The Proposal starring Sandra Bullock, Ryan Reynolds, Betty White and Mary Steenburgen

Margaret Tate (Sandra Bullock) is a beautiful, successful and workaholic editor at a big publishing firm in New York. However to her co-workers, she is the absolute bitch from hell; especially to her long-suffering assistant Andew Paxton (Ryan Reynolds). He has been working day and night, putting in weekends so that he can be an editor himself. Unfortunately, this goal requires him being Margaret’s slave.

However Andrew gets the upper hand when Margaret is facing the problem of deportation as she is Canadian and her visa has expired. She finds the perfect solution: she will marry Andrew and keep her job and because she is staying in the firm, he won’t be fired. The unwilling Andrew gets a bigger shock when the immigration officer Mr. Gilbertson (Dennis O’ Hare) informs them that a fraud marriage will result in a prison sentence of 3 years and a fine about $250,000. So Andrew blackmails his way into an immediate promotion and they go to Alaska together to give Andrew’s family the good news. Of course they have to pretend they are in love and keep “the fraud” secret. So the grandmother Annie (Betty White) and mother Grace (Mary Steenburgen) are more than surprised when Andrew brings home the “absolute evil bitch”. However they are happy to have Andrew back and they are willing to welcome Margaret into the family. But the father of the house (Craig T. Nelson) is already bitter because Andrew didn’t take over the family business and moved to New York to be an editor’s assistant, a job area he doesn’t respect and a passion he doesn’t understand. Of course trouble doesn’t end there. Mr. Gilbertson isn’t willing to leave them alone and the more Margaret gets to know the family, the more she gets to love them. And Andrew starts seeing a whole new side to Margaret. But how is a business deal is supposed to work when feelings get involved?

The Proposal is one charming and hilarious romantic comedy. And don’t get the “romantic” part in the romantic comedy to cloud your judgment, as the movie does a wonderful job of making you laugh. The cast is marvelous, especially Betty White. Sandra Bullock and Ryan Reynolds have great chemistry and comedic timing together. This movie is 85-90% comedy. Note that gorgeous Malin Akerman also co-stars. She plays Gertrude, Andrew’s high school sweetheart.

Written by Pete Chiarelli and directed by Anne Fletcher. Sandra Bullock was nominated for Best Actress in a Comedy at the Golden Globes for her role. Rated at 6.7 on IMDB. All around fun. 7/10 from me.

Favorite Scenes:

* any scene with the dog Kevin – especially the “eagle dance”

*The bathroom scene- the naked “clash”

*Sandra Bullock and Betty White chanting in the forest together

Favorite Lines:

- on the clash – Margaret blames it on the dog blocking her way.

Andrew: Oh- I barely made my with my life out there.

and  pretty much anything during the ending credits.

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Carter is a total workaholic. But when it comes to his social life, he is alone. His wife (Selma Blair) dumps him and he tries to form an unlikely friendship with Dan. But Dan isn’t particularly fond of this rookie who has his job, his office and who keeps firing his friends. And his beloved 18-year-old daughter Alex (Scarlett Johansson) has moved to New York to study at NYU and she starts seeing Carter…

In Good Company is simply a beautiful, bittersweet and funny film where art imitates life. I saw the film for the second time last night. The first time was when the movie had first hit the theaters and I wasn’t all that impressed. I had found it ordinary. I guess I was fooled by the movie’s taglines :“He’s rich, young and handsome. He’s in love with you and he’s your dad’s boss.” – which does make it sound like a romantic comedy. And I guess at 20, I was expecting a fun romantic comedy rather than a true-to-life drama with fun parts, so I was disappointed.

At 26, I loved every minute of it. At 26, I am trying to build my life as a freelancer, so that I won’t have to go through what Dan goes through at his age. And almost all my friends are trying to be a hotshot like Carter, without thinking anything through.

I loved how it wasn’t a romantic comedy and how it wasn’t focused on Alex and Carter’s relationship but the effects it has on the relationship with Alex and Dan. But most importantly, I loved the friendship and alliance eventually getting formed between Dan and Carter and how Carter really wants what Dan has built for himself.

It helps that the cast is fantastic. You might have seen Topher Grace in the comedic TV series That 70’s show where he starred as Eric Forman (1998-2006).  You might also watch Grace in Valentine’s Day. And of course there is the always charming Dennis Quaid and Scarlett Johansson.

Written and directed by Paul Weitz. 6.8 on IMDB. Depending on where you are in your life, it could very well get an 8.

Favorite Quote:

Carter: Dan, you seem to have the perfect marriage. How do you do it?
Dan: You just pick the right one to be in the foxhole with, and then when you’re outside of the foxhole you keep your dick in your pants.
Carter: That’s poetic.

Recommended film:

Up in the Air starring George Clooney

Other Dennis Quaid Movies

The Day After Tomorrow

Yours, mine and ours

Playing by Heart

Other Scarlett Johansson Movies

He is Just Not That Into You

Vicky Christina Barcelona

Iron Man 2

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The Big Bang Theory starring Johnny Galecki (Leonard), Simon Helberg (Howard), Jim Parsons (Sheldon), Kaley Cuoco (Penny) Kunal Nayyar (Raj). Image via thebigbangtheoryonline.info

Now, I didn’t start watching The Big Bang Theory from the pilot. I had caught a glimpse of one episode here and another episode there but hadn’t really watched a whole episode until one of my friends said he found the show hilarious.

After watching a couple of episodes but failing to find the hilarity, I had given up. Because the characters were (well – are) too ridiculous to be true. I have seen nerds, smart guys and nerdier guys but these guys are just so caricature-like. And I didn’t really like any of them. I mean how is it possible to for four guys to be out of touch with reality and life with pretty much in everything?

But yes, these annoyingly exaggerated anti-social tendencies will eventually entertain you. A lot.

The Bang Theory, to me, is really different in how much it makes you laugh from other comedy shows like Married with Children, Friends, Coupling or 3^rd Rock from the Sun. While I was hooked to those 4 comedies from day 1, it took me about 4-6 episodes to get in to The Big Bang Theory but I am glad I did. While not all episodes are equally brilliant, some episodes are just fantastic.

I previously considered this show to be only OK if I had nothing else to watch. Now, I turn on the TV specifically for the characters. Before listing some of the random episodes that got me hooked, here is the plot:

Leonard Hofstadter (Johnny Galecki) and Sheldon Cooper (Jim Parsons) are both very smart physicists working at Cal Tech in California.  They are also roommates. Their two other best friends are also scientists: mechanical engineer Howard Wolowitz (Simon Helberg) and astrophysicist Rajesh Koothrappali (Kunal Nayyar). While these 4 guys can compete with how nerdy, strange-looking, awfully-dressed and unpopular with women they are, the trophy of ultra-weirdness is almost always Sheldon’s, who considers himself pretty much a higher being, makes an analysis of even the simplest of situations and is ready to do mathematical calculations to prove his words.

Of course no matter how much time she spends around these guys, their “normal” blonde neighbor Penny (Kaley Cuoco) is always shocked at the next weird thing Sheldon or any other is going to say. Of course Leonard has a huge crush and Wolowitz has a disturbing fascination for the pretty Penny…

The dynamics never change so it doesn’t really matter where you start so here are some of the episodes that made me really laugh:

Season 2. Ep 5: Sheldon tries to learn how to drive as everyone is sick of driving him around but Sheldon thinks he is way too ahead in evolution to drive…

Seaoson 2 Ep. 6: Did Sheldon get girlfriend/fan or a boss? It comes in the shape of a female student that worships Sheldon but it soon turns into a Beatles vs. Yoko situation.

Season 2  Ep. 13 : Sheldon tries to make new friends, but first he decides to analyze his current friends’ thoughts by handing them a 211-question-survey!

Season 2 Ep: 14: Penny is broke so it will be up to Leonard to try and face up to Penny’s Herculian ex, Kurt.

Seaosn 2, Ep 15 – Leonard’s mothers psychoanalyst mother comes to town and it looks like Sheldon has found his soul mate in her. But Penny and Leonard have every minute of the visit. I loved the gay couple observation of the mother when she sees Raj and Howard.

Season 2, Ep 16. Howard gets sex!!

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Snow Cake starring Alan Rickman, Sigourney Weaver and Carrie Anne-Moss. Image via thecinemasource.com

English ex-convict Alex (Alan Rickman) is on his way to Winnipeg to visit an old acquaintance when he meets the young, lively and overly talkative hitch-hiker Vivienne (Emily Hampshire). He half-heartedly agrees to give her a lift but soon starts enjoying her company. However, the fun part of the journey doesn’t last long as a terrible accident leaves Vivienne dead and Alex shocked. Not knowing what to do, he gets her information to see her mother Linda (Sigourney Weaver). However, instead of finding a shocked and grieving mother, he finds an autistic woman who seems to have more problems about the danger of Alex’s messing up her house than the death of her daughter. She decides that she needs Alex for the night, in fact for a couple of more days because now that Vivienne is gone, she needs someone to walk Vivienne’s dog and take out the thrash – two things she can’t handle. Alex finds himself staying, at first surprised and involuntarily but then starting to develop a friendship with Linda and enjoying her company. He enjoys his stay even more when he meets Linda’s beautiful and single next door neighbor Maggie (Carrie-Anne Moss). He soon hooks up with her and Alex realizes that his relationship with Maggie and his friendship with Linda might just be the therapy he needs. His responsibilities include organizing a funeral and he also ends up learning Linda’s story and we get to hear Alex’s…

Snow Cake is a wonderfully emotional and sweet film with great acting. Of course the heavy burdens are on Sigourney Weaver’s and Alan Rickman’s shoulders as she needs to come off as authentic as an autistic person and Alan has to sell us a multi-layered character who has emotional baggage and seems to be caring about a stranger a lot more than a person normally would…

Now, Snow Cake is not a film to watch for laughs, although there are moments that will put smiles and even grins on your face. But it is a drama with some unique parts and wonderful dialogue. However it all comes together a little slowly and if you are in need of some quick entertainment, Snow Cake is not it.

But this movie has a great tagline that sums up the whole experience: “Sometimes stopping is the most important part of the journey…”

Written by Angela Pell, and directed by Marc Evans. 7.6 on IMDB. No objections here. See it, but be a little patient with the characters and the pace.

Recommended:

You might also enjoy Adam. Which is more of a romance than a drama, but it centers on another high-functioning autistic person, this time played by Hugh Dancy.

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City of Industry starring Harvey Keitel, Stephen Dorff and Timothy Hutton. Also-starring Famke Jannsen.

Lee Egan (Timothy Hutton) thinks he has got the plan and the crew for the perfect heist of diamonds: he brings in Jorge (Wade Dominguez) – a family man with 2 kids, facing the risk of jail, Lee’s own brother – retired but capable thief Roy (Harvey Keitel) and Skip (Stephen Dorff).

It turns out that Lee really had the right plan, as the crew manages to steal over $3,000,000 worth of loots. However he has chosen a wrong guy –as Skip kills both Lee and Jorge and just misses Roy. Skip runs with all their shares. Now, Roy is pissed and eager to avenge his brother and Skip him pay. His search brings him to Rachel (Famke Janssen), Jorge’s wife. Rachel wants in. She helps Roy find Skip through Jorge’s connections, in return for a cut. With other men after Skip, and Skip’s connections after Roy, and Roy after Skip with vengeance, who will survive and get the money?

***

This is the part I give you the spoilers. Well, they are not really spoilers as this is a typical crime flick and you knew Roy would get the money and save Rachel and all that. So it is a happy ending with the good guy winning. Now, if you are a total Harvey Keitel or a Stephen Dorff fan, I guess there is some fun you can get out of this movie. But if you watch the movie for Timothy Hutton, then you will be disappointed as well, he gets killed early into the story. Famke Jannsen is gorgeous as usual, so I can say that she is the one pretty thing about this otherwise boring film. Yes, it has some good moments but even as a fan of heist and/or revenge films, I found it really slow and boring. Watch it if you don’t have a better alternative. There is also Lucy Liu in a small role.

If you want a smart and original film with Timothy Hutton, watch The Killing Room. If you want to watch him pull off perfect heists and entertain you superbly, watch his series Leverage. And if you do want a brilliant robbery film check out Clive Owen and Denzel Washington’s  Inside Man.

Directed by John Irvin, 1997’s City of Industry is rated at 6.0 on IMDB. 4/10 from me.

And no, I have no idea why Timothy Hutton is on the poster and not Famke.

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A Perfect Murder starring Michael Douglas, Gwyneth Paltrow and Viggo Mortensen. image via sinepil.org

Emily (Gwyneth Paltrow) is married to the older and successful businessman Steven (Michael Douglas). From the outside, they are the perfect couple. However, the reality is very different. Steven is having serious financial problems with his business and Emily is cheating on Steven with a guy who couldn’t have been more opposite: passionate, young and struggling- handsome artist David (Viggo Mortensen).

Emily doesn’t know that Steven knows. Steven knows all about the affair and David’s shady past (another thing Emily has no idea about) so he comes up with the perfect plan that will rid him off his financial troubles and a cheating wife: he meets David and asks him to kill Emily, in exchange for half a million dollars. David is trapped: if he goes to Emily or police about this, Steven will prove how David uses rich women to get their money. Convicted before, David will face serious jail time and probably they wouldn’t believe him anyway. So he agrees. Steven plans the night of the murder meticulously. However he might have underestimated David’s feelings for Emily or at least overestimated his capacity to commit murder: things go wrong, Emily survives. Who will the game? David or Steven? And can Emily survive again?

***

1998’s A Perfect Murder is a remake of Alfred Hitchcock’s Dial M for Murder (1954). I haven’t seen the original so I can’t make comparisons. But despite the “flaws” of the characters (and I do realize that without the “flaws”, there wouldn’t be the same story), I enjoyed the film. The music, direction, setting and the acting are all decent and the casting is just perfect. From the smart homicide detective David Suchet that forms a bond with the graceful Emily, to the absolutely gorgeous Viggo Mortensen, the cold  smart Michael Douglas.. This is a pretty film. It is not the smartest or the best thriller around, but it is enjoyable enough.

***

As for the “flaws” of these characters, well I actually mean stupid actions. So I am listing them below. Mind the spoilers.

Emily (Gwyneth Paltrow)

• Well, I have seen younger women marry older men for money, but this younger woman is actually richer than the man- or at least will be. The age gap is huge, and from her lover and way of life, Emily doesn’t seem like the girl to be attracted to Steven’s type. But let’s suppose Steven acted all sweet and seduced her in the beginning. Fine. You don’t love the guy, you are loaded, you don’t have kids and you are staying in the marriage because…??? Oh, and if you are about to inherit $100,000,000, you sign a pre-nup! It is a no-brainer. I am a romantic but you just need to be an idiot if you are not signing something when that much is involved, even though your man seems rich on his own.

• Emily thought David didn’t know about the money. Great. It is one thing thinking he is in love; it is another thinking he wouldn’t have had a clue about who she is. She didn’t need to think he was in it for the money, but she should have considered he had a clue. So Emily was gullible and stupid way before she got attacked.

• And so what David turned out to be a criminal? How does that justify her warming up to Steven, whose cold attitude drew her to David in the first place (I am not saying cheating is OK. But it is stupid to believe a guy who has been doing business illegally, is going bankrupt because of it, hid it from you and seems OK with your affair). No sane man will forgive Emily without at least one angry/emotional tantrum, and definitely not Steven.

• What if Steven overpowered Emily in the last struggle and killed her? Yeah, confronting him like that usually only works in the typical Hollywood endings.

Steven (Michael Douglas)

• So of all the contracted and professional killers Steven could have hired, he chose the boyfriend. Great but what about his feelings?  Whether it is open to discussion David was in love with Emily or not, you can’t trust your wife’s lover to kill her!

• And again with Steven hiring David. Of course David doesn’t trust him and will try to screw  over if he gets a shot.  If anything, you cost the guy his lover and his chance to have much more money.

• And since he is capable of murder, he should have come up with a plan where he murders Emily and gets away with it. No honor among con men, Steven!

David (Viggo Mortensen)

• And he should have either went in to kill Emily himself, or at least played the tape for her and beg her forgiveness about the con. And Emily could forgive him, with him being honest and all.
• Great job making a deal with a man who wants to kill his own wife for money. And great job trying to con a man without letting know he will be busted if he kills David anyway.

6/10 for the overall movie.

7/10 for actors.

Currently 6.4 on IMDB

• Fun note: Viggo Mortensen is one talented man. He is also a jazz singer, poet, horseman and a painter. The paintings in David’s studio were done by him. Oh, and he also speaks multiple languages frequently:      Danish, Spanish and French. He is also pretty good with Swedish and Norwegian too.

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The Big Chill starring Glenn Close, Kevin Kline, William Hurt, Jobeth Williams, Mary Kay Place, Tom Berenger, Meg Tilly, Jeff Goldblum. Image: s11.allstarpics.net

Harold, Sarah, Sam, Nick, Michael, Meg, Karen are old college friends who haven’t been able to keep in contact as they planned, apart from Harold (Kevin Kline) and Sarah (Glenn Close)- who married each other and started a family together.

These old friends reunite at a funeral- the other member of the old gang, Alex, has committed suicide. After the funeral, they spend the weekend at Harold and Sarah’s place and try to get over Alex’s death, times and identities lost and catch up.

Now their friendships are as “complicated” as the ones in Grey’s Anatomy or Dawson’s Creek- here’s what I mean:

-          Nick (William Hurt) and Karen used to be an item but Karen (Jobeth Williams) and Sam (Tom Berenger) always had an eye for each other.

-          Meg (Mary Kay Place) has a little history with Michael  (Jeff Goldblum), who is busy chasing Chloe (Meg Tilly)- Alex’s young girlfriend who’s staying at the house as well. Chloe isn’t interested in Michael but she seems to be into Nick (William Hurt).

-          Nick is Meg’s first choice as a sperm donor. Oh yes, it is the 80s, she is the modern working woman who is sick of dating and wants a kid from a friend. But of course Nick can’t help since he can’t function down there, a gift from Vietnam. And Sam already had a broken marriage and a daughter he barely sees so he may not exactly jump at the offer and Karen doesn’t love the idea either as she seems to want Sam for herself. Sam is into Karen too, but Karen has a husband and two kids.

-          Oh and then there is Sarah, who seems more shaken up by Alex’s death. As Harold reveals to us, she had an affair with him but she and Harold got over it…

So here we have a 8 people with complicated friendships and pasts, a weekend fuelled with conflicted emotions, drugs, alcohol, fun, nostalgia, sadness, broken dreams, love and confrontations.

The movie is one of the earliest works for the most of the cast, most of who are considered to be the finest actors of Hollywood. It is worth noting that Glenn Close was nominated for Best Supporting Actress Oscar and the movie also was also nominated for Best Film and Best Screenplay. The movie was written by Lawrence Kasdan and Barbara Benedek and directed by Lawrence Kasdan.

The movie  has its flaws and charms, just like the characters. There are things in the movie that almost every one can related to: How you can lose contact with your best friends when life gets in the way or how your life may not turn out the way you hoped it would. And I am guessing the actors’ generation will identify with the story even more.

However the characters- despite the identity issues- didn’t really feel real to me. And no matter how charming the actors are, the characters are just…off. I mean, if your best friend kills himself, would your immediate reaction would be to have a baby with one of his other friends and start making the baby right after the funeral? Not to mention their soap-opera type of histories. And what kind of prick hits on his recently dead friend’s girlfriend, who almost seems jovial at all times? And would you really be that upset if your best who killed himself was banging your wife behind your back? And then there is the lecturing attitude Harold gives Nick when a cop brings him over- about being a part of the community, respecting the cops and whatever while they were all high half the movie?

The verdict: I am not going to lie to you, I had fun watching this movie. It was nostalgic and I love the soundtrack. I like the actors and the director. Despite the reunion happens because of a suicide, the movie is more fun than emotional and sad. There are some great funny lines and scenes and it is hardly ever boring. But had the cast been different, I doubt I’d have watched it.

Overall, this is a decently-acted and entertaining film with nostalgic value. But it is  well…fluff. A pretty and quality fluff. You will have fun watching it but if you don’t watch it, you won’t have missed out on a thing.

7.0 on IMDB. A 6 from me.

Fun facts About The Big Chill:

-          Do you remember the last movie you saw with Tom Berenger? It is probably Inception where he plays the uncle to Cillian Murphy’s character. Out of all the cast members of The Big Chill, he is the one who bears no resemblance to his younger self.

-          The little son of Harold and Sarah that appears in the beginning of the film is the real life son of director Lawrence Kasdan. His name is Jon Kasdan.

-          Meg Tilly is an ex-girlfriend of Colin Firth and they have a son together.

-          Lawrence Kasdan and Kevin Kline work together often. They also made French Kiss and Silverado together.0000

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Lord of War starring Nicolas Cage. Co-starring Ethan Hawke, Jared Leto and Bridget Moynahan. 2005. Stunning, in-your-face, stylish, tragic and fun all at the same time.

Yuri Orlov (Nicolas Cage) comes from a Ukranian family who has moved to Brooklyn. His parents are running a restaurant and his brother Vitaly (Jared Leto) is helping them out. However Yuri knows he always wanted to achieve something big and he soon realizes that arms dealing is his calling. He starts from scratch and enlists the help of Vitaly, who is not exactly enthusiastic about his older brother’s newly chosen career path. But Yuri tells him that the money will be great and Vitaly can just open his own restaurant after that.

While Yuri gets a kick out of his job, Vitaly can’t quite handle the fact that they are helping people kill other people and it is happening right in front of them. He “deals” with it by abusing drugs and alcohol so Yuri has to leave him to a rehab center.

In the meantime, Yuri is building himself one big reputation.He decides it is time to get the girl of his dreams, Eva Fontaine (Bridget Moynahan)- a model/actress. He makes sure he is richer than he actually is and that his business is “legit”. Eva falls for the charming and romantic side Yuri shows her and tries not to dwell too much into what he does for a living. Even though she is probably guessing he is not exactly a saint, she has no idea what he is really up to.

You don’t get nicknamed Lord of War without attracting some attention from Interpol. Young, ambitious and incorruptible Interpol agent Jack Valentine (Ethan Hawke) is onto him. However Yuri is an expert at legal loopholes, quick adaptations and getting rid of evidence. But Valentine is intent on catching Yuri and make the world a bit safer so he will let Eva know what her husband does for a living.

Can his wife and young son be enough for him to go straight? Or does he love his reputation and “calling” way more?

****

Lord of War is by far my favorite Nicolas Cage movie. It is a very impressive crime/thriller with a touch of drama. Yuri is about as grey,interesting and complex as a character can get. He seems to love his brother, parents, wife and kid. When he finds a toy gun in his kid’s room, he takes it and throws it into thrash. So here we have a guy who doesn’t even let his son have a toy gun but who sells thousands of weapons that kill other people’s children. His rationalisms are chilling but they make perfect sense. He tells his brother Vitaly that he should be able to leave his work in the office just like a car salesman or a cigarette manufacturer does. After all, they both sectors kill more people than his line of work, right?

He is proud of never having shot anyone. He is also proud of having no “moral” obligations. He sells guns to anyone. He says he’d have sold to Bin Laden even, but his checks weren’t reliable at the time.

Juri is also the film’s narrator. The movie never gets dull or slows down for a bit. Right from the opening credits, you are told a very engaging story. You are horrified by how Yuri can do all those things and still like himself but you can’t help but admire his intelligence. You feel the frustration of Agent Valentine.

Written and directed by Andrew Niccol. by All around great film- especially the style, dialogues, storyline and music. Hard- hitting ending too. Way underrated at 7.7. on IMDB.

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Moonstruck starring Cher and Nicolas Cage

Loretta Castorini (Cher) is an Italian-American widow in her late 30s. Her husband died years ago, she is working as a bookkeeper for a funeral home and living with her colorful family members: the grandfather who is more interested in his 5 dogs than the family members, her mother Rose (Olympia Dukasis) is suspecting her husband Cosmo (Vincent Gardenia) is cheating on her, and Cosmo- Loretta’s father who is indeed cheating on Rose. Then there are the other members – Rose’s brother and his wife who are running a shop together.

Loretta is dating the square Johnny (Danny Aiello), another Italian American. When Johnny proposes, she says yes. Her mother approves, as Loretta isn’t in love with him and so he won’t have the power to drive her crazy (Rose’s theory). However before Johnny goes to Italy to be with his dying mother, he asks Loretta to call his brother Ronnie (Nicolas Cage) who he hasn’t spoken to in 5 years. So before she can make any arrangements for the wedding, she finds Ronnie, who is running a bakery in town. Ronnie, unlike his older brother, is passionate, emotional and doesn’t give a damn about what his mother thinks. He also has lost one of his hands due to an accident he blames his brother for. This has left him emotionally scarred and romantically closed off. But when Loretta challenges him in a way no one has ever done before something unexpected and exciting happens: they fall for each other. Now, Loretta is torn between making a logical decision vs. a passionate one.

While there is a strikingly huge and beautiful moon out, Loretta’s uncle is thinking the moon is the reason for everything, her mother is on a quest to understand why men chase women, and her grandfather is trying to understand what the hell is happening to the household. And what will happen to Johnny?

Moonstruck is a very charming, funny and romantic comedy. It is from 1987 but there is nothing particularly 80s about it, except from how young Nicolas Cage is. Remember, this is not to be confused for a chick flick. Yes, it is a romantic comedy in parts but it is also a very fun comedy about an adorable, larger than life and flawed Italian-American family. It has a stellar cast and while I hate Cher’s music (except her rocking duet with Meat Loaf), I do like her as an actress. She won the Academy Award for Best Actress in a Leading Role for her role in this film.

The movie won two more Oscars: one for Olympia Dukasis – Best Actress in a Supporting Role and one for Best Screenplay Written Directly for the Screen that went to John Patrick Shanley. The movie was nominated for 3 more Oscars: Best Director (Norman Jewison), Best Film and Best Actor in a Supporting Role (Vincent Gardenia). Nicolas Cage was also nominated for Golden Globe for Best Actor.

It is exaggerated, hilarious and lovely. It is one of those films you can enjoy with the whole family or just with your friends and have a laugh. But I guess it might be more enjoyable if you do have some Mediterranean blood in your body as the quirks and conversations will be familiar.

7.1 on IMDB.

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The Killing Room starring Timothy Hutton, Clea DuVall, Chloe Sevigny, Peter Stormare, Nick Cannon and Shea Whigham

The Killing Room is a wonderfully chilling and solid claustrophobic thriller. Yes, it is rated on 5.7 on IMDB, voted by over 2000 people, but even the discussions on whether this is believable or even possible don’t underestimate the movie’s decent effort.  Here’s what happens:

4 subjects volunteer for a psychological experiment: 1 woman, 3 guys: Kerry (Clea DuVall), Crawford (Timothy Hutton), Paul (Nick Cannon) and Tony (Shea Whigham). These 4 strangers are in the experiment to make extra cash. Crawford is a veteran at being a lab rat and is the most comfortable of the 4.

They are in a white room with steel furniture nailed down to the floor. They are being watched and listened to by the leader of the project, a Dr. Philips (Peter Stormare), a group of other scientists who are following orders and a young psychologist called Emily (Chloe Sevigny).

At first it seems innocent and normal enough. Scientists are observing and this is a part of Emily’s recruitment, whether or not she will be a part of this project. Subjects do surveys, chat a little bit. After that Philips comes on, answers their questions and at about 17 minutes into the movie, we know for sure that this is one deadly experiment and whether any of the subjects will survive is highly questionable. But who the hell are these people? Why are they conducting a deadly experiment with 4 Americans with no criminal record? And how much can Emily take?

As I said, chilling, claustrophobic and not very predictable. The acting is just fine. I don’t want to give away spoilers but I will just hint that Timothy Hutton does have more screen time than 17 minutes. So if you don’t like psychological thrillers, it will be worth watching for him.

However, regardless of who and/or what you are watching this movie for, it is worth the time It makes you ask questions. You question how far people can go under extreme circumstances. You certainly keep writing your own explanation and script until the very end. I think the ending was just brilliant. Not the one I was guessing or hoping for, and this is a good thing. And yes, I knew almost all the actors from other films but even if you know none, it doesn’t matter. The acting is good but it is about the room, and the story rather than their faces.

It is hard to make a good thriller without much effects and constantly relying on other people’s minds working. This one pulls it off. But whether you will believe it -any part or entire movie- is possible will depend on what you think about the American government. Written by Gus Krieger and Ann Peacock. Directed by Jonathan Liebesman.

8 or 9/10 from me. You may not like it, but you won’t be bored either.

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