The Vow

"The Vow" is based on the actual relationship of Kim Carpenter, who wrote a book about his marriage to his wife Krickitt, also known as The Vow.  Ten weeks after their wedding, the couple were in an automobile accident in which Krickitt suffered brain trauma, which erased memories of her romance with Kim as well as their recent marriage.

 Starring Rachel McAdams as Paige Collins, and Channing Tatum as her husband Leo, the movie

is a romantic tale of courtship, marriage and domestic bliss that is rudely interrupted by a car crash which leaves the Paige unable to remember anything at all about the her husband Leo.  To complicate matters Paige can remember most of her life before meeting Leo, but none of it involving him.

He dedicates all his time to woo her and make her fall in love with him, even if she cannot remember him. His chances are hampered when her estranged and wealthy family, start pulling her back toward them, not to mention her ex-fiance.

Though critic reviews have been mixed on the film; I won't give out any spoilers, but I was pleased how the ending wasn't cheesy.  If you're a fan of either McAdams or Tatum, I recommend seeing it.

-Katie-

Clue

"Well, to make a long story short..."

This classic movie is a hysterical portrayal of an old school, murder mystery dinner- starring Tim Curry, Christopher Lloyd, Eileen Brennan, Madeline Kahn, and Martin Mull. Its starts off following a group of guests, who are all mysteriously invited to a house by an anonymous host- all of them are unaware of two things; first that they all are connected in some way, and second, that there is a murderer in the house.

The fast paced witty banter between the guests is the best part of the movie, that and Tim Curry playing the butler. The movie seems to revolve around the butler, Wadsworth and his ability to relate to each of the seemingly wealthy guests, while also revealing to each of them that they are all being blackmailed, and that someone is looking to kill off certain people.

They are constantly pointing the finger back and forth between each other trying to find out who the killer really is. The guests surely don’t trust each other, but soon realize that they are going to need to rely on one another, and the information they are willing to share, in fear of being killed. Just when the pieces start to fall into place, and the frustration between the guests is at an all time high- as you watch, you will be unable to control the intensity of your laughter. The confusion that comes from this movie is not only the question of who the murderer is, but of how absolutely hilarious a movie based around homicide can be. Watch this movie and find out who did it!

-Samantha-

Save the Last Dance

"Save the Last Dance" stars Julia Stiles and Sean Patrick Thomas, premiering in 2001, about an interracial couple's harships and true passion. I'll admit, this is one of my all time favorite movies which I own on DVD and have seen about a million times.

Julia Stiles' character, Sara, goes through a life changing hardship which causes her to give up her dream of going to Julliard for ballet. She is also forced to move in with her "father" whom moved away from her when she was yonger. Sara moves from a predominantly white neighborhood to the South Side of Chicago. This movie shows the hardships that Sara goes through when she enters into an interracial relationship with her new boyfriend, Derek, played by Sean Patrick Thomas. Sara and Derek's relationship taught me that you cannot let other people determine who you should be with.

"...it's about me and him, not us and other people..."

This movie is about passion and following your dreams until they come true. Derek decides to not let Sara give up her dream because of a hardship she has faced. She was born to dance. This movie always makes me feel like I was born to dance as well...but then when I try to dance along to the moves Derek teaches Sara, I decide to stick with my day job.
-Danielle-

The Town

I have been dying to see The Town for awhile now, I just never took the time to sit down and watch it.  Well I finally did, and I was everything I thought it would be and more.

The Town is one of the best crime movies I have seen since 2006's The Departed.  Taking place in Charlestown (a neighborhood in Boston), MA,  four friends rob banks.  Typical scenario I know, but it's worth the watch.

Without telling any spoilers, "The Town" is based on the novel "Prince of Thieves," by Chuck Hogan.  The movie tells the story of Claire, a bank manager (Rebecca Hall) who is taken hostage during a robbery. As she tries to recover from the trauma, she's comforted by Doug ( Ben Affleck), who it turns out was one of her kidnappers. Meanwhile, Doug's buddy Gem/James (Jeremy Renner) is worried that his new love interest might figure out Doug's true identity, while an ex-girlfriend (Blake Lively) continues to vie for his affections. 

Affleck has become a critically acclaimed filmmaker, winning an Academy Award and Golden Globe for Best Original Screenplay for "Good Will Hunting" in 1997, which he cowrote with best friend Matt Damon.  Since then he has made his directorial debut on 2007's Gone Baby Gone and The Town, both being well-received and doing great at the box office.

"The Town" is the best crime thriller that I've seen since 2006's "The Departed."  Big robberies and showdowns...for those who haven't seen "The Town" yet, go see it!

-Katie

Almost Famous

"I always tell the girls, never take it seriously,

if ya never take it seriosuly, ya never get hurt,

ya never get hurt, ya always have fun,

and if you ever get lonely,

 just go to the record store and visit your friends."

This movie is a trip; taking place in 1973, and revolving around sex, drugs and rock & roll.

The real magnitude of this movie is about how much love a person

can have for a band, and their music.

The lovely Penny Lane is played by Kate Hudson, and the 15 year old, strong minded, rock and roll journalist- William Miller is played by Patrick Fugit. Other stars that appear in this movie include, Jason Lee, Frances McDormand, Zooey Deschanel, Anna Paquin, Faiuza Balk, Phillip Seymour Hoffman, Jimmy Fallon, Rainn Wilson, and Jay Baruchel.

The movie revolves around an up-and coming band: Stillwater. The talents include- lead guitarist, Russell Hammond, lead singer, Jeff Bebe, drummer, Ed Vallencourt, and the compact bass-player Larry Turner. Throughout the film, Williams true understanding of music continues to grow, and from the beginning you can tell that his love for the music is real. But William is not the only one who is a true fan, Penny Lane and her loyal followers ‘The Band-Aids’ also share the same love and passion that only a true fan would appreciate. Its important to know that Penny and her girls are not groupies, she quotes “ ‘Groupies’ sleep with rock stars because they want to be near someone famous. We are here because of the music. We are Band Aids.” They allow William to join their clique and together they go around the country touring with Stillwater, following them to every show. And this is where William begins to fall for Penny.

The whole reason William is able to join them on their incredible tour is because of his accessibility to get the band on the cover of the Rolling Stones. The members of Stillwater frequently refers to William as ‘the enemy” because of the fact that he’s a journalist and whatever he writes, will determine how the world views the band. And all they want to do is look cool- how hard is it to make them look cool? Well it can be hard to make a band look cool when they are constantly fighting over their images, stardom and ladies. The different love triangles that go on throughout the film are nearly impossible to explain, but beautifully come together towards the end.

Add to this an overbearing mother, an incompetent manager, and a whole bunch of characters who worship music and everything it has to offer- you’ll get a film bursting with fun. If you are a music lover, or just a person who wants to be apart of something great- you must see this movie!

-Samantha-



Friends with Benefits

This weekend STARZ decided to premier the movie "Friends With Benefits". This movie stars Justin Timberlake and Mila Kunis. I hate that this movie and "No Strings Attached" with Ashton Kutcher came out around the same time because I always confuse the two!

I have yet to see "No Strings Attached", so I can not tell you which is better but I did like "Friends with Benefits".

For all the ladies reading this, who knew our little NSYNC boy, Justin Timberlake, had such a rocking body? He can sing, dance, act and has 12-pack abs.

For all the gentlemen reading this, Mila Kunis is beautiful too and does a great job in this role as she looks for her prince charming.

This movie is about an emotionally damaged girl, Jamie, who just wants to find the perfect guy to live happily ever after with. Along comes Dylan, who is emotionally unavailable and wants nothing to do with a girlfriend. When Jamie and Dylan meet it is far from love at first sight.

We've all heard of men and women trying to be "just friends with benefits", but can this really work?

You'll have to sit down, get your popcorn and watch the movie inorder to find out.

This movie does have a happy ending and it angers me because it leads people to think that having a relationship with someone, which is just based on sex, will workout for the best. On the other hand, if someone is making thier life decisions based on a movie they saw with NSYNC boy, Justin Timberlake, then they have a problem.

This movie does have alot of nudity so just make sure you are not watching it with your parents!

-Danielle-

This Means War

This weekend I was so excited to be going to see Channing Tatum's new movie 21 Jump Street.  Sadly when my friend and I got there, the showing we wanted to go to was sold out.  So instead we settled on This Means War, starring (my favorite actress) Reese Witherspoon, Tom Hardy and Chris Pine.

Heading into the theater, I wasn't sure what to expect, some reviews were good, others not as much.  I won't give any spoilers except that Reese's character Lauren does choose one of the men in the end (though not who I wanted).  

I thought I was good enough for a date movie, it has aspects for both men and women; action, comedy, and romance.  Yet it seems to fall into the same boat as all of the other romantic comedies lately, just adding two CIA Agents fighting for the same girl.

Personally, I feel like this was none of the three actors better movies.  Chris Pine had won me over as a surprisingly quick-witted Captain Kirk in the new Star Trek movies, as did Tom Hardy in Inception.

My suggestion is, if you haven't seen it yet and you do want to watch it, wait until it's released on DVD and rent it on a rainy day.

-Katie-

Breakfast at Tiffany's

“You mustn’t give your heart to a wild thing.
The more you do, the stronger they get
until they’re strong enough to fly into a tree,
then to higher trees, then to the sky.”

This sparkling classic is about a girl named Holly Golightly;

flawlessly played by Audrey Hepburn.

She set the scene in this romantic comedy living by herself in an unstructured Manhattan apartment. But that is exactly how Holly decides to live her life- unstructured, and carefree, while also upholding class and grace throughout the film.

She comes off as a fabulous, naive, funny woman simply looking to find a handsomely rich man to marry. At first, Holly isn’t looking for love, she is looking for money. Back then, she would have been considered a gold digging call girl, but Holly only wanted to feel as though she was not being owned. She feels that nobody has the right to own her, nor does she have the right to own anything else, including her nameless, poor slob cat; named Cat.

George Peppard plays ‘Fred’ aka Paul Varjak- a writer who just moves into

Miss Golightly’s apartment building. Holly playfully renames Paul, Fred- after her brother.

They begin their relationship as friends, but all too soon,

you realize that they are meant to become something more.

A major setting in the film is located on 5^th Avenue; at Tiffany’s. Every morning Holly dresses her best, and is off to enjoy her breakfast in the Tiffany’s storefront window.
For her, Tiffany’s is a safe haven. When she seems lost, or has a case of the ‘mean reds’ all she has to do is take a stroll down to Tiffany’s and after that, things just seems to be all right.

Her life is childlike, yet still maintains sophistication; throwing random parties, visiting old mobsters in prison, and continually accepting $50 from all different types of men for her trips to the powder room. She refers to these men as rats, and super rats. All they want from her is to own her love, and she constantly resists.

Holly and Paul seem to each have their own personal issues when it comes to love,

and their constant games with one another, make you believe that love can be promising

for them in the end. But that is something you will have to find out for yourself.

I more then recommend this movie, I truly believe that by not seeing it,

you are missing out on a beautiful love story filled with sadness and humor

and that will leave your heart filled with pure bliss.

-Samantha-

The Notebook

"The Notebook" stars Rachel McAdams and Ryan Gosling and is one of my all time favorite love stories. The movie is based on the novel by Nicholas Sparks. Rachel McAdams' character, Allie, and Ryan Gosling's character, Noah, experience true young love in the 1940s.

This movie makes me want to never settle for anyone less than Ryan Gosling. It shows a romance filled with kissing in the rain, rose pedals, writing love letters, building a house, reading you stories, caring for one another, shoving ice cream in your nose, acting like a bird, fighting and true love.

  After watching this movie, you will  never look at love the same.

Noah and Allie teach you that if it is true love, then nothing will stop the relationship from happening. I often need to remind myself that this is just a movie!

For any guy who has not seen "The Notebook", you should find a date and suggest the two of you watch it together. While you are watching it, quote any line from it and then kiss her in the rain and you will win the woman's heart over. I promise you.

"If you're a bird, I'm a bird."

-Danielle-

Miracle

Last weekend I had gone to the New York Rangers game against the Boston Bruins at MSG.  Rangers won of course.  But it got me thinking, what are some of the great hockey movies?  If you think about it there aren't that many hockey movies around.

There's "The Mighty Ducks," "Net Worth," "The Rocket," the classic and probably greatest hockey movie of all time "Slap Shot," starring the great Paul Newman, and I'm even tempted to go see the newly released "Goon," which centers in on hockey enforcers (the player that responds to dirty or violent plays by the opposition, or in better words, defends his teammates).  Though one of my favorite hockey movies is "Miracle."

Based on the infamous 1980 Olympic hockey game between the United States and the Soviets, it was later given the name the "Miracle on Ice."  The movie shows how not just a team, but an entire country came rallying together during the middle of the Cold War.  To the United States, this just wasn't a hockey game, it was a distraction from what was going on in the world....to Americans, that game meant everything.

Actor Kurt Russell gives an outstanding performace as head coach Herb Brooks, who took a bunch of college kids to play against the world's greatest players on the world's largest stage.

I wasn't even a though to my parents when this game happened, as it happened 9 years before I was born.  But I'm a huge hockey fan, and to not just relive the video clips but to see everything the team went through being portrayed on the big screen was magical, even if it wasn't the real deal.  This hockey game is one of, if not the greatest moment in sports history.

Do you believe in miracles?

YES!

-Katie-

National Lampoon's Animal House

"TOGA! TOGA! TOGA!"

Animal House is a classic. This movie, made in 1978, is still watched and quoted regularly today. The movie surrounds a group of wild college students that attend Faber University, that are members of the Delta Tau Chi House. The movie provides the audience with a great underdog story of a run-down fraternity, how they grow together as a family and how they can take any challenge head on. It seems that no matter what tricky situation is thrown at them, they are always able to rise to the occasion.

This incredible cast includes the late John Belushi, and John Vernon. Other stars include Tim Matheson, Karen Allen, Kevin Bacon, and Peter Riegert; together they form a great ensemble. Their antics including a toga party, a food fight, and an unforgettable road trip along with a hysterical homecoming parade. The raunchy jokes, fun music, and crazy frat stunts, make you wish you were a part of that era, in particular a member of the Delta House.

If you have not yet seen this movie, please stop whatever you are doing and watch it. If you ever need a good laugh, I give you my word that this movie will instantly brighten your mood and put a smile on your face. This movie is a personal favorite of mine, and I could watch it 100 times and it will still be funny and never get old.

Trust me when I tell you this movie will make you wanna ‘put your hands up and shout!’

-Samantha-

Our Idiot Brother

"Our Idiot Brother" stars Paul Rudd, Elizabeth Banks and Zooey Deschanel.This movie taught me that Paul Rudd's character, Ned Rochlin, really is an idiot brother. I would like to share his biggest mistakes with you all.

Paul Rudd's character, Ned, went to jail and lost his golden retriever named "Willy Nelson". Ned teaches us all a lesson: you should never sell marijuana…especially to a uniformed police officer. Ned is also an idiot brother because he does not listen to his gut instincts. For example, if you see your sister’s husband naked with another woman it means that he is cheating on your sister.

Another lesson Ned teaches us all is to not smoke marijuana…especially while on parole. And if by chance this does occur, I learned that you shouldn't tell your parole officer about it.

Can you guess why Ned is known as the idiot brother?

Although I was expecting the movie to be a little better, it was funny. I was in the mood for a comedy and it made me laugh. I was happy that it did not become like a “Marley & Me” tearjerker. 

-Danielle-