Monte Carlo

This chick flick film premiered on the 9^th of September 2011 and I am having mixed emotions on whether it was successful or not. In my opinion this film falls more under the Walt Disney vibe, like your High School Musical and other Disney films. The reason why I put this connotation on this particular film is because I would not suggest anyone over the age of 18 to go watch it. It is your typical Romance film, as most of the film takes place in Paris and Monte Carlo as the title of the film suggests.  However, there are also elements of comedy and adventure which form part of this particular film.

Three young women have been saving for a dream vacation to Paris. The three young women include Grace (Selena Gomez), her best friend Emma (Katie Cassidy) and uptight sister Meg (Leighton Meester). When they arrive in Paris things seem to take a turn for the worst, their tour, hotel and room are nothing of what they expected.  However, just as they are about to give up, their whole trip turns around when they decide to duck into the lobby of a luxury hotel to get out of the rain; this is where Grace gets mistaken for a spoilt British heiress Cordelia Winthrop Scott (Selena Gomez). Before they get the chance to reveal their true identities, they get sucked into this glamorous fairytale lifestyle and in a wink of an eye find themselves in Monte Carlo. This is where the ‘true’ adventure begins and love starts to unfold for the three young women.  It is here in Monte Carlo that they also truly find themselves and who they are and what they want out of life. A film filled of hope, dreams and life changing events.

The acting in this particular film for me was average, nothing to brag about. However, there were moments were I found myself chuckling. The setting of the film was absolutely stunning as much of it takes place in Paris and Monte Carlo. The story-line for me was mediocre as it was one of those films that you could guess or anticipate what was coming next. I also found that the love story of each individual woman was a bit underdeveloped, boring and unrealistic – seemed to be missing some loop holes.

Overall I would not rate it excellent, but definitely a movie for young women to enjoy together. Other actors of this film included Cory Monteith, Andie MacDowell and Brett Cullen.

Directed by:               Thomas Bezucha

Written by:                Thomas Bezucha & April Blair                       

Time duration:             109min

Age restriction:           PG

Bad Teacher

This hysterically funny movie came onto the big screen on the 2^nd of September 2011. In my opinion this comedy brings a laugh riot out of every individual that is glued to the screen. The vulgarity in the movie works as it creates the humor for the film, making it more than just an ordinary comedy. It was slightly funny seeing Cameron Diaz and Justin Timberlake in these specific roles, but they managed to pull their roles off leaving satisfied movie goers in my opinion.

Some teachers just don’t care at all and Elizabeth (Cameron Diaz) is the splitting example of this. She is rude, ruthless, foul-mouthed, gold digger and completely inappropriate most of the time. She is all about trying to find herself a ‘man’ that is her meal ticket out of the job she cold heartedly despises. However, when she is dumped by her fiancé who was able to offer this lifestyle, she is forced back to the one thing she is only ‘good’ at. When a new co-worker named Scott Delacorte (Justin Timberlake) comes onto scene, Elizabeth soon finds out that he comes from family money and starts to set her plans in place to win him over. However, she soon finds herself competing for his emotions with an overly energetic and psycho colleague, Amy (Lucy Punch).  While this battle all takes place there is a constant figure who tries to win her attention – the gym teacher Russell Gettis (Jason Segal). When her actions soon get out of hand and she is almost caught by the skin of her teeth, she soon realises the consequences of her outrageous actions. Her herself, her co-workers and students end up getting an education in something that is a lot more real beneficial in the outside world, not something that can be learned in the classroom but rather by experience.

This whole film is a package of fun, but also tends to teach something to all who will have the privilege of watching it. Its whole concept for me was that money can’t buy you happiness and that sometimes sensitivity is better than the macho-male so many of us females always finding ourselves drawn too. Definitely a must see film that will leave you perhaps questioning the relationships you may find yourself in at one point in your life.

Directed by:            Jake Kasdon

Written by:             Gene Stupnitsky and Lee Eisenberg

Time duration:          1hr. 31min

Age restriction:        R - rated

Cowboys and Aliens

This jaw dropping movie is full of adventure and action and will definitely have the male audience captivated. It premiered at cinemas fairly recently on the 19^th of August. This mix-up of Sci-Fi and Old West brings something different to the cinema and it is working perfectly in combination. The cast of actors are excellent in their roles and I actually enjoy Daniel Craig more in his role in this particular film than in his previously known roles as James Bond.

The setting of the film is in New Mexico; 1875. A stranger (Jake Lonergan) who is played by Daniel Craig has no memory of whom or where he comes from and finds himself in the town of Absolution. What he does not know yet is that this town does not except strangers very openly, as they all live in fear of Colonel Dolarhyde (Harrison Ford). Dolarhyde is the one who has the money and is keeping the town up and going, so what he says goes and no questions are asked. However, they are soon bombarded by the outer world (Aliens) as they start a ‘war’ by kidnapping the towns’ people, in an attempt to learn their weaknesses so they can wipe out the human race. The town and Dolarhyde soon realize that Jake is the only one who can help them. As they set off on their journey this is where Jake starts to remember who he is... He also learns that he holds a secret that will help them win this ‘war’... There are a few twists in the story that I am not going to spoil for you, but they definitely do their job by keeping the audience on the edge of their seats, as they anticipate what will be happening next.

Other well known actors to look out for in this film are Olivia Wilde, Sam Rockwell, Paula Dano and Adam Beach.  

Directed by:               John Favreau

Written by:                 Roberto Orci

Time duration:          1hr. 58min.

Age restriction:         PG -13