2012: Week 6: This Means War

This Means War

Genre: Romantic Comedy, Action

Main Players: Reese Witherspoon, Tom Hardy, Chris Pine, Chelsea Handler

General Gist: Two best friends who are CIA partners fall for the same girl and decide to make it a competition to see who will win her over.

Deb's Take:
LOVED IT! This movie had everything, (almost).... Romance, Action, Comedy, Hot men, Hot Woman (so my husband says), and was extremely enjoyable. The theatre was filled with people who laughed a lot. I loved that it was funny, had great action and still had the romance I enjoy so much. It's rated PG-13, but a little more like PG-15 to me. (my new rating scale). Chris Pine and Tom Hardy did great. They played best friends so well. Reese Witherspoon did not disappoint either, she was great. Most enjoyable was Chelsea Handler. I loved her in this movie. She made me laugh out loud quite a bit! This movie comes out on Valentines day, and I will say, I think it is a great movie for a couple to go see. My husband really enjoyed it just as much as I did. Houston, we have a winner!

Tiff's Take:
I couldn't agree more with Deb.  (Finally, one in the new year that we completely agree on!)  This was such a fun movie.  All the actors did great.  Reese Witherspoon was lovely and likable as expected.  Chris Pine and Tom Hardy were perfect eye candy. (I must admit Tom Hardy was a little higher up on my hottie scale though.  Crooked teeth and all.)  Chelsea Handler was crude and witty making a great sidekick. 

This movie actually comes out next week but we were lucky enough to go to a prescreening.  So if you're thinking of going to a movie to celebrate Valentine's day next weekend this would be a great one.  Most romantic comedies are really just chick flicks.  But this one I think would be just as enjoyable for a guy as it would for a girl.  And like Deb said, it was really funny.  There were many laugh out loud moments.  Actually a few times the whole audience was roaring.  You can't beat that.  Make this one a date night!  

Preview: "The Vow"....we hope!

2012: Week 5: The Grey

The Grey

Genre: Action, Drama

Main Players: Liam Neeson, Dallas Roberts, Frank Grillo, Dermot Mulroney, Nonso Anozie, Joe Anderson

General Gist: A plane crashes in the Alaskan wild leaving only a handful of survivors. They try to make their way to safety at the same time being a target to a pack of wolves.

Tiff's Take:
I want to start out by saying this movie was very intense. I mean, a plane crash and attacking wolves all in the same movie? Totally leaves you on the edge of your seat through the whole entire thing. Aside from being intense it was really just plain scary. It reminded me of a horror film where you're always expecting someone to jump out at you. Except instead of a creepy bad guy it's a ferocious wolf.

Liam Neeson plays the main character who is struggling with his inner demons then finds himself fighting for his life as the "leader" of this group of plane crash survivors. I think he does an okay job. Nothing spectacular. In fact I might say he was a little boring. And to be honest with you, if you take out the intensity, the movie itself was a little boring. I'm not sure if it's possible to be intense and boring at the same time but that's what I'm sticking with. And the bond between the men was just okay. I didn't feel a big connection.

It was interesting how there was the comparisons between a pack of wolves and a group of men. They almost became two equals fighting against each other. But I won't tell you who wins. Apart from that, nothing else really drew me in. I wouldn't say that this is one I would pick if I had a choice nor would I recommend it. It just wasn't my thing.

Deb's Take:
I picked the movie this week. I don't know why I just thought this one would be a good one. I am becoming more and more of a Liam Neeson fan (which I am actually amazed how many movies of his are coming out soon) so thought...hey, why not? Well, I really liked it! I haven't read Tiff's take yet, but do see her last line and am guessing we don't agree.

I do hate plane crash movies..they freak me out, so that scene was very unenjoyable for me. However, after getting over the initial shock of that, I was able to sit back and sort of relax, or so I thought. I don't do scary-suspense movies well. I tend to watch them with one eye open and one eye squinted to the point of barely being able to see. Why? I don't know, it just makes me feel better. This movie was a one-eye-squinter for me. Usually in movies the music will give it away for me, or more often the lack of music (extreme silence) will give it away. This movie got me a couple times, I think I jumped twice where I had to laugh at myself for losing my cool. It wasn't horror scary, just jumpy, and gorey.

I think what I really liked most was that the movie was a journey. Granted a tough and either you live or die traumatically and horribly, kind of journey, but a journey none the less, and I like journey movies. I liked the emotional side (shocker..right?). Usually gorey movies kind of creep me out, but for what ever reason this one didn't. I think the wolves were a little "fake" for me, so I was able to separate myself from fact and fiction..sort of made up my mind it was SCI-FI instead of real life.

I was surprised that two kids about 9 or 10 were sitting behind me with their parents. Let me tell you, my kids wouldn't consider walking in any sort of forest, mountain or nature type of activity ever again if they saw this movie. Rated R for a reason folks.

What I am saying, I enjoyed the acting, I liked the suspense for a change, was a little grossed out at times, but was glad I picked this movie.

Preview:
"This means War"-Free screening tonight (Wednesday) YEAH, gotta love free

Giveaway Winner

Thanks for everyone who entered our contest!  It was fun reading all the oxymorons that you came up with. 

And the winner of the first three books in the Stephanie Plum series by Janet Evanovich and two movie tickets to go see One for the Money is...

Amanda Horrevoets Wasilko

Congrats!  I hope you enjoy the books as much as I do and have fun going to the movie. 

If you could email us at dbschaefer@sbcglobal.net and give us your mailing address we'll get these prizes out to you.

Thanks for playing everyone!

2012: Week 4: One for the Money

One for the Money

Genre: Action, Comedy

Main Players: Katherine Heigl, Jason O'Mara, Daniel Sunjata, Sherri Shepherd, Debbie Reynolds, John Leguizamo

General Gist: Story of a woman who is down on her luck, lack of job and money, so she goes to work for her cousin as a bounty hunter. No, she knows nothing about the job and has no experience. This is the first movie from a series of 18 books.

Deb's Take:

I will say, I love these books. Although I am currently behind by 2 books. I had to sit down and really think about the first book a little bit, after watching the movie. I mildly recall my mom and sister really being excited about this series and after reading the first one I thought is was okay, but didn't know what all they hype was about. I think it was about book 3 that I was totally hooked. So, I think this movie left me feeling sort of the same way, but it makes sense. The movie is sort of a "set-up" movie for more to come. The movie was short (took me back to the days of movies being MAYBE 90 minutes.) I was prepared to be underwhelmed with the acting because I am very sold on the book characters. I was bummed when I heard Katherine Heigl was playing Stephanie Plum. I was pleasantly surprised, she did well. Really all the characters did good, they fell into their parts pretty decently. I think my only true disappointment was Ranger. I just feel Ranger is a super "bad ass" kind of guy and Daniel Sunjata didn't make me feel that way. He was too "cute" with his dimple and he talked too much. I know, it sounds sort of weird, but read the books and you'll understand..I think. Overall, the movie was a good set-up movie, but I really am looking forward to what else they are going to do with the movies in the future. You have got to see Lula in her true light, and feel the Morelli, Ranger, Stephanie sexual tension. Read the books! (you may win them if you entered our give away) I guarantee you will be hooked with the books, the movie...the verdict is still out on that.

Tiff's Take:
I would say my thought of this movie was pretty similar to Deb.  The books are really easy, fun reads and I can totally see them being a movie or TV series.  (Actually TV more than movie but that's just my opinion)  So I wasn't too surprised to see this one come out. 

Like Deb, I was disappointed in the casting.  I really didn't think Katherine Heigl could pull it off.  And I totally had Morelli and Ranger's characters different in my head.  (Stephanie more Jersey, Morelli better looking, Ranger more muscular and Grandma Mazur a lot older) But I thought all of them did a pretty darn good job.

Don't get me wrong.  This was no award winning movie but it was a fun, thinkless type of movie.  It did a lot of setting up the characters but the books the same way too.  If they decide to do more movies (and I'm not convinced they will) I think they will get better with each one. 

Preview:

We'll be posting the winner to the giveaway next!

First Giveaway in 2012

We're always trying to come up with ideas for giveaways that have to do with movies and that people will enjoy. We're not always super creative. A giveaway that's a no-brainer for me is a book giveaway. More specifically, a book that has been turned into a movie. And a movie that is heading to the theaters in the near future.

So for our first giveaway in 2012 that's what we're doing. Has anyone read the Stephanie Plum novels by Janet Evanovich? I got into them a while back and I'm glad I did. They are easy reads that often times make me laugh out loud. They're about an accidental bounty hunter from New Jersey who is always getting herself into trouble. She has a former prostitute as a side kick and two men that are always complicating her life. Right now there are 18 books in the series and book one "One for the Money" is finally becoming a movie. I was a little skeptical of the cast but we shall see. Check out the trailer.

So, for the giveaway. One lucky winner will get the first three books in the series. One for the Money, Two for the Dough and Three to Get Deadly. And we're also giving away two tickets (through Hollywood Movie Money - they have tons of participating theaters!) to see the movie.

To Enter:
We're taking an idea from the last movie we saw, Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close. (If you saw the movie you'll know what we mean.) We're going to have an oxymoron war. All you have to do is leave an oxymoron in the comment section. (For example, bitter sweet) It has to be one no one has used so no duplicates. Once you leave a comment you're automatically entered. And if you want to double your chances of winning you can like us on Facebook and leave a comment here to let us know and we'll enter your name a second time. After our next review (which will so conveniently be One for the Money) we'll announce the randomly chosen winner.

Let the war begin!

2012: Week 3: Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close

Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close


Genre: Drama

Main Players: Thomas Horn, Tom Hanks, Sandra Bullock, Zoe Caldwell, Max von Sydow

General Gist: The journey of a nine year old boy dealing with the loss of his father who died in the World Trade Center on September 11th.

Tiff's Take:
You never know what to expect going to a movie dealing with September 11th. It seems like it is still fresh enough that only a few mainstream movies have touched on this subject. I imagine it will be different 10, 20, 30 years from now. But for now I still get goosebumps whenever I see anything about it.

However, this movie wasn't so much about September 11th as it was about the effects it had on a boy who loses his father because of it. I was thinking this would be a movie that lead up to that day therefore expecting a really sad ending. It didn't though. It really started out with that day and followed this boy's journey of dealing with the loss of his father. The father was played by Tom Hanks and the boy was played by Thomas Horn. Tom Hanks did great but it was really all about Thomas Horn's roll. He did a fantastic job of being this quirky (on the verge of disorder) boy who thinks he will lose the memory of his father if he doesn't keep around pieces of him. He finds a key his father kept and goes on a mission to see what it opens.  All the while his mom, played by Sandra Bullock, is trying to make sense of it all too.

I've had a little bit of a hard time deciding whether I really liked the movie or not.  It was a little slow but it was interesting and well acted.  Although it didn't leave much of a lasting impression.  For me, that's a big indicator to how well I like something.  So take that how you will.   

Deb's Take:

This movie was definitely not what I was expecting. The advertising made me think I was going to watch a movie about Sept 11, and about one man's journey through that time. As Tiff mentioned, it's really about the reaction of a boy who loses his father Sept 11 and all the struggles and the journey he takes to find some sort of peace and understanding. They sort of played up that Tom Hanks was in the movie, but Thomas Horn was the real star and in the forefront most of the film.

I did have a difficult time getting into the movie. The story line and relationships seemed sort of disjointed for at least the first half of the movie. I felt like I was in an "artsy" film and a lot of the meaning was going over my head or something. I was finding it hard to believe this boy could travel around New York City all day with no adult supervision and that everyone was taking it in stride. Luckily, the ending cleared it all up for me. Thomas Horn really did an amazing job, and I always like Sandra Bullock..(she is a favorite of mine!!). The movie did bring Sept 11 back in a different light, yet as always, made me very sad for the families so closely effected by the terror.

I enjoyed the movie and the message it sent. A good sort of touching movie. My 14 year old didn't think it was all that great, I think mostly because it was just slower paced. Worth an afternoon viewing or week night date.

Preview:

Stay tuned for our first give-away of 2012, and the upcoming movie for the week..."One for the Money"

2012: Week 2: War Horse

War Horse

Genre: History, Drama/Based on true events

Main Players: Jeremy Irvine, Peter Mullan, Emily Watson..and the Horse, (of course)

General Gist: This is a story that follows the life of a horse during World War I. The story captures its' many travels, and the people he encounters and touches through-out his journey.

Deb's Take:

Well...this movie was ok. It was long and very drawn out, to the point of losing my interest early on. I really like the idea of the movie and thought that maybe it would be like the "Black Beauty" of this time. In actuality, it wasn't. The story itself was touching, heartbreaking and pretty amazing when you consider all this horse had to go through in life. The hard part was, I just didn't feel a real connection to any particular character, and just couldn't find myself connected to the horse. I am a total animal lover. I had thought I would fall in love with this horse looking at the previews, but I really didn't. I did feel sorry for the horse a lot of the time, and was disgusted with the idea that horses were so brutally treated during the war, however, I just had a hard time not feeling like the story was drawn out and lengthy. I feel like the actors did a pretty good job, again though, nothing extraordinary. All in all I would recommend this movie as a renter, and although it appears to be made for all ages, I think the kiddos would be mighty bored..not to mention the parents.

Tiff's Take:
Wow.  I'm really surprised in the difference in opinion with Deb and I on this one.  She wrote her review first so I had the luxury of reading what she had to say before I did mine.  I actually went into this movie thinking I would feel almost the exact way Deb ended up feeling.  But I didn't.  This movie was long, I'll admit, but I didn't ever feel like I was looking at my watch wondering when it was going to wrap up.  There was a lot to the story but I enjoyed the journey.  I, like Deb, am an animal lover so I was concerned about the movie being too much.  Because, let's face it, something not so pleasant almost always happens in a movie about an animal.  This one was no different but for some reason the horse actually felt more like a person to me.  So it wasn't so sad.  (Not that I like seeing bad things happen to people but...)  I would agree with Deb that the actors were good but nothing special.  None of them really stood out to me.  I'm not even sure I can say the horse did a fantastic job because well, how do you rate a horse's acting abilities?  But I loved the history and connection between all the people that the horse's life touched.  Another thing I found interesting about this movie was the different perspective it gave on a war.  It was almost shocking how non-strategic everything seemed back then.  How did anyone ever survive at all?  It could have also been because most of the war movies I've seen are about WWII or later.  No matter the reason, it was very interesting to me.  So my rating would definitely be higher then just a rental.  I've actually already recommended it to someone who was on the fence.