Going Out? Try: Dear John! Open’s TODAY!

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.

Follow Dear John on Twitter! @DearJohnMovie
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!

Today is Audrey Tautou day!

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!!

Inspired by an incredible true story, the CBS Films docudrama portrays one father’s desperate quest to save his children from succumbing to a rare life-threatening genetic disorder. Working-class father John Crowley (Brendan Fraser) is finally on the fast track to corporate success when his two young children, Megan and Patrick, are diagnosed with Pompe disease — a condition that prevents the body from breaking down sugar. In time, it disables the heart and the muscles, ultimately resulting in death. With the support of his wife, Aileen (Keri Russell), John ditches his career and teams with unconventional specialist Dr. Robert Stonehill (Harrison Ford) to found a bio-tech company and develop a cure in time to save Megan and Patrick’s lives. As Dr. Stonehill works tirelessly to prove the theories that made him the black sheep of the medical community, a powerful bond is forged between the two unlikely allies. Still, their greatest struggle is yet to come.

Extraordinary Measures is a decent movie. It’s not amazing, but it’s not terrible either. I saw this movie on Tuesday – along with hundreds of other Oregonians at a screening in Portland. It’s a beautiful story, and I’m glad I saw the movie, it was just sloooow at times. There were endless scenes of paperwork and meetings, and at times I felt like I was in the meetings with the characters. I think they should have toned down the legal side of John Crowley’s fight – and dealt more with the effects of the disease in his own home. The work/meetings/legal/doctor/science scenes were plentiful – and they weren’t terribly exciting. Made the movie move at a slower pace than necessary.

Harrison Ford is a great actor, but the yelling was a bit much. He reminded me a lot of Al Pacino – they sounded exactly the same.

What was surprising to me, was how well Brendan Fraser carried the movie! I wouldn’t have thought he could pull it off, but he did – wonderfully! He was very believable as the desperate father of two sick children. I thought Keri Russell did great also – but I didn’t feel any chemistry between her and Brendan. They seemed like an odd couple.

The story is moving, and the movie is good… it’s just not great. I think this movie will do really well with die-hard Harrison Ford fans. It’s also a good weekend for this movie to open, considering it’s opening against Legion – which would draw a completely different crowd.

BOTTOM LINE: The acting was decent, the story was predictable, I would give the movie a C.

I watched the Golden Globes last night, and after seeing Jeff Bridges win the “Best Actor” award for Crazy Heart, I decided I couldn’t wait to see the movie. My husband and I (who were kid free for the night) went to see the 10:00 showing downtown.

A worn-down country singer and a burgeoning journalist form an unusual bond in this drama adapted from the novel by Thomas Cobb. His spirit broken by multiple failed marriages, too much time on the road, and too many nights with the bottle, Bad Blake (Jeff Bridges) had started to feel like he was headed down the path of no return. When probing young writer Jean (Maggie Gyllenhaal) digs deep enough to unearth the broken man behind the legend, however, Bad realizes that redemption may not be such a long shot after all. Robert Duvall and Colin Farrell co-star.

Crazy Heart is a phenomenal movie. I absolutely loved it. Jeff Bridges has always been extremely underrated, in my opinion. He has given amazing performance after another for the past couple decades. I’m pleased that he was finally recognized for this performance, because out of all the Jeff Bridges movies I’ve seen, this might just be his best.

The thing that’s so amazing about Jeff, is that he’s such a good actor – you forget he’s acting. In this movie, he portrays country singer Bad Blake so seamlessly, you forget that it’s Jeff Bridges up there and not Bad himself. Jeff sings all the songs himself, and I couldn’t believe how beautifully soulful his voice was! (Even my husband who hates country music loved all the songs.)

There were other amazing performances as well, including Robert Duvall, Maggie Gyllenhaal and believe it or not, Colin Farrell. Maggie plays Jean, a journalist who falls desperately for Bad, vice versa. She gives a superb performance as a single mom who is drawn Bad’s magnetism, even if her instincts tell her to be careful. Robert Duvall plays Bad’s oldest and dearest friend, and the relationship between the two men is endearing.

What surprised me the most was Colin Farrell. I’m not saying I think he’s a bad actor, I’ve just never liked his movies. In this movie he plays Tommy Sweet, Bad’s once protege. Tommy quickly became more famous than Bad, and Bad hates him for it. Most movies would make Colin’s character the bad guy- but what I loved about this movie was that Colin’s character was actually a great guy.  A singer who knew he would be nowhere without his mentor. To show respect for his mentor, and to pay him back for everything Bad’s done for him, Tommy tries to give Bad another chance. Will Bad take it?

Colin Farrell – who is Irish – not only perfected the twang needed for portraying a country crooner – but also performed his own singing expertly. I think I kind of like a country singing Colin!

Overall – this movie really IS as great as everyone says it is. You don’t have to love country music to appreciate this movie. There are so many reasons to see this movie, I hope I’ve convinced you!

OK Go are four guys from Chicago who write songs that don’t seem to have much deep meaning yet are jam-packed with whiz kid hooks. They might appear as a fun-loving college band without serious intentions, but that’s not exactly true. They were signed to a major label right after forming in 1998. They’ve had hit singles played on the radio (“Get Over It” from their debut) but to their credit, they don’t engage in pretentious rock star posing (except for their recent tongue-in-cheek pimped out fashion sense) going so far as to make fun of themselves by learning a complicated 1980s-era dance routine (choreographed by a band member’s sister) for the sake of their live show. This resulted in a fall-on-the-floor hysterical music video for “A Million Ways,” which was recorded in a suburban backyard. It was never intended for public release, but like the Tommy Lee and Pamela video, it caught on in an online whirl, and they were forced to release it as their next single. But despite all signs indicating that they are carefree funsters, OK Go are also NPR-loving brainiacs and perfectionists who compose scores for underground indie flicks and worked closely with producer Tore (Franz Ferdinand) Johansson on their sophomore album recording scores of songs, only to abandon many of them when they didn’t seem worthy of release. OK Go just make it look like they’re effortlessly churning out power pop when in truth they work hard and relentlessly — even moving to Los Angeles to help further their prodigious career goals.

OK Go’s newest CD ‘Of the Blue Colour of the Sky’ came out on Tuesday 1/12/10, along with the release of their newest video ‘This Too Shall Pass’, featuring the Notre Dame marching band to accompany them.

OK Go will probably always be known as the Treadmill Guys (that’s what my kids said, anyway) and I have to say I’ve probably seen that video about a million times. Love it! So how do they follow up the success of such a huge hit? With their new album, ‘Of the Blue Colour of the Sky’. I think it’s a great album – fun – fast paced album. My early favorites are the single’s “This Too Shall Past” and “White Knuckles”. I’ve been listening to the album nonstop since I’ve gotten it. It’s a peppy – bubbly album, and that’s what I like about OK Go!

Buy OK Go’s New Album Here!

Tracklisting:

Follow OK Go on Twitter
Follow OK go on Facebook
OK Go on Myspace
OK Go official website

I’m going to start giving my reccomendations on Friday for movie night! 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: It’s Complicated

It’s Complicated has to be one of my favorites of the holiday season. (Nothing top’s Avatar, but I’m assuming you’ve all seen it by now.) It’s complicated is such a great movie, I can’t even tell you. Whether you’ve got a girls night – or you’ve got a date with your man, everyone will love this movie. This was the first movie I’ve seen in a long time where when the credits rolled, the audience clapped. It’s that good!

It was suprisingly funny! I laughed – out loud – throughout the whole movie. Meryl Streep and Alec Baldwin are genius, and my favorite scenes involve the always brilliant Steve Martin. I HIGHLY reccommend this movie. It’s awesome. It just makes you feel good all over. It’s the type of movie that makes it worth the $10 you spent on the ticket (and that doesn’t always happen, now does it?).

This movie is rated R, and in my opinion it was borderline PG-13. There were some sexual jokes/whatnot, but overall it was sublime. I love this movie!!

Jane is the mother of three grown kids, owns a thriving Santa Barbara bakery/restaurant and has – after a decade of divorce – an amicable relationship with her ex-husband, attorney Jake. But when Jane and Jake find themselves out of town for their son’s college graduation, things start to get complicated. An innocent meal together turns into the unimaginable – an affair. With Jake remarried to the much younger Agness, Jane is now, of all things, the other woman. Caught in the middle of their renewed romance is Adam, an architect hired to remodel Jane’s kitchen. Healing from a divorce of his own, Adam starts to fall for Jane, but soon realizes he’s become part of a love triangle. Should Jane and Jake move on with their lives, or is love truly lovelier the second time around? It’s–complicated.

Staying in? Try: 500 Days of Summer

500 Days of Summer is spectacular. I bought it on BluRay (it’s one of the few movies I’ll actually buy!) and me and my husband have watched it three times since we got it! It’s such a great, funny movie! I love Zooey Deschanel, and she was amazing in this movie! It’s nice to see more of Joseph Gordon-Levitt, and in such a cute – hilarious movie. He’s definitely come a long way from 3rd Rock From the Sun! And when did he get so hot? (The whole movie, I couldn’t help but think he could be Heath Ledger’s twin!)

500 Days of Summer has been nominated for a bunch of Golden Globes, so rent it and see what all the buzz is about! You won’t be disappointed, I guarantee it!

Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Zooey Deschanel star in director Mark Weber’s wry, non-linear romantic comedy about a man who falls head over heels for a woman who doesn’t believe in love. Mark (Gordon Levitt) is an aspiring architect who currently earns his living as a greeting card writer. Upon encountering his boss’ beautiful new secretary Summer (Deschanel), Mark discovers that the pair have plenty in common despite the fact that she’s seemingly out of his league; for starters, they both love The Smiths, and they’re both fans of surrealist artist Magritte. Before long Mark is smitten. All he can think about is Summer. Mark believes deeply in the concept of soul mates, and he’s finally found his. Unfortunately for Mark, Summer sees true love as the stuff of fairy tales, and isn’t looking for romance. Undaunted and undeterred by his breezy lover’s casual stance on relationships, Mark summons all of his might and courage to pursue Summer and convince her that their love is real.