Hung Over

Do you ever get on one of those hot streaks? You know, when for some reason, whatever your doing is just ON at the moment. It's a fantastic feeling.

I'm on one with movie watching.

The Hangover is fantastic.

After today, I have seen it twice. The first time was at a midnight showing with my friends in packed theater with about 200 more people of my age, and I've got to say, I've never heard as much laughter. Seriously, from start to finish, that theater was in tears, culminating in a buzz while leaving the theater you don't get with movies very much.

I think one of the coolest experiences while watching a movie at a theater is that, if you enjoyed it, you're going to leave in the mind set of wanting to be like what you saw on that screen. If you just saw Indiana Jones, you want to go out there and kill some Nazis with a fedora on. If you just saw Batman, you're going to be channeling your most gravelly voice in imitating the Joker, most likely sending your friends and family into a state of irritation only rivaled by hearing Fran Drescher talk. If you just saw Transformers, well, we know who you're going to be dreaming about.

The feeling you get walking away from the movie is that while much of what actually happened to the four buddies would absolutely suck, it would be crazy fun to have a night even half like that with your good buddies. If you could get through a night like that with your life and at least half your bank account intact, you have the best story ever to tell for the rest of your life.

If you haven't seen it yet, here's a grocery list of the craziness you're missing:

    A Tiger is your hotel room (that is owned by Mike Tyson)

    A missing tooth (pulled by yourself)

    A chicken in your room

    An extreme hangover

    Possessing a stolen police car

    Getting roofied

    Marrying a stripper (with her baby being left in the hotel room closet)

    Winning $80k at blackjack

    One hospital stay

    Getting hustled by Chinese thugs

And I probably missed some stuff. That's another thing that makes this movie great. Just when you think that the night could not get crazy enough, another new crazy story comes into the picture. How did they fit all that into one night?

Only in the movies, my friends.

Movie music is an underrated aspect of the experience. I think most of the time directors and producers want to find good music that might not be "popular" just to look like they're not being lazy, but I can't tell you how many times I've watched a movie and have said "Man, {insert popular song here} would be a way better fit than this".

The Hangover didn't have that problem. It featured a lot of music that nearly everyone will know, with modern artists like Kanye West and Flo Rida, and some old school tunes, with Phil Collins' "
In the Air Tonight" playing during the fantastic Mike Tyson scene obviously taking the cake as one of the funnier moments of the movie.

I know I'm a fairly younger guy and some of the older generation does not appreciate the hip-hop/rap movement, but Flo Rida's "Right Round" was a perfect fit for the picture montage at the end of the movie.

I posted a review of Star Trek a few weeks ago, and gave it a 3 ½ star rating. I did say I would give way more 3 ½ ratings than 4's, but I still did not want to give out a bunch of great ratings. I have to for the first two, though.

I even debated giving it a 4, but decided a 4 is almost a once in a generation occurrence, so I had to hold back.

Rating: 3 ½ stars.