*400th post* Doesn't He Own A Shirt?

Hello I am the movie encyclopedia and if no one else will see it, I will.

Well that was a surprise? The Twilight Saga: Eclipse doesn't suck. It's still no award winner (despite what the MTV Movie Awards keep telling it) but believe it or not I actually enjoyed it. Not in an "OMFG guys greatest film ever!!" enjoyed like the people sitting next to me but a "Well this is gonna suck *two hours later* hmm..." kind of enjoyed. I could attribute it to a lot of things but I think the most obvious would be David Slade taking the helm. Usually I wait till the end to talk specs but I figure since he's such an integral part I might as well bring him up now.

David Slade, whose previous two films 30 Days of Night and Hard Candy, took over as director for this installment of the billion dollar franchise and boy is the series better for it. Slade is best at two things as a director: finding beauty in nature and close shots. Well Twilight's best quality is the Vancou...I mean Washington landscape and the camera has been relentless in the past two films with shoving the camera in the face of the characters so it's good that it's in the hands of a professional. The scenery is gorgeous in this film and every time you see a mountain in the background or he pulls out enough where you can see the landscape it's beautiful. And in the close shots he lessened the cheese factor and went more for either wit or intimate. But his contribution to this film was very necessary and it added a lot to the film.

The plot shouldn't really matter at this point. If you are going in to see Eclipse then there is a good chance that you have already read the books and know everything that's going to happen. But for those boyfriends/husbands/friends who get dragged into it kicking and screaming here is the jist:

Bella Swan, our heroine, is conflicted. She is in love with Edward, a 109-year-old vampire but she also has feelings for childhood friend and werewolf Jacob Black. Bella doesn't know who to choose and with graduation coming up in a month she's gotta figure out who she wants to be with. It also doesn't help that Edward and Jacob hate each other.

While all this is happening, a bunch of mysterious murders have been happening. The culprit? The red headed vampire vixen Victoria. She is pissed at Edward for killing her lover and so she plans on taking him down and getting her revenge. How so? Her and her army of new vampires are going to kill Bella so that he will know how she feels inside. When they hear this news, Edward and Jacob decide to team up to protect Bella.

The action scenes are actually pretty cool and the CGI looks much better than the first two. The acting is still abysmal though. I'm pretty sure that's never going to change. Kristin Stewart slurs a good number of her lines and Pattinson is still dull as ever. The always shirtless Lautner (why I picked the Edward quote) is actually pretty good in this movie and has a lot of charisma. It always sucks though that either Edward or Bella or both are on the screen as well. The support cast ranges from great to decent with some standouts from Bryce Dallas Howard and the brief spot from Anna Kendrick. It's not horrible overall.

Look if you love Twilight than what I say doesn't matter. You will see this movie and love the heck out of it. I can't stand Twilight but I still enjoyed it. Not an award winner and certainly not a great film but a step in the right direction for the series. Who knows...by the time the last film comes out it might be a three and a half/four star film...

MY VERDICT: RENT IT

Your door's not thick enough to pretend you're not home when you're home.

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Hello I am the movie encyclopedia and if no one else will see it, I will.

Welcome to the first edition of what I like to call "Christopher Walken Appreciation Month!" This is where I take a look at all of the films (that I own or have seen) that stare the one and only Christopher Walken. In some he has a starring role and in some he is only in for a few minutes. But whether it's three hours or three minutes, all of it is awesome. So without further ado and since it IS April Fool's, let's start with arguably his weakest film (which is saying a lot): Gigli.

Gigli is a horrific film with an even more horrific plot. Larry Gigli is a mobster. But he's not a cool mobster or a mob boss...no instead he is a low level muscle who has been assigned to kidnap the mentally challenged brother of a federal prosecutor. Why? Because the mob boss, who is in jail right now, believes that he can make a deal with the prosecutor if he holds the brother ransom. But Gigli's boss Louis doesn't think that he is up for the task and hires Ricki, a tough lesbian whom Larry falls for. Baywatch, retard, blood, corpse and thumb jokes ensue and that's about it. A dumb comedy with weird partner chemistry, oddly dark jokes and bad pacing.

The one good thing about this movie is this: Walken, a detective, wanting pie and getting in Larry's face.

I just saved you an hour and a half of crap. You are welcome. That being said this scene is awesome and proves that Walken is amazing in every sense of the word. The rest of the acting is stupid and painfully bad.

Bad story, bad plot, bad romance, bad acting but awesome Walken.

Stay tuned for more Walken month.

MY VERDICT: ABOMINATION TO CINEMA

Truth only means something when it's hard to admit! Don't you get that?

Hello I am the movie encyclopedia and if no one else will see it, I will.

Destiny Hope Cyrus is destined for mediocrity. Just like her father Billy Ray, Destiny started off as a singer, got an acting gig, decided that she could move into movies, releases really bad CD after really bad CD, and decides acting is more important and quits music. Destiny...dammit...she changed her name didn't she? It's Miles something...Miley! That's right...she gets to be special because she's a celebrity. Anyway Miley has a new film out everybody! You know what that means right?:

• A bunch of screaming 4-14 year old girls are going to rush to the theater
• Parents will be dragged along wishing for death to come soon
• Creepy, middle aged guys in trenchcoats will occupy the rest of the seats
• Nicholas Sparks gets millions of dollars
• Miley and everyone involved gets millions
• Critics will hate it but kids will love it
• I have to see it

Yeah, because of my credo I thought "This can't be THAT bad can it?" Well Bounty Hunter was better...

Well here is the story: Veronica Miller (nicknamed Ronnie) is a piano prodigy who got accepted into Julliard. Well because her parents got divorced and because she is a teenager of the 2000s, she decides to rebel, not talk to her father, refuse to play piano, be moody, and not go to Julliard. Ronnie's mom decides to send Ronnie and her brother over to their fathers new house for the summer. Ronnie is mopey, purses and bites her lip more than Kristin Stewart, crosses her arms and humphs, rejects her father trying to reconnect with her, and treats everyone like crap complaining about everything. She acts like this till she meets a boy named Will. They go to a Sea Turtle Rally and fall in love. Guess the rest...The story is not that bad. I rather like Nick Sparks' books and think he is a good author. He was also given the job of writing the movie and simplifying his book down into a 107 minute film. He also had to think about the target audience. So the majority of the good stuff in the book had to be cut out in favor of more mushy, unexplainable crap that makes no logical sense and is totally out of whack to anyone above the age of 14. The director isn't that bad either as the cinematography and direction is pretty good. Not good by any other movies standards but it didn't fall on it's face.

No the main problem is the acting. Miley has stage prescience and charisma and brightens up the screen but every time she opens her mouth I cry a little and every time she tries to be dramatic I grab the nearest sharp object. It doesn't help that the brother is an annoying one-liner generator, Greg Kinnear wonders what happened to his career, Liam Hemsworth is also painfully bad with his soap opera background shining away. The acting is just painful all around.

There is no way I can recommend seeing this movie. It's horrible, cheesy, corny, boring, unexplainable, badly acted and a waste of screen time. Now I'm going to go look for something blunt to wipe my memory clean of this film.

MY VERDICT: ABOMINATION TO CINEMA

As much as it pains me to say this...and it really does..I gotta take you to jail

Hello I am the movie encyclopedia and if no one else will see it, I will.

Can I make this review as short as possible? Butler is funny but still can't do a good American accent, Aniston hit her peak in 2000 and the plot is terrible and unfunny. Don't see it....

...Fine I will do a full review. The Bounty Hunter is the story of two people: Nicole and Milo. Nicole is a newspaper journalist who is being stalked by her creepy co worker Stewart whom she made out with at the Christmas party. Nicole is also investigating a story that could involve corrupt cops. Nicole was also arrested for assaulting an officer and has officially missed her court date. Who do they send after her? Why her ex husband Milo. Milo is a smarmy tool who used to be a cop. When he was kicked off the force he took a job as a bounty hunter because it was the closest thing to being a cop he could think of. He is also a gambling addict and has an 11 thousand dollar debt he needs to pay. So when he learns that he will be offered 5,000 to bring in his ex wife he is ecstatic. But things get wacky when Milo gets dragged into the whole corruption investigation and he must HELP Nicole...while also trying to bring her in.

The plot is pretty formulaic and you know EXACTLY what will happen every scene. It's been done to death and honestly its not funny anymore. Jason Sudeikis as Stewart is funny but not funny enough to make the movie worth watching. The acting is also abysmal too with stereotypical actors doing stereotypical roles. Honestly Gerard was the only good actor in the whole film..and even I'm (a devout Butler fanatic) willing to say that's not exactly a great thing, especially with his last few movies (besides Law Abiding Citizen).

Butler needs to pick better movies, Aniston needs to stop acting and these kind of rom coms need to stop being made. Please avoid this one...please?

MY VERDICT: ABOMINATION TO CINEMA

What you wear makes a statement to women and your statement is "Hi welcome to Blockbuster!"

Hello I am the movie encyclopedia and if no one else will see it, I will.

Indie romantic dramas can either be hit or miss. Sometimes we have flops like Moonlight Sonata and then sometimes we have 500 Days of Summer. Well the Good Guy is neither. It's not a piece of crap but it lacks that serious umph to make it truly memorable. But thanks to a good cast and witty writing it does make it at least worth watching.

The Good Guy is the story of Beth. She is an urban conservationist and Manhattanite who is just trying to have the perfect life. She wants the great high paying job, she wants the friends that are always there for her and of course she wants a great guy to spend time with. One day he meets Wall Street hotshot Tommy. He's a good guy with a bit of an ego. His best friend Daniel is a little more sensitive and sweet than Tommy but they get along great. Beth falls for Tommy but soon finds herself in a bit of a predicament when she also falls for Daniel. Complications arise and now she has to figure out who is really the best guy for her. The plot then turns into your usual romantic comedy/drama fare but that's not exactly a bad thing.

It's really hard not to like Alexis Bledel. Sure she isn't the greatest actress but she always does a fairly good job and if anything all she has to do is act cute and bat those gigantic blue eyes at the screen and the audience will fall for her. This movie is no exception. Scott Bryan and Bryan Greenburg do a good job as Tommy and Daniel but they seem a bit stereotypical and predictable. Overall though the acting is decent and there aren't any real hitches.

It's forgettable, sweet and mildly entertaining at most. If you like chick flicks or indie romantic comedies than give it a look. It can't hurt.

MY VERDICT: RENT IT

Gandhi said that whatever you do in life will be insignificant. But it's very important that you do it. I tend to agree with the first part.

Hello I am the movie encyclopedia and if no one else will see it, I will.

Remember Me is a film that on first glance may not seem all that impressive. The trailers and posters made it out to be nothing more then your average romance drama. But me, living by my mantra that if no one else will see it, I will, I gave the movie a chance. And what do you know? It was actually pretty good. Sure it wasn't the best film ever made, but in a genre that is inundated with romantic comedies that seem to have been processed out of a factory, a true romantic drama is a diamond in the dirt.

Remember Me tells the story of Ally and Tyler. Ally (Emilie de Ravin) is a young college aged woman whose mother was murdered in front of her when she was younger. Her father Neil (Chris Cooper) is an NYPD detective and because of what happened to his wife, is very overprotective of his daughter. Tyler (Robert Pattinson) works at a bookstore while auditing classes at NYU and has a bit of a depressing past as well. His brother committed suicide and his father and him don't exactly see eye to eye. Thanks to an altercation with Neil, Aidan, Tyler's roommate, gives Tyler the idea to hook up with Ally and then break her heart to get back at Neil. In typical movie fashion, Tyler does so only to actually fall in love with Ally. Their shared tragedies only help them bond more and the sparks fly as they say.

Famed television director Allen Coulter, who also directed the acclaimed 2006 drama Hollywoodland, really helps capture their budding romance and he moves the film along at a pretty steady pace. Will Fetters, who wrote the movie, does a great job of making you care about the two leads and makes their love seem genuine. Pattinson and Ravin do great in their roles, Pattinson especially, who shows that when given the opportunity to show more than one expression, he can be a great actor. Once the Twilight saga fades away, I feel Pattinson will actually be one to watch. Ravin, whose done some pretty good jobs in B grade horror films like The Hills Have Eyes is enjoyable to watch and is very believable in her role.

My only real flaw with the movie is the ending, which could come off as borderline offensive to some. The film uses 9/11 which, 10 years after the fact, is still a tender subject to many. I mean if a film's main focus is 9/11 or something that came out of 9/11 like Reign Over Me, then that's usually okay. But the way it comes off, at least after the first viewing of the film, is that Fetters needed to make the title of the film relevant and used an American tragedy to bring the "Remember Me" part of the film home. That being said however I know 9/11 affected many people and that a film like this shows that those you love could be stripped away at any moment and for that I respect the film and it's decision to use 9/11. Would I have used something different? Probably, but I respect Fetter for the message he was trying to get over.

Overall Remember Me is a well done, well acted romantic drama and shouldn't be written off just because of the inclusion of Pattinson. While the ending may offend some, overall it's a touching portrayal of love and one people should give a look.

MY VERDICT: SEE IT

This is an addendum to the review written on January 11th, 2011:

If you would have told me when I first wrote this review that it would be my most discussed review ever, I probably would have laughed at you. I wrote the review in March after having just watched the film, gave it a surprisingly glowing review with only one flaw, a somewhat questionable ending that may offend some, and gave it my 3.5 star rating. A few months later the stats section on Blogger was added and when I went to check I was surprised to find out that this was my most viewed review. It was probably due to the Gandhi quote but what I didn't expect was all the hate. My original review wasn't much different then the one you see now but I kept getting all these comments on how I was a horrible person who hated the movie and didn't get the movie's ending. So I re-wrote the review explaining how I actually quite enjoyed the movie and that I understood the ending. But I pointed out that the fact remained that it may still offend some people. I even went so far to write out the plot for them and show I did watch the movie. But I still got a ton of hate comments and e-mails and after a while I just stopped caring and let them do as they please. I re-wrote it one last time, this time a near mirror image of the original review and since then it's been quiet. But I'm still willing to bet it will piss off some people and more hate comments will ensue. But you know what? I'm okay with that.

A lot can happen in twelve months John

Hello I am the movie encyclopedia and if no one else will see it, I will.

Nicholas Sparks has pretty much reinvented the term tearjerker. He's also wrote books that not only appeal to a large female crowd but also a large male crowd as well. And his books continue to bring joy to millions everywhere. In recent years as well his books have translated into numerous amounts of films. Each is a tearjerker and each makes us feel warm and fuzzy on the inside...usually. His most successful book film to this day is still "The Notebook" which viewers of all ages, races and genders seem to love. Even the toughest of guys love "The Notebook" if nothing else because it's a well told story and a love story that really speaks to us. Trying to recapture that gold, or at least give us something before his Miley Cyrus probably going to be a hit The Last Song, Sparks' latest hit "Dear John" has been brought to the silver screen. With the help of "Chocolat" director Lasse Hallistrom, Sparks has made a film that has already seemed to garner a lot of attention, even if it's not the best of film.

Dear John, the book and movie, is the story of John, a US soldier who on shore leave in 2001 meets Savannah Curtis, a college student on Spring Break. Savannah and John soon fall in love and soon meet each other's family. Savannah has a good family but John's family is a little less than stellar. After a misunderstanding between Savannah and John, John writes Savannah a letter and they make up. John returns to active duty and soon they begin sending letters back and forth to each other, trying to keep the relationship alive.

It's actually not that bad of a story. A little hammy, heavy handed and hokey at times but still quite well written and well told. The directing and cinematography is actually quite lacking in this film but the score and the story seem to make up for it. Amanda Seyfried does a great job as Savannah and Channing Tatum, despite his recent hiccups with GI Joe and other films, does a pretty good job in this film and gives what's probably HIS best performance (not saying much but still). I will say the one bad thing about the story is that it follows the basic rules of a tearjerker and doesn't really deter from that framework at any time. It's sad because the book, in my opinion, deterred from that formula.

I could sit here and say I hated it but I didn't. Yes it's a hammy romantic tearjerker like all of Nicholas Sparks' work but at the same time it's interesting enough, well written enough and well acted enough to at least warrant a rental.

MY VERDICT: RENT IT

"What are you doing in my apartment?!" "Blowing your mind!"

Hello I am the movie encyclopedia and if no one else will see it, I will.

Wow another romantic comedy where an independent woman meets a funny hunky guy who makes her let her guard down and after an hour and a half they fall in love and live happily ever after but not before going through some hilarious hijinks and physical comedy moments sprinkled in with some serious or sad moments! Excuse me for not giving a damn.

I'm not being fair to the movie. Josh Duhamel and Kristen Bell are good actors and the supporting cast is quite strong (Dax Shepard, Jon Heder, Danny DeVito, Will Arnett, Don Johnson) but it just feels too familiar. Beth is a successful art curator who goes to Rome to attend her sister's wedding. When there she meets Nick, a journalist who is a little goofy and shy but falls for Beth. She goes to a fountain and wishes on it and while there picks up some coins. She returns to New York and is followed by a whole lotta suitors.

It has it's funny moments (Shepard and Arnett mostly) but mostly the film falls flat. The writing is predictable, the plot is uninspired and it's kind of dull. It's been done to death before and honestly I wasn't that interested. A harmless date movie I guess but overall just not that good.

MY VERDICT: AVOID IT

Let's remember those three words we all love to hear: Let's...Get...Naked

Hello I am the movie encyclopedia and if no one else will see it, I will.

Gary Marshall has been an interesting director for me. I like him but I don't exactly love him. He was a great writer for "Happy Days" and I love Pretty Woman but he hasn't really reached that greatness of Pretty Woman ever since. Granted The Princess Diary films were good but that was because of newcomer at the time Anne Hathaway...not Gary Marshall. Well since Love Actually was apparently too British for people, Gary Marshall, along with Katherine Fugate (creator of Army Wives) created a pseudo Love Actually based on a holiday nobody actually cares about and put about almost every actor not busy at the time and looked good in it.

To tell you the plot would be a mindblowing experience. To say the least its a hodgepodge of different plots all going on at the same time that connect in some weird 6 degrees of Kevin Bacon kind of way. There are two florists, a teacher, an agent, a PR person, a sports newscaster, a mailboy, a football player, a soldier, a business man, an old couple, two young couples, a hopeless romantic, and a phone sex operator. I'm probably forgetting a bunch of things but forgive me for that. Basically all the stories revolve around the love or hate of Valentine's Day and all the things people go through on that day. The story is your usually sappy, cheesy, corny, hokey, funny, happy, aww inducing, romantic comedy stuff that we usually see. But honestly I kinda liked it. It's harmless, no real groaner moments, kind of goes out of the way to be different and in the end is just an average funny film.

I can't really comment on the acting that much unless you want nine pages of description. Basically they all do there job fine with a few stand out performances. Jennifer Garner, Jessica Biel, Jamie Foxx, Hector Elizondo, Topher Grace, Bryce Robinson and Taylor Swift all stand out as being above average with Robinson and Garner pretty much going above and beyond everyone else. I actually appreciate Swift's ability to make fun of herself and if your wondering No Taylor Lautner still can't act and no he doesn't take his shirt off. The only lackluster performance was probably Jessica Alba who was kind of painful to watch. And despite what people say, Ashton Kutcher wasn't bad.

Overall it's an average movie with a sappy sweet plot. A good date night film and at least worth a rent.

MY VERDICT: RENT IT

Do you ever feel like a chess piece yourself? In a game being played against your will.

Hello I am the movie encyclopedia and if no one else will see it, I will.

Period pieces are always interesting to watch and they (for the most part) tend to be pretty good. For the most part period pieces (at least in modern cinema) seem to take place during the Victorian era and honestly why not? Big fashions, bigger hair, castles, kings and queens, cheating lovers, forbidden love I mean these movies practically write themselves. The latest of these period pieces is a small British film entitled The Young Victoria based on the reign of Queen Victoria and her early years as queen and romance with Prince Albert.

Emily Blunt plays Victoria, the queen of England who becomes queen when she is eighteen. She is young but she is strong willed and quite brilliant. But while some may disagree with her or her methods, one man Prince Albert, falls for young Victoria and its not too long before Victoria reciprocates. The story is fairly accurate to history and it should be: it's sponsored by the Queen, Sarah Duchess of York and is produced by Martin Scorsese. The script is written by Oscar Winner Julian Fellowes who won the Oscar for the great film Gosford Park. The director Jean-Mark Vallee is fairly unknown but does a great job with the film as well.

While I don't see this film winning any awards for acting (although to be fair Emily Blunt is wonderful when she's not shoving her accent down her throat to sound American) it certainly will for the aesthetics. The art direction, makeup and costumes are truly brilliant. Usually I don't notice things like that in movies but for this one it was really evident. A lot of work was made to make it as Victorian era as possible down to every bush, cheek mark and ruffled shirt. I only mention this here because like sound awards nobody really cares...which is a shame because when effort is shown like it is in this one it should get more attention.

Overall everything is pretty good. It's a bit sappy at times and it really is a girl power chick flick but if you enjoy well made period piece films then give this one a look.

MY VERDICT: SEE IT

And what's with the "big guy"? Is it because I'm fat?

Hello I am the movie encyclopedia and if no one else will see it, I will.

Romantic comedies are really a dime a dozen nowadays and its the predictability of it all that bothers me. Considering almost 100 of these movies are made every year can't more than one or two be original? Are we really that out of ideas that we go to the same plot outline over and over? Well thankfully Nancy Meyers new movie breaks enough away from that mold to make it a fun movie that, although has some dry and boring spots, is an enjoyable romp.

The story of It's Complicated is actually not that complicated. Jane (the wonderful Meryl Streep) and Jake (the talented Alec Baldwin) are a divorced couple and have been for ten years. Jane runs a bakery and Jake is married to his former mistress with a new son in kindergarten. When Jane and Jake's youngest son graduates from college they happen to collide the night before at the hotel bar. Without his wife and nobody to supervise Jane and after about 6-9 drinks they have sex. Jake is happy and thinks things should go back to the way they were. Jane repeats to herself, for half the movie at least, that it was a mistake, a bad idea and they shouldn't have done it. But things actually DO get complicated when Jane's contractor (Steve Martin) falls for her.

It's mostly your typical rom com affair but its made different because of three things: one-it doesn't pull any of its R rated punches, something most other rom com's don't dare to do. Two-it has the comical timing of Meryl Streep, Alec Baldwin, Steve Martin and John Krasinski. Three-Nancy Meyers writing. But all that together and you get a quite enjoyable movie. Alec is on rapid fire mode in this movie spewing sarcastic line after line. Streep is a bit more reserved in this movie but still does quite well. Martin is underused and played as the straight man but he does bring some good comic moments.

So what keeps the film from being great? Its really boring in places. Its a two hour movie that could have been 89-90 minutes. For every great comical scene, funny gag or great story piece the film puts in at least one scene of pointless (I'm serious I'm not being rude here) dialogue that doesn't add ANYTHING to the plot and at least one scene of Meryl going "What am I doing? This is wrong, its a mistake" for ten minutes. Most of to all of those scenes could have been cut and this would have been a five star film. The writing is witty and sharp but the excruciatingly long and boring scenes REALLY take a lot away from the film.

Overall though its a good romantic comedy that changes enough from the norm to make it interesting. If you like the actors or the director or if you just like a good laugh then check this one out.

MY VERDICT: SEE IT

It came as a surprise to me that you could speak fluent cow

Hello I am the movie encyclopedia and if no one else will see it, I will.

Why do so many romantic comedies come out? I mean I see there appeal: family friendly (usually), charmingly funny, uplifting, predictable and usually feature a good cast. But besides the aesthetic aspect of each film and maybe besides the occasional twist they are the exact same movie. Boy/Girl meets Boy/Girl. They love/hate each other but through a quirky series of events they love/hate each other. Usually there is a reflective moment, a musical montage of good/bad events and in the end Boy/Girl and Boy/Girl live happily ever after. Throw in the thing that makes the film "unique" and you got yourselves a feel good film that while may not sway critics will sway audiences.

Don't get me wrong I actually enjoy romantic comedies. My only major gripe is that every year there are more and more of them more and more frequently. Only rarely do we get a Notebook or a (500) Days of Summer film that really stretches the boundaries set forth by these films. So does Amy Adams new film stretch those boundaries? No..but its surprisingly decent.

The story of Leap Year revolves around Anna. She is a business woman with a great business oriented boyfriend. She is madly in love with him but when she gets denied a potential proposal and he leaves for Dublin (Ireland for people who don't know) she decides to invoke an old Irish tradition which is explained by her dad (thanks John Lithgow cameo). So she heads off to Dublin but gets stopped and forced to land in Cardiff. Once there she meets the quiet, good looking, rugged but a bit of a smart ass Declan who is the local bar owner/taxi driver. He agrees to take her to Dublin for a price and off they go. Comical adventure ensues.

Well really for anyone who has seen a romantic comedy they already know what happens in this movie. In fact everyone probably does but we still sit through it all anyway. Its painstakingly hokey how its been overdone. But to the movies credit Amy Adams and Matthew Goode are really good actors and work well with the material, hokey, silly and predictable as it may be.

It's a forgettable movie with a boring title, predictable story and stereotypical characters. But thanks to Adams and Goode the film actually works and is a charming film that kept my attention for 100 minutes. Worth a rent at least.

MY VERDICT: RENT IT

I've got a plan...I've got it all figured out!

Hello I am the movie encyclopedia and if no one else will see it, I will.

I had an interesting experience at the theatre with this movie. Oddly enough I wasn't seeing this movie but instead seeing a different movie. The experience happened AFTER I was done with the movie. My friend and I were walking out of the theatre (not the building but the room they show the film in) and walked right by the concessions stand. Right next to the concessions stand was the projector room for the left side of the theatre and the projector storage room where they keep the film rolls. Now I am a huge movie fan but havent really seen a movie when its just in the can. Ive seen and own a few film reels but Ive never seen a NEW FRESHLY CANNED film reel. I was intrigued and so I walked over to the four freshly canned film reels (yay security) and picked one up. I twirled it around to see the title and lo and behold it was Post Grad. Now thanks to a giant frying panned to this film's face I never saw this film. In this economy I cant afford to see every movie...although I DO NOW. But still I was intrigued nevertheless and after a few more minutes of looking at it and contemplating taking it (once again yay security) I used my better judgement, put it down and talked to the manager about leaving their film canisters out in the open.

But that has nothing to do with this film. Honestly I just needed filler for this review. While this is not a disaster of a film, actually a pretty decent film, its not really that deep. Ryder (Alexis Blidel) is a straight A student who graduated with honors in high school and now in college. She has a "plan" that if she did really well in high school and college that she would get her dream job as a book publisher at the biggest book publishing agency in New York (im guessing). Things don't quite work out the way she wanted to with the job and so she moves back in with her parents and tries to figure out where to go from there. That's about how deep the plot goes. Mostly its whining and flirting and trying to get different jobs and ultimately get the dream job. But Alexis Blidel makes it all better and you really don't notice the lack of depth.

The cast is surprisingly good in this movie. Blidel is cute as always. That's something I have always enjoyed about her is her perkiness and overall happiness she always seems to have, even when she isnt happy. She IS a good actress (watch Gilmore Girls) and she really does a good job with this film. The other interesting people in this movie I notice right away is Michael Keaton and Carol Burnett. Keaton, if you remember, was the second Batman (after Adam West) and was Batman for two movies. A lot of people argue too that he is the second best Batman, after West that is. Burnett is a legend and its always a joy to see her and she delivers in this movie. The only other standout was Jane Lynch but since she's been so prominent on Glee she seemed pretty toned down in this movie.

Its a chick flick...nothing more nothing less. The film was written with a niche in mind but its cute if nothing else and you could do a lot worse with 80 minutes.

MY VERDICT: RENT IT

Also that mix CD... uh that I left on your doorstep was the last one that I'll be making for you. More or less...

Hello I am the movie encyclopedia and if no one else will see it, I will.


Ahh quirky romcoms. They seem to be popping up like mad ever since Juno came out. Once Juno entered and became a hit, studios seemed to jump on any chance they could to make a quirky romcom. More often than not a lot of them failed or faded into obscurity. But one movie seems to have stuck in our hearts and minds and although not as good as Juno it has that quirky element that we all love. What is this film? Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist.

NaNIP is the story of Nick and Norah. Nick is in a band called The Jerkoffs, an all gay queercore band (although he is the only straight guy), and has just recently been dumped and cheated on by his girlfriend Tish. Nick is a hopeless romantic, sending custom mixtapes and album covers to Tish hoping that she will take him back. But while he IS heartbroken he does love his buddies and decides that he WILL play at the local club nearby, if nothing more than to play music, his real one true love. Meanwhile Norah is an straight-edgy pop/punk/alt goth/emo/scene chick (a lot of things could describe her) who loves music as much as anybody. It helps since her dad owns a record company. She attends the seemingly all girl catholic school with Tish who ends up giving her all of Nicks mixtapes. Norah's friend Caroline wants to go drinking so they all head to a bar where this band the Jerkoffs are playing. After the Jerkoffs set, Nick goes off in a mopey huff and when Tish arrives at the bar, Norah goes to Nick and pretends to be his girlfriend. From there they hear an announcement that Where's Fluffy, the apparently GOD OF MUSIC (cant explain it otherwise, is playing and noone knows where. What ensues is a quirky romcom plotline involving Nick, Norah, music and searching.

The acting is good enough. I cant stand Michael Cera (Nick) honestly. He IS a good actor but he really seems too one dimensional for my tastes. He always plays the quirky, quiet, quippy guy. But he does well enough and gets punched in the throat so I am happy. Kat Dennings (Norah)does well. She is soooo white and looks so gothy (beet red lipstick and black hair) but she is sweet and quirky and funny so she does well as herself. I will say the big laughs I got from the film came from the Jerkoffs and Caroline. The Jerkoffs were hillarious and werent just gay stereotypes. They werent effeminite or sissies but just party dudes who liked to drink, laugh and have fun. Caroline is drunk for 99% of the movie and so watching a drunk chick stumble around IS pretty funny.

If you liked Juno than you'll like this but if you dont like the quirky/indie kind of romcoms than this probably wont change your mind. But I was entertained for 90 minutes so it did its job.

MY VERDICT: SEE IT

When I shop, the world gets better, and the world is better, but then it's not, and I need to do it again.

Hello I am the movie encyclopedia and if no one else will see it, I will.

Im not ashamed to admit I like chick flicks. Every guy at least likes one (usually the Notebook) and every guy has been DRAGGED to one. Well I had the displeasure of being dragged to Confessions of a Shopoholic, based on a chick lit book series by Sophie Kinsella, thinking it would be the ultimate torture. When I actually sat down and watched the movie I realized two things: 1. I know a lot more chick stuff than I thought. 2. I liked this movie. Its not an award winner, and honestly its not really THAT good, but it is CUTE and I wasnt bored watching it.

COAS follows Rebecca Bloomwood, a devout shopoholic living in New York as a journalist. She aspires to work for the big wig fashion magazine Alette but ends up working in a gardening magazine. When that job goes south and she realizes she is 9 grand in debt, she gets a job at a financial magazine.

Bloomwood is played by Isla Fisher (not related to Jenna) and she actually does a good job. Although the role isnt THAT hard to do (be really happy, girly and love shopping) she does have a few good slapstick and sight gags that are funny. Although sometimes juvinile and seen a thousand times before, they seem to work for the most part. Hugh Dancy plays her boss Luke and while enjoyable, he comes off as a bit smug. The big surprise is John Goodman and Joan Cusack as her parents. Goodman is always enjoyable to me and I just get a kick outta him. Yeah he isnt an award winning actor but he is a funny fat guy and in a world dominated by mostly skinny guys its good to have some fat comics still around. Joan Cusack is crazy as ever but is fun to watch as well.

The plot is formulatic and predictable but it never really feels that way until after the movie is over. At 104 minutes it seemed a bit long for me but then again I cant really think of any scenes that NEEDED to be cut out.

Its enjoyable while it lasts and is at least interesting to watch. If you like the books or love chick flicks then its a fine movie but for guys who are forced to watch this you wont want to hit your head against the wall while watching it. Thats something right?

MY VERDICT: RENT IT

Charlotte has pudding in her Prada.

Hello I am the movie encyclopedia and if no one else will see it I will.

Before I even review this I have a few things to say.
1. I am NOT a fan of Sex and the City and have never watched a single episode
2.I am NOT looking forward to the sequel because I will be dragged to it too
3.If you ARE a fan than my review doesnt matter anyway.

Seeing this movie was an experience. I was the only straight guy in the entire theatre. No couples with boyfriends getting dragged along, nope I was the only straight guy. I was also probably one of six guys altogether. The rest of the theatre was packed with women. And when the film started I heard the little decrescendo that starts the theme I heard a scream so loud I thought I was at a Jonas Brothers with the cast of Twilight, Hannah Montana, iCarley and Stephanie Meyer concert. My eardrums were almost shattered. And when each friend was announced the shriek got louder. It almost sent me into cardiac arrest it was so loud. But once the screams stopped and I regained hearing I got to watch the chick flick to see of the year.

If you dont know the plot of this movie going into it than you are probably a guy, dont have HBO, dont have a girlfriend, or just dont care about this show. That being said I never really understood the plot besides the bare minimum. Four friends in New York. Thats it

The opening segment actually does a great job of giving an overview of the series and it really keeps everything easy to understand. Whether you never watched or are a die hard fan it will be simple and easy to understand.

Basically though the movie revolves around Carrie and Big getting married, Charlotte having a kid, Miranda having marital problems and Samantha being a cougar. And in 151 minutes they are able to explain all of these stories, how they intertwine and what ends up happening quite well.

Its definetly a long movie, a definetly a chick flick but as a standalone movie its not half bad. Its not great and it certainly doesnt make me want to watch an episode but its a pretty good starter guide and its a pretty decent movie. But if you are a guy than please watch this alone...your ears will thank me.

MY VERDICT: RENT IT

What is that? Souvlaki! Is it good?

Hello I am the movie encyclopedia and if no one else will see it, I will.

I dont know about the rest of you but I actually enjoyed my big fat greek wedding. I thought it was a nice, sweet chick flick that was really entertaining to watch. Now Nia Vardalos is back and now IN Greece for her new movie My Life in Ruins. The only problem is the charm that Vardalos had in BFGW seems to have dissolved a bit.

My Life in Ruins is about Georgia (Vardalos) who is a Greek American tour guide. She's not exactly the most well loved tour guide and usually gets stuck with the rejects in her group. Whether its an ignorant American couple, a couple of Australians, a thick frat boy, an IHOP employee, an old couple (the wife steals...A LOT) or a crotchety old man who makes fun of the tour and Georgia as much as possible (done by the wonderful Richard Dreyfus) she really hates her groups that she gets. In fact she hates her job. She wants to teach and all people want to do is shop. She gets stuck in a rickety old bus with her bus driver Poopie (...actually i got nothin) and thus is our plot.

Its a decent enough story done with a decent enough ensemble cast (with Dreyfus standing out) but overall thats JUST what this movie is...decent...and nothing more. It has no true flaws or problems but it has nothing remarkable or rememberable. I guess if you love Nia Vardalos, Greece or Richard Dreyfus then rush to rent this now but otherwise its a meh.

MY VERDICT: RENT IT

We've been like Sid and Nancy for months now.

Hello I am the movie encyclopedia and if no one else will see it, I will.

Marc Webb has made a career for himself directing countless numbers of music videos and still does to this day. But eventually Marc decided to move to film and his directorial debut is something of a surprise. A quirky, original not love story starring Zooey Dueschanel called (500) Days of Summer.

Days of Summer is a play on words detailing the 500 days that Tom Hanson (played by Joeseph Gordon-Levitt) and Summer Finn (Zooey) were in a relationship. Its a nonlinear story, bouncing back and forth between days. Sometimes...actually a lot of the time...this becomes pretty confusing. They do there best to say which day its on but when one minute they are happy and then fighting and then broken up and then at the start of their relationship, its a lot to wrap your head around. Thats not to say its a bad story. In fact its a very quirky comedy, something that Zooey does really well. All the performances are sharp and I never noticed any glaring flaws with any character. The jokes are sweet and sometimes really spicy and the romance in the movie is really sweet. Its definetly a chick flick, but the story makes it interesting for everyone, especially since you see a glimpse into the mans mind during it.

Its very quick cut with great cinematography, art design and set choices. Everything that Webb did really well in music videos shows here.

Basically its one of those movies you have to see to enjoy. It has an Eternal Sunshine feeling with a hint of every love story movie ever made put in it but its something that is enjoyable to watch.

MY VERDICT: SEE IT

I like smart girls. That's why I married your mama. Well, that and I knocked her up.

Hello I am the movie encyclopedia and if no one else will see it, I will.

Drew Barrymore has been acting since she was in diapers. She's had kind of a rough life growing up but in the end she has turned out pretty well for herself. Now that she has her career (and personal) life back on track she makes her directorial debut with the movie Whip It.

Whip it is essentially Juno on roller skates. You have Ellen Page playing Bliss, a Texas beauty pageant queen who really does not like beauty pageants and only does them because Mom (Marcia Gay Harden...perfect in this role) forces her to. She works as a waitress in the local town diner, the only landmark in town, with her best friend and really just wants to break away and be her own women.

One day she is shopping around for a new dress for the next pageant when she sees a flyer for a roller derby exhibition match between the best team and the worst team. She decides to fake going to a football game and goes and watches the game. Next thing you know one of the players Maggie Mayhem (Kristin Wiig in a serious but funny role) asks her to join the team. The team consists of Smashley Simpson (Barrymore) Bloody Holly (Zoe Bell in a great almost silent role) Rosa Sparks (Eve in a great role) and the deaf but brutal Manson sisters (actual derby players). They are coached by Razor, played by the third Wilson brother Andrew Wilson (brother to Owen and Luke). Razor is definetly the comic backbone in the movie providing great lines and great relief throughout. Other performances from Juliette Lewis and Jimmy Fallon also stand out as being really well done. Overall a good ensemble.

Before we go on I might as well explain the rules:

The team skates around in a circle. Two players, usually the fastest, stay back and go on a second whistle. They race around the track once and then depending on how many players of the opposing team they pass, get points on the second time around when they pass.

Anyway...the sports movie is alive in this one. Its a generic sports movie story with the ultimate "choose which path you want to go" and "big game against rival" cliches...but this movie does it in a real creative, quirky and unique way. The writing is spot on and is in fact written by the REAL Maggie Mayhem. She brings a great quick wit and dry sarcastic humor to the story but at the same time the movie is really sweet and almost feels like an indie comedy at times.

Its a real girl power movie but for guys its enjoyable for its writing, story, characters, moral and an overall sense of feeling good when you walk out of the movie. My mom actually said its her favorite movie she has ever seen, right next to the Untouchables.

But for me
MY VERDICT: OWN IT

Corn chowder. That's an interesting choice. You do know that cellulite is one of the main ingredients in corn chowder.

Hello I am the movie encyclopedia, if no one else will see it then I will.

Im gonna lay it out there. I like chick flicks. And no im not gay. I like Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants, The Notebook, Marley and Me, Devil Wears Prada and Sex and the City: The Movie. You know why I like them? They are good movies. Sure they have stuff that appeals more towards women and have strong female characters, but if a movie is good its good! Devil Wears Prada is on the top of that list. Its my favorite chick flick ever. Its witty, funny, has great acting all around and has a really good message of beauty not just being skin deep. And it helps that the queen of acting Meryl Streep plays the greatest bitch in the history of films.

TDWP is set in New York and based on the 2003 book by Lauren Weisburger about her time working at a fashion magazine. Anne Hathaway plays Andrea "Andy" Sachs, an upbeat girl with dreams of writing for the New Yorker. She is fresh out of college and looking for a job. She has a great boyfriend (Adrian Grenier from Entourage in an actually good role) and great friends. Its all going well for her until she lands a job as an assistant on the fictional magazine Runway. She is hired quickly, despite being out of place (high fashion vs no fashion), and starts her journey into Hell, despite people throughout the movie saying that others would kill for her job (whenever Andy complains).

Being an assistant isnt hard right? Well it is if your working for Miranda Priestly, a picky, haughty, prissy, scary woman who can end a fashion show with the movement of her lips. She is the queen of the bitches so its only fitting that Meryl Streep play her since she is the queen of acting. Let me say this. Streep is fantastic. She is funny, quick with witty comments and plays a bitch great, but you still love her. That takes a lot to make a movie where the antagonist is beloved. Honestly I could watch the movie again just to hear all her comments over and over.

Hathaway does great as usual. She is one of those people that can be pretty herself or ugly herself up for a role. She always looks like she loves what she does and shes not good just because of her looks. She has great comic timing, she can be real when it comes to emotional scenes, and even if the rest of the movie is bad, she always brings a light to it. If you are still not convinced shes a good actress watch Rachel Getting Married. After you watch that come back to me and say shes not good. You cant. She has the real potential of being the next Meryl Streep.

Filling out the rest of the cast is the ever delightful (and surprisingly not gay) Stanley Tucci. Tucci is a great character actor playing real AND fake people. He always immerses himself in the role. You never see Tucci, you always see Nigel or any of his other characters. He is the comic backbone to this movie and always brings out great lines at the perfect moment. Also in the cast is Emily Blunt who plays the dry, monotone, I hate but love my job, Emily who is always there to quip about everthing and complain that Andy doesnt deserve this job, especially when Andy becomes the new favorite. But she is awesome as always. The big surprise re-watching this is Simon Baker (the mentalist) He is such a great actor and now such a recognizable face that when you see him in this movie (even though he is great) its a real surprise. But as usual he is awesome in this role.

The writing is great, the acting is great, this movie is great. And it is arguably the best chick flick ever.

MY VERDICT: TOP 20