Movie #335 - Just Like Heaven

Just Like Heaven
2005 - Rated PG-13 - 1 hr 35 min
Director: Mark Waters
Starring: Reese Witherspoon, Mark Ruffalo, Donal Logue, Dina Waters, Jon Heder, Ben Shenkman

Oh, I love this movie.  Call me cheesy, but the premise is so touching and so sweet that I just can't help myself. As I told my sister while watching this, I wish I had been the one to write this love story.

Technically, it's another rom-com even though one of the members of this couple is dead from the beginning of the romance. (SPOILER ALERT) Or is she? As Jon Heder (a weird, socially awkward book shop employee) helps Ruffalo determine, there's more to Witherspoon's "haunting" than meets the eye.  So this romance takes place on two planes of existence, one that neither person understands. But the hope that they could be together keeps them motivated. And it's hard not to keep your fingers crossed that it will work out.

Even though rom-com rules say it will, you can't really see how since a movie like this hasn't been done before.  Sorta.  The premise is pretty original but the plot unfolds predictably, once you get the hang of where it's going.  I don't care though. Part of the reason you watch a romance is to see the two characters get together.  Predictable or no, I always applaud a good script/book that takes an unusual path to reach the usual destination.  This one keeps me interested. Love it.

Movie #245 - The Groomsmen

The Groomsmen
2006  Rated R - 1 hr 38 min
Director: Edward Burns
Starring: Edward Burns. Matthew Lillard, Brittany Murphy, John Leguizamo, Donal Logue, Jay Mohr, Shari Albert

My biggest beef with this movie is the misleading marketing.  The poster pictured here reads "The boys are back in town."  The DVD box reads "Till death do they party."  But this isn't The Hangover. That movie might be better served by those one-liners than this one. 

This movie is good, but it's not a party flick.  This groom and his groomsmen have a lot of things to sort out with each other.  There's a lot more drama than there is partying.  It annoys me that they didn't trust in the movie's validity as a romance/drama and tried to make it sound like something it isn't.

You won't laugh that much when you watch it.  But you will find yourself drawn in to these barely-functioning relationships. Brothers struggling to accept each other, men in various stages of their own relationships trying to remain friends, a gay son reconciling with his dad.  Doesn't sound like a party movie, does it?

Movie #190 - The Ex

The Ex
2006 - Rated PG-13 - 1 hr 17 min
Director: Jesse Peretz
Starring: Zach Braff, Amanda Peet, Charles Grodin, Jason Bateman, Mia Farrow, Donal Logue, Amy Poehler, Amy Adams

Here's a first-time watch. And I'm still kinda scratching my head about this one. I have many questions. For example, why was it made? And what happens to Jason Bateman at the end? That's it?! Problem solved? Is he OKAY?!

So Zach Braff and Amanda Peet are young, married, and have fallen upon hard times that lead him to work with her father.  Despite their honest effort, they can't seem to be happy in their new roles: Braff as marketing ad guy, Peet as full-time mom.  And Jason Bateman, an old boyfriend of Peet's and new coworker of Braff's, is not making life any easier for both of them.

My big problem with this was it's general mean-spiritedness. It's not that funny and, at times, it's just awkward.  There's also a lot of wasted talent here. These people are funny and they're not allowed to act like it. Amy Poehler, Amy Adams, and Donal Logue are mostly wasted here. It could've been so much better. 

Now, I love a good awkward comedy scene as much as the next guy, but scenes in this movie made me cringe.  Not to mention that Zach Braff is incapable of playing any character other than J.D. on Scrubs. Amanda Peet and Charles Grodin were good though.

That's all I've got on this one, folks.

Movie #128 - Confidence

Confidence
Lions Gate Entertainment
2003 - Rated R - 1 hr 37 min
Director: James Foley
Starring: Edward Burns, Dustin Hoffman, Andy Garcia, Rachel Weisz, Paul Giamatti, Donal Logue, Luis Guzman

This movie has a great cast, which caught my attention right off the bat the first time we watched it.  And since we bought it soon thereafter, you can assume safely that the cast delivers as expected.  This has a great twist-twist ending, lots of mind games between con artists, and plenty of Rachel Weisz being coyly devious.  I kinda love it. And Ed Burns.

I don't want to reveal too much for those who haven't seen it, but this movie keeps you thinking. I always enjoy a good double-cross or triple-cross or who-the-heck-is-working-for-whom kind of movie.  Just watch it sometime and you'll see what I mean.

Movie #78 - Blade

Blade
New Line Cinema
1998 - Rated R - 2 hours
Director: Stephen Norrington
Starring: Wesley Snipes, Stephen Dorff, Kris Kristoffersen, Donal Logue

The working title for this movie was Blade, the Vampire Slayer. I'm really glad they steered away from that, because then it really would have seemed like a tougher, edgier, Wesley Snipes-ier Buffy the Vampire Slayer. And Joss Whedon was all set in that sector, thanks.

But Blade sounds harsher, fierceer even, than your average high-school vampire slaying film.

This movie is good, definitely the best of the three, and introduces the concept of a vampire-virus-infected vampire killer as just this unfortunate life-sucks kind of occurrence.  I think this is my favorite Snipes role after Demolition Man, and it kinda makes me miss the magic of 90's era action films (and their action heroes.)

Anyway, onto the less than stellar sequels.