She's Out of My League

Kirk Kettner (Jay Baruchel) is a native of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania in his mid-20s who has low self-esteem and, by his own admission, has not accomplished very much in life. He works at thePittsburgh International Airport as a Transportation Security Administration officer, and hopes of becoming a pilot one day. He tries to get back together with his self-centered ex-girlfriend, Marnie (Lindsay Sloane). Marnie ended her relationship with Kirk two years ago and is highly dismissive of his continued romantic interests after his latest pursuit. However, she has remained close with Kirk's parents (Debra Jo Rupp and Adam LeFevre) and overbearing brother Dylan (Kyle Bornheimer), continues to participate in family activities along with her new boyfriend Ron, and even lives with Kirk's parents. He has three close male friends who also work at the airport: Stainer (T. J. Miller), Devon (Nate Torrence), and Jack (Mike Vogel).

Then at work one morning, a beautiful woman, Molly McCleish (Alice Eve), arrives at the passenger terminal for a flight to New York. While proceeding through security, her striking looks attract unwanted attention and harassment from several male employees. Kirk is the only employee to treat her courteously. She and Kirk exchange a few innocuous words, and she then proceeds to her flight, accidentally leaving her phone in the airport security area. Upon realizing she has misplaced it, Molly calls her phone and Kirk, back at the security checkpoint, answers. The two arrange for a time to meet the following evening so that he may return the phone to her.

The following night, Kirk arrives at the Andy Warhol Museum where Molly, a professional event planner, is running a party. Devon accompanies Kirk to the Museum where Kirk returns Molly her phone. After returning the phone, both stay and meet Katie, Molly's sister. Katie then on purpose causes Kirk to spill his drink on the museum director and is asked to leave the museum for being uninvited for the party. Molly offers tickets to Kirk to the Pittsburgh Penguins hockey game at the Mellon Arena as an apology. Molly then subsequently gets herself invited to Kirk's family lunch. This incurs jealousy in Marnie, who feels upstaged by Molly's looks and takes a sudden interest in Kirk again. Stainer, ranking-obsessed, tells Kirk that on a scale from 1 to 10 with 10 meaning the most attractive and successful, he's a 5, and Molly a 10, and that a relationship does not work if the difference is more than 2. Molly's friend and business partner Patty (Krysten Ritter) is also surprised: she phoned Molly while on a date with Kirk to allow her an opportunity to make up an excuse to leave, but that was not needed.

In Molly's house, while the two are making out, Kirk ejaculates in his pants, just before her parents arrive. While avoiding to show that he had ejaculated, he avoids standing up and quickly leaves to avoid Molly and her parents noticing what happened. This cools down the relationship, but when Kirk later explains during an airshow what happened, things are fine again. Molly's former boyfriend Cam tells Kirk that Molly has a defect and to avoid saying that she is perfect.

During a date, Kirk suggests to Molly to throw a birthday party for Katie. After the party, both of them go to Molly's place. Molly shows Kirk her webbed toes, which Kirk considers so minor that he decides that she is too perfect for him, and he breaks off the relationship. Kirk and Marnie resume their relationship and go on a family trip to Branson.

Stainer and Patty realize their mistake in telling Kirk and Molly it wouldn't work out; the friends convince Kirk that he is "a 10" too. They pull Kirk off his plane as he tries to leave with his family and Marnie, while Patty brings Molly to the airport. Kirk rejects Marnie and reunites with Molly. Later, as a surprise, he takes Molly on a trip in a small plane, with himself being the pilot; he has taken flying lessons.

Imagine Me and You

A romantic comedy with a twist. A woman gets married to her best friend to find herself eventually falling in love with the florist who did her flowers at her wedding. She begins to question her sexuality and most of all, her heart when she realizes that she can only choose between the man she married or the woman she fell in love with.

This movie’s philosophy is purely simple. It wraps around the idea of ‘love at first sight’ and spins a tale of unconventional romance, where Fate plays most of its role in the plot.

“Imagine Me and You” (IMAY) was released to a limited audience in the US and parts of the world. It’s movie poster hinted where the movie was obviously heading. Though, with such an approach to a lesbian movie, audiences felt more satisfied going out of the theatre than when they first went in, at that time filled with doubt and premature regret.

The good thing about it is that you will definitely not rue later after the movie is very well ended as mentioned in the paragraph before.

As far as romantic comedies go, IMAY does nothing but to give you the usual cheesy laughs and squirm-in-your seat moments. Ironically, it is also safe to say that IMAY is not pathetically lame to the extent that your boyfriend makes every desperate plea to leave the theatre (equally so since it features a girl-on-girl storyline which we know is one of the topic of particular liking for the male species).

In this lesbian love affair, where the attraction is so tempting in every scene for the two female leads, Piper Perabo plays Rachel who at the beginning feels so fervent about marrying her best friend, Heck (Matthew Goode). She cannot believe she’s finally taking that big step with someone she’s known her whole life and can’t wait to share the rest of her’s with him. She is understandably excited as she prepares for her walk down the aisle. Piper’s comedic stance is fairly commendable in most scenes as the sometimes clumsy woman that has become quite inherent in most female leads in rom-coms. As seen in one part at the start of the film, Piper decked out in her lovely white dress wears a worried look on her face whilst her father (Anthony Head) chatters on in excitement. The audience have been lead to believe she was starting to get cold feet but then the prognostic becomes false when in the next scene, we hear her asking for the car to be stopped before running into a McDonald’s to pee. Moving on, at the chapel, Heck meets with Luce (Lena Headey), the philosophical florist. She introduces herself as the person who did their flower arrangements. At the same time, Heck’s best man, the cliched single guy with a dying need to flirt with every girl he meets, tries to seize the opportunity to get acquainted with this lovely woman before him. At this point, Luce acts neutral toward his flirtations, giving not much away about her sexuality.

Come the walk down the aisle, Rachel walks with her father on her arm. Heck is looking lovingly from the front and so do the rest of the attendees. Luce, before the ceremony began sat with Rachel’s kid sister whom has become to like Luce a lot. When the wedding march starts to play, Luce suddenly feels compelled to remove herself from the place, but as she does so, she is also interested to know how the bride looks like. And with that,serves its purpose in introducing the two future lovers to each other. Both catch each others fleeting gaze, almost exuding that sudden overwhelming feeling of want. Needless to say, Rachel shrugs it off as nothing and continues to see herself being married to Heck.

Only at the after-party do Rachel and Luce meet, in a considerably tricky situation. Rachel had accidentally dropped her wedding ring into the huge jar of fruit punch. Luce steps in to save the day and a friendship is quickly formed.

Their friendship starts to escalate after an outing to a football match makes Rachel realize that she could be seriously infatuated with this woman whom she conveniently finds out from Heck is not straight. Rachel then finds herself in a precarious situation after throwing herself at Luce. She is drawn between her loyalty to Heck as a wife and her developing relationship with someone she finds herself smitte with.

Deducing this film, this tale of two women enraptured in love plays with such innocence that it does not leave out the whole point of a romantic comedy. The movie is undeniably brilliant in its own way. The certain correlation shared between these two women in love where both are in a torn position which ever way you see it shows how delicately woven this story is.

Piper Perabo’s British accent is laudable, suffice to say. She plays out the role quite comprehensibly which makes up for her lesser liked role as another lesbian in “Lost & Delirious”. Lena Headey’s portrayal in this film has earned her a lesbian icon status as well which I would not disagree with. She makes being gay look good. As for Matthew Goode, we can’t help but feel sorry for him. He plays his role as the sweet and understanding guy perfectly which makes the audience feel terrible about what it is to become of his character in the film if a happy ending exists. Anthony Head and Celia Imrie are also added bonuses in the film, so kudos to Ol Parker for casting them in.

On An Added Note: Not for anti-gays and staunch believers of the bible. If you persist to watch this movie, please do not ruin it for others who do not share the same views as you as this is a beautiful film.

Easy A

Easy A is easily one of the funniest comedies of the year. It’s witty, clever, silly, and is anchored by a breakthrough performance by star Emma Stone. Comedies set in high schools are usually a grind, but Easy A is the best one since 2004’s Mean Girls. The film even has some smart commentary on the nature of reputation in the digital age and how easier access to information hasn’t made it any easier to get to the truth, especially when a lie can be so much juicier. And in between its smart jokes and thoughtful subtext, Easy A also has a big heart. That’s essential when your protagonist is cashing in on pretending to be a skank.

If you can believe that a young woman as lovely as Emma Stone would go unnoticed by boys, then the central premise of her character Olive will work for you. Olive Penderghast is a whip-smart girl who is completely anonymous at her school until she tells a white lie about losing her virginity to a fictional community college student. This lie becomes even more inflated after a bullied gay student asks her to fake having sex with him so that the other students will think he’s straight and stop making his life a living hell. Even if Stone weren’t so damn lovable, the script is always does a good job of clearly showing that the clearly-not-stupid Olive is doing a somewhat-stupid thing for the right reasons.

The film effortlessly weaves in pop culture, technology, and yet never loses its beat on the smart joke. Too often, a film’s attempt to be hip is so transparent that the result is sad and awkward. Easy A doesn’t have that problem and its references always feel natural and organic to the story and setting.

But without the right actress cast as Olive, then the script and Will Gluck’s skilled direction would be stymied. Thankfully, Emma Stone not only carries Easy A, but does such an outstanding job that I’ll be shocked if she’s not A-list after this movie. Her comic timing and facial expressions are sublime and she shows the comedic talents of someone well beyond her years. She makes Olive’s intelligence charming instead of abrasive and isn’t afraid to embrace the insecurities of her character. Let us hope that this is the first of many leading roles for this talented young actress.

Stone could carry this movie on her own, but she’s backed up by a wonderful supporting cast, most notably Stanley Tucci and Patricia Clarkson who play Olive’s parents. They’re the parents we all wish we could have, not just cool and understanding, but damn funny. Tucci and Clarkson’s interplay with each other and with Stone is so natural that I would love to see a spinoff that just focused on Mr. and Mrs. Penderghast.

The film takes its title from Nathaniel Hawthorne’s The Scarlet Letter. Olive relates to protagonist Hester Prynne and her public condemnation for adultery. As an act of rebellion, Olive sews the letter “A” risque pieces of clothing and wears it proudly. When her English teacher asks why she’s wearing the letter, Olive smirks and says, “Oh, it’s for awesome.” If all high school comedies were like Easy A, the world would be a better place, or at least a funnier one. The script is outstanding, Gluck’s direction had me heading out to see his previous film Fired Up!, and the film is worth seeing for Stone’s performance alone even though the whole cast is terrific. “Awesome,” indeed

American Beauty

The beauty in American culture is in its dysfunctionality. That's the message in American Beauty, one of the more compelling film.

The movie is about Lester Burnham (Kevin Spacey), who sees no point to his existence: he is in a cold and frigid relationship with his wife Carolyn (Annette Bening); he barely talks to his daughter Jane (Thora Birch); and he has just been put on the firing line at his job. After meeting his new neighbour Ricky Fitts (Wes Bentley) and smoking some pot (and not to mention becoming infatuated with Jane's high school classmate Angela (Mena Suvari)), Lester undergoes a remarkable transformation and decides to stop being a conformist. He quits his job, much to the chagrin of his wife, and begins to work at a Burger King. (So much for rebelling against the establishment.)

There is a great deal of suspense in this story line: we know the ending right at the beginning, that Lester will be dead in a year's time. How and why isn't revealed until the very last, and then too with a bit of a twist. The movie tries to tell us that conforming to a lifestyle dictated by society leads to dysfunctionality. But finding "freedom" as illustrated in the film isn't exactly great either.

As the movie proceeds, each of the characters undergo a transformation that breaks them out of their rut and enables them to proceed to the next level of existence. Each transformation is strikingly characterised by the movement between living a life in a numbing routine (for the sake of normalcy) and living a dynamic life where everything is uncertain and changing. But the more things change, the more they stay the same. At the end, only Lester has found "freedom" (in a rather permanent sort of way, I should add): Colonel Fitts (Chris Cooper), the homophobic father of Ricky is left to confront his own demons; Jane and Ricky head off to become professional drug dealers; Carolyn's transformation leaves her alone; and there is nothing to fix Angela's insecurity.

Every character in the film is a rich and memorable one. The acting is superb and the casting choice is excellent. Spacey gives one of his best performances (which is saying a lot, given his career record!). The first time directing effort by Sam Mendes is superlative. The cinematography, particularly during the shifts that occur when we are given a glimpse through Lester's lenses and the sudden (and absurd) switch back to reality is well done. There is also a tremendous amount of symbolism.

Its A Boy Girl Thing

I dunno why but I've been itching to watch this movie again. The 1st time I watched this movie was during my college days I guess and i really appreciated the movie. Basically because it has a very unique twist of love story.

Its a boy girl thing is a 2006 romantic comedy film starring Samaire Armstrong and Kevin Zegers,.

Nell Bedworth (Samaire Armstrong), a teenager nerd is not impressed with her neighbor and high school mate Woody (Kevin Zegers) though he is the most popular football player in school. Not only do their families belong to different social registers, the two teeners also have entirely different tastes and interests. Nell shows the manners of her middle class breeding, has no interest in anything physical, and is enthused about literature, especially Shakespeare and poetry. But Woody goes for ear-splitting music, is sometimes uncouth in his manners and has no predilection for anything intellectual. One fateful day on a visit to the science museum, they notice a statue of an ancient Aztec god of sorcery. The statue brings about a change in their genders. Upon waking up the following morning, Woody realizes he has the body and looks of Nell, and Nell finds herself in the body of Woody. This transformation brings about embarrassments and misadventures as each has to act according to his /her physical body and looks. Though they resent each other, they realize they have to do something fast because Woody (now Nell) has an important foot-ball match coming up and Nell (now Woody) has been accepted for an interview for entrance to Yale University. The movie shows how the two teenagers cope with their predicament.

Being teenage oriented, It's a Boy Girl Thing will interest and entertain young people, especially students in high school, despite the fact that it has a hackneyed premise (body switching) and it is utterly predictable. The movie has its light moments but most of the jokes are crude, overused and off-color. The two leads Armstrong and Zegers must be credited for their good performances, successfully giving life to their characters. But the others in the cast are just one-dimensional.

Most teenage comedies/romances anchor their jokes on sex and this movie is no exception. But one notices, with relief, that unlike most others of the same genre, It's a Boy Girl Thing does not show an acceptance or tolerance for pre-marital sex. There are no explicit sexual scenes. The movie also shows some values like having respect and love for parents. Most important, there is a realization on the part of the two leads that putting oneself in the place of another can bring about greater understanding of each other and that ultimately results in becoming better persons.

Eat Pray Love

For the many readers who liked Elizabeth Gilbert’s book, they will know that the title refers to the twelve months that the writer took out of her life to take stock, enjoy and marvel at the world, and to come kind of self-forgiveness and acceptance. She spent four months in Rome (eat), four months in India (pray) and four months in Bali (love). For those who did not read the book, the film is an opportunity for them to accompany Liz on her geographical, psychological and spiritual journey.

What makes the film easier for many audiences is the fact that Julia Roberts plays Liz Gilbert. Twenty years ago, she was the glamorous Pretty Woman. Ten years ago, she was the feisty saviour of victims, Erin Brockovich. Now she offers a character for women in mid-life who want to take an initiative to discover their better selves. Julia Roberts, looks beautiful at all times, but harried at first, becoming more radiant and then, without make up, her older, even plainer, self. Though we are conscious that it is Julia Roberts we are watching, she does transform herself into Elisabeth Gilbert making the journey credible.

Though the film is long, the first episodes are rather hurried, too hurried to really grasp the personalities of her husband who loves her (Billy Crudup) but whom she divorces, of her younger, actor partner (James Franco). We get glimpses (and during the journey some flashbacks) of the relationships and why they failed. Viola Davis is solid as her best friend.

Then the film settles down to indulge us with the vistas of Rome and plenty of food, glorious food, Italian-style. With good friends and learning the difference between entertainment and real pleasure (Italians pointing out that this is a mistake that busy Americans make), Liz puts on the kilos with happy abandon. And, then she is in India.

At the ashram in India, Liz assumes the dress styles, the rituals, the manual work of service (yes, that is Julia Roberts scrubbing floors), the silences, the hospitality and the meditative space that leads her to a conclusion that ‘God is within me, as me’, a reflection worth some more reflection. The film captures the colours of India, even at a wedding, and should entice happy visitors to Italy to take a second look at their affluent world in comparison with the poverty and hardships of India.

There is a standout sequence in the Indian episode, a clip that could stand alone for use in seminars on alcoholism and self-improvement. The writing of the film takes off and is brought to dramatic power by the performance of Richard Jenkins.

What do you do when you have purged yourself of some spiritual ailments? Go to Bali, seek the help of a wise man and some alternative healing – and allow yourself to fall in love. That requires inner freedom, an acknowledgement of past failures but, most importantly, discovering self-forgiveness. In the beauty of Bali and with Javier Bardem on hand, it is, after many difficulties, possible.

The trouble with Eat Pray Love is that one wants to respond to the character and how she handles her journey rather than sit back and accept the film and Liz Gilbert. This is very much a First World story, the aftermath of New Age fashions and the discovery of Eastern mystic practices if not Eastern religion. Very few (very few) women can take the time, let alone afford the time and expenses for such a journey. This is the spiritual trek of a wealthy woman. While holiday and break are necessary, and Liz is introduced to some mysticism and asceticism in India, we ask, ‘to what purpose?’. By the time she has come to terms with herself and found love, we wonder what the moral bases of her life consist of, what is the nature of her integrity and the tension between some absolutes she has discovered and the relative importance of principles to be held on to or discarded.

Many men in the audience have found sharing this journey a tedious movie experience. Many women will be encouraged to follow Elizabeth Gilbert in her search in as much as their means allow them. Her story, book and film, is at least an attempt, in a pluralist world that has become even more pluralist, to attempt a search for life values.

The Social Network

The Social Network explores the moment at which Facebook, the most revolutionary social phenomena of the new century, was invented—through the warring perspectives of the super-smart young men who each claimed to be there at its inception. The result is a drama rife with both creation and destruction; one that audaciously avoids a singular point of view, but instead, by tracking dueling narratives, mirrors the clashing truths and constantly morphing social relationships that define our time. Drawn from multiple sources, the film captures the visceral thrill of the heady early days of a culture-changing phenomenon in the making—and the way it both pulled a group of young revolutionaries together and then split them apart.

Movie Plot:

In 2003, Harvard University student Mark Zuckerberg has the idea to create a website to rate the attractiveness of female Harvard undergraduates after his girlfriend Erica Albright breaks up with him. Mark hacks into the databases of various residence halls, downloads pictures and names of female students and, using an algorithm for ranking chess players supplied by his best friend Eduardo Saverin (essentially the Elo rating system, written on a window pane recalling a scene of A beautiful mind), he creates in a few hours a website called "FaceMash.com", where male students can iteratively choose which of two girls presented at a time is more attractive.

Mark is punished with six months of academic probation after the traffic to the site brings down parts of Harvard's network, and becomes vilified among most of Harvard's female community. However, the popularity of "FaceMash" and the fact that he created it in one night, while drunk, brings him to the attention of Cameron Winklevoss and Tyler Winklevoss, identical twins and members of Harvard's rowing team, and their business partner Divya Narendra. As a result, he gains a job working for the Winklevoss twins as the programmer of their website, Harvard Connection.

Soon afterwards, Mark approaches his friend Eduardo and tells him of his idea for what he calls "Thefacebook", an online social networking website exclusive to Harvard University students. He explains this would let people share personal and social information securely. Eduardo agrees to help Mark, providing a thousand dollars to help start the site. Once complete, they distribute the link to Eduardo's connections at the Phoenix S-K final club, and it quickly becomes popular throughout the student body. When they learn of Thefacebook, the Winklevoss twins and Narendar believe that Zuckerberg stole their idea while simultaneously stalling on their website; Cameron and Divya want to sue Mark for intellectual property theft, but Tyler convinces them they can settle the matter as "Harvard gentlemen" without resorting to the courts.

At a lecture by Bill Gates, fellow Harvard University student Christy Lee introduces herself and her friend Alice to Eduardo and Mark. She asks that the boys "Facebook us", which impresses both of them. The girls invite them to a bar, where they have sex in the toilet. Mark later runs into his ex-girlfriend, who is not aware of The Facebook's existence because she is not a Harvard University student. Stung by this, Mark decides to expand the site to more schools. Christy, Mark, and Eduardo later return to Mark's room where they outline the structure of the company and their plan for moving forward.

As The Facebook grows in popularity, they expand to other schools in the Northeastern United States, while the Winklevoss twins and Narendra become angrier at seeing "their idea" advance without them. Tyler refuses to sue them, instead accusing Mark of violating the Harvard student Code of Conduct. Through their father's connections they arrange a meeting with Harvard President Larry Summers, who is dismissive and sees no potential value in either a disciplinary action or in Thefacebook website itself.

Through Christy Lee, now Eduardo's girlfriend, Eduardo and Mark arrange a meeting with Napster co-founder Sean Parker. When Christy, Mark and Eduardo meet Parker, Eduardo becomes skeptical of Parker, noting his problematic personal and professional history. Mark, however, is impressed with Parker since he presented a similar vision of Facebook. Although no deals are reached, Parker suggests that they drop "The" from Thefacebook to make it simply "Facebook".

Mark moves the company's base of operation to Palo Alto, at Parker's suggestion, while Eduardo remains in New York for seeking advertising support, When Eduardo visits from New York, he is angered to find that Parker is living at the house and making business decisions for Facebook. After an argument with Mark, Eduardo freezes the company's bank account and returns to New York. Upon returning, Christy and Eduardo argue about his Facebook profile, which still lists him as "single". Christy accuses Eduardo of cheating on her and sets fire to a scarf he gave to her as a gift. While Eduardo extinguishes the fire, Mark reveals on the phone that they have secured money from an angel investor through Parker's contacts. As a result of Christy's jealousy, Eduardo ends his relationship with her.

Meanwhile in England, while competing in the Henley Royal Regatta, the Winklevoss twins become outraged that Facebook has expanded to a number of universities there and decide to sue. Eduardo has also discovered the deal he signed with Parker's investors allows them to dilute his share of the company from a third to less than one tenth of one percent, while maintaining the ownership percentage of all other parties. He confronts his erstwhile friend Mark and announces his intention to sue him. Later that night, Parker, along with a number of Facebook interns, is arrested for possession of cocaine during a party thrown on the occasion of Facebook's 1 millionth member.

The framing device throughout the film shows Mark testifying in depositions in two lawsuits: one filed by the Winklevoss twins, and the other filed by Eduardo. In the final scene, a junior lawyer for the defense informs Mark they will be settling with Eduardo, since the sordid details of Facebook's founding and Mark's personality will make a jury highly unsympathetic. The film ends with Mark sending a friend request to his former girlfriend Erica on Facebook, and refreshing the page every few seconds waiting for a response.

Never Back Down

It was during a weekend that the movie NEVER BACK DOWN was shown on a cable channel. Avoiding not to get bored I have decided to watch the movie.

Jake Tyler (Sean Faris) is a tough and troubled teenager from Iowa . He belongs to a famous football high school team but resentfully has to give it up when his family relocates to Orlando for his younger brother’s tennis scholarship. All the while, Jake's mother (Leslie Hope) desperately tries to hold the family together as they mourn the recent loss of her husband. At his new high school, Jake develops a crush on Baja but gets humiliated and beaten by her current boyfriend and mixed martial arts champion, Ryan. To get even, Jake goes with his new friend, Max, to a local mixed martial arts guru, Jean Roqua (Djimon Hounsou who apparently can teach him to perfect his fighting skills. And in the process he learns not only to fight better but to become a better man.

What Karate Kid is to Karate, Never Back Down is to Mixed Martial Arts but without the values, the straightforward storytelling and funny and memorable scenes.As much as it tries to convey values such as temperance and discipline, it fails miserably with a flimsy plot, clicheic dialogues and stiff acting. It tries to create dynamic and exciting fight scenes with fast paced editing but loses its effectiveness with shots that are too tight and a choreography that is too plain. The effort to build a valid plot is drowned out by useless subplots and overrated violence of the underground sport. At some point also, one begins to wonder why the adults or the authorities do not intervene while young boys are made to compete like Roman gladiators as onlookers egg them on for blood and violence.

The film teaches young people that all problems can be handled by punching the offender in the face, and concedes to onlookers taking advantage of the situation with the use of technology (i.e.: cellphone cameras and the internet). The movie has no respect for the sport and looks down on the young. It portrays mixed martial arts as some underground spectacle for the hot-tempered and ill-mannered with no rules nor boundaries. The young people are portrayed as irritable, unreasonable, and disrespectful with no qualms about using other’s pain or downfall as entertainment.The movie has very little redeeming value and not worth the time and money one will waste to watch it.