Another romantic comedy as we know it…

+++Click here for more images+++

The H-Bomb: After a young married couple is killed in a car accident, their best friends, Holly (Katherine Heigl) and Messer (Josh Duhamel), themselves an ex-item, are shocked to learn that they have been named as the guardians for the couple’s year old daughter, Sophie. Holly is an ambitious small business owner with plans of expanding it. Messer is a carefree, womanizing type who is very content with living the bachelor‘s life. Neither one thinks they have room in their lives to care for and raise a baby.

However, after several unsuccessful attempts to unload Sophie off on the deceased couple’s relatives, Holly and Messer decide to give this whole parenting thing a shot. They move into the couple’s house, while agreeing to sleep in separate rooms, and go through the trials and tribulations of taking care of an infant. Eventually, surprise-surprise, they actually start to enjoy being parents, despite what a pain in the rectum it can be sometimes, and even more surprisingly, they start to develop feelings for each other… wow, I really didn‘t see any of that coming.

I know it‘s difficult to establish a tone in print, but I really hope my sarcasm in the previous sentence is coming through because I am laying it on pretty thick. “Life as We Know It” is yet another assembly line piece of fluff that the Hollywood Rom-Com factory churns out every year by the dozens. We’ve seen it before, and we’ll see it again. Its every move, every turn in the plot, and even many of its jokes, can be seen coming from miles away. But, it’s not the job of a romantic comedy to surprise us. It’s job is to make us like the two blandly attractive leads enough that we want to see them get together in the end and to make us laugh along the way. Does it accomplish these two goals? Well, yes… to some extent.

Watching these two bumble and stumble their way through sudden parenthood is consistently amusing, with a few laugh out loud moments tossed in here and there, like when Messer recruits a cab driver as a babysitter, which brings about disastrous results. Others, like a loaded diaper, spit up carrots, and other typical baby gags, provide some chuckles. Showing how frustrating (and infuriating) being a parent to an infant can be is something this movie does very well. In fact, if there’s something I took away from this, it’s that parenthood is not for me.

Baby raising antics aside, there’s also a group of eccentric neighbors, including a stereotypical fat obnoxious house wife and a stereotypical well-kempt gay couple that add to the enjoyable-if-unremarkable laughs. My favorite from the oddball supporting cast would have to be the stuffy-yet-neurotic social worker who drops in on the new parents from time to time. In a weird way she’s kind of an audience surrogate in that she wants to see this strange new family succeed as much as we do. She even cries when it looks like Holly and Messer may be done for good.

A main problem I had with this flick was the basic premise. Now “The Switch” was pretty tough to swallow, but this even outdoes that. Am I really supposed to believe that the ill-fated married couple would make their best friends the Godparents to their daughter without even bothering to tell them, or more importantly, ASK them? Puh-Lease!!! There are also moments of drama throughout the picture, mainly concerning Messer and his reluctance to take on the responsibility of being a father, that are effective and believable, but they’re ultimately undermined in a way by the film’s sheer predictability and the knowledge that, at the end, everything will be okay.

I know many Internet reviewers despise Katherine Heigl and the many rom-coms she‘s appeared in, but being that I haven’t seen any of her prior films, I have no baggage with her, and therefore, I actually liked her in the film. I thought that she and Duhamel had real chemistry and made a believable couple, especially during the excruciating moments when they‘re both trying to cope with the screaming kid. Who knew you could sooth an infant to sleep with a Radiohead song?

Underrated actor Josh Lucas pops up a few times as the baby’s nice guy pediatrician and “other man” love interest for Heigl. He’s solid enough, but like Patrick Wilson in “The Switch”, Lucas is too good an actor to waste in these “other man” roles. The main source for enjoyment here is, of course, the rugrat herself, Sophie. She spits, and shits, and pisses, and pukes, all for our amusement. And for the most part, it works. She’s adorable.

“Life as We Know It” is the kind of movie you go to if there’s absolutely nothing better playing. It’s easy enough to watch, but overall entirely insignificant, and definitely not worth going out of your way to see.

An epic battle between good and evil… with owls.

\\\Click here for images and a hoo’s hoo of the voice actors///

The H-Bomb: Two young owl brothers, Soren and Kludd, are out stretching their wings one night when they get kidnapped by a group of owls known as the Pure Ones. The Pure Ones are assembling orphaned (abducted) owls to form an army and take over the world. Kludd accepts his new home among the Pure Ones and finds himself being groomed to be a soldier in their growing army. Soren, on the other hand, is chosen to become a picker, who collects owl pellets, or owl vomit, if you will, which the evil Pure Ones are stocking up on to make a weapon… yeah, yeah, I know, just go with it.

Soren, along with a female owl named Gylfie, a fellow picker he just befriended, escapes from the Pure Ones “orphanage” and flies out to find the mythical island of Ga’Hoole, home to a group of noble owl warriors that he only heard about in the bedtime stories his father told him. Well, turns out, the legends are true, as Soren teams up with the owls of Ga’Hoole in order to stop the Pure Ones’ plan for world domination. Only problem is, Soren will have to face his own brother in battle.

“Legend of the Guardians: The Owls of Ga’Hoole” is based on a series of popular children’s books, and ultimately, the film will appeal to children, and children only. The strongest aspect of this film, by far, is the animation, which is lush, lifelike, and truly spectacular. The animation is particularly stunning in 3-D. However, breathtaking animation will only carry a movie so far. At some point, the story has to take over, and sadly, that’s where “Legend of the Guardians” falls short.

Aside from the amazing visuals, the movie just bored me. The plot is a big, unoriginal so what, the characters are, for the most part, entirely uninteresting, the film is, with the exception of a few sporadic moments, completely devoid of humor, and during the owl battle scenes, it’s difficult to tell who from who… or hoo from hoo, as the case may be.

The vocal cast is an all star line up of British and Australian actors, including; Helen Mirren, Sam Neill, Geoffrey Rush, Hugo Weaving, Abby Cornish, Richard Roxburgh, Jim Sturgess, and Anthony LaPaglia, among others. Hell, even Leigh Whannell of “Saw” fame can be heard in there. These are all gifted thespians (well, except for Whannell), but to be honest, when listening to them, I spent more time trying to figure out whose voice it was I was hearing than I did following the plot, which again, was amazingly dull and uninspired.

Bearing in mind that this really isn’t my cup of tea, that the animation is incredible, and that the movie’s target audience, kids, seemed to enjoy it at the screening I attended, I really can’t in good conscience pan the film. It’s a perfectly okay film for what it is… a family film… which again, is not my thing, at all. Children will certainly like it, but the parents accompanying them will most likely spend the bulk of the picture glancing at their watches, tapping their feet, and waiting for the end credits to come up.

Speaking of the end credits, I was really thrown through a loop when the first credit came up and I saw that the film was directed by Zack Snyder. I thought, “Wait a minute, that Zack Snyder??? The same Zack Snyder who made movies of such resounding awesomeness as ’Watchmen’, ’300’, and the ’Dawn of the Dead’ remake?” Well… sadly, yes, that Zack Snyder. He is really one of the last people in the world of filmmaking I ever expected to see attached to a project like this. I really am curious (and bewildered) as to what attracted him to it. But, at the end of the day, what can I say… we all got bills to pay, and I guess Zack Snyder is no exception.

Explore all the links to experience, Assistant Editor David Limacher’s wild trip to Wizard World Comic-Con 2010, in Chicago!

***Click here for more images***

“Ramona and Beezus” is based on the book series by Beverly Cleary.  I know I read these books when I was in elementary school, but I don’t really remember them much.  I do remember that Ramona was a rambunctious little girl with a very active imagination.

Ramona Quimby (Joey King) is a creative little girl, who has an older sister Beatrice (Selena Gomez).  (When Ramona was small, she couldn’t say Beatrice’s name, so she called her Beezus, which stuck as her nickname.)  Ramona and Beezus also have a baby sister, Roberta (can you tell by the character’s names that these books were written in the 50s and 60s??).  Ramona, Beezus, and Roberta live in Washington with their parents Robert (John Corbett) and Dorothy (Bridget Moynahan).  Also part of the family is Aunt Bea (Ginnifer Goodwin), whose high-school boyfriend Hobart (Josh Duhamel) is back in town and wants to get back together with Bea.

Everything is peachy keen in the Quimby house, until Mr. Quimby loses his job and the family faces the possibility of losing their home, forcing them to move to another town.  Ramona comes up with some fantastic yet harebrained ideas to try to save their house, including selling delicious lemonade, offering delicious car washes (that of course, ends in disaster), and auditioning for a commercial.

Even though she means well, Ramona is always in trouble in school.  Mrs. Meacham (Sandra Oh) is her exasperated teacher who has to deal with Ramona and her far-fetched ideas.  I’ve got to give Ramona credit, she tries really hard!

What I liked: when Ramona would imagine fantastic things in her mind, we the viewers saw them on the movie screen.  I thought that was a nice visual touch.  The story flowed well, and I have no complaints about the dialogue or the acting.

What I didn’t like:  overall, the movie was kind of hokey, but that’s to be expected.  In this day and age, it was kind of unusual but nice to see a nuclear family doing family things with their neighbors!!  Anyway, there’s nothing wrong with a happy ending, is there??

Warning:  there was one sad part.  Parents may have to explain the concept of “pet heaven” to their children after watching this movie.  I thought that part of the movie was handled well though.  The girls dealt with it and accepted it.

I thought for the lead role, Joey King’s performance was more than decent.  A few scenes were just so-so but overall she gave a pretty strong performance.  I think she has potential.  I enjoyed the interaction between the sisters.  I think both actresses performed those scenes well.

“Ramona and Beezus” isn’t the greatest flick ever, but it certainly isn’t the worst.  Don’t go to the theatre expecting much and you will enjoy it for what it is.

Three reviews to choose from!

For an up and coming critic from the Windy City – just click Limacher or on Jacob’s pic.

Or a no-nonsense mom about town –  just click Starshine or Bella’s pic. 

Finally, for an uber cynic - just click H-Man or on Edward’s

Who got it right?  Let the battle commence!

Sex and the City in the Middle East – excuse me, that’s “The New Middle East”.

***Want more Sex?  Click the image above***

Carrie and the girls are back for another adventure. It’s been two years since we’ve left Carrie Bradshaw (Sarah Jessica Parker), Samantha Jones (Kim Cattrall), Charlotte York (Kristin Davis) and Miranda Hobbs (Cynthia Nixon). If you’ll recall, the first “Sex and the City” movie ended with Carrie and John (aka Big) (Chris Noth) marrying, Samantha moving back to New York from Los Angeles, Charlotte giving birth to her and Harry’s (Evan Handler) daughter Rose, and Miranda reuniting with her estranged husband (cause he cheated!! but he felt real bad about it) Steve (David Eigenberg).

Since then, apparently everything’s been going swimmingly!! Now the girls and their families are gathering for the wedding of Carrie’s best gay friend Stanford Blatch (Willie Garson) to Charlotte’s best gay friend Anthony Maratino (Mario Cantone). Fans of the series will recall that Stanford and Anthony were once mortal enemies, but now they are in love (I guess hate sometimes DOES give way to love??) and about to be married in an over-the-top ceremony, complete with Liza Minelli as the wedding officiator.

A few days later, on Carrie and Big’s two-year anniversary, Carrie realizes that their marriage has lost its sparkle when Big’s anniversary gift to her leaves her feeling disappointed. Meanwhile, Miranda is unhappy at her job and yearns to spend more time with her family, and Charlotte can’t handle her unruly two-year old who cries constantly.  Now everything’s not so peaches and cream, is it? Of course not, otherwise there wouldn’t be a movie!!!

When Samantha is offered an all-expenses paid trip to Abu Dhabi, naturally the girls come along to take a break from their troubles. They fly first class (they even have their own cubicles!! Just as if they worked in an office!!) and stay in, well, basically, a palace. Between their own fancy cars, personal butlers, and surrounded by all that decadence, what more can these girls ask for?? But of course, a bit of the real world seeps in as Carrie reads a particularly scathing review of her book. That’s when everything goes askew.

And oh yeah, did I mention that Aidan (John Corbett) returns? The other love of Carrie’s life shows up in the desert (imagine that – it MUST mean something, right??) to further complicate Carrie’s life. I know many of my girlfriends think Carrie should have ended up with Aidan (I disagree, I think Big was her “lobster”) and will be very happy to see Aidan back in Carrie’s life.

What I liked:

Hello!! Who wouldn’t want an all-expenses paid trip to Abu Dhabi?? Since that will never happen to me, it was fun to see what it would be like in the movie (even though the movie was actually filmed in Morocco due to its racy nature, which is a big no no in the Muslim country). I also thought this movie was lighter than the first one, as it lacked the drama of being left at the alter and the infidelity. Of course, Samantha stole the show with her excessive efforts to trick her body into being younger as well as her sheer outrageousness.

What I didn’t like:

During the wedding reception at the beginning of the movie, Liza Minelli performed that awful song “Single Ladies”. I seriously wished I would go temporarily deaf. No offense to Ms. Minelli, but that has got to be one of the worse songs ever. I was praying for my torture to be over. I also felt that Big’s unconventional “idea” about his and Carrie’s marriage was just wrong. It made me a little angry, and I’m not married (not even close). And, for a movie titled “Sex and the City 2” there really wasn’t much sex going on. (I’m just saying!!). Oh and the clothes. Sometimes they were nice. Other times….what were the costume designers thinking?

Fun, light-hearted fare that fans of the series will enjoy. No, this won’t change the world but hey, it’s good for some laughs.

***click the image above for more pictures from the film***

Mother and Child is an unique journey portraying the ripples of the choices we make and how they affect us and others in our life-paths. The film comes full circle, but takes a long time to get to the point – but the point is ultimately made with effective emotion.

Karen (Annette Benning) is a social gargoyle, holding everyone at bay with her dour attitude and glumness.  Decades ago, she allowed her mother, Nora, to intervene and forced her to give up a daughter to adoption.  In an act of redemption, Karen works at a rehabilitative center, so she can claim – at least on paper – that she is a good person, a remorseful soul.  But her contempt for happy families, especially children is always at the forefront of her personality.

As her mid-life approaches, Karen encounters new people that remind her it is never too late to heal wounds of the heart in love-interest Paco (Jimmy Smits).  With a new appreciation, she becomes desperate to find her daughter.  The agency explains the only way for this to be possible is for both parties to agree.  In a cruel Hollywood twist-of-fate, she may never find out her daughter wants the same.

Karen’s daughter, Elizabeth (Naomi Watts) is similar to her mother, but she uses sex and seduction to play games and keep people right where she wants them, under her ultimate control. A tough-as-nails attorney in a cut-throat law firm, helmed by Paul (Samuel Jackson), Elizabeth relishes in her ability to get results, regardless of who she steps on – she is ice cold.  Still, the unanswered question, “Who is my mother” haunts her professional and personal life.

As the pieces of this adoption jigsaw are laid out on the screen, we meet a couple hopeful to adopt a child.  There are countless hurdles they must jump over to make this dream a reality.  Their lives intertwine with Karen and Elizabeth as the film explores levels of commitment and love, tugging at your heart throughout the conclusion.

I thought the movie was over at several different spots.  The acting was excellent, and if you’re into heavy drama with some lighter, funny spots from Annette Benning and Jimmy Smits I say go see it. 

Release Location Update

Miami/Fort Lauderdale locations – June 4th at the Regal South Beach, Sunrise 11 and Regal Shadowood.

The gritty industrial city of Monterey, Mexico sets the scene for the first parts of William Dear’s (Harry and the Hendersons) The Perfect Game. The film is a geyser of sentimentality and will likely be a way for some people to descend into a pit of nostalgia. It has been a while since a movie aimed for kids has focused on something as earthy as baseball, a sport that seems to have been lost on the big screen to make way for 3D spectacles and CGI monsters.

That being said, it is a shame that The Perfect Game falls as short as it does. On one hand, it is the retelling of an inspiring Mexican little league team makes it to the 1957 Little League World Series. On the other, it is a flat representation of foreigners’ struggles on American soil. It drowns in sentimentality and doesn’t offer the sport it displays any new ground to tread on. For me, little league baseball invokes strong memories, none of which were necessarily brought back by watching the film.

The plot follows a rag tag group of boys under the helm of Padre Esteban, played by Cheech Marin. The old stoner comedy poster boy does a decent job in his role as a priest and it is always fun to see him act out of the element so many people know him in. Padre Esteban is looking for something to get the boys out of trouble, so he forms a baseball team. Cezar Faz, an ex-pro played by the charismatic Clifton Collins, Jr., finds his way in the coaching seat.

This new team shows great promise throughout the film, and rises in ranks all the way to the Little League World Series, which takes up the second half of the film. Along the way, they are met with immigration laws and racism, among other problems. These all touch close to home, despite the film’s 1957 setting. It’s interesting to see the reactions of the kids and the coach, but really there’s nothing new to see here. Cheap romantic subplots and tear jerking moments end up weakening the film.

The Perfect Game is at its best when it focuses on baseball. Though the directing of the actual games played leaves something to be desired, the kids on the team add heart and soul to their performances. As the underdog darlings of their final game of the season, the audience too will likely find themselves rooting for them.

This film is a wonderful introduction to sports films for a much younger audience. There isn’t really much for adults to grab onto, but anyone who liked films like The Mighty Ducks, or Angels in the Outfield (also directed by Dear) growing up . . . may find they remember a better, earlier time in their lives. Then again, maybe not. This film really is a tossup, but one thing that cannot be denied is just how inspiring this true story is – a  story of an underdog, foreign team taking the field against the highly favored Americans.

“It’s funny, the little coincidences in life.”

Swift shot:  I hate to use the tired old, “I wasn’t expecting much, so I was pleasantly surprised” – so, let’s try something fresh.  I was expecting Leonidas and Rachel Green to suck, royally.  I was expecting chemistry to be so off, only Mrs. Chanandler Bung re-enacting Shelly Winters drowning in Poseidon Adventure could force me not to gouge out my eyes with a theater straw.  So, yea, it didn’t suck that bad, I must admit I enjoyed watching all the character actors really strut their stuff and take charge.  I don’t think I could have worked with Butler without at least one, THIS IS SPARTA, between takes – or with Aniston without one, WTF was Brad Shitt thinking?  So, kudos to those that held their own.

Character actors really saved this film, because while the chemistry wasn’t complete crap between Aniston and Butler, it was a tad . . . off.  It’s hard when two iconic actors try to shed their skin and delve into “zany” roles.  I think zany is probably the hardest type of character to play when you are the lead, and few do it without coming across like immature clods.

Swift note: For those that don’t know, character actors are those poor souls in Hollyweird who look a certain way, act a certain way, and really don’t deviate from that throughout their careers.  My favorite character actor in The Bounty Hunter is Siobhan Fallon, you know her as the weird bus driver at the end of Forrest Gump, or the woman unfortunately married to Vincent D’Onofrio, who later becomes an “Edgar Suit” in MIB, or a few of you from New in Town, which she really nailed imho.  So, she is a character actor, got it now?  Good, I have no patience for dimwits.

So, why didn’t it suck?  Quite simply, the pacing and transitions, and the story was for the most part, tangible.  When the film starts Milo Boyd (Butler) is chasing down a bond-jumper at a Fourth of July parade, Milo used to be a cop but because of his ambitious, smoking hot wife, he quit the force.  Or as he tells it, he “allowed himself to be fired” so that he wouldn’t have to compete with his now, ex-wife, Nicole Hurley (Aniston).

Nicole is a ballsy, creative reporter for this aged media called a “newspaper”, you can read all about them on wikipedia.  She had a little scuffle with a law enforcement officer, of sorts, that earned her a visit before a judge.  Judges, by and large, don’t like being stood up, especially not by know-it-all reporters.  So, as Nicole tracks down a lead outside the courthouse, the judge declares a bench warrant for her arrest.  Of course, Milo pulls the detail, and gets the dream job of hauling in his ex-wife for a 5K bounty.

Milo knows his ex quite well, and being a “damned good cop” – yes, I am sure that was uttered at one point – he quickly tracks up with her.  But, she is in real peril, or the closest to real peril that a PG-13 rating can bring.  Ok, not even that close really, more like a PG rating for the violence, or lack thereof.  Still, it had really funny moments and Jason Sudeikis’ character was so dedicated to his cause, you just couldn’t help but root for him on some level.

If you want to see a fast-paced, gritty action comedy, this isn’t it.  There is little real drama, a bit of light romance, a predictable, yet unpredictable ending, and clever directing by Andy Tennant.  If you have followed his other stuff, you know what to expect from The Bounty Hunter – and you won’t be disappointed.  Like I said before, it didn’t suck, but it also doesn’t manage to impress throughout.  It’s a decent date movie though.