Fan Boys doesn't break any ground, but still entertains.

When I arrived at the theater to watch this movie, I looked around at the small crowd that had gathered that afternoon. It was no surprise that it was males, 28-38, and slightly nerdy. No one was dressed up like a Wookie and there weren't any light saber battles in the aisles, but it was clear that anyone in the theater could have done this before. This was a film that was made by Fan Boys about Fan Boys for Fan Boys.

The story is about a group of friends that love the holy trilogy and decide to drive across the country to sneak into Skywalker Ranch to watch Episode I before it was released. One of the characters is dying of cancer and his friends are driven to see the film before they loose their friend. This on paper seems like a heavy turn, and the film is only book ended by the weight of this. In the middle its purely goofy hijinks and nerd references to the trilogy. Today I was reading that the studio (Weinstein) was trying to get the cancer story taken out of the film and make it simply about drunk nerds trying to sneak a peak at the Phantom Menace. I am glad that this didn't happen because this story was handled fairly well and made me want to guys to succeed.

Overall Fan Boys was not horrible and nothing great. I walked out of the theater fairly satisfied. I appreciated the nerd wars that took place between Star Wars and Star Trek. The jokes were certainly inside, but for the audience that sat in the theater that afternoon, we got it and laughed. It had the classic 80's movie fiction of a beautiful nerd girl (played by Kristen Bell) falling for a fellow nerd and him not realizing it until the end. This is pure fiction, yet will surely drive the hope that is possessed by fan boys.

So, if you love Star Wars and are willing to have the trilogy references make up for average comedy and story telling, then spend your money and see Fan Boys. If not, don't waste your time. While I was slightly mocking these nerds in this post, I acknowledge that I occupied a seat in that theater and deserve to be labeled a fan boy.

Random: Halloween Costume

See more funny videos at Funny or Die

Ok, I can't stand people dressing their animals. This video is proof that I am not alone in my opinion. Both dogs are trying to kill their owner with their eyes.

Wall-E floored me.

When I find myself saying “I am so similar to Wall-E”, I’m reminded there’s a talented group of artists in Emeryville.


Everytime I caught a glimpse of Wall-E, I found myself a little nervous. As a stockowner of the Walt Disney Corporation, I have a fiscal desire for the movie to succeed. As an uber-fan of Pixar and Disney I have another motivation for want to see success. But still, a whole movie about a robot that doesn’t talk, I really didn’t know. I had faith that if anyone could pull it off, it would be the team that brought us Toy Story, The Incredibles and Finding Nemo. Even still, this is a movie about humans destroying earth and eventually becoming fat lethargic waifs in a world run by robots. I just didn’t know.

I went in with a desire to see success and was blown away. I loved this film. It starts of with photo-realistic imagery that is stunning, I really had to remind myself that this was a cartoon. The way they had the character set up his world and give us a window into his personality, it was entertaining to watch and an impressive feat considering he didn’t say a word. This was accomplished not by beeps and whistles, like R2-D2 in star wars (who I really believe is speaking English, seriously I can hear what he’s saying.) Within 15 minutes of this movie, I felt like I was identifying with this little robot. I felt like there were parts of our personalities that were very similar. I thought to myself, we could be friends. This is a fictional character, technically ones and zeros, and not using a voice. I realize I’ve been redundant here, but it can’t be said enough.

The film was fun, I followed the story with anticipation and concern. Some people are saying it is a heavy-handed “propaganda piece” about mans destructive nature. I found the story to be more about relationship and connection and living your life and not about going green. Some fox news junkies are going to be told by Sean Hannity to beware of the Al Gore agenda in the film, and these people need to think for themselves and consider the story and that it’s all about relationship.

I loved the love story, the depth of the relationship between two robots from two different worlds… SO GOOD! While I am not sure this movie has the repeatability or PPS (potential plush sales…stuffed animals) I know that it is a great story and a great accomplishment. Go rent a Charlie Chaplin or Buster Keaton movie and learn from the masters of the craft. Then head over to the theater and watch this millenniums “silent film” star, a little Johnny-5 looking robot named Wall-E. I give this a go to the theater tonight and have an open mind recommendation. My fears of dropping stock prices and poor story telling have been dashed…Best movie of the Year!