Kirk (Jay Baruchel), an average guy stuck in a dead-end job, can’t believe his luck when a gorgeous, successful woman named Molly (Alice Eve) falls in love with him. With no help from his stunned friends, relatives and ex-girlfriend, Kirk must figure out how to make this unlikely relationship work, even though he’s the first to admit that Molly is way beyond him.
This movie is totally cute! It’s not as funny as the trailer makes it look like, but that’s not necessarily a bad thing. The movie is still really good, without having to be over-the-top ridiculous. The reason this movie is rated R is definitely due to the language – there are more F bombs than one can count. There was another dirty scene ala-There’s-Something-About-Mary but compared to other movies like Superbad and Hangover, it was pretty mild.
About half way through, I realized this movie is “Say Anything” for this generation. Jay Baruchel plays a character close to Lloyd Dobbler, one of my all-time-favorite crushes. The gorgeous – popular girl falls for the nerdy – unpopular – beat-up-car-drivin’ underdog. Could this happen in real life? Maybe. But that’s why we’re drawn to movies like this in the first place, isn’t it?
This movie is more of a romantic comedy – than just a comedy. There actually is a really cute story at the root of all the over-the-top nonsense, and I liked it! I would recommend this movie! You’re not going to bust a gut laughing like you would expect, but you’re going to like it anyway!
Adam (John Cusack – misc 80′s/90′s lore, One Crazy Summer), Lou (Rob Corddry – Upright Citizens Brigade, Late Night w/ Conan O’Brien) and Nick (Craig Robinson – the Office) were buddies in High School that have seldom kept in touch and hate where their adult lives have taken them. They decide on a whim to relive the glory days and head up to Kodiak Valley for a weekend ski trip. Adam’s nephew Jacob (up-and-comer Clark Duke) tags along on this trip of destiny. In a very homo-erotic scene, they all get f’d up on drugs, alcohol, and a gnarly energy drink – which happens to tip over onto the “flux capacitor” like control panel of the tub and and send them through a time vortex.
They awake the next morning to a stiff hangover and find that they have traveled back into a day in their lives in 1986. Now they must fix the past by enduring buttloads more homo-erotic situations, confrontations with women/ fears/ neon-clad Ski Patrolmen, and more drugs and alcohol. Rob Corddry and Craig Robinson steal the show in this one, and creepy Crispin Glover plays another awesome character unknowingly affected by skewing the time-space continuum.
This one is a roller coaster of laughs, gasps, and steady butt-rock. Recommended for the not easily offended.
Reviewed by Matt
Check Hot Tub Time Machine tonight!! You won’t be sorry!
This movie is one of those rare movies that really gets to me. It was so unbelievably moving, and sad, and wonderful all at the same time.
I saw the movie based solely on the fact that I love Colin Firth. All of his movies are kind of the same, know what I mean? Well – after seeing A Single Man, I can’t say that – ever again. This movie is unlike any movie he’s ever done, and I doubt anyone will argue it is his best performance to date.
Colin plays George Falconer, a 52 year old homosexual from London, who teaches English in Los Angeles in the year 1962. It’s 1962 through the eyes of first time director, fashion designer Tom Ford. The movie was absolutely breathtaking. Seeing 1962 through Tom’s eyes was delightful, to say the least. Everyone was so beautiful in this movie – from the clothes to the model’s-turned-actors who play the roles of George’s friends.
George is deeply depressed. His lover of 16 years, played by the ADORABLE Matthew Goode (I could have used more of him!), died in a car crash, and George is unable to get over his loss. He has decided he cannot live without his partner, and has decided to kill himself. The movie spans over one long, sad, moving day, and in this one day – can he be convinced to keep living?
The movie is filmed to look very gritty – almost black and white. As the movie starts out, everything looks very bleak. The style of filming reflects how George feels. As the day progresses, he has brief moments of happiness – and in these moments, the film gets brilliant – almost glowing. Is George coming out of his sadness?
I won’t give away the ending of the movie, but I will say that this movie is absolutely amazing. Colin Firth absolutely deserves his Best Actor nomination he received for this movie. I already want to see it again. It is definitely NOT a feel good – happy – date movie, but it is a brilliant movie that moved me to tears.
Bottom Line: Not everyone will love this movie as much as I did, so I don’t think I’d say it’s for everyone. But I absolutely LOVED this movie. I thought it is hands down Colin Firth’s best acting role – to date – and I praise Tom Ford’s directing ability. I cannot wait to see what does next. Loved it!
Trouble-prone teen Percy Jackson is about to be kicked out school — but that’s the least of his problems. The gods of Mount Olympus and assorted monsters seem to have walked out of the pages of Percy’s Greek mythology texts and into his life — and they’re not happy. Zeus’ lightning bolt has been stolen, and Percy is the prime suspect. Now, Percy and his friends must embark on a cross-country adventure to catch the true thief, save Percy’s family, and unravel a mystery more powerful than the gods themselves.
Last night I went to a screening of this movie with my two boys, who had both read the book. They were so excited, while I was thinking I was in for just another banal childrens movie. I was happy to find that I was wrong. I completely enjoyed this film!
I should have known I would love it, since I’m a huge fan of director Chris Columbus. He has worked on some pretty amazing movies, such as Gremlins, Goonies, Home Alone, Stepmom and two Harry Potter films (to name a few).
I thought Percy Jackson started off a bit slow and clumsy, but ended with a bang. The movie definitely got better as it went along. I was pleasantly surprised to see cameo’s by actors like Uma Thurman (as Medusa), Steve Coogan (as Hades) and Rosario Dawson (as Persephone).
The special affects were great, and some scenes actually gave me chills.
I thought the story was good (although a little sketchy at times). There were definitely some scary scenes, which makes this movie unsuitable for children under 7 (in my opinion). There was also quite a few funny scenes in the movie – which made the movie move along really well, I think. I think this movie will do really well – it has all the pieces it needs to succeed.
BOTTOM LINE: If you’re looking for a good family film this weekend, I would really recommend this film! I thought it was a great movie, and I think I enjoyed it as much as my boys!
I had the privilege of seeing Dear John on Wednesday, and it was such an amazing movie – I chose it as my movie pick for this Friday.
Directed by Lasse Hallström and based on the novel by best-selling author Nicholas Sparks, DEAR JOHN tells the story of John Tyree (Channing Tatum), a young soldier home on leave, and Savannah Curtis (Amanda Seyfried), the idealistic college student he falls in love with during her spring vacation. Over the next seven tumultuous years, the couple is separated by John’s increasingly dangerous deployments. While meeting only sporadically, they stay in touch by sending a continuous stream of love letters overseas–correspondence that eventually triggers fateful consequences.
I was very skeptical going into this movie. To be honest, I wasn’t expecting much. Nicholas Sparks’ last book-turned-movie was Night’s in Rodanthe, and I thought that was a terrible movie! I adored The Notebook, so I was hoping Dear John would fall somewhere in between. I can happily say that Dear John may be my new favorite Nicholas Sparks movie.
I didn’t read the book (his books are waaaaaaaaaaay too sappy for me), so I can’t report how accurate the movie is to the book. But what I can say – is that I absolutely adored this movie from beginning to end. The chemistry between Channing Tatum and Amanda Seyfried is so real, you can almost feel it. You can feel the love they share, you get goosebumps, you get sad, you get happy – right along with them.
Can I just stop and talk about how beautiful Channing Tatum is? Hot dang, is he hot – or what! The movie opens with him surfing – and wow! He’s gorgeous! And luckily for us (and him) he’s quite a great actor! You wouldn’t think so – coming from his previous movies…but move over world! We will be seeing quite a bit more of Channing! And that’s fine by me.
Amanda Seyfried is as gorgeous as ever as Savannah. Does this Mamma Mia star get any prettier? She is beautiful, and has those soulful eyes that suck you in. She played the role of Savannah beautifully, and I can’t wait to see more of her in the future! (Love her on Big Love!)
There are two different relationships going on in Dear John. One between John and Savannah – but the story that is equally as moving, is the story between John and his dad. The relationship is so beautiful, it unfolds like a flower – until the end, when it is unbelievably moving. (Moved me to tears.)
Another thing I loved about this movie was the music. The music was so fitting and beautiful! After the movie was over, I knew I had to buy the soundtrack – which I did (and you can buy it here on iTunes). Songs from Joshua Radin, The Swell Season and Fink help tell this beautiful story, and will leave you wanting to hear all the songs again. Bonus: Amanda Seyfried has a song on the album titled “Little House” and it’s beautiful!
Bottom Line: Your man may not appreciate this movie, but all you girls out there are going to love this. If you liked The Notebook, I think you’re going to love this movie. You’ll have to tell me what you think!
Staying In? Rent: Whip It!
Bliss Cavendar (Ellen Page) lives in small-town Texas and yearns to break free of her mother’s (Marcia Gay Harden) world of beauty pageants and conformity. Bliss sees her chance when she meets the Hurl Scouts, a roller-derby team; she tries out for the team and wins a slot, lying to her parents about her new hobby. Bliss finds friendship and freedom with her teammates, but a conflict between a championship game and the Bluebonnet beauty pageant threatens to spill her secret.
The movie stars Ellen Page as Bliss, a unhappy teen stuck in the small town of Bodeen, Texas. She has a pageant obsessed mom, played by Marcia Gay Harden and an ex-football star father, played wonderfully by Daniel Stern. (He’s such a great actor, he needs to do more!)
While on a shopping trip with her mother in Austin, Texas, Bliss is introduced to roller derby, and instantly falls in love. What happens next is awfully predictable, but is also completely fun and exciting. Bliss is torn between pleasing her mother by competing in a beauty pageant, and competing with the roller derby team Hurl Scouts. Gee, I wonder what happens!
I think first time director Drew Barrymore did a brilliant job – but my only complaint is that Drew should not have starred in the movie. Her character, a stoner named Smashley Simpson was completely unbelieveble and bordered on annoying. With that said, I totally enjoyed watching Juliette Lewis as the badass, and Jimmy Fallon as the hilarious announcer. PS: Singer-songwriter Landon Pigg made his acting debut as Bliss’ rocker – love interest. I have his album sitting here on my desk – I’ll write that review up soon.
Bottom line – you should definitely check out Whip It! It’s so much fun! I loved it – and will totally be seeing it again!
I love Audrey Tautou! I fell in love with her in 2001 with the stunning Amelie. I think she’s beautiful, and incredibly talented. I love her movies, and she never seems to fail! The first movie I’m mentioning is “Coco Before Chanel” and the second is “Priceless”. Both specatular!
Going Out? Try: “Coco Before Chanel“
Amélie and The Da Vinci Code star Audrey Tautou stars as legendary fashion designer Coco Chanel in this biopic penned by director Anne Fontaine and screenwriter Camille Fontaine in collaboration with Christopher Hampton. Based on the Chanel biography L’Irrégulière (The Nonconformist) by author Edmonde Charles-Roux, Coco Avant Chanel features dresses from the Chanel collection. House of Chanel art director Karl Lagerfeld also steps onboard to supervise the creation of accessories and costumes.
I saw this movie on Monday, and I absolutely LOVED IT!It was so fascinating to learn more about famous designer Coco Chanel. The movie is subtitled, and is heavenly!
Staying In? Rent “Priceless”
Irène (Audrey Tautou) loves nice things and loves to have wealthy men pay for them. One night, she mistakes Jean (Gad Elmaleh), a poor bartender, for a potential client and spends the night with him. The next morning, Irène realizes her mistake and leaves, but poor Jean is smitten with her. Later, when a rich dowager mistakes Jean for a veteran gigolo, Irène agrees to tutor him in the art of fleecing wealthy lovers.
This movie is soooooooo good!! It’s fun, and flirty, and the perfect chick flick for a girls night! Audrey Tatou is hotter than ever in this movie. I think this could be my favorite Audrey movie. It’s “Pretty Woman” meets “French Kiss”. Trust me – this movie is awesome!!!
TGIF!! I’ve seen a lot of movies over the last week and some were ho-hum (Leap Year) and some were fantastical. So I’m going to give you two picks for tonight, if you’re interested! Tonight’s movie picks are dedicated to George Clooney, whome I love! I saw Up in the Air last night, and that was great. Below – for rent – I’m going to review Michael Clayton which is an older movie, but absolutely amazing!
Whether you’re going out – or staying in, I’m going to reccommend a movie that I’ve seen and I love! Hope you guys enjoy my picks!
Going Out? Try: Up in the Air
Juno’s Jason Reitman heads into corporate America territory once again with this adaptation of Walter Kirn’s novel Up in the Air for Montecito Pictures. The plot surrounds a human resource administrator (George Clooney) whose life up in the friendly skies becomes his only world as he works to reach his one-millionth frequent flyer mile. Jason Bateman and Vera Farmiga co-star in the Paramount Pictures production.
I had been dying to see this movie for quite a while, and I finally got my chance last night. I absolutely adore George Clooney, and this may be his best performance to date. He is such a phenomenal actor. I have to admit when the first previews of this movie came out months ago, I thought the premise looked pretty boring. I don’t think the previews do this film justice. You’re just going to have to take my word for it. This movie is just as good as everyone says it is. It is worth every award it gets, and George Clooney deserves an award for his role as axe man Ryan Bingham.
As much as I love George, I have to say I think I’m in love with Anna Kendrick as well! Anna (whom we all know from the first two Twilight movies) plays fresh faced Natalie, whom Ryan brings under his wings and mentors. She gave the film a bit of life – every scene she was in just lit up by her presence. I’m looking forward to seeing more of her in the future!
It is a somber movie, that’s for sure. It’s not a feel-good movie, it’s not a romantic comedy – make no mistake, it is a darker movie. But it is a great – great film.
Bottom Line: A+! If you’re looking for a good film, a sure-fire Oscar nom, check it out tonight!
Staying In? Try: Michael Clayton
Screenwriter Tony Gilroy delivers a finely tuned directorial debut with this dramatic thriller about burned-out corporate lawyer Michael Clayton (George Clooney), a man who’s built his career on cleaning up other people’s messes. When a guilt-ridden colleague (Tom Wilkinson) threatens the settlement of a multimillion-dollar case, Clayton faces his biggest challenge yet. Tilda Swinton nabbed an Oscar for her turn as a conflicted general counsel.
When I was sitting in the theater last night with my friend, I was going through the list of my favorite George Clooney movies. I asked her if she’d seen Michael Clayton, and she said no – which is terrible! Everyone should see this movie!
Michael Clayton came out in 2007, so you should have no problem finding it. I think I love all George Clooney movies – and this one tops my list as the best. This movie is a thriller, and it keeps you guessing right until the end. It’s absolutely amazing. With a cast that includes Tom Wilkinson and Tilda Swinton, does it get any better?
Bottom Line: It’s a great movie, one of my fav’s. I give it an A+, and if you somehow missed this movie in 2007, here’s your chance to catch up on a really amazing GC movie!!
