Breaking news!

Straight to video: "Prison Break: The Final Break" came out on DVD today!!!

Thanks to the hubby for sharing this nugget - somehow this lil' gem was not on my radar!
(Tiff - I hope you're reading this...I think this is one you & Chris will want to rent...or add to your Netflix queue...no pressure! ;)

Sean & I had initially loved the show, watching the first two seasons by DVD...which is a fun way to view a show if you're behind. Not to mention if there was a cliffhanger, you don't have to wait until the following week...you can just choose to watch the next show immediately--instant TV gratification! Needless to say there were quite a few "Prison Break" marathons at our house :)

For those of you not familiar with the show, "Prison Break" aired from 2005-2009 and told the story of two brothers--Lincoln is behind bars and Michael is set on breaking his older brother out. It is definitely helpful that Michael is a structural engineer but it still a daunting feat he is taking on as Michael must be on the inside in order to break Lincoln out. No matter - Michael holds up a bank to get himself incarcerated in the same facility as Linc and then the real work begins--the arduous task of painstakingly putting his meticulously detailed plan in motion, brick by brick, cell block by cell block.

I know what you're thinking - hardly sounds like gripping television and how on earth did this show run for FOUR YEARS??!

Surprisingly, it was great television until this last season where the story arc became laughable - even to true fans like myself - and it made sense that Fox canceled the series...the show had run its course. Aside from this last season though - it was great!!! Good ensemble cast, many of whom had been unknown to me prior to this riveting show, and most of the characters were very well developed.

Which is why I'm excited about the movie - it covers the intervening years that occurred prior to the final moment of the show and will explain some crucial things that had happened to the characters that were just sloppily wrapped up for PB fans in the 2009 season since the writers did know the show had been canceled. According to the summary on Netflix's site, the movie will focus on Michael's "boldest breakout ever".

Looks like we may have one last Prison Break marathon after all :)

Must-See Movies opening soon!

I haven't seen anything new at the theatre recently though I can't wait to see the new Apatow movie -- "Funny People" features a great cast: Adam Sandler, Seth Rogen, Leslie Mann, Jason Schwartzmann, Jonah Hill and Eric Bana. Eric Bana - is anyone else surprised by this?!? I like him a lot (Bana starred in both "Munich" and "Troy", two movies I enjoyed) however I didn't know he did funny, particularly Apatow-funny.

Speaking of Bana...very excited to see him as the lead in "The Time Traveler's Wife", which opens in mid-August and co-stars the delightful Rachel McAdams ("The Notebook" and "Wedding Crashers" - two movies I highly recommend, although they are very different movies!). This is based on the book by Audrey Niffenberger and, originally, may have been an entirely different star vehicle: film rights were originally purchased by the production company, Plan B Entertainment, which was a joint venture of then-marrieds, Brad Pitt & Jennifer Aniston. At the time they purchased the rights, there was even talk that they would play the leads...however, this was all pre-break up so it's understandable why this version did not happen. Plan B, however, did remain involved and Brad Pitt was an Executive Producer for "The Time Traveler's Wife". When I did double-check my info on IMDB, I was surprised to find out how many great films Plan B has been involved with - "The Departed", "A Mighty Heart" and "Troy - along with some exciting future projects in the works: "Eat, Pray, Love" (another memoir our book club has tackled), "The Senator's Wife" (assuming this is an adaptation of the Sue Miller novel), along with many others in development.

Another must-see opening in early August: "Julie and Julia" starring the incomparable Meryl Streep (has she ever phoned in a performance??) and Amy Adams, who has built up an impressive body of work over the past few years showing her to have quite a range: "Sunshine Cleaning", "Enchanted", "Junebug" and "Doubt" in which she turns in a fantastic performance as a young, naive nun who is put in an impossible situation, wedged between her superior nun (Meryl Streep, again) and a well-liked priest (Phillip Seymour Hoffman), one that truly tests her beliefs & convictions about what is wrong and what is right....and, do we give someone the benefit of the doubt or do we let that doubt eat away at us? Doubt appears to be like a seed that, once planted, grows like a weed, taking on a life of its own.

The film is based upon a memoir by Julie Powell entitled: "Julie & Julia: My Year of Cooking Dangerously". Powell, played by Adams in the film, is a thirtysomething temp in a dead-end job who feels stuck and concocts a year-long project as an inspired solution: over the next 365 days, she will cook all of Julia Child's recipes from Child's classic cookbook and then blog about her efforts. There are successes and great dishes...there are failures, replaced by take-out...laughter, tears, fights...all with Powell's husband, Eric, by her side for this seemingly gargantuan endeavor (played by Chris Messina). Streep, of course, plays the much-revered cooking genius, Julia Child and her story is told to us as well - hard to imagine that this household name did not begin cooking until her thirties!

The icing on the cake (as if Streep & Adams weren't enough!) - "Julie and Julia" is directed by Nora Ephron...who wrote my all-time favorite movie, "When Harry Met Sally" (directed by Rob Reiner) and wrote/directed "You've Got Mail" and "Sleepless in Seattle"...not to mention countless other movies as well as her recent collection of essays, "I Feel Bad About My Neck: And Other Thoughts About Being a Woman". Has anyone had a chance to read this? If so, please share your thoughts!

This seems to be the summer of high-profile book-to-movie adaptations: both "Julie & Julia" and "The Time Traveler's Wife" were books my book club had read. Another adaptation that opened earlier this summer is "My Sister's Keeper", starring Cameron Diaz, Jason Patric and Abigail Breslin. The book it's based on by the same title was written by the wonderful Jodi Picoult, who has written 12-15 novels and has a real knack for character development and showing her audience multiple points of view, rather than just being lodged in the narrator's head. This was another book our book club had read and it was a very moving read - whether you see the movie or read it, be sure to have tissues handy!

So, if you need to escape the heat with a good story on-screen...I don't think you'll go wrong with any/all of these picks! I'll be sure to update you with my reviews once I see them.


"My Sister's Keeper" - In theatres now
"Funny People" - Opens July 31
"Julie & Julia" - Opens August 7
"The Time Traveler's Wife" - Opens August 14

I knew better...sigh!

If you've been following one of the right hand columns recently, you may have noticed that 'Little Red Envelope', keeps a running tab as to what flicks I have at home courtesy of Netflix. If so - you may have an idea as to why I'm sighing...yup, I did it...I watched "Paul Blart: Mall Cop".

TOTAL SKIP.

I know, I know - I can hear a few of you yelling right now, "Whyyyyyyyyyy??!!??" Two reasons - Adam Sandler & Kevin James. Sandler produced and James starred/directed/produced. I adore Adam Sandler's goofy humor - from his SNL days to his string of 90's movie hits (all imminently quotable!) to his humor in the 00's, which has shown a slight maturation (a huge exception being "You Don't Mess With the Zohan"; nonetheless, I laughed uproariously through this movie...another story for another day) in his humor, though he's not afraid to revisit the antics that made him a household name. Kevin James is also someone whose brand of funny I generally like...he perfected his physical comedy over the nine-year run of "The King of Queens", which did inevitably run a year or two longer than it should have (as many other hit shows have done - see "Friends", "Seinfeld", etc.).

The plot is flimsy - Kevin James plays the title character, Paul Blart, a mall cop with bigger aspirations, a NJ state trooper, that may never be realized. He's a single dad who is unhappy with much in his life and finds solace in the food his mom makes for him, be it a Sloppy Joe or a great piece of pie. Blart's one true joy - his job as a mall cop...while it may not be working as an actual, armed police officer...Blart regards the mall's workers and the shoppers who keep the mall humming as his charge, seeing it as his duty to keep them safe. This is to the chagrin of his supervisor who regularly mocks his zeal for the job. In the course of his daily patrol, Blart finds something - or someone - who puts a little spring in his step when he meets , who runs a kiosk selling hair extensions. As you may guess, his flirtations are bumbling however she's not put off by this and seems to find his attentions endearing.

This is all building up to the big test of Blart's mall cop prowess when the mall is taken over by an inside job, seasonal workers who plan to steal $30 million from this NJ mall by accessing the internal codes. As it happens, Blart was taking a quick coffee break at the local arcade - rocking out to Guitar Hero - leaving our bumbling hero safely trapped inside the now locked mall.

Will he be able to outsmart the bad guys?? And, save his lady love?
(Please say that you hear my dripping sarcasm :)

Anyway, this was a wasted hour-and-a-half for me, proving once again that mega blockbuster does not necessarily translate into a good movie. (I'm still in awe that this flick grossed more than $180 million worldwide!! Very, very happy this was just a Netflix rental for me...which with our use of this wonderful subscription service probably cost about .59)

One last point - some critics called this movie 'family friendly' and I'm gonna disagree here. Umm, not sure who these families are but there is a level of violence in this PG-rated movie that I don't think would be appropriate for a seven-year old...even a nine-year old. Don't get me wrong - it's not at the "24"/Jack Bauer level of violence (there have been many scenes in this series where I've had to turn away!!) but many of the bad guys...don't live to hold up another mall. Ah, well...who am I to question the logic of the MPAA ;)

Anyway...you get the point...there's no need to see this one: SKIP

Future Reading

I'm always on the lookout for great reads, here are a few I'm excited about and hope to read sometime soon:

* "Real Life and Liars" - Kristina Riggle

* "The Art of Racing in the Rain" - Garth Stein

* "Home Repair" - Liz Rosenberg

* "The Embers" - Hyatt Bass

* "Best Friends Forever" - Jennifer Weiner

* "April & Oliver" - Tess Callahan

* "One Fifth Avenue" - Candace Bushnell

* "Knit Two" - Kate Jacobs (sequel to her great book, "The Friday Night Knitting Club")

* "Comfort Food" - Kate Jacobs

* "Finder" - Colin Harrison


Don't forget to fill me in on what YOU'RE reading!

More Summer Reading...

A quick update on what I've read and what I'm reading...

"Nantucket Nights" - Elin Hilderbrand
I strongly recommended Hilderbrand's "Barefoot" in an earlier post...it is a title I've recommended to a few friends, who also really liked the book. "Nantucket Nights", however, was a different story--I was really disappointed by this read.

There were twists and turns in the plot - enough so that I did stay with and finish the novel. However, I found the three main characters (Kayla, Antoinette & Val: middle-aged women whose only true common bond appears to be sharing an annual tradition started twenty years before as summer housemates in Nantucket) to be shallow and I didn't believe these three very different women would have sustained a friendship. Tough to really get into a book when you don't like the main characters; or, more accurately, just don't see these characters keeping company or find them at all believable. Their Labor Day tradition takes veers dangerously off course when Antoinette is swallowed up by the water. Did she drown? Did she disappear?

Having read it, I do know the answers...which is why I'm telling you to SKIP this one!


"American Wife" - Curtis Sittenfeld
This is our current book club pick and I'm enjoying it so far. It's loosely based on Laura Bush's life so I've learned a few things about our former First Lady that I hadn't known. Alice Lindgren is the main character purportedly inspired by Laura Bush and this is very definitely her story, charting her journey from small-town girl, whose part in a local tragedy forever changes her, to a pragmatic adult who has become a librarian, a career to which she is nicely suited. Her story's trajectory takes an unforeseen, life-altering turn when she meets and falls madly in love with Charlie Blackwell, a rising star in the Republican party who is backed by a powerful, connected family.

While I'm sure that there will be some parts to this story that modern-day readers may already be familiar with, having endured eight long years of George W. Bush's two terms in office, something tells me it won't matter as Sittenfeld unfolds an engaging story for us, regardless of what we may or may not know. Or, think we know...

Though I haven't finished this yet, I feel comfortable recommending it.

Movie Round-Up...

Much as I love writing, I know I can't always give a longer review on every movie I've seen so, from time to time, I'll just write a post that will be mini-reviews of several movies...even if it's simply 'See' or 'Skip'.

***I will be adding one more category to my rating system--'Sunday Afternoon': To me, this represents the random movie you've stumbled upon on cable on a weekend afternoon and watch. The 'Sunday Afternoon' flick might not be a four star movie but it's not an outright 'Skip', either. Phrased another way, you like it but it falls short of something you like a lot or one that you absolutely love. For example, on the Netflix five-star rating system - a 'Sunday Afternoon' would be a three-star rating.

Now that THAT'S covered...onto some reviews!

--------------------------

"New In Town": A romantic comedy that, for me, didn't quite cut it. I'm okay - in this genre - with not reinventing the wheel, few rom-coms do. But...for whatever reason, this one just didn't gel...felt like a lot was cribbed from "Fargo" (in terms of the community where the movie was set) and I kept thinking to myself that maybe a stronger female lead than Renee Zellweger (Sandra Bullock, Reese Witherspoon, even Rachel McAdams) could have helped.) Criticism aside, there were some laughs and, oddly enough, this was one rom-com that a guy was able to sit through and tolerate...the guy in this instance being my brother-in-law, who has no qualms about walking away from a movie if it stinks.

SUNDAY AFTERNOON


-------------------------------------

"Kramer vs. Kramer": This was one of those films that my mom had recommended I see for years. And years. Close friends had also mentioned it. And yet...I didn't see it until this year...much like I didn't see "Ordinary People" for eons (another Mom pick) and absolutely adored it. Back to "K. vs. K" - starring acting legends Dustin Hoffman and Meryl Streep (how could you go wrong???) as Ted & Joanna Kramer, a married couple with a young son, played beautifully by Justin Henry. As the title might suggest, the bulk of the movie revolves around this marriage that has crumbled with workaholic Ted seemingly unaware how quickly things are unraveling until Joanna announces she is leaving him and their son. Remember - this film is 1979, pre-"Mr. Mom" and Ted must try and juggle everything as the full-time parent while maintaining his highly demanding job as a Madison Avenue ad man. It may seem dated now as there are plenty of dads nowadays who do just this but you know this was groundbreaking at the time.

You will laugh, you will cry, you will be moved. Justin Henry shines as the son in a performance that is as memorable as young Timothy Hutton's in "Ordinary People"...I'm just not sure - with the caliber of his acting here - why he didn't he didn't go on to become a gifted actor. Apparently, I'm not the only one to wonder this:

"After a dream start in the business, when he was chosen for a pivotal role in Kramer vs. Kramer (1979) at the age of seven, without any acting experience, Justin Henry's career has stagnated. He was nominated for an Academy Award as Best Supporting Actor for his role in "Kramer vs. Kramer", becoming one of the youngest actors ever nominated"
(IMDB, mini biography of Justin Henry)


SEE, SEE, SEE!!! (Thanks, Mom!!)

S&S

Since this blog is very much a 'work in progress', I've just devised a way I'll end all movie reviews: See or Skip. Pretty straightforward but an easy way to wrap up.

I've already doubled back to previous posts and added 'See' or 'Skip' to them.

Stay tuned...

Paul Rudd + Elizabeth Banks + Jane Lynch...

All this adds up to - couldn't save the movie "Role Models".

I wanted to like it. And I did laugh - several times. All of the actors mentioned above were funny but there just were not enough of the laughs in this movie to elevate it beyond mediocre, at best. In spite of said laughs.

Jane Lynch is one of those comedic actors you know...but just don't know her name (I didn't, even though seeing her onscreen I knew what sort of style to expect from her). A few of her credits include her zany humor in Christopher Guest films like "A Mighty Wind" and "For Your Consideration"; mainstream audiences may know her from her hysterical performance as the store manager in "40 Year Old Virgin". (Speaking of "40...", both Rudd and Banks were also in this movie.)

Rudd & Banks - two great comedic actors who are both on a roll right now; the role they each played in this film being the exception. (Sorry! I had to :) In an earlier post, I mentioned how great Rudd was in "I Love You, Man" - if you want FUNNY, see this!!!

I'm not going to go into further detail since I'm strongly urging you to pass on this one...the few laughs, while funny, didn't warrant the hour-and-a-half commitment.


SKIP (redundant, perhaps, based on the previous paragraph, lol)

"Whatever Works"...works!

On Friday, the hubby & I kicked off the holiday weekend by taking in the new Woody Allen flick - how patriotic! ;)

Then again...maybe it was--this film marked Woody's return to US soil after several films set in overseas: three in London and one in Spain. I saw one of the three in London - name escapes me and I don't feel like IMDB'ing it - and it was decent but not great. Set in Barcelona, "Vicky Cristina Barcelona", was quite good...although not necessarily typical Woody fare.

Set in NYC - familiar turf for Woody and, as always, a character in itself - Larry David stars in the lead role which would have been played by Woody himself 20-30 years ago. David plays Boris Yellinkoff, a Nobel Peace prize runner-up and self-declared genius, is also a jaded misanthrope whose world is turned upside-down when he meets the very young, very naive Melodie St. Ann Celestine who literally shows up on his doorstep seeking shelter. Boris takes in the Southern belle (played by Evan Rachel Wood) and, though he is extremely critical of her intellect and her worldviews...a transformation in Boris begins to occur - there is a spring in his step, even with his limp.

I don't think I'm revealing any spoiler to let you know that these two unlikely people do eventually find love - c'mon...it's Woody Allen...you saw this coming!! - but it may be some of the people that eventually insert themselves into their story that will provide big laughs. Features the great Patricia Clarkson and Ed Begley, who is very good here (I'm normally not a big fan of Begley).

One criticism: Wood's Southern accent was pretty bad...which particularly stood out in scenes with Clarkson, who is a native hailing from New Orleans.

I think "Whatever Works" will work for Woody fans and Allen may have found a new muse in David (sorry, Scarlett!).


For Woody fans and NuYawkers (often one & the same!): SEE
Non-Woodyphiles: SKIP (or, wait for DVD)

"thirtysomething" - FINALLY coming to DVD!!!

This was too good not to share--Season 1 of "thirtysomething" is set to be released to DVD on August 25th!!

This much beloved show aired for four seasons, 1987-1990. Needless to say, I did not watch it back then as I was 13 when the show began...just a wee bit too young, lol. (I did have friends who watched the last season or two when we were 15 & 16...gotta wonder, though, what their grasp of the material was since the show focused on navigating the challenges of marriage, careers & parenthood).

It will be interesting to watch now that we're actually thirtysomethings ourselves with many of us married with kids while juggling work. It's also one of those shows that seems like it was truly groundbreaking television and may have been ahead of its time. I'm just hoping it doesn't seem dated. I already know I like at least two of the actors - real-life husband and wife, Ken Olin & Patricia Wettig. Olin & Wettig are just two of the stellar cast of "Brothers & Sisters", which regularly forces me to stay up far later than I'd like on a Sunday night since it starts at 10pm...it's that good!!

Guess we know what I'll be doing sometime on August 25th! : )

UPDATE: I just found out that esteemed director Paul Haggis ("Million Dollar Baby", "Crash") was a Producer for "thirtysomething". Thought I'd mention as I know a few of my readers are big Haggis fans...

"Tell No One"

Happy 4th!! Hope everyone is enjoying the long weekend :) Maybe we'll actually get sunshine & temps above 70 degrees here in the Northeast. I know, I know - wishful thinking. Sigh...

Just finished the French thriller, "Tell No One", which was a film I'd been wanting to see for a while. It's based on a book by Harlan Coban, an author from the NY/NJ area who regularly churns out some great page turners that keep me reading long into the night.

The plot: Dr. Beck was once a suspect in his wife's murder. While he has tried to move on, everything comes crashing back when two dead bodies are found near his home and Beck is again a suspect. In the meantime, he begins to receives anonymous emails with photos that show his wife, Margot, to be alive and well yet clearly specify: "tell no one". Stars the wonderful Kristin Scott Thomas as Beck's sister-in-law.

Sounds great, right?

Perhaps I liked the book too much. Perhaps my expectations were too high. In any event - it was a decent movie that, overall, fell short for me. In this case, the acting was good but the story itself was too long...too much build-up to get to the suspenseful ending.

Now I understand why this film never got off the ground here in the States; apparently, several years ago, Keanu Reeves was to star as the doctor. (Though had it come to fruition...Keanu would NOT have been the guy to pull off this role...while he is good in certain roles...I don't think he has the range to have played this part.)

I will note - the film was well-received by critics and I have several good friends who really enjoyed it. Just wanted to mention this since I could be in the minority here--I do tend to be a harsher critic when I've already read and liked the book first.


SKIP