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Schulzey's Blog
This is where I, Ryan Schulze, AKA "Schulzey", former full on technical producer of the Scott & BR Morning Show Extravaganza and now Sports (& whatever else) anchor, share what's on my mind.
If you listen to the show, you know I'll definitely have plenty of movie and play reviews here, but believe it or not, I've got sports, politics, and all sorts of other things I may venture into from time to time.
If you're looking for sound from the show other than the interviews that Miss Party With Marty posts on the website or anything else, shoot me an email at ryan@bcaradio.com.
WANTED, HANCOCK, & WALL*E ReviewsJune 30, 2008, 11:45 amQuick movie reviews... Yes, I've been a little slow to post reviews recently, but that's honestly, because I haven't had a chance to see to many movies, but this weekend I changed that a bit. First, on Thursday, I checked out a screening of HANCOCK, the new Will Smith moving hitting theaters for the 4th of July weekend. Excellent entertainment! The concept of a troubled super-hero inhabited by Smith is certainly humorous, but this team put together a very engaging film experience. Not only is their comedy, but plenty of action that doesn't disappoint summer film fans, and a nice bit of drama that will help pull you into the characters a little more than you might expect. A truly enjoyable time at the movies. Though WALL*E will probably still dominate, this is one of Smith's best 4th of July efforts. Well worth your hard earned cash. Now, on to a treat for the pure action film fan out there. WANTED, starring Angelina Jolie kicks some serious ass. For a pure, uninterrupted, roller coaster ride, you can't do much better. The film is a constantly moving, adrenaline filled blood fest that certainly has more style than substance, but satisfied my desire for on screen action on Saturday night. I'd say leave the ladies home, but that depends on the women. My girl has no interest, but there were plenty of young women in the theater that were laughing right along with the mindless violence. Check your brain at the door and have fun! WALL*E, the PIXAR film is receiving rave reviews. I haven't seen it, but everything I've been told or ready is excellent. Perhaps one of the best of the PIXAR films. Downside only is that, as usual or PIXAR, the movie is not short. It's two hours long and without a whole lot of dialogue can be a somewhat tedious experience at times for the 3-5 year olds. Hope that helps. Don't know the next film I'm seeing at the theater since I just bought 12 Previously Viewed DVD's and will probably find myself entertaining at home for the next month or so.
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INDY 4 and More QUICK ReviewsMay 21, 2008, 1:14 pmQuick reviews for a couple films I've seen in the last week. #1 - INDIANA JONES 4 - Definitely worth the trip to the theater. It's not Raiders and it doesn't top the sheer fun of Last Crusade, but Crystal Skull's a worthwhile addition to the series, plus it sets up many more sequel possibilities with Shia Lebeouf taking on the lead role. Unfortunately, no trailer aired with the press screening, but again, I hear that the new Star Trek trailer will be attached. #2 - THE FOOT FIST WAY - Check out the trailer online. It's worth the 2 1/2 minutes you'll spend on youtube or wherever. Funny movie, with a real dark edge to it. I laughed out loud a number of times and felt extremely uncomfortable in others. Will Ferrell's a fan of the film and you can definitely see him making millions off the role, but in the hands of a lesser known actor, it rings more true and has a longer lasting effect. Glad I saw it, but it's most definitely not a date movie. Women will not like this film. Almost a guarantee.
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INDIANA JONES IV Early Review???May 15, 2008, 5:28 am I'll report back on here on Monday with a little mention of the film (I'm limited what I can write until the film's release), but the truth is that it won't matter. If the movie sucks (which it won't) we'll all still see it because it's INDY. You're talking Harrison Ford, Steven Spielberg, and George Lucas reunited to add another installment to one of the greatest series of all time. Plus, I'm hoping a full trailer for the new animated STAR WARS film will be attached and I have to say I'm interested in that. I've also read that a new STAR TREK trailer for this fall's 11th Trek film. Check back on Monday for a few details and I'll fill you in.
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Forgetting Sarah Marshall MOVIE ReviewApril 11, 2008, 12:56 pmDarryl "Sensitive" Sykes, co-host of the yet to be named Jack & Darryl show, checks out yet another movie for me. Honestly, he's seen more films in the last two months than I have as I prepare for my latest play, but that's another blog story for another blog time. So, in Mr. Darryl's words...FORGETTING SARAH MARSHALL: The Review.  comedy Forgetting Sarah Marshall keeps you falling out of your seat. I caught myself having to hold in some of the laughter on some parts of this movie so that I would not miss the next funny line. This movie is a mix of two films with the funny one liners of Superbad(2007) and the romantic comedy of Knocked Up(2007). In fact I would say that this film deserves its own category...Comedic Romance. (Can I make that up?????) There was so much comedy in this film that at times you forgot that there was romance. Peter Bretter (Jason Segal), a talented but lazy composer is dumped by his celebrity girlfriend Sarah Marshall (Kristen Bell). Dealing with the breakup is rough for Peter so after taking advice from a friend Peter sets off to Hawaii to clear his head and start the healing process. Little did he know that Sarah was there and actually staying in the same resort with her new boyfriend and British rock sensation Aldous Snow (Russell Brand). After numerous run-ins and awkward encounters with the couple he builds up the courage to move on and finds a new interest in the hotel clerk Rachel (Mila Kunis). Forgetting Sarah Marshall stays true to form with hilarious tasteless humor but with a decent storyline. The film gives you a little bit of everything from the uncomfortable feeling that you get from full frontal nudity in an R-rated film to feeling sorry for the dumped character and happy again when he finds a new love. Not a must see movie but definitely a movie that should be on your radar if you are looking to get out and find a few laughs.(Just don't take your 15 year old daughter!!!)
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Date NightApril 7, 2008, 11:18 amThis may seem like a shameless plug for a station sponsor, but sometimes you gotta tell the truth even if it appears less than honest. Saturday night is usually date night for my girl and I. We don't see eachother much and so when we do get free time (which mine is about to disappear with a new play opening in two weeks) we like to make the night special. So, this past Saturday, it was dinner, a movie, and then dessert downtown. How does one start off an excellent evening on the town? At Dussini's, of course. We enjoyed ourselves immensely. The food was excellent as usual. I was convinced to try the duck by our server Abby and was certainly thankful for her recommendation. The crab stuffed, grilled prawns were also wonderful and my girl loved her Lobster, Mac, and Cheese like always. The wine, a half bottle of something that I’m sure my girl would remember, was also very good and matched my cherry-port duck sauce very well. I even thoroughly enjoyed the bread service. The wafer is excellent with the olive spread and humus and well, you can’t go wrong with a hearty bread and real butter. I really do want to stress that Abby was perfect in every way. She was friendly and honest with her input on all the menu items we asked about. Gave excellent recommendations. Refilled our wine whenever she came by. Made sure our water was always topped off. And did all of this without interrupting our conversation or getting in the way at all. Then, when we engaged her in conversation about anything, she was friendly and helpful at every turn. She also offered to take away the bread much earlier than many might and I appreciated that so I didn’t keep munching. Gotta save room for the good stuff. The Sommelier (wine specialist for those of us who know nothing of wine) was also very good. A perfect selection that we both enjoyed. That can be tough as she likes fuller reds and I’m more a fruity red / white but not dry, fan. I think. Then again, as stated, I know next to nothing about wine. We don’t dine out that often, but generally choose to spend a little money when we do and we both felt that Saturday night our food and service was on par with some of the finest places we’ve eaten both in town and elsewhere. We spent $250 on dinner for four in La Jolla a couple weekends ago and although the food was excellent and the service was good, it didn’t even compare to our experience Saturday night. We will continue making Dussini’s a regular stop. There are very few places you can count on to be a perfect place for a Saturday night evening out with your lady OR a night out drinking, watching sports, and shooting pool with the guys. I’ve done both and I’m always happy with my choice. Everything we want in one classy place that’s reasonably priced. Dussini’s isn’t cheap, but it certainly never feels like you’re overpaying for anything. Okay, enough shameless love for my favorite dining establishment. The rest of the evening was great too. HORTON HEARS A WHO was cute and fun and really felt like it stayed true to Seuss' style (except for an odd Anime segment that lasted a minute or so). Dessert at Ghiradelli's was good, but I just walk in there to get the free chocolate they hand out at the door. The ice cream is simply a bonus. And yes, if you're wondering, I now need to go workout to burn off all the calories I took in on Saturday.
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PADRES Opening Day 2008April 1, 2008, 11:19 amIt's here. Finally. After what seemed like endless months of spring training games, the regular season arrived in fashion last night at Petco Park. Kind of arrived. We had all the pregame festivities, firefighting officials tossing out first pitches (eight to be exact), a four helicopter flyover, a good national anthem, the unfurling of the Holiday Bowl flag, and a great Padres win. However, we were missing one thing. How 'bout an actual NL West matchup. Really, there wasn't one all of opening day unless you count the Dodgers-Giants matchup up, but that's really still an exhibition game against a minor league team for LA. Honestly, can a team go 0-162? Poor Bochy. Nonetheless, it was a good day. Enjoyed the atmosphere immensely and can't wait to get to more games as soon as possible. Matter of fact, just walking amidst all the packed downtown bars on my way to the ballpark last night made me miss living downtown. There is an energy that just can't be replicated outside of downtown. Granted, it's not Chicago, New York, or even Dallas, but it is a nice bit of big city life for us here in America's Finest City. So, you saw the game, but you probably didn't really get a chance to experience the postgame lockerroom and press conferences. I only ventured into the clubhouse for a minute, but spent much of the postgame listening to Bud Black and Jake Peavy answer a few light-hearted questions. Nothing pointed or harsh on opening day after a good win. Interesting to me watching Buddy Black enter his first postgame pc, year two in San Diego. He, like Bochy, is a very even keeled guy (at least in public) and carries himself that way as he enters. With a relaxed smile on his face he takes his place behind the podium, surveys the crowd, and greets one of the new members of the local television media he doesn't know and then awaits the first question with a quiet confidence. Bud Black jokes about Peavy missing the bunt signal in the 4th inning, but is glad Jake missed it since that turned into an RBI single for the Cy Young Award winner. That wasn't enough though for the UT's Jay Posner who questioned the bunt call since Jake's such a good hitter. "Yes, Jake is a good hitter...for a pitcher," replied Black and went on to pester Posner about Giles' (who followed Peavy at the plate) lifetime average versus Peavy's. We all had a nice chuckle at poor Posner's expense. Light-hearted, relaxed, postgame for Buddy Black. I guess this is what's needed to survive the season. Jake was also a little lower energy than you might expect, although that's misleading because a calm Jake is still full of fire. He said he'd refrain from riding his current houseguest (the Astros losing pitcher Oswalt) about the couple RBI he got off him tonight, but would hold on to it for some September harrasment. All in all, a good day at the ballpark. And in the press box where I ate my fill of far too much food. No, it wasn't free, but it's certainly wasn't typical ballpark prices. This thing called a "credential" ain't really a bad thing at all. So...Opening Day 2008. All the fanfare. All the excitement. So glad baseball's back. What? How many more games? Oh yeah, I forgot. Remind me of my excitement the last week of the season when part of me is hoping that they don't make the playoffs so the 6 month season ends on time.
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Ryan's Random Ruminations for March 13thMarch 13, 2008, 7:12 amOkay, this is a very quick, very short thought. The new, upcoming, about to be sworn in, Governor of the great state of New York wants to give the old governor, Spitzer, a few days before he resigns due to his being involved in a high price hooker scandal. Why does he want to give him a few days you ask? #1 - To allow for a easy and seamless move from one governor to another. Sounds better than it probably can be. Easy? Abruptly ending your term amid a national scandal isn't exactly going to be seamless in any way. #2 - To allow Governor Spitzer an opportunity to deliver a proper goodbye to his staff. Well, nevermind the euphemisms and the fact that he's given his staff all it can take and more, let's just go with the obvious...the taxpayers have got to be worried. This is a man who can spend $4,000 an hour on a hooker and $80,000 alone on what he deems a part of life. What will this man bring to a "proper" goodbye to his entire staff? We're easily talking a 6 figure blowout of a party. Lap dances and various favors for everyone from The Emperor's Club. Really, shouldn't Spitzer just find his way to a door right now and deal with the growinig and unbridled wrath of his wife? Is she just waiting for him to disappear from the public eye to take her revenge?
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Ryan's Random Ruminations for March 6thMarch 6, 2008, 10:28 amIs blogging a sport?
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SEMI-PRO (with Will Ferrell) Movie ReviewFebruary 29, 2008, 11:00 amDarryl "Sensitive / Psycho" Sykes, my protege in film analysis and host of one of a "yet to be named" weekend show checked out SEMI-PRO a few weeks back...  Will Ferrell’s other classics Blades of Glory, Talladega Nights and Anchorman, Semi-Pro takes some of the same concepts and brings them to the hardwood. Jackie Moon (Will Ferrell), the owner/coach/power forward/ marketing guru of the ABA’s Flint Michigan Tropics learns of the decision to merger with the NBA. After a meeting, the owners decide that the top teams will merge while the other teams will dismantle. The fun in this movie is never hidden while in true semi professional sports team style there are numerous ridiculous promotions and marketing schemes that keep the fans interested in the team. The struggling Tropics with their one star Clarence “Coffee” Black (Andre Benjamin) and knowledge that their careers are coming to an end trade a washing machine for ex-NBA star and ageing vet Monix (Woody Harrelson). Monix brings confidence and life to the team as they turn the season around and make a push toward the top. This silly fun filled movie will have you laughing from the start to finish. Just like the rest of his films, you will not see them on Oscar day but if you are a member of the Will Ferrell cult following then Semi-Pro is a must see.
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Academy Award Predictions & Other RamblingsFebruary 22, 2008, 11:01 amThe 2nd Biggest TV watching day of the year is here, but with a little less buzz than we typically expect. With the writers' strike putting a halt on all things Hollywood for so long, the hype machine is taking a little time to get cued back up. Nonetheless, the show will go on (with freshly written comedic satire) and should be entertaining. We'll get some great films, funny politcal shots from host Jon Stewart, and a guaranteed tearjerker of a moment when the Academy reflects on those that have past in the last year including 29 year old Heath Ledger. Speaking of Ledger, his last film is going to be completed. He died of an accidental overdose in the middle of shooting Terry Gilliam's The Imaginarium of Dr. Parnassus. How are they going to finish it? Not certain, but somehow Collin Farrell, Jude Law, and Johnny Depp will pay tribute to the fallen star by taking turns playing his character in the film. Of course, all the footage already shot with Ledger will remain so that will be four actors playing one character. It could be an Oscar hopeful a year from now if for nothing else, editing. Okay, down to it now. If you're like me, you have an Oscar pool you're entering and any help you can get on picking the winners is key. I won't pick or add info on everything here, but certainly the major categories. Best Picture "Atonement" "Juno" "Michael Clayton" "No Country for Old Men" "There Will Be Blood" It's going to be a tough vote and there's part of me that thinks the darkness and violence of No Country for Old Men and There Will Be Blood will cancel each other out, making room for the adorable Juno, but probably not so. Despite the ending that so many hated, No Country will take the award. Actor George Clooney, "Michael Clayton" Daniel Day-Lewis, "There Will Be Blood" Johnny Depp, "Sweeney Todd the Demon Barber of Fleet Street" Tommy Lee Jones, "In the Valley of Elah" Viggo Mortensen, "Eastern Promises" This is a gimmee. It's Daniel Day-Lewis all the way. I loved Viggo in Eastern Promises and have heard great things about Jones in Valley of Elah, but this category is already wrapped up. No doubt. Just watch the trailer of There Will Be Blood and you'll be convinced. Actress Cate Blanchett, "Elizabeth: The Golden Age" Julie Christie, "Away From Her" Marion Cotillard, "La Vie en Rose" Laura Linney, "The Savages" Ellen Page, "Juno" Cate Blanchett deserves some kind of award for duel nominations. She is great in an average film with Elizabeth 2 and I'm hoping for Ellen Page in Juno, but I keep hearing Julie Christie for Away From Her. No, I didn't see it and don't know anything about it. Nonetheless, go with it. Supporting Actor Casey Affleck, "The Assassination of Jesse James..." Javier Bardem, "No Country for Old Men" Hal Holbrook, "Into the Wild" Philip Seymour Hoffman, "Charlie Wilson's War" Tom Wilkinson, "Michael Clayton" Javier Bardem will probably win with his very creepy killer in No Country, but I'll tell you Tom Wilkinson, as always, was excellent in Michael Clayton. Actually, that entire cast was wonderful. I wasn't nuts about the movie, but Wilkinson, Clooney, and Swinton were all fantastic. Supporting Actress Cate Blanchett, "I'm Not There" Ruby Dee, "American Gangster" Saoirse Ronan, "Atonement" Amy Ryan, "Gone Baby Gone" Tilda Swinton, "Michael Clayton" This is where Cate Blanchett probably gets it. Up for two, you'd think she'd get one. Director Julian Schnabel, "The Diving Bell and the Butterfly" Jason Reitman, "Juno" Tony Gilroy, "Michael Clayton" Joel Coen and Ethan Coen, "No Country for Old Men" Paul Thomas Anderson, "There Will Be Blood" The Coen Brothers dominate the night with more for No Country. Animated Feature Film "Persepolis" "Ratatouille" "Surf's Up" You saw Ratatouille and enjoyed it. So did the Academy. The other two don't matter here. Original Song "Falling Slowly" from "Once," "Happy Working Song" from "Enchanted," "Raise It Up" from "August Rush," "So Close" from "Enchanted," "That's How You Know" from "Enchanted," Darling film I didn't see, but have heard plenty about was Once. Guess the Enchanted songs will cancel each other out and go with Once. The August Rush soundtrack gets rave reviews, often saying it's the best since... Once. Visual Effects "The Golden Compass" "Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End" "Transformers” The best of the three films is probably, shockingly Transformers, but none are great. That being the case, the sheer size of some of the effects shots in Pirates 3 should steal the Oscar. I hated the movie (or disliked it quite a bit), but the over-long action scenes on the water are something to behold in the theater.
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New Indiana Jones Trailer is HERE!!!February 15, 2008, 7:03 amIndiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull debuts it's first full trailer this weekend. Best place to catch is probably on http://movies.yahoo.com/, but it is a quicktime video so I expect you'll find it at quicktime.com soon enough. The Teaser looks good and it's great to hear the Indy Theme again. Film is set to release Memorial Day weekend, May 22nd.
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JUMPER Movie ReviewFebruary 15, 2008, 6:27 am A passable action flick and not a waste of time, but you can probably find something else a bit more entertaining to spend your money on this weekend. With it being Valentine's weekend, give DEFINITELY, MAYBE a shot as your requisite romantic comedy. | ||||||||||