Crazy Stupid Love (2011) - Joan Finch

     Beyond the obvious reasons to go see this film, like the impeccable casting, I'll give you another...its absolute in its goodness.  They never drop the ball on any aspect of the storytelling.  It is continually funny, charming, surprising, and human.  It's that kind of satisfying movie-going experience that makes you happy there's such a thing as a mega-plex. Its well worth the ticket price. And yes its a romantic comedy but its a truly great ride.

      And if you don't trust my opinion (which is just silly) there is a point B to my pro-Crazy Stupid Love argument that even you may agree with.  

Point B: Ryan Gosling shirtless, Ryan Gosling in a suit, Ryan Gosling smiling.

Letters To Juliet (2010) - Joan Finch

Those who are very easily influenced by suggestion, like me, would remember the previews for this romance flick from last year.  Beautiful scenery and an embarrassing abuse of a pop song made this a better music video than trailer.  I might not be so hard on this film had they not broken the cardinal rule(in my opinion) about trailers: Don't show the whole film in the trailer.

Yet still, in spite of your gut feeling that this is going to be no more that another in a long line of uninspired so-called “chick flicks”, you find yourself in line for popcorn with the ticket in your hand and a very excited “chick” saving you a seat. 

They wasted Gael Garcia Bernal and Vanessa Redgrave completely. I would much rather have watched a film focusing on Mrs. Redgraves storyline than what Letters To Juliet ended up being. This film is the result of a half-hearted attempt and I can't in anyway recommend it. 

Ceremony movie review

It's a rarity when a romantic comedy is smart, funny, and human. Ceremony, the feature debut of talented up-and-coming director/writer Max Winkler(son of Henry) is just that. The characters are all flawed, sure, but that's what makes them so brilliant.

On the surface, Ceremony is another romantic comedy, but it's as much a story of friendship as it is of love. Sam Davis(Michael Angarano) is a self-centered, pretentious children's book author who drags his shy, traumatized former best friend Marshall(Reece Thompson) out for a weekend getaway. It's been a year since the two friends have seen each other, and almost a year since Marshall has even been out of his house. Marshall believes that this is going to be a nice, relaxing weekend with his friend, but Sam has ulterior motives. Sam has been having an affair with Zoe(Uma Thurman), a smart, beautiful woman who announces that she is getting married to her longtime fiance, Whit(Lee Pace). What ensues is funny and heartbreaking. In the hands of a less talented cast or a broader script, this movie could have veered into either slapstick chaos or wrenching melodrama, but lucky for the audience, the movie doesn't hit a single false note.

The end of Harry Potter?

Even if you've never read or watched any of the Harry Potter books, you've probably heard about the brave and intelligent boy wizard and his incredible friends and allies. I know that we can always go back and re-read the books and re-watch the movies, but I have to say that I'm feeling kind of a fantasy void in my life now that there are no more new movies or books that are coming out. I'm glad that J.K Rowling has started Pottermore, and though I haven't had a chance to check it out yet, I'm looking forward to it. This series is smart, scary, funny, and really well-written. Not to mention, it's one of the few series where the movies did justice to the books. *cough*I'mtalkingaboutyouTwilight *cough*.

It has been incredible to watch the actors grow up over the past 1o years. Don't get me started on that because then I'll just get into how Matthew Lewis aka Neville Longbottom has become quite the little hottie, even though I could sort of start to see that happen in the fourth movie...Back to the subject at hand, I was re-watching all of the films over the past couple of weeks and I had forgotten how truly wonderful they all were.

Daydream Nation

The movie Daydream Nation is made by an up and coming writer/director Michael Goldbach. It's an independent Canadian film about a precocious teenage girl named Caroline Wexler(Kat Dennings). When her father moves them to a small, backwards town after her mother dies, Caroline decides to seduce her English teacher out of boredom. Things are going fine for awhile, until Caroline falls for local stoner and fellow high school student Thurston(the adorable Reece Thompson). At first Thurston is nothing but a front for Caroline and her teacher, Barry's relationship, but it soon becomes apparent that the right man for Caroline is right in front of her.

I know that I'm making this film sound like another romantic dramedy, but there's much more to it then that. Throw in the fact that there is an industrial fire at the edge of town that never stops burning, the local kids who do anything and everything to get high, and the fact that there's a white suited serial killer roaming around town who's picking off the young pretty high school kids and you've got an interesting and original story. The visuals in this movie are absolutely beautiful, it's a must for anyone who has an interest in cinematography or who just loves visually stunning films.

The story, however interesting and original, did have some flaws though. For instance, there were some aspects of the story which I won't get into because I don't want to spoil the film, that could've been expanded upon, and the end felt like it wrapped up too quickly.

That being said however, the acting was very good and it had one of the best soundtracks I have ever heard from a movie. Not only were the songs that were chosen amazing, they fit perfectly into the tapestry of the story. It was also cool because all of the bands were Canadian.

Honestly, this movie is worth a watch for anyone who likes such movies as Juno or Donnie Darko. Check it out and let me know what you think!