Monday, March 28, 2011

Blog-a-thon 6



Love and Other Drugs (2010) based on a book 'Hard Sell: The Evolution of a Viagra Salesman' Starring Jake Gyllenhal, Anne Hathaway, Oliver Platt, Hank Azaria, Judy Greer, & Jill Clayburgh. Plot: Maggie (Hathaway) is a free spirit who won't let anyone - or anything - tie her down. But she meets her match in Jamie (Gyllenhaal), whose relentless and nearly infallible charm serve him well with the ladies and in the cutthroat world of pharmaceutical sales. Maggie and Jamie's evolving relationship takes them both by surprise. Review: Very well acted romance with a lot of chemistry between the costars, but never delves deep enough into their relationship. Too many montages (I counted 3) that should've been replaced with actual scenes and dialogue. Watch with: Sweet November. Rating: "Stamped Out but worth seeing" Watch it once for Anne Hathaway's performance than never watch it again.

The Next 3 Days (2010) Starring: Russell Crowe, Elizabeth Banks, Olivia Wilde, Daniel Stern, Brian Dennehy, Liam Neeson, Jonathan Tucker, Trudie Styler. Plot: Lara Brennan (Banks) is arrested for murder. When the strain of being separated from her family gets to her, her husband John (Crowe) decides to break her out. Review: A bit slow in parts but it when it hit hard, it hit very hard. Amazing car accident scene towards the end. Banks was amazing. Rating: Stamped out but worth watching." Watch with "Anything for Her"

The Switch (2010) Starring: Jason Bateman, Jennifer Aniston, Jeff Goldblum, Juliette Lewis, & Patrick Wilson. Plot: An unmarried 40-year-old woman turns to a turkey baster in order to become pregnant. Seven years later, she reunites with her best friend, who has been living with a secret: he replaced her preferred sperm sample with his own. Review: Sweet & funny. This movie was nothing new in terms of storytelling, but that little kid was hilarious. Rating: "Stamped Out but worth seeing". Watch with: Baby Mama.

Cannes Man (Con Man) (1996) Starring: John Malkovich, Ann Cusack, Julian Lennon, Dennis Hopper, Kevin Pollak,Benicio Del Toro, Treat Williams, Jon Cryer, Chris Penn, Peter Gallagher, Frank Whaley, Lara Flynn Boyle, & Johnny Depp Plot: Film producer Sy Lerner makes a bet with a fellow film executive that he can turn any nobody into a star at the Cannes Film Festival. A New York cab driver who is visiting the festival is chosen as the test subject to settle the bet and Sy uses his skills of hype and manipulation to try and turn the cab driver named Frank into the talk of the town. Review: I liked the premise, but the low budget really hurt this film. It was poorly edited, directed, written, and acted. What a waste of time. Boring. Rating: "I'd rather stab a pen in my eye than ever watch this again." Watch instead: Bowfinger & Adaptation

The Other Guys (2010) Starring: Samuel L. Jackson, Dwayne Johnson, Eva Mendes, Michael Keaton, Will Ferrell, Mark Wahlberg, Steve Coogan, Bobby Cannavale, Natalie Zea, Lindsay Sloane, Brooke Shields, Rosie Perez, Anne Heche, & Ice-T. Plot: Two mismatched New York City detectives seize an opportunity to step up like the city's top cops whom they idolize -- only things don't quite go as planned. Review: Very funny buddy cop movie. It felt like a fresh take on an old formula. Rating: Noteworthy. Watch with: Kiss Kiss Bang Bang & Rush Hour

You Again (2010) Starring: Kristen Bell, Jamie Lee Curtis, Sigourney Weaver, Odette Annable, Victor Garber, Betty White, Kristin Chenoweth, Christine Lakin, Meagan Holder, Patrick Duffy, Jenna Leigh Green, Dwayne Johnson, & Cloris Leachman. Plot: When a young woman realizes her brother is about to marry the girl who bullied her in high school, she sets out to expose the fiancée's true colors. Review: A few funny cameo and bit parts, but a painful movie other than that. Bell tries but she can't save this movie. I felt so bad for her character. The popular girl played by Annable, who we're supposed to believe has become a better person, hasn't changed at all and really can't act (the comedic kitchen scene in the wedding dress the exception). The subplot with the mom & aunt is contrived and unnecessary. The grandma subplot, however, looks like it'd make a hilarious movie. Let's make that and forget about this one. Rating: "Rather stab a pen in my eye..." Watch instead: My Best Friends Wedding.

Going the Distance (2010) Starring: Drew Barrymore, Justin Long, Jason Sudeikis, Christina Applegate, Ron Livingston, Jim Gaffigan, Kelli Garner, & Leighton Meester. Plot: A romantic comedy centered on a guy and a gal who try to keep their love alive as they shuttle back and forth between New York and San Francisco to see one another. Review: Cute date night movie that I don't think I would've enjoyed as much had it not been for the cuddle time with my hubby. A few funny scenes with the side characters and a generally realistic look at relationships, but it didn't wow me or really give the 2 leads much to do. Rating: "Stamped out so why bother." Watch instead: (500) Days of Summer.

Summer Catch (2001) Starring: Freddie Prinze Jr., Jessica Biel, Fred Ward, Matthew Lillard, Brian Dennehy, Jason Gedrick, Brittany Murphy, Marc Blucas, Wilmer Valderrama, Gabriel Mann, & Beverly D'Angelo Plot: A rich girl whose family summers on Cape Cod has a romance with a local poor boy who hopes to become a major league baseball player. Review: Baseball movie gets bogged down by romance subplot. No chemistry between Prinze Jr & Biel. Biel surprisingly doesn't act well in this movie. What I liked: Mann manages to deliver the best monologue in the film & Blucas's taste in women. Rating: "Stamped out so why bother." Watch instead: For Love of the Game.

I Hope They Serve Beer in Hell (2009) Starring: Jesse Bradford, Matt Czuchry, Keri Lynn Pratt, & Traci Lords Plot: A guy tries to patch things up with his soon-to-be-married pal after botching things up at his bachelor party. Based on Tucker Max's best-seller. Review: A very funny movie with a lot of promise. Some of the best dialogue in a comedy in a while & a very likable lead. This movie only suffers from an ending that wraps up too quickly and doesn't seem sincere. Still enjoyable for one watch. Rating: "Stamped out but worth watching." Watch with: The Hangover & Wedding Crashers

Conviction (2010) Starring: Hilary Swank, Sam Rockwell, Minnie Driver, Melissa Leo, Bailee Madison, Clea DuVall, Juliette Lewis, & Peter Gallagher. Plot: A working mother puts herself through law school in an effort to represent her brother, who has been wrongfully convicted of murder. Review: An intriguing true story that I wanted to be moved by but wasn't given the chance. The momentum of the film was hurt by choppy editing. I wanted to see a courtroom drama/mystery. I didn't really get either. The mystery was never solved and she was never shown performing in a courtroom. Seems like they could have picked a more interesting true story to make into a movie. Swank, Rockwell, & Lewis were amazing. This film didn't do them justice. Rating: "Kind of like an inkblot test-Might be good to some, but I just didn't see it." Watch instead: The Hurricane.





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