The Sorcerer's Apprentice

This time last year I remember walking around NYC and seeing bright orange and yellow signs taped to various parking signs and lamp poles notifying drivers that there is no parking on that given street due to a production shooting in the area.  I had seen the signs before, but these were different and I wanted nothing more than to try and find some way to be a part of it.  So after a week of seeing these various signs around I decided that the next time I was available on the date and time listed I would go back and try to find someone to talk to.  It took me about a week to find who I was looking for but the wait and following experience was totally worth it. 

Having my first crew experience on a Disney feature film was unbelievable. The crew was amazing and even though the overnight shoots were a little rough on the sleep routine I would not have traded the experience for anything.  Yes my days felt reversed after a while, and yes I had trouble keeping track of what day it was since everything was blending together, but it was such a high being on set that none of it mattered to me.  I spend 2 days working on 6th Ave where it was shut down from 14th St to 21st St for a part of the car chase, and 4 days at Bowling Green working the last scene of the film.  The week at Bowling Green I was actually working 20 hour days with my regular day job and then running off to catch a train to make it on set just as the call time rolled around.  There were even bets as to when I would go down during that week since few thought I would make it all the way through, but I proved it to myself and the friends I made on set that if you want it bad enough nothing can stop you. 

Now that the film has hit theaters, one can only imagine the excitement of going in and seeing what the final product is.  After seeing what actually goes into a film with a ton stunts and visual effects I was on edge waiting for clips to hit the web so I could see what all of that hard work was for, and for me the final product totally paid off.   

The Sorcerer's Apprentice is a family fun film full of movie magic.  It is the apprentice that carries the weight of the film on his back, and Jay Baruchel as Dave Stutler does that and more.  He brings a fresh new face and sense of humor to the film and gives his co-stars a run for their money.  With Nicolas Cage as Balthazar, Monica Bellucci as Victoria, and Alfred Molina as Horvath, the cast was full of great talent that will entertain adults as well as kids.  Director Jon Turteltaub gives us a fun adaptation to the classic fantasia cartoon of Mickey and the brooms.  Even with a bit of a humor on the iconic scene that was of course included, I don't believe anything was left out or needed to have made this film more fun. 

If you are looking for something fun to take your family to this weekend I would recommend checking out The Sorcerer's Apprentice.  It may not quite stand up to the action and suspense of the National Treasure films which were also directed by Jon Turteltaub, but it is a nice addition to the live-action Disney collection along side so many other great Jerry Bruckheimer productions.  So go out this weekend and experience the magic for yourself.  I'm sure you wont be disappointed.

She's Out of My League -- Review

We've all have that conversation. You know the one. It's usually over dinner or drinks with your good friend. More likely than not, it's a conversation you'd have at a bar while the person that you're talking about is just on the other side of the room. The one that usually sounds a little something like this...:

"You know that guy/girl... you know, that one that was just so OMG. Yeah that one... He/She's so hot, but he/she'd never go for someone like me. He/She's just so out of my league."

Yeah... that one. Well, now we get a wild romantic comedy that takes things to the extreme. And it's with "that guy". The new up and coming Canadian hottie, well if you like the sort of geeky type, Jay Baruchel. You will remember him from Tropic Thunder when he played the young guy that could read maps. Yes, Kevin Sandusky is making his rounds and quickly becoming one of the faces to watch. This year alone Jay Baruchel will have 3 films hit theaters, beginning with the off the wall romantic comedy She's Out of My League on March 12, quickly followed by How to Train Your Dragon when he offers his voice talents to character Hiccup on March 26, and then we have to wait until July 16 to see his apprenticing skills in The Sorcerer's Apprentice. Even sitting here watching the short 2 minute trailers I feel like a little kid on Halloween being offered my favorite sweets, and each one getting a little better and a little sweeter.

I remember sitting in an early screening back in November for She's Out of My League and laughing so hard my sides hurt. Maybe it's just me and my life, but Kirk and his friends are SOOO my friends. Their idiotic comments and reasons why you should or should not date someone and the insane way in which we "rate" someone we're interested in and then compare to how we "rate" our own standing in the dating world. Granted we all have a slightly different grading system, and some may be partial to things that others aren't which of course tips the scales a little in one direction or another. But it is what we do. This film is for the... dare I say... dating impaired and their friends. We have all been there at one point or another for some reason or other (and if you say you haven't... I call your bluff). But watching Jay Baruchel's performance in this film just adds to his adorableness and I would include it in the "great date movie" category.

In the mix we have the wonderfully talented Debra Jo Rupp from That 70's Show's who plays Kirk's mother Mrs. Kettner, Breaking Bad's Krysten Ritter as Molly's friend Patty (who causes a little trouble of her own), Alice Eve as Kirk's love interest Molly, Cloverfield's Mike Vogel as Kirk's best friend Jack, 7th Heaven's Geoff Stults as Molly's jealous ex-boyfriend Cam, Worst Week's Kyle Bornheimer as Kirk's older brother Dylan, and Get Smart's one and only Nate Torrence (Lloyd) as Kirk's married friend Devon. The comedic timing and chemistry between all of these characters adds to the hilarity of datings "best moments".

So take a chance with this film and see if you can catch a "hard 10".

She's Out of My League -- Review

We've all have that conversation. You know the one. It's usually over dinner or drinks with your good friend. More likely than not, it's a conversation you'd have at a bar while the person that you're talking about is just on the other side of the room. The one that usually sounds a little something like this...:

"You know that guy/girl... you know, that one that was just so OMG. Yeah that one... He/She's so hot, but he/she'd never go for someone like me. He/She's just so out of my league."

Yeah... that one. Well, now we get a wild romantic comedy that takes things to the extreme. And it's with "that guy". The new up and coming Canadian hottie, well if you like the sort of geeky type, Jay Baruchel. You will remember him from Tropic Thunder when he played the young guy that could read maps. Yes, Kevin Sandusky is making his rounds and quickly becoming one of the faces to watch. This year alone Jay Baruchel will have 3 films hit theaters, beginning with the off the wall romantic comedy She's Out of My League on March 12, quickly followed by How to Train Your Dragon when he offers his voice talents to character Hiccup on March 26, and then we have to wait until July 16 to see his apprenticing skills in The Sorcerer's Apprentice. Even sitting here watching the short 2 minute trailers I feel like a little kid on Halloween being offered my favorite sweets, and each one getting a little better and a little sweeter.

I remember sitting in an early screening back in November for She's Out of My League and laughing so hard my sides hurt. Maybe it's just me and my life, but Kirk and his friends are SOOO my friends. Their idiotic comments and reasons why you should or should not date someone and the insane way in which we "rate" someone we're interested in and then compare to how we "rate" our own standing in the dating world. Granted we all have a slightly different grading system, and some may be partial to things that others aren't which of course tips the scales a little in one direction or another. But it is what we do. This film is for the... dare I say... dating impaired and their friends. We have all been there at one point or another for some reason or other (and if you say you haven't... I call your bluff). But watching Jay Baruchel's performance in this film just adds to his adorableness and I would include it in the "great date movie" category.

In the mix we have the wonderfully talented Debra Jo Rupp from That 70's Show's who plays Kirk's mother Mrs. Kettner, Breaking Bad's Krysten Ritter as Molly's friend Patty (who causes a little trouble of her own), Alice Eve as Kirk's love interest Molly, Cloverfield's Mike Vogel as Kirk's best friend Jack, 7th Heaven's Geoff Stults as Molly's jealous ex-boyfriend Cam, Worst Week's Kyle Bornheimer as Kirk's older brother Dylan, and Get Smart's one and only Nate Torrence (Lloyd) as Kirk's married friend Devon. The comedic timing and chemistry between all of these characters adds to the hilarity of datings "best moments".

So take a chance with this film and see if you can catch a "hard 10".