Monday, January 31, 2011

BLUE VALENTINE

Movie: Blue Valentine
Jan's Rating: 5
Time: 1 Hour 52 Minutes

Jan's Opinion: If single people see this movie, they won't ever want to get married. Cousin Bonnie and I went to see Blue Valentine today and we were both disappointed. The acting by Michelle Williams and Ryan Gosling is very good but the movie is boring and depressing. It was like peeking in on the marriage of two people who are miserable together and argue all the time. Not exactly entertaining. Frankly I would rather see a movie that makes me smile. The annoying part of this movie is that it kept going back in the past (in hers and his), so much so that it was hard to keep track if you were in a present scene or a past scene. The sex scenes were pretty graphic so again....do not take children to see this movie.

Sunday, January 23, 2011

NO STRINGS ATTACHED

Movie: No Strings Attached
Rating: 8
Time: 1 Hour 50 Minutes

Jan's Opinion: Cousin Bonnie and I opted to see this movie today instead of watching football, which is about as exciting as watching paint dry, especially when your home team isn't playing. Ashton Kutcher and Natalie Portman keep meeting over the years during college, etc., and once they are out of school, they meet again and decide to have a "friends with benefits" relationship. Natalie is really the one who is afraid of a serious relationship but of course it eventually comes to the point where Ashton is ready to commit.....but she isn't. I have to tell you, I have not particularly been a fan of Ashton Kutcher in the past but have to admit, Demi has certainly made a man out of him! It is very much R-rated so don't take children thinking it is just a comedy.

Monday, January 17, 2011

THE DILEMMA

Movie: The Dilemma
Rating: 8
Time: 1 Hour 58 Minutes

Jan's Opinion: Cousin Bonnie and I went to see The Dilemma today and it gave us both a lot of laughs. The Enquirer is wrong again! The movie did start out slow but it picked up and I thought it was very enjoyable. Vince Vaughn plays "Ronnie" and Kevin James plays "Nick", both have been friends since college and are in a business venture together. One day Ronnie is at the Conservatory and spots Nick's wife smooching with a younger guy. Poor Ronnie, he doesn't know what to do, tell his best friend that his wife is cheating on him or not. In the end he should have told him and saved himself a lot of trouble. It really is entertaining how he tries to tell Nick and then doesn't..........several times. Go see it, you'll enjoy it.

Monday, January 10, 2011

COUNTRY STRONG

Movie: Country Strong
Jan's Rating: 7
Time: 1 Hour 50 Minutes

Jan's Opinion: Cousin Bonnie and I saw this movie today and we both enjoyed it more than the Enquirer did, since they gave it a "D" and we gave it a "7". Gwyneth Paltrow plays country singer Kelly Canter who suffers from alcoholism. Her husband is played by Tim McGraw. The movie opens with Kelly in a rehab house for alcoholics. Her husband arrives saying she is ready to leave and he has her scheduled for a concert tour. A newcomer who did very well was Garrett Hedlund, who sang well and acted well also. He had a big role in the movie and I'm sure we'll see him again.

Tuesday, January 4, 2011

The King's Speech

Movie: The King's Speech
Jan's Rating: 9
Time: 1 Hour 58 Minutes

Jan's Opinion: Yes, I went to the movie again today with my friend Laura. We had heard that The King's Speech was excellent so decided to go see it. It really was very good, especially the acting by Colin Firth. When King George died, his oldest son took over the throne, but then he wanted to marry a woman who had been twice divorced and of course that wouldn't do in proper England. So, his younger brother then took over the throne, another King George. Unfortunately, he had a very bad stammer in his speech so most of the movie was about his learning to speak without stuttering with the help of an offbeat speech therapist played by Geoffrey Rush, who had a dry but witty sense of humor in his role. Although I don't normally like period pieces, I did enjoy this movie.

LITTLE FOCKERS

Movie: Little Fockers
Jan's Rating: 7
Time: 1 Hour 38 Minutes

Jan's Opinion: Well, Cousin Bonnie and I saw two movies yesterday, trying to catch up from the holidays. After we saw The Fighter, we then saw Little Fockers. It was cute and light but I would not recommend it for children. It wasn't as good as the previous two Focker movies but I like all the actors in it and enjoyed a few laughs after a serious movie like The Fighter.

THE FIGHTER

Movie: The Fighter
Jan's Rating: 9
Time: 1 Hour 56 Minutes

Jan's Opinion: Cousin Bonnie and I went to see this movie yesterday and we enjoyed it very much. Mark Wahlberg and Christian Bale play brothers in this movie and Christian (a druggie) is trying to train Mark to be a fighter. Their Mother definitely controls the whole family, including 6 (I think) grown daughters who still live at home and most look older than their Mother. They are a strange, dysfunctional, vulgar family. The real star in this movie is Christian Bale, who is up for Best Supporting Actor and has a good possibility of winning. I have never understood why men want to box each other and get hurt. My mind hasn't changed about that, but I do recommend the movie. A few less F-words and I would have given it a "10".