The story follows an uptight corporate staffer, Margaret (Bullock), who needs to get married in order to avoid being deported back to Canada. So she ropes her assistant Andrew (Reynolds) into getting married, but things go awry when they travel to Alaska to visit his family, who decides that the happy couple should get married right then and there.

Read my full review here.

Bonus Features: There aren’t a ton of extras on the deluxe version, but included is a gag reel, two deleted scenes, writer and director commentary, and an alternate ending. Andrew tries to relay a romantic message to Margaret on the departing plane. In the process of the message being comically garbled by the stewardess and the control tower guy, the INS agent causes a stir, gets tasered, and forces the plane to turn around. Margaret and Andrew are reunited and their love is declared in time for the happy ending.

I sort of expected that to happen in the film, so I’m glad they went with the ending they used instead. I mean, you pretty much knew they’d get together at some point.

Buy the Deluxe DVD Edition + Digital Copy, $22.99

Buy the Single-Disc Widescreen Edition, $15.99

Buy the Blu-ray Edition, $25.99

Image: Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures

Post from: Film Gecko

I’m kind of hoping it’s better than Jennifer Aniston’s other movies lately. “Love Happens” and “He’s Just Not That Into You” were ok, but nothing to write home about.

In “Management,” she plays Sue Claussen, a women who has a chance meeting with Mike Cranshaw (Steve Zahn) when she checks into the roadside motel owned by his parents in Arizona. Mike’s an aimless dreamer; Sue lives in a carefully ordered world where she just wants to make a difference. Will she find it with her yogurt mogul ex-boyfriend Jango (Woody Harrelson)? Or with the bumbling Mike?

Buy “Management” on DVD or Blu-ray.

Post from: Film Gecko

Movie: Post Grad * Official Site	In Theaters: Aug. 21, 2009
Runtime: 89 minutes	Directed by: Vicky Jenson
MPAA Rating: PG-13 for sexual situations and brief strong language	Gecko Rating:

"Post Grad" is one of those movies that’s fun while you’re watching it, but you probably won’t remember it the next day. Or even 10 minutes after you leave the theater.

It stars the adorable Alexis Bledel as Ryden Malby, a girl who’s just graduated from college and is ready to go out and conquer the world. Or at least her own little corner of it.

Ever since she was a little girl, Ryden has had a plan: get good grades in school, graduate from college with honors, and get her dream job at a prestigious publishing company. She’s done the first two, but getting the job? Not going as planned.

So Ryden moves back home with her family, which includes dad Walter (Michael Keaton), mom Carmella (Jane Lynch), little brother Hunter (Bobby Coleman), and grandma Maureen (Carol Burnett).

Meanwhile, her best friend since childhood, Adam (Zach Gilford, who plays Matt Saracen on "Friday Night Lights"), has been harboring a serious crush on her forever, only Ryden just sees him as a friend. She’s much more interested in the hot Brazilian guy next door, David Santiago (Rodrigo Santoro), who actually helps her land a tie-over job as an assistant where he works, directing infomercials. He’s not so happy with his job either, though.

The strong part of this movie is Alexis Bledel. She’s sweet, funny, and cute. She could handle a leading role if the rest of the movie was good, but this one just isn’t. I love all of the actors, and it’s nice to see Michael Keaton in a movie again. But the characters are somewhat one-dimensional.

Keaton plays kind of a kooky dad who’s always looking for that next big thing; Jane Lynch seems like she did this role in her off-hours while writing her grocery list; Carol Burnett is the also-kooky grandmother who decides she needs to pick out a casket now; Zach Gilford is the sweet and adoring guy-next-door who never gets the girl; and so on and so forth.

You get the drift. There’s really nothing new here, and Bledel’s character isn’t strong enough to carry the movie on her own. Still, it does have a good message about the importance of family and following your dreams, even if those dreams change over time and you need to be conked over the head to figure that out.

Ivan Reitman is the producer, which is surprising because most of his recent projects have fared better, including "Disturbia" and "I Love You, Man." By the way, his daughter, Catherine Reitman, plays Bledel’s college rival, Jessica.

Image: TM and © Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation. All Rights Reserved.

Post from: Film Gecko

Things get even more complicated when Jane learns that her architect, Adam (Steve Martin), is interested in her, too. The stellar cast also includes John Krasinski (“The Office”), Hunter Parrish (“Weeds”), and Lake Bell. See what I mean about the cast? They must have had a blast making this movie.

And it will be cool seeing Meryl playing a real-woman character, rather than a pop culture icon (Julia Child) or a woman most of us only see in the movies (“Mamma Mia!”). Personally, I don’t know anyone who owns a rustic B&B on an exotic Italian island. 

As for Nancy Meyers, her credits include a string of hits (in my mind, anyway), including “Something’s Gotta Give,” “What Women Want,” “The Parent Trap,” and “Father of the Bride.”

“It’s Complicated” hits theaters Dec. 25, 2009. I know which movie my daughter and I will see on our traditional Christmas Day theater sojourn! Are you looking forward to seeing it? Watch the trailer…

Image: Universal Pictures

Post from: Film Gecko

Robert Luketic is the director; he’s also directed "21," "Monster-in-Law," "Legally Blonde," and "Win a Date with Tad Hamilton." So he’s definitely got the romantic comedy chops to produce a great movie.

"The Ugly Truth" premiered in Hollywood on July 16, 2009. Watch the trailer here, and check out a few pics from the red carpet below!

Images: Copyright and Trademark, Columbia Tristar Marketing Group, Inc. All rights reserved. Photos by SEP, Inc./Eric Charbonneau

Post from: Film Gecko

Movie: I Love You, Beth Cooper * Official Site * Preview & Trailer	In Theaters: July 10, 2009
Runtime: 102 minutes	Directed by: Chris Columbus
MPAA Rating: PG-13 for crude and sexual content, language, some teen drinking and drug references, and brief violence	Gecko Rating:

Just because a movie is teen-oriented doesn’t mean it has to be a crappy movie. Just think about some of the great teen movies from the past: “The Breakfast Club,” “Ferris Bueller’s Day Off,” and “Sixteen Candles” come to mind. Maybe this generation needs another John Hughes.

At any rate, “I Love You, Beth Cooper” is not one of those good teen movies. It’s mediocre, at best, and it’s not because director Chris Columbus doesn’t have the chops for it. After all, his writing/directing/producing credits include “Mrs. Doubtfire,” “Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban,” and “Night at the Museum.” All great movies. Things just didn’t click with this one.

The story follows a popular teenager named Beth Cooper (Hayden Panettiere) attending Buffalo Grove High School. She’s mortified to learn that the valedictorian, Denis Cooverman (Paul Rust), has had a thing for her for years, a fact that he blurts out in his graduation speech. It’s the classic nerd-loves-cheerleader storyline.

In fact, Denis has never been what you’d call a renegade –- never broke curfew, never drank alcohol, never got into a fistfight or drove a fast car. But when his best friend Rich (Jack T. Carpenter) goads him into telling the utter and embarrassing truth — “I love you, Beth Cooper” — during his valedictory address, things change. Drastically.

Beth and her two best friends, Cammy (Lauren London) and Treece (Lauren Storm), show up at Denis and Rich’s graduation night party, along with Beth’s bullying boyfriend Kevin (Shawn Roberts). And when Kevin tries to pick a fight with Denis, Beth whisks Denis, Rich, Cammy and Treece away in her beat-up Cabriolet. And that’s just the beginning of this wild and crazy night which turns out to be one of the most memorable of Denis’ life.

Memorable for Denis maybe, but not for moviegoers. That’s the trouble. There’s really nothing memorable about this movie. It’s cliche and predictable. All of the characters are so stereotypical that it hurts – nerd, cheerleader, bully, closet gay, giggly best friends … they’re all here.

What made “The Breakfast Club” so great is that while the characters started out stuck squarely in their particular clique, by the end of the movie, you could see all the many layers of each character. No one was who we thought they were at the beginning. But at the end of “I Love You, Beth Cooper,” the characters are all pretty much the same as they started.

I wish I could recommend this movie, because I like Hayden Panettiere and Paul Rust, but it’s just not there.

NOTE TO PARENTS: This movie includes several scenes involving sex and foreplay, including a “threesome,” girls undressing and showering in front of guys, and conversations about erections and sexual orientation. A parent tells his son where to find his stash of condoms and encourages him to have sex. A girl blows up a condom like a balloon. A guy’s head ends up in a girl’s lap, where he sees her panties with “Hello” written on them. A married couple makes out in a car, and when the guy’s cellphone vibrates, he puts it down his wife’s skirt. Language includes “f–k,” “s–t,” “p—y,” “a–hole,” “bitch,” “hell,” “oh my God,” “damn,” “boners,” “slut,” “goddamn,” “ass,” etc. (in short, an overabundance of crude language for a PG-13 movie). Teens drink and drive recklessly, and the only redeeming quality of this movie is that Denis helps Beth feel better about herself and her future. It’s not enough, though.

Photo Credit: Joe Lederer, TM and © Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation. All Rights Reserved.

Post from: Film Gecko

It’s still a thrill to see her on the big or small screen. In “I Love You, Beth Cooper,” Hayden plays a popular teenager at Buffalo Grove High School who’s mortified to learn that the valedictorian Denis Cooverman (Paul Rust) has had a thing for her for years. In fact, he’s never been what you’d call a renegade –- never broke curfew, never drank alcohol, never got into a fistfight or drove a fast car.

But when his best friend Rich (Jack T. Carpenter) goads him into telling the utter and embarrassing truth — “I love you, Beth Cooper” — during his valedictory address, things change. Drastically.

Beth and her two best friends, Cammy (Lauren London) and Treece (Lauren Storm), show up at Denis and Rich’s graduation night party, along with Beth’s boyfriend Kevin (Shawn Roberts). And when Kevin tries to pick a fight with Denis, Beth whisks Denis, Rich, Cammy and Treece away in her beat-up Cabriolet. And that’s just the beginning of this wild and crazy night which turns out to be one of the most memorable of Denis’ life.

Directed by Chris Columbus (who’s directed, produced or written a long list of impressive movies, including “Mrs. Doubtfire” – he’s in the last picture after the jump), “I Love You, Beth Cooper” hits theaters this Friday, July 10, 2009. It’s rated PG-13 for crude and sexual content, language, some teen drinking and drug references, and brief violence.

After the jump, more images and a trailer…

Photo Credits: Joe Lederer, TM and © Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation. All Rights Reserved.

Post from: Film Gecko

He’s the perfect foil for Katherine Heigl in “The Ugly Truth,” a romantic comedy about a chauvinistic reporter who gets involved with a romantically challenged morning show producer.

Directed by Robert Luketic, the movie is rated R for sexual content and language, and hits theaters July 24, 2009. Check out the trailers here and here, and watch the latest TV spot below.

Post from: Film Gecko

Isla Fisher, Sophie Kinsella and Jerry Bruckheimer

I’ve heard people say that the timing of “Confessions of a Shopaholic” isn’t great, what with all of our personal and national economics woes. But as Val Kilmer said in “Tombstone,” I beg to diffah.

“Confessions” is the perfect movie right now, because a lot of us … ahem, not me, of course … are shopaholics, but this movie shows that you can overcome it and learn to curb your spending. At least, that’s what I’m hoping.

Jerry Bruckheimer, producer of “Confessions of a Shopaholic,” says the movie is perfect for our current times.

“It’s a tale of redemption,” he says. “It’s a tale of a girl who is going on a journey, who makes mistakes as most young people do … the credit card companies love sending you credit cards so you exceed your limit and they can charge you interest. And this is a girl who overcomes her problems and figures a way out of her financial crisis, and hopefully the world will do the same thing.”

See? I knew I was right!

Bruckheimer goes on to say that he fell in love with the character of Rebecca Bloomwood eight years ago when he bought the film rights to the book by Sophie Kinsella. “I thought the character was just so wonderful, intelligent and crazy, and I just wanted to see her on the big screen … We were very fortunate to latch onto a character who has since become an international success both as a novel and hopefully now as a movie.”

Isla Fisher as Rebecca Bloomwood

I’ve always thought of Bruckheimer as an action-movie guy, but in fact, when you look back at his filmmaking history, he started out with “Flashdance” and “Coyote Ugly.” He says he loves making romantic comedies and making people laugh.

“That’s a trademark that I don’t think any producer would turn down. We love to entertain audiences, and this picture does that. It’s romantic, it’s funny, it’s got a nice message, and I think it’s a gift to the audience to be able to enjoy this movie.”

I’m hoping the film gods hear my plea to turn the Shopaholic series into a movie franchise, and that’s Bruckheimer’s wish, too. “We hope that audiences around the world embrace the picture in the same way they have the books, and that Disney will allow us make another one.”

Up next for Bruckheimer is “G-Force,” an animated/live-action film for Walt Disney Pictures in theaters July 25, 2009. “Prince of Persia,” starring Jake Gyllenhaal, is in post-production, and “The Sorcerer’s Apprentice” with Nicolas Cage is coming up, as well.

Read my “Confessions of a Shopaholic” review, and buy it on DVD and Blu-ray June 23, 2009.

Photo credits: INF; Robert Zuckerman ©Touchstone Pictures and Jerry Bruckheimer, Inc. All Rights Reserved

Post from: Film Gecko

Movie: Confessions of a Shopaholic * Trailer * Official Site * BuyIt	In Theaters: Feb. 13, 2009; On DVD & Blu-ray: June 23, 2009
Runtime: 112 minutes	Directed by: P. J. Hogan
MPAA Rating: PG for some mild language and thematic elements	Gecko Rating:

I’m a huge fan of all the Sophie Kinsella books, and "Confessions of a Shopaholic" is based on her book by the same name. It’s about a woman named Rebecca Bloomwood (Isla Fisher – pronounced "I-la")) who LOVES to shop.

There are more books in the series, including "Shopaholic Ties the Knot," "Shopaholic & Sister," "Shopaholic Takes Manhattan," and "Shopaholic & Baby," so I’m really, really (picture me in my most persistent voice here) hoping they make more of these movies, with Isla Fisher in the lead role. She’s so sweet and funny, and such a great comedic actress. She’s a Lucille Ball for the new age.

Like many of us, Rebecca Bloomwood loves to shop. But like many of us, she’s taken shopping to a new extreme — maxing out her credit cards, avoiding calls from debt collectors, and dreading the mailman, who surely will bring a stack of new bills every day.

Rebecca dreams of working at a top fashion magazine, but can’t quite seem to get her foot in the door there. She even snags an interview with the magazine, but when she gets there, the position has already been filled. So instead, she ends up interviewing with another magazine in the company, "Successful Saving." You can see the irony of shopaholic Rebecca getting a job at a savings magazine.

But the boss, Luke Brandon (Hugh Dancy), loves her first proposal – helping people save money by comparing it to the way women shop for shoes. In fact, Luke gives her an ongoing column with her own mysterious byline, "The Girl in the Green Scarf." There’s a funny story where that byline comes from, but you’ll have to see the movie for it!

Luke ends up being a romantic interest for Rebecca, but despite attending shopaholic meetings, her debt continues to grow and threatens to destroy both her love life AND her career. But as you might expect, Rebecca gets a lightbulb moment and just might have the answer to getting her life together.

Hugh Dancy is charming, and the supporting cast is great, too. Krysten Ritter plays Suze, Rebecca’s best friend with whom she shares an apartment. Joan Cusack and John Goodman play Rebecca’s loving, working-class parents. And Leslie Bibb plays Alicia Billington, a social-climbing woman who’s also interested in Luke.

And there are some awesome actors on the sidelines, including Lynn Redgrave, who plays a drunken lady at a ball; Kristin Scott Thomas, the editor of the fashion mag; John Lithgow, a business colleague of Luke’s; Wendie Malick, the leader of the shopaholics group; Christine Ebersole, a TV show host; and Julie Hagerty (remember her from "Airplane!"?), who plays Luke’s assistant.

All of this fun casting adds special touches to the movie, but mainly, it’s the charming personality and lively antics of Isla Fisher who, as mentioned, is like a new Lucille Ball with her physical comedy. She runs into doors, drops trays full of food, unleashes a throng of beads on the floor, falls into people, and all sorts of other fun pratfalls that not every actress can pull off.

"Confessions of a Shopaholic" is definitely a chick-flick, and I loved it! Also, it’s rated PG, so there’s nothing too objectionable for girls. I took my 11-year-old daughter and her friend, and they both loved it, too. If you like romantic, girlie movies, I definitely recommend it!

DVD Bonus Features:

• Bloopers
• Deleted Scenes
• Music Video: "Stuck With Each Other" by Shontelle featuring Akon

Photo credit: Robert Zuckerman ©Touchstone Pictures and Jerry Bruckheimer, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

Post from: Film Gecko