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The Ghosts of Girlfriends Past

Rated: PG-13 for sexual content throughout, some language and a drug reference.
Release Date: 2009-05-01
Starring: Jon Lucas, Scott Moore
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Country:USA
Official Website: http://www.ghostsofgirlfriendspastmovie.com/

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‘Ghosts of Girlfriends Past’ isn’t as bad as I thought it would be. Screenwriters Jon Lucas and Scott Moore somehow manage to salvage the film by developing two well written romantic moments into the overdone cornball premise. The film doesn’t work as a comedy, but it gets the job done in the romance department.

Celebrity photographer Connor Mead (Matthew McConaughey) is a free loving bachelor  who is the ultimate ‘playa’. Unfortunately, his childhood friend Jenny (Jennifer Garner) is the one woman in his life who has always seemed immune to his considerable charm. It all comes to a climax when three ghosts, yes a la Dickens, take him on a revealing odyssey through a lifetime of failed relationships. The purpose of this exam is to get him to redeem himself in front of his one true love – Jenny.

There is no doubts about this film being targeted to female viewers, Unfortunately, they’ll have to deal with some negatives. Most of the damage of the film exists in its overused storyline – Charles Dickens’ ‘The Christmas Carol’. That on its own should scare most moviegoers away. Adding to the barrage of detriments is the myriad of lame and unamusing gags that never go over. I don’t really remember laughing once. But halfway through the film, when Michael Douglas appears as Uncle Wayne, is when we finally experience the first engaging moment. Douglas’s detailed in-depth tutorial on picking up women to a young Connor possesses a real candor absent from similar movies of the genre. I’m sure female viewers will find it amusing if not absurd. We once again are treated to another memorable moment at the film’s climax when McConaughey himself dishes out some love wisdom of his own. These scenes mixed in with a gooey score and sufficient teary close ups will debilitate even some of the most stoic of men.

 

Apart from those likable sequences, the supporting cast is simply irrelevant and insipid. Their charms and levels of interest are nonexistent. Futhermore, McConaughey’s performance matches those of his previous uninspired works (Fools Gold, Failure to Launch, The Wedding Planner). Nevertheless, if you can get past the Dickens homage, ‘Ghosts of Girlfriends Past’ is better than most romantic fare out in theaters right now. Female viewers will enjoy a good insight into the male psyche and have a chance to see a man go from player to prince. Isn’t that what all women want?

X-Men Origins: Wolverine

Rated: PG-13
Release Date: 2009-05-01
Starring: David Benioff
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Country:USA
Official Website: http://www.xmenorigins.com/

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Is the bootleg online version of ‘X-Men Origins: Wolverine’ better than the cinematic experience? If you already saw the illegal downloaded version, should you spend your money to watch it in a real movie theater? I personally haven’t seen the unauthorized edition, but from the feedback I’ve received from those who have and with my take from the theatrical version – yes, you should see it in theaters only if you enjoyed what you saw. It would enhance the experience that director Gavin Hood intended to originally put forth, but, if you didn’t like the story to begin with, odds are you won’t like it after you see in the big screen.

‘X-Men Origins: Wolverine’ is set prior to the events of the original X-Men films, sometime in the 1970s. It begins principally with Wolverine and partially with a few other legends of the X-Men universe. Some highlights include characters and story lines that have been long anticipated. The movie also explores Logan’s romance with Kayla Silverfox. Kayla’s fate triggers Logan’s involvement with the ominous Weapon X program, a top secret, billion-dollar military experiment, in which Wolverine obtains his indestructible metal skeleton.

The film had several problems ranging from blatant gaps in the story, underwhelming performances by new characters, to the unacceptable, second-rate CGI effects throughout the film (in particular a cameo done by a CGI Patrick Stewart). Unfortunately, these critical factors in particular, were too distracting for me to overcome. In its defense, there were many laudable moments such as Hugh Jackman’s performance of Wolverine (I can’t see anyone else ever playing him) and Liev Schrieber as his archenemy brethren, Sabretooth. Ryan Reynolds, who has been bashed by some bloggers for being casted as Deadpool, was likable in playing the wise cracking sword killer.

Overall, you have the good and the bad making ‘Wolverine’ an average film. Brett Ratner’s “X-Men: The Last Stand” turned out to be a better films on all levels. On a separate note, watch out for two clips after the credits, one scene immediately after the credits begin and the other at the very end of all the credits. These will reveal some of what may come in the next sequel.

Monday Box Office: "I Can Do Bad All By Myself" is #1!

Incandescent filmmaker Tyler Perry’s latest family comedy “I Can Do Bad All By Myself” opened in the top place in North America’s ticket booths this weekend, with an estimated 24 million dollars in ticket sales during three days beginning Friday, preliminary estimates provided by North American boxoffice authorities Sunday show.

The PG-13 rated Lionsgate film was Perry’s second number one debut of the year, and the fifth among his eight movies released in just 4 1/2 years. It leads a pack of weak contenders during the traditionally one of the most sluggish weekends. Adopted from one of Perry’s plays, the film tells the story about an alcoholic singer who finds healing in church and family. Madea, a pistol-packing granny, has become a phenomenon with the screening of Perry’s latest two films, with the first being “Madea Goes to Jail,” which opened to a personal best of 41 million dollars in February. His low-budget films have been especially popular among black women moviegoers. He was rated one of Hollywood’s top ten money makers in 2009. With the debut of this hilarious flick, he is destined to continue with his golden trail.

“9 (Animated)” debuted in second place, with an estimated 10.9 million dollars in sales. The film, an animated sci-fi/action film from Focus, is a post-apocalyptic tale of some creepy-looking rag dolls. It got an early start on the competition by opening on Wednesday, and its total stands at 15.3 million dollars. Based on Shane Acker’s Academy Award-nominated short film of the same name, it is directed by Acker and produced by Tim Burton and Timur Bekmambetov, and stars Elijah Wood, John C. Reilly and Jennifer Connelly.

The WWII saga “Inglourious Basterds” from Weinstein Co. and featuring Hollywood’s top headliner Brad Pitt, slipped one place to third standing. It has fetched 6.5 million dollars this weekend and grossed a total revenue of 104.3 million dollars over four weeks.

Rounding out the top five films in North America over the weekend are: “All about Steve,” a comedy produced by Sandra Bullock from Fox debuting with 5.8 million dollars, and 21.8 million dollars over two week; “The Final Destination,” a horror flick from Warner Bros., with 5.5 million dollars this weekend and58.3 million dollars over three weeks after standing two weekends in a row as number one.