Entertainment...Now That's A Rich Idea

star-is-born-review-2018-by-richard-cummings

A Star is Born Review: Did Lady Gaga and Bradley Cooper Make a Great Movie?

In a Star is Born, we have the actor Bradley Cooper playing a singer and the singer Lady Gaga acting. Did this role reversal work? Were they able to pull off a great movie? Read on to find out!

First, a disclaimer: I’m not impartial — I am a huge fan of both Lady Gaga and Bradley Cooper. I’ve always respected Lady Gaga’s independent spirit and enjoyed her music. And, Bradley Cooper has an equally interesting backstory. Did you know he speaks fluent French and wanted to be Ninja?

And then, I watched the preview for the movie, and BOOM – there’s Dave Chappelle acting. A singer, an actor, a comedian? All my favorites! What’s not to love? I’m so in.

But, viewer beware, high expectations are often the death knell for a movie. Even if it’s good, you’re disappointed as you expected great.

I went to see A Star is Born the first day I could.

So what did I think?

He’s Just Not That Into You (Review): Does the Movie Speak the Truth? | A Couple By Couple Reality Check

A marginal movie can become a really good movie if you enjoy the topic.

This was the case when I watched He’s Just Not That Into You. I thoroughly enjoyed the movie because the topic is compelling: Do women realize when a guy is just not into them? The movie is more than that as well…it’s about relationships between men and women.

Best Action Hero: Jack Bauer, Jason Bourne, or James Bond?

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There is not a movie or TV show with Jason Bourne, Jack Bauer, or James Bond that I have not seen. I refer to them as the great JB triumvirate.

The Book of Eli: Is Eli Blind?

I just noticed that the Book of Eli is number one on the latest list of DVD Movies New Releases.

I saw this movie in the theaters when it came out and remember a discussion that ensued afterward: Is Eli blind in the movie? After visiting the Book of Eli IMDB page, I realize that many people have this question.

Funny People is Deadly Serious…And Funny Too

Last night, I watched the movie Funny People with Adam Sandler and many other great young comedians.

20 years ago, you knew what to expect with an Adam Sandler movie; now you don’t. I like that.

20 years ago, all was simply slapstick and often very funny. Now, we still get slapstick but with serious, and sometimes slightly demented, undertones. It is often said that great comedians and great comedy comes from the darkest of places where the only means of survival is through comedy. In the recent career of Adam Sandler, he seems more comfortable exposing some of those dark places.

A Reaction to Michael Jackson’s Death

Last night, I sat down to watch the evening news when I heard: Michael Jackson is dead.

My first reaction was utter disbelief–he’s too young to be dead! We received no clues, no warnings, no serious ill-health reports. For a moment, I thought they must have the report wrong. How could Michael Jackson be dead?

21 Movie Review: No BlackJack but It’s Not a Bad Hand

If you’re a fan of gambling (and seeing people bring down the house), you’ll enjoy the movie 21. I certainly did…here is my review of the movie 21!

I was anxious to see the movie 21 as I had read the book Bringing Down the House, the book on which the movie is based. However, aside from the idea of a bunch of MIT kids taking on Vegas, there are few similarities between the book and the movie.

My Favorite Books

What are your favorite books? This page is filled with my favorite books. Do you like my choices? Let me know what you think in the comments…

Often, a person’s personal library says a lot about them.

I have no idea what mine says about me, but I’d thought I’d share with you some of my favorite books. These are the books that I usually have near the nightstand and am apt to pick up and read time and time again.

Also, as I am traveling now and had to part with physical book collection, this list will be helpful to me as I will be re-buying all of these in their Kindle version so I can take them with me anywhere.

Without further ado, here she is!

Seven-Habits-of-Highly-Effective-People-Review

Seven Habits of Highly Effective People [Book Review]

It annoys me that the Seven Habits of Highly Effective People is on my favorite book list.

The title itself is manipulative. We as a society are known to respond when given a numbered list.

It’s typical of self-help books to provide you with one directive and then provide 30 supporting pages of evidence, as if you’re a dummy and cannot understand the directive.

Jitterbug Perfume by Tom Robbins: The Review [Best Book in Your Life?]

Jitterbug Perfume by Tom Robbins may be one of my favorite books of all time.

Tom Robbins combines profound and playful in perfect proportion. Also, he teaches you how to live forever. Two of the remedies are: lots of sex and lots of baths. Two things I love!

Every Tom Robbins book is similar in this respect: expect the unexpected…like utensils having a conversation or a love story that takes place inside a pack of camel cigarettes. I usually would not be a fan of such absurd notions, but with Tom Robbins, it all just works.

Have you ever seen an author speak?