TV Show Review: More To Love

It has been many years since I have watched a reality dating show. I detest these shows; dating is hard enough without having to compete with 20 man hungry women, unfair expectations, and a camera in your face. I find the shows demeaning to both sexes and I disapprove of how they suck audiences in to believing that there will be a happily ever after, after a season of orchestrated dates/scenarios, only to have the couple break up after the show's finale. Now Fox brings us More To Love, a dating show for "real" people; when they say "real" what they truly mean is not size 4 and below. I have no problem with a show for "real" people; I myself am a "real" woman who struggles with her weight and insecurities like 90% of America. I am a huge fan of uplifting shows like The Biggest Loser; I find it to be motivating and inspirational, albeit contrived, but it still finds a place on my DVR prioritizer (season pass manager for you Tivo users). My problem is shows like Dance Your Ass Off and now More To Love that are designed to get America to watch by making fun of the contestants and their weight/circumstance. My bonus brother Eric said it best--it's "Fatsploitation".

I decided to watch in hopes of being proved wrong; optimistic that these contestants would not be exploited. The format for More To Love is set up like The Bachelor. Our bachelor is Luke, a 26 year old Californian who claims to love "voluptuous and curvy" women. There are 20 female contestants. When each one is introduced to the audience their name, height and weight are listed. (WHY is it necessary to show their weight if the show wants these women to be loved and accepted for who they are?) Instead of a rose, these women get diamond bands which Luke says is a promise that he will open his heart to them and like them for who they are and by accepting the ring these women are promising to do the same. By the end of the first evening Luke has to eliminate 5 of these poor girls.

Besides the fact that these women are all looking to meet Prince Charming, they all share the belief that because of their weight they were not worthy of finding love. My heart broke for each and every one of them (except for the crazy drunk chick). I don't know if choosing to be on this show will promote the emotional stability and acceptance they need, but I truly hope that it does not crush their dreams and diminish any chance of improving their self worth, but the odds are against them.

It's too soon to tell if I am right about the show or not, but one thing I do know is if we are going to start taking the titles of these reality dating shows literally, I have a few suggestions: Less to Grab and Less to Love. She's Hot but Dumb. Give That Skinny Bitch a Sandwich and My Heart. THAT my friends is keeping it real!

Movie Review: Taken

Two things I learned from watching this movie: 1) Liam Neeson is a serious bad ass and 2) None of my nieces are ever travelling abroad alone!

Taken was released in 2008 but I just got around to watching it this weekend, and it was worth the wait. Liam Neeson stars as Bryan Mills, a recently retired CIA agent. He retired from the spy game to make up for lost time with his daughter Kim (played by Maggie Grace, Shannon on ABC's Lost). Kim's summer plans differ from her dad's quality time plans; Kim and a friend are flying to Paris so they can follow U2 (lucky girl!) on the European leg of their tour. Bryan reluctantly agrees to let his only daughter go, but not without some ground rules and an ever important international cell phone. Kim and her friend land in Paris and immediately meet a charming young man who offers to share his cab with them. Not a smart move. The girls haven't even unpacked when a group of men come crashing in. Luckily Kim is on the phone with her dad as she witnesses her friend being carried out and is able to give Bryan key information that will help him at a later time. Bryan instructs his daughter on what she needs to do and informs her that she will be "taken". As Kim is whisked away one of her abductors picks up the phone and Bryan gives him a warning --let her go or suffer the consequences. The abductor simply replies, in his euro trash accent, "good luck". From that moment IT--IS--ON! Bryan quickly enlists the help of his ex-CIA buddies who uncover that the men who took his daughter are slave traders/sex traffickers. Bryan has 96 hours to find her or she will be lost forever. Can he rescue his daughter in time?

This film was co-written by Luc Besson, director and writer of 1994's Leon: The Professional and still one of my favorite assassin movies (if you haven't seen it yet, please Netflix it, if not for the action then to watch a young Natalie Portman play an aspiring assassin). Mr. Besson knows how to write intelligent action movies, which may sound like an oxymoron to you, but believe me such films do exist. Of course the concept would not work unless you had a skilled actor to bring the script to life. I think Liam Neeson was perfect for this part. He has balanced his more dramatic roles (Schindler's List, Kinsey) with some action roles in big franchise films (Batman Begins, Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace) but in this film, he alone IS the action. He is completely believable and at 57 years old he is bringing the pain effortlessly. Mr. Neeson has eight films in various stages of pre and post production, two of them being the A-Team film adaptation and Clash of the Titans remake. I know I have blogged about my dislike of remakes, especially when it involves cult classics like Titans, but I must admit if Liam Neeson is in it there is a greater chance that I am buying a ticket.

Taken is a definite must see. It is a rare action movie which males and females will equally enjoy.

Liam Neeson Essential Film List:

1. Darkman (1990)--- first big starring role; cult classic
2. Schindler's List (1993) -- everyone should watch this and show it to their children
3. Nell (1994) -- watch for the silly language Jodie Foster speaks
4. Rob Roy (1995) -- Scottish hero comes to life
5. Star Wars: Episode I-The Phantom Menace (1999) -- He is Qui-Gon Jinn; enough said
6. Love Actually (2003) -- a great Christmas/Romantic film
7. Kinsey (2004) -- Do not watch this with your children
8. Taken (2008) -- read review

Movie Review: Bruno

Note to readers: No one in my family would agree to pose for a Bruno photo for this blog so I am stuck with the studio pic :)

I am one of the masses who thought that Borat was an interesting and hilarious observation of how an outsider/immigrant tries to insinuate himself into rural/unprogressive America. The film was un-politically correct which was refreshing. I expected the same kind of style with Bruno only from a homosexual angle as opposed to immigrant. Sadly, Bruno was a disappointing docu-comedy.

For those of you who have missed the publicity blitz let me break Bruno down for you. Bruno is an Austrian fashion show host who gets fired from his hosting gig. He figures he will seek his fame in America and sets out to host his own show with the help of his devoted assistant. He comes in contact with several unsuspecting individuals and puts them in highly uncomfortable situations, almost too painful to watch. Some critics are calling Bruno "too gay". What does that term mean anyway? To me "too gay" is when people dress their pets up, so I don't agree with that assessment. Sacha Baron Cohen was simply portraying an over the top character who happened to be gay. There was a bit too much showcasing of the "male genitalia" for my taste; it's only funny and shocking the first couple of times but after that it's just a throw away gag.

What I disliked about the film were the people who he came in contact with. I am not oblivious to the fact that there are ignorant people in the world but to see it on a big screen unscripted really pissed me off (which is why I try and stay away from most reality shows). Some of these encounters were scripted I'm sure, but it was hard to tell which ones they were. I do not want to ruin anything for those of you curious to watch the film so please do not read the following in italics: There were two scenes in particular that really got my blood boiling. A rowdy crowd gathers to watch an ultimate fighting cage match. What they end up watching is two men making out. If this upset you personally the logical thing would be to get up and leave, that is not what the crowd does. They work themselves up into this violent frenzy; you'd think they were witnessing a brutal attack on an elderly person. The other scene was a photo shoot audition for toddlers to pose along with Bruno's baby, OJ. While Bruno is interviewing these parents he reads off a list of preposterous and hazardous situations that the children may be exposed to. I was fuming as I watched these parents agree to let their kids do anything Bruno asked. All this in search of those 15 minutes of fame and a quick buck.

If Bruno was made to get people talking about intolerance and ignorance then job well done, but if its purpose was to entertain-- it missed the mark.

Movie Review: Confessions of a Shopaholic

Rebecca Bloomwood (played by Isla Fisher) struts down the street with her armload of bags naming off every article of clothing she has on along with the designer who made it. She leers into store windows, like me at a bakery window, imagining that the mannequins are enticing her to come in and shop. Rebecca is a shopaholic and she walks as if she hasn't a care in the world, no one would know that creditors are after her trying to collect the $16K plus she owes (that amount would not phase certain shopaholics I know) or that her credit cards are maxed out. Her life is about constant denial, justifying shopping binges, and dodging collectors. She supports her habit and bides her time by working for a gardening magazine as a journalist; her dream is to write for Alette, a Vogue type fashion magazine. Reality comes and smacks Ms. Bloomwood in her Chanel making wearing face when her magazine shuts down and Alette fills the open position with a scheming fashion shrew. A chance encounter with Luke Brandon (the dashing Hugh Dancy) proves fortuitous, not only for her career but for her love life as well. Luke is the editor at a financial magazine and through a drunken mix up Rebecca ends up working as a columnist for the magazine. Her column about consumerism catches on with the public rather quickly and Rebecca finds herself trying to maneuver her career and her addiction. Will she be found at for the fraud she is? My answer was I really don't care.

I truly wanted to like this film. Not just because of the shopping and amazing fashion (Patricia Field was the costume designer) but because I am a huge fan of P.J. Hogan, the director of the film who has also directed two of my favorite films Muriel's Wedding and My Best Friend's Wedding. I also adore Isla Fisher. I do not think that they were given good material to work with here. It felt like Isla was instructed to act adorable and they just pointed the camera at her.

Ms. Fisher is a good actress/comedienne. Anyone who has seen her in Wedding Crashers and Definitely, Maybe can attest to that; this just wasn't the vehicle for her to make her "above the title" mark.

The film was based on the book of the same name by Sophie Kinsella. I have not read the book yet but my sister-in-law Alissa, the lovely young lady pictured above, has and liked it far better than the film. I will be reading and reviewing the book soon. I hope the book does a better job of taking me on a shopaholic adventure.

SHAMELESS PLUG: There is a scene in the movie where Rebecca walks through a modern furnishing store and Kartell lights are highlighted. If you like the look of the lights please visit: www.ylighting.com/kartell.html.

Movie Review: The Proposal

Margaret Tate (played by the lovely Sandra Bullock) is the editor-in-chief at a publishing company and Andrew Paxton (Ryan Reynolds, delish as always) is her long suffering assistant. Margaret is a huge bitch and the whole office fears her. Ms. Tate is called in to meet with her bosses who inform her that she has failed to meet her work visa requirements, she is Canadian, so she is being deported. Enter Andrew, at the wrong time, and Margaret informs her bosses that she will not be deported because her and young Andrew are getting married. Horrified at first Andrew gets his head on straight and uses his boss's predicament to his advantage; he will agree to marry her if he is promoted to editor. She reluctantly agrees and they are off to the immigration office where they meet the INS worker from hell who always uncovers the fraudulent unions. They inform Mr. INS that they will be going to Alaska to announce their engagement to Andrew's family which also coincides with Gammy Annie's 90th birthday. Off to Alaska they go and hilarity ensues. In classic romantic comedy fashion Margaret and Andrew see each other in a whole new light.

I love romantic comedies no matter how ridiculous the premise might be. Not all of these rom-coms are good, but this one is fantastic. Anne Fletcher, director of 27 Dresses (a cute ode to bridesmaids) and Step Up (the best dance movie since Breakin' 2 in my book), does a great job of not making this film cutesy as most rom-coms tend to be. There is a great balance of sweet and sour and the story feels believable. Of course that wouldn't be so without the tremendous talents of Sandra Bullock and Ryan Reynolds. Sandra has spoken in past interviews about not wanting to do anymore romantic comedies but after reading the script to this one she could not resist. I am delighted that she did and hope that she will keep doing them because she is genuinely amazing in this genre. If you don't believe me watch While You Were Sleeping and Two Weeks Notice; but you definitely need to watch this movie if only to see Sandra bust out her ghetto side. It is HIGH-larious. Ryan Reynolds, what can I say, this guy can tackle any genre or script. I do adore him in comedies, watch National Lampoon's Van Wilder and Just Friends, but he has proven to be a powerful player in action films, watch him in Blade 3 and Wolverine. His and Sandra's chemistry is definitely the key to the success of the movie.

The film also has a great supporting cast: Craig T. Nelson, Mary Steenburgen, and Malin Akerman; but I have to say the stand outs for me were Betty White as Gammy Annie and Oscar Nunez, Oscar from NBC's The Office, as Ramone. First Betty's character is referred to as Gammy, my son and niece refer to their grandma as Gammy so that endeared her to me even more. This woman is 89 years young and can still hold her own with the youngsters, she is comedy gold. As for Oscar's character, the guy is the jack of all trades in the little Alaskan town but my personal favorite of all the jobs is that he is the only male exotic dancer in town. Oscar turned what could have been a one-note character into a scene stealer.

This is a romantic comedy worth dragging your reluctant partner too a theater for or to just escape the summer heat.

Claud's View: Remakes

In the last couple of weeks I have read about certain remakes of movies in the works. A Karate Kid remake is already in production with Jayden Smith and Jackie Chan. Blasphemy! I am not big on remakes of films unless they were films that were released before my time, so over 30+ years old. I would prefer revisions; take the basic concept of an original, update it and twist it around a bit. The thing that troubles me the most about these upcoming remakes is that they were done well the first time. Why mess with a good thing? The three that have me concerned at the moment are the possible remakes of Teen Wolf, Conan the Barbarian, and An American Werewolf in London. WHY HOLLYWOOD, WHY?

I understand why they want to revisit Teen Wolf and AAWIL, they want to cash in on the success of the Twilight books and films, plus they figure if vampires are making a comeback why not werewolves. I know most people in my generation have a special place in their cinematic hearts for Teen Wolf; I know myself and my family most definitely do. Side note: I didn't ever watch Teen Wolf Too because that looked really bad, please forgive me Jason Bateman! If none of you have started your love affair with Jason Bateman, please start watching/netflixing Arrested Development reruns stat and any film in which he stars as something other than a teen werewolf). Michael J. Fox was awesome as Scott, a young teen balancing his high school existence as a human basketball outcast and a werewolf who is the Kobe of the game. Gripping stuff. And who could forget the cheese ball soundtrack or the school dance where Scott leads the student body in a dance along, since of course the wolf persona allows him not just to excel at basketball but it also makes him an amazing dancer. I personally would be saddened if Hollywood disregarded such a classic.

As for An American Werewolf in London, they have already tried to recapture the magic of the first film with the sequel An American Werewolf in Paris, which was badly received by the critics and audiences. The original is the first horror movie that I can remember watching. It was released in 1981, I was 6 years old but to be fair I think my dad waited until the movie was released on VHS to let me watch it (we will get to my dad's censorship in a later blog :)) Even at a young age I remember thinking how amazing the effects were. Rick Baker (a renowned make-up effects artist for those of you who didn't know) was introduced to my cinephile psyche through this film and I have been a fan of his work ever since. They should leave this movie alone and maybe consider a spec script I am working on called A Mexican Chupacabra in Sinaloa. It would be subtitled in spanglish and filmed on location in Pericos.

Finally--Conan the Barbarian. I was 7 years old when this was released. My dad and Uncle Richard took me to the movies for a double feature of Conan and Mad Max 2: The Road Warrior (Again, dad's censorship, blog for another time). Arnold Schwarzenegger, or Ah-nuld if you will, came into my life with that movie and I have been a loyal fan of his films since then. Can you imagine anyone else in that role? Who can pray to Crom like Ah-nuld can? Lest we forget, this movie also gave us James Earl Jones sporting a serious wig and turning into a giant snake. What other actor is as prestigious enough to fill JEJ's role and also not let the character come off as campy? No one that's who.

I may be letting my emotional ties to these films cloud my judgment but I know I will not watch these remakes if they do end up getting made. What about you readers, how do you feel about remakes?

Claud in the Field: Camp Cinemark

Have you ever camped out in front of a theater awaiting the opening of a summer blockbuster movie? Have you ever attended a midnight showing of a movie on its opening night/day? I haven't really camped out but I did attend a midnight showing of only one film -"Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace" which was released in 1999. My cousins- Norma, Jamie, and I parked our butts in front of Edward's Cinema in Corona, CA along with all the other Star Wars fans awaiting the latest and greatest from George Lucas. When we got into the theater the anticipation and excitement was significant. All us fans uniting to experience this great masterpiece together. Little did I know that the excitement and large doses of sugar would send my 23 year old self crashing during the second hour of the movie and this film would be the most loathed episode in the saga (it is my son's favorite at the moment). It didn't matter; I was there and I could claim that for the rest of my life. I was a die hard fan.

Over the years I have seen camp outs for summer event movies. The same questions always filled my head-How can they sleep outside? Do these people have jobs? When do they use the bathroom? Camping out was common for films in big cities, but imagine my surprise when I found campers at the Cinemark theater in Colorado Springs, CO. I remember the first time I saw them. It was for "The Dark Knight" last summer. My first thought was "do movies really sell out that quickly in the springs?" Then I saw them again this summer continuously for all the big releases. I decided to step into tent city (I call it that) and ask them exactly what they were doing. I was surprised at what I encountered.

The event the kids are waiting for this time is "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince", which opens July 15. My first stop was at Mike's tent. He is 17 years old and started camping on 7/6. He has a really nice set up-TV, DVD player, and a Wii (my kind of camping). My first question to him was why was he there; was it because he was a die hard fan or because it's a fun thing to do. His answer was "a little of both". I can respect that. There are bunch of tents set up along the theater with the ages of the campers ranging between 16-20. The few of them I spoke to said about the same thing- they love the thrill of camping and counting down to the latest event. Their parents support the idea, they go home to check in and shower but for the most part soldier on at the Cinemark. The Cinemark seems to support this, the only thing they ask, according the guys I spoke to, is to keep their area clean and for the underage kids to sign a waiver releasing the Cinemark of any liability.

There was one sponsored set up in tent city and that belonged to Fanboyz.net. Their website is pretty cool. It has the latest and greatest on movies including sneak peeks and behind the scenes info. Check it out when you can (I have already added it to my favorites). I spoke to John, who is 17 years old. Fanboyz.net should be proud to have this kid as their representative because he impressed the heck out of me. He informed me about the origins of the site and what they are really about. All the guys working on behalf of the site are movie lovers, they camp out to build excitement for the movie and/or event. John also told me about the midnight showings and special pre-movie events the site and theater sponsor. I probably could not stay up to go to a midnight showing but if you live in the area and can stay up late I strongly suggest checking one out. For "Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen" they had trivia games and handed out toys and merchandise. They have had events were they ask the crowd to construct something (i.e. Ironman, Transformer) out of cardboard. I think what grabbed me the most after talking to John was how dedicated and passionate he was about what he was doing. At 17, I was not passionate about anything but sleep. There was nothing like this when I was a kid, hell I can't even remember if there was internet at that time. John made me question my dedication to movies.

Most of these guys have formed friendships outside of the events and there is a mutual feeling of camaraderie between them. I have nothing but admiration for these kids. If my son wants to do something like that in his teens, I hope I am a cool enough mom to support it. Next time you see a camp out in front of your local theater, show these kids some respect because they have definitely earned mine.

Movie Review: My Sister's Keeper

WARNING: THIS IS A TOTAL CHICK MOVIE; ALL MALE READERS MAY WANT TO SKIP THIS REVIEW

This film is based on a book of the same name by Jodi Picoult. There is currently some outrage in the literary community due to the ending in the film differing from the book. I have not read any of these posts because I didn't want it to ruin the film or book, which I do intend to read. So I am reviewing this based on the merits of the film only.

The film introduces us to the Fitzgerald family--mom Sara (Cameron Diaz), dad Brian (Jason Patric), and their 3 beautiful children--Jesse (Evan Ellingson), Kate (Sofia Vassilieva), and Anna (Abigail Breslin). I am not giving anything away when I tell you that Kate has leukemia, she was diagnosed when she very young. Sara has made it her personal mission, as any mother would, to save her child. In doing so, Anna was created. When I say created, I mean it literally. She was a "test tube" baby, engineered to be a genetic match for her sister. Since Anna's birth she has been subjected to numerous tests and surgeries, all to help her sister. Kate's body has been put through the ringer for years due to her being in out and out of remission. Finally the illness has taken its most severe toll and she starts going into renal failure. We see young Anna worried for her sister but that does not stop her from taking a bus to the offices of shady TV commercial/ambulance chasing lawyer Campbell Alexander (played by the always brilliant Alec Baldwin). Anna would like Mr. Alexander to sue her parents on her behalf for medical emancipation. Of course this infuriates her mother, and drives a wedge into the family.

The movie is perfectly directed by Nick Cassavetes, whom all women know as the director of "The Notebook"(the man can bring the tears out of the most apathetic person in the world). We see this family, who is extremely close and you feel the love they have for each other but you also see how one person's illness affects each of them in different ways and you see the breakdown of all that they hold dear. As a devoted mother, sister, and aunt I was torn apart by this story. I don't know how anyone would know how to navigate through something like that but at the end of the day we all hope that we would make the right decision for our family. The film highlights all the struggles and sacrifices made to keep their family in tact.

I thought that everyone was wonderful in this film but I have to say the person that stood out for me was Cameron Diaz. She completely amazed me with this performance. I have always thought of her as the ditzy sexy girl with the tomboyish flair and was never convinced by her past dramatic roles, but with this film I was blown away. She took what could have been an "agro-bitch mom" role and turned it into a conflicted/determined mother who the audience can sympathize with. There is a line in the film that I think describes her character perfectly-"who are you if you aren't this crazy bitch mom fighting for your kid's life?" I think all moms can identify with her character.

I definitely recommend this film. Go see it with a big box of kleenex!!!!