2009 Round Up!

It's the end of the year so it's time to look back at the movies I've seen this year and pick favorites. I haven't seen a lot of movies this year so it's tough picking.

Movies I saw in the theater (in chronological order):
Friday the 13th; Confessions of a Shopaholic; Wolverine; 17 Again; Star Trek; The Hangover; The Proposal; G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra; Inglourious Basterds; The Final Destination; Up

Movies I saw on DVD (in alphabetical order):
Bride Wars; The Last House on the Left; My Bloody Valentine 3D; New In Town; Obsessed; Taken

Movies I wanted to see, but didn't get around to seeing (in alphabetical order):
(500) Days of Summer; 2012; Adoration; Adventureland; All About Steve; Amelia; Away We Go; The Box; Brothers; Carriers; Couples Retreat; Drag Me To Hell; Fanboys; Fired Up!; The Ghosts of Girlfriends Past; The Haunting in Connecticut; He's Just Not That Into You; I Love You, Beth Cooper; I Love You, Man; Jennifer's Body; Julie & Julia; Knowing; Land of the Lost; The Lovely Bones; My Sister's Keeper; New York, I Love You; Night at the Museum 2; Observe and Report; Pandorum; A Perfect Getaway; Post Grad; Precious; Push; Race to Witch Mountain; Sorority Row; The Stepfather; Sunshine Cleaning; The Time Traveler's Wife; Transformers 2; The Ugly Truth; Where the Wild Things Are; Whip It; Whiteout; Zombieland

My Five Favorite Films of the Year (notice how I say favorite and not best):
1) Inglourious Basterds
2) Star Trek
3) Up
4) Confessions of a Shopaholic
5) G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra

My Least Favorite Movies of the Year:
1) Bride Wars
2) The Final Destination
3) New In Town
4) My Bloody Valentine 3D
5) Wolverine

Ten Favorite Performances of the Year (in alphabetical order):
1) Ali Larter (Obsessed)
2) Bradley Cooper (The Hangover)
3) Chris Pine (Star Trek)
4) Christoph Waltz (Inglourious Basterds)
5) Daniel Brühl (Inglourious Basterds)
6) Isla Fisher (Confessions of a Shopaholic)
7) Mélanie Laurent (Inglourious Basterds)
8) Oscar Nuñez (The Proposal)
9) Ryan Reynolds (The Proposal)
10) Sienna Miller (G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra)

Movies I'm Looking Forward to in 2010:
The A-Team; And Soon the Darkness; The Back-Up Plan; Black Swan; Blue Valentine; Case 39; Chloe; Clash of the Titans; Cop Out; The Crazies; Date Night; Dear John; Don McKay; Eat, Pray, Love; The Expendables; The Experiment; Frozen; Going the Distance; The Good Guy; Gulliver's Travels; Holy Rollers; The Joneses; The Kids Are All Right; The Killer Inside Me; Killers; Knight and Day; Leap Year; Letters to Juliet; Life As We Know It; The Losers; Love & Other Impossible Pursuits; Machete; Piranha 3D; Red Dawn; Repo Men; The Resident; The Romantics; The Roommate; Scott Pilgrim vs. the World; Shelter; She's Out of My League; Shutter Island; Somewhere; The Tooth Fairy; Toy Story 3; Tucker and Dale vs Evil; Valentine's Day;

My Favorite Films of the Decade According to Flickchart

Flickchart is wonderfully addictive. But I did have to laugh when I checked out my Top 50 Favorite Films of the Decade:

50) Jeepers Creepers (not sure if it would make my top 50)
49) The Notebook (see 50)
48) The Midnight Meat Train (I think this should be higher)
47) 27 Dresses (should be slightly higher I think)
46) Sunshine (also a bit higher)
45) About a Boy (way higher!)
44) Live Free or Die Hard (seems about right)
43) She's the Man (maybe a bit higher)
42) Final Destination (higher)
41) Ghost World (higher)
40) Inglourious Basterds (higher!)
39) Knocked Up (bit higher)
38) Just Friends (higher)
37) Enchanted (higher)
36) All the Boys Love Mandy Lane (seems about right)
35) Mamma Mia! (higher)
34) 50 First Dates (lower)
33) Scary Movie (seems about right)
32) Requiem for a Dream (lower - sorry, it's too depressing)
31) Music & Lyrics (I'm not sure it would be in my top 50)
30) Transformers (lower)
29) Remember the Titans (seems right)
28) 13 Going on 30 (seems about right too)
27) Sin City (higher)
26) The Royal Tenenbaums (seems right or lower)
25) Cloverfield (higher!)
24) Identity (lower)
23) The Butterfly Effect (lower)
22) Saw (bit lower I think)
21) The Hills Have Eyes (seems right)
20) Kill Bill Vol. 2 (I would count Kill Bill as one movie and put it higher)
19) Bring It On (lower?)
18) How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days (lower)
17) Black Hawk Down (seems right)
16) The Invisible Circus (seems right)
15) Signs (higher?)
14) The Village (lower)
13) Dawn of the Dead (lower)
12) Chicago (bit lower)
11) Love Actually (seems right)
10) The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (a bit higher)
09) Serendipity (seems right or lower)
08) Finding Nemo (seems right)
07) A Lot Like Love (lower)
06) Grindhouse (seems right)
05) Kill Bill Vol. 1 (higher)
04) Magnolia (yup)
03) Almost Famous (seems right)
02) The Family Stone (lower)
01) Elizabethtown (it's my fave movie of alltime!)

Notably absent movies I like that may or may not end up on my real favorite movies of the decade list: 28 Days Later, Crazy/Beautiful, Mean Girls, The Sweetest Thing, It's a Boy/Girl Thing, My Sassy Girl, The Mexican, Not Another Teen Movie, Poseidon, Confessions of a Shopaholic, Stardust, Pirates of the Caribbean 1, Into the Wild, Hostel, The Strangers, Across the Universe, Waiting, Mean Creek, White Oleander, Briget Jones's Diary, Ginger Snaps, Freaky Friday.

Review: Lars and the Real Girl

One evening, Lars (Ryan Gosling), an emotionally troubled and isolated young man, introduces a girl to his brother Gus (Paul Schneider) and his wife Karin (Emily Mortimer). To their horror, the girl turns out to be a life-size doll. Fearing Lars has gone completely insane, they consult the town doctor Dagmar (Patricia Clarkson). She asks the couple to go along with Lars's delusion that the doll, Bianca, is a real life person, as Lars needs her to cope with his inner struggles.

I wanted to love this movie, but I wasn't really feeling it. I can't really put my finger on it. I found the movie's way of having Lars deal with his emotional problems by enabling his delusions and dragging the entire town into his fantasy world questionable. *SPOILERS* In the end, Bianca dies. This is a sign that Lars doesn't need her anymore. It's a sign that he is getting better and that he wants to make a connection with a real life girl, the very adorable Margo (Kelli Garner). But that doesn't mean he doesn't have a long way to go. Yet the movie ends on a 'cute' note that Lars & Margo will get together and they all will live happily ever after. It doesn't work that way. Lars is still the guy who, for weeks (months?) had an entire town pretend his doll was a real person. Therapy is needed to deal with this and the dead mommy/depressed daddy issues. But I'm just a therapist, so what do I know? */SPOILERS*

Of course, the whole thing does make one quirky and enjoyable film. Gosling was perfect as Lars, proving once again that he is one of the finest actors of his generation. It was a brave performance and Gosling gave it his all, making sure the movie with the ridiculous premise didn't end up being just that: ridiculous. He made Lars lovable, which is quite an accomplishment.

However, I enjoyed Paul Schneider's performance as Lars's older brother better. Schneider is one of my favorite 'One To Watch' actors. I think he can really shine given the right material and I will always love his performance in Elizabethtown. In Elizabethtown, his character Jesse doesn't take life too seriously. In Lars and the Real Girl, Schneider plays the straight man to Gosling's disturbed Lars. It's a wonderful and subtle performance. You see how Schneider's Gus goes along with the craziness, but you can feel the guilt he feels and the pain of witnessing his baby brother's emotional problems.

Kelli Garner is a delight to watch as Margo, Lars's co-worker who has a crush on him. Emily Mortimer has never been a favorite of mine, but she did fine. I heard her accent slip, but it wasn't too annoying.

I was surprised the movie ended when it ended. I felt they could've done more to resolve the baby subplot. Have Karin go into labor and survive childbirth for example. Lars was freaking out about it halfway through the movie. I don't know why they left that hanging. Or does touching the belly means he's over it? Oh movie logic, I will never understand you.

I wonder how this movie holds up on a second viewing. Either I will gradually learn to love it through repeated viewings or I will be bored to death the second time. I do love Paul Schneider though... A 3,5/5.

Review: My Bloody Valentine (2009)

(This review contains spoilers)

Oh My Bloody Valentine, you are a funny film. First you want me to believe that Kerr Smith is playing a teenager, even though he was already too old looking to play one in Dawson's Creek 10 years ago. And then you want me to believe he's the town sheriff. Really, Kerr Smith as the town sheriff. That also looked wrong. I actually like Kerr Smith, but the poor guy seemed so out of place. At least he's a capable actor. Credit where credit's due.

And then there's Jensen Ackles, who looked like he was having a mental breakdown when all the blood was splattered across his face, and looked out of it for the rest of the movie. It was amusing. But that and the pill popping made him an easy suspect.

I can't remember if there was any intentional humor in the movie though. Hmmm..

Jaime King is adorable and quite likeable leading lady. She fought back on several occassions. But there is one EPIC FAIL moment where she does not get a free pass: when Tom is choking Axel in the mine, she doesn't even try to help him! Guess it serves him right for cheating on her, but still.

What I liked about the movie was definitely the beginning. The opening with the newspapers was nicely done (even without watching it in 3D) and then it quickly moved to the aftermath of the hospital massacre and then to the mine party, which was the best scene in the movie IMHO. Even though Kerr, Jensen and Jaime look way too old to play teens and it became unintentionally funny to me.

It was downhill from there though. The movie kinda dragged on and the kills were repetitive. I couldn't tell the old people apart (sorry Tom Atkins), the nude scene ran too long for my liking and I wanted Sarah to slap Megan and shove her in front of the killer.

I also think they should have addressed the fact that Sarah, Axel & Irene left Tom behind after the mine party massacre. I know I would be hella pissed if my friends left me behind with a crazed killer. Yup.

The ending, I ask you: How exactly did Tom not get burned in the explosion?

I did like the scene where Axel told Sarah to stay behind him when they went to check on Megan, instead of telling her to stay where she is. Yes, finally a horror movie where they stick together. Thank you. A 3/5.

Brittany Murphy, you will be missed..

TMZ reports that Brittany Murphy passed away this morning. The quirky actress reportedly went into full cardiac arrest and could not be revived. She was 32.

I'm absolutely devastated by the news! I grew up watching Brittany! I've been following her career for the biggest part of my life. I saw Clueless at the age of 11 when it was released in theaters here in The Netherlands in 1996. Since then, Brittany has been wonderful and somewhat quirky in movies such as David & Lisa with Lukas Haas, both The Devil's Arithmetic and Drop Dead Gorgeous with Kirsten Dunst, Cherry Falls with Jay Mohr, Riding in Cars with Boys with Drew Barrymore, 8 Mile with Eminem, Uptown Girls with Dakota Fanning, and Robert Rodriguez's Sin City. She turned in scene stealing performances in Girl, Interrupted and Don't Say a Word.

The charismatic actress was a Young Hollywood favorite, often featured in and on the cover of magazines, as well as appearing on the red carpet, in the early 00's. After her star vehicles Uptown Girls and Little Black Book disappointed at the box office, Brittany had trouble getting her once promising career back on track. With the exception of her role in the star studded Sin City in 2005, the pretty actress found little success in the last couple of years. Things were looking up with 4 projects in various stages of production, with a role in Sylvester Stallone's The Expendables as a promising highlight.

Brittany Murphy had the talent and charm to be a big star. It's a shame her untimely death has prevented her from living up to her promise. Rest in peace, Brittany (1977-2009).

Soon..

I should blog, but I don't have time! AARGH! I have been thinking about doing some Best Of the Decade lists, articles etc. of course mainly focused on Young Hollywood. But it will have to wait a little bit longer while I settle into my new job.

Review: Across the Universe

I so wanted to love this movie! I really did. And I certainly loved parts of it, but as a whole? No. It was too surreal for me. Maybe I would've liked it better if I was stoned, but that's not my thing.

The movie worked best for me when it was grounded into reality. Example: Jim Sturgess singing All My Loving to his girlfriend in the street vs the trippy sequence that was Bono singing I Am the Walrus. Don't even get me started on the Eddie Izzard scene. If I would rewatch the movie, I would seriously skip that scene. I would rather watch T.V. Carpio's wonderful version of I Want To Hold Your Hand a thousand times than watch that scene.

I enjoyed the entire cast, in particular Joe Anderson as Max. He's a good actor and his singing surprised me. Between this and The Ruins, I can't wait to see him in other stuff. Evan Rachel Wood is a great actress with a lovely voice, but she always comes across as very young to me, sixteen-ish. Jim Sturgess has a certain something, but I was not always convinced by his singing abilities. T.V. Carpio, Dana Fuchs and Martin Luther McCoy did well with their supporting turns.

While I didn't love the movie, I will be picking up the soundtrack. Besides All My Loving and I Want To Hold Your Hand, my favorites are With a Little Help from My Friends, Let It Be, If I Fell, Dear Prudence, Something, Strawberry Fields Forever and Across the Universe.

I certainly don't regret blind buying this movie, but I'm not sure I would've bought it if I had seen it before. I'm still a bit unsure about how I really feel about this movie. Maybe a rewatch will help. Overall though, I feel this project was too ambitious for its own good. A 3/5.

No More Days of Night for George?

If this girl isn't in 30 Days of Night: Dark Days, then I officially don't care about the movie. I just read on Dark Horizons that principal photography has started on the sequel in Vancouver and that Kiele Sanchez is replacing Melissa George as Stella! Now I've read before that the producers were trying to get George back, so this is probably her own (wise) decision, but still.. more George makes Gwen happy! And to replace her with Sanchez? I disliked Sanchez with passion on Married to the Kellys, and didn't care for her on Lost. Not exactly thrilled by the idea that she's playing Stella.

Of course, I didn't like 30 Days of Night so I'm not entirely sure why I'm complaining here. Except that I'll miss George's gorgeousness.

The A-Team Promo

I have not posted about Bradley Cooper since August. What is wrong with me?! I still love you, Bradley, don't worry. Anyhow, via /Film comes the first official look at The A-Team, in which Coop stars as Faceman. Check out the HQ over at /Film! The A-Team is set for a June 11, 2010 release and also stars Liam Neeson and Jessica Biel.

Happy birthday, Ryan Reynolds!

Happy 33, Ryan! I can't believe you're in your 30s. This means we're getting old. I still remember watching you on that kids show The Odyssey! And I thought you were really cute in that X-Files episode with Laurie from That 70s Show, long before you turned into leading man material.

I was thinking about making a top 5 of my favorite Ryan performances, but I can't pick! I JUST CAN'T PICK! I always love Ryan, it's like a disease! Therefore I will just list everything I have ever seen him in:

The Odyssey, The X-Files, Two Guys, a Girl & a Pizzaplace, Dick, Van Wilder, Buying the Cow, Scrubs, Harold & Kumar Go to White Castle, Blade: Trinity, The Amityville Horror, Waiting..., Just Friends, Definitely Maybe, Wolverine and The Proposal.

That doesn't seem like a lot now that I've listed everything, but it does mean I have been watching this man for over a decade. Okay, now I feel really old.

I want this poster #2

This poster for the latest Nicholas Sparks novel turned movie, Dear John, is not perfect, but it is lovely. The image itself is beautiful as are the movie's stars Amanda Seyfried and Channing Tatum. I'm just not too crazy about the font and the font colors. They don't really stand out from the background, making it hard to read certain letters.

Overall though, I wouldn't mind having this poster on my wall.

Trailer Park: Dear John

I loved every second of this trailer! I almost cried watching it! Amanda Seyfriend and Channing Tatum are perfect for this adaptation of the Nicholas Sparks novel (A Walk to Remember, The Notebook). Dear John is moving high up my must see list of 2010!

James Franco does Daytime Television

Did I miss something? Is it April 1st or am I being Punk'd? Golden Globe winner James Franco is heading to soap opera General Hospital for a 2-month recurring role. Via nydailynews.com:

Actor James Franco is headed for "General Hospital." He'll play a recurring role on the long-running ABC daytime series for two months staring Nov. 20, coinciding with Nov. sweeps, reports the Associated Press.

And though the "General Hospital" crew is keeping tight-lipped about the particulars of his role, Franco's character will supposedly be the "worst nightmare" for Jason Morgan, a mob crook character who's played by Emmy winner Steve Burton, according to Fancast.com. Insiders say that the fact that Burton and Franco share the same manager is pure coincidence, and deny rumors that Franco will return permanently to the small screen.

I'm pretty sure this can't be right and I'm having an aneurysm or something. A soap opera? A SOAP OPERA?! GENERAL HOSPITAL?! Look, for the record, I don't like James Franco. I think he's a great actor, but I also think he's a jackass. I really wonder why he's doing this. It looks like 'look at me not feeling like I'm too good for daytime television like my fellow A-listers', while it feels like 'look at how cool I am, that despite my success, I will do daytime television for fun. I'm so quirky!'

Honestly, the whole thing is so ridiculous, it almost makes me like him a bit.

Also, Jonathan Jackson is returning to General Hospital! He originated the role of Lucky Spencer. Now, JJ's career has not been as glamourous or successful as James's so I understand his move. Still, seems like a shame. JJ was fantastic in The Deep End of the Ocean. Too bad the kid never really got a chance to shine in other movies.

Trailer Park: The Crazies

Even though this is a remake of a movie I have never seen, George Romero's The Crazies (1973), I feel like I have seen this movie before. But hey, it's TIMOTHY OLYPHANT! I have mad love for him, so this is a must see for me. Radha Mitchell reminds me too much of Melissa George in 30 Days of Night. I miss Melissa George. *sigh*

I Love Megan Fox

Girl's a good sport.

Review: The Final Destination

The Final Destination? Please say it's so! But looking at the box office and I'm pretty sure it won't be THE Final Destination as it's the highest grossing entry of the series. Of course, the higher ticket prices for 3D has helped the movie quite a bit, me thinks.

I'm still kind of mad that this is the second movie I've seen this year where the opening credits are the best part of the movie (I'm also looking at you, Wolverine!). I wish the rest of the movie was as clever. But no. Just no.

They're out of ideas, man. OUT OF IDEAS. Beware of SPOILERS: Someone gets hit by a bus (see FD1). And there's fun with a nailgun. Which was 'fun' in FD3, but felt tired in part 4. I was like, 'Seriously, guys? Another nail gun? Didn't we already see that in the previous one?' And I couldn't help but think of Palahniuk's short story 'Guts' while watching Nick Zano in the pool (actually, I'm just surprised he could hold his breath such a long time in such a panic-y situation).

The fake out at the movie theater followed by the escalator 'death' was frustrating. It felt like they needed to fill up some time, which I thought was unacceptable as the movie only has a runtime of 82 minutes? How hard is it to fill up 82 minutes? Try character development! /SPOILERS

I did kinda like the scene in the beauty salon with Krista Allen so props for that. Also props to Allen for being a good sport.

The racism was unnecessary. Is this what counts as character development these days? *shakes head in shame* No, wait. SHAME ON YOU, ERIC BRESS! You wrote FD2 and The Butterfly Effect! You could do better than this! SLACKER! /rant

Hmmm.. what else? Oh right, 3D. Don't think it would've made much difference if I had watched it in 2D.

Overall, The Final Destination is the worst of the series (not sure why people hate on FD3 so much). They're running out of ideas and the 12 euros I paid to watch it in 3D were not worth it. A 2,5/5.

Review: Inglourious Basterds

EDIT: I've rewatched it and loved it even more so I'm upping my score from 4/5 to 4,5/5. Best movie of the year so far! /EDIT

I was looking forward to Inglourious Basterds for a long time and now that I've seen it, I want to see it again! I loved it! It wasn't a perfect movie, but I'm also having trouble pinpointing what exactly I didn't like about it.

Christoph Waltz was absolutely amazing. I extremely enjoyed his performance throughout the entire movie. From the first scene at the barn, Waltz was perfect. IMDB tells me that Leo DiCaprio was first choice for the role of Landa, and I think we should all be very thankful Tarantino changed his mind about that and hired Waltz instead. Will go all Basterds on the Academy's ass if they overlook his performance.

More greatness:

The opening scene at the barn was brilliant. Denis Menochet and Waltz played well off each other in the tension-filled scene.

Til Schweiger! I wish Til had a bigger role in the movie. Loved his angry and digusted looks. He was hilarious! Same goes for Brad Pitt with his hillbilly accent when he's trying to speak Italian. Eli Roth's delivery was okay, but I loved his crazy eyes! More Roth in front of and behind the camera is cool with me. BJ Novak is always great. Wanted him to have more screentime though!

Mélanie Laurent and Daniel Brühl also gave great performances. I really felt for Brühl's character at certain points. Too bad he went crazy towards the end. Laurent's scene at the restaurant with Waltz was really well done. Her emotional breakdown at the end of the scene was fantastic.

Tarantino made an excellent and brave decision by casting French and German actors and having them speak these languages for a large part of the movie. It's not something that will appeal to the general movie going crowd, but I guess that can be said for Tarantino's film in general.

Also loved the cinematography. The movie is a visual treat.

Now that I've had some more time to think about the movie, I do have a few negatives. For a movie called Inglourious Basterds not a whole lot of screentime was spent on the Basterds. I think I've only seen Michael Bacall once. Samm Levine had one line? Shame!

Not sure why Tarantino decided to cast Mike Myers. Nothing against Myers, but his character looked and sounded like he just stepped off the set of Austin Powers 4.

Am I morbid for expecting to see more scalping?

I'm having a hard time deciding on my favorite movie of the year so far: Basterds or Star Trek? I can tell you this is my fave Tarantino movie after Kill Bill. A must see if you love movies! A 4/5.

Review: Bride Wars

NOTE: I wrote this unfinished post approx. 2 weeks ago right before I went on vacation. I have very little memory of the movie now, except that it's crap. Didn't want to rewrite the post, because I'm blurry on the details.


Just caught Bride Wars on DVD. And woah.. that was crappy.

I am kinda amused by the lowbudget casting of the grooms: Steve Howey and Chris Pratt. Did Hudson and Hathaway have such high salary demands they couldn't afford say Chris Evans or Mike Vogel? Even Bryan Greenberg would've been a good choice for one of the grooms. Not that Howey or Pratt were bad, not at all! They are just guys I don't see often in high profile films. Props to the casting director for thinking outside of the box.

From the beginning of the movie I felt Hudson and Hathaway were a mismatch. Hathaway is so young-ish looking. I think someone like Liv Tyler would've played off of Hudson much better and the two look the same age-wise. Hathaway does fine though, but I felt she was on autopilot.

I had some problems with the screenplay and (lack of) character development. A big problem for me was that neither Hudson's Liv or Hathaway's Emma are likeable. Who am I supposed to root for here? I was hoping the guys would dump their asses! Especially Liv, who comes off as needy, neurotic and insane before she even gets proposed to. Who announces their engagement when the guy hasn't even popped the question yet?

Howey's Daniel is the painfully nice and understanding guy. Why he puts up with Liv, I have no idea. Then there's Pratt's Fletcher, who starts off nice but for some reason turns into a big a-hole towards the end. You know, just so Emma conveniently ends up with Bryan Greenberg. Of course. Who didn't see that one coming?

Then the war itself.. well, it took pretty long to get to it and then it came and went. They went for the easy laughs. Good lord, they're women. Let them realistically play dirty. I will never believe Emma had the chance to change Liv's hair dye. Mean Girls did it better. A 2,5/5.

Poster: I Hope They Serve Beer in Hell

Source: IMP Awards

This is perfect marketing. It's exactly like the book cover, except it's in color and Matt Czuchry is on it instead of Tucker Max. It's easily recognizable for the demographic the book is aimed at. I wouldn't change a thing.*

*So please don't tell me this is the teaser and the final onesheet will be a floating head poster ft. Matt, Jesse Bradford and Geoff Stults surrounded by boobs and beer bottles.

All About Steve poster

Bradley Cooper plays the titular Steve and gets third billing? THIRD?! Don't get me wrong, I've loved Thomas Haden Church since his Ned & Stacy days, long before Sideways fans hopped on the bandwagon. But Sideways is 5 years ago. What's with the 2nd billing? Bradley Cooper is one of the hottest actors working in Hollywood today thanks to The Hangover. Good Lord, 20th Century Fox, try to bank on that! The movie looks awful, the poster is awful. I don't look at this poster and think it's ALL ABOUT STEVE. I'm wondering why Sandra Bullock looks crazy. And if I didn't have any knowledge about the movie, I'd be wondering which of these guys IS Steve. Step it up, 20th Century Fox.

Review: G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra

I liked it! It was exactly what I expected it to be: a fun and entertaining action-adventure-y popcorn flick. I'm not getting all the negativity. It's a movie based on a toy. It's G.I. Joe. It's not trying to be The Godfather. Or The Shawshank Redemption. Or even The Dark Knight.

Plot: "From the Egyptian desert to deep below the polar ice caps, the elite G.I. Joe team uses the latest in next-generation spy and military equipment to fight the corrupt arms dealer Destro and the growing threat of the mysterious Cobra organization to prevent them from plunging the world into chaos."

G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra is directed by Stephen Sommers, the man behind the very entertaining Deep Rising and The Mummy. Both are flicks I could watch over and over and still be entertained. I don't think I will be able to say the same about Joe, but I can tell you I enjoyed it a hell lot more than Sommers's previous two films: The Mummy Returns and Van Helsing.

I really enjoyed the cast and I say that while I don't even like certain castmembers very much.

I squeed like a fangirl whenever Christopher Eccleston appeared onscreen. Then again, I always squee like a fangirl whenever Eccles is onscreen. I've loved that man since I saw him in Shallow Grave over a decade ago. For some reason, the whole idea that Eccles is in a move called G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra amuses me.

Not a fan of Sienna Miller, but I loved her as The Baroness. She was my favorite character! I want her glasses! And seriously, if I was the kind of person that celebrated and dressed up for Halloween, I would go as The Baroness this year.

Scarlett was okay. Rachel Nichols didn't have much to work with. That motorcycle scene was there to look cool, but was pretty pointless as it only led to her needing to by saved Ripcord. At some point Scarlett was crying that she lost a fight (with the Baroness) and that was the first time she ever lost, while at the beginning of the movie, the only reason she doesn't die when she's on the ground reaching for the gun when the baddy steps on it is because someone saves her! Girl is part of the Joe team and still needs a man to save her. Didn't like that.

Nichols has nice chemistry with Marlon Wayans though. Wayans is a good actor with the right material (watch Requiem for a Dream). I would've liked to see him less joke-y here, but obviously, he's just following the script and does well doing it.

Channing Tatum has this quality that makes me want to root for him, so instant win here as we're supposed to root for Duke. Ray Park was amazing as Snake Eyes. The man had mad skills. Same goes for Byung-hun Lee as Storm Shadow.

Joseph Gordon-Levitt amused me. Looked like he was having fun with his role. As for the rest of the cast.. Arnold Vosloo didn't have much to do. Shame. Dennis Quaid didn't have much to do either. Losties Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje and Saïd Taghmaoui did fine, but Ceaser had much more to work with than Mr. Eko. Ceaser was funny!

I must've been the only person who squeed when Kevin J. O'Connor appeared onscreen. I was waiting for his cameo! Loved him in Sommers's earlier work. Great to see Brendan Fraser stop by too.

As for the movie itself, well it all went by real fast. Like blink and you miss something fast. I appreciated the occasional flashback that slowed things down a bit. I also appreciated scenes where Joseph Gordon-Levitt looked like Joseph Gordon-Levitt.

They could've taken the first scene out. I thought I was watching The Man in the Iron Mask or something, not G.I. Joe. Plus, Eccles kinda repeats the same info later on. At one point during the movie, while watching all the explosions, I was worried I missed Michael Bay's producing credit. I guess a little less action and a little more story would've been better. And the the CGI was weak at times.

Overall, I really enjoyed the movie. The cast was fun and Stephen Sommers did his best. It's not like he wrote the screenplay. People should give him a break. Lower your expectations and just enjoy the ride. A 3,5/5.

My Least Favorite Final Girls

I grew up watching the Halloweens and Elm Streets, but never paid much attention to the Final Girl, our female lead, the last chick standing. I was interested in Freddy, not Nancy or Kristen or Alice. It was only after the release of Scream and the resurrection of the (teen) horror genre that I became aware of the 'Final Girl' principle and began rooting for her.

However, there are a few Final Girls I just cannot stand. I was rooting for the killer to you know, kill her. I'm going to present you with my top 3 least favorite Final Girls. Problem here is that I'm not entirely sure it's the characters I hate or the actresses portraying them. I dug up my old (unpublished on this site) reviews and I'm mostly hating on the actresses and their awfulness. I will post these snippets for your my entertainment.

Please note that this blog is written from a Young Hollywood (circa 1997-2003) viewpoint. I miss those days when Freddie Prinze Jr. was in every other release, the American Pie cast was a breath of fresh air and Scarlett J. wasn't overexposed yet, but I digress. Therefore I'm going for post-Scream teen horror Final Girls and not from more obscure flicks. But feel free to post your own 'favorites' from any horror movie in the comment section.

3) Natalie Simon (Alicia Witt) in Urban Legend (1998)
This one pains me, because I actually really like Alicia Witt. It took a few years after Urban Legend for me to like her though. I honestly think she grew into a pretty wonderful actress. But no matter how much like I have for her, I will always hate her character in Urban Legend. Every other character is more interesting than Natalie. She's just kinda there. The rest of the cast seems to be having so much more fun with it: Rebecca Gayheart, Michael Rosenbaum, Tara Reid, Josh Jackson, Loretta Devine, Robert Englund. Even Jared "I don't want to be here" Leto.

An excerpt from my original review after its theatrical release:
'Leading lady Alicia Witt is a bit disappointing. While other films had the likes of Neve Campbell and Jennifer Love Hewitt heading up the cast, Alicia isn't able to keep her character interesting. Her co-stars Rebecca Gayheart, Tara Reid and Michael Rosenbaum are much more entertaining to watch.'

Looking back, I was being kind. Also, why was I giving Jennifer Love Hewitt props for I Know What You Did Last Summer? Her character, Julie James, could be on this list! Anyways, there's a line that always makes me cringe. Natalie says something like 'Someone is taking all these stories and making them reality.' The delivery of that line is just awful. Is it the screenplay? Is it Witt? I don't know, but I know enough to put Natalie on the third spot of my list.

2) Cassie (Melissa Sagemiller) in Soul Survivors (2001)
I have only seen Soul Survivors once, a long time ago, when it was a new rental at my videostore. While time has softened my hate for the movie a bit, I only have to look at my original review to stop me from checking it out again. It's starts with the following sentence: 'Sorry, but this is just crap.' And then I think of Melissa Sagemiller as Cassie and I'm totally cured of the thought of watching Soul Survivors. 'Sagemiller is a terrible actress, who isn't interesting enough to carry a film.' I didn't go into detail in my review and I don't remember Cassie very well, but my strong dislike has remained over the past 8 years.

I also hated Sagemiller in the comedy Sorority Boys, but was kinder when she did Get Over It: 'Melissa Sagemiller as Alison is okay. She seems less bland than she was in movies like Soul Survivors and Sorority Boys.' So I guess that's it. Sagemiller was bland in SS and that's not the kind of quality you want in your Final Girl. She has to be the kind of girl you want to root for!

1) Julia Lund (Laura Regan) in They (2002)
To see how deep my hate goes, you really have to read my original review:

'When Billy (Jon Abrahams) and his friend Julia (Laura Regan) were little, they used to be afraid of monsters, which they called, well, They. Years later, Billy’s still afraid. He calls Julia, they meet up, and he kills himself. Julia starts seeing Them again, and when she comes in contact with Billy’s friends Sam (Ethan Embry) and Terry (Dagmara Dominczyk), she finds out she’s not the only one. Will They get her?
For the love of GOD I hope the answer is YES! Laura Regan has to be the worst actress EVER. And I’m not the kind of person who would say that, but people who are claiming that Tara Reid is awful, have obviously not seen this movie. Laura Regan is the worst actress EVER! I thought Alicia Witt was cringe-worthy, but this is horrible.'

I have never softened up to Regan or her performance. Regan also happened to be the Final Girl in My Little Eye (Bradley Cooper! Kris Lemche!), a movie I have rewatched a couple of times, and it just reinforces my hate for her in They.

I was checking reviews for They and I had to laugh when I read the following over at DarkHorizons: 'Weaker still are the performances. Laura Reagan is as bad as that chick from "Soul Survivors" - overacting and not very convincing at doing the hysterical "seeing things" routine.' I'm glad I'm not the only one who feels this way.

Tell me, who are your least favorite Final Girls?

Fave Movie Moments... Beautiful Girls

I will never stop loving this scene from the 1996 feel good movie Beautiful Girls, starring Timothy Hutton, Matt Dillon, Natalie Portman and Uma Thurman.

Review: Blindness

I have this urge to write about Blindness. And I need to tell you that I have no clue whether or not this movie is any good. I feel like I have to like this movie. You have the critically acclaimed director, the critically acclaimed novel on which the movie is based and acclaimed actors like Julianne Moore and Mark Ruffalo. If I strip those things away, what's left, I think, is a flawed film with an interesting premise.

Blindness tells the story of a man (Yusuke Iseya) who suddenly turns blind. He inadvertedly infects others he comes in contact with: his wife, the eye doctor (Mark Ruffalo) and the other patients in the waiting area. Like an epidemic, blindness (or White Sickness as they call it in the film) sweeps the city. The infected are quickly quarantined. The doctor's wife (Julianne Moore) mysteriously remains immune, but pretends to be blind and joins her husband in the quarantined wards. Shit starts hitting the fan as the ward quickly becomes overpopulated. Then it's not so much about blindness anymore as it's about society going downhill.

A thought: Is society blind? Doesn't society see its going downhill?

Back to topic.. The movie started out promising, then became bleak real quick. I kept thinking throughout the movie how the story would play out. They took the easy way: have the first blind man magically regain his sight. This leads to hope that the others will regain their sight too. The end. Seriously, watching the movie you witness the most horrific things and they you get the Disney ending. I know this movie is based on a book so I can't really blame the screenplay, but I can say it cheapened the whole experience for me.

At times I felt I was watching a zombie movie without the zombies. 28 Days/Weeks Later without the infected. It made me appreciate (the symbolism of) zombie movies even more. It also made me wish I was watching a zombie movie.

The origin of the White Sickness is never explained. We never see attempts made to find a cure. I suppose we don't need an explanation. But with this ending, the sudden regain of sight, it would've been nice.

I didn't care for the cinematography. Were they trying to make me blind, because I think they almost succeeded. It seemed they filtered the hell out of the movie. It's too damn white! I get it. Blindness. White sickness. Yes yes, very clever. While it fit the bleakness of the story, it got old real quick. Certain other scenes were too dark. It came across to me as if the filmmakers were trying too hard to make an artistic movie.

The cast was great, but what do you expect with Moore, Ruffalo, Danny Glover, Alice Braga and Gael Garcia Bernal? They do their best with what they have to work with.

I could rant about Moore's character and her (lack) of actions, but I'll spare you. A 3/5.

The Proposal is a success?

I continue to be puzzled by The Proposal's box office success this summer. Box Office Mojo tells me the romcom is currently sitting on $145 million domestically! That's the 13th highest grossing movie this year, sitting right between Paul Blart: Mall Cop at #12 with $146m and Liam Neeson's Taken at #14 with $145m (but a few thousand less than The Proposal). Since the film is still in theaters it's more than likely the movie will surpass Mall Cop.

I saw the movie weeks ago, didn't have time to write/post a review and now I barely remember the movie. I mean, I liked the movie, I'm just not sure what I liked about it. Well, besides Ryan Reynolds and Sandra Bullock.

Or maybe that's just it. People really like Reynolds and Bullock. According to Box Office Mojo, The Proposal's opening weekend gross of $33 million is Bullock's highest opening ever. While Bullock is one of America's sweethearts and most of her movies end up doing pretty well or at least decent, her openings are not that strong. Her previous career best opening is 2007's Premonition with $17m. It's been a while since Bullock starred in a romcom like The Proposal. Romance The Lake House was released in 2006 and comedy Miss Congeniality 2 was released in 2005! Her last true romantic comedy was 2002's Two Weeks Notice with Hugh Grant! Were people suffering from Bullock withdrawal and en masse flocked to the theater when The Proposal was released?

Then there's Reynolds, who has turned into quite the capable leading man since his days on Two Guys, a Girl, & a Pizzaplace. People generally like him and his supporting role in Wolverine was well received. Excluding Wolverine (which clearly wasn't about him), Reynold's career best is also The Proposal. His previous highest opening was for 2005's The Amityville Horror, which grossed $23.5 million. Reynolds seems to be one of those actors that appeals to both females and males. I never hear guys say they like that Orlando Bloom guy. But Reynolds has appeared in a lot of guy flicks, such as Van Wilder, Harold & Kumar Go to White Castle, Blade: Trinity and the aforementioned Wolverine. Has his casting helped The Proposal? Would guys rather take their girlfriends to a romcom starring Ryan Reynolds than, say, Matthew McConaughey?

Take McConaughey's latest romcom, Ghosts of Girlfriends Past (awful title, btw). The movie opened only a few weeks earlier than The Proposal. It grossed $15 million in its opening weekend and ended up grossing $55 million domestically. To be fair to McConaughey, his previous three romcoms (Fool's Gold, Failure to Launch, How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days) all grossed between $20-$25 million in their opening weekends. Nothing to be ashamed about at all!

So what I really have been wondering lately is why is The Proposal a big hit and Ghosts of Girlfriends Past came and went without much notice? I wasn't too kind to both movies when I reviewed their trailers, but I gave kudos to GOGP for being less generic than The Proposal. Though it seems pretty obvious how both will play out, yes? I didn't want to see either on the big screen, but ended up seeing The Proposal just because a friend wanted to go see it. She thought it looked funny.

Maybe The Proposal is just the better movie. Maybe people were tired of McConaughey's romcoms and were waiting for Bullock's instead. Maybe Ghosts of Girlfriends Past just isn't an appealing title. Who knows?

Bullock & Cooper in All About Steve

I'm hoping to figure at least part of this out when Bullock's next romcom, All About Steve is released on September 4. She plays an eccentric crossword puzzler who think CCN cameraman Steve (sexy Bradley Cooper) is her true love and follows him around the country. I've seen the trailer and the movie looks awful. But both Bullock and Cooper are at career highs at the moment so I expect the movie to do well despite its awfulness. If so, it seems it doesn't really matter how awful or generic a romcom is, as long as you have two appealing leads, the movie will do well at the box office. To be continued...

I want this poster #1

via IMP Awards

Megan Fox looks gorgeous as usual (not a fan of the shoes though). I like the tagline and the 'hell yes' on the chalkboard. A simple, but attractive poster. Why is it not on my wall?

If you're not watching Harper's Island...

It really is your loss. How did a show that started out so unbelievably campy, turn out so good? First, I have to take back everything I have previously said about Adam Campbell (Cal). Sure he brought the camp in the early eps, but his performance in last night's episode "Splash" (#1.11) was wonderful. Throughout the course of the season Cal became one of my favorite characters. Something I seriously didn't expect would happen after watching the first five eps.

Some thoughts after rewatching "Splash" today:

- Why didn't Wakefield kill Abby when he had the chance at the beginning of the ep?
- In the car, Sully mentions to Cal that Cal passed out before he could give him any instructions to get the bullet out and close the wound. Later, Sully tells Danny Cal stayed awake while he dug a bullet from his shoulder.
- Just because the Sheriff said he's Abby's father, well that doesn't mean it's biologically true.
- Why didn't Trish help Shane when Wakefield was attacking him with his big ass Jason Voorhees machete? Girl had a shotgun, Shane had a knife. Goodbye Ben Cotton, you were great!
- A killer is on the loose. Someone rings the church bells. Why do you automatically think it must be one of your friends?
- Why didn't Shea say 'I love you' back to Trish?
- Why did Wakefield capture Chloe instead of killing her?
- "I almost died for a woman like you," said Wakefield to Chloe. I choose to interpret that as someone tried to kill him for his relationship with Abby's mom.
- The Sully/Danny scene at the Candlewick was suspicious to me. I actually thought nice guy Danny would shoot Sully.
- Note to Danny: a killer is behind the door. Don't go looking through the hole.
- Matt Barr also gave a wonderful performance in this episode. I've really grown to like him as an actor and I like Sully as well. Don't die Sully!
- Why did Henry insist Cal should go find Chloe on his own while Abby and Henry went after Wakefield?
- Henry misses his shot at Wakefield, while we know from an early ep that he has a good aim.
- After Cal proposed to Chloe, I knew they were doomed. Their deaths were the most emotional and tragic for me so far. Cameron Richardson brought her A-game in this ep. Kudos.
- Jimmy is so a red-herring. That last scene in the car? Maybe Jimmy is suspicious of Trish?

I can't believe we have to wait two weeks for the finale. I still have no clue who the other killer is. I originally pointed at Henry here. My theory still holds up. As for survivors, I really want Sully to survive and Danny as well. I don't care for Shea, Madison or Abby. Please kill them, killers. I hope Trish is not the other killer and that she gets to have her revenge by killing at least one of the killers. I see Jimmy sacrificing himself for Abby (ugh! blugh! aarghh!) and if Henry turns out to be the other killer, he will die. So uhmm yeah, please don't die Sully and Danny.

Is it July 11 yet?

Dear Scarlett Johansson,

You are one of my favorite actresses. But sometimes I really hate you.

Young Hollywood Awards

The Young Hollywood Awards. I used to kinda like 'em. But now? They're a joke right? An award show has no credibility to me if they change the categories every year. It's like they pick people they want to give an award to and then make up an category. It actually pains me to say this, because I LOVE Young Hollywood. But these awards make no sense.

Take a look at the categories in 2008 and 2009. I took these from the official site. I would list the previous years as well, but the official site doesn't even have them up. Huh?

2008
Standout Performance Male (Jonathan Tucker)
Standout Performance Female (Emmanuelle Chriqui)
Exciting New Face Female (Emma Stone)
Exciting New Face Male (Alex Frost)
One to Watch Male (Thomas Dekker, Brady Corbet)
One to Watch Female (Summer Bishil, Brittany Robertson)
Breakthrough Performance Male (Michael Angarano)
Breakthrough Performance Female (Amber Heard)
Breakthrough TV Performance (Vincent Kartheiser)
Hottest Coolest Young Veteran (Abigail Breslin)
Young Hollywood Role Model (Donald Sutherland)
Exciting New Vocalist (Taylor Swift)
Exciting Music Crossover (Jesse McCartney)
Hottest New Film Maker (Matt Reeves)
Hottest New Scene Stealer (Adam G. Sevani)
Hottest New Picasso (Kat von D.)
Newest Red Carpet Correspondent (Lilly Collins)
Crest Whitestrips Onscreen Smile(!?) (Brittany Snow)

2009
YH Superstar of Tomorrow (Annalynne McCord)
YH Action Star Female (Jamie Chung)
YH Action Star Male (Columbus Short)
YH Crossover (Bar Refaeli)
YH Superstar (Evan Rachel Wood)
YH Breakthrough Male (Ed Westwick)
YH Breakthrough Female (Rumer Willis)
YH Artist of the Year (Adam Lambert)
YH Green (Q'Orianka Kilcher)
YH Director (Catherine Hardwicke)
YH Athlete (Shawn Johnson)
YH Comedienne (Ari Graynor)

What happened to the exciting new faces?! The ones to watch?! The standout performances?! And where the hell did the YH Green award come from? How come last year we had Exciting New Vocalist and this year we have Artist of the Year? I'm so confused! And the same goes for the MTV Movie Awards with their ever changing categories. Boy, has that show lost its magic.

Adding categories? Sure, okay. But not too many in one year. And don't change all the existing ones. My tip to you award show people. You're welcome.

Bradley Cooper for the Win!

Haven't been around much. Whoops! I haven't posted about Bradley Cooper in about 3 weeks. What is wrong with me?! Anyhow, that doesn't mean I wasn't thinking about posting about him. I mean, The Hangover topped the box office this weekend, which is AMAZING! At first, when the estimates were released, I was bummed. Bummed as in 'Damn you Up!'. But then I saw the actuals on Monday and well, that was just the best part of my day. Which actually says more about my crappy day, but hey. Nearly $45 million for an R-rated comedy. That is serious business kids. Plus, the movie has good reviews. The movie is even fresh on Rotten Tomatoes (77%). Good word of mouth will make sure this movie has legs and make it one of the most profitable films of the summer! It's $35 million production budget has already been earned back in one weekend!

I will finally check the movie out this upcoming Tuesday. Can't wait!

Also, The Hollywood Reporter has confirmed Coop is in talks to play Faceman in The A-Team. Good lord, Fox, cast him already!

Rewatching Scream 3

There are parts in Scream 3 that make me want to slap Ehren Kruger. Why is it so cheesy?

Happy birthday, Jesse Bradford!

King of the Hill (1993)

Hackers (1995)

Romeo + Juliet (1996)

Bring It On (2000)

Swimfan (2002)

Happy Endings (2005)

Flags of Our Fathers (2006)

My Sassy Girl (2008)

Happy 30th, Jesse! I can't believe you hit the big three-oh. It makes me feel old! I have been following Jesse's career half my life now! My earliest Jesse memory is watching Hackers back in the 90s. And I also remember being mad in 2001 that he won Exciting New Face at the Young Hollywood Awards. Because Jesse Bradford, in 2001, was definitely not a new face. Exciting? Yes. New? No.

Anyways, happy birthday Jesse! Continue making movies and I'll continue to watch them. Looking forward to I Hope They Serve Beer in Hell!

Pics are thanks to Celyn at jesse-bradford.com

National Treasure 3 please

Just rewatched National Treasure and the movie held up really well for a third viewing. I also liked the sequel, Book of Secrets. So what I'm trying to say is.. I'd like to see a third flick. I never thought I would make a post stating this, but yeah, I'd like to see another one. They're fun! Plus, JUSTIN BARTHA. I cannot stress this enough. JUSTIN BARTHA.

I think a third one is in development so come on Powers that Be, make it happen!

Watch Harper's Island tonight!

Episode 6, "Sploosh", airs tonight on CBS. And believe me, you don't want to miss the "Sploosh".

Chace Crawford is Footloose

My friend Stitch and I always joke about Chace Crawford's resemblance to Zac Efron and that they should play brothers some time. Only we never call Chace by his first name. We always call him 'Man-Bangs'. Gossip Girl fans will get it. Anyways, two months ago I expressed my joy that Efron pulled out of the planned Footloose remake. Apparently the producers solved this problem by casting someone that looks like him (source). That's how the business goes these days?

I have no problem with Man-Bangs, but I'd still rather not see this remake happening.

E! reports Hayden Panettiere, Amanda Bynes, Julianne Hough are in the running for the female lead, as well as Miley Cyrus. Powers that Be, please let it be Bynes so this remake won't end up a total tween fest.

Coop, you're killing me

Seriously, Bradley Cooper, I don't have time to post about anything else anymore! Important things like how in the world Man-Bangs got cast in Footloose! That will now have to wait because Chud.com talked with Coop, who told them his earlier A-Team comments were taken out of context and that he hasn't even read the script.

No Green Lantern. No A-Team. Somebody hire this guy already, kay?

Review: Star Trek

Okay, it's not really a review. The whole concept of Star Trek is so foreign to me, I could not write a review about it and have it make sense. Instead I'm presenting you with some of my thoughts about the new Trek movie.

• I enjoyed the movie! And I don't even like Star Trek! Kudos JJ Abrams, kudos! I was afraid I wouldn't get the movie, but it's really accessible for non-Trek watchers.

• Chris Pine is funny. I had no idea Chris Pine could be funny. Excellent choice for James Kirk.

• Pine had good chemistry with Karl Urban.

• Watching Zachary Quinto on the big screen makes me feel like a proud momma. I knew that kid had potential when I first saw him in the Off Centre episode "Diddler on the Roof" in 2002.

• Winona Ryder is not old enough to play Quinto's mom. Whatever happened to her anyways?

• John Cho is awesome.

• Simon Pegg was fun to watch.

• Anton Yelchin is adorable. Happy for him that he's in two of the biggest movies of the summer (this and Terminator: Salvation).

• Thanks for stopping by Jennifer Morrison! At least you weren't green like Rachel Nichols.

• Rachel Nichols, what the hell? Why were you green?

• Chris Hemsworth did well in his small role as papa Kirk. I can see why he's been cast in Thor and Red Dawn.

• It's sad that when I first saw young James Kirk, I immediately thought 'Jimmy Bennett' instead of 'James Kirk'. What's even more sad is that I didn't recognize Clifton Collins Jr.! I thought I was well trained in the art of recognizing him, but I failed. EPICALLY.

So uhm yeah, most of my thoughts are cast related. But that's just how I roll. I'll watch anything if there are actors in it that I like. Even Piranha 3-D is looking pretty good to me because of Adam Scott, Jerry O'Connell and Ving Rhames! Anyways, back to Star Trek. Give it a chance. It might surprise you. A 4/5.

The Weekly Cooper Update

I meant to post this yesterday, but I was busy with other stuff. Anyhow, new week so new Bradley Cooper scoop!

IESB.net reports that Coop is playing Lt. Templeton "Faceman" Peck in the new The A-Team movie. Surprised? I was! There have been a lot of rumors going around Cooper was in the running to play the Green Lantern. Now that he has joined The A-Team remake, it seems unlikely he'll go green as well. The A-Team has franchise potential, just like the Green Lantern. I don't see him doing both, especially because the movies aren't for the same studio. The former is set up at 20th Century Fox, while the latter is a Warner Bros production. Plus, it already bugs me that Christian Bale is Batman AND John Connor. No need to have Coop go down that road.

And in even more important news: People reports Cooper is NOT dating Jennifer Aniston. Halle-friggin-lujah! Now I can focus on my Star Trek post.

Random thoughts

• I want this poster (via). Justin Bartha is adorable. I can't really explain it, but this poster amuses me.

• Was surfing JoBlo.com and read the most recent C'mon Hollywood column, which made me laugh. Its title? Bradley Cooper as Green Lantern: make it happen! It's basically the same post I wrote last week. Glad I'm not the only one who thinks Cooper would be a good choice, you know, despite not knowing anything about the Green Lantern.

• Scrubs has been renewed for a 9th season and Zach Braff will be back for 6 eps (source). While I didn't really like the supposed series finale as a whole, I did think it gave Braff a nice send off. I wonder how they'll write him back in and how many original castmembers they'll get back for the new season as some are attached to pilots.

• I finally remember which trailer was attached to 17 Again: it was Fame. Watching it, I didn't think it was a bad trailer. Apparently it wasn't memorable either.

AWWWWWWWWW!

• Finally saw the season finale of Grey's Anatomy. It was sad. AWWWWWW! :'( I really want to love the episode, but a certain ER episode is still too fresh in my mind to find this GA ep shocking or original. I miss Grey's Anatomy's glory days.

• I saw Star Trek! Will post my thoughts later! But for now, two thumbs up!

Watch Harper's Island

Watch Harper's Island, CBS's murder mystery show! It's cheesy and campy, but oh so addictive! Please don't let me down, US peeps, I need to know how the story plays out!

Let me let CBS tell you what the show is about:

HARPER'S ISLAND is about a group of family and friends who travel to a secluded island off the coast of Seattle for a destination wedding. This island is famous for a streak of unsolved murders from seven years ago. Although they've come to laugh and to love, what they don't know is they've also come... to die. As the wedding festivities begin, friendships are tested and secrets exposed as a murderer claims victims, one by one, transforming the wedding week of fun and celebration into a terrifying struggle for survival.

In every episode, someone is killed and every person is a suspect, from the wedding party to the island locals. By the end of the 13 episodes, all questions will be answered, the killer will be revealed and only a few will survive.

That last part is what I find really appealing about the show: it has an end date. The story won't be stretched out over 5 seasons. We won't have to worry that we'll never find out who the killer is when ratings drop so low CBS wants to cancel it, because all 13 episodes have already been filmed.

The show has been described as Ten Little Indians meets Scream. I get the Agatha Christie reference, but no way is this show like Scream. Campy like Scream 3? Maybe. Sure, our supposed heroine Abby (Elaine Cassidy) has dead mommy issues. And like in Scream, people die. But the characters in Scream have self-awareness. The characters in Harper's Island are self involved. Which brings me to one of my biggest issues with the show: how come no one notices people are missing?

You have reached SPOILER TERRITORY so beware! I have seen the first 5 episodes and will spoil certain deaths and storylines below. However, I will give another spoiler warning before I really spoil something.

Really it annoyed me to no end that SPOILER a bridesmaid died in the second ep yet her disappearance isn't explained until the 5th episode. And then what really bugged is that I read an interview with Sean Rogerson, who plays Booth, that a scene where they mentioned the bridesmaid's absence was cut from the episode! Yes, vital information gets cut, but about a gazillion other things they kept in. Great job, editor! /SPOILER

While we're on the subject of crew members who should've done a better job.. Dear casting director, why cast so many people that look alike so it takes me 5 episodes and a visit to the CBS website to figure out who all these people are? There are a lot of characters on this show, yet with the exception of one of the groomsmen who is African American, there is no cultural diversity at all! All the women are white and either blonde or brunette, which makes it difficult to keep track of who's who. I'm pretty familiar with Katie Cassidy and Gina Holden, but throw them in with the 4 other brunettes and even I'm confused. At least the groomsmen don't look alike, but Adam Campbell (the Brit) and the guy who plays JD (the groom's brother) do have similar faces.

I have another problem with the casting. The original pilot presentation had different cast members, including Ryan Merriman as the groom and Bill Pullman as Uncle Marty. While I'm totally on board with replacing Merriman with Christopher Gorham as the groom as Merriman is so young looking, getting rid of Pullman confuses me slightly. Look, Harry Hamlin is great and I enjoyed him as Uncle Marty, but he did add to the camp factor. Just like Adam Campbell was part of the original cast AND THEY KEPT HIM! Watching him in the pilot is like I'm watching him in Date Movie again. That's not a compliment. And also, Topher Grace wants his DNA back. I'm really wondering here if it was their intention to make the show campy. If so, they succeeded. If not, then I have no words. Honestly, I like show. But I'd rather like the show because it's good, not because it's so bad it's good.

Finally, our lead Abby is played by Elaine Cassidy. I have never seen this girl before, but I can say I don't like her in this role. The character of Abby (the groom's best friend) doesn't work for me. The Powers that Be are trying too hard to make us like her. Everyone on the island seems to like her. The groomsmen like her. Even the friggin' bride likes her. Okay, I get it, she's supposed to be awesome. Yet what I'm seeing is a plain Jane who pushes people away. The cast is huge and most of the screentime is focused on her and her background. I get bored everytime she's on screen being all angsty. Normally I'm not a fan of KATIE Cassidy, but she's Meryl Streep compared to ELAINE Cassidy here. At least I'm not hoping Katie dies everytime she's on screen. Really, I would've cut the character of Abby and put the focus on the bride and groom.

Okay, I've been complaining a lot but I do really like the show. It's fun! I can't wait for the next ep to see who dies next. Hah I originally typed 'how dies next'. The kills are interesting so yeah, I also want to know HOW the next person dies! Plus, Richard Burgi as the bride's dad is very awesome. Chris Gorham is a cutie! And Jim Beaver as the Sheriff is cool!

As for the killer. Really, I have no clue. It could be anyone at this point. I have a lame theory though. The show reminds me of the movie Mindhunters, where a bunch of people are trapped on an island and they are killed via traps. The killer has no parents, because he killed them when he was a kid. The groom also has no parents so if I had to make a guess, it's him. But I don't really (want to) believe it's Henry. Gorham is too adorable!

I'm surprised I could write so much about the show without spoiling much. Watch Harper's Island and get hooked!