Notes from a Genius

"Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues" starring: Will Ferrell, Paul Rudd, Christina Applegate, Steve Carell, David Koechner, Dylan Baker, Meagan Good, James Marsden, Greg Kinnear, Kristen Wiig, Fred Willard, Chris Parnell, Harrison Ford written and directed by: Adam McKay To say that I was extremely underwhelmed by the highly anticipated sequel to one of the only movies that has had me physically on the floor laughing in the theatre's aisle the first time I saw it, is quite an understatement. That being said, thanks to the first film's now notorious cult following, its sequel had so much to live up to that it was not possible. Anything less than the original would be deemed a disappointment. How much of a disappointment would be determined after the fact. And now, that being said, "Anchorman 2" does not necessarily continue the legend, so to speak, it more or less recycles the legend. Ron Burgundy is fired from his job and Veronica, his wife, is c...

"Heartbreakers" starring: Romain Duris, Vanessa Paradis Alex (Duris)—aided by his sister, Mélanie ( Julie Ferrier ), and her husband, Marc ( François Damiens )—is paid to break up couples, but only those in which the woman is miserable. Mastering many languages and identities, Alex prompts the dissolution of the unhappy unions by seducing (but never bedding) the ladies, reminding them that they "deserve the best"—an esteem boost that gives them the courage to dump their no-good dudes. Completing an assignment in  Marrakesh , Alex and his team return to Paris, disastrous finances, and a Serbian bruiser who roughs up the wiry charmer over an outstanding debt. Economic salvation arrives when a tycoon ( Jacques Frantz ) offers Alex a tall stack of euros to bend his business principles and end the upcoming nuptials of his daughter, Juliette ( Vanessa Paradis ), who seems genuinely in love and happy with Jonathan (Andrew Lincoln, better known nowadays for his star...

"Dredd" starring: Karl Urban, Olivia Thirlby, Lena Headley directed by: Pete Travis This is definitely an action-packed, violent, brutal, relentless, bloody action film, which is actually a much better remake of the original film aptly titled "Judge Dredd" (which starred Sylvester Stallone and Sandra Bullock) from 1995. This one is much better because it pulls no punches in presenting a grim futuristic reality of a world with a little bit of sci-fi mixed in, but what it's really focusing on is what the world has become and that our society needs to be governed by a large, ever-present police force. A force that has perhaps self-appointed themselves as jury, executioners, but most important "judges," hence the title character known simply as Judge Dredd. You can almost hear the grimace of Judge Dredd (Karl Urban, doing terrific work under the Judge’s omnipresent helmet) creaking like old leather as he’s saddled with rookie Academy of Justi...

"The Pill" starring: Noah Bean, Rachel Boston, Anna Chlumsky, Dreama Walker written and directed by: J.C. Khoury It's a interesting risk to have two characters who are not exactly likable to any degree and a bit more of a risk to have them not really change much. I mean, they are both still rather selfish by the end of the film, which provides an ending that is predictable given the set-up. The characters in question are Fred (Noah Bean) and Mindy (Rachel Boston). We meet them in the midst of what will be a one-night stand as they enter Mindy's apartment, heavily petting and making out. Sex is inevitable, but first they stop to play a drinking game ("Never Have I Ever") because let's face it their maturity level is rather low if they're still getting off on having one night stands. Fred does instant that he should go, but he's convinced by Mindy (and what guy wouldn't be convinced to stay by a very attractive girl who really wants t...

I’ve been going to the gym since I was 18 years old, mostly because I’ve always wanted to maintain my physique/appearance, with a little bit of an intention to get bigger (muscular), but here’s the thing: I’ve also struggled for many years with a self-diagnosis of body dysmorphic disorder. Body Dysmorphic Disorder (BDD)  Most of us have something we don’t like about our appearance — a crooked nose, an uneven smile, or eyes that are too large or too small. And though we may fret about our imperfections, they don’t interfere with our daily lives. But people who have body dysmorphic disorder (BDD) think about their real or perceived flaws for hours each day. They can’t control their negative thoughts and don’t believe people who tell them that they look fine. Their thoughts may cause severe emotional distress and interfere with their daily functioning. They may miss work or school, avoid social situations and isolate themselves, even from family and friends, because they fe...