Occasionally, however, Hollywood gives us something else: something so far out of the norm for the Left coast, so utterly pro-American and purely patriotic, that we have to pause and take note. We saw this with comedian Vince Vaughn, who launched Chicago’s 52^nd annual Air and Water Show by parachuting out of an airplane over the city with one of the Army’s elite parachute teams.  We saw this with Sylvester Stallone, who refused to apologize for his pro-American film “The Expendables,” and who told his antagonizers that “America apologizes too much,” just for good measure.

And to give credit where credit is due, we’ve also seen this kind of grit from Robert Duvall, Larry the Cable Guy, and Nick DiPaolo, among others.

Now we’re seeing it with comedian Rob Riggle (from the movie “The Hangover”). What few know is that Riggle is not only an accomplished actor but also a Marine Corps Reservist who holds the rank of Lt. Colonel. And he recently told Marines Magazine that one of his proudest accomplishments is of “serving his country” as a Marine.

Wow – who saw that coming?

I know such sentiment was common back in the Hollywood of Ronald Reagan and John Wayne, but this is 2011. Now it seems the idea of serving one’s country largely equates to a bunch of utopian chatter about being nice to our enemies so the rest of the world will like us. Not so with Riggle. Instead, he said two other things he’s extremely proud of in his life include taking part in “liberating Afghanistan from the Taliban rule” and “helping evacuate and secure the embassy in Liberia.”

On top of all this, Riggle volunteered to work in the “Bucket Brigades” at Ground Zero after the 9/11 attacks on NYC. (If you’re familiar with the “Bucket Brigades,” you know it’s hard to think of a more selfless act than that. If you’re not familiar with the “Bucket Brigades,” here’s a video of some anonymous volunteers at work.)

Riggle said one of the reasons he joined the Marines was to learn about “honor, courage, and commitment,” and it looks to me like he’s mastered all three.

Thank you Rob Riggle for not only making us laugh, but for also reminding us that America is great and freedom isn’t free.

There are too few of you in Hollywood.

—-

The flaws in “Cars 2” are especially evident because the feature-length story is preceded by a short “Toy Story” film.  The short film displays the creativity and imagination that is sorely lacking in “Cars 2.” Despite the fact that the “Toy Story” crew has already been featured in three films, the new story about Ken and Barbie missing out on a Hawaiian vacation is inventive and extremely funny. The feature film that follows can’t hold a candle to it.

In “Cars 2,“ Lightning McQueen (Owen Wilson) is challenged by European opponent Francesco Bernoulli (John Turturro) to compete in the World Grand Prix, an international racing competition. After prodding from girlfriend Sally (Bonnie Hunt), McQueen decides to bring his friend Mater (Larry the Cable Guy) along with him. Mater, who acts like he’s never been on a vacation before, quickly begins embarrassing his friend overseas. Mater also becomes mixed up in a spy plot that involves two secret agents, voiced by Emily Mortimer and Michael Caine respectively.

Caine, whose distinguished voice is a refreshing addition to the cast, does great work  but Paul Newman, who voiced Doc Hudson in the original, is missed. Also missing from this story is the sense of innocence that was captured in the original. Instead of relying on a good story, this sequel becomes a typical spy movie with a bumbling character caught up in the middle of a conspiracy. “Cars 2″  does feature an escape sequence early on that would make James Bond jealous but it’s strange to watch the animation geniuses at Pixar settle for a story that features a lot of guns and explosions.

John Lasseter, who previously worked on the first two “Toy Story” films,  directed “Cars 2” with the help of co-director Brad Lewis. The story was written by both of them and Dan Fogelman; the screenplay was written by Ben Queen. Other than Queen, the others have worked on previous Pixar films. Yet, instead of being creative or having fun with the subject as other Pixar films do, “Cars 2” runs on fumes and makes a lot of easy choices about the plot, never stepping far away from the formula or inserting a fresh sense of inventiveness into it.

Despite its flaws, it’s difficult not to appreciate the work involved in “Cars 2.” The animation, as usual for Pixar, is phenomenal and many of the foreign cities depicted in it are beautiful to behold. The characters also come alive in it. Unfortunately, the plot doesn’t support them and bogs it down. There is enough good in “Cars 2″ to recommend it (barely), especially for families who want to spend a few hours at the cineplex. It’s a well-made film that could have been much better with a stronger script.

It should be noted that Big Oil is unsurprisingly a major villain in “Cars 2.” In a movie about cars, the people who develop gasoline are an easy and obvious target and if “Cars 2” will be known as anything in the Pixar universe, it will be known for making easy and obvious decisions.

—–

I’m talking about Larry the Cable Guy, and particularly the way he uses his newest show, “Only in America,” to highlight how the ingenuity and courage of everyday Americans has been (and remains) the backbone of this nation.

To put it plainly, Larry the Cable Guy is gitting-r-done when it comes to highlighting the greatness of the United States of America. And he’s doing it in truck stops, small towns, mom and pop diners, and by storming beaches with our Marines at Camp Pendleton.  (As I alluded to in my first paragraph, it’s safe to say Larry isn’t running into Susan Sarandon or Oliver Stone at any of these stops.)

“Only in America” is 100% pro-America. In each episode Larry the Cable Guy shows up next to someone who’s been doing something great but gone unnoticed for it. He then makes sure they get noticed and along the way reminds Americans of how fortunate we are to be here, even now.

For instance, in one episode of his show, Larry the Cable Guy shows up at the Texas State Fair to tell us how and where summer foods like “corny dogs” were created. Without fanfare, an entourage, or a red carpet, Larry tells his viewers, “The great American corn dog can be traced to one spot: Fletcher’s corny dog stand at the state fair of Texas.” Afterward, he walks right up the Fletcher’s corn dog stand and asks them to tell him how they created that wonderful snack.

The rest of the show presents Larry standing around the vats in which Fletcher’s employees are deep-frying their corn dogs, and talking about the history behind them. And while it sounds corny, no pun intended, Larry actually makes the viewer proud to live in a country where someone can think up something like a cornbread-covered-hotdog-on-a-stick and turn it into an American summer staple.

In other episodes, Larry the Cable Guy goes to small towns like Columbia, Tennessee, where he takes part in local traditions like “Mule Day.” Larry covers the history behind the holiday, which goes to back to 1840, when farmers from all around began coming to Columbia to trade mules. And as he mingles with the town folks, he throws in his normal brand of humor: “I ain’t seen so many big teeth in one area since my family reunion.”

But all joking aside, what Larry the Cable Guy does so successfully is remind viewers of the many traditions and treasures still flourishing within America’s heartland (and beyond).

Speaking of tradition, the “Only in America” episode where Larry the Cable Guy storms the beaches with U.S. Marines is literally the best. As he rides in toward the beach in an amphibious personal transport that is partially submerged, water leaks in and drips down on him and the Marines with whom he sits. Larry tells a few jokes but then turns serious: almost as if he’d been overwhelmed by yet another example of what our military personnel endure to keep us free.

Said Larry the Cable Guy in a shout-out to those Marines: “I’m a huge fan of the United States’ Marine Corps. I appreciate you going around the world and fighting for our freedom.” He described them as the “toughest guys on the planet” and was overtly proud to have spent time with part of “the greatest military in the world.”

All I can say is that at a time such as this, when the national mood is slumping and our own President has little good to say about our country, Larry the Cable Guy is reminding us that America is still exceptional.

Larry the Cable Guy is a first class patriot.

Git-R-Done

Still, every now and then some elitist hack with a degree from the right college and the proper connections gets a job at a failing weekly magazine and decides to take a shot at you and your profession, feeling they are qualified to judge this art form because they know how to laugh and talk. This is rarely if ever done with other art forms. Seriously folks, when is the last time you saw an article about actors who can’t act, dancers who can’t dance, painters who can’t paint or pointless “performance artists.” Yet, about every six months some “critic” declares a number of famous comics “not funny.”   

Ms. Sarah Ball of the soon defunct Newsweek is the latest to declare some great comics “not funny.” In her article she lists 12 acts and gives snarky put downs of their talents. I found it interesting that Ms. Ball’s list is mostly west coast, politically conservative/moderate comics. Apparently if you are from New York and ultra-liberal Ms. Ball finds you hilarious!

Topping her list is every elitist favorite comedy punching bag Larry the Cable Guy. Larry’s sin seems to be he is a little too lowbrow for Ms. Ball, whom I am sure worships at the altar of urinator Larry David, and christophobe Sarah Silverman. There are a couple of folks working at the top of the intellectual chart. When talking about Dane Cook (I admit, not my favorite) she heaps praise on Louis C.K. (a guy I happen to also enjoy) who also tends towards the scatological for his humor.

Here is another thing that annoys me worst than Barney Frank, several times Ms. Ball demeans comics for being less than original and yet in her writing she uses a number of “stock” lines, clichés and banal comments. She also works for a magazine which recently selected a cover picture of Sarah Palin that was borrowed from a shoot for another magazine and used without contextual reference.

Ms. Ball also apparently hasn’t seen some of the comics she lists in some time. For Emo Phillips she uses an outdated photo, (again Newsweek using a photo out of context!) and critiques the vocal and delivery style he was using in the 90’s. Artists grow and change Ms. Ball; you might want to catch Bob Goldthwaite sometime this century too!  Her total critique of Jeff Dunham is that he is a ventriloquist, a comedy form she declared “went out of vogue in the Eisenhower era.” So did unbiased journalism and accurate reporting, Ms. Ball, but I’ll save that for another blog. Ventriloquism is experiencing a great revival outside elitist circles with Ronn Lucas and Terry Fator being two of the top draws in Las Vegas. While Jay Johnson, Jeff Dunham and Dan Horn wow audiences across the country. It might do Ms. Ball good to get out of Manhattan once in awhile and see what us rubes are doing out here in Flyoverland.

There are a lot of comics who I don’t find funny but I realize that my taste in comedy is skewered by my values, faith, politics and a number of other factors. I would never declare Bill Maher “not funny.” Though I find his drug addled ramblings repulsive at times, I realize that a number of equally intelligent folks find him hysterical. I might say I find his humor “baffling” or call him an “alleged” comedian but to declare him “not funny” isn’t fair to Bill or his fans.

People like different things, that’s why they put numbers on horses at the track. I would expect an open and fair minded progressive person like Ms. Ball to be a little more…what’s that word? Tolerant!