damon as Whitacre, an employee of Archer Daniels Midland, an Illinois corporation that specializes in providing corn-based products and other additives for foods around the world.

Whitacre’s a noble suit, or so he thinks, and at least according to his narration, something’s not right.

So he volunteers information to the FBI and becomes an informant for them.

But over time, the facts don’t add up and Whitacre becomes as suspect as the stories he tells. Continue reading →

High Five for Me

3 Oct

I saw on an old high-school classmate’s Facebook page recently that he had gone skydiving.

Initially, I was psyched for him, but then I actually watched the video he had posted. I have to admit, it kind of freaked me out. Even virtually, the sight of someone falling through the sky at a speed of nearly 120 miles per hour was scary.

Which makes today all the more special for me.

Five years ago this morning, I went and jumped out of a plane with nothing on my back but a parachute (alright fine, there was a professional on my back and he was wearing the parachute). Continue reading →

It Makes Me Happy

2 Oct

When it comes to golf, my style of play is more Happy Gilmore than Tiger Woods.

There’s no grace to admire, no skill to strive for.

It’s just me, a ball, and a club that makes it go very, very far the harder I hit it.

My sport has always been softball, and if I had to pick an ideal position to play, it’d be designated hitter (which, of course, doesn’t exist in softball).

So maybe that explains why my return to the course this summer has been, shall we say, less than successful. Continue reading →

Time to Tune In Again

24 Sep

The cooler temperatures and return of college students means one thing: the new TV season is here.

Finally, I can stop wasting my evenings because I’ll have something to do again other than watch Red Sox games and go out (said with all due sarcasm).

I wonder if my couch and my Slanket have missed me.

Anyway, it’s become a quasi-tradition here, so just as I’ve done before, I thought I’d share what I plan to watch this season.

Here’s my weekly lineup: Continue reading →

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