I Love You, Man Review

I Love You, Man: You may not know it, but we are currently knee deep in "The Paul Rudd Era". The actor literally went from being "Ohh, its the guy who plays the older brother in Clueless" to Paul Rudd - period. He has had a role in The 40 Year Old Virgin, Knocked Up, Forgetting Sarah Marshall, and starred in last year's Role Models. In I Love You, Man he stars as Peter Klaven, a man who after getting engaged realizes that he has no male friends. Not being very close to his brother, Peter finds himself without a best man for his wedding. This causes Peter to go on a string of "man dates" in order to find a new best friend - each of them uncomfortable and hilarious. Paul Rudd plays the character perfectly, he is much more of a metrosexual than a guy's guy. His awkward attempts at being "cool" are also spot on. Finally, Peter does find a best friend, Sydney (played by the very funny Jason Segal). While the two strike up a very strong bond, Peter's new relationship actually interferes with that of his fiancée's. Can they find common ground where all are happy? I loved - I Love You, Man and I am sure you will too!

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The Great Buck Howard

The Great Buck Howard: John Malkovich is simply fantastic as Buck Howard, a "mentalist" who continues to perform his act long after his prime. As he would tell you, Buck Howard had been a guest on the tonight show with Johnny Carson 61 times...but that was over 25 years ago. These days we find Buck performing his show in small venues located in small cities all across America. However, his "big star" attitude has not gone away, in Buck's mind he is still at the top of his game. We join the ride when Buck hires a new road manager, Troy Gable (Colin Hanks). As quirky and fun as his act seems, Buck's backstage preparation is even more amusing. Right after a big public stunt flops, Buck has a strike of luck that casts him back into the public limelight. Will the Great Buck Howard relish his renewed found fame or long for the time when he headlined Wausau, WI? Buck Howard is a character that will make you laugh and that you will cheer for!

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Two Lovers DVD

Two Lovers: Joaquin Phoenix and Gwyneth Paltrow star in a film that is billed as (get this) - "Joaquin Phoenix's last movie ever". I hope you can finish reading this review before running out to snatch up the DVD in pure excitement. All kidding aside, Two Lovers is an interesting and sincere portrait of one man's struggle with life and love. Phoenix plays Leonard, a young man living with his parents after his last relationship left him confused and tormented. While his parents are trying to set him up with Sandra, the daughter of family friends, Leonard meets the more desirable and volatile Michelle (Paltrow). Leonard must ultimately decide between "tenderness" and "desire". It is the strong acting by the leads that allows you to believe in the characters and the situations they find themselves in. Give it a spin!

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He's Just Not That Into You

He's Just Not That Into You: I went into this movie with low expectations and to my surprise the movie was not all that bad, however, it was not a great romantic comedy either. It can best be summed up as “middle of the road fare”. The film is a collage of storylines dealing with different relationships between men and women. The movie has a rather large cast consisting of Jennifer Aniston, Ben Affleck, Jennifer Connelly, Justin Long, Drew Barrymore, and Scarlett Johansson. I know what you are thinking…where the hell is Hugh Grant, couldn’t they squeeze him in somewhere? I would sum up the laughter level for the film as “chuckle worthy”. It did not have any hard laughs, but at the same time it avoided stepping into any “roll your eye” moments. I guess it was the best I could ask for…

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Valkyrie DVD

Valkyrie: Jerry Maguire dons an eye patch and plots an assassination attempt on Adolph Hitler. Although we know how the assassination attempt turns out, the movie still does a fine job of stirring up some suspense. Cruise does a reasonable job of blending in, I mention this because he normally plays “Tom Cruise” and that can be distracting in a period piece. Here he plays Claus Von Stauffenberg, a colonel in the German army who was brave enough to plant a bomb inside Hitler’s headquarters. The film does supply one action scene on the battlefield, but make no mistake, this is more of a tense thriller than it is a war movie.

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