Friends With Kids: 2 Reasons to Watch it; 2 Reasons to Skip it

Reasons to watch:

1. The Cast - Sure, the Bridesmaids reunion element to the casting could be considered distracting but Jon Hamm, Chris O’Dowd, Maya Rudolph and Kristen Wiig have an unbelievable chemistry between them that it doesn't really matter. Add in one of my favorite people ever, Adam Scott, and you have yourself an amazing fucking cast. Ironically, the weakest link was Jennifer Westfeldt (who wrote and directed the film). She was just so bland in comparison to her costars – none were given much depth, but I still felt like I knew who everyone was. Her character, Julia, was sort of a judgemental bitch (and I don't think that was on purpose). I also loved the appearance of Megan Fox and Ed Burns, both were typecasted but they played their roles to perfection.

2. The Idea - The idea of having kids with a best friend has been spinning in my head for years now. The “normal” idea of falling in love, getting married, having kids just seems silly to me. People fall in and out of love so easily, they stay in marriages “for the kids” and just live miserably for no reason. This way of life of life is obviously flawed and it's about time for an update. I loved the relationship between Julia and Jason because it was built out of love, laughter and honesty – what would be so wrong about bringing up a child in that environment? Seems pretty brilliant to me.

Reasons to skip:

1. The Dialogue - Sooo much fucking dialogue! I rarely like films like this – where they just TALK endlessly about their situation, debate back and forth and repeat (the only writer/director who does this well is Woody Allen). Some of it was amusing, some of it was heartfelt (like when Jason explained to the group all the reasons that he loved Julia - I actually teared up a bit) but it was mostly pretentious, narcissistic, exhausting and annoying.

2. The Ending - ****SPOILER**** The whole movie is ruined with the ending. The entire concept of the film is that these are 2 people who aren’t sexually attracted to each other….and then suddenly they are. It’s ridiculous.

3 Thoughts on Project X

1. Most of the film is pure, insane fun - There is a skeleton-thin plot, very little character development and absolutely ridiculous scenarios but I have to admit that it was really fun to watch. It moved rather quickly, had an extremely appealing soundtrack and I laughed out loud several times. If you just take the film at face value and join the party - you should have a good time.

2. The ending of the film was not - The party was bordering on dangerous but still really funny until the last part (you know when fires and riots started breaking out and endangering the lives of the surrounding neighbors - including the newborn baby across the street). The fact that there are no big consequences for anyone was just plain dumb and the part that annoyed me the most was that the kids father had a moment of pride in his son's ability to cause mayhem. I'm sorry to be the voice of reason, but if they live in a house like that in Pasadena (i.e a multi-million dollar home) - they obviously have money. People who have money, care about money - there is no way that his father would be so calm about losing everything.

3. People are fucking stupid - I was in complete shock when the film ended and people in the theater started clapping. It wasn't a film that was deserving of applause. It was completely unoriginal (some described it as Superbad on crack, which I think is insulting to Superbad - but they did flat out copy the 3 main characters and somehow made them not interesting at all). I feel bad for you if you think this was something to cheer for.

Thoughts on 5 Films

1. Take Shelter - Intense. Subtle. Quiet. Ambiguous. All the qualities of this film that I love. While the film relies heavily on Michael Shannon's performance (which is fantastic), it is aided by the fact that he is just fucking creepy. Ever since I saw Bug I can't look at him without shivers going up my arms. Take Shelter is actually very similar to Bug because it delves into a paranoid atmosphere where reality is blurred but instead of bugs there are apocalyptic type storms. Curtis (Shannon) is a man who is slowly and painfully unraveling, yet he is fully aware of what is happening to him. Even as his vivid dreams begin to cross-over into his reality the only concern he has is to protect his family. The heartbreaking part is that everything he does seems to make things worse. The only bad thing I can say about the film is that it is slightly predictable and I knew exactly how it would end.

2. Thor - The good: An epic adventure, superhero story with extremely fun battle scenes, some witty banter and a hot actress (I'm referring to Jaimie Alexander...sorry Natalie). The bad: The plot was adequate but hardly memorable. Thor is not really that interesting and Chris Hemsworth did a terrible job convincing me otherwise. I certainly don't think a sequel is necessary.

3. Something Borrowed - What can I say...I'm a bit of a masochist when it comes to watching some movies. I know they are going to be torture and I say: "bring it on". But seriously, I don't think I can properly make fun of a film until I have actually seen it - that is why I watch crap like this. Also, it has John Krasinski and he makes me smile. The film, however, is a horrendous depiction of female friendship that pretty much centers around lies and jealousy. I am never convinced that these 2 girls ever actually like each other - and not just because they are opposite personalities. Sure, it would totally suck to fall in love with the same guy but if they were actually friends they would have discussed if from the beginning. My best friend and I communicate things like this as to avoid messy situations (she gets Ryan Gosling, I get Ben McKenzie - see how easy that was?!! or wait...It might be the other way around. I forget now...). Anyway, Colin Egglesfield is a truly awful actor and his character was lazily written. I didn't root for any of them to get together in the end so the romance part of this romantic comedy failed miserably (and it wasn't funny either).

4. In Time - The beginning voice-over by Timberlake's character explains that in the world of this film "time" is now a form of currency and the more "time" you have the longer you will live (you stop aging when you hit 25) - there is no reason, no history, no science, which, to me, feels lazy. It is an interesting concept, but the film focused so much on being a negative critique of capitalism that it became painfully obvious as to how it would end. Timberlake did a decent job but I still think he should go back to music (or hosting SNL).

5. Dream House - Maybe if I didn't see the trailer, I would have enjoyed this film a little. I thought it was weird that they give away the twist in it, but assumed that there was probably another twist that would compensate...but there wasn't. Aside from that, the film itself was a bit of a mess - not sure if it was supposed to be a horror or a psychological drama but it wasn't either. There was nothing scary about it and everything was spelled out for the audience so any thinking is completely unnecessary.

Thoughts on 5 Films

1. What's Your Number? Um....5 (number of times this film made me want to vomit, of course). Granted, chick flicks aren't really my thing but I thought one with Anna Faris would at least be funny. The film is about a woman who reads an article in a Glamour/Cosmo/Marie Claire type magazine that states the average "number" (of sexual partners a woman has had) is 10.5 and that after she hits 20 she will most likely remain single (which apparently is a death sentence. Vomit). This causes Anna's character to panic because her number is already at 19. After a "sex in the city" style girls night out (Vomit.) with her very catty and judgemental "friends" (Vomit.) she decides that instead of looking for new guys, she will just have to find true love with an ex-boyfriend so that her number won't go up - totally makes sense...right? She recruits her neighbor across the hall (Chris Evans) to help her find her exes, in exchange she lets him use her apartment to avoid the endless parade of one-night stand girls that he leaves in his apartment (Vomit.). It is obvious from the very beginning that he is "the one", usually I have problems with films when "the one" is a complete ass who treats women like shit but he is actually represented as a pretty decent guy. And on a side-note: I think I might be the last girl on earth to realize this, but HOLY FUCK is Chris Evans hot. I don't know why but he always sort of bored me....I might be watching Captain America sooner than I expected. Anyway, my last complaint is for the paint-by-numbers ending. Why would you leave your sisters wedding to run around the city looking for someone that lives across the hall from you? Vomit.


2. Colombiana - I was so excited by the opening credits when the names Callum Blue (Dead Like Me) and Michael Vartan (Alias) appeared. How did I miss this?? It's a shame that both hot men were underutilized - I probably would have enjoyed the film more if they had more screen time. The film was a pretty simple story of revenge - a girl sets out to avenge the murder of her parents. I really enjoyed her "missions" - they were very Alias-like with some really beautiful action sequences but there were also some extreme plot holes that distracted me. I still can't decide whether I like Zoe Saldana or not - I wasn't fully convinced of her "badass-ness", some of those guns she was holding weigh more than she does (I am not taking a dig at skinny girls - I, myself, am stick-thin and it's not very badass. I promise).



3. Cowboys & Aliens - Awesome idea. Fucking terrible execution. My expectations were considerably lower after the film was released and it was universally panned, but it was still far worse than I expected. The tone and direction of the film was very misguided - this was supposed to be a summer "blockbuster" but it was far too serious, the characters were lifeless and the plot was pointless. Actually, was there a plot? I think I stopped paying attention after the first hour. I have problems with Harrison Ford - he is always the same misanthropic character with anger issues and it rarely works. Also, Olivia Wilde used to be hot (like in the greatest teen drama ever - The OC) but definitely not in this film (which would be fine...if she could actually act).



4. The Debt - Good film, not a great one. I like the way the narrative is set up, there is strong character development with solid acting performances and the pace and suspense are satisfying. My only real problem with the film is that the plot starts off really promising but ultimately ends in a very predictable nature. The story is of 3 Mossad secret agents sent to Berlin to track down a Nazi war criminal - when things don't go as planned they make a unified decision that comes back to haunt them 30 years later. I thought the way they showed the big "essential" scene twice in the film was amazing - the second time the entire scene feels so much different once we understand the context. The casting was problematic - very well done with Jessica Chastain and Helen Mirren as the younger and older Rachel, but really off with Sam Worthington and Ciaran Hinds as the younger and older David (who look absolutely nothing alike).



5. Shark Night - Predictable teen horror fare - not enough scares to be memorable (a total of zero....), the acting was atrocious (I still love Dustin Milligan though) and a plot barely existed (and didn't even make sense). However, there are pretty people with very little clothing and there are sharks that eat people. Also, there is a somewhat entertaining rap video after the credits. The end.

Thoughts on the Past 2 'Glee' Episodes

1. Yes/No

The proposal (not the “surprise” one) – Any fan of Glee knew that this was the big Will and Emma proposal episode. I, for one, miss Terri – sure she was a crazy shrew but she was far more entertaining than Will and Emma’s entire relationship so far. She would bring back some much needed humor to the show (instead of all this emotional garbage…). As the voice over intro for the episode states: Terri "pretended to be pregnant, she yelled a lot and she hated the Glee club”. Sounds awesome…right? Anyway, for some reason, Will needs the help of the Glee club to come up with an epic proposal (sure, that is an appropriate assignment for a high school Glee club) and they all give some pretty awful input. If anyone proposed to me with a 'Moves Like Jagger', I think I would stab them with something very sharp (like a knife…). Unfortunately, this song wasn’t that much worse than what he decided to go with - 'We Found Love' (you know that awful Rihanna song that plays on the radio every 10 minutes). Sam’s brilliant idea was to perform the song while the Glee club did a synchronized swimming routine. Not only did it have zero relevance to Will and Emma’s relationship, it was also super cheesy and ridiculous. The fact that Finn brought Rachel to the auditorium (where they had their first date) and made the proposal intimate and genuine kinda made Will look like a jackass. Right? Speaking of….

The big “twist” – I had read a lot about a big “twist” at the end of this episode that would be a “game changer” and I also read that Finn gets bad news from his mother. When I put 2 & 2 together (and noting that the episode preview showed Finn telling Will that he is considering going into the Army) – I assumed the big “twist” was that Finn’s father didn’t die and that the “game changer” would be that Finn wants to find him. I think this would have been a better twist than what we actually got. I was sort of right about his father except that he is actually dead but he died from a drug overdose instead of a “hero’s death”. The game changer is that Finn re-assess his life after this news and realizes that the only thing that he has that is “special” in his life is Rachel….so he proposes. First, we all know that Finchel is endgame so this doesn’t really come as a big surprise. Second, it doesn’t change anything about the show….like at all. Third, (I will leave my thoughts on marriage and how it should be de-legalized for another time) I certainly don’t think it is a good idea for someone who is struggling finding himself (which I think is related to his young age…but I don’t think “age” is really the issue because I actually don’t think it is as bad of an idea for Rachel (she has a strong personality, has a passion and not only knows who she is but who she wants to become). I really want Finn to have a passion for something and to find something he is good at (ahem….DRUMS….ahem…cough…cough) before he makes such a big commitment to someone (as I do for EVERYONE). That being said, Cory Monteith once again proved himself to be Glee’s most valued (and underrated) player. He seriously killed me in the scene with his mother because he didn’t overdo it – instead he internalized the pain of learning that his father was not the man he had imagined. It was really moving to watch and I know I pretty much repeat myself every time I write about Glee so I will stop (until the next time…of course).

The Highlights – Freakin’ Helen Mirren as Becky’s inner monologue was one of the most genius things Glee has ever done. As was Becky’s interest in Artie – I think it is a hard storyline to make work and they did a good job (and a heartbreaking one). Her entire monologue in the beginning was laugh out loud funny (like how she doesn’t want Mike because she is “no rice queen”). Sue was seriously amazing at the end trying to comfort her (“you and I are going to get through this together”). There were a lot of little moments in this episode that were done really well – like when the girls sing ‘The First Time I Saw Your Face’ and Rachel thinking of Finn walking down the hall with his football buddies and then HE LOOKS BACK AT HER! I literally screamed out “GUYS, HE LOOKED BACK!!” (I was talking to my cats of course). Sure, it was a nice nod to all the Finchel fans out there, but it was also a nice nod to anyone who is a true fan of the series. (side note: Did anyone else think it was interesting that Brittany didn’t sing with the girls? I think it is the creators hinting at the fact that Brittany is not in love with Santana – at least in the same way that Santana loves her). Anyway, I nearly died when Artie throws himself into the pool – I didn’t recover until after the proposal was over so I had to (unwillingly) rewind. I was a little nervous when I heard they cast a ‘Real Housewife’ – I only recognize her as the crazy person that was on Celebrity Apprentice but she was actually quite funny as the swim coach (with a bronze medal for “individual synchronized swimming” – hilarious). There were so many hilarious and heartbreaking lines it is hard to narrow down the best - but these are my favorite:

Well, Michael Chiklis in a wig… - Sue describing Coach Beiste

I’ve never seen lips like that on a white child…and one of your nipples is higher than the other. I bet you’ve had to overcome a lot with those crooked nipples. – Coach Roz to Sam

Just be grateful that Comrade Obama still allows Christmas – Emma’s father

I know that girl. That girl is a sly, conniving bitch. – Santana about Becky

Your dad was so much more than the last few months of his life. That man was not your father. – Carole’s response to Finn about why she lied (How I did not burst into tears is beyond me).

Well, here is a radical idea – why don’t you treat her like a real person and tell her. Becky just wants to be treated like everyone else….you of all people should know that. Why don’t you tell her the truth, so she can move on and maybe date someone else who doesn’t sound like one of those weird puppets they bring around to grade schools to teach kids about sexual predators. And for Gods sake…you need to go one day without the driving gloves…it’s a wheelchair, Artie, not a Porshe. – Sue’s advice to Artie about Becky

I just wanted to say that you blew that song out of the water and totally nailed the assignment. No…wait a sec…the assignment wasn’t to make everything about Rachel Berry and force everyone to watch…was it? – Santana after Rachel sings ‘Without You’

You’re like a beacon of light guiding me through the darkness - this big gold star- and for some bizarre reason…you chose to let me love you. – Finn proposing to Rachel

The Lowlights – Coach Beiste and Cooter eloping? I’m sorry but why on earth would we be happy about that when he treated her like garbage just a few episodes ago (started dating Sue without telling her, then flaunting their relationship in front of her)?? I’m also not really a big fan of any of the songs chosen (and there were way too many musical numbers). Of course, Lea seriously rocked ‘Without You’ but the song literally makes my ears bleed. The beginning number was cute with the whole Grease montage but also somehow really annoying – probably too much cheesiness for me to handle. Again ‘Moves Like Jagger’ is an awful song but I love Arties voice plus the 3 best male dancers showing their skills is never a bad thing (and Kevin McHale does an awesome job of imitating what Mick Jagger would look like in a wheel chair). I used to like Will as a character, but I hate that he has no outside life now (he even asks Finn to be his best man?!) – I would love for them to give him a little more dimension again. Plus how many times does Glee do the whole “you’ve taught me what it is to be a man” thing? I am also really annoyed at Burt for continuing to push Finn to take over his auto shop - I’m not knocking the fact that Burt is a hard-working guy with a respectable job but you should always have higher expectations for your (step)-children. If this actually happens then the entire series will be ruined for me.

2. Michael

The tribute to MJ – If I rated this episode solely on musical performances it would be one of my favorites. Let’s get down to business and grade the performances:

-‘Wanna Be Startin’ Somethin’’ - Darren Criss owns this episode – too bad his Broadway appearance forced him to miss out on most of it. While I feel that many of the performers were trying very hard to impersonate MJ’s raspy, heavily-breathed voice, Criss just did his own thing and sounded absolutely fantastic. Plus, when they arrive in the auditorium in their MJ gear I totally wanted to get out of my cozy chair and dance along. (side note – I laughed out loud that Finn’s MJ gear was a bedazzled football jersey). A+

-‘Bad’ – While, I appreciate the whole underground parking lot MJ duel – the lighting was so dark, I was squinting my eyes trying to see it the whole time. The choreography was lost - I just saw a lot of white faces. Again, the idea was there but the execution was not. The Warblers sounded awesome though. B

-‘Scream’ – Holy Fucking Amazing scene - as was the scene prior to it setting up for the perfect “dream” sequence for Artie’s anger about always being picked on. I usually don’t like when Glee copies the music video’s for songs (ala the entire Britney episode) but this one worked so well because they made it relevant to the story. Plus, Artie and Mike Chang (looking sexy rockin’ the guy-liner) are unbelievably awesome. Probably one of my favorite Glee performances ever (with the other Artie-centric dream sequence ‘Safety Dance’ being another one). I smiled through it's entirety. A+

-‘Never Can Say Goodbye’ – First, hopefully this is the last time we hear Quinn sing. Second, this song is exactly the opposite of what she just told Rachel in the previous scene (she told her to say “goodbye” to Finn) which just irks me to death. Third, this was a nice end for her character - She sounded decent, she looked amazing and she gave a nice speech at the end about growing up and moving on. Last, goodbye Quinn and good fucking riddance. C

-‘Human Nature’ – Oh Samcedes, you guys are kinda cute. But the real highlight is Mercedes getting to do something other than belt out the last note. She has a really lovely voice and I think Glee ignores that quite often. Also, Mercedes is a much better duet partner for Sam than Quinn ever was. B

-‘Ben’ – The lowest point of the episode. The song is just ridiculously cheesy and slow and had zero relevance to the plot. The whole scene should have been cut….although we do get to see Blaine in an eye patch....so...yah. F

-‘Smooth Criminal’ – Does it matter who won the duel? With this much awesomeness we all won right? (AND Santana totally killed it). Accompanied by the sublime talent of 2Cellos – I was in awe. A

-‘I Just Can’t Stop Loving You’ – OOF. I admit I cringed in the beginning. The song is just way outside of Finn’s vocal range and I could feel him struggling. It did get much better once Rachel joined in and Finn dropped his voice to a more comfortable octave. I’m not really a fan of this song but it did make a good “proposal” song. I just wish they gave this couple a fun song to do (like ‘The Way You Make Me Feel’) because this one dragged on and slowed the episode down (not as much as ‘Ben’ did though). I do appreciate that they sing by the piano (which is an ode to the Madonna tribute episode). On a side-note: I weirdly enjoy the song more when I listen to it instead of watching it. Cory actually sounds good (and as Rollingstone.com notes he “holds his own against Rachel/Lea vocally” – which is a HUGE compliment) it is just hard to watch because the voice doesn’t match Finn – I’m pretty sure that doesn’t make any sense….anyway…. C+

-‘Black and White’ – Um…relevance? I don’t get it. Still totally awesome. Artie Rapping? Double awesome (as was Sebastian’s snicker – he was totally thinking 'is this seriously happening'?? -which is exactly what I was thinking at the face morphing part). B-

The plot developments – This episode sort of felt like the beginning of the end for some characters. We learn that Quinn got into Harvard and that Kurt is a “finalist” for NYADA (whatever that means). Rachel seethes with jealousy about her friends moving on which is super annoying (Lea Michele did a fantastic job though). When she breaks down in the hallway (instead of congratulating her best friend), I wanted to scream (and please tell me these kids have a thing called a “back-up plan” right? Rachel claims to have “nothing” if she doesn’t get into NYADA but she DID apply to other schools... right?). Anyway, her panic influences her decision about Finn’s proposal – she says “yes” despite Quinn’s harsh advice that if she truly wants to accomplish her dreams she has to let Finn go. While I agree with some of her advice, I don’t necessarily think Quinn had Rachel’s best interest at heart – I think Quinn is extremely jealous that Rachel has someone that loves her (after all, the three guys that she dated - Finn, Sam and Puck – all know her for what she is: bat-shit crazy). If what Finn said is true (that he will go to NY with her) and if she gets into NYADA then she really will “have it all” which does happen (at least on tv shows) so it makes sense for her to say “yes”. I still have problems with Finn’s proposal to begin with – I feel like he is sort of grasping at straws hoping that his relationship with Rachel will keep him happy and it is never a good idea to rely on someone else to make you happy. Come on Glee writers – give him something to be passionate about besides Rachel! (Let me spell it out for you: D-R-U-M-S). Also I am loving Sebastian as the new Glee club enemy - it is smart of them to give the Glee club a new nemesis because it was getting exhausting watching Sue do it all by herself. Plus, Sebastian is HOT. The end.

The highlights – aside from most of the performances, I don’t really have a lot of great things to say. Santana had some solid lines (like calling Sebastian “Andrew McCarthy”) and Brittany not knowing how to lock a door made me laugh out loud….but yah it was all about the MJ awesomeness. I know I go on and on about how great Cory Monteith is as an actor – so this time I will just leave you with someone else’s comment on his acting skills:

“I love Cory Monteith on #Glee tonight. He is so real”. - Rita Wilson (via Twitter)

The lowlights – The absence of Tina in the end performance? Did they think we wouldn’t notice?

Thoughts on 5 Films

1. Higher Ground - I have been in love with Vera Farmiga ever since I saw her in The Departed and have been following her career very faithfully ever since. I was really happy that she was making her directorial debut, but I must admit that the religious theme of this film is not exactly my thing. The story follows Corrine, a woman who through a series of events ends up in a very tight-knit religious community (I would describe it as very cult-like but others may disagree). The beginning was a little slow but Vera was conveniently able to cast her younger sister, Taissa Farmiga (from American Horror Story), as her younger self - which was a brilliant move. The film actually became quite interesting when she starts to question religion and her role in this religious community (it starts when her clothing is questioned and she is told to "not teach men" but really develops more when her friend, Annika, develops a brain tumor - that leaves her mentally disabled which was described as "the will of God"). As weird as it sounds, I actually identified with Corrine simply because I am fascinated by (and almost jealous of) people that have faith in things - I feel like life must be much simpler this way. When Corrine ultimately denounces this community - she gives a really beautiful sermon-like speech that was absolute perfection. She never denounces religion or even spirituality because she states that sometimes God has been there for her but it's the times that he has not been there for her that has led her to lead her life differently. This is definitely a film that will stay with me for a while, which is always a welcomed result.

2. The Ides of March - I was disappointed in myself for not catching this film in the theaters especially since I had been anticipating it for so long. I feel like once it hit the theaters, I was already over it - the reviews weren't spectacular and everyone that I knew that saw it said "eh...it was ok". I think it was actually a good thing that my expectations had been lowered because I really liked it (not enough to make it into my "best" list though....). No, the story wasn't that original - set around a political campaign, of course a scandal is expected. The reason that it still worked was mostly based on the solid acting performances from every actor along with a few things that weren't expected (at least for me) and it moved things along pretty quickly. George Clooney plays a Democratic presidential candidate with such ease that I actually thought I would totally vote for this guy (too bad that doesn't happen in real life) while Ryan Gosling is his Campaign Press Secretary - also a seemingly good guy, so when they let the evils that come along with politics get the best of them it is disheartening and perfectly cynical.

3. The Tempest - Another film that I was looking forward to, but this one came as a bit of a disappointment. I was excited for a female adaptation of Shakespeare because it is very much a "mans world", but Julie Taymor created a visually stunning, but ultimately a very messy film. 'The Tempest' is probably amongst my least favorite of all Shakespeare plays so that doesn't help. The play is a bit over-dramatic and long-winded, about Prospero who is banished to an island with his daughter. He decides to get revenge on those who brought about his misfortune by causing a ship-wreck on the island. The play is part romance, part comedy, part tragedy in typical Shakespeare fashion - but it isn't all that interesting or memorable. I was disappointed that the film didn't give it any new depth or direction - it had no voice of it's own. It also felt very stagey (is that a word?) and precise. Helen Mirren was obviously great, along with the rest of the cast. At first, I was confused by the acting choices- *Cough* Russel Brand *Cough*- but then it made sense in context (because Russel is the perfect fit for a typical Shakespeare "jester" character). I just enjoy when films make Shakespeare interesting again - and this one did not.


4. The Devil's Double - The only reason I had any interest in this film was because I heard such amazing things about Dominic Cooper's performance as both Uday Hussein and his 'fiday' (body double). That is a tough thing to pull off and I think Cooper did do a pretty good job (not as good as the praise...but still noteworthy). I absolutely loathed the film - it was very one-sided about the son of a Dictator who basically represents the ultimate evil - he rapes young girls and also a woman on the day of her wedding, kills people impulsively, is obsessive, maniacal, obnoxious and basically an all around creep. He declares things like "Allah gives me nothing" and "I love cunt more than God", which is probably pretty insulting to a lot of people. I wanted to scream at the film - WE GET IT...HE IS A BAD PERSON...GET TO THE POINT! But that was the problem with the film - it had no point. It actually becomes quite comical - almost a parody of itself. I would recommend it to acting enthusiasts, but everyone else should stay far away.

5. Moneyball - I have to say, I avoided watching this film for personal reasons - I knew that it would remind me of an ex-boyfriend. He was not just any baseball fan - he was the ultimate fan. Not just of the sport but of the "business" of baseball (he even got a job working for Major League Baseball). Anytime we would go to games, while others were cheering on their favorite players - he would talk about statistics, the value of each player, how every game effected the entire year. I can't say that I was all that interested, but I can't help but be inspired by his passion (and I'm sure I often bored him to death with all my "film" talk). It's sort of a shame that we aren't together to witness the 2 things we love the most come together so beautifully. Brad Pitt was sublime (might be my favorite performance of 2011....definitely a tough one between Ryan Gosling in Drive). Pitt portrays Billy Beane, the general manager of the Oakland A's, a team that is struggling financially. The film sets up the "underdog" mentality from the beginning - they are a simply a team that isn't going to win. Along with a Ivy league graduate, played surprisingly to perfection by Jonah Hill - they come up with a way to beat the system and turn the entire sport upside down. They start relying on statistics to build a team of players that are more likely to get on base (and therefore score) for bargain prices. At first, it is a bit of a mess but once the system starts to work the team is unstoppable (they win 20 games in a row - which I believe is still the record). These 2 guys changed the entire sport - a sport that has been around since the Mid-18th Century. It's a lovely and inspiring film about how with enough passion and determination anything can be accomplished. It definitely moves in to the empty #9 slot in my top 10 films from 2011.

3 Reasons Why 'Haywire' Is Both Awesome and Awful

1. Gina Carano is both awesome and awful - Usually I am a fan of a hot chick that can kick the shit out of her male counterparts. In theory, it was a great idea to cast former MMA champion Gina Carano in the role because this is probably the first time in the history of these types of films that I actually believed that this girl could actually take down all of these men. Totally believable and totally awesome to watch. However, her acting was offensive. It was not all her fault - her character had very little depth and I will even give her the benefit of the doubt and assume that she was directed to deliver every single line with the exact same monotonous tone (I did read that they altered her voice to make it deeper - which if true was the ultimate mistake and totally not her fault). I just felt like she had very little human quality to her, so ultimately I didn't really root for her. You know there is a problem when Channing Tatum isn't the worst actor in your film (I kid, I kid - I actually have been a fan of his since A Guide to Recognizing Your Saints. It's just fun to make fun of him...) Also, whoever decided to put Gina in cornrow braids for the last 1/2 hour of the film should be fired - totally brings her hotness factor to about a zero.

2. The fight scenes are both awesome and awful - Again, watching her fight was definitely the highlight of the film. I also love that most of the fighting was hand to hand combat (not many weapons used at all). What I didn't like was that most of the fighting seemed staged and way too choreographed. Plus each fight was very similar to the previous one - it just became a bit tedious to sit through (which is why I think several people walked out of the theater - I think I counted a total of 6 walk-outs).

3. The plot is both awesome and awful - Mix an Alias type plot with the sleek style of Steven Soderbergh and you can officially call me entertained. The plot wasn't exactly original but it is still right up my alley- She is part of a mission that is a set-up against her, she figures it out and takes revenge on all involved in the double-cross. I just wish that the plot didn't have as many holes as it did and that they spent more time on the revenge than on the back-story. The last 20 minutes were too predictable and really didn't present us with any danger or excitement. It was just a case of a little too much style not enough substance.

Oscar Nominations: The Good, The Bad and The Snubbed

The Good:

• Midnight in Paris is nominated for Best Picture, Best Original Screenplay and Best Director. Amongst the 9 Best Picture nominations it would be my pick.

• Brad Pitt was awesome in Moneyball which normally doesn’t surprise me but this was such a different role for him. The film would not have been on anyone's radar if it wasn't for him.

• Overall, the Best Actress category is full of talented women so I can’t complain – It is a bit surprising that Tilda Swinton was not among them after all of the amazing things that I have read, but I am actually happy that Rooney Mara snuck in there (still haven’t seen the Fincher version – but of all the clips I have seen she nails the role of Lisbeth).

• As much as I hate The Help, the acting talent definitely deserves all of the recognition they are getting.

• Bridesmaids is one of my favorite films of 2011, but I never thought it was Oscar worthy. I do think that Kristen Wiig and Annie Mumolo successfully wrote a comedy that was absolutely hilarious, while also having relateable characters and a heart that most comedies lack so I am satisfied with their nomination. Also, I adore Melissa McCarthy –so I wont complain about her nomination either.

• I am still not quite sure how I feel about The Tree of Life, I know I didn’t like it as much as most film critics. I will admit that the film is beautiful, poetic and visionary – Terrence Malick’s passion for art and film is evident. It is nice to see someone like that nominated for an Oscar.

• Something for Warrior!!!! Nick Nolte snuck in a Best Supporting Actor nomination – I only wish that Joel Edgerton and Tom Hardy had snuck in as well.


The Bad:

• The Help was a painful experience.

• Judging from the comments on my Twitter feed, War Horse was painful as well.

• I’ve never read anything but mediocre reviews about Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close (aside from the performance from the kid and Max von Sydow).

• Michelle Williams was a lock (that I disagree with) but Kenneth Branagh? Really? I barely remember him at all in My Week With Marilyn.

• Transformers: Dark of the Moon was nominated for 3 awards. Enough said.


The Snubs:

• Drive should have been nominated in pretty much every category. Best Actor (Ryan Gosling), Best Supporting Actor (Albert Brooks), Best Director (Nicolas Winding Refn), Best Adapted Screenplay (Hossein Amini) and Best Picture. It’s an insult to the film industry that it didn’t make it into at least one of these category’s (It did score a measly ONE for Sound Editing).

• Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross were not nominated for the amazing music they created for The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo?? I can't comprehend that one.

• One of my favorites, Super 8, was a guaranteed snub for Best Picture and Best Director (I would also argue that Elle Fanning should have been nominated for Supporting Actress – she was brilliant) but I assumed it would get a visual effects nod.

• I didn’t see Shame yet but based on their previous collaboration (Hunger) and all of the amazing things I have read, Steve McQueen and Michael Fassbender were deserving.

• Charlize Theron was really the only reason I would recommend Young Adult to anyone. I was mesmerized by her (she should have replaced Michelle Williams).

• I know Another Earth was not everyone’s cup of tea, but you can’t argue that Brit Marling and Mike Cahill wrote a beautiful, inspiring, original screenplay.

• I would have jumped for joy if Joseph Gordon-Levitt got a nomination for 50/50. My second favorite Actor performance of the year (behind Ryan Gosling for Drive). Also Will Reiser should be nominated for the screenplay.

Golden Globes: 7 Best and Worst

A few years ago I wrote a blog about the Golden Globes being my favorite awards show (they award both television and film; they split comedy and drama etc), but last year I was really disturbed by the films and acting that they deemed nomination worthy (i.e 'Burlesque', Piper Perabo). This year the nominations weren't *as* bad although they missed quite a few of my favorites of 2011 ('Drive', Aaron Paul, Courtney Cox). I don't think I can really take this awards ceremony very seriously until they start re-thinking their nominations. Here are my best and worst from this years telecast:

BEST:

1. Best Win - That is a tie between Idris Elba for Luther and Woody Allen for Midnight in Paris. I've never seen Luther but Idris never got enough recognition for his work as Stringer Bell on The Wire, so I will accept this as compensation. Midnight in Paris is among my favorite films of 2011 but mostly for the beautifully inspiring screenplay - it was probably the only time during the awards that I shook my head in agreement.

2. Best Loss - The Help losing Best Drama. I really don’t understand the praise for this film. While, I certainly don’t think The Descendants was the Best Drama of the year I was rooting for anything to take the steam away from The Help.

3. Best reference to what I call 'The Tina Fey Syndrome' - Tina Fey! While presenting with Jane Lynch they spoke about how different they were from their characters – then Tina jokingly couldn’t come up with anything….because she plays a characterized version of herself on 30 Rock. I love Tina but I never understood why she got so much praise for “Liz Lemmon” when she wrote the character based on her own life – she’s not exactly stretching her limits.

4. Best Presenters - A tie between Felicity Huffman and William H. Macy’s very adorable and really well done jingle and Seth Rogen – who probably made me laugh the hardest with his announcement that he is hiding a “massive erection” while presenting with Kate Beckinsale. Then he really won me over by sarcastically describing My Week With Marilyn as “hysterical”.

5. Best Ricky Gervais moment - His opening was decent – not as good as last year, but I think expectations were high…maybe a little too high. I think it hurt his whole shtick that most people played along – Jodie Foster smiled and nodded as he joked about her “beaver” while Johnny Depp gave in to the fact that he hasn’t even seen The Tourist either. I think my favorite moment was when he called Colin Firth a racist - although it would be funnier if it was someone who was actually a known racist.

6. Best Speech - Claire Danes redeemed herself for all the speeches she gave for her Temple Grandin performance were she continually said the words “like” “awesome” and “um”. This time she remembers back to her teen years, winning the award for My So-Called Life and how she forgot to thank her parents - then she gives a heartfelt shout-out to her mom in the audience. I also enjoyed Sophia Vergara saying her speech in Spanish with Steve Levitan “translating” – brought some much needed laughter to the end of a very long show.

7. Best Dressed - The ever important question of the night...right? There were a lot of amazing dresses to be seen - like the warrior inspired dress that Nicole Kidman was wearing and the really sexy, but still classy dress that Rooney Mara wore. My two favorite looks of the night were Kristen Wiig and Emma Stone. Wiig stood out in a low-cut nude number - it was simple but still really elegant, while Emma gets the "most-improved" award (last year she looked horrendous with the blond hair, overly tanned skin and bright orange dress) - this year she rocked a gorgeous Lanvin dark purple and red dress complete with an unexpected eagle belt buckle.

Worst:

1. Worst Win - Michelle Williams secured her spot as an Oscar nominee but I really disagree with pretty much everyone. She did a really good impression of Marilyn Monroe but it wasn't worthy of all the praise. I would have been more ok with the award if she was nominated in the Drama category - since this is the one awards show that splits the Dramatic and Comedic acting I think this category should go to someone who was actually funny - like Kristen Wiig.

2. Worst Loss - What does HFPA have against Breaking Bad? Seriously, the show was snubbed for recognition for the past 3 years, along with Aaron Paul. I would also argue that Giancarlo Esposito created one of the most evil villains in recent memory and deserved a supporting actor recognition as well. For the past 2 years, they had the good sense to nominate Bryan Cranston (who has won 3 Emmy’s for his brilliant portrayal of Walter White) but he lost to Steve Buscemi last year but that wasn’t as much a punch to the face as this year’s winner – Kelsey Grammer? For real? I get that the Golden Globes usually pick “new” shows – and if they recognized Breaking Bad from the beginning I might not be as outraged. Bryan Cranston should never be on the losing end of any award. Period.

3. Worst reference to what I call 'The Tina Fey Syndrome' - It was sort of ironic that Matt Le Blanc won for his portrayal of... Matt Le Blanc. I’ve never seen Episodes and to be honest I have never heard anything good about it. Is Matt funny? Probably. Is is award-worthy? My answer is a resounding NO!. I feel the same way about Louis C.K – should he get a writing award for Louie? Hell yeah – that show is downright genius but when he was nominated for an acting Emmy, I definitely questioned it. I also don't think Zooey Deshanel should be getting any praise because I see no differentiation between her and her New Girl character.

4. Worst Presenters - I would like to go with Rob Lowe and Julianne Moore but that wasn't really their fault....so I will choose everyone else!! Seriously, everyone was really boring.

5. Worst Ricky Gervais Moment - Making a “like a virgin” joke about Madonna??? There are so many things to make fun of Madonna for – this one is just simply played out. Also, her “comeback” jokes were pretty unbearable to watch.

6. Worst Speech - Meryl Streep – I know everyone made fun of her for “acting surprised” but I actually think she expected Viola Davis would win. But then, she realized that she forgot her glasses so she couldn’t read her speech – however she wasn’t holding a speech and she sort of implied that it was on the monitor…which would just be weird. The whole thing struck me as odd – as was the camera panning to the celebs in the audience passing her glasses up to the stage only to have David Fincher keep them (what a dick)

7. Worst Dressed - There were a lot of flops like Jessica Beil wearing an antique wedding dress, the usually trendy Julie Bowen sporting a princess look that was much too immature for her and Sarah Michelle Geller who let her 2 year old daughter pick out the dress (which is totally cute so we might just have to let it slide…right?). Hands down Zooey Deshanel was the worst dressed in her “custom Prada”. Shame on them for letting her leave the house like that. Also, as much as I like the idea of Lea Michele’s dress – In the end it looks like something is growing on her body and about to suffocate her. I was having a panic attack just looking at her. Plus the hair

and makeup make her look older.

.

Thoughts on 6 Films

1. Margin Call - This is what Wall Street 2: Money Never Sleeps should have been - intense and intellectual. Films about economics usually go right over my head, as parts of this one did. Yet, I understood the complexity of the situation - set in an investment firm during the early stages of the financial crisis, I understood how the decisions that were made effected the entire country and I understood the attitude of "being first" and that was enough for me to enjoy the film. It is led by a fantastic group of actors: Kevin Spacey, Paul Bettany, Jeremy Irons, Stanley Tucci and Zachary Quinto (I thought I would argue that Penn Badgley was horribly miscast and a weak link - but he was actually pretty decent). There was heavy dialogue, but it moved rather quickly. I wouldn't call it fantastic, but it held my attention much more than films like this usually do.


2. One Day - Not nearly as bad as I was expecting but I still see it as a disappointing film because the idea has a lot of potential. The film is set to show the different stages in the relationship between a couple on the same day over many years. The concept is genius (I will have to read the book soon), but the film lacked appeal - mostly due to the lack of chemistry between Anne Hathaway and Jim Sturgess. Their "epic" romance just didn't work for me from the very first encounter, so I never invested in them as a couple. It was a bit ambitious in portraying 20 years worth of living in under 2 hours - showing how they change individually as well as a couple. I would love to see a film that does this well.



3. Warrior - Probably the most surprising film of 2011. I never intended on seeing it, having no interest in Mixed Martial Arts - I automatically assumed I would be bored to death. Then, I read several amazing things about the film and it kept moving up on my Netflix queue. Sure, it followed some of the cliche's of these types of movies but I was surprised that a film like this could have such emotion and heart, while also leaving me feeling completely conflicted on the outcome. I think the less you know about the film, the more enjoyable it will be so I won't even go into the plot, but I will say that it is one of the best films I have seen all year and that shocked the hell out of me. I am surprised it is being ignored for awards - both Joel Edgerton and Tom Hardy were nomination worthy, as was Nick Nolte.

4. Your Highness - Hands down the dumbest film I have seen from 2011 (no, I didn't see Bucky Larson). I am surprised that someone thought this would be a good idea - I assume they were going for a Princess Bride type comedy but it failed miserably. I really don't think I am a fan of Danny McBride - he plays the same pathetic loser type character in every film and it is really not funny. James Franco has been amazing (Freaks and Geeks, 127 Hours), but sometimes he overacts (Spider-man), other times he looks like he is unaware of his surroundings and just reading off of cue cards (like this film). Overall, the film was just plain stupid and even if that is what you are in the mood for (as I was) it is still unsatisfying.




5. The Help - I am in complete confusion as to why this film is getting so much praise. Sure, Octavia Spencer and Viola Davis were awesome (but that was to be expected...right?) but that doesn't save the whole film from being boring, having a predictable plot and an awful preachy tone. I hate when films reduce the complexity of situations by making one person the "pure evil" one - in this film this was portrayed by Bryce Dallas Howard (and nope..I still don't like her...she is such a BLAH actress). She literally had no redeeming qualities which was ultimately the biggest problem of the film. Also, there was a lot of pointless subplots (like Skeeters boyfriend issues) and Celia's entire story arc. I never thought I would hate Emma Stone in anything, but her character was annoyingly idealistic. The movie was literally painful to sit through.

6. The Art of Getting By - Teen angst can be somewhat interesting and entertaining sometimes, but no so much in this film. Freddie Highmore plays sort of the outcast teenager but he doesn’t seem to have any reason for being an outcast - he just chooses to be this way. I sort of get his "depression" about the pointlessness of existence ("we all end up dying alone" as he claims in the beginning) but he does have passion for art – and really that is the point of existence (to find what you are passionate about). Why the film reduces the meaning of life to finding love (especially amongst teenagers) instead of passion is beyond me. Emma Roberts is adorable and I enjoy her in anything (I pretend that Valentines Day doesn't exist) I know people freaked out at seeing child actor Freddie Highmore as a teenager but watching Michael Angarano as an adult is more disturbing for me (he was Jack’s adorable son on Will & Grace). I think the film relied heavily on Freddie's shoulders, but I think he was a bit of a disappointment - absolutely zero on screen charisma. I think I would have enjoyed the film more with someone else in the part. Although the whole "anything is possible" ending would have still irked me nonetheless, so I guess it doesn't matter. Also, I find it nearly impossible to take Alicia Silverstone seriously.