A Star Studded Weekend Filled with Faulty Writing

VS

Well to be perfectly honest, I wasn't going to go out and see The Smurfs this weekend to make this blog review totally complete. However, I have been looking forward to this weekend for quite some time. I thought it was going to be the cherry on top of the summer, the solid 2-movie weekend that was going to be ever so enjoyable.

So I maybe got a little carried away. If there's ever such a good great movie weekend, it would be heaven, but not in this movie climate. However, little blue people aside, this weekend wasn't all too bad.

This big curse that harmed this weekend was poor, patchy writing. Each of these movies could have been great, but sadly the writers must have forgotten to let someone look over their scripts, because there were plot holes galore in Cowboys and it was most definitely a very bumpy up and down ride in Crazy. The real super saver of both these movies were the unbelievably fabulous casts that really help the movies' less than glamorous plots.

With Cowboys and Aliens I had one huge character complaint, however. Ella Swenson (played by Olivia Wilde) is just such a let down. She walks around like a robot for the most part, and the only words that ever come out of her mouth seem to be, "Do you remember?" Not only is she super annoying, but he character contains the most plot holes in the movie. I was also very disappointed with the amount of screen time Paul Dano had. I love Paul Dano. I think he's a pretty great actor, and it makes me really sad that he's not too often in films for longer than 30 minutes. I figured after There Will Be Blood a lot of people would like to hire him, but negative. Or maybe Dano just doesn't like being in movies. Maybe, maybe. Either way, I should have known from the trailers that he wasn't going to be a big character in this particular movie, even though his name was dropped in the early credits.

Other than annoying characters and disappointing credited actors, the thing that made this movie fun was definitely the alien design. It was really interesting, and I'm a sucker for aliens and all that :). And Indiana Jones and Jame Bond didn't hurt the funness of this movie either :)

Regarding Crazy, Stupid, Love, I found it a little bit too long. The story arc was very slowly paced. There were a few mini-climaxes throughout, which all led up to the biggest plot twist of them all, and I found this formula super hard to pay attention to. The trailers and posters promised me equal Ryan Gosling and Steve Carell time, but the first half of the film was definitely more Carell, and all the Gosling parts were actually in the trailer. Disappointment. He's The Notebook guy, why should he get shoved aside in a romance film?? Psh, there's no reason. In all honesty, the film's character are what drives the movie, not the story. The story has an interesting plot twist, but it's the same old same old really. I learned nothing new, and I felt nothing new. No tears in this one and no super fast heartbeat. I would maybe see it once more if asked, but after that I don't plan on really watching it ever again.

So this weekend was a little bit of a let down, but I guess I shouldn't have let my hopes run free!

And at last, my scores:

Cowboys & Aliens: 3/5

Crazy, Stupid, Love: 3/5

10 Summer Movies

I decided to compile a list of films that I am totally stoked to see this upcoming Summer 2011. I will state a few reasons why I'm excited for these films, but in general, compared to last summer there are a lot more I am going to go out and see.

(The list is in order of desire, and I'm only counting movies from May 6-August 26)

1. Super 8 - this film is one I have been excited to see for about a year. Ever since that wonderful super secret trailer was attached to Iron Man 2 I have been following this movie. There is no movie I can compare to my thrill. JJ Abrams has promised me many things with this movie, above all the nostalgia of my childhood with Steven Spielberg's ET (which, if you don't know, is my 2nd favorite movie of all time). I love alien movies. I love the aloofness of this film, and how I know almost close to nothing about it, but I've been following it for over a year come this weekend. In other words, this movie has the most potential to disappoint me greatly, but I strongly feel it won't. (June 10)

2. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Pt.2 - uhm, duh. If you read my last blog post, you'd know that there is nothing that beats HP in my eyes. Actually, if you know me at all you'd know Harry Potter revolves around my life like nothing else. It's pretty much the air I breathe. I think about the book series at least once a week, and my room can be seen as a shrine to my love for it (I have a book shelf dedicated to the series, 3 posters, and assorted other things that express my love for the series litter my room). This movie is a close 2nd to Super 8, and the reason is because I'm almost a little scared for it all to end. (July 15)

3. X-Men: First Class - Yeah, make fun of me all you want and tell me how much the X-men series has tanked. I'll agree with you. But come on, have you not seen this trailer??! Yeah, not only that but James McAvoy's voice is sexy on its own. Add Rose Byrne, who I've fallen in love with since Adam, and new comer Jennifer Lawrence and you have a match. I desperately want to see this movie, and living proof of this was today after someone read their script I immediately said "this makes me even more excited for summer movies, specifically X-men." The trailer, oh man, it's just so good. (June 3)

4. Don't Be Afraid of the Dark - I've been wanting to see this movie for a little over a year now. However, MGM's bankruptcy prevented that. After constant waiting, finally there is a release date and hopefully it sticks. Insidious gives me hope for a new turn over of scary movies. Hopefully this trend stays, and we start to see more interesting and inventive horror films produced and made in America. I can only cross my fingers. (August 26)

5. Pirates of the Caribbean 4: On Stranger Tides - Again, make fun of me. But Johnny Depp is one foxy guy and I love every single Pirates movie. I have a lot of weaknesses within films, and one is big-time blockbuster movies. For the past 2 summers, however, I have been unimpressed. I want something fun, exciting, and entertaining enough for me to munch away at my popcorn, eyes glued to the screen. The Pirates movies do this for me. I also am partial to the fun exchange of dialogue. The characters are strong, they're entertaining, and the movies keep me on my toes. Perfect summer movie. (May 20)

6. Winnie the Pooh - awh, I'm so excited for this movie :) I love Winnie and all his friends. As far as animated movies go, this one is up on my high list for the year. It's nostalgia all the way, but it's classic and maybe I'll even dig up my old Winnie stuffed animal :p. Plus, the fact that it's hand-drawn 2D animation just makes it almost more appealing than all the CGI and 3D animated movies coming out (sorry Pixar). July 15th is going to be a busy weekend.

7. The Hangover Part II -- Jeez, there's a lot of sequels, prequels, reboots, you name it this summer...but that's okay with me. this is pretty much the highest comedy on my list of summer movies I'm excited to see. I loved the first one, so that already makes it on my list of movies I need to see. It also doesn't hurt that this one takes place in Asia (hello, awesome). And supposedly Justin Bartha has a more important role in this one (as I cross my fingers). Love him. I'm a little worried about this movie, though. Maybe all this hype will kill it. The reason the first movie did so well was because no one saw it coming. It was hilarious, and unexpected. This movie can end up being a big time flop for me, but that doesn't mean I'm any less excited for it. (May 26)

8. 30 Minutes or Less - As an awesome friend of mine said already, what is not to want about this film. Director of Zombieland, Jesse Eisenberg, Danny McBride, and on top of all that it has Dilshad Vadsaria who is of Greek fame (my favorite TV show of all time). The trailer's solid, the cast and crew are solid, is there any reason not to want to see this film?? Probably not. (August 12)

9. Rise of the Planet of the Apes - One name: Tom Felton. You've captured me, won me over, I'm already in line. Honestly, I don't need to know any more about this film than that. However, I do know a little bit more. There are some other strong cast members such as James Franco, Andy Serkis (Gollum....duh)and Freida Pinto (Slumdog Millionaire). The CGI monkey also looks great. My only protest is that this movie will most likely end in sadness, seeing as this is the prequel to The Planet of the Apes, and we all know how THAT starts. (August 5)

10. Cowboys & Aliens - This spot was hard for me, actually. There was a lot of potential for another movie to fill the number 10 spot, but Cowboys & Aliens creeped up above all those others. So why? Well, it's the alien part, I'm not going to lie. But the actor line-up also helped it as well. Paul Dano, whom I love, is on the cast list as well as big names like Harrison Ford, Daniel Craig, Sam Rockwell and Olivia Wilde. Also, it's the director of Iron Man, so I can do that. A couple of the writers are also behind the script of the new Star Trek movie. Super! (July 29)

Other Movies Worth Noting:

Thor (May 6)

Bridesmaids (May 13)
Kung Fu Panda 2 (May 27)
The Troll Hunter (June 10 limited)

Green Lantern (June 17)

The Art of Getting By (June 17 limited)

Cars 2 (June 24)

Bad Teacher (June 24)
Snow Flower and the Secret Fan (July 15 limited)

Captain America: The First Avenger (July 22)

Friends with Benefits (July 22)

Crazy Stupid Love (July 22)

Our Wonderful Brother (August 26)
Apollo 18 (August 26)

EDIT: I will cross out the movies as I watch them