The first flick I will review is available in our New DVDs section, and frankly, I can’t understand why it hasn’t been snatched already. Actually, I guess it’s because the cover is crappy.

I mean, look at that piece of crap. Truly awful. But what is, is that… is who is… is that a beautiful… who’s that stud front and center? What? Paul Rudd, you say? Paul Rudd? Automatic qualification for watching a movie (unless it’s Over Her Dead Body, which I refuse to ever see).

However, much like Over Her Dead Body, this film covers the always-intriguing topic of death. Paul Rudd plays Paul Miller (big stretch, Rudd), an actor (once again, Rudd) who has struggled in Hollywood for years (resorting to making crappy movies like Over Her Dead Body, perhaps?) and is tired of living. Therefore, he decides to kill himself, but not without documenting his last 2 days of existence.  So he hires some friends to film him as he goes about saying goodbye to his loved ones, who, understandably, think he’s a bit crazy.

So does Paul give in? Does he die? Does the camera crew stop filming? Does he meet a strapping young woman and fall in love? Does he shoot himself in the mouth to destroy his alter-ego who has been setting up chaos organizations throughout the country? Watch this movie and you’ll soon see!

In all honesty, this movie, despite it’s crappy cover, works because of Rudd’s charisma and ability to hold an audience’s interest throughout. I would even argue that Rudd does some of his best work in a few parts, with a certain monologue scene in particular that might force you to develop a man-crush (which you should already have if you’ve ever seen Wet Hot American Summer). So yeah, buy this movie. It’s well worth the watch and we have a shiny new copy all ready to go for you!

1. Paul Thomas Anderson. Yeah, I like Paul. Maybe it’s because he’s married. Maybe it’s because all of his movies are amazing. Maybe it’s because he likes Radiohead. Maybe it’s because he likes footlong subs. Who knows? Well, it’s actually because his movies are amazing and I’d recommend every one of them. I’m actually appalled that we have copies of Punch-Drunk Love and There Will Be Blood in stock because you great people need to get off your lazy butts and purchase them. No, don’t rent them, they must be owned! Okay, maybe you should rent them if you’re unsure. But hey, why don’t you purchase it from us, watch it, and then decide if you want it to be a rental or not. You know we’re cool with it!

2. Paul Rudd. Yeah, I like Paul. He’s in a lot of cool movies. I don’t even think I need to name any because they’re all good. Some of his movies I’ve enjoyed are Anchorman, The Baxter, Clueless, Diggers, Fast Track, Forgetting Sarah Marshall, The 40 Year Old Virgin, I Could Never Be Your Woman, I Love You Man, Overnight Delivery, Role Models, Romeo + Juliet, The Ten, Walk Hard, and Wet Hot American Summer.

3. Paul Montgomery Shore. To be honest, I don’t know if I’m a fan. To be honest, Encino Man was great but that doesn’t mean I like Paul Montgomery Shore. Yeah, that’s his name. Shore, Paul Montgomery. You know the one. “Excellentè!” Wait, that was Teddy on Pete and Pete. Fudge… I don’t know. Pauly Shore is Dead is another movie.

4. Paul Giamatti. Brilliant Actor. Big Fat Liar = Big Fat Oscar. Big Mommas House = Big Millionaire House. He also loves the letter S… Sabrina, Safe Men, Saving Private Ryan (AKA Safe Men 2), Shoot ‘Em Up, Sideways, Singles,  Storytelling… All big fat shoe-ins for a good Giamatti gathering! No, but seriously, he’s pretty good…

5. Paul Newman. The legend who used my hometown of Carnation to set up a camp for sick children. Pretty legit, Paul. He’s also starred in some of the greatest movies ever made, including Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, Cool Hand Luke, and Cars. But seriously (I never saw Cars), the man was a screen legend, a natural do-gooder, and he has about the most classic name ever (take that, Lincoln!). He may be gone, but he’s still the coolest.

2. It’s Pat. Okay, I’m starting to realize why I didn’t come up with the Guilty Pleasures category. I mean no disrespect to Jessica, but I simply can’t feel guilty about these movies. So instead of racking my brain for something I may not even successfully accomplish, I’m going to talk about movies that the general population may dislike, or even hate, but that I found very enjoyable. So here we go, It’s Pat. This movie is the bee’s knees. SNL alum Julia Sweeney brings her most successful SNL character (which still wasn’t very successful) to the big screen in this gender-bender of a comedy about the androgynous Pat Riley (as I quote the theme song, “A lot of people say, ‘what’s that?’ It’s Pat!). A lot of people also think this movie is stupid, but I thoroughly enjoyed the silly humor and found it clever all the ways they had of disguising Pat’s real gender. Even Pat’s love interest Chris, played marvelously by Kid’s in the Hall’s Dave Foley, and a beautiful interaction with weirdo com-rock band Ween. Upon reflection, that last sentence didn’t make sense, but I think it’s fitting with the oddity that is this movie. To be honest, I have no idea why it’s #92 on the list of IMDb’s Bottom 100 movies. I thought it was a great comedy.

3. Heavy Weights. Another great flick that I have no shame in admitting I own. As much as I’d like to write about how marvelous this movie is, no film review could be as elegant as this one I’ve found on IMDb by user niftyjim:

An unparalleled cinematic masterpiece, 13 April 2006

Continuing in the tradition of classic films such as ‘The Godfather’ and ‘Apocalypse Now’, director Steven Brill has added his name to the short list of truly great directors with his sweeping masterpiece ‘Heavy Weights’. In arguably his finest performance to date, Aaron Schwartz plays Jerry Garner, a young man who is forced to attend a summer camp against his will. Upon arriving at the camp, Jerry is befriended by Roy (Kenan Thompson) and Josh (Shaun Weiss). Together they challenge the the tyrannic rule of manic camp counselor Tony Perkis (Ben Stiller) while overcoming their own personal insecurities to have the best summer of their lives. Thompson and Weiss both deliver Oscar-worthy performances, and Ben Stiller is at his best as the fitness-crazed camp counselor who must whip the campers into shape. Brill is truly at his best here, weaving an intricate tale full of mystery, suspense and deception, while capturing the essence of the human spirit and the hope and perseverance of children. This is a must have for any true fan of film.

4. Flyin’ Ryan. I don’t even know what to say about this movie. Did I enjoy it? Possibly. Was it quality? Absolutely not. Is it about a boy who buys Healys and discovers they allow him to fly? Certainly. Does it look like it was shot on a hand-held camera by the actor’s parents? Of course. Do we have it at MovieCycle so you can check it out to see how ridiculous it is? Correct. Will you purchase it, only to return it in a day or two for the rental return store credit less a dollar per day? Probably.

#5. The Brothers Solomon. This movie apparently didn’t hit it off too well with critics or audiences, but how am I to avoid a movie directed by Bob Odenkirk of the legendary Mr. Show? I can see why people wouldn’t want to check this movie out. It does appear to be a weird one, especially at face value, but this movie has a lot of funny people in it. Will Forte, the SNL cast member soon to take off in Hollywood (or fail horribly) with this summer’s upcoming MacGruber movie, and Will Arnett, who everyone knows as Gob from Arrested Development, play socially awkward brothers who try to produce a grandchild for their dying father. Also noteworthy is Chi McBride (you may know him as Detective Emerson Cod from Pushing Daisies), who possibly steals this movie in the role of James. What can I say? I really enjoyed the film, but keep in mind I also really enjoyed It’s Pat. I would at least check it out if you like silly humor though.