Review: TO ROME WITH LOVE

I believe it was Socrates who said, the unexamined life is not worth living; at 76 and with over forty films attributed to his name, Woody Allen has now examined his life and then examined himself examining his life. After Midnight in Paris -his most successful film in terms of revenue- Woody Allen takes a step back and returns to his more traditional depiction of neurotic characters observing, describing, philosophizing about, and suffering because of love, life, universal inconsequence, and - for the first time - Rome. 

To Rome With Love, is a collection of four vignettes all set in Rome. Each vignette could have been separate stand alone film. And some of them would have likely been more enjoyable that way. We are introduced to the four vignettes by a traffic cop; who from his pedestal in the middle of the road observes everything. Or so he claims. 

Traditionalist may criticize Allen for abandoning New York and “selling” to tourism boards that want to show off the most beautiful cities in the world - London (Match Point, Cassandra’s Dream), Barcelona (Vicky, Cristina, Barcelona) and Midnight in Paris (Paris)- but, personally, I like how my pseudo-intellectual self can relax and enjoy a Roman holiday alongside my giddy low-brow tourist self, while enjoying these romantic Euro locales, and conversing with characters as neurotic as... my neurotic self. 

Review: ROCK OF AGES

Well, this is one silly movie. I never quite understood if I was laughing with the movie, at the movie, or if the movie was some sort of joke being pulled on me. Was I supposed to sing along? 

At the opening, Sherrie (Julianne Hough) rides a bus with her headphones on listening to Sister Christian; she starts singing out loud and soon enough the entire bus joins in. Once again, was I supposed to sing along? Most of the audience laughed but didn’t join. It is understandable; in real life singing along is only acceptable if said song happened to be Bohemian Rhapsody. But in a musical film like this it could be any song. And it could have been any song for that matter; the number is not really memorable. Actually, none of the numbers are particularly memorable. But, at the very least, they do happen to zesty and entertaining while they last. With an extra punch they might have gotten someone in the audience to sing along.

Dreamworks' "Rise of the Gaurdians" gets cast

Glendale, CA – January 27, 2011 – DreamWorks Animation SKG, Inc. (Nasdaq: DWA) today
named its all-star cast for Rise of the Guardians, featuring Chris Pine in the lead role of Jack
Frost, together with Alec Baldwin, Hugh Jackman, Isla Fisher and Jude Law. The film,
scheduled for release on November 21, 2012, is based on “The Guardians of Childhood,” a series 
of highly anticipated children’s books by William Joyce.

Review: MY BEST FRIEND'S GIRL

I have absolutely no idea how to review this movie.

This probably stems from the fact that I have no idea what I thought of this movie.

I walked in with little to no expectations. I am a fan of Jason Biggs. He was very funny in the American Pies, and Saving Silverman. I am a fan of Dane Cook's stand-up, but not really of his movies. However, I was still looking forward to him in this. Kate Hudson had never made an impression on me, and I didn't know what this movie would be like.