BILANCIO DELLA SERATA: buon risultato per il varietà "Una voce per Padre Pio" con Massimo Giletti e Tosca D'Aquino, che ha superato la replica di "Ciao Darwin - L'anello mancante" con Paolo Bonolis e Luca Laurenti, il film poliziesco "Bad Boys" con Will Smith e Martin Lawrence, il film di fantascienza "Signs" con Mel Gibson, la puntata conclusiva di "Enigma" con Corrado Augias, il film "Pirati" con Walter Matthau ed il programma documentaristico "Missione natura" trasmesso su La 7.

Le fasce di prima serata (ore 20.30/22.30)

A seguire alcune segnalazioni sugli ascolti disponibili di prima serata, e per concludere cosa ci aspetta questa sera sui principali canali TV gratuiti e a pagamento.

Ieri sera in TV

• Alle 20.42 il gioco “La botola” (4.329.000 spettatori - 23,72%). Alle 21.22 la nona edizione del programma musicale “Una voce per Padre Pio” (3.215.000 spettatori - 18,94%).
• Alle 21.05 il film di fantascienza “Signs” (2.099.000 spettatori - 11,64%).
• Alle 20.29 il 5° episodio della soap italiana “Un posto al sole d'estate” (1.416.000 spettatori). Alle 21.00 la sesta ed ultima puntata del programma “Enigma” (1.757.000 spettatori - 9,86%).
• Alle 20.47 il varietà “Veline” (4.339.000 spettatori - 23,56%). Alle 21.23 la replica della settima puntata del varietà “Ciao Darwin - L’anello mancante” (2.773.000 spettatori - 18,67%).
• Alle 21.11 il film poliziesco “Bad Boys” (2.405.000 spettatori - 14,09%). Alle 23.38 l’episodio 12 “La velocità di Sara” della serie thriller Vanished con 979.000 spettatori (12,63%).
• Alle 20.20 l’episodio “La dama in bianco” della terza stagione del telefilm Renegade, con 1.663.000 spettatori. Alle 21.10 il film d'avventura “Pirati" (1.592.000 spettatori - 9,29%).

Sono elencati principalmente i programmi di prima serata. Gli orari e i programmi indicati possono variare senza preavviso.

Canali in chiaro:

• Alle 21.10 il “numero zero” del varietà “Parenti talenti” con Elisa Isoardi.
• Alle 21.05 la serie gialla McBride con John Larroquette e Marta DuBois - episodio 3 “Omicidio di classe”, alle 22.40 la serie 4400 con Joel Gretsch e Chad Faust - episodio 4×06.
• Alle 20.30 il film western “Il buono, il brutto e il cattivo” (1966), con Clint Eastwood e Eli Wallach.
• Alle 21.10 il varietà “La Corrida (dilettanti allo sbaraglio) - Il meglio e il peggio” con Gerry Scotti - puntata 4 "2005". Alle 23.30 la serie Ally McBeal con Calista Flockhart - episodio 4x06.
• Alle 21.10 il film TV fantastico “Librarian: alla ricerca della lancia perduta” (2004), con Noah Wyle e Sonya Walger.
• Alle 21.30 la serie poliziesca Law & Order - Criminal Intent con Vincent D’Onofrio e Kathryn Erbe - episodi 4×10, 4x12 e 4x02. Alle 00.15 la serie poliziesca francese Il commissario Moulin con Yves Rénier - episodio “Sete di giustizia”.
• Alle 21.10 la serie poliziesca inglese Jack Frost con David Jason - episodio “Cadaveri e minacce”.
• Alle 21.00 il varietà “Best of… Italo Americano” con Fabio Volo - puntata 5.
• Alle 21.00 il programma musicale “Mono”, dedicato a Fiorella Mannoia.
• Alle 21.05 il film drammatico “I miserabili” (1995), con Jean Paul Belmondo.
• Alle 20.30 la serie Dark Skies - Oscure presenze con Eric Close. Alle 21.30 il film commedia “Meet Wally Sparks” (1997), con Rodney Dangerfield e Debi Mazar.
  

Canali digitali terrestri gratuiti:

• Alle 21.00 il film thriller “Nella morsa del ragno” (2001), con Morgan Freeman e Monica Potter. Alle 22.45 il film drammatico “Million Dollar Baby” (2004), con Clint Eastwood e Hilary Swank.
• Alle 21.00 il film commedia "Ischia, operazione amore" (1966), con Walter Chiari e Peppino De Filippo.
• Alle 21.00 la sit-com Kirk con Kirk Cameron, alle 21.25 la serie Young Hercules con Ryan Gosling.
• Alle 21.00 la serie animata “Jumanji”, alle 21.25 la serie animata “Roary the racing car”.

Digitale terrestre:

• Alle 21.00 il film thriller “Confidence - La truffa perfetta” (2003), con Dustin Hoffman.
• Alle 21.00 la serie poliziesca The Closer con Kyra Sedgwick - episodio 2×03, alle 21.50 la serie Nip/Tuck con Dylan Walsh e Julian McMahon - episodio 5×04.
• Alle 21.00 la serie Smallville con Tom Welling e Michael Rosenbaum - episodi 7×17-18.
• Alle 21.10 la sit-com Zack e Cody al Grand Hotel con Cole e Dylan Sprouse, alle 21.35 la sit-com italiana “Quelli dell'intervallo 5”, alle 21.50 la sit-com italiana "Life Bites - Pillole di vita", alle 22.00 il film TV commedia “Il colore dell'amicizia” (2000) con L. Haun e S. Simmons.

Digitale satellitare - canali di intrattenimento:

• Alle 21.00 il varietà “Miss Universe 2008” con Jerry Springer e Mel B.
• Alle 21.00 la serie di fantascienza Stargate SG-1 con Ben Browder e Amanda Tapping - episodi 10×17-18.
• Alle 21.00 il reality “Janice Dickinson Modeling Agency” - puntate 1×03-04, alle 21.55 il reality “Modelle a New York” - puntata 2.
• Alle 21.00 la serie poliziesca C.S.I.: Scena del crimine con William Petersen - episodio 6×09-10-11-12.
• Alle 20.35 il clip-show “Ahia! Sportivi da schianto” - puntate 2×13-14, alle 21.30 il reality italiano “Pronto intervento” - puntata 3, alle 22.00 il programma “World’s Wildest Police Chases” - puntata 3.
• Alle 21.30 il programma “Sfida tra sexy star ad Hollywood”, alle 22.00 il reality “I Lohan: affare di famiglia” - puntata 6 “Trasloco a Las Vegas”, alle 22.30 il reality “Non è facile essere Denise Richards” - puntata 6 “Weekend in campagna”.
• Alle 21.00 la replica del varietà comico “Colorado Cafè” - puntata 5.
• Alle 21.00 il reality italiano “The Singing Office” - puntata “Cisco vs. McDonalds”.
• Alle 21.00 il reality “Cortesie per gli ospiti”.
• Alle 21.00 il programma documentaristico “La grande storia” - puntata “Gli uomini di Mussolini”.
• Alle 21.00 il film TV drammatico “La Bibbia: Giuseppe” (1995), con Ben Kingsley e Monica Bellucci.
• Alle 20.30 la serie antologica The Ray Bradbury Theater - episodi 4-5, alle 21.30 la serie antologica The Hunger - episodio 1×08, alle 22.00 il film thriller “Silence - Il patto” (2003) con Kristy Swanson.
  
• Alle 21.00 la serie Painkiller Jane con Kristanna Loken - episodi 9-10.
• Alle 21.00 la serie Settimo cielo con Stephen Collins e Catherine Hicks - episodi 7×05-06.
• Alle 21.00 lo spettacolo teatrale “Non sia mai viene qualcuno” con Enrico Brignano.
• Alle 20.40 il film drammatico “Film rosso” (1994) con I. Jacob e J.L. Trintignant, alle 23.00 la serie Mad Men con Jon Hamm - episodi 1x01-02.
• Alle 20.40 il varietà “Guinness World Records Australia”, alle 21.30 il varietà “Guinness World Records Primetime”.
• Alle 21.10 la serie animata “Samurai 7” - tre episodi, alle 22.25 la serie animata “DNA2” - tre episodi.

= film, serie o fiction in prima visione sui canali non a pagamento, o al primo passaggio sui canali Sky.
= film o film TV.
= telefilm (serie/sit-com) straniero o cartone animato [l'indicazione tipo "1x02" segnala il secondo episodio della prima stagione].
= fiction di produzione italiana o straniera.
= soap opera italiana o straniera.
= programma sportivo.

Rai 1: Una Voce Per Padre Pio

Rai 2: Signs

Rai 3: Enigma - 6^ & Ultima Puntata

Prima Serata Mediaset:

Rete 4: Pirati

Canale 5: Ciao Darwin - L' Anello Mancante - 7^ Puntata

Italia 1: Bad Boys

Seconda Serata

Su Italia 1 alle 23:40 "Vanished" in 1^ Tv 1^ Serie e alle 24:35 "Prison Break" in 1^ Tv 3^ Serie. Su Rai 3 alle 23:30 "La Nuova Squadra" in Replica.

Ciao Darwin - L' Anello Mancante

Prove di coraggio, quiz, viaggi nel tempo e sexy sfilate: Paolo Bonolis e Luca Laurenti conducono un nuovo viaggio tv alla ricerca del carattere dominante del terzo millennio con il consueto tono ironico e semiserio.

Signs

In onda venerdì 18 luglio 2008 alle 21.05

Titolo originale: Signs
Regia: M. Night Shyamalan
Interpreti: Mel Gibson, Joaquin Phoenix, Cherry Jones, Rory Culkin, Abigail Breslin, Patricia Kalember
Genere: Fantascienza
Anno: USA 2002
Durata: 106'

Trama
Graham Hess (Mel Gibson) è un predicatore padre di due figli, che, dopo la morte della moglie in un incidente d'auto, ha perso la fede e ha smesso l'abito talare. Ritiratosi a fare l'agricoltore nella sua casa di campagna in Pennsylvania, insieme ai figli e al fratello Merrill (Joaquin Phoenix), Graham inizia ad accorgersi di strani fenomeni che accadono attorno alla sua casa. Tutta la famiglia comincia a sentire il fruscio delle pannocchie in assenza di vento, i latrati di cani nella notte, ma anche un vociare confuso trasmesso dai walkie talkie.

Quando però Graham scopre che nel suo campo appaiono dei segni geometrici perfetti, visibili nella loro interezza e perfezione solo dall'alto, comincia a preoccuparsi per l'incolumità della sua famiglia. I bambini e il fratello sospettano che si tratti di alieni e cominciano a inventarsi degli strumenti di difesa che non convincono Graham, alla ricerca di una risposta razionale ai suoi timori.
Note e curiosità:
Joaquin Phoenix sostituì Mark Ruffalo che aveva dovuto rinunciare al ruolo per malattia.
Il ruolo di Graham Hess era stato scritto originariamente per un uomo anziano e la parte fu offerta a Paul Newman e a Clint Eastwood che rifiutarono entrambi.

Il regista M. Night Shyamalan ama apparire nei suoi film come Hitchcock, uno dei suoi registi preferti. In questo film, non si è limitato a un cameo, ma si è ritagliato un piccolo ruolo, quello di Ray Reddy.

Due poliziotti, Marcus Burnett (Martin Lawrence), tutto famiglia e lavoro, e Mike Lowrey (Will Smith), incontenibile playboy, sono costretti a scambiarsi ruoli e identità per indagare su un omicidio.

Si imbarcano così in un'impresa disperata alleandosi con una prostituta (Tea Leoni) per recuperare una partita di droga del valore di cento milioni di dollari.

Enigma - Un tris di donne per chiudere la stagione di Enigma

E' giunta una nuova notizia in redazione, l'avvicendarsi dietro la macchina da presa di David Koepp per quel che sarà "Ghost Town", un horror con punte adrenaliche riconducibile ai migliori thriller che sevizierà lo spettatore in un limbo tendente all'esoterico e al regno dei morti.
Ghost Town narra di Betram Pincus un uomo le cui abilità umane lasciano parecchio a desiderare finchè un giorno muore. Muore per sette minuti, poi miracolasamente riprende conoscenza. Una volta risvegliato si accorge di aver acquisito la scomoda capacità di vedere i fantasmi. La cosa peggiore, è che tutti vogliono qualcosa da lui, in particolare Frank Herlihy lo indurrà a cercare di impedire il matrimonio di Gwen (interpretata da Tea Leoni, apprezzata in "Bad Boys") restata vedova dopo la sua morte. Ciò metterà Pincus nel bel mezzo di un triangolo amoroso che sfocerà in qualcosa di molto sconveniente.
Koepp non è l'ultimo arrivato ad Hollywood, il suo curriculum vitae è insignito di pellicole importanti, l'ultima avventura di Harrison Ford nei panni di Indiana Jones è stata infatti firmata da costui. La lista prosegue poi con l'apocalittica "La guerra dei mondi" interpretata da Tom Cruise, "Secret Window" con Johnny Depp, "Spiderman" i cui attori tutti conosciamo, Panic Room con Jodie Foster... e molti altri ancora fino ad arrivare a quel capolavoro di "Carlito's Way" e il primordiale "Jurassic Park", la cui spettacolarità portò Spielberg sempre più in alto a icona vivente del cinema innovativo.
Tuttavia se la carriera da scrittore è stata lunga e prolissa, quella da regista un poco meno.
Fa star meglio il sapere che abbia comunque firmato egli stesso la trama di Ghost Town, resterà da vedere in che modo il progetto avrà preso forma, essendo ormai in dirittura d'arrivo, varcherà la soglia della sale cinematografiche statunitensi il 18 agosto 2008, salvo accorgimenti e/o eventuali modifiche dell'ultima ora.

I watched the finale of The Bachelorette.

Never in my life have I wanted to slap someone so badly as I did DeAnna (The Bachelorette) tonight. I thought for sure she would go for Jason. Unbelievably built and gorgeous Jason, who has a real  job and is responsible and ready to be a reliable husband. But noooooo! The stupid bitch picked Jesse ('Dude, where's the snow?') a 'professional' snowboarder who flings around words like 'rad' and 'bitchin' and who taught DeAnna's grandma how to do the 'pound the rock then explode it' hand shake.

What ever!

My friend Berk's husband (who picked Jesse as the winner before the big announcement) said, "I've only been wrong once. They always pick the bad boys."

He was right. She did. She picked the one who she would have to finish raising before she could even think  about having children with. Apparently that's what passes for excitement and true love these days. In five years when the baby is screaming at 3 in the morning, she's not gonna think it's too 'rad' to have her husband roll over and say, "Dude," slap on her arm, "Shut that freakin' baby up. I gotta get up and shred the slope with my new plank at like 10 am, man."

I have to admit, I have fallen for the bad guy before. The appeal is real. Just look at all the romance novels, the heroine never falls for the accountant with the company car, 401k and good health care benefits. She always falls for the misunderstood, loner with the risk-his-life-on-a-daily-basis job. Or the commanding Alpha male who emanates raw power and animal magnetism like the sun while he ruthlessly runs the empire he built up from nothing.

But these days, I need a guy I can count on to be there day in and day out. I've had about all the uncertain excitement a gal can handle, thank you very much.

Who would you pick, a Steady-Eddie or a Flakey-Jake?

PS-#1 son's team lost (sniff). Both teams were given money for a pizza party which we all headed to right after the game. It was sweet to see these fiercely competitive teams laugh, joke and play around with each other. Ah, to be as resilient as kids!

Oh how the mighty have fallen.  Take a well thought up premise, three very talented actors, and mix it with a sadly pathetic story and you get Hancock.  

I love Will Smith.  Everything from his wry sense of humor to his intense and convincing dramatic performances, he has become the most bankable movie star of the past ten years.  I love Charlize Theron, from her mouth dropping (non-anorexic) body, to her perfectly piercing eyes and her equally powerful ability to grip an audience, she has never fallen off the radar as so many actresses tend to do from time to time in their careers.  Jason Bateman is a gem as well.  He makes acting seem effortless and he squeezes every ounce of dry humor out of scenes that otherwise would fall flat.  So, how do these three performers come together to make such a weak film?

It starts with the script.  It always starts with the script.  Then it moves on to the direction and cinematography.  The story was disjointed and amounted to a strange love affair between superheroes and an intangible story of centuries past just did not fit.  I realized early on there were going to be problems in the way it was filmed as well.  Long, close up shots with far too much fabricated intensity were sucking the theater of all its enjoyment. 

The action sequences were ok.  It was interesting how they construed Hancock's drunken, ineffectual acts of heroism.  His drunken flying, with his awkward landings and anti-Superman poses were great.  Some of the humor was dead on, although much of the best scenes were given away in the trailer.  There is a great scene in which Jason Bateman tries explain how to say, "good job," that made me laugh even though you could see it coming from a mile away.

This dramedy leaned far too much in the direction of drama and hit a brick wall of my capacity to give a shit.  Movies like this succeed in their light-hearted nature and the ability to throw tidbits of drama in to satiate the audiences need for a deeper conflict.  Hancock simply took itself too seriously and audiences will not.  Unlike other superhero films of recent, Hancock does not exist in the world of comics and as such extra care should have been given to create a simple, understandable story that would allow the audience to come back for more (sequel).  Lucky for the studios, it stars Will Smith, and Charlize Theron fails to wear a bra for most scenes, so I think it will make enough dough to cover their costs.  It might even be enough to warrant a sequel, but I hope not.  I would prefer to see Bad Bays III, MiB III, or hell, Ali II: Punches to Parkinson's.  (My respects Mohammed Ali, you are my favorite boxer of all time.)  

Rating **  (There was potential for something here, but it fell flat on its face.  Waste a minute on this, you're a fool.)

It's a big day here in the Pacific Northwest as Tacoma reprises its role as host to the traveling wooden-ship sideshow known as "Tall Ships."  This means the normal 4th of July waterfront celebration/annual drunken riot is going to be brewing all day instead of kicking off late at night.  Add in the fact that it's a Friday, that fireworks are now illegal, and we're slated for a crummy cloud covered sky thus dampening the grand finale fireworks show and this should be the best 4th of July ever.

Mirroring our dour local celebrations, Arsenal are letting off some wet firecrackers of their own in the signings realm. "The Nasri Signing" isn't going to happen for at least 10 days, the Senna signing is right out, Hleb has become persona non press report due to the long shadow cast by Andre Arshavin, and Adebayor is mulling his future so there's no news there either.

I have no idea what makes Adebayor think he has any control over his future: last I heard, he's still under contract with the club.   He can complain and maybe even not give his best when selected to start (which would hurt both him and the club) but he signed a contract, there isn't much deciding he gets to do.  Arsenal, on the other hand, are the ones who get to decide; should they sell him now for £24-30m or hold on to him for another year and sell him on for more!  I think they ought to keep him.  Arsenal reportedly only paid Monaco £4.2m for him 18 months ago.  Now, if Barcelona legitimately offer £30m for the player, that's an annualized rate of return of 225% and a total return of 615%.  A return of 225% per year on any investment is quite impressive and, according to my calculations, means that next year he'll be worth £67.5m! I say Arsenal hang on to him for another year and then sell him for £67.5m which would be a total return of 1,507%.  Not a bad bit of work.

In real news, Ljungberg is featuring at the number 11 slot today in Arsenal's all time top 50.  I loved Freddie; his tuft of red hair, the goals in the FA cup (especially the finals), his constant movement, and the way he defended from the front made him a crowd favorite.   He was one of the players that really made me love The Arsenal and it was a nice trip down memory lane to read his Arsenalography.   Check it out if you're bored, or just jonesing for football.

You know what else you should do if you're bored?  Watch all 10 installments of these "Bad Boys" videos.

Bad Boys International

And just plain Bad Boys (Britain)

I found them vastly entertaining and a refreshing reminder of what English football used to be like.  Thank god those days are over.

See you tomorrow.

When the boys were younger, I'd hear all about how girls learn to speak sooner than boys. However both of the boys began speaking pretty early. It's almost as if people have bought into the idea that boys are incapable of speaking early, being respectful socially, and can only fight and get into trouble.

I definitely think boys have a need to express their energy. To me, the question is how to help them do so rather than trying to suppress it.  We have been buying inflatable punching bags for years. They jump on them, punch them, throw them, kick them, pile on them, and then we get another. I'm usually surprised by how many boys and girls visit our house and want to take a whack at Superman, Jackie Chan, George Bush, Batman, or Bozo. But they stop and check with their parents to see if it is OK.

I don't get it. Adults have a need to express their frustration, anger, and upset; so do kids. But if a kid is not given room to express this and must constantly restrain themselves, I think it is only natural that they will take it out on someone such as another kid or act out in other ways. Let's be honest, some of the problem with boys is that they don't respond like girls. Girls more naturally fit a kid world dominated by mothers and school teachers that are also women.

I am in no way surprised by the number of boys that get slapped with a diagnosis ADHD and are put on ritalin. While I'm sure significant numbers of them are justified; I remain skeptical. I think a boys natural tendency to run, jump, spin, climb, fart, be silly, and less in control creates teachers with opportunities to be creative in their approach to educating.

It seems the issue is less about boys and more about an educational system reluctant to rethink how to work with boys. And a culture that passively sits back and accepts a "boys will be boys" approach to parenting. If nothing is expected of a boy, he will not deliver. However if we raise the level of expectations for our sons, and support them in succeeding, we may be surprised by the results.

 So how did Bay get to this point, well he started big and just went bigger, his first major film was Bad Boys, one of the best action films of the 90's and from then on in it was hit after hit, until, Pearl Harbour. Unjustly slated PH has some of the best use of CGI effects in any film so far, the oft seen bomb dropping is for lack of another word quite simply immense. It was the acting that truly let PH down, Affleck and Hartnett, not the worst actors around but certainly not the best. Both of thses guys have made some awful choices in their acting careers and are at best dull in this case and at worst, well, direct to video acting often isn't this mis-calculated. So is Bay only capable of action, car chases, explosions and such like. Not so I say.

Witness Will Smith in Bad Boys, Nicolas Cage in The Rock and Shia Labeouf in Transformers, all made action stars thanks to Bay and all creating great characters with humanity and humour....unfortunately no-one is capable of making Martin Lawrence likeable Or having Ewan McGregor use any accent other than Scottish effectively, which brings me to The Island, Bays first stab at sci-fi, although it flopped there is much to admire in The Island and again there is a car chase that is unrivalled for sheer spectacle, overall though it was a poor film and the good certainly does not outweigh the bad...but everyone has their off days....don't they...

Oh and he brought Megan Fox to our attention, we HAVE to give him credit for that!

Drive Me Wild by Lori Foster - Erica Lee is always in control, both in business and love. After a dare with two best friends ends with them happily in love, Erica decides it is her turn. Ian Conrad is who she sets her eyes on. He is a strong man, also used to getting his own way. These two burn up the sheets and find out that being in control isn't what love is about at all.....

Something Wilde by Janelle Denison - Eric Wilde is a ladies man, who wants Jill Richardson more than he has ever wanted anyone else. Jill has a hard and fast rule about mixing business with pleasure, but Eric is wild enough to make her change her mind. This is the first story in the "Wilde" series by Janelle Denison. I am working my way through this series and I have definitely fallen in love with the Wilde men.

Touch Me by Shannon McKenna - Tess Langley is a massage therapist who isn't interested in anything more than opening her own spa. She hides behind a low-maintenance look and clothes that hide her figure. But that hasn't stoped Jonah Markham from fantasizing about the woman that makes him feel so good. He comes up with a plan to spend time alone with Tess hoping that a weekend together can turn into so much more.

find me at the book girl store

Written By: George Gallo and Michael Barrie

Dectectives Marcus Burnett (Martin Lawerence) and Mike Lowrey(Will Smith) are partners for the Miami Police in the Narcotics Department.  They have just made the biggest Heroin bust in the cities history of over one hundred million dollars, but someone has broken into the police department and stolen it all.  Their boss Captain C. Howard (Joe Pantaliono) gives them a 72 hour timeline before Internal Affairs butts it’s nose in and the department gets bashed across the television.  When Mike inquires through a female escort that is his friend, she is murdered but leaves a trail to her killer.  Julie (Tea Leoni), Max’s(Karen Alexander) roomate witnesses her murder and makes the call to Mike, the only man Maxine ever trusted.  But Mike is not at his desk, only Marcus, who pretends to be MIke to keep Julie on the line.  When he goes to recover her he also assumes the identity of Mike and by the time he has her safely in Mikes apartment, Mike is found and has to assumet he identity of Marcus.  In the midst of Marcus and Mike hunting down a mad killer and drugloard named Fouchet(Tchkey Karo), they have to keep up false identities until the very climatic ending.

Bad Boys is a film that has been a source of infectious entertainment to me for the last thirteen years.  In my book it’s one of the best action movies of all time.  With a funny yet serious script, this film is the flat out definition of the “buddy” action flick.  Martin Lawrence and Will Smith are cast as duo of best friends from as far back as high school, who still in spite of their very different lifestyles retain a close friendship and a bond and passion for the job of narcotics detectives.  Will Smith plays a smooth talking, handsome, ladies man, which was a very different role for the guy who’d been known as the Fresh Prince Of Bel Air.  Not only did he demonstrate his amazing ability to sell a line, but his smartness of when to steal the scene and when to share it with Lawrence.  There was never a struggle for supremacy between these two hilarious men.  They moved across the screen together like a wave on the ocean.  Smooth and endless in it’s perfection.  This was a definitive role for Will Smith at the beginning of his career.  It defined his strength for him to be a leading man, which set the precedent for the rest of his mind blowing successful career.  As for Lawrence, who’s character was less than smooth talking, and more or less bumbling and awkward, he played his character to the max.  He didn’t cross the line from his normal slap stick comedy.  He stuck with a realistic goofiness and genuineness, that made Marcus not only funny but genuinely likable.

Backing these two powerhouses on onscreen chemistry was the beautiful and talented Tea Leoni that was like throwing a lit match into a kerosene tank.  Each scene she was in, she was alive and powerful.  This was a very pivotal role in her career and really propelled her forward into the acting community as well.  Other shining supporting roles included Marcus’s wife Theresa(Theresa Randle), who was very full fleshed for only being in a few scenes.  Their chemistry and bond felt real.  Captain Howard was the insane little man that put the pressure on Marcus and Mike to build the suspense of the story by setting a time frame to reacquire the drugs, not to mention be crack the viewer up with his manic potty mouth while doing so.  And lastly the very typical foreign one dimensional drug lord character.  It’s a neccesary evil to have one of those in each of Michael Bay’s movies.  While some find this annoying, I find it humorous as Bay obviously has a sense of humour, not to mention an enjoyable homage to the Lethal Weapon films, another classic Buddy action film success.

Bad Boys without it’s two lead actors may have just been another blow ‘em up, shoot ‘em up movie with nothing really compelling to set it apart from other action films, but with the charisma of Will Smith and Martin Lawrence, and the Michael Bay explosions, the cameo of the Porsche 911, the red lighting alluding to the dramatic heat of Miami, the action packed car chases, and fight scenes become important rather than just fun.

Bad Boys is a special film for a multitude of reasons, but it seemed to be one of those films where everyone was in the right place at the right time and movie magic was created.  It is undoubtedly on my most watched list as I’ve probably seen it two hundred times, which could be a gross understatement.  This movie is pure and simple great action flick fun.  Everything about it is pure entertainment.  The plot which is occasionally touched on is good enough that it is nearly irrelevant in the scheme of things.  For it’s genre and rewatchability, not to mention the brilliant one liners, Bad Boys is easily Four out of Four stars.

Does using a pillow really muzzle the sound of a gun shot? Maybe an answer.