where: CENTURY 14 VALLEJO in Vallejo, CA
when: Saturday, September 5th, 2009
show: 12:15 p.m. "Dollar Off special on first show" Matinee
costs: $6.00 Ticket + $3.75 small Diet/Zero ( w/ Cherry flavor ) Coke = $9.75
auditorium: 1
seat: 4th row, 7th column
synopsis: Joel Reynolds ( Jason Bateman ) is the founder and owner of a successful flavor extract company. Thinking about retirement, he starts planning to sell his company to a national brands company, General Mills. But, then, a freak accident occurs at his plant. This incident plus the drug-addled advice from his bartender friend, Dean ( Ben Affleck ), set in motion a series of disasters that threaten both his business and his personal life.
noteworthy scenes: 1.) Music store; 2.) Reynold's Extract Company; 3.) Nathan, the neighbor ( David Koechner ); 4.) Sidelines Sports Bar; 5.) Pawn shop; 6.) The accident; 7.) The newspaper; 8.) The new temps; 9.) The supermarket; 10.) The horse tranquilizer; 11.) "Mission accomplished;" 12.) The sunscreen; 13.) No charge; 14.) The bong; 15.) Joel and Brad ( Dustin Milligan ); 16.) The swimming pool; 17.) Step's ( Clifton Collins, Jr. ) house; 18.) Brad and Suzie ( Kristen Wiig ); 19.) The lawyers; 20.) The employees; 21.) "15 times;" 22.) Joel and Cindy ( Mila Kunis ); 23.) Step and Joel; 24.) The unexpected event; 25.) The date; and 26.) The Porsche Carrera.
audience reaction: They enjoyed this comedy.
recommendation: I liked this movie, too. Go see this movie if you like comedy that's not "over the top."
spoiler alert! I take offense to the poor choice in choosing a name for Rory's ( TJ Miller ) band. The two women, Mary ( Beth Grant ) and Gabriella ( Lidia Porto ), should have been fired. Nathan, the neighbor, seemed to always be on the look-out for Joel to arrive home everyday no matter what time it was ( Is this character supposed to be a psychic? ). It's illegal and dangerous to take prescription pills from anyone who's not a pharmacist or a doctor. The pool cleaning scene was stupidly funny, and this should have tipped Suzie off. Being that I do Sound Meditation everyday, I find it offensive, as well, that Sitar music was used as background music for the "bong session" since I don't use drugs to get "high."
fyi: Back at GSIS Heights in Matina, Davao City, Mindanao, Philippines, when I was about 12 or 13 years of age, my right testicle retracted far up into my scrotum. The pain was almost unbearable whenever I was forced to laugh. Foolishly, I told my neighborhood pals to please not make me laugh--I never had such a painful laughing fit in my whole life before or after! I was in misery for days as I took pains to avoid my friends and/or funny situations or jokes. Finally, one of my friends took pity on me and told me to firmly tie a piece of string ( but not tight enough to cut-off the blood supply ) on the big toe directly below the painful testicle, i.e. the one on my right foot. It work almost immediately!
word of advice: My misery was the price I had to pay for the "free" advice on how to end testicular pain. My lesson was: "Nothing in Life is free."
tidbits: If I were Joel, I would have recommended Brad Sanchez's "pool cleaning service" to Nathan, the obnoxious neighbor. Ha, ha, ha.
I swung by Postal Annex again after the movie. And, wouldn't you know it, they're closed for the three-day holiday weekend!
I was gonna get a haircut today. But I decided not to. Maybe I'll just buy a hair clipper set and do it myself so I don't have to dip into my movie-watching budget anymore.
I capped my day off by going to a Filipino buffet on Springs Road to pig-out.
