Being better than the Gap

Finding a successful romantic comedy is sometimes very difficult. You have cheesy ones that are actually just bad or guilty pleasures for some people. Movies like, The Wedding Date, Fool’s Gold, The Ugly Truth and Because I Said So, are so unbelievably predictable it becomes a little less fun. It is exciting when you see a movie like Juno, Love Actually, (for me) The Holiday, My Big Fat Greek Wedding and Date Night (although I’m biased on that one) because they have good actors, interesting characters and are actually funny. On Friday night I was able to watch one of the best romantic comedies I’ve seen in a very long in Crazy, Stupid, Love. I actually didn’t know where the film was going after Steve Carell got his makeover, which is shown in the trailer, and is always refreshing. Speaking of the trailer, and the critics in general, I must say I was pleasantly surprised neither ruined the movie (if you see it, you’ll understand what I’m talking about, you can maybe guess it but it’s still awesome). The acting was great, I laughed, there were awkward moments, there were cute moments and it actually had a relatively realistic storyline.

I would also like to just talk about two of the many stars in this film and highlight how much I love them. To begin, all I have to say is Ryan Gosling. This good-looking man is talented and also surprisingly funny. He had good comedic timing, wasn’t over the top in dramatic stuff and was believable in the change his character makes. The other is Emma Stone, who after I saw Easy A, have been kind of obsessed with because that movie is awesome. Not to mention she is starring in two films I’m looking forward to: The Help (a book I absolutely loved) and the new Spider-Man movie. She was also fantastic in this film as her goofy but realistic self. She is pretty easy to relate to but she also has this kind of delivery that reminds me of Tina Fey but in her own quirky way. There is no question I will see every movie she makes (her first movie was Superbad, a movie I’m not a fan of but I now look to watch again and reconsider).

This weekend I also had the honor to watch a movie, for the first time in I can’t even remember, with my entire family. We chose the recently released on DVD, the Lincoln Lawyer. I first must say I’m not a huge fan of Matthew McConaughey (probably like the only one). I haven’t been a big fan of his comedy movies and I’m not sure if he can act in the drama ones he makes. I have to say, though, this movie was very entertaining and well acted. It is not necessarily an award winning film but had a good plot that kept me interested. If you enjoy watching shows like Law and Order or reading books by Michael Connelly or John Grisham (this movie is actually based off a book by Michael Connelly and both are known for their court room drams) then you will like this movie.

Another movie I’d like to mention that I watched a few weeks ago was what I like to call this year’s Inception: Source Code. It was extremely awesome with a very odd plot as in “how do these people come up with these ideas” but really interesting and fun. Personally, you can’t go wrong with a Jake Gyllenhaal movie either, which is another reason why this film wins; October Sky is still one of my favorite movies. I would certainly recommend Source Code over Lincoln Lawyer but both were very entertaining and thought provoking. If you want something less intense, please go out and see Crazy, Stupid, Love. Gosling’s character tells Carell’s to be “better than the gap” and this movie certainly does that.

With that I give you some much needed movie side notes.

1. A milestone for Harry Potter, as Deathly Hallows Part 2 becomes the first boy-wizard film that has ever reached $1 billion. So a very excited congrats to them. As for the rest of the movies, it was announced Monday that Cowboys & Aliens only narrowly beat out The Smurfs after they were tied on Sunday. Both movies received pretty bad reviews (The Smurfs had worse) but congrats to them for entertaining us more then making a good film.

2. Can we agree that this is one of the coolest posters? Not necessarily the coolest ever, but certainly something that catches your eye. It’s not just because it has two of Hollywood’s good-looking guys but also because it is just so creative and perfectly photographed. Well done. Oh and the movie doesn’t look that bad either, not to mention the great cast (George Clooney and Ryan Gosling).

3. These photos were taken on the set of the Dark Knight Rises and even though it’s not much, it only makes me more excited. I have to say though, I’m kind of nervous. No matter how awesome Christopher Nolan is, and he is pretty awesome, he has some high expectations to live up to. Cross your fingers friends!

With that I say… Live long and prosper.