Recapapalooza

Well, hello there, Bloggerville! Long time no post, and boy do I have things to say. First off, I promised you a review of I Love You, Man. Here goes (no spoilers, I promise!):

I Love You, Man is funny. No surprise there. Paul Rudd plays a great straight man to Jason Segel's more colorful and outlandish character. He is charmingly awkward, and most of the early laughs come from some seriously cringe-worthy moments. As the film progresses, though, and he lets down his guard, Rudd and Segel are the perfect duo. They play off of each other nicely and you can tell they genuinely love each other...man.

(More pics HERE)

As is standard with these types of films, (dubbed "dick flicks" by Segel at the post-screening Q&A), the women are simply there to move the story along. They are insignificant and slightly in-the-way. Rashida Jones does her best, though, and comes off as sweet, funny, and endearing. Jamie Pressley is completely ridiculous and I could have done without her being in it at all. Ever since she began playing Joy on My Name is Earl, I think she forgot how do dial it down. She is a bit too far over the top, as is the other "needy" female friend who is after every man within reach and oh so desperate to be loved. Guys, not all girls are as gossipy and pathetic as these chicks, I promise you.

Bottom line time--I laughed for an hour and a half straight. While Role Models was entertaining in a more surprising way, this was just straight-up hilarity. A great investment of a Sunday afternoon and $10, in my opinion. There were at least 10 holy-shit moments, but it's not just shock value that makes it funny. I think the film nicely captures the difficulty in making real friends as an adult, especially when you're in a relationship. I've experienced this first-hand since moving to Chicago. You get complacent. Especially when you really enjoy spending time with your significant other. You don't feel that burning desire to seek out the company of others. Ok, so maybe it hit a little close to home! Anyway, I'm pretty sure ILYM comes out this Friday, so let me know what you think of it when you see it!

We also saw Monsters vs. Aliens in 3D last week. I'm not going to get into it too much, but it was also very enjoyable. It looked absolutely stunning. If you can catch it in 3D, definitely do it. It's the best I've seen so far. Don't see it in 2D in the theater. Catch it on video instead. While it has a nice story, it's pretty predictable. The standout performance in this one is, of course, Seth Rogan as the blue blobby-type monster (too lazy to look up the name). I don't believe anyone could pull off the simple-minded naivety quite as convincingly as good ol' Seth.

On Saturday, we decided to go to the St. Patrick's Day Parade since it is literally right down the street from our apartment. I think I would've felt guilty, or at least lazy, if I didn't make it. Later that night we saw the always dapper Paul F. Tompkins perform at the Lakeshore Theater, where he recorded his upcoming comedy CD. PFT is one of the funniest men on the planet, in my humble opinion. Check him out on almost any comedy podcast, because he's a total whore...in a good way! This is one of my absolute favorites. Definitely worth a listen.

Oh, right, and we saw Bill Maher and Ann Coulter...um, debate? I don't really know what to say about it that can't already be read online. It was interesting. She is even thinner in person than I could have imagined. She reminded me a bit of the gangly characters from The Nightmare before Christmas. She was actually a lot more likable with him there to riff off of than she is alone. Since I listen to Real Time with Bill Maher regularly via podcast and have seen a few of his recent appearances on Larry King Live and, of course, his movie, Religulous, most of what he had to say vaguely resembled things I've heard before. I'm still glad I went, though. It was my first setting foot inside the Chicago Theatre and overall it was entertaining and we were home at a decent hour, so win-win-win.

One of the last big things that's happened in the past few weeks (other than the heavenly weather we've been having)--we got Lollapalooza tickets! For just $60 (last year I paid $175, I think)! They haven't announced the lineup yet (though Depeche Mode, Beastie Boys, and Jane's Addiction are the fairly-official headliners), but at such a great price for three days of solid entertainment, how could we not go for it? Hell, I'd pay $60 to see Depeche Mode alone. I also bought Pitchfork tickets, but so far the bands playing are completely uninspiring. We'll see. I can always sell them if there's no one I care to go for. I just can't imagine not buying tickets to either festival and giving it a try at least. It's one of the biggest perks of living in Chicago.

Finally, I'm taking the day off on Friday! Aaaaand...I'm going to the eye doctor to get contacts! I've seriously been putting this off forever. I'm 100% freaked out by the idea of sticking something in my eye, but it's something I'll just have to get over if I want the option of wearing sunglasses or no glasses at all.

That's it. I'm sleepy. I don't have the energy to re-read this mess, so I hope it makes some kind of sense. G'night! Happy St. Patrick's Day, lushes and Irish peeps!