Country Strong

  To be honest, I wasn't sure how this was going to be.  It didn't do to well in theaters & there wasn't a lot of talk about it but I decided to get it from the library.  Surprise, surprise I actually really enjoyed it.  It wasn't the greatest thing I've ever seen & it had its flaws but overall it was pretty decent.  The best part of it for me was the music though.  It had a really great soundtrack & all the stars in it did their own singing.  Gwyneth Paltrow plays a famous country singer just getting out of rehab & heading back out on tour with her husband, played by Tim McGraw.  His performance was ok, nothing worth writing home about & Gwyneth Paltrow was decent but her character became pretty annoying pretty quick & it made her unlikeable.
   In my opinion, this movie was carried by what seemed to be the supporting characters played by Garrett Hedlund & Leighton Meester who also go on tour with Paltrow.  The way their roles played out they almost seemed to be the main stars rather than Gwyneth Paltow as it was advertised.  Like I said, the music was probably the best part of the movie.  Garrett Hedlund had a lot of good songs that he sang himself & same with Leighton Meester & the best part about that was that I didn't know either of them could sing so that was a nice surprise.  They also did a duet on a song called "Give in to Me" & I LOVED that song & immediately went & bought it on itunes.  I especially loved the chemistry between these two & like I said, they really carried the movie & I wish they would have gotten more attention for their roles rather than just put all of it on Gwyneth.
   The ending of the movie did not play out at all how I expected & that was a bit of a bummer so if you plan on seeing it just prepare yourself for somewhat of a surprise ending.  All in all, I would suggest it, if not for the movie then for the music!

PS:  HAPPY NEW YEAR TO EVERYONE!  HOPE IT'S FABULOUS & BRINGS YOU LOTS OF LUCK, LOVE, HEALTH & HAPPINESS!!

XO, Lauren

Love & Other Drugs

  I just got done watching the movie Love & Other Drugs that came out this year I think & starred Anne Hathaway & Jake Gyllenhaal.  I wasn't really sure what to expect from this, I think I thought it was going to be a cute romantic comedy but it was a lot more than that.  It was more of a romantic drama actually & there was much more substance to it than I thought there would be.
  Basically the movie is about Jake Gyllenhaal's character of Jamie who becomes a pharmaceutical rep & meets Anne Hathaway's character of Maggie who has been recently diagnosed with Parkinsons Disease.  The disease plays a main role in the movie & that is part of what makes it more substantial then your average rom-com.  You really follow these characters (especially Jake's) & the journey they make through the movie which makes it extra interesting.  It was breath of fresh air to see Jake's character really turn around in the movie also.  He starts off as a womanizer but becomes such an incredibly caring, romantic individual that you really root for him.  He is the kind of man every woman would want  & it's wonderful to see him stand by Anne's character through all her ups & downs even though she doesn't want someone supporting or helping her.  She is mad because she is sick but has learned to live with it but because of that she tends to push people away but he won't let her.
  I would definitely recommend this movie-it's a must see!  You may want to have a couple kleenex nearby just in case the sniffles start.

No Strings Attached

So I don't know what my deal is lately but I have just not really been impressed with anything I've seen recently (other than New Years Eve).  No Strings Attached was no exception.  I watched this last night & really wasn't that impressed.  It was cute & somewhat funny but I'm someone who doesn't really laugh at 50000 different sex jokes.  A couple?  Fine.  But every other word about sex just gets to be a little much, it makes it seem like you couldn't really think of a story so you just throw in a bunch of sex talk/jokes.  I've never been a huge fan of Natalie Portman & I don't think she really fit in this role.  She just doesn't come off as a friends with benefits type & she really wasn't all that funny in this.  Ashton Kutcher on the hand?  I really liked him in this.  He was cute, funny & a tad neurotic & he seemed pretty perfect for the part.  The big problem however was that it didn't seem like there was much chemistry between the two of them.  But maybe that's just me.  Another disappointment?  Cary Elwes.     I think he was the third name listed in the credits at the beginning so I thought he was going to have a pretty big part.  Well, I was wrong.  He played a doctor that worked with Natalie Portman's character & he had maybe 5 lines.  That was quite the bummer.  I really like him & was really hoping to see more of him since that's what it seemed from the credits but not so much.  All in all, I guess I would recommend it.  Actually, on second thought, I seriously don't know.  It was fine but nothing to write home about it.

New Years Eve

New Years Eve (2011)
   So I got to see this movie the other day for free which is the best way to see a movie.  My mom got free tickets from work plus a free popcorn & pop which for me is a treat because I never get anything at the movies!  Now I know a lot of people have been saying that this is a really bad movie & it only got 1 star & a pretty bad overall rating on imdb.com but I actually really liked it.  No, it's not a movie that is going to win an Oscar for best picture & noone said that it would & yes it has a lot of celebrities in it but that's kind of the point.  People need to just take it for what it is.  A fun, cute, entertaining movie.  No, it was not the best thing I have ever seen but it in no way  was the worst.  I enjoyed the movie Valentines Day & this is the same kind of thing except on New Years Eve.  It's made up of a lot of small stories & they all go together somehow or another at the end.  I enjoyed all the little stories & I enjoyed all of the celebrities in it, I thought they all did pretty well.  I especially liked the story between Zac Efron & Michelle Pfeiffer.  And also, um when did Zac Efron get so hot?  Wowza!  Also Jon Bon Jovi-HELLO!  And getting to hear Lea Michelle sing Auld Lang Syne was pretty amazing.  So if you like cute, fun, romantic movies then I would highly recommend this.  If you are looking for a crazy thought provoking movie, or insane car chases, etc then I would say this is probably not for you.  You just have to be able to take it for what it is.  If your expectations are ridiculously high then don't waste your money but if you like to laugh & look at hot guys (or pretty girls-yes there is eye candy for you men), then go see it!

La la la la la

I have been crazy busy studying for finals this week & last & on top of that I broke out in shingles so needless to say, I haven't had much time to watch anything but here are a couple reviews:

Gossip Girl (Season 5)

So this season has been pretty damn good & this weeks midseason finale episode was great.  As most of you know Blair is engaged to Prince Louis & pregnant with his child (we think) but their future isn't looking to hot.  The end of the episode had Blair running away with Chuck (yay!) while being pursued by paparazzi.  The paparazzi caused their limo to get in an accident & ended with them in the hospital.  Now personally, I don't think the accident seemed that bad but whatever.  Everyone was told that Blair would be ok but that it wasn't looking good for Chuck.  I think it was last season that ended with Chuck getting shot, hasn't the poor guy been through enough??  The show doesn't come back until January so we will just have to wait and see what happens!!
PS:  Is it just me or was everyone else holding out hope that maybe Blair and Dan would end up together??  Maybe it's still possible.

You Again

I got this from the library the other day thinking it would be pretty hysterical considering the talent in it (Jamie Lee Curtis, Sigourney Weaver, & the oh so fabulous Betty White) but it was quite the let down.  There were a few funny parts but overall it was pretty lackluster.  Plus, Betty White wasn't even in it that much so that kind of sucked.  And the character that Odette Yustman played was so freaking annoying but then again, Kristen Bell's character was kind of annoying too.  All in all, I would suggest to pass on this one.

New In Town

To be honest I'm probably not even qualified to review this because I turned it off after about 20 minutes.  Yes, it was that bad.  I'm not a fan of Renee Zellweger & she was not good in this movie.  I know it was supposed to be a comedy but I didn't last once.  There were scenes where you could tell that line was supposed to get a laugh but sorry, no such luck.  Definitely pass on this one!  But hey, maybe you could finish it & really like it.  Like I said, I may not be qualified to review this one.

Right at Your Door (2007)

I had never heard of this movie until about two days ago when I noticed it was on TV.  I thought it sounded like it might be interesting so I set my DVR & when I got home from finishing my last exam today I thought I'd give it a try.  It's basically about these bombs that go off in LA & a husband & wife are separated by it.  He thinks she's dead so he boards up the house like the news says to do & then she comes home.  But because she's contaminated by the stuff in the bombs she can't come in the house.  So basically the movie is two hours of this husband & wife communicating through a window & plastic.  This movie was alright, not amazing but a heck of a lot better than You Again.  If you're into the sci-fi kind of stuff then I would suggest this.

Last Man Standing

Ok so I love Tim Allen & was super excited to find out he was returning to TV.  His new show Last Man Standing is pretty funny, not nearly as funny as Home Improvement, but really what is?  This time around he is a father of three girls, one which has a baby of her own & they all live together.  His wife is played by Nancy Travis who I really enjoy & she is pretty good as his wife but I just don't quite feel the dynamic between these two as he & the one who played his wife on Home Improvement but that could be because the show is still new so give it time.  All in all, I would say if you haven't checked it out it's definitely worth your time.  It airs Tuesday nights at 8!