The Kingpins of Cowtown

Skip the rain and see a movie

One upside to the storms: You can spend a lot of time catching all the summer movie releases.

Here are one guy's mini-reviews (pardon the popcorn-butter-stained notes), from good to best:

Transformers: I've never been the right age for Transformers. Sure, they're fun, but I've had a grudge against them, especially the hard-to-assemble action figures. When my kids would turn to me to put one of their Transformers back together in vehicle form, I couldn't do it. Wayyyyy too complicated. I would usually threaten Optimus Prime with a trip into the blender if he didn't cooperate. The movie is the same way: Fun in some ways, complicated in other ways, and too much of an investment in my time. Click here to see the trailer.

Surf's Up: My theory on why we see so many animated penguins: Penguins are easy to animate. You draw an oblong figure, add circles for eyes -- done. You don't even have to draw fingers. This movie will make kids giggle, and adults will find some connection. The Big Z, the legendary surfer penguin, is voiced by Jeff Bridges. So if you close your eyes, it's like hearing The Dude from The Big Lebowski. Click here for trailer.

Live Free or Die Hard: You're sitting there watching this movie and you wonder this about Bruce Willis: He can launch a police cruiser into a hovering helicopter full of terrorists and lunge off a crashing jet fighter, but he can't steal Demi Moore away from Ashton Kutcher. If you can get past that, you'll enjoy this movie. Click here to see the trailer.

Ratatouille: Who can knock this movie? Out of 132 reviews on Rotten Tomatoes, Ratatouille is hitting 95 percent on the Critics Tomatometer (a good thing). Our own Christopher Kelly loved it. One-third of the bad reviews come out of Orlando. But what do reviewers there know about animated mice anyway? Ratatouille is your best choice if you have time off this week. The animation is amazing. The storyline works. There's not an animated penguin in sight. And best of all ... no Randy Newman music. Click here to see the trailer.

-- Tommy Cummings | tcummings@star-telegram.com

'Knocked Up' and knocked out

Saw Knocked Up on Sunday -- about a month after it hit theaters. That's record time for the father of a 3-year-old. (Thanks, Merianne and Steve, for babysitting!)

I love this movie. It's all the things I'd like to be -- funny, sweet and inappropriate at all the appropriate times.

Seth Rogan is a modern-day shlub hero and reminds me of a more confident version of Albert Brooks. Katherine Heigl is statuesque but believable as the approachable Alyson. And writer/director Judd Apatow is that rare filmmaker who can be outrageous and poignant in the same scene.

Some of his insights on marriage and relationships and the human condition put Oprah to shame.

Oscar, the abridged version

A list of winners and this 6-minute highlight reel is really all we needed to see.

Kings of the Oscar prom

Isn't it funny how less is more, how absence makes the heart grow fonder, and how when celebrities and politicians step away from the spotlight for a few seconds, we lap them up that much more.

Cases in point from last night's Oscars telecast, Jerry Seinfeld and Al Gore.

Seinfeld stole the show (which, admittedly, wasn't a huge heist) with his bit about movie theaters and how it's an unwritten rule that moviegoers will drop popcorn and jujubees on the floor in return for paying outrageous prices. I'll be searching for it on YouTube. A quick flash of Larry David a few minutes later made me pine for the days of Seinfeld. Come back, Jerry. TV needs you.

And how 'bout Al Gore and Inconvenient Truth. I thought the actors were going to chisel the former VP's image into the Oscar statue, their devotion was so deep to a guy who was once to stiff and prickly to share the stage with George Bush, much less Leonardo DiCaprio. Enjoy the outsider status while it lasts, Al.

Cast your vote, lovebirds

OK, here's my list of the top 5 romantic comedies of the last 10 years. I couldn't come up with 10 I truly loved. Cast you vote in the poll. And let the arguing begin.

My Best Friend's Wedding: Julia Roberts and Cameron Diaz battle for the love of Dermott "Dishrag" Mulroney. (Or is that Dylan McDermott?!) Of course, the movie's all about the gals, and Rupert Everett. And it includes one of the best karaoke/sing-along scenes. Say  A Little Prayer, indeed.)

Love, Actually: Hugh Grant and a cast of a thousand Brits (Colin Firth, Emma Thompson, Keira Knightley, Bill Nighy, etc.) jump through hoops and airport metal detectors in pursuit of love and laughs. This one is my personal fave.

50 First Dates: You can't lose with Drew. She's adorable and funny and sexy in this Adam Sandler vehicle about falling in love all over again every day. And it's in Hawaii, so you can't beat that.

Two Week's Notice: Sandra Bullock is a Harvard educated lawyer who ends up falling for the fabulously wealthy but vacuous developer Hugh Grant. The movie's not great but Bullock and Grant are.

Return to Me: Most people won't remember this one, which starred  David Duchovny as a man who falls in love with the woman (Minnie Driver) who received his wife's heart. It's an underappreciated weeper, and I defy anyone not to lose it during the scene where Duchovny unravels, hugging his dog.

Honorable mentions: Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, Kissing Jessica Stein, About a Boy (though it's not a strict romantic comedy), Titanic (same thing) and The Wedding Singer.

Hugh and Drew: Romantic comedy's super couple

OK, after spending waaaaay too much time thinking about this, I've determined that not all love is lost in the movies ... it just has to have Drew Barrymore or Hugh Grant involved.

And, as luck would have it, they will be in a movie together opening, you guessed it, on Valentine's Day. I am a little worried that Music and Lyrics may be too much of good thing. But these are the only two actors who have a proven romantic comedy track record over the last 10 years.

Grant's got Love, Actually, as one commenter pointed out. Plus About a Boy, The Bridget Jones movies, Two Weeks Notice (with Sandra Bullock) and Notting Hill, all in the last 10 years.

And Barrymore made Adam Sandler seem sweet and sexy in 50 First Dates and The Wedding Singer. Never Been Kissed was another bright spot. And she did the impossible, by making Jimmy Fallon bearable in Fever Pitch.

Because they are so lovable, I found a few photo where they were follicarly challenged. That can't be a word. Let's just say they both aren't afraid to have bad hair days. That's why we love 'em.

Upcoming: The top 5 romantic comedies of the last decade poll. Get ready to vote, and disagree with our choices.

Love isn't in the air

So we roll out of bed this morning to another dusting of snow, and hockey on the highways. Perfect excuse to call in sick and curl up on the couch with a good romantic comedy.

(Hey, if you think a couple of burly bowling men like me and AB don't love a good cry every now and then, well, now you know. We do.)

But then we cracked open Star Time and saw  the F-bomb Chris Kelly dropped on Diane Keaton's latest, Because We Said So. It's brutal, and I'm sure deserved. Keaton,  star of Annie Hall and the more recent Something's Gotta Give, should know better, right.

But all this got me thinking. There really hasn't been a great romatic comedy in years. At which point The Albino Bowler points out that there has never been a favorable depiction of an albino on film ever. To which, I respond, by putting his action figure a-- in a drawer.

Back to my point. Where are the great romantic comedies of our day? It's been nearly 20 years since When Harry Met Sally (1989) and Say Anything (also '89).

So here's the breakfast poll of the day. Name me 10 great romantic comedies from the last 10 years.

I don't think you can do it.

I'm going to try to come up with my list, and put this question to some of our critics around here (and that doesn't include the afro'd action figure in the drawer). We'll come up with a top five and put it to a vote by lunch time.

So this is a challenge to all the hopeless romantics and hee-man women-haters out there. Show us some love. Or have we all lost that lovin' feeling?