Sugar & Spice

(2001)

Watched - 4/16/2010

Rating - High ***

Summary -

Jack and Diane were lovers, two crazy kids living in the heartlands (Gee, and John Mellencamp didn't get any writing or soundtrack credits). Diane is the airheaded captain of the cheerleading squad, who follows her through whatever she does. Jack is, of course, the football team's star quarterback. Diane comes up pregnant and the two are thrown out of their homes. They move into an apartment, where they try to live on Jack's part-time salary as a clerk at a video store. Meanwhile both continue in school - cheerleading and quarterbacking. As Diane realizes that they are not making it financially, she recruits the other cheerleaders to help her rob a bank. Their cheerleader oath of all for one commits them to helping her. They get guns from a local hood, who gives them the weapons in exchange for putting his homely daughter on the cheerleading squad.

-IMDB.com

Review-

This movie is simply a cute little comedy. 

I almost did snoopy dances over the main couple being named "Jack and Diane" (see John Cougar Melloncamp's song 'Life Goes On'). Pretty much the summary says it all. 

The acting was great, the dialogue was cute and fast paced, there were a few twists and turns, and there was some great humor.

"Jack" seems very excited and happy about becoming a daddy but seems to not realize quite how serious the situation is. "Diane" is almost equally airheaded and deluded as to how easy this will be, but seems to quickly realize that this is indeed hard. Hence the "robbery" plan. she is accompanied by her do or die team of cheerleaders, one of which, has a mother in jail whom the girls go to visit and learn much that they need to know.
Perhaps some of the best moments come from the fact that the story is narrated by the "A Squad"'s rival, the leader of the "B Squad" who would love nothing more than to see them fall, as she is questioned in a police interrogation room.
All in all this is another of the movies that would be fun to watch on a night with the girls while you paint each others nail and do whatever else it is that girls do.
thumb up from me!
In my opinion Give Sugar and Spice a Chance!!!

Brothers

(2009) 

Watched - 4/15/2010

Rating - Low ***

Summary-

A young man comforts his older brother's wife and children after he goes missing in Afghanistan.

-IMDB.com

When severely traumatized Capt. Sam Cahill (Golden Globe nominee Tobey Maguire) returns home alive from a military mission in Afghanistan after he was presumed dead, he learns that his brother, Tommy (Jake Gyllenhaal), has gotten dangerously close to his grieving wife, Grace (Natalie Portman), and his kids. Mare Winningham and Sam Shepard also star in this wartime drama about human frailty and battles fought on the home front. Jim Sheridan directs.

-Netflix.com

Review-

 Honestly, I was very excited about this movie and was fairly dissapointed.

Now dont get me wrong. The acting had nothing to do with it. Tobey Maguire (while he mutilated his role as Spiderman, in my opinion) was completely amazing as a traumatized war hero. Something about his on the edge expression, and wide eyed glare was right on key, to show the difference between the happy man "Sam" was before he left, and the broken shell that returned. Jake Gyllenhaal was amazing as "Tommy", Sam's younger brother who has been in jail for a bank robbery. As always, Natalie Portman, stunned me with her portrayle as first an army wife, then an army wife who has lost her husband to the job he loved, to a woman who is getting back on her feet and is confused about the feeling starting to grow for her husbands own brother, to obviously relieved, and happy,  but unsure on how to deal with the situation once her husband comes home. 

The reason I was so excited that they put all the exciting parts into the trailer. The movie was a lot slower than they made it seem, and a lot less happened than was alluded to in the trailer. I mean yes this does happen a lot with movies today (Case and Point being recent remake "Last house on the Left"), but in my opinion that doesn't make it okay.

For me, Even the climax was anti-climactic. But maybe thats just me.

Either way, the acting was superb, but the story was a bit slow for my taste. Someone else may see this and love it! Honestly in the end I would vote that you give it a chance and form your own decision on this one!

Feed

(2005) watched- 4/12/2010

Rating - **

Summary - 

n Sidney, the Interpol agent Phillip Jackson investigates crimes in Internet with his partner Nigel. After a mission in Hamburg, Phillip has troubles in the relationship with his liberal girlfriend Abbey that tags him "chauvinist pig". While researching the web, Phillip finds a bizarre site where a man shows obese women being fed by him. He finds the origin of the site in Ohio, and without authorization, he travels to USA pursuing the pervert Michael Metszencalmpf, a.k.a. Michael Carter. When Phil meets Michael, he surprisingly knows who Phil is; further, Michael tells that what he is doing is not wrong since he is releasing fat women from the standards of thinness imposed by the society. However, Phil discovers the true motives of Michael, beginning a personal war against the deranged criminal.  

-IMDB.com

Review - 

Okay so I had fairly high hopes for this film, as it had that potential to be something dark and disturbing. Instead they took disturbing to the edge of plain and simple smut. 

First off they overly pushed the sexuality and nudity at the beginning, mostly pertaining to Phil's relationship with his girlfriend. The start seemed more like they were running for shock factor and weirdness. 

The antagonist though was, on some levels, extremely dark and disturbing. Calm and collected, manipulative, fluctuating between loving to cold to plain out disgusting. Honestly this film isnt for the faint of heart. The guy they cast as Michael did a wonderful job of being straight up creepy as well as seemingly unstable, in my opinion. the best moment to back this up being when Michael and Phil meet outside of Michaels suburban home in Ohio. We see cold calculation and a sick sort of blind faith in what he (Michael) believes.

The best part of the movie would have had to be the ending. When Phil finally confronts Michael at his "Lair", first off there was some fighting that soothed any need for violence. But truly it was the very end that was best. If you like Irony, you might enjoy that scene. Then again I enjoyed that scene and that was about it. The rest of the movie seemed like a bit of a waste of film. A good idea that was just trying to hard, as well as being pushed to hard on the masses. 

If you see this on the shelf and feel yourself slightly intrigued, I suggest you put it down and step away. Dont waste your time. 

But thats just my opinion. Hopefully someone can get these great dark ideas right without overly sexing them up some day

~Note~ 

Yes I realize I may sound a bit backwards saying that it was over sexed up when it is supposed to be a "Fetish" site, but thats not what I'm talking about. Some of the stuff in the film, there was simply no reason to show. Thats all, maybe you agree or disagree, I dont really care. If thats your cup of tea, go ahead and watch it, but I wont be watching it again anytime soon.