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Olive Penderghast is your average Jane in high school, sweeping by under the radar – that is until she agrees to help her gay friend have an imaginary tryst so the jocks and rest of the school will stop picking on him for being gay. This one act transforms Olive into the school’s super-skank as the rumor mill goes active. What happens from there is a comedy of errors as Olive agrees to help fellow student after fellow student, letting them have imaginary flings with her as long as they provide the gift card of her choice. When her status becomes negative Olive takes a stand inspired by Hester Prinn and dons a scarlet A, making a statement about the way people choose to see her.

Easy A sets out to crib John Hughes in a very obvious way. Not only does Olive mention Hughes and the most popular teen films of the 80’s, but Will Gluck seems to be intent on cribbing Hughes in every way possible…and it works. While Easy A may not be a blow-for-blow Hughes film, the viewer is left with the same feeling they would be in a Hughes film – the feeling that these characters are really human, and the story has a heart.

Emma Stone is no Molly Ringwald, but by this I mean no disrespect. Ringwald grew to fame by playing the delicate, pretty girl that was either too popular (Breakfast Club) or overlooked (Sixteen Candles) but no matter what character she was, she was always delicate and understated. Emma Stone is not. Emma Stone is the Huges character for a modern generation – when situations arise that challenge her, Stone’s Olive makes the situation more obvious and pushes it to the next level attempting to throw her peers folly back on them.

What struck me most after watching Easy A was something I didn’t expect; I was struck by how Easy A could be a commentary for how a generation of teenagers is so vastly different from the teens of the 80’s. While our parents always tell us the differences between our struggles and theirs is only circumstantial, this film proves that wrong. In Sixteen Candles the worst thing that can happen to Samantha in Sixteen Candles is that a freshman pays five bucks to see her underwear, but in Easy A the worst thing that can happen to Olive is that men pay money to date her.


Director: Will Gluck

Olive: Whatever happened to chivalry? Does it only exist in 80's movies? I want John Cusack holding a boombox outside my window. I wanna ride off on a lawnmower with Patrick Dempsey. I want Jake from Sixteen Candles waiting outside the church for me. I want Judd Nelson thrusting his fist into the air because he knows he got me. Just once I want my life to be like an 80's movie, preferably one with a really awesome musical number for no apparent reason. But no, no, John Hughes did not direct my life.

Julia Child helped define American gourmet cooking, and lived an incredible life all around the world, Julie Powell worked in a cubicle in New York and didn’t know how to elevate her life into something she wanted it to be. After a suggestion from her husband Julie decides to cook her way through Julia Child’s cook book in one year and write a blog about it. As Julie learns more about cooking & Julia she begins to learn more about herself and soon becomes a sensation across the internet.

I have to start this by saying that I adore Nora Ephron, and while my directorial style is nothing like hers I think she is a great female filmmaker and writer. Julia & Julia is the kind of film that Nora Ephron can take and make it into something special, much more special than what it would be in anyone else’s hands.

Going into Julie & Julia I trusted Ephron’s prowess as a writer & director but I was worried that dividing the film between the beginning of Julia Child’s cooking career and Julie Powell’s modern life would split the films focus too much and as a result it would feel disjointed and we’d never manage to connect with either character. I have to say I was surprised. Not only did Julia & Julie’s stories manage to mirror each other’s beautifully, but I instantly fell in love with Julie and actually came to adore Julia Child.

The biggest surprise in this movie for me was Stanley Tucci as Paul Child. I would have never pictured Stanley Tucci & Meryl Streep as an onscreen couple but they worked perfectly and Tucci was just adorable as the doting husband. If Paul Child was anything like Stanley Tucci’s portrayal of him it is no wonder Julia fell for him and the two managed to stay together until the end of their lives.

One caution I will put out there for anyone that sees this movie is do not go in hungry! You will definitely leave hungry and you may not survive if you go in already wanting to chow down. I honestly want to try some French food now and I have no idea where to go for it.

Director & Writer: Nora Ephron
Julia Child: Meryl Streep
Julie Powell: Amy Adams
Paul Child: Stanley Tucci
Eric Powell: Chris Messina
Sarah: Mary Lynn Rajskub

Paul Child: What is it you REALLY like to do?
Julia Child: Eat!

Andy is one of the newly graduated individuals looking for her big break and is shocked when she gets it – she is hired as Miranda Priestly’s assistant at Runway, the world’s premier fashion publication. If Andy can survive a year under Miranda’s intense scrutiny and flair for the dramatic she can get hired at any publication she applies for. However, Andy quickly realizes that to survive at Runway means some large changes in her life; from her fashion sense to her attitude Andy is forced into a new world that she doesn’t fully understand yet and attempts to discover where the line between ambition and selling your soul truly lies.

The Devil Wears Prada was one of the biggest surprises for me the year it came out. I expected a garden variety chick flick and was shocked to find a genuinely great movie that I would want to see over and over again. From the fashion on the screen, to four uniquely memorable characters I could not get enough of this movie. Perhaps, I identify with Andy Sachs because I too am looking for my big break into an impossible industry, but I think this is a great movie.

What I actually remember most about this movie, and think is one of the most brilliant things it could have done is the marketing strategy. Though the film had a built in audience as it is based on a best selling book, and Meryl Streep guaranteed a certain box office cache, the moment the first trailer for The Devil Wears Prada hit it became a sensation, and it spawned a trend.

The trailer for the film was a scene from the film. Not just any scene mind you but one of the most memorable scenes in the film, the scene where Miranda first arrives to the office and you see the entire staff of Runway whip into a frenzy of subject terror as Andy watches in wonderment. It was brilliant. It not only set up the film perfectly, but gave you a taste of what the film would be like if you went to the theater to see it. I know more people that went to this movie after seeing the trailer than I can say for any other movie of its kind.

Along with being a witty and well made film The Devil Wears Prada is a film filled to the brim with good performances and memorable characters. This is definitely a film to see.

Director: David Frankel
Writer: Aline Brosh McKenna
Miranda Priestly: Meryl Streep
Andy Sachs: Anne Hathaway
Emily: Emily Blunt
Nigel: Stanely Tucci
Christian Thompson: Simon Baker
Nate: Adrian Grenier
Lily: Tracie Thomas
Doug: Rich Sommer
James Holt: Daniel Sunjata

Miranda Priestly: Do you know why I hired you? I always hire the same girl- stylish, slender, of course... worships the magazine. But so often, they turn out to be- I don't know- disappointing and, um... stupid. So you, with that impressive résumé and the big speech about your so-called work ethic- I, um- I thought you would be different. I said to myself, go ahead. Take a chance. Hire the smart, fat girl. I had hope. My God. I live on it. Anyway, you ended up disappointing me more than, um- more than any of the other silly girls.

I know, I know. If a movie has Christian Bale or Robert Downey Jr. I’ll see it, so it’s no surprise that I am reviewing yet another Christian Bale movie. The shocking part is that I didn’t know A Midsummer Night’s Dream even had Christian Bale in it until I was playing around IMDB about a week ago. When I figured that out of course I had to Netflix it. I am sure most people know at least vaguely what the plot of A Midsummer Night’s Dream is. However, Shakespeare is Greek to a lot of people to I might as well sum it up for you.

The play takes place in Athens and revolves around one of the noblemen who is finally getting married, the whole town is rejoicing. A small play company prepares a play for the event starring their best actor Nick Bottom – who is more than a little conceited about himself and his talents. At the same time there is a love triangle between Lysander, Hermia, and Demetrius. Lysander and Hermia are in love but Hermia’s father does not want the couple to be, and since Demetrius is in love with Hermia her father has consented to the marriage of Hermia to Demetrius. The problem of course is that Hermia does not love Demetrius but her friend Helena does love Demetrius and he won’t give her the time of day. Meanwhile, in the forrest surrounding the city the fairies play but Oberon king of the fairies and Titiana his wife fight.

When night falls Lysander & Hermia flee into the woods to escape her forced marriage and are pursued by Demetrius and Helena. Oberon decides to betwitch Titiana to fall in love with a beast (Bottom who is turned into a donkey), but as he doe this he spies Demetrius spurning Helena and decides that she should have the love she deserves; as such he charges Puck with the mission to track down Demetrius and bewitch him to fall in love with Helena instead of Hermia.

In typical Shakespeare fashion this is where the problem occurs. Puck does bewitch the young Athenian man he finds in the forrest but it’s Lysander not Demetrius. Long story short Demetrius and Lysander both end up fighting over Helena and hating Hermia and both women are confused and angry – Helena thinking she is being teased and Hermia thinking Helena has done something to bring this about. All the while Oberon watches as Titania throws herself at a beast.

What I liked about this version was the fanciful world that was created for the night time in the woods. It did feel like it was an enchanted wood, something that a child would believe was infested with fairies and other magical creatures. What I did not like so much was that this world felt such like a sound stage that when we went to the daytime version of the woods (when the magic was broken) it looked so real it didn’t even seem like part of the same planet. I understand why this was done from a directorial standpoint, you would want two totally and completely different worlds, but there should have been something done in film stock, color palette, etc. to make the two worlds seem like they were part of the same film. I also did not understand the added little nugget having to do with bicycles…but I partially chalk that off to someone wanting to put Puck on a bike and wanting to do the gag with Lysander & Demetrius lifting Helena’s bike.

When I was watching A Midsummer Night’s Dream I was actually shocked by the number of stars that are in the film. Back in 1999 (and judging from the DVD packaging) a lot of these actors weren’t nearly as well known. This totally explains why I didn't know Bale was in the movie. This was prior to Batman & American Psycho, as such Calista Flockhart got billing over Bale. He is not even mentioned on the packaging or shown in the art. Neither is Sam Rockwell.

I did also appreciate that none of these actors made me feel like they couldn’t do Shakespeare. There is always at least one actor in an adaptation that seems like they can’t handle the language or something similar that puts them out of the film for me. I really didn’t have that here. I did have a brief moment where I kept looking at Calista Flockhart and seeing Ally McBeal but that is my thing and has nothing to do with her performance.

On the whole I did find this film really enjoyable and think that it was a worthy effort as far as Shakespeare adaptations go.

Director: Michael Hoffman
Writers: William Shakespeare & Michael Hoffman
Nick Bottom: Kevin Kline
Titania: Michelle Pfeiffer
Puck: Stanley Tucci
Oberon: Rupert Everett
Helena: Calista Flockhart
Lysander: Dominic West
Demeterius: Christian Bale
Hermia: Anna Friel
Theseus: David Strathairn
Hippolyta: Sophie Marceau
Francis Flute: Sam Rockwell

Theseus: No epilogue, I pray you, for your play needs no excuse. Never excuse, for when the players are all dead, there need none to be blamed.