If It's Friday...

...then it's once again time to check the Tomatometer.

First up, we have The Hangover. Currently this little comedy is #1 among major releases at 81%. It stars a group of people you've barely heard of and directed by Todd Phillips. In the ads, you'll notice they brag that he directed Old School but make no mention of his last movie, School For Scoundrels. That's because the second one was something that I, an obsessive movie buff, had to look up just so I could remember how much it sucked. Still, I like the ads and the critics have nice things to say so I shall set my mind to the "Open" position.

Up next, we have My Life In Ruins. This was made by Nia Vardalos, the woman who surprised us many years ago with the surprise hit My Big Fat Greek Wedding. The charming, funny movie was the type of film that made people go back for multiple viewings. She surprised moviegoers again with a movie called Connie and Carla in which she and Toni Collette pretended to be drag queens. People who like Wedding were expecting this to be good and were surprised when it had the entertainment value of something you wipe off your shoe. Based on that, the fact that My Life In Ruins currently has a 7% rating should come as no surprise. I know, I too am shocked especially since Nia Vardalos is breaking new ground with her story of a middle aged woman who can't find a man only to discover that the perfect man was right there all along. Still, congratulations are in order. The makers of My Life In Ruins can take some comfort for the fact that theirs is not the worst movie coming out this week.

That honor belongs to Land of the Lost which, as of this writing, has a good, solid 5% rating. Wow. I didn't have high hopes but I figured it would at least have a few saving graces. You know, things like decent special effects coupled with jokes in the right places and OH MY GOD you will never believe this. I just checked the page again and Land of the Lost has skyrocketed to a staggering 10%. At this rate, they'll be up to 17 or 18 by the weekend. I guess that's the good thing about starting at the bottom. There's no place to go but up. Oh, My Life In Ruins? You're shit out of luck.