Aye, Tortuga!

"In these moments, you can normally find an Italian who isn't too picky."

2012-01-20T18:25:00.000-05:00

Apologies for the lack of posting this month. With the big move approaching, I have had a lot going on and not much time to get to the movies or do much writing. Unfortunately, this will probably not improve much for a few weeks. However, thanks to Netflix, I was able to watch the show Downton Abbey and am now officially a fan.

I had not heard much about the show while it was airing on PBS last year. My mother may have mentioned it, but she watches a lot of random British shows and movies on PBS and BBC all the time and I tend not to pay attention to a lot of them. It was not until the last few months when award nominations came out that I started reading about how good this show is and figured I should give it a chance.

The first season centers around the Crawley family, the Earl and Countess of Grantham, and their servants and takes place before the start of World War I. In the first episode, the Titanic has sunk and it turns out that the fiancee of the eldest daughter was onboard. He was also the heir to the title of Earl of Grantham and the family must now figure out how to keep their family from having to move out of Downton Abbey.

The household deals with scandal, devious servants, jealousies and the second season brings the start of the war and all that comes along with that. The acting is excellent and the writing is smart and addicting. Of the cast, my absolute favorite character is the Dowager Countess of Grantham, played by Maggie Smith. She steals every scene that she is in and I love her. Of all her fantastic lines, these are some of my favorites:

Isobel: I take that as a compliment.
Countess: I must have said it wrong.

Sir Robert: I thought you didn't like him.
Countess: So what? I have plenty of friends I don't like.

Lady Mary: Sybil is entitled to her opinions.
Countess: No, she isn't. Until she is married, then her husband will tell her what her opinions are.

Isobel: Are you planning to divide his loyalties?
Countess: I wouldn't say I was planning it.

Countess: (after a Turkish diplomat has been found dead in his bed) Of course it would happen to a foreigner. It's typical.
Lady Mary: Don't be ridiculous.
Countess: I'm not being ridiculous. No Englishman would dream of dying in someone else's house - especially somebody they didn't even know.

And finally....

Countess: Put that in your pipe and smoke it.

That last line is not all that funny in itself, but when it comes out of Maggie Smith it makes me laugh hysterically. She is just so prim and proper but so snarky and it is fantastic! I highly recommend checking out this show immediately.

I move to Austin a week from Sunday and have a lot of packing left to do, but I will try to get a few more posts up before I leave. Thank you for bearing with me and I promise that once I am settled I will get back into my old routine.

xoxo
c
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"I feel like I'm flyin' my grandfather's Buick!"

2012-01-19T22:27:00.000-05:00

The new movies in theaters this weekend are: Underworld: Awakening, Haywire and Red Tails.

Red Tails is about a group of African American pilots during World War II who were part of an experimental program in Tuskegee. The program is about to be shut down when the Pentagon realizes they need these men in order to win the war. This movie stars Terence Howard, Nate Parker, Tristan Wilds, Elijah Kelley, Leslie Odom Jr, Method Man, Daniela Ruah, Josh Dallas, Ne-Yo, Michael B. Jordan, Bryan Cranston, Jaime King and Cuba Gooding Jr.

In Haywire, Gina Carano stars as black ops super soldier, Mallory Kane, who is seeking revenge after being betrayed during a mission. Left for dead by her own agency, she must now find the truth before being killed by trained assassins who anticipate her every move. Along with Kane, this movie features Channing Tatum, Ewan McGregor, Michael Douglas, Antonio Banderas, Michael Fassbender, Bill Paxton, Michael Angarano and Mathieu Kassovitz.

Underworld: Awakening, the fourth movie in the series, finds Selene escaping captivity only to find that the humans are now aware of the existence of vampires and lycans. A war to get rid of both immortal species has begun and Selene leads the battle against humankind. Kate Beckinsale returns to play Selene and is joined by Michael Ealy, Stephen Rea, Kris Holden-Ried, Theo James, India Eisley and Charles Dance.

Also in limited release is: The Flowers of War, Crazy Horse, Miss Bala, The Front Line, Carol Channing: Larger Than Life, Coriolanus and Ultrasuede: In Search of Halston.

xoxo
c
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"With all do respect, sir, I have done battle every single day of my life and many men have underestimated me before."

2012-01-12T22:19:00.000-05:00

The big movies in theaters this weekend are: Contraband, Joyful Noise, and The Iron Lady.

The Iron Lady takes a look at the life of former British Prime Minister, Margaret Thatcher. She was the first and only woman to hold the position of Prime Minister in the United Kingdom and the film focuses on the price she paid for this power. Thatcher is played by Meryl Streep and the rest of the cast includes Anthony Head, Iain Glen, Harry Lloyd, Olivia Colman, Nick Dunning, Susan Brown and Jim Broadbent.

Trailer #2
The Iron Lady at MOVIECLIPS.com

Joyful Noise is about the Divinity Church Choir in Pacashau, Georgia. They are under the new direction of Vi Rose Hill, played by Queen Latifah, much to the disappointment of lead singer G.G. Sparrow, played by Dolly Parton. Vi wants to continue with their traditional style while G.G. wants to change things up. The blossoming romance between G.G.'s grandson, Randy, and Vi's daughter, Olivia, just adds fuel to the women's fire. Also starring in this movie are Keke Palmer, Jeremy Jordan, Courtney B. Vance, Kris Kristofferson, Angela Grovey and Jesse L. Martin.

Trailer #1
Joyful Noise at MOVIECLIPS.com

In Contraband, Chris Farraday returns to his abandoned life of crime in order to protect his brother-in-law, Andy, from a drug lord. He must head to Panama in order to smuggle millions in counterfeit bills and settle Andy's debt before his wife and son become the targets. This movie stars Mark Wahlberg, Giovanni Ribisi, Ben Foster, Lukas Haas, Caleb Landry Jones, William Lucking, Diego Luna, Robert Wahlberg and Kate Beckinsale.

Trailer #1
Contraband at MOVIECLIPS.com

In limited release is: Albatross, The Divide, Loosies, We Need to Talk About Kevin and Don't Go in the Woods. Also, as they did with The Lion King, Disney is re-releasing their animated movie Beauty and the Beast in 3D.

Of these films, The Iron Lady is the one that interests me the most. It has not been getting great reviews, but Meryl Streep is such a fantastic actress I cannot see how it could be that awful. I am also interested in seeing Beauty and the Beast, but that is just the child of the '80s in me :o)

xoxo
c
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"That's the problem with working, too much instability."

2012-01-09T21:18:00.002-05:00

Thanks to my friends asking me to house-sit (and having better cable than me) and a free weekend of Showtime OnDemand, I have now caught up on several shows: Shameless, Homeland and Weeds. I also got a chance to watch the first episode of Kristen Bell's new series, House of Lies.

Along with Bell, House of Lies stars Don Cheadle, Ben Schwartz, Josh Lawson and Dawn Olivieri. It is a half hour comedy about a management consultant team from the second best firm in the country. Cheadle leads the series and his character will use any means to win over his clients and get them the information that they want. His crazy ex-wife works for the competition and his father is a former psychiatrist and helps take care of his cross-dressing son. It is smart and witty and I cannot wait to see where the rest of the show takes us. But mostly, I just love having Kristen Bell back on my television :o)

I was a little skeptical going into Homeland. I am not really sure why but, even though it was getting rave reviews, I just did not think I was going to like it. I was very, very wrong. The first season was a very smart, intense thriller about a CIA agent and the P.O.W. that she thinks has been turned into a terrorist after eight years in Iraqi captivity. The twist is that the rest of the country sees this man as a hero and the CIA agent has mental issues of her own. The show stars Claire Dances, Damian Lewis, Morena Baccarin, Mandy Patinkin, David Harewood, David Marciano, Diego Klattenhoff and Jamey Sheridan and they were all fantastic. Although, every time Mandy Patinkin's character, Saul, would come onscreen, I could not help but think, "My name is Inigo Montoya. You killed my father. Prepare to die." This first season ended in a breathtaking way and I cannot even imagine what will happen in season two.

Originally based on a show from the United Kingdom, Shameless is hilarious. William H. Macy is great as, Frank, the alcoholic patriarch of the Gallagher family. The rest of the family consists of oldest sister and breadwinner Fiona and her five siblings Lip, Ian, Debbie, Carl and Liam. Other main characters include the families neighbors and best friends. Along with Macy, the show stars Emmy Rossum, Justin Chatwin, Steve Howey and Joan Cusack. Each of the kids, with the exception of the youngest two brothers, have multiple jobs and help pay all of the expenses. They also know about every way possible to scam anyone they can and often trade favors for food with other people in the neighborhood. The definitely find some creative and often comical ways to keep their family afloat. This show is definitely worth checking out if you have not already.

I have enjoyed Weeds from the beginning and I adore Mary Louise Parker and the rest of the cast. Each season finds this family in totally different, but somehow similar, predicaments. I usually do not see the seasons when they air but, instead, have to wait until they are out on DVD or streaming on Netflix., but it is always worth the wait. I love catching up with the Botwins and I cannot wait to see what kind of mess Nancy gets this into next season. I actually think the the Botwins and the Gallaghers together would be pretty awesome :o)

A few of the new shows that I plan to give a chance this winter are: Alcatraz, Touch, Common Law, Smash and GCB. I am also very much looking forward to the season premieres of Justified, Spartacus and White Collar.

What new shows are you planning to watch? Let me know if there is anything I am missing!

xoxo

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"You start wondering, 'is it in my genes?'"

2012-01-05T15:45:00.003-05:00

The only movie in wide release this weeked is The Devil Inside.

Taking place in Italy, The Devil Inside is about a girl named Isabella who tries to figure out the truth of what happened to her mother twenty years ago. Her mother has been locked in an asylum because she confessed to killing three people during an exorcism being performed on her. Isabella's mission is to discover whether or not her mother is mentally ill or demonically possessed. The cast does not contain any names that I recognize but includes Fernanda Andrade, Suzan Crowley, Simon Quarterman, Evan Helmuth and Brian Johnson.

Trailer #1
The Devil Inside at MOVIECLIPS.com

Absolutely nothing about this movie appeals to me and I have not seen any reviews yet, but if you like scary movies then this is probably right up your alley. While you are busy being scared, I will be trying to catch up on movies already in theaters. I still have not seen the new Sherlock Holmes, The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo or The Artist.

In limited release this weekend is: Roadie, Beneath the Darkness, Once Upon a Time in Anatolia and Norwegian Wood.

I hope that everyone is having a Happy New Year!

xoxo
c
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"Sometimes there's honor in revenge."

2011-12-31T18:48:00.002-05:00

And now I give you my favorite television episodes of the year. These also happen to be a few of my favorite shows on the air right now. Are there any episodes you think I missed? Please let me know in the comments section below!

Friday Night Lights "Always"
I was incredibly sad to see this phenomenal series come to an end. However, the finale was one of the best series finales I have ever seen. They wrapped everything up perfectly and you got to see where each of the main characters was heading in their future lives. The East Dillon Lions win the Texas State Championship, Vince is the captain of the new Dillon Panthers super-team, Coach and Tami move to Philadelphia for Tami's new job, Julie moves to Chicago to be with Matt, Luke heads off to the Army and Billy and Tim start building Tim's house. Over five seasons this show gave us a lot of heart and it will definitely go down as one of my favorite series ever. Clear Eyes, Full Hearts, Can't Lose.

Sons of Anarchy "Hands"
The entire fourth season of Sons of Anarchy was awesome, but this was my favorite because it was the biggest game-changer. The club does not know that Piney is dead let alone that Clay killed him, ATF has Juice in custody and Sheriff Roosevelt is starting to question their methods. By the end of the episode, Tara has lost her career and the only thing that kept her from becoming completely immersed in Old Lady-life, Jax is more determined to take his family and leave Charming and Gemma has lost faith in her husband and knows he must be killed because he cannot be saved. This show is so well-written and even better acted. It has become about so much more than a motorcycle club and every season it just keeps getting better and better. Kurt Sutter might be crazy, but he is a crazy genius.

Happy Endings "Spooky Endings"
It took me a couple episodes to get used to the humor of this show, but now I love it. In this particular episode, Jane and Brad spend Halloween in the suburbs house-sitting for friends and end up having to defend the house against mischievous teenagers. The rest of the gang go to a warehouse costume party where Penny and Max dress as a mother wearing a baby bjorn, Dave dresses as Austin Powers but keeps getting mistaken for Elton John and Alex dresses as Marilyn but is sick and gets mistaken for a man. This show is pretty awesome and I find it even more awesome after each episode.

The Vampire Diaries "The Sun Also Rises"
It has been another great year from The Vampire Diaries. The end of season two was phenomenal and season three is already off to a great start. The penultimate episode from season two was by far my favorite episode of the series thus far. A ritual to release an original vampire's dormant werewolf half that requires the deaths of a werewolf, a vampire and the doppelganger. That in itself is a great plot, but add to that two parents giving up their lives in order to save their child, a vengeful brother whose loyalties you are unsure of and the potential sacrifice of a boyfriend for the woman he loves and you have yourself an episode that keeps you on the edge of your seat. Every time I watch this episode I need to keep a box of tissues next to me at all times. If you have not started watching this show yet, you need to get on that right now before you miss too much else!

New Girl "Thanksgiving"
This show is absolutely hilarious and every single episode is fantastic. However, the Thanksgiving episode has been my favorite so far this season. The gang tries to make Thanksgiving dinner so that Jess can impress a guy who is just is as quirky as her. The guys give her date a hard time at first, but soon start to grow fond of him. Of course, nothing ever goes as planned on a sit-com and they end up destroying the dryer while using it to thaw out the turkey and finding their neighbor dead after relocating into her apartment. What could be more hilarious than that?! :o)

Prime Suspect "Bitch"
I am a little sad that more people did not watch this show because it really was great. I picked this as my favorite episode because of one scene in particular. Detectives Timoney, Calderon and Blando are trying to figure out if a suspect could have run from a restaurant to the location of a murder in the amount of time that he was absent from his date. Timoney tries running first, but she is a smoker and barely makes it down the block before doubling over to catch her breath. Calderon tries next but he runs way too fast, the other two comparing him to a Kenyan. Finally, Blando starts running and actually goes at a regular pace. It may not sound that fantastic when I describe it, but was definitely a very funny scene. In general, this show was gritty, well acted and very well written. I am sorry that we will not get a chance to see more of it next year.

Community "Remedial Chaos Theory"
Troy and Abed throw and housewarming party and when the pizza arrives Jeff decides to roll the dice to see who has to go meet the delivery guy. This leaves Abed to ponder six different alternate realities. It was the most creative episode of the year from any TV show and, in general, this is the most creative show on right now. I blows my mind that more people are not watching it because it is so funny and so well written. For your enjoyment, here are all seven time-lines at once:

Honorable Mentions: Justified "Bloody Harlan," The Vampire Diaries "Ghost World," New Girl "Bells," The Good Wife "Closing Arguments" and Shameless "Casey Casden."

I have seen Game of Thrones and, while I thought that the whole season was fantastic, I did not include any of the episodes in my list. I read the book before I watched the series so during the first viewing I mostly just compared the two. I feel like I need to watch it again in order to fully appreciate the series separate from the book. I also have not had the chance to watch the most recent season of Breaking Bad, so that has not been included in my list either.

I wish you all a very Happy New Year and look forward to writing for you and hearing from you in 2012!

xoxo
c
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"I don't have delusions of grandeur, I have an actual recipe for grandeur."

2011-12-30T14:13:00.000-05:00

I now present you with a list of my favorite movies from 2011. I do not believe that most of these films will win any awards, but I enjoyed them the most of all the things I saw this year. They were the movies that stuck in my head the most and made me want to watch them again as soon as I walked out of the theater. You may disagree, and that is fine, and I would invite you to share your favorite movies with me in the comments section below.

So now without further ado and in no particular order.....

Limitless
I am a little Bradley Cooper-biased, but I actually really enjoyed this movie a lot. I especially liked that it was not presented as a science fiction movie but more as an exploration of the human mind. You think more about the moral implications of what it would mean to take a drug like NZT. How would it change the way you interact with other people and how you live your life. This movie was engaging and highly entertaining.

Bridesmaids
This was the funniest movie I have seen in a really long time. I have been in six weddings, none were quite this hilarious, but I can definitely relate to many of the situations with which these ladies had to deal. The entire cast was great as an ensemble and even better in their individual roles. Each women adds a different level of hilarity throughout the entire movie. Also, I have said it before and I will say it again, I expect puppies to be given as favors at every bridal shower I go to from now on.

Midnight in Paris
This movie was the biggest surprise for me because I had no idea what to expect going into it and came out loving it. It was kind of quirky but also very charming. It was just a feel good movie that was smart and very well acted. No one else would have been quite as perfect for the main character as Owen Wilson.

Warrior
I was not expecting to enjoy this movie all that much, but it really was fantastic. The story of two brothers who each chose a different parent in the divorce and ended up on two completely different paths in life end up in the championship match of an international mixed martial arts competition. However, the fights are not what drives this movie. The acting and story have a lot of heart and really get you invested in these peoples lives.

Tucker and Dale vs. Evil
I am not usually a fan of scary movies, but his was more funny and ridiculous than it was scary and I really enjoyed it a lot. I have been a fan of Alan Tudyk since I saw him in 28 Days with Sandra Bullock and he and Tyler Labine are always funny in anything they do, but are particularly excellent as these hillbilly brothers. This movie is hilarious and you should see it right now!

Drive
We all know that I have a deep love for Ryan Gosling. I did see all three of his movies this year and they were all excellent, but this was my favorite. The tone and style are different than anything else you have seen and the soundtrack helped a lot in that regard. It was more violent than I expected it to be, but that did not take away from my enjoyment of the film at all. Gosling's acting was, of course, amazing, but so was the rest of the supporting cast. There was not a weak link in the bunch. This movie is not flashy and sexy but extremely thoughtful and creative.

Honorable Mentions: Beginners, My Week With Marilyn, X-Men: First Class and The Ides of March.

I am also working on my list of favorite television episodes and will have that up shortly. Thank you for your loyal readership this year, I would probably still do this without you, but it would not be nearly as fun :o)

xoxo
c
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"Little girls shouldn't be told how pretty they are. They should grow up knowing how much their mother loves them."

2011-12-27T20:50:00.000-05:00

Since I have been really bad lately about writing my movie reviews, I have decided to do two in one post. In the past couple weeks I have seen The Descendants and My Week With Marilyn.

The Descendants is about a man whose wife is in a coma after a boating accident. He is having trouble with his youngest daughter so he brings his older daughter home from boarding school to help with her sister. He must figure out how to be a better parent while also dealing with the loss and betrayal of his wife. At the same time, make a decision for his extended family about whether or not to sell a plot of land they have owned through several generations.

It was definitely sadder than I expected it to be, but I also just did not find it particularly interesting at all. Clooney has been getting a lot of attention for his performance in this movie and, while I think that he did a fine job, I did not feel that it was any better than any of his other serious roles. He is a good actor, but I was not blown away by this character. Shailene Woodley, on the other hand, did an excellent job. Her acting skills are clearly getting wasted on The Secret Life of an American Teenager and she could be working on much better projects. I just did not think that this movie was all that fantastic.

My Week With Marilyn is based on the real story of what happened during the production of the film The Prince and The Showgirl from the perspective of third assistant director, Colin Clark. The film starred Sir Laurence Olivier and Marilyn Monroe but, in his memoir, Clark showed how tense things were between the two actors and how he got a chance to know Marilyn on a more personal level.

Marilyn Monroe is played by Michelle Williams and her performance was fantastic. She was the essence of Marilyn without trying to imitate her exactly. The other actors in the film were also excellent. Olivier is portrayed by Kenneth Branagh and Clark by Eddie Redmayne. The rest of the supporting cast includes Judi Dench, Julia Ormond, Emma Watson, Dougray Scott and Dominic Cooper.

It was especially interesting to me to see what Marilyn was like when she was in private. The persona that she had in public was not really who she was as a person. I cannot seem to find the article now, but I remember reading something where Williams talks about how Marilyn taught herself how to act a certain way when she was in public. The famous walk was not natural and she learned the exact right way to pose her face and body so that she showed off her best features at all times. There is even a line in the movie when she runs into a group of fans and she says to Clark, "Should I be her?" This behavior made her feel very lonely but she thought that was what people wanted from her.

Taking a Bath
My Week with Marilyn at MOVIECLIPS.com

The Descedants was a fine movie but it did not live up to all the hype it has been getting. I was more moved by My Week With Marilyn and it may even be one of my favorite movies of the year. It had a lot of heart and I highly recommend seeing it if you get the chance.

I am sorry that it took me so long to get these reviews posted, but I hope that everyone had a Happy Hanukkah and a very, Merry Christmas!

xoxo

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"At the risk of stating the obvious, you're insane."

2011-12-21T21:30:00.000-05:00

This week's Weekend Movie Preview is a little more complicated than usual. The movies that are out today are: The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo and The Adventures of Tin Tin. Coming out on Friday is We Bought a Zoo. On Christmas Day, War Horse and The Darkest Hour are in theaters.

The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo is based on the first book in the trilogy by Stieg Larsson. Journalist Mikael Blomkvist is hired to locate a woman who has been missing for forty years. He is aided in his search by a computer hacker named Lisbeth Salander. This movie stars Daniel Craig, Rooney Mara, Christopher Plummer, Stellan Skarsgard, Robin Wright, Joely Richardson, Goran Visnjic, Joel Kinnaman and Embeth Davitz.

Trailer #2
The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo at MOVIECLIPS.com

In The Adventures of Tin Tin, a young reporter sets out on a journey to find treasure on a sunken ship. Along with Captain Haddock, Tin Tin must find the ship before the evil Red Rackam. This animated feature showcases the voices of Jamie Bell, Andy Serkis, Daniel Craig, Nick Frost, Simon Pegg, Toby Jones, Cary Elwes, Tony Curran and Sebastian Roche. It was directed by Steven Spielberg and produced by Peter Jackson.

Trailer #4
The Adventures of Tintin at MOVIECLIPS.com

Matt Damon stars in We Bought a Zoo as a single father who relocates his family to the countryside to renovate and re-open a struggling zoo. With the help of the eclectic staff, they work to return the zoo to its original glory. Along with Damon, this movie stars Scarlett Johansson, Thomas Hayden Church, Colin Ford, Maggie Elizabeth Jones, Elle Fanning, Angus MacFadyen, Carla Gallo, John Michael Higgins and was directed by Cameron Crowe.

Trailer #1
We Bought a Zoo at MOVIECLIPS.com

Taking place in England during the first World War, War Horse starts with the relationship between a horse named Joey and a boy named Albert. When Joey is taken from Albert, we see the journey of the horse through the war and how he inspires every person he meets. This movie stars Jeremy Irvine, Emily Watson, Peter Mullan, David Thewlis, Tom Hiddleston and David Kross.

Trailer #2
War Horse at MOVIECLIPS.com

And finally....

The Darkest Hour is about five young adults who, while vacationing in Moscow, lead the fight against an alien race that has attacked Earth through our power supply. This movie stars Emile Hirsch, Olivia Thirlby, Max Minghella, Rachael Taylor and Joel Kinnaman.

Trailer #1
The Darkest Hour at MOVIECLIPS.com

All of these films are getting good reviews, with The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo on top and The Darkest Hour without any reviews in yet. We Bought a Zoo looks pretty good, but ScarJo makes me think again as I am not a huge fan of hers. War Horse in general does not interest me and neither does Tin Tin, so I would opt to go with Dragon Tattoo this weekend.

Also in limited release this weekend are: In the Land of Blood and Honey, Don 2, Pina, Miss Minoes, Newlyweds, Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close and Albert Nobbs.

xoxo
c
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"What's the point of being an outlaw when you got responsibilities?"

2011-12-19T16:10:00.003-05:00

I know that I have been really bad about writing the last few weeks and I apologize. Aside from the craziness of the holidays, I am also in the process of planning a move to Austin, Texas at the end of January. I have lived in Philadelphia my whole life and I just felt like I needed a change, so I am packing up my things and starting over somewhere new. Do not worry though, because I will still keep up with the blog after the big move :o)

That being said, I have been trying to catch up on shows that I always meant to watch but just never got around to them. I have recently started watching Flashpoint and Breaking Bad. I also plan to start watching the original Dallas so that I can be up-to-date when the new show starts this summer on TNT.

Flashpoint takes place in Canada follows a Strategic Response Unit (or SWAT team). Each episode is about a different crisis that they must deal with ranging from hostage situations to bomb scares. It stars Enrico Colantoni aka Keith Mars from Veronica Mars, which is why I started watching it in the first place. Amy Jo Johnson plays another main character and you may remember her as Julie Emrick from Felicity or the Pink Power Ranger :o) It originally aired on CBS, but now can be found on Ion Television.

They deal with a different case each week but, it's a little bit different than your typical CSI or Law & Order and I really enjoy it. It delves more into the psychological aspects of the subject so that the SRU can talk them out of the situation they are in. They are an elite group of police officers with high tech gear and sniper training. I am halfway through season three and if you usually like procedural shows than I definitely recommend giving this one a try. Plus, they wear such cool pants!

I have also really enjoyed Breaking Bad. It is a very well written and well acted show that focuses on Walter White, a high school Chemistry and amateur Meth cook. He is diagnosed with lung cancer and must figure out how he is going to pay for all his medical bills. After finding out that one of his former students, Jesse Pinkman, is a Meth dealer, Walt decides to team up with him. Sometimes the individual episodes can be a little slow as they are setting things up for a big episode the following week. However, the interactions between Walt and Jesse are always fantastic and it is just a really smart show. I still need to see the last season but this is another show that I highly recommend catching up on before the new season starts next summer.

I am also in the process of figuring out my favorite movies and TV episodes from 2011. Those posts will be up as soon as I can get them finished. I also have seen The Descendants and that review will go up tomorrow.

On a completely unrelated note, I recorded the Alfred James Band playing a song from their new album and thought I would share it with you here:

I hope you are all enjoying the holiday season!

xoxo
c
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Holmes: Get that out of my face.

2011-12-15T16:25:00.000-05:00

Watson: It's not in your face. It's in my hand.
Holmes: Get what's in your hand out of my face.
-----------------------------------

The big movies in theaters this weekend are: Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows, Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol, Alvin and the Chipmunks: Chip-Wrecked and Young Adult.

Only in limited release last week, Young Adult is from the same writer who brought us Juno and stars Charlize Theron. She is the writer of young adult novels who decides to return to her hometown after her marriage fails. Her plan is to take back her high school boyfriend. When that plan proves more difficult than she thought, she forms an unlikely bond with another former classmate. Along with Theron, this movies also features Patton Oswalt, Patrick Wilson, Elizabeth Reaser and Jill Eikenberry.

Trailer #1
Young Adult at MOVIECLIPS.com

In Chip-Wrecked, the Chipmunks and the Chipettes go on a cruise along with Dave. While fooling around onboard, the end up going overboard and find themselves stranded on a desert island. Now they must figure out a way to get back to their ship. This movie stars Jason Lee, David Cross and the voices of Justin Long, Jesse McCartney, Matthew Gray Gubler, Amy Poehler, Anna Farris Christina Applegate and Alan Tudyk.

Trailer #1
Alvin and the Chipmunks: Chip-Wrecked at MOVIECLIPS.com

Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol is the fourth movie in this franchise. When the IMF is implicated in a global terrorist to bomb the Kremlin, they are shut down and must find a way to clear their name. "Ghost Protocal" is intiated which means the team must go rogue without any help or contact in order to find out who is really behind the bombing. This movie stars Tom Cruise, Paula Patton, Simon Pegg, Jeremy Renner, Josh Holloway and Tom Wilkinson.

Trailer #2
Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol at MOVIECLIPS.com

Robert Downey Jr and Jude Law are back as Sherlock Holmes and Dr. John Watson in A Game of Shadows. When the Crown Prince of Austria is found dead, it is presumed to be suicide. However, Holmes is sure that he was murdered and that this murder is only one piece to a puzzle being designed by Professor James Moriarty. Moriarty is Holmes' toughest adversary and he must join with Watson once again to try and bring him down before he changes the course of history forever. Along with Downey Jr and Law, this movie also stars Noomi Rapace, Rachel McAdams, Stephen Fry and Jared Harris.

Trailer #2
Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows at MOVIECLIPS.com

Aside from Alvin and the Chipmunks, everything out this weekend has gotten decent reviews, with Mission: Impossible currently on top. I never saw the second or third M:I films and will probably not be seeing this fourth one in the theater. However, I do plan to see Sherlock Holmes and Young Adult at some point.
In limited release this weekend is: Carnage, Corman's World: Exploits of a Hollywood Rebel and Cook County.

xoxo
c
------------------------------------

"Nobody wins when pregnant women fight."

2011-12-08T16:28:00.000-05:00

The big movies out this weekend in theaters are: The Sitter and New Year's Eve.
The Sitter is about a college student who has been suspended and is coaxed into babysitting the children that live next door. He is the world's worst babysitter looking after the world's worst kids and is completely unprepared for the crazy night ahead of him. It stars Jonah Hill, Ari Gaynor, Sam Rockwell, D.W. Moffett, Bruce Altman, Jessica Hecht and Method Man.

Trailer #3
The Sitter at MOVIECLIPS.com

From the creator of Valentine's Day, New Year's Eve takes place in New York City on the biggest night of the year. We follow several couples as their lives intertwine of the course of the evening. It stars Josh Duhamel, Michelle Pfeiffer, Sarah Jessica Parker, Jessia Biel, Zac Efron, Halle Berry, Cary Elwes, Alyssa Milano, Common, Seth Meyers, Sarah Paulson, Katherine Heigl, Sofia Vergara, Jon Bon Jovi, Abigail Breslin, Penny Marshall, Hilary Swank, Ludacris, Hector Elizondo, Ryan Seacrest, Lea Michele, Ashton Kutcher and Robert DeNiro.

Trailer #1
New Year's Eve at MOVIECLIPS.com

The Sitter looks like a complete rip-off of Adventures in Babysitting, so I will be skipping that for sure. I will stick with Elisabeth Shue, thank you very much. Both movies this week are getting pretty awful reviews, so my advice would be to go see something that is already in theaters. I am hoping to see My Week With Marilyn and The Descendants this weekend.

Also in limited release are: Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy, Young Adult, I Melt With You, Knuckle and Ladies vs. Ricky Bahl.

xoxo
c
---------------------------------

"No one gets an unwrapped present on my watch!"

2011-12-06T16:02:00.000-05:00

Arthur Christmas has been getting such great reviews that I decided to check it out. However, instead of making the same mistake that I made with The Muppets, this one I decided to see on a Monday afternoon. I was one of five people in the entire theater and that is the way I like it. I did not see it in 3D and I have to say, I really enjoyed it a lot.

We learn that the current Santa Claus is actually 20th in the line descended from Saint Nicholas, who reigned from 295-369 A.D., and he is serving his 70th Christmas as Santa Claus. His youngest son, Arthur, runs the letter office while his oldest son, Steve, runs mission command and is expected to take over Santa duties when his father retires. After what they believe to be another successful Christmas, one of the elves finds a misplaced present and realizes that a child has been missed. Along with the help of his Grandsanta, Arthur makes it his mission to ensure that the little girl gets her present before the sun rises on Christmas morning.

Arthur is the only one left in his family that has not been jaded by their family business. He tries very hard to keep the Christmas spirit alive and sometimes his decisions are a little misguided, but they always come from a place of love. The story is really sweet and it puts a new updated spin on the methods and history of Santa.

My only real complaint was when Arthur and Grandsanta are trying to get to the little girl's house they get lost a few times. I just felt like this part was a little drawn out and had a few too many "missed turns." Other than that, I thought it was very well done.

I could have done without the Justin Bieber music video, but that is not part of the actual feature. The video is shown before the movie starts and then the song plays again during the final credits. It was less creepy than his video with Mariah Carey, but still completely unnecessary.

But I digress.....

The awesome actors who lent their voices to this film include: James McAvoy, Hugh Laurie, Bill Nighy, Jim Broadbent, Imelda Staunton, Ashley Jensen, Laura Linney, Michael Palin, Joan Cusack, Robbie Coltrane, Eva Longoria, Andy Serkis and Dominic West. I could figure out most of them, but a few of the elves were a little harder because their voices were made higher and more elf-like.

Ninja Elves
Arthur Christmas at MOVIECLIPS.com

This is the only Christmas movie out this year (not including Harold and Kumar) and I think it is definitely worth seeing in the theater. It is great for the whole family and it will definitely warm your heart this holiday season!

xoxo
c
--------------------------

"Guys, we can't kidnap Jack Black. That's illegal!"

2011-12-01T13:50:00.000-05:00

There are actually no new movies in theaters this weekend, except for a few in limited release. Therefore, instead of my usual Weekend Movie Preview, I will give you my review of The Muppets, which I saw last weekend.

While I think that going to the Sunday Matinee was probably not the best idea, I really enjoyed The Muppets a lot.

Two brothers, Gary and Walter, are The Muppets biggest fans. When they take a vacation to Los Angeles and visit the Muppet Studios they are sad to learn that evil oil tycoon, Tex Richman, is planning to tear down the theater and drill for oil. They find Kermit and convince him to track down all the Muppets in order to host a telethon so they can raise the money they need to save their theater.

You cannot really critique the acting of The Muppets because they have been exactly the same since the beginning. However, in terms of the humans, Jason Segel and Amy Adams are perfect actors for a kids movie. They are both so good at playing the naively optimistic and endearingly sweet characters. I also enjoyed Chris Cooper as Tex Richman, although I could have done without him rapping :o)

Even though this is a kids movie and I think that kids will love it, many of the jokes are geared towards the adult crowd. There were mentions of Tab and New Coke and there was an '80s robot that used a dial-up modem to connect to the internet. I also enjoyed the '80s music, including the song used in the clip below. There are many other awesome references that are escaping me at this moment. I guess you will just have to see the movie in order to discover them yourself.

Of all the random cameos throughout the movie, these are my favorites: Emily Blunt playing her character from The Devil Wears Prada as Miss Piggy's receptionist at Vogue; Neil Patrick Harris answering the phones for the telethon and saying, "I'm not sure why I am not hosting;" Jack Black as Animal's anger-management sponsor and then being forced to host the telethon against his will; and Dave Grohl as the Moopets' drummer. I also really liked Jim Parsons character, but I will not give that one away :o)

Cleaning to Music
The Muppets at MOVIECLIPS.com

If you have kids, or even if you just love the Muppets, then you should definitely see this movie. It made me laugh, it made me cry, it was just all around a good time.

xoxo
c
-------------------------------------------

"No measure of time with you will be long enough, but we'll start with forever."

2011-11-28T13:52:00.000-05:00

I was expecting the new Twilight movie to be pretty bad, considering the first three were not that fantastic, but Breaking Dawn was more awful than even I could have predicted. I was not a huge fan of the first movie, but the second and third just seemed to be getting a little better each time. I was, therefore, hoping that this four installment would be even better than the first three. Boy, was I wrong.

This fourth movie picks up the day before Edward and Bella's wedding. We see the ceremony and the reception before they head to Buenos Aires and then a private island for their honeymoon. Bella becomes unexpectedly pregnant but with what, no one can say for certain. The vampires are afriad that the baby is killing Bella from the inside and the wolves are afraid of the unknown creature she is carrying. Jacob must decide whether to side with his pack or side with the vampires and protect Bella's life.

The acting was about the same as usual. No vast improvements in anyone's performances, but nothing too horrible either. I would also say that the dialogue was exactly what you would expect from the first three movies, except that it was a little funnier. It has been a while since I watched them, but I do not really remember the first three movies having very many funny moments. However, Breaking Dawn included a few good lines from Charlie, Jacob and Emmett.

And now on to my major complaints.....

Most of the things that annoyed me from the first three movies were not fixed in this one either. The issues mainly being that the dialogue is not well written and the scenes are too choppy. However, there were a few extra things in this installment that just really irked me.

I realize that wolves talking to each other telepathically and imprinting is a hard thing to portray in a movie, but both scenes were just so poorly done. I could not help but roll my eyes and I had to try very hard to keep myself from laughing out loud in the theater. I am not sure how you would go about making these scenes better, but then again, that is not my job. They were just trying too hard to make these moments so serious that it had the opposite effect for me and they became corny.

Another big issue that I had was that the use of the music was way overused. It got to the point where there was a song or the score playing for so much of the movie that in scenes were there was no music, it felt eerily quiet and awkward. Music should be used to enhance a few specific scenes, not play throughout the entire movie and distract you from the actors' performances. I have no problem with the specific song choices, just their placement and volume throughout the film. This is not something I had noticed in previous movies.

We Need More Blood
The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn - Part 1 at MOVIECLIPS.com

I was just so disappointed by this movie. Like I said, I did not expect it to be anything fantastic, but I did hope to at least enjoy it. Unless you have a really strong desire to see this right now, I would definitely tell you to just skip it and wait for it to come out on DVD. It is not worth the money to see it in the theater.

xoxo
c
-----------------------------------------

"It's time to play the music, it's time to light the lights...."

2011-11-21T20:52:00.001-05:00

Since it is Thanksgiving week, all the new movies out this weekend start Wednesday. I am therefore doing my Weekend Movie Preview a few days early.

The new movies that are out this weekend are: Hugo, The Muppets and Arthur Christmas.

Arthur Christmas is an animated movie about Santa's youngest son. The night of Christmas, Arthur must use his father's high-tech operation for an urgent mission that must be completed before Christmas morning. The characters are voiced by James McAvoy, Bill Nighy, Hugh Laurie, Imelda Staunton, Ashley Jensen, Laura Linney, Eva Longoria, Michael Palin, Robbie Coltrain, Joan Cusack, Andy Serkis, Dominic West and Jim Broadbent as Santa.

Trailer #3
Arthur Christmas at MOVIECLIPS.com

In order to save their old theater from a greedy oil tycoon, Tex Richman, The Muppets must reunite with the help of their three biggest fans. They plan to stage The Greatest Muppet Telethon Ever in order to raise $10 million. Along with Kermit, Miss Piggy and the rest of The Muppets, this movie also stars Jason Segel, Amy Adams, Chris Cooper, Rashida Jones, Alan Arkin, Zach Galifianakis, Ken Jeong, Jim Parson, Jack Black, Rico Rodriguez, Kristen Schaal, Sarah Silverman, Donald Glover, Whoopi Goldberg, Selena Gomez, Neil Patrick Harris and Mickey Rooney.

Trailer #3
The Muppets at MOVIECLIPS.com

Hugo is set in 1930s Paris and is about an orphan boy secretly living in the walls of a train station. With the help of a broken machine, an eccentric girl and the man who runs the toy shop, Hugo learns of his late father's mystery. It was directed by Martin Scorcese and stars Asa Butterfield, Chloe Moretz, Emily Mortimer, Ray Winstone, Christopher Lee, Richard Griffiths, Jude Law, Helen McCrory, Michael Stuhlbarg, Sacha Baron Cohen and Sir Ben Kingsley.

Trailer #1
Hugo at MOVIECLIPS.com

Also in limited release this weekend are: My Week With Marilyn, A Dangerous Method and The Artist.

All of these movies are actually getting really good reviews, so any of them would be a great choice this weekend. I will most likely be seeing The Muppets first, but am also interested in seeing Arthur Christmas, My Week With Marilyn and The Artist.

xoxo
c
----------------------------

"I'm moving up the food chain! I'm gonna go chew on something that has a face!"

2011-11-17T15:05:00.000-05:00

The movies that are in theaters this weekend are: The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn - Part 1, Happy Feet Two and The Descendants.

The Descendants is about a man who tries to reconnect with his two daughters when his wife slips into a coma after a boating accident off Waikiki. It comes from the creators of Sideways and About Schmidt, and it stars George Clooney, Shailene Woodley, Amara Miller, Beau Bridges, Rob Huebel, Judy Greer and Matthew Lillard.

Happy Feet Two returns us to the Emperor Penguins of Anatartica, but this time in 3D. Mumble's son, Erik, is reluctant to dance but soon finds a new role model in a flying penguin called The Mighty Sven. However, Mumble soon has bigger problems when their world is shaken by powerful forces. All the different kinds of penguins must band together to put things right. The movie features the voices of Elijah Wood, Robin Williams, P!nk, Common, Sofia Vergara, Hugo Weaving, Hank Azaria, Anthony LaPaglia, Matt Damon and Brad Pitt.

Trailer #3
Happy Feet 2 in 3D at MOVIECLIPS.com

In the next chapter of The Twilight Saga, Breaking Dawn, finds Edward and Bella getting married and going on their honeymoon, only to find that the still human Bella is pregnant. The unexpected child brings threats from the nearby Quileute wolfpack and the Volturi vampire coven who govern the vampire world. The returning cast includes Kristen Stewart, Robert Pattinson, Taylor Lautner, Billy Burke, Sarah Clarke, Peter Facinelli, Elizabeth Reaser, Gil Birmingham, Kellan Lutz, Ashley Greene, Jackson Rathbone, Nikki Reed, Anna Kendrick, Jamie Campbell Bower and Michael Sheen.

Trailer #2
The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn - Part 1 at MOVIECLIPS.com

I have read the Twilight books and have seen the first three movies so I will probably see this fourth one at some point even though, along with the first three, I am not expecting very much. Happy Feet Two is also not getting great reviews, but is probably entertaining enough if you are planning to take your kids. However, if you want to see a good movie this weekend, then I would suggest going with Clooney's The Descendants.

Also in limited release are: Tyrannosaur, The Lie, Another Happy Day and Tomboy.

xoxo
c
--------------------------------

"The Gods have given me vision. I cannot change the future. You can."

2011-11-15T13:37:00.000-05:00

Even though it did not get great reviews, I went to see Immortals on Friday. I am a fan of Henry Cavill and the special effects intrigued me. I left the movie thinking that it was not that bad and actually pretty entertaining, but the more I think about it, the more holes I find.

Long ago, after a mythic battle, the Gods imprisoned the Titans within Mount Tartarus never again to be released. Now King Hyperion and his massive armies have begun to ravage Greece in search of the one power that can release the Titans, the Epirus bow. Unleashing the Titans would be the end of Mankind and they would destroy the Gods. However, the Gods are not supposed to intervene in Man's affairs. Although, Zeus has chosen Theseus, a bastard and outcast in his village, to lead the people against Hyperion's army.

That is the simplest explanation of the plot, the whole thing is a bit complicated. The storyline and the writing needed a little help to keep everything a litte more coherent. However, the acting and the special effects were great. Even though I am not a fan of 3D, I felt like a movie based on special effects should probably be seen with ALL of its effects. I am not sure that it enhanced the movie for me, but it certainly did not take anything away from it.

Some of the plot points irked me a little bit. I realize that it is a movie mostly geared toward men and they have to throw a hot girl in there so the guys get passed the fact that they are watching other half naked men for two hours. That being said, Freida Pinto's character had no purpose. She plays the Virgin Oracle and, while her vision of Theseus sort of jump-starts his journey, she does not really do much else. I like Freida Pinto and this is in no way a critisism of her acting, but her role was predictable and I did not feel that it added anything to the storyline.

You also have this weird plot where Zeus tells the other Gods not to intervene in man's affairs, even though he himself has chosen Theseus to lead the people. He gets mad when they inevitably do intervene and tells Theseus that unless the Titans are unleashed the Gods will no longer assist them. So you know what is going to happen then...[spoiler alert]...the Titans are released. It just seemed really back and forth and I did not feel the dramatic impact that I think the filmmakers were hoping for. Some of the dialogue could have been written a little better and the storyline did not need to be so complicated.

I cannot imagine what it is like to act in one of these movies where most of the background and effects are added in after the fact. I think the performances were solid. Henry Cavill lived up to my normal expectations and I cannot wait to see him in the new Superman. In terms of some of the other actors, I have not seen Luke Evans in anything else. He has been in Clash of the Titans, Robin Hood and, most recently, The Three Musketeers. However, I enjoyed him as Zeus and look forward to seeing him in The Hobbit next year. Mickey Rourke, on the other hand, I am just not a fan of in general. I think he is a very one dimensional actor and did not bring anything original to the role. Kellan Lutz's performance was also pretty one dimensional, but I think that can be attributed more to the lack of depth in the writing than to his acting abilities. Aside from Zeus, the rest of the Gods in general did not have much going on in terms of character development.

All that being said, it is first and foremost an action movie and I definitely enjoyed the fight scenes. They were well done and very entertaining and I do not really know what else to say about that :o)

As a whole, they tried to do too much in a short amount of time and it did not really work. If you are only seeing this movie because of the special effects or, for the ladies, all the hot bodies, then you will certainly get your money's worth. Otherwise, I would skip this one in the theaters. It breaks my heart to say that, because I adore Henry Cavill, but it is not really worth the time.

xoxo
c
--------------------------------

"He does not fear danger. He fears only the failure to defend his freedom."

2011-11-10T11:27:00.000-05:00

The big movies in theaters this weekend are: Immortals, Jack and Jill and J. Edgar.

J. Edgar Hoover was the face of law enforcement in the United States for almost fifty years. In public, he was feared and respected but in private, he had many secrets. This movie take a look at his private life and those secrets he so desperately tried to keep hidden. J.Edgar was directed by Clint Eastwood and stars Leonardo DiCaprio. It also contains a great supporting cast, including: Naomi Watts, Ed Westwick, Christian Clemenson, Geoff Stults, Armie Hammer, Jeffrey Donovan, Dermot Mulroney, Josh Lucas, Stephen Root, Lea Thompson, Amanda Schull, Jessica Hecht, Jordan Bridges and Dame Judi Dench.

Trailer #1
J. Edgar at MOVIECLIPS.com

Jack and Jill stars Adam Sandler and....Adam Sandler as identical twins. Jack Sadelstein dreads one holiday more than any other and that is Thanksgiving. That is when his annoying sister, Jill, always comes to visit and his life quickly becomes chaotic. Aside from Sandler, this movie also stars Katie Holmes, David Spade, Nick Swardson, Tim Meadows, Dana Carvey, Rob Schneider, Norm MacDonald, Geoff Pierson, Allen Covert and Al Pacino as himself.

Trailer #1
Jack and Jill at MOVIECLIPS.com

Based on Greek Mythology, Immortals is the story of King Hyperion and his army who are destroying Greece to find the lost Bow of Epirius so that they can free the Titans from their prison at Tartarus. Humanity's only hope is a peasant named Theseus who has vowed to avenge the death of his mother after one of Hyperion's raids. Chosen by Zeus and with the help of the priestess Phaedra and a small band of followers, Thesues embraces his destiny in order to save his homelands and the Gods. This movie stars Henry Cavill, Freida Pinto, Kellan Lutz, Stephen Dorff, Luke Evans, John Hurt, Joseph Morgan and Mickey Rourke.

Trailer #1
Immortals at MOVIECLIPS.com

My choice for this weekend is Immortals, and not just because I love Henry Cavill, but because the other two just do not interest me. From what I have read so far about J. Egar, DiCaprio's performance is stellar, but the rest of the film just falls short. I also do not know how Adam Sandler is still allowed to make movies because they just seem to get more and more stupid.

Also in limited release this weekend is: Melancholia, London Boulevard, Into the Abyss, Tropa de Elite 2 - O Inimigo Agora É Outro, and 11-11-11.

xoxo
c
-----------------------------------

"He's slower than a fat man encased in concrete being drug backwards."

2011-11-08T19:14:00.000-05:00

After missing it when it was in theaters, I finally got around to watching Secretariat yesterday afternoon on Netflix.

The movie is based on the true story of Penny Chenery Tweedy and her horse, Secretariat. Her family owned Meadow Farm and when he mother passed away, her father was in such horrible health that Penny decided to take over the farm. She bred Secretariat and in 1972, he was named American Horse of the Year. The following year, he won the Kentucky Derby, Belmont Stakes and Preakness to be the first horse in 25 years to win the Triple Crown. He is the only horse to ever grace the covers of Time, Newsweek or Sports Illustrated.

The movie was made by Disney, which means there is a hokey quality to it where there are no surprises, but that does not take away from the fun of the movie. Personally, I am a fan of other movies of this nature, such as: Miracle, The Rookie and Remember the Titans. There is witty and heartfelt dialogue, but nothing that is going to win any awards.

In terms of the acting in this film, I am not a huge fan of Diane Lane in general, but she suited the roleof Penny just fine. I also found Dylan Walsh to be quite dull as her husband, Jack Tweedy. However, I did think that Margo Martindale and John Malkovich were great in the respective roles as Miss Ham and Lucien Laurin, especially in their scenes together. They made me laugh a lot.

He's Not a Racehorse
Secretariat at MOVIECLIPS.com

For movies about horses, I would say that Seabiscuit is better all around. However, if you are simply looking for a fun, lighthearted, uplifting movie, then you should check out Secretariat. You know the story, you know how it ends but it still makes you feel good.

xoxo
c
--------------------------------

"No matter how powerful, all curses can be broken."

2011-11-04T20:19:00.000-04:00

It has been a busy couple of weeks, but I have finally caught up on all of my television shows. I have to say, I do not think I am watching as much this season as previously. Even though I have tried more new shows than usual, I am just being pickier about the shows I watch now.

One show that I am still enjoying is The Walking Dead. The first three episodes have been as fantastic and as disgusting as ever. I watched the first season, which was only six episodes, shortly after they aired on AMC last fall. While I am normally not a zombie person, I actually really enjoyed it. It is definitely different than anything else on televsion and the writing is really good. This second season has been just as good as the first, so far. I can deal with the gore because the storylines and acting are SO GOOD. Although, I really did not need the scene in the premiere where they cut the stomach out of a dead zombie. It almost made me vomit.

I have not figured out yet whether or not I like Once Upon A Time. I think that the plot of the show is interesting and I have no problem with the acting, I just think the dialogue is a little cheesy. I realize that fairytale dialogue usually is cheesy, but you would think they could upgrade it a little for the show. I will give it another episode or so before I make a final decision. Grimm, on the other hand, is not making the list. I watched the first episode and, while I thought it was an interesting concept, I just did not really like the show.

Another show that is definitely not making the list is American Horror Story. I have now watched the first four episodes and I will not be watching anymore. I really wanted to like it, but it is just too weird for me. I do not even think it is scary, just weird. I am also giving up on Revenge. I do not really understand why all the critics are so obsessed with it. I find the "Count of Monte Cristo" theme to be interesting, but I just cannot get into this show. I do not think the acting is very good and each episode gets worse and worse. Luckily, Top Chef: Texas has just started so that will fill my Wednesdays at 10pm time slot :o)

Premiere dates for the mid-season television shows are starting to get announced, so I will be updating my list as they become available. I have checked out a fair number of new shows this year, but are there any that I missed that you think I should be watching? Please let me know!

xoxo

-----------------------------

"I will blow your face clean off your face!"

2011-11-03T13:33:00.000-04:00

The two big movies coming out this weekend are: Tower Heist and A Very Harold & Kumar 3D Christmas.

A Very Harold & Kumar Christmas comes six years after their Guantanamo Bay adventure. In this 3D installment, Harold and Kumar cause a Christmas disaster when they accidentally burn down Harold's father-in-law's prize Christmas tree. Even though they have grown apart over the years, the join together again to try and find the perfect replacement. Along with John Cho, Kal Penn and, of course, Neil Patrick Harris, this movie also stars Patton Oswalt, Danny Trejo, Thomas Lennon, Jake Johnson, David Krumholtz and Paula Garces.

Trailer #1
A Very Harold & Kumar Christmas at MOVIECLIPS.com

In Tower Heist, a group of hard working guys fall victim to their wealthy boss's Ponzi scheme. In order to get back the money stolen from their pensions, they conspire with the rest of the staff to rob his high-rise residence. This movie stars Eddie Murphy, Ben Stiller, Matthew Broderick, Casey Affleck, Tea Leoni, Michael Pena, Gabourey Sidibe, Judd Hirsch, Jessica Szohr and Alan Alda.

Trailer #1
Tower Heist at MOVIECLIPS.com

Both of these movies seem mildly interesting but I will probably wait until I can rent them. I have seen the first Harold & Kumar, but not the second and, while the 3D on this actually seems like it might make it more entertaining, I do not feel like I need to see this in theaters.

Also in limited release this weekend are: The Son of No One, Killing Bono and Goethe!

xoxo
c
--------------------------------

"Can't you at least pretend to be scared?"

2011-10-31T20:13:00.000-04:00

Another weekend that lacked any new movies I wanted to see and an unexpected snow storm meant I was able to catch up on DVDs I had not yet had a chance to watch. As a fan of Taylor Kitch on Friday Night Lights, I decided to check out his most recent film, The Bang Bang Club.

The Bang Bang Club is based on the true story of four South African photojournalists who captured the last days of apartheid, from when Nelson Mandela was released from jail to the 1994 election, on film: Kevin Carter, Greg Marinovich, Ken Oosterbroek and Joao Silva. It is based on the autographical book by Silva and Marinovich called The Bang-Bang Club: Snapshots from a Hidden War. The film premiered at the Toronto Film Festival in 2010 but was only ever in limited release in theaters.

The story was very moving. It did not give you a whole lot of background on the characters, but you get a glimpse of how they experienced the violence in South Africa between 1990 and 1994. These four guys are basically the way that the rest of the world knew exactly was going on in this country at the time. During this period, two of them won Pulitzer Prizes for their work. Unfortunately, also during this period, two of them lost their lives - one while taking pictures during a firefight and the other took his own life.

The South African accents took a little getting used to, but the performances by Taylor Kitsch, Ryan Phillippe and Malin Akerman were great. I also really enjoyed newcomers Frank Rautenbach and Neels Van Jaarsveld. My only real complaint was that they tried to cover several years in a short amount of time, so it often felt as if it jumped around a little too much. Some scenes were one day after another and then it would go ahead a couple months.

The story itself is pretty incredible. These guys put their lives in danger on a daily basis so that they could capture the images that no one else could. They got in the middle of fights and went into parts of the county that most people avoided because of the violence. They did not take sides politically but simply captured the images of what was happening.

A Thing of Beauty

The Bang Bang Club at MOVIECLIPS.com

If you know everything there is to know about apartheid, or even if you know nothing at all, this movie is a must see. I would not say that it is the best movie I have ever seen, but the story is one that everyone should know and it is told in a very compelling way.

xoxo

PS. I have included the actual Pulitzer Prize winning photos by Greg Marinovich and Kevin Carter here:

Photo by Kevin Carter in Sudan

Photo by Greg Marinovich in South Africa

------------------------------

"No one should be immortal if even one person has to die."

2011-10-27T15:53:00.000-04:00

The big movies in theaters this weekend are: Puss in Boots, In Time, and The Rum Diary.

Based on the book by Hunter S. Thompson, The Rum Diary is about an American journalist, named Paul Kemp, who takes a freelance assignment for a newspaper in Puerto Rico in the 1950s. While there, he struggles to find a balance between island culture and the expatriates who live there. The cast includes Johnny Depp, Aaron Eckhart, Michael Rispoli, Amber Heard, Giovanni Ribisi and Richard Jenkins.

Trailer #2
The Rum Diary at MOVIECLIPS.com

Puss in Boots is a prequel to the Shrek movies and we see Puss before he meets Shrek and Donkey. He founds out that Jack and Jill, two murderous outlaws, have discovered an ancient power that can destroy the world. He set out with his friend Humpty Dumpty on his most dangerous journey ever. The charachters in this movie are voiced by Antonio Banderas, Salma Hayek, Zach Galifianakis, Billy Bob Thornton, Amy Sedaris, Constance Marie and Guillermo del Torro.

Trailer #3
Puss in Boots at MOVIECLIPS.com

In Time is set in a future where time literally is money and nobody lives past the age of 26. When Will Salas, played by Justin Timberlake, is accused of murder and on the run with a hostage, he must find a way to take down the system which allows the wealthy to live forever. Along with Timberlake, this movie stars Amanda Seyfried, Cillian Murphy, Matt Bomer, Olivia Wilde, Johnny Galecki, Alex Pettyfer and Vincent Kartheiser.

Trailer #1
In Time at MOVIECLIPS.com

While In Time and The Rum Diary are not getting horrible reviews, they are also not getting great reviews. Puss In Boots is doing the best but, as I stopped seeing the Shrek movies after number two, I will probably not be seeing this. However, if you have kids, this is probably a good choice for this weekend.

Also in limited release this weekend are: Anonymous, 13, The Double, Like Crazy and Janie Jones.

xoxo
c
------------------------------

"To me, being perfect is not about that scoreboard out there. It's not about winning....

2011-10-26T22:39:00.000-04:00

It's about you and your relationship to yourself, your family and your friends. Being perfect is about being able to look your friends in the eye and know that you didn't let them down because you told them the truth. And that truth is you did everything that you could, there wasn't one more thing you could've done. Can you live in that moment as best you can, with clear eyes, and love in your heart? With joy in your heart. If you can do that gentlemen, then you're perfect."
-------------------------

The Philadelphia Film Festival is going on from now until Monday, November 3rd and last night I got the opportunity to see the film Friday Night Lights. After the screening, there was a Q&A with director Peter Berg and H.G. "Buzz" Bissinger, who wrote the book on which the movie was based, moderated by WIP radio host Glen Macnow. I thought I would share some of this experience with you.

I have to say, and I think I have said this before, I did not like the movie the first time I saw it. I watched it when I was in college and I just do not think that my taste in movies at the time was developed enough to enjoy it, if that makes any sense. And, even though I knew that it was based on a true story, the ending really irritated me at the time. I liked the movie much better after the second viewing. Knowing how it ended and understanding the pace and tone of the film from having watched the TV show really helped a lot. It is not your typical light-hearted sports movie, it is actually more realistic and genuine. If you have not already seen it, I highly recommend checking it out because it excellent.

If you are a fan of the TV show but have not seen the movie, you will see a few cameos. For starters, Connie Britton plays the coach's wife in both, although they are different characters. You also see Brad Leland aka Buddy Garrity as one of the Boosters and Timothy F. Crowley aka Coach Crowley as one of the referees in the championship game.

During the Q&A after the film, Berg and Bissinger talked about a number of things, including the potential new Friday Night Lights movie. To clarify for those of you who do not know, the original movie is based on the book with all the real names of people in Odessa, Texas. The TV show is based on the movie and has a few similar storylines, but uses completely different characters and takes place in the fictional town of Dillon, Texas. The new movie would be about Coach Eric Taylor and his wife Tami from the TV show and pick up where the show left off. Berg explained that a script is being written by Jason Katims, but that is no guarantee a movie will actually be made.

They talked about how Bissinger did a lot of research on the town of Odessa, and the state of Texas in general, for the book and Berg did even more for the movie. When the book came out in 1990, it did not go over well with everyone in Odessa and Buzz even got a few death threats. However, both men explained that it was not their intention to make fun of people or make them look stupid, they simply wanted to capture the culture of Texas Football which, from what I can tell, they definitely accomplished.

Bissinger also talked about how out of control fame in this country has gotten. One of the football players that is featured in the movie, James "Boobie" Miles, was a star player in high school, which means he had his homework done for him, he was given the answers to all his tests and he was even paid by the Boosters for every game in which he played. When he did not get the chance to play football in college, he had absolutely nothing else to fall back on because no one even cared that he never learned how to read. Over the past 20 years, Miles has been in and out of prison, cannot hold down a job but, because he was portrayed in this movie, still gets asked for his autograph when walking through the mall.

Berg and Bissinger were both smart and interesting and had a lot to say about their crafts. One thing that I did not know was that they are actually cousins. Their dynamic was really funny and they mostly made fun of each other all night. Bissinger even joked that if Berg was not in show business he would probably be in jail. Berg is currently working on re-shoots for his upcoming movie Battleship and Bissinger has a new book called Father's Day that is coming out soon. It was a great night and I am really grateful that I got a chance to be there.

Unforunately, I do not think I will have time to see any of the other festival films, but if you do, please let me know what you saw and what you thought of it!

xoxo

c
--------------------------------

"This country was built on bandanas!"

2011-10-24T20:12:00.000-04:00

None of the new movies out this weekend was particularly appealing to me. I think I will eventually see The Mighty Macs, but it is not on the top of my list. There are few other movies that have been out for a while that I would like to see first. One of those movies was the Footloose remake, which I saw yesterday.

For those of you born after the 80's or for some unknown reason have never seen the original, this movie is about Ren McCormick, who moves from Boston, Massachusetts to Bomont, Georgia to live with his aunt and uncle after his mother dies. When he gets to Bomont he learns that dancing in public and playing loud music are illegal. Ren challenges the law and in-turn makes an enemy of the local pastor, Reverend Shaw Moore, while simultaneously falling for the pastor's daughter, Ariel.

It has been a while since I have seen the original starring Kevin Bacon, but I really enjoyed the new version. It was a lot of fun. They really tried to reinvent the moments you love from the first movie without trying too hard to copy them exactly. While the dialogue was a little corny at times, I think they really captured the spirit of the original movie.

I was pleasantly surprised by the acting ability of Julianne Hough and really enjoyed newcomer Kenny Wormald. Miles Teller as Willard, Ren's best friend, was hilarious and super adorable. Ray McKinnon and Kim Dickens played Ren's aunt and uncle and were both on Deadwood. Dickens was also on Friday Night Lights and McKinnon is currently on Sons of Anarchy. I enjoy them a lot as actors and they were great in this movie as well. (If only Linc Potter was as amicable as Wes Warnicker.) Dennis Quaid and Andie MacDowell, on the other hand, often get on my nerves. They are not bad actors, just a little over-rated, in my opinion.

Random side note: as a Presbyterian, I found it particularly interesting that Reverend Moore was a Presbyterian minister. I do not remember if he was in the original movie. I will have to look into that.

I am a sucker for dance movies, regardless of how cheesy the storyline is. Dancing was always one of those things that I was just never really good at. I have a sense of rhythm, but no coordination, so I am envious of people who can dance really well and pick up steps easily. It is one of my goals in life to learn how to country line dance, which is why I particularly loved this scene:

Country Line Dancing
Footloose at MOVIECLIPS.com

If you go into the movie thinking that it can never compare to the original, then it probably never will and you should just skip it. But if you go into it with an open mind and a desire to be entertained, then it will do just that, entertain you.

What more can I say? I really enjoyed it. It made me want to get up out of my seat and dance :o)

xoxo
c
-------------------------

"This is so unlady-like"

2011-10-20T20:39:00.000-04:00

The movies out in theaters this weekend are: The Mighty Macs, Paranormal Activity 3, The Three Musketeers and Johnny English Reborn.

In the newest version of The Three Musketeers, young D'Artagnan joins forces with three former legendary Musketeers to defeat a beautiful double agent, Milady de Winter, and her evil employers, the Duke of Buckingham and Cardinal Richelieu. Buckingham and Richelieu are trying to take over the French throne and start a European war. It stars Christoph Waltz, Orlando Bloom, Milla Jovovich, Logan Lerman, Luke Evans, Matthew MacFayden and Ray Stevenson.

Trailer #2
The Three Musketeers at MOVIECLIPS.com

The Mighty Macs is based on the true story of the 1971-72 Immaculata College women's basketball team. They started out as nobodys and, with the help of the nuns, eventually won a national champship and went on to become the first dynasty in women's college basketball. Their coach, Cathy Rush, became immortalized when she was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. The movie was filmed in Philadelphia and stars Carla Gugino, Ellen Burstyn, Marley Shelton, Phyllis Somerville, and, philly native, David Boreanaz.

Trailer #1
The Mighty Macs at MOVIECLIPS.com

Johnny English Reborn brings Rowan Atkinson's Johnny English out of retirement to bring down international assassins who are trying to kill the Chinese premier. This is a sequel to the 2003 film, Johnny English, and along with Atkinson, stars Pierce Brosnan, Rosamund Pike, Dominic West, Gillian Anderson, Richard Schiff and Tim McInnerny.

Trailer #2
Johnny English Reborn at MOVIECLIPS.com

Paranormal Activity 3 is a prequel to the first two films set in 1988. It is about two young sisters, Katie and Kristi, who are stalked by a demon that resides in their home. It stars Katie Featherstone, Sprague Grayden, Chloe Csengery, Jessica Tyler Brown and Christopher Nicholas Smith. (Sprague Grayden being the only one of those names that I actually recognize.)

Trailer #2
Paranormal Activity 3 at MOVIECLIPS.com

Paranormal Activity has been getting the best reviews of the bunch, but is the least likely to be seen by me this weekend. Mighty Macs is not getting great reviews, but looks really cute and inspiring. None of these really makes me want to run to the theater to see it, but if I see anything it will probably be Mighty Macs.

Also in limited release this weekend is: Martha Marcy May Marlene, Being Elmo: A Puppeteer's Journey, Margin Call, Revenge of the Electric Car, Le Havre, Norman, Elevate and Glitch in the Grid.

xoxo
c
----------------------

"All the reporters love you. Even the reporters that hate you still love you."

2011-10-17T20:01:00.000-04:00

It took me a little longer than planned, but I finally saw The Ides of March and it was totally worth the wait.

Ryan Gosling plays Stephen Meyers, a press secretary for Democratic Presidential primary candidate, Governor Mike Morris, played by George Clooney. He takes a meeting with the opposition's Chief of Staff Tom Duffy, played by Paul Giamatti, and everything starts to fall apart after that. He finds out that his friend and candidate is not as perfect as he once thought that that sometimes you have play dirty to stay in the game.

Along with starring in the film, Clooney also co-wrote and directed it. We also see Philip Seymour Hoffman as Morris's Chief of Staff Paul Zara, Evan Rachel Wood as Meyers' love interest Molly Stearns and Marisa Tomei as journalist Ida Horowicz. It is based on the play, Farragut North, by Beau Willimon which was loosely based on the 2004 Howard Dean campaign.

This movie was fantastic and a definite must-see, and I am not just saying that because I have an unhealthy obsession with Ryan Gosling. You watch how and why this idealistic young political staffer goes from being the "big guy on campus," as he is referred to at one point in the film, to the guy who no one will touch and how he deals with that. What are you willing to do to your friends and what compromises are you willing to make in order to do the thing that you love?

Make it Mandatory
The Ides of March at MOVIECLIPS.com

I would not say that the ideas in the movie are all that different or surprising, but the writing is so good and it is so well-acted that you can easily ignore the cliches. It was intriguing and very well made.

xoxo
c
----------------------

"Gettin' knocked up and kidnapped kinda wipes the slate clean."

2011-10-14T15:18:00.000-04:00

Sadly, my beloved Philadelphia Phillies have made an early exit from the post season. The only good thing about this is that I do not have to worry about catching up on all my TV shows because I am not watching any more playoff games, watching any baseball is just too heartbreaking :o(

But I digress...

Last week, I checked out American Horror Story on FX and I am not really sure what to say about this new show. Parts of it were interesting and parts of it were just weird. I cannot tell where the plot is going or how they are going to make an entire season out of it. I have not yet watched this week's episode, but I will give it another chance before I stop watching, if only because I really like Connie Britton and Dylan McDermott. As we all know, horror is not my thing, but if the story and acting are good, I might be able to enjoy this regardless.

Against my better judgement, and mostly only because I could fit it onto my DVR, I also tried to watch Last Man Standing, starring Tim Allen. I could not even get through the first episode. I made it to the first commercial break and then I had to turn it off.

As expected, I am loving the new seasons of Parenthood, The Vampire Diaries and Sons of Anarchy. In fact, Tuesday night's episode of Sons of Anarchy totally blew my mind. I am ridiculously excited to see what Kurt Sutter does with the rest of this season.

And I think I can now officially say that Prime Suspect is my favorite new show of the season. Maria Bello is fantastic as New York City Detective Jane Timoney. I especially love the scenes when she is antagonizing the ex-wife of her boyfriend, played by Kenny Johnson. I also enjoy the other detectives in her office played by Kirk Acevedo and Tim Griffin because they make me laugh a lot. I can also now say that New Girl, starring Zooey Deschanel, is my favorite new comedy and I am a little sad that it will not return until November because of the MLB playoffs.

Hart of Dixie and Ringer are growing on me, although neither one is super fantastic, and I have also enjoyed Revenge thus far. I am still on the fence about Suburgatory. The second episode was better than the first, but I am not completely sold. I am sad that Free Agents was cancelled, because I really enjoyed it, but I am not surprised about The Playboy Club. I have stopped watching A Gifted Man because, while the premise was interesting and I like Patrick Wilson, the episodes were boring.

This Sunday is the season premiere of The Walking Dead, which I am excited about. I also plan to check out Grimm and Once Upon A Time when they premiere later this month.

What new shows are you enjoying this fall? Is there anything I should be watching that I am not? Please let me know!

xoxo

------------------------------------

"They're men, dear. If they ever stop competing, they die."

2011-10-13T16:08:00.000-04:00

The new movies coming out this weekend are: Footloose, The Big Year, The Thing and Fireflies in the Garden.

In Fireflies in the Garden, Julia Roberts plays the matriarch of The Taylor family. Decades after leaving college to raise her family, she goes back to school and on the day of her graduation, dies in a devastating car accident. The film is about how the family deals with the tragedy and shows us how even a family that looks perfect from the outside is often not-so-perfect on the inside. Along with Roberts, it stars Willem Dafoe, Ryan Reynolds, Emily Watson, Carrie-Anne Moss Ioan Gruffudd and Hayden Panettiere.

Trailer #1
Fireflies in the Garden at MOVIECLIPS.com

The Thing is a prequel to the 1982 film by John Carpenter of the same name. It is about a paleontologist working in Antarctica who discovers an alien spacecraft with a seemingly dead organism inside. When the creature comes alive, she must join with the others in her crew to keep it from killing them all one by one. It stars Mary Elizabeth Winstead, Joel Edgerton, Eric Christian Olsen, Ulrich Thomsen and Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje.

Trailer #1
The Thing at MOVIECLIPS.com

Starring Steve Martin, Owen Wilson and Jack Black, The Big Year is about three men who decide to dedicate a year of their lives to living out their dreams. They do this by setting out on a quest to outdo each other by finding the most species of birds in North America. It also stars Rosamund Pike, JoBeth Williams, John Cleese, Kevin Pollak, Joel McHale and Paul Campbell.

Trailer #1
The Big Year at MOVIECLIPS.com

Footloose is a remake of the 1984 classic starring Kevin Bacon. Ren McCormick moves from big-city Boston to small-town Bomont and is surprised to learn that in his new home dancing and listening to loud music are against the law. Ren challenges the local reverend, Shaw Moore, to reverse the ban and in the process falls in love with his daughter, April. This remake stars Kenny Wormald, Dennis Quaid, Julianne Hough, Andie McDowell, Ray McKinnon, Miles Teller and Kim Dickens.

Trailer #1
Footloose at MOVIECLIPS.com

None of these movies is getting fantastic reviews, but Footloose seems to be the best of the bunch. It is also the movie that I am most likely to see.

Also in limited release this weekend are: La piel que habito, Texas Killing Fields, Trespass and Father of Invention.

xoxo
c
----------------------------

"You got me an old dog?"

2011-10-10T19:55:00.000-04:00

Based on the true story of and written by Will Reiser, 50/50 is about a 29 year old guy named Adam who goes to the doctor because of back pain and finds out that he has a tumor and must undergo chemotherapy. It is about the way the he deals with his cancer and how the people around him react to his cancer. His best friend uses it to try and get girls, his girlfriend cannot deal with the pressure of being a caregiver and cheats on him, and his mother wants to move in with him.

I enjoyed the movie, but it was not as funny as I was expecting it to be. There were funny lines throughout the whole movie, but it was actually quite depressing at times. I would characterize is more as amusing than funny. However, it was well written and a very moving story.

I am not sure that anyone besides Joseph Gordon-Levitt could have pulled off the dark humor as well. Similar to his character in (500) Days of Summer, he is good at making light of typically sad situations, but can also transition very easily into more serious scenes.

In addition to Gordon-Levitt, Anna Kendrick, Bryce Dallas Howard and Angelica Huston are all excellent in their respective roles. Howard plays the girlfriend, Kenrick the young therapist that Adam goes to see and Houston is Adam's mother. Seth Rogen played Adam's best friend and, in general, I just find him to be incredibly annoying as an actor. It is something about his voice and his laugh that just really irritate me. Luckily, I was able to enjoy the movie despite him.

My only real issue with the movie was the dad with alzheimer's. I am not sure if it is one of the acurate parts of Reiser's real life story, but it just felt really out of place. The dad mostly just sat there looking goofy and I feel like it took away from the film. I just think there probably was a better way to address the situation that could have made the role not seem so forced.

Doogie Howser
50/50 at MOVIECLIPS.com

Although I expected this movie to be much funnier, I also did not cry as much as I though I might. It turns out it was a touching film that explores how humor can help anyone through any experience. To use a line used in the movie, you cannot control every situation, but you can control how you react to that situation. Some people fall apart and others do it with grace, humility and a little bit of humor.

xoxo
c
-----------------------------

"I'm either coming with you or you're fishing for your keys in the sewer."

2011-10-06T16:44:00.000-04:00

The big films in theaters this weekend are Real Steel and The Ides of March.

Real Steel is set in the future when the sport of boxing has gone high-tech and been taken over by robot boxing. Charlie, a former boxer and struggling promoter, thinks he has found a new champion in a robot he finds in the junkyard. With the help of his estranged son, Charlie teaches the robot his old moves and takes one last shot at a comeback. The film is based on the 1956 short story "Steel" by Richard Matheson and stars Hugh Jackman, Evangeline Lilly, Anthony Mackie, Kevin Durand and Hope Davis.

Trailer #2
Real Steel at MOVIECLIPS.com

The Ides of March stars Ryan Gosling, George Clooney, Paul Giamatti, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Marisa Tomei, Evan Rachel Wood and Jeffrey Wright and was also directed by Clooney. It was originally a play called "Farragut North" by Beau Willimon, which was loosly based on Howard Dean's 2004 primary campaign. The movie is about an idealistic staffer who learns about dirty politics during his first presidential campaign.

Trailer #1
The Ides of March at MOVIECLIPS.com

Both films are getting pretty good reviews and seem pretty interesting to me. I will clearly be seeing The Ides of March as soon as possible, but will also probably see Real Steel in the near future. I have to say, this has been a good movie year for my Ryan Gosling obsession :o)

Also in limited release are: The Human Centipede II, The Way, Dirty Girl and Blackthorn.

xoxo
c
-----------------------------

"He's heavy for half a guy."

2011-10-03T15:44:00.000-04:00

For the past five days I have been visiting friends in the great state of Texas and was FINALLY able to go to the Alamo Drafthouse in Austin. For those of you who do not already know, the Drafthouse is basically a movie theater where they serve you food and alcohol in your seat during the movie. They show mainstream movies, but they also show the more artsy movies and cult classics. There are several of them in Austin, but there are also locations in Houston and San Antonio, as well as in Virginia and Colorado. Going to this place was number one on my list of things I wanted to do while in Austin and it totally lived up to my expectations.

Part of it living up to my expectations was the movie that my friend and I saw, which was Tucker & Dale vs Evil, because it was awesome!

Tucker and Dale are two good intentioned hillbillies who are headed to their new vacation home. While trying to fix up their cabin, they run into a group of college students who are camping. One of the girls ends up falling into the lake and hitting her head while Tucker and Dale are fishing, so they bring her back to their cabin to fix her up. The rest of the teenagers think that these hillbillies have kidnapped their friend and plan to kill her. While trying to save her a lot of funny misunderstandings occur, including several of the teenagers accidentally killing themselves and each other. Tucker and Dale are completely baffled by what is going on around them.

I do not like scary movies, but I do like funny scary movies and this scary movie was hilarious. They reference other similar genre movies like Fargo and Deliverance, and Alan Tudyk and Tyler Labine play Tucker and Dale perfectly. It is hard to go into too much detail about the movie without giving away all the funny parts, but suffice it to say that the line, "Are you okay?" will make you laugh harder than it normally does, which is probably not at all :o)

Trailer #2
Tucker & Dale vs Evil at MOVIECLIPS.com

Although most of the college students were unknown actors, they still were great in their respective stereotypes. I especially enjoyed the blond girl who always had her giant purse with her, even while running scared through the woods. And, unless you are like me, you probably do not know who the two main actors are. Tudyk has been in Firefly/Serenity, 3:10 to Yuma and Dodgeball, and can now be seen in the new sitcom Suburgatory. While Labine has been in the shows Reaper, Sons of Tuscon and Mad Love and was most recently in the film Rise of the Planet of the Apes. Both are great and hilarious actors and they definitely deserve your attention.

I am not sure if this is playing in every city yet, but I do know that it is available OnDemand. It did really well at the South by Southwest festival last year, but for some reason was not released until recently. Whether you watch it at home or wait for it to come to a theater near you, I highly recommend that you see this movie. It is not going to win any Academy Awards but it is definitely entertaining.

xoxo
c
------------------------------------

"That girl doesn't exist. If she did, I'd be sleeping with her."

2011-09-29T08:14:00.000-04:00

The big movies in theaters this weekend are 50/50, Dream House and What's Your Number?

What's Your Number? stars Anna Faris and Chris Evans. Anna plays a woman who goes back through all previous nineteen guys she has dated in her life to see if maybe one of them is her one true love. Some of the actors player her past boyfriends include: Joel McHale, Chris Pratt, Andy Samberg, Zachary Quinto, Mike Vogel, Thomas Lennon, Dave Annable and Martin Freeman. This movie looks kind of cute, but has not been getting stellar reviews.

Trailer #1
What's Your Number? at MOVIECLIPS.com

Soon after moving into their Dream House, a family learns of the horrible crime that was committed by the former owners. This movie stars Daniel Craig, Rachel Weisz and Naomi Watts. This does not look like my type of movie and I have not seen any reviews for this yet, so I am not sure what to tell you. If you like scary movies, I say go for it! :o)

Trailer #1
Dream House at MOVIECLIPS.com

In 50/50, Joseph Gordon Levitt plays a 27 year old who is diagnosed with cancer. We see how he struggles to beat the disease with the help of his best friend, played by Seth Rogen. The two of them try to enjoy life and end up with some hilarious results. This movie looks really good and is my top choice for this weekend. I just really hope he does not die in the end because that would kind of ruin the comedy aspect of the movie.

Trailer #2
50/50 at MOVIECLIPS.com

Other films in limited release this weekend are: Tucker & Dale vs Evil, Margaret, Take Shelter, Courageous and Sarah Palin: You Betcha!

xoxo
c
-----------------------------

"Better buckle up. Adventure calls."

2011-09-28T23:20:00.000-04:00

I watched a lot of television again this week, including the premieres of The Good Wife, Pan Am, Hart of Dixie, Suburgatory and Happy Endings.

Of my returning shows, the premiere of The Good Wife was so good. It started out a little slow, you were not quite sure what was going on with Will and Alicia and then BAM, the best scene happened. If you watch the show, you know what I am talking about ;o) And if you do not yet watch the show, get with the program! I cannot wait for the rest of this season. Also, the first episode of season two of Happy Endings was just as great as last season. While I do think that each character has their annoying moments, I mostly find them hilarious, or ah-mah-zing, if you will.

Pan Am was good, but there was a twist in the premise of the show that I was not expecting. There were a few too many flashbacks for my taste, but other than that I enjoyed the plot. The characters are interesting, but I need them to be developed a little bit more before I make up my mind. Christina Ricci is not my favorite actress, but I like Kelli Garner, Mike Vogel, Michael Mosley and Annabelle Wallis. The other actors I do not really know, but I am interested to see where this show goes.

I did not love the first episode of Hart of Dixie, but I think that it definitely has potential. I like the characters and the actors, I just think they need to fix a few things. For one, someone needs to remind Josh Schwartz that this is not Gossip Girl or The O.C. and he needs to tone down the music a little bit. I have no problem with the actual song choices, but when you play a song too loudly over someone's dialogue it kind of kills the mood of the scene. You are trying to portray the Deep South, the music needs to be a little more subtle, in my opinion. I also hope that the voiceover was only for the first episode and does not continue in further episodes. It kind of got annoying after a while. Like I said, I think this show has potential, but I was not completely sold by the premiere.

I am not yet sure how I feel about Suburgatory. Parts of it were funny but parts of it were just not funny. I do love that it stars Jeremy Sisto, Cheryl Hines and Alan Tudyk so I will have to wait and see on this one. Also, I did not get around to watching Terra Nova yet. I DVR'd it Monday night and was planning to watch it Tuesday, but then everyone online was talking about how bad it was so I put it off. If anyone out there has watched it and actually liked it please let me know, otherwise it might get deleted without having been watched.

Please keep me updated on all the shows you all are watching! Do you agree or disagree with my assessments? I really do want to know! There are only a few shows left to premiere but I will do my best to keep you up to date with my assessments because I know you all cannot survive without them. I also want to wish all of my Jewish friends a Happy New Year!

xoxo
c
------------------------------

DJ: What's your biggest fear?

2011-09-26T20:08:00.000-04:00

Scott: A baseball getting hit in my general direction
DJ: That's funny. Seriously, what is it?
Scott: No, seriously. That is..
(Scott walks away)
DJ: Well, hey, good luck with that!
-------------------------

One of the reasons that I love baseball is there is no time clock. Both teams get three outs per inning and at least nine innings, regardless of how long it takes to play. Sometimes the pace feels slow and sometimes the game seems to fly by. There are no plays where the only purpose is to stop the clock or waste time. One team cannot take time away from the other team. Each game takes as long as it takes and each team gets the same amount of outs to make something happen.

The pace of Moneyball felt like a baseball game to me. At some points there was not a lot going on, you were just waiting to see how things unfolded. At other times you were on the edge of your seat, holding your breath, crossing your fingers, hoping for the winning play to be made.

It is based on the true story of Oakland A's General Manager Billy Beane. In 2001, after the A's lost to the Yankees in the first round of the playoffs, they lost their three best players. With a tight budget, he had to find a way to fill the gap that these three left. After meeting Peter Brand and learning about his mathematical player analyses, Beane set out to change the game of baseball and the way players are assessed. Throughout the film, you also see flashbacks of when Beane started out in baseball as a player himself.

It was a story that I had never heard before, but it happened during the 2002 season so it was fascinating to see it in context with what I remember from that year, which is not actually a whole lot. I do not remember hearing anything about what the A's were doing that season, but I do remember Jeremy Giambi coming to the Phillies. It was interesting to learn why he was traded. It was also fun to hear familiar names like Ed Wade and Raul Ibanez.

I remember reading in Entertainment Weekly that if you are not a baseball fan you will still enjoy this movie. I am not so sure that is true. They talk a lot about statistics and specific players and teams. I really think if you do not know anything about baseball you might be a little confused about what is going on at certain points. That being said I think this was a pretty great film. I am not sure if it is the best baseball movie ever made. But it is definitely among the best.

Polite Negotiations
Moneyball at MOVIECLIPS.com

Jonah Hill was funny and endearing as Paul Brand. Philip Seymour Hoffman in excellent form as A's Coach Art Howe. The writing was also excellent, but Aaron Sorkin was involved there, so I am not too surprised that I enjoyed it as much as I did. Brad Pitt was fine as Billy Beane, but as an actor, is not overly impressive to me. There is a reason why he has never won an Academy Award. He has been in some good movies and I am not saying he is a bad actor, I just do not see what the big deal is.

Overall, I would not say the acting sold this movie for me. I would say it was the heart and spirit of the characters that gets you invested in their story.

xoxo
c
--------------------------------

"Who doesn't like hot girls who carry guns?"

2011-09-25T16:18:00.000-04:00

This week my DVR was extremely busy and I watched A LOT of television. So much that is all kind of mush in my brain right now.

My returning shows that started this week were How I Met Your Mother, Castle, Hawaii Five-O, Glee, NCIS, NCIS: Los Angeles, Community, Grey's Anatomy and Blue Bloods.

Glee seems to be reverting back to season one quality, which is a good thing. If it continues on this path I will continue watching it, if it goes back to where it was last season, I may have to stop watching it because last season got a little crazy. Hawaii Five-O is the same quality as last season, which is not necessarily a good thing. I do not love this show, but it is entertaining enough to keep watching for now. However, it might get dropped this season if my schedule gets too crowded. The same thing goes for Grey's Anatomy. I just do not love this show as much as I did the first couple seasons. I mostly continue to watch it out of obligation to the friends with whom I watch it. On the other hand, Castle and Blue Bloods continue to be great, and Community and How I Met Your Mother are both still hilarious.

My only real complaint is with NCIS. This is one of my favorite TV shows and I watch the reruns on USA every time they are on. My complaint is that over the past couple seasons the major plots for each season have gotten too convoluted. The acting has been as great as it has always been, I just feel like they are trying to do too much with the storylines and it is just gets confusing. This also applies to NCIS: Los Angeles.

In terms of new programming, I would say that 2 Broke Girls, New Girl, Revenge and Prime Suspect are definite additions to my TV line-up. 2 Broke Girls and New Girl were both really funny and I enjoyed them a lot. Revenge and Prime Suspect were also really well done and I am interested to see where they go from here. My only concern with Revenge is, where does it go after one season? After you get revenge on everyone, what happens next? I guess I will just have to wait and see.

On the other hand, I need to see at least one more episode of The Playboy Club, Charlie's Angels and A Gifted Man before I make a decision. I think that A Gifted Man will be good, but the first episode was mostly setting up the premise of the show, so I need to see where they are going with it before I make up my mind about it. The Playboy Club and Charlie's Angels were not great, but they could be entertaining enough to make me keep watching. I am not completely ruling them out yet, but it is not looking good for either show.

This week brings a few more new shows including Terra Nova, Hart of Dixie and Pan Am.

Are there any new shows that I am not watching that you think I should be watching? Let me know!

xoxo
c
------------------------------------

"Helpin' you kids is about the only good thing I've done in this life."

2011-09-22T16:43:00.002-04:00

There are a few big movies out this weekend. They are Moneyball, Abduction, Machine Gun Preacher, Killer Elite and Dolphin Tale.

In Killer Elite, Jason Statham plays a retired member of Britain's Elite Special Air Force who is forced out of retirement when his mentor, played by Robert DeNiro, is captured. He must kill three assassins and their leader, Clive Owen. This movie is based on the novel The Feather Men by Sir Ranulph Fiennes.

Trailer #2
Killer Elite at MOVIECLIPS.com

Moneyball is based on a true story about Oakland A's manager Billy Beane, played by Brad Pitt. Beane tries to put together a baseball team with a very small budget by using a computer program to asses his players. This movie also stars Jonah Hill, Robin Wright, Philip Seymour Hoffman and Chris Pratt.

Trailer #1
Moneyball at MOVIECLIPS.com

Dolphin Tale is based on a true story and is about a boy who finds a dolphin whose tail is caught in a crap trap and must be amputated. The boys' family and friends come together to make a prosthetic tale for the dolphin and teach her how to use it. This movie stars Morgan Freeman, Ashley Judd, Harry Connick Jr, Kris Kristofferson and Nathan Gamble.

Trailer #2
Dolphin Tale at MOVIECLIPS.com

Taylor Lautner plays Nathan who, growing up always felt estranged from his parents, until one day he discovers that as a child he was kidnapped. Just as he is figuring out his true identity he is targeted by trained assassins and must go on the run. Also in this movie are Alfred Molina, Lily Collins, Sigourney Weaver, Jason Isaacs and Maria Bello. This basically looks like The Bourne Identity but for teenagers and has been getting horrible reviews.

Trailer #2
Abduction at MOVIECLIPS.com

In Machine Gun Preacher, Gerard Butler plays a former outlaw who finds God and dedicates himself to saving Sudanese children who have been forced to become soldiers. It also stars Michelle Monaghan, Kathy Baker and Michael Shannon. This actually looks pretty interesting and is based on a true story.

Trailer #1
Machine Gun Preacher at MOVIECLIPS.com

Moneyball and Dolphin Tale seem to be getting the best reviews so far, Abduction being the worst of them all. However, since the trailer for Dolphin Tale makes me tear up everytime I watch it, I will probably be seeing Moneyball this weekend :o)

Other films in limited release this weekend include: Thunder Soul, Pearl Jam Twenty and Puncture.

xoxo
c
--------------------------------

"If I drive for you, you'll get your money...

2011-09-21T20:54:00.000-04:00

You tell me where we start, where we're going, where we're going afterwards, I give you five minutes when we get there. Anything happens in that five minutes and I'm yours no matter what. Anything a minute either side of that and you're on your own. I don't sit in while you're running it down. I don't carry a gun. I drive."
-----------------------------------

We all know that I love Ryan Gosling, so I would have seen Drive regardless of the reviews, but this movie really was excellent.

Gosling's character has no name, but is simply referred to as 'Driver.' He is a movie stuntman by day and a criminal getaway driver by night. He becomes interested in his neighbor and when her husband come home from prison, he tries to help with a heist and it goes horribly wrong. A contract is put out on him and he now must protect himself and the woman he loves.

I thought that it was fantastic. The tone and style of the movie are totally different than any thing you have seen. Like Gosling's character, the plot is simple and to the point. There is not a lot of dialogue in many of the scenes because the Driver only speaks when he feels it is necessary. It was a little darker and more violent than I expected, but not in a bad way. There actually is not a lot of violence, but in the few violent scenes it is pretty intense.

In a cast with a lot of big names you sometimes get a few weak links, but that was not the case with this movie. Along with Gosling, Albert Brooks, Ron Perlman, Christina Hendricks, Bryan Cranston and Carey Mulligan were all fantastic. They each added something unique to the film and I cannot imagine anyone else in any of their roles.

A Ride with Irene
Drive at MOVIECLIPS.com

If you are expected something like The Fast and the Furious, that is not what you are going to get. The driving scenes are not even particularly impressive. It is mostly Gosling's demeanor that makes this so interesting. It is not flashy or sexy but is thoughtful and creative.

Gosling does make me slightly biased, but that is because he makes good movies, Drive among them. See this movie if you know what is good for you :o)

xoxo
c
-----------------------------

"Note to self: Hold the trophy like it's The Lion King baby."

2011-09-19T19:56:00.000-04:00

I did not watch the Emmys live last night because I was at the Phillies game. Instead, I DVR'd the show and stayed up until 2am watching it. Here now is a list of some of the things I liked about the show and a few things I could have done without:

Likes:
-All the Friday Night Lights love! I got a little overly excited when Zach Gilford, Jesse Plemons and Michael Jordan were featured in Jane Lynch's opening number, even though you only saw them for about 30 seconds. And, even though I knew they were coming because I had checked twitter from the game, Jason Katims winning Best Writer for a Drama and Kyle Chandler winning Best Actor in a Drama made me ridiculously happy as well.

-Cee Lo Green having trouble with his chair from The Voice made me laugh, probably harder than it should have.

-The Best Actress in a Comedy beauty pageant was hands-down the best part of the show. All the ladies standing onstage holding hands, then all hugging when the winner was announced and Melissa McCarthy actually being crowned and handed a bouquet of roses was awesome. I have loved McCarthy since Gilmore Girls but I do not actually watch Mike & Molly, so I really could not say whether she deserved the award or not, but the presentation of the award was hilarious.

-Clifton Murray, who plays one of Channing Tatum's friends in the movie She's The Man, is apparently one of the Canadian Tenors who sang Hallelujah during the In Memoriam montage. I found this to be incredibly random and I am probably the only person on the planet who realized that. It made me smile though :o)

Dislikes:
-It's Always Sunny In Philadelphia was left out of the comedy montage and Sons of Anarchy was left out of the drama montage. Unacceptable!

-The "Emmytones" started to annoy me halfway through their first song.

-Charlie Sheen was really creepy.

-Mad Men is a good show, but I do not think that it is the best show on TV anymore. In general, my issue with the Emmys is that they seem to chose the winners based on what is most popular, instead of what is the best quality. That is not to say that many of the people who won did not deserve their awards. I am just saying that the Emmy voters need to broaden their horizons a bit.

All that being said, I generally enjoyed the award show. To be fair, I did fast forward through a lot of it, mostly the speeches by people I did not care about, so I could have missed some things. And if you missed the opening number, I present it for you here:

Did you watch the Emmys? What did you think?

xoxo
c
-------------------------------------------

"I know there's alcohol at high school parties. I've seen Friday Night Lights."

2011-09-17T16:22:00.000-04:00

This week, I have watched the season premieres of Parenthood, The Vampire Diaries and It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia and the series premieres of Ringer, Up All Night, Free Agents and The Secret Circle.

I get made fun of a lot for liking The Vampire Diaries, but it is mostly from people who do not watch the show. I know I have said this a lot, but it is so good and just when you think that it cannot possibly get any better, it does! The season three finale was fantastic. A few questions from last season's finale were answered, a few were made more confusing (in a good way) and some new questions were posed. I do not like to spoil things for people who do not watch the show yet, but what is going with Mrs. Lockwood?! I am intrigued and excited. This is one of the few shows that I need to watch the night it airs because I just cannot wait until the next day. I am serious, you really should be watching this if you are not already.

Parenthood is another awesome show that just keeps getting better. The relationship between each of the family members is always changing and always full of fantastic drama. Lauren Graham and Mae Whitman especially give great performances each and every week. It may sound a little crazy, but The Bravermans make me want to have a big family of my own. One can only hope that they will be as entertaining. :o)

After last season of It's Always Sunny, I was a little scared that the gang had lost their touch a little bit. However, they returned in excellent fashion in season seven with a fat Mac, a denim-clad Charlie vomiting fake blood and a prostitute-endeared Frank. The first episode was great and I hope this season continues to be that awesome.

New shows The Secret Circle, Ringer and Free Agents had good premiere episodes but none of them really blew me away. They all have good actors and interesting premises, so I am hoping for the best. The Secret Circle comes from the creators of The Vampire Diaries and Free Agents is from one of the creators of Party Down and he was also a writer for Veronica Mars, so I am expecting good things from these shows. Ringer brings Sarah Michelle Gellar back to my television, so that makes me happy in general, but I also think it has potential to be a great series. I guess we just have to wait and see what happens.

I was not a fan of Up All Night. I DVR'd it because there was nothing else on, but it was not my kind of humor. I like Christina Applegate, Will Arnett and Maya Rudolph, I just did not like the plot. Maybe it is because I do not yet have kids, but I just did not think it was all that funny.

So that is my run-down for the past week. This upcoming week brings A LOT more premieres. I will try to keep up with them all and let you know what I think, but I would also really love to hear what shows you all are watching! As always, you can send me messages on Facebook and Twitter, or send me an email at ayetortuga@gmail.com.

I hope you are all having a great weekend!

xoxo
c
----------------------------

Chris: I don’t know how she does it. All those children…

2011-09-15T18:36:00.000-04:00

Kate: I have two
Chris: So impressive
Kate: You have four!
Chris: Yeah, but two of mine are twins
--------------------------------

The big movies coming out this weekend are: I Don’t Know How She Does It, Straw Dogs and Drive.

Drive is about a Hollywood stuntman who moonlights as a get-away driver for criminals. He must protect his neighbor and her son after a heist goes south. This movie stars Ryan Gosling, Carey Mulligan, Bryan Cranston, Christina Hendricks, Ron Perlman and Albert Brooks. I think we all know that I would be seeing this movie regardless, but it actually has been getting great reviews.

Trailer #2
Drive at MOVIECLIPS.com

In I Don’t Know How She Does It, Sarah Jessica Parker plays Kate Reddy, a finance executive who is the breadwinner for her family. A new account at work adds one more thing to her already hectic life and temptation in the form of a new business associate, played by Pierce Brosnan. Christina Hendricks is pulling double-duty this weekend at the box office, as she plays one of Kate's friends in this movie. It also stars Greg Kinnear, Kelsey Grammer, Seth Meyers, Olivia Munn, Busy Philipps, Jessica Szohr and Jane Curtin.

Trailer #1
I Don't Know How She Does It at MOVIECLIPS.com

Straw Dogs is remake about a 1971 film of the same name starring Dustin Hoffman. It is about an L.A. screenwriter who moves with his wife back to her hometown in the Deep South. They soon start to have problems between each other and a few of the locals. It stars James Marsden, Kate Bosworth, Alexander Skarsgard, James Woods, Dominic Purcell, Billy Lush and Walton Goggins.

Trailer #1
Straw Dogs at MOVIECLIPS.com

Other films out this weekend include: Restless and the rerelease of The Lion King in 3D.

xoxo
c
--------------------------------

Principal: You're a teacher. You got no business in the ring with those animals!

2011-09-12T19:38:00.000-04:00

Brendan: Actually, I used to be one of those animals. I guess I forgot to put that down on my application.
--------------------------

I have to say, I really enjoyed Warrior, a lot. It is getting good reviews, but I still went into the theater not sure if I was going to like it. I am not a huge fight fan but this was FANTASTIC.

The acting was great, the music by Mark Isham was moving and you cannot help but get into these fights. There were even a few ladies behind me in the theater that were cheering and clapping :o)

The story is about two brothers whose parents got divorced when they were teenagers and each boy chose to live with a different parent. Tommy chose his mother who he ended up taking care of when she gets sick. He is an ex-Marine who has just come home for the first time in fourteen years. Brendan chooses their alcoholic father so that he can stay near the girl he loves, with whom he ends up getting married and having two children. He is a former UFC fighter and is currently teaching Physics to high schoolers. Both brothers individually decide to start training for SPARTA, the biggest winner-takes-all, mixed-martial-arts tournament ever.

If you have actually paid attention to any of the trailers, then you know going into the movie that both of them end up in the championship, but you are still invested in every single hit of every single fight. You cannot help but root for these brothers and get nervous for them when you think they might lose. Each brother has different reasons for wanting to win, but neither one is any less motivated.

Tom Hardy and Joel Edgerton are phenomenal and even Nick Nolte's performance surprised me. I also have to say that normally Jennifer Morrison irritates me (I was not a fan of her last season on How I Met Your Mother) but even she was great in this role. I also loved Kevin Dunn as the principal of the school where Edgerton's character works.

Out of Options
Warrior at MOVIECLIPS.com

There were a few things that were left unanswered at the end and a few plot points that probably could have been left out. However, none of that really took anything away from the film as a whole.

While a majority of the film is the fights, that is not what drives the plot and certainly not what keeps you invested in these characters. I saw this last night and I am ready to see it again right now, I loved it that much.

xoxo
c
--------------------------------------

"It's figuring us out faster than we're figuring it out."

2011-09-08T17:26:00.000-04:00

The big movies that are coming out this weekend are Warrior, Contagion and Bucky Larson: Born to Be a Star.

Warrior is about two brothers competing in a mixed martial arts tournament with a huge prize. One brother is an ex-marine who turns to his alcoholic father, a former coach, for training. The other brother is a former fighter and current teacher with money and family problems. It stars Tom Hardy, Joel Edgarton, Nick Nolte and Jennifer Morrison. This is also my pick for the weekend. It is getting great reviews and looks like a compelling story.

Trailer #1
Warrior at MOVIECLIPS.com

Nick Swardson, from Reno 911, stars as Bucky Larson who learns that his parents had been porn stars in the 1970's and decides to leave his home in Iowa to follow in their footsteps. This movie also features Christina Ricci, Stephen Dorff and Don Johnson. It looks pretty stupid to me, but maybe this preview will appeal to you, in which case, you should probably stop reading my blog because we have very different tastes :o)

Trailer #1
Bucky Larson: Born to Be a Star at MOVIECLIPS.com

In Contagion, the Center for Disease control has to stop an airborn virus from spreading around the world, and deal with the panic that surrounds the epidemic. It has an all-star cast, including: Gwyneth Paltrow, Matt Damon, Jude Law, Kate Winslet, Marion Cotillard, Lawrence Fishburne and many others. When I first saw the previews, it reminded me of 1995's Outbreak only on a larger scale. It has been getting good reviews, so I might have to check it out, but it is not on the top of my list.

Trailer #1
Contagion at MOVIECLIPS.com

Also in limited release this weekend are: The Black Power Mixtape: 1967-1975, Kevin Hart: Laugh at My Pain, Main Street, Creature and Tanner Hall.

xoxo
c
---------------------------------------

"And the freak circle is complete."

2011-09-07T22:31:00.001-04:00

The season premiere of Sons of Anarchy aired last night and it was everything I had hoped it would be. I will say that it was slow in a few places, but that is mostly because they are setting things up for the rest of the season. Also, the FANTASTIC final montage totally made up for it. I especially enjoyed some of the great dialogue in this episode, which I found to have a little more humor than previous seasons. I will now share with you some of my favorite lines:

Clay: Damn, that was fast
Gemma: Yeah, that's because you're used to speed bangin' Juice in dark hallways
Clay: Hey, don't turn what Juice and I had into something cheap and tawdry
Gemma: I'm sure it was sweet Puerto Rican magic

Clay to Unser: I got a call, Jed Clampett wants his front yard back

Jax to Tara: We should talk about all the chick shit you decked out my house in

I also always enjoy seeing Floyd the barber, even though he does not really do much. I also noticed that the actress playing Opie's daughter had changed and although I recognized her I could not for the life of me remember from where. It took all day, and the help of a Twitter-friend, to finally figure out that it is Kerris Dorsey, also known as Sarah Walker's daughter on Brothers & Sisters. (Yes, I am a dork for being able to recognize her, but I cannot help how my brain works :o) And, even though some of the casting news was announced over the summer, I had forgotten about a few and was happy to see another Deadwood actor and another Shield actor. I am hoping there is at least one scene between David Rees Snell and Kenny Johnson and one with Ray McKinnon and Dayton Callie. There were also a great Deadwood reference, when Clay referred to the new sherrif as "Wild Black Hickock."

Overall, I would say that I loved the episode and I cannot wait for the rest of the season! If you are not watching this show, I am not really sure what else I can say to convince you. It is awesome and you are totally missing out!

And in other television news.....

One of the new shows this fall on FOX is called New Girl and stars Zooey Deschanel. The pilot is currently available to watch OnDemand, at Hulu.com and can be downloaded for free from iTunes. I watched it this morning before work and I enjoyed it.

It is about a girl who gets dumped by her boyfriend and moves in with three guys who she finds online. She is quirky and often sings to herself and for the first week after she moves in, she watches Dirty Dancing and cries on the couch all day. The boys try to help her move on by taking her out, even though they are all dealing with their own issues.

There is a possibility that Deschanel's character will irritate me too much to continue watching the show, but for right now she was not too bad. Also, Damon Wayans Jr. was in the pilot because he was not sure that Happy Endings would get picked up for another season, which it now has, so he will be replaced in further episodes by Lamorne Morris. I will be interested to see if I can get into this show or not and will definitely keep you updated. It premieres on FOX on September 20th at 9 pm.

I hope that everyone enjoyed their Labor Day Weekend and I look forward to hearing your thoughts on all the new fall shows!

xoxo
c

ps. I have not done this in a while, but as there have been several more natural distasters recently, here again is my list of places to donate to those in need:

Presbyterian Disaster Assistance
American Red Cross
Habitat for Humanity
United Way
World Vision
StillerStrong
The Nature Conservancy
National Wildlife Federation

--------------------------------------------------

"If you don't believe in even the possibility of magic, you'll never find it."

2011-09-04T14:32:00.000-04:00

As I have done the last two years, and with the start of Fall TV upon us, I will now share with you the shows I plan to check out. There are a lot of new shows this year that appeal to me and many returning shows as well, so I am going to be very busy this year.

Returning Shows:
Blue Bloods
Castle
Community
The Good Wife
Grey's Anatomy
Happy Endings
Hawaii Five-O
How I Met Your Mother
It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia
NCIS
NCIS: Los Angeles
Parenthood
Sons of Anarchy
The Vampire Diaries
The Walking Dead

New Shows:

2 Broke Girls

A Gifted Man

American Horror Story

Charlie's Angels

Free Agents

Grimm

Hart of Dixie

New Girl

Once Upon a Time

Pan Am

The Playboy Club

Prime Suspect

Ringer

The Secret Circle

Terra Nova

Somehow these lists seem to get longer and longer each year. I do not know if that is because my tastes in different types of shows is expanding or if there is just more good television to be watched.

In terms of new shows starting this year, The Playboy Club has not been getting great reviews, but it looks interesting to me, so I will at least give it a shot. Terra Nova and American Horror Story, however, have been getting good reviews, but I am not totally sure that I will like them. I do not like to miss good shows though, so I will check them out and let you know what I think. I am also excited to see some Friday Night Lights people returning in American Horror Story, as well as Hart of Dixie and Charlie's Angels.

Of my returning shows, I am most excited about The Vampire Diaries, Parenthood, The Good Wife and Sons of Anarchy. Three and four seasons in and they all continue to just get better and better. Grey's Anatomy, on the other hand, is not one of my favorites anymore but I continue to watch it because of "Grey's Girls Night." The fun I have with my friends makes up for the lack of good television :o)

What are the new and returning shows that you are most looking forward to? Please let me know in the comments! Also, if you still need premiere dates, you can find those here.

xoxo
c
------------------------------

"Never forget where you came from."

2011-08-24T18:43:00.000-04:00

Bright and early tomorrow morning, I am leaving for a week to go on a mission trip to Belize with my church. I am, therefore, posting my Weekend Movie Preview a day early and will be out of touch until next Thursday. I may be updating our church blog from there, however I will not know for sure what kind of internet access I will have until I get down there. If you are interest, I have included the links to the blog and the organization with which we will be working at the bottom of the page.

The three big movies coming to theaters this weekend are: Our Idiot Brother, Don't Be Afraid of the Dark and Colombiana

Colombiana is about a girl named Cataleya Restrepo who is raised by her uncle to be an assassin. When she grows up, she seeks revenge on the Colombian drug lord who killed her parents. It stars Zoe Saldana, Michael Vartan, Cliff Curtis and Jordi Molla. The trailer looks pretty bad ass, but I have not yet seen many reviews. My guess would be that the fight scenes are pretty cool but the storyline is weak, as with similar movies. I could be wrong, but even if I were going to be around this weekend, I would still probably wait to see it.

Trailer #1
Colombiana at MOVIECLIPS.com

In the movie Don't Be Afraid of the Dark, a young girl is sent to live with her father and his new girlfriend. The girl soon starts to discover creatures in the house who are trying to claim her as one of their own. It stars Katie Holmes, Guy Pearce and Bailee Madison. As well all know, I do not like scary movies, so I will be skipping this one.

Trailer #2
Don't Be Afraid of the Dark at MOVIECLIPS.com

Our Idiot Brother stars Paul Rudd as a well-meaning, idealist, pot dealer who has just been released early from jail on good behavior. He gets home to discover that his girlfriend has left him and taken the dog with her. With no job and nowhere to live, he takes turns sleeping on the couches and disrupting the lives of each of his three sisters, played by Zooey Deschanel, Elizabeth Banks and Emily Mortimer. It has a great cast, but has not been getting great reviews.

Trailer #2
Our Idiot Brother at MOVIECLIPS.com

None of these movies really appeal to me all that much. However, if you end up seeing any of them and think I should check them out, please let me know!

Other films out this weekend include Circumstance, Higher Ground and Tales from the Golden Age.

xoxo
c

Ardmore Presbyterian Church Mission Blog: http://ardmorepresmission.blogspot.com/
The Word at Work: http://twaw.org/
-----------------------------------------

"You're trying to control things that are not meant to be controlled."

2011-08-22T18:19:00.000-04:00

I finally got around to seeing Rise of the Planet of the Apes and I have to say, I was pretty disappointed. I was not originally planning to see this movie, but it had gotten good reviews, so I figured I would give it a shot. I have to say, I was expecting it to be much better than it was.

The acting was fine, but the characters were incredibly one-dimensional. The writing was just pretty awful. As my one friend put it, "It's like they wrote it for Apes." I just felt that, in general, it was incredibly cheesy. I also did not find the special effects to be all that spectacular. The motion capture technology is impressive, but no more so than anything we have seen before.

I would not even say that there was any kind of warning against animal testing. In the movie, the problem was created because a researcher illegally took one of the test subjects home with him. If anything, that just tells us that if you follow the rules these kinds of things probably will not happen. It also showed us that the animal cruelty is not coming from these researchers. They actually cared more about the animals than anybody else.

in terms of the acting, James Franco just always looks and sounds like he is stoned. Tom Felton's acting was good, but his character was hateful and (spoiler alert) I was actually happy when he died. I also think Freida Pinto was there simply to have a female character because she really did not do very much. On the other hand, John Lithgow was excellent and Andy Serkis did a great job as Caesar, the main chimpanzee.

I could not find a clip from this movie that I liked anywhere online, so I decided to give you a clip from the original Planet of the Apes. It starred Charlton Heston and includes a line that is also used in this prequel:

You Damn Dirty Ape!
Planet of the Apes at MOVIECLIPS.com

I have had friends tell me that they enjoyed this movie, so maybe it was just not for me. It was not horrible, it was just not great. Mostly, I was just disappointed because I was hoping for something more interesting and, though this may sound funny, believable. Not that I think a "Planet of the Apes" could actually ever happen, but is it not the purpose of a movie to make me believe that it could happen?!

xoxo
c
---------------------------------------

"An orgy won't look after you when you're old."

2011-08-18T15:29:00.000-04:00

Opening this weekend at the box office is One Day, Fright Night, Conan the Barbarian and Spy Kids: All the Time in the World in 4D.

One Day stars Anne Hathaway and Jim Sturgiss and is about two people who meet for the first time on the night of their graduation from college. We then see their relationship on that same date every year. Some days they are together, some days they are not. Some days they like each other, some days they hate each other. Over the years they learn what friendship and love is really all about.

Trailer #2
One Day at MOVIECLIPS.com

Fright Night is about a high school senior who thinks that his new neighbor, Jerry, might be a vampire. When none of his friends or family believe him, he decides that he must kill Jerry himself before anyone else gets hurt. The movie stars Anton Yelchin, Colin Farrell, Toni Collette, Christopher Mintz-Plasse, David Tennant and Imogen Poots.

Trailer #1
Fright Night at MOVIECLIPS.com

Conan the Barbarian is Cimmerian warrior seeking vengeneance for the murder of his father and the slaughter of his village. The film is based on the character created by Robert Howard and previously played by Arnold Schwarzenegger. This time around Conan is being portrayed by Jason Mamoa with support from Rose McGowan, Ron Perlman, Stephen Lang and Rachel Nichols.

Trailer #3
Conan the Barbarian at MOVIECLIPS.com

Spy Kids stars Jessica Alba as a former spy. She is married to a famous spy-hunting reporter, played by Joel McHale, who has no idea what was his wife's former profession. When a villian threatens to take over the world, she is called back to duty and, with the help of her step-children and a pair of other "spy kids", fights to save the world.

Trailer #2
Spy Kids 4: All the Time in the World at MOVIECLIPS.com

None of these movie appeal to me, but Fright Night seems to be getting the best reviews so far this week. If I were forced to choose, I would probably go with that one.

Also in limited release is: Griff the Invisible and Amigo.

xoxo
c
----------------------------------

Fall Movie Preview

2011-08-16T10:12:00.000-04:00

I have finally received my Entertainment Weekly Fall Movie Preview! As I did last year, and at the beginning of the summer, I will now list for you the movies that I am most looking forward to seeing this fall.

September
9 - Warrior (Tom Hardy, Joel Edgerton, Nick Nolte)
16 - Drive (Ryan Gosling, Carey Mulligan, Albert Brooks, Christina Hendricks, Ron Perlman)
23 - Moneyball (Brad Pitt, Jonah Hill, Philip Seymour Hoffman)
- Red State (Michael Parks, John Goodman, Melissa Leo)
30 - 50/50 (Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Seth Rogen, Anna Kendrick)

Trailer #1 (Red Band)
Drive at MOVIECLIPS.com

I may also see Contagion (9/9), I Don't Know How She Does It (9/16), Abduction (9/23) and What's Your Number? (9/30).

October
7 - The Ides of March (Ryan Gosling, George Clooney, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Paul Giamatti)
- Real Steel (Hugh Jackman, Evangeline Lilly, Dakota Goyo)
28 - The Rum Diary (Johnny Depp, Amber Heard, Aaron Eckhart)

Trailer #2
Real Steel at MOVIECLIPS.com

Other possibilities for October include: Footloose (10/14), The Three Muskateers (10/21) and In Time (10/28).

November
11 - Immortals (Henry Cavill, Mickey Rourke, Luke Evans, Freida Pinto, Kellan Lutz)
18 - The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn Pt 1 (Kristen Stewart, Robert Pattinson, Taylor Lautner)
23 - The Muppets (Jason Segel, Amy Adams, Chris Cooper)
- The Artist (Jean Dujardin, Berenice Bejo, John Goodman)

Trailer #1
The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn - Part 1 at MOVIECLIPS.com

Other possibilities for November include: A Very Harold & Kumar 3D Christmas (11/4), My Week With Marilyn (11/4), J. Edgar (11/9), The Descendants (11/23) and Arthur Christmas (11/23).

December
16 - The Iron Lady (Meryl Streep, Jim Broadbent)
- Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows (Robert Downey Jr., Jude Law, Noomi Rapace)
21 - The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo (Rooney Mara, Daniel Craig, Christopher Plummer)

Trailer #1
The Iron Lady at MOVIECLIPS.com

Other possibilities for December include: New Year's Eve (12/9) and We Bought A Zoo (12/23).

Here is EW's list of their Top 25. What movies are you most excited about?

xoxo
c
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