(DVD REVIEW) LOVE & OTHER DRUGS

I'm not one to seek out Romantic Comedy movies. While my wife and I make it a point to watch Serendipity at least once every fall/winter, I normally shy away from a "template" movie. One that is the EXACT SAME as a million other movies out there but has a different cast and title. Lucky for me, this was more like an UnRomantic Dramady.

This movie is about a womanizing young man, Jamie (Gyllenhaal), who is happily floating through life. He lands a job as a pharmaceutical sales rep and persuades a doctor to let him "shadow" the doctor's daily rounds. While doing this he is introduced to Maggie (Hathaway). Maggie is in stage one of Parkinson's and catches Jamie's eye. After some chasing Jamie finally gets Maggie to agree to go out with him. They, both being attracted to each other and not wanting a serious relationship, agree to become a casual, yet recurring, fling. While lines are drawn, and both know what this "relationship" is supposed to be, it soon evolves into something larger. But when the weight of Jamie's job and Maggie's disease begin to put pressure on their budding romance, they soon have to figure out if this is "fight or flight".

I'm a sucker for both of these actors. Gyllenhaal has been a favorite of mine since Donnie Darko and The Day After Tomorrow, and Hathaway since The Princess Diaries. So I was kind of hooked from the beginning. But the movie was actually very good and surprisingly touching in some scenes. Watching the character of Maggie struggle with her illness and trying to cope with the severity of what is to come was very well portrayed by Hathaway. I would recommend this movie to anyone. Watch it!

(DVD REVIEW) LIMITLESS

Is there anything that Bradley Copper can't do....other than act? I mean, really, Cooper is not the best actor. Not by a long shot. That being said, there is a very specific role that Cooper was born to play. The cocky, smarmy, womanizing, likable jerk. This movie proves why this has become his bread and butter in Hollywood.

Limitless is about a likable loser named Eddie (Cooper) that just can't seem to bring it all together. He almost does from time to time, but in the end he always seems to fail. Relationships, jobs, writing his novel...everything. One day an old friend passes him on the street and they start to talk. Eddie tells him that he just cant seem to focus on what he needs to do. The friend offers him assistance. The assistance comes in the form of a little clear pill that opens your mind in a way that you never thought possible. It unlocks minute little insignificant memories that you may have had when you were 6 years old. It make your mind work in a way that allows to act less like a notebook and more like a supercomputer. When Eddie comes into a large amount of this "miracle" and starts making waves, he draws attention to himself. He starts being followed. He and those around him find themselves to be less and less safe. What happens when something gives you everything you ever wanted and then threatens to take it all away (and more)?

The movie is actually pretty good. It's not going to win an Oscar and will not go down at one of the greatest acting performances ever, but it is a pretty fun movie and offers a nice escape from the "everyday". Check it out!

(DVD REVIEW) Take Me Home Tonight

For some reason I always thought that Eric and Donna would be the two that went on to do great things in Hollywood after that 70's Show was over. But Laura Prepon is barely making TV appearances and Topher Grace movies are often left with little to no audience (or being bashed by the audience that sees it - SpiderMan 3). So, while I always like what Topher does in film, I kind of rented this movie on a dare to myself. I wanted to see if it was chalked full of goobie 80's gags and squeaky clean teen imagery.....boy was I wrong (and glad I was).

Matt Franklin (Topher Grace) is a smart kid. Straight A student in high school, graduated from MIT, and now works at a video store. He's a little lost (as most of us are/were in that time). Most of his friends are moving on with their lives and he is stuck in a rut. In this rut with him is Barry Nathan (Dan Fogler), his best friend that skipped college and started selling cars for a luxury car dealership. After a string of events set them on a wild night in town, Matt is presented with finally getting to know his high school crush Tori, to prove to the rest of his ex-class mates that he is not the same kid in high school, and to prove to himself that he has something to offer. The only question is "what" does he have to offer.

This movie is NOT 16 candles. It has a LOT of cussing, a little nudity, drug use, and still has all of those fun 80's references that you really want in a movie like this. Anna Ferris plays twin sister to Topher's character and turns in a top notch performance. Everyone does a great job in this movie. It's a shame it never found a bigger audience.

WATCH IT.

(DVD REVIEW) ARTHUR

If it isn't broke, why fix it? That MUST be what Russell Brand says every morning when he gets out of bed. With a personality such as his AND his extensive personal knowledge of the alcohol /drug addict lifestyle, he is normally a "go to" guy for these types of roles. After watching Arthur....I can see why.

Arthur (Brand) is the heir to a fortune of considerable size. He spends money like he drinks booze...a lot of it and very often. However, his mother (the queen of their empire) is tired of his antics and would like to name a successor to her company when she inevitably retires. Of course this is not Arthur that she wants to take over the company, it's Arthur's soon to be wife. A woman that she has chosen for Arthur to marry so she can take his last name and run the muti-billion dollar company. Arthur refuses but when dear ole mum says that he will either marry or she will cut him off ( out of 900+ million dollars) he decides to marry his mothers pick (Susan Johnson played by Jennifer Garner). Fate deals him a tricky hand when he stumbles across a lovely girl name Naomi (Greta Gerwig). When he falls for her he must figure out what is more important....money or love.

I love Brand and love him even more after this movie. Usually he plays some ex-junkie adult...but in this movie he is more of a man-child that looks at the world with a sense of wonderment and amazement....even though he is always drunk while looking at it. This movie plays almost like Billy Madison mixed with a Vodka commercial. My wife and I both loved it.

WATCH IT

(DVD REVIEW) Dylan Dog : Dead of Night

Evil Dead, Army of Darkness and Dylan Dog? Three movies that are so awesomely b-rate that it makes them that much more entertaining. The dialog, the delivery, the sometimes painfully bad effects....that is what makes b-rate movies so great. That is one of the main qualities that Dylan Dog has.

Dylan Dog (Routh) is a detective/peace keeper. He, unlike normal detectives, investigates crimes of a supernatural nature. Zombies, Werewolves, Vampire, etc....he is the peace keeper of them all. Well, at least he was until a woman that he loved was caught in the crossfire and killed. He swore off working for supernatural groups of the underworld until a case drags him back in. After he is pulled back in to his old life, he starts to piece together the puzzle that now makes up the New Orleans Underworld. Who is friend, who is foe, and will his undead sidekick ever get a replacement arm that matches his correct skin color. These are the questions that will all be answered in Dylan Dog.

The movie is fun. It's an odd little quirky movie with an honest tone about the absurdity of the material presented. It's a tongue-in-cheek version of Constantine. The money has moments of sheer hilarity (on purpose) and other hilarity (on accident). But it is a fun little ride with someone (Routh) that could take the place of Bruce Campbell as the king of deadpan b-rated movies (if he goes that route).

WATCH IT!