Role Models

NME: 3 stars

This is a decent movie starring (and co-written by) Paul Rudd and Seann William Scott as two guys forced to do 150 hours community service in a Big Brother like program, after Rudd's character has a meltdown at his job and destroys some public property at a high school. The movie lags a little at the end, but it is generally pretty funny and I laughed out loud at many different times. The funniest person in the movie is actually Jane Lynch, who also starred in The Forty Year Old Virgin with Rudd. I recommend this movie-- it's no masterpiece but it makes a good rental.

Che, Part I

NME: 3 stars

I am recommending this movie only to people who are interested in Che Guevara and the Cuban revolution. I am no expert as to how accurate the information in the movie was, but for me it had some interesting and enlightening points. The movie is very slow and all in Spanish. As to be expected Benicio Del Toro is very good in the movie- as is the supporting cast. It's shown somewhat out of sequence and focuses on Che's life from the moment he met Fidel Castro up until almost the end of the Cuban revolution. It tries to show how he directed his troops and parts also shed light on his relationship with Castro. Don't expect a typical biopic-- and for many people the movie may be seen as boring. I liked it-- but then again, I was very interested in the topic.

Defiance

NME: 3 stars

Any movie dealing with how the Jews were treated during WWII, is bound to be incredibly depressing. "Defiance" dealt with this topic, but was more of an uplifting movie, detailing the resistance efforts of Jews in Belarus who created a community in the forests, surviving against all odds.

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Daniel Craig and Liev Schreiber star in the movie as brothers who are in charge of the forest survival community. Both Craig and Schreiber had to speak in Russian throughout the film (who knows what they sounded like to a native speaker) when the characters were dealing with the Soviets, but the characters spoke in English when they were speaking in either Yiddish or Polish with one another (it was not made clear). Craig had trouble maintaining the Eastern European accent and sometimes sounded like he was James Bond.

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The other thing to note is that the movie kind of got off to a slow start with me, but it did grow on me. It sounds like a lot of the facts of the film were a little murky and it could have conveyed better how complex the situation in modern day Belorus was at that time. Also just as a reminder, movies about WWII are bound to be very sombering and difficult to watch- and though this one wasn't so tough to take-- it's in no way a light movie. In spite of all of this, I recommend it.

Australia: Bad and boring

NME: 1.5 stars

Baz Luhrmann strikes again directing another clunker that's both bad and boring. At first I tried to be open minded since this movie has gotten so many bad reviews. It didn't seem that bad at first. I like both Nicole Kidman and Hugh Jackman and the cinematography was pretty. After about 30 minutes, I started to get bored. Worse yet, the tone of the movie was really weird. It was sort of dealing with the serious topic of the maltreatment of the aborigines but then the actors were directed to overact, as if they were acting in the stage version of the Music Man. This movie is not recommended. I fell asleep several times while watching it and it made no sense.

The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford: Dull and Duller

NME: 2 stars

This is me being generous because I tried to watch the movie twice and each time I fell asleep. It is super indulgent when directors choose to direct at such a slow pace. It's ok for a movie to be slow, but this movie is so slow it lulls you to sleep. Also, you care little about the characters in the movie, Brad Pitt is made to look less attractive and Casey Affleck's character is annoying, creepy and unlikable. The reason the movie is worth two stars is that the cinematography is very good and the acting also seemed to be good. It could have been cut down by over an hour and maybe it wouldn't have been such a bad movie. This movie is only recommended to those who suffer from insomnia.

Revolutionary Road

NME: 3 stars

I had high hopes for this movie starring Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet, which was directed by Winslet's husband Sam Mendes. It disappointed me somewhat, but I would still recommend it. The movie centers on a couple who are bored by suburbia and this boredom causes them to engage in raging fights that seem way overdone. The acting in the movie seemed like it was better suited for the theater. The characters were really hot and cold and explosive without much rhyme or reason as to why. Kate Winslet wasn't as bad as Leonardo DiCaprio in this regard. He would really start screaming like a maniac during their fight scenes without much build-up.

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Though her American accent was weird again, Winslet looks really gorgeous in the movie. Some of her movies call her to play roles where she doesn't showcase how pretty she is. She actually was better looking than DiCaprio in this film. More importantly, they had a lot of chemistry and you could easily picture them together.

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The movie reminded me a little bit of the show Mad Men, except I like watching Mad Men a lot more, since it's more subtle. This was too over the top for me. I gave it 3 stars because it kept my attention and there were a lot of good scenes in the movie. I recommend it but don't go into it expecting an uplifting movie or an Oscar worthy film.

The Three Burials of Melquiades Estrada

NME: 2.5 stars

This movie was directed by and stars Tommy Lee Jones. It's not a bad movie, but it was slow and the topic of the movie bored me. The movie centers on a border patrol man (played by Barry Pepper) who accidently kills vaquero Melquiades Estrada, who happens to be one of Tommy Lee Jones' (name Pete) character's good friends. When the body is unceremonially buried without notifying the family, Pete becomes determined to give him a proper burial. The movie is shot out of sequence which makes it hard to figure out what's going on. It also moves too slowly and kind of bored me. That being said, it's not a bad movie. Tommy Lee Jones spoke a lot of Spanish in the movie, and he didn't do too bad with that. If the plot of the movie sparks your interest, rent it--- otherwise don't bother.

The Wrestler

NME: 3.5 stars

This was a very good movie starring Mickey Rourke in the title role as a washed up professional wrestler whose life has hit hard times. It also stars Evan Rachel Wood (who overacts a little bit) and Marisa Tomei (who is topless throughout the movie). Mickey Rourke is really good in this movie because he really seemed to embody the role. I hope his career gets resurrected because he's very talented. I don't want to give away too much of the plot but be warned that it's not exactly an uplifting movie. Also some of the wrestling scenes were very bloody. In spite of this, I recommend it.

Baby Mama

NME: 3 stars

This was a cute movie starring Amy Poehler and Tina Fey as an odd couple forced to live together since Poehler's white trash character is pregnant and giving up her baby for adoption to Fey's barren/working girl character. I don't alway find Amy Poehler funny and she is slightly miscast in this role, but overall-- the movie is pleasant throughout. It's not going to make you fall over from laughing so hard- but it is amusing and fun to watch. I'm also a big Tina Fey fan- so I generally like her in TV and movies. I recommend this.

The Reader

NME: 3.5

The Reader is a very good movie starring Kate Winslet in her Oscar winning role and newcomer Michael Kross. The movie is based on the book by the same name and focuses on the love story between a teenager and an older woman in post-war West Germany.

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I won't go into the details of the movie (though most people probably know about it by now), but it created some controversy for how it treated one of the main character's who had a shameful past, with possibly too much sympathy. In my opinion, I didn't pity or feel for this character at all-- so I don't believe that the filmaker tried to humanize this character too much. Other criticisms about the movie were that there were too many gratuitous sex scenes that distracted from the gravity of the subject matter. I agree that the movie didn't need so much nudity. Kate Winslet is constantly naked in this movie. What's weirder is that her co-star had just turned 18 when the sex scenes were filmed.

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In spite of all of this, I would recommend this movie. Kate Winslet is very good in it. Sometimes -when she has to do an American accent she sounds contrived. However in this movie, she has to age over 30 years and do a German accent and she did a good job with it.

Frost/Nixon

NME: 3.75 stars

I thought this was a great movie, directed by Ron Howard and starring Frank Langella (in his oscar nominated role) and Michael Sheen. The movie was based on a succesful play, which also starred Langella and Sheen as Richard Nixon and David Frost, respectively. The movie took some dramatic license but overall didn't pull an Oliver Stone and fabricate too much information. The movie is based on a series of interviews that took place between British TV talk show host David Frost and disgraced former President Nixon in the late 1970s. It details the lead-up to the interviews and the emotions riding on them.

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Both Sheen and Langella are very good in the two main parts. Langella does a more dramatic and emotional characterization of Nixon but it doesn't go too over-the-top. The dvd extras shows real footage of the interview and by comparison, Nixon was much more subdued-- but much of the script is word for word from those interviews.

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I think this movie would appeal to a lot of different people. It is defintely recommended and it was never boring.

The Last King of Scotland

NME: 3.25 stars

This movie stars Forest Whitaker in his Oscar winning role as brutal dictator Idi Amin. It's a fictional account of his relationship with his personal doctor played by James McAvoy. Whitaker is very good in the role, and though for the sake of drama, the story is embellished in ways that were not necessary, the movie is worth a rental.

MIlk

NME: 3.75 stars

I almost gave the movie 4 stars but changed my mind at the last minute. Milk stars Sean Penn, in an Oscar award winning role as Harvey Milk the first openly gay elected politician in the US and traces how he challenges the status quo and starts a formidable grass-roots movement in San Francisco. It also stars James Franco, Emile Hirsch and Josh Brolin. All of the actors do a great job and the movie was well-directed by Gus van Sant. Thankfully, van Sant directed the movie and not Oliver Stone, who was originally tapped to do it. Stone ruins every biopic he's ever touched by interlacing loads of his own imagination into the script, creating fiction out of stories that don't need embellishment. Milk cleverly uses a lot of real footage and follows the true story closely. I highly recommend this movie, especially in light of the bigotry surrounding prop 8.

Body of Lies

NME: 3 stars

This movie got mixed reviews from critics and didn't do that great at the US box office (though it recovered and did well globally). I think it was too harshly reviewed and was a fairly decent movie considering the topic. Pretty much any movie about the War on Terror or the CIA is bound to be nauseating and preachy. It's not too bad. The movie stars Leonardo DiCaprio as an agent working in the Middle East for a clueless and culturally insensitive American boss running the operations from his cush house in Virginia, played by Russell Crowe. DiCaprio's character is moved to Amman to work with Jordanian intelligence in capturing agents, who are all living in a safe house in Amman and working for an organization that is similar to Al-Qaeda, that has been responsible for a series of terrorist attacks on Western cities.

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DiCaprio and Crowe are usually credible in their roles and the movie basically hangs together, save for a final scene that's very preachy. The plot is also not that complex and laden with conspiracy theories like most movies on the CIA. Unfortunately, the movie did not hire exclusively Arab actors so there are tons of scenes of Arabs speaking to other Arabs in English. That always bugs me. We're also supposed to believe that Morocco looks like Amman. That being said, the movie is worth a rental.

Letters from Iwo Jima

NME: 3 stars

This was a good movie directed by Clint Eastwood telling WWII from the Japanese point of view. I found the movie a little too slow, too repetitive and too boring. That being said, if you're a WWII fanatic, you should probably rent this movie. The movie was criticized -naturally- by some Japanese people for the portrayal of American troops in the film. It's in Japanese with subtitles.

East West

NME: 3.5 stars

East-West is a great foreign film starring Sandrine Bonnaire, Oleg Menshikov and the late Sergie Bodrov Jr. The movie was marketed as if Catherine Denueve had a starring role, but she only has a bit part. The movie centers around a Russian doctor, living in France with his French wife and child, who is lured into returning to the Soviet Union in order to take part in the reconstruction process. Once they arrive, they realize their life will be horrible and the French wife wants to leave immediately. Naturally she's not allowed to and the movie centers around their life and her drive to escape. The movie is really well done, and not as depressing as it sounds. It is spoken in French and Russian so you'll have to read subtitles. It's worth a rental.

Priceless

NME: 1 star

This French movie starring Audrey Tautou should be titled "Worthless." It's really bad and the only reason to rent it is because Audrey Tautou is adorable. Other than that, it centers around Tautou's character -who's a horrible gold-digger- and some guy who's in love with her but has no money. I fell asleep before it ended because it was boring and the characters had no redeeming qualities.

The House Bunny

NME: 1/2 a star

Rent this movie only if you want to roll your eyes 40 times an hour. The movie which stars Anna Faris, Rumer Willis, Katherine McPhee and Emma Stone is so unbelievably bad, I almost turned it off while watching it on a Transatlantic flight. It focuses on a Playboy Bunny who is too old to live in the mansion anymore, gets kicked out and becomes a Sorority house mother for a bunch of misfits. Though the writing is horrendous, the acting is even worse. Hopefully Rumer Willis and Katherine McPhee were not paid for their services.

Oceans 13

NME: 3 stars

This movie gets 3 stars purely based on the fact that it is pretty to look at. There is no other reason to watch other than that the movie is visually beautiful for a number of reasons. Everything else is soso, and at times, the movie is kind of slow. That being said, it's a decent rental.

Superbad

NME: 2.5 stars

This movie would have been given at least 3 stars if it wouldn't have jumped the shark mid way through. Instead of just making a comedy, producers and writers seem to be hell bent on making a comedy caper. The caper part is not believable in any way and is way over the top. That's the problem with Superbad. It starts off with so much promise and then it becomes an action movie that's neither funny nor exciting. I still would recommend it, regardless of this problem since the first half was pretty funny.

Tenacious D: The Pick of Destiny

NME: 2 stars

This movie which stars Tenacious D, Kyle Gass and Jack Black will hold your attention, but barely. It's mildly funny with a ridiculous plot and thankfully is fairly short. It's clearly meant to be watched while imbibing in something. Otherwise, it seems like you're watching a Rainbow Brite commercial.

Pineapple Express

NME: 2 stars

This movie starring Seth Rogan and James Franco is a self-indulgent mess. The first part of the movie, however, is pretty funny and I loved James Franco's character. Seth Rogan co-wrote the movie and you can tell that he had a great time making it. Unfortunately, that doesn't always translate for fun for the viewer. Watch the beginning and then keep it on while you fold laundry.

Nacho Libre

NME: 1 star

I love Jack Black, but this movie was awful. The funny parts revolved around the fact that he looks funny in tight clothes and he has an amusing Mexican accent that goes in and out throughout the movie. It is really bad and not recommended to anyone.

No Reservations

NME: 2.5 stars

This is not a bad movie starring Catherine Zeta Jones and Aaron Eckhart. The movie centers around a tightly wound chef whose life is turned upside down after her sister dies and leaves her to care for her young daughter and a new chef is hired to work at the same restaurant with her. The arrival of the new chef leads to friction and sexual attention, but eventually she melts with the help of her niece and her new relationship. I had low expectations before watching this movie, but it wasn't bad.

Tropic Thunder

NME: 2.5 stars

This is a bad movie that made me laugh several times because it was so ridiculous. It seemed like the actors (Jack Black, Ben Stiller, Robert Downey Jr.) were making things up as they went along. Tom Cruise is also funny in the movie, but the person who made me laugh the hardest was Nick Nolte. The plot is about spoiled actors making a Vietnam movie on location and actually getting stuck in a dangerous situation unbeknownst to them. Have zero expectations, and you will enjoy it.

Reversal of Fortune

NME: 3 stars

This is a very good movie that starred Jeremy Irons (in an Oscar winning role) and Glenn Close. It also starred the late Ron Silver who played Alan Dershowitz-- who wrote a book which the movie is based on. The movie plot is known by now. Jeremy Irons plays the real life character Claus von Bulow who was accused of murdering his wife Sunny in order to inherit her money. He hires Alan Dershowitz to defend him and the movie tries to answer whether or not he did it. The movie is still good, but runs a little slow. I still would recommend it, nevertheless.

The Hours

NME: 3 stars

I have three adjectives to describe The Hours: well-made, slow and depressing. The Hours starred Meryl Streep, Julianne Moore and Nicole Kidman in her Oscar winning role. I'm not sure what made Nicole Kidman's role stand out more than the other ladies, but everyone went gaga because she put on a prosthetic nose and dared to look ugly. The nose looked ridiculous and detracted from the movie. Nevertheless, the movie was very well acted and well done but the topic of depression and suicide is not my cup of tea. If it's your idea of a good time, rent this movie.

The Curious Case of Benjamin Button

NME: 3.5 stars

I give this movie a fairly high rating even though it suffers from some deep flaws. I wisely chose not to watch this movie on a tiny airplane screen as it would not have done it justice. It has nice cinematography and is clearly a well made film.

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The problems are that it's a little slow and I wouldn't say the character development is particularly good. The biggest problem with the movie, however, was Cate Blanchett. I'm not a fan of either her work or how she looks. She doesn't look good with Brad Pitt and therefore I could have cared less about their love story. This is critical to the film since much the emotional ties to the film hinges on this love story. She was annoying to watch and was badly cast.

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Brad Pitt was fine in the movie. He never really "wows" me with his acting, but he always looks beautiful on film. The rest of the supporting cast were fine.

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I would recommend this movie, but I warn you that it's a little slow and you may not care about any of the characters after you've seen it.

Slumdog MIllionaire

NME: 3 stars
By now everyone has seen it, so I don't need to give out the plot. I really liked the first half of this movie. The problems for me with the second half were several. First, I thought it jumped the shark once the mafia got involved. Second, I didn't care about any of the adult characters. Third, I thought the adult versions of the main male and female characters overracted.
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I had already been warned that the movie is darker and more serious than it's portrayed in the ad campaign. That part didn't bother me-- the bigger problem was that (as stated above) I cared much more about the characters as kids, than as adults.

The Pursuit of Happyness

NME: 3 stars

This is a decent movie that's fairly well acted by Will Smith and his son Jaden. Every time I see Jaden in public, he comes across as the world's biggest spoiled brat-- but in the movie he does a nice job playing a sweet kid who has to deal with his dad's dumb decisions. The movie is very loosely based on Chris Gardner's ascent from semi-homeless single father to a stockbroker for Dean Witter. The real story is fairly different than what happens in the movie, but it appears to all be relatively believable. Smith's character makes about a million dumb decisions early on and spends about 50% of the movie running around like a maniac. Smith probably had to run more for this movie than any action movie he's done. There are only two problems with this movie. First, Thandie Newton (who plays the mother of Jaden's character) is the most horrible actress on the planet. She overacts as if she's in a Telenovela. Second, during the movie there is no respite from bad things happening over and over again and it gets a little old. Other than that, it's a pretty good rental.

Half Nelson

NME: 3.5 stars

Half-Nelson is a good independent movie starring Ryan Gosling as a drug addicted teacher in an inner city school. It's the usual story of a drug addict who makes bad choices over and over again, but the movie was well done and I'm a big Ryan Gosling fan. I recommend this movie even though it's not super uplifting or light. It's well acted and everything holds together pretty well.

Confessions of a Shopaholic: AKA the worst movie of all time

NME: 0 stars

I didn't even finish watching this movie, and I was on a 5 hour international flight with nothing else to do. It was one of the worst movies I have ever seen. The movie starred Isla Fisher who was not very funny and several supporting cast members such as John Gooden, Kristen Scott Thomas, Joan Cusack, Leslie Bibb and Hugh Dancy -- who were also not funny at all. The movie jumped the shark about 1 million times and it was hard to watch without rolling your eyes. The clothes weren't cute, the storyline was not even remotely believable, the jokes were stale and the physical humor was almost embarrassing to watch. Though there are women out there that love shopping, the main character was so unbelievable and annoying that you wanted her to get sent to jail and off the screen as soon as possible. Watch this only if you are a sado-masochist.

Hotel for Dogs

NME: 2.5 stars

This movie is not as bad as it sounds. I watched in on an airplane (again) and it kept my attention. The movie stars Emma Roberts, Don Cheadle, Lisa Kudrow and Kevin Dillon and focuses on two foster kids and their quest to save dogs from going to the pound. Once the kids find an abandoned hotel they come up with a way to take care of all of the dogs that they're saving from extinction by the pound. The movie has a lot of cute dogs and the script is not that bad. Even though this wasn't a bad movie, it's a clear indication of the direction of Lisa Kudrow and Don Cheadle's careers. Emma Roberts is fine in the movie, but she wouldn't be famous if her aunt were not Julia Roberts. She's very bland. That being said, if you have kids or you love dogs, it's not a bad rental option.

Husbands and Wives

Erica: 3.5
In my quest to see all Woody Allen films, I happened upon a gem, Husbands and Wives. This movie tells the story of two couples who are close friends - it shows how the splitting up of one of the couples affects the other couple's relationship. I thought this idea was great for a movie - it addresses so many issues that couples can face in a relationship. There are some humorous moments, but it isn't really a comedy. The only reason I didn't give this movie a higher rating is that sometimes the two female leads - Judy Davis and Mia Farrow - bugged me. Everyone else in this movie was very good, including a very young Juliette Lewis. Woody Allen, interestingly, also didn't play a pathetic character, as he usually does. And Liam Neeson. Damn, I had no idea he was so attractive when he was younger. Another great film from Woody Allen. I highly recommend this one.
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NME: 3.5 stars
I also loved this movie. In general, anything by Woody Allen is a crowd pleaser for me.

Rachel Getting Married

Erica: 2.5
This movie was kind of annoying. It's about a girl - Anne Hathaway - who just gets out of rehab in time for her sister's wedding. The whole movie takes place over the wedding weekend and tries to highlight the pain that can be caused by drug addiction for the families of addicts. Frankly, I didn't think this movie had anything new to say. There were also a couple of emotional turnarounds that didn't make sense to me. I'm not a big fan of dramas, so for me to like one it better be good. This was OK. Worth watching, only because some people might enjoy watching movies about families overcoming drug addiction than I do. It's not super heavy or anything, but I didn't think anything new was said here. On a side note, Anne Hathaway was good in this. In the first part I thought she was basically playing a darker version of the usual character she plays. But as the movie progressed, I started to think that she was good in it. I tried to think about whether she was good enough to get an Oscar nom for this and she probably was given how lame some of the other nominees were (hello, Angelina Jolie).
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NME: 3 stars
This was not the easiest movie to watch, but I thought it was pretty good. It uses a hand-held camera, a technique I normally don't like and has very long takes with some scenes desperately in need of editing. Overall, I liked the movie, even though the main character is super self-centered and difficult to root for in any way. This is not exactly a feel-good movie, but it was well-acted and and many of the characters seemed realistic. I recommend this movie, but you've been warned that you may find it hard to take.

21

NME: 2.75 stars
21 is about some Ivy League whiz kids who go to Vegas under the tutelage of a semi-creepy math/stats professor, played by Kevin Spacey, to win big in blackjack by counting cards and developing a fool-proof system. The movie also stars some no-name British guy with very little charisma, a couple of other wannabe dorks and Kate Bosworth as the Ivy League smarties. While promoting this movie, Kate Bosworth thought she would sound more intelligent if she spoke in a fake English accent. If you can get over the fact that Kate Bosworth is annoying, the movie is pretty good. It's loosely based on a true story and it's worth renting, but don't expect a masterpiece.

Yes Man

Erica: 2
This movie is worth a rental. The reason why is that Jim Carrey is simply hilarious. He makes me laugh, almost as much as Will Farrell. You can tell there are scenes where Jim Carrey is embarrassed that he is doing a movie that is basically a replay of Liar Liar - his character is forced to say yes to everything and see what opportunities come his way. But you can also tell that he improv-ed many scenes - and these scenes are laugh out loud funny. There was enough laugh out loud funny to counter all of the lame cliches. Carrey is a little too old to play Zoey Daschenel's boyfriend and a little too old for the crowd he hangs with in the movie.

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NME: 3 stars
This movie is a lot funnier than I thought it would be. As stated above, it was accused of being Liar Liar 2.0. It's better than Liar Liar and a lot funnier. I enjoyed the movie a lot and I laughed out loud several times. Don't expect a masterpiece, but it's not a bad rental. Jim Carrey is very funny in it, as our many of the supporting cast members. Zooey Deschanel plays his love interest. I agree that she looks about 10 years too young for him, but it's not that obvious. Rent it if you love Jim Carrey.

Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown

Erica: 2.5
This is a Pedro Almodovar film that I have been meaning to rent for some time. Almodovar is a director who I thought was my favorite, but that spot has now been taken by Woody Allen. Almodovar has a few movies that I have absolutely adored - the top spot being taken by Talk to Her - but some that have been disappointing. Given by how much I wanted to see this movie, this was a bit disappointing. Don't get me wrong, it's a solid flick. But it is no Talk to Her. The movie is basically about a trio of women whose lives unravel in a sometimes comic way - hence, the title of the film. There's a bit of sadness too, but not as much as with some of his other films. I guess I wish the movie had more of both - more humor, more sadness, more depth overall. That being said, there's something relate-able about these women going nuts over men.
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NME: 2 stars
I first saw this movie back in 1993 and I loved it. I saw it again recently, and I fell asleep. I don't know why it didn't grab me the second time, but I didn't find it as interesting as his other movies. Almodovar is now very hit and miss in my books.

Bullets Over Broadway

Erica: 3
This movie took some time to grow on me. In fact, the first half I was borderline bored. But it really grows on you and by the second half I loved it. John Cusack stars as an aspiring playwright. He has to make a deal with the mob to get the play financed - part of the deal is that he has to let the mob boss's wife, played by Jennifer Tilly, star in the play- and boy is she the worst actress of all time. All the actors are good in this. I'm not going to spoil any other details of what happens in this film. Trust me, the second half makes the kind of boring first half totally worth it. Another good film from Woody Allen.
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NME: 3 stars
I also give this movie 3 stars. It was a little slow, but it picked up and became really funny. I recommend it if you love Woody Allen.

Don't Drink the Water

Erica: 2
I am on a quest to watch as many Woody Allen movies as possible, as I've had an epiphany that he's my favorite director. His movies are always, at a minimum, watch-able. This one was worse than usual, but still watch-able. It's about a loser son of a diplomat, Michael J. Fox, who is tasked with running an embassy abroad. The embassy gets put on lock down as Communists try to attack it - during the attack a family of America tourists runs inside the embassy and is stuck there for a while. The tourists are Woody Allen, the chick from Blossom, and the lady who is the Marge on the Simpsons. It's funny and harmless, but nothing to write home about. The main annoying thing is that the love story between Blossom and ---- (I won't spill it) isn't believable as she is not attractive enough for the role. Sorry, the truth hurts.

The Changeling

NME: 2.75 stars

This is not a bad movie, but the movie's themes and topics did not interest me. The movie was directed by Clint Eastwood and stars Angelina Jolie in an Oscar nominated role. It's clear that she's going for the Oscar nod with all of her heart. The movie traces her anguish when her son is missing and the LAPD replaces him with an impostor claiming to be her son. The LAPD acts as if she's crazy when she claims that the new boy is not her missing son and puts her in an insane asylum where the usual movie agenda suffocates you with horrible insane asylum scenes. I felt as if I had seen these types of scenes about a million times before, except this time I could care less about the main character.

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I'm not sure why I could care less about Angelina Jolie's character, Christine Collins-- but it might have had to do with the fact that her character had no nuances and was either totally boring or screaming at someone. Angelina Jolie weighed about 80 pounds in the movie which also made her look like crap. The movie wasn't bad, I just wouldn't recommend it unless you like movies about child abuction and a mother's anguish.

Brother 2

NME: 3 stars

I finally got down to watching the sequel to the Russian action/gangster movie Brother and I was pleasantly surprised. I thought that it would be horrible, but along with the first Brother movie-- it was very entertaining. This movie takes place in Moscow instead of St. Petersburg and revolves around the adventures of a semi mysterious character named Danila who's basically a bad-ass, taking out anyone who crosses him. The movie involves him having to go to Chicago to take care of some business. It's very interesting to observe Russian culture and Danila's interactions and impressions while in the US. It's worth renting, but see the first movie beforehand. The first one is even more low budget than this one but both are very good.

Marley and Me

NME: 2.75 stars

This was not a bad movie. It was moderately entertaining when I saw it on the plane and emotional at the end. The movie stars Jennifer Aniston and Owen Wilson. They are basically playing variations of the same roles they always play. The movie focuses too much on the highjinks of Marley, their terribly behaved dog-- but it kept my attention in spite of how irritating the dog was. The movie needed to spend less time focused only on the dog for my taste. If you haven't seen it already, it's not a bad rental.

Erica: 3
Full disclosure: I saw this movie on a plane and I am a major, major dog lover. Those two facts alone explain why I really enjoyed this movie. The reason I gave it such a high star is that I wouldn't mind seeing it again for all of the dog scenes, even though it is totally flawed. Jennifer Aniston and Owen Wilson were actually both good in this and believable in their roles. The dog was so out of control that you couldn't understand why they loved him, but I gotta tell you, after I saw this movie, all I wanted to do was rush home, tell my dog that I forgive him for all of his flaws, and tell him over and over again how much I love him. It really makes you appreciate your dog. (I know, I'm psycho obsessed with my dog.)

The Italian

NME: 3 stars

The Italian is actually a little cute Russian movie about a Russian orphan who goes on a trek to find his mom. It's interesting to see a glimpse what life is like in rural Russia and the little boy who plays the orphan Vanya is adorable. I liked this movie and would recommend it. It's not too dark, but it's not a comedy in any shape or form.

Don't Mess with Zohan

NME: 2 stars

Don't Mess with Zohan is not the worst movie in the world. Like most Adam Sandler movies, it's mildly entertaining. It centers around an Israeli government assassin who wants to leave his world of endless violence and become a hairdresser in NY city. While working at a salon, he meets and falls in love with the Palestinian salon owner, played by Emmanuelle Chiriqui.

The makers of this movie claim that it equally pokes fun at Israelis and Arabs. It doesn't. If I were Arab I would have been offended. Arabs are portrayed as completely out of control, barbaric, violent idiots. In contrast, Israelis are made fun of for their deep love of hummus and their addiction to cheesy 80s attire. It got annoying after awhile. That being said, I laughed a couple of times.

Erica: 2
This movie is just BARELY worth a rental. Like NME said, it is offensive to Arabs. I also thought it was a bit long. There is the typical Adam Sandler humor, way too gross most of the time and not funny, with a couple of laugh out loud hard moments. I also enjoyed this movie because Emmanuelle Chiriqui is so pretty in it - it helps people, it helps.

Get Smart

Erica: 3
I thought this movie was gonna suck hard but what a treat! In fact, I watched this movie twice I enjoyed it so much. It's pretty lame in terms of plot - Steve Carell and Anne Hathaway play CIA agents - but funny and light enough that it's a good movie to chill out and watch. Carell plays his usual "Office"-type character, which is fine because he's good at it. He makes me laugh without doing much, so if you don't find him funny you probably won't like this movie. Hathway was suprisingly believable as an athletic CIA agent - though I thought Lucy Lui might have been better. I also always enjoy the Rock in movies and he didn't disappoint in this one either (I know I'm in the minority on this). Lotsa fun, good enough flick.

The Savages

Erica: 3.5
Unfortunately, this movie is really good. I say unfortunately because it's very difficult to watch. It's about how two dysfunctional siblings deal with their father getting old. Everybody knows that getting old is not easy, and this movie does not sugar coat anything, particularly how hard it is when the elderly can no longer take care of themselves. It is heart-wrenching to watch the process from both sides - from the side of the elderly father and from the side of the children. Laura Linney, who usually bugs me, is really excellent in this movie. Phillip Seymour Hoffman is too, but that should come as no surprise. I would never want to watch this movie again - it was painful for me to watch on some levels - but I'd be lying if I didn't say it was good. There are some comedic moments, and it isn't a movie that you regret you saw - like Monster or something - but it still is tough.
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NME: 3 stars
This movie is depressing. It's a good movie but it's depressing and not that funny. Don't expect a comedy. Unlike Erica, I think Laura Linney still doesn't realize that she's not a stage actress. She overacts as normal. Phillip Seymour Hoffman is good as usual. I would not recommend it unless you like movies about old people in nursing homes.