I Was Into Him
Posted by steveonsinema on March 1, 2009
Good Sunday afternoon you to! How has your weekend treated you so far? Mine, well it has been pretty darn good overall, I’m not looking forward to going back to work tomorrow…and hey, I don’t have to if I don’t feel like it considering I have three “banked days” to use yet. That’s right, as you may know from my partner Warren’s blog, I have been cut down to working only 32 hours a week – 1 less day each week, until further notice. So, I have taken three unpaid days from my paycheck already, but have worked them and have them to use when I feel. Although tomorrow is probably not a day that I will be taking off, it sure sounds good right now!!!
Well, yesterday Warren and I headed back to the movies. We decided on a nice romantic comedy; something light-hearted and fun. This type of movie is not one that we go to all that often, but considering our choices seemed a bit limited yesterday we thought “what the heck” let’s give it a shot. Our choice, “He’s Just Not That Into You” had a boat load of big stars, it looked rather funny and seemed like a good choice yesterday.
Here’s the story…
HE’S JUST NOT THAT INTO YOU: A group of interconnected, Baltimore-based twenty- and thirtysomethings navigate their various relationships from the shallow end of the dating pool through the deep, murky waters of married life, trying to read the signs of the opposite sex–and hoping to be the exceptions to the “no-exceptions”; rule. Gigi just wants a man who says he’ll call–and does–while Alex advises her to stop sitting by the phone. Beth wonders if she should call it off after years of committed singlehood with her boyfriend, Neil, but he doesn’t think there’s a single thing wrong with their unmarried life. Janine’s not sure if she can trust her husband, Ben, who can’t quite trust himself around Anna. Anna can’t decide between the sexy married guy, or her straightforward, no-sparks standby, Conor, who can’t get over the fact that he can’t have her. And Mary, who’s found an entire network of loving, supportive men, just needs to find one who’s straight.
STEVE SAYS… on “He’s Just Not That Into You” – It was a light-hearted movie about dating and relationships, while sometimes slow-moving in the middle it had some humorous and sweet moments throughout. The actors were likeable for the most part, but I was hoping for a few more comedic moments in the movie. I did laugh a bit, smiled at times throughout, and even felt some emotional moments towards the end of the film. Unfortunately it wasn’t enough for me to give this movie a good recommendation. I would rate it at 2 1/2 stars out of 5.
WARREN SAYS…It was a good movie, not a great movie nor a bad movie – just a good movie. Good entertainment. I’d rate it at 3 stars out of 5 … just slightly above average.
One thing that I truly did like about the movie, is that it stars one of my favorite actresses of all time, Drew Barrymore. Drew played a smaller role in this movie, but is always likeable not matter what role she plays, or movie she is in. Although this was not one of my favorites of Drew, she still was enjoyable to watch in the movie.
Here’s a look at my “Top 5″ favorite Drew Barrymore films.
5 - FIRESTARTER: Drew Barrymore plays Charlie McGhee, a pre-pubescent girl whose moods of anger and frustration are manifested in the telekinetic creation of raging fires. Her parents participated in dangerous government experiments in the 60s, and their bodies were altered in ways that affected the physical and mental makeup of their child. Now the CIA wants to harness Charlie’s powers and use them as weapons of destruction. They successfully kidnap her, but can they contain her fears and blistering rage? Circumstances soon spin way beyond their control.
4 – THE WEDDING SINGER: New Jersey wedding chanteur Robbie Hart loses all hope after being abandoned at the altar by his fiancee Linda. Enter Julia, an effervescent ray of light in the shape of a catering-service waitress, who enlists Robbie’s help in planning her own wedding–to a sleazy, DeLorean-driving junk bond salesman who tomcats around and treats women like unfeeling slabs of meat. Can our hero win Julia over before she elopes to Las Vegas? Will Billy Idol save the day? And, most importantly, will the fluffy romantic storyline be completely overpowered by the weighty mid-1980s cultural references? THE WEDDING SINGER is cheesy fun for the nostalgically inclined. Steve Buscemi tries to steal the film in an uncredited role as a drunk best man, but that honor actually goes to Alexis Arquette, as “George.”
3 - MUSIC AND LYRICS: Alex Fletcher (Hugh Grant) is a cynical and self-deprecating former pop idol (the hilarious opening video introduces his ’80s new wave band Pop!) who is now playing the nostalgia circuit, but has maintained enough dignity to turn down an appearance on a “Battle of the ’80s Has-Beens” TV reality show. Sophie Fisher (Drew Barrymore) is a gifted writer with deep inferiority issues who’s been hired to water Fletcher’s plants, and ends up becoming his emergency fill-in lyricist for a song he needs to deliver to teen queen singer Cora (Haley Bennett) in four days. Despite this contrived “cute meet,” the film, to its great credit, deftly avoids many possible rom-com tropes in favor of organic, character-driven conflicts and comic situations. Alex and Sophie fall in love, struggle over their song, and wrestle with their own respective resistance to romantic happiness, while simultaneously coping with the frustrations of the creative process and the demands of the music industry. The two leads (aided by great comic sidekick turns from Brad Garrett and Kristen Johnston) manage to pull all this off with a lightness of touch that makes the characters’ vulnerability appealing and not pathetic. The original songs by Adam Schlesinger (the go-to guy for singer-songwriter film music) is charming and catchy.
2 - 50 FIRST DATES: Scatological and sentimental, satirical and sincere, 50 FIRST DATES pairs Adam Sandler with Drew Barrymore in this romantic comedy about the power of love and short-term memory loss in Hawaii. Henry Roth (Sandler), the local marina veterinarian, only dates tourists because he’s afraid of commitment–that is, until he meets Lucy (Barrymore). Unfortunately, Lucy lost her short-term memory months ago in a car accident, and for her, each day is October the 13th. She follows the same routine every day–breakfast at the same restaurant, pineapple-picking with her dad, and eventually bed time, where sleep wipes away her short-term memory. Henry, however, refuses to be forgotten, and as his puppy love matures, he embarks on a quest to restore her memory, or at least be a part of her everyday routine. But vying for Lucy’s attention isn’t always easy. Sandler explores various neophytic approaches before making a video for Lucy to watch every morning, reminding her of who she is and what she’s doing. The film includes a trademark Sandler ballad as Henry serenades Lucy with his ukulele and a series of familiar salacious puns. Rob Schneider plays Henry’s best friend, a goofy native stoner whose physical hijinks earn numerous laughs, and a cameo by Dan Akroyd as Lucy’s doctor rounds out the cast.
1 – POISON IVY: Lonely teen Sylvie Cooper befriends sexy schoolmate Ivy and watches as Ivy moves into her home and slowly takes over the Cooper family. A little girl gone bad, she seduces Sylvie’s father and betrays the bedridden mother. Ripping the family apart, Ivy situates herself as the new mother. Only Sylvie can save her family.
In addition to these movies, Drew has starred in over 60 feature films, as well as multiple television roles. Other notable movies include: Guncrazy, E.T. The Extra Terrestrial, Cat’s Eye, Bad Girls, Mad Love, Scream, Fever Pitch, Never Been Kissed, Charlie’s Angels, Duplex and Lucky You. I have basically grown-up watching Drew on the silver screen, and her infectious smile always seems to warm your heart – whether you are gay, straight or in-between. 
Now for my “DVD Pick of the Week”. This upcoming release is a little something different. Instead of a feature film or another hot horror release, my choice this week is a television series, and a British series to be exact. The star of such television series as “Hell’s Kitchen” and “Kitchen Nightmares”, Gordon Ramsey slices and dices his way into British and American homes with my pick of the week…
“Ramsey’s Kitchen Nightmares”.
Critical, angry, and often hilarious, Gordon Ramsay has zero tolerance for bad food, bad service, and bad attitudes. The enfant terrible of the kitchen has transformed himself from celebrity chef to celebrity critic in this original version of his TV series, KITCHEN NIGHTMARES. While American producers would eventually pick up the show, the episodes collected here capture Ramsay at his most volatile as he berates arrogant chefs, clueless owners, and lazy staff until they figure out how to run a halfway-decent kitchen. It’s cringe-worthy material, as the haughty chef puts bad restaurateurs in their place and defends the honor of the culinary arts even if it means evoking a tear or two.
Gordon Ramsey is by far the “hottest” chef in the world…in more ways than one! Warren and I watch intently each week as Gordon rips on contestants taking part in his reality show “Hell’s Kitchen” as they make subpar food in their attempt to win the top prize…to become an Executive Chef at one of Gordon’s restaurant hot spots around the world. It’s very amusing listening to Gordon call the contestants “cows”, “bitches” and other cute names, and/or watching him throw hunks of meat at people or dumping their “poorly prepared” food in their lap or in the garbage. Now matter what Gordon is saying or doing, I enjoy just checking him out for an hour each week – what a hot man!! Maybe I should sign up for the show, what do you say Warren? Just kidding pal…you know you are the only man for me – and by the way, today’s sexual encounter was fantastic! Yes, I was “into him” today and we both enjoyed our time today, right Warren!
That’s about all from here today. Have a great rest of the evening, and drop me a line to let me know you are out there.
Until next time…
Steve
mikeinbama said
I can’t bring myself to see, “He’s not that into you” because it’s a bunch of whiny people complaining.
steveonsinema said
“Mikeinbama” – I hear you, and some of the movie tends to seem that way, but it does have some nice moments. I would actually wait to watch it on DVD or Cable, whichever is cheaper, as it’s not worth the time or money to go to the theater. The movie is “ok”. Thanks for dropping a line.