glori's movies galore!

The King's Speech

2010-12-30T10:06:00.009-05:00

I have to say, this movie surprised me. I wasn't sure what I would think about it, but as the movie went on it got more interesting and more amazing. It stars Colin Firth, Helena Bohemia Carter, Geoffrey Rush, Micheal Gambon, Guy Pierce, and Timothy Spall. Tells the story of the man who became King George VI, the father of Queen Elizabeth II. After his brother abdicates, George ('Bertie') reluctantly assumes the throne. Plagued by a dreaded stammer and considered unfit to be king, Bertie engages the help of an unorthodox speech therapist named Lionel Logue. Through a set of unexpected techniques, and as a result of an unlikely friendship, Bertie is able to find his voice and boldly lead the country through war. (imdb.com)

Its fun to see three Harry Potter actors that are in one movie. I noticed that towards the end, the same song that is playing during the king's big speech is the same song that plays throughout another amazing movie called the fall The song (I just discovered) is called Beethoven's 7Th. The scenery was beautiful! It def made me want to go back to London more than ever now. There were some scenes were the speech therapist was teaching the soon to be king some voice exercises and the exercises he was teaching him were very clever. For instance, at one part during their very first encounter, Lionel had the king read out of a book aloud while there was loud music playing in the background, so as a results king George wasn't stammering as much anymore. I was pleasantly surprised that there was quite a bit of Shakespeare in this. Geoffry Rush's character was always speaking Shakespearean. The acting from all the actors were incredible. The stutter that Colin firth had was consistent up until the end. I wonder how he kept it up throughout the entire filming. He must have worked extremely hard with his own speech therapist. Helena Bohemia Carter never ceases to amaze me. Every role she plays is totally different then the role she played previously and this movie was no different. I love her and her talent. Dare I say that I predict both Colin Firth and Geoffry Rush will get Oscar noms for their performance. Guy Pierce's role was minor but significant. He did a fine job as King Edward VIII. I was also surprised at the humor. There was quite of bit of humor in this movie. It made me giggle a few times. The only bad thing I have to say about this was that the pacing was a little slow in places but not enough to make me keep thinking "oh come on already! pick up the pace!"

I give A King's Speech a 4 out of 5. It's a true delight.

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1

2010-11-26T15:07:00.009-05:00

If this movie didn't end where it did then I would be perfectly fine with that. Although I would still be sitting in that movie theater and not write to you lovely people so there you go. In case you don't know Harry Potter 7 Part 1's plot line: As Harry races against time and evil to destroy the Horcruxes, he uncovers the existence of three most powerful objects in the wizarding world: the Deathly Hallows. (imdb.com) The stars are (get ready its a doozy) Daniel Radcliffe, Ralph Fiennes, Rupert Grint, Helena Bohemia Carter, Emma Watson, Alan Rickman, Fiona Shaw, Jason Issacs, Bill Nighy, Richard Griffiths, Julie Walters, Bonnie Wright, Harry Melling, Helen McCroy, Tom Felton, Timmothy Spall, Gratham Duff, Peter Mullan, Judith Sharp, Micheal Gambon, Brendan Gleeson, Robbie Coltrane, James and Oliver Phelps, Mark Williams, Natalia Tena, Dohmnall Gleeson (Brendan's son), David Thewlis, John Hurt, Frances De La Tour, Evanna Lynch, Rhys Ifans, Imelda Staunton, Toby Jones, Sophie Thompson (Emma's sister), Kate Fleetwood, Jamie Campell Bower (yes, from New Moon), Miranda Richardson, and Warwick Davis. Whew!! I told you it was a doozy!

This movie never stopped from beginning to end. It was great! The acting from the three leads have gotten better. Each movie their acting gets better and better. It was also a much darker movie than previous ones. There was a cliff hanger ending (which makes sense considering this is Part 1 our of 2) and I thought the scene it ended at was fantastic! It really sets it up for the final movie. It actually made me want to see more. I did think the intros in the beginning were rushed and it was hard to catch what they were saying. For instance, Bill's introduction and Tonks and Lupin's big announcement etc. Its interesting to see Lucius Malfroy unravel with each movie and to see just exactly what Azkaban(wizard prison) has done to him. There was a lot of sexual tension between the three main characters. There is even a brief glimpse of Harry and Hermione naked and making out. I was sensing a little love triangle going on there. I really like how the main kids are growing up and their issues are becoming more adult thus the movies are being more adult. I forgot about Dobby until he popped up in the middle of the movie (and I do mean he literally popped on screen). What I noticed is, if you weren't one of the villains or one of the three main characters then you didn't get much screen time. They have really outdone themselves with the Special Effects for this one. They really went all out. There is so much going on in this movie, that this review would be much longer.

so I'll leave you with some tidbit facts I found about the movie that I thought were interesting enough to share: This is the first time that Brendan Gleeson, Michael Byrne, Peter Mullan, and David O'Hara have appeared in the same movie since Braveheart. Jason Isaacs originally considered not returning for this film, fearing that his character's arrest and imprisonment at the end of the fifth book and film would mean very little if any screen time in the finale. Upon meeting J.K. Rowling, he begged to be let out of prison. She told him "You're out. Chapter one." This immediately convinced him to sign on for the film. One of the posters in the diner where the trio ends up in London is from Daniel Radcliffe's play Equus. Filming the torture scene at Malfoy's Manor proved to be very intense for the actors involved. So much in fact that 'Helena Bohemia Carter' approached Emma Watson right afterward to make sure they were still on good terms. Having Bellatrix carve "mudblood" into Hermione's arm was not in the script, but an idea that Emma Watson and Helena Bohemia Carter came up with together. This is the only Harry Potter film not to feature Hogwarts. (imdb.com)

All in all, I give this movie a 5 out of 5!! Bring on part 2!!!

Avatar

2010-11-12T10:31:00.018-05:00

This monsteroucity of a movie was ok. It stars Sam Worthinton, Zoe Saldana, Sigourney Weaver , Michelle Rodriguez, Giovanni Ribisi, Joel Moore, and CCH Pounder. When his brother is killed in a robbery, paraplegic Marine Jake Sully decides to take his place in a mission on the distant world of Pandora. There he learns of greedy corporate figurehead Parker Selfridge's intentions of driving off the native humanoid "Na'vi" in order to mine for the precious material scattered throughout their rich woodland. In exchange for the spinal surgery that will fix his legs, Jake gathers intel for the cooperating military unit spearheaded by gung-ho Colonel Quaritch, while simultaneously attempting to infiltrate the Na'vi people with the use of an "avatar" identity. While Jake begins to bond with the native tribe and quickly falls in love with the beautiful alien Neytiri, the restless Colonel moves forward with his ruthless extermination tactics, forcing the soldier to take a stand - and fight back in an epic battle for the fate of Pandora. (IMDB.com)

Sam Worthington's american accent, let me tell you, I have never heard an accent slip more times than this guys. His surrey accent came out every other sentence. In fact, in an interview Sam Worthington said that it was easier for him to master the Na'vi language than the American accent. I found parts of this movie quite boring. I think this movie might be more exciting in 3D, least I hope it is. I thought I would see this movie since it got so much hype and now that I have I dont get it. This movie was def over hyped to the extreme. The CGI and effects were amazing but I didn't think it was worthy of as many oscars as it won nor do I get what all the fuss is about.

All in all, I give this movie a 2 out of 5 stars.

Sherlock Holmes

2010-11-12T10:31:00.013-05:00

I have never seen a Sherlock Holmes movie before but I figured since it is so popular I would give it a shot. It stars Robert Downey Jr, Jude Law, Mark Strong, Rachel Mcadams, James Fox, Geraldine James, and Kelly Reily. Detective Sherlock Holmes and his stalwart partner Watson engage in a battle of wits and brawn with a nemesis whose plot is a threat to all of England. (IMDB.com)

I wasn't sure what to think about this movie but I quite liked it. I didn't love it but I didn't hate it either. It seems like mark strong is always playing the villains or the bad guys like in Stardust, Kick Ass, and Miss Pettigrew. Talk about type casting. I have to say, I was rather impressed with Robert Downey Jr's British accent. I couldn't even hear his American accent come out. He truly is a talented actor. Jude law's on the other hand...

This movie had cool fight scenes. Interesting fact about the fight scenes: In the stories, Holmes is described to be an expert in Baritsu. In the film however, the martial art that Holmes used is the Wing-Chun Kung Fu. Robert Downey Jr. is a practitioner of the art in real-life and the fight scene between him and David Garrick at Punchbowl Pit was coordinated with the help of his trainer. you Harry Potter fans will enjoy this little tidbit. Waston;s house in the movie is the same house used in Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix. I did find it impressive that all of the actors did their own stunts. While filming this film, Rachel Mcadams would Attempt to escape the clutches of wearing a tight corset every morning, Rachel McAdams would trick the costumers by pushing her stomach out or eating a big breakfast of oatmeal before being laced up. However, they eventually caught on to her ruse. I cant say I blame Rachel. Corsets just look very uncomfortable. The costumes were amazing though. Some of the costumes that Rachel Mcadams had one, for instance, in one scene, she had on black pants, a white loose shirt and suspenders.

All and All I give this movie a 3 out of 5 stars. It's Elementary my dear people.

Social Network

2010-10-12T09:18:00.012-04:00

This was one of the smartest movies I have ever seen. It stars Jesse Eistenberg, Justin Timberlake, Andrew Garfield (the new spiderman), Rooney Mara, Brenda Song, and Rashida Jones. With a cameo by Aaron Sorkin. On a fall night in 2003, Harvard undergrad and computer programming genius Mark Zuckerberg sits down at his computer and heatedly begins working on a new idea. In a fury of blogging and programming, what begins in his dorm room soon becomes a global social network and a revolution in communication. A mere six years and 500 million friends later, Mark Zuckerberg is the youngest billionaire in history... but for this entrepreneur, success leads to both personal and legal complications. (IMDB.com)

I have read a lot of articles on this movie. Almost all having the creator of Facebook in a bad light. Making him out as the biggest jerk, but I find this isnt so. Yes, there were points in the movie where he was a jerk. but, there were times where he showed his good side as well. The acting was brilliant! I saw this movie with two of my friends and on the way home we were saying how good Justin Timberlake was at playing an asshole. He was such a dick in this movie. Such a bad influence on the main character as well. I did find it fun that the screenwriter aaron sorkin had a little cameo. Jesse Eisenberg did such a great job. I smell an Oscar for either him and/or Andrew Garfield. When you see this movie its incredible the brain power this kid has! He is a genuis!! That must be someting to be the youngest billionare in the world! Here is a fun little tidbit: Jesse Eisenberg's cousin actually works for Facebook, apparently near the real Mark Zuckerberg. How's that for a concidence? Its interesting to get a little insight of how facebook was created and to see the people involved. I did find it interesting that the site was orginally titled The Facebook and it was Sean Parker's idea to drop the The and just have Facebook. There is some debate if this movie is based on actual events or just dramatized. This movie is for everyone. It doesnt matter if you are on Facebook or not. In conclusion, this movie will probably get alot of Oscar noms (its already getting oscar buzz).

I can't decide what to give this movie. My suggestion is to see it for yourself and make your own rating.

Kinky Boots

2010-08-01T07:52:00.010-04:00

I just want to start out by saying that this is not a porno as much as the title says otherwise. I love this movie. Its so fun! It stars Sarah-Jane Potts, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Joel Edgerton, Nick Frost, Leo Bill, and Jemima Rooper. This movie is about Charles Price who have grown up with his father in the family shoe business, but he never thought that he would take his father's place. Yet, the untimely death of his father places him in that position, only to learn that Price & Sons Shoes is failing. While in despair at his failed attempts to save the business, Charles has a chance encounter with the flamboyant drag queen cabaret singer, Lola. Her complaints about the inadequate footwear for her work combined with one of Charles' ex-employees, Lauren, leads to a suggestion to change the product to create a desperate chance to save the business: make men's fetish footwear. Lola is convinced to be their footwear designer and the transition begins. Now this disparate lot must struggle at this unorthodox idea while dealing both the prejudice of the staff, Lola's discomfort in the small town and the selfish manipulation of Charles' greedy fiancée who cannot see the greater good in Charles' dream. Based on a true story. (IMDB.com)

I loved this movie!! It has great characters, great dialouge and of course great shoes! The guy who plays Charilie reminds me so much of Lee Pace from Pushing Daises. He even looks and acts like him too. I find it interesting that some of the things that Sarah-Jane Potts does or says remind me of her brother. which makes sense considering their brother and sister. Chiwetel Ejiofor as the drag queen Lola, was not only fabulous (of course!) but he has alot of heart as well. You were really rooting for him. The characters of Lauren and Charile were so cute together. I hated that he was with Nicola (his girlfriend) for as long as he was. She was so mean, untrustworthy, and just not supported of him and his business at all.

Not only is this movie fun and heartwarming but it is also so funny as well! Here is an sample: "Came all this way for my advice? I feel like Oprah!" see? funny right? The music is great! Since Lola is a night club singer than of course there is singing in this movie and Chiwetel Ejiofor did his own singing too. The incredible thing about this movie is that its based on a true story. This actully happened in Northamptonshire, England.

I first heard about this movie eions ago by a good friend of my mom's. She used to love anything that was fun and musical and had a heartwarming story to it. I have never heard of it until she recommended it to my mom and I. Now I love it.

I give this movie 5 out of 5 stars. Without a doubt! It has something for everybody!

Sex and the City 2

2010-06-06T11:14:00.017-04:00
If you want to see an extended episode of Sex and the City than this movie is for you. Two years have passed since Carrie Bradshaw finally bagged John "Mr. Big" Preston, the man she was always meant to be with. Just as her friend Charlotte must deal with her young daughter's "terrible two's", Carrie must deal with her relationship taking a turn for the worse - Big likes to watch old black-and-white movies on TV and eat take-out food, which prevents Carrie from feeling like the free-wheeling party girl she used to be. Meanwhile, Miranda copes with a new boss that can't handle an intelligent, powerful woman, and Samantha works a public relations angle that gets the fashionable foursome an all-expense-paid trip to Abu Dhabi. It stars Sarah Jessica Parker, Cynthia Nixon, Kristin Davis, Kim Catrell, Chris Noth, David Eigenberg, Evan Handler, Mario Cantone, Willie Garson, Liza Minnelli,Norm Lewis, Manuel Herrera, Lynn Cohen, Kelli O' Hara, Jason Lewis, Tim Gunn,Ron White,John Corbett,and Penelope Cruz.(Whew!)

This movie had its highs and lows. Though there wasn't really any likable characters. The four main girls have become too self absorbed and its kind of boring to watch. It did start out good, but then it got tiresome and long. The movie is almost 2 and a half hours and by the second hour I was ready for it to be over. I did love how there were little nods to the first movie and to the original series. For instance, The blue Manolo Blahnik pumps that Carrie leaves in the penthouse in Sex and the City the movie, and that Big uses as the "diamond to seal the deal," can be seen over her left shoulder when she's in her closet packing for Abu Dhabi and The dress Carrie wears to dinner when Big picks her up from her old apartment is the same one she wears when apologizing to Natasha, Big's ex-wife, for her and Big's affair in "What Goes Around Comes Around" (Season 3). The best scene I thought was the karaoke scene when all four girls sang "I am woman" and all the bar joined in. There was a very nice mother-bonding moment between Charlotte and Miranda towards the end of the movie. I feel like John Corbett's Aidan in this was underused and since he was so underused than unnecessary. I was hoping that Jason Lewis would be in it a little more than he was. Also, I was expecting him to get back together with Samantha but no dice. Which is a shame since he was the only decent guy she has ever dated. That was another thing that was ridiculous! Why did Samantha have to keep referring to her hormones and menopause and how she doesn't feel anything in her libido. Its like give it a rest!!!! Maybe no sex for awhile would do you some good! Its amazing how vain these women are! They are complaining about nothing! Carrie is trying too hard to cling on to her old life of party IT girl that she doesn't appreciate the nice mellowness (now that she is older and married) that she has at home with her husband. The gay wedding I felt like came out of left field since those two characters have always hated each other. so where did that come from? it was funny when Liza sang "Single Ladies" by Beyonce. It is always fun to spot the Broadway Actor. In this case there was Manuel Herrera, (Wicked, Legally Blonde) Norm Lewis (The Little Mermaid and Actor Fund's Production of Hair)and Kelli O' Hara (South Pacific, The Pajama Game, and Music Man). I think maybe its time for the Sex and the City franchise to finally rest in peace. Its time.

I give this movie a 2 out of 5 stars.

Prince of Persia

2010-06-06T11:11:00.011-04:00

This is one of the cheesiest movies I have ever seen. But it wasn't so bad since I saw it with a dear friend of mine. If I saw it on my own I think I probably wouldn't have liked it as much or at all. It stars Jake Gyllenhaal, Ben Kingsley, Gemma Arterton, Richard Coyle, Alfred Molina, and its directed by Mike Newell who directed Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire. Adopted from the streets of Nasaf by King Sharaman of Persia, young Dastan grows up amongst royalty and quickly earns his place as a mighty warrior and prince. As his brothers Garsiv and Tus plan battle strategies, a spy sends word that the Holy City of Alamut has been supplying weapons to enemies of Persia. Taking matters into his own hands, Tus orders an attack on the sacred city and upon its fall Dastan encounters the beautiful Princess Tamina. When King Sharaman dies under mysterious circumstances shortly after, and Dastan is accused of his murder, he flees with the princess on a harrowing mission to clear his name. Learning from Tamina the true motives behind Alamut's invasion, Dastan must embark on a perilous quest to stop an evil mastermind's plot for ultimate power with a mystical weapon that can control the very fabric of time. (imdb.com)

The only reason I even saw this movie, was because my friend is in love with Jake Gyllenhaal. His accent kept going in and out which was a little annoying. I can definitely tell that this movie was geared at boys and fan girls of Jake Gyllenhaal (who never had a shirt on the entire movie, he was like Jacob in New Moon)It was an interesting premise. I mean a sword who can turn back time, how cool is that! I hardly recognized Alfred Molina in this. It took me just about half the movie to realize who it was. Ben Kingsley must only know how to play bad guys or the villains because it seems like that is all he plays. I will say that he does do it very well. I have never seen so much sand in my life!!! Especially action sequences with sand. At times I felt like this movie was trying too hard to be Aladdin. For example, in the beginning an orphan boy steals a loaf of bread and guards chase him through the square, he even jumps from the top of one building to another. Its interesting that just when you think that the one brother is the villain it switches on ya and he actually ends up being the good guy instead. There are these group of assassins called Hassansins and they were creepy! Speaking of them the "Hassansins" are obviously modeled on the famous Islamic mystery cult called the Hashashin from which the word "assassin" is derived given their use of terror and assassinations as political leverage. Their leader was named Hassan Ibn Sabbah. Legends have surrounded the indoctrination process of the members of the Hashashin cult, which are said to involve drugging and mind control. Which I found to be true in this case. Especially since they use snakes to do their bidding. I will say that it was a blast to see this movie with my friend Mel because we made fun of it the entire time and that is always fun to do when you see a bad movie.

I give this movie 2 out of 5 stars.

Up

2010-05-26T20:53:00.009-04:00

This is by far the funniest kids movie I have ever seen! I feel like I am constantly laughing during this movie. This movie is about A young Carl Fredrickson meets a young adventure spirited girl named Ellie. They both dream of going to a Lost Land in South America. 70 years later, Ellie has died. Carl remembers the promise he made to her. Then, when he inadvertently hits a construction worker, he is forced to go to a retirement home. But before they can take him, he and his house fly away. However he has a stowaway aboard. An 8 year old boy named Russell, whose trying to get an assisting the elderly badge. Together, they embark in an adventure, where they encounter talking dogs, an evil villain and a rare bird named Kevin It stars Ed Asner, Delroy Lindo, Christopher Plummer, John Ratzenberger, and Laraine Newman.

This was the cutest, funniest, and best kids movie i have ever seen. though some parts are sad so prepare to bring some tissues. There was someone in my family (I can't remember who) who said that they never cried so hard in their life and I didn't believe them. I was like its a kids movie how sad can it be? but it was. I found myself getting a little misty eyed a couple of times during this movie. I think this is the first time that Disney had an elderly villain. Uni til i looked it up, i didn't realize that all of the characters are based on shapes. I thought the funniest bit in the entire movie is whenever any of the dogs said "oooo squirrel!" that cracked me up every single time they said it. I do think that Ed Asner plays the crotchety old man so very well. As my friend Katelyn puts it "He's still got it!" I hardly recognized Christopher Plummer's voice, since he was using an American accent. It took me awhile to place it that it was in fact Chrisophter Plummer as the unexpected villain. There were some tender moments as well. For example, there is an moment where Russell and Carl are camping and Russell is telling Carl all the things he used to do with his dad. Very sweet. I loved that the wife's name was Ellie. Especally since I have a new baby cousin by that name, who is the cutest. I have to say, I thought the little boy would get annoying but he didnt. He was quite likeable. As well as the old man. When they first introduced the house with the thousands and thousands and thousands of balloons on them i couldnt believe my eyes! it was incredible!! Just truly amazing! I highly recommend this movie to anyone and everyone! Its a movie for all ages! Everyone will love it!

I give this movie a 5 out of 5! This movie will take you Up Up and Away into an enjoyable film for all.

Pretty in Pink

2010-05-21T20:47:00.006-04:00

I know this is a Classic 80's movie, but I thought it was good not great! I didn't love it like I did with 16 candles. This movie is about Young Andie is one of the not-so-popular girls in high school. She usually hangs out with her friends Iona or Duckie. Duckie has always had a crush on her, but now she has met a new guy from school, Blane. He's one of the rich and popular guys but can the two worlds meet?(IMDB.com) It stars Molly Ringwald, James Spader, Jon Cryer, Harry Dean Stanton, Andrew McCarthy, Annie Potts, and Gina Gerson.

I actually like ducky. I think he is much better and a much better fit for Andi than Blaine. I think Blaine is kind of a jerk. I don't like him. Ducky I found kind of adorable. Ducky really loved Andi and all Andi cared about was impressing Blaine. I did find it interesting that John Hughes was allegedly unhappy with the ending. He wanted Andie to get together with Duckie. But the film's ending of Andie getting together with Blaine was forced upon him by the studio. In retaliation, Hughes virtually made the same film all over again the following year with Some Kind of Wonderful, a film about a similar love triangle. Hughes wanted Molly Ringwald to star in it as well, but she refused. Hughes took it personally, and effectively ended their working relationship. They never worked together again.

I did find this not as good as Sixteen Candles (despite this being Molly Ringwald's fave out of her movies). I loved Sixteen Candles, This i just found OK. Unlike with Sixteen candles, I did not find any of the "heartthrobs" hot at all. This might be the first time Anthony Michel Hall was not in a John Hughes movie. You look for him when he never comes on screen. I did love how The Caterpillar from Alice was in this as Andi's Endearing Father. (I know it always comes back to Alice lol)

All and All, I give this 80's Classic a 3 out of 5 stars.

Alice in Wonderland

2010-03-15T22:55:00.019-04:00

This movie surprised me. Since I love Syfy's version so much, I wasn't expecting to enjoy it. But I did. It was very entertaining. For those of you, who haven't read any of the classic books; 19 year old Alice, who returns to the whimsical world she first encountered as a young girl, reuniting with her childhood friends: The White Rabbit, Dormouse, Tweedle Dee and Dum, The Caterpillar, The Chesire Cat and of course The Mad Hatter. Alice embarks on a fantastical journey to find her true destiny and end The Red Queen's reign of terror to save The White Queen's kingdom. (Flickster.com) Directed by Tim Burton, This stars Johnny Depp, Helena Bonham Carter, Alan Rickman, Micheal Sheen, Anne Hathaway, Timothy Spall, Crispin Glover, Matt Lucas, Stephan Fry, Leo Bill, and introducing Mia Wasikowska as Alice.

As I said, this movie was enjoyable and entertaining. It most certainly has a burtonesque quality to it. The sets were amazing! They really popped out at you. The costumes were something else. Its amazing how many costume changes the girl who plays Alice had, and here I thought Alice usually has the same costume throughout her stay in Wonderland. The actors were Fantastic, which is no surprise there since there are some of the greatest actors.

Now, since I have seen the miniseries so many times; then I just cant help but compare the two movies. To start, the storyline was very similar in that Alice comes back to Wonderland, the Mad Hatter becomes a little more of a companion to Alice then just being in one scene, and Wonderland is ruled by the Red Queen who changed it for the bad. Hatter plays both sides of the court and risks his life for Alice.

Now for the differences, Lets start off with the Mad Hatter. Besides the fact that they are played by two different but equally hot actors, in this movie, Hatter was not only insane but he looked insane as well. His costume was alot more detailed with the red puffy wig, the creepy green lenses, the huge signature hat, and the big bow tie. He also has a more of a friendship with Alice. In Syfy's version, the Mad Hatter is not mad at all, he becomes more of a love interest to Alice, plus his look is a little more subtler. I am sure I will get arguments from some of my friends but the hatter from Alice is alot more attractive than Johnny Depp is in Alice in Wonderland. (am I confusing you yet?) Moving on, this Alice is a little bit more proper. I do love how they are both strong, independent women who doesn't let anyone rule their lives. I don't know who is the more evil queen Helena Bonham Carter or Kathy Bates. They are both so evil as the Red Queen. With this movie the characters are fighting along side Alice, in the miniseries one by one Alice encounters them but then she leaves them. Thus ending the comparison of Syfy's Alice and Tim Burton's Alice in Wonderland.

I did find it a little odd that the Mad Hatter was all of a sudden Scottish. I was like, where did that come from? All and all, I would say this movie was very good. I didn't love it but it kept me entertained from start to finish.

I give this movie 4 out of 5.

Caffeine

2010-02-19T08:03:00.009-05:00
This is one of the funniest British comedies I have ever seen! It stars, Mike Vogel, Breckin Meyers, Mena Suavi, Marsha Thomson, Katherine Heigl, Callium Blue, Mark Pellegrino, Roz Witt, Sonya Walger, Orlando Seele, Daz Crawford, and Andrew Lee Potts. Rachel, Manager of London's cozy black cat cafe is having a monumentally bad day. not only is the place barely open, but her boyfriend Charlie just admitted to having a threesome with twins, even though he tries to downplay it but saying it meant nothing, should only count as a single fidelity since it was "each girl counting as half". the really bad part is charlie is the cafe's chef. If that's not bad enough, at some point a manager of an upscale restaurant where Rachel has secretly applied for a job is visiting the cafe. If that is not enough, waiter/aspiring novelist Dylan, keeps going outside to see whether his agent have called, a waitress Vanessa, has parked her clinically deranged grandmother in a quiet corner in hopes that she doesn't have any outbursts, and lead waiter tom, whom Rachel appoints temporary chef, can't cook and gives the rest of the staff a hard time. That's just the employees. the patrons are worse. We have slackers Mike and Danny who arrive at the cafe stoned, Gloria a bookish ex porn star with an uptight, paranoid boyfriend, Laura, who's on the blind date from hell, and John, who had a little mix up with the law and is confiding in his lawyer friend.

This movie is quirky. The characters are so insane and over the top, which makes the movie so funny. My favorite couple is Mike and Danny. They were the best because Danny was so clueless about everything. He thinks he knows everything but you can clearly see he doesn't know anything. The one thing that bugged me a little was there was alot of Americans in this movie had a British accent. some of them were horrible like Mena Suarvi and Katherine Hiegl. while others were great like Mike Vogel and Mark Pellogrino. the two adorable characters were Charlie and Mike. I thought the blind date guy, the jealous guy, and Vanessa were annoying. It was clever how the entire movie took place in a coffee shop. One of the funniest parts was in Gloria's imagination, she sees mike dressed up as a baby. Let me tell you, the state of
Andrew Lee Potts's arms in that scene! Oh man! Major guns! Vanessa's grandmother was insane! During one point, she aimed a shot gun at one of the customers because she thought he was her ex husband. Tom and Dylan had a interesting relationship because it was a love/hate thing. They bickered like an old married couple, which makes sense especially at the end of the movie. The funniest part of the entire movie is when this guitarist (who looks exactly like Will Swenson, from the Broadway revival of Hair) sings this ridiculous song about his life. Same lyric: " My parents are dead, I've got no friends, I don't even have a dog, there once was a time I had a love but I threw it all away, now I'm just sitting here, just waisting away, like a rotten corpse, I just want to kill myself, put a needle in my eye" You get the point. Every time I watch that its so over the top and crazy that's its hilarious to me. Somehow I cant see Charlie and Rachel being together, they just seem like an odd fit. She is so together and patient and he is a lost boy. They don't really seem like a right fit. There is a very sweet moment at the end of the movie with Laura and Mike, that makes you think "yeah there is a chance, no relationship is ever really over" least in this movie its not. How is this for a closing statement, all my friends who I have showed this movie to loved it and thought it was the funniest movie they have ever seen.

I give this movie 4 out of 5 stars (the bad accents on Mena and Katherine made me give it a 4)

When in Rome

2010-01-30T16:37:00.007-05:00

When in Rome is actually When not in Rome. This Movie did have its cute moments but it also had its really dumb moments. It stars Kristen Bell, Josh Duhamel, Angelica Houston, Danny Devito, Dax Shepard, Will Arnett, Lee Pace, Jon Heder, Alexis Dziena, Bobby Moynihan, and Don Johnson. Beth is a young New Yorker looking for love -- with no luck. But when she heads to Rome for her sister's wedding, she finds more love then she bargained for after she steals coins from the legendary Fountain of Love. Back in the Big Apple, she must fend off her suitors while also trying to figure out if the prefoutain connection she made with a wedding guest Nick is true or not. (ew.com)

I am going to start by saying I love the costumes in this. The dress she wears at her sister's wedding and the dress she wears at the end are gorgeous!!! Love them!! Sadly, it was the only thing I loved about this movie. The gags were not funny and unoriginal. The 4 comedians that were in it were not funny, just annoying. The only parts i liked was when Nick and Beth were together or when Beth was talking to her friends. Angelica Houston was good. I did like her. The sites of Rome were amazing. What a beautiful City!! I would say that this movie is a good rental. I thought Josh Duhamel was the same character he always plays. So nothing new there. The movie was so predictable, especially the ending. You can tell they tried to have a twist at the end but it just fell flat and wasn't really a twist. Kristin Bell was good. She wasn't horrible and she wasn't amazing. She was good. Don Johnson has gotten so old and fat. He looked like an old man. I almost didn't recognize him. The music was fun. I liked the music. There was a bonus cameo by Lee Pace but not enough to save this movie. Even though he was of course adorable.

All and all, I give this movie a 2 out of 5.

500 Days of Summer

2009-12-31T08:04:00.006-05:00

I just want to point out that I was so tired when I watched this movie, and I still was able to enjoy it! When his girlfriend, Summer, unceremoniously dumps him, greeting-card copywriter and hopeless romantic Tom begins sifting through the year-plus worth of days they spent together, looking for clues to what went awry. As he recalls the good and bad times he spent with the commitment-phobic girl, his heart reawakens to what it cherishes most. Mark Webb directs this uncommon love story. (netflix.com) The movie stars Zooey Deschanel, Joesph Gordan-Levitt, Clark Gregg, Rachel Boston, and Minka Kelly.
This movie was cute. The acting was good I guess. I mean it wasn't Oscar worthy and it wasn't atrocious. It was good. I like Zooey Deschanel. Joesph Gordon-Levitt was kind of cute in a way. The love story was sweet, it wasn't your typical love story. It didn't end the way you hoped it would either. But, I still liked the bitter sweet ending. There are some comedy moments too. There are two things I didn't like that wasn't made clear in the film. First, that you don't really know what city they live in, and second, you don't really know the time frame is. As it turns out the movie was suppose to happen between 2006 and 2007. Then I found out later that they actually lived in LA. I just assumed it was NY. It was fun how a random musical number was put in the middle of the movie. After Tom (JGL) scores with Summer (ZD) he is so happy he breaks into a dance to the tune of "Make my Dreams Come True" from Hall and Oates. This is a good movie if you just want to relax and escape without having to figure out the plot or think. I however don't think its a good film to watch with a guy. Too sappy for a guy I am sure.

I give this movie 4 out of 5 Stars.

Alice

2009-12-08T19:24:00.019-05:00
This was one of the best Miniseries ever!! Much better than Tin Man last year. This magical piece of television stars Tim Curry, Andrew Lee Potts, Kathy Bates, Colm Meaney, Matt Frewer, and introducing Caterina Scorsone as Alice. Wonderland is an outlandish city of twisted towers and casinos built out of playing cards, all under the rule of the Queen of Hearts. The White Rabbit is a secret organization that works for the Queen of Hearts who abducts people from the real world, so they can gamble in the queen's casino. Once people are kidnapped, they are referred to as "oysters" , and play in the casino so their emotions can be drained by the queen. These drained emotions serve as the currency of wonderland. The queen keeps people under control by sedating them with elixirs that provide an instant fix of emotions as a way to pacify them when they become too unruly. Alice Hamilton, an independent woman in her twenties, finds herself in wonderland after the man she loves is kidnapped by the white rabbit. However, the queen is not very happy about Alice's arrival. In the course of her adventure, Alice enlist the help of an array of characters including the resistant fighter Hatter, and The White Knight. Unlike the Alice in Carroll's original stories, this Alice is a modern, assertive woman who is a martial arts instructor and a brunette. Meanwhile, the queen is chasing down a ring that can open the looking glass, which she believes Alice has.

Like I said before, this was the best mini series I have ever seen! The cast was amazing! The best character in the entire series was without a doubt the Hatter. The Hatter was the most entertaining, most funny, and the hottest of all the characters. The queen was good. Kathy Bates was perfectly cast as the Queen of Hearts. The White Knight I found a little annoying. But then again, I always found that character annoying, over the top, overacting and extreme. Even though Tm Curry's part was small he still did a great job, even in that one scene he was in. Finally, Alice did a fantastic job. I loved the modern day twist on an classic story. The special effects were awesome! Really cool things were happening. At first I wasn't sure what to think of Alice's boyfriend Jack, then I didn't like him, but by the end, I thought differently. Even though, he was not the right guy for Alice, the Hatter was. That ending was one of the best and happiest ending I have ever seen! Its the type of ending where you go "Yes!!!! Finally!!!" The clothes in this were fantastic!! I want Alice's coat and dress! They were so cute!! and they look amazing together. There was 2 parts to this movie (well, it was a miniseries after all) I found the second part was better than the first. Although, the first part was amazing as well. This movie has everything!!! Its a must see for any Fantasy/Sci-Fi fan geek.

I give this movie 5 out of 5 stars!!!!

12 Men of Christmas

2009-12-05T23:09:00.014-05:00
This was a Lifetime Original Movie that starred Kristen Chenoweth, Anna Chlumsky, Erin Dilly and Josh Hopkins. It's anything BUT a Merry Christmas for die-hard New Yorker and publicist E.J. Baxter when she loses both her high-powered Manhattan job and her lawyer-fiance on the same night at her office Christmas party. E.J. winds up taking a job and moving to the opposite end of the earth - Kalispell, Montana. To help the local search-and-rescue station raise desperately needed funds, a la "Calendar Girls," she tries to convince the male rescue workers to pose for a naked calendar and along the way discovers what really matters to her and wins the heart of one of the pin-ups! Based on the book "Decent Exposure" by Philippa Ashley. (official website)
This was a cute holiday film. I found it enjoyable! The men were very good looking and Chenoweth is a comic genius. She was so charming and funny that you just can't help but root for her. Josh Hopkins started out as pompous ass but in the end he was the totally opposite. I always think its fun when actors have been in other things together. For example, Josh Hopkins guest starred on the series finale of Pushing Daises which Kristin Chenoweth starred. Erin Dilly is one of Kristin Chenoweth's Best Friends, Whom she met while doing the musical Babes in Arms. In this Dilly played Chenoweth's sister. (and boy did they look alike in this movie)
The men in this movie were kind of cheesy but also kind of hot at the same time. The movie was kind of predictable, but would it be a lifetime movie if it wasn't? Anna Chlumsky was adorable in this movie. It was so cute how she had a crush on one of the search and rescue guys. I was a tiny bit disappointed that Kristin didn't sing, but its all good. The Costumes in this movie were so cute especially on Kristin. The photo shoot for the calendar is quite clever and comical in the way they cover the male parts up with each men. This movie is a great way to get in the holiday spirit and what better way to do that then with hot guys who are shirtless! (ladies, am I right?) Check your local listings for time and channel.

I Give this movie 5 out of 5 stars!

New Moon

2009-11-21T18:08:00.016-05:00
This movie is the first sequel in the twilight saga. It stars Kristin Stewart, Taylor Lautner, Robert Pattinson, Billy Burke, Anna Kendrick, Justin Chon, Ashely Greene, Jackson Rathborne, Micheal Sheen, Dakota Fanning, and Jamie Campell-Bower. Last time we saw Bella Swan she was narrowly escaping the clutches of the evil vampire James while finding love with ''vegetarian'' vampire Edward Cullen. Bella and Edward's lives have been full of nothing but love and bliss however, it all changes one fateful day. On Bella's birthday, her new found friend and sister of Edward, Alice, decides to throw her lavish party, complete with balloons, ribbons and cake that could feed an army. All is well until Bella accidentally cuts her finger whilst opening a present. The result is that Jasper Hale, the newest addition to the Cullen clan, succumbs to his blood lust and attacks Bella. Edward decides that while he and his family are around, Bella's life will always be at risk. So he decides to leave her for her own good. Bella feels her life is over. Enter Jacob Black, a member of the Quilite tribe who manages to bring some joy and meaning back into Bella's life. However as the two become closer, Bella discovers Jacob has a secret of his own- he's a werewolf. As if that wasn't bad enough Bella can't seem to get the love of her life, Edward out of her mind. With new dangers, new friends and new enemies, Bella finds herself choosing between holding on to the past or accepting a new future. But what and more importantly who will she choose? (imdb.com)
I just have to start out by saying Taylor Lautner's abs were amazing!! I couldn't stop looking at them! The acting was to be expected. There are two scenes where the camera goes around and round and it got kind of dizzying a bit. I was impressed how spot on the movie was to the book. Is it wrong that I love the movie Jake much better than the book Jake, and that I love the book Edward much better than the movie Edward. All the vampires in this movie looked stoned! They all looked horrible! Jake most def stole the show with this movie. I really liked all the wolves. They were entertaining to watch. Micheal Sheen as the leader of the Volutri was Deliciously evil. The fight scenes were intense. It will be interesting to see the love triangle in Eclipse, come across on screen. I did think the flashbacks in the beginning was unnecessary. We all know what happens in the first movie. This movie is geared at people who have seen Twilight so the flashbacks were not needed. Dakota Fanning (who I usually find annoying) was surprising almost unrecognizable as the Volutri Assassin, Jane. I still think Jasper is a weirdo. Even though I am prob the only person that thinks so, the apparitions of Edward throughout the movie creeped me out a bit. It was pretty cool when the Quilite Tribe turned into the Werewolves. I am sorry but I still don't see the appeal of Robert Pattinson. It was funny how the director used any excuse for Taylor Lautner to take his shirt off or have no shirt on whatsoever. OK before I bore you all anymore with my twilight obsession I am going to end this entry.

I Give this movie 4 out of 5 stars (the acting especially Kristen Stewart's made me give it a 4 out of 5)

Sunshine Cleaning

2009-11-03T00:50:00.013-05:00
This movie was interesting to say the least. I saw this movie with my two friends Maryann and Melissa. We couldn't decide on three movies so we rented them all! This was the first of the three. Desperate to get her son into a better school, single mom Rose persuades her slacker sister Norah to join her in the crime scene cleanup business to make some quick cash. With the help of their ill-fated salesman father they climb the ranks in a very dirty job, finding themselves up to their elbows in murders, suicides and specialized situations. But underneath the dust and grime they also come to discover a true respect for one another, and create a brighter future for the entire family. (back of the DVD box)

Generally, I like Amy Adams in just about everything she does and this movie was no different. (though it is no Miss Pettigrew) She was rather charming in this movie. Even when she is playing a woman who is sleeping with an married man and cleans dead bodies for a living she is still charming. Emily Blunt was very good as well. She def played a bad ass to Amy Adam's trying to regain her popular status as long and as much as possible. With this movie I saw Emily Blunt play a part that I have never seen her play. Even in Devil Wears Prada where she played a stuck up snob or in Jane Austen Book Club where she played a prudish school teacher. I am surprised that Alan Arkin is still acting! He is like 90! But, I guess now he is kind of stereotyped as the grumpy yet lovable old man. (like in Little Miss Sunshine) I almost forgot about Steve Zahn!! He was kind of a jerk in this. Usually he plays the dumb ass screw-up but with this one he was just that jerk that still thinks he is the High School Quarterback, which actually fits perfectly with rose's delusions of still wanting to be the High School Head Cheerleader. I didn't really like Little Miss Sunshine, and I didn't know if I would like it despite the fact that it has Emily Blunt and Amy Adams in it.

All in all, I give this movie 4 out of 5 (just for casting alone, it was too strange to give it a full 5 star rating)

Fame

2009-09-25T08:02:00.007-04:00
This movie was so cheesy, it was awesome!! This movie is based on the remake of the '80s classic which focuses on a group of young students attending a high school for the performing arts. Classmates study various aspects of performance, from dance to songwriting to acting, all of them hoping for the chance to one day become stars. (moviefone.com) It stars Megan Mullay, Kelsey Grammer, Debbie Allen, Charles Dutton, and Bebe Neuwirth.

I went with my friend Mel to see this, and we loved it! We didn't want it to end. The music was great, the acting was meh.but what else would you expect? The dancing was amazing!! I loved the dancing. It was incredible! The only problem was in the theater that we were in ,the sound was a little off so it made the singing a little distorted. I kind of liked how unknowns were cast. That made it interesting. There was a cheesy moment where the lead male is trying to serenade the lead girl and it was all so cheesy that i couldn't help but laugh. I remember seeing the original a loooong time ago but i don't remember it, so I cant really make a comparison. I did however miss all the students dancing all on the NY taxi cabs.

I Give this cheesy/awesome movie 4 out of 5 stars. Do you want to live forever?

Love Happens

2009-09-18T20:52:00.005-04:00

This movie was blah. It stars Aaron Eckhart, Jennifer Aniston, Joe Anderson, Sasha Alexander, Judy Greer, Martin Sheen, Dan Folger, and Frances Conroy. When a self-help author arrives in Seattle to teach a sold-out seminar, he unexpectedly meets the one person who might finally be able to help him to help himself. Dr. Burke Ryan (Eckhart) is on the verge of a major multimedia deal, but the therapist who asks his patients to openly confront their pain is secretly unable to take his own advice. Eloise Chandler (Aniston) has sworn off men and decided to focus on her floral business. However, when she meets Burke at the hotel where hes speaking, there is an instant attraction. But will two people who have met the right person at exactly the wrong time be able to give love another chance? As each struggles with the hurt of love and loss, they realize that in order to move forward, they need to let go of the past. And if they can, they'll find that, sometimes, love happens when you least expect it. (IMDB.com)

Let me just start out and say that I love Judy Greer! I am a fan of the majority of her movies, I love her work, she does great work and she rocks!! Plain and simple. I was expecting a nice romantic comedy, when really it was a bit of a downer. I didn't like this movie. I was bored at places. I also thought that it was slow and long at places. Every time I see Joe Anderson in a movie (where he always plays basically the same type: scruffy musician) I always think that he would be the perfect Kurt Cobain if they ever made a movie of Kurt Cobain's life. All and all, there really isn't anything else to say about this movie.
I give this movie 3 out of 5 stars.

Adam

2009-08-31T21:27:00.006-04:00
This movie surprised me! I didn't know what to expect, i didn't even know if i would like it. but i thought it was a cute, independent movie. It Stars Hugh Dancy, Rose Byrne, Peter Gallagher, Amy Irving and Mark Linn Baker. This movie is about Adam who is a handsome but intriguing young man who has all his life led a sheltered existence -- until he meets his new neighbor, Beth, a beautiful, cosmopolitan young woman who pulls him into the outside world, with funny, touching and entirely unexpected results. Their implausible and enigmatic relationship reveals just how far two people from different realities can stretch in search of an extraordinary connection. (IMDB.com)

Each movie i see Hugh Dancy in, he surprises me every time with his acting abilities. This movie was no exception. The way he played not just an American (even though he is British) but to play an American with Asperger's Syndrome! What an challenge that must of been, but he pulled it off flawlessly! I predict an Oscar nomination for him. Rose Byrne was OK as his love interest. She wasn't amazing and she wasn't horrid. I was surprised to see Larry from Perfect Strangers. Peter Gallagher and his eyebrows were playing the same part he always plays, the jerky father. My sister said she cried throughout the entire movie. I can see how she would. There were some sweet parts but you really see how someone with this syndrome lives their lifes and it is a little sad. I did think the ending was bittersweet, but i liked it. It was a different ending than most romances have.

I give this movie 4 out of 5 stars.

A Knight's Tale

2009-08-25T08:40:00.007-04:00
"It's called a lance. Hello?" I just wanted to start with the best line in the entire movie, as well as the funniest. This movie is inspired by "the Canterbury tales" as well as the story of Ulrich Von Lichtenstein, this is the story of William Thacher, a young squire with the gift of jousting. After his master dies suddenly, the squire hits the road with his cohorts Roland and Wat. on the journey they stumble, an unknown writer named Chaucer, and an skillful female blacksmith named Kate. William, lacking proper pedigree convinces Chaucer to forge genealogy documents that will pass him off as a knight. With his newly minted history in hand, the young man sets out to prove himself a worthy knight at the country's jousting competition, and finds romance along the way. (IMDB.com) It stars Heath Leadger, Rufus Sewell, Paul Bettany, Mark Addy, Alan Tudyk, and James Purefoy.

Let me start out by saying, that I thought this movie was OK. I didn't love it and I didn't hate it. The jousting scenes became a little tiresome, I think the director could have easily cut some tournaments out. The music however, was fantastic! Loved the music and Alan Tudyk, I have yet to find I movie I don't like him in. I would say that I am becoming quite a fan of his. Poor Paul Bettany though, no wonder he developed laryngitis. I did think that Heath Ledger was a cutie in this. The costumes were cool. My two fave character were Wat and Kate. It was interesting how they had comtemporary music in medeval times. The director explains that by having popular music in a period piece it really expresses how important music was to people at that time, as well as expresses their feelings.

I Give this movie 3 out of 5 stars (Sorry cook, I know you wanted 4)

Sixteen Candles

2009-08-25T08:38:00.006-04:00

What a classic 80's movie! Yet, this was my first viewing ever! I can't believe I have never seen this classic movie! I Feel kind of ashamed being that I am an 80's girl and I have never seen this movie. It stars Molly Ringwald, Anthony Micheal Hall, Paul Dooley, John and Joan Cusack. Its about a girl named Sam who turns 16 the day before her sister's wedding. So everyone in her family forgets all bout her birthday. Meanwhile, while at school, she's in love with a guy who doesn't even know she exists (or so she thought) and the head geek keeps trying to date her. plus, to add insult to injury, her crush is dating the most popular girl in school and she has to deal with her grandparents and their foreign exchange student that's staying with them. what is a 16 year old to do?

Jake Ryan is soooo dreamy. He is very easy on the eyes. I see why Sam falls head over heels for this guy. He is a hottie! This is a classic 80's movie and I love it! I didn't love the movie but I loved that it was a classic 80's movie with classic 80's tunes. Molly Ringwald as Sam was cute and spunky. Her wardrobe was great (kind of a female Ducky from Pretty in Pink) and you really did feel bad for her that she has been waiting all this time for her 16th birthday and when it comes everyone forgets about it. Anthony Micheal Hall as "the geek" or "ted the farmer" as he was also called played the role perfectly! I see why he was stereotyped that way. He was so annoyingly geeky. Its always good to see John Hughes old standbys like Joan and John Cusack and John Kapelos (who played the Janitor in The Breakfast Club and Dino in Weird Science) I did find it interesting that the guy who played Jake and the girl that played Carolyn were both 24/25 while Anthony Micheal Hall and Molly Ringwald were both 16. I have to say that Long Duck Dong was kind of annoying and I know he was meant to be stereotypical and funny but he wasn't. so it was good he wasn't in it very much. I liked the best friend of Sam, though she wasn't in it very much. I also thought it ended exactly how I hoped it would. Though with a little twist as to who "the geek" ends up with.

I give this movie 4 out of 5 stars. Totally Outrageous!

Julie and Julia

2009-08-07T17:50:00.011-04:00
This movie was the best movie made about cooking Julia Child's recipes I have ever seen! The two leads were at their best! This movie based on the book is about Frustrated temp secretary Julie Powell who embarks on a year-long culinary quest to cook all 524 recipes in Julia Child's Mastering the Art of French Cooking. She chronicles her trials and tribulations in a blog that catches on with the food crowd. The film also covers the years Child and her husband Paul spent in Paris during the 1940s and 1950s, when he was a foreign diplomat who was eventually investigated by Sen. Joseph McCarthy for alleged communist ties. (julieandjulia.com) The Movie stars Stanley Tucci, Meryl Streep, Amy Adams, Casey Wilson, Deborah Rush, Chole from 24, and Jane Lynch.

This was a great movie! Not only did all the recipes look amazingly delish! but the acting was amazing. This had the best cast! Stanley Tucci, Amy Adams and Meryl Streep all in one movie! Could it get any better?! Ms. Streeps' Julia child impression was spot on! (Although, I read in an interview that she was doing more of an impression of her mother than Julia Child). Amy Adams ,what can I say about her except I love her and her work! I know it seems like I loved everything about this movie and I do; but I have to say that it got slow a little bit in the middle, but other then that it was fantastic! If you do see this movie, Beware: It may cause you to be hungry when you leave the theater (Heck, even when you are in the theater watching it). Maybe one day some book publisher will read my blog and I will get published and become famous like Julie and Julia. (Hey! You never know, it could happen, a girl can dream)

Well, As Julia Child used to say "Bon Appetti!"

This Movie gets 4 out of 5 stars!

The Ugly Truth

2009-08-05T12:52:00.012-04:00

Instead of the ugly truth, this movie was the awful truth because that's how bad this movie was. You know its bad when even the coming attractions looked better then the actually movie. It stars Katherine Heigl, Gerard Butler, Cheryl Hines, and John Michal Higgins. Katherine Heigl stars as a lovelorn television producer whose search for Mr. Perfect has left her hopelessly single. She's in for a rude awakening when her bosses team her with Mike Chadway, a hardcore TV personality who promises to spill the ugly truth on what makes men and women tick. [Official Sony Pictures Synopsis]

I came into this movie knowing what to expect and I thought it would be a fun cute little romantic comedy and I knew I wouldn't love it but i thought I would enjoy it and like it but Idid nothing of the sort. It was not only predictable but Katherine Heigl's character was not very interesting. I couldn't Believe how disgusting and pigheaded Gerald Butler's character is which was so different then his lovable character in PS I Love You. The only character I liked was the hot doctor. One of Izzie's love interests was a foot doctor and he was hot!!! Which I didn't realize was in Harold and Kumar go to Guantanamo Bay. There was so much sexual innudedos and sex talk it was like enough already!! and this was after the first 10 minutes! That is all I am going to say about this horrible movie, that is all that is worth saying about it!

I Give this movie 1 or 2 out of 5 stars!

Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince

2009-07-22T09:38:00.006-04:00
Now, I know that I have reviewed my share of Harry Potter movies and I say this every time ,but by far, this one was the best one to date!!! (minus the giant spider of course.) For those that have lived under a rock and doesn't know the storyline: In the sixth year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft, and in both wizard and muggle worlds Lord Voldemort and his henchmen are increasingly active. With vacancies to fill at Hogwarts, Professor Dumbledore persuades Horace Slughorn, back from retirement to become the potions teacher, while Professor Snape receives long awaited news. Harry Potter, together with Dumbledore, must face treacherous tasks to defeat his evil nemesis. (Written by IMDb editors)

The movie stars Daniel Radcliffe, Micheal Gambon, Jim Broadbent, Bonnie Wright, Helena Bohema Carter, Juile Walters, Rupert Grint, Emma Watson, Helen Mcrory, Timothy Spall, Alan Rickman, Tom Felton, Robbie Coltrane, Warwick Davis, Maggie Smith, and David Thewis. This movie had its great moment and its not so great moments. For instance, I didn't like how they cut out Bill Weasley and his fiancee Fleur, the blossoming of Tonks and Remus, and the huge battle at the school between the teachers, students, and death eaters at the end. I also didn't like how they added the burrow's being burnt down, now where would the wedding take place in the next movie? I did find it interesting that Ralph Finnes's nephew is in it playing a younger version of his character Lord Voldemort.

I know its seems like I'm trashing this movie, but it did have amazing moments. For example, when all the students and teachers were holding up their wands as a tribute to a professor that has died, it was so touching. So touching in fact that for the second time (because I saw this movie twice) I cried. I've always wanted Harry and Hermione to get together because they always have such a great connection but after seeing this I know now that Hermione is a much better match for Ron and Harry is a much better match for Ginny. Although, that Cormac was really cute! Though he was a teeny tiny bit annoying, no more so however then Lavender Brown. Bellatrix could not be anymore evil and its devine. Its great how they set up Snape though, is he good or evil? who knows! we just have to wait for the 7th and final film to find out! OK I have rambled on long enough about this movie. Time for my rating.

I give this movie 4 out of 5 stars.

The Proposal

2009-07-08T23:03:00.008-04:00

I just saw this movie with my friend Katelyn and we found it cute and predictable. Typical romantic comedy. It stars Betty White, Sandra Bullock, Ryan Reynolds, Denis O' Hare, and Mary Steenburgen. This movie is about A book editor who is forced to marry her male assistant in order to stay in the country. When they travel to Alaska to meet his family, the new couple has to fake their way through a surprise wedding thrown by his parents (fandango.com). This movie is exactly how I thought it was going to be. A silly romantic comedy with a predictable ending. There were some parts where the movie fell flat but other then that it was entertaining. I do like Sandra Bullock and surprisingly I liked Ryan Reynolds in this. I usually don't like him. Of course Betty White was great, she's Betty White! How can she not be! Mary Steenburgen, I felt was just being the same person she was in Four Christmases. I feel like Denis O' Hare keeps popping up in movies. Before it was like he was in a movie every once and awhile, now it seems like he is in every movie i have seen recently. That guy is everywhere! I do have to say that Sandra Bullock had great shoes. I loved her shoes! There really isnt too much to say about this one. It was a typical romantic comedy. But it was cute and I liked it nevertheless.
I Give this movie 3 out of 5 stars.

Tortilla Soup

2009-06-23T00:14:00.008-04:00

This is a movie that I haven't seen in quite some time until this week. I wasn't sure if i still liked it or not but after another viewing i really ended up enjoying it. It was bizarre at times but good nevertheless. Its about a Widower named Martin Naranjo who is a Los Angeles restaurateur with a booming business and three headstrong daughters. all on the verge of leaving the house to pursue their individual destinies. He knows he must let go, but things get even more complicated when brassy neighbor Hortensia sets her sights on Martin. (netflix.com) It stars Hector Elizondo, Jacqueline Obradors, Tamara Mello, Constance Marie, Nikolai Kinski, Elizabeth Peña and Raquel Welch. Let's start with the food. Everything this guy cooks like so good! You can almost smell the food through the screen! I thought it was a little odd that the eldest daughter's best friend and her father had a thing going on. I did think it was cute when the middle sister's students (she was a science teacher) was planting love poems making it seem like the baseball coach was the one writing them. At one point the eldest daughter was explaining to her boyfriend why we clink glasses before we sip them. she goes on to explain "Do you know why we clink glasses before drinking?... It's so that all the five senses are involved. We touch the glass. We smell the drink. We see its color. We taste it. Hearing is the only sense that doesn't participate unless we create it.". I thought that was interesting fact to know. I have to say, I found Raquel Welch's character quite annoying. All and all I say it is a great ensemble cast! Plus just looking at the food made it seem very tasty!

I give this movie 4 out of 5 stars.

Angels and Demons

2009-06-05T20:56:00.005-04:00
My mom and I went to see this movie and quite frankly I don't see what all the fuss is about. This movie sees the Catholic Church in a good light not bad. The movie is based on the novel 'Angels and Demons', the movie follows world-renowned Harvard symbolist Robert Langdon, who is summoned to a Swiss research facility (CERN) to analyze a mysterious symbol seared into the chest of a murdered physicist. He discovers evidence of the unimaginable, the rebirth of an ancient secret brotherhood known as the Illuminati, the most powerful underground organization ever to walk the earth. (http://joblo.com/upcomingmovies/movies.php?id=3117). Its directed by Ron Howard and Stars Tom Hanks, Ewan Mcgregor, Stellan Skarsgard, and Ayelet Zurer. Tom Hanks is most certainly the star of this movie but Ewan Mcgregor does steal the show in the scenes that he is in, especially towards the end. I thought Italy looked amazing! I kind of want to go there now. This movie was one big scavenger hunt, one long ass scavenger hunt. Some of the camera work was nauseating. Lots of up and down and up and downs. The ending was a total turnout. Just when you think one thing, it turns around and its totally different then what you have thought. The twist at the end was a complete shock. I didn't expect it to be so gruesome. there are so many gruesome deaths in this movie that every time you have to look away. I wont go into the details but its pretty horrifying. I have to say that at places this movie seemed lukewarm. I see now why it got mixed reviews.

So even though my brother in law didn't like it at all. I thought it was good. I give it 3 out of 5 stars.

P.S. if you want to check out what my brother in law rob has to say about this little gem : http://web.mac.com/robschiffmann/My_Site/Robs_Movie_Reviews/Robs_Movie_Reviews.html

Milk

2009-05-21T14:06:00.011-04:00

I Feel like Gus Van Sant was trying to make this movie into a documentary. Its stars Sean Penn (with whom he won an Oscar for), James Franco, Emile Hirch, Josh Brolin, Victor Garber, Diego Luna, Alison Pill, and Denis O' Hare. In 1977, Harvey Milk was elected to the San Francisco Board of Supervisors, becoming the first openly gay man to be voted into public office in America. His victory was not just a victory for gay rights; he forged coalitions across the political spectrum. From senior citizens to union workers, Harvey Milk changed the very nature of what it means to be a fighter for human rights and became, before his untimely death in 1978, a hero for all Americans. Sean Penn stars as Harvey Milk under the direction of Gus Van Sant in 'Milk,' filmed on location in San Francisco from an original screenplay by Dustin Lance Black, and produced by Dan Jinks and Bruce Cohen.'Milk' charts the last eight years of Harvey Milk's life. While living in New York City, he turns 40. Looking for more purpose, Milk and his lover Scott Smith (James Franco) relocate to San Francisco, where they found a small business, Castro Camera, in the heart of a working-class neighborhood. With his beloved Castro neighborhood and beautiful city empowering him, Milk surprises Scott and himself by becoming an outspoken agent for change.With vitalizing support from Scott and from new friends like young activist Cleve Jones (Emile Hirsch), Milk plunges headfirst into the choppy waters of politics. Bolstering his public profile with humor, Milk's actions speak even louder than his gift-of-gab words.When Milk is elected supervisor for the newly zoned District 5, he tries to coordinate his efforts with those of another newly elected supervisor, Dan White (Josh Brolin). But as White and Milk's political agendas increasingly diverge, their personal destinies tragically converge.Milk's platform was and is one of hope--a hero's legacy that resonates in the here and now. (Moviefone.com)

I liked this movie. I didn't Love it and I didn't hate it but I like it. The Acting in this was superb! I see why Sean Penn got the Oscar. In the middle I thought this movie got too political. But when it wasn't playing up the whole political thing, it was quite interesting; as someone who supports gay rights. Its interesting to hear about proposition 6, when now we have proposition 8. The Camera work was weird. I thought it was interesting when i found out that
the filming location for Harvey Milk's business, Castro Camera, was the real storefront where the actual business had once been. At the time of filming (mid-2008), it was a gift shop called "Given"; the film crew worked with the owner of the gift shop to recreate the look of Milk's camera store inside the space and restored it to its 2008 appearance after filming. I also thought it was fascinating that Denis O' Hare who plays ant-gay Senator John Briggs in the film is in reality openly gay. Its a shame that such an important man is history didn't live to see how far the gays have come.

I Give this movie either a 3 stars.

Robin Hood: Men In Tights

2009-05-06T14:10:00.011-04:00
OK, Let me start by saying that this is my all time fave Mel Brooks movie. Hands down! Its an new twist on an old fable. no one spoofs better or funnier than Mel brooks in this movie. This Hilarious movie tells the tale of Robin Hood who comes home after fighting in the Crusades to learn that the noble King Richard is in exile and that the despotic King John now rules England, with the help of the Sheriff of Rottingham . Robin Hood assembles a band of fellow patriots to do battle with John and the Sheriff, including Asneeze, and his son Ahchoo, the blind watchman Blinkin, Will Scarlet O'Hara, and Rabbi Tuckman. The Sheriff is eager to put Robin Hood out of business with the aid of criminal mastermind Don Giovanni, but Robin soon has an ally in the royal palace when he falls for the lovely Maid Marian , whose minder Broomhilde has uncooperatively outfitted Marian with a chastity belt.(http://www.retrojunk.com/details_movies/717-robin-hood-men-in-tights/). It stars Cary Elwes, Mel Brooks, Patrick Stewart, Richard Lewis, Roger Rees, Dave Chappelle, Isaac Hayes, Mark Blankfield, Matthew Porretta, Dom DeLuise, Amy Yasbeck, Megan Cavanagh, and Tracy Ullman. This movie has everything!! Adventure, Romance, and even a Godfather impression. The best character in the whole movie though is latrine played brilliantly by Tracy Ullman. The whole movie she has "the hots" for the sheriff of Rottingham. She played it like a fan girl on steroids. She took it to the extreme. Throughout the movie, a mole on the face of Prince John changes position: it starts on his left cheek, then over to his right cheek, then his chin, then his forehead. It then goes back to the original place. This lampoons the mole on Alan Rickman's face in Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves.
The songs are originally written by Mel Brooks and they are great. The actor's don't in fact do their own singing (like i originally thought) but their lip syncing was good.

I give this movie 5 out of 5 stars!

Krod Mandoon and the Flaming Sword of Fire

2009-04-15T18:41:00.016-04:00
This is the best movie ever!!! Well, actually its a miniseries. To me, miniseries are just mini movies so i think this counts to be on my blog. This "movie" is so funny it will make you laugh out loud several times. Its set in an ancient fantasy world, this character-driven send-up of sword-and-sorcery epics follows the exploits of Krod Mandoon, a reluctant and deeply neurotic hero who tries to overthrow the evil Chancellor Dongalor aided only by a sword that inexplicably keeps bursting into flame and a decidedly motley band of companions: Aneka, his beautiful pagan girlfriend whose favorite weapon is sex; Loquasto, a clumsy servant with shockingly bad aim; and Zezelryck, a self-proclaimed warlock whose magic wouldn't pass muster at a 5-year-old's birthday party. (http://tvlistings.zap2it.com/tv/krod-mandoon-and-the-flaming-sword-of-fire/EP01131592) It stars Sean Maguire as Krod Mandoon, Matt Lucas as Chancellor Dongalor, India De Beaufort as Aneka, Kevin Hart as Zezelryck, and Steve Spiers as Loquasto. With an all Brit cast its funny that the lead actor is the only one with a American accent when in fact he is not. The guy who plays the wizard Zezelryck was a little annoying. I hope he gets better as the series goes on. The only reason he is in the show is for more comic relief, which we don't really need more of considering its a action comedy. Aneka was the only character who got things done. for instance, in the first scene, the freedom fighters were suppose to get the keys to a dungeon and Aneka was the only person to get the keys. Yes, she was using her feminine wiles to get them but the point was that she was the one that got them. Krod's facial expressions especially when he was mad at Aneka were priceless. His body though. whew! so toned that you can grate cheese on his abs and use his arms as guns. I do find it interesting that one of the executive producers has a cameo in the first episode. Its funny because Krod is always losing his sword. Now, that thing is big and gold. Its hard to loose but somehow he always ends up losing it. This movie is definitely a guy's movie. But ladies will like it to if anything for the relationship between Krod and Aneka. Just think Monty Python meets Conan The Barbian Meets Lord of the Rings.

I Give this miniseries/mini movie a 5 out of 5 stars! It airs Thursdays at 10pm on Comedy Central so go check it out you will not be disappointed!

Twilight

2009-04-03T09:18:00.020-04:00
I just want to start by saying that Twilight is not a movie but a phenomenon. If you like hot vampire movies then you will love this movie. I have read all four books and have seen this movie three times (so far). It stars Robert Pattinson, Kristen Stewart, Taylor Lautner, Ashley Greene, Nikki Reed, Peter Facinelli, Jackson Rathone, Kellian Lutz, Elizabeth Reaser, Billy Burke, Cam Gigandet, and Stephine Meyers. When Bella Swan moves from sunny Phoenix to Forks, Washington, a damp and dreary town known for the most rainfall in the United States, to live with her dad, she isn't expecting to like it. But the level of hostility displayed by her standoffish high school biology lab partner, Edward Cullen, surprises her. After several strange interactions, his preternatural beauty, strength, and speed have her intrigued. Edward is just as fascinated with Bella, and their attraction to one another grows. As Bella discovers more about Edwards nature and his family, she is thrown headlong into a dangerous adventure that has her making a desperate sacrifice to save her one true love. The acting in this is not great. of course what do you expect from a teen vampire movie. I thought the girl who played Bella was awful. Her acting was not good and she kind of had a only one emotion. She acted like she was depressed the entire movie even when he was in love. with edward. The guy who played Edward was much better. I don't see what girls see in him though. I i dont seem him as hot at all. I much prefer the best friend, Jacob black. Now he was a cutie! I love when the director or author or whomever pops up in a cameo and this movie was no different. The author of the twilight books pops up in one of the diner scenes! The guy who played the evil vampire James was hot!!! The action in this movie even though wasn't much was exciting. you are on the edge of your seat each time. It is amazing when the vampires fly! The music was awesome! Paramore has a song called Decode, which rocks! (as Paramore tends to do) and Robert Pattinson even has two songs on the soundtrack, which are pretty good. His singing sounds like Gavin Degraws a little bit. The best scene hands down is the baseball scene! My Favorite Character was Alice Cullen, She was awesome! I found Japser a little off putting and odd. He creeped me out a little bit. The dialouge was cheesy at parts but that was to be expected.

I give this movie a 4 out of 5 stars due to Kristen Stewart's acting. ( and yes i am a twilight fanatic!)

P.S. I had more but I lost what other else I was going to say.

The White Countess

2009-03-19T09:02:00.013-04:00
In Honor of the death of Natasha Richardson, i thought i would do The white countess. The White countess is set Shanghai in 1936, Having escaped the threat of persecution in Russia, Countess Sofia Belinskya is working as a taxi dancer in a seedy Shanghai bar to support her family of White Emigres, including her daughter Katya, her mother-in-law Olga, her sister-in-law Grushenka, and an aunt and uncle by marriage, Princess Vera and Prince Peter. Despite the fact employment is scarce and her meager income is the family's only source of revenue, Sofia's once-aristocratic relatives scorn her for her choice of profession and insist she keep it a secret from her child.
Sofia eventually meets Todd Jackson, a former official of the U.S. State Department who recently lost his wife and children in separate terrorist bombings. The bombing that killed his child has also left him blind. Using his substantial winnings from a well-placed bet at the racetrack, he plans to open an elegant nightclub catering to the cosmopolitan upper class and invites her to work for him as his primary hostess, an offer she accepts, and in honor of her he christens his enterprise "The White Countess." As time passes, the two begin to fall in love, but neither will act on their feelings until the political climate around them slowly disintegrates, leading to the outbreak of the Second Sino-Japanese War and a mass exodus from the besieged city. (wikipedia,com) It Stars Ralph Fiennes, Natasha Richardson, Lee Pace, Vanessa and Lynn Redgrave.

The acting was superb. Though I don't know if I believe Ralph Fiennes as a blind man or not. but in preparation for his role, Ralph Fiennes observed a blind man's average day with help from the Royal Society for the Blind. During the shoot he would wear special glasses to simulate blindness before each take. It was fun to see the Redgrave's working together. The cinematography was absolutely stunning. The costumes were great. it wasn't what i thought it would be like. it surprised me. i wasn't sure but i was glad that there was a happy ending after all after all the characters have been through. Lee Pace dazzled as Thomas Crane Jr. His part wasn't big at all but every time he was on screen you cant help but look and him and his mischievous smirk. I just kept thinking the whole time how gorgeous Natasha Richardson was.

I give this movie a 4 out of 5 stars.

The Dark Knight

2009-03-16T19:41:00.009-04:00
All I have to say is that Oscar win for Heath Ledger was well deserved! He was so unrecognizable and insanely creepy it was amazing! This action packed movie is Set within a year after the events of Batman Begins. Batman, Lieutenant James Gordon, and new district attorney Harvey Dent successfully begin to round up the criminals that plague Gotham City until a mysterious and sadistic criminal mastermind known only as the Joker appears in Gotham, creating a new wave of chaos. Batman's struggle against the Joker becomes deeply personal, forcing him to "confront everything he believes" and improve his technology to stop him. A love triangle develops between Bruce Wayne, Dent and Rachel Dawes. Maggie Gyllenhaal was much better playing Rachel Dawes than Katie Holmes in Batman Begins. I still can't take Christan Bale seriously when he puts on his Batman voice. I was surprised at the scene time of Micheal Caine, he wasn't in it very much. However, unlike in Batman Begins, Morgan Freeman was in this movie quite a bunch. I would say more Morgan Freeman than Micheal Caine. Aaron Eckhart as Two Face was unexpected. I wasn't sure about him, I thought maybe he would have been too good looking but then when he became two face towards the end of the movie, I saw it more clearly. His two face makeup was very scary as well as The Joker's. There is a scene where Heath Ledger does this thing called the Pencil Trick, it was not what I expected it to be. It was actually kind of gruesome. Once again Christan Bale as Batman was bad ass! Besides the funny voice. I did think it was silly when Heath Ledger as the Joker had on the female nurses outfit and he had it on for quite some time. The special effects were unbelievable! There were car chases, explosions, and even fires. But i have to say that Heath Ledger was the real star of The Dark Knight, not Christan Bale. Heath stole the show in every scene he was in.

I Give this movie 3 out of 5 stars (not too big into action movies like this one)

Blood and Chocolate

2009-03-16T16:27:00.010-04:00
To start, this movie tries too hard to be a teen science fiction movie. It stars Hugh Dancy and Oliver Martinez. In Bucharest, Romania, the orphan Vivian was raised by her aunt after losing her parents ten years ago in the Rocky Mountains, Colorado. His family belongs to a bloodline of werewolves and Vivian is promised to the leader of the pack, Gabriel. When the American cartoonist Aiden, who is researching werewolves for his publisher for the next edition of his magazine, meets Vivian, they immediately fall in love for each other. However, the evil son of Gabriel and Vivian's cousin Rafe poisons Gabriel about the love of Vivian, forcing her to choose between her bounds with her family and her passion for Aiden. The special effects in this movie were awful. They looked faker than the original Godzilla! The acting was quite horrible as well. Even Hugh Dancy acting (who i love and thinks is extremely adorable ) was bad. He plays an american again like in Jane Austen's book club and his accent was OK. It was cool the way that the pack turn into the werewolves. Hugh Dancy was the only thing I liked about this movie.

I give this movie 2 out of 5 stars.

Miss Pettigrew Lives For A Day

2009-03-12T15:14:00.007-04:00
This is one of my favorite movies. I can watch this movie a hundred times and never tire of it. It stars Francis Mcdormand, Amy Adams, Ciaran Hinds, Shirley Henderson, and Lee Pace. In 1939 London, Miss Guinevere Pettigrew is a middle-aged governess who finds herself once again unfairly dismissed from her job. Without so much as severance pay, Miss Pettigrew realizes that she must for the first time in two decades seize the day. This she does, by intercepting an employment assignment outside of her comfort level as social secretary. Arriving at a penthouse apartment for the interview, Miss Pettigrew is catapulted into the glamorous world and dizzying social whirl of an American actress and singer, Delysia Lafosse. Within minutes, Miss Pettigrew finds herself swept into a heady high-society milieu and, within hours, living it up. Taking the social secretary designation to heart, she tries to help her new friend Delysia navigate a love life and career, both of which are complicated by the three men in Delysias orbit; devoted pianist Michael, intimidating nightclub owner Nick, and impressionable junior impresario Phil. Miss Pettigrew herself is blushingly drawn to the gallant Joe, a successful designer who is tenuously engaged to haughty fashion maven Edythe the one person who senses that the new social secretary may be out of her element, and schemes to undermine her. Over the next 24 hours, Guinevere and Delysia will empower each other to discover their romantic destinies. (IMDB)

This movie has a great cast. Its so funny to see americans doing british accents, as oppose to Penelope with brits doings amercian accents. During the commentary the director was saying how Lee Pace (an American) was basically doing an impression of the director who is Bharat Nalluri(a Brit!). Francis Mcdormand was fantastic, her expressions was right on the money with what was happening on screen. Her rags to riches look transformed her into a different person entirely. Amy Adams sparkles in this movie. I like Amy Adams anyway, but in this movie I love her! and she has great onscreen chemistry with Lee Pace and Francis Mcdormand. The chemistry between Francis Mcdormand and Ciaran Hind were on fire. you were really routing for them. There is even a story on how Amy Adams asked Lee Pace to leave the set one day because he was too sexy. The other lovers were just as funny and good but you were really routing for Micheal and Delysia. (Lee and Amy).

All and all I give me movie 5 out of 5 stars!

Penelope

2009-03-11T20:15:00.003-04:00

This is a story of a girl named Penelope. Who was cursed with a pig face. Her mother thinks that the only way to break the curse is to have her marry a blue blood. So on Penelope's 18th birthday, her mother hires a match maker. So year and year, day in, and day out ,potential suitors come and as soon as she shows her face they run away (or in some cases jump out the window). Until one suitor blabs to a newspaper reporter, who then hires an down on his luck, gambler who they think is a blue blood named Max Champion. But in the process of all his lies and pretenses what he discovers is beauty is only skin deep and love can happen in the most unlikely of places. As for max, he is not the person everyone thinks he is. This is another one of those movies that has an all star cast. the cast includes: Richard E Grant, Catherine O' Hara, Peter Dinklage, Christina Ricci, James Mcavoy, and Reese Witherspoon. I loved this movie and I loved James Mcavoy in this movie. His American accent was one of the best I have ever heard from a non American. I was listening hard and I could not even hear a hint of his real accent. Reese Witherspoon was my fave character though. Her character was so bad ass and funny. Sometimes I find Christina Ricci a little annoying in her movies but not this time. She wasn't too bad this time. Peter Dinklage was funny in this. His reactions to the other characters were great. He has to wear an eye patch for this movie which in turn he always makes references too. Which is pretty funny. The only character Icouldn't really stand was Catherine O' Hara as Penelope's overbearing mother. I wanted to slap her! No wonder Penelope wants to run away and declare her independence. Which is exactly what she does.

I give this movie 4 out of 5 stars.

Cassandra's Dream

2008-01-26T21:55:00.000-05:00
This movie was pretty good. Cassandra's dream is about Two London brothers (McGregor and Farrell) are hard-up for cash, and both have girls to look out for, too (Atwell and Williams). When rich Uncle Howard (Wilkinson) comes to town and agrees to help them out, he admits his finances are under investigation, and he asks them to do him a favor and "take care of" an old business relation to keep his trouble under wraps - he says that they're family, and since he always takes care of them, the least they could do is help him out this once, as they're the only ones he can trust. The film follows their struggle with the immorality of this request and how each brother chooses to deal with it. (imdb.com) The acting was great in it. what I found interesting was that both Colin Farrell and Ewan Mcgregor kind of played against their typical roles that they usually play. I went to see this with mom and she was hystercial throughout the movie and I didn't quite understand why. I didn't find any of it funny, but then she explained that it was "tongue and cheek humor" and then I kind of understood. The Cockney Accents in this movie were fun to listen to. It was kind of strange seeing a Irishman and a Scotsman during a cockney accent but it sure was fun to see them try. The music is what made this movie intense. the more the movie when on, the more serious and intense it got. The ending was so shocking! There is such a twist at the end your just like "I cant believe what just happened!". Mom and I both like Colin Farrell's girlfriend in this movie and We both thought that Ewan Mcgregor's girlfriend was going to have something to do with the crime the brothers commit and is kind of in cahoots with the uncle, but guess not. Tom Wilkinson as always gave a rather good performance as the greedy manipulative uncle of the two brothers. This movie like atonement i didn't love and i didn't hate. i liked it and thought it was great but not enough to see it multiple times. (Ewan might be the only reason why not).

I give this Movie 3 out of 5 stars. As much as i like Ewan and Colin, who were great in this movie, it wasnt really Oscar material.

Juno

2007-12-23T13:53:00.000-05:00
I know its been a very long time, but I finally last night saw a new movie in the theater and felt like writing about it. so Juno for those that don't know is about a girl named Juno who is a whip-smart teen confronting an unplanned pregnancy by her classmate Bleeker. With the help of her hot best friend Leah, Juno finds her unborn child a "perfect" set of parents: an affluent suburban couple, Mark and Vanessa, longing to adopt. Luckily, Juno has the total support of her parents as she faces some tough decisions, flirts with adulthood and ultimately figures out where she belongs. I thought this movie was very good, I didn't love it but I also didn't hate it. I did love the actress who played Juno. I thought Ellen Page did a fantastic job and I see now why she got the Golden Globe Nom. Jason Bateman surprised me, I never realized what a good actor he is! I only just know him as the goofy guy from Dodgeball and The Break Up. He has come a long way from Silver Spoons and The Hogan Family. Jennifer Garner was pretty good, she is just doing her thing. Allison Janney was great. She is one funny lady, she was just so crazy and bizarre but also had some heart. I was surprised that mom even knew Micheal Cera from Arrested Development. He was good but wasn't in it very much. Since he is so young it just seemed like he was playing himself. Rainn Wilson making a cameo in the first scene, he definitely took focus away from Ellen Page even if it is just a small scene. The music was a little strange but it kind of fit the movie. I was also surprised at how many people were in our theater especially since this is a small independent film. Well that's good i guess. Indies getting recognized. I don't know why but I kept expecting to see Judd Apatow's name somewhere in it, but he had nothing to do with this movie. This movie went quickly, it was a fast pace and it was only an hour and thirty minutes.

I give this movie 4 out of 5 stars.

The Jane Austen Book Club

2007-10-14T12:23:00.000-04:00
This Film was Great! I know surprise! surprise! I loved a movie! But it was really great! Yesterday I was really in the mood for a fun, uplifting movie. My Computer was acting wonky and I was getting very frustrated, so I needed to laugh and I thought this might be a good movie for laughing. (it was either that or Elizabeth, wasn't in the Elizabeth mood though i do want to see that one too) This movie is about Six Californians who start a club to discuss the works of Jane Austen, only to find their relationships -- both old and new -- begin to resemble 21st century versions of her novels. There was a lot of talented and good looking people in this movie. There was Kathy Baker who plays Bernadette an eccentric Austen loving woman who only wants happiness and love for her friends who Kathy played perfectly. Then we have Emily Blunt who is the total opposite of her character in The Devil wears Prada. I was impressed with her amercian accent and how you can hardly tell that she isn't amercian. Her character Prudie She was so refined, quiet, and very proud that she was really named well. Then we have Amy Brennan as a recently divorced woman just trying to cope. I didn't really see any difference that the other characters she had played. I am not saying she wasn't good, she just to me seems like she plays the same people in everything. Then there's Maria Bello who tries to set Amy's Sylvia up with Grigg (the only male in the club) but she also kind of wants him for herself. Maggie Grace plays Sylvia's lesbian daughter Allegra who always seems to be doing dare-deviling things and getting hurt. I thought she looked a lot like Jennifer Morrison from House. Finally, Hugh Dancy, the very adorable Hugh Dancy who played a nerdy sci fi geek named Grigg who is enamoured with Maria Bello's Jocelyn. Some of you might reconize Hugh as Prince Charmont from one of my favorite movies Ella Enchanted.

I give this movie 5 out of 5 stars!

3:10 to Yuma

2007-09-08T09:01:00.001-04:00
Let me just start out by saying this, this movie had a lot of violence! There was a lot of shooting going on and killing! This movie was directed by James Mangold and starred Christan bale and Russell Crowe. 3:10 to Yuma is about Arizona in the late 1800's, infamous outlaw Ben Wade (Crowe) and his vicious gang of thieves and murderers have plagued the Southern Railroad. When Wade is captured, Civil War veteran Dan Evans (Christian Bale), struggling to survive on his drought-plagued ranch, volunteers to deliver him alive to the "3:10 to Yuma", a train that will take the killer to trial. On the trail, Evans and Wade, each from very different worlds, begin to earn each other’s respect. But with Wade’s gang on their trail – and dangers at every turn – the mission soon becomes a violent, impossible journey toward each man's destiny. Now, I expected great things from this movie because it had 2 of the greatest actors of our generation but since its a western I knew I was not gonna like it coming in, but I thought I would give it a shot (ha ha get it shot, and its a western) I knew in the first 7 minutes what I was going to say in this review. There are lot of familiar looking people in this movie. There was even a little cameo from Luke Wilson and Randy Quiad but both don't last very long. Definitely one of the most surprising things in this movie was Ben Foster's character Charlie Prince. I am used to seeing Ben Foster in teen movies, so when he came on screen and started to shoot and kill people. I couldn't believe it! I think that either Russell Crowe is going to get an Oscar Nom, Christan Bale, or both! Another thing that surprised me was seeing Alan Tuydak in such a serious movie. When I usually establish him in comedies like Dodgeball and Knocked up. This movie does have a good moral though, the moral is its about good triumphing over evil. The bad guys vs. the good guys and the good guys winning. So if your a big western fan then i recommend this movie, if your not (like me!) then don't waste your cash on it.

I give this review 2 out of 5 stars!

Little Voice

2007-08-22T09:18:00.001-04:00
Little Voice is a small independent British film that has a bit of heart to it. The pathetically shy LV lives the life of a recluse listening to her late fathers old records in her room and in the process driving her abusive, loud-mouthed mother, Mari Hoff, to distraction. At night, however, when her father's ghost visits, LV sings the songs of the great divas such as Judy Garland, Marilyn Monroe and Shirley Bassey. One evening LV is overheard by one of her mother's loathsome boyfriends, the disastrous dead-end talent scout Ray Say, who recognises her innate talent and realises this is his last big chance for the glittering prizes. Gambling everything Ray Say forces LV to appear at a local run-down, seedy night club run by Mr. Boo. As preparations for the big event proceed apace LV meets the equally shy Billy, a pigeon-racing telephone engineer and they form a tentative, gentle friendship. The big night finally arrives and everything is in readiness the band, the club and even a big agent from London, but what about LV? The acting in this is superb! Jane Horracks as little voice is amazing! she does her own singing and she sounds exactly like Judy Garland etc. Brenda Blethyn played Mari Hoff with such bitchiness, she was born to play that role. Michel Caine plays her boyfriend with such sleaziness that you cant help but hate him and feel bad for little voice. Last but definitely not least, Ewan Mcgregor as the only friend LV has. He is so adorable and dorky that you just cant help but love em! The music was all show tunes and standards and good ones at that. The only downside was that it was a little boring. There were some slow parts that made the movie drag on just a little bit.

I give this 5 out of 6.

Young Frankenstein

2007-08-15T20:27:00.000-04:00
Now I know this is a cult classic but I have never seen this before. I like Mel Brooks usually but this movie was weird! It was very funny, I laughed out loud and a lot of parts and all I can think in my head was who is playing which part in the musical version of it that is coming to Broadway this fall. The casting was a good cast. Gene Wilder is a crazy man in this movie! Teri Garr was my favorite she was so funny! "roll roll roll in ze hay!" there was even an unexpected cameo from gene hackman. "The shifting hump on Igor's back was an ad-libbed gag of Marty Feldman's. He had surreptitiously been shifting the hump back and forth for several days when cast members finally noticed. It was then added to the script." Until I read that I never noticed that the hump on Igor shifted from left to right and it was actually a pretty funny gag. This movie was a good movie, I didn't hate it, love it, or dislike it.

I give this movie a 4 out of 6 stars!

No Reservations

2007-08-07T14:34:00.000-04:00
This movie was cute. The music wasn't really that good. It was mostly opera. I have nothing against opera, it just was too much. The performances were great. I love Catherine Zeta Jones, she is such a great actress! It was a little slow at times but it was also sweet. I did not expect it to be so sad. They cooked a lot of food that looked delicious.The desserts looked yummy and amazing! The plot was good, even though it was a little sad it still came off as a fun romantic comedy. Aaron Eckhart was fun, charming and in the movie an all around great guy. This film was directed by Scott hicks. All in all I didn't love this film but I didn't hate it either. It was alright. According to USA Weekend, Catherine Zeta-Jones worked for one evening as a server at Fianna Astoria in New York in preparation for her role in the movie. When customers remarked on how much their server resembled Catherine Zeta-Jones, she would reply, "I hear that all the time." I love that story. Cathrine Zeta Jones is such a classy lady!

I give this movie a 3 out of 6.

Hairspray

2007-07-26T23:42:00.000-04:00
This movie was great! I knew the words to every song of this fun, cheesy movie. There is this one character named Corny Collins, and boy, was he corny! He certainly lived up to his name. This is another great example of an all-star cast and a great movie for playing “Spot the Actor.” It is based on a Broadway musical which is based on a John Waters movie, and it was fun to see three “Hairspray” originals in this movie. John Waters himself plays a streaker at the beginning during “Good Morning Baltimore,” Ricki Lake is a William Morris agent at the end, and Jerry Stiller is Mr. Pinkie, the guy who hires Tracy as his spokeswoman.
Okay, now I am going to discuss the differences between the Broadway show and this movie. One difference is that a bunch of songs were cut, including two of my faves, although some songs I like were added. I have the CD from the Broadway show, and I want to get the new one. The only song I hated was “You’re Timeless to Me,” the song that Edna and Wilber Turnblad sing. I hated it in the Broadway show and I hate it in the movie. Also, the movie had a much better Edna. John Travolta looked hideous and gross, and he was a lot less annoying and sang ten times better than Harvey Fierstein. Nikki Blonsky, the main girl, was also less annoying. The original was too nasally and that got on my nerves after awhile, but not this girl. It was kind of odd that Motormouth Maybelle, who is supposed to be “big, blonde, and beautiful,” was played by Queen Latifah, who isn’t fat at all. She looked rather skinny.

All and all, I give this movie five out of six stars, and it gets a big GLORI-fied seal of approval!

Bobby

2007-07-25T09:07:00.000-04:00
I have to say that this movie was intense. Unlike the other movies I’ve reviewed here, I did not love it. I am not even sure if I liked it. After I watched it, I felt a little paranoid, like someone was going to break in and assassinate me. I even locked my door. (I get that way sometimes with movies.) But the acting in this movie was superb. Yes, even Lindsay Lohan’s. She is such a good actress, but she lets her personal life take over, so people forget how she acts. I love this type of movie, because I get to play a game I made up called “Spot the Actor.” That’s what I named it because there are so many famous actors in movies like this. This one takes the cake, though, for all-star cast. Let’s count them, shall we? We have Demi Moore, Ashton Kutcher, Elijah Wood, Emilio Estevez, Martin Sheen, Shia LaBeouf, Lindsay Lohan, Sharon Stone, William H. Macy, Christian Slater, Freddy Rodriguez, Laurence Fishburne, Heather Graham, the real Robert Kennedy, Nick Cannon, Harry Belafonte (my mom spotted him), Anthony Hopkins, Helen Hunt, and even Joshua Jackson! Like I told you, it’s full of stars! This is not a good movie to watch at night.

Even though it has an all-star cast, I give this movie only three out of six stars.

Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoniex

2007-07-20T13:12:00.000-04:00

Yes, I saw this Harry Potter movie, and it rocked! Since it was a Harry Potter movie, I expected it to have a lot of action sequences, but this one wasn’t true to form. There was, however, a bit of romance, which is extremely rare for a Harry Potter movie. Who is the big romance between, you may ask. Well, I am glad you did. It is between Harry and Cho Chang, of course. There is also a bit of something going on between Ron and Hermione that I have never noticed in the other movies. I swear, every Harry Potter movie gets better and better. There is no villain more creepy or scary than Lord Voldemort, played fabulously by Ralph Fiennes, and there are no more villainous sidekicks than Lucius Malfoy, played by the great Jason Isaacs, and Bellatrix Lestrange, played by the wickedly perfect Helena Bonham Carter. But my favorite character by far is Tonks, played by Natalia Tena. She is the coolest chick, and she changes her hair color for every scene she is in. This movie sometimes seems like a horror movie, so I wondered if the director did any horror movies. It turns out that he didn’t.

I loved this film. But if you haven’t seen the other movies or read the first four books, you won’t have a clue about what’s going on.

I give this movie six out of six stars.

Labyrinth

2007-07-15T21:37:00.001-04:00

Okay- This movie is awesome! I saw it today for the first time and it is def Jim Henson's best movie after the Muppet movies. However, there were two things that bothered me a little. First of all, I know that this was Jennifer Connelly's first movie and all, but her acting kind of sucked. But luckily, as she got older and did more movies her acting got much better. The second and most annoying thing that bothered me was David Bowie's bulge in his extremely tight spandex pants that he had to wear as the Goblin King. Some of the special effects and tricks were awesome but others were kind of obvious how they were done. For instance, its easy to see that in the scene where Sarah encounters those dancing bright orange creatures, you can easily see that it was done on a green screen and the creatures were digitally added in. I loved David Bowie’s juggling tricks with the glass ball, and even though the music was kind of cheesy, it was also fun and poppy. My favorite song, is called Magic Dance. It didn't surprise me that all the songs were written and sung by Mr. Bowie himself.

All and all I have to say that I give this movie a 5 out of 5 stars!!! It gets a glorified seal of approval!

Stranger Than Fiction

2007-07-07T14:28:00.000-04:00

This movie was directed by Marc Forester who directed stay and monsters ball and I thought he did a great job with this movie as well and the other two. (though I have only see stay). This was without a doubt Will Farrell best and its great to see Maggie G with her clothes on the entire movie. I do not like seeing Maggie's breasts or full on nakedness! I don't even like looking at my own fat nakedness. I loved this movie! Not one of my favorites but a great movie all together. The acting was fantastic! Dustin Hoffman was so weird and so funny you would think he was playing himself. Emma Thompson as a chain smoking character suicidal manic writer was superb! Iespecially loved the little cameo by Kristen Chenoweth! (one of the best musical theater actress of our time!) Just when you think you know what happens to the main charcterthat the main character Bam! she changes it all around. The only thing I did not like about this movie was that it went on for a little too long. Stay was shorter than this movie was. Besides that this movie is a must see!

i give this movie a 5 out of 6 stars!

a life less ordinary

2007-07-02T15:28:00.000-04:00

This movie has a lot of funny moments. The parts that puts me a little off is the angels in it. They had no real purpose and they were annoying. The movie has a great cast! We have Ewan Mcgregor as an adorable cleaner who gets fired and attempts to kidnap the bosses daughter. Then we have Cameron Diaz as the bosses daughter and potential love interest for Ewan Mcgregor's character. she is a know it all but not so much so that it is annoying. She is kind of endearing in a way. then we have Ian Holm as the boss. As short time as he has in that movie he does a great job playing a total ass! Then there is the angels played by Holly Hunter, Dan Hedaya, and Delroy Lindo. Dan Hedaya was fine. Holly hunter and Delroy Lindo on the other hand. they were just making matters worse for the two leads not better as they intended. This movie was directed by Danny Boyle and written by john Hodge the same two people that wrote the screenplay to trainspotting and shallow grave. Definitely not one of there best. All and all I give it 4 and a half stars out of 6.