How Do You Know

2/5

A sappy romantic comedy bordering to silly, “How Do You Know” is a big disappointment in many levels I could think of.

A story of triangular romance between Lisa (Witherspoon) an ace softball player who was dropped from the team after passing 30 years old, Matty (Wilson), her playboy-baseball pitcher boyfriend, and George (Rudd), a very nice gentleman executive who is the subject of a Federal investigation for allegedly falsifying corporate incomes. Not knowing that his father and boss (Nicholson), and his dirty ways in business was what put him in that exact predicament. As Lisa go through this difficult patch in her life, she finds herself assessing not only her life but more so her beliefs about love.

I can’t begin to point out where this movie went wrong. Whether it’s in the lame script, or in the humor that’s really just a mockery of what comedy is, or in the lack of contagious, euphoric joy of romance, one thing is certain---the movie failed big time in delivering what it’s supposed to give. 90% of the movie was a dull narrative moviegoers just can’t seem to relate to. The story was okay and could have been such a good love story but the execution failed big time in making a cliché feel captivating or even hold your thoughts for a good five minutes. There was so much talking and little action. It appears to be saying a lot of things and trying hard to be something great that unfortunately in the end it wasn’t able to give what particular message it’s trying to convey. The main problem of this movie was its tediousness in every sense of the word and ultimately the lack of any tension in the plot.

It could have been a great movie with its stellar all-star cast but it’s far from anything but crap, to be honest, their acting geniuses were thrashed in this movie. I don’t like Reese Witherspoon here. There was nothing impressive with her performance in this movie. It actually just highlighted her weaknesses as an actress. Owen Wilson is fine---funny fine…he at least gave justice to his role. Jack Nicholson as always is just okay. PAUL RUDD IS LOVABLE AND VERY VERY GORGEOUS IN THIS MOVIE. His acting was not superbly great but good. I love his line deliveries!

This movie is another “could have been” in Hollywood history. It looks very very promising on the outside but with all honesty, this is a movie you should have judged from the poster. I won’t say it’s a complete waste of time but I will distinctly say that it’s unremarkable and not worth it.

P.S. One of the stars is just for the gorgeousness of Paul Rudd in the film otherwise it would have been just 1 star.

Did You Hear About The Morgans?

2/5

It’s the first movie of 2010 I went out of my way and watched in the splendor environment of a movie house. For one because I’m a big Sarah Jessica Parker fan and also because I did love Director Marc Lawrence’s work on films such as “Music and Lyrics” and “Two Weeks Notice”. When I first saw the trailer I swore myself to watch this movie and so I did.

A story of a couple whose marriage is on the rocks, Paul Morgan (Hugh Grant) and Meryl Morgan (Sarah Jessica Parker) have separated for a while. Determined to work on their marital issues, Paul asked Meryl to dinner and talk things through but an unfortunate event that happened after the dinner led the couple to enter the witness protection program. They were relocated to the country town of Wyoming as they were being hunted. Together in that small town away from Manhattan, they finally had the chance to work on and salvage their marriage despite the fact that their lives are still in danger.

I have to be honest that this movie wasn’t as good as Marc Lawrence’s previous works. The material is full of raw elements and clichés that the movie wouldn’t have as much of an impact to its viewers. The lack of romantic lovey-dovey scenes is understandable since the movie’s main plot is that of a mature married relationship already. But the movie’s predictability wasn’t managed very well that at most parts, dullness is very evident throughout the 1hour 45mins. The country setting that took up almost ¾ of the movie’s running time was a big factor in its dullness. What’s probably commendable about this movie though is its attempt to make dark and heavy issues appear lighter such as cheating on a spouse, murder, etc. Nothing is new in the sideline humor of the film but they’re such a relief for if not, this movie will make the top list of one of the dullest rom-com ever. The script in my opinion is very passable. It's not verbose but stuffed with one-liners full of thoughts. I think it was written very well but the problem resides on character build-up because frankly, the main characters and their conflicts were all so raw and needs a lot of polishing.

It’s such a delight to see Sarah Jessica Parker again on the big screen. Don’t get me wrong because I’m a SJP fan forever it’s just that there’s nothing new in her in this movie. Her attack is still the same as what she used to do in Sex and the City as Carrie Bradshaw. At this point in her career I don’t know if Sarah Jessica can still star in a role that’s so powerful it can overshadow the character of Carrie even for just awhile. Nonetheless and I’m saying this unbiasedly that Sarah Jessica Parker gave justice to her role as Meryl Morgan. I am adamant about Hugh Grant’s acting. Though he’s charming in many ways sometimes his acting and facial expression can really be irritating. Still I think that Hugh Grant has one of the sexiest British accents I have ever heard so far. His accent is such a turn on, perfectly complimenting his lines.

Obviously, the movie’s target audiences are middle aged couples. This movie is actually perfect for married couples especially to those going through some tough times. I think there’s a lot to learn with the Morgans’ marital problems and how the characters resolved it. Cheating in all its forms whether intentional or unintentional is painful beyond any comparison but regardless of the pain the betrayal of trust brings, TRUE LOVE is always and will forever be deserving of a second chance.

The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor

1/5

Everyone who knows me know that I don’t like adventure movies. I don’t enjoy action films as well as sci-fi ones. It is now ironic why I watched this movie. I wasn’t able to watch the first two mummy movie that’s why I have no point of comparison or whatever if this one is better than the other two.

For a chick flick and drama fan like me, I can say that the third installment of the mummy movies was a so-so worth watching film even though the actors’ acting was all forgettable. Brendan Fraser sucked big time in this film. The script was a total crap and its story sequencing was below mediocrity. The only thing worth commending in this movie was its use of special effects. I also liked the fact that since the movies’ plot deals with the dragon emperor, the director made use of some elements from the rich Chinese culture which saved it from being a nonsense adventure chow chow. I just wished that the director, Rob Cohen incorporated more of the popular Chinese skill of martial arts in this movie, maybe then, I can say that the movie is 100% worth spending for. Be that as it may, there are a lot of other movies in theaters right now so spend your money wisely. Just watch and kill time with another film.

The Holiday

2/5

Forget about "The Holiday"! If not because of Jude Law and Kate Winslet's opening monologue...the movie is crap! To begin with, Jude Law and Cameron Diaz doesn't have chemistry at all. Cameron Diaz's acting in this flick really sucked but I must admit that her outfits were remarkable. The problem of this film is in the story telling aspect. In my opinion, the story wasn't fully developed.