Couples Retreat

Genre: Comedy
Director: Peter Billingsley
Main Actors: Jason Bateman and Kristen Bell
Rating: PG-13- (could watch it with parents, but it'd be a bit awkward.)
Length: 113 mins

IMDb Synopsis:
Dave and Ronnie, Jason and Cynthia, and Joey and Lucy are close. The group used to include Shane and Jennifer, but they divorced and she's gone. Jason and Cynthia announce that their marriage is in trouble, and they beg their friends (and Shane's young girlfriend) to join them on a couples' retreat, at the package rate, on a tropical island. The others reluctantly agree, planning to play while Jason and Cynthia work on their marriage with an island psychologist. To everyone's surprise, the package is inflexible: each couple must participate in the couples' exercises. Soon fault lines appear in all four relationships. What's in store for each couple?

   Okay, so frankly, this movie was pretty terrible. Honestly. We were bored, somewhat disgusted, and only laughed at one scene. The concepts that would be funny once were WAY overused. Such as the male on male embarassment etc. And the guitar hero duel. WTF? They had a really great cast, but the script was terrible, they ran out of unique ideas in about the first 10 minutes. The one scene that Erin had us watch over. and over. and over. at 4am in the morning was the yoga scene where the almost nude Carlos Ponce shows the group how to do yoga. He is a european, manwhore, very well built yoga teacher with like a 35 pack or something. One of the girls in particular enjoys him and instructs him to basically dry hump her to try and stretch out her back. Some other scenes that trying-too-hard-to-be-funny would be the one where the sharks "attack" the guys, and the one where they had to strip down to their underwear, but one guy wasn't wearing shorts. By the end all the problems had been solved and everyone was happy. Yay.
   The setting on the island of wherever was GORGEOUS. Seriously, I'm going to prebook my honeymoon there or something, the water is the bluest blue I have ever seen, and the tiki huts and stuff? SO CUTE.
   But other than the setting- this movie was NOT worth watching. Seriously, if you're reading this review while in Blockbuster- put down the DVD, and go rent Harry Potter. Please. It will be a waste of 5 dollars and you could have seen something actually worthwile instead of wasing almsot 2 hours of your life that you can never get back, hence the 26% that we give it.

Sex and the City

Genre: Comedy/Drama/Romance...Chick Flick!
Director: Michael Patrick King
Main Actors: Sarah Jessica Parker; Kim Cattral; Kristin Davis; Cynthia Nixon
Length: 145 mins
Rating: R (see first paragraph for details.)

IMDb Synopsis:
After moving in together in an impossibly beautiful New York apartment, Carrie Bradshaw and Mr. Big make a rather arbitrary decision to get married. The wedding itself proves to be anything but a hasty affair--the guest list quickly blooms from 75 to 200 guests, and Carrie's simple, label-less wedding gown gives way to an enormous creation that makes her look like a gigantic cream puff. An upcoming photo spread in Vogue puts the event--which will take place at the New York Public Library--squarely in the public eye. Meanwhile, Carrie's girlfriends--Samantha, the sexpot; Charlotte, the sweet naïf; and Miranda, the rigid perfectionist--could not be happier. At least, they couldn't be happier for Carrie. Charlotte still has the unrealized hope of getting pregnant. Samantha is finding a loving, committed relationship more grueling than she could have imagined. Miranda unwittingly lets her own unhappiness--created when Steve admits to cheating on her just once--spoil Carrie's. After a heated encounter with Steve, she happens to spot Mr. Big and tells him he's crazy to get married. She's really only thinking of her own marriage. But her angry remark gets Mr. Big to thinking.

   Okay first, this movie has a lot of sex. And I mean A LOT. That would be the reason this movie is rated R for all the sex, and nudity. And it shows EVERYTHING. This film is NOT for kids, or even preteens really. However for teens and up, and on a girls night or when you are feeling bad, this would be a very good choice :) We loved it, it had us rolling on the floor laughing at some of the lines, and we've even come to repeating some of them (ex. colour!)

    Although this movie was a bit long, it spans over a whole year, spending longer in places like halloween, new years, valentines day, and so on. The scenery in Mexico, was gorgeous that you saw, they really didn't leave the resort, and every bit of NYC you saw was perfectly suited for whatever scene they happened to be shooting. The plot, which revolves around the lives of Carrie, Miranda, Samantha, and Charlotte is mostly centered in on Carrie, and the fact that she was going to be the 40- year old bride, but since most people don't get their happily ever after, things happened. Of course most things ended up resolving themselves by the end, and it's a very good inappropriate feel good movie- like I said before the perfect chick flick. The acting was good, a lot better than I thought it would be, and the comedic timing was perfect. Of course these women are pretty well adapted to these characters after doing the tv show for years, so it wasn't too big of a surprise. All in all, we give the film a 75%

We'll be reviewing sex and the city 2 next month, so watch this one, then hang tight!

Juno

Genre:  Comedy / Drama
Director:  Jason Reitman
Main Actors: Michael Cera, Ellen Page.
Rating: PG-13 (There is sex and it shows a bit of skin, swearing. Proceed with caution.)
Length:96 minutes


IMdB Synopsis:
A tale told over four seasons, starting in autumn when Juno, a 16-year-old high-school junior in Minnesota, discovers she's pregnant after one event in a chair with her best friend, Bleeker. In the waiting room of an abortion clinic, the quirky and whip-sharp Juno decides to give birth and to place the child with an adoptive couple. The chosen parents, upscale yuppies (one of whom is cool and laid back, the other meticulous and uptight), meet Juno, sign papers, and the year unfolds. Will Juno's plan work, can she improvise, and what about Bleeker?

   Ah, Ellen Page. A young actress who was literally plucked off the streets and put into a movie. She is an amazing actress who embodies the character of Juno. The role requires a huge amount of humour but also a lot of emotional acting. Ellen pulls it off with ease. Juno goes through a great amount of stress in the movie but keeps her humour light. Ellen shows the stress just below the surface.

   Juno is a real indie film. It isn't the type of film that is on a huge budget and that is one of the many reasons we enjoyed it so much. There were little quirks (like the hamburger phone, and the tic tacs) that made the film that much.... more. Reitman's directing was ace and Micheal played his usual role of nerdy, hot, odd boy fantastically.
 
   Caroline and Erin didn't really enjoy the film as much as I did. They don't seem to enjoy indie films (or indie music for that matter. The soundtrack= top.) that much. We give Juno 75 %.

" You should've gone to China, you know, 'cause I hear they give away babies like free iPods. You know, they pretty much just put them in those t-shirt guns and shoot them out at sporting events."

The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants

Genre:  Adventure / Comedy/ Drama / Romance
Director: Ken Kwapis
Main Actors: Amber Tamblyn, American Ferrera, Blake Lively, Alexis Bledel.
Rating: PG (Parent appropriate.)
Length: 119 minutes


IMdB Synopsis:
The movie is based on the young adult book, The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants, by Anne Brashares. As four best friends spend their first summer apart from one another, they share a magical pair of jeans. Despite being of various shapes and sizes, each one of them fits perfectly into the pants. To keep in touch they pass these pants to each other as well as the adventures they are going through while apart.

   The acting in this film is fantastic. Amber plays the typical pissy, angst filled, I-loathe-the-world teen, and plays it well. America is the girl with family issues and is one of the few actresses who can cry on cue without it sounding something like a dying hippo (I'm talking about YOU Nicholas Cage!). Blake is portrayed as somewhat slutty but determined and she owns the part. Alexis makes an incredible transformation as the movie progresses and everything from her wardrobe (Lisa Jensen) to her facial expressions and the way she speaks changes.  Actresses became friends during the filming and it shows through in their performance. The dinner scene with Carmen and her father's new family, Bradley Whitford started to improv and kept the entire crew laughing which made it difficult for everyone to get through the scene without laughing.


   The message in the film was basically love your friends. They will be there with you through everything. Cherish them because you never know when they will be gone. The film is a real girls night film. It passes all the criteria: Heartbreak, Attractive boys, Relateable, Funny, Love. We rate it 83%.

Fun fact: The dinner scene with Carmen and her father's new family, Bradley Whitford started to improv and kept the entire crew laughing which made it difficult for everyone to get through the scene without laughing.

Hitch

Genre:  Comedy / Romance
Director: Andy Tennant
Main Actors: Will Smith, Eva Mendes, Kevin James
Rating: PG-13 (Parent appropriate.)
Length:118 minutes

IMDb Synopsis:
In this romantic comedy, Alex Hitchins is a legendary but anonymous date doctor in New York City. Hitch advises klutzy male wallflower clients on ways to make good first impressions on the women of their dreams. To contact Hitch, a man must have a referral from one of his former clients. Once Hitch accepts you as a client, he will coach you on your first three dates; after that, you're on your own. Hitch's newest client is Albert Brennaman, a fat tax accountant in love with a celebrity client, Allegra Cole. Allegra doesn't know that Albert exists, so Albert contacts Hitch to make his dream come true. Hitch decides to make Albert a client, even though, he knows this is going to be tough. While working on this job, Hitch meets Sara Melas, a gossip reporter for a daily tabloid, who is following Allegra's every move. Sara has given up on men, and Hitch wants to cut through that layer, because he is the master of love, so he thinks.

   Let's start with the title. Sarah calls Alex "Hitch" as a play on his last name hence the title.The film is the perfect mix of funny and romantic. It's quirky comedy and cute lines leave you laughing and awww-ing throughout. No matter how many times you watch it, it never gets old. The flashback scenes are extremely well executed. The only negatives (in our opinion's) are that Eva's crying sounds a tad bit like a dying walrus and that some scenes are drawn out for way too long. You're on seadoo's. They're fun. We get it, can we move on now please?

   Hitch is chock full of awesome actors. Eva Mendes is a great actress and our favorite scene of hers was where she exposes the "Date Doctor". She and Will Smith have fabulous chemestry together. They both have that odd sense of humour that makes them people who you want to be friends with. Smith's delivery of his lines and facial expressions accompanying them are ace. His dorky mixups are adorable and he plays the part so well that you cannot help but sympathise with Hitch. Andy Tennant did an amazing job in casting Kevin James as Albert.He is perfect for the adorably geeky, clumsy loser role and it's obvious that he and Smith are friends outside of work.

   We watched this film at aroung 3am, but that wasn't the reason we were giggling uncontrollably for a while afterwards. We enjoyed Hitch and give it a 60%....Erin gave it a four and screwed everything up :P

Valentine's Day

Genre: Comedy / Romance
Director: Garry Marshall
Main Actors: Uhm... Ashton Kutcher and Jennifer Garner ?
Rating: PG-13 (Sex and nudity and such, so don't watch it with your parents.)
Length:125 minutes

IMDb Synopsis:
More than a dozen Angelenos navigate Valentine's Day from early morning until midnight. Three couples awake together, but each relationship will sputter; are any worth saving? A grade-school boy wants flowers for his first true love; two high school seniors plan first-time sex at noon; a TV sports reporter gets the assignment to find romance in LA; a star quarterback contemplates his future; two strangers meet on a plane; grandparents, together for years, face a crisis; and, an "I Hate Valentine's Day" dinner beckons the lonely and the lied to. Can Cupid finish his work by midnight?

   There aren't any disticnt main characthers to this movie! There are some great (and nommy) actors, but the closest thing to a main actor is Ashton Kutcher, and I'm not even sure that is accurate. The entire movie was basically a mash-up of actors, acting (and not incredibly well) as if they are in love. The movie is corny and quite unrealistic, but cute nonetheless.

   To be honest, there isn't much to say about this movie. When we weren't staring at Eric Dane or Ashton Kutcher and drooling, we were chatting about other things. It was quite predictable too.

  Meh. That's what I have to say abou this movie. Meh. It was okay. Nothing special, but it wasn't terrible. We give this movie 58%. Yeah... (Caroline is the only one who liked it, hehe)

The Ugly Truth

Genre: Comedy/Romance
Main Actors: Katherine Heigl and Gerard Butler
Director: Robert Luketic
Rating: PG-14 (Don't watch it with your parents. Just... just don't.)
Length: 96 minutes

IMDb Synopsis:
"A romantically challenged morning show producer is reluctantly embroiled in a series of outrageous tests by her chauvinistic correspondent to prove his theories on relationships and help her find love. His clever ploys, however, lead to an unexpected result."

   Let's start by saying that Gerard Butler is one sexy man! He has the look that we like to call the "hungry" look (Robert Downey Jr. has this look as well. nomnom.) Butler played his role of manwhore exceptionally well and had great chemistry with Katherine Heigl. We loved Katherine's hairstyle. She played her role well enough, but it would have been minorly cringe wothy had Gerard not been her co-star.(Caroline is still upset about her leaving Greys Anatomy and has a grudge against her. That may have affected her opinion on Katherine's acting.)

   The Ugly Truth fits the genres of comedy and romance really well. This movie was funny. We giggled at the innappropriate comments and snickered at the failures. The romantic aspect of it was also great. We aww-ed and wished for a guy to say something like that to us. 
  
   Some of the conversations were dragged out to the point where we were getting annoyed, but that was really the only part that we did not enjoy. It was semi-realistic and there were little hidden messages throughout. We give this movie 78%.

I Love You, Beth Cooper

Genre: Comedy
Rating: PG-14 (Not suitable for children and we don't reccomend that you watch it with your parents. It would be pretty awkward, just sayin')
Main Actors: Hayden Panettiere, Paul Rust
Director: Chris Columbus
Length: 102 Minutes

IMDb synopsis: 

"The story of a nerdy valedictorian who proclaims his love for the hottest and most popular girl in school Beth Cooper during his graduation speech. Much to his surprise, Beth shows up at his door that very night and decides to show him the best night of his life."

   The acting is awesome. The actors actually act like teens. Hayden Panettiere is one of the prettiest people ever and Karen L. Mattews styled her perfectly for this role. She portrays the snotty cheerleader stereotype well and Paul does fantastic as the awkward one. Love the underpants! ;)

   We found that the movie isvery repetitive. We don't need to know that Beth Cooper's phsyco boyfriend is in the army 50 times. It's clear the first time. There is also a lot of nonsense.

   All in all we enjoyed the movie and deffinetly reccomend it. I Love You, Beth Cooper has a deeper meaning than is first precieved. At first the movie seems to be about nothing more than getting drunk and having sex. That isn't the case whatsoever. It is about love and hardships and finding yourself. We give this movie a 70%.