Leap Year

Rating: PG

Movie Release Date: January 8, 2010

DVD Release Date: May 4, 2010

Plot 411: A woman travels to Ireland to propose to her boyfriend on Leap Day.

Review: Amy Adams stars as Anna, a Boston native who has been dating her boyfriend for four years. He (Adam Scott) is a successful cardiologist, who always seems to put his work ahead of her. However, when Anna gets her hopes up for a marriage proposal that never really happens, she's determined to take matters into her own hands. Following an Irish tradition of women proposing to men on February 29 on a Leap Year, Anna flies to Dublin with that in mind to meet her boyfriend at his medical conference. Unfortunately, a bit of bad weather forces her to detour and she finds herself on the road with Declan (Matthew Goode) as her guide. They fight like cats and dogs as they make their way from Dingle to Dublin in a mad dash that lasts two entire days. I love Amy Adams but thought she got off to a shaky start in this movie. She's pretty unlikable to be honest. But as the movie progresses, her girl-next-door sweetness shines through. I had a heck of a time trying to understand the Irish accent put on by Goode even when I had the subtitles going. It was partly because of his sarcastic mutterings and partly because of the Irish slangs he used. Still I liked his character because it was such a contrast from perky Anna. What stole the show though was Ireland itself. Wow, everything is so green there! It definitely makes you want to visit even the most rural villages.

Watch It: For another run-of-the-mill rom coms, but at least it's better than Letters To Juliet in terms of great scenery.

Skip It: Because it does feel like such a mass-produced movie when compared to stuff like Once.

Julie & Julia

Rating: PG-13

Movie Release Date: August 7, 2009

DVD Release Date: December 8, 2009

Plot 411: Two women learn lessons about life and find themselves through a love for cooking.

Review: This film, starring Meryl Streep as Julia Child and Amy Adams as Julie Powell, tells the story of two women who find themselves through cooking. In parallel stories, we watch as Julia and her husband Paul (Stanley Tucci) accquaint themselves with Paris just as Julie and her husband Eric (Chris Messina) also move into a new place. The women's lives mimic one another despite the decades of time that separate them. In Paris, Julia enrolls in the famous Cordon Bleu Academy after trying several other hobbies that fall flat. Here she truly enjoys herself and her enthusiasm is incredibly palpable through Streep's performance. It is here that she unites her love for eating and French food. Shortly thereafter she meets two women who are writing a cookbook and the three friends collaborate on the project. Sixty years later, Julie is on the verge of her 30th birthday and decides to take on a project of her own by cooking all of Julia Child's Mastering The Art Of French Cooking in 365 days. She starts a blog to document her food journey but ends up really uncovering many truths about life. Throughout the film I found myself really enjoying the Julia segments and wanting to know more about her life. Julia, via Streep's performance, was so alive and almost larger than life (metaphorically and literally speaking). For a woman of those times, she was really something. The Julie plot line was just mediocre at best. I mean I love Amy Adams, but somehow I just couldn't get into her little mid-life crisis and meltdowns.

Watch It: For Streep's amazing performance. She completely embodied the character of Julia Child and looked like she was having fun while doing it.

Skip It: For the rather "blah" plot of Julie Powell. While I definitely think her Julie/Julia Project was a massive undertaking, it didn't seem to translate well to film.

The Wedding Date

Rating: PG-13

Movie Release Date: February 4, 2005

DVD Release Date: August 16, 2005

Plot 411: Kat hires a male escort to come with her to her sister's wedding in England . . . then falls for the guy.

Review: First off, this is another chick lit book (see Confessions Of A Shopaholic) that is somewhat ruined by Hollywood in its attempt to adapt the book to the screen. If you can get your hands Asking For Trouble by Elizabeth Young, it's definitely worth the read. The plot used as the basis for this film happens in about the first quarter of the book, if I remember correctly. Anyway, Debra Messing plays Kat, a woman who posts a newspaper ad for a male escort to her younger sister's (Amy Adams) wedding. Nick (Dermot Mulroney) answers the call and the two pose as a couple for the complicated family affair. I think I'll leave it at that. Personally, I loved this film because it was quirky and had twists that were actually pretty heavy for a rom com. The plot was unique (although, like I said, the book is better) and the characters were believable. I cannot even fathom how Adams could portray such a spoiled brat in this film. Amazing! While I don't find Mulroney that attractive, he somehow pulled off the role as a male escort. I think it's his charisma and a deep voice that'll make any woman's knees quake. As always, Messing is hilarious in that amped up chihuahua kind of way. She's always frantic and nervous and when you contrast that with Mulroney's calm and collected attitude, they just seem to work. My favorite character though was Kat's British cousin TJ (Sarah Parish). She is fricken hysterical.

Watch It: After reading the book . . . or

Skip It: Completely for the book.

Underdog

Rating: PG

Movie Release Date: August 3, 2007

DVD Release Date: December 18, 2007

Plot 411: A mad scientist's experiment turns an ordinary dog into a super dog.

Review: I used to love the cartoon but didn't love the movie. While all the talking animals were cute in their own way, they couldn't save this film. A former drug-sniffing dog, Shoeshine (Jason Lee) is adopted by a night guard (Jim Belushi) and his son Jack (Alex Neuberger). Jack quickly finds out that he's no ordinary dog. Prior to his adoption, Shoeshine had a run in with a mad scientist (Peter Dinklage) that transformed him into a dog with many super powers. Jack and Shoeshine use his powers for the benefit of mankind while trying to avoid recapture by the scientist and his goons. I don't even really know what to say about this one. My favorite breed of dog is the beagle and even this wet-nosed pooch couldn't sway me. This movie also stars Amy Adams and Brad Garrett.

Watch It: If you like talking animals? Even then, there's probably something better for you to watch than this.

Skip It: If at all possible.

Moonlight Serenade

Rating: PG-13

Movie Release Date: Not sure

DVD Release Date: December 8, 2009

Plot 411: A coat check girl and a financial planner fall in love to classic jazz tunes.

Review: Now who wouldn't like to watch love unfold to well-known standard hits? Definitely not me, which is why I took a chance on this musical starring Amy Adams and Alec Newman as Chloe and Nate. Unfortunately, the movie didn't live up to my expectations though. The film's plot was threadbare, the acting was barely alive and worst of all, the score and musical numbers were pretty horrible. Adams plays an aspiring singer with a drugged out boyfriend. She runs into Nate, a financial planner who plays the piano and sings as a stress reliever. They spend some time together working on music so Chloe can audition for a gig. Despite a rough beginning, they fall for one another. But when her boyfriend gets serious about his drug addition and wants to quit, Chloe drops Nate to help her man. Will their love for music get the through life's unexpected twists and turns? Adams, as always, appears very genuine and sweet in this role. Her voice is nice. However, the dialogue and character need a lot of work. I think she did the best she could with what she was given. This is definitely not a star-making role. Newman had a nice singing voice too, but again the role wasn't great. I'm so disappointed in the song arrangements. It's like they tried to make the music more current perhaps? It was just bad.

Watch It: If you're really into jazz and old standards.

Skip It: For a better showing by Adams in Enchanted.

Sunshine Cleaning

Rating: R

Movie Release Date: March 13, 2009

DVD Release Date: August 25, 2009

Plot 411: Two sisters trying to make ends meet turn to biohazard clean up as the money-making solution.

Review: Amy Adams and Emily Blunt star as Rose and Norah, two sisters who have lived hard lives and are just trying to make it. Rose, a former cheerleader, is working as a maid to support her young son (Jason Spevack). Norah, the younger and more rebellious of the two, was recently fired from her job as a waitress. When Rose's son is kicked out of his school for exhibiting disturbing behavior, she vows to get him into a private school that will cultivate his creativity and challenge him intellectually. To do this, she must make more money and takes her lover's (Steve Zahn) suggestion to clean up crime scenes. The two sisters embark on this new career path while still hanging desperately on to the past. Their new vocation touches close to home, especially for Norah, because the sisters were the first to find their mother after she committed suicide. Their well-meaning but struggling father is played by Alan Arkin. Like them, he seems to still be affected by his wife's death. The movie is darkly humorous and quirky. The relationship between the sisters is strained despite their closeness and both have different challenges to overcome. I'm not positive, but this is probably the first film that focuses on the field of biohazard clean up. Simply because of that, I think it's worth a watch. It presents a new perspective about life and death.

Watch It: For surprisingly good performances from Adams and Blunt. They're no longer the bubbly princess or the chic fashionista.

Skip It: If blood and guts aren't your thing . . . although, there's really not a lot of it.

Night At The Museum 2: Battle of the Smithsonian

Rating: PG

Movie Release Date: May 22, 2009

DVD Release Date: TBD

Plot 411: When the exhibits are moved to the Smithsonian, Larry the night guard finds himeslf in the largest battle never to be known.

Review: Ben Stiller reprises his role as Larry Daley, the former night guard at the museum. In recent years, he's made a successful career as an inventor and entrepreneur. However, when he discovers that his museum friends are being shipped to the Smithsonian to be stored in the underground archive and are being replaced by the latest technology, Larry vows to save them. An adventure of epic proportions ensues as Larry is once again confronted with historical figures in his effort to save Jed (Owen Wilson), Octavious (Steve Coogan) and friends. This movie is one laugh after another and is probably worth watching twice just so you catch all the one-liners. New characters are introduced, such as Amelia Earhart (Amy Adams), Kahmunrah (Hank Azaria) and General Custer (Bill Hader). Azaria is probably the funniest of them all. Quick cameos are made by Jonah Hill, the Jonas brothers and Ricky Gervais.

Watch It: If you really enjoyed the first Night At The Museum.

Skip It: As it's mostly the same gags as before.

Enchanted

Rating: PG

Movie Release Date: November 21, 2007

DVD Release Date: March 18, 2008

Plot 411: A fairy tale princess finds herself in New York City, has eye-opening adventures and sings through it all.

Review: In full disclosure, I must admit that I like most musicals so to say that I loved this film is probably an understatement. The singing and dancing will probably make this into a Disney classic. The songs were really catchy (I even know someone who sings "Happy Working Song" while working). Amy Adams really steals the show. It would be a popular film even without McDreamy (Patrick Dempsey) and Cyclops (James Marsden) in the mix, but they only serve to hunkify (yeah, I made that up) the film. The blend of animation and real life is amazing, and this movie truly adds a new dimension to the fairy tale genre.

Watch It: For a contemporary musical filled with timelessly classic techniques.

Skip It: If your kids repeat everything they like over and over because you will not hear the end of it. The songs are just that great.

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