I love movies, but let’s be honest, they’re not cheap. Even going to the pre-noon super cheap matinee ($6) still adds up when you love movies like me but don’t download them illegally.

So a friend tipped me off to a few sites to check out for free screening passes and I was fortunate enough to get some for a sneak peek at Hillary Swank’s new movie, Conviction.

Below is a spoiler-free look!

Movie: Conviction

Rating: R

Release date: October 15, 2010 (limited release)

Everyday Adventures’ grade: B

Summary: Siblings are great but also a real pain sometimes. Devoted brother and sister Kenny and Betty Ann Waters (Sam Rockwell and Hillary Swank) are put to the test when Kenny is jailed on murder charges and Betty Ann goes to extremes to prove his innocence. This includes getting her GED, BA and law degree to help him get out of jail. Whoa, I definitely am not that close to my brother.

My thoughts: This is a true story and usually, movies like this really get me. I love watching the struggle and ultimately the happy ending (in most cases). And yes, I did tear up at several parts but there was something about the movie that didn’t sit right with me.

I love Sam Rockwell, he was great in Confessions of a Dangerous Man, Moon and well just about every other movie he’s in, but his character is tough to really connect with. Even with a tough background, his in ability to get a hold of his life and urges to act out become really tough to watch. And Hillary Swank is great, as always, but her uneven accent and steadfast determination also become a bit much. I’m not doubting her character’s devotion but maybe I feel more amazed at that level of devotion between her and her brother.

Betty Ann had a 16 year ordeal to help her brother, including giving up many important things in her life. I don’t want to sound cynical but in these days, I don’t know many people who would even think to do that.

For me, Minnie Driver stole every scene. Her character provided a nice balance to Swank and the heaviness of the story. Love her. Peter Gallagher also had a small but impressionable role, too bad he didn’t come in until the second half of the movie.

Verdict: Personally, I would wait until Netflix or Redbox. But whether you see it on the big screen or at home, it’s worth checking out.

Okay, first, big thanks to Katelin for pointing out that in my rush to get this review together, I did not change the intro to this post. DOH!

Moving on, I’m trying to get back on track with movie watching and after choosing The Town last weekend, I got back to the theater ASAP to see the other movie I really wanted to: Easy A. Let’s take a closer look!

Movie: Easy A

Rating: PG-13

Release date: September 17, 2010

Everyday Adventures grade: B+

Summary: The game of telephone ends up changing the high school cred and reputation of student Olive (Emma Stone) after she tells a little white lie. Suddenly she’s a pimp and ho for all the boys of her school, looking to find some way to survive high school’s torment. Oh, memories.

My thoughts: I’ve been gunning to see this movie since I saw the first trailer. Lately, I’ve been a little deceived by movie trailers, being that the final product doesn’t live up to the sneak peek, but this one really did deliver. It’s a typical teen high school comedy but it is way better. Why? It’s smartly written with a mix of dry humor and real emotion, without having to rely on slapstick or sexual, crude humor.

It’s a little like Mean Girls with the wit but without the snide, sarcastic bite. But it’s still great. Emma Stone really is the breakout star of this movie. She’s sweet, relatable and funny. She reminded me of Adam Brody on the OC and Lindsey Lohan in Mean Girls. I liked her in previous movies, Superbad and even Ghosts of Girlfriend’s Past. She has a great presence and does really well carrying this movie.

And with her, she has a great supporting cast that add to the humor of the movie without overdoing it or fighting for screen time. My favorites: Patricia Clarkson and Stanley (hottie) Tucci as her parents, Amanda Bynes as the “poor man’s Mandy Moore from Saved” and Penn Badgley, who finally shows that he can be someone OTHER than Dan Humphrey.

The music is really great in the movie too, even when making fun of Natasha Beddingfield’s Pocketful of Sunshine. I fear that I will be downloading that from iTunes tonight.

Verdict: Definitely check this out, even if you wait until Netflix or Red Box. It’s really funny and just a good watch. I look forward to seeing more of Emma Stone in the future!

What about you? What are your favorite teen movie?

I love the Boston accent. There is something about it that makes me wish there was an “r” in every word so it can be rolled properly. When I was in Boston last summer, I could NOT get enough of native Bostonians talking. No joke. Lobstah rolls? Awesome.

Well, it wasn’t the Boston accent that drove me to pick The Town at today’s movie (more like Ben Affleck’s chiseled abs) but it didn’t hurt. Plus, I wanted to hear some rapid gun fire. That’s weird. Let’s move on :)

Movie: The Town

Rating: R

Release date: September 17, 2010

Everyday Adventures grade: B

Summary: You do not want to f*ck with the people of Charlestown Boston, especially the slightly crazy, emotionally conflicted crew of Jeremy Renner, Ben Affleck and two other guys who say a total of five words in the entire movie. Fortunately, not all the hot men are bad because John Hamm is gunning to get order in Charlestown, while killing Ben’s relationship with hostage Rebecca Hall. East Coast tough.

My thoughts: Despite some missteps the last few years, Ben Affleck is pretty talented (and better looking than Matt Damon, in my opinion) and lately, he’s been on the up and up thanks to diversifying his work behind and in front of the camera. I thought he did a great job directing Gone Baby Gone and with The Town, he’s back in Boston, but this time acting and writing the screenplay he directs.

Overall, The Town isn’t a bad movie. It’s well directed, edited and acted. One of the major things I love in this movie is that it’s an odd postcard to Boston. Sure it focuses on bank robberies and violence, but Affleck does have a real affection for the city and the gritty reality it holds. I also really love that he continuously casts everyday Boston residents in the film and gives me that screen time in the movie. He did this in Gone Baby Gone and I think it’s a real strength. Not everyone is waxed, polished and perfectly blonde and muscular.

Jeremy Renner and Ben Affleck are strong, same with Rebecca Hall and John Hamm. Hamm, who still infuses is tough FBI agent with Don Draper mannerisms, shines nicely in this. And hearing him get all tough and say “f*ck” a few times still made me swoon. With the right material, he has a lot of non-Mad Men potential. I was disappointed Chris Cooper didn’t have a larger role and that Blake Lively didn’t get to do more with her character. Although her bra deserves a best supporting actress nod, it did an amazing job.

For me, the story was strong but I found a few holes in it. Ben’s character is conflicted but you never really understand why, which leads to a moderately unfulfilling end because you don’t understand his main motivation to leave the bank robbing business. Minor characters appear in the movie as well, such as Pete Postlewaite, but you don’t see how they totally fit in the picture either and the overall story. Maybe these are things you aren’t meant to understand, but while you find yourself siding with Ben’s character (surprisingly), I think that background would have given more emotional weight.

But Affleck does handle the internal struggle and past pain of his character well and each does a great job of wearing it on their sleeves. I’m curious to see what Affleck does as his next project and hopefully, it’ll be back in Boston again.

Verdict: Worthwhile to see, especially if you want some nice man candy and suspense

Did anyone else see it this weekend? What did you think?

I can’t say I’m a Will Ferrell superfan, but the guy is funny. SNL? Solid. Anchorman? Hilarious, even now. But sometimes, his stuff is a little…predictable. I can’t say that Stepbrothers or Semi-Pro really blew my mind (at all). However, what I like most about Will Ferrell movies, such as Talladega Nights and Anchorman, is a solid supporting cast.

So this weekend, WG2 and I went to check him out in The Other Guys w/hottie Marky Mark.

Movie: The Other Guys

Rating: PG-13

Release date: August 6, 2010

Everyday Adventures grade: B

Summary: Allan (Will Ferrell) and Terry (Mark Wahlberg) are two NYPD desk cops, only Terry wants to be out in the action to rebuild his image after accidentally shooting a Yankee. They stumble on a case, yell at each other, and soon learn, they are really an opposites attract team. Sound familiar *cough* *buddy cop movie* *cough*

My thoughts: Yes, this is a buddy cop movie, but it’s actually pretty good. I’ll be honest, Will Ferrel is just doing his thing, being over the top, loud and punch-line hilarious. But who really surprised me was Mark Wahlberg. Yes, he’s still got the tough-guy attitude but he’s actually pretty funny, especially paired with Ferrel. They scream at each other in frustration, which got a little tiring after a while but watching Ferrel try to melt Wahlberg’s cold exterior was pretty funny.

Eva Mendes was also well placed as Ferrel’s ridiculously hot wife. She’s not showing a ton of range, but he was funny and gave as well as she took from the other more comedy-focused cast. Adam McKay (Talladega Nights) directed and found a good balance of the comedy and action. Steve Coogan, Anne Heche and Michael Keaton are also strong as the supporting cast.

Verdict: If you’re  a raging Will Ferrell fan, see it (if you haven’t already), otherwise, this is a great Netflix movie to watch on a weekend. I wouldn’t rush out to see it but it’s still worth it.

What about you? What’s your favorite Will Ferrell movie?

I’ll be honest, I didn’t love the movie 500 Days of Summer. I did love the music, Zooey Deschanel’s clothes and Joseph Gordon-Levitt but I was not a fan of their character’s relationship dynamic and how…unhappy it was. TC thought I was nuts and said in response to my negativity, “well, it’s realistic.”

I guess she’s right, but I finally got back into the theaters and saw a movie I liked way more and I thought was more accurate, realistic portrayal of modern day relationships.

Movie: Going the Distance

Rating: R

Release date: September 4, 2010

Everyday Adventures grade: B+

Summary: Garrett and Erin (Justin Long and Drew Barrymore) meet in a bar, have a one night stand and then fall in love. I wish that’s what actually happened after the walk of shame :) But she lives in San Fran and he’s in New York. Unwilling to give up on their great connection, they decide to try a long distance relationship and find it’s not as easy as they thought it would be.

My thoughts: I compare this movie to 500 Days of Summer and although the music in this one isn’t as good, I think it’s a much better story. The chemistry between Justin and Drew is pretty undeniable and at parts, you feel like you’re peeking in on their possibly real-life relationship, without feeling intrusive. Vince Vaughn and Jennifer Aniston’s relationship in The Break Up was also very realistic but there, I felt more uncomfortable watching them fight, than I do watching Justin and Drew fall in love. You can see how much their characters compliment each other and really are adorable together.

The other thing I really liked about this movie is the accurate and dead-on way they show the evolution of a relationship and the struggles with long distance relationships. You can see how Justin and Drew’s relationships evolves from a crush, to frantic sexual attraction to a deeper connection, which is where the complications really come in. It’s not about the physical urges, it’s about the emotional ones not being met by being so far apart and the urges to find temporary solutions to them locally. I really enjoyed watching that and found myself really rooting for them.

The movie also has an AWESOME supporting cast of really funny characters by Charlie Day, Christina Applegate, Jim Gaffigan and Jason Sudekis. Each rotates around the main characters and really makes certain parts of the movie really funny. I cried laughing twice. The real standout from this group is Steve Day from Always Sunny. The guy is absolutely hilarious and a total scene stealer. Jim Gaffigan also gets major props.

The only complaint I had about this was the line it flirted with to become a teen gross-out like comedy. In parts, it did make sense, but at times, it felt really unnecessary and not genuine, especially at one part near the end. It was likely there to get guys in the seats too, but really, the male supporting casts’ banter would be enough (I think) to do that.

Finally, I hope that one day I have a roommate that DJs my hook ups too. That’s a great roommate.

Verdict: Definitely see it, but if you’re not in a major rush, you can wait for Redbox or Netflix.

What about you? Did you see it?