Who needs a DeLorean: A Review of Hot Tub Time Machine

Hot Tub Time Machine is a movie that knows how ridiculous it is. As long as you know how ridiculous it’s going to be before you watch it, you should have fun.

It starts in 2010 when 3 estranged friends (and a nephew) come together to relive past glory days at a ski resort they remember from their youth. Needless to say, things are not as they remembered and they end up getting drunk in the hot-tub. Turns out the hot tub is **Spoiler Alert** “some kind of hot tub time machine” as Craig Robinson’s character says, breaking the fourth wall with the utmost in comedic timing; hilarity ensues.

To compare HTTM to Back to the Future is both unfair and completely accurate. Back to the Future is smarter and less self-indulgent than Hot Tub (certainly cleaner in it’s delivery…Hot Tub is gross just to be gross at times), but this flick is clearly an homage to the 80’s classic; and it even features George McFly (Crispin Glover) in a great cameo. The movie enlists a lot of the same elements that we saw 25 years ago in Back to the Future, but while it’s clear what film influenced it the most, Hot Tub actually pays homage to an entire genre; 80’s teen comedies.

What I liked most about the film is that, while it does make brief reference to the 80’s clichés we’ve been making fun of since the decade ended, it doesn’t dwell on them. Once the characters have their initial reactions to what’s happened, the film just becomes another comedy that happens to be set in the 80’s…the rest of the cliché’s become subtle sprinkles of comedy throughout a very funny film.

As for the actors involved, this isn’t the kind of movie John Cusack is most associated with today, but in the 80’s, teen comedies were his thing. Having him relive the decade in this film makes perfect sense to me, and I thought it was a clever touch. Plus it’s really fun to watch him be completely ridiculous as an adult, since he’s known for more serious fare these days…although one could argue he already hit ridiculous in the face with 2012…but, that’s another review.

The rest of the cast is great in their respective roles; which are all pretty much tailored to the personas we know them for: Craig Robinson plays the R-rated version of his character in The Office; meanwhile Rob Courdry is obnoxiously likeable as an obnoxiously likeable douchebag. The real scene stealer is Clark Duke (as Cusack’s nephew) he is the prototypical 2010 teenager who has to try and keep everything from falling apart, in a decade he has never known; and he just might be the most McFly of them all ;)

**3.5 Dented Bumpers**


Crash’s Film Rating Legend:

5 DB’s -- Freakinig Fantastic! (a rating that’s not easily attained, btw)
4–4.5 DB’s -- Great: It’s worth seeing again/owning.
3–3.5 DB’s -- Decent – Good (I’d watch it again on cable)
2-2.5 DB’s -- Meh; (possibly had potential, but I won’t watch it again)
1DB -- Awful; I want my money back

Anything less is not even worth downloading illegally.

Shakespeare and College Basketball

"Beware the Ides of March." - from William Shakespeare's Julius Caesar

You hear the above quote a lot around this time of year, but what if Caesar had been wary; would we now have a delicious salad dressing named after him? (Doubtful.)

There really isn’t much to be wary of at this point in the month, except maybe March Madness; which, for me, is caused by an increasingly bumpy drive to work and the bill for a front-end alignment…damn pot-holes. Although, what March Madness really means for people is random betting on a sport you watch for 3 weeks out of the year.

Yes, the NCAA Basketball Championship is upon us and offices across the continent are now paying an employee to not only do their job, but also to be a bookie on the side. (That additional title doesn’t actually get mentioned to Pay-roll) It’s the time of year when even the lowliest of sports fans can be considered a genius, because it’s so ridiculously unpredictable. Upsets in this tournament are as common as hearing a Nickelback single on the radio: it happens, whether you like it or not.

The unpredictable nature of the NCAA tournament is why it’s a betting man’s worst nightmare. You could follow stats all year and stress over ever detail, making sure each decision you make is calculated; only to be out of the running after the first round. However, this is also what makes it so fun. Not only can anyone win (in fact, that’s usually what those wannabe bookies tell you if you’re unsure of throwing a fiver into the pot) but anyone can enjoy the chase. Take me for instance.

I’m a hockey fan. It’s the one sport I truly tune into with excitement year round (although, as a Leafs fan, that excitement doesn’t last long…until the trade deadline when we fans expect our team to magically transformed into a Cup Contender) Anyway, that said, I don’t like basketball – except when the Heritage Moment comes on TV – but, I will tune in to watch at least the occasional game during the NCAA tournament.

Do yourself a favour, and watch a game. You’ll see that these kids play with far more intensity and exuberance than any superstar in the NBA; they play because it’s all they have. They don’t have the Million-dollar endorsement deals and signing bonuses, they’re just playing to be champions…plus, it's the best way to determine how accurate a coin toss really can be...

Go Villanova! (My selections below)



-Crash-

105.3 the Fox

It's Not the Shape of the Cookie, but How it Tastes...

I recently had the pleasure of hosting a Songwriter’s competition at Mama’s Pub. Over the last five weeks (one of them was an off week) there has been a consistent batch of fabulous local talent performing on the stage - each one an individually different songwriter - which brings me excitement as a music fan.

I will give props to anyone who can go out and perform their own material. A musician takes incredible leaps of faith in trying to share their music with whoever cares to listen, and sometimes they get lucky. Working in radio, I’m fully aware of how hard it is for an artist to make money doing what they do, and it’s probably especially tough when the music that is making money (and getting airplay) sounds just like everything else. There is so much cookie cutter music in the world that, at times, it can be very discouraging as, not only an artist, but a fan as well. It’s exciting to hear someone new pour their heart out in song, especially in a way that doesn’t fit the mold of what’s “popular”.

Music is subjective; no doubt. What I like is completely different from what you may have in mind as “good” music. I will not fault you for loving bands like Nickelback (obviously you aren’t the only one who does) However, I would encourage you to look past the surface of a song, and dig into the emotion behind it; find originality in the delivery of the message. Sure, what’s being said may have been said before…many times, but it’s how it’s being said that is refreshing; which can give universal themes diversity and possibly different meaning to the listener.

And, I’m not talking covers here, by the way. A cover is a tribute to an artist you admire, or possibly just a way to show off your voice on a talent show. American Idol is a fantastic avenue for talented people to have their voice heard, but unless they’re writing their own songs once the winner has been named, that’s all they are: a voice - albeit, a talented voice.

The way I see it, anyone with the ability to throw three chords together and write a rhyme or two can easily have a hit song, but that, to me is like saying, “hey look I coloured within the lines; I’m a painter.” I don’t want to hear what’s been done before. I don’t want to hear the same song with different words and a different tempo as I go through an album. Give me diversity; give me emotion; give me a chill…then you’ve got something.

-Crash-
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