Over the weekend I got the chance to see the new Get Smart staring Steve Carell. There are a lot of reviews out there, mostly not flattering of this movie, so I thought I’d give you my Get Smart Review.

You can’t talk about Get Smart without making a comparison to the 1965 TV series staring Don Adams and Barbara Feldon. In my humble opinion the TV series and the Get Smart movie have 3 things in common. 1. Funny. 2. Clever. 3. I loved it. The story line was actually entertaining, the acting was top notch, if you remember the tv series you catch a few more funny parts and even spot a squeal going on in there.

Get Smart premise from IMDB: Bungling secret agent Maxwell Smart, also known as Agent 86 for CONTROL, is on a mission to battle the forces of their evil crime nemesis known as KAOS with his more-competent partner Agent 99, (whose real name is never revealed) at his side. When the headquarters of U.S. spy agency Control is attacked and the identities of its agents compromised, the Chief has no choice but to promote his ever-eager analyst Maxwell Smart, who has always dreams of working in the field alongside stalwart superstar Agent 23. Smart will do whatever it takes to thwart the latest plot for world domination by KAOS.

A bit about the characters. Steve Carell plays the bumbling, but funny and sometimes clever Maxwell Smart, or Agent 86. Some people are giving him a bad wrap for not being bumbling enough, because Don Adams was pretty over the top when it came to that, he even used a silly accent that Carell didn’t. I loved the series but I thought Carell played the role really well. Come on, you have to have some smarts to be a secret agent, he can’t just be a total moron. Steve Carell was funny, charming and plenty dumb.

Anne Hathaway surprised me by playing a great Agent 99. She was cool and smart and sexy and had all the right moves. She really played it up well and I believed that she could be attracted to Max. But then thats a spoiler alert.

One character that really took me by surprise was Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, though I’m fairly certain he doesn’t want “The Rock” in his name anymore. He played Agent 23, a big sexy perfect Agent that can do no wrong and also happens to be Max’s best friend. I did not think of “The Rock” once during his performance, he just seemed like a new good up and coming actor.

Additional great roles were played by the really big bad guy, the control Chief, the geek squad guys including Hiro from “Heroes” and there was a small cameo from Bill Murray as Agent 13, the guy that pops up in tree’s, vending machines, any odd place you wouldn’t find someone. There wasn’t enough of him.

Overall Get Smart was just a great movie, and I think you should go see it.

Get Smart gets 4.5/5 LJ Stars

Like every other American this Memorial Day weekend I saw Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, even after several people told me it was one of the worst films they’d ever seen. Maybe that’s why it didn’t suck so hard for me. Maybe I went in with some wonderfully low expectations.

Even though you’ve probably already seen it and have formed your own opinions, here’s my Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull review.

This current installment of Indiana Jones was so reminiscent of the old, which means it was a bit corny, the set was a bit staged if you will, and it doesn’t take itself seriously. I think that’s what makes the odd story lines of the Jones movies so great. Could you imagine if Raiders of the Lost Ark had taken itself seriously? Honestly, the search and eventual find of the Ark of the Covenant with an old knight? I don’t think so.

Here’s the synopsis: In 1957, Indiana Jones is thrust back in action, venturing into the jungles of South America in a race against Soviet agents to find the mystical Crystal Skull.

Harrison Ford as Dr. Henry Jones Jr. (Indiana Jones) was the typical loosey goosey smarty that doesn’t try too hard. The sarcasm mixed with historic genius never gets old.

Karen Allen as Marion Ravenwood, Indy’s old flame from Raiders of the Lost Ark, reprises her role as a kidnap victim and mother to Mutt Williams played by the up and coming Shia LaBeouf who seeks Jones’ help to rescue his mom and everyones old friend Professor ‘Ox’ Oxley, played by John Hurt.

In a surprising turn of events Kate Blanchett joins the cast as the villain Irina Spalko, one of the Soviet solders fighting to find the Crystal Skull.

I’ll put it this way. While it wasn’t the best movie I’ve ever seen, it certainly wasn’t the worst and it held true to Indiana Jones story line and spirit. They also left the door open for a possible continuation of Shia LeBeouf’s character to be the next Indy. We’ll see.

Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull gets 3.5/5 LJ Stars

Update: I forgot to mention, and just remembered, that Janitor from “Scrubs” was an FBI agent in Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull. It made me so giddy. It’s so funny to see him in other stuff for some reason. Case in point, I’m watching The Fugitive right now and Janitor is the cop on The L that gets shot. Crazy

There’s only one acronym that could possible describe the Scrubs series finale; WTF?

Don’t get me wrong, I LOVE Scrubs. I love absolutely every one of the characters. I love JD’s inner monologue. I love Dr. Cox rambling insults. I love JD and Chocolate Bears relationship. I love Barbies bangs. I love Carla’s busy body know it all nature. I love the oddness that is the janitor. I love the silliness of the whole show. I mean there is pretty much nothing about this show I don’t like.

So why did I hate the Scrubs series finale so much? Was it because it was the last episode ever and I’m bitter and want it back? No. I didn’t want it to go away but accepted that it was going. Was it the fairy tale fashion it was told in? No way. Typical Scrubs silliness. It shouldn’t have been told any other way.

Here’s why I hated the Scrubs series finale . . . are you ready for it? NOTHING HAPPENED! While hilarious, nothing good happened, no loose ends were tied up, there was no ending people. It just was. Do the Turkletons decide to have another baby? Does Kelso stick around as administrator? Do JD and Elliot hook up? I don’t know! Because nothing happened.

Now, there have been whispers all over the net that this might not have really been the series finale, but just a season finale and Scrubs might be back next year, even though on every promo for it they kept saying “the last scrubs ever!” The way they presented the finale, it does really seem like they are planning to come back for one more season. Especially after the whole writers strike, I hope they do come back for a few episodes because they did not get a fair shake this season. So, if this was a teaser and Scrubs is really coming back for one last season, I’ll be happy and love this episode. If it really is the Scrubs series finale, I’m going to be so mad!!!

Finally I saw a new movie this weekend! And that movie was Iron Man.  So here is my Iron Man Review.

Here is the Iron Man synopsis: When wealthy industrialist Tony Stark is forced to build an armored suit after a life-threatening incident, he ultimately decides to use its technology to fight against evil.And boy does he.

Instead of giving any plot away, I thought I’d focus on my favorite part of this film, the casting and acting.

Robert Downey Jr. plays Tony Stark who is cocky and rich, promiscuous and drinks too much. Now I’m not trying to knock Robert Downey Jr. but it’s like he was made for this role. He had just the right touch to make you believe this character as a narcissistic jerk and make you fall in love with his naive, honorable nature all at once.

Gwenyth Paltrow plays Pepper Potts (true comic book name no?), Starks loyal and gorgeous assistant. I honestly didn’t see Gwenyth Paltrow working for a comic book movie, but she pulled it off surprisingly well. Don’t get me wrong, it’s not that I don’t like her as an actress, I think she’s one of the great ones. It’s just, a superhero movie? I didn’t see it coming but I’m glad it did.

Terrance Howard is the new love of my life this past year. He plays Jim Rhodes, an Air Force Lieut. Colonel and happens to be Starks best friend. Like in all of his other films Howard really steals his scenes. This guy acts with a lot of heart no matter what he play’s and in this he’s no different.

Jeff Bridges plays Obadiah Stane, Starks business partner and pal. I love the fact that Jeff Bridges got so into the role that he actually shaved his head. Now that’s commitment. He played this role perfectly. I don’t want to give anything away but, I’ll just say his character blew me away.

Lastly I want to give a shout out to Jon Favreau. He’s the director of Iron Man and he plays the small role of Tony Starks driver, Hogan. It’s a very understated role, but I was really happy to see him on screen again. He’s been missed.

Okay so if the trailer’s haven’t gotten you there yet, I hope these tiny meaningless character analysis get you to the movie theater to see Iron Man. You won’t regret it!

Iron Man gets 5/5 LJ Stars

I saw Tim Burton’s new gem, Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street this weekend and thought I’d review it for ya’ll. The main thing I wanted to tell you was, Helena Bonham Carter wasn’t lying when she reminisced about her melon to tangarine chest during the movie. Her body really did change and then change back several times during Sweeney Todd. It was a hoot to watch.

About Sweeney Todd though, this was just like most other Tim Burton movies (and I don’t just mean psychotic)! Sweeney Todd was dark and gothic, enough going on to keep your interest, great acting (Johnny Depp of course!), musicallyish and had just enough laughs to keep you from crying like a little girl, but not too many to keep it from being odd and serious. Oh and it had hilarious blood, I really appreciated the blood.

Here’s the premise: Benjamin Barker (Depp) is a barber who is sentenced to 15 years in Australia on false charges by Judge Turpin (Alan Rickman), who lusted wife and daughter Johanna. He escapes and returns to London as Sweeney Todd. He takes up in his old house with the meat pie maker Mrs. Lovett’s (sadistic Helena Bohnam Carter) and has a barber shop up top. With the shop as a cover and his razors as his weapon he decides to exact revenge on those who took his life away, esp the Judge because it turns out his wife took poison and his daughter is a ward of the Judge now. Murder ensues.

The music was great, especially this scene where Sweeney Todd, Mrs. Lovett and her worker kid Toby are having a picnic in dank London and she starts singing a frilly song about how she wishes their future can be, with the beach and sunshine and pretty clothes and happy times, and they are showing you this scene as she sings and the whole time Sweeny Todd looks like a zombie with no reaction. . . maybe you had to be there, but it’s funny.

Oh yeah, I forgot to mention Johnny Depp really can sing. That sexy sexy man should do it more often.

Sweeney Todd gets 3/5 LJ Stars, and yes I know Bailey is going to kill me for that. Give it a go but make your expectations kinda low.

Have you ever watched a Fairytale cartoon and wanted to puke? Or maybe years later on your wedding day standing next to some jerk while you’re carrying his baby and thought “This isn’t how they said it would be”? Whether you have or not the new movie Enchanted is the perfect light flick.

Enchanted Review

We start out in a familiar setting. It’s a Disney cartoon staring Prince Edward (James Marsden from X-Men and Hairspray) and soon to be Princess Giselle (Amy Adams who has had a ton of little appearances in everything but is best known for being the teenage redhead Leo falls in love with in Catch Me if You Can) who lives alone in the forest and gets help with her chores from adorable woodland creatures. But where we end up is way better. It’s New York City, and the cartoon is gone. I can’t give everything away so I can’t tell you how Giselle gets there but, yes, wackiness ensues.

So Giselle, who is in cartoon Fairytale mode (random song and dance, falls in love after a day, only knows happily ever after, has never kissed anyone), wandering the harsh streets of New York when Robert (Patrick Dempsey, McDreamy) and his daughter Morgan (Rachel Covey) sorta come to her rescue, take her in and show her kindness.

Of course the Prince comes after her and finds that the song and dance stuff doesn’t quite work in the real world while his minion (also the evil Queens minion) tries to find Giselle first, to kill her.

Anyway, Enchanted is hilarious. It’s like, what would it be like if this Fairytale crap was in the real world and it just killed all of us watching it. Plus the stupid little songs DO get stuck in your head. It does get stupidly sappy at the end, like any good Disney movie but, man, the hilarity really makes up for it. In fact, it’s Enchanting. Take your kids, or trick your stubborn husband into going!

Enchanted gets 4/5 LJ Stars

There’s been a lot of hype about Jerry Seinfeld’s new animated project Bee Movie. He stepped out of the limelight after Seinfeld and came back with vengeance to promote Bee Movie, and for good reason. It’s funny.

Starring Jerry Seinfeld as Barry, a bee who decides to venture out of the hive after learning he’ll only have one job for the rest of his life (approximately 9 days), Renee Zellweger as Vanessa, a human florist who saves Barry and ultimately becomes his friend and Matthew Broderick, a bee who is Barrys sidekick and confidante. It also boasts a few other familiar voices like Patrick Warburton best known as David Puddy on Seinfeld, John Goodman, Chris Rock, Cathy Bates and Barry Levinson.

This is a funny movie, and a good one to bring Jerry Seinfeld back in the public eye. The best part was listening to the parts of the movie the kids in the theater thought was funniest (hint: anything that explodes). It’s a sarcastic and informative look at bee’s in a sweet and hilarious way that no one has ever looked at a bee. The parallel from human to animated bee is there, trust me.

The only bad thing I have to say about this movie is the plot. The plot of Bee Movie kind of acts as a bee would act. It’s zippy, twists and turns in the wrong directions and the main plot kind of comes out of no where. It really doesn’t make much sense. But it’s a sweet movie with a great message. BEE true to yourself, and bee’s shouldn’t stop making honey, ever.

Bee Movie gets 4/5 LJ Stars. . .and yes I’m aware my husband will kill me for that as he is a Seinfeld fanatic.

Steve Carell is most known for his role as a pompous, stupid, hilarious regional manager Micheal Scott. He’s also known for his sort of annoying but hilarious immature humor on the big screen. But if you want to see Steve Carell act, I mean really act, you need to see Dan in Real Life.

The premise is this (as told by Wikipedia): Dan (Steve Carrell), is a widowed father of three girls aged 9, 14, and 17, and a newspaper columnist. As the family decides to leave home for the weekend and spend it with the extended family at a reunion, things begin to spice up. Dan, still depressed from his wife’s death four years prior, is sent out away from the home to give his family some space. While in town, he meets a beautiful stranger, Marie (Juliette Binoche), and begins to fall in love with her. He manages to get her number, despite her leaving rather hurriedly after her boyfriend calls. Dan returns home, where it is revealed that his current love interest is none other than his brother Mitch’s (Dane Cook) girlfriend.

And of course wackiness ensues.

The only way I can think to describe Dan in Real Life is genuinely funny, sweet, sincere, real, awkward and relate-able. Steve Carell really proved, at least to me, his acting chops are well in tact and only growing. Juliette Binoche, who has a plethora of French films under her belt like Chocolat, was a nice breath of fresh air. Sometimes in quirky movies like this you’ll get a busty blond regular. It was a nice surprise to have Binoche stealing the screen. And Dane Cook? I’m sorry but I loathe him. HOWEVER, he wasn’t at all annoying in this movie. It was like I was watching an actual actor.

If you need a break from the normal over dramatic or movies with fart jokes, you need to see Dan in Real Life.

Dan in Real Life gets 5/5 LJ Stars

I don’t think I am alone when I say I was really excited to see NBC’s new Wednesday expected hit Bionic Woman. Unfortunately, from almost the moment the premier began last week I was sorely disappointed. So this is my review, a week late, dollar short.

The only way I can describe my feelings on the Bionic Woman is by saying this . . . blarrrhgy. Didn’t like it. Didn’t like one single thing about it. Let me explain.

The woman who plays the Bionic Woman is not a very good actress. The character of the Bionic Woman is not remotely interesting, which is weird because she’s all bionic and stuff. Her love interest is also not a good actor. He’s all shorter and skinnier than her, which is not really believable for me. The rest of the characters are equally forgettable.

So in the first 5 minutes of the premier we find out that Jamie Sommers (the Bionic Woman) is playing mom to her angry sister who was dropped at her doorstep because the dad is a total whacko who probably uses lots of substances and didn’t want her. We find they have a love/hate friend/foe relationship. Then we find she is dating this genius doctor/professor who specializes in what? bionical stuff. They walk around campus and for no reason start asking “why do you love me” and “no why do you love me” and “I don’t have to do everything my dad wants me to just because he’s a wealthy genius!”

Next they go to dinner and Bionic Woman is all “I’m totally pregnant!” and the doctor is like “We’ve only dated for 5 months but I’m so happy you are pregnant, in fact I love you, in fact lets get married.” Then on their way home from dinner someone runs into their car on purpose and she loses 2 legs and an arm and an ear and a leg, thus forcing her boyfriend to decide they should give her all those parts back bionically. Additionally, her boyfriend barely had a scratch. Nice.

Then she turns bionic and meets someone else bionic and they like fight, but take smoke breaks during the fight. It’s just a mess. Not to mention the fact that you can’t hear the dialoge through the background noise and music! Come on people, make a TV series already!

Bionic Woman gets 0/5 LJ Stars. Better luck next time!

If you are looking for a funny, feel good movie this fall, don’t see The Brave One. No, The Brave One isn’t magical, it doesn’t have fart jokes, slapstick comedy, boring dialog and it doesn’t have a fairytale ending. What The Brave One does have is depth, a soul, intelligence and shocking moments you won’t believe.

The Brave One stars ever endearing Jodi Foster as Erica Bain, a radio personality struggling to get her life back after a gang of dudes brutally attacks her and her fiance David in Central Park, ultimately ending in her being incredibly injured and in his death. It also stars the impressive Terrance Howard as Detective Mercer, a good cop trying to make the New York streets safer and catch this new vigilante killer roaming the streets all of the sudden. Betcha can’t guess who!

The Brave One is a heart wrenching story that shows beautifully what it’s like to have to live through a terribly traumatic event. It tugs at your emotions, throws you for loop after loop. Foster and Howard are a perfect match in this film, it’s like they are dancing the way they play this together. Lots of tear jerker moments and “hell ya!” moments to make 2 hours go by in a flash.

I’d say this is probably the best Jodi Foster movie I’ve seen in a long time. Oh, plus you get to see her upper body parts a few times and thats worth 10 bucks for a movie ticket right?

The Brave One gets 5/5 LJ Stars