New Releases and a Surprise Hit!

It has been some time. Oh, the life of a college student who so wisely takes 18 credit hours, expecting free time. *Note sarcasm.


Aaaaannnyway, I would like to introduce you to three new releases in theaters still, and a super-special surprise hit!


First off: Hall Pass


Not going to go into much detail about it, but it's a pretty straightforward comedy-romance. By the way, that is in fact different from a romantic-comedy, which is usually centered around the romance. This, however, is centered more around the comedy, with a touch of romance. Still, it was quite predictable in its plot, leaving the surprises to the jokes and more shocking moments.


Honestly, I'm not sure how I feel about Owen Wilson. I mean, he's funny, in a way, and his voice was fantastic for Cars, but he's one of those drier comedic actors that doesn't really hit that ol' funny bone, except when he's the "villain," aka Zoolander and Meet the Parents.


Other that that, the movie had me laughing out loud--literally, not in that text-y way that should be more appropriately be name, LSTM (laughing silently to myself, thank you Demetri Martin). Jason Sudeikis, who plays the best friend and partner in crime, was really funny. He's vaguely familiar, and apparently he's known for SNL, so I'll have to check that out. There are some great one-liners, that I definitely cannot repeat in polite society, and a moment I'd rather forget...but that's okay. The female counterpart leads were fun as well--I love seeing Pam from "The Office" in movies. I feel like I can say, "I knew her before she was popular!" Yeah, me and many thousand other people. And did you know Amanda Bynes was originally cast for the role of the babysitter? Huh...that would have been interesting, and I'm not sure if it's in a good way.


My rating: Fork it! If you're a huge fan of the trashy idiot-men trying to party and having a roller coaster ride in the process, go for it. If you need an easy, fun time, go for it. Otherwise, no harm done in not seeing it.


Next on the list: Limitless


I'll try to be unbiased, but it's hard when Bradley Cooper is on the screen. I tend to be a sucker for big-time Hollywood hotties, except Gerard Butler (and I don't know why).

But seriously, this was a fun movie. There's a little bit of an action flick, a little bit of a godfather-esque business drama, and and add a little well-place, natural comedy and romance. It really is unique. Shocking, intense, suspenseful, even a little harsh at times. It's an adrenaline ride with few breaks.


My favorite scenes were the ones that had DeNiro and Cooper facing off in verbal battle. That's fantastic material right there. I could feel the electricity buzzing the whole time, and I loved it. I didn't want there to be a winner between the two; it felt like a sad defeat.


On a more serious note, Limitless brought out a lot of elements of the terrible desperation of drug addictions. Yes, it's a drug that makes you better and smarter, but the addiction leads to people getting hurt. And the struggle for power makes you willing to do anything. The writers apparently had no qualms about crossing the line here.


My rating: Fork it Good! It's not on my list of ones-to-see-again-and-again-and-again-until-my-hands-hurt-from-typing-this-way, but I recommend people see it. One day, I'll find myself watching it again, but probably only in a passive sense. But still! It's a fantastic one-time flick, and fun! Go see it!


Third of Four on the list (hang in there with me): SuckerPunch

Talk about having a predisposition towards a movie. I went in expecting to love it, because I liked the premise, I like the director of 300, and I'm a fan of action and fantasy stories that are purely about being awesome, if not realistic. Which caters to the nerds like me, but if someone doesn't enjoy it, they're just boring. I mean, there were Nazi Zombies in this and Orcs. COD and LOTR anyone?


It's a little difficult to understand. I still can't pin down whether or not the club where the girls performed was real or not--I'm guessing yes. So, the storyline is confusing, but here's what you need to know to enjoy it: a girl locked away in a mental hospital creates a plan to escape, and to help, she creates an alternate reality where each part of the plan has some intense battle scene straight from every graphic novel/fantasy movie that ever existed.


You would think that this would remove some of the suspense. After all, things like sneaking into an office to steal a map are really suspenseful, and not actually showing that part should alleviate that intensity. But no, it doesn't. And that's genius, in my mind. That's skill.


My rating: Fork it Good. It's a little exhausting to want to watch all the time, and the mind-blowing action is not meant to be worn out, but I think even people who are skeptical about this fantasy-action drama should try this movie. It's one fun ride.


Now for the surprise hit! Before I reveal it, let me just say that I specifically searched for a romantic-comedy that would be bad, so that I could say I watched a bad rom-com. But no, I actually really liked this movie. And I'm still befuddled by that fact.


Here it is: Beauty and the Briefcase


What about this movie doesn't scream "I'm not going to be good?" It's made for TV, it's got a silly premise, and re-hashed, cliche jokes and plot conflicts. And the acting...oy, nothing fantastic there. AND YET I LIKED IT. Why?


I'll start by saying there were some unexpected turns. The typical conflicts in the plot (evil girlfriend, main character lies and gets caught) were toned down and played out in a less annoying way than most rom-coms. And the more I watched, the more I fell in love with the main love interest, Michael McMillian. He's just aderrrrrable. It's so cheesy and contrived, and Hilary Duff, my Lizzie McGuire, never really learned how to actually act. But it was fun! And cute!


I face-palmed myself for liking this so much. I must have been in the right mood.


Which leads to the rating: Fork it! If you're with your girlfriends, with a ton of sugar you claim you shouldn't have (but you will), you should watch it. It's quite a cute movie.


Next up on the movie list, to continue my losing battle against the rom-com, will be a blog dedicated to that genre. Prepare, Hollywood Cupid, to go down.