No Strings Attached (2011)

Romantic comedies are really not my cup of tea, yet I do watch them occasionally. Hubby rented No Strings Attached last night, and we settled down for what I assumed would be another boring rom com with a thin plot. Well, it turns out that No Strings Attached is actually a fun and charming movie with moments of true poignancy. I think the magic formula for this movie’s success is the great chemistry shared between the two leads, i.e. Natalie Portman as medical resident Emma, and Ashton Kutcher as Adam. Emma balks at having a real relationship describing her reaction as one akin to having a peanut allergy. Adam has a troubled relationship with his immature (but successful) father, Alvin (played by Kevin Kline). When Adam finds out Alvin has been living with his ex-girlfriend (and sleeping with her), Adam flips, gets drunk and ends up in Emma’s apartment, one which she shares with a bunch of other residents.

Just Go With It (2011)

This Just Go With It movie is pretty funny, despite the horrible reviews. I think this is a good movie and surprisingly Aniston and Sandler have chemistry- think mature chemistry. One of the funniest characters in this is Katherine’s kid Michael (Griffin Gluck). Griffin Gluck had some laugh-out-loud lines which he delivered masterfully and comically. He’s definitely a kid to watch.

Hall Pass (2011)

Remember when the Farrelly Brothers made funny films? Remember “There’s Something About Mary”? Their new film “Hall Pass” desperately wants you to remember this connection. “Mary” seems to be the watershed moment in the Brothers’ career and raised our expectations too high, I guess they hope we will be fooled into believing “Hall Pass” is as good… Is any good…

The new film is funny, at times, and contains the required necessary Farrelly gross out gags (which are also funny), but you expect more from the Brothers; many, many jokes don’t work, the film stars Owen Wilson who is spectacularly miscast and the film looks like it was made at an old shopping mall. The film is a wash, a mess and a trial to sit through..

Forrest Gump (Sapphire Series)

Forrest Gump is a rare movie that succeeded on all levels. It was a box office smash ranking among the top five highest grossing movies of all time. But it was also a critical darling, garnering across the board praise and a truckload of awards. The movie became a cultural phenomenon, spawning cook books, quote books, a top ten soundtrack album and lines like “stupid is as stupid does” and “life is like a box of chocolates, you never know what you’re gonna get” have permeated our dialect. The movie has a nostalgic, feel good vibe thanks to the dimwitted Forrest’s trek through 60′s and 70′s touchstone events. Underneath all those warm feelings lies a darkness.