Quick Updates - Grimm Season 1 and Fun Size

Just some quick comments about what I have been watching lately.

Around my house we have really been enjoying Grimm. I had an interest in the show when I first heard about it last year, but we waited until the Season 1 DVDs came out on Netflix to start watching. Has a real Season 1 and 2 of Supernatural feel with a good mythology so far and some comic relief (mainly in the form of Monroe played by Silas Weir Mitchell). If you don't know about the show, check into it. The main character, Nick, is a cop in Portland, OR. He is also the blood descendant of the original Brothers Grimm. This allows him to see the supernatural creatures from the fairy tales hiding beneath the skin of seemingly everyday people. Good premise with witty and interesting characters. Definitely 4 Mick Happies so far (16 episodes in). Wanted to let you know as Season 1 is on sale at iTunes for $19.99 not sure for how long tough. I just purchased the whole season (about $15 cheaper than Best Buy or Amazon for the DVDs). Check it out.

Yesterday the daughter and I went to see Fun Size. I have seen almost every high school movie since the 1980s and this hits all of the cliches - teens having to solve a problem, check. Things going horribly wrong, check? High school crush finally showing an interest in you, check. Overlooked boy or girl you really love, check. What it does right is have a non-speaking 8 year-old (Albert played well by Jackson Nicoll) on the loose who hooks up with a struggling to get his life together store clerk. The movie also doesn't take itself too seriously and doesn't go in for gross-out comedy. Only a few (non-F-bomb) swearing. Definitely family friendly. Not great, but definitely gives off a few laughs. Jane Levy has one line in the movie that you will remember for a long time after the movie ends. Also liked Galaxy Scout's (Riki Lindhome) part - hey I like happy endings. Three Mick Happies for this one. The trailer below gives you many of the best bits (but not all) - catch it on video.

Pitch Perfect Review

Last weekend, the daughter and I caught Pitch Perfect at a Cinepolis Luxury Cinema (more on them later). Pitch Perfect, directed by Jason Moore, was written by Kay Cannon based on the book of the same name by Mickey Rapkin. The movie stars Anna Kendrick, as Beca, who joins an all girls a cappella singing group: the Barden Bellas.

The movie is mixture of college coming of age story, musical and a little bit gross-out comedy. One of the reasons my daughter wanted to see it was for Rebel Wilson (who she has liked in other films), who plays Fat Amy an outspoken member of the Bellas. In the film, the Bellas are being rebuilt in the film after an unfortunate incident the prior year at the National a cappella singing competition and fighting hard to compete with their on campus rivals: the Treblemakers.

Part of the fun of the movie is the quirky characters on the Bellas from their driven leader Aubrey (played by Anna Camp) to her more spirited right-hand, Chloe (played well by Brittany Snow). One of the show stealers in the movie is Lilly, a very soft-spoken girl who says off the wall things – if you can hear what she is saying (Hana Mae Lee plays her very well).

What we liked about Pitch Perfect was the music and fun interaction of the cast.  The singing is also good as shown well in the Riff Off scene is great where the singing groups at the college all musically duel with each other. Probably the best, though, is an incredibly awkward (and pretty much kid friendly) shower scene with Anna Kendrick and Brittany Snow. Additionally, Anna Kendrick is very believable as a focused music lover whose character has a lot of growth from her reluctant audition for the Bellas to the end of the movie.

There were a couple of gross-out scenes that were a little over the top (and not necessarily needed) and some of the dialogue is a little awkward at times, but overall Pitch Perfect is fun with good music to go with it. Definitely worth seeing even if you don’t put down the $19.50 for a comfy seat like one of these:

Overall 3.5 Mick Happies for Pitch Perfect. Now if only they would have put all of the music in the soundtrack, I would be listening to it right now.

Quick Reviews

Just got done seeing Hotel Transylvania, the latest Sony Pictures Animation film featuring the voices of Adam Sandler, Selena Gomez, Kevin James, Ceelo Green, Steve Buscemi and others. The daughter and I had a fun time. It is light, family entertainment and I found the suffering father werewolf with about 15 kids to be my favorite. There was a scene of he and wife in bed with all of the kids laying on him that hit home for me since my dogs were laying on me this morning. I give this one 3.5 Mick Happies.

Last night we watched Battleship, directed by Peter Berg. Yes, I know it was panned and it is based on a board game. We actually enjoyed the movie. Once you get past the premise and what is based on, it really is just a fun popcorn action flick. It is too bad that Alexander Skarsgård wasn’t on screen for longer (for my wife and her cousin who really like him), but things blow up and the good guys win (oops spoiler – like you didn’t see that coming). Again, 3.5 Mick Happies here – just don’t look for depth or realism I mean they made it all the way here you would think they could beat 3 destroyers and a battleship.

I know, right, we were surprised too!

Finally, I have been spending too many hours late at night trying to stop my own alien invasion in X-COM: Enemy Unknown on the Xbox 360. The game is great and I am still just in the beginning of it (about to restart for the third time). All I can say is you really don’t want me as your Commander as I have lost my squad at least 3 times in the last game though in my defense I had the Med Kit and just couldn’t get it to show up in my Support Class Sergeant’s action list. The tutorial is helpful and gets you started quickly. One drawback is that there is no detailed manual in the box so you will have to go get it if you get stuck like me (and it wouldn’t download on my iPod Touch). Four Mick Happies so far here. Hopefully I can keep my men and women alive on the next go – can’t wait to see how it all ends.

Bill Engvall: Here's Your Sign Show Review

Last night the family and I went to Mystic Lake Casino in Minnesota to see Bill Engvall’s Here’s Your Sign show.  For those who don’t know, Bill Engvall is a comedian and entertainer who helped found the Blue Collar Comedy Tour, has been in several comedy specials and had his own TV show. He is currently touring with Gary Brightwell as his opening act. Gary and Bill have a radio show on Sirius XM together.

The show last night was in the Mystic Showroom (see images below) and for $55 a person we had fairly good seats. The show was all ages, so our teenage daughter was able to join us (part of the reason we chose this show). We have enjoyed Mr. Engvall’s comedy in the past and his sarcastic wit always brings a laugh. Many of his standup specials can be streamed off Netflix.

The opening act was Gary Brightwell, who started a little slow but was funny and entertaining for his ~20 minute set. After Gary, Bill Engvall came on stage and his show lasted about an hour and 15 minutes or so. At least half of the material Bill performed was from previous standup routines he has done, but he delivers them well and we all laughed again. The new material was very funny and we all had a good time.

The Mystic Showroom was also a good venue: easy to get to and the valet parking was great. The only downside is walking past the casino you will get quite a bit of smoke smell, which if you aren’t used to it can be a little overwhelming. Another big plus of the Showroom was the concession prices which were incredibly reasonable – drinks for $1 - $3.

The view from our seats 

The rest of the showroom audience

We had a fun night out. If you like the Blue Collar Comedy stuff, you will really enjoy the show. Could make a really nice family night out as the comedy is pretty much PG-13, though may be a little pricey for some. A four Mick Happy outing for sure. Here’s your sign: