back on track

Sorry I have been MIA the last month. I plan to get back on track with everything for my faithful followers (Hi Mom!). But boy oh boy, I am so excited for the summer movies. I am sure I will have plenty to blog about over the next couple months. I plan to catch up on some movies I saw in May as well. Check back soon for more updates!

Love,

B

 

Something Borrowed

Based on the book by Emily Griffin, Something Borrowed lacked the same luster and fire the book had.

Rachel (Gennifer Goodwin) is your typical girl next door who has let her friend Darcy (Kate Hudson) walk all over her since they were kids. When Rachel introduces Darcy to her hunky friend Dex (Colin Egglesfield), Rachel suppresses her feelings so Darcy can have her shot at love. Things get a little tricky when Rachel sleeps with Dex only 2 months before Darcy and Dex are to get married. Rachel and Dex fall in love with each other but Rachel is torn between friendship and love.  Rachel confides in her friend Ethan (John Krasinski) who pushes her to finally give Dex an ultimatum and finally stand up for herself.

I felt this movie lacked the same qualities I loved in the book. The movie barely develops the relationship between Dex and Rachel. I always understand that I at risk that I wont like the movie after I have read the book because the book will always have a tremendous more detail but the character development could have been so much stronger. John Krasinski stole the show in the movie providing a huge comic relief to an otherwise dull movie. I was not impressed with Kate Hudson’s performance she seemed tired and forceful. I was sadly disappointed. While it was still a cute movie my expectations were let down.

All in all I would wait to rent it and read the book instead (that I can guarantee is good).

Goodbye Michael…

We have come to an end of an era (kinda)…this exit may be even more sad than when Friends ended their 10 year run. The Office has been my favorite tv show since it first came on in 2005. I have been there with Michael since he uttered his first ignorant words and sadly he will utter his last ignorant words tonight on his last episode. Now don’t get me wrong I am very happy Michael has found love with Holly and he is geting married but come on, I am very skeptical that this show will survive with out him. Since tonight is his last episode here are some of my favorite “faces of Michael” moments….

Water for Elephants

Water for Elephants which is based on the book by the same name, develops a beautiful love story between Jacob and Marlena through the grittiness behind all the glitz and glamour of the big top.

The movie begins with Jacob (Robert Pattinson)who has recently found himself with no where to go. He has no family, degree, money, or hope. While running from his past life he jumps on a train unknowing he just boarded the Benzi Brothers Circus. Taken in to be the circus veterinarian he falls in love with the big top and the ring leaders wife, Marlena (Reese Witherspoon). Although her paranoid and abusive husband, August (Christopher Waltz) does not appreciate Jacob and Marlena’s shared compassion for a very special elephant. Through their friendship Marlena and Jacob discover love under the big tent.

I was pleasantly surprised by this movie. Although purist of the novel will not enjoy the changes as it does change the whole tone of the movie. Those who have read the novel know that it has a mystery element where as the movie is just a straight drama. One thing that did bother me was, I felt Reese Witherspoon had a cougar like love for Robert Pattinson. It could be just because I know their age difference but none the less I didn’t think they fit. Reese’s performance was beautiful but felt Robert’s lack the luster it demanded in the book. Personally I thought Christopher Waltz stole the show, he was amazingly good in this film.

All in all the movie is a little wishy washy but it doesn’t totally tank.

My Week’s Pick(s)…

This weekend is a little skimpy on the good movies.

This week we have…

Water for Elephants. Good book. Good movie?

African Cats. Samuel L. Jackson conquered snakes now he is looking to mess with lions.

Madea’s Big Happy Family. How many of these are there?

My week’s pick is Water for Elephants. I will admit that I have an infatuation with Robert Pattinson (especially when he is a vampire). I read the book a couple months ago and it was pretty good so I think the movie will be pretty enjoyable.

What are you going to see this weekend?

Rio

Rio is a delightful, fun filled, family type film. This ‘G’ rated animated comedy is an endangered species in the industry. Every movie has to have some “adult” underlying humor but this refreshing film allows adults to actually feel like a kid again.

Set in the breathtaking Rio De Janeiro, Brazil, where the colors are bright, the beaches are warm, and the birds are singing. The story begins with Blu (Jesse Eisenberg) who is a bird who can’t fly and lives in Minnisota with his owner Linda (Leslie Mann). When Linda is told that Blu is the last male of his kind she ventures to Rio to mate him with Jewel (Anne Hathaway). Of course Jewel doesn’t just give up her eggs like that. Blu and Jewel are then captured by a mean old bird.  It is through their escape that they begin their journey to discovery and love.They are joined by many familiar voices along the way such as, George Lopez, Will.i.am, Tracy Morgan, and Jamie Foxx.

I thought this movie was adorable. I loved the familiar voices set to colorful birds. It has everything to make a heartwarming film. It had a nerdy and goofy bird, a romance of polar opposites, and a mean villain. We didn’t see it in 3-D but I don’t think it is one of those movies that YOU have to see in 3-D.

All in All its an adorable film that if you have some extra money laying around it will be a film that brightens your day.

Scream 4

Scream 4 travels back to its roots and mirrored much of the original. Wes Craven (director) still played the who dun’ it game which keeps the audience guessing until the last second, although what differed in this scream was that the new decade brought cell phones, apps, and web camera’s.

The tag line for Scream 4 has been “New Decade, New Rules.” If you have seen the first one then you will know that Randy (Jamie Kennedy) plays the nerdy horror genre freak who explains the rules of horror films  1) You can never have sex. 2) You can never drink or do drugs. 3) Never, ever, ever, under any circumstances, say ‘I’ll be right back’. But in Scream 4 the rules have changed and all bets are off.

I absolutely loved Scream 4. I loved that it mirrored so much of the original that it had me begging that I was in high school when the first one came out. I feel that my love and devotion would be a little different. This Scream “upped the ante” in the sense that it is definitely more bloody but it still had the same lovable horror movie self awareness like every other Scream.  For me it was the perfect balance of comedy and suspense.

Sydney Prescott (Neve Campbell) let the new characters shine this time and almost took the back seat. Kirby (Hayden Panettiere) and Jill (Emma Roberts) steal the screen along with the new geeky horror movie freaks Charlie (Rory Culkin) and Justin (Justin Brandt). While Gale Weathers (Courtney Cox) is better than ever armored with her sarcastic personality.

All in all if you want to see this movie then definitely see the original Scream first. I would definitely recommend it if you loved the original.

My Week’s Pick(s)

Spring is in the air and I am beginning to see some good movies on the horizon…

This week we have a good couple flicks coming out.

Scream 4. Sydney is horror movie royalty.

Rio. This ought to fair better than Hop.

The Conspirator. I need to see this movie like I need a hole in the head.

Obviously if you read my previous post then you can figure our my pick. SCREAM 4! I am very excited to see if Sydney survives this one as well.

The other two look great as well.  Overall this is a good movie weekend.

What movie are you most excited about this wee

What’s your favorite scary movie…

Can you believe I had never seen a single one of the Scream movies? Neither could I! But who could blame me, I was only 8 years old when the first one came out and despite my movie dates with Mom this was a film she didn’t take me to. Plus I have always been a little chicken when it comes to scary movies. Scratch that…I am absolutely terrified of scary movies. But Scream is not your typical scary movie.

I watched all 3 of them this weekend in hopes that I would join the cult for Scream 4 which comes out this Friday. And let me say, I LOVED them! I loved that they were so witty and even made fun of the whole horror genre. Obviously the 1st one was my favorite and by the third I could tell they were starting to stretch the story a little.

I am so excited to get my Scream on this weekend…If you haven’t seen them I would definitely recommend them.  They really are just good ol’ 90′s slasher movies.

Hanna just missed my heart…

Hanna dripped with eeriness while creating a balance between The Bourne movies mixed with a classic fairytale.

This fairytale is a little more “roughed” up then most. Hanna (Saoirse Ronan) lives with her father, a former CIA agent (Eric Bana) in the woods. He has been training her to become an assassin to defeat the “evil witch” Marissa Wiegler (Cate Blanchett). Like any other princesses that has been kept in their tower since they can remember, things like electricity and music are merely just definitions in a book. When she is released from her cabin in the woods she finds out more about herself and the lies surrounding her existence.

I went into this movie not knowing what to except other than a great music score from The Chemical Brothers (and it was indeed great). There are a couple of reasons this movie was enjoyable. First, I enjoyed that the story was more than just your classic thriller/assassin movie. It almost had a “coming of age” to it. Second, the cinematography left this eeriness through out the whole thing which gave it the thriller feel and third,  Joe Wright did a great job with the keeping the audience interest just based on camera angles, lights, and images.

I did enjoy Hanna although she just missed capturing my heart. I will admit that the style is imaginative and something you rarely see in movies. This made it stand out against other typical thrillers but the uniqueness didn’t make up for the fact the the character development was too focused on the creepy that i couldn’t let her into my heart. In all fairytales you feel a connection with the princess but in this movie this princess wasn’t a damsel in distress in need of being rescued. Not many people can identify with an assassin.

All in all, if you are truly interested in this movie then go see it. But if you are on the fence, then wait to rent it. If you are excepting just straight Bourne action then you will be disappointed.