Year One

June 19th, 2009 was eventful in two ways: one- it was my birthday and two- it was the release of the much anticipated comedic thriller Year One. Well, at least it was much anticipated at the Cain household.

If you have read any of my previous reviews, you would certainly be aware of my heartfelt love for Jack Black and if you know me at all, you wouldn't doubt that Michael Cera, David Cross and especially Paul Rudd are all at the top of my favorite comedians list. I love to laugh and when seeing this movie I did just that. Did I mention that I also cringed more than twice.?

Year One is the tale of two cavemanish friends who venture out into the rest of the world and somehow find themselves traveling through stories in the Old Testament. I wasn't expecting the film to be quite so sacrilegious and although it did take away from some of the enjoyment for me, it was really hard not to laugh.

It was funny. And also really gross.

What its worth to me:

A date night with my husband and apparently a step in the wrong direction for my eternal salvation.

Over Her Dead Body

So, okay.

The poster for this movie was reason enough to wait until I had a free Redbox code to see it. And that was before I knew Jason Biggs was in it.

Eva Longoria. Sure, she can be a Desperate Housewife, but I don't imagine her doing well in a film- and man was I right. She was awful. So was Jason Biggs- as predicted. He stayed strong in his never ending role as the clumsy, awkward guy who can't find love- only this time he was gay...ish. It didn't help or matter.

Surprised as you might be to hear this- I actually liked this movie. Well, not so much the movie as Paul Rudd who you might remember as Cher's adorable ex-step-brother/boyfriend in Clueless. He's hilarious. I was quite impressed. He has been in some funny movies and in some funny roles, but for some reason he shines in this movie. It may be that the rest of the movie is dull and boring and he made it worth watching- I don't know, but I liked him. It was almost as if he was funnier because he figured no one would see the horrible movie anyway.

I would tell you more about the film itself if the title didn't already blow it for you. The only way it could've been more accurate is if it said this "Over Eva Longoria's Poor Excuse for Acting's Dead Body and the Predictable Story that Goes Along With It (including Jason Biggs as himself)." There. That pretty much sums it up.

What it is worth to me:

Paul Rudd was worth it. It was bad, but not painful. I don't know if I'd recommend it, but I wouldn't claim it either.

Be Kind Rewind

Movie: Be Kind Rewind

Ok, as you may or may not know, I am a big fan of Jack Black. Not so much his crazy swearing uncomfortable movies, but Orange County, High Fidelity, Saving Silverman and my all time favorite: School of Rock are all worth watching. So, as you may have guessed- I was excited to see this film.

The premise for this movie is as follows: a VHS video rental shop in a forgotten neighborhood is about to go under when a happy accident including Jerry (Jack Black) and extreme magnetism erases all the tapes. So they make their own. And the new movies are brilliant.

It took a minute for the movie to take off, but once it did- it was fantastic. The truth is, I could've really just watched their homemade versions of other movies the whole time and been happy. They are pure genius. Jack Black at his finest.

Some other team members are Mos Def, Danny Glover, Mia Farrow and a surprising new comer Melonie Diaz. I probably wouldn't have put this cast together, but it worked.

One thing I particularly enjoyed about the movie was that there was not really a Hollywood ending. I mean- it was a comedy and everything works out in the end, but not in the way that I was expecting. Go see it. You'll enjoy it.

What it's worth to me:

We saw it in the theater and it was worth the $14.00. I think we will purchase it on DVD when the time is right. Buy some candy, relax and laugh out loud when Jack Black tickles your fancy.

Duplex

Movie: Duplex

Dreadful.

This was on yesterday as I was laying on my death bed. That was a few hours I'm never getting back.

I usually love Drew Barrymore, but not this time. I don't know what I expecting- Ben Stiller was in the film after all. The movie really did it for me when these two nice people decide to become murderers. Brilliant. And totally believable. (In case you couldn't tell- I was being sarcastic.)

Shut. Your. Face. I can't believe this. It just came on again. Please hold a minute while I change the channel. Ah... HGTV- that's more like it.

What it's worth to me:

Some Nyquil and a nap.

Enchanted

Movie: Enchanted

This Disney semi-animated find-my-true-love musical "makes fun" of all the other find-my-true-love stories. Upon reflection, I thought something about this movie seemed familiar... Oh yeah, it's Shrek. Only they were ogres and these guys are human.

I think it is safe to say that David and I were the last people in America to see this movie. I heard nothing but great reviews and I was expecting great things. My sister Cassandra sings the song with her daughter and they twirl about the room.

It was cute, but I didn't find anything particularly awesome about it. (I wasn't twirling anywhere.) It does exactly what it was intended to do- make you feel good. Patric Dempsey and Amy Adams always seem to make people feel good.

What it's worth to me:

We saw it on a plane. I'm glad we saw Enchanted and not Snakes on a Plane, but I'd be lying if I said I loved it. I'd buy it on DVD if I had a daughter. But, I don't- so until I get a daughter I'll leave it be. I watched it with a tiny bottle of water and some snack mix. If I were to watch it again I would probably heat up some popcorn and grab a bag of skittles. That might make it a little better.

No Reservations

Movie: No Reservations

I love romantic comedies and I love food. I love romantic comedies that base their plots around food. That is what this movie is. Classic story... Woman inherits a Kid. Kid needs a Friend. Man Friend and Woman have a rocky start until Man becomes Kid's Friend. Oh, and most of the film takes place at a restaurant.

So here's the deal. I love romantic comedies and I love food, but I didn't "love" this movie. If Randy Jackson was reviewing this movie he would say, "Yo, yo, yo. It was just alright for me, dawg." You said it Randy. It wasn't bad. It wasn't great. I much prefer the German original titled: Mostly Martha. Rent that if you want a good movie.

The casting in this film wouldn't be my first picks. I have never really liked Catherine Zeta-Jones. (Yes, I know that you think she's hot.) She has never done much for me. Her co-star, Aaron Eckhart, is alright I guess, but I can never get over the fact that he looks like he was sculpted in a toy factory. My favorite actor of the bunch is the talented Abigail Breslin. Little Miss Sunshine. If you noticed, I chose a picture for my blog that shows my liking for each actor in order of how close they appear in the photo. Go ahead and scroll up if you need to.

What it is worth to me:

I don't think I would pay to see this at the theaters- even the dollar theater. I would, however, watch it with my love after Miles has gone to bed and maybe pop some popcorn. We would make fun of most of it and I would probably end up crying at one point or another. It's a mediocre film with a feel good ending. I recommend it to my sister Cassandra and her Wade. It's much better than the Lake House.

Freaks and Geeks: The complete series

Series: Freaks and Geeks.

This televison show staged mostly in a Detroit high school was probably taken off the air due to some marketing problems as most sitcoms that have potential are. The premise of the show? Lindsay and Sam Weir, brother and sister, try to survive their high school experience as "freaks and geeks." Pretty catchy title.

I'm still undecided as to how much I really liked the show. The main character, Lindsay Weir, is a nerd who tries to become someone more edgy by wearing the same over-sized army jacket everyday and hanging out with some less than amazing potheads. She is the most disappointing character in the show. I wanted to like her, but it was painfully hard. I think of her the same way I think of Will and Grace- put Karen and Jack back on.

Sam, Lindsay's brother, and his geek squad friends Bill, the ultra-nerd, and Neil the 55-year-old-stuck-in-a-15-year-old's body jewish boy, are definitely worth watching. As far as I'm concerned the show would be next to worthless without them.

There are some young stars that play pretty small roles, but were cast well and who I wold've like to have seen more of such as: Seth Rogen- a burnout, Samaire Armstrong (better known as Anna from the OC)- a hippie, and Shia LaBeouf- the high school's mascot.

I heard a lot of hype about this show. The first episode wasn't super impressive, but it had some good moments. Each episode got progressively better and by the sixth and final DVD- I was sad it was over.

What it's worth to me:

I made a good choice by Netflixing this series, but I don't know if it was worth moving to the top of my queue for and especially in the middle of my Scrubs marathon. It took me about three weeks to watch the whole show- which is a really long time. All in all- I'd see it again, but I'm not in love with it.

Without a Paddle

Movie: Without a Paddle.

This was one of the best movies ever... to burn... in a fire.

Three morons (Dax Shepard, Matthew Lillard, and Seth Green) played three morons on a treasure hunt and we get to see their wacky adventures along the way.

I mean- come on. Let's be serious. Who makes these movies? What bunch of people sit down together and decide that this would be a hilarious box office hit. And who casted it? Some super original movie guru got Seth Green to play a short nerd and two other semi-actors to play his tall lesser-nerd friends. I'm pretty sure they just threw this script at people and signed anyone who read it.

Poor Paramount Pictures. What were you thinking?

What it is worth to me:

Nothing. Luckilly, I didn't pay to see this movie. I rented it from Sabrena's collection downstairs- even though she warned me of it's crap factor. Miles was crying during part of the film and David and I were doing other projects for the rest. I'm glad we had some other distractions. For this lack of a film, I'd have some Pepto-Bismol in one hand and maybe a good book in another. Hope you like it.

My First Review.

Movie: Juno.

I know it's a bit cheesy to have my first review be the best movie ever made, but it has to be done.

What more could want from a film than a teenager, Juno, that every girl wants to be (minus the whole teen-pregnancy thing) and the amazing Paulie Bleeker played by Michael Cera (aka: George Michael from Arrested Development- and if you don't know what Arrested Development is you need to add it to the top of you Netflix queue right now). These two high school awkwards are fantastic together. I have never felt more comfortable watching a completely uncomfortable situation then when they are on screen together. Brilliant.

As for the rest of the players, I must admit that I wasn't quite looking forward to seeing some of the other actors in the film. I have never been a big fan of Jennifer Garner, but I was very pleased with her in this role. She did a great job and she wasn't even shooting Chinese stars or doing "juno" chops or anything. -Are you kidding me? Juno chops?! I'm awesome.-

This is a must see. To the max. I was laughing out loud so hard that I was almost embarrassed of myself until I looked around and saw people laughing even harder than I was. By the end of the movie (and a few times in between) I had cried myself out of 6 tissues, my mascara and my shirt.

What it's worth to me:

I'd pay a babysitter for the night so that we could enjoy dinner and a late movie- which is saying a lot seeing as how we usually only go to movies when we have a giftcard in tow. I'd even buy a $7.00 ice cream sandwich and some sourpatch kids for desert.

Yep.

-Cicely