The REEL Box Office Buzz!

This past weekend I was in the mood for a chick flick but I didn’t want to hit the theater.  I was perfectly comfortable on my sofa sipping coffee so I decided to see what In Demand had to offer.  Lo and behold, the early 2008 hit, 27 Dresses, was just released!  I chose to rent it and I ended up watching it twice.  It was that cute!

Dresses stars Kathryn Heigel as a Jane Nichols a woman absolutely smitten by weddings and she is secretly in love with her boss, George (played by Ed Burns).  What throws a crimp into Jane’s life is the return of her sister, Tess, who strikes up an immediate relationship with George…and they become engatged to get married!  After being a bridesmaid for 27 weddings, Jane has to endure being the Maid of Honor at her sister’s own wedding to the man she would rather marry.  Throwing another crimp into her life, she “meets” a columnist for the local newspaper, Kevin Doyle (played by James Marsden), who is secretly doing a story on her pathetic life as a bridesmaid.  BUT, does the wedding go off?  Who falls in love with whom?  You’ll have to see the movie to find out for yourself.

This movie is both cute and corny.  It’s the quintessential chick flick, no doubt.  In one particular scene, Jane and Kevin, stuck in the country during a rain storm, find relief until the storm is over at the local dive bar.  From one drink to several, before you know it Jane and Kevin are singing Elton John’s, “Benny and the Jets” to the top of their lungs and on the top of the bar.  Loved that scene!  Encouraged me to reminisce about my younger days. 

There were several very cute scenes but I don’t want to give them all away.  Just see it for yourself. 

I give 27 Dresses

reels

Until next time, see YOU at the movies!

Lisa

Not that it was ever going out of style.  Oh wait!  That’s for another post on another blog.  :)  The sophisticated ladies of New York City are back.  THAT’S what I meant! 

The long-anticipated movie version of the UBER successful HBO series, Sex In The City, opens in theaters this weekend.  Ladies, get out your stilettos, Gucci bags, throw on (but carefully) your brand new Donna Karan summer outfit, grab a few of your best gal pals, and get ready to hit the theater to see your favorites.  Carrie, Miranda, Samantha, and Charlotte are waiting for you!

What’s in store for Sex fans everywhere?  Look for the ladies to juggle all the usual - relationships, jobs, motherhood, etc. - all the while Carrie prepares for her BIG wedding to Mr. Big.  Below Sarah Jessica Parker talks Sex with Meredith Viera on The Today Show yesterday.

So…who’s going to catch Sex this weekend?  I have a busy weekend ahead of me and don’t know that I’ll get a chance to experience the hullabaloo at the theater.  If there’s anyone out there that would like to post their thoughts after viewing the film, please do!  My review will be up soon.

***THE LATEST BUZZ FROM HOLLYWOOD***

Yesterday, Hollywood lost another one of its own, Mr. Harvey Korman, best known for his work with the incomprable Carol Burnett on The Carol Burnett Show.   Mr. Korman died after suffering from complications due to the rupture of an abdominal aortic aneurysm he experienced four months ago.

On the opposite side of the spectrum, there are conflicting reports that movie star and activist, Angelina Jolie, gave birth to twins in France today.  We’ll have to keep track of the news as it continues to make its rounds on the net.

Until next time, see YOU at the movies!

Lisa

So here I am on I-95 heading north in Virginia on my way to Massachusetts for the weekend.  Yeah, I know - CRAZY!  The trip will take us about 12-14 hours up…and 12-14 hours back.  At the very least, it’s taken 11 1/2 hours or at the most, 16 hours.  Crazy.  But, my headin’ home to see the fam for a very special occasion will be worth it in the end.

Anyway, so I got to thinking about movies about road trips.  I did some research and while I couldn’t come up with a “Top 10″ list, I did come up with a “Top 5″, of course it’s all only in my humble opinion.  Take a gander at my list and leave a comment about your favorite road trippin’ movies.

#5 Planes, Trains, and Automobiles (1987)

The Steve Martin/John Candy comedy about traveling cross country for Thanksgiving.  It’s hillariously funny and stupid all at the same time.  Need a good laugh?  Pop this one in your DVD player.

#4 Thelma & Louise (1991)

A waitress and an Arkansas housewife both bored to tears with their lives decide to hop in their ‘66 Thunderbird and hit the road.  What starts off as a liberation turns into a flight for their lives.  A chick flick ’til the end, Thelma and Louise stars Susan Sarandon and Gina Davis with Brad Pitt in his cinematic debut. 

#3 Road Trip (2000)

Remember being a teenager in love only when you graduate, you head off to separate colleges promising to be together forever?  Well, you know how that goes.  Boy meets new girl.  Boy and new girl have sex.  They make a tape but boy needs to send another tape to boy’s college girlfriend in ANOTHER state.  There’s a mix up.  Whoopsie! Quick - get in the car and head off to intercept the wrong tape before it gets into the wrong hands.  Very cute movie with some very funny moments, Road Trip stars Breckin Meyer, Sean William Scott, and Amy Smart.

#2 The Muppet Movie (1979)

Kermit and his friends decide to make the LONG trek across America in the hopes of finding success in Hollywood.  It was cute!  What more can I say?

BUT, my #1 favorite road trippin’ film won a total of 4 Oscars -

Rain Man (1988)

Dustin Hoffman won an Oscar for his portrayal of an autistic-savant in this heartwarming film about discovery.  Also starring Tom Cruise, the film takes two brothers on what starts out as a pseudo kidnapping (Cruise’s character kidnaps Hoffman’s in order to get a hold of a $3M inheritance) turns into a cross country journey about the two brothers discovering each other.

One of my favorite repeated lines, “I’m an excellent driver.” (Raymond)

Let’s hope I am and I make it to and from Massachusetts in one piece.

Until next time, see YOU at the movies!

Lisa

Not me personally.  I’m happily married.  I’m talking about taking in an independent feature film or 2…or 3….

This past Thursday night, Februrary 7th, I had the opportunity to attend my first ever independent film festival held in Clayton, North Carolina, at the locally-renown Clayton Center.  Sponsored in part by the Johnston County Arts Council, the Clayton Center, and our station, the Short Circuit Film Festival was the first ever independent film festival brought into Clayton.  With stops at such cities as Tampa, Atlanta, and Jacksonville, the festival made its way to the little town growing in leaps and bounds in central North Carolina before heading to Charlotte, its last stop on May 22nd.

I enjoyed the festival very much.  I had the chance to speak to one of the Directors prior to show too.  I will blog more about it in the coming days, including a list of my picks from the festival.  There were some inspirational, creative, unique, and even bizarre films featured.  Check out the Johnston County Arts Council Blog in the meantime for more.

It’s Christmas!  You know what that means.  Never mind the annual visit from the jolly old elf himself or the anxious little ones ready to open their gifts or that scrumptious feast that makes your mouth water.  Believe it or not there’s more to Christmas then…well…Christmas.  There’s also the end of the year-gotta-make-the-cut-for-awards-season MAJOR blockbuster film releases.  This Christmas is no exception.

Opening this weekend are three highly anticipated and Golden Globe nominated films: Charlie Wilson’s War, Sweeney Todd, and Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story.  Also opening in wide release this weekend is the action adventure film, National Treasure: Book of Secrets, and the romantic comedy, P.S. I Love You. 

All of these movies are expected to turn the tides of the charts.  You’ll have to check back for my Results post on the 26th to see how they, recent releases, and your favorites fared out for the BIG Holiday weekend.

Photo courtesy of: Michigan elibrary and its Jim Todd Photographic Collection.