Dream House

Dream House (2011)

Boo. That's pretty much all I have to say about this movie. I didn't really know much about the story of this but I saw it at the library the other day and decided to check it out. Basically this movie is Shutter Island with a different cast and title. I love the movie Shutter Island so I felt like this was a major rip-off of that. Dream House stars Daniel Craig, Rachel Weisz, and Naomi Watts; Daniel and Rachel are a married couple who move into a seemingly normal home only to have strange things start to occur pretty much right away. Naomi Watts plays the neighor who seems to know more than what she lets on. The twists and turns start and the story changes completely from what you thought it would originally be, hence the Shutter Island reference. If you've seen Shutter Island then you will understand what I'm talking about. This wasn't even scary which was a bummer and the story at times didn't make sense. I honestly don't think I would recommend this because after I watched it it just seemed like a waste of time and it was over before you knew it.

The Change-Up

The Change-Up (2011)

This was actually a pretty good movie!  To be completely honest, the main reason I wanted to see this was because I love Ryan Reynolds and Jason Bateman.  The basic premise of this is that it's an R rated (or unrated) version of Freaky Friday.  The two guys switch places and crazy things ensue.  It was written by the same guy who wrote The Hangover and directed by the same guy who directed Wedding Crashers so it was bound to be funny.  And it was definitely funny.  The two main guys together were pretty great and I would love to see them do something together again.  I wasn't a fan of The Hangover or Bridesmaids (maybe I just don't have the right sense of humor) but I do love Wedding Crashers, Old School, movies like that so I enjoyed this.  It has just enough gross-out humor where it doesn't seem like that's all they're doing but it also has some cute funny moments, for example, when Jason Bateman's character is interacting with his kids, those are some pretty funny scenes, especially the opening scene (I don't want to ruin it for you, but if your gag reflexes are triggered easily you may want to look away)!  Overall I would recommend this, especially if you like to have a good laugh or two!

XO,
 Lauren

One Missed Call. Rose Red.

One Missed Call (2008)

Seeing that this movie only got one star and a 3.4/10 rating on IMDB I really had no idea what it was going to be like. And honestly, it wasn't that bad. Don't get me wrong, there was a lot of room for improvement but overall I actually enjoyed it. There were a few creepy parts which I always enjoy and the scares didn't really seem cheap. I know this was a remake of a Japanese movie and I haven't seen that one so I can't really compare the two but that one got a 6.2/10 on IMDB so obviously viewers thought that one was better. If you enjoy these kinds of movies I would suggest it, but don't expect any sort of award winning film.

Rose Red (2002)

I have seen this so many times it's ridiculous so I had to do a review of it! This was originally a Stephen King miniseries in 2002 and that's when I first saw it.  I loved it then and I still love it. If you are a Stephen King fan then this is a must see but even if you're not I would still recommend it. It has all the creepy chills that I good horror movie should have and though some of the special effects are lacking it doesn't really take away from the movie, it was made for TV after all so you can't expect much. After this was on TV it came out on DVD and I used to rent it all the time and a few years ago I bought it on the internet and watch at least a few times a year. I can't really tell you why I love it so much there's just something about it. I love horror movies that take place in creepy old homes especially when that home is the haunted part. The plot is about a Professor (Nancy Travis) who loves all things paranormal and loves the history of this house and she takes a group of people who all have some sort of sixth sense and they try to awaken the house and they do just that.
  Obviously I would highly recommend this and I'm sure you can get it from most libraries or on Netflix so go and check it out!

XO,
  Lauren

Footloose Friends Dark Lucky

  I am officially on summer break so I will definitely be posting more reviews but here are a few new ones:

Footloose (2011)

I really had high hopes for this but unfortunately those hopes were not met.  I am a fan of the original Footloose so I was looking forward to seeing this but...ughh.  Where should I start?  I guess the main problem was that it was just really boring.  I was literally falling asleep.  I am really glad I didn't pay $10 to see this in theaters.  The acting was subpar, I enjoyed the new guy who played Ren and Julianne Hough wasn't that bad.  I think part of the problem was that they tried to hard to copy the original, almost every scene was exactly like the original and I didn't really care for that but that's just my opinion.  I honestly have to say that I wouldn't suggest this unless you want to waste two hours.  If you're itching for a Footloose fix, rent the original.

Friends With Benefits (2011)

Another one that I wasn't that impressed with.  I do have to say that it was better than No Strings Attached but that's not saying much.  This was cute and at times funny but overall I didn't think it was all that great.  Justin Timberlake was funny and I like Mila Kunis but I don't know, I just wasn't that convinced with their chemistry.  I don't really have that much to say about this since I didn't really care for it but it wasn't nearly as bad as Footloose.

Don't Be Afraid of the Dark (2010)

So I am a HUGE fan of horror movies but I prefer ones with ghosts and that kind of thing and I thought that's what this was going to be but no, this movie has weird little gremlin looking monsters and I didn't really like that.  The story wasn't bad and that acting was pretty good (though I've never thought Katie Holmes was that good), Guy Pearce was as good as usual and the little girl did a very good job.  But the monsters?  That was just strange.  The movie wasn't bad but when I'm watching something scary I want to be at least a little scared and I definitely wasn't with this and the little monsters weren't really that creepy.  I was a tad bummed with this, I thought it would be a lot better but I guess your hopes should never be to high when it comes to the horror genre.

The Lucky One (2012)

This I really liked!  And yes, I am one of those girls who  just loves a good chick flick and this certainly delievered.  I love Nicholas Sparks' books and the movies are always good but I hadn't read this one yet so I didn't really know the story other than what I saw from the previews.  Zac Efron was very good in his portrayal of a struggling marine and Taylor Schilling also played her part very well.  I loved the little boy and I look forward to seeing him in other things.  I can't believe I'm actually saying this but the little kid from High School Musical is actually a pretty good actor and he can hold his own as a leading man.  I know the main reason they cast him was because of the eye candy factor, but so what?  Whatever gets the butts in the seat!  But he did a very good job and I hope he does other movies like this.  If you enjoy a good chick flick and maybe want to shed a tear or two then I would definitely recommend this!

XO,
  Lauren