How Do You Know

Movie: How Do You Know

Cast:    Reese Witherspoon (Lisa)

            Paul Rudd (George)

            Owen Wilson (Matty)

            Jack Nicholson (Charles -  George’s father)

            Kathryn Hahn (Annie)

Genre: Romantic Comedy

I saw it on: December 18, 2010

Synopsis: Lisa is a professional softball player facing a career crisis.  George is an honest businessman facing a federal investigation due to actions by his overbearing father.  He is also recently made unattached by his former girlfriend.  Matty is a major league pitcher who is infatuated with Lisa.  He brings new meaning to the word “shallow”, but thinks he is showing great growth as a person.  Lisa and Matty’s relationship is not exactly on concrete footing.  George falls in love with Lisa, but naturally doesn’t feel he can actually tell her, since she is in a relationship.  Annie is George’s former secretary who is trying to give him inside information on the investigation – but he is too honest to let her.

The movie follows Lisa as she tries to figure out what she wants; George as he tries to figure out what to do about Lisa and what to do about his father and the federal investigation; Jack as he tries to repair his relationship with his son; and Matty as he – at least in his mind – tries to become a better person.

My two cents: First of all, I went into this movie prejudiced: I am a sucker for romantic comedies, I love anything with Reese Witherspoon and I am a big fan of Paul Rudd.  I loved this movie.  Paul Rudd did a great job of portraying the conflicted businessman who was just too decent to believe. Reese Witherspoon was as cute and spunky as ever – while making her character believable.  Owen Wilson has the role of the shallow womanizer who has not clue nailed down. 

The one who I thought stole the movie was Jack Nicholson as Charles.  His character was an over-the-top CEO with a type A personality. He conflict throughout the movie was his conflicting inclinations to either through his son to the (federal) wolves to save his own skin – or to give in to his paternal instincts and rescue his son.  What made it so funny was his consciousness of the conflict and his willingness to discuss them with his son.. I thought the funniest scenes in the movie were of Charles trying to use non-profane language in front of the Annie - a losing battle, but one that he continues to fight.

To those who argue that George was just too nice and the movie is too sappy, I say – so what?  I suggest you sit back, loosen up and just let yourself enjoy 2 hours of a pleasantly funny movie that will leave you with a good feeling.

The Tourist

Movie: The Tourist

Cast: Angelina Jolie, Johnny Depp, Paul Bettany, Rufus Sewell, Timothy Dalton

Genre: adventure, thriller

I saw it on: December 16, 2010

Synopsis: Elise (Angelina Jolie) is under surveillance by the police (Paul Bettany).  They are hoping she leads them to a thief (her former lover) – who is wanted for unpaid taxes to the tune of $744,000,000.  A mysterious note from this thief directs her to take a train to Venice.  On the train she latches on to a Frank (Johnny Depp), a vacationing American math teacher, because of his resemblance to her thief-friend.  Meantime, a ruthless gangster is also after him – because he is the thief who for stole over $2 billion from him.  The gangster thinks Frank is the thief and out to capture him and reclaim his money.  At the same time, while the police are still trying to find the real thief.

My two cents: A great movie.  Angelina Jolie is as beautiful and elegant as ever.  Johnny Depp is great as a somewhat inept innocent bystander who tries to rise to the occasion when he falls for the girl.  There are a lot of twists and turns in the plot and you will probably do some head scratching trying to figure out what is going on and whether or not Elise is a good-guy or bad-guy.  The movie ends with a great twist.

Definitely worth seeing.

The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader 3D

Movie: The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader 3D

Cast: Georgie Henley, Skandar Keynes. Ben Barnes, Will Poulter

Genre: Fantasy, adventure

I saw it on: December 14 & 30, 2010

Synopsis: This is the third book of the C.S. Lewis series. Peter and Susan - the older two of the four Pevensie siblings are out of the picture completely.  They have gone with their mother and father to the United States during the war.  The younger two – Lucy and Edmund have been left behind to stay with their aunt and uncle – and their annoying cousin Eustace.

During a typical altercation between Lucy and Edmund and their cousin, they are sucked back into Narnia, along with their Eustace.  Once there, they join up with Prince Caspian on a ship (The Dawn Treader) on a trip east across the sea.  Along the way they encounter invisible one-legged men, an island that sends boat-loads of people into the ocean to be sacrificed to a green mist, slave traders, sea monsters . . . and of course Aslan..

My two cents: I liked this movie much more than I did the first two.  It would be useful to see the other two movies first, but not really necessary.  I think with multi-movie series like this, they should take five minutes in the beginning to do a quick recap . . . but again, this movie can stand on its own. 

I think my favorite character was the battling swashbuckling mouse – Reepicheep.  Not only was this mouse the most fun character to watch, he was most compassionate critter in the movie and had the most depth of character.

The new major character is the cousin – Eustace.  Although he is not quite as bad as Harry Potter’s cousin, he gives Dudley Dursley a run for his money.  For much of the movie, I just wanted someone to shoot him and put me out of my misery –  so I guess the character was well written and well-acted.

Bottom line – a pretty decent movie.  I don’t think I would bother with the 3D version unless you really like wearing the glasses.

You Will Meet a Tall Dark Stranger

Movie: You Will Meet a Tall Dark Stranger

Cast: Anthony Hopkins, Naomi Watts, Josh Brolin, Gemma Jones, Antonio Banderas

Director: Woody Allen

Genre: romantic comedy

I saw it on: October 5, 2010

Synopsis: Helena (Gemma Jones) and Alfie (Anthony Hopkins) are married with a grown daughter, Sally (Naomi Watts).  Sally is married to Roy (Josh Brolin).  Alfie leaves Helena for a young hooker.  Helena goes off the deep end with a psychic – she lives her life by what her psychic tells her.  Roy is a very depressed writer with a bad case of writers-block. While trying to write, Roy spends a lot of time gazing out his apartment window at a woman in an apartment across from his.  Roy becomes infatuated with this woman and eventually starts seeing her.  Meantime he also finds an innovative solution to his writer’s block – while developing a crush on.  Sally has the hots for her art gallery boss, Antonio Banderas.   And then things get complicated.

My two cents: Kind of a typical Woody Allen movie.  Lots of quirky off-beat humor.  The people are definitely marching to the beat of a different drummer.  I had a great time with this movie.

The Social Network

Movie: The Social Network

Cast: Jesse Eisenberg, Rooney Mara, Justin Timberlake

Genre: biography

I saw it on: October 11, 2010

Synopsis: The story of Mark Zuckerberg (Jesse Eisenberg) and how he created Facebook.  It follows him from his time in college when he honed his computer skills through the infancy of Facebook to where it took the world by storm.

My two cents: A fabulous movie.  Jesse Eisenberg was great as Zuckerberg.  I think this is by far the best acting I have seen from Eisenberg.  He usually plays a bit of a clown – but not in this film.  The scene where he is being deposed by lawyers of the Winklevoss twins he is mesmerizing when he intellectually eviscerates the twin’s claim.  The background we learn is fascinating.  I can’t say enough about this movie.  This is a chance to see a Bill Gates-type become a Bill Gates-type.

You must see this movie.

My Soul to Take

Movie: My Soul to Take

Cast: Max Thieriot, Denzel Whitaker, John Magaro

Genre: horror, slasher

I saw it on: October 12, 2010

Synopsis: Sixteen years ago, a serial killer was on the loose in Riverton.  The Riverton Ripper is finally killed, or so everyone thought, since his body was never recovered.  It so happens that the night he was killed, seven children were born in Riverton’s hospital.

Now, sixteen years later, these children are being killed off one by one.  The suspicion is that on the night he died, the evil soul of the serial killer took possession of one of the seven children born that night.

My two cents: Crap - a gigantic waste of time.  I kept waiting for things to pick up – but they never did.  It just seemed to me that someone wanted a movie that involved a lot of gruesome teenage killings – and just made up some crappy storyline to go with it.  There were a couple of scenes that had some suspense, but nowhere near enough to save the film.  I was sooooo bored.

I would not waste my time on this movie, even if it is on network TV.

Never Let Me Go

Movie: Never Let Me Go

Cast: Carey Mulligan, Andrew Garfield, Keira Knightley, Charlotte Rampling

Genre: horror, sci-fi

I saw it on: October 17, 2010

Synopsis: Kathy (Carey Mulligan), Tommy (Andrew Garfield) and Ruth (Keira Knightley) are three children being raised in a seemingly exclusive English boarding school.  We observe them over a period of years.  Eventually we learn that they are being raised for a very specific purpose.  When you finally realize what this purpose is, you will be horrified.  The three form a love triangle.  Kathy loves Tommy, but Tommy ends up wth Ruth. Eventually they all graduate.  The three end up together in a cluster of cottages where they pretty much just hang around, waiting for them to be called upon to fulfill their purpose.

My two cents: This storyline was a new one for me.  I a big fan of both Carey Mulligan and Keira Knightley, so I was confident I would like the movie.  I must say that when I learned to what end these children were being raised, I kept thinking that I must be missing something – it is that horrific.  I also enjoyed seeing Charlotte Rampling, even though her characters are usually so unlikeable – and this was no exception.

If you don’t mind things being a bit on the dark side – give this movie a chance.