Reger Rants - 4/6/2012

Sorry guys. I know its been a couple of weeks since my last rant and I know you guys fiend for this like a junkie in the alley waiting for a score.
Here we go.....

- With more and more coming out daily about the Saints and their bounties, I want to puke. No punishment is enough for that fuckhead Williams. It is real easy for a guy on the sidelines to offer up bounties, while putting himself at no risk. Does he not realize that these guys have families? Enough injuries happen in football by accident. This guy needs to be banned for life. Oh, and the "I didn't know" card that Payton is playing is complete BS. Sean Payton is involved in everything that goes on with the team. He knew and looked the other way. He should be banned as well.

- The method that Kentucky used to win the National Championship is not good for anyone. Not the players, not college basketball, not the NBA. So why is it allowed? I don't blame Calipari either. He has simply created a model that works within the confines of the rules. It is a lot better than the model he used to use at UMASS and Memphis, which is outspend the other schools with booster money.

- Not that it wasn't obvious before, but Barry O is in full campaigning mode, at the expense of the American people. The comments that he made on tape that he couldn't do anything until after the election and things would "free up" are deplorable. I thought his job was to run the country, not run elections. I don't know how much more of this I can take. The economy is terrible, we are weak with pretty much all of the foreign countries, especially China, gas is skyrocketting out of control, and Barry is off studying college basketball.

- For those of you who know me well, you should be aware that I have very conservative views (small government, low taxes, ect), however, I actually feel very strongly about one liberal view, and that is gun control. I personally believe that guns should be banned and stiff penalties instituted (like min. 10 years Federal Prison)if you are found with a gun. People who hide behind the 2nd Amendment are idiots. If you read it, the 2nd amendment referes to the right to bear arms in order to form a local militia, in order to defend yourself against the overthrowing of the government. It is an outdated law and doesn't even apply to anything in the present day. It was adopted at a time when the country was brand new and the founding fathers were worried about an uprising. It has nothing to do with hunting animals, or shooting young black kids. I have never shot a gun and have never had a moment where I even thought "if only I had a gun"

- Speaking of gun control, the fact that George Zimmerman is not in jail is a huge black mark on Sanford. Even if the kid attacked him, that does not give you the right to kill him. Especially after you had been chasing him. What would you think if some guy was running after you, chasing you while you were minding my own business? This needs to be resolved before more crime occurs.

American Reunion

Every generation since the late ‘70's has one or two quintessential raunchy coming-of-age films, which for a sweeping group of adolescent boys, represents their premier viewing of bare breasts in a major motion picture. The tail-end Baby Boomers have Animal House, the "Gen X’ers" have the most abundant selection including Revenge of the Nerds and Porky’s, and the most current Internet Generation has been bestowed the resurgence of the R-rated comedy as a whole. That leaves Generation Y, who had to suffer through the barren Mad Max-like wastelands of the late ‘80’s and early ‘90’s, so desperate for some tom foolery that their only solace was the 1-5am endless loop on HBO of mindless "boobfests," including the likes of Ski School. But before the clock could strike midnight on the 20th century, the seemingly hopeless search for “Gen Y’s” lewd champion ended up being as easy as pie.

It’s been 13 years, two sequels and a multitude of straight-to-DVD supplements since the term “MILF” has been engrained into the lexicon of pop culture vernacular. And yes, films with richer content and exponentially better writing have been produced since 1999’s American Pie, but it seems that film was the beneficiary of just the right tone at just the right time on its way to becoming a classic. An influx of films in the late ‘80's in which studios where more concerned with a sexy poster than a quality script, caused the raunchy comedy bubble to burst. Kids growing up in the ‘90’s were left without a forbidden fruit to call their own. Enter a bunch of good-looking unknown actors, gratuitous nudity and a famous pie incident to conquer the era.

For the first time since the original, the entire cast is back for what seems to be the send-off for the franchise, American Reunion. A fourth sequel can be a franchise’s hero or its goat depending on the subsequent chapters. In this case, American Pie 2 and American Wedding, although successful at the box office, are never going to be included in any “best of all time” lists. Shrewdly, original writer/producer Adam Herz brought in some current kings of “ha ha,” in the form of Harold & Kumar writer/directors Jon Hurwitz and Hayden Schlossberg, to ensure the swan song for his franchise appeases its loyal and aging audience who have now long since been jadedly beaten into an Apatow-laden comedy coma.

The familiar cast fits back into the personas that jump-started their careers like a favorite old t-shirt or pair of jeans that are still presentable but just a tad less comfortable than you remember. Especially Alyson Hannigan (Michelle) and Seann William Scott (Stifler) who have gone on to enjoy the most success of their American Pie cast mates, although both were able to install just the right amount of maturation and regression respectively needed in their old characters to bring them up to date.

Perhaps the biggest and only true triumph this chapter has over the inception film of the series is the heralded spotlight of one of it’s most undervalued assets, the great Eugene Levy as Jim’s Dad. In the infinite gallery of television and movie dads, Jim’s Dad is easily one of, if not the greatest of all time. His consummate understanding and patience mixed in with an aura of awkwardness so thick you couldn’t cut it with a chainsaw, creates the embodiment of the perfectly flawed father figure that would go to no ends to help his son. Levy’s ability to be hilarious while reciting lines like stereo instructions just further proves his hall of fame caliber talent among even today’s popular comic actors.

On a pure comedic basis, American Reunion might actually be a stronger film than the franchise original, but the script as a whole absolutely lags behind. Most notably, the story stalls in the second act to a point where some may start to get inklings that this reunion might end up being a flop, but the third act manages to rev the story into high gear. So much so, that it seemed like the film needed several successive endings to wind down all the plot points.

It’s not crucial though for this film to outdo American Pie, its triumph lies in the ability to induce the same feelings of nostalgia one would experience at their actual high-school reunion. In this sense American Reunion is actually quite realistic. Some things are unexpected, some remain exactly the same and you are temporarily transported to a very specific point in your life, conjuring up memories of the trials and tribulations you were going through which, at the time, seemed oh so important.



Story: 6.5
Acting: 7.0
Writing: 7.5
Captivation: 7.0
Replay Value: 7.5

Total = 7.1 out of 10