The Rebound

Catherine Zeta Jones admits defeat in The Rebound(2009), as she wholeheartedly claims she is old. With two kids, a husband, home and oversized car, Jones plays Sandy a sporty brunette obsessed with the NBA. As she swaps sports stuff on-line, Sandy comes across a video on her home computer revealing her husband as a cheater. In the change of a scene, she is divorced and off  to Manhattan, kids and all, and meets a young man Aaron, who babysits her rugrats while she dates unsuccessfully. With a hate for men, Sandy attends self defence class to attack men like her husband, until as per usual and to indeed follow rom-com formula, she ends up in the arms of Aaron, lying to her friends. Justin Bartha who plays Aaron, popular from The Hangover(2009), is a timid coffee shop worker, still living with his parents and reading Harry Potter. Bartha's shyness is needed here juxtaposed with Sandy's fiery personality and the horrible middle aged fatigued dates she used to prefer. His quiet humour calms her, as they quarrel over their age difference throughout. 

However, this film lacks substance in the sense that, eye candy is in short supply, Zeta Jones seems to be trying to hard and Bartha somewhat belongs in a different film. As interesting as the storyline may seem, it is bleak at times, lacking the charisma most rom-coms have these days. So I'd recommend it but only when there is nothing else to watch, and you need to fill a space in time. Then, it will seem great.


*Rating- 5/10 


The Rebound is available on YouTube- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x1_cPnshVjk

Wise Girls(2002)

Starring Mariah Carey as Raychel,a badass waitress from Long Island, Wise Girls(2002) takes the diva back to her roots with a accent you will never forget. Alongside Carey is Mira Sorvino, best known for playing Romy in Romy and Michelle's High School Reunion, a Sunday afternoon classic.

Sorvino switched up the gears as she plays Meg, an ex med student/waitress who moves to Long Island to be closer to her ill grandmother. After working in an Italian/American restaurant with Raychel and a close friend  Kate, Long Island seems comforting to a disturbed Meg. But after serving mobsters for months and receiving wads of cash for tips, Meg realises, this is not a normal Italian restaurant. Subsequent to getting her ass grabbed, and sweet talked in Italian by Frankie Santalino, the mobsters son, Meg's confidence grows as she is well liked by the locals, favoured even. However, after a drunken party with too much Grapa, Meg witnesses a murder she will never forget. After learning more than she should, Meg's life is at risk as she attempts to forget her troubles  and discovers secrets about her friends which could land them all in trouble.

A mildly depressing start, but Wise Girls does have a mobish drama element which will have you on the edge of your seat, especially with Meg as the main character who is practically vibrating throughout due to fear. The film contains the action and tension of a mob movie, with the attachment of female friendship, as the girls celebrate symbolic birthdays together, spending their tips on sparklers and birthday cake. It weirdly appeals to men and women, revealing the chauvinistic animalistic Italian culture to be just that but with honourable 'I scratch your back, you scratch my back' elements. With many surprises, and a heart beat like background theme, it spits on 'Glitter' as Carey redeems herself as being a viable Long Island ghetto queen. I'd highly recommend it if you are a Mariah Carey fan, but if you are not, a 6/10 is not bad. Kapeesh!

Film, Easy A-2010 ( Review)

So, we've had Mean Girls with it's Regina Georgeified evil schemes, and it's Lohan narrated follow through, and what made us love it? Exactly that. It's simplicity in contrast with the fun high school events and holiday songs. But what put Mean Girls on the map, was it's brilliance in exposing the high school cliques which were obviously stereotyped,  and doubly stereotyping Lindsay Lohan's character as the unpopular smart new kid from Africa! Let's take a moment to remember how great this film was and the fast paced story line was just what the doctor recommended  in bleak 2004, where video's and video players still existed.

Now 2010, presented Easy A, a sharp, parody of Nathaniel Hawthorne's The Scarlet Letter,  which commercializes Penn Badgley in the trailer, but debuts Emma Stone, who some of you may recognize from House Bunny(2008) as the head of the abysmal sorority with a scary fondness for sci-fi.  Badgely's appearance in Easy A is minimal, and most of us expected more from the Gossip Girl Gorgeous Geek, but it doesn't matter, because he is upstaged by Olive Penderghast (Stone) who has an unbelievably 'girl you wanna be friends with' kinda personality. She's funny as well as pleasingly sarcastic, and smart, which for a teen movie, is short lived.

Jamming to Natasha Bedingfield's 'Pocketful Of Sunshine' in her room, Olive attempts to avoid a weird weekend camping trip with a friend and her parents. So she lies about a weekend date, and her lie to cover up the lie, was even more terribly put across than her first lie, as she spits out that she has a secret lover. Her lies get bigger and better, until she is overheard in the girls bathroom. Marrianne (Amanda Bynes) the leader of the schools Christian group spreads obscene, exaggerated rumours about Olive through the corridors. 'You've made your bed... I just hope for your sake, you've cleaned the sheets.'
This is not the only annoying comment Olive receives, as her reputation is trashed and her blazé attitude about the fake rumors begins to affect her social life as this becomes a full blown scandal. 

Contrary to popular belief, Olive claims that she continues the lies due to the fact that she does it to help other's reputation, like her gay friends, whilst trashing her own. Nonetheless, this is an contemporary teen movie, not to be missed. With a red head front runner, and Penn Badgley alongside Amanda Byne's funny fakeness, this is up on the top shelf with Mean Girls and Clueless. No rollin with the homies, but a fresh and successful take on running your high school solely on reputation. So you'd have to watch this to understand why A is for Awesome, not Adulteress. 

** Easy A is posted on YouTube- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mDNgBYj-YQc- Enjoy **