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Cake starring Heather Graham, David Sutcliffe and Taye Diggs

Posted on July 30, 2010 Written by ripitup

Cake starring Heather Graham, David Sutcliffe and Taye Diggs. Made in 2005. Image via divxplanet.com

Pippa Mcgee (Heather Graham) is a beautiful, free-spirited, fun-loving and committed-phobic girl. She makes a living as a freelance travel writer and loves her fun and responsibility free life. She absolutely hates the pink bridesmaid dress she has to wear. She doesn’t enjoy weddings either. And it is at this wedding that she meets a handsome stranger, Ian (David Sutcliffe). But to her surprise and disappointed, this cute and witty guy doesn’t really want to make out with a drunk girl who won’t really remember anything in the morning. Trust Pippa to find the one decent and old-fashioned guy around.

Bu?t Pippa’s carefree life takes a blow when her father Malcolm (Bruce Gray) has a heart-attack. Since he has to rest for a long while, he leaves it to Pippa to run his bridal magazine. Pippa involuntarily agrees and tries to adjust to the idea that she will have to be tuned in on anything bridal. But she is in for a surprise, when that handsome stranger- Ian- turns out to be a trusted employee of her father and he is willing to stick around and help her out. Pippa now has to deal with faltering sales, men who want to take over the magazine, her romance with the handsome photographer Hemingway Jones (Taye Tiggs) and her hard to define attraction for Ian…

Cake is a fun romantic comedy that has two potential romances going for it. Pippa first meets David Sutcliffe’s Ian and then Taye Diggs’ Hemingway. But it is pretty apparent she has a lot in common with Hemingway, so he starts dating him. But then again maybe opposites do attract and she and Ian are not exactly opposites after all. Of course you can guess who she will end up with. Of course you know things will work out for Pippa one way or the other. The reason to watch romcoms- especially the conventional ones- is just to see how the ride goes, not how it ends. That being said, this is a romantic comedy for girls. Yes, a guy who is a fan of the genre can enjoy it and Heather Graham is gorgeous. But other than that, I can honestly say most guys won’t really enjoy the plot.

Sandra Oh co-stars as Pippa’s best friend and it is refreshing to see her in a role other than Grey’s Anatomy’s Christina.

Written by Tassie Cameron and directed by Nisha Ganatra. Ignore the imdb rating if you like a decent romcom. It is 4.8 I’ll give it a 6, minimum.

For guy-friendly romantic comedies, you can check out:

The Invention of Lying starring Ricky Gervais

Ghost Town starring Ricky Gervais and Téa Leoni

Forgetting Sarah Marshall starring Jason Segel, Mila Kunis, Kristen Bell and Russell Brand

What Women Want starring Mel Gibson and Helen Hunt

Yes Man starring Jim Carrey and Zooey Deschanel

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

Shallow Hal starring Jack Black and Gwyneth Paltrow

And three more fun movies with romance, comedy and action:

Knight and Day starring Tom Cruise and Cameron Diaz – this one is action and comedy dominant but it is romantic as well.
Bird on a Wire Mel Gibson and Goldie Hawn– Same genre as Knight and Day
The Sorcerer’s Apprentice– while it is mainly fantasy and adventure/action, it is also quite romantic too.

Bored to Death starring Jason Schwartzman, Ted Danson and Zach Galifianakis

Posted on July 30, 2010 Written by ripitup

Bored to Death starring Ted Danson, Jason Schwartzman and Zach Galifianakis — Bored to Death starring Jason Schwartzman, Ted Danson and Zach Galifianakis. 2009. Created by Jonathan Ames. Image via daemonstv.com

Jonathan Ames (Jason Schwartzman) is a writer who keeps talking about writing his second novel but he has not quite gotten around to it. He also occasionally writes for a magazine where he is good friends with his boss, George Christopher (Ted Danson). They hang out and even smoke pot together. And it is because Jonathan loves smoking pot and drinking white wine a little too much that his girlfriend Suzanne (Olivia Thirlby) moves out…

Jonathan’s best friend is Ray (Zach Galifianakis), a not-so-employed comic book creator. Ray has a girlfriend, Leah (Heather Burns), who has two kids of her own and his biggest problem is that they haven’t had sex for a couple of weeks. And even though Ray is probably not the most rational person around, he does find Jonathan’s new “job” insane.

Trying to cope with Suzanne leaving, Jonathan posts on Craiglist, saying that he is not a licensed, yet affordable and capable private detective. And he soon finds his first client…

This is a comedy series from HBO and even though it is not as daring as Sex and The City or True Blood, it is quite an entertaining show. I didn’t use to like Jason Schwartzman as he had made a habit of playing annoying parts; but here he is perfect as Jonathan and with all his flaws, Jonathan is a likeable character. Ray is more amusing than hilarious but it works. I think it has a lot to do with the fact that Ray is played by Zach Galifianakis ,who you do remember from The Hangover where he plays Alan, the weirdest of the bunch. I just want to laugh as soon as I see his face.

Ted Danson is a charming actor who fits both comedy and drama equally well and his George is an original, interesting and often entertaining character.

This is not a sitcom and not exactly a laugh-out-loud comedy but each episode gets more entertaining and fun to watch. Episode 2 is definitely funnier than episode 1 and having seen 3 episodes so far, 3 is my favorite.

The show is created by Jonathan Ames who has named the leading character after himself. So I am guessing there is some relation to his real life. The first season only has 8 episodes but the show will be back for season 2. Bored to Death is a really refreshing and sweet show for both men and women.

Fun note: In episode 2, the client that hires Jonathan is played by Saturday Night Live’s Kristen Wiig and in episode 3, the movie Broken Flowers’s writer/director Jim Jarmusch makes a guest appearance as himself.

Give this refreshing show a shot. Rated at 8.3 on IMDB.

Real Jonathan Ames and Jason Jason Schwartzman.

Benny and Joon starring Johnny Depp, Aidan Quinn, Mary Stuart Masterson and Julianne Moore

Posted on July 28, 2010 Written by ripitup

Benny and Joon starring Johnny Depp, Mary Stuart Masterson, Aidan Quinn and Julianne Moore. Image via uaa.alaska.edu/

Car mechanic Benny (Aidan Quinn) has been living with and taking care of his sister Joon (Mary Stuart Masterson) ever since they lost their parents a long time ago. Joon is mentally troubled and has certain obsessions. Her problems make her intolerant to certain things such as extreme noise, traffic and chaos. While social consultants advise Benny to register in a private care facility, Benny is perfectly content with the living arrangements and so is Joon.

Benny’s idea of fun is playing poker with his friends. At one game, the stakes get a bit unusual. One of Benny’ friends puts his eccentric cousin Sam (Johnny Depp) on the table. Benny loses and ends up taking Sam at home. Sam can’t read or write but he is a total movie nut and he is acting a lot like the silent movie actor Buster Keaton. It doesn’t take long for him to get used to Joon’s “eccentricities” and Joon has a lot of fun having him around. In fact they seem to form a special bond which leads to a romantic involvement. But how will Benny react? And how are these two ever going to make a relationship work? And will Benny be ever to concentrate on his romantic life while he is concerned about Joon all the time?

Benny and Joon is a delightful, emotional and very fun romantic comedy/drama. The performances are lovely but of course as always Johnny Depp shines through. Oliver Platt and Julianne Moore take supporting roles – Oliver Platt as Benny’s friend and Julianne Moore as Ruthie, Benny’s romantic interest. The soundtrack is just lovely and both Benny and Joon’s and Joon and Sam’s relationships are well-developed throughout the film. This film is so much more than a romantic/drama/comedy.

Directed by Jeremiah S. Chechik and written by Barry Berman and Lesley McNeil, 1993.

Rated 6.9 on IMDB. Well, 7 or above 7 seems pretty fair to me. Benny and Joon is a total Johnny Depp gem. Of course the film is based in reality and you are having your most fun Tim Burton/ Johnny Depp collaborations, this might not be ideal for you. However, I do suggest you give this one a shot.

Also featuring Johnny Depp

10 Celebrities to Wear Flats For

Johnny Depp’s Best: 8 Johnny Depp Movies to See

6 Celebrities That Aged Really Well

Also Featuring Aidan Quinn

5 Movies to Watch on Fast Forward

Forgetting Sarah Marshall starring Jason Segel, Kristen Bell and Mila Kunis

Posted on July 26, 2010 Written by ripitup

Forgetting Sarah Marshall starring Jason Segel, Kristen Bell, Mila Kunis and Russell Brand. Written by Jason Segel and directed by Nicholas Stoller. 2008. Image via 3.bp.blogspot.com

Peter Bretter (Jason Segel) is a musician working on the music of a popular crime TV series, starring Sarah Marshall (Kristen Bell). Peter also has been dating Sarah for 5.5 years and he is still very much in love with her. That’s why he is devastated when she dumps her for another guy. Peter gets seriously depressed and despite the common sense his stepbrother Brian (Bill Hader) tries to talk into him, he tries to get over Sarah by going to bed with any woman he meets. When he realizes this is not the cure, he decides to go to Hawaii, thinking that maybe an exotic vacation might help him cheer up.

However what he finds in Hawaii is his ultimate nightmare, as Sarah and her new boyfriend, obnoxious but extremely popular British rocker Aldous Snow (Russell Brand) are there on vacation. Sarah is uncomfortable but Aldous couldn’t care less whether Peter was there or not. So Peter’s vacation is off to a terrible start, except for the one fact. The hotel desk clerk/guest manager Rachel (Mila Kunis) is nice, gorgeous, fun and has a good sense of humor. So in between trying to get over Sarah, meeting the weird but funny hotel workers (stoned surfer Chuck, the Aldous-obsessed waiter, sea turtles and fish-loving bartender, gentle but gigantic food server and the even weirder hotel guest- the newly married, devout Christian who is having sexual problems with his wife and sharing them all with them) and romancing Rachel, Peter’s Hawaii vacation gets crazier and much more complicated than he ever envisioned.

If I had to use one word to describe Forgetting Sarah Marshall, that word would be hilarious. This movie is one of the best comedies I have seen. It is original, funny, cute, entertaining and romantic all at the same time. While this is not your typical romcom, it is definitely not your typical crude comedy etiher. The writer of the film is How I Met Your Mother and I Love You, Man star Jason Segel. While the comedy series How I met your mother never hit home with me, I knew Jason Segel had comedic talent when I watched I Love You, Man. However as it turns out, Jason can also write marvelous comedy as the writing credits of this hilarious film are his.

Yes, the movie does contain some typical romcom elements: Such as the guy tries to get over a girl and then meets another girl and we root for him to get the second girl. But this movie is never all about Peter trying to hook up or end up with Rachel as the supporting characters are always ready in the background to make you laugh. I had a laugh out of every single character in the film.

And while the humor includes male nudity, sex, awkward sex attempts, mentions and implications of blow jobs , sex pointers on the beach and more, Jason Segel has managed to make everything funny and not disgusting.

The Cast:

It is also fun to see a cast you are familiar with. There is a big chance the actors will look very familiar to you.

*Chuck the surf instructor is played by Paul Rudd who you may have known from his movie roles in Clueless, The 40-Year-Old-Virgin, Knocked Up, Role Models, “I Love You, Man”, I Could Never Be Your Woman or his co-starring role in Friends as Mike Hannigan. Paul Rudd is charming and can be funny in any role. While he is not exactly what you can call a diverse actor, he does pull off comedy well.

*Jason Segel stars as Marshall on the hit comedy How I Met Your Mother and has been Marshall since 2005. And he does share some movies with Paul Rudd.

* This is the first time I see Mila Kunis in a movie as I am more familiar with her as Jackie from That 70’s Show. She is playing a pretty different character here and she really is good.

*Sarah Marshall is brilliantly played by Kristen Bell, who I had never seen her play a “bitch” before. She is famous for her title role in the detective TV show Veronica Mars that went on for 3 seasons. She is also the voice on Gossip Girl. While she is never seen, her voice is present in every episode. She also starred in movies When in Rome, Couples Retreat and the sort of spin-off of Forgetting Sarah Marshall- Get Him to The Greek. Get Him to The Greek is a comedy written and directed by Nicholas Stoller, who also directed Sarah Marshall. It features Russell Brand as Aldous Snow one more time. While Russell hit the target here, I am not sure I can take him through another movie. But I guess Nicholas Stoller deserves a chance as he wrote the scripts of Yes Man and Fun with Dick & Jane, two of my favorite Jim Carrey movies.

*It’s refreshing to see Jonah Hill appear in a movie without Seth Rogen around. While I don’t particularly like him, he doesn’t bother me in small doses. You might remember Jonah from Knocked Up, Funny People or The Invention of Lying.

*The stepbrother Brian is played by Bill Hader, a regular cast member on Saturday Night Live. He has stints on two Saturday Night Live episodes I covered: One stars Jon Bon Jovi and the other Gerard Butler. Trust me, if you see those stints, you will recognize Bill Hader.

There is another SNL cast member on the show: Kristen Wiig. She keeps getting small roles in movies. You can also see her in Whip It and Ghost Town.

7.4 on IMDB, voted by over 70.000 voters. I have no objections.

Trivia: In the fictional tv show that is starring Sarah Marshall co-stars a male detective who is played by William Baldwin, one of Alec Baldwin’s brothers. And there is very little Jason Bateman cameo as well who co-stars with Kristen Bell in Couple’s Retreat.

Buy Forgetting Sarah Marshall on Amazon.com at $ 9.99