"Dumb and Dumber To" Disappoints, but Has its Laugh Out Loud Moments.

 

 

Released to the general public on Thursday the 13th, "Dumb and Dumber To" lacks sufficient conflict to really rivet the audience.

It's just my humble opinion, after all Harry, again portrayed by Jeff Daniels needs a kidney transplant and requires the assistant of his best friend Lloyd (Jim Carrey) to locate his daughter whose a sure match for a kidney donation. How does the eminence of death and going on a road trip with your best friend to save your life not constitute a conflict? To be honest, I can't explain, but this conflict falls flat as the story progresses and the laughs are rare.

As we all know from the previews, "Dumb and Dumber To" is a true sequel, leaving off where the original movie concluded 20 years ago, and written by the same screen writers, Bobby and Peter Farrelly.

"Dumb and Dumber To" was average at best for me. If you didn't enjoy the original "Dumb and Dumber" in the 90s, you'll most likely hate the sequel. My big problem with "D & D To" was that the first "Dumb and Dumber" was such a laugh fest containing all the elements needed for a great story; 'character development', 'conflict' and 'resolution'. The character development in the sequel was excellent, and not just with Carrey and Daniels, but the story is weak, unlike the original.

Yes, I comprehend, these movies are satirical, but the first movie was rich in storyline. The first flick had a solid plot. In the original, unsavory rich thieves are trying to get back tens of thousands in cash which Lloyd and Harry have accidentally harnessed and spent, thus their lives are in extreme danger from a seeking thug eager to kill them. Even as I was watching the original for the first time in 1994, I knew Harry and Lloyd would not be killed, but the threat was indeed there, and as I watched the original I realized how clever the Farrelly brothers were for creating and resolving conflicts. The first "Dumb and Dumber," also displayed the powers of love and its control over the male brain.

"Dumb and Dumber To's" storyline ultimately fails and the laughs simply cannot compare to the first movie. I did laugh out loud a few times which is why I'm giving the movie a 2 and 3/4 rating. (D & D one; hands down; a five star rating.)

People who immensely enjoyed the first "Dumb and Dumber," will see the sequel no matter what others say about it. My strong advice is to wait for the Video Droid, Netflix or other video release, it's not worth the money for the theaters.



Tame for Stephen King, Yet His latest, "Revival" is a Refreshing Read.

Bear in mind, for a Stephen King book "Revival" is docile, the F-word is present on occasion, and a 6-year-old boy denounces the Christian son of God, Jesus.

True to its inside jacket, "Revival" released on the 11th day of this month spans into five decades for the focal characters. The slow start to the story drags and teeters on boring, but there is a powerful punch throughout the conflicts, resolutions and untimely deaths.

Jamie Morton is a mere boy in the early 60s when he first meets the new Reverend, Charles Jacobs and his beautiful wife. Reverend Jacobs is down to earth, and a very likable fellow. His faith in the Christian God is strong while he takes over the small towns church and Sunday masses are full again, thanks to him. His love and faith for the white man's God immediately fades away when his 23-year-old wife and 2-year-old son are killed in a car crash.

In the Reverends last sermon before he is banished from the church, explains the flaws and Christianity's ridiculously rigid rules. Hard core Christians for example tell their toddler aged children they will burn in hell for all eternity for simply lying about how their new shoes got wet. Jacob's concludes that death is the only way to know all the answers to everything, especially why evil, pain and suffering have been around for as long as time itself. He also points out, heaven is some sort of sick punch line to life on Earth.

Is it true that some people put aside what brains they have left and put their faith in a gigantic and fraudulent insurance company called religion? At the age of six, Morton no longer has faith in Christian fantasy. By the time he is 14-years-old he has not seen or heard from Reverend Jacobs in eight years and with his parents permission begins touring with his older band mates. "Chrome Roses"

Before the plot thickens, humor is littered throughout this book. Morton, at the age of 14, made a promise to his mom he would not smoke cigarette's, marijuana or drink alcohol. At 16, he is smoking pot, but not partaking in the other two. He remembers the promise he made to his mother, and reason's to himself that he's still batting .666. If you know baseball at all, a .300 batting average is all star material.

As Morton and his brother are getting older, they talk about the importance of getting a prostate exam;

"It's no big deal, just a finger up... You only have to worry if in the middle of the exam, the doctor has both of his hands on your shoulders."

As the story progresses, Morton's sister Claire, beautiful and bright is killed by her abusive husband. After three years of abuse, she finally divorces one of God's creation, and he shots her dead, them himself. When Jamie is in his 30s, he's a heroin addict with a leg full of metal pins from a motor cycle accident and has played guitar in numerous bands. It's in this era of his life that he reunites with Reverend Jacobs again whose got a renewed faith in God.

Like a round boulder on a steep incline, the story really gets rolling as the Reverend is touring the world and actually healing people. He uses shock treatment that is 100 percent different from what was witnessed in the movie "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest." He cures Morton of his 'Madam H' addiction as well as his leg. King claims 'Madam H' is another name for heroin.

Some of the people Jacobs heals, kill themselves by jumping of tall bridges and gluing their mouth and nostrils shut with crazy glue. Shortly after Morton was cured of his Madam H addiction, he wakes up from a sound sleep with a tourniquet tied so tight around his arm, it's white and he is stabbing the arm with a fork as blood from the arm oozes onto his kitchen floor. Jacobs indeed has the power to heal both physical and mental aliments, but the side affects are intense to say the least.

According to "Revival," the book "De Vermis Mysteries" is in the possession of Jacobs, very intriguing since only six copies exist in the entire world. The book is known as a grimoire in the world of occultist. "De Vermis Mysteries" is a book on how to acquire vast power via science, mathematics and some nasty occult rituals.

When a woman named Mary Fay dies, Jacobs wants to bring her back to life to learn exactly what is on the other side. Morton is lured into aiding Jacobs because the reverend threatens to kill his first love, Astrid Soderberg. Morton knows he can do so without even being near her.

I've revealed a lot about the story, but believe me, I left out many vital details of this three and half star book. Death is indeed coming for us all and when it does...

Art of Innocence, A True Foe Against Evil?

One of my nieces

In the beginning was a void of darkness, an era of nothingness, soon came the light. At first the light was pure, breeding brilliant nature, then the creative whims of humans set love and laughter into motion. Human narcissism shrouded love and laughter with greed and judgment, and now only the innocence harbored in the hearts of young children can balance good and evil, a crude balance, but one that often subdues evil enough for love and laughter to be perennial emotions. 

Mother night, caress me with your dark embrace. I yearn for the solace of the shadows, yet revel in the sunshine, too weird to live, too rare to die. Hunter S. Thompson / Mark (Izzy) Schurr

Amidst the spheres of nonsense, mind journeys and the thirst for understanding  child and adulthood, there's a lot of thoughts and facts for the brain to explore.  

A 151 years ago in 1865, the book "Alice's Adventures in Wonderland" ignited imaginations across the universe and harsh accusations against its author Lewis Carroll. Some people, I didn't research the names, claim Carroll was a pedophile. More details will follow on this horrid subject, but for now the sure facts and mind fascinations must be addressed. 

The 1951 Disney cartoon "Alice in Wonderland" brought Carroll's words to life. The theme of this story is about children wanting to grow up too fast while adults want to get back some of their childhood. The tea party chapter in Carroll's book details these facts. The Mad Hatter for example is a childish goofy adult while Alice, the young girl is the mature one at the Mad Hatters tea party. 

Regardless of the books theme, the vivid use of imagination is a bountiful buffet for the souls appetite toward creativity and entertainment. In the grand scheme of existence, "Alice In Wonderland"  has yet to be born, while at the same moment is as infinite as time itself.

As recently as 2010, acclaimed fantasy movie director Tim Burton hailed Hollywood heavy weights Johnny Depp and Anne Hathaway, among others to re-recreate Carroll's bombastic book into a major motion picture. Disney screen writer Linda Woolverton sagaciously combined Carroll's book "Jabberwocky" with "Alice's Adventures in Wonderland," to thrust  the imagination into a magical maze of wonderment. 

Alice wants an escape from her everyday life and gets more than she bargained for when she sails down the deep rabbit hole, and into a dream world sifting on the waters of reality and fantasy. A world where the sleeping brain and the woken consciousness weave into a bizarre basket of fear and joy. 

My allure to Carroll's"Alice In Wonderland" is that his main character is a young adorable girl whose adventures are limited only to her imagination. Myself, like Carroll, am fascinated by little girls. For me, it's a non sadistic, nor perverted or twisted fascination to be around little girls. 

Two years ago I was reading to a beautiful preschool aged girl at the YMCA as her infectious smile, hugs and yearning for more stories accelerated my desire for all children to laugh and be safe.

An author stated that Carroll, a few years before the release of his very own "Alice's Adventures in Wonderland" would hang out with young girls and tell them his made up stories, one of which was his money maker; "Alice's Adventures in Wonderland." These little girls, including Alice Liddell, a preachers daughter whose parents were friends and close counter parts with Carroll for several years hounded Carroll for more of 'his' stories and not that of other authors.

One of my many nieces

Was Carroll a pedophile? "The Annotated Alice; Alice's Adventures in Wonderland & Through the Looking Glass" has a several page introduction about Carroll's life written by former journalist and mathematician Martin Gardner who passed away in May of 2010. Gardener and the other writer pointed out that "Alice's Adventures in Wonderland" was inspired by the real life girl, Alice Liddell. Both authors claim Carroll was not a pedophile, but illustrated the accusations of why he might have been one.

Despite being born into a wealthy family and becoming a highly successful writer, Carroll never married, nor was he a womanizer despite having the money to do so. Liddell, the real life Alice was banned from seeing Carroll by her parents as time went on Gardener said.

Another niece

Gardener said Carroll liked to draw and photograph little girl posing naked with their mothers permission. This is definitely a red flag that he may have been a sick evil pervert, but on the other hand, a way of illustrating that innocence is timeless.

YWCA children being creative

Yes, drawing and taking pictures of nude little girls is completely wrong in my mind, but having a pound of wisdom from reading and research, drawings and taking pictures of naked little girls in England, (Carroll was English) in the 1800's was a projection of innocence.

To this very day, some parents post nude pictures of their little children in the tub or just out of the tub on Facebook, it's an illustration of innocence's to some, while to sadistic others, an evil arousal.

The facts we all have today; Carroll was never arrested for being a child molester, basked in the company of young girls and was never married, despite his riches. Perhaps he was an evil soul exploring his sins on under aged girls. On the other side of the coin, he may have been a true romantic, yet before his success, women never paid him any mind, so as a true romantic assumed the women close to him really were only attracted to his wallet, which may explain his intrigue and wanting to share his time with the innocence of young girls.

Food break and smiles at the YWCA

Currently and in his day, Carroll like the recently deceased pop icon Michael Jackson, may have been a sick sadistic prick or a very loving eccentric.

A wild irony toward romance, I'm too unsuccessful for true love, and even if I were to become wealthy, I'd have the attitude; women didn't want me when I was poor, so if I was rich, I'd believe she loves my wallet and not me. If I do become rich, I want to adopt five adorable girls and raise them to become the first five women to start in the NBA. 

Maybe my fantasy girls would even solve the M-theory, a theory that if discovered, would give a definitive answer to the creation of human-kind. Stephen Hawking mentioned the M-theory in his 2010 book, "The Grand Design." It stands for master, miracle or mystery theory, perhaps none of the above. Hawking even said no one, including himself did not know for sure what the 'M' stands for. Hawking said Albert Einstein was working on the M-theory before he died. This theory would prove once and for all if there is or is not a God, Gods, and exactly how we (humans) got here. 

E=Mc2 divided by time X xy, - the beginning plus light...  

One time in 2006, as a teacher at Merryhill preschool, I was sitting at a table with the two girls below and some other kids while drawing and coloring free hand with them.

Making playdough

"You draw like us Mark," the girl in black said to me.  

In 2013, while teaching at the YWCA, A Special Place, I was reading a book to the below pictured little girl. The book was about jobs and careers, and focused on what people do when they grow-up. The book had many pictures of doctors, lawyers, chefs, janitors and many more uniformed adults in their work attire. 

"What do you wanna be when you grow-up?,"  this 5-year-old girl said to me after I read her the book. 

I replied a writer, and she asked what that was. I said a writer is someone who makes up the stories I read to her and the other kids. 

"I wanna do that," she said.