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Imagine Me and You movie

Romantic comedies don’t get more generic than this one. Imagine Me & You (beware movies that borrow their titles from pop songs…) follows the established formula with only one Sapphic deviation - the romantic leads are both female. But, for all the that script explores the societal and cultural repercussions of this, they might as well be a man and a woman. The lesbian nature of the relationship seems designed for no purpose other than to spice things up, but it doesn’t work. Imagine Me & You isn’t unpleasant, but it is unremarkable. If nothing else, it proves that gay romances can be just as uninspired as their heterosexual counterparts.

The two future lovers meet at a wedding. Luce (Lena Headey) is the florist, and Rachel (Piper Perabo, appearing in her second lesbian romance) is the bride. Their fates are sealed with a look. For a while, they play at being “just friends,” but Luce’s admission that she’s a lesbian raises the ante, and Rachel’s growing emotional distance from her husband, Heck (Mattthew Goode, who can currently be seen as Tom in Match Point), is symptomatic of a mismatch. The women grapple with the forces that seek to pull them apart and the attraction that pushes them together until the expectedly happy ending resolves everything. (Warning: some viewers may experience sugar shock during Imagine Me & You’s climactic scene, which appears to have been borrowed to some degree from Crocodile Dundee.)

I was hoping for a little more Kissing Jessica Stein and a little less Romantic Comedy 101 from writer/director Ol Parker’s debut feature, but Imagine Me & You shies away from doing anything daring, offensive, or interesting. The PG sex scenes (in an R-rated movie that earns its citation because of one too many uses of the f-word) are so tame that it’s hard to imagine anyone being disturbed (or turned on). And, while Perabo and Headey (an underrated actress who deserves better roles) do a good job of inhabiting their characters, there’s no heat in their interaction. It’s easy enough to accept these two as best friends, but the “lover” label is incongruous given the nature of their on-screen chemistry.

The screenplay boasts a few biting one liners, most of which are delivered by Heck. This is Matthew Goode’s consolation prize for playing the guy who comes out on the short end of the stick. To the film’s credit, he isn’t presented as a cretin or an annoyance. He’s a sympathetic guy, and the movie’s best scene is a quiet one in which he engages in a rooftop discussion with Rachel’s younger sister, Beth (Sharon Horgan). There are also the obligatory wacko parents (Celia Imrie, Anthony Head), who start out as impediments but end up providing support and valuable advice.

There’s can be a benefit to the familiarity in most romantic comedies, but that assumes all of the elements are done well. The problem with Imagine Me & You is that the romance lacks the intensity that adherents of the genre appreciate. We have to fall in love with the characters as they fall in love with each other, and become invested in the success of their relationship. That doesn’t happen as well as it might in Imagine Me & You, and it makes the happy ending feel forced. There’s nothing terribly wrong with the movie, but there’s also nothing that would make this a stand-out for either straight or gay audiences.

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An Ideal Husband movie

An Ideal Husband is a delightful parfait - an irresistible concoction of brilliant dialogue, sumptuous set design, top-notch acting, and a plot littered with Machiavellian twists. Possessing a light tone tinged with an acerbic accent, An Ideal Husband represents about the best that the motion picture industry can offer. It’s an exquisitely crafted movie that can be appreciated from start to finish. Writer/director Oliver Parker (who last reached the screen with his 1996 adaptation of Othello) has taken Oscar Wilde’s play and tweaked it in such a way that the playwright’s best lines remain intact while the setting has been opened up to offer a fresh perspective.

Those who are comfortable with Wilde’s peerless composition of the English language will be thrilled by the way Parker has chosen to use the original text. Those unfamiliar with Wilde will marvel at the screenplay’s ability to keep the dialogue at such a high level for 90 minutes. When it comes to characters trading quips, pregnant phrases, and double entendres, there hasn’t been a better movie all year. Of course, it’s not all in the written word. An Ideal Husband has an ideal cast. They’re able to take the lines and make them their own. There isn’t a weak performance - even the supporting players are perfectly suited for their roles. The worst thing I can say about any of the actors is that Julianne Moore’s British accent seems a trifle forced and inconsistent.

The film begins by taking us to England at the end of the 19th century. There, we are introduced to Lord Arthur Goring, played with panache by the underrated Rupert Everett, who deserved (but did not get) an Oscar nomination for My Best Friend’s Wedding, and is equally worthy of Academy recognition here. (He can also be seen in 1999’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream.) Goring is described by friends as “the idlest man in London”; his favorite pastimes are engaging in slothful activities, flirting with Mabel Chiltern (Minnie Driver), the only woman who can match him word-for-word in a duel of wits, and avoiding being pushed into marriage by his stodgy father, the Earl of Caversham (John Wood). He rigorously avoids discussing serious subjects, asserting that “I love talking about nothing. It’s the only thing I know anything about.”

Lord Goring’s closest friends are Sir Robert Chiltern (Jeremy Northam) and his wife, Lady Gertrude (Cate Blanchett). Robert is an upright man of impeccable reputation and his wife, an independent-minded woman, is devoted to him. Several days before Robert is to speak before Parliament to denounce potential British support for an act to cut a canal through Argentina, he is approached by the devious Mrs. Laura Cheveley (Julianne Moore), who has just returned to London from Vienna. She offers him money to support the canal, and when he refuses, she comments that every man has his price. Her next action is to blackmail him - unless he capitulates, she will ruin his career and wreck his marriage by revealing the secret of how he acquired his wealth.

The plot has all the twists and turns of a David Mamet effort, yet remains surprisingly easy to follow. And it’s a good thing, because unnecessary concentration on the mechanics of the story would take away from our ability to savor Wilde’s dialogue, which never flags. Although the film’s tone is primarily playful, there are serious moments, and it’s during these that we gain genuine insight into the characters. Actually, some of the best interaction has less to do with words than with actions. On more than one occasion, the eye contact between Minnie Driver’s Mabel and Rupert Everett’s Lord Goring speaks volumes. Driver’s expressive face is used to its best advantage by Parker, who capitalizes on each of his actors’ strengths. Cate Blanchett, who, like Kate Winslet, is quickly becoming known for period pieces, is perfectly at home as Gertrude, a woman whose morals are beyond reproach.

There are numerous delectable small moments in An Ideal Husband, chief of which are the brief exchanges between Lord Goring and his manservant, Phipps (Peter Vaughan). Some of the most astute and penetrating snippets of dialogue come during these conversations (which generally consist of Goring speaking and Phipps nodding his head). Then there’s a scene with Driver in a red dress standing at the top of a staircase, resembling none other than Audrey Hepburn. The likeness, although brief, is so uncanny that it can’t be accidental.

Story-wise, the movie covers a great deal of ground, crossing a treacherous minefield of politics, blackmail, betrayal, mistaken identities, and romance. Like nearly everything written by Wilde, An Ideal Husband contains a fair share of barbed social commentary. Some of the movie’s better lines: “In the old days, we had the rack. Now we have the press.” “Scandals used to lend charm or interest to a man. Nowadays, they crush him.” And “To love oneself is the beginning of a lifelong romance.”

These days, with flashy action/adventure films and big budget science fiction flicks claiming the lion’s share of the box office, it’s easy to forget the simple, undeniable pleasure of watching a movie like An Ideal Husband, where dialogue, performances, and story construction combine to perfect the experience. The public consumes blockbusters like snack foods - gobbling them down with little concern for quality. An Ideal Husband, on the other hand, is meant to be savored and perhaps sampled a second time simply to absorb all the ingenious quirks that are missed during the first opportunity. This is one of 1999’s least-publicized cinematic treasures.

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I Think I Love My Wife movie

Upon occasion, cinema can make for strange bedfellows. Consider, for example, I Think I Love My Wife. This relationship comedy marries the sensibilities of French New Wave auteur Eric Rohmer with the youth-friendly, sometimes raunchy humor of Chris Rock. Yet, as strange as it might seem, the unlikely juxtaposition works. Putting aside The Departed, I Think I Love My Wife represents one of the best re-makes in recent years, and it’s because rather than merely regurgitating Chloe in the Afternoon, Rock adopts the framework of the story and some of the key ideas and reworks them for a new audience in a different culture. The focus has changed but the essence remains the same.

Richard Cooper (Chris Rock) is a happily married man. His wife, Brenda (Gina Torres), is a great companion, cook, and mother. There’s only one problem - they’re not having sex anymore. This causes Richard’s eyes to roam and his imagination to wander - not that he would ever do anything to endanger his seven years of wedded bliss, or so he thinks until Nikki Tru (Kerry Washington) enters his life. Eight years ago, she was the squeeze of a buddy and he hasn’t seen her since then. Now, she wanders back into his circle of friends with the force of a hurricane. He begins meeting her daily for seemingly innocent dalliances - quick lunches, errands, and visits to an auto show. Soon, however, it becomes clear that Nikki’s intentions are not so innocent and Richard, despite his resolve to remain faithful, is weakening under her seductive influence.

One of the best things about I Think I Love My Wife is that the film takes the time to develop the three principals beyond the stereotypes that underlie the characters. Brenda is more than just the tired wife who has lost her sexual appetite - she’s a woman balancing motherhood and career and she feels that her husband doesn’t appreciate her difficulties. Nikki isn’t a scheming vixen - she’s trying to figure out life and love and what it means to be the oldest women on a club scene dominated by twenty-somethings. And Richard is torn between desire and temptation as represented by Nikki and stability and comfort as represented by his family.

Rock develops Richard as a three-dimensional individual by underplaying the character. It’s a smart move by the writer/director/actor, and it humanizes the protagonist. There’s chemistry between Rock and both of his co-stars. His on-screen relationship with Torres is companionable and occasionally thorny. He and Washington sizzle, their interaction crackling with unresolved sexual tension. Steve Buscemi and Edward Herrmann have supporting roles as Richard’s best friend and boss, respectively.

I Think I Love My Wife is more serious than what one might initially expect from Rock, although elements of his comedy are sprinkled throughout. (The Michael Jackson stuff in particular.) Generally, however, this is a serious (although not somber) effort. It represents a mature movie made with an older audience in mind. However, there are a couple of bizarre missteps that are at variance with the overall tone. In one scene, Richard ingests a Viagra tablet, hoping to boost his sexual performance. The resulting series of mishaps is the kind of thing one might expect from an off-color TV sitcom. Then there’s the final scene, in which the characters unexpectedly break into song at a most inopportune time. It is - to say the least - an odd way to end the movie.

Chloe in the Afternoon, made in 1972 as the last of Eric Rohmer’s “Six Moral Tales,” concentrates on the definition of infidelity. The movie asks a seemingly simple question with a complex answer: Can there be infidelity in the absence of sexual (physical) contact? This question remains in the background in I Think I Love My Wife. Here, Rock is more interested in examining how a modern marriage can survive the pressures that threaten if from within and (especially) without. In doing so, he has crafted a persuasive and intelligent motion picture that should have appeal beyond his core audience. (In fact, the degree to which it will appeal to his target demographic is an open issue.) What is missing in depth and philosophical intent is compensated for with humor and humanization.

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The Hunchback movie

  • Author: admin
  • Filed under: Drama, Romance
  • Date: Aug 21,2008

I’ve always found movies based on Victor Hugo’s book to be depressing and painful to watch, which I suppose is the point of it. In this newest version Mandy Patinkin (ALIEN NATION) is the deformed Quasimodo, Richard Harris (ORCA) is Dom Frollo, the monk who raised him and Salma Hayek is Esmerelda, the gypsy woman who captivates both of them. The makeup effects of the Hunchback are well done and the sets impressive for a television production.

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The Hottie and the Nottie movie

One would think that after increasingly embarrassing forays into reality television, the Internet and the penitentiary, Paris Hilton might have taken a moment to reflect on her choices. Or perhaps not: with “The Hottie & the Nottie” Ms. Hilton proves yet again that introspection — not to mention shame — is as alien to her as a life without paparazzi.
Custom designed for its smirking star (who is also an executive producer), this tasteless train wreck asks only that she preen and prance on cue. As Cristabel Abbott, half of the film’s title and the entirety of its purpose, Ms. Hilton plays a Los Angeles magnet to a variety of drooling stalkers. Chief among these is Nate (Joel David Moore), a needy nerd whose adoration flowered in first grade and stubbornly resists the evidence of his bathroom mirror.

Before Nate can claim his prize, however, he must find someone willing to deflower Cristabel’s best friend, June (Christine Lakin), a sweetheart buried beneath a crusty coating of plaque, eczema and toenail fungus. But while Heidi Ferrer’s script feigns interest in June’s inner beauty, the camera creeps beneath Cristabel’s swimsuit and hangs on her every word. “A life without orgasms is like a world without flowers,” she pants. Hallmark, eat your heart out.

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The Hills Have Eyes 2 movie

This is a good example of what horror fans have to put up with. Horror fans all know about the good horror films that get everything firing on all cylinders, from acting, to story, to the all important scares. Horror fans all know about the bad horror films, the ones that are so inept that they wouldn’t scare a child and are plagued by a bad story and even worse acting. Then there are films such as The Hills Have Eyes II, which for my money does a lot of things right, but is tempered by the presence of some awful dialogue and acting. It has a story that we have seen before, but builds enough tension and delivers enough gore to keep us, or me at least, interested until the inevitable conclusion.

I guess the big question is whether or not The Hills Have Eyes II is bad or not. The answer isn’t all that simple, as there was much that I enjoyed about it, while there was plenty mixed in to damper my enthusiasm. Bad acting permeates the entire film, something that seems to be a staple of horror films so I can forgive some of it. Sadly, the dialogue does nothing to help matters, as there are a veritable truckload of bad lines being delivered by bad actors, most noticeably in the first third of the film, it does get a little better the further in you get. This improvement is probably due to the periodic culling, as our heroic band gets whittled down to the inevitable heroes (who you should be able to guess pretty early on, you may even be able to guess the order in which they expire).

The story, such as it is, has no connection to the first, save the fact that the mutants are still inhabiting the old atomic bomb testing facility in New Mexico. The survivor(s) (I cannot remember who survived that night of blood) of the earlier film are nowhere to be seen. Instead of a family stumbling across the cannibalistic mutant feeding grounds we are treated to a group of mismatched National Guard trainees out on their first mission. Hmmmmm…… a group of raw military kids? Sounds like fresh meat to me.

The kids are sent out to assist a scientific research team that has been charged with setting up surveillance in the long abandoned hills. Of course, assistance will be the least of their worries as they arrive to an empty camp. The scientists had run into some problems already, shown prior to the opening credits. It does not take long to get a good, up close and personal taste of blood and gore as the scientists are dispatched, setting up the real mission of the fresh faced kids.

The rest of the movie has the shrinking group of recruits shrinking as various mutants pick them off one by one. There is plenty of blood and jump scares to be had, and I would be lying if I said I didn’t enjoy it. The gore is plentiful supply as the kids are chopped up, bloodied, and battered, while the mutants are also dispatched in a variety of gruesome ways.

Despite the terrible dialogue and atrocious acting, the movie still got to me. It crawled under my skin and helped build up this feeling of tense dread. I can’t say that I cared one way or the other whether or not all of the good guys were killed, but I was still into each kill. It is the kind of horror movie that you watch for the blood and just what will happen next.

Martin Weisz directed this outing. He does have a good grasp of stylishly presenting the gore and building tension, but he still needs to work on his overall directing and how to create an overall stylish and freaky movie. That is something that Alexandre Aja succeeded at on last year’s The Hills Have Eyes. If only the film had lived up to the fantastic teaser trailer, you know the one, it had a couple of mutants dragging bodies across the desert. That was a brilliant piece of marketing.

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High School Musical 2 movie

One of the biggest surprise hit movies of 2006 was not one shown theatrically, but shown directly on the Disney Channel. High School Musical was the most unexpected of hits, drawing the highest audience in the channel’s history, and shortly snowballed into an even more unexpected phenomenon with top 40 hit singles, merchandising, and even a concert tour and Disney On Ice show.

It became almost too inevitable that a sequel was to be made. And a year later, indeed it was, becoming an even bigger hit and setting a cable ratings record for a young audience when it first premiered August of 2007. Now High School Musical 2 is available to own on this Extended Edition DVD.

The school year has ended and summer begins for the East High Wildcats. The school’s drama queen (both figuratively and literally) Sharpay Evans (Ashley Tisdale) needs a partner to defend her title as Razzle Dazzle champion of a talent show at Lava Springs Country Club, where she spends her summers with her family, including her brother and partner-in-crime Ryan (Lucas Grabeel).

Sharpay sets her sights on basketball jock Troy Bolton (Zac Efron), who is currently struggling with how to make money for college and spending time with his newly-minted girlfriend Gabriella Montez (Vanessa Hudgens). However, her plan to score Troy as summer job at the country club stumbles a bit when he promises to give Gabriella, best friend Chad Danforth (Corbin Bleu), Chad’s girlfriend Taylor McKessie (Monique Coleman), as well as many of their fellow classmates, jobs as well.

Upon arrival, Troy and his friends decide to enter and perform in the talent show together. Not one to accept anything less than exactly she wants, Sharpay immediately conspires with grouchy manager Mr. Fulton (Mark L. Taylor) to make Troy’s friends miserable and to keep him and Gabriella apart as much as possible. As a way to lure Troy into the show, Sharpay plans to use her family’s wealth and influence to land him a basketball college scholarship, playing for the prestigious team, the Red Hawks.

Soon enough, Troy becomes increasingly distracted by what she plans to offer him and it soon causes a rift between not only him and his friends, but him and Gabriella as well. On top of that, Ryan, who’s seemingly become traded up by Sharpay for Troy, decides to switch sides and enter the talent competition with the Wildcats. Now it’s up to Troy to make a choice and decide what really matters more to him in the long-run, his friends or a chance to be financially secure for college.

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