Chuck (Adam Sandler) and Larry (Kevin James) work for the New York Fire Department and work as a great team.  Larry is trying to raise two children on his own since his wife passed away and Chuck is just happily living the single life.  Larry is trying to change his beneficiary over to his children, but they told him it is too late.

On one of their fires, they both get injured and Larry saves Chuck’s life and tells him he owes him.  Larry tells him about his situation and after much consideration, they go to the court house to get married.  They get checked up on since there is a lot of scamming of benefits, so Chuck and Larry need to become very convincing and go see a lawyer, Alex (Jessica Biel), and of course Chuck falls for her immediately.  She suggests that they make their marriage more official by moving in together immediately and going to get married in Canada.

Afterwards, they notice a Clint Fitzer (Steve Buschemi) lurking around looking for evidence that this is a scam.  Chuck and Larry do their best to convince everyone they are together, and eventually the firehouse finds out, and they get put on separate shifts and start getting treated differently by many people.  They learn that just because you are different does not mean that you should be treated any differently then the next person.  More people start to get suspicious and they end up going on trial.  The film also stars Dan Aykroyd, Nick Swardson, and a special appearance by former NSYNC heartthrob Lance Bass!

This film is so full of laughs your stomach will hurt by the end of it.  I saw this movie in the theaters and I have seen it many times since then.  My favorite genre of movies are comedies, and if you are the same, this film is a must see!  James and Sandler work so well together and it is really a great film.  Pop some popcorn and have a good laugh!

George Banks (Steve Martin) is your run of the mill kind of guy.  Living the middle-class life, George doesn’t seem to have a worry in the world.  That is, until his 21-year-old daughter, Annie (Kimberly Williams-Paisley), has announced that she and her now fiance, Bryan (George Newbern), are engaged!  While everyone, most notably George’s wife, Nina, played by the amazing Diane Keaton, is excited and already planning the dress, flowers, food, and table-seating, George is left in the dust, feeling like he has just lost his little girl.  To make matters worse, Annie and her mother hire the overly-excentric Franck Eggelhoffer (Martin Short) and of course his assistant Howard Weinstein (B.D. Wong).   There are lots of laughs during the wedding planning and, of course, a little stress sprinkled in.  George finally undertakes that his little girl is now a grown woman who is ready to start a family of her own.

My heart is sad that they just don’t make movies like this anymore!  Released in 1991, Father of the Bride is a timeless comedy that all individuals (and especially those who are or have planned weddings) can enjoy!  Steve Martin just doesn’t let audiences down with his comedic flair.  I think Martin Short‘s character is my most favorite character ever created!  My hear sinks and my tears swell every time when George says to himself as his daughter is saying her vows, “I realized what was happening, and something inside of me started to hurt.”  I think weddings are a love/hate thing for parents, and this movie creatively and comically portrays this concept.

Shout out to my brother and (new) sister-in-law, Josh and Bri!  I am honored to be a part of your most memorable day today and wish you a lifetime of happiness!  Congratulations!

To give Lily something to be happy about on her 14th birthday, Rosaleen makes up an excuse to take Lily into town. However, they encounter a group of racist men that proceed to antagonize and degrade Rosaleen. She ends up dumping her spit cup on one of the men’s shoes and he and the other men proceed to beat her while demanding that she apologize. Lily is forced to watch as the remaining men restrain her. Eventually a crowd gathers and the police arrive. T. Ray comes to pick Lily up, but he does nothing to help Rosaleen. She gets taken to the hospital by the police and is kept under surveillance in a separate ward. When Lily and T. Ray arrive at home, they get into a huge argument. An angry T. Ray tells Lily that on the day her mother died, she was packing up all her stuff to leave, but that she wasn’t planning on taking Lily with her.

A deeply hurt and fed up Lily decides to rescue Rosaleen and run away to a town that she thinks her mother used to live in. Lily has a small box of her mother’s belongings that include a unique picture of the Virgin Mary on a wooden slab with the name of a town, Tiburon, on the back. Rosaleen and Lily find their way to Tiburon and Lily spots that same picture of Mary on a jar of honey. She questions a store owner and learns that a woman by the name of August Boatwright (Queen Latifah) makes the honey, so she decides to pay her a visit.

When Rosaleen and Lily get to the house, they meet August and her two sisters, May (Sophie Okonedo) and June (Alicia Keyes). Lily makes up some tall tale and even though August knows that she’s not telling the truth, she lets Lily and Rosaleen stay anyway. In return for food and shelter, Rosaleen works in the kitchen and Lily helps August with the honey and bees. In the meantime, Lily’s dad continues to search for her. Lily begins to feel at home with the Boatwrights and even makes a new friend, Zach (Tristan Wilds). She starts to worry though about eventually having to tell the truth and how it will ruin everything.

The film is based on Sue Monk Kidd’s novel of the same name and before I hit play I was extremely skeptical about how it was going to turn out. I was pleasantly surprised though. The entire cast gave a great performance. It’s no surprise that Dakota Fanning does a great job and Queen Latifah usually delivers as well. The real surprises came from both Jennifer Hudson and Alicia Keyes. This story is heart-warming and heart-wrenching all at the same time. It touches on so many different issues and still tells an incredible story. You also learn some important and insightful life lessons from the secret life of bees!

Disney has done it again!  Starting in animation, Giselle (Amy Adams) is wanting what every girl wants, and that is for her prince to come and for her to have a true love’s kiss.  Prince Edward (James Marsden) hears her singing, and comes to find her and says they must be married right away.  Queen Narissa (Susan Sarandon) begs to differ, and wants to get rid of Giselle so she does not take the throne.  She pushes Giselle into a wishing well, which sends her straight to New York City, and this is where the live portion begins.  Giselle is so confused in this world and keeps looking for Edward.  Robert (Patrick Dempsey) and his daughter Morgan (Rachel Covey) see her and take her in for the night.  The next day, she tidies up their home and Robert’s girlfriend Nancy (Idina Menzel) finds this new woman in his apartment.  She becomes very angry and leaves.  Meanwhile, Edward finds out what happens and he leaves for New York with Giselle’s squirrel friend Pip, and they go looking for her.  The queen hears about this, and sends her servant Nathaniel (Timothy Spall) to look for Edward.The chase begins in New York City and on the way, Giselle opens Robert’s eyes to a new world of love and make believe, and Giselle learns a thing or two about the city.  She helps Robert apologize to Nancy, and   Giselle and Edward end up meeting up and they all go to a ball.  When they are ready to leave, the queen makes her way to New York City and meets them there.  She is disguised as an old lady and she makes Giselle take a bite of an apple, which makes her unconscious.  True love’s kiss is supposed to wake her up, but Edward kissing her is not working and it is getting close to midnight.  Robert than kisses her, and she wakes up and they know they are meant to be together.  The queen is furious and turns into a dragon and the men need to fight her off.  The queen falls off the roof, Nancy and Edward fall in love with each other, and Robert and Giselle live happily ever after.

As all fairytales, this one has a happy ending too!  I really like the fact that Disney made a fairytale and put it into the real world.  As stressful as our real lives are, it is nice to see a fairytale in New York City come to life.  I know it is just a movie, but it’s nice to dream once in a while, and this film helps you do that.  For every girl who loves Snow White and Sleeping Beauty, you will love Enchanted!!!

Will Ferrell

Detective Allen Gamble (Ferrell) and Detective Terry Hoitz (Whalberg) are considered the guys in the background.  The two sit at their desk watching the hero detectives, who pay no attention to tax-payer dollars, fight crime on the streets and save the day.  Terry, an anger-dominated cop, has had enough and pushes his partner, Allen, into solving a top case.  Driven by the city’s need for a couple of heroes, Terry and Allen discover New York’s biggest secretive white-collar crime scene.  This is the opportunity of their lives to become more than just the “other guys” behind a desk.

Will Ferrell and Mark Wahlberg certainly did not let me down.  There were so many over-the-top scenarios you just have to laugh.  My only complaint is that the funniest excerpts from the movie were portrayed in the previews and lost their height in the actual movie.  Although I can say I enjoyed this film, my guess is that most people won’t.  The comedy was pretty overboard and I would say you have to been in a fairly good and open mood to enjoy it.  This one is worth a rent for me in the future.  In no way is this movie comparable to Anchorman or even Talladega Nights, but still worth some good laughs.

**I’d also like to add that I appreciated the facts of white-collar crime in America today that were running after the movie ended.  It’s a shame how real these crimes are and how often they are brushed under the rug.  If you do see this in films, stay and read the information during the credits!

Based on Currie’s biography Neon Angel, the film follows the making of the first ever all-female rock band, The Runaways, consisting of innocent-turned-naughty Currie on lead vocals, as well as the notorious Joan Jett (Kristen Stewart) on vocals and electric guitar.  The genius product of Kim Fowley (Michael Shannon), a renowned manager of the day, the band goes on a blah, blah, blah predictable trip to fame, only to (big surprise!) become drug-obsessed and fame-saturated, therefore ending in a sudden dismantling complete with catty screams and angry stomp-outs.

The coming-of-age story of 16-year-old Currie and her band will certainly not shock audiences, but I believe the film’s acting will.

As a general rule, I despise Kristen Stewart in all Twilight Saga movies.  But the more I watch her other films, the more I realize that my loathing is for the character of Bella and not Stewart herself.  In all other ways, she is a powerful actress demonstrating a feisty control over the screen in positive go-get-em female roles.

Fanning’s scantily clothed, sexy performance is the perfect breakthrough into more adult roles, opening doors to a long future in world of film.  And for a supporting character, Michael Shannon certainly shines as the quirky, psychotic Fowley.

Blurred camera shots and motion scenes decorated with odd angles send viewers on a trip that is most likely comparable to Currie and Jett’s days of fame and add a peculiar, necessary quality to the experience.  The Runaways may lack suspense, but it does provide an entertaining depiction of one of rock-and-roll’s many outrageous historical events.  If you like fun music, colorful sexy drama, and good acting, this one’s for you.

(Interesting off-track sidenote trivia: In the film’s concluding where-are-they-now recap, viewers learn about Cherie Currie’s current career as a chainsaw artist!  I highly suggest you visit her website, Chainsawchick.com. Simply amazing.)

Each character’s pursuit of love and personal growth is pretty amusing and very easy to relate to. There’s something very sweet and clever about this movie. It deals with complex relationship issues while also making fun of it all. As an extra bonus, this film is set smack in the middle of Seattle’s grunge scene. Look out for clips of live performances by some of the hottest acts of that time and cameo appearances by Eddie Vedder and Chris Cornell. I really enjoy this movie. I can watch it over and over again. It’s one of my favorites. The soundtrack is pretty amazing too. Check it out!

Ronnie (Miley Cyrus) and her brother Jonah (Bobby Coleman) are being sent to their father, Steve’s (Greg Kinnear) for the summer.  Ronnie has just graduated from high school and is rebelling against the whole world.  As soon as she arrives in Georgia, she runs to the pier and runs into Will (Liam Hemsworth).  He seems to feel something for her instantly, but she wants nothing to do with him or Georgia.  Once back at her father’s, she argues with him that she does not want him playing the piano since she has not played since the day he left their family.  The next morning while walking on the beach, she sees a raccoon trying to eat turtle eggs and builds a cage around it, but it does not seem to help, so she calls the aquarium to have someone come out to help.  Ronnie sleeps there through the night, and wakes up to Will’s face looking over her.  He works for the aquarium and they start talking.  He also stays the night to help watch over the turtle eggs, and the next day, the spend the whole day at the aquarium, and their love starts to bloom.

They end of spending every minute of the summer together, including meeting Will’s family.  They come from a lot of money, and Will’s mother does not approve.  Ronnie finds out that while on the outside Will’s family looks perfect, they definitely have their family issues.  Right as soon as Ronnie is really starting to become close with her dad, she learns that he is very ill.  Her summer starts to fall apart and she learns to stay strong to help Jonah get through this rough time. Throughout the summer, Steve and Jonah have been working really hard on rebuilding a stained glass window for a historical church.  Once Steve becomes ill, Jonah does everything he can to get the window built so that Steve can see it.  This also leads up to fight between Ronnie and Will, that leaves her even more heartbroken.  Ronnie’s dad moves back home for his last couple of months, and he has one last dying wish.

I really enjoyed the film.  I fell in the love with the novel written by Nicholas Sparks, and it was a total tear jerker.  I could not put the book down it was so good, so I was very excited to see the movie.  The movie starts off as a chick flick, and then leaves us in many tears by the end.  I really love the story itself and I really enjoyed the film, even thought I was crying so much.  I hope that you enjoy this chick flick as much as I did!

Aaron (Chris Rock)’s father’s funeral is being held in his home, and he can’t seem to hold all the pieces together.  The funeral home delivers the wrong body, his cousin accidentally gives her fiance Valium which (unbeknownst to her) is LSD that her brother has been dealing, Aaron’s younger brother, Ryan, (Martin Lawrence) is in town and is pompous as ever, Aaron’s wife is asking for sex every minute because she is ovulating perfectly for baby-making, and the list could go on.  On top of it, Aaron has to deliver the eulogy of a lifetime as the pressure surmounts from fellow family members.

What I love most about this movie is that the plot and story-line are absolutely over-the-top.  In fact, Joe-Shmo could be acting in this film and it could still work.  I felt that the great comedic talent of Chris Rock, Martin Lawrence, and Tracy Morgan may have been lost in the exuberant story.  Don’t get me wrong, they are brilliant in every way, however, the only thing they could contribute to the movie are savvy one-liners.  The rest of the story played out for itself.  Long story short, Death at a Funeral is hysterical and had me howling throughout!  I think it’s a movie everyone can enjoy and relate to!

In The End of Poverty?, director Phillipe Diaz delivers one of the most disheartening documentary films I have ever seen.  Of course, what did I expect when the subtitle reads, “Think Again”?

From Bolivia to Kenya to Brazil, and a slew of slums in between, this film captures the worst of the worst – most people surviving on less than a dollar a day, and many on less than 50 cents.  These dismal images are complimented by accomplished authors, professors, and leaders from around the globe, speaking from their studies with plentiful bookshelves behind about our world’s inefficient economic system.  News of this poorly executed, monopolized structure came as no shock to me, but the information and statistics presented were no less appalling.

To name a few: Cutting global poverty in half would cost $20 billion, which is less than 4% of the US Military budget – a Military often sent to ensure that foreign leaders do as they are told, therefore guaranteeing that the poor stay poor and the powerful stay in power.   This uneven distribution – where less than 25% of the world population uses more than 80% of our global resources while creating 70% of the world’s pollution – leaves millions of humans undernourished and many dead every day.  At one point, an author called the ordeal “structural violence”, also claiming that if everyone lived like Americans, we would need six planets to sustain ourselves.

One of the most disturbing aspects of the film, I found, was the display of America’s power through the impoverished citizens of third world countries – where one if not more of the family members in each case could speak fairly fluent English, even using words like “eradicate” and “annihilate” that many Americans would not think to use in such casual conversation.  With thick accents, they told their tale from shacks and dirt homes crowded with an average of eight or more people.

Which leads me to one of the film’s negatives – a lack of addressing the issue of enormous families and limited access to or education about contraception.  I found myself too often pondering why a woman who could not acquire enough food to feed herself had just given birth to her sixth child (and it was not to create a family of workers, for these people had lost their livelihood and essentially resorted to begging).

While no real positive conclusion was ever reached about how to solve current economic problems, the only one that seemed to shine through was a sort of call to action for the poor, asking them to “insist on justice not charity” in the form of forgiving debts, restoring land to its original owners, and ending privitization of resources.

Overall, the film was only mildly interesting, lacking any real story line or plot and showing a lot of the same scenes for lengthy periods of time – fading in and out until I became dizzy – and ending on a somber note.  While it tackles a wildly important issue, and dishes out a plethora of facts, it seems a better fit for a classroom setting of sorts.  Nevertheless, if you’re yearning for a depressing two hours of social, political, and economical enlightenment, The End of Poverty? is an instant play on Netflix worth exploring.