The Spoiler Free Movie Review

Captain America: The First Avenger

2011-07-27T12:08:00.000-04:00

So, after seeing Thor, my expectations for this movie admittedly came way down, and I'm glad they did, because if they had stayed as high as they were, I would have been really disappointed.

Like Thor, Captain America was nothing more than an origin story setting up for the Avengers movie. I guess I would say it was a decent movie, but a great stand alone movie? I'd have to say no.

Chris Evans gave a typical performance, not bad or lacking in any way, but typical.

I was probably most impressed with the cg used to make Evans look like a scrawny kid, AND how much he bulked up for the version of him after the procedure.

Unfortunately, I don't have much to say about this movie. I was what I was expecting, no more, no less.

I'm hoping that them corners cut on Thor and Captain America will be made up in the Avengers movie.

2011-06-18T18:45:00.000-04:00

Although I was excited to see an origin story of Professor X and Magneto's relationship, I'm not gonna lie, I had some concerns about James McAvoy playing the character that the wonderful Patrick Stuart has made so iconic to us.

Thankfully, I was pleasantly surprised. Don't get me wrong, I very much enjoy McAvoy as an actor, but lets face it, Patrick Stuart has some very large performance shoes to fill.

I think a big part of what made it work, is that this version of the Professor is so young compared to the Professor we've come to know in the other X-Men movies. He has more spontaneity, he's a bit of a ladies man, and although he's intelligent enough to see right away what is coming with the conflict between mutants and everyone else. With the sequels that I'm expecting with this new string of X-Men movies, McAvoy will have time to have his version of Professor X grow into the mentor and leader that we see in Patrick Stuart's portrayal.

Michael Fassbender plays Erik Lehnsherr/Magneto, and I loved him. Lehnsherr was a complicated character to play in this movie, especially once we learn what happened to him while in the concentration camp, we see just how conflicted this character is. He's not all bad, but he's afraid in, what is ironically, a very human way, of what will happen when mutants become obvious to the general public. I found the performance both subtle and powerful.

The story line for me was about what I expected from the X-Men franchise. I personally don't go to these movies expecting to have an exceptional intellectually experience, but I do expect to be entertained, and that I was.

Also, look out for some really fun cameo's in this movie from favourites from the X-Men franchise.

Transformers: Dark of the Moon Release Date Moved Up

2011-05-20T15:19:00.000-04:00

Paramount Pictures has moved up the release date for Transformers: Dark of the Moon a couple of days from July 1, to June 29.

This movie was always guaranteed to be a huge blockbuster, before even a script was written or a title given, and now, we're going to get to see the next chapter of the story a little earlier than expected.

Paramount also released a new clip from the movie, which you can see above, featuring Josh Duhamel explaining to some of his troops the risks of getting some payback.

Very noticeably, none of the trailers include one shot of any Transformers in action, but since this is the first Transformers to be in 3D, to me, it sounds just like Michael Bay to make our first experience of our favourite robot friends be in the theatre, 3D glasses firmly in place. At this point, I think I'll actually be disappointed if they release a trailer with any Autobots or Decepticons in it. This is one movie I'm pretty stoked to see in 3D.

Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides

2011-05-20T14:18:00.001-04:00

In Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides Johhny Depp gave another great performance as his iconic character Captain Jack Sparrow.

The movie opens with Johnny executing a complicated, and quite clever plot to save his faithful first mate, Gibbs from the gallows. When the plan backfires in the last moment, the real adventure begins.

Sparrow ends up being conscripted by none other than Captain Barbossa who has become a Privateer in the King's Navy, but all is not as it seems. Sparrow also hears, from several sources that he's been putting together a crew in London, problem is, that's the first he's heard about it.

Eventually, Jack crosses paths with an old lover, Angelica, played by Penelope Cruz, who is also the daughter of the legendary and terrible Blackbeard, wonderfully played by Ian McShane. Or is she?

In order to access the powers of the Fountain of Youth, there is a special ritual which must be performed, involving two chalices belonging to Ponce deLeon, the original explorer that went in search of the Fountain of Youth, and a tear from a Mermaid.

Along with all this, there are not two, but three different parties racing to get all the components for the ritual and get to the fountain first.

For me, the absence of Keira Knightly and Orlando Bloom mattered not at all.The story line was just as strong, the adventures of trying to get everything they needed for the fountain caused more than enough mayhem, and Johnny Depp was great, yet again.

Look out for cameos from Judi Dench and Keith Richards. Also, for those of you who were at the theatre last night and left before the end of credits......................well, this is The Spoiler Free Movie Review, so I can't tell you what happens, but you're gonna want to find out!

Oh, and one last thing, as far as seeing this movie in 3D, I'm gonna say take it or leave it. I don't think it was worth my extra cash. It seems like only a few scenes were filmed in 3D, and I felt like the scenes for the productions companies had more interesting 3D animation than most of the 3D scenes in the movie.

Melancholia Release Date

2011-05-18T20:15:00.000-04:00

Its finally official. I use imdb.com for a good chunk of my blog research, and I've been waiting for them to confirm for me the release date of Melancholia and after checking today, I've found that the US release date for this movie will in fact be November 4, 2011.

This movie is getting a lot of buzz, and my posts for it are among the most visited this week, so it feels like November is going to be a long wait for a lot of us, but I'm sure we'll be able to bear it tolerably well.

Something Borrowed - Its a thin line between love and friendship.

2011-05-18T00:31:00.000-04:00

So I just got in from finally seeing Something Borrowed, and let me just say, thank goodness John Krasinski was cast in this movie.

Something Borrowed is very much your typical romantic comedy. There's a selfish friend, Darcy (Kate Hudson) who takes advantage of her very selfless friend, Rachel. (Gennifer Goodwin) The selfish friend is engaged to this hot, but also intelligent, sensitive guy, Dex (Colin Egglesfield) who Rachel is actually in love with, you know how it goes.

But imagine for a moment your typical romantic comedy without one single moment of comedy. I know, scary right? Well, if it wasn't for John Krasinski, that's exactly what this movie would have been. Krasinski plays Ethan, a childhood friend of both Darcy and Rachel, who hasn't been sucked into all that is Darcy, and still cares for the feelings and well being of Rachel. I've always loved John Krasinski, and in Something Borrowed he gave another of his terribly subtle, but all the more funny for the finesse performances. Every single laugh out loud moment in this movie was either because of something his character was doing, or was precipitated by something he was doing.

Gennifer Goodwin is always charming, but I would like to see her play the lead in less of an ensemble cast setting. I mean, sure, technically this movie was about her character, but her character spent a lot of the movie living in the background of her own life. Okay, so she got it together in the end, but I'd love to see her play someone who starts out the story with it together, and deals with other things along the way.

As for Kate Hudson, as far as I can see, she played the exact same character that she played in Bride Wars with Anne Hathaway, the only difference being that her character in this movie was simply completely selfish, without any of the redeeming qualities of the character she played in Bride Wars.

It turns out I've seen Colin Egglesfield in quite a few things, whether movies or TV shows, but I really don't remember him from any of them, being that the things I've seen that he was in, were obviously bit parts for him. I thought he did a good job, even managing to get teary-eyed in the appropriate places.

Lets face it, we don't go to romantic comedies to have some kind of epiphany on life, or even expecting to be taken on some kind of emotional roller coaster, and Something Borrowed didn't disappoint. I went in with very specific expectations, and I got exactly what I expected.

The Art of Getting By - Coming June 17

2011-05-17T16:56:00.000-04:00

Director - Gavin Wiesen

Main Characters
George Zinavoy - Freddie Highmore
Sally Howe - Emma Roberts

It looks to me like The Art of Getting By is a movie that is going to speak to a lot of people. So many children and young adults are looked at as lazy or slackers when in reality, their passion cannot be satisfied by the rigid classroom systems that are employed in North America. Although I have the type of personality that thrives on routine and procedure, and I never had those problems, I certainly remember people that I went to school with that fell right into this category.

Freddie Highmore plays George Zinavoy, a high school student who's passion is obviously art. So much so that none of his other school assignments seem to matter much to him. Yet, somehow, he's made it all the way to his senior year.

He is befriended by Sally Howe (Emma Roberts) who is popular, but complicated. Sally sees George for who he really is, rather than what he appears to be at first glance.

I first saw Freddie Highmore in Finding Neverland and a year later in Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. But it was in 2007s August Rush that i really fell in love with the young actor. Now, four years later, he looks exactly the same, just taller, and I'm very excited to see him in action again.

Emma Roberts, best known to me from Nancy Drew and Valentines Day is a promising young actress in her own right. I have no doubt that based on the work she's done so far, she will have a great career based on her own abilities, not just getting by because of having shared a name with her famous aunt.

Other names of note in this movie are Alicia Silverstone who plays a teacher and Blair Underwood, who plays the Principal

I like that this coming of age romance/drama is going to be based around the kid who so often in school is the outcast. It seems to me like these movies often center around the athletes and cheerleaders, prom kings and queens. But we don't all fall in to those categories, and the rest of us need stories that we can relate to as well.

Another Earth - Coming July 20, 2011

2011-05-06T19:27:00.000-04:00

Director
Mike Cahill

Main Characters
Rhoda Williams - Brit Darling
John Burroughs - William Mapother

While this movie has already premiered to high praise at the Sundance Film Festival, it will open in the US at large on July 20.

When a duplicate earth is discovered, a young woman sees the possibility of a new start, after something terrible that she did.

Its kind of a succinct plot line, but this doesn't diminish my interest in this movie at all. It looks like its going to be a beautiful, emotional journey that explores the choices we make, how we deal with them, and the possibilities that could be if we really could wipe the slate completely clean and start over.

Colombiana - Coming September 2, 2011

2011-05-06T19:02:00.000-04:00

Director - Olivier Megaton

Main Characters
Cataleya Restrepo - Zoe Saldana

Of course there are other characters in this movie besides Cataleya, but its pretty easy to see from watching the trailer that this story is all about her.

At 9 years of age, Cataleya Restrepo, the adult version of whom is played by Zoe Saldana, witnesses the murder of her parents, and grows up to be a 'stone-cold assassin.' The trailer doesn't tell you a whole ton about the plot, I suspect because, 1) its pretty easy to figure out, and 2) I think this movie is going to be all about the butt kicking action, and a lot less about plot. Seems to me, this broken young woman has a pretty obvious vendetta, revenge.

I first saw Saldana in Stomp the Yard which is one of my favourite movies, but to be honest, I've yet to see her in anything that I didn't thoroughly enjoy. We got to see a great comedic side of the 33 year old actresses side in Death at a Funeral. However, in looking at her more recent projects, it is very easy to see that Zoe Saldana really likes to play bad ass chicks. In Avatar, The Losers, and even her less physical role in Star Trek, she loves to play a strong woman, and good on her!

If the trailer is any indication, this movie is going to kick some serious butt, but I`m also looking forward to seeing Cataleya`s emotional journey, showing the softer, more veunerable side of Saldana`s acting chops.

Melancholia Update

2011-05-06T18:21:00.000-04:00

Someone posted a comment on my original post for Melancholia that it was going to be released on May 26th. Now, according to imdb.com, this movie will, in fact be released in Denmark on May 26th, and in several other cities in Europe in the following weeks and months. However, I have not yet found any definitive date for the North American release of this end of the world drama.

One site I looked at did indeed say that Melancholia is scheduled for a limited US release on May 26th, but two other sites say that the release will not be until November 4th.

I'm personally skeptical that after acquiring the rights for Melancholia back in February, that Magnolia Pictures is going to be releasing the movie State side at the same time the it opens in its first city in Europe.

If the person that left the comment that it was going to be released May 26th in the US can confirm his or her source, that would be great. But for now, I don't have a definite answer for the North American release date for this movie.

The Conspirator - Coming April 15, 2011

2011-05-06T14:50:00.000-04:00

Director - Robert Redford

Main Characters
Frederick Aiken - James McAvoy
Anna Surratt - Evan Rachel Wood
Sarah Weston - Alexis Bledel
Marry Surratt - Robin Wright
Reverdy Johnson - Tom Wilkinson

The Lincoln Assassination is one of those historic events that will always live in infamy, but like so many other events like this, most don't know the entire story. The Conspirator is a movie that will tell one such story.

After the assassination, seven men and one woman are arrested, charged with plotting to kill the President, Vice-President and the Secretary of State. 42 year-old Mary Surratt (Robin Wright), the only woman charged owns a boarding house where the John Wilkes Booth and the others met and planned the attacks. These events take place just after the US Civil War, an ominous time in US history. New lawyer, Frederick Aiken (James McAvoy) a 28 year-old Civil War hero reluctantly becomes Surratt's lawyer at the military tribunal.

From the trailer, it seems pretty obvious that at the beginning, Aiken believes, whole-heartedly that his client is guilty, and deserves whatever is coming to her, but as the trial goes on, he begins to think that his client may just be innocent. And not only is she innocent, but the proscecution is using her as bait to try and catch the one conspirator who got away, Mary Surratt's own son John Surratt.

Other names to note in this movie are Evan Rachel Wood as Anna Surratt and Alexis Bledel as Sarah Weston, who appears might be Aiken's love interest. The cast of this movie leaves absolutely nothing to be desired, and I'm looking forward to some great performances.

It will be very interesting to see just where this story goes, especially since its true. I think its going to be a great court room drama, and I'm very much looking forward to seeing it.

Thor - The God of thunder

2011-05-06T13:19:00.000-04:00

Saw the midnight showing of Thor last night, and I'm not gonna lie, I was a little disappointed.

When you look at the other Marvel movies, especially those leading up to the Avengers movie, Thor just fell a bit flat for me. It seems to me that rather than make a really, really great movie, the entire point of Thor was to introduce the character for the Avengers project.

The story line was predictable, and lacked depth. Sibling rivalry, arrogant young heir that needs the be taught a lesson, learning that lesson in the last place he really wanted to be. I mean, come on Marvel. After awesome movies like The Incredible Hulk and Iron Man, I expected a lot more from Thor.

Not to say there weren't some good things about it. I thought Chris Hemsworth's performance as Thor was really great, and no, not just because he's smokin' hot. His range of emotion was really something, and completely believable. Arrogance, pride, disappointment, disbelief, courage, gallantry, love and affection. But in true Thor form, never fear, and every second of it, effortless. I think Chris Hemsworth has a ton of talent that we're just seeing a tiny glimpse of in this movie. He has two more movies coming out this year, and I'm hoping that when I go to do the research on them, I find that they are more meaty, complicated roles. I have no doubt that he can more than handle it.

Natalie Portman is always a superb actress, but I'm not sure she was the right choice for this role. I mean, it was interesting to see her as a kind of, love struck, giggling girl in the face of Thor's charm, but to be honest, there wasn't a ton of depth in the character, and I can't help but wonder if the role might have been a little to easy for an actress of her abilities.

As I suspected, Asgard was beautiful, opulent and rich in detail. From the wide shots of the realm as a whole, to the interiors of the buildings, to the cinematography, Asgard was everything I hoped it would be. Absolutely stunning. What amazing places that can be created with green screen.

Before the Avengers movie comes out, we have Captain America to consider, and my opinion, after seeing Thor, is that its going to have to be a hell of a lot better to keep my interest in the Avengers movie high.

Oh, and again, if you're don't already know from the previous Marvel movies, stay until after the credits!

Fast Five

2011-05-06T12:54:00.000-04:00

So, although my boyfriend and I went to see the midnight screening of Fast Five opening night, my computer's been a bit on the fritz, so I'm borrowing a friend's computer until I can get a new one, so I can get this blog back on the move.

To say they out did themselves with Fast Five would be an understatement, as far as I'm concerned. The explosions were bigger, the chases more difficult and the story line at least a little stronger.

There seemed to be a lot more depth with this movie than the previous Fast movies, but on further reflection, I don't think it was so much about being a better script, as it was the fact that there were just so many characters. The banter between the old friends, and new acquaintances was hilarious, especially Roman (Tyrese Gibson) and Tej (Ludacris).

I felt that the story line had a little taste of The Italian Job in it, which I thoroughly enjoyed. The ultimate plan of how they made off with the money was very clever.

As expected, the fight scene between Dominic (Vin Diesel) and Hobbs (Dwayne Johnson) was bone crackingly awesome. The entire dynamics of the relationship between the two was very interesting.

I noticed quite a number of women in the theatre when I went to see Fast Five and I would say that we females were just as into the movie as our male counterparts.

Some movies are challenging to blog about when you are not willing to give anything away. What I can say to you is this, if you haven't seen it yet, STAY AFTER THE CREDITS! In the very short scene the plays after the credits roll, there are not one, but two twists that there was absolutely no way I could have seen coming, and they are good!

This is easily my favourite movie in the Fast franchise, however, for those of you who are interested in seeing Fast Five and haven't seen the other four movies, I would say that you're definitely not going to enjoy it as much. The vast majority of the humour in the movie will go completely over your head if you're not familiar with the relationships between the characters.

So, in short, it was a great movie in relation to all the others, and definitely the strongest for me, but I don't think its great on its own. Enjoyable? most definitely, but not great without its predecessors.

Midnight Viewing of Fast Five

2011-04-28T23:06:00.000-04:00

So, since I have this handy-dandy smart phone, I thought I would try my hand at some mobile bogging.

Here I am, in my seat at just a little after 11 o'clock for he 12:01 viewing of Fast Five. I honestly didn't even think about a midnight showing, ut my boyfriend did! He's super-duper excited.

I'll have full review for you no later than this time tomorrow. Until then.

New VOD Movies Feedback

2011-04-28T11:50:00.000-04:00

Several days ago, I posted about how Warner Brothers, Fox, Sony and Universal had all signed deal to make movies available via VOD just 60 days after the release of the movie in the theatre.

I also posted a poll asking for your opinion. Personally, I thought it was going to be a blow out in support of the new VOD system, but that hasn't been the case. Although I only have 6 votes on the poll so far, 3 people said they were all for it, 2 said its terrible and 1 person said it doesn't affect their plans at all.

So I'm curious, is this an accurate picture of how people feel about this new service? Those of you who think its terrible, what do you think is so bad about it? I'd love to get some more insight into the way the votes have been going. Can't wait to hear from you.

Super 8 - Coming June 10, 2011

2011-04-27T23:15:00.001-04:00

Director - J.J. Abrams

Main Characters
Alice - Elle Fanning
Joe Lamb - Joel Courtney
Deputy Lamb - Kyle Chandler

This is one of those trailers that leave you speculating as to what exactly is going on. Super 8 is set in 1979 where a group of young friends witness a train crash while filming a movie. Shortly afterward, strange things start to happen, dogs disappearing, but soon escalating to people going missing.

So, the big question is, what exactly, was on that train? Being that this movie is made up of a cast of very young actors who are far from being household names, and the trailer is obviously meant to leave a lot to be discovered when you go to see it, it leaves me limited material for a pre-review of this movie.

Granted, Elle Fanning does appear in this movie, but has she done enough to be considered a household name in her own right, or do we only know her name because she's little sister to Dakota Fanning? In two of her roles so far, she was playing the younger version of the character that her sister was playing. Maybe Super 8 will be the beginning of Elle Fanning being more than just Dakota Fanning's sister for me.

With J.J. Abrams writing and directing this movie, and Steven Spielberg producing, its hard to imagine that this movie won't be a huge hit. J.J. Abrams directed season 4 of Lost, as well as produced that show from 2004 through 2010. He also has producing credits for Cloverfield, and Alias. You see the connection right? All shows or movies meant to keep you guessing until the very last second. I fully expect Super 8 to follow suit.

I can't wait to find out, what was in the train!

Why does my bf want to see Fast Five?

2011-04-25T23:16:00.002-04:00

The title for this post comes from something I came across when I was checking the stats on my blog. 'Why does my bf want to see Fast Five?' was a phrase that lead someone to my blog when typed into a search.

Well, my mystery reader, here is your answer according to my boyfriend, and I quote; 'If she doesn't know, she shouldn't be with him.'

Here's your answer from my point of view. Guys like fast cars, hot scantily clad chicks, fight scenes, car chases and explosions, all of which Fast Five will be sure to provide in abundance. Are you new to dating or something? Look at it this way, your guy wishes he could be at least one of the guys in this movie. Vin Diesel is bad ass, Paul Walker gets to carry a gun and make out with Jordana Brewster, Dwayne Johnson used to be The Rock, Tyreese Gibson, well he's just cool. Your man wants to live vicariously through one, or all the characters in this movie.

I'm guessing since you asked the question, you're not on board with seeing it with him. Well here's my advice to you. Between Vin Diesel, Paul Walker, Tyrese Gibson or Dwayne Johnson, you must think at least one of these guys is foine! Go, make your man happy, and enjoy the georgeous men in this movie.

Or, use it as blackmail. If you see Fast with him, he owes you a romantic comedy, or whatever it is that you want to see that he usually wouldn't be on board with. It can't hurt right?

Ladies, do you want to see Fast Five or are you just going cause your man wants to go? What are you going to ask from your man if you go see it with him?

The Adjustment Bureau - Fight For Your Fate

2011-04-25T22:53:00.000-04:00

Director - George Nolfi

Main Characters
David Norris - Matt Damon
Elise Sellas - Emily Blunt
Harry Mitchell - Anthony Mackie

Fate or freedom of choice, which dictates what happens in our lives? Its an age old question, and while personally I believe we have complete freedom of choice, The Adjustment Bureau explores the idea that we all have a plan predetermined for us, and that bad things happen if we go 'off plan'.

David Norris (Damon) is a young man running for a seat in the U.S. Senate, who meets a beautiful ballerina (Blunt) and falls, hard. Soon after, Damon stumbles upon something he's not supposed to see when Harry Mitchell (Mackie) who works for the Bureau falls asleep on the job, literally.

The Bureau constantly makes 'adjustments' in people's lives to make sure that they stay on track. Small, simple things like spilling coffee on your shirt, missing a phone call, meeting someone who inspires you to behave outside how you normally would. All incidents carefully coreographed by The Bureau, but they can go only so far. If the changes they make are too big, they cause 'ripples' and there can only be so many ripples in any given case. Once they reach their ripple limit, things have gone effectively out of their control.

Rather than eliminate him, the Bureau decides to tell Norris exactly who they are, and what they do, and the consequences if he ever reveals their existence to anyone, or strays from the plan that has been laid out for him. Norris decides he doesn't like the plan that the higher powers have created for him, and the fight begins. Harry even helps Norris along to way to getting what he wants, instead of being forced to live out the plan that's been set in motion for him.

I couldn't help but get the feeling that a lot of guys who went to see this movie may have felt like they'd been duped into seeing a romance when they expected an action movie, or even a psychological thriller. Not that I'm complaining mind you, I thoroughly enjoyed The Adjustment Bureau. Damon and Blunt are two of my favourite actors in Hollywood, and the chemistry was really obvious.

Again, this movie was not strictly what I was expecting from the trailers, but that doesn't bother me at all. I thought it was great, and I'm looking forward to seeing what kind of special features the DVD release is going to have to offer.

Melancholia - Coming Soon

2011-04-23T23:13:00.001-04:00

Director - Lars von Trier

Main Characters
Justine - Kirsten Dunst
Claire - Charlotte Gainsbourg
John - Keifer Sutherland
Michael - Alexander Skarsgard

When I first saw the title for this movie, I thought we were in for an emotionally charged drama, which I still think we are, but this movie also falls under the category of science fiction.

Justine (Kirsten Dunst) is getting married to Michael (Alexander Skarsgard) at the home of her sister Claire (Charlotte Gainsbourg) and brother-in-law John (Keifer Sutherland). Meanwhile, a planet that's been hiding behind the sun becomes visible. The planet is called Melancholia, and its heading straight for earth. As it gets closer, it sets off a destructive chain of physical and psychological events.

I think this is a terribly refreshing take on the end of the world story line. I mean, why do end of the world movies always have to have aliens, or huge explosions?

As for performances, Charlotte Gainsbourg is a favourite actress of mine since her portrayal of Jane in the 1996 production of Jane Eyre and I'm very much looking forward to seeing her in action again.

Kirsten Dunst has always been kind of a hit and miss actress for me. I loved her in Marie Antoinette and Mona Lisa Smile but simply could not stand her in the Spiderman franchise. Melancholia however, looks to me like its going to be a hit.

I'm very interested to see this movie. The trailer is very engaging, and I can only expect that the movie will live up to that. Although there is no North American release date for Melancholia as of yet Magnolia Pictures has picked up the movie for release in Canada and the US. I'll post an update as soon as we get a release date confirmed.

Love Wedding Marriage - Coming June 3, 2011

2011-04-22T22:10:00.001-04:00

Director - Dermot Mulroney

Main Characters

Eva - Mandy Moore

Charlie - Kellan Lutz

Eva's Mom - Jane Seymour

Eva's Dad - James Brolin

Mandy Moore is one of my top 5 favourite romantic comedy actresses, and stars in some of my very favourite movies like Because I Said So, A Walk to Remember and License to Wed. I'm positive that Love Wedding Marriage will be another enjoyable romantic comedy for Moore.

Eva (Mandy Moore) is living the life that most young women dream of. She's got a great career, parents still together, and a fairy tale wedding. But as these movies always go, things start to go wrong. As a marriage counselor, Eva focuses on helping other people, probably with a view to helping them attain what she thinks she has, but no relationship is easy. As Eva's parents (James Brolin & Jane Seymour) prove when they announce that they're getting a divorce. Well, if the trailer is any indication, Eva's mother wants a divorce. Her father seems far from on board with the idea.

While Eva uses her expertise to try and save her parents' marriage, she begins neglecting things with her new husband Charlie (Kellan Lutz) and just like that, two relationships hang in the balance.

Jane Seymour's foray into romantic comedy scene in Wedding Crashers a few years ago was thoroughly amusing, and I expect her performance here to follow suit. I'm not familiar with much of James Brolin's work, but it looks like hes going to be comfortable fit in the cast.

Kellan Lutz is a name I heard for the first time when preparing for this post, apparently another young star I missed because of my lack of interest in the Twilight series. I can't really speculate on what I think his performance will be like, but I can't say I have any real concerns. Even if the performance is terrible, we do get to see some great shirtless shots of him.

Looks like another solid romantic comedy, if completely cookie cutter.

Love Wedding Marriage will be Dermot Mulroeny's first directing gig. You'll recognize his from performances in My Best Friend's Wedding and Friends. I've always liked Mulroney as an actor, and if his directing instincts are as good as his acting instincts, its another mark in favour of this movie.

Larry Crowne - Coming July 1, 2011

2011-04-22T20:19:00.000-04:00

Director - Tom Hanks

Main Characters
Larry Crowne - Tom Hanks
Mercedes Tainot - Julia Roberts

Although Tom Hanks' directing credits include some movies that I've really enjoyed and have done very well like Band of Brothers, That Thing You Do and A League of Their Own, I'm far from being sold on this movie.

I mean, the plot obviously is something that a lot of people will be able to relate too. Its no secret that many people who have been downsized, as Tom Hanks' character Larry Crowne has been in this movie have decided to go back to school to try and jump start their lives. Also, Julia Roberts and Tom Hanks have always been favourite actors of mine. That being said, I'm just not sure that this movie is going to be something I'm going to enjoy. The trailer leaves me with a feeling of, 'I'm gonna wish it was better.' Anyways, back to the plot, Roberts plays Mercedes Tainot, a teacher in one of Larry's classes, who he develops a crush on, and the romance and comedy flows from there, I guess.

Then again, I really feel like I'm not in the demographic of people that this movie was produced for. Lets face it, Hanks and Roberts aren't young anymore, and that's obviously going to reflect in the roles they take on going forward.

I think people that are in a similar situation to the characters in this movie will find it enjoyable because of the relate-ability factor, but for the rest of us? I just dunno if its going to fly. Its already clear that the all important opening weekend at the box office is not going to do any favours for this movie, as it opens the same day as Michael Bay's much anticipated Transformers: Dark of the Moon, the third installment of the Transformers franchise. I think the only hope for this movie to do well over-all will be strong word of mouth from people who do see it, and hopefully solid DVD sales later on.

X-Men: First Class - Coming June 3, 2011

2011-04-22T19:58:00.000-04:00

Director - Matthew Vaughn

Main Characters
Professor Charles Xavier - James McAvoy
Erik Lehnsherr/Magneto - Michael Fassbender

Of course there are a lot of other characters in the upcoming X-Men: First Class that would certainly be considered 'main', however, the heart of this story is the loss of friendship over differing opinions between Charles Xavier and Erik Lehnsherr.

In this prequel, we will finally get to learn the story, much alluded to in he other X-Men movies of the falling out of Xavier and Lehnsherr, who were once best friends. The movie is set in 1963 when Charles (James McAvoy) starts up the famous school for 'Gifted Youngsters' that we've become so familiar with. Of course, we know that the ultimate argument between Charles and Erik (Michael Fassbender) is whether mutants should try to combat the ignorance that causes normal people to fear them, or if they should use their special abilities in combat.

Along with some new characters, there are a couple of familiar characters appearing in X-Men: First Class, such as Mystique and Beast.

I've no doubt that this will be another action packed X-Men story, like those we've come to expect and love.

Big Names Protest VOD Deal With Studios

2011-04-21T17:34:00.001-04:00

A few months back, I was asked to take a survey online about a 'company' that was in the process of rolling out a Video On Demand system that allowed you to rent movies while they were still in the theatre, but that's the last I heard about it, until now.

According to insiders, Warner Bros., Fox, Sony and Universal are all on board with DirectTV to roll out this service by late next month, with Comcast and VUDU following close behind. The movies will be available for $29.99, 60 days after the theatre release date. The current standard is twice that.

Theatre owners are concerned that this availability will hurt their bottom line. On Wednesday, the National Association of Theatre Owners (NATO) released an open letter criticizing this deal. Some of the big names that have signed this letter are, Michael Bay, James Cameron, Guillermo del Torro and Peter Jackson.

Personally, I'm all for the VOD options, especially being a movie blogger. There are just too many movies to see, way too many, and the cost to see a movie in the theatre is crazy! The article that I'm getting my information from says that the average cost of a movie ticket is $8.00?!?! I'd sincerely like to know where whoever wrote that article is going to see their movies. Where I live, there is one theatre where you can see a movie for $8.00. It only has 4 screens, drastically cutting down on the variety of movies they are able to show at any given time. Besides that, the concessions are very very limited, and the chairs are extremely uncomfortable.

My boyfriend and I prefer to go to our local AMC theatre when we want to go see a movie. The tickets cost $13.00 each, and another $5.00 each if we want to see something in 3D or IMAX. On top of that, my boyfriend CANNOT go to a movie without getting popcorn and a drink. That's another $8.00 or so. Plus, we don't drive, therefore we're looking at a $20.00 cab ride, each way. So we're looking at easily $70 to $80 for one movie for us. So the $29.99 price tag for VOD movies is looking pretty nice to me. If we were to see 3 movies on demand rather than going to the theatre, we've saved $120.00. That's enough to see 4 more movies on demand, but would only cover 1 more trip to the theatre.

The Studios are definitely looking at their bottom line, and I personally think they're on to something. For me, what inevitably ends up happening, is we see 'the epics', as I like to call them in the theatre. Clash of the Titans, Avatar, Fast and Furious, Inception and Alice in Wonderland to name a few. But the dramas, romances and romantic comedies get left out, partially because when we go out to the movies as a couple, we try to see something we're both going to enjoy for the money we spend. That automatically rules out a lot for my man. Also, because there are so many movies released each year our theatre going decisions are based on whether a movie has enough special effects to be worth seeing on the big screen. So in the end, most of the movies that I as a woman, and a hopeless romantic, am interested in seeing end up being put on the back burner, waiting until they come out on DVD or sometimes even waiting til they air on television. This leads to me missing a lot of movies that I wanted to see altogether.

This is how I see this going for my household when and if this service becomes available where I live. Movies franchises like, Batman, Superman, Transformers, Star Trek, Pirates of the Caribbean, etc. will always be theatre going experiences for us. There's just no way to get the same experience from watching it at home. But upcoming movies that I'm looking forward to seeing like, The Help, The Tree of Life, and Crazy Stupid Love will be every bit as enjoyable to watch from the comfort of my own couch on our 42" flat-screen TV.

Apparently, Theatre owners are planning to retaliate by limiting their movie's trailers and in-building signage. Um, have you guys heard of imdb.com and youtube.com? I really don't think that's going to have the impact they're looking for. The way see it, the studios have gone to a lot of legal trouble to get as far as they have with this plan, and the theatre owners are just mad that they succeeded.

What do you think about this deal? Do you think there's room for negotiation between the studios and theatre companies? Will you pay $29.99 to watch a movie at home 60 days after the theatre release?

Jane Eyre

2011-04-20T00:55:00.002-04:00

Director - Cary Fukunaga

Main Characters
Jane Eyre - Mia Waikowska
Edward Fairfax Rochester - Michael Fassbender
Mrs. Fairfax - Judi Dench
St. John Rivers - Jamie Bell

Jane Eyre has been one of my favourite books since I was a teenager, and I've read it more than a few times. I've also seen several of the dozens of productions of this title.

For me, the only thing that could have really ruined this movie, was failure to embody the atmosphere of the novel. When I saw BBC in the opening credits, my mind was put at ease.

Mia Waikowska gave, in my opinion a perfect performance of the Jane Eyre that I've rooted for every time I've read Charlotte Brontë's classic novel. She was sufficiently unassuming, but still had that subtle strength of character that Jane is supposed to possess. Sure, she may have been inexperienced with men, but that didn't mean she was going to cower before them, or let them push her around.

Edward Rochester was played by Michael Fassbender, a name previously unknown to me, as most of the well known movies he's appeared in have not had enough interest for me to see, or have simply been entirely out of my taste range. I definitely will not hold this against him. I thought his performance as Edward Rochester was flawless, adding a little more youth than Timothy Dalton's portrayal, and a little less abruptness than William Hurt's. I enjoyed getting to see a little more of a sense of humour apparent in this version of Mr. Rochester. Obviously a tortured soul, it was easier to see that in spite of his bitterness with his lot in life, that he was still yearning for love and real compantionship. Fassbender has four more movies scheduled to be released this year and two next, including X-Men: First Class where he will be taking on the role of Erik Lehnsherr aka Magneto.

Even before this remake of Jane Eyre I always kind of pictured Judi Dench as Mrs. Fairfax. Apparently someone agreed with me. Her portrayal of the house keeper was the words of the novel personified. Kindly, talkative when she felt she was with her equal, but with the appropriate amount of gravity, obviously knowing somewhere in the back of her mind that something in Mr. Rochester's household was not quite what it should be.

This version of Jane Eyre is now tied for my favourite with the 1996 version starring William Hurt as Mr. Rochester and Charlotte Gainsbourg as Jane. This version left out a couple of scenes that to me were key to the story. One being during her stay at Lowood, the other while Rochester was entertaining the party at Thornfield Hall. But to be honest by the end of the movie, I didn't care at all.

One omission that is bothering me, even still is the glaring absence of a character named Miss Temple. In the book, Miss Temple was a teacher at Lowood for Jane's entire stay. This character was the only kind adult figure at the school, for the girls in general, but was even more special to young Jane. Miss Temple was Jane's first experience of kindness from an adult in her young life, and I've always thought that she was very important in Jane's developing into the young woman that left Lowood years later.

That being said, to me, one measure of a great movie and great performances is if you feel along with the characters, especially if you know exactly what's going to happen and how the story is going to end even before the opening credits role, and that I undoubtedly did. I smiled, I got misty eyed, my heart ached and soared, in spite of the fact that I knew what was coming all the way through. I'm so glad this movie was re-made......again. It is after all hard to go wrong with the classics. I look forward very much to adding this movie to my DVD collection.

The Help - Coming August 12, 2011 (US)

2011-04-19T20:39:00.002-04:00

Director - Tate Taylor

Eugenia 'Skeeter' Phelan - Emma Stone
Aibileen Clark - Viola Davis
Minny Jackson - Minny Jackson

The Help is based on a best selling novel by Katheryn Stockett of the same name, and if you watch carefully when you go to see it, you can see her in the audience of what I'm guessing is Church.

Its no secret that there were many many injustices suffered by people of colour in the United States even 100 years after the end of the Civil War in 1865. The Help, set in the 1960s explores some of the injustices that were still rampant. To quote Eugenia 'Skeeter' Phelan, played by Emma Stone, who is quickly becoming one of my favourite young actresses in Hollywood: "These women raise white children. We love them and they love us but they can't even use the toilets in our houses." That was a harsh reality in many places in the south, like Jackson Mississippi where The Help is set.

Eugenia is a young woman who lands a job writing for The Jackson Journal and decides she wants to write an article from the viewpoint of 'The Help'. Of course, the people that fall under the category of 'The Help' are reluctant to open up at first. The opinions these women had about the people they worked for was, for obvious reason, kept between themselves. The term 'smile and nod' was very apt. But eventually, Aibileene Clark (Viloa Davis) and Minny Jackson (Octavia Spencer) start the ball rolling, and soon 'Skeeter' has enough material to write a book. A book which causes quite the stir in her home of Jackson.

This looks like it will be a thoroughly enjoyable movie, one that will make people think and hopefully remember.

A Quote from Katie Couric's notebook on April 12;
"In a new poll, 48 percent of American's said the Civil War was mainly about states' rights, and just 38 percent said it was about slavery. Time clearly works like a Mederma for the mind...fading an ugly scar of truth."

I don't think that these scars should fade, for 'those who do not learn from history are doomed to repeat it.'

I think movies like The Help are as important to the human condition as movies like Fast Five are to the bottom line, and I hope very much that people like Katheryn Stockett will continue to write books like this, directors like Tate Taylor will continue to work on projects like this, and actors like Emma Stone will continue to see how important it is to tell these stories, even 150 years after the start of the US Civil War, and 50 years after the time when stories, like that told in The Help were everyday life for many.

Of course, you can expect that this story will have a happy ending, and I would assume, that although The Help is a work of fiction, there were probably many stories of courageous people who were willing to stand up and share the truth. We have come a long way as far as civil rights here in the western world since the 1960s, and how could that have happened without people willing to speak up and dispel the ignorance that many seemed so content to live in?

This movie is very high on my 'to see' list.