Wednesday, January 12, 2011

At your local cinema

E and I are avid movie buffs and over the holidays we had lots of opportunity to go out and watch a few flicks at the theatre.

Thanksgiving weekend we were in Missouri visiting E's mom and sister and decided to see Love and Other Drugs, which was really cute. I've loved Anne Hathaway since her Princess Diaries days and thought she was great in this film, even if there was a bit too much *boobage* on her part. Jake Gyllenhaal was adorable in his role as a relentless pharmaceutical salesman. The movie also provided an interesting [not always favourable] look at the world of pharmaceutical sales.

I was really hoping that How Do You Know would be the cute, romantic comedy of the season, but alas, it failed me miserably. With a stellar cast, who acted fairly well throughout the film, the storyline still didn't gel or make that much sense. There was no cohesion between characters, who all seemed to be doing their own thing. Maybe the editing needed to be refined, or maybe a better plot should have been written. Either way, this one isn't even a rental, no matter how much I love Paul Rudd.

Another one of my favourite actors [hotties] who has been prominent in theatres lately is Marky Mark, aka Mark Wahlberg. He stars in The Fighter, the based-on-a-true-story movie about boxer Micky Ward who has spent his life in the shadows of his brother, Dicky Eklund, former boxing hopeful turned crack addict. The acting in this film was fantastic, especially Christian Bale's portrayal of Dicky, which was phenomenal! I loved this movie even though some parts were predictable. E said the boxing scenes were "weak", but as someone who doesn't know the nitty gritty of the sport, it seemed real to me. I'd definitely recommend this one!

Natalie Portman and Mila Kunis paired up in Black Swan, the dramatic thriller about one ballerina's quest for perfection. Though the storyline wasn't that different than most perfectionist dancer plots, the added psychological twist made this film. Portman did an excellent job of playing Nina, a ballerina consumed with dancing to the point that she couldn't separate reality from fiction. The Oscar buzz surrounding Portman's portrayal is clearly worthy.

The Company Men. This movie gave emotion to all the downsizing that has occurred in the US since the most recent economic collapse. The plot centered around three men who lost their jobs at a large corporation while the company continued to buy property and pay its head honcho a $22 million salary! Ben Affleck, Tommy Lee Jones and Chris Cooper do an excellent job in their characterization of these men who have to redefine themselves in every aspect of their lives. And though I'm not a huge Kevin Costner fan, I loved his role as the working class brother-in-law. This one might not be a must-see in the theatre, but it would be a good rental.

Phew! Hope you're still with me. Have you seen any of these films? What did you think? Any recommendations for our next movie night out?

all images via tribute.ca

9 comments:

Claire Kiefer January 12, 2011 at 3:15 PM  

I am not even really a movie person but I cannot wait to see Black Swan. The only problem is that I have no days off in the foreseeable future. But maybe it can be squeezed in somewhere?? Between teenagers and babies?? I am dying to see it! I love Natalie Portman, I love dance, and I love drama! :)

Faiza January 12, 2011 at 5:33 PM  

i have a list of movies to watch in the back of my notebook and all of these are on there!

movie theatres in the uk are okay. they don't sell proper popcorn here which is fine when one has hula hoops to sneak into the theatre :)

miss you! see you next friday!

Pria January 12, 2011 at 8:16 PM  

I love watching movies too and even though I've missed a few on your list ..I did watch " The King's speech " on Monday and its a bl**dy awesome movie and I absolutely recommend it !! I've written a lil review abt it you can hop over and read it on my blog but dont miss it !
I am hoping Colin clenches the coveted statue for this one :)

sheba January 12, 2011 at 8:52 PM  

@claire, natalie was awesome in it. she did "crazy ballerina" very well! i think you'll like the movie and once you see it i want to know what you think of the ending!

@faiza, hula hoops=yum! i never get movie popcorn...i usually bring in my own swedish fish! naughty, i know!

@simply, ooh, the king's speech in on my list! i love me some colin firth. i don't even think he's a hottie, but he's a terrific actor!

Karina Pacheco January 14, 2011 at 10:23 PM  

I LOVE your choice of movies :)
I want to see all of them but the only one that I had a chance to see was "Black Swan" and all I can say is OMG! That is one bad ass movie. It is crazy and scary, a mind bender,a roller coaster of who and what, freaking awesome, and the ending crazy but so was the entire movie!

Have a great weekend sweetie ;)

I love that you have such a great palate, my Miguelito is like that!

Kary xoxo

Micaela January 15, 2011 at 12:47 PM  

it has been WAY TOO LONG since i've got to the cinema... i need to fix that because i'm missing out on all these good films and award season in hollywood officially kicks off tomorrow! yup, i'm one of those nerds :) lol

x

Ren- Lady Of The Arts January 15, 2011 at 3:07 PM  

That is a great movie list- I have not seen any of those yet-
I really want to see Black Swan-

FYI I am so jealous of Indian friends whoes parents cook amazing meals for them- The hubs started cooking indian when he was in medical school- we met a lot of Indian friends and when their mom's would come and visit we would eat like kings- this was really the start of our own Indian Home cooking adventures.

Erin {pughs' news} January 19, 2011 at 4:04 PM  

I haven't been to a movie in ages, except for Harry Potter. I think it was my first one since the spring! Thanks for all these recommendations.

Kimia Kline January 25, 2011 at 5:16 PM  

thanks so much for these awesome reviews! ive had a few of these movies on my list for weeks now and after this know which ones will need crossing off :)

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