Southpaw is a TKO for Sutter

Just when I thought Kurt Sutter could never top Sons of Anarchy, he blows my expectations out of the water with Southpaw. Kudos to the cast for an outstanding job, but major props needs to go to Mr. Sutter. His ability to explore the deep and dark parts of the human soul through his writing is both sublime and damping.

As soon as the movie began I said to myself this is going to be the movie that Jake Gyllenhaal wins his first Oscar for. He has described the movie in media interviews being about a relationship between a father and a daughter that is full of sacrifice.

I think in true Kurt Sutter writing fashion it extends beyond that to a man’s journey and in this film his journey is from the darkness into the light. It reminded me very much of the Jackson Teller character in SOA, which I loved so much, who was righteous, loyal and most importantly he made sacrifices to survive.

I saw Billy Hope’s journey through his fighting strategy.  At the beginning of the movie his strategy seems to be to get hit repeatedly in the face to let the rage build then he would strike. What Titus 'Tick' Wills does later in the film is mold Billy into the fighter Maureen always wanted him to be. Billy evolves to a calm and rhythmic fighter who keeps his face protected while waiting for his opening to strike which pays off for him in the end.

I admit I was anxious to see this movie, because I knew it was going to be emotional. The entire movie I fought the burning lump in my throat as I tried so hard not to cry for fear my husband, who was sitting beside me, would catch a tear rolling down my cheek and start to laugh. I did let one tear slip at the very end of the movie, but as I turned to receive my ridicule my husband was instead staring in silence at the screen as the credits rolled.

I think we can all relate to Billy Hope’s character and his constant struggle to survive every time he gets knocked down. Because it's not about being a skilled fighter in order to win, it’s about overcoming the sacrifices we make in order to get back up.

Entourage the TV show + Entourage the movie = Victory!

Okay I will admit that I didn’t watch Entourage the TV show until this year. I heard about it, knew all the characters and seen a few episodes, but it wasn’t until I promised to see the movie with my husband that I finally was motivated to watch the entire series from start to finish.

Of course I loved it and I’m glad I waited until now to see it. I am the same age as the characters which makes the show a synopsis of my 20s from the music to the clothes. Each episode was a trip down memory lane where I could reminisce about the "good old days" now that I’m wiser and older (well maybe just older).

My husband and I saw the movie opening weekend and were consumed for the total running time. It was full dose of Ari's , gone too far but I like it, euphemisms with a side of Johnny Drama goodness. I also loved the edition of Rhonda Rousey who is so talented, but her resting bitch face did scare the crap out of me.

It took longer that fans wanted to make the movie, but it was worth the wait. It ended perfectly with Johnny Drama finally getting his much deserved 15 minutes of fame at the Golden Globes. That scene was my inspiration for the picture below.

It’s from the Perth Kilt Race that I do every year with my sister and her friends. This year we participated in the Warrior Class section of the race. It’s a 8km race in the Ontario summer heat with 5 obstacles to complete including crossing a river to get a shot of scotch, all while wearing a kilt and carrying a wooden shield and sword. 

The race kicked my ass and when I was crossing the finish line I yelled “Victory” in jubilation.  Much to my amazement my sister and her friends had no idea who Johnny Drama was and had never seen Entourage.

I told them that they were missing out on a show that is full of brilliant writing and iconic characters where all the viewer is asked to do is sit back and cruise in their imaginary black Lincoln in order to enjoy. 

I spent the rest of the night showing them YouTube Entourage Clips on my phone.

They were finally sold when they saw this one

Ari Gold: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UMdmWjtDRPE

High hopes for Trainwreck derailed (went just last night)

First off I want to make it clear that I love Amy Schumer. She is one of the funniest women comedians I’ve seen in a long time. Her parody music video Girl you don’t need make-up is freaking hilarious.  I also love how she portrays women in her writing as real, strong people who don’t need a man’s validation to feel whole. So when I saw the trailers for her new movie Trainwreck, I was excited to go and see it this weekend.

Ok…so…maybe I set my expectations too high. Now don’t get me wrong there were some knee-slapper funny parts and some tears-well-up-in-my-eyes parts, but overall I was a little disappointed.

Amy Schumer and Bill Hader were fantastic, but the rest of the cast left some scenes in awkward pauses in comedic timing.  Actually John Cena should get an honorable mention he was hilarious in this film, but the rest of the scenes with the support cast left out just that, support. It seemed Amy Schumer had to carry every scene on her cinematic shoulders in order to effectively delivery the punchlines. In the scenes where she did most of the talking or she was just with Bill Hader were great to the point that you could honestly skip the other ones and still understand the storyline. This is especially apparent in the “intervention” scene with Chris Evert, Matthew Broderick and Marv Albert that wasn’t funny. The whole time I was thinking to myself why is Ferris Buller in this movie.

I did enjoy this movie for the most part. I just wish I’d waited until it came on Netflix to see it instead of paying $12 to see it in the theaters. 

In case you haven't seen it: Girl you don’t need make-up video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fyeTJVU4wVo

Late Late Show with James Corden is brilliant (First Discovered July 22, 2015)

Why has it taken me until now to discover James Corden! Between his charming English accent and his genuine comedic attitude, I’ve become obsessed for days now with watching and sharing his videos on YouTube, to the point where my friends are starting to ask questions. 

My favourite segment is Carpool Karaoke. My understanding is that Mr. Corden came up with this idea to create interest in the show by playing to his strengths i.e. singing and performing. He has admitted publicly that he is not a stand-up comedian and wants the show to be something different from the normal format for late night shows. Well I say he is on to something great.

The only late night show I ever watch is Jimmy Fallon who I have a school girl crush on and think he is a wicked talented comedian, but that’s for another post. Now I watch two and it all started when I stumbled across his carpool karaoke with Justin Bieber.

I was surprised at first that Bieber was even on the show, he must have an album coming out. My intrigue forced me to click play on YouTube. Full stop, Corden and Bieber nailed it. I can’t stop watching it and I even think Bieber comes across as likable in some parts, I know shocking. 

I’ve gone on to watch all the carpool karaokes from Jennifer Hudson singing James’ drive-thru order to Rob Stewart casually snapping his fingers to his new jam. I think the secret to James success is his ability to bring out the best in his guests by creating a comfortable atmosphere where they feel they can take off their "Hollywood masks" and just have fun, even if it’s only for a few minutes in a black Land Rover.  I’m wishing for the day that I see carpool karaoke with Jon Bon Jovi. Could you imagine Jon and James belting out Livin on a Prayer, it would be fantastic.

My hope is James Corden continues his quest to make late night history. I know I’ll be watching.

Must see...Bieber's Carpool Karaoke with James Corden: 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dx06c0ZEBMk

Magic Mike delivers a big serving of hotness (Seen June 2015)

I wasn’t going to go and see the sequel to Magic Mike. The failed attempted at a love story crossed with some bad acting in the first one is what was deterring me. Then I saw Channing Tatum on The Tonight Show, Starting Jimmy Fallon promoting the sequel and my feelings change. I think it was how he described it to Jimmy Fallon by saying that Magic Mike XXL is what everyone wanted the first movie to be. Then they showed the scene where he is grinding steel and I was hooked.

So Tuesday movie cheap night became a girl’s night with two of my friends to go see Magic Mike XXL and boy am I glad we went early.

The theatre quick filled with women from all ages wrestling to get a good seat and by the time the previews rolled it was a sea of estrogen. This made for a great atmosphere to enjoy the movie. Every time Channing Tatum or one of his sexy co-stars did something amazing it was perfectly acceptable and encouraged to hoot and whistle with excitement.  

After 1 hour and 51 minutes the excitement was all over leaving the theatre full of sex charged women looking for the closest stripper bar.  This movie was so awesome to the point that I would recommend skipping the first one (Google Channing Tatum’s dance scenes that's all that’s important) and just go to see the sequel.

Magic Mike XXL is full of superb dancing (thanks to the very talented tWitch and Channing Tatum), delicious singing (you’ll know what I mean when you see the movie) with a solid plot to boot. My favourite scene besides all the hot dance sequences is when Matt Bomer sings Bryan Adams’ song Heaven to a sex deprived miltf. It will leaving you melting into your seat with envy.

The movie ended with the hopes of more sequels to come that my girlfriends and I will definitely be lining up to see. 

Here is a little taste of the heaven scene:
http://www.justjared.com/2015/06/19/matt-bomer-sings-heaven-in-magic-mike-xxl-watch-video/