Silver Linings Playbook

I had wanted to see this movie ever since I saw the trailer a few months ago. I'm sure that the song I love so much (The Lumineers, 'Ho Hey') in the trailer had an influence on me, or maybe it's just the fact that I'm a HUGE Jennifer Lawrence fan. Whatever, it worked. I'm a big sucker for romantic comedies, and this is by far one of my favorites to date.


Pat Solitano (Bradley Cooper)is a bipolar ticking time bomb, who has just been relased from a mental hospital after almost beating to death the guy his wife was cheating on him with. Biggest Eye Roll moment of the movie? The guy his wife was sleeping with is old and bald. WTF?! Sorry, not believable, its Bradley Cooper! You can't find someone who at least has all their hair? End rant. Anyways, Pat arrives at home with his parents (Jacki Weaver & Robert De Niro) upbeat, enthusiastic, and terribly manic as he is prepared to transform himself, physically and mentally in order to win his wife back.

Enter Tiffany (Jennifer Lawrence). She is a girl in the neighborhood, a newly widowed girl who is also a little off her rocker. She's been busy sleeping with everyone at work after her husband dies, but now she too is on the road to redeeming herself. She and Pat form a quick bond, and after a little blackmail on Tiffany's side, Pat agrees to enter a dance competition with her.

The movie is ridiculously funny. Bradley Cooper is a hopeless mess, most of the time you want to slap him because he's so over the top crazy, but it's really hard because he's also really...good looking. Those blue eyes suck you right in! He rocks the short hair and beard too, which if you know me, is my thing. I won't sell Jennifer Lawrence short either, she's gorgeous. I still find it hard to watch her be anyone but Katniss (if you don't know you better ask somebody!) but she is very funny and after a second, I was in love with Tiffany.

Let's talk supporting characters. Rober De Niro plays Pat Sr. and he almost steals the movie. He has OCD big time when it comes to the Philidelphia Eagles, and it's kind of sad, but mostly funny. I haven't seen him be as funny or endearing since Meet the Parents. Oh and remember Chris Tucker? He's in this movie too! Where the hell has he been?! It's been 15 years since he was in anything non Rush Hour related! It was good to see him, and he brings a lot of comedy into the film.

There are a lot of good movies out there right now, and a lot of them are big Oscar contenders. Not sure if this one will get a nod for acting, but it should. Pat and Tiffany have an interesting chemistry that is fun to watch. As I recently just told a friend of mine regarding a certain Tiffany and Pat in my life, apparently crazy is still in.

Where ya goin? Flying somehwere?

Let me tell you something people, this movie will make you NOT want to do two things: drink and fly. I had to get on a plane the day after I saw this movie, and it was not my favorite flying experience to date. Whip (Denzel Washington) is a pilot who struggles with alcohol and drug addiction. He awakens in the morning, still drunk and does some coke a few hours before he has to fly. This is the first 5 minutes of the movie-and also garnered my biggest eye roll moment of the movie-must the hot stewardess be completely naked through the first 5 minutes? Your man will love it, I suppose. Anyways, if you saw the trailer you know what goes down (ooh spoiler alert-the plane crashes, sorry!) and the movie is basically the aftermath of what happens to whip.

He struggles with his addictions big time. There are parts in the movie where I was honestly thinking, "get your shit together dude!" But hey, an edgy Denzel is my favorite Denzel ( a la Training Day, I guess?) The anticipation of Whip getting his act together (or not) is not an easy one. Especially when he has a drug dealer like John Goodman, who I must say is hilarious in all his scenes. He's serious about what he does, but funny at the same time (he tells one of the black body guards watching Whip, "go watch the door, Cee Lo!).

There is also a sub plot that involves a recovering heoin addict Whip befriends named Nicole. I spent half the film thinking it was Jessica Chastain (from The Help), but its not, and her part in the film seemed kind of boring and unneccassary anyways. I would absolutely recommend this movie, just maybe not before you travel, or have wine night with the girls. The again, Denzel is the in the movie...

The Best Bad Idea

Argo is the real movie about the fake movie. At the height of the 1979 Iran hostage crisis, six people had escaped the US embassy from takeover and its Tony's (Ben Affleck) job as a CIA extractor, to get these six people out of hiding in Iran back home safely. SO, how does he choose to do this? By posing that he and the other six are part of a film crew in Iran to shoot a science fiction movie. They have everything to back it up: real producer, story boards, script, etc. Now all Tony has to do, is train these six escapees on their temporary identity long enough to not be pubicly excuted since the Iranians know they are missing. Sound crazy? That's because it is! Thats basically all I can tell you about the movie's plot-and there is so much more to this movie. It is seriously intense, pretty much from beginning to end. I spent the majority of the movie trying to keep my shit together, and it was pretty tough. Thank goodness for John Goodman (as a hollywood makeup artist) and Alan Arkin (hollywood producer), in between fits of biting my nails off, they provided lots of good one liners (Argo fuck yourself). I have always loved Ben Affleck, to me he has always been a bit underrated. He's on a nice little roll with his directing and starring in his own films, though (The Town, Gone Baby Gone). This time around, I have to admit it was weird not seeing him in a Boston-area heist involving cops and robbah's, but it still worked, and I definitely liked Argo more than I thought I would!

Girls Night Out!

Bachelorette

Poor Becky (Rebel Wilson). She's so happy, she's getting married, and her friends couldn't be any more concerned with their own issues to really notice. Her impending wedding day does do a  good job making sure that they are aware of how unhappy they all are. Her friends, or 'B Faces' as they called themselves in high school, are Regan (Kirsten Dunst), Gena (Lizzy Caplan), and Katie (Isla Fisher.) Becky was more of  a close friend to the girls, then part of their little trio (she was called Pig Face in school!).

Everything goes haywire the night before the wedding when during a drunken, drug fueled reunion, the three manage to ruin Becky's wedding dress. What happens during the rest of the movie is just pure shenanigans. Remember at the end of the movie The Hangover, when they go through the pictures of the night at the end? Well, in this comedy, you get to go through all their drunken drama with them. I won't say that this is a female Hangover, because it's not. But it's funnier than Bridesmaids was, and that's what it seems to be compared to the most.

Kirsten Dunst always played a really good bitch, and in this movie, shes the absolute worst. Extremely selfish and really just jealous that shes not the one getting married. Isla Fisher is a fun loving ditz, per usual, but shes cute and funny so you just want to hug her. Lizzy Caplan is hands down the funniest in the movie and has the best monologues. She has a paticular theory in the movie about how guys in bed are either a Catalano, or a Krakow. It made total sense to me, and if you never watched My So Called Life, you won't get it (and I just feel sorry for you!).

The movie also has Adam Scott and James Mardsen and what are they NOT good in? It's a fun little movie that every girl (and guy) should watch. Good news: it's On Demand, so you can be lazy and watch it on your couch! Score!