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Touch of Pink starring Kris Holden-Ried, Jimi Mistry & Kyle MacLachlan

Posted on October 2, 2009 Written by ripitup

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Alim (Mistry) has a good life. He has moved in with Giles, his super-sexy boyfriend and he is very happy. Giles (Kris Holden-Ried) of course has no reservations about being gay, living in London and all. Alim,on the other hand, is from a Muslim family. His family lives far away and has no idea he is not interested in women. When his traditionalist mother comes to visit, meaning to find the perfect girl for his son, Giles has to pretend he is Alim’s straight room-mate. Giles’ sister is introduced as Alim’s loved one and even the idea of a bride from another culture is enough to drive the mother nuts.

Kyle MacLachlan plays Alim2s imaginary companion, Cary Grant’s spirit. He sort of displays the only father figure in Alim’s life. The mother develops a close friendship with Giles; having no idea that he is actually his son’s lover. Alim’s mother is not the only problem. Giles is having difficulty understanding Alim’s reservations. When the truth is revealed, all hell breaks loose for everyone.

The movie is very funny, sweet and emotional. The cultural differences are told in the most poignant way. You go between wanting to hug the mother and punch her and it goes same with Giles. Just sit back and be ready for laughs.

The Answer Man starring Jeff Daniels and Lauren Graham

Posted on September 5, 2009 Written by ripitup

Wow, Jeff Daniels has grown up!!! I don’t mean it in a bad way. Sure he has gotten a little old, hell- he is 54 now. But do you remember the 1994 hit Dumb and Dumber with Jim Carrey? Yep, Jeff was the other lead. So it is funny to remember that role. He has matured and this is a lovely romantic comedy. Although it is a little different than your typical rom-com. It has characters whose paths cross in funny ways yet it has dramatic elements. Jeff Daniels’ grumpy and edgy character Arlen Faber is good for laughs.

So Arlen Faber- as the opening credits tells us- has written a book called “Me & God” 20 years ago. The book has become a hit of hits, a life-changing book for many and Arlen has millions of fans all over the world. Yet the man is a mystery. He has never given any interviews and his picture was never shown anywhere so no one even knows what he looks like. We, the viewer, however know who it is. The book has given all the answers you might wanna know about life in general. So after the credits, one might expect a serene, confident and well, nice guy. Instead, we have an unpleasant, grumpy, and weird guy living alone in a huge house with signs attached on the rooms, describing what they are. He meditates all the time and reads self-help books but it doesn’t cheer him up.

Then there is Elizabeth (Lauren Graham)- a single, over-protective mother who runs a chiropractor’s practice. And Kris (Lou Taylor Pucci), who is a recently recovered alcoholic and the owner of the bookstore that will also be another character in the movie.

One day Arlen has to go to a healing center after an awfully funny back incident and there he meets Elizabeth. After that, we find a whole different Arlen. With Elizabeth and near her son, he is nice, fun and wise. With others, of course he is usually an ass but starts to develop a strange friendship with Kris as well.

You have quirky characters with problems. And Arlen seems to have a good reason for being the “ass” that he is. …

It is a good movie. It is fun and interesting and eccentric. It could have been a little longer and I wish Arlen had a different secret behind the book. But I certainly do not agree with the viewers that think the movie is a rip off As Good As It Gets with Jack Nicholson. What? We can’t have a weird guy and single mother in a story anymore? C’ mon…

Watch it. Sure, there will be things you wish had been done differently. The writer/director John Hindman has pulled off a decent movie that I find honest and real. 6.6 on IMDB. A heartfelt 7 from me!

While You Were Sleeping starring Sandra Bullock and Bill Pullman

Posted on August 17, 2009 Written by ripitup

Qutoe from the movie

-Lucy (Sandra Bullock): Peter (Peter Callagher) once asked me when it was that I fell in love with Jack . And I told him: It was while you were sleeping.

While You Were Sleeping

Lucy (Sandra Bullock) has a big platonic crush on a nice-looking guy that she sees everyday- she is a ticket collector at a train station and doesn’t know anything about the guy. One day, she gets to save his life. This guy – Peter (Peter Callagher)- is unconscious and through a series of misunderstandings, his family thinks Lucy is his fiancé. They are so happy that Peter is finally dating a nice, down-to-earth girl. Something always gets in the way of her confessing the truth. So Lucy is happy that she has found a family-even for a temporary basis.

The crazy granny, funny and lovely parents, family friend Saul, the sister all love Lucy.

But then Jack (Bill Pullman), Peter’s brother, shows up and he is not ready to embrace Lucy so easily. Lucy is nothing like the spoiled, rich and blonde women Peter dates. He questions everything about Lucy and they are seemed to be thrown together on family matters and Jack’s quest to prove Lucy is not Peter’s type.

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But the more time he spends with her, it seems like he is starting to wish he is the one who could be with Lucy. And Peter will eventually wake up from a coma…since this being a romantic comedy and all…

No, I did not give any spoilers. I mean look at the poster. It is Bill Pullman and Sandra Bullock. Well, even if you don’t know who Jack is, you will know she is going to fall for him in the first 10 minutes or so. For one thing, Peter is in a coma. Then Jack comes in, spends all that time with Lucy. And you just know. Romantic comedies don’t try to keep you guessing about who is going to end up with who. They just show how.

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It is emotional and very funny. For one thing, The family is hilarious. For another, Lucy’s nutjob of a neighbor is just a hoot.

This movie is from 1995. I don’t remember when I first saw it, but it was in a time when I was much less cynical about romantic love and much more hopeful about finding it. You see, this movie just feels so warm and sweet. I hadn’t seen it in a long time. Then I saw this other movie with Bill Pullman in it. And I was thinking how I enjoyed Pullman’s presence, whether be it a supporting role or a leading one. Then I remembered how it all started. I just love Jack’s character. And I guess even my teasing male friends can’t say it is because he is so gorgeous. Oh, I think he is adorably cute and really good-looking in this film. But Pullman is charming in a way so much more different than Hugh Jackman or Keanu Reeves or an actor who frequents the sexy actor lists. His Jack is so unpretentious. He is fun to talk to. And he seems so accessible. The thing with Jack- you know you wouldn’t have to play games with a guy like that. He wouldn’t play and he wouldn’t want you to. I guess you might be calling me delusional, but that’s how I have always wanted a romance to be- an excitement based on the purity and the intensity of the feelings; not some lame idea that chasing makes it worthwhile. And something that grows as you get to know one and other.

Am I dreaming, maybe? But if you know me a little, you will know that I love imagination. And if anyone asks me when I started to have a crush on Pullman, it was while I was watching “While you were sleeping” …

Written by Daniel G. Sullivan and Fredric LeBow. Directed by Jon Turteltaub. 6.5 on IMDB.

Buy the While You Were Sleeping DVD on Amazon.com

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That Old Feeling starring Bette Midler, Dennis Farina, Paula Marshall, Danny Nucci and James Denton

Posted on July 9, 2009 Written by ripitup

THAT OLD FEELING (1997)

Starring: Bette Midler, Dennis Farina, Paula Marshall, James Denton, Gail O’ Grady and Danny Nucci

That Old Feeling starring Bette Midler, Dennis Farina and Paula Marshall. Funny. Very funny.

I am not always gonna talk about dramatic pieces. Here’s a great comedy on love, marriage, relationships and old/new sparks.

And if you are thinking I am discriminating, here the guy-Dan (Farina) – also commits adultery and I am perfectly fine with it.

Molly (Marshall) is getting married. The wedding is extra stressful for her. Not because she’s getting cold feet. But her parents Lilly and Dan (Midler and Farina) are divorced and they really despise each other. She has to make sure they don’t kill each other during the couple of hours they see one another.

Dennis Farina, Bette Midler in the middle of another heated argument.

And what she fears happens. They do start fighting- The mother is now married to their marriage counselor and the father is married to a woman she is sure Farina cheated on her with. However Farina claims she cheated on him before. This was all expected. What wasn’t though is when they are alone, the attraction comes rushing back and they have sex. More than that, they run off together. Paula’s fiancé (James Denton) is a candidate senator so the last thing this young politician needs is a scandal. So before she can go their honeymoon, she has to console two hectic and borderline crazy second spouses, deal with a paparazzi (Nucci) who is determined to find the parents…

It is hilarious and romantic- mostly the romance resulting from the chemistry between the paparazzi and Molly- although he could not be more different than her husband, he just is so fun to be around!!!

I laughed my butt off during this film. It might actually be my ultimate favorite romantic comedy.

Adultery can be OK if the people you are married to are no angels and did use the problems in your marriage to seduce you-and helped you commit adultery in the first place. To see who ends up with who and how, just watch it.

P.S: Molly’s fiancé is played by James Denton. I did not notice how good-looking his guy was until he appeared as a plumber in Desperate Housewives. And even though I am not one of the biggest fans of th show, I have to say I was hooked on James. In this movie, he is too uptight and insensitive and the charm card goes to Nucci.

A little on the actors:

Talk about rugged good looks…His fans might check this movie out to see a younger James.

As for Farina and Midler…They are as marvelously hilarious as always.

Bette Midler and Dennis Farina in That Old Feeling — Yep, fighting again.

Buy That Old Feeling from Amazon.com

If you like romantic comedies, you might want to check out:

He is just not that into you: Starring Bradley Cooper, Scarlett Johannson, Jennifer Aniston, Jennifer Connelly

Just Like Heaven: Starring Reese Witherspoon and Mark Ruffalo

It’s a boy girl thing: Starring Kevin Zegers

You’ve Got Mail: Starring Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan

Yours, Mine and Ours: Starring Rene Russo and Dennis Quaid

Playing by Heart: Starring Angelina Jolie, Sean Connery, Dennis Quaid, Madeleine Stowe, Ryan Phillippe

Enchanted: Starring Patrick Dempsey, Amy Adams, James Marsden and Susan Sarandon

Pretty Woman: Starring Julia Roberts and Richard Gere

Made of Honor: Starring Patrick Dempsey

Someone Like You: Starring Hugh Jackman and Ashley Judd

Adam: Starring Hugh Dancy and Rose Bryne