Movie #96 - Bring It On

Bring It On
Universal Pictures
2000 - Rated PG-13 - 1 hr 38 min
Director: Peyton Reed
Starring: Kirsten Dunst, Eliza Dushku, Jesse Bradford, Gabrielle Union

Between slaying vampires on Buffy, Eliza Dushku was practicing cheers with Kirsten Dunst.  And as odd as it is to picture Faith in a cheerleading uniform, she makes it work :)

I love this movie and I don't care what anyone says.  I'm not a big fan of all the sequels that have resulted... Bring It On Again...etc.  Haven't seen them, but I'm pretty sure they're crap.  But the original is actually funny and enjoyable to watch.  This movie knows how ridiculous its premise is, and it embraces it.  That's the only reason it works.

Oh, and Kirsten Dunst rocks.

Movie #95 - Bridge Jones: The Edge of Reason

Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason
Miramax
2004 - Rated R - 1 hr 48 min
Director: Beeban Kindron
Starring: Renee Zellweger, Colin Firth, Hugh Grant, Jim Broadbent

In case you didn't get enough Bridget the first time, she's back!  I know Renee Zellweger annoys some people, but I just think she's adorable in this role.  Watching her try to ski? Priceless.

Anyway, most chick lit novels will stop once boy and girl get together.  But in this sequel, it clearly becomes evident that Bridget will 'foul up' just about anything she touches, so it's worth a second look at her and her budding romance with Mark Darcy.  Fielding writes lots more awkward scenarios into which she thrusts this lovable character, including a great scene where Bridget tries to buy a pregnancy test in Germany...without knowing any German. 

I'm glad that the sequel ends... and that's it... because dragging this on any further would have been overkill.  But this sequel is almost as fun as the first, so its worth a watch.

Movie #94 - Bridget Jones's Diary

Bridget Jones's Diary
Miramax Films
2001 - Rated R - 1 hr 37 min
Director: Sharon Maguire
Starring: Renee Zellweger, Colin Firth, Hugh Grant, Jim Broadbent, Shirley Henderson

Oh God, I love this movie.  I was so happy to see something so fun and light after the last few movies on the wall.  Go, Bridget, go!

Helen Fielding (author of the book) is a goddess, the 'mother' of modern chick lit, and a personal hero.  This book is hysterical, the movie is even better.  Renee Zellweger is the perfect blend of hopeless and lovable, cuddly and awkward.  When you watch this movie, you love her so much, it's easy to see why two hotties like Colin Firth and Hugh Grant would be so smitten with her charming, blundering ways.

Zellweger's total committment to this role, from the horrible wardrobe to her mishaps with a fireman's pole, are what makes this movie so enjoyable.  This is definitely one of the best book-to-movie transitions I've seen yet, and all because she does so well interpreting this character.

Movie #93 - Brick

Brick
Focus Features
2005 - Rated R - 1 hr 50 min
Director: Rian Johnson
Starring: Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Nora Zehetner, Lukas Haas, Noah Fleiss, Emilie de Ravin

Okay... where to start with this one?  If you haven't seen it, it's certainly an interesting watch.  If you have seen it, you probably can see how difficult it is for me to find something to say.

It's a mystery/thriller/drama with a little bit of action, a teensy bit of romance, and a whole lotta drugs.  I watch this movie, getting really into the plot of who's who and why is this chick dead, and then I have to remind myself... THIS IS HIGH SCHOOL.

I'm glad I did not go to this high school.  But I'm also glad that they made a movie like this.

Movie #92 - The Break-Up

The Break-Up
Universal Pictures
2006 - Rated PG-13 - 1 hr 46 min
Director: Peyton Reed
Starring: Vince Vaughn, Jennifer Aniston, Joey Lauren Adams, Jon Favreau, Jason Bateman, Justin Long, John Michael Higgins, Vincent D'Onofrio

The best part about this movie is the end.  Not because it's over... but because it doesn't end the way you expect.  A Hollywood rom-com always has a happy ending right?  Well, despite the movie trailer that would have you believe this is your standard rom-com, it so isn't.  Instead, it's like a study in communication breakdown, romantic dysfunction, the differences between men and women and how they manage conflict.  And even with its cutesy back-and-forth between this couple - expertly protrayed by Vaughn and Aniston, by the way - this movie is full of sorrow, regret, and doubt.  It's well done and highly underrated.  Calling this a rom-com just doesn't make sense.

Anyway, I really do like this movie, although it's not one I could pick up and watch every weekend.  There are laughs, here and there, but mostly it's just a reminder to appreciate the one you're with and not take anything for granted.  But the open-ended last scene also reminds us of all the things possible in the future.

Movie #91 - The Bourne Ultimatum

The Bourne Ultimatum
Universal Pictures
2007 - Rated PG-13 - 1 hr 55 min
Director: Paul Greengrass
Starring: Matt Damon, Joan Allen, Julia Stiles, David Strathairn, Albert Finney, Edgar Ramirez

The thrilling conclusion to the action-packed trilogy... and it's pretty good, too!  Matt Damon - still awesome.  Now that Bourne's got a plan, and he's the one keeping everyone else on their toes, this last installment takes on a different tone.  Damon is fierce and relentless... two words I did not think I would use in a sentence with his name.  Yet, there it is.

I really like this whole trilogy from beginning to end and it was nice to have a reason to watch them all.  Seeing Bourne go from amnesia patient to bad-ass ex-operative with a vendetta is pretty sweet.  This whole trilogy is just fun to watch.

Movie #90: The Bourne Supremacy

The Bourne Supremacy
Universal Pictures
2004 - Rated PG-13 - 1 hr 48 min
Director: Paul Greengrass
Starring: Matt Damon, Franka Potente, Joan Allen, Julia Stiles, Brian Cox, Karl Urban

When you know what Jason Bourne knows, or at least what the CIA thinks he still knows, you're not going to be safe until you kill everyone... So when another attempt on Bourne's life goes badly (and he loses the one person he cares about), heads start rolling.

The first movie is lots of fun, but it relies heavily on the whole CIA amnesiac thing.  By Supremacy, we know he can't remember anything and he's coping, but he's finally embracing that this is who he is and, in order to change, he's going to have to finish what he's started.  Figure out who he is and kill anyone in the way.  This aggressive Bourne that emerges, more actionary and less reactionary, is so much fun to watch!

I love this trilogy in general, but I think this might be my favorite... just because of the way the character is played by Damon.  And because of how much it really makes you want to watch the third movie.