My Review: Safe Haven (4/10)

¨There´s no safer place for you than here with me.¨

Chicks will definitely love this film, but I found it to be yet another recycled Nicholas Sparks adaptation. Sparks may have a fan base through his novels and movie adaptations, but if he continues to write the same movie over and over again he will eventually lose them all. I was a fan of The Notebook because the relationship felt authentic and Sparks writing was new to me, I really liked it, but Safe Haven is completely flawed. Not only is it full of romantic clichés (we get to see another canoeing scene in a lake interrupted by rain like in The Notebook), but it has some of the worst plot twists I´ve seen in film history. I guess it was an attempt from Sparks to make this film different from the rest, but the suspense and thrills never worked. It felt like The Stepfather with the melodrama from any chick flick you´ve seen. It´s too bad Safe Haven didn’t work because I like Swedish director, Lasse Hallstrom, who has made Chocolat, What´s Eating Gilbert Grape, The Cider House Rules, and Salmon Fishing in the Yemen. This is one film that he would probably want to erase from his resume. The writers in charge of adapting Sparks´ novel were Dana Stevens (City of Angels and For Love of the Game) and Gage Lansky. The script was weak, predictable, and extremely mushy. The film also suffers from a weak lead performance from Julianne Hough who was much better in the musicals she starred in: Burlesque and Rock of Ages. Her performance never felt believable and that hurt the chemistry with her co-star Josh Duhamel, who has also made a living off rom-coms like When in Rome, or Life as We Know It. Those mediocre movies look like masterpieces when compared to Safe Haven. Duhamel is a likeable actor, but Hough´s performance made it difficult to tolerate this film.

The movie begins with a young scared girl named Katie (Julianne Hough) making a frenetic escape from her hometown in Boston to a small North Carolina town known as Southport. She´s running from something, but we are never shown exactly what happened. All we know is that something happened in her home involving a knife and a man, and now she has cut her hair and died it blonde and has escaped to this isolated place. Police officer, Tierney (David Lyons), tries to hunt her down but gets to the bus station a few seconds late. Katie decides that Southport is the perfect place to start over and finds a nice little cabin in the woods and a job at a local coffee shop. Katie tries to keep to herself, but she forms a nice bond with a little girl named Lexie (Mimi Kirkland) who is the daughter of widowed Alex (Josh Duhamel). Alex soon falls for Katie´s good looks and they grow closer together. However Katie never mentions anything about her past. Katie also befriends her neighbor, Jo (Cobie Smulders), who seems to always be there for her for good advice. As Katie begins to fall for Alex more and more, she is still haunted by her past and isn’t sure what her next move should be. Thus the melodrama begins.  

Safe Haven had some beautiful shots of romantic locations, but it was full of clichés and bad dialogues. At times while the music was playing the film even felt like one long music video or commercial. Safe Haven also suffers from an extensively long plot. At almost two hours I kept waiting for the end to approach, and it never did. One plot twist after another the film continued to grow increasingly tiring and tedious. By the end if you thought the film was entertaining you will be left with a bad taste in your mouth because the final twist is just ridiculous. Yes the film is romantic and sweet and girls will love this movie, but I don’t think the male audience will be won over by the suspense and thrills. It didn’t work for me, there was just no depth to the characters or the story.

  

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My Review: New Year`s Eve (5/10)

¨It only happens once a year: New Year`s Eve. It`s a time where the hopeless can be romantic.¨

New Year`s Eve is director Garry Marshall`s follow up to Valentine`s Day. It has a very similar premise where you have a series of romantic stories that over the course of the film intertwine with each other, although this time the story takes place in New York instead of Los Angeles. Marshall worked once again with screenwriter Katherine Fugate and also teamed up with Ashton Kutcher, Jessica Biel, and Hector Elizondo who also worked with him in the previous film along with several other A-list actors such as Robert de Niro, Michelle Pfeiffer, Zac Efron, Halle Berry, Seth Meyers, Katherine Heigl, Sofia Vergara, John Lithgow, Sarah Jessica Parker, Abigail Breslin, Hillary Swank, Josh Duhamel, and rock star Jon Bon Jovi among others. It`s probably easier to mention who isn`t in this movie. Despite having so many great actors the story falls flat because it`s just impossible to follow all the different stories in such a short period of time. It`s like if Marshall was trying to jam in several romantic movies all into one and we never get to fully relate with any of the characters. There is no time to get inside any of the character`s skin and know what they are thinking, they are all one dimensional. There were just too many stories and things going on, that the movie really lacks depth. There are some strong emotional moments and good dialogue scenes, but they are just too far spread out in a multi storyline. Some of the stories are interesting and would`ve been a much better movie on their own, but instead Marshall seems to take us from one story to another right when we were getting interested in the first one. It`s too bad because there is a whole lot of talent involved in this project.

  

It`s the last day of the year in New York and everybody`s eyes are on the NY Times square ball which will drop at midnight to announce the arrival of the new year. Hillary Swank plays Claire Morgan, the vice president of the event and she`s in charge of making sure the ball falls on time. She is a little nervous, but very excited because she always looks forward to this night. Her good friend Brendan (Ludicrous) is by her side making sure she remains calm as head of the police security personnel. They do experience some setbacks however when the ball gets jammed halfway up the pole. The only person who can help is Kominsky (Hector Elizondo), who they recently fired a few weeks ago. There are seven other stories going around that in some way or another connect with each other. There is Ingrid (Michelle Pfeiffer) who decides to quit her job in order to fulfill her New Year`s resolution. She enlists the help of a messenger named Paul (Zac Efron) who decides to help her in exchange for exclusive tickets for a special party. Then there is Paul`s roommate, Randy (Ashton Kutcher) who could care less about all the hype of New Year`s, but ends up getting stuck in the elevator with his new neighbor Elise (Lea Michele) who has to rush to work because she`s a backup singer for pop star sensation Jensen (Jon Bon Jovi). Jensen has a gig that night and is trying to make amends with an ex fiancée who he ran away from: Laura (Katherine Heigl) who happens to be in charge of the food catering in that same party. There are several other stories as well involving a couple expecting at a hospital (Seth Meyers and Jessica Biel), a man lying in his deathbed wishing he can see the ball drop one last time (Robert de Niro), another trying to make it in time to New York for a speech he has to give and a girl he might meet (Josh Duhamel), and a single mother (Sarah Jessica Parker) who wants to spend the night with her 15 year old daughter (Abigail Breslin) when all she wants is to go out with a boy from school she`s interested in.

So there you had the extensive plot which deals with so many storylines that it seems a lifetime just to get to introduce each one. That is my major complaint about this movie which could have been better if dealing with two or three less storylines. Some of the performances were alright, but nothing memorable. I had a decent time with this movie, sometimes it`s just fun to see all these stars together but with so many things going on it wasn`t really worth it. The ending wasn`t really what I was expecting either. Whereas in Valentine`s Day I was surprised at the end with who one of the main characters was expecting to hook up with, in this one it just didn`t really make much sense who Josh Duhamel`s character was waiting all along for. Marshall should not get too preoccupied about enlisting so many actors for his next film, and just worry about recreating a good, strong story. It`s too bad because I actually found some of the lines in the film quite heartwarming, like when Hillary Swank gives her televised speech. A forgettable movie, but perhaps the ladies will enjoy it since there are so many great actors involved.

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My Review: Transformers: The Dark Side of the Moon (4/10)

¨You may lose faith in us, but never in yourselves¨

Somehow after the third Transformers film I have managed to lose my faith in the highly successful blockbuster director Michael Bay and screenwriter Ehren Kruger who have turned one of my favorite cartoons into a terrible franchise. Don’t get me wrong, I enjoyed the first Transformers and thought it was awesome to see those characters brought to the big screen, but the sequels just haven’t managed to live up to expectations and my faith in the series is long lost. As Optimus Prime states, at least I haven’t managed to lose my faith in myself. The special effects are extraordinary and we get plenty of action, but there is no character development whatsoever. The movie is exceedingly long (over two and a half hours) and not even with all that extra time do we get to see some character development. The final showdown is also extremely long, but I guess action fans won`t be disappointed because they get a lot of excellent fights and cool visuals. As for me, I would have liked a better story with more character development. I could have also used a bit more comedy; the jokes just get old after three films and I would`ve really enjoyed something fresh and original in the series instead of relying on John Turturro all over again for the funniest moments. There are some new additions to the franchise, some interesting actors, but none of them are enough to save the franchise. Transformers is one of those movies that is extremely loud and makes a lot of noise, but really never ends up saying anything at all.

Sam Witwicky (Shia LaBeouf) is back again to save the world for a third time from the Decepticons, although this time he has a new girlfriend, Carly (Rosie Huntington-Whiteley). He meets her at the White House after receiving a medal of honor from president Obama. Sam is out of college, but is having trouble finding a job, although he is living with Carly who is doing well at her new job working as an assistant for a rich man named Dylan (Patrick Dempsey). On the meantime, the Autobots are helping humans maintain peace between them while the Decepticons remain silent. Lennox (Josh Duhamel), who works with the Autobots, receives a call from Ukraine saying that they have found some form of alien life at a former radiation plant. The Decepticons seem to be searching for something and the answers can be found in the past: they have to do with man`s first arrival at the moon. A few select men at NASA have been hiding some key information about what really was hidden at the dark side of the moon: a Cybertronian spacecraft containing some dark secrets. Both Decepticons and Autobots begin a race to uncover this secret that could threaten life on Earth. Optimus Prime, Bumblebee, Ratchet, and the rest of the Autobots are back along with some new ones, while Megatron leads the Decepticon`s new army.  There are some plot twists so I do not want to give too much of it away, but the main focus of the film is almost entirely on the action and the almost hour long destruction of Chicago.

In this third film we discover that Optimus Prime isn’t the last remaining Prime after all since Sentinel Prime has been unconscious in the dark side of the moon during all these years. When Optimus Prime finds him he revives him with the Matrix; but Sentinel isn’t the only new character in this film, we also have Frances McDormand as Chief Mearing in charge of the NEST operation, the funny Ken Jeong as Jerry Wang, Sam`s co-worker who might know what NASA was hiding doing the trip to the moon, there is also John Malkovich as Sam`s new boss, and then there is Alan Tudyk as the Dutch who is Simmons`s personal assistant. Even though we have all these new characters (remember I also mentioned Carly who replaced Megan Fox, and her boss Dylan) the film still seems more of the same and lacks freshness and originality. None of these characters were able to bring something new to the franchise because the script was mediocre and the film relied solely on the spectacular visuals and action scenes. Much of what Michael Bay puts on film is eye-candy, that is the reason he brought Rosie Huntington-Whiteley to replace Fox as she isn’t much of an actress, but she is just as hot as Fox. I just wished Bay spent the same amount of time he does on the action scenes with the screenplay. The 3D visuals work really well in this film, especially with the action scenes and the destruction of Chicago, but the movie just felt way too long in my opinion. I`m also tired of the open ended finales which suggest there might be another sequel on the way, and wish they just brought closure to the Transformers franchise

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My Review: Life As We Know It (4/10)

¨They love Sophie more than anything in the entire world, and out of everyone, Messer, they picked us.¨

Life As We Know It is a very predictable romantic comedy, with uninteresting characters, and a script I felt a 15 year old could have written. There still are however some funny and heartfelt moments that will make this movie enjoyable for its target audience. If you like romantic comedies in general then there is no reason why you won`t like this movie. I am not a big fan of rom coms, since they seem to follow the same logic and clichés most films in this genre do, although there have been some pleasant surprises for me (500 Days of Summer, My Best Friend`s Wedding, Love Actually, Notting Hill, and Definitely, Maybe are movies which other rom coms should try to measure up to). Katherine Heigl has to try to make a different movie very soon because she seems to be playing the same role over and over again. Her previous movie, Killers, was even worse than this one and in my opinion it’s been awhile since she has made a good film.  I used to like her, but now she just seems to be getting on my nerves and will think twice before going to see another one of her films. Josh Duhamel was ok in this movie and had several funny scenes, but I wasn`t too excited about the chemistry between him and Heigl. Greg Berlanti (who is known for producing mostly TV series) directed this film and the screenplay was adapted from hundreds of other rom coms  by Ian Deitchman and Kristis Rusk Robinson.

The story takes place in Atlanta where a married couple is trying to hook up two of their best friends together on a blind date. Holly (Heigl) and Messer (Duhamel) don`t get along from the get go and never even end up going out on their date. They continue on with their own lives as usual although they always run into each other due to their friendship with Peter and Alison. Messer is a ladies’ man who doesn`t believe in long relationships and thinks his life is great because he works as an assistant camera director for the Atlanta Hawks so he gets paid for watching games. On the other hand, Holly owns a bakery and is very happy with her life which seems to revolve around waiting for one of her clients to show up on which she has a crush although she doesn`t even know his name. Finally after his 35<sup>th</sup> visit to the bakery (yes she`s been counting) she finally learns his name: Sam (Josh Lucas from Home Sweet Alabama and Poseidon). He invites her out for dinner, but before they can ever go out, Holly receives a phone call that will change her life forever. Peter and Alison lost their lives on a car accident and they had left on their will that Holly and Messer should become guardians of their one year old daughter: Sophie. A huge responsibility for Messer and Holly who have been accustomed to their easy lives and don`t even get along very well, but they reluctantly accept the task. If you have seen any romantic comedy from Hollywood then you can probably guess what will happen in the next 90 minutes of the film.

The movie is predictable, the secondary characters are one dimensional and you don`t even care for any of them, and Heigl is once again playing the same role she plays over and over again. So no, I didn`t really enjoy this movie all that much, but I can`t deny I did laugh at a few jokes here and there. Life As We Know It is just another one of those movies that will get lost in time and nobody will ever remember, although fans of the genre will probably have a decent time with the movie. The film relies heavily on the same jokes you have when a baby is on film: poop, vomiting, and so on. Still the most likeable character in the film is the baby, Sophie, and that isn`t a very good sign in a movie like this. The secondary characters in this film are almost nonexistent, and the film focuses entirely on Heigl and Duhamel`s love-hate relationship. There really was no need to make this movie, we`ve seen it before in hundreds of other rom coms (this one even has the classic run to the airport scene). Don`t watch this film unless you are really a fan of the genre.

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My Review: When In Rome (7/10)

¨This is what the Romans call the fontana de amore: if you throw in a coin, you find love. So maybe if I take a few like you, you, you, and you, some of the magic will rub on me ¨

(7/10) Director Mark Steven Johnson decided to leave superhero movies (Daredevil and Ghost Rider) behind him and move on to the romantic comedy category with his latest film When in Rome. David Diamond and David Weissman (Old Dogs and Evolution) teamed up once again to write the script for this film, which wasn`t very memorable, but it did have its moments thanks to some good performances from an interesting cast. When in Rome has a very predictable beginning, but once the plot began to thicken I found myself laughing throughout the movie. I really went into this movie expecting to dislike it because most romcoms are very similar and generic, but I was surprised when halfway through I was smiling and actually rooting for the main characters. What I enjoyed the most was that the movie itself seemed to be making fun of other films in its genre by introducing the legend of the fountain of love and all these strange characters that seemed to be taken out from other romcoms. The movie felt much more like a satire on love and you knew you had to take the whole thing more lightly. The two main characters probably didn`t have much chemistry between them, but the movie focuses more on the laughs and awkward situations than on the love plot. When in Rome is so full of ridiculous situations that I felt it worked as a satire on romantic comedies more than an actual one in itself (although at the end of the film you have your typical romcom finale). I found myself laughing halfway through the film up to the very end at all the ridiculous characters and absurd situations that present themselves.

Beth (Kristen Bell known for her TV roles in Veronica Mars and Heroes) is a young woman who hasn`t had any luck with love, but who has a very successful career and loves her job. She has a relationship with her work and doesn`t believe there is anyone out there for her. Her younger sister, Joan (Alexis Dziena), however has seemed to have found the love of her life in a trip to Rome and is getting married. Beth has to travel to Rome for the surprisingly quick wedding and here she meets Nick (Josh Duhamel from Transformers and Win a Date with Tad Hamilton), the best man. They seem to hit it on from the beginning, but Beth sees another woman kiss him during the wedding and ends up disappointed once again. She gets drunk, ends up getting into a fountain of love, and decides to take a few coins in order for some of the love to rub off her. The legend is true and the people from whom the coins belonged too magically fall in love with Beth and begin to stalk her. Among them there is a painter named Antonio (Will Arnet), a successful sausage business man (played by Danny DeVito), a street magician resembling Chris Angel named Lance (Jon Heder from Napoleon Dynamite and yes Pedro has a small cameo as well), and a egocentric male model named Gale (Dax Shepard). Beth really can`t handle all these strange characters that have showed up in her life and realizes that the reason for all this mess are the coins she picked up in the fountain. She even begins to doubt that Nick is interested in her in real life and that he is also under the spell of the legend of the fontana de amore. Now she will have to figure out how to undo what she has done and try to discover if there really is such a thing as true love.

Kristen Bell and Josh Duhamel are both very likeable actors and they do a decent job with the script although I can`t say I felt much chemistry between them (however I did end up rooting for them to be together). But the true success of the film relies on the secondary characters who really steal all the laughs. Jon Heder, Danny DeVito, Dax Shepard, and Will Arnet are all extremely funny and they have a chance to play very eccentric characters, which is what they do best. They seem to be taken from different other types of romcom films and put together into this one to serve as a satire on this genre. The movie never takes the romance too serious and that is why it feels so light and gets away with being predictable and corny. There are several laugh out loud and enjoyable moments, but you have to get through the awful beginning and wait until these characters show up to save the film. I recommend this movie, although I was almost certain I wouldn`t because my expectations were really low, but the movie really took me by surprise and made me laugh more than I expected. Yes, When in Rome is very predictable and it probably won`t end up being a very memorable film, but it really was entertaining and funny nonetheless and is worth the watch.