At the Theater:
1. Friends with Benefits (A): This movie follows two emotionally damaged twenty somethings (Mila Kunis and Justin Timberlake) who decide that they are sick of relationships and just want to be together physically. While that plot seems a lot like No Strings Attached, these actors actually have chemistry! Obviously, a physical relationship cannot work without one or more people developing feelings. There are some interesting plot twists and extra characters that bring depth to the movie and provide a stronger basis for a not so original plot line.
2. Crazy, Stupid Love. (A+): This movie may be my favorite movie this year so far! While Steve Carell is not always my favorite, he was dynamic in this movie! Steve Carell and his wife (Julianne Moore) are getting a divorce and trying to find out how they fit into the world again as single parents. Ryan Gosling tries to help Steve Carell find his manhood again and redefine his life. Emma Stone is fantastic and her chemistry with Ryan Gosling is completely believable. My favorite moment of the movie is their all-night conversation and the Dirty Dancing references! There are some plot twists that no one expected, as evidenced by the gasps from the audience in the movie theater. This movie was not what we had expected and we were pleasantly surprised!
On Netflix:
1. I Am Number Four (D): Terrible! Do not waste your time! A group of aliens (who look like humans, but have power) has come to earth (at some point, who knows when?) and they are numbered. The first three have been killed by other aliens that actually look like aliens. Really? They are from the same planet??? We never know why either group are on Earth or what they are looking for/trying to accomplish. The superpowers of the alien/human kids are never really explained, and there is a box in the movie that lights up, is passed on at the "right time", but never opened or explained. I still do not understand the plot, what they were trying to set up for a sequel that probably won't happen, or if there was a real point to this movie. Disappointed! It looked neat in the previews, but was not so great!
2. Source Code (B): I loved the idea of this movie! After someone dies, their brain is still functioning for awhile, and the government has taken advantage of this. Jake Gyllenhaal plays a man in the military who has been killed in Iraq, but the military is still using his brain to accomplish tasks. There is a terrorist bomber in Chicago who has blown up a train and is ready to blow up the city unless Gyllenhaal can find the bomber first. In a series of the same episode (think Groundhog Day), he has eight minutes each time he is back on the train to find the bomber and save the lives of millions of people. The movie was unique and had a new plot line!
3. Another Year (B):This was a British film that won awards at the Cannes Film Festival in France. The film is not really about the plot but more about the characters instead. Some of them you will meet for five minutes while others are revisited throughout the movie. The people are real, and the film depicts life as it actually happens, including all of the of the emotions that go with it. While the film was painfully slow at some points, your heart will ache for some of the characters as they deal with what life has offered them.
4. The Company Men (B+): Ben Affleck stars with numerous other big names in this movie about the ups and downs of the business world. Affleck loses his job at a large corporation and struggles to find work that will allow his family to lead the lifestyle to which they have become accustomed. The emotions in this movie are definitely raw, and it is interesting to see how stubbornness can affect everyone around you! This was a great way to show the true impact of how both actions and emotions have serious consequences that form a trickle-down effect to people that you sometimes would not even expect. It is also an interesting look at big businesses in our society. Check this one out!
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