Lincoln Review

So I spend a good portion of my job telling high school students how to write their college admission essay.   "You don't need to tell me your entire life story for me to learn about who you are," I say.  "Tell me about one experience, one moments, one conversation- and what says about who you are."

Well, it turns out Steven Spielberg took my advice. Lincoln is not a comprehensive biography of Honest Abe's 56 years, but a detailed account of the last four months of his life.  The movie focuses specifically on Lincoln's efforts to pass an amendment abolishing slavery.

Lincoln is a really great film, full of history and politics and fantastic performances from the entire cast. Daniel Day Lewis portrays the president as thoughtful and brilliant and somehow familiar.  I kept thinking "That's just like him!" Although of course, none of know what Lincoln was really like.  Just as I would recommend, the movie captures one experience that tells us everything we need to know.

Lincoln, rated "PG-13," drama, starring Daniel Day Lewis, Sally Fields, Tommy Lee Jones and Joseph Gordon Levitt "A-" 

Happy Weekend!

And its Friday!  Hope you have a pretty cocktail 

or a pretty day in your future! 

It's been awhile since I've done one of these, so here's what I've been up to lately . . .

CFC Class, where I talk about feminist issues, animal rights, and Twilight PR Scandals

Sunday Morning Required Reading

Whales and Tigers and movies- oh my!

A Public Affair

Helen Gurley Brown

The first two installments of another series about movies I love

Bridesmaid Revisited

Bridesmaid Revisited- Sixteen Candles

Three of my favorite people getting married

WWEMD
(side note- was there really a cheating scandal!? say it aint so!)

If You're Going to San Francisco

Best Wishes

Reviews of movies still in theaters

Brave
The Campaign

Hope Springs

Ted

The Dark Knight Rises 

And something new, a CFC weekly round-up if you will.

Look of the Week: Sutton Foster, Bunheads finale

I think I'm the only person in the world who watches Bunheads and I'm pretty much obsessed with it.  It's like Gilmore Girls minus Connecticut, Rory, and Luke but adding California, more of Rory's zany Chilton/Yale friends, and dancing! Lots of dancing!  Bunheads is sort of modern, but sort of MGM classic musical.  And it just makes me happy to watch.  Anyways, the lead character wore this really great black dress with leather accents.  I can't find a good pic, but I am definitely looking for something like this for fall.  Also, see Nina Garcia in similar dress below.

Story of the Week: Taylor Swift, Venture Capitalist from New Hampshire

Y'all, I'm so concerned about T Swift.  First, she's dating a boy who's in high school.  Literally he's about to start his senior year. Second, she's practically stalking the Kennedy's. Third, she can't stop dressing in patriotic colors.

We get it.  You're an all American kinda gal.  Fourth, she's become a wedding crasher!!  I love you T, but please don't attack the paparazzi with an umbrella or shave your head anytime soon.  In other news, I CANNOT stop listening to WANEGBT.

 

Rental of the Week: Like Crazy

Best movie I've seen in forever!  Cried a lot. 

Movie Ticket of the Week:  Hit and Run 

Getting good reviews and I think Dax Shepard and Kristen Bell are so cute after that whole sloth birthday party.

Happy Weekend!

The Campaign Review

Once, during a rhetoric course I took in college, the professor asked us "What makes something funny?  How do you define humor?"  Just take a minute and try to answer that for yourself.  It's really difficult, isn't it?  I don't know how to tell you if something's funny, I just know if it is funny, I'll laugh.

That's how I feel about The Campaign.  I can't say for sure if it was the absurdity of modern politics, an hilariously outrageous script, or two fantastic performances from Will Ferrell and (especially!) Zack Galifianakis, I just know that it was funny, so I laughed!

The Campaign, rated "R," comedy, starring Will Ferrell and Zack Galifianakis "B+"

Hope Springs Review

If you go to see Hope Springs expecting a fun middle aged romantic comedy from the director of The Devil Wears Prada, you're going to have some questions.  Where is the confident, sexy Meryl Streep that fell into an affair with Alec Baldwin in It's Complicated?  Why have the Hermes scarves and Calvin Klein skirts of her Miranda Priestly days been replaced by a dowdy Coldwater Creek wardrobe?  Why am I not laughing . . . at all?

If you go see Hope Springs hoping for a touching, honest, and intimate portrayal of marriage after 30+ years, featuring three (Meryl, Tommy Lee, and Steve Carrell) of the best performances I've seen all year, you'll get exactly that.

That's the funny thing about hope vs. expectation.  They might seem similar but in movies, marriage, and life, hope prevails.

Hope Springs, rated "PG-13," drama (I'm sorry I know its supposed to be a comedy, but I'm not laughing), starring Meryl Streep, Tommy Lee Jones, and Steve Carrell "B"

The Dark Knight Rises Review

The Dark Knight Rises is certainly . . . ambitious.  Class warfare, a nuclear bomb, and a villain whose ominous threats you can barely decipher? Isn't it enough to simply wrap up the greatest superhero trilogy ever?

Apparently not.  We've also got Christian Bale's "the batman" at his most vulnerable and most attractive.  Good lord, that man is gorgeous.  Also Anne Hathaway has a delightful time as the sexy and smart Selina Kyle.  Her catwoman is almost too much fun for such a dark movie.  Joseph Gordan Levitt is perfection as a young cop and Michael Caine is heartbreaking as Bruce Wayne's ever faithful butler.

However, as the movie started to drag, I wondered; how many times do I have to watch the dark knight fall before he rises? If I had only know the crazy plot twist and completely epic ending that lay ahead I wouldn't have been so restless. 


 The Dark Knight Rises manages to close this chapter in Gotham's history with respect to the past and more than enough hope for the future.  Turns out the movie's ambition wasn't quite so blind, even with a mask on.

The Dark Knight Rises, rated "R," action, starring Christian Bale, Tom Hardy, Anne Hathaway, Joseph Gordan Levitt "B+"

The Amazing Spider-Man Review

Who knew that the wacky roommate from Notting Hill could also be a wacky scientist and comic book villan?

And who knew that Spider-Man was just a boy, standing in front of a girl, asking her to love him?

For me, The Amazing Spider-Man soared during the awkward high school romance but lost its footing in actual superhero interactions.  Though my knowledge of comic books is limited, I know that the nerdiness, insecurity and search for identity are a huge part of Spider-Man lore.  However he is a superhero and I was hoping for more thrills during in the fight against evil.


Do you what I'm no longer fighting?  A gigantic crush on Andrew Garfield.

I mean, I thought his superb performance was the best part of an otherwise over-hyped The Social Network.

But when I saw him and my girl Emma Stone cavorting all around town I was like, really Emma?  After making out with NoahCalhoun this is happening?

I get it now.  

The ability to fight crime and maintain perfectly mussed hair?  Now that's superhuman.


The Amazing Spider-Man, rated "PG-13," action, starring Andrew Garfield and Emma Stone "B-"

To Rome with Love Review

One of the reasons I love actually seeing movies in the theater is that you get a little bit of an escape.  When I rent a movie I'm tempted to talk, text, wipe down the kitchen counter or blog.  But for two hours in a dark movie theater I can escape from anything else that is on my mind.

To Rome with Love is certainly a lovely escape.  It's a vacation abroad through delightful scenes of the city. It's an escape from worries as each minor conflict in the vignettes is played for laughs.  It's a departure from reality as time stands still and fantasies come to life.  Sounds a lot like Woody Allen's last love letter to a city, Midnight in Paris, right?  Well, I didn't love to Rome with Love. But I enjoyed my trip there!

To Rome with Love, rated "R," comedy, starring Woody Allen, Penelope Cruz, and Jesse Eisenberg "B-"

Ted Review

After seeing the R rating and redband trailer for Ted, I was surprised to find the movie was actually a sweet buddy comedy about friendship, loyalty, love, and growing up.  Of course it is centered around a foulmouthed, pot-smoking teddy bear but after my glowing review of Magic Mike I can't really pretend to have delicate sensibilities.

Without the idiotic slapstick of an Adam Sandler disaster or the heartbreaking realism of a Jud Apatow hit, Ted manages to be a comedy that is just plain funny.  I'll take it!

Ted, rated "R," comedy, starring Mark Wahlberg and Mila Kunis "B-"

Magic Mike Review

Well I feel vindicated.  After repeated disappointments from the movies I was so excited about this summer, I am thrilled to report that my ticket to Magic Mike was worth every penny . . . or dollar bill stuffed into a male thong.


For months  (literally I have been talking about this movie since last fall) I've told everyone that this movie is going to be awesome.  And not just because it takes place in my hometown, and not just because Channing Tatum, Matthew McConaughey, and Alex Pettyfer are dancing around naked.  Because I knew it was going to be more than a movie about male strippers.  And just as Joe Manganiello's character "Big D Richie" promises, it was a lot more.  Okay, enough with the stripper jokes.




Obviously the Xquisite club in Tampa featuring an all male revue is a huge part (I'm so sorry, last one) of Magic Mike and those scenes elicited more than a few squeals and cheers from the female members of the theater.  However, Olivia Munn showed up topless within the first few minutes and my boyfriend cheered for that so you know, equality all around.


 But Magic Mike is also about youth, identity, partying, drugs, sex and living in Florida.  And the movie somehow manages to tackle all of these topics with humor and thoughtful consideration; sans judgement.  Many of the early reviews criticized that Magic Mike starts out as a fun romp but loses its stamina ( I guess can't stop making sex jokes) once the plot takes a dark, drug-filled twist.  I completely disagree.  This is what keeps the movie gritty and compelling.  Without these conflicts, Magic Mike would simply be a more naked version of Step Up.  Which, come to think of it, is a pretty good idea.


Unfortunately Magic Mike was marketed as a movie for tipsy women to watch with their friends and fantasize about the hot guys on screen.  That sounds like a blast, but if you strip away (I'm on a roll!) the gratuitous shots of butts and biceps, Magic Mike is about guys drinking on the beach by day, and partying with girls who want to rip their clothes off by night.  As Mike explains, its all about "women, money, and a good time."  Sounds more like a man's fantasy to me.  But I loved having a front row seat to the show.


Magic Mike, rated "R," comedy/drama, starring Channing Tatum, Alex Pettyfer, Matthew McConaughey and Cody Horn "A-"

Seeking a Friend for the End of the World Review

Seeking a Friend for the End of the World is about well, the end of the world, so it can't help but be a little bit depressing.  But I had hoped it wouldn't be quite so miserable.  Actually even if the plot had followed an overall emo format with wistful images of people spending their last days together I might not have enjoyed the movie, but I could have appreciated it.


Instead Seeking a Friend careens wildly from quirky comedy to riots and terror to melancholy final days and at last settles on a disgustingly sweet love story that has no business at the end of the world.  Steve Carrell and Kiera Knightly try their best but they can't make this story compelling or even interesting.  I'm not sure how I'd choose to spend Earth's last days, but I can guarantee it wouldn't be watching this movie.


Seeking a Friend for the End of the World, rated "R," comedy, starring Steve Carrell and Kiera Knightly "D"

Brave Review

One of the bad things about going to the movies at least once a week is that I've seen movie trailers countless times before I see the actual movie.  This means I usually come into the theater with my own expectations and understanding of the plot.

Take Brave for example.  Based on the intriguing (and rather touching) trailer I thought this was going to be an inspiring story about a young princess who blazes her own trail and doesn't have time to wait around for a prince to come.  Considering Disney's track record for creating the usual ladies in waiting ( I still love them!) I thought this would be a refreshing change.

Actually, Brave is about the relationship between mother and daughter.  Considering Disney's track record for creating motherless princesses with evil stepmothers ( I still hate them!) I think this was a refreshing change.  

Being a Disney/Pixar collobaroation we can obviously expect a lot of fun, clever jokes, and gorgeous animnation- Merida's red curls are especially breathtaking.  But I couldn't help but miss the story that I thought was coming to see.  A princess striking an arrow through the hearts of her potential suitors?  Awesome.  A teenage girl fighting with her mom?  Eh, we've all been there.

Brave , rated "PG," animated Pixar fun, voices by Kelly MacDonald and Emma Thompson "B"

That's My Boy Review

If I could say something positive about That's My Boy it would be that the movie never tries to be anything other than a really, really stupid vehicle for Adam Sandler's outdated form of comedy.  No actual scenes of father and son bonding, no romance, just pure gross out (and occasionally funny) jokes.  I guess it's pretty bad when you have to praise a movie for such low ambition.  Still, it kept my attention and I wanted to find out what happened next.

You know what I would really like to happen next?  For Adam Sandler to make a good movie again.

That's My Boy , rated "R," comedy, starring Adam Sandler, Andy Samberg, and Leighton Meester "C-"

Rock of Ages Review

Based on a hit Broadway show, starring a talented and diverse cast, featuring hit rock songs from the 80's- Rock of Ages was my most anticipated movie event of the summer.  And just as your favorite band hitting the wrong notes in concert can burst your starstruck bubble, I left the theater feeling more than a little disappointed.


I'm not saying I didn't smile, or squeal over Sherrie Christian's adorable 80's fashion, or feel like applauding on occasion.  Tom Cruise (sorry, Suri) and Catherine Zeta Jones are especially ambitious in their roles.  But I don't understand how director Adam Shankman and phenomenal choreographer Mia Michaels couldn't manage to to create more exciting performances.  Most of the time the lead characters mope around singing ballads to themselves- think Glee's Lea Michele at her most annoying.  The two bright spots in choreography- ironically set in a church and a strip club- give us an idea of what could have been.


Like its predecessor on stage, Rock of Ages the movie doesn't take itself very seriously.  Most of the dialogue is tongue in cheek and the plot, like a rock god's hair, is overblown and absurd.  I didn't come looking for something serious, but I wanted to feel something.  I cried during High School Musical 2 for heaven's sake!  During the best moments of Rock of Ages I occasionally giggled.  I guess that's not a bad thing, but that's not rock and roll.


Rock of Ages , rated "PG-13," musical, starring Julianne Hough, Diego Boneta, Tom Cruise, Alec Baldwin, Russel Brand, Catherine Zeta Jones, etc "C+"

What to Expect When You're Expecting Review

What to expect if you're expecting to see What to Expect When You're Expecting:

- A lot of beautiful people- JLo, Cameron Diaz, Brooklyn Decker and the fairest of them all- Nate Archibald

- Lots of Atlanta scenes! 3 cheers for a romantic comedy set outside of NYC


- A little too much "men aren't ready for fatherhood, want to be a cool dad, and wish they were still single" jokes. Come on guys, grow up.

- 3 supporting actors from Bridesmaids- Ben Falcone (the air marshall), Rebel Wilson (the British roommate), and Wendi McClendon-Covey (the frazzled mom bridesmaid.)  All very funny, again!

- A few totally gross out but totally laugh out loud moments.  Pregnancy- its apparently hilarious.

-A few teary eyed moments.  Babies- apparently they're pretty cute.

- At least one glance at your watch.  The movie is just a tad too long.


-A fun, sweet, and different take on the ensemble romantic comedy.


What To Expect When You're Expecting, rated "PG-13," comedy, starring Jennifer Lopez, Cameron Diaz, Elizabeth Banks, Chace Crawford, etc etc etc "B"

The Dictator Review

In my humble opinion, here's what happened with the making of the Dictator: Sacha Baron Cohen wanted to make another outrageous, offensive, hilarious, "Americans think they're so civilized but the jokes on you!" mockumentary. And movie execs were like "Ehhh."

So they combined the general idea of Borat and Bruno and made another "clueless and annoying foreigner makes his way to America" movie, but this time entirely scripted and with a romantic comedy twist. And then poor Sacha promoted the hell out of it on every Kabletown NBC Universal venue possible. Including dumping ashes on Ryan Seacrest and being interviewed not once, but twice on The Today Show where the entire crew referred to him as "The Dictator." Awkward.

So does the movie work? Sometimes. It was certainly outrageous and at times very funny- definitely some lol moments. But I didn't come out of the theater saying "Well that was hilarious!" I think Ryan Seacrest knows the feeling.

The Dictator, rated "R," comedy, starring Sacha Baron Cohen and Ana Faris "C+"

The Avengers, Part II

Guess what?! My very cute, clever, and creative (and bride to be!) friend Carly has written a FANTASTIC review of The Avengers upon my request!

You can check it out on her blog, All My Reasons.

Thanks Carpool!

P.S. I agree . . . the movie was missing some romantical moments. What the chances that Thor 2 will be a romantic comedy?

The Avengers Review

I feel guilty even reviewing The Avengers because I am not, and never will be, a comic book fan. There's nothing wrong with loving comic books its just . . . this blog is called Chick Flick Chic, ok?

My attempt to review the superhero movie to end all superhero movies is like when the woman sitting next to me on a plane is reading In Touch magazine from 3 months ago and tries to update me on Ryan Gosling's love life. No ma'am.

But I did see The Avengers and I did enjoy it! It was filled with action and adventure and some witty remarks here and there. Also I know this is his first time playing the Hulk but I really liked Mark Ruffalo with some muscles. And Chris Evans is cute. I know my friend Carly saw this in IMAX and could probably give you more comprehensive, more informative review.

And for the record, Ryan Gosling and Eva Mendes are still kinda sorta together although I have this feeling that he's just that into her. Kind of like NoahCalhoun and Martha Shaw.

Poor Martha.

The Avengers, rated "PG-13," action, starring Robert Downey Jr., Chris Evans, Chris Hemsworth, and Scarlett Johansson "B"

April Madness

Oh hello . . .

I had a dream last night that I somehow got to go to the premiere of The Lucky One and Zac Efron invited me to an after party at his house. Unfortunately I woke up before I could go to the party, or see what was in his pockets.

It's been quite awhile since I posted and while I predicted that I wouldn't be posting much in April, I didn't anticipate the entire month. I've found that blogging, like exercise, healthy eating, and hanging up my clothes instead of throwing them in a corner on the floor, is an easy habit to fall out of when you're busy. And the longer you go without doing something, the more you get used to its absence. That was a lot of nonsense to say what I'm sure no one (except Krysta!) has commented on- I took a break, now I'm back- for a little.


So what have I been up to? Well I could bore you some more with the details but I'd rather tell you about the movies I've seen recently!


In theaters:
Salmon Fishing in the Yemen- have you even heard of this movie? Well, we went to see it and rather enjoyed it! Its an eccentric but simple movie- basically about faith and falling in love and fish that swim upstream. I always have a girl crush on Emily Blunt and I do love Ewan McGregor as a shy guy dealing with unrequited love. Christian in Moulin Rouge anyone? (side note, Moulin Rouge is over 10 years old. crazy.) This is a movie that you could watch with your parents, grandparents, or great grandparents and not be all flustered when something vaguely inappropriate comes on screen.





American Reunion- Not so much a 4th movie in the American Pie series but a nod to all of the hijinks in the first film. A few funny parts, but if this was my reunion I would have skipped the travel costs and resorted to some good old fashioned facebook stalking.

The Hunger Games- I finished the book, and loved it in the end, although Carly and Claire were spot on about the high expectations. My world wasn't changed but I'm certainly glad I read the book- and saw the movie!
What I loved- getting to see the Gamemakers create what was happening in the arena, the intensity of the first few minutes standing on the pedestals, everything about Stanley Tucci.
What I didn't love-a lack of exploration behind the real/pretend Katniss and Peeta relationship which for me was one of the most compelling points of the book. No shots of Katniss manipulating her reactions because she knew there was a camera on her. Jennifer Lawrence's gigantic boobs. She's got a great body, but I expected Katniss to be a little less bombshell, a little more Lisbeth.

New(ish) on DVD:
I Don't Know How She Does It-I finally saw this movie!! And it was GOOD. Very different than I expected, but highly entertaining and really made me think. Isn't SJP just the best? I think so.

Warrior- I remember listening to NPR this fall and someone referred to it as "Rocky meets Shakespeare." I'd say that's about accurate. Good for when your boyfriend wants to watch something violent but you'd at least like a cohesive story to go along with it.

Oldies but Goodies:
With all the renewed Marilyn Monroe buzz- My Week with Marilyn and Smash (is anyone watching?) I'm ashamed to say I'm not very familiar with the her on screen. However, I recently watched Some Like it Hot and The Seven Year Itch thanks to TCM and my DVR. Both were funny, interesting, and surprisingly modern.

Anyways, I hope to be back soon with a review of The Lucky One and more pics of Zac Efron. Anyone see any good movies in April?

Friends with Kids Review

Since Mad Men fever seems to have reached an all time high right now I thought we'd talk about Jon Hamm. Actually we're going to talk about Jon Hamm's girlfriend, Jennifer Westfeldt. Jon and Jennifer have been together for 15 years! They're not married and they don't have kids but they do have a dog, Cora, and you can often see the whole family out for a walk. A few years ago, Jon and Jennifer started to notice that all of their couple friends were having kids and then disappearing from their lives. Jennifer decided to write, direct, and produce a movie about what happens to friends when they have kids.

I mention this backstory not only because its interesting but because its very relevant to the movie, which is supported by some incredibly realistic dailogue. I'm pretty sure if you are friends with Jon and Jennifer you will probably see one of your tense conversations acted out on screen Jennifer plays Julie and Adam Scott is her best guy friend, Jason. They want to have kids, but want to avoid the stress it creates on a romantic relationship, as witnessed with their couple friends. The couples are played by Chris O'Dowd, Maya Rudolph, Jon Hamm, and Kristen Wiig. Basically the cast of Bridesmaids! No big deal.

Friends with Kids was funny but very poignant. I found myself getting stressed out for the characters, and at times just sad. Adam Scott is charming and but so heartbreaking . . . when he tears up during the last scene, I noticed myself doing the same.

For a film so grounded in real conversations, I didn't really buy the main relationship. I mean they were super cute together, but in what world do two attractive people remain completely platonic for years without even a drunken hookup? And then they can conceive a child but still not get together for a few years? Also he calls her "doll" which is very sweet but I'm pretty sure that's just for the Kardashians and imaginary gay best friends.

However, if you like When Harry Met Sally or Steve and Miranda in the first part of SATC season 6, you 'll like this movie. And if you don't . . . why are you reading this blog?

Friends with Kids, rated "R," romantic comedy, starring Jennifer Westfelt, Adam Scott, Jon Hamm, Kristen Wiig, Maya Rudolph, and Chris O'Dowd "B+"

21 Jump Street Review

Ever since Vince Vaughn launched into his "Janice, I apologize to you if I don't seem real eager to jump into a forced awkward intimate situation that people like to call dating" monologue in Wedding Crashers, I've started to expect R rated comedies to be rambling, outrageous, and partly improvised. Especially once Judd Apatow threw his hat into the ring.

So imagine my surprise when Jonah Hill, a Judd Apatow darling, cowrites and stars in 21 Jump Street- a tightly written, fast moving, but still very funny comedy. Beyond the name, I'm unfamiliar with the 1980's tv show, but I think there were a few nods to the original, including a great surprise cameo!

More than anything, I enjoyed the chemistry between Jonah Hill and Channing Tatum. Channing has some real talent as a comedic actor! He's perhaps better suited for this than the tough guy in love parts I'm used to watching. And I've thought Jonah was ridiculously talented since Superbad- more on that in another post. The movie has some great observations about what this generation of high school kids are like. Considering I work with students every day- I was highly amused.

21 Jump Street received mostly rave reviews from famous critics which surprised me a bit. Yes, I laughed out loud many times, but high school comedies, like chick flicks, are often unappreciated. The movie veers of course a bit with a sudden influx of violence as the movie comes to end. Fortunately, it also sets us up for a sequel. And more Channing. So I'll be there.

21 Jump Street, rated "R," comedy, starring Jonah Hill, and Channing Tatum, "B"