Can you have a work life and write a best seller?

Working on a book. Any advice from writers? How do you manage to find time to write your book AND live your life with your day job?

Working on my best seller, book turned movie, but I feel like there's not enough time in a day. Advice? Suggestions?

FWB vs. NSA - Movie Review(s)

No, of course don't really mean "real" Friends with Benefits and No Strings Attached, I mean the extremely similarly themed movies this summer that came out about finding love in supposed 'non-committal' relationships. When I first heard these were BOTH coming out, I was really interested to see what would turn out better. The situation mildly reminds me of that movie, The Muse (with Sharon Stone), where Albert Brooks ends up writing the same exact movie as another writer in the end of it all. I digress.

Yes, I saw both these movies. Let me start by saying that Friends with Benefits (starring Mila Kunis and Justin Timberlake) was FARRRRRR better than No Strings Attached (starring Natalie Portman and Ashton Kutcher). How can that be, you ask? Despite the fact that I find it VERY peculiar that both the stars from Black Swan ended up making very similar romantic comedies (can we say challenge?), the NSA duo just doesn't deliver the romantic comedy performance that FWB does.

Mila vs. Natalie

While there is no doubt that Natalie Portman is a great actress (proven by her roles in The Professional, V for Vendetta, Star Wars, and Black Swan), she is lacking in believability and comes off a little bratty in the movie , as Emma, the Doctor. While Mila seemed to have a better grasp and identity with her character and a more believable career as a headhunter. It is clear that years on That 70's Show, has given a Mila a bigger edge on Sarcastic comedy and she is much funnier than Natalie, although I don't know that Natalie was really trying to be. Mila wins!

Justin vs. Ashton

I want to naturally believe that Ashton is naturally more comedic than JT (who rose to fame as a member of N'Sync), but sometimes he just goes a bit over the top in NSA. This is where JT shines in this movie, he doesn't overact. This is the first movie

that I have seen JT in, where he fills the roll quite nicely (IMHO). In addition, I think that Ashton was poorly matched with Natalie, so that could have something to do with it. While there were a couple of parts in the movie that I thought he was supposed to be funny and didn't quite pull it off, Justin did a great job as a co-star and had a lot more chemistry with Mila than Ashton with Natalie. Justin Wins!

Overall, the supporting case in FWB was pretty awesome and included Emma Stone (whom I LOVE), Patricia Clarkson, Jenna Elfman, Woody, Richard Jenkins, Brian Greenberg (Made In America), Andy Samberg (I love you, man) and others. NSA's cast wasn't without highlights, it included Kevin Kline, Cary Elwes, Ludracris and Minda Kaling (The Office), among a couple others. Beyond that, the story line of FWB was MUCH better and intertwined (as much as it can be for this kind of movie). FWB wins!

Let's face it, Will Gluck kicked Ivan Reitman's but on this one. These movies aren't winning any performance awards any time soon, but I will tell you FWB was not a bad way to spend a Sunday afternoon. Watch both of them, I'm sure you'll be on my side.

MOVIE REVIEW: Larry Crowne

The first mistake I made before going to see this movie was reading the reviews. I didn't mean to, they just pop up when you're looking for movie times. My fiance picked this movie which caught me off-guard actually. Anyway, we headed to see Larry Crowne and from the reviews I had pretty low expectations, which probably helps this review.

If I had to choose one word to describe Larry Crowne: Delightful.

It was a really pleasant movie about a guy that gets laid off because he didn't go to college, a reality in times of recession, like we just had. He was going through a divorce that cost a lot of money and had to change to accomodate his new life. It wasn't a sappy love story, love was really just a side note in the whole thing. I can't say much more without giving away the movie, but it was pleasant. It's a feel good movie with a quality cast. Could I have waited to see it as a rental? Probably, but it was better in the theater.

My recommendation is to go check out Larry Crowne on a lazy weekend or weekday night if you are looking for a casual outing. It's not intensely thought provoking, but just a nice movie to watch.

My rating: 4 out of 5 stars

Chaka

We named our new Cairn Terrier, Chaka...here's why:



Except he is way cuter and more loveable.

Movie Review: SATC 2

Movie: Sex and The City 2

Cast: The usual suspects of course

Story Line: The ladies need to get away and head to Abu Dhabi for yet another adventure. Carrie is bored/confused about her marriage. Samantha is literally in heat. Charlotte is going through what I think is post-partem depression and Miranda goes through a career change.

Surprises: Miley Cyrus, Inappropriate sexual content in a middle eastern country, Carrie wasn't smart enough to RENT out her apartment, Boobalicious nanny, and the wedding in the very beginning of the movie.

The Good: The hot older gentleman that pursues Samantha(reminiscent of the most interesting man in the world), Penelope Cruz, (Paula) Abdul, the amount of formal dresses the ladies have, shoes, Carrie's ring and the blue couch in Big and Carrie's home.

The Bad: The overall story line, the weird twist with Aiden, the scene with Samantha having hot flashes in the marketplace, Charlotte's annoying disapproving looks, Carrie's confidence regarding her marriage, the stain on Charlotte's vintage Valentino.

Overall thoughts:
This movie was like a string of episodes put together and I'm sure most of you who have seen this feel that way. The story wasn't BAD per say, but it wasn't good enough for the big screen. Obviously, show fans will go see this in the theatre, but I suggest matinee if you have to. If you can wait until video that may not be a bad idea either. The great thing for the creators is that there has been no 'show' for the past couple of years, so the anticipation this movie has built up is similar to that of one of those extended sitcoms.

I don't want to give too much away for people who haven't seen the movie. However, my friend and I both thought it was in poor taste to have Samantha's sexual exploits so obvious in a country that is generally sexually conservative, it was just a bit out there! I will say however, 'the most interesting man in the world' was pretty hot.

Falling in line, the clothing was still fabulous, but who has that much formal wear in their closet unless they are a celebrity? Each of the ladies had a crazy amount of formal dresses, which I loved to see, but seems a little ridiculous. I also didn't really like the Carrie/Aiden twist in the plot. I think they put that in there because they didn't know what wrench to throw into Carrie's story line. The way THAT part specifically was written out, reminded me that Sex and The City was just a really good sitcom.

Movie Review - Coco Before Chanel

I love Audrey Tatou...I mean how can you not? She's adorable and fantastic as the ingenue for Chanel's most recent parfume ads. I love her character in so many movies. When I get into 'French Movie' mode, I stick with Audrey Tatou and Marion Cotillard (if you haven't seen Jeaux d'enfants then you absolutely must!).

This movie is not what you'd think it is. It isn't some frilly clothing movie, but any French film rarely is anyway. This is a great, passionate story about a misfortunate young girl's trials with life and how it culminated in the creation of personal identity that has changed the Fashion industry forever. If you thought that 'Devil wears Prada' was good but to frilly (which it really was, I love it though), then any Fashion Diva (or Divo) will absolutely fall in love with this grungy version of a fashion story.

It has lots of disappointments, love, aspects of betrayal from friends and from lovers; but above all it show the perserverance of one, Gabrielle 'Coco' Chanel, to just make something of herself. She is a fantastic example of feminism without all the man bashing. This woman is epic and Audrey's portrayal of her in this story, made me want to be her. She made the best out of every situtaiton with a bit of optimism and pessimism combined. She truly rose above everything and became an icon to millions, wow! I applaud you 'Coco' Chanel.

I loved the movie and give it 5 out of 5 stars; but you can judge for yourself! :)

Jouir! (enjoy)

The top of the list - worst movies!

After watching a spot of television with my beau last night, I decided that it would be interesting for me to write about the WORST movies I have ever seen. Unfortunately, this number is growing in the multitudes, however, I did notice that the worse a movie it is, the funnier it gets.

What inspired this blog?

Evil Dead 2...wow - If you haven't seen this then put down what you're doing NOW! and go rent it, Netflix it, whatever you need to do to get this in your VHS..yes VHS, they probably don't (and shouldn't) make this in DVD format. From the moment we turned this on, I knew there was no other option then to finish watching this movie. I really can't describe in words how ridiculously funny this horror movie is. Here's a snippet for your enjoyment:



Next on this list:

Rambo IV - not only does it look like Rambo has tons of wax on his face, his body is closely reminiscent of Ben Grimm from Fantastic Four. Why Rambo is out in the Cambodian jungles at the age of like 60 is beyond me anyway; but I can't lie, I was laughing a LOT! Essentially, the badness of this movie turned the last of an epic series into a frightful comedy. The trailor makes it look way more serious that it really is. I can't say how funny this was; mostly because Sly is all kinds of screwed up. Snippet below:

OK so those are the first two movies that come to mind. But I know there are more, feel free to contribute to this endless list.

What's on the horizon? Jini's movie picks!

I've always thought that being a movie critic would be fun, but analyzing a film with so many different personalities in the world is almost impossible. I'd like to think that I'm an objective source of information most of the time, but who knows. Anyway, I have seen some great snippets of movies that have recently been released and are scheduled to come out soon, I thought I'd share some of the films that have intrigued my interest and this is a way of me being able to track back to what I wanted to make sure to catch!

Across The Hall
- Given the recent tragedy that has struck this fabulous Hollywood Starlet, I never even really heard about this movie until I saw an interview, mentioning that it was the last film that she made. Here's a trailer.




Cracks
- I don't even remember how I came across this movie,but it looks thrilling. Its an independent film and Eva Green was one of my favorite Bond Girls. Check out the trailer and you won't be able to wait to catch the flick.




Leap Year
- Cute chick flick with Amy Adams and Matthew Goode (What a hottie!). I've come to appreciate a lot of the films that Amy Adams has been in. Looks like a cute Romantic Comedy.



Sherlock Holmes
- What can I say that everyone else already doesn't know. This looks like a kick-ass movie! I'm only sad that I don't get to see it on Christmas day! YAY I can't wait for Sherlock Holmes; for some reason Robert Downey Jr. just seems perfect for the part. Not to mention I love Rachel McAdams and Jude Law.



The Blind Side
- I've always been partial to feel-good stories about team sports. Although, this is more of a personal victory story; I feel that it falls into that same category. Eager to catch this, but I think I'm waiting until DVD.