Newlyweds Cliff (Steve Zahn) and Cydney (Milla Jovovich) are enjoying a perfect honeymoon in Hawaii — until they run into a pair of menacing hikers, Nick (Timothy Olyphant) and Gina (Kiele Sanchez). As it turns out, the two are dangerous killers who begin stalking the not-so-happy couple. David Twohy wrote and directed this action-packed thriller, which co-stars Marley Shelton, Katie Chonacas and Chris Hemsworth.
Give this film only a B. The acting was just fine. I have never seen Steve Zahn do a bad job or appear in a movie that I did not want to watch. HOWEVER … you have to suspend disbelief in certain parts. Although there is a wonderful plot twist, I had great difficulty understanding the details. Perhaps I was just too tired to grasp the details. Try watching the film without help. After that you can read wikipedia which explains everything. There are just a few body wounds, nothing more unsettling than that. The very last few seconds are a clever conclusion.
When his girlfriend, Summer (Zooey Deschanel), unceremoniously dumps him, greeting-card copywriter and hopeless romantic Tom (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) begins sifting through the year-plus worth of days they spent together, looking for clues to what went awry. As he recalls the good and bad times he spent with the commitment-phobic girl, his heart reawakens to what it cherishes most. Marc Webb directs this uncommon love story.
Although I laughed at lot watching “Just Friends (2005)“, daughter Kate thought it was a bit crass without much subtlety. So I watched “(500) Days of Summer” at her suggestion and the comparison was enlightening. In fact “light” is the operative phrase. No matter your age, pretend you are in your mid to late twenties, relax, and enjoy this unpretentious, easy-going, clever comedy. Think of the film as the bubbles in a glass of champagne.
Capt. Kirk (Chris Pine) and his trusted team on the starship USS Enterprise boldly go where no man has gone before in this installment of Gene Roddenberry’s sci-fi franchise that follows the early days of the intergalactic adventurers. The crew includes Spock (Zachary Quinto), Chekov (Anton Yelchin), Uhura (Zoe Saldana), Scotty (Simon Pegg) and Sulu (John Cho). Eric Bana co-stars, and Leonard Nimoy appears as an older version of Spock.
As an old “Star Trek” fan and still adolescent at heart, I enjoyed much of the film. Sometimes the pseudo-scientific explanations of what was happening left me cold. And seen one battle in space is pretty much to have seen all of them. These days it seems fashionable to create “Origin of …” films. Granted I am getting older, but I do wish the young Captain James Kirk did not have a case of acne.
The best line of all was (say this loud and fast) “Are you out of your Vulcan mind ?”
After a lifetime of dreaming of traveling the world, 78-year-old homebody Carl (voiced by Ed Asner) flies away on an unbelievable adventure, with Russell, an 8-year-old Wilderness Explorer (Jordan Nagai), unexpectedly in tow. Together, the unlikely pair embarks on a thrilling odyssey full of jungle beasts and rough terrain. Other voices include the renowned Christopher Plummer and Pixar stalwart John Ratzenberger.
Not your average Disney film. Entertaining for young and old alike. Sometimes I just burst out laughing. In the initial part of the film we watch the lifetime of a married but childless couple. They age, she dies, he is alone. As I watched this part I thought “Oh my gosh, do I look like him ?” The fatherless boy scout is at times touching. The villain is, well, a real Walt Disney villain. If I could do the athletic stunts that the old man carries off, I would be in amazing shape. Just suspend disbelief and enjoy the fun.
When she learns that she’s in danger of losing her visa status and being deported back to her native Canada, overbearing book editor Margaret Tate (Sandra Bullock) forces her put-upon assistant, Andrew Paxton (Ryan Reynolds), to marry her. Directed by Anne Fletcher (27 Dresses), this romantic comedy also stars Craig T. Nelson and Mary Steenburgen as Andrew’s parents, Joe and Grace, and Betty White as the outspoken Grandma Annie.
Kathy and I watched this film at her request. We both laughed ourselves silly. It is a typical Sandra Bullock romantic comedy and the usual amount of fun. Of course there are parts that are maudlin or unbelieveable. And we could have done without the male strip dancer at ladies night. But the ensemble work between Bullock and Reynolds is for this genre just about perfect.
Historical notes:
Sandra Bullock (born 1964, Arlington VA) at this writing is 45 years old and still holding her own.
Ryan Reynolds (born 1976 Vancouver BC) is 33 and stars in the film “Fireflies in the Garden”.
Mary Steenburgen (born 1953, Arkansas) is 56 and is married to Ted Danson of “Cheers” fame.
Craig Nelson (born 1944 Spokane) is 65 and is in many films as well as “CSI:NY”.
Betty White (born 1922 Illinois) is 87 and still thriving. She was one of the “Golden Girls”. But I always remember her as Sue Ann Nivens from the “Mary Tyler Moore” TV show (1973-1977). Look her up in IMDB to see an unbelievable list of appearances.
There is innocent nudity and sexual frankness, so maybe not for childern. But all in all just a lot of fun.
Play Preview When his mistress is found dead, Congressman Stephen Collins (Ben Affleck) tries desperately to protect his name and career. As journalists Cal (Russell Crowe) and Della (Rachel McAdams) investigate further, they uncover an intricate web of lies that stretches to the highest levels of power. Based on the critically acclaimed BBC miniseries, this intriguing political thriller co-stars Helen Mirren, Robin Wright Penn and Jason Bateman.
There are two version of “State of Play”. In 2003 British TV produced a multi-part TV series version that was amazing. It is available thru NetFlix. The 2009 Hollywood version is a two-hour version re-written in large part to take place in the U.S.A. and involve congressmen instead of members of parliament. Both are worth seeing but each is a very different experience. Congratulations to Hollywood for producing a conspiracy plot that is easy to follow. Needless to say the much longer British version offers a lot more detail. Kathy and I enjoyed the British version awhile back and I am glad that sufficient time separated the two viewings. Quite frankly, don’t miss either version.
Play Preview Julia Roberts and Clive Owen co-star in this curveball-throwing thriller as a pair of romantically involved corporate operatives who are entangled in a bitter rivalry between two mammoth pharmaceutical companies. Paul Giamatti and Tom Wilkinson convincingly round out the heavyweight cast as warring big pharma CEOs in this intriguing espionage effort from writer-director Tony Gilroy (Michael Clayton).
From the viewpoint of plot, I found this film very complicated. Nonetheless, even if you miss some details, you can still enjoy all the twists, especially the very end of the film. Pay attention to the fight occuring in the very start of the film. Then at the end of the film try and recall that fight because at that point the fight makes sense.
Paul Giamatti has found (fallen into ?) a niche as a demoniacal plotter (see Shoot Em’ Up, my favorite Clive Owen flm).
For me the major attraction was hopefully the interaction between Julia Roberts and Clive Owen. Whereas Clive Owen was his usual forceful bad-boy self, Julia Roberts’ delivery seemed a bit flat. Give this film at most a B.
In this bromance, the cinematic equivalent of a rom-com buddy flick, Paul Rudd plays a recently engaged guy who’s got the bride-to-be of his dreams but lacks an all-important significant other when it comes to their pending nuptials: a best man. On a determined hunt for a stranger who will stand up for him, he eventually meets a candidate (Jason Segel) with wedding-party potential. Jaime Pressly, Rashida Jones and Jon Favreau co-star.
According to Wikipedia a bromance or “man-crush” is a close but non-sexual relationship between two men, a form of homosocial intimacy.
Give this film a strong C. I got some good laughs mostly at the embarrassed expense of the characters. Perhaps I am out of touch or just plain old, but I was truly shocked at some of the discussions (e.g. a bachelor’s intimate masturbation den, yikes!).
Despite its rampant vulgarity the film actually makes some valid points: How many close friends do you really have ? How hard is it for a single man to make new friends ? What topics should appropriately be shared between friends or between a couple ?
Jill Bolte Taylor, Ph.D wrote this New York Times bestseller after 8 years of recovery from a stroke. At the age of 37 she experienced an arteriovenous malformation (AVM) which accounts for only 2 percent of all hemorrhagic strokes. Prior to the stroke she was a trained and published neuroanatomist who was working in the Harvard Medical School Department of Psychiatry at McLean Hospital in Belmont. Among other tasks, she collected brains.
What makes this book unique is that as a trained neuroanatomist she was able to describe in minute and personal detail the experience of having such a stroke. She could literally watch her brain systems shut down, one by one. She was alone in her apartment when the stroke occurred. Just how she managed to call for help is a suspense short story in its own right.
Initially the book explains the science of the brain for the reader. It then covers the stroke experience. Following that it describes her treatment (and more importantly, her mistreatment) by hospital staff. From that experience she is able to offer suggestions for how to treat stroke victims. The hero in the story is her mother who immediately came to live with her and devised years of patient painstaking day-by-day care.
Despite the fact that the book is repetitive and preachy (the author is a bit full of herself), it offers a fascinating insight indeed into the horror of a stroke.
Jennifer Aniston, Drew Barrymore and Scarlett Johansson lead an all-star ensemble cast of characters dealing with the pitfalls of love and human interaction in this big-screen adaptation of Greg Behrendt’s best-selling book. Set in Baltimore, director Ken Kwapis’s film moves swiftly between a host of storylines brought to life by a stellar lineup of actors that also includes Jennifer Connelly, Ben Affleck, Ginnifer Goodwin and Justin Long.
Wife Kathy asked me to get this film from NetFlix. I’d call it a Chick-Flick despite the fact that we both enjoyed it. Part of the attraction was wanting to know how the various relationships worked out. As you would expect some ended happily and some ended very sadly.
For me Ginnifer Goodwin was a new face. Bradley Cooper is someone I have seen alot but whose name I did not know. Some of those well-known actors are starting to look older.
In summary I found the film a tad scary because it shows the perils of dating and relationships in the culture of the early 21st centry.
