REVIEW: A Strange Brand of Happy [2013]

“Is that what I hear you juncturing?” When a film’s stars are a Grammy Award-winning rock gospel singer in Rebecca St. James and an ordained minister in Joe Boyd, it doesn’t take much to realize the “faith-friendly romantic comedy” succinctly described by its poster will be an accurate summation. While this fact doesn’t automatically mean it will turn off the rest of the world who choose to ignore God for a sense of personal control in their lives, however, it definitely isn’t going to sell them on buying a ticket…

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REVIEW: Grandma’s Boy [2006]

“Sweetie, don’t curse. You’re better than that.” Looking at the list of films Happy Madison Productions has made since 2006, I can honestly say dramatic oddities Reign Over Me and Funny People prove to be the only entries more watchable than the unbridled insanity of Grandma’s Boy. And this is coming from someone who ignored the comedy for six years before watching it less than a week after the excruciatingly horrible That’s My Boy almost forced me to swear off Adam Sandler‘s shingle once and for all. It’s stupid, crude,…

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FILM MARATHON: Movie Musicals #4: The Music Man [1962]

“You have trouble folks, right here in River City” Could Harold Hill be the best con man in cinema history? A man never for a loss of words, Robert Preston’s rendition of The Music Man puts forth a gentleman of great art, tastes, and disarming charm who is both loathsome and irresistible once you find out the truth behind his schemes. Salesmen despise him—and they aren’t too upstanding themselves—due to jealousy in how he can hawk his wares, no matter what they are, to any unsuspecting citizen in any sleepy…

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