The Campaign

Movie: The Campaign
Major Actors: Will Ferrell, Zach Galifianakis, Jason Sudeikis, Dylan McDermott, John Lithgow, Dan Akroyd
Rating: R
Best Audience:  Teenagers about age 15 and up would enjoy this, as well as adults that have an immature sense of humor.

Review:

This is one of those movies that is funny and entertaining, but not great.  If you are bored and would like a few stupid laughs, it is worth seeing.  Go with low expectations, and it will probably not disappoint.  The humor is on the immature side, so it definitely a movie men would enjoy more than women. 

One thing I do like about this movie is how even though it is "political," they do not really "take sides" with a political party.  The movie criticizes the entire American electoral process, especially the act of essentially "buying a candidate," or "buying an election."  The movie also distinguishes that there is a difference between a good political candidate and a good person, and in order to be one, you can't be the other.



People Like Us

Movie: People Like Us
Major Actors: Chris Pine, Elizabeth Banks, Olivia Wilde, Michelle Pfeiffer
Rating: PG-13
Best Audience:  Adults would enjoy this, and maybe some emotionally mature teenagers.

Review:

This is a heart-warming movie reminiscent of movies like Elizabethtown, Rain Man, Garden State, and Jerry Maguire.  Like those movies, this one features a career-focused, socially-detached main character who meets someone that makes him value personal relationships and family.

In this case, the main character (Chris Pine) discovers after his father's death that he has a sister he never knew about and that sister has a son.  He embarks on a journey of getting to know them, but does not tell them who he is (which inevitable leads to confusing emotions).  He also discovers the reasons behind their separation and the dark family secrets. 

Even though I feel like I've seen this movie before (since it is a frequently used plot), I really did enjoy it.  I would recommend it, especially for a wonderful performance by Elizabeth Banks, who steps out of her usual comedic role to play a damaged single mother.  However, I felt the movie left a big plot-hole and unanswered questions involving the main character's career.  If you liked Elizabethtown or Garden State, you will most likely enjoy this movie.

Total Recall

Movie: Total Recall
Major Actors: Colin Farrell, Jessical Biel, Kate Beckinsale
Rating: PG-13
Best Audience: Most audiences would enjoy this, even older children.

Review:

If you like a lot of action in a movie, you'll like this remake of Total Recall.  I'm not much of an action person, but I still enjoyed it, especially the first 30 minutes, which was largely exposition of this futuristic distopia.  Beyond the first 30 minutes, the rest of the movie is almost exclusively chase-scenes and fight scenes.

This movie has everything...for women, it has Colin Farrel; for the men it has Jessica Biel.  You do not have to see the original Total Recall (with Arnold Schwarzenegger made in 1990) to see this one, but if you have seen it, there are some references to it.  Overall, I think this movie is entertaining and alright, but not great.

On DVD- W.E.

Movie: W.E.
Major Actors: Abbie Cornish, Andrea Riseborough, James D'Arcy
Rating: R
Best Audience: Older adults would find this somewhat interesting, especially if they enjoy history.

Review:

The first 15 minutes of this movie were incredibly confusing because it took me a while to figure out what was going on.  I thought the movie would be just about the affair between King Edward and Wallis Simpson in the 1930's.  However, there was a modern girl thrown in there and the movie proceeded to jump back and forth in time.

It turns out the movie is really about a modern girl who is obsessed with the affair between Wallis Simpson and King Edward.  Her own marriage is failing and she is looking to a love story that has what her marriage doesn't.  However, she learns in studying the story further that Wallis Simpson had to suffer so much to be with Edward and that no love story is perfect.

Once you get past the confusing jumping through time, this does turn out to be a pretty good movie.  Nevermind the fact it was directed by Madonna, I did find it worth seeing.  Just be aware of the plot before you watch it, so you don't get confused.