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Laws of Attraction and Pierce Brosnan

Posted on December 8, 2009 Written by ripitup

Brosnan. Pierce Brosnan.

Oh come on, I had to refer to James Bond. It is a classic. And given that Pierce Brosnan is my all time favorite Bond, I earned that introduction. Yep, you read it right. It is not Sean Connery. And heaven forbid, it is definitely not Daniel Craig (although he might be my least favorite). To me, Daniel is so…not charismatic or charming or attractive (and Bond should really be all those things)! And he is so…so…so blond! (I had this funny conversation with my friend where she counter argued that she does not object to a Bond with blond hair but a blond Batman should never have existed- a.k.a Val Kilmer. Val is my favorite Batman so..each to her own, I guess.) Anyways, Pierce is the man. He is the perfect 007. He is hot and well-built. It doesn’t take a lot to seduce women. I wish Pierce could have played James Bond a couple of more times- the guy grows even more handsome with age anyway. He used to be a pretty boy who has turned into this gorgeous man. He also has this contagious smile that seems to bring out all his lust for and joy of life.

Laws of Attraction with former James Bond Pierce Brosnan and Julianne Moore

He is not just an action actor by any means. Sure, he has done a good job with Thomas Crown Affair as well but putting Pierce in romantic roles is a damn good idea. Have you seen the 2004 movie Laws of Attraction? It is a typical rom-com so if you are expecting something different, that ain’t it. However romantic comedies aren’t really about the endings or twists anyway. Let’s go through the elements.

Clichés?

1) The leading female Audrey (Julianne Moore) is a lawyer who is organized,almost to the point of obsessiveness. Now the writers do love to portray women as annoyingly tidy and men messy, right?

2) Our male lead Daniel (Pierce Brosnan) is also a lawyer who could not have been less organized. He is messy,funny and charming.

3) The female is pessimistic is about love yet our male – despite being a divorce lawyer- is just a happy-go-lucky romantic. Now I haven’t seen a guy that fun, smart, attractive and entertaining who also happens to be a romantic. And yes it will take only a little time for him to develop feelings for the cynical yet likable Audrey.

4) Opposites attract. Rivals are attracted to each other. Yeah, whatever.

5) You know it is a happily after. Check out the genre and the poster.

BUT…

1) I like Julianne Moore and I like Pierce Brosnan. He definitely pulls out scruffy well. And frankly I’d rather watch a typical rom-com then over-pretentious and disappointing drama/thrillers like Blindness or The Forgotten.

2) The storyline It is fun. You see Audrey and Daniel meet as opposing councils during a trial. They realize the other one is a worthy opponent and after some fun and games, Daniel and Audrey go out on a dinner, supposedly not a date. Of course when the story mixes mutual attraction with heavy alcohol and fun and…yeah, they have sex. However the next day they do have a trial to attend to and Daniel has picked this exact moment to take Audrey seriously and looks more professional and efficient whereas you can tell that Audrey had a “wild” night. Moreover, Daniel also uses a below-the-belt trick at the trial and wins. Of course Audrey declares war and from then on, the competition gets tough and fun, reaching a peak when Daniel gets a client Audrey is after: a famous fashion designer (Parker Posey) divorcing her cheating rocker husband Thorne (Michael Sheen). So Audrey strikes back by signing Thorne. The case research requires a trip to couple’s estate in Ireland and Ireland…is a lovely country, full of potential for romance. So it seems like Audrey and Daniel are best buddies compared to their spiteful clients and another night full of fun and drinks leads to…let’s say more than just sex: Marriage… How the hell are two competing divorce lawyers gonna explain this to the judge?

Pierce Brosnan as Daniel and Julianne Moore as Audrey in Laws of Attraction

3) I love rockers and I love rock and I appreciate the humor that comes with it. Michael Sheen is so funny as the spoiled musician.

So…

The movie is fun. If you like Pierce Brosnan/Michael Sheen/Julianne Moore and/or romantic comedies, you shouldn’t miss it. Otherwise, well…try something else.

The Lake House starring Keanu Reeves and Sandra Bullock

Posted on December 6, 2009 Written by ripitup

The Lake House with Keanu Reeves and Sandra Bullock

[pro-player width=’530′ height=’253′ type=’video’]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CyywIEg0vrI&feature=related[/pro-player]

2006. Kate Forster (Sandra Bullock) moves out of the lake house she has been living in. She moves back to the city and writes a note to the next owner, mentioning that there were paw prints before she moved in and there was a box in the attic- so he will know they are not her doing.

2004. Architect Alex Wyler (Keanu Reeves) moves into the lake house. The house has been empty for years so Alex is surprised to find a letter in the mail box from the previous owner, Kate Forster. And there are no paw prints to speak of. So Alex responds by saying that she might be mistaken since no one lived there before him.

2006. Now, Kate is a little annoyed. Plus Alex has dated his letter 2004. When they start writing to each other, each determined to prove the other wrong, weird things start happening. For one, the paw prints are formed by a dog just as Alex is working outside. Second, anything Kate says has happened that winter happens.

As far-fetched and impossible as it might seem – through some sort of time lapse or whatever – they are corresponding through the same mailbox. The minute one puts the letter in, the other picks it up. Yet in time, there are 2 years apart. So Alex and Kate decide to make the most of this strange occurrence and write in detail. They get to know each other and share bits from their lives. They make little but truly meaningful gestures for each other that other doesn’t have due to their own time. Through the letters, they start to fall in love. They both know it is ridiculous and they how no idea how on earth this is happening but the connection and emotions they share are unique and intense.

At one point, Kate asks Alex to do a favor for her. She has forgotten her much cherished Persuasion copy (a novel by Jane Austen) at the train station two years ago. Alex goes to pick it up and sees Kate for the first time- though Kate two years ago is already on the train and doesn’t know him.

He promises to give it to her. And through a chance encounter, he meets Kate’s then boyfriend and is invited to her birthday party. Kate and Alex get to meet face to face- of course he can’t explain Kate who he is. But yet in those few minutes, they connect. Kate of 2006, she remembers him. She remembers the stranger she has kissed two years ago and hasn’t seen again.

So in that moment lost in the movie, you do believe in “soul mates”, “the one”, “meant to be” and fate – all the cliché concepts that we tend to believe in our romantic/emotional moments and tend to reject when we are feeling cynical. Because there in a beautiful story, you realize the two people corresponding and ceasing to be strangers with their letters, were not really strangers to begin with. They were two people who met at the wrong time, at the wrong place – hence the references to the novel Persuasion (don’t worry, Kate fills you in on that, no need to have read the book- though I’m seriously tempted to). So realizing he doesn’t want to miss the opportunity, they decide to meet for real. But then again, time difference or not, life is complicated…

If you have seen the movie, please comment and I’ll be happy to get into all the beautiful details of this heart-warming and sincere film. Yes, you might be tempted to find logical flaws. Don’t try. I mean the movie does have the surreal element in the first place and since this is simply romance and doesn’t include any other “fantastic” elements, let it go. You either will enjoy the story, the acting, the setting, or you won’t. I love both Sandra Bullock and Keanu Reeves. I am not that big of a fan of Sweet November so don’t accuse me of loving everything with Keanu in it. I don’t (Feeling Minnesota was average and I am not a Matrix saga fan- although I admire its effects). Somehow, Lake House isn’t cheesy or sappy or stupid. It is emotional, intense, sincere and sweet. I actually do think Keanu Reeves is a good actor. And no – I don’t believe the point of the movie is possible in real life. That “fate” helps you in getting together with that special person? That love can exist between a man and a woman in its true form? And moreover “the one” can look like Keanu Reeves? Please, no. But I want to believe it. And for the duration of 99 minutes, I believe it. With all my heart. So can you.

P.S: For a bittersweet reality shot, watch 500 Days of Summer. Lake House involves no comedy and is less original (it is based on a foreign film). But to see a love story, don’t miss this. IMDB rating: 6.8. voted by over 30,000. See? I told you cynicism gets on hold with this flick.

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Nim’s Island starring Gerard Butler, Jodie Foster & Abigail Breslin

Posted on December 3, 2009 Written by ripitup

Nim's Island with Gerard Butler, Jodie Foster and Abigail Breslin

I’ve always liked Jodie Foster. She is a good actress and I really enjoy her performances. I am not exactly a fan of Silence of the Lambs, but I really like Nell, Maverick, The Brave One and now- Nim’s Island. By now I think it is obvious that I made a habit of watching everything with Gerard Butler in it. This movie offers family-friendly fun and mindless entertainment. You can enjoy the movie no matter how old you are, and you are going to appreciate it even more if you have a wild imagination and are used to writing/creating fantasy worlds/stories on your own.

A reclusive island:

Nice pet, huh? Gerard Butler in Nim's Island

Biologist father (Gerard Butler) and his 11 year-old daughter Nim have travelled the world and decided to settle on a beautiful reclusive island on the Pacific. Her mother has died a long time ago and it has been the two of them ever since. The girl’s best friends are a sea lion and a lizard, in addition to a pelican; appropriately called Galileo. They have the tools and the technology, and whatever they can’t make, they order. Nim has a creative mind and what she lacks in human friends, she makes up with the stories she reads. Her favorite author is Alex Rover: a wonderfully brave adventurer: Think Indiana Jones. Only, Alex is so much easier on the eye – I never found Harrison Ford attractive. But Butler takes on a second role in the movie: as opposed to the cute but a little nerdy dad (he is fascinated with one-cell organisms), Alex has longish, unkempt hair, cowboy hat- and he is sexy.

The Real Alex

Now, the actual Alex- or should I say Alexandra- is played by Jodie Foster. You might consider Alex her alter, brave ego – or just a companion from her imagination. The two talk. While Alex is as masculine, impulsive and fun as one can possibly get, Alexandra is an agoraphobic who hasn’t left the house in weeks. The humor of the movie comes from Alexandra’s actions as well as Nim’s relationship with her extra domestic, smart and fun animals.

The Problem

Nim’s dad needs to go on a two-day cruise and he can’t persuade Nim to come with him. Now, Nim is more than happy to stay on the title and take care of her turtle. And she does seem awfully capable of taking care of herself. So he leaves. But when an unexpected storm damages his boat and means of communication, he gets stranded on the ocean. Nim starts to get worried and scared. So she asks Alex for help- Alex was asking for Nim’s help about information on the tropical volcano the island has, that’s how they know each other- how do you save a girl on an undiscovered island when you can’t leave the house?

So this is where the story gets more action and even more fun. Nim tries to keep pirates & tourists off her island, her father tries to fight the ocean and come back home while Alexandra leaves home in an attempt to find Nim.

The script lives up to its entertaining potential and when you like the cast as I do, all you need is some pop-corn, really. It’s perfect escapism.

[pro-player width=’530′ height=’253′ type=’video’]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bfJNjczox9U[/pro-player]

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Gerard Butler Hosts Saturday Night Live

Please!- Award-Winning Short Film starring Gerard Butler

Girls and Badasses: A Post on Dating Bad Boys and Gerard Butler

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500 Days of Summer starring Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Zooey Deschanel

Posted on December 3, 2009 Written by ripitup

500 Days of Summer, Joseph Gordon-Levitt

This is one real, sincere and a little gem of a movie. It is quite lovely, actually bordering on brilliant. I have seen better movies and I’m sure you have too. I am just not sure I have seen any better in the whole romance/comedy genre though. I think most people have been in the places of both of the leading characters- Tom and Summer.

[pro-player width=’530′ height=’253′ type=’video’]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PsD0NpFSADM[/pro-player]
Tom (Joseph Gordon- Levitt) is a young man working at a greeting cards company. When Summer (Zooey Deschanel) starts to work at the same office, he can’t believe his luck. She is beautiful, fun and seems to share his taste in music. There is one problem: Summer is a cynic who doesn’t believe in love and doesn’t want a serious relationship. So Tom only has one choice really. As much as he’s falling for Summer, he pretends he is OK with the casual relationship they are having. The movie adds a half-serious/half-amusing documentary approach to the background as the story takes a look at Tom’s 500 days spent either with Summer or thinking about her. The days are not shown in order and we just join the emotional rollercoaster Tom has got on.

The movie provides all the bittersweet reality of falling in love, the great days when we think the other person feels the same and the other days when we simply feel all alone in the relationship. This is of course Tom’s point of view. I once fell for a boy who didn’t love me back yet I was certain we were such a good match. As Tom’s terribly smart and mature younger sister points out, just because the other person likes the same stuff with us, it doesn’t mean they are your soul mates. Attraction and love may not be mutual or even if there is chemistry, it doesn’t mean the other person fells the same way about you. But then again, I understand Summer too. I have been Summer, meaning where I was the one who didn’t want a relationship, where I wanted to keep things casual. That is what makes this movie so good to watch. The characters are us. We have been them or met them at some point in our lives. But the story is never slow or boring because the familiarity is always presented with a lovely sense of humor.

But as the tag line says, this is not a love story. It is a story about love. And as far as emotional and funny movies go, this is pretty well-done.

The soundtrack is lovely. The actors are totally believable and very likable. And do not consider as just a love a story. It is a great look on life,relationships and dreams. It takes a girl like Summer for Tom to start thinking about his goals again. All people that enter our lives leave some sort of mark, whether they stay on or not. This film is the perfect combination of escapism and reality.