The Proposal

Stop me if you’ve heard this one before; Sandra Bullock plays Margaret Tate, a scary, dragon-lady book editor who spends her days terrorizing her poor, overworked assistant Andrew Paxton (Ryan Reynolds). Everybody hates Ms. Tate, apparently because she’s efficient and good at her job. (Honestly, she doesn’t seem all that evil—probably because we know it’s sweetheart Sandy under that power suit.) One day, Immigration comes knocking at the New York publishing firm where Margaret works. Seems she’s actually Canadian and has been “too busy” to renew her work visa. (Why she didn’t pile that task onto her do-it-all assistant isn’t really explained.) So here’s our wacky situation: The only way Maggie can stay in America is to get married. Who’s she gonna marry? Convenient doormat Andrew, of course! The guy who hates her most in this world. Gosh, how ever will this crazy, fake marriage of convenience turn out? If you guessed, “They end up falling in love with each other for real,” then you’ve been to this dance before.

The main part of The Proposal takes place in backwoods Alaska where Margaret has been dragged in order to meet Andrew’s family and cram for the inevitable “How well do you know your so-called spouse?” INS quiz. So, on top of all the overused romcom elements, we also get a healthy dose of fish-out-of-water comedy. Toss in Betty White as the sassy, brutally honest granny and you’ve got a film that leaves no cliché unturned. The climax even features Andrew racing to the airport for a last-minute reconciliation.

Call it a small miracle, then, that The Proposal actually has a fair number of bright spots. Bullock is probably miscast as the bitchy boss. Once we get out of New York and Margaret’s ice queen persona starts to melt, the film hums along well enough. Reynolds actually shows some acumen for subtle straight-man comedy and makes a credible-enough foil for Bullock. Their hate/hate/love relationship makes for some funny moments. Director Anne Fletcher (27 Dresses) has got the rhythm down. She knows when to pluck the heartstrings and when to make with the mildly randy comedy. Without a doubt, the story (courtesy of first-time screenwriter Pete Chiarelli) is contrived, derivative and completely predictable, but the overall package works up a decent amount of charm. That’s all most fans of romantic comedies ask for, really: a little charm, a little Sandra Bullock and somebody in a wedding dress. The Proposal is one of the many movies that will give all of this to you. On a scale of one to ten id give it an 8, so go have fun and go out and watch this movie.

The blind side

The Blind Side, the new Sandra Bullock movie, was just released November 20, 2009. The Blind Side also stars Michael Oher, Kathy Bates, Tim McGraw, and directed by John Lee Hancock. The Blind Side is the story of a homeless African-American youngster in memphis that came from a broken home, whose father was murdered and whose mother was a crack addict, is shuffled through the public school system. Despite his low grade point average and absenteeism. But his tremendous size and quickness attracts the interest of a wealthy white couple who take him in and groom him both athletically and academically to become one of the top high school football prospects in the country; Oher (Quinton Aaron) is taken in by the Touhys, a well-to-do white family who help him fulfill his potential on and off the football field. At the same time, Oher's presence in the Touhys' lives leads them to some insightful self-discoveries of their own. Living in his new environment, the teen faces a completely different set of challenges to overcome. As a football player and student, Oher works hard and, with the help of his coaches and adopted family, becomes an All-American offensive left tackle.

The wonderful whites of west virginia

Crazy white trash characters are great for movies. You can look at them and think, "Wow, they're fucked up," while patting yourself on the back for being at least a little better off. When the characters aren't fictional, though, it's tough to know how to react. Initially, you laugh your ass off, partially in shock. Eventually, you realize that these people are out there, and they're breeding. Jesco White is the accidental star of the family. His dad D. Ray, the family patriarch, was a famous tap dancer until he was killed in a shootout. Jesco picked up the skill and ran with it. PBS made a documentary about him in 1991 called The Dancing Outlaw, and they made a sequel eight years later. They were both popular, and after seeing them, Johnny Knoxville of Jackass fame decided that a follow-up involving the entire White clan needed to be made. He wasn't wrong.

We often make fun of people like this. I laughed throughout the movie at certain things, but there were many things that rightfully concerned me. In one scene, Jesco's sister Mamie tells her niece Kirk that CPS probably took her baby because they "found drugs in it." Drugs and It. Two words that made me shake my head. Later, Kirk swears she'll get her stuff together while doing a line of coke off the toilet tank in a dive bar. Maybe she just needed a little kick start, or maybe she just wanted some coke because thats all shes really used to. It just goes to show what your getting yourself into as you watch the rest of this movie

Although that's not the half of it. Jesco has two more sisters. We have Kirk's mother, Bo, who also has a son named Derek. Bo and Derek (two names that look hilarious on screen next to each other) spend lots of time together doing any drugs they can get their hands on. Then we have Sue Bob. Sue Bob is a former stripper who claims to have brought home $1500 to $2000 a night. When you see a picture of her when she was younger on the movie's official website, you see how that might be reasonable, but you don't see that in the movie. The Sue Bob you see claiming to be the "sexiest" one in the family makes you shake your head and ask your self, who in the fuck said you were beautiful? No affence but thats just what i thought. By the end of the movie, you'll know you never want to be anywhere near the White family, but I also felt a little sympathy for Jesco. Yes, he was screwed up, but he saw his dad get killed, and I think he suffers from depression. There's a good amount of unexpected philosophy from him, and it makes you see him for more than just a mess. There's a hurt scared kid in there, and I think the drugs and chaos are Jesco's way of keeping that kid calm. I intend to go back to the original documentaries to get the full picture, but you don't need to see them to enjoy this. Wild and wonderful it is, just like the Whites themselves. Id give this movie a 9 out of 10; 10 being the highest. If you like these sorts of movies i highly suggest this one.

It's a Wonderful Life

I assumed this all around “Christmas classic” would be the same, so I was shocked when I realized It's a Wonderful Life wasn't quite what I thought it to be.

I always knew it was about George Bailey who had spent his life sacrificing his dreams to stay in his small hometown to take care of the family business. And then on Christmas, he wants to kill himself and an angel without wings shows him what life would be like if he'd never been born, at which time George realizes the impact his life has had on others and Clarence the Angel gets his wings.
What I didn't know was that the film doesn't even bring in Clarence (in physical form) nor much of Christmas until the last half hour, and that first hour is glimpsing various tough moments in George's life over three decades, making it the most depressing two hours of holiday fun one could imagine.

I understand that in order to know why George ended up on that bridge, we had to witness what kind of life he's had, but at times it felt to be a bit much with his self-sacrificing attitude and very little joy. It left me wondering why it took him so long to hit a breaking point. I also take issue with the main message about how the world would be a horrible place if this one ordinary man hadn't been born. Clarence couldn't let him think the world would've kept on spinning without him or then the film would've really been depressing.

All that being said, I loved the movie, I teared up at the end when the entire town comes to George's aid to save the family business, which embodied the Christmas spirit more than anything. I also feel that it made a better point of showing George how his selfless acts touched the people around him, much more than showing him a world where he'd never been born. Though It's a Wonderful Life still held some surprises and the joyous end justified the depressing means, I can tell you it’s a great movie to watch with the family during christmas.

The House Bunny

The House Bunny tells the the story of Shelley (Anna Faris), a peppy, sunny Playboy model sabotaged by a friend of her’s on her 27th birthday. Unfairly kicked out from Hugh Hefner’s mansion, she finds her way into a new and highly unlikely career as a house mother at Zeta Alpha Zeta, a horrible sorority house full of freaks and geeks, including Emma Stone, American Idol runner-up Katharine McPhee and Rumer Willis. Unless Zeta’s unpopular gang of nerd-girls can come up with a plan to recruit 15 new members, its doors will shut forever. Shelly (Anna Faris) proceeds to give the girls, their house, and even their snotty arch-rivals the makeovers they all deserve. That is, when she’s not falling head over heels (quite literally) for Oliver (Colin Hanks).Directed by the stand-up comic-turned-moviemaker Fred Wolf, and written by the pink-powered screenwriting team that brought you Legally Blonde, 10 Things I Hate About You and Ella Enchanted, is Hef himself.But Faris’ considerable comic talents and endless frilly outfits fluff this workaday cautionary tale into an easy-watch whirl of sweetness and light colors. It’s not the star vehicle our leading lady truly deserves, but she gamely rides it for all it’s worth. Ken McIntyre Faris’ comic talents make this an easy-watch whirl of sweetness. If you like comedy and stupidity at its finest I suggest you watch The House Bunny, don’t underestimate this movie. You’d be surprised at how great it is, on a scale of 1-10, 10 being the highest id give it a 81/2.

Paranormal Activity 2

After moving to a new house in California, the new home of Daniel Rey is broken into. Daniel is buys security cameras that are put everywhere inside and outside the house. Soon, the family will realize that robbers are not responsible for the mess inside the house. It might be something even more frightening...
If you enjoyed movies like "The Blair Witch Project", then this movie might be for you. Shot with a perspective point of view. I must admit that I did not enjoy "The Blair Witch Project". I thought it was amateur, not very scary, quite long and boring actually. When presented with the opportunity to watch director's Tod Williams sequel from the first "Paranormal Activity". Unfortunately, it's not the case. The plot of this film is simple and not very interesting. I honestly don't really care since it's not the main purpose of this kind of movie. The big problem is that nothing really scary happens in the first 45 minutes of the movie. It's a long introduction for a movie whose main goal is to scare the audience. There are a few good sequences in the last 15 minutes of the movie, but it was a little too late in my case. I understand the fact that it's important for a film like this one to set up characters, but a few chills along the way would've been nice.

Due Date

The critics have been way too harsh on the movie “Due Date,” claiming that the performances by Robert Downy, Jr. and Zach Galifianakis were not up to their full potentials. But I beg to disagree with them.
The film relies on the juxtaposition of the roles of Downy and Galifianakis, a quite strange duo. “Due Date” uses characters who are complete opposites just like “Cop Out” and “The Other Guys” except “Due Date” is way more fresh than the crappy slapstick jokes of Tracy Morgan and Will Ferrell. Although the storyline of going on a road trip with a crazy travelling partner has become a little bit old and boring, the plot is not tired enough to write off “Due Date” as nothing more than a mediocre comedy.
Downy plays a high-strung and ambitious architect who wants nothing more than to get back to Los Angeles to see the birth of his son. But, due to Galifianakis’ character’s actions, Downy is kicked off of his flight and lands himself on the no-fly list. Also, his wallet took the plane ride without him, so he’s forced to ride with Galifianakis from Atlanta to Los Angeles and somehow, Downy figured out a way to get rid of his attitude 
Galifianakis plays an nasty and bizarre wannabe actor who aims to score a role in “Two in a Half Men.” No surprises about Galifianakis’ character his way of humor has nearly cornered him into playing a very specific type of role. But, in all of his successful movies, his magic relies almost entirely on interacting with other actors. Galifianakis performs well with Robert Downy, Jr. in “Due Date” as he did with Bradley Cooper in “The Hangover.”
One important thing to keep in mind about “Due Date” is its attempt to fill the comedic void that 2010 has offered. With all of the incredible action and drama films released this year, the best Hollywood comedy of the year before “Due Date” was arguably “Dinner for Schmucks,” which isn’t saying that much.
Instead, 2010 has presented more movies like the pathetic attempt at lame laughs in “Grown Ups” and the  unnecessary sequel of “Get Him to the Greek.” And lets not forget to mention “Furry Vengeance” with Brendan Frasier or any of these so called “comedies” starring Michael Cera. But all in all this is a great movie to watch with friends to get out a good laugh, from its ridiculous scenes to its hilarious one liners, id say you should definitely think about watching this movie