When In Rome

Photo courtesy of Netflix

I avoided this movie in the theatres and I have no clue why because I loved it. Josh Duhamel is nice too, and I have never seen him in anything. Kristen Bell is a good actress too, and I have never seen her. I guess I may just have to watch more movies with these actors in them.

Anyway, the story is about a woman who is very into her job. So into it, that she often puts it above relationships. When her sister shows up engaged after dating somebody for two weeks, she thinks she is crazy because she doesn't have faith in love but is supportive nonetheless. She travels to Rome for the wedding and falls for Duhamel's character but gives up when she sees him with another woman. In her desperation, she mocks a fountain that is said to have magical powers. Many people throw coins into the fountain in hopes that they will find true love. Legend is that if your coin is picked up, you will fall in love with whoever picked up your coin. Bell's character mockingly picks up five and when she returns to New York, five men are after her, including Duhamel's character.

I won't give any other details but this is a fantastically fun little romantic comedy flick. Check it out. It gets a golden coin that was fished out of a Roman fountain!

Mrs. Miracle

It is the season to watch Christmas Movies. You totally should try it. It will change your life. Right now I am in the middle of an old Whoopi Goldberg, and it is fun. I will review it soon. Christmas movies help any Scrooge get into the Christmas Spirit. I have been using them to help me get out of the winter, no light blahs! It works! Try it.


Pic found at Netflix
I missed this movie somehow. Maybe it was made for TV or something. I found it at the Redbox. It was fun to watch while I was home on a personal day on Monday. I like to just lounge in front of the Christmas Tree in my warm house and be taken into storyland.

This movie is heartwarming and has a cute man as one of the front actors. James Van Der Beek is nice. And I just found out courtesy of imdb.com that he was born on my birthday. We are exactly the same age. I will tell him this on our first date. Just kidding, he is married and I don't date married men, but sometimes I watch their movies and enjoy them.

Anyway, this movie is about a single father who is struggling to raise twin boys. He is looking for a housekeeper/nanny to help him and finds Mrs. Miracle(which is pronounce mircle for part of the movie). She comes into their lives and totally spins it positively. I guess that is where we get the Miracle name from. The romance aspect is fun with Erin Kurpluck playing Van der Beek's love interest.

Great movie with the feel of Christmas Miracles and Spirit. Redbox rent it and enjoy! It receives five warm hearts.

Some "Classics"

Since buying a HDTV and Blu Ray Player(I am a complete and spoiled brat), I have been watching movies a lot lately. I guess when you get a knew toy, you want to play with it a lot! It rocks by the way. I got a pretty good deal at RC Willy and I had been shopping for a few weeks, so I jumped on it. And with an HDTV you really should have a Blu Ray player. It makes a lot of difference. The player will convert DVDs to 1080p which is close to HD quality. I LOVE it! I think I am now a TV snob but that is okay. When I am in my wonderful little space, I have all the HD I can handle! Here is a look at some of the movies I have watched recently. I am really on a Christmas kick, so look to lots of reviews!

1. The Holiday
This is one of my all time Favorite movies. You should watch it again this holiday season just for fun. Make sure to eat popcorn while doing. That is what I do and it is fabulous. P.S. Kate Winslet is awesome. You should know her. I wish I did.

2. The Notebook
I forgot how sweet this story is. I love romance movies and this one is a great one. It has everything and Rachel McAdams is awesome.

3. What Happens in Vegas
Hilarious movie. Cameron Diaz has great humor skills and hello Ashton Kutcher is always funny. I like this movie. The peeing in the kitchen sink is a little bit, but it is admittedly funny!

The Karate Kid

Picture found at: http://images.redbox.com/Images/Full/TheKarateKid2010_3290.jpg

I loved this movie. Jaden Smith is so very cute. He is definitely Will Smith's son! He makes some faces that make you think: "That is a miniture Will Smith!" Crazy. Jackie Chan is also amazing. I have always loved him and he is a martial art whiz! I didn't think they could do a good job with a remake of this classic but it was very good. They kept the integrity of the message but gave it a new twist. See it. It will make you laugh, cry and hurt in the kidneys.

Salt

All I can say is that Angelina Jolie kicks butt. She really is the Queen of Action Flicks. I wish I were as cool as her with smaller lips. Sometimes when she was on the screen I was distracted by her lips...they are huge. Anyway, this movie was awesome. It had suspense and action. Watch it! It won't disappoint!

Inception

SEE. THIS. MOVIE. It will change your life...or at least entertain you with amazing cinematogrophy for a few hours.

Spiderman

I watched Spiderman last night with the nephew. It reminded me how much I like Tobey McQuire. I also noticed that Kirsten Dunst has an amazing dimple. I wish I had a dimple. Oh and I do have to say that upside down kissing looks really fun. I really need to find a boyfriend.

You should take the time to watch this classic(it really isn't that old) or another one and remember why you love movies. It is good for the soul!

Remember Me

Photo from Redbox.com
Watch this movie. It was fantastic. It stars the ever so famous these days, Robert Pattinson. He is cuter as a real human instead of a vampire, if you ask me. Of course, I hate Edward. Anyway, this movie portrays what it is like to try to make it on your own in New York. It also deals with how you don't really get your parents when you are younger. It also has a flare of romance in it (again...beware of the sex scene...I had to close my eyes. No peeking...GOSH!). Pierce Bronson is in it and he always is good. I don't want to tell you about the end because it is totally a surprise that may bring tears to your eyes. It made me remember!

I give it a Statue of Liberty!

A post about a million and one movies...

Sorry that each of these movies does not get its own post. These are the movies I have seen thanks to Netflix this summer.

1. The Open Road. Starring: Justin Timberlake, Jeff Bridges, Mary Steenburgen, and Kate Mura. Basically, this is like a made for TV movie. Take that as low budget or whatever you take from that statement. Justin Timberlake's character goes on a life changing journey as he tries to find his father and bring him to his mother's bedside(she is hospital and is going to have heart surgery...her wish is to have the dad there before she has the surgery). JT's character takes his friend along and there may or may not be romantic chemistry there. This is a good movie. If it were in the Redbox, I would say see it...otherwise....ya know. It gets a surgeon award.

2. Run, Fat Boy, Run! This is a British Movie. It was fun to see different sites from around London. The basic storyline is that a man walks away from his pregnant fiance while she is at the altar. He tries to make things okay by running in the London Marathon. Basically, he thinks that if he starts to get in shape and have a goal, he can win her back. It is a very humorous movie with the cinematography taste of Juno, Napoleon Dynamite, and Whip It.(That independent darker tinge?). I would say it is a good movie to see on a weekend. It gets three gold laces.(out of five)

3. Griffin & Phoenix Staring: Dermot Mulroney and Amanda Peet.
Hello....Dermot Mulroney? He is fun to watch. I loved him since My Best Friend's Wedding. And Amanda Peet is just cute. Anyway, this story is about how knowing you are dying can make you live. Enough said? I would say hold off if you don't like sex scenes...it is hard for me to watch those with my mother! It is a good story though. I give it seven Kleenex. It is a tear jerker.

4. According to Greta with Hilary Duff.
Hillary Duff plays an angst filled teen who is sent to live with her grandparents for the summer. It was kinda an annoying movie to me. I had it on in the background while I played a game on the iPhone. It was typical of all the teen angst filled movies. It was good but I wouldn't pay lots of money to see it. I don't know why I like Hilary Duff but I do. Take that. It gets a container of eyeliner for it's award, from the angst and all.

Whip It

I am enjoying being a part of Netflix this summer. I joined to watch the tv show, Bones, but I decided the one DVD I get out at a time would be movies I had missed in theatres. So, Whip It was the first one I got in the mail. By the way, netflix is an awesome deal. It is only $8.99 a month and you can stream unlimited movies/tv shows online and then you get one DVD through the mail at a time. I am loving it and am positive you will as well. So there is my plug for netflix.

The movie was fantastic. This was Drew Barrymore's directing debut and I think she did an amazing job. The ambience of the film was typical of independent films in that it wasn't a perfect feel like much of mainstream Hollywood films portray. It also was pretty funny and full of roller derby action. I think that sport actually is more brutal than rugby! The movie had Ellen Page in it which made me skeptical about me enjoying it because I hated Juno, which she stared in. Basically, I like Ellen and her misfortune of being in that movie is just that, unfortunate, because she does a great job in Whip It. In fact, I think she is a great actress(sorry for doubting you abilities based on the movie last time, Ellen.) She does a great job of playing a normal, average, everyday kind of girl!

Not only is this a sports film about coming of age but it also shows the love of parents as their kid does something unexpected. Instead of being beauty pagents like her mother wants her to, Ellen's character chooses the derby. There she finds the self confidence that the pagents were taking away from her. I love movies where people find their passion and, in a sense, their happiness. Watch this movie; you won't be disappointed!

It earns a drive you into the wall award!

Eclipse...the movie for people who don't get enough kissing.

Picture found at imdb.com

I loved this movie. If you have been watching the Twilight saga, you definitely should see this installment. If you haven't been watching, what have you been living under a rock the past couple of years? Seriously, get in with the times and with pop culture and start reading the books and then rent the last two movies to catch up and then see this one. I think this is the best of the series to far, but I may be biased.

I happen to be of a small breed. The type that actually prefers werewolves over vampires. I am of Team Jacob. I like the warmth, I like the rugged, and I like the lack of shirt! Call me a sicko, but that is who I am. I find the coldness and over-Romanticism a bit much when it comes to the bloodsucker. If you are of team Edward, we may still be able to be friends. It may be hard though. (It makes me feel a little bit like a pedophile seeing the actor who plays Jacob Black, Taylor Lautner, is like 18. A little young for me!)

My love of Jacob probably is why I like this movie. You actually get to see Bella be real with herself and actually succumb to her feelings for Jacob. The truth comes out that she does have feeling for Jacob, even though she still has to make a decision and still sticks with the cold one.

The movie was excellent. I really liked the use of different camera angles. The coolest one, I thought, was where they followed Bella out to her truck above her. Pretty cool camera work. I also enjoyed the landscapes and of course how the wolves looked. They were massive.

I also liked the portrayal of Bree Tanner. If you haven't read The Short Second Life of Bree Tanner: an Eclipse Novella(also by Stephenie Meyer), you should. It was really cool to actually get a glimpse of the life of the newborn coven of vampires in that book. It also was a good mind jogger for the storyline of Eclipse.

I give this movie five "I want to suck your blood" awards. See it, you will like it!

P.S. There is enough kissing in this movie to even fill the canteen of people who do not get kissed nearly enough. I am just sayin'!

Invictus

This movie is proof once again that sports unite the masses. I am always amazed at how I am touched by sport movies. It always amazes me how having a good attitude and sportsmanship can make an amazing impact on people. One such example would be the recent almost perfect baseball game where a pitcher had a perfect game going in the 9th inning and the umpire made a horrible call at first ruining the pitcher's perfect game. Instead of holding a grudge, the pitcher reached out to the
umpire after the game and had a drink with him. Touching, just like Invictus where Nelson Mandela encourages both racial and by his support of the republic of South Africa's rugby team(when most South African Blacks would only support football). This movie was awesome and inspiring. You will watch it(as the Brits would say!)

This movie receives three golden scrums and two brass tries!!

Amelia

Photo from redbox.com
I should have wrote this review right after I watched the movie but I was too busy doing internet stalking.

I think Hilary Swank is amazing. I like her in most rolls. Have you seen a trend in my movie watching? I usually like one of the actors or I really don't watch the movie. Anyway, this is a flick about the life of Ameilia Earhart. It highlights the time from her first go over the Atlantic(not solo) to her try to go around the circumfrance of the earth. I really like how they portrayed Ameilia. She was a very strong woman at a time when it was not popular or easy to be a strong woman. In some ways, they had a little bit of a negative light cast upon her because she didn't feel she was the marrying type but overall the goodness of the rest of the movie overcame that. I love how Ameilia was an adventure type. I am not the adventureous type so it is good to live that way through film. I had a hard time being in a little plane with my brother for about a half an hour, I cannot even imagine going 20 hours across the ocean!

This movie also made me want to read Earhart's memoirs this summer. She was a brilliant and amazing lady.

Check out this flick...but I am not sure how accurate the information within the film is. I will get back to you when I have done my reading!

I give this Five history books out of five!

Sherlock Holmes.......again!

I was so bored last night because plans with a friend totally got dropped. I was going to sit on my couch and lounge and watch Bones and eat Gandolfo's but then I decided to check with the SLC family and see what was going on up there. Within two minutes, I had plans to watch a movie forty minutes from finding out. So I got in the car and drove to Sandy and then decided that it would take too much time to still have the Gandofo's and just had popcorn and Diet Coke for dinner and it was fabulous!

I liked Sherlock Holmes the first time I watched it. I love Robert Downey Jr. I have not always liked him, but thanks to Ironman....I have totally fallen for him! I also like Jude Law and so it was a nice night of eye candy for Alice.

I think I got a whole lot more out of the story line this time around as what often happens while watching a movie the second go round. I loved how this is a very Victorian feel flick. I also love that there was a lot of action. The movie really is like Sherlock Holmes meet Da Vinci Code. I like it. If you haven't seen it, you should! Enjoy!

Did You Hear about the Morgans?

Romantic comedies with Hugh Grant always seem to be delightful. He has a way with the timing of the humor and hello, he has a British accent.

This movie is plain funny and downright fun. It starts with a couple, who is having marital problems, seeing a murder. Basically, they are whisked off to the wilderness of Montana as a part of The Witness Protection Program. They are from New York City, so the adjustment to country life isn't easy and they adjust in their own special New York way! They also are separated and hate each other at that moment in time and so being assigned to Montana together is not their favorite.

I think the best part involves a grizzly bear chasing Hugh's character and an incident with bear spray. I won't give the funniness away but I bet your can imagine it could get awkward real fast.

I love the characters who take care of the Morgan's while they are in Montana. Basically, it is a cowboy and his cowgirl wife. They are an older couple who show much wisdom to the Morgans. As they teach the Morgans how to love again, you will also be reminded of the possibilities that love open up.

Cute, Cute, Cute movie. I would give it 9 our of 10 teddy bears.

A Day on My Couch

I lost my voice yesterday so today when I woke up and was still hoarse and felt so hot, I decided to have a sub and stay home. On the way back from work and dropping off my lesson plans, I stopped at the Redbox and picked up two movies. I put The Invention of Lying in the DVD player first and was completely offended in the first five minutes so that movie won't even get it's own post. I am in the middle of another movie so tune in later for that review!

Everybody's Fine

Robert Di Niro is fantastic in any movie he acts in and in this movie his majestic stage presence continues. This is a story about Di Niro's character taking a journey both physically and emotionally. He plays a father who recently loss his wife. He is lonely and wants to reconnect with his children. As a plot to have a reunion with the kids falls through, he then plans to take a trip around the country to check in with each of his children. As you watch the movie, you realize that this man really doesn't have a clue what goes on in his children's lives and that his family has always been good at lies.

My favorite elements of the movie are the cinematography and the music. Basically, the scenes in this movie are beautiful. It has been since Avatar that my eyes have been treated so well but this movie was impressive aesthetically! Much of the music was composed by Paul McCartney and hello this Beetle is a genius! This movie is both pleasing to the eyes and ears. Pick up this movie and have your heart touched. I give it an Eye and an Ear for the wonderfulness of art that this flick is!

Love Happens

Have I ever seen a movie with Jennifer Aniston in it and hated it? No. Have I ever watched a movie with Jennifer Aniston in it and disliked it? No.

The streak continues with Love Happens. Aniston plays a cynical florist who meets a motivational speaker(Aaron Eckhart). Eckhart's character helps people deal with the loss of a loved one. As he is in Seattle leading one of his seminars, he meets Aniston's character and is intrigued with her.

Of course, this is a love story. It has a lot of twists and turns in order for you to find out the truth behind Eckhart's character's motives for running the seminars. If I say too much, the movie will be ruined for you and this movie was much too good for me to do that to you. I say...get your butt over to the Redbox and rent this movie. Thanks to Redbox for letting me rent this wonderful gem for one dollar and for the picture I "borrowed" from your website. This movie earns The Wonderful Gem award for humor, romance and overall a great time!

Valentine's Day

Dear Katherine Fugate(the writer of the screenplay for this movie)-

Overall, you story was mediocre. There were about ten stiorylines too many in this flick. Although it was nice in order to get a zillion famous people to participate in this production, the problem of underdevelopment of both characters and story was created by the overuse of storyline. I think the story between Ashton Kutcher's character and Jennifer Garner's character would have been sufficiant for a movie in and of itself.

Please consider addressing this problem in your next screenplay.

Sincerely,
Movie Alice

P.S. Taylor Swift is not an actress but a fine singer.

Slumdog Millionaire

I saw this movie on the BYU campus this past weekend. I never even knew that BYU did an international film cinema. The cool thing about this movie being at BYU campus is that it was edited so that it really wasn't an R rated movie. I am not saying that all R rated movies are bad, because the rating doesn't mean it is a horrible movie. I do, however, limit myself when it comes to R rated movies because I do feel they often contain crap that they do not need to contain. I have also been told by my church leaders to avoid R rated movies because of the content and I actually agree with them. I don't see it as a restraint but rather as a protection. I really don't know why I am getting into the rating scale in this post. Maybe because I know that watching R rated movies in the Mormon world is taboo and I wanted to make sure I was not judged for watching this movie.

Now, what about the movie? It was plain fantastic. It takes place in India, and follows the journey of a young boy into young adulthood. The cool thing is that you learn of the boy's journey via the answers he gives during the Indian version of "Who Wants to be a Millionaire?" I thought that, in and of itself, was a brilliantly creative way to show the adventures of this young man.

Slumdog Millionaire proves to be mix of many different genres. You have the drama of family relationships and how siblings can shape you into who you are. You also have the family drama of two boys losing their parents at a very young age and having to fend for themselves. Then you have a bit of comedy as you see the boys fighting and the main character has this odd dry humor about him. You also get a little bit of romance as you see the main character fight for the love of his life, who he decided was his great love when he was about seven.

I love how the characters were developed, especially the two orphan brothers who develop into very different individuals and how you see how decisions shape people's destinies. In fact, it was very symbolic how the main character is able to find riches and his brother chases other people's riches which later leads him to his demise.

I would recommend this movie for sure to anybody! It receives a bundle of wheat for my rating because it really adds sustenance to the soul!

The Accidental Husband

I have always loved Urma Thurman and her performance in this movie does not disappoint. Thurman plays a radio host who gives dating advice. She is engaged to be married and her world is shaken as an irate listener decides to hack into the city records and make her be married to him as payback, so when she tries to get a wedding license, she can't because she is already "married." I won't give up the storyline much more, but this movie is a must see. I think it was missed by mainstream moviegoers because it wasn't in theatres long and probably didn't get great reviews. I loved the movie and thought it was cute. You should see it, rent it at any Redbox!

Good romance and the main men are cute to boot!

Leap Year

I would have to say...see this movie. I have never been to Ireland but after seeing all the the wonderful scenery in Ireland in this movie, I am aching to go. I am also wanting to fall in love with a cute scruffy Irishman.

This was a wonderful little romantic comedy. Amy Adams is typed cast in this movie, but she does so well in a cute, funny, and helpless in love character. Her comedic timing is amazing! She makes me want to be her as well. That gorgeous red hair and big blue eyes and she sure can walk in those high heels.

Matthew Goode is very good in this movie. I don't recall ever seeing him in anything else, but I am researching to see what else he is in, so I can watch it. He is yummy. I didn't think I would ever use yummy when talking about a man, but I just did.

The basic plot of the movie is that Anna(Amy Adams) has been dating a man for several years and feels that they should be getting engaged. He leaves on a business trip to Dublin and she decides she should follow a family tradition and propose to him on Feb 29th(hence the name of the movie). Anyway, most of the plot deals with her adventures to get to him because her travel plans get messed up. Declan(Goode) helps her get to Dublin.

I will not give you any other details because I always feel that ruins movies for people, but please see this if you are sucker for romantic comedies because this is the best I have seen in a while! FIVE Golden Monkies