Friends with Benefits

  The grip of Hollywood touches all of us these days and trying to avoid its love sick romances is even harder to do but Dylan and Jamie find themselves trying to do just that in this spunky love story. With each of them having their own tussle with relationships, they push themselves to the end of their ropes forcing them to become unavailable.
  Jamie, is a head hunter who by fate meets Dylan while trying to place him for a job at GQ. Both realizing that they are sex deprived, they extend a helping hand to simply ease a bit of tension.  Testing the bounds of a "friends with benefits" relationship proves to unveil their real feelings for one another and allowed for me to laugh my buns off.
 Discovering how many ways they are more a like than different takes on a funny yet not sappy ride of unraveling love. Prepare yourself to laugh out loud and to see tons of nakedness by both parties.
  Justin Timberlake and Mila Kunis keep the jokes flowing with ease and seem to have wonderful on screen chemistry.  Not one for the kiddos to watch but would be an awesome date movie!  I laughed the whole way through.

Directed by Will Gluck

Written by Keith Merryman & David A. Newman

Starring Mila Kunis, Justin Timberlake and Patricia Clarkson

Water for Elephants

  Set during the Great Depression Water for Elephants takes you on a love stricken journey of a veterinary student who abandons all hope when his parents die.  Like most young people a front with grief, he looks for new ways to fill his life with wonders and unexpectedly finds a traveling circus.
  Jacob, our whippersnapper looking for life, jumps aboard the moving train and sets forth to find new friends and heart breaking challenges.  He soon finds himself meeting the big boss man and using his veterinary learning's to pose as the troops very own licensed veterinarian.
  Trouble arise when the star horse seems to be ill.  Marlena, the star attraction and the boss's wife, wants to help but the horse down along side Jacob, but when the do Jacob quickly learns the ways of The Banzai Brother's Circus.
  Filled with wonderful costumes, authentic sets, a beautiful script and an amazing cast Water for Elephants is sure to fill your heart.  At times it becomes very hard to hold back a few tears but the ending to this well written screenplay is well worth the wait.  A love story for the ages and one you wont want to miss.

Directed by Francis Lawrence

Written by Richard LaGravenese

Based on the Novel by Sara Gruen

Starring Robert Pattinson, Reese Witherspoon and Christoph Walts

Remembrance 2011

  Every year those who make us laugh and have been there when we cried have passed on but are not to be forgotten.  Here are some of the greats that left us wanting more. (Next to the person's name will be just a brief titled of something they have appeared in but is not limited to their entire body of work.)

Harry Morgan

Harry Morgan-M*A*S*H
Patrice Oneal-Comedian
Ken Russell-Director
Anne McCaffrey-Author
Bill Keane-Comic "Family Circus"
Heavy D- Rapper
Andy Rooney- 60 Minutes
Charles Napier- Rambo, The Blues Brothers
Frances Bay-Happy Gilmore, Seinfeld
Andy Whitfield-Spartacus: Blood and Sand

Cliff Robertson-Spider-Man

Bubba Smith-Police Academy
Peter Falk-Columbo
Ryan Dunn- Jackass

Andy Whitfield

Jeff Conaway-Grease
Mia Amber Davis-Road Trip
Arthur Laurents-Playwright, Screen Writer and Director
Dana Wynter-Invasion of the Body Snatchers
Jackie Cooper-Superman
Yvette Vickers-Attack of the 50-Foot Woman
Sidney Lumet-Director
Elizabeth Taylor-Cleopatra
Michael Gough-Batman
Jane Russell-Gentleman Prefer Blondes
Peter Yates-Director
Pete Postlethwaite-James and the Giant Peach
Anne Francis-Forbidden Planet
Dolores Fuller-Glen or Glenda

Elizabeth Taylor

                                    

     Clip from Cleopatra

The Help

The 1960's brought forth some grand moment in our history as Americans.  Some of them brought us joy and others help bring the end to horrible times.  Mississippi was a hot bed of racial tension and the civil right movements were boiling all over the United States.  The Help sets to drive us straight into it all as we follow Skeeter as she comes to find herself and the voice she thought she would never have.
  In order to find herself, she decides to write The Help after becoming disgusted with the racial issues in her hometown.  Befriended the local African American maids, Aibileen and Mini, she begins to tell their tales and horrors of all the comedic and tragedies that their White employer have stumbled through with them.
  Powered by an amazing cast and spellbinding script, you'll fall in love with the characters and feel as they feel.  Laughing and shedding a few tears along the way, this is one you shouldn't pass up.  It deserves its praise and will be seen for many years to come.

Directed by Tate Taylor

Written by Tate Taylor and Kathryn Stockett (Novel)

Starring Emma Stone, Viola Davis and Octavia Spencer

Holiday Cheer, In the Form of Movies!

    Its that time again and thousands of folks are getting ready to celebrate the holiday season.  To get everyone in that all time cheer, I thought it would be nice to post The Top 25 Holiday Films by The Moviefone Blog.  Weather you love them or hate them, weather they make you laugh or make you cry, hopefully they brighten your New Year!

25. The Polar Express (2004)
24. We're No Angels (1955)
23. The Muppet Christmas Carol (1992)
22.  Joyeux Noel (2006)
21.  Gremlins (1984)
20.  The Santa Clause (1994)
19.  Bad Santa (2003)
18.  The Dead  (1987)
17.  The Shop Around the Corner (1940)
16.  Die Hard (1988)
15.  Love Actually (2003)
14.  The Bishop's Wife (1947)
13.  The Nightmare Before Christmas (1993)
                                      12.  Holiday Inn (1942)
11.  A Christmas Carol (1951)
10.  National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation (1989)
9.  Babes in Toyland (1934)
8.  Home Alone (1990)
7.  Christmas in Connecticut (1945)
6.  Elf (2003)
5.  White Christmas (1954)
4.  Scrooged (1988)
3.  Miracle on 34th Street (1947)
2.  It's a Wonderful Life (1946)
1.  A Christmas Story (1983)

Conan the Barbarian

  Cult films earn a certain place in our hearts and generate massive amounts of devotion from fan boys around the world.  The Conan (1982 &1984) films were a bit cheeky but found their fan base non the less.  I happened to be one of those fans.  I saw the original films years ago as young lady with my dad and fell in head over heels for the magic and sorcery.  When word of a update version of the Conan films reached my ears, I was devastated and for good reasons.
  I wanted to see the new version of Conan the Barbarian without judgement.  With an open mind, I began to watch the tale of the Cimmerian warrior and found myself lost and without that special wonderment that its genre should bring.  The acting was dull, the script lacked luster and the story was flat.  I went in with an open mind and I left pissed off!
  I know when Hollywood looks back at the classics and tries to update them, that it isn't suppose to be a word for word remake but a new interpretation of the greats.  This might of been a fresh look at the tale of Conan but it was certainly the wrong direction.  If you have to fortune to stay clear of this poorly acted film, please do so and spare yourself.  I would normally say "I would love to see what was left on the Editor's Floor?" but I'm not sure there is anything that could of helped this one.

 

Directed by Marcus Nispel
Written by Thomas Dean Donnelly & Joshua Oppenheimer
Starring Jason Momoa, Ron Perlman & Rose McGowan

The Change-Up

  As we grow up we get to pretend what are grown up lives will be like: fast cars, tons of money and an amazing job.  For the lucky few that dream does come true, but for the rest of us, its just a slippery slop to wishing you had someones life.  Two lucky souls featured in The Change-Up got just the chance.
  Meet Dave.  A married man with a young daughter and infant twins who is supported by his ever loving wife.  Dave's a lawyer by day and super Dad by night or so you think.   He's life seems perfect from the outside but by one fateful night we all get to see things a little differently.
  Meet Mitch.  A single fellow that smokes pot, has random sexual encounters and make soft core porn.  He and Dave have been friend since childhood.  Mitch's life seems to be tons of fun for outsiders like Dave but they will find all the dirty secrets to one another once they have to pee!
  The best way to make a transformation happen in a grown up film.  Two guys drink a bit to much and have to pee while walking back to their car.  Lighting never strikes twice but for these guys to understand why their own life has it all they get transformed and they switch bodies.  After a funny freak out these two guys figure out ways to make this work until they can switch back.
  One hilarious jab after another, this is surely one to see.  I didn't stop laughing from start to finish.  Jason Bateman and Ryan Reynolds prove to be quite the pair for comedy heaven.

P.S.
Watch the unrated version for tons more laughs!

Directed by David Dobkin
Written by Jon Lucas and Scott Moore
Starring Jason Bateman, Ryan Reynolds, Leslie Mann and Olivia Wilde