Film: When in Rome, Release Date 1/29/10, Diva Screen Date 1/31/10

More of a romantic comedy and less of a chick-flick (yes, there is a difference and I'll explain it another time) this was just the movie I was looking for!

I thought this was cute, fun, clever and managed to be romatic without getting too corny.

Kristen Bell is really funny and definitley carries this movie. Josh Duhamel is a pretty face but probably needs to start getting a little meat behind his movie roles (you know what I mean if you saw "Win a Date with Tad Hamilton"!) Overall he was ok in the limited requirements of his character. A nice surprise that hasn't been shown in the previews were cast members Danny DeVito and Anjelica Huston.

The movie moved along quickly and although it wasn't a gut buster, it was pretty funny even when they switched to a little slapstick humor through Duhamel's clumsiness.

If you like romantic comedies, you should go see this one.

Film: Sherlock Holmes, Release Date 12/25/09, Diva Screen Date 1/30/10

Finally, a movie weekend!

I didn't go to anything new, we went to Sherlock Holmes. It was good, the more we talk about it the more we both decided we liked it.

In typical Guy Ritchie style the film had a visibly dark look to it and camera shots that seemed both fast and slow at the same time. The fight sequences were crazy and inventive. I loved the fact that they've clearly paved the path to a sequel.

RDJ was great as Sherlock, I'm loving the new twist he's received in the movie. No longer stuffy, he's a slobbish detective with some great one-liners. Whether he is visualizing what he's about to do or breaking down how he interpreted clues along the way, this moving keeps your attention the entire way through.

Jude Law as Watson was a great choice, I didn't expect to like his character as much as I did. I thought it was a great play to have him irritated with Holmes during much of the show and not the simpering side-kick this role could have been.

It took us a while to get to this one at the theater, but it was worth the wait and I'm glad we didn't hold out for the DVD or PPV.

Another week, no movies to see

Once again, no new movies that I want to see...so no theater time. I do love this time of year, though...AWARDS SHOWS! First the Globes and last night we had the SAG awards. It makes me want to see Crazy Heart and a few others.
Since I know my one and only follower, I guess he better get prepared to take me to some movies before we go on vacation in a few weeks. I will say that I will definitely be going to When in Rome this coming weekend. Don't worry Dave, you don't have to go!
One week and one day until Oscar noms are announced!

1/17/10 no movie this week

No good movies this week...so no movie blog. I am watching the Golden Globes which is one of my very favorite events of the year. This makes me realize I have a list of movies that I still need to see:
Sherlock Holmes-can you go wrong with RDJ and Guy Ritchie??
Crazy Heart with Jeff Daniels
Grey Gardens, the HBO movie with Drew Berrymore and Jessica Lange.
Avatar...sorry, i'm giving into the hype on this one!
Precious, which I've wanted to see but not REALLY looked for it in the theater.
And finally, Up, I mean seriously, who can resist a talking dog???

Film: Leap Year, Release Date 1/8/10, Diva Screen Date 1/10/10

Romantic comedies are my thing and I really wanted to LOVE this movie, unfortunately I can't say I did. I really liked this movie and I thought it was "cute". At some point in the future I will probably watch it on TV, but I won't pay to see it on PPV nor will I be buying the DVD.
Amy Adams is one of my favorite actresses and I think she can be so clever in so many different roles (Catch Me if You Can, Enchanted, Charlie Wilson's War) this role should have been left to someone who doesn't have the screen cred that she does.
The continuity of the film is something that should be left to more of a "farce" type film. Anna (Adams) seems to be in rain, cow crap and mud for a large part of the movie yet her trench coat and suitcase continue to look great. I guess this is why you should spend the money on a Louis Vuitton suitcase, even dragging it through the muddy Irish countryside can't make it look bad. I do realize that I need to start hiking in 4" heels to get a pair of fabulous legs...it seems Anna forgot to bring a flat shoe with her on her trip to Ireland!
Something else I couldn't seem to get past in this movie is the fact that Matthew Goode needed a shave, a bath and some hair gel. I can say that putting Matthew Goode's name on a future movie will probably not be enough to get me there.
OK, enough negativity...it's starting to sound like I didn't enjoy this movie and that's not true. It was cute. Go with the girls...a friend, your sister, daughter or mom. DO NOT drag your guy to this one! Dave was wise to avoid this movie, he would have hit a level of misery that I may not have been able to make up to him!

Film: Youth in Revolt, Release Date 1/8/10, Diva Screen Date 1/9/10

Dave and I went to Youth in Revolt today...we have differing opinions. He was definitely thumbs down and I was thumbs up. I thought it was (as described) a "smart" comedy, the hubby thought it was just plain dumb.

I will say, you may need to be an avid Michael Cera fan to really enjoy it. I loved him in Superbad, Juno, and Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist...maybe this proves me a bit juvenile or perhaps I just enjoy the humor that is here and now...a youthful smart humor that is even more clever than what most of the middle-aged (dare I say "parental" crowd) really get.

The movie does jump around a bit as it follows Nick (yes, another "Nick" role for Cera) on his quest to win over Sheeni (played by Portia Doubleday...who I fully expect to see in bigger and better roles in the future!). From living with his mom and her boyfriends (first Zack Galifianakis and then Ray Liotta) to living with his dad (Steve Buscemi), Nick and alter-ego Francois work their way to live even closer to Sheeni. It's a fun, smart comedy...unless you are my hubby and then it was "90 minutes that I'll never get back."

Film: Nine, Release Date 12/25/09, Diva Screen Date 1/3/10

Yes, I saw this last week and since we just came up with the "why don't you blog" idea I am just adding it now.

First answer to your question is "no"...my husband would not go to this with me. When I got home I told him that in the first 5 minutes I knew why he didn't go with me!

Someone said that "if you like Chicago, you will love Nine", they are probably right. I saw Chicago and I only thought it was ok. I'm sorry to all of you who will skewer me for that thought...however since this is day one and I have no followers, I will boldly state again...it was just ok.

The best part of the whole movie was the Kate Hudson musical piece. If this movie had been made 35 years ago, a beautiful Goldie Hawn could have easily slipped into the role...fortunately for us who are present-day Kate Hudson fans, it was created in 2009, and a perfect role for Kate.

Would I recommend this movie? It depends...do you love musicals? did you love Chicago? then, yes...100%, you must leave your computer now and go see this movie. How about for the rest of us? It was a good movie and as usual Daniel Day-Lewis melted into his role completely, making you forget that he is an actor playing a part. But this time I must say, "sorry" because I think the Movie Diva would rather catch this one on the stage rather than in the theater.

"Film lovers are sick people" - Franscois Truffaut

That's me, I love movies. Can I say all the movies I love qualify as "films", maybe not.
Do I care? No.

Dave, my husband, goes to a lot of movies with me and sometimes he even wants to see them...regardless, it was Dave that pointed out I should get my opinion out somewhere to make it all worth it. So during 2010 I'm going to share my opinions on the movies I see, it might not be interesting to you but I look forward to looking back at the end of the year to see what I thought, which ones I've quickly forgotten and frankly a good reminder of if I should buy the DVD of the movies I've seen throughout the year.

What type of movies do I like? Chick flicks, action adventure and romatic comedies are what I consider my favorites, but I like to think there are a few "smart comedies" thrown in...maybe it's just who thinks they are smart is the question...

Is it because of the movie itself or perhaps the fact that I love sitting in a dark theater with no distractions that makes me love the movies? Maybe it's shutting off the world (and the cell phone) for 90+ minutes...I really can't pinpoint it right now. I just know that somehow in this world of ADD, ADHD, and all the other acronyms for what comes down to short attention spans, I know that if I can sit in that dark room with a paper sack of popcorn and a large Diet Coke that I am a happy Movie Diva and I will sit back, relax, watch, and enjoy!

I hope that my opinions help you decide to take in a movie!