"The Hunger Games" (2012)

Starring Jennifer Lawrence, Josh Hutcherson, and Woody Harrelson
Written by Gary Ross, Suzanne Collins and Billy Ray
Directed by Gary Ross
Rated PG-13 - Violence involving children and teens
Running Time: 142 Minutes
Trailer

In the future, after a great uprising, 12 Districts were set up in the ruins of the old world. The districts serve the Capital. Every year, two children are chosen as tribute from each district and brought to the Capital. There, they are trained and then set loose upon each other in a free-for-all fight to the death called the Hunger Games. When her younger sister is chosen, Katniss Everdeen (Jennifer Lawrence) volunteers in her place. Katniss, along with another young man named Peeta (Josh Hutcherson), and their mentors Effie (Elizabeth Banks) and Haymitch (Woody Harrelson) travel to the Capital. Katniss leaves her boyfriend, Gale (Liam Hemsworth) to care for her sister and mother.

At first, Katniss riles her mentors and the others. She doesn't understand the subtleties of being a tribute, of riling up the crowd and gaining sponsors. What she does understand, however, is how to hunt and survive in the wilderness. And as she takes the advice of her mentors and learns to work the crowd, she soon becomes a favorite to win this year's Hunger Games.

Survival won't be a simple matter of staying alive in the woods, however. Hunted by the vicious, well-trained tributes of the richer districts, Katniss is alone and outnumbered. Worse, the order comes from above for the games to be fixed and manipulated. The President (Donald Sutherland) sees danger in Katniss giving the people too much hope, and orders the Games' director, Crane (Wes Bentley) to stack the odds against her.

Winning the Hunger Games is about more than surviving the hunt. And the odds are not in Katniss' favor.

"Letters to Juliet" (2010)

Starring Amanda Seyfried, Chris Egan and Vanessa Redgrave
Written by Jose Rivera and Tim Sullivan
Directed by Gary Winick
Rated PG
Running Time: 105 Minutes
Trailer

Sophie (Amanda Seyfried) is a young fact-checker for The New Yorker who dreams of being an actual writer one day.  She's engaged to her fiance, Victor (Gael Garcia Bernal), a chef who is opening his own restaurant soon.  The two decide to take an early honeymoon to Italy.  Unfortunately for Sophie, Victor seems only interested in meeting up with the distributors he's contracting for his new restaurant, leaving her playing second fiddle on her own honeymoon.

One afternoon while visiting the house of Shakespeare's fictional Juliet, a tourist attraction where heart-broken women leave letters asking for advice, Sophie discovers a group of women who actually sit down and read and answer all the letters.  Joining them, she finds a letter hidden behind a loose brick that has gone unnoticed for decades.  She decides to answer it, and soon enough she meets Charlie (Chris Egan) and his grandmother Claire (Vanessa Redgrave), the woman who wrote the letter.

Claire, inspired by what Sophie wrote, has decided to return to Italy and find her long-lost love, Lorenzo (Franco Nero, Redgrave's real-life husband).  Leaving Victor behind, Sophie joins Charlie and Claire on their quest to find Lorenzo.  With a list of possible choices, the three hit the road, deciding to meet every Lorenzo Bartolini they can find until they get to the right one.

At first, Sophie and Charlie don't get along.  Charlie worries that his grandmother will be hurt at the end of their quest, and seems to blame Sophie for the whole thing.  But as their journey continues, the two grow closer.  All the while, Claire begins to worry about what will happen if and when she is finally reunited with Lorenzo.

"This Means War" (2012)

Starring Chris Pine, Tom Hardy and Reese Witherspoon
Written by Simon Kinberg and Timothy Dowling
Directed by McG
Rated PG-13 - Language, violence, sex
Running Time: 120 Minutes
Trailer

There is a perennial argument amongst "Star Trek" fans: Captain Kirk vs Captain Picard.  Now, the only time those two legendary characters have met together on screen was 1994's disappointing "Star Trek: Generations."  Now, "This Means War" is not at all a "Star Trek" film, but there's a good joke buried in there for fans.

FDR Foster (Chris Pine) and his best friend and partner Tuck Henson (Tom Hardy) are two of the CIA's best agents.  On one mission to Hong Kong, they are tasked with retrieving some kind of dangerous device, and the criminal trying to buy it - a man named Heinrich (Til Schweiger).  Heinrich gets away, but FDR and Tuck retrieve the device and kill Heinrich's brother.

Meanwhile, Lauren Scott (Reese Witherspoon) is a successful product testing executive still dealing with the fallout of her last breakup.  Her best friend Trish (Chelsea Handler) sets up a profile for her on an online dating website, and she finds Tuck as one of her matches.  The two meet up for a date, which goes well.  Afterward, Lauren heads into a video store and bumps into FDR.  At first, they grate against each other, but he ultimately convinces her to go out on a date with him.

When FDR and Tuck realize they're both dating the same woman, they make a 'gentlemen's agreement' to see which one she ends up going for.  They both use their CIA contacts and skills to present themselves as the best man for Lauren, and both end up falling for her, while she struggles to decide which one she loves more.  All the while, Heinrich is making his way to the United States to track down FDR and Tuck and get revenge for the death of his brother.

Which one will Lauren choose? The safe, nice guy or the more exciting womanizer with trust issues?  ...And will any of them make it out alive?

"Friends with Benefits" (2011)

Starring Justin Timberlake, Mila Kunis and Woody Harrelson
Written by Keith Merryman, David A. Newman, Will Gluck and Harley Peyton
Directed by Will Gluck
Running Time: 109 Minutes
Rated R - Language, sexual content, nudity
Trailer (Red Band)

I don't care for Justin Timberlake................'s music, but as an actor, I find him to be highly enjoyable to watch.  Toss in a hottie like Mila Kunis, some witty foul language and silly situations, a dash of seriously emotionality and bam, you've got yourself a fun romp on the screen.  Really, romp.  Like, a lot.

Jamie (Mila Kunis) is a headhunter for a leading agency in New York who has been courting Dylan (Justin Timberlake) for six months.  Dylan has made a name for himself as an art director, and Jamie has a prime position lined up at GQ magazine.  Dylan finally accepts Jamie's offer, but Dylan is unsure of leaving behind his life and family in Los Angeles to go to New York, regardless of how prestigious the job may be.

After one night, of course, he's smitten with both the job, the city... and Jamie.  Though the two are merely friends, they hang out a lot and have obvious chemistry with each other.  One night after watching a sappy romantic comedy and drinking a large amount of alcohol, the two discuss the problems with having a sexual relationship with someone without the emotional attachments that usually come along with it.  Of course, the two are drunk enough to enter into an agreement to have sex, but to remain merely friends.

At first, it makes things a little awkward, but soon enough the two are going at it like rabbits.  Really.  Like, a lot.  Everyone around them seems to mistake them for boyfriend and girlfriend, but they both insist that they're just friends.  But eventually it becomes obvious that these two actually have deep feelings for each other, which becomes more and more complicated as each one is too afraid to come out and say it to the other.

"Take Me Home Tonight" (2011)

Starring Topher Grace, Dan Fogler and Anna Faris
Written by Jackie Filgo and Jeff Filgo
Directed by Michael Dowse
Rated R - Language, sex, drug use
Running Time: 97 minutes
Trailer (Red Band)

A film designed to evoke memories of John Hughes 80s comedies mixed with the raunchy R-rated comedies popular of late, "Take Me Home Tonight" unfortunately doesn't really succeed in its goals. 

In 1988, Matt Franklin (Topher Grace) is a recent graduate of MIT who feels lost.  Though he's graduated from a prestigious school, he has no idea what he wants to do with his life and feels stuck working at a video store at the mall.  On this night, Matt, along with his best friend Barry (Dan Fogler) and twin sister Wendy (Anna Faris) are going to a massive Labor Day party hosted by Wendy's boyfriend Kyle (Chris Pratt) where Matt hopes to meet up with and impress his high school crush, Tori (Teresa Palmer).

Barry, after spectacularly failing to make a sale at his job at a car dealership, is fired, and he decides that he's going to blow it out tonight at this party.  When Matt has an argument with his father (Michael Biehn) about finding some direction in his life, Barry convinces Matt to join him in stealing a red Mercedes from the car dealership to arrive at the party in style. 

At the party, Matt finally sees is "in" with Tori, and the two begin to hit it off.  Unfortunately, in his attempts to impress her, he told her he worked for Goldman Sachs.  As he grows closer, his guilt over starting their relationship on a lie begins to weigh on him.  Over the course of the night, the party will lead Matt and Tori into a series of adventures that bring them closer, while Barry's attempts at making the night more epic continue to backfire in his face, and Wendy confronts a truth about her status quo that she doesn't want to admit.

"Knight and Day" (2010)

Starring Tom Cruise, Cameron Diaz and Peter Sarsgaard
Written by Patrick O'Neill
Directed by James Mangold
Rated PG-13 - Violence, language
Trailer

Oh, Tom Cruise... How difficult it is these days to watch your movies.  After Cruise's personal life suffered something of a meltdown, it's hard to separate Tom Cruise the man from Tom Cruise the actor.  But the truth is that when Cruise is really on, he totally owns the screen.

In "Knight and Day," Cruise plays Roy Miller a secret agent who bumps into hapless June Havens (Cameron Diaz) at the airport before their flight to Boston.  Unfortunately for June, the plane happens to be filled with CIA assassins trying to kill Miller.  They attack when June goes to the bathroom, forcing Miller to kill essentially the entire compliment of the plane, including both of the pilots.  June, obviously, freaks out when she discovers this upon returning from the bathroom.  Miller attempts to land the plane, but ends up crashing it in a field.

The next morning, June awakens in her apartment in Boston, with no idea how she got there.  She goes to a fitting for a dress for her sister's wedding (Maggie Grace), but there encounters another group of agents, this time led by Fitzgerald (Peter Sarsgaard) who insists that they're simply going to take June to a safe location.  Miller arrives just in time, rescuing June after a frantic car chase along I-93 in Boston.  But June, freaking out and not knowing who to trust, runs from Miller and finds her old boyfriend, Rodney (Marc Blucas).  Miller finds her once again, shooting Rodney in the leg and pretending to take June hostage for all the security cameras.

Miller reveals to June that Fitzgerald has gone rogue and framed Miller for stealing an experimental prototype battery the size of a AA Duracell that could power a small city all on its own.  Miller and June must locate the young genius that created the battery and get him to safety in order to clear Miller's name and expose Fitzgerald, who plans to sell the battery to an arms dealer named Antonio (Jordi Molia).

"Killers" (2010)

Starring Katherine Heigl, Ashton Kutcher and Tom Selleck
Written by Bob DeRosa and Ted Griffin
Directed by Robert Luketic
Rated PG-13 - Language, violence, sexual themes
Running Time: 100 Minutes
Trailer

In a foul mood the other day, I needed something to watch that was light and fluffy and utterly disposable.  "Red" worked pretty well, "Killers"... not so much.

Jen (Katherine Heigl) finds herself on vacation in Nice, France, with her parents ... cleverly named Mr. and Mrs. Kornfeldt (Tom Selleck and Catherine O'Hara) in the aftermath of a breakup with her boyfriend.  There, she meets attractive nice-guy Spencer (Ashton Kutcher) and the two strike up a quick romance.  Jen thinks that Spencer is a consultant, but in reality he's a CIA hit man in Nice on a mission to kill some unnamed target.

Three years later, Spencer and Jen are married and living in a nice house in suburbia, USA.  Spencer has given up the life of violence and works at a small architecture firm, happily going about a quiet life of normal normal normal.  He goes to work, plays basketball with his friends, gets invited to block parties, etc.  Out of the blue, his old boss Holbrook (Martin Mull) contacts him with a new job.  When Spencer refuses, Holbrook puts a hit out on Spencer.  Suddenly the people Spencer thought were just friends and coworkers turn out to be plants to keep him in line, and those friends and coworkers are now out to kill him.

When Jen comes home unexpectedly, she finds Spencer locked in mortal combat with Henry (Rob Riggle), and discovers the truth about Spencer's past.  Now the two of them are on the run, under attack from every direction.  Oh, and Jen juuuust might be pregnant.

"The Switch" (2010)

Starring Jennifer Aniston, Jason Bateman and Patrick Wilson
Written by Allan Loeb
Directed by Josh Gordon and Will Peck
Rated PG-13 - Language, adult themes
Running Time: 101 Minutes
Trailer

You might think watching the above trailer for "The Switch" that this might be some kind of light-hearted summer comedy tale.  That was probably an attempt by the studio who found this unassuming, low-key little dramedy difficult to market.  Sure, it's got the very recognizable faces of Jason Bateman and Jennifer Aniston propping it up, but the actual film itself is a bit harder to peg.

Kassie (Jennifer Aniston) is a woman who is feeling the weight of her biological clock, and decides to find a sperm donor so that she can have a child.  She informs her best friend Wally (Jason Bateman) of her plans, and it immediately begins to cause problems for the two.  She wants a baby more than anything, but he thinks artificial insemination is weird, and he might just feel a bit of jealousy that she didn't pick him to be the donor.  At her insemination party, he proceeds to get exceedingly drunk.  While relieving himself in the bathroom, he ends up accidentally spilling the sperm sample from the donor, Roland (Patrick Wilson), which just happens to be on a shelf over the sink.  What does he do?  Well, being fabulously drunk and kind of upset, he refills the cup with his own semen.

Not long after, Kassie informs Wally that she's moving home with her parents.  Seven years later, she returns to New York and reconnects with Wally.  Soon enough, Wally begins to suspect that something is up with young Sebastian (Thomas Robinson) who seems just as neurotic and strange as Wally himself.  They even end up having similar mannerisms.  But while Wally starts to realize that Sebastian is, in fact, his own son instead of Roland's, Kassie strikes up a relationship with Roland.  Wally struggles to deal with both his feelings for Kassie, the responsibility and the risk of telling her the truth about Sebastian.

"No Strings Attached" (2011)

Starring Natalie Portman, Ashton Kutcher and Kevin Kline
Written by Elizabeth Meriweather
Directed by Ivan Reitman
Rated R - Language, sex
Running Time: 110 Minutes
Trailer

You'd never know it from watching those godawful "Star Wars" prequels, but Natalie Portman is a pretty great actress.  I remember seeing trailers for "No Strings Attached" and thinking that it didn't quite look like the sort of project that she would take on, but then I remembered that she'd previously done sci-fi epics, comic book anti-heroes, and even Luc Besson assassins.  So a raucous romantic comedy is pretty much in order, right?

Adam (Ashton Kutcher) is an assistant with aspirations of being a writer on a "Glee"-like TV show.  His father Alvin (Kevin Kline) is a former acting superstar, who happens to steal Adam's girlfriend Vanessa (Ophelia Lovibond).  Distraught, Adam gets drunk and wakes up at the apartment of his friend Emma (Natalie Portman) the next day.  The two hook up, but Emma is clear that she's not interested in any kind of romantic relationship with Adam, although she's willing to engage in a kind of "friends with benefits" situation.  But, she says, they have to call it off the instant one of them starts to feel "anything more."

Things go well for a while, until it becomes obvious that Adam has developed real feelings for Emma.  Unfortunately, Emma doesn't respond well to this at all, even though she's clearly developed similar feelings for Adam.  After a series of fits and fights, Adam manages to convince Emma to go out on a real date with him.  What first starts out quite well ends in disaster when Adam confesses his love for Emma, and she freaks out and leaves.  Time passes, and Emma finds herself miserable and depressed.  Adam feels much the same way, though his career seems to take a turn for the better when he sells a script for an episode of his TV show to the producers.  Will these two manage to figure out how to get past Emma's fear of love and relationships?

"Love and Other Drugs" (2010)

Starring Jake Gyllenhaal, Anne Hathaway and Hank Azaria
Written by Edward Zwick, Charles Randolph and Marshall Herskovitz
Directed by Edward Zwick
Rated R - Language, sex, nudity
Running Time: 112 Minutes
Trailer

Jaime Randall (Jake Gyllenhaal) is a fantastic salesman. He uses his wit and charm to lure anyone into buying pretty much anything.  When he takes on a job at Pfizer in the mid 1990s, he struggles trying to convince local doctors that Zoloft is a better choice than Prozac.  One day while posing as an intern to try and get Doctor Sam Knight (Hank Azaria) to switch, he meets Maggie Murdock (Anne Hathaway), a young artist/photographer who suffers from Parkinson's. 

Jamie manages to score a date with Maggie, but she's able to quickly read through all of his usual lines and moves and proposes that they simply get down to the part where they have sex.  Soon enough, the two are well and good fuck-buddies, with the understanding that they just have sex, and neither of them wants or needs anything more from the other.  But slowly, Jaime, who has never truly loved anyone in his whole life, finds himself falling completely head over heels for Maggie. 

Just as Jamie's career begins to explode after taking on the Viagra account, his relationship with Maggie begins to implode as she resists his attempts to fall into a more committed relationship.  Eventually, he begins to go overboard trying to get her the latest and greatest treatments for her Parkinson's, and even though she loves him, she can't allow herself to get into a relationship that would require so much sacrifice from someone else. 

"Going the Distance" (2010)

Starring Drew Barrymore, Justin Long and Christina Applegate
Written by Geoff LaTulippe
Directed by Nanette Burstein
Rated R - Language, nudity, sexuality
Running Time: 102 minutes

Erin (Drew Barrymore) is a woman who feels lost.  She knows what she wants to do with her life, but seems unable to make it happen.  She's 31, going back to college to realize her dream of writing for a newspaper and interning for the summer at a paper in New York City.  In her final weeks in New York, she meets and begins a relationship with Garrett (Justin Long).

At first, their relationship is just casual, but by the end of six weeks when Erin is moving back to San Francisco, they discover that it's difficult to say goodbye.  The two then decide to carry on a long-distance relationship with the understanding that Erin will attempt to get a job and move back to New York when she finishes her studies.  In the meantime, the two text and talk on the phone or via the internet constantly, falling more and more in love with each other as time goes on. 

As the two visit back and forth, the strain of maintaining a long-distance relationship grows worse.  When it starts to look like Erin won't be getting a job in New York City after all, things between the two come to a head as neither is willing to make the sacrifices necessary to move toward the other. 

"It's Complicated" (2009)

Starring Meryl Streep, Alec Baldwin and Steve Martin
Written and directed by Nancy Meyers

I'm a dude.  There's not much getting around that.  You can tell just looking at this blog where my allegiances generally fall when it comes to movie genres, and the romantic comedy is not one where I spend a good deal of my time.  Now, I've outlined my reasons for this before, and those reasons still stand.  But I also said that when there are good examples of the romantic comedy, I'll happily champion them.

"It's Complicated" is one of those good examples.  Sure, it follows the same basic plot structure as nearly every romantic comedy out there, but it does so in such a warm and inviting manner that it becomes instantly likable rather than cloying and obnoxious.  A lot of that success has to do with the cast, which pulls off the fun, but imperfect, script by writer/director Nancy Meyers quite well.

Jane Adler (Meryl Streep) is an aging divorcee.  After ten years, she's lonely, but finally "over" her divorce, so she thinks.  Her business is going well, and she's got enough to begin construction on an expansion of her home.  Her architect, Adam (Steve Martin) is also divorced, and the two find themselves attracted to each other.

"TiMER" (2009)

Starring Emma Caulfield, Michelle Borth and John Patrick Amedori
Written and directed by Jac Schaeffer

I've made my feelings about the romantic comedy genre fairly well known.  It's one of the hardest genres of movie to make - make a bad action movie and people can still be fairly entertained.  Same goes with bad sci-fi or drama... make it bad enough, and people will still love your movie.  But a romantic comedy?  If your romantic comedy is neither romantic nor funny... you're boned.

Recently I caught part of "Darkness Falls" on TV and thought to myself, "Hrm, I wonder whatever happened to Emma Caulfield?"  Not too long after, "TiMER" showed up on Netflix's Instant Streaming service.  I don't watch a lot of romantic comedies, mostly because most of the ones I've seen simply aren't very good.  You get the occasional Ryan Reynolds gem, but for the most part, you end up with some pretty lame stuff.  But the plot description of "TiMER" and the presence of Caulfield piqued my curiosity. 

"TiMER" presents an interesting sort of alternate reality where most people have a small device implanted in their wrist which counts down until the day when they're destined to meet their one, true love.   Emma Caulfield stars as Oona, an orthodontist about to turn 30 years old.  But Oona's timer is blank... which means that either her one true love doesn't have a timer, or that she may not actually have one.  Oona lives with her sister, Steph (Michelle Borth) who doesn't seem to have much ambition in life.  While Oona is practically obsessed with finding her "one," Steph's timer has already informed her that she's several years away from finding hers, so she likes to simply have a series of one-night stands without consequences.

'Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman' (1996)

Starring Dean Cain, Teri Hatcher and Lane Smith
Developed by Deborah Joy LeVine

After the third season went completely off the rails, I have to admit I wasn't entirely excited to start on the fourth season. I was worried that it would be more of the same kind of godawful storytelling that dominated the second half of the third year.  Fortunately, despite a few hiccups, the fourth season is actually quite a bit better than that.

This is not to say that the show is anywhere near the top of its game like it was the first two seasons, but it certainly isn't throwing around the kind of laughably bad "twists" it was in Season Three.  This year begins where the previous one left off, with Clark leaving Earth to rule over a lost colony of Kryptonians in order to save them from an evil tyrant named Lord Nor.  Unfortunately, once Nor learns that on Earth, he and his followers would have incredible powers, he makes his way there and captures the town of Smallville, enslaving its residents.  Clark returns to Earth to defeat Lord Nor and finds himself on trial by the Kryptonians for treason and sentenced to death.  Of course, there wouldn't be much of a show if Superman were dead, so Clark is given a chance to redeem himself and fight Nor to the death.

'Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman' Season Three (1995)

Starring Dean Cain, Teri Hatcher and Lane Smith
Developed by Deborah Joy LeVine

I suppose the fun had to end sometime, right?  Season Two ended with a shocker: Clark Kent, down on one knee, asking Lois Lane to marry him.  The cliffhanger was in the air for months until Season Three premiered, and Lois answers Clark with a question of her own: "Who's asking?  Clark Kent... or Superman?" and she pulls off his glasses. Dun-dun-dunnnn.

The first half of season three follows as the two characters deal with the fallout of this revelation as it threatens to tear their relationship apart.  Lois resents Clark for lying to her for the past two years and Clark is worried that having a relationship with Lois will put her in unnecessary danger.  Ultimately, they both get over these feelings and begin preparations for their wedding.

"Fetching Cody" (2005)

Starring Jary Baruchel, Sarah Lind and Jim Byrnes
Written and Directed by David Ray

Jay Baruchel ("She's Out of My League") stars as Art, a small-time dope dealer living on the streets with his girlfriend, Cody (Sarah Lind).  Cody and Art talk a lot about simply getting on the bus and moving on to a better life where neither of them sells drugs or turns tricks for small cash.  One evening, Art enters Cody's crappy apartment to find her ODing in her bed.  Suddenly, paramedics rush in even though he never called them, and Cody is taken to the hospital.

Kicked out of the hospital after nearly assaulting a social worker, Art runs into his friend Harvey (Jim Byrnes) who claims to have found a time machine in a dumpster.  Art doesn't believe him at first because the supposed time machine looks more like a dirty recliner covered in Christmas tree lights.  But when Art sits in the chair, he finds that it does allow him to travel through both time and space merely by stating where it is he'd like to go, and when.

'Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman' Season Two (1994)

Starring Dean Cain, Teri Hatcher and Lane Smith
Developed by Deborah Joy LeVine

Season Two of "Lois and Clark" picks up shortly after Season One; Lex Luthor (John Shea) is dead, Lois and Clark (Teri Hatcher and Dean Cain) have gone back to working together at the Daily Planet, having repaired their relationship following the revelations of Lex's true character.  However, things are not all rosy: It seems there is a growing backlash against Superman in Metropolis.  A chunk of the population blames him for the death of Lex Luthor, who was seen by many as a benevolent philanthropist.

Of course, it turns out that though Lex Luthor may be dead, but he is not gone.  His legacy and criminal network are hard at work trying to get revenge not only on Superman, but on Lois for betraying Lex.  Luthor will cast a shadow over much of Season Two, though he will be mostly replaced by the end by Intergang.

'Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman' Season One (1993)

Starring Dean Cain, Teri Hatcher and Lane Smith
Executive Producer Deborah Joy LeVine

Ah, Superman.  In 1993, the Man of Steel returned to television in this series starring Dean Cain and Teri Hatcher.  As a kid, I was excited when the series premiered, but that excitement soon fell off after the pilot.  As the title implies, the focus here is heavily on Lois Lane and Clark Kent, rather than on the superheroic feats of Superman.  As a 12-year-old boy, the last thing I was interested in from a Superman series was hour after hour of Lois and Clark flirting with each other.

Needless to say, I quickly lost interest in favor of rewatching the Richard Donner/Christopher Reeve version (and, really, let's face it - that's the best one).

Still, all these years later, I can finally see the appeal of "Lois and Clark."  The show doesn't take itself terribly seriously, and provides a sense of fun that's undeniably charming.  It mostly follows the John Byrne update of the characters, presenting Clark Kent less as a bumbling buffoon and more as a confident man, and competent reporter.  Lex Luthor isn't a crazed mad scientist, but a wealthy businessman consumed with lust for power.  These ideas seem old hat by now, since those have been the status quo for decades, but at the time, they were still fairly new.

"She's Out of My League" (2010)

Starring Jay Baruchel, Alice Eve and TJ Miller
Written by Sean Anders and John Morris
Directed by Jim Field Smith

Jay Baruchel stars as Kirk, a lovable loser type who one day meets the girl of his dreams and is shocked to discover that she's actually interested in him, as well.  Kirk meets Molly when she accidentally leaves her phone at a TSA checkpoint at an airport where Kirk works.  The two agree to meet when she returns in order for him to give her the phone, and as a thank you, she invites him to a hockey game.

As the two of them grow closer, Kirk's insecurities and lack of self confidence start to get the best of him.  His friends and family don't help, constantly telling him that Molly is, well, out of his league.  Ultimately, this will cause the relationship to fall apart entirely.  Will Kirk be able to grow up and decide that he is actually good enough for Molly? 

"She's Out of My League" is a pretty funny mixture of gross-out, ribald humor and charming romantic comedy.  It's not destined to become any great classic, but as purely middle-of-the-road entertainment, it can't really be faulted in any way.  It seems more like a stepping stone to better films for pretty much everyone involved, including Baruchel who, much like Michael Cera, gives the impression of being capable of so much more, but seems to stay safely within a certain range that has made him popular.  He's got fine timing, and is definitely capable of eliciting laughs from his own awkwardness.

Alice Eve does well, too, as the buxom blonde Baruchel falls for.  She's fun, and charming, and it's easy to see why Baruchel would both love her and question why.  It would've been easy for this girl to be unlikable, for us to wonder why Kirk would like such a girl beyond the fact that she's smokin' hot.  But Eve imbues Molly with a likable personality beyond just her looks.

Kirk's gaggle of oddball friends provide a lot of the laughs in the film as well, with lots of wild, hilarious statements.  TJ Miller as 'Stainer' is the sort of Stifler-replacement for the film, and does an admirable job.  The other two, Nate Torrence as Devon and Mike Vogel as Jack, aren't featured as heavily, but both come across as silly and likable.  They both have excellent advice to give Kirk, it's too bad that he doesn't take it often enough (but then, that's sort of the idea). 

The problem is that these characters simply aren't the sort of material that make classic comedy characters.  No one here is going to become the next John Blutarsky, Peter Venkman or even the next Steve Stifler.  They're all perfectly funny in their own right, but sort of nameless faceless characters, like the guy who opens for Jerry Seinfeld - he's funny, but he's no Seinfeld. 

"She's Out of My League" has lots of funny bits, but probably isn't the sort of thing that will gain lasting fame or a big following.  It's solid, if disposable, entertainment. 

"Back to the Future" (1985)

Starring Michael J. Fox, Christopher Lloyd and Lea Thompson
Written by Robert Zemeckis and Bob Gale
Directed by Robert Zemeckis

My friend Jeremy said, "'Back to the Future' is the only film that can make the line, 'Apparently your mother is amorously infatuated with you instead of your father' sound innocent."  He's absolutely right.  For all the things in this movie that could have gone catastrophically wrong (including having your star, Eric Stolz, drop out in the middle of filming) "Back to the Future" is a pitch-perfect sci-fi comedy.  Mixing elements of science fiction, adventure and romantic comedy, seamlessly, "Back to the Future" has earned its place as a modern classic with a charming and witty script, iconic performances from a talented cast, and sure direction.

Michael J. Fox stars as Marty McFly, a teen with big dreams of becoming a rock star, but who seems stuck in his life as an underachiever, something he seems to have inherited from his father, George (Crispin Glover).  George lives under the thumb of his office supervisor, Biff Tannen (Thomas F. Wilson) who also bullied him in high school.  Marty's mother, Lorraine (Lea Thompson) drinks and seems to regret having spent her life with George, even though she loves him.  Marty is also the assistant of a local eccentric scientist, Emmett "Doc" Brown (Christopher Lloyd).  One night, Doc calls Marty to the local shopping mall to help him out with his latest experiment.

Marty is shocked to discover that Doc has invented a working time machine, and built it into the chassis of a DeLorean.  Doc says, "If you're gonna build a time machine into a car, why not do with some style?"  However, in order to power the device, Doc had to steal a shipment of plutonium from a group of Libyan terrorists, who drop in just as Doc is about to take off for the future in his greatest invention.  With Doc dead, Marty uses the time machine to escape, but finds himself thirty years in the past, the year 1955, where he accidentally averts the event that causes his parents to meet and fall for each other.

Trapped in the past, Marty and the younger version of Doc must race against time to get his parents together and repair the time machine before a critical moment that will allow Marty to power the time machine without plutonium and get... "Back to the Future."


Let's start with the script: It's hilarious.  The dialogue in the film is full of wit and charm, with lots of jokes delivered in a hilarious matter-of-fact fashion.  The clash of eras between Marty's liberated 1980s teenager and the more restrained, "Leave It to Beaver"-type 1950s teens is fertile ground for joke after golden joke.  Marty is astonished by the downtown area when he arrives in the 50s; he stares almost shocked at a full maintenance team working at the local gas station that immediately files out to check the oil, air pressure and other parts of a car that rolls up.  He likewise does a short take when he notices that the movie theatre downtown is showing actual movies (one starring Ronald Reagan, no less) instead of XXX porno films.


Marty's use of slang is particularly enjoyable, especially when paired with both the social awkwardness of George and the scientific knowledge of Doc.  Marty's use of the word "heavy" to describe his situation elicits hilarious responses from Doc.  Marty: "Whoa, this is heavy." Doc: "Weight has nothing to do with it!"  Or, later, "There's that word again, heavy!  Why is everything so heavy in the future?  Is there something wrong with the Earth's gravitational pull?" 


The movie is also loaded with tiny details that I'm still noticing even though I've seen this movie many, many times.  Lines and images that seemed like throwaways earlier in the film come back around and pay off later.  For example, when Marty goes to meet Doc for the time experiment in the first act, they're in the parking lot of the Twin Pines Mall.  Doc tells Marty that back in the day, "Old Man Peabody" owned the entire area, and was obsessed with pine trees.  When Marty travels to the 50s, he finds himself on Peabody's "Twin Pines Ranch", and, trying to escape Peabody himself, runs over one of the pines in the DeLorean.  At the end of the film, when Marty doubles back to the mall parking lot to try and save Doc from the Libyans, the sign now says "Lone Pine Mall." 


This is exactly the kind of incredible density of detail that makes a fully-realized fictional world like "Back to the Future" worth returning to. 


Beyond the script, the performances by the cast are just plain excellent.  Michael J. Fox is great, with excellent comic timing and great chemistry with the rest of the cast, especially Lloyd.  You really do get the sense that Marty and Doc care quite a bit for each other.  Fox is more than able to sell everything he's asked in this film, whether its awkwardly refusing his mother's romantic advances, trying to shore up his father's self confidence or taking on school bully, Biff.  It's good that the Marty character is smart enough to know that he can't take Biff in a straight fight, which means that the action sequences in the film become fun chases where fisticuffs would seem a bit too violent or unnatural for the lightness of tone in this movie.


Christopher Lloy'd performance as Doc is just friggin' amazing, though.  His wild-eyed eccentricity is joyfully hilarious.  More so than Fox, he's also capable of eliciting huge laughs with just a well-timed look or facial expression.  Doc Brown really should be remembered as one of the best comedic portrayals of the 80s.  Lloyd is a genius for making this role work, because there are few actors out there that could've struck the right balance of genius and absurdity.


Crispin Glover and Lea Thompson also deserve a lot of credit.  They give it their all, and both deliver perfectly fun and charming performances .  These two probably have it harder than Fox or Lloyd because they both must give three wildly different interpretations of the same characters.  The original, unhappy 1980s versions, their teenage selves, and then the revised, successful 1980s versions at the end, which are all very distinct (and even include different makeup for the two aged versions).  The two have great chemistry together, and make a believable couple.  I noticed for the first time on this viewing the look that Thompson gives Glover early in the film.  Even underneath a fat suit and latex makeup to make her look 30 years older, Thompson is able to communicate, simultaneously, both love and regret with a single look. 


Robert Zemeckis directs without any pretense, giving the film a very straight-forward, matter-of-fact style.  The wackiness comes from the performances and the dialogue, without the director stepping in to try and force your attention one way or another.  He simply presents his information to the audience, and allows the audience to get out of it what they wish.  I seem to find new details in this movie every time I watch it, because Zemeckis just lets it all fly without waving neon signs everywhere going, "HEY, LOOK AT THIS, IT'S COOL."  He just constructs this world and lets the story unfold.  The action never gets lost in editing or poor cinematography.


Alan Silvestri's score is iconic, and I'll just leave it at that.


"Back to the Future" is a fantastic film, one of my absolute favorites.  As a child, I watched it and thought it was simply a great time travel adventure.  Watching it again as I get older, I've definitely realized exactly how hilarious this movie is.  Much like "Ghostbusters," most of the humor went right over my head until I was old enough to see it and appreciate it, which means that this film has only grown more rewarding with each viewing.  It's easy to love a movie as a kid and then revisit it as an adult and find that it's far less impressive than you remember.  But "Back to the Future" is not that type of film at all.  It's charming, funny, witty and exciting, and I love every minute of it.

As a further note, this is the first time I've ever seen the film projected on a movie theatre screen, which was a real treat.  Seeing it up there, bigger than I've ever seen it, in a great film projection, not some DVD, was a joy.  I do love the theatre-going experience, and this was a great one.  The crowd was mostly fans, cheering and laughing and clapping at all our favorite parts, which always makes seeing something in a theatre just that much more fun.  I have to give credit to Rob J. for letting me know that this screening was taking place, or I never would've had this opportunity.  I also want to throw out an acknowledgment to the Brattle Theatre in Cambridge for being so awesome as to screen all three 'Back to the Future' movies in one epic triple feature.  If I hadn't had to go to work, I would easily have spent my entire day there.


PS: I just wanted to say that "Back to the Future" marks my 100th review for this blog.  I want to thank everyone that's been reading it, and I hope you've all enjoyed it as much as I have.  Cheers.