The Five-Year Engagement

Jason Segel, Emily Blunt

Directed by Nicholas Stoller

Rating: B-

Tom (Segel) proposes to his year-long girlfriend Violet (Blunt) but staying engaged is something that becomes too easy for them. Violet gets accepted at Michigan University to be a part of the department of psychology team, something she has been working years at. So she and Tom uproot their San Franciscan lives to move to Michigan, where talented chef Tom can only find work as a sandwich maker at a popular cafe in town. The couple finds various reasons to prolong their wedding, only to come to the important question staring them in the face: what is more important- getting ahead in Violet's career or finally tying the knot?

Just another romantic comedy of the year, "The Five-Year Engagement" is an unexplored story line of a couple who keep putting off their wedding. With some cliches and predictable drama, it's still a film with a promising tagline to reel in the viewers. Judging from the commercial, this movie appears humorous and with actors Segel and Blunt as the leads, it could be potentially worth seeing.

While Tom struggles to accept the path his life is taking, Violet gets drawn deep in her dream as she sets out to what she's been working towards. Though the couple claims to know each other better than anyone else, they have trouble talking about the obvious, Tom's downward spiral of what his life has become and the never-ending engagement. The movie takes on a realism that most romantic comedies don't. It deals with the hardships that would delay a couple getting married, like Tom's resentment of what his career has become over the potential of what it could have been.

"The Five-Year Engagement" actually feels like a five-year engagement when viewing this movie. Only at a running time of two hours, viewers go through the stages of boredom and entertained numerous times. The film opens up and introduces the characters and their excitement of getting engaged. Then as conflict after conflict keep reoccurring, it reaches a slow point. It's hard to predict the outcome when it feels like it should be ending any minute but there's actually thirty minutes left. Then finally the ending arrives, though a bit rushed it comes off as spontaneous and works out.

In the end, I would recommend waiting for "The Five-Year Engagement" to be released on DVD before spending money at the movies to see it. It depends on your movie tastes, because those who are a big fan of "Forgetting Sarah Marshall" and "Bridesmaids" might actually enjoy this a lot then someone who is looking to be entertained but doesn't really care about the premis.

Atonement

James McAvoy, Keira Knightley, Saoirse Ronan
Directed by Joe Wright

Rating: B+

"Come back, come back to me."

13-year-old Briony Tallis (Ronan) is not quite old enough to understand love and the unspoken meaning behind actions. She misinterprets a moment between her older sister Cecilia (Knightley) and a servant's son Robbie (McAvoy) that lead to a downward spiraling of events to take place. Briony is horrified by the scene in which she enters upon, finding Cecilia and Robbie in a compromising position in a study. Her image of Robbie's perfection is shattered and when a turn of events take place after a family dinner, she takes part in condemning Robbie for a crime he did not commit. It's only years later that she realizes the grave mistake she had made and goes about her way trying to make amends.

Based off of Ian McEwan's novel about the loss of love during a war, Atonement captures the harsh realism of war and how not every romance has a happy ending. Robbie chooses to go the military path instead of rotting in a jail cell, and he is taken far away from any chance of happiness. Cecilia alienates herself from her family, disgusted with how easily they could ruin an innocent life over a lie, and works with hospitals, nursing those who return from the bloody fields of war. The film shows glimpses of the rare time Robbie and Cecilia get together before he is deployed back to France. It's a heartbreaking scene when after three years they reunite, changed after all they had been through.

Atonement is a dramatic love story in which the characters all have their own sympathies from Briony's youthful naivety to Robbie's innocent love and to Cecilia's hidden feelings for someone she felt she shouldn't love. It's a movie that brings viewers to tears.

The American

Matthew Modine, Diana Rigg, Aisling O'Sullivan, Andrew Scott

Directed by Paul Unwin

Rating: D

Christopher Newman (Modine) is an American who travels to France a fresh start after the Civil War has ended in America. Many of the French refer to Newman as "The American" who is ignorant to the French customs and is searching for a wife. Newman sets his eyes on unattainable Claire Bellegarde (O'Sullivan), who's old family name prevents her from marrying just anyone. The Bellegarde's live a proud life, where everyone knows to leave them in peace.

"The American" does not give a good first impression at the start. The film is cheaply made, which may be a result of it being a product of PBS Pictures. The film is "supposed" to take place in France but none of the area in which the film takes place looks it. Everyone in the film has an accent other than France, so where are the French people of the film?

Christopher Newman, the main character, who is snobbish and because he has money, thinks he can get what he wants. He's determined to speak to Claire and gets her brother, Valentin (Scott), to help. There was nothing admirable about Newman, except maybe that he wouldn't give up on Claire when she admits she loves him.

The only reason I watched this film was for Andrew Scott, who's character is a little reckless. He's tired of living the life his family is used to and is the rebellious one in the family. This wasn't the best role Scott has played but if you're as infatuated with him as I am at the moment, then he makes it worth watching at least once in your life. I don't recommend this movie for anyone to watch unless you're trying to watch all the Andrew Scott movies. At least "The American" isn't a long movie and the ridiculous ending makes up for it.

Once

Glen Hansard, Marketa Irglova

Directed by John Carney

Rating: A-

"Once" is not a true story, though it gives the appearance of one. Glen Hansard and Marketa Irglova aren't named in this movie besides "guy" and "girl" but these two are what make the movie worth watching. Glen Hansard is a singer/songwriter, playing guitar on the streets of Dublin while also working with his dad at a vacuum repair shop. Marketa is entranced by Glen's music and is happy to find out he can fix her broken vacuum cleaner. While the two get to know each other, Marketa mentions she learned to play the piano from her father. When the two enter a music shop, the real chemistry grows between them when they play and sing one of Glen's songs. Marketa isn't looking for a relationship, as she's raising a little two-year-old girl with her mother, and Glen is troubled between his new feelings for Marketa and going back to an old girlfriend he loved.

What I loved about "Once" is the music you hear all throughout the movie. You hear a few songs repeatedly but they find a way to stay in your head and refuse to leave. From the lyrics to the melody, these songs are in their way romantic. That's one word to describe this movie. "Once" makes you want to hear more from these two and you can. Glen and Marketa went on tour together for a little while, forming the band "The Swell Season".

I highly recommend for anyone to watch this movie, but you have to watch it twice. (Or at least listen to the soundtrack a few times to appreciate the music before watching.) The first time around is a little bit slow, mainly because you're trying to figure out if there's any plot and what kind of movie it is. After you get to listen to the songs in the movie, the second time you watch it is best because you're familiar with the songs and it means more to you than the first time. "Once" doesn't have a plot besides a musician who misses a woman who left him but it does leave you with a morose, yet satisfied feeling at the end.

Catfish

Yaniv Schulman, Angela Wesselman

Directed by Henry Joost and Ariel Schulman

Rating: C

In late 2007, Yaniv Schulman began corresponding with an eight-year-old girl, Abby, and her mother after seeing her paintings she drew based off his photographs. Yaniv made regular phone calls with the mother, Angela, and began getting involved with the family, making contact with Angela's oldest daughter, Megan, and talking on Facebook. After eight months of getting to know each other, Yaniv starts to become suspicious when a song Megan claimed she wrote sounded exactly like another artist. Yaniv decided to visit Megan, Abby, and Angela in Michigan to get the story straight.

"Catfish" is a real documentary and sheds light on how easy people can deceive you through means of Facebook and phone calls. Yaniv would call Megan fairly regularly and they had a romantic relationship through talking on the phone and texting, yet they have never met each other. Yaniv starts to put the pieces together after investigating Abby's art gallery and finds out the building is vacant.

I think in most situations, people wouldn't have handled Yaniv's situation as calmly as he did. Yaniv finds out that Angela is the one who painted the pictures and while Abby and Megan are really her daughters, Angela hadn't talked to Megan in years. It's sad and it makes you pity Angela for the life she lives and for making up such a huge story. She led Yaniv on to think Megan was really someone interested in him but it makes you pity her because she must be a desperate person to do that. Yaniv doesn't think so. He spends a few days with her, getting the story straight but never expressing anything other than sympathy.

I'm not quite sure why anyone would want to watch this documentary. It's a little slow and in the beginning there's not much of a point to watch it until you get wrapped up in the drama. I wouldn't recommend watching this unless you want to experience the drama yourself.

The Hot Chick

Rob Schneider, Anna Faris, Rachel McAdams, Matthew Lawrence

Directed by Tom Brady

Rating: B

A popular young high schooler trades bodies with an older man and learns that her popularity has cost her quite a bit with her mean comments on students. Jessica (Schneider) reveals herself to her three close friends and they help her track down the person responsible for causing the switch, along with a few tough lessons on how to be a better person.

"The Hot Chick" is the movie to watch if you grew up watching TV shows in the 90s. This movie has a range of familiar characters from Anna Faris, who is no stranger to these ridiculous comedies, to Tia and Tamara Mowry from the Disney channel show "Sister Sister", to Matthew Lawrence who played older brother to Shawn Hunter in Disney's "Boy Meets World".

"The Hot Chick" is like your typical Adam Sandler movie (who also cameo's in this film). It's slapstick humor yet if you've been a high school girl, you can sympathize with Jessica's problem. It's humorous because as a girl you can sympathize with her having to adjust to a man's body, especially one who is older than her.

Rob Schneider steals the spotlight with his comedic impressions of being a young teenage girl. He portrays a believable character of a girl stuck in a man's body. Though his performance may not be "Oscar" worthy, Schneider does a pretty good job with his role.

Overall I think the movie had some pretty funny parts, albeit some were kind of gross. It's definitely worth watching and I think it fits more with the younger generation.

Journey 2: The Mysterious Island

Dwayne Johnson, Josh Hutcherson, Vanessa Hudgens, Michael Cain, Luis Guzman

Directed by Brad Peyton

Rating: B

Having to pick up your life and start it somewhere new is never easy. Sean (Hutcherson) has a new step-father he would rather not take the time to know and a mission to accomplish. Sean is looking for a new journey and when he hears an encrypted message play over the radio waves, only his step-dad, Hank (Johnson), can help him out. The message is from Sean's grandfather who has disappeared for years and Hank agrees to let Sean go find him if he can come along. Reluctantly, he agrees and the two embark on a mission in addition with a pilot and his daughter to a mysterious island where things are not as they appear.

"Journey 2" brings new adventures and a mysterious island that is on the brink of going under water. I think this sequel pulled it off well and kept the excitement alive of watching the main characters find an uncharted island. While the characters may have some cheesy lines, like Hutcherson trying to impress the pilot's daughter and Johnson making his pecks 'dance', the movie has a decent plot to keep it interesting.

It might be necessary to watch "Journey to the Center of the Earth" before watching the sequel because there are a few moments that make you wonder what you missed. Sean repeatedly mentions how the men in his family don't stick around and it's been a while since I last saw the first movie. I can't remember what happened to the father and it's mentioned that the grandfather has always been searching for an adventure rather than being there for his family.

This sequel brings along new scenery, new animals (large animals are small and small animals are large!), and a volcano that erupts gold. The characters are put in danger and take to flying bees to reach their destination. "Journey 2" is not just a movie for children, but for those who are fans of classic literature like "20,000 Leagues Under the Sea" or "Gulliver's Travels". This film brings a different kind of thrill that you can't get from repeated plots such as the over-done vampire movies or action films. I would recommend giving this movie a try if you can handle some cheesy lines and enjoy lost continents (Atlantis!).