The lives of several couples and singles in New York intertwine over the course of New Year’s Eve.

Whether you’ve seen this movie or not, you can enter to win it on DVD.

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Giveaway will end on May 10. Open to Canada/USA.

Good luck.

Although the commercials indicate it’s fun for the whole family, The Muppets is a children’s movie. It’s not like Megamind or even Despicable Me in that there’s a lot of double entrendres. The Muppets is simply good, clean fun. The jokes are simply and frequently dorky and, saves for a few punches and one completely non-fatal fall of one character, it’s a lot less violent than any movie I’ve seen in the past and that’s okay. I needed a feel good movie. I needed something light and light-hearted and, even though I’m not a Jason Segel fan, it wasn’t bad.

Like previous Muppet releases, this one exists in a world where muppets live alongside humans. Gary (Segel) are Walter are brothers, human and muppet, respectively. These young man are off to California so that Gary can celebrate his 10 year anniversary with his girlfriend and Walter, a huge fan of Kermit and the gang, can tour Muppets studios. In the process, Gary overhears the rich Mr. Richman discuss his diabolical plan to purchase the studios so that he can tear the down and drill for oil. Even though the gang hasn’t performed for years, Walter intends to find Kermit and talk them into getting back together so they can raise the 10 million dollars necessary to buy back Muppet studios.

As an audience member, you need to suspend disbelief for any movie of the sort but I found it ridiculously hard to believe Jason Segel. There’s just something off about his acting, as if he’s trying too hard to pretend he’s not in a Muppets movie. On the other hand, Amy Adams is superb as his girlfriend. She’s innocent and sweet in the way she pulls off so well and seems right at home with puppets.

There’s also  a lot of singing in this movie, of course. There’s classic Muppets songs and new ones to be found on the soundtrack. I especially liked the “Man or a Muppet” song by Segel and Walter. There’s a great surprise appearance by an actor whom I quite like. Segel’s singing is better than his acting, in my opinion, and he annoyed me the least during these scenes. Other likeable songs include “Life’s a Happy Song” and “Pictures in my Head.” The inclusion of some pop culture favorites including “We Built This City, ” Cee Lo Green’s “Forget You” and “Smells Like Teen Spirit” might seem like an odd fit at first but they were Muppetized splendidly.

And if celebrities are your thing, there’s more cameos than you can shake a stick at. Notably, Neil Patrick Harris but Whoopie Goldberg and Selena Gomez also make an appearance, as does Jack Black. The older audience members will recognize a slew of faces who are playing characters other than themselves as well (Zach Galifianakis for one). The younger ones will delight to see Gonzo, Kermit, Miss Piggy, Fozzie Bear, Sweish Chef and Beeker among the other muppets. Walter is a likeable new addition but he’s also more human than most of the Muppet character, as evidenced by the aforementioned Man or Muppet song. Disney has also introduced us to some shady Bizzaro Muppets, including a gender-mysterious Miss(?) Piggy as antagonists.

The entire movie felt much shorter than it was; although, the ending seemed a bit rushed and rife with plotholes. For instance, why couldn’t the posh Miss Piggy chip in at least a portion of the money needed to get the studio back? When the clock was counting down and the timer seemed stuck, just one dollar short of ten million, couldn’t someone have pulled a greenback from his pocket?  Of course, that would have negated the moral of the story which is something along the lines of finding and remembering your family and being able to make it, even if you’re back at square one, because you have each other.

All in all, the Muppets was a successful mixture of old and new. People familiar with the Muppets of the 80s will find their favorite heroes but today’s children will be able to connect with the characters whose humor seems timeless but who have been introduced to a modern world.

In Friends With Benefits, Dylan (Justin Timberlake) and Jamie (Mila Kunis) meet as she attempts to recruit him from his current position as a successful California-based blog to a position as New York-centered GQ magazine. After he accepts, they become friends who embark on a sexual relationship when they decide they’re too emotional closed-off (him) and damaged (her) to be in a relationship.

At first, they wonder if the decision is a mistake. He commiserates about wanting to call her the next morning but not doing so because they’d have sex and they agree to break off the arrangement. However, hormones interfere and they continue being friends with benefits. Everything seems well and good when Jamie decides the situation must stop because she’s ready to jump back into the dating pool; however, he prospective beau isn’t her Prince Charming and she finds herself back to square one.

Things become confused after Dylan introduces her to his family and tries to support her through her break-up. The sex seems strangely emotional but he sees it no differently than their previous arrangement while Jamie begins to develop feelings for her best friend. Their friendship seems headed for oblivion after one mistakenly overheard conversation and Dylan sets out to repair the best friendship and relationship he’s ever had. Do they wind up together?

Spoiler Alert.

Duh.

Friends With Benefits turned out to be a pretty funny movie. The leading review on IMDB describes it as satirical in the beginning but moving toward straight-forward toward the end and that’s true. Because of this, it lands squarely in the realm of romantic comedy but, in the beginning, it really focuses on the comedy. The characters dig on your typical romantic comedies in the beginning and Woody Harrelson plays an entertaining, amorous homosexual with an upbeat personality. Even the sex scenes are funny, as Jamie explains to Dylan that he’s doing it all wrong and gives him a schooling in cunnilingus.

Speaking of sex, this movie tries really hard to be sexy and places more emphasis on the sex than No Strings Attached. Of course, you don’t actually see anything but the first sex scene shows Dylan performing oral on Jamie (and vice versa) with a “cleverly” placed sheet. I found that to be more than a bit gimmicky and, while I understand that they were going for a sexy vibe, it doesn’t seem to balance out with the romance at the end. That’s where I feel that No Strings Attached was a bit stronger. Both the main characters tend to come off as sweet and genuine, if not misguided. However, in Friends With Benefits, it’s more difficult to sympathize with the main characters because they’re a super-sexy recruiter (Kunis) and a successful and also sexy art director (Timberlake) who are living the high life in New York City. Kutcher and Portman played it far more realistic, in my opinion.

Although the writers try to humanize Jamie, as she struggles with not knowing who her biological father is and her mother’s flakeyness, and Dylan, by showing his father’s deteriorating mental health, it’s difficult to forget that you’re looking at two very well known Hollywood stars rather than the characters. Any movie that fails to connect with a young woman who has shared the same struggles with her mother isn’t doing so well.

Friends With Benefits comes off as polished and expensive but remains too cold to be a truly heartfelt love story. This is a movie to see for the comedy but you might have to take the suddenly-serious wrap up with a grain of salt to thoroughly enjoy it.

This is a Sponsored Post written by me on behalf of 20th Century Fox. All opinions are 100% mine.

I like chick flicks – sometimes. I like romantic comedies. I like watching movies which make me feel good without requiring me to think too much. I also like to see love win out over all (cause I am sort of a hopeless romantic when oyu get right down to it).. and while I am not Steve Carell’s biggest fan (well, really, I’m not a fan of the Office but the 40 Year old Virgin was way funnier than I expected it to be, ha!), I kind of sort of want to see Date Night. Plus, Tiny Fey is pretty cute.

In this Date Night Movie, the actors play a married couples whose routine weekly date goes a little haywire. Just a little. I mean, doesn’t everyone have to pretend their husband is their pimp once in a while? No? Oops.

In fact, maybe I will drag someone (like Jenn) out to see it this weekend because it opens April 9th, that’s right: tomorrow. And while you may not have your own Jenn with whom you watch chick flicks, you probably have a similar friend and you should take that person to see the movie this weekend. Why? Because I say so!

]]> http://reviewsbycole.com/2010/04/i-have-a-confession/feed/ 1 http://reviewsbycole.com/2010/02/its-true/ http://reviewsbycole.com/2010/02/its-true/#comments Tue, 09 Feb 2010 21:15:10 +0000 Cole http://reviewsbycole.com/?p=1187 As I was writing my review for Avatar, I realized that I liked it a bit more than I thought. I would probably buy it on DVD if I happened past it in a store but I wouldn’t go out of my way for it and I wouldn’t spend more money to see it multiple times in theatres. The scores on IMDB and the sold out theatre indicate I’m alone in that but can I say the whole plot would have been moot if the project had done better employee screening in the beginning? d=

I would hazard a guess that most people who disliked the movie did not dislike it because of difference from the graphic novel; rather, they disliked it because it stuck too closely to the GN (which I have heard described as incredibly fetishistic). Ultimately, this is not a family friendly superhero story. Even as violent as Batman or Iron Man were, they were much more family friendly than Watchmen and I think people expected a superhero movie that came on the heels of such blockbusters would be. It’s what they wanted. I understand that, but it’s not what they got and I am pretty sure the trailer described it as a much darker type of movie.

If not, let me reiterate. The Watchmen is not a family friendly superhero movie. In fact, it’s not a Superhero movie at all in the sense of superhuman powers. It focuses on a group of heroes who were simply costumed cops who wanted to fight crime effectually. And as far as family friendly? The themes in this movie are dark, sometimes grotesque. From sex to rape, gratuitous violence to murder and even bordering on genocide, the themes in this movie are not those you would subject your children to. While I realize some of these themes seem pretty commonplace, the way that they’re done in this flick really isn’t. Plus, there are numerous scenes which feature full-frontal male nudity.

While I think the trailer touched on these concepts and I think it also impressed that this movie would be different. Just how different, I don’t think the general public realized. Disclaimer aside, I really did like the story which focuses on this group of once-adored caped crusaders who now seem to have fallen at the wayside and I was surprised at how empty the movie theatre seemed. The opening credits show how the Watchmen (formerly the Minutemen) have faded in and out of public favour, often depending on the political era. The masks and costumes are passed down, in at least one case, from parent to child who continues on the family legacy of crime fighting. Above all, the heroes are human and as such are humanly flawed. They make mistakes and sometimes they don’t do what would be considered the “right” thing which makes this movie much more a look at the human condition than a superhero movie.

As I touched on, I was very visually stimulated. From the costumes to the sets, my eyes never bored but it was more than that. It was more than pretty or interesting. It was enthralling and I think I cannot do it justice unless I let you in on a secret: it was hot. Watchmen was a very arousing experience for me. I also really enjoyed the special effects, of which I didn’t think many were obvious except for the appearance of Dr Manhattan which was very well done. If you’re unfamiliar, he is the bright blue, glowing man. I didn’t find any of the special effects to be monotonous, overdone or cheesy which is a nice change of pace.

Without going into too much detail, the Watchmen is set in a fictional 1985 where Nixon is still President and we are still engaged in a Cold War with Russia. The death clock has been set to 5 minutes to Midnight which basically implies that a nuclear war is imminent. It seems, in many cases, that humanity is showing its worst side, heroes included. And did I mention it seems like someone might be picking off these former American idols? Well, maybe.

So our heroes are brought together by concern of saving their hides. They’re a divided group who rarely talk on a frequent basis except to reminisce about the good old days over bottles of beer. But friendship, and sometimes more, seems to be rekindled through the new turn of events and some of the Watchmen even hop back into the superhero transport to try it out, just like old days. don’t except a reunion, at least not a happy one, however. It becomes obvious that someone or something isn’t as it seems and someone is pulling at the strings and it’s up to the Watchmen, divided or not, to figure it out.

Although my style of writing became a little cliche. I did not find that the movie did. I also didn’t find that it had a really happy ending but the ending, just like the rest of the movie, was incredibly human and real. If you crave family friendly fun or a happy ending, then this movie is not for you. If you appreciate visual art displaying dark and adult themes such as sex and violence, I would give Watchmen a try.

A man in Anytown, USA mysteriously goes blind while driving his car and while initially dismissed as a psychological case by a doctor, others soon become blind as well and an epidemic begins. The government deals with this, incorrectly might I say, as usually by sending the infected persons off in a bus to an old institution. Because no one wants to catch the blindness and there is no solution as to why people are infected, the complex is guarding by the military.

If that doesn’t sound like a pleasant situation, things go from bad to worse. The numbers increase by the busload and what started with a tentative peace between the residents soon turns into an abusive situation with Ward 3 turning into “prison bullies” and taking over control of the food.

Amidst this mess are a doctor and his wife, played by Mark Ruffalo and Julianne Moore. The doctor is the only one who knows that his wife is not blind and she takes care of him as well as others in their ward.

As food, clean facilities and needed items such as clothing dwindle, tension elevates until Ward 3, led by a greasy Mexican (played by Gael García Bernal) whom I think was previously a criminal is demanding the women for food.

I’ll leave the spoilers to the rest of the internet.

I was a bit disappointed for this movie because I think I was in the wrong mindset. To me, the trailers billed this as more of an action packed movie. Perhaps I would have known better if I were familiar with the source: a novel. However, this movie was more a psychological and intellectual view at the human condition and I think I may have enjoyed it better had I intended to see a movie of that type.

Julianne Moore is a veteran and did well. Mark Ruffalo is not as well known and tends to play the “nice guy” character in chick flicks. I think this role offers more depth and he takes it on well. We also come to know “The Woman With Dark Glasses” who is a prostitute but generally kind hearted, a little boy and an older black gentleman played by Danny Glover. Although most of the “bad guys” seem to be lesser known characters, they are loved by their fans, especially Gael García Bernal who plays a despicable character.

As we watched human behaviours, faults and virtues that make up the human experience, I became increasingly more uncomfortable. This is not a feel good movie.

The movie isn’t exactly slow but I find the way events progress to be generally frustrating. Although there is a climax, it seems to be almost something happening in the background while the viewer waits for the real story to being.

At the end, the audience still doesn’t know what caused the blindness and this may be frustrating to some. Another frustrating point is that this movie is literally dark to the point of being difficult to see. While I understand the motivation to play with light and darkness in a movie about blindness, I think that it wasn’t done as well as the producers may have thought.

Overall, I probably wouldn’t watch this movie again but I might give the book a go.

On the surface, Netflix seems like a nice investment. If you love to rent DVDs but have trouble returning it on time or rent them so frequently that your video rental bill is ridiculous, Netflix may just be the service from you.

Signing up with Netflix is easy and allows you to choose a different plan. Decide how many movies you want to have out at a time (here’s a hint, the more movies you have out the higher the plan will cost) from 1 movie to 8 and browse their selection of “more than 100,000 movies” to add promising titles to your queue. The titles at the top of the queue will then be mailed directly to your home (or local post office) without and shipping fees.

I personally use the “3 at-a-time (Unlimited)” plan which means that, at any given time, I can have 3 movies out without a deadline to return them. Unfortunately, this does include shipping times so as soon as the distributor mails a DVD is it considered “out” until it’s in their possession again. Still, if that’s an issue, you can choose up to 8 movies at a time and will be sure to always have a DVD at arm’s length. However, the customer doesn’t have to worry about paying shipping and handling when returnign the DVDs as a business return envlope is included; the actual mailing envlope you receive turns into a return envlope by tearing off a piece of paper.

I’ve used this same plan for over 2 years and have never noticed a hike in prices. In fact, the price has actually gone down – twice! Way to go Netflix!

Of course, I wouldn’t even be able to enjoy this service, like I have for the last 2.5 years, if they didn’t ship to military addresses. This certainly benefits anyone in a remote area when there’s nothing better to do or accessible to service members and their family.

In the last year, Netflix has worked hard to release an online viewing option so customers no longer have to wait for movies to be mailed. Instead, select titles can be viewed from one’s computer. Customers are allowed to view as many hours a month as they choose with no extra fee, unless they have enrolled in the 1 at-a-time (2 a month) plan, which allots customers 2 hours of movie viewing a month.

Netflix movies ship quickly. In lower WI, it averaged 2-3 business days from the time I dropped the DVD in the mail tot he time I received the next. Of course, those closer to distribution centers may have less time to wait and those not in the continental states will have a longer wait. Currently, in Japan, my wait time is about 1 week from the time the DVD is shipped (Netflix notifies customers whenever a movie is received and shipped) to reach my post office for a total of 2 weeks between the time I mail off DVDs to the time I receive them.

Netflix also offers some services for those who opt to receive movies in the mail. If a movie is lost in the mail, a customer can report it to Netflix and they will send a replacement immediately. The company understand that sometimes the mail can be unreliable.

Also, if Netflix sends a DVD that has been damaged and will not play, the customer can report it on the website and a replacement will be sent.

However, Netflix cannot return any discs that were erroneously sent to them which is easier said than done. I myself has sent back 2 DVDs by mistake.

Overall I’ve been very happy with service from Netflix. The prices are reasonable, much more so than renting the same amount of movies from a local store every week and the selection is vast. Every DVD I have wanted to rent has been available to me and very few DVDs are not available immediately. The queue works efficiently allowing one to find and add appropriate titles easily and keep track of DVDs rented and returned. Furthermore, Netflix offers tools to rate movies seen and offers recommendations based upon said ratings. Netflix is a great improvement over your local rental shop.

Anyone who is interested can leave a comment with their e-mail and I can invite you to join Netflix for 2 weeks for free!