ripitup | pinartarhan.com

Easy A starring Emma Stone, Penn Badgley, Amanda Bynes, Thomas Haden Church & Dan Byrd

Posted on February 7, 2011 Written by ripitup

Easy A starring Emma Stone, Penn Badgley, Amanda Bynes, Dan Byrd & Thomas Haden Church. Featuring Lisa Kudrow, Cam Gigandet, Stanley Tucci, Patricia Clarkson & Malcolm McDowell. Image via sinemag.com

Easy A is easily one of the best movies set in a high school. It is original, totally fesses up the clichés it uses and rubs its nose in it – while making us laugh and smile the whole time. A bit like Gossip (minus the darkness and drama) combined with 10 Things I Hate About You, but it is its own movie. Here we go:

Olive (Emma Stone) is a pretty, smart and accomplished high school student but no one really seems to know who she is, apart from her best friend Rhiannon (Alyson Michalka), school’s hot mascot (Penn Badgdley) and her favorite teacher Mr. Griffith (Thomas Haden Church).

This all changes by one annoying coincidence when she lies to Rhi about losing her virginity. The school’s religion-obsessed Marianne (Amanda Bynes) hears it and the next thing, the whole school has spread, changed and “enriched” the story. Not that Olive’s complaining, at least now everyone knows her name. But when she confesses the truth to school mate Brandon (Dan Byrd), he decides that he can do the same thing- spread a rumor and have a better high school life.

Brandon is gay and he asks Olive to say they slept together. When they fake it for the whole school, the rumor becomes that Olive’s slut. Rhi gets pissed Olive’s getting all the attention and Marianne is becoming more obsessed about making Olive find Jesus. Then a whole bunch of school boys ask for lies from Olive and Olive finds herself understanding what Hester went through in The Scarlet Letter…

The movie has a hilarious story, backed-up with great one-liners and an awesome cast. We have Patricia Clarkson and Stanley Tucci for Olive’s sweet and unconventional parents, Thomas Haden-Church for the English teacher, Friends’ Phoebe Lisa Kudrow as the worst guidance counselor ever and Cam Gidanget as the oldest high school student. Of course the lead Emma Stone fits the role just fine. Amanda Bynes is annoying and funny as hell. And Penn Badgdley does look the part as the understated, good-looking guy who happens to be nice too…

Favorite Line:

Emma: I’m looking for the bible.

Bookstore Clerk: Oh, it is in the Bestsellers, right next to Twilight.

Fun notes:

Cam Gidanget, who plays Marianne’s boyfriend was actually in the first Twilight movie. He played the main villain.

Also on Patricia Clarkson:

Cairo Time starring Alexander Siddig & Patricia Clarkson.

Vicky Cristina Barcelona starring Scarlett Johansson, Rebecca Hall, Javier Bardem. Feat. Patricia Clarkson

Also on Stanley Tucci

It Could Happen to You starring Nicolas Cage, Bridget Fonda, Stanley Tucci and Rosie Perez

Billy Bathgate starring Dustin Hoffman & Nicole Kidman. Feat. Stanley Tucci

Due Date starring Robert Downey Jr. & Zach Galifianakis

Posted on February 2, 2011 Written by ripitup

Due Date starring Robert Downey Jr. and Zach Galifianakis. Feat. Juliette Lewis, Danny McBride & Jamie Foxx.

Peter Highman (Robert Downey Jr.) is a successful architect on a business trip who can’t wait to get home to Los Angeles and be there for his wife Sarah (Michelle Monaghan) when she gives birth. All it should have taken was a simple first class ride. Unfortunately Peter met Ethan Trembley (Zach Galifianakis) a “weird” guy who claims to be 23 years old, uses dope for a medical condition and wants to be an actor.

Peter suddenly finds himself on the no-flight list and with no suitcase and no wallet. Ethan comes to his rescue by offering him a ride in his rental. A desperate Peter agrees but of course he just might under-estimated how irrational and weird Ethan might be. More things go wrong leading to hilarious moments.

As the story progresses, the audience starts to wonder whether Peter will able to reach Los Angeles in one piece and/or without killing Ethan…

Due Date is 2010-dated comedy from the director of hilarious films The Hangover and Old School. With 3 other co-writers (Alan R. Cohen, Alan Freedland & Adam Sztykiel) on board, Todd has written and directed a fun road comedy starring Robert Downey Jr. and Zach Galifianakis.

Due Date is not as hilarious as The Hangover. Be ready for that. It probably won’t give you that many laughing cramps. But despite a slowish start and some not-so-funny moments, it is a movie that will entertain you and at some parts, it will make you laugh your butt off.

I started enjoying the movie a lot more after the initial 30-35 minutes. While I am not sure Ethan’s “method” for sleeping was really that funny by itself, the dog imitating the owner was hilarious. And the following morning, the movie tunes up its comedy and with the brief addition of Jamie Foxx’s character, it stays hilarious.

My advice? Some parts might be a little dragging but watch it anyway. It is worth your time.

Favorite scenes:

– The “coffee” at Darryl (Jamie Foxx)’s house.

– Ethan’s implications about Darryl and Peter’s wife.

– Everything right before and after Mexico.

Favorite lines:

Ethan (on when Darryl ran into Peter’s wife): February? 9 months ago?

Darryl: 9-10 months ago.

Ethan: 9.

Peter (to Ethan): I’m sorry we drank your father.

Ethan: That’s OK. There’s still plenty of him here. Darryl only made 3 cups of coffee and there is about 8 cups of my dad left here.

Peter (on the phone to his wife’s voice mail): Ever-faithful husband calling from West Texas. Just checking in…. I actually talked to him (Darryl). He told me about the lovely weekend you guys spent together in San Diego……… If there is something you need to tell me…so that I don’t get surprised in the delivery room…

Ethan (throwing his father’s ashes): Dad, you were like a father to me!

Fun notes:

– Co-writer Adam Sztykiel also wrote Made of Honor, a romantic comedy starring Michelle Monaghan and Patrick Dempsey.

– Due Date features Juliette Lewis in a small role as Ethan’s drug-dealer. She also co-starred in Old School.

– The Hangover Part II is in the works.

– Danny McBride makes a funny and annoying appearance as the unhelpful Western Union guy.

Also on Zach Galifianakis

The Hangover

Bored to Death

Also on Jamie Foxx

Law Abiding Citizen starring Gerard Butler & Jamie Foxx

Valentine’s Day starring Jamie Foxx, Ashton Kutcher, Jessica Alba, Jennifer Garner& more

Also on Michelle Monaghan

Source Code starring Jake Gyllenhaal, Michelle Monaghan & Vera Farmiga

The Heartbreak Kid starring Ben Stiller, Malin Akerman and Michelle Monaghan

Made of Honor starring Patrick Dempsey & Michelle Monaghan

Also on Robert Downey Jr.

Sherlock Holmes starring Robert Downey Jr., Jude Law, Mark Strong and Rachel McAdams

Iron Man starring Robert Downey Jr., Gwyneth Paltrow, Jeff Bridges and Terrence Howard

Iron Man 2 starring Robert Downey Jr., Gwyneth Paltrow, Scarlett Johansson, Mickey Rourke

Due Date, Love and Other Drugs, The Tourist: The 3 Comedies to Anticipate This Season

Six Celebrities That Aged Really Well feat. Robert Downey Jr., Tim Robbins, Keanu Reeves….

10 Celebrities to Wear Flats for: Feat. Robert Downey Jr., Johnny Depp, Kevin Bacon, Jon Bon Jovi and More

Favorite Comic Book Movies by a Girl Who Hasn’t Read The Comics

11 Mel Gibson Films You Should Watch feat. Air America (with Robert Downey Jr.)

Darren Aronofsky’s Black Swan: The Movie Natalie Portman Couldn’t Save

Posted on January 31, 2011 Written by ripitup

Black Swan starring Natalie Portman, Mila Kunis, Barbara Hershey, Vincent Cassel, Winona Ryder & Ksenia Solo. Directed by Darren Aronofsky.

And this year’s most overrated movie award goes to….Black Swan. Well, maybe not even just this year’s. I think I need to give up on Darren Aronofsky’s films because after The Fountain, Requiem for a Dream and Black Swan, I’m quitting on this guy. Requiem for a Dream was just as bleak and depressing it was supposed to be. It was a hard thing to watch but at least it was engaging. I don’t think Black Swan and The Fountain were meant to be boring. Oh well.

There are many things wrong with Black Swan but let’s go over the plot first:

Nina Sayers (Natalie Portman) is a talented and dedicated ballet dancer. She lives with her controlling mother Erica (Barbara Hershey) and lives to get the dual role of Black Swan/White Swan in Swan Lake during the new season. Her teacher Thomas (Vincent Cassel) thinks she is perfect as White Swan but isn’t sure she can pull the evil twin off. After all, she is timid, sexually repressed and pale. But somehow she gets the part and as the show gets closer, she starts getting more anxious. She is also seeing stuff. And what’s up with the new hot student Lily (Mila Kunis) who seems to want to be “close friends”. Will Nina be able to perform without losing it?

I’ll admit to seeing Black Swan purely because I gave in to the hype. Rated 8.6 on IMDB? Nominated for 5 Oscars? Golden Globe for Natalie Portman? I thought maybe it might be worth the time. Trust me, it isn’t.

Black Swan is one of the most annoying and boring films I have seen. People see movies for many different reasons. Sometimes you want to get blown away with imagination. Inception does that. Sometimes you just want an interesting true story told in a compelling way. The Social Network kicks butt at that. And sometimes, all you need is pure, pop-corn entertainment and The Tourist gives you all the fluff you need in a pretty package. Or you just want a decent epic movie with all the costumes and acting and budget. This year we don’t have epic but we do have a period piece – King’s Speech.

Now, these reasons above are also my reasons for seeing movies. I want to have fun or be in awe or be inspired or a combination of these, if I’m lucky. But I always want an enjoyable story. I want an enjoyable soundtrack. And I want interesting characters. Black Swan offers none. And don’t get me started on the dialogue.

The movie is all about Nina’s uninteresting life. She was raised by an obsessive mother, seduced by a pervert of a teacher and well, she is not so normal herself. Nina is boring, so is her story. The problem is, this drama/thriller is not dramatic or thrilling. I think it could make a lovely dance show if told in 30-45 minutes. But as a movie? Doesn’t work. And frankly, I wish Ricky Gervais had made some jokes about this one at the Golden Globes too.

Oh well. The only times I had fun watching this was when I saw Lost Girl’s Kenzi- Ksenia Solo, cast as a bitch. And it was nice taking a peek at Winona Ryder. Being a 90s kid, she has nostalgic value. But these two aren’t enough to make the experience bearable.

Fun notes:

– Barbara Hershey dated Lost’s Sayid Naveen Andrews for 10 years. They broke up in 2009. She is 21 years older than Naveen.

– French actor Vincent Cassel is married to Italian babe of an actress Monica Belluci and both Vincent and Monica co-starred with English actor Clive Owen in separate films. Vincent Cassel played the baddie in the thriller/drama Derailed, and Monica Belluci starred in the highly fast and entertaining action film Shoot ‘Em Up.

– Vincent and Monica also starred in the extra-controversial film Irreversible together.

– Maybe I shouldn’t swear off Darren’s films just yet as he is directing in Hugh Jackman in the second Wolverine movie. If he makes Wolverine boring… Fingers crossed, he won’t.

Other Natalie Portman Movies:

Love and Other Impossible Pursuits: The Natalie Portman Movie We Aren’t Excited About

Coming Soon:Thor starring Chris Hemsworth, Anthony Hopkins & Natalie Portman

Overrated: Closer starring Natalie Portman, Clive Owen, Julia Roberts & Jude Law

Preview: No Strings Attached starring Portman & Ashton Kutcher

Beautiful Girls starring Timothy Hutton, Matt Dillon, Natalie Portman, Uma Thurman

Love and Other Drugs starring Jake Gyllenhaal and Anne Hathaway

Posted on January 29, 2011 Written by ripitup

Love and Other Drugs starring Jake Gyllenhaal and Anne Hathaway

1996. Jamie (Jake Gyllenhaal) is an attractive, charming and smart guy who uses all his brain cells to make more sales and have sex with as many women as possible. But when he screws his boss’s wife, he finds himself looking for a new job and with the help of his brother Josh (Josh Gad), he starts working as a drug rep. for Pfizer. With the help of his politically incorrect mentor Bruce (Oliver Platt) and his own skills, he is getting the hang of the job, while sleeping with even more women.

But then Jamie meets Maggie (Anne Hathaway) at a doctor (Hank Azaria)’s office and suddenly Jamie is only having sex with Maggie. And why not? She’s hot, independent and she is offering more booty calls than he can handle. But there are 2 problems: Maggie has Parkinson’s disease and the more time they spend together, the more Jamie gets to like her. But Maggie is resisting any commitment or emotional attachment. Even if Jamie can persuade her to be his girlfriend, can they make it work with her symptoms and fears?

The movie has a lot to tell. It has a love story, the launch of Viagra, Jamie’s career, his coming to terms with deeper sides of his personality, very talkative supporting characters who try to steal the scene, Maggie trying to fit in a relationship in her life….

Love and Other Drugs is a film with some original moments and many clichés. Well, telling a mixed genre of comedy/romance/drama is not easy.

But the way director/co-writer Edward Zwick (Legends of the Fall, Glory, The Last Samurai) started telling this story, I thought we were going to a get a Cameron Crowe (Elizabeth Town, Jerry Maguire) or Jason Reitman (Up in the Air) style film – sincere, refreshing & highly entertaining.

A little short of 2 hours, Love and Other Drugs could be edited more. It could also have a better dialogue. And a couple less superficial characters?

Edward Zwick’s film starts in the tradition of Cameron and Jason and then suddenly becomes…well, something different and less impressive. It has a nice soundtrack, though.

Some could argue that the movie tried to be show life as it is – politically incorrect, rude, awkward, competitive, sarcastic….But then I could argue it gives you just as many clichés as your average romantic comedy- just with much more nudity. Come on- the misunderstood, potentially great guy who was previously a womanizer only finding his true self through love. The girl resisting true romance because of her fears? Even the big chasing gesture…

This movie is not bad. It is just not as good as I expected. Its problem? It’s not funny enough and it is not romantic enough. It is just alright. 6.6 on IMDB.

Fun notes:

– Gabriel Macht plays competitive firm’s drug-rep.

– Anne Hathaway and Jake Gyllenhaal hooked up on screen before in Brokeback Mountain, although Jake’s true love in the film was Heath Ledger.

– Hank Azaria had a recurring guest role on Friends as Phoebe’s scientist boyfriend.

Other posts on Jake Gyllenhaal

Source Code starring Jake Gyllenhaal, Michelle Monaghan & Vera Farmiga

Jake Gyllenhaal Trivia

Donnie Darko starring Jake Gyllenhaal, Jena Malone, Drew Barrymore & Patrick Swayze

The Day After Tomorrow Starring Dennis Quaid & Jake Gyllenhaal

Preview: Love and Other Drugs starring Jake Gyllenhaal & Anne Hathaway

Actors Born In Between 1980-1990 feat. Gyllenhaal

Other Posts on Anne Hathaway