I Want Someone To Eat Cheese With (2006) NR - 2½ Stars

The coming attractions for this movie looked pretty good so I added it to my queue at Blockbusters and when it arrived popped it anticipating a good laugh or at least a cute romantic comedy. Okay being fair, some of the parts are cute and/or funny, and I do like Bonnie Hunt and Jeff Garlin, but I found it more on the depressing side. I think movies suffer when you try to direct, write, produce and star in your own film.

It's the frustrating struggle of one man's life long path of rejection, while trying to find the one for him. I think deep down, we all are looking for someone to eat cheese with.

James Aaron (Jeff Garlin), is a overweight grown man still living at home with his mother (Mina Kolb). All he really wants in life is a good role in his acting career, to loose some weight and to find that someone special to eat cheese with. But things seem to be looking rather bleak for James as his constantly cheats on his diet, his girlfriend (Rebecca Sage Allen) , leaves him, his agent Herb Hope (Richard Kind), drops him and he can't grasp his dream role in an upcoming movie as Marty. As a matter of fact, he can't even get an audition. Instead he's doing stand up a couple nights a week at a local Chicago small time club.

He just can not get anyone to take him seriously and practicing in front of a grammar school class, with teacher Stella Lewis (Bonnie Hunt), even the kids find he has little to offer. Trying to confront his inner soul, he makes way for the ice cream parlor and meets Beth (Sarah Silverman), behind the counter. He instantly notices her quirky style and realizes she's actually not repulsed to be around him. Could this be his someone to eat cheese with?

IFC Films, First Take (IFC)
Director: Jeff Garlin
Writer: Jeff Garlin
Producer: Erin O'Malley, Jeff Garlin, Steve Pink

I viewed 11/09

Poison Ivy (1992) R - 3½ Stars

I really liked this version of Poison Ivy starring Drew Barrymore as Ivy. She plays an extremely erotic seductive teen age girl who will stop at nothing to get the life she has dreamed of. Even if it means, going against her best friend, seduction of an older man and murder. Good performance also from Sara Gilbert, and Cheryl Ladd.

Ivy (Drew Barrymore) is an orphaned teen age girl from a broken poor family, no friends and a definite style of her own. She goes to school with Sylvie Cooper (Sara Gilbert), also a wall flower, friendless and not living the greatest family life since her mom Georgie (Cheryl Ladd), has taken ill. With Georgie's extreme depression, Sylvie's dad Darryl (Tom Skerritt), is trying to be as supportive as possible to his wives needs, leaving Sylvie to feel neglected and alone. The two girls strike up and unique inseparable bond to rely on each other.

When Sylvie invites Ivy to live with her family, Ivy is overjoyed and gladly accepts as deeply desires the perfect family life style, with all the luxuries, that she thinks Sylvie has. But Ivy gets a taste of the good life, her intentions turn very bad as she plots to take over the household by seducing Darryl, killing Georgie and pinning the rape on Sylvie.

New Line Cinema
Directors: Katt Shea Ruben, Andy Ruben
Writers: Katt Shea Ruben, Andy Ruben
Producers: Peter Morgan, Melissa Goddard, Andy Ruben

I viewed 10/09

The Pilot's Wife (2002) PG13 - 3 Stars

Based on the book by Anita Shreve, thing I liked about this movie is it's about real life people. It doesn't need special effects to tell the tale of a wife learning her husband has been living a double secret life. Unfortunately it slows down to a crawl in many places but the story line has enough to hold your attention.

When a wife's husband dies in an airplane crash, questions are raised as to whether it was an accident or a suicide. Now, not only does the wife have to deal with the pain of loosing her husband but now she must also doubt everything they shared together as to whether it was the truth or a lie. She will fly to Ireland to put the pieces together for herself.

Kathryn Lyons (Christine Lahti), thought she was living the perfect life with her commerical pilot husband, Jack (John Heard). But when the 747 he is flying explodes in the middle of it's flight, a crew of government investagators swarm Kathryn house, drilling her with questions of her terriorist husband. The infamous "black box" is recovered and seems to point to her husband and co-pilot Robert (Campbell Scott), creating a terrorist act. She learns along the way that nothing in her marriage was as it seemed to be.

Lionsgate Film
Director: Robert Markowitz
Writers: Christine Berardo
Producers: Judy Cairo, Christopher Zimmer

I viewed 11/09

Monsters vs. Aliens (2009) PG - 3 Stars

This is actually a very cute movie and I am sure if you have children, they may rate it much higher. The animation is very good and I especially like they way Susan's eyes are just off kilter making her her a natural looking beauty.

Susan Murphy (Reese Witherspoon), is about to get married when she is hit by a meteor, knocking her out. When she comes to, she's grown to a size of 49 feet 11 inches tall. The military gets wind of the event and whisks her away for observation. She's named Ginormica and put in a secret military compound with other monster like creatures. It's there she meets B.O.B the squishy thing, The Missing Link fish monster Insectosaurous, and Dr. Cockroach Ph.D. . But when an alien robot lands on earth stopping military in it's tracks, the President is persuaded by General W.R. Monger to enlist the help of this monster team to fight off the alien and save the planet.

DreamWorks Animation, Paramount Pictures
Directors: Rob Letterman, Conrad Vernon
Writers: Glenn Berger, Maya Forbes, Wallace Wolodarsky
Producer: Lisa Stewart

I viewed 11/09

I Love You, Man (2009) R - 3½ Stars

Finally a refreshing comedy! Since it's not really a chick flick, (or is it?), can we call this one a "dude move"-eeee? I don't recall seeing a story line quite like this before about a sweet couple, about to get married but the groom doesn't haven't any male friends to stand up for him. His goal, to find a best man before the wedding day. I think the casting for this movie was perfect with everyone believable in their roles. I always love seeing Jane Curtain in a movie.

Peter Klaven (Paul Rudd), is a successful realtor trying to sell Lou Ferrigno's home in order to bank some extra cash before he and his fiance' Zooey (Rashida Jones), get married. But as the big day gets closer, Peter realizes he doesn't have any male friends to stand up for him at the alter. To solve this problem, Peter goes through a series of meetings or "man dates" in order to find the perfect best friend.

By chance, Sydney Fife (Jason Segel), shows up at Peter's house opening and the two hit it off right from the start. As the two males bond they become inseparable leaving Zooey feeling a bit left out. While Peter begins to let loose he starts to question why it is he is getting married in the first place. Now Peter must decide which is more important, the woman of his dreams in marriage or his new found best friend.

Paramount Pictures
Director: John Hamburg
Writers: Larry Levin, John Hamburg
Producers: Donald De Line, John Hamburg

I viewed 11/09 & 1/10

Eden Lake (2008) R - 3½ Stars

Now here's a fairly decent scary movie. It has the same theme along "Last House on the Left," but instead of violently and sexually abusing young teen girls, this one at least picked on someone their own size. The acting is never award winning in most of these type movies, but I liked the fact it used little known actors which made the story more believable. A young couple in love looking for a little privacy on their vacation, encounter a pack of thugs who terrorise their private time together.

Nursery teacher Jenny (Kelly Reilly), and her boyfriend Steve (Michael Fassbender), are staying at Eden Lake to get away from it all on a romantic weekend getaway. Steve wants everything perfect as he is planning on proposing to Jenny this weekend. Instead, their quite romantic lake front setting is interrupted by a group of obnoxious teens along with their threatening dog. The group of teens are playing their music too loud and making comments about the couple, provoking Steve to intervene. But this disrespecting mob, steals the couples car leaving them stranded in the woods. But when Steve accidentally kills the gangs favorite dog, the couple find themselves fighting for their lives as Steve is taken hostage while Jenny flees into the woods for help. Little does she know, she has landed at the home of the parents of the boys.

Celador Films, Third Rail Releasing
Director: James Watkins
Writer: James Watkins
Producers: Christian Colson, Richard Holmes

I viewed 12/09

The Last House on the Left (2009) R - 2½ Stars

When my boyfriend wanted to see a good horror movie this weekend so okay lets try this one. Well let me just say this, no wonder people get ideas in their minds about doing bad things to other people. The movie starts out with a young teen girl returning to a vacation home with her parents, only to be kidnapped, raped, her best friend stabbed and her parents take revenge on the killers. This is not the type of movie I am into at all. As a matter of fact, I just created a new category called violence and threw this one in right away. Granted I watched the "unrated version" instead of the "theatrical version" but this is not what I want in a movie, EVER. I guess the moral of this story is GIRLS - NEVER EVER go to some one you don't knows motel, apartment, or WHERE EVER to score some weed.

After practicing for a swimming meet, Mari Collingwood (Sara Paxton), and her parents, Emma (Monica Potter), and John (Tony Goldwyn), retreat to their families lake home. It's been awhile since Mari has seen her best friend Paige (Martha MacIsaac) and the two girls decide to hang out while Paige is at work. Justin (Spencer Treat Clark) comes into the convenience store where Paige works, and tells the girls about some great weed he has back at his hotel. The girls give Justin a ride to the hotel to score some of the "good stuff." But their party is interrupted when Krug (Garret Dillahunt), a recent escapee from prison, and his sidekick thugs Frances (Aaron Paul), and Sadie (Riki Lindhome), barge in the door.

Krug deems the girls a risk now since they can identify him and decides to take them for the ride of their lives. Once in the secluded woods, the girls are subjected to violent torture, rape and left to die in the woods.

As a storm approaches, the psychopaths find shelter down the road by the lake. They are unaware they're venturing into the home of one of the girls. The Collingwood's start out as the perfect hosts and hostess until they discover their new house guests are not victims of a car wreck. Krug and his group now find themselves on the other end of the stick when they are violently tormented in this last house on the left.

Midnight Entertainment, Rogue Pictures
Director: Dennis Iliadis
Writers: Carl Ellsworth, Adam Alleca
Producers: Wes Craven, Sean C. Cunningham, Marianne Maddalena

I viewed 11/09

Lightning Bug (2004) NR - 3 Stars

I liked this quirky movie with it's outstanding cast of quirky characters. With a sort of a sixth sense of separation feel, the cast entwines perfectly to cause effects on each others lives. The only reason I am not putting this one in my bizarre category is that I don't want to categorize domestic violence as anything else but what it is. This is a sad movie about a good kid who's dreams are to become a makeup artist for horror films. Living in a back road southern country town, he imagines his escape will come from the skills he possesses designing horrifying special effects. Little yet does he realize, the most horrific effect he will encounter is not one of his own making.

Green Graves (Bret Harrison), and his younger brother Jay (Lucas Till), live with their mother Jenny (Ashley Laurence), in a trailer in a small southern town. Jenny can't make it on her own feeding two young boys so she hooks up with Earl (Kevin Gage), in order to make ends meet. For awhile things are better for the family with extra income to afford Christmas's and BBQ's with Earl's cousin Rusty (Josh Todd). But the more comfortable Earl gets with his ready made family, the more his abusive tendencies emerge as he starts yelling at everyone around him.

To escape his living hell, Green talks old man Tightwiler (Bob Penny), into letting him direct this years Halloween Show in Tighwillers barn. Green has found he posses a special skill for creating horror as he almost gives Tighwiller a heart attack with his special effect techniques.

Angevin (Laura Prepon), the local girl at the video store, is also stuck in this run down town who's only escape is to live a glamorous life inside of her own head. Her fanatical religious mother, Ms. Duvet (Shannon Eubanks), has not yet learned to let go of her dead husband, clutching tightly on to him in the form of a large white pillow. Angevin has tried to run away from this miserable life before but always feels the need to return and stand by her mother's side.

Green develops an interest with Angevin as she seems extremely attracted to his dark side. It sure beats hanging out in the fields with his friends Tony Benet (Jonathan Spencer) and Billy Martin (George Faughnan), catching lightning bugs. But when Ms. Duvet finds out that her daughter is seeing Green, she forbids the union, damming Green as a boy possessed with Satan.

As Green and Angevin continue their relationship, Ms. Duvet, with God's will inside, stops at nothing to protect her daughter. She has Green arrested for a crime he didn't do and destroys the haunted barn before it can open to the public. Now, with everything taken away from Green that is good in his life, he's about to realize the horror that unfolds in his real life will not be anything he creates with his own hands.

Dry Country Films, Anchor Bay Entertainment
Director: Robert Hall
Writer: Robert Hall
Producers: Robert Hall, Kevin Bocarde, Laura Prepon

I viewed 11/09

Run, Fat Boy, Run (2007) PG13 - 3½ Stars

If you are into British comedy movies you will probably like this one. David Schwimmer, directs this romantic comedy about a charming guy who can't seem to commit to anything, including running away from his pregnant bride-to-be on their wedding day. The move starts out slow but warms your heart quickly with its great choice of supporting cast, making you root for the underdog to win his girl back.

Dennis (Simon Pegg), and a pregnant Libby (Thandie Newton), are about to get married when the pressure is too much for Dennis as he turns and runs as fast as he can away. It's not until years later that he realizes the mistake he has made.

One morning when picking up Jake (Matthew Fenton), for his fatherly visit, Dennis is faced with a new man in Libby's life. Whit (Hank Azaria), a wealthy entrepreneur, is slowly moving in and seemingly whisking away his should-have-been family. The more he closes in, the more Dennis realizes he's still in love with Libby. When Whit proposes to Libby, Dennis must convince her that Whit is certainly not the right man for her.

In a subtle competition for Libby's attention, Dennis enlists the help of his friends Gordon (Dylan Moran), and Mr. Goshdashtidar (Harish Patel), to whip him back into shape. His goal, to kick butt on Whit in a New York Marathon.

Material Entertainment, Picturehouse,
Director: David Schwimmer
Writers: Michael Ian Black, Simon Pegg
Producers: Robert Jones, Sarah Curtis

I viewed 11/09

Murder in the Hamptons (2005) - 3½ Stars

I liked the way the movie is filmed changing up from real life action mixed with interviews and narration of the people who know the characters best. Based on the true story of the 2001 murder of Ted Ammon in the Hampton's, this movie was originally made for Lifetime cable channel.

It's 1995 and Generosa Rand (Poppy Montgomery), a talented artist meets Ted Ammon (David Sutcliffe), a wealthy self made millionaire. Their life seems fairy tale perfect as the couple marries and moves into a huge estate in Long Island. Generosa is unable to have children and the couple adopts two children to complete their picture perfect family. As the years go by, Generosa starts exhibiting strange behavior that causes her to snap and loose control at any given moment. Always trying to reach the same status as her husband, she doesn't take kindly to be ignored or unnoticed, eventually causing a huge stress on their relationship. With divorce inevitable, Generosa does everything in her power to punish Ted by making him pay huge amounts of alimony and trying to turn his children against him. She also begins an affair with electrician Danny Pelosi (Shawn Christian), eventually marrying him. When Ted is found murdered, suspicions point to Danny with his criminal past. But with no evidence to convict, the murder lays unsolved. Generosa is stricken with terminal cancer which brings upon a change of heart causing her to leave Danny and cut him off from any funding. As she dies, she taked any secrets she had with her to her grave while justice is eventually served when Danny is arrested and convicted for Ted's murder.

Muse Entertainment Enterprises, Warner Brothers
Director: Gerard Ciccoritti
Writer: Robert L. Freedman
Producers: Barbara Lieberman, Wendy Grean

I viewed 10/09

The Uninvited (2009) PG13 - 3 Stars

Also known as, A Tale of Two Sisters, I have to say the acting in this horror movie is much better than most other horrors movies I've seen. Emily Browning has the greatest looking innocent face and is quite believable in her role as a emotionally traumatized young girl. Along with her rebellious sister Arielle Kebbel, they struggle coming to terms with their mothers death. I've heard the original Japanese version of this movie is better sort of like the original Japanese version of the Ring. But this movie is no ring and I wasn't happy with the movies ending.

Anna has been hospitalized since her mothers tragic death. Now, her father is picking her up for the return to their home. But things are not the same in her household as when she left. Her mother's nurse Rachel (Elizabeth Banks), has recently become engaged to her father Steven (David Strathairn), and appears to be taking over her mothers place. Tension is immediately felt with Rachel as soon as she walks in the door.

When Anna is visited by her mothers ghost, it points to Rachel being responsible for her mothers death. The only comfort Anna finds is with her big sister Alex (Arielle Kebbel). As strange behaviors start to unfold, Anna and Alex discovers that Rachel is not who she says she is. Now they must convince their father that this uninvited guest has got to go.

Vertigo Entertainment, Parkes/MacDonald Productions, The Montecito Picture Company, Paramount Pictures, Dreamwork Pictures
Directors: Thomas Guard, Charles Guard
Writers: Craig Rosenberg, Carlo Bernard, Doug Miro
Producers: Roy Lee, Laurie MacDonald, Walter Parkes

I viewed 10/09