Killers (Movie Review)

First thought: What the heck did I just watch? This movie has a multiple personality disorder, it doesn’t know if it wants to be a romantic-comedy or an action/adventure film. It tries to be well rounded by attempting to fulfill all these genres but it fails terribly.

The story is about Jen (Katherine Heigl) and Spencer (Ashton Kutcher). They meet in Nice, France, the beautiful French Riviera gives birth to their romance. Jen is on vacation with her parents Mr. & Mrs. Kornfeldt (Tom Selleck & Catherine O’Hara) who are extremely quirky; the dad is a control freak and the mom is drunk all the time. Spencer being a professional assassin is there on a mission. They have a cheesy first date where we are supposed to believe there are sparks, because Spencer quits his secret life to settle down and live the normal suburban life he’s dreamed of with Jen. 3 years down the line Jen abruptly finds out about Spencer’s secret life and they become fugitives running for their lives. In this journey they find out their lives and friends were not what they thought them to be and it comes to an awkward and sudden end.

If you dreamed of ever seeing Kutcher speaking French and being shirtless at the same time, your dream has come true. Kutcher carries the movie on his shoulders, which is not necessarily a good thing. I was surprised to actually like him in the action scenes, that’s to say the least of his acting skills though. Heigl’s character could not get any more annoying, she’s a spoiled rich girl that whines for most of the movie.

This movie simply isn’t entertaining enough to make it worth your while, it has very few funny moments and the only good scenes are the ones where there are fights. Not even the dark humor helps it and although they try hard to keep us in suspense the predictability is what over kills it.

Sex and the City 2 (Movie Review)

They weren’t kidding when they said SPARKLE. Sex and the City 2 was completely extravagant and exaggerated, which is what in a way made it fun. This movie does more justice to the series than the original movie did. It is not full of ‘Carrie’ drama, like the last one. Instead we get to go away on a fabulous trip with the girls. It is a Cinderella story, they have to live and enjoy their time quickly before the clock strikes midnight. We travel to a world of fantasy, it is predominantly what we go to the movies for anyway, to dream and live vicariously through others.

It all starts with Carrie Bradshaw (Sarah Jessica Parker) taking us back in time to when she met each one of her girlfriends; Charlotte York-Goldenblatt (Kristin Davis), Miranda Hobbes (Cynthia Nixon) and Samantha Jones (Kim Cattrall). The first main scene reunites them at a fabulous gay wedding. To describe it as a sparkly dream wedding is an understatement. We see how the girls lives have changed, Carrie living the Mr. & Mrs. Married life, which to her is getting boring and she wants to bring the sparkle back in the relationship. Charlotte has 2 little girls, that are driving her crazy and has a super hot nanny that makes her worry her husband might stray. Miranda is still the same workaholic she’s always been, but soon realizes what she’s missing out on. Samantha is fighting off menopause by taking 1.000 natural pills and keeping up with her sexcapades. The only man in the movie that doesn’t have a short appearance is Mr. Big (John James Preston) (Chris Noth); we see how he’s still trying to please Carrie even after they are married. The other men are barely showed in the film at all, it is after all about the girls. The best guest appearance was the one of Liza Minnelli; it was perfect; she does a fun dance performance. Penélope Cruz also does a cameo, she looks gorgeous and sexy more so than in her own movies. 

I think what this movie gives the true fans of the show is a chance to spend more time with the girls, get away with them without all the drama. They go on a trip to a foreign land – Abu Dhabi, where Carrie bumps into her old flame Aidan (John Corbett), Samantha has a new set of hot boys to go crazy after, Charlotte gets a chance to rest from stressful motherhood and Miranda finds her fun self again. This trip brings them closer together and strengthens not only their relationship but the ones with their loved ones as well.  One of the most interesting scenes of the film is when the girls are discussing how they perceive Muslim women as well as themselves. There’s a hint of feminism with a sprinkle of humor, which makes the subject light hearted.

There are several aspects that take away from the movie, there are a lot of ridiculous scenes, which might be meant as just fun, but it makes one laugh out loud sarcastically. The characters have become pretty predictable, which is the reason why there should have been no movies after the show ended; it takes away from the element of surprise. The women have become a parody of themselves, which takes any essence of reality left away from them. Lastly, although there is character growth the sole purpose of this movie is to make money; there was no need for a sequel, there’s nothing new that we learn from the characters.

If you were a fan of the show I recommend you watch it but you can certainly wait for it to come out on DVD, unless you have the time and the money to kill at a movie theater (it is pretty lengthy, maybe a little too lengthy). Samantha is definitely what makes this movie fun; if it wasn’t for her friends restraining her, the movie would be hilarious! Truth is that we all have girlfriends that are like any one of these women, which is what made the show so successful and it is what makes it so fun to watch. Just take the movie for what it is, a world similar to ours except that it is nearly perfect and beautiful but it was created for the sole purpose of entertaining. Ladies my only advice is not to torture your boyfriend with this film, go watch it with your girls.

Furry Vengeance (Movie Review)

The family film, Furry Vengeance, lacks a lot of imagination, it seems to have gotten most of its ideas from other family films such as Dr. Dolittle and Evan Almighty. The few laughs it achieves out of the audience (and I mean children) are based on ridiculous physical humor that at some point is more distasteful than funny. The good thing about the film is the messages it carries: to conserve our forests, prevent the destruction of them to build housing and the need to respect animal’s rights and homes. Unfortunately, these are barely important points of the movie; it’s more of a story of man vs. wild carried out by nature’s pranks against the protagonist.

Dan Sanders  (Brendan Fraser) is a real estate developer who is sent to take down a forest and build a private community called “Rocky Springs”. His family Tammy (Brooke Shields) and Tyler (Matt Prokop) miss the noisy city where they used to live, Chicago. His wife tries to be supportive and make the best of their new home, but their teenage son hates having been taken away from his friends and being in the middle of a forest where there is nothing to do. Dan tries everything to please his boss (Ken Jeong) and believes the supposed year they are to live in the forest while they build the community will bring them closer to nature and that it would fly by, but he’s wrong. The animals that live in the forest soon realize what is to become of their home and begin plotting against Dan by pranking him and making his life miserable. Dan is shun by his family when he starts acting crazy, saying the animals are pranking him and also once they realize what the company he works for is to do to this natural haven.

If the film would have focused on the importance of protecting our forest and keeping family as a priority, this at least would have given it some substance. There really isn’t much to take from this film that would even be of much entertaining value for anyone. Fraser as well as Brooks have played these same roles many times, the one of the goof and the patient wife. As a cartoon this movie might have been more successful. There’s nothing new that this movie has to offer nor in the story line or characters. This is not the worse movie i’ve seen but it definitely makes the list.

Remember Me (Movie Review)

‘Remember Me’ does a fine job at making you part of it without you realizing it. If you are into romantic dramas you are going to love it, it is more than just romance though, the importance of family is felt strongly as well. The plot is made up of love and loss and the sense that we have to ‘live in the moments’ because we don’t know when our last day on Earth will be. It is your typical boy-meets-girl story but with a sense of reality in it and a twist of faith.

Our main character Tyler Hawkins (Robert Pattinson) is a troubled soul, who feels completely helpless, he wants to be a hero or a voice to those that need it, like his younger sister Caroline (Ruby Jerins). He had a privileged life growing up, but now wants to make it on his own, away from his workaholic father (Pierce Brosnan); who doesn’t expect anything good out of him. With his poetic boy looks and the sadness he has about him, he has a way with the ladies. His roommate Aidan (Tate Ellington) convinces Tyler to date the daughter of a police officer (Chris Cooper), to spite him for arresting them one night. Tyler has no problem sweeping Ally Craig (Emilie de Ravin) off her feet. Tyler gets lost in his own game and ends up falling for Ally’s quirky personality. She has the ability to show him through their connection by their troubled pasts, that he can live again despite of all the pain he’s felt. She brings out the best in him.

The love connection here is strong; Pattinson and de Ravin make the romance as well as their life stories very real to the audience. It’s hard not to fall in love with Pattinson in this film; he is the typical artsy passionate guy every girl would want. The quarrels among characters, especially “the big fight” between the couple is a bit ridiculous. The script tries to create drama where there really isn’t.  Admittedly the ending is the strongest part of the movie, the filmmakers took a cheap shot at the audience, but it is the reason for the ½ star. It is a cheap shot that works, without it the movie wouldn’t have an impact and it would be easy to forget. We are given subtle hints about the ending throughout the whole movie but we only connect the dots when we arrive to it, it is what will make the audience feel a stronger connection to the story.

I definitely recommend it to the hopeless romantics; it will touch your hearts and leave you a little depressed. You are left with the sense that we do need to cherish every moment and live as if today was our last day.

The Private Lives of Pippa Lee

Rated: R for sexual content, brief nudity, some drug material and language.
Release Date: 2009-11-27
Starring: Rebecca Miller
Director(s):
Distributor:
Film Genre:
Country:USA
Official Website: www.pippalee.com

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This is definitely a chick flick for smart viewers; the drama which drags most chick flicks is taken lightly and sprinkled with unsuspected moments of hilarity. I didn’t know exactly what to expect of it but I came out glad to have gone through Pippa’s journeys along with her.
 
The film by director Rebecca Miller explores the life of Pippa Lee (Robin Wright Penn) a suburban housewife who seems to have it all together and be leading the perfect life. Her husband (Alan Arkin) an accomplished publisher who is 30 years older than her decides to move them out of NYC to a retirement community in Connecticut. Pippa as the perfect wife follows willingly, although we get a sense there’s something stirring within her that’s about to explode. She begins the narration of the life she has led up to the point where she met her current husband. We start seeing Pippa’s troubled past and wonder how she is so together in her present, but a series of weird occurrences take place which make everything fall in place. As her retired husband decides he can’t live in complete retirement she fills her time with activities and meets a younger man (Keanu Reeves), they begin to help each other through their paths of self-discovery.
 
Blake Lively from ‘Gossip Girl’ plays the younger version of Pippa Lee, her character’s fun, sensual personality combined with her innocence makes us want to help her out of the hole she digs herself into. Younger Pippa loves her mother (Maria Bello) but as she grows up she realizes her household is not what she thought it was, her mother’s addiction to drugs and her father’s (a priest) indifference takes her life for a spin.  
 
These great actors are part of a puzzle that forms a beautifully imperfect picture. All the funny moments make the dramatic plot easy to watch without feeling overwhelmed or sad. Seeing how Pippa’s life turns out despite the complicated “lives†she’s led is delightful, seeing her come in to her own and finally realizing that there was no need to make a perfect persona but that accepting herself and the fact that life is full of surprises was the answer, gives us an uplifting conclusion.

Cop Out (Movie Review)

‘Cop Out’ is well-rounded movie in the sense that each character contributes something different to it, it is this characteristic that makes it entertaining. It is not an original piece though, it is like seeing another sequel of such movies as ‘Lethal Weapon’, although the humor in it does make it stand out more. There are a lot of stereotypes that took away from the movie as well as some bad choices on secondary characters.

The story revolves around two NYPD officers who get into a whole lot of trouble for a baseball card that leads them to solve a major gang plot. Jimmy Monroe (Bruce Willis) seems to have done everything wrong in his life, so he wants to fix his mistakes by paying for his daughter’s wedding. The only issue is that he has the salary of a cop therefore can’t afford the wedding, unless he sells a rare, mint-condition baseball card he owns. His partner, Paul Hodges (Tracy Morgan) is devoted to help him despite of him having his own problems such as dealing with insecurity issues in his marriage. In their journey they loose their card to Dave (Seann William Scott) who becomes their assistant and leads them to the mexican gang who not only is in possession of the card but are also the ones to blame for other crimes in the area. Their leader Poh Boy (Guillermo Diaz) is bloodthirsty and wants nothing more than to expand his drug-dealing business out of Brooklyn, he begins by capturing Mexican beauty Gabriela (Ana De la Reguera) who holds the key for him to accomplish his master plan.

Director Kevin Smith did a good job at casting, Bruce Willis and Tracy Morgan. They make a great team, Morgan is hilarious and comes up with the weirdest funniest things to say and do; while Willis with his strong character carries the movie forward as the responsible role he depicts, although he looks most comfortable in the action scenes. Sean William Scott has a love/hate relationship with Morgan, that is very funny in a ‘annoying younger brother’ kind of way. Diaz plays the role of a villain with a comedic side which he does well and De la Reguera is a tough damsel in distress that balances things out. The rest of the latino crew does a horrible job starting by their Spanish. Cory Fernandez should be ashamed of his performance as well as his nonexistent Spanish. I was disappointed with all the stereotypes in the film towards hispanics (mexican gangs, brute unintelligent men, violence, etc).

Overall the film is entertaining, a good laugh. There is lots of unnecessary cursing so make sure to go with adults only. Check out our interview with Willis and Morgan so you can look out for their favorite scenes in the film, as well as the Spanish they picked up on the set.

The Wolfman (Movie Review)

Unfortunately The Wolfman was exactly what I expected it to be, a movie where action prevails and the plot is predictable and hollow, it is basically secondary. I had a moment of hope during the climax of the movie that it was going to be better than I expected, I was wrong. I do give credit to the animation crew as well as those who worked on the settings because they are fantastic.

The main character, Lawrence Talbot (Benecio del Toro) belongs to a theater group in London; he’s a man who is lonely and hasn’t spoken to his family since he was a child. His father sent him to the U.S. to keep him away from his childhood traumas. He’s a man full of pain and suffering, he only returns
home because his brother’s fianceé Gwen Conliffe (Emily Blunt) writes to him about his brother’s disappearance and at his arrival asks him to solve the mystery of his murder. His father (Anthony Hopkins) greets him coldly but with loving words, he’s mysterious and he’s estranged from his family. He lives in a castle where we start to learn about Lawrence Talbot’s childhood and begin to see that although he had a privileged childhood he didn’t have it easy.

The movie develops at a nice rhythm, but since very early on we are able to make conclusions about how it will end. The Puerto Rican actor Benicio del Toro does the role of a man with a dark past and an even darker future perfectly; as a fan of the original movie and a collector of ‘wolfman’ paraphernalia, he studied his character well. I can’t imagine anyone else playing the main role, although there is not much to work from; Del Toro did a good job, especially in the scenes where his physical pain was very real. Hopkins was perfect for the role of the creepy and enigmatic father, it was almost like seeing Lecter with a ‘paternal’ side.

I knew the movie was a thriller but I didn’t know it was also supposed to be a horror flick; it does have moments that startle you but it is far more gory than scary. The cast did a good job and the panorama is beautiful, also the fact that it is placed in the times of Jack the Ripper makes it more attractive. It would have been a better movie if the plot were more engaging. It is definitely not for kids, although at some point it becomes a version of ‘The Beauty and the Beast’ but for adults.