Oh my gosh I missed going to the movies. Now that it’s summer, I plan on spending lots of time at the theater watching sh*t get blown up and having some laughs. And free AC.

Traveling last week kept me away from the theater but now, I’m back!! Well, I’ll be more back after Vegas, but still :)

So let’s catch up on a movie kicking off summer: Iron Man 2.

Movie: Iron Man 2

Rating: PG-13

Release date: May 7, 2010

Everyday Adventures’ grade: B

Summary: Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr) has outted himself at Iron Man so what’s a man to do with all this publicity and fame? Well, have a health scare, witty banter, travel to exotic locations and blow some sh*t up. Bring it on!

My thoughts: I loved the first Iron Man. It was witty, action-packed and was just flat out entertaining. And RDJ was just…hot as Tony. He’s a guy who can save the world, smooth talk you and make you laugh. Sounds like a winner.

And I really wanted to like this movie more than I did. Yes, I liked it. It was funny, sh*t was blown up and there were some great action sequences, but…it was a little cluttered.

Tony is joined again by Pepper (Gwyneth Paltrow) and his best buddy Rhodie (Don Cheadle replacing Terrence Howard) but now we meet Tony’s new nemesis’s Whiplash (Mickey Rourke) and Justin Hammer (Sam Rockwell, whose character name still makes me think of Dr. Horrible). Add in a bit of ScarJo sassiness and well, we have a pretty big cast. A big cast where’s difficult to ensure everyone gets screen time and a full character arc, cough ScarJo.

RDJ is still charming as Tony but Pepper has been reduced to a screeching assistant/love interest/CEO, but I love Gwenie so I’ll let it slide. Don Cheadle is entertaining as Rhodie 2.0 but there was something about Terrence Howard that made that character jump. I am a big Sam Rockwell fan (even if Moon was a little weird) and he’s mildly evil as Justin, but all I could stare at was the self tanner line on his hands. I have no idea if that was intentional, honestly.

Jon Favreau is a great director and a good cameo actor too. I’m looking forward to seeing more of his work, but I hope in Iron Man 3, they simplify the story, cast and get back to the humor a bit more. But if RDJ can keep flexing those arms, I’ll buy that movie ticket any day.

What did you think about Iron Man? Did you like the original or sequel more?

It was a rainy Chicago weekend and after a little bit of cabin fever, I hit the movies for some warm, fuzzy, fluffy fun.

Sometimes, you just want to turn your brain off and have a laugh. That means it’s time for a romantic comedy!

And TC is likely going to be mad when I reads I went to see this without her, but when it’s lousy outside, your options of affordable entertainment are slim.

Let’s take a closer look.

Movie: The Back-up Plan

Rating: PG-13

Release date: April 23, 2010

Everyday Adventures’ grade: B

Summary: Zoe (Jennifer Lopez) is a single woman living in Manhattan and after years of dating Mr. Right-Nows, she’s ready to forge ahead with motherhood sans man. And of course, as soon as she’s inseminated, she meets Mr. Right (Alex O’Loughlin). Does that actually happen?

My thoughts: In case you didn’t know, JLo is back and looks amazing after having twins. I know this because I got to see plenty of gratuitous shots of her flat abs (b*tch!), ample bosom and smoking hot curves during the 90 minute movie. Thanks JLo.

Overall, this was pretty good. Sure, it falls into Manhattan rom com stereotypes: gorgeous apartment (that normally she could never afford), endless fabulous wardrobe, endless hot friends that go to all the hot spots and everyday person job that likely doesn’t pay to withstand her insanely awesome lifestyle. Yes, there are cheesy lines, yes, JLo overacts at parts and bats her eyelashes and has sex goddess Barbarella hair that is perfect coiffed at every second, BUT there was actual heart and substance behind this that kept me interested, and *gasp* I related to.

Instead of JLo giving up her career to find love, she is already accomplished and went after her non-corporate dream to have a better life balance. She is persistent and knows what she wants and goes to get it without relying on a guy in her life. She also has trust issues with men, always waiting for the next one to leave her and avoiding emotional attachment to help mitigate the sadness when they do leave. Um, did JLo read my diaries?

It was nice to see this kind of character development for female rom com characters because most of them are the opposite, sacrificing their career ambitions for a guy. And because a lot of JLo’s character issues are similar to mine (minus the baby part), I felt like I could connect with her and even nodded along when she misbehaved, etc.

On the cosmetic side, the man candy from Alex O’Loughlin in this movie is pretty insane. He’s slightly damaged, smoking hot, loves cheese (WIN!) and works on a farm shirtless. Um…where you been all my life? I hope to see him in more movies coming up because abs and pecks like that should not go to waste.

Also on the superficial side, a nuance I liked about this movie is that I saw JLo repeat a lot of the same outfit pieces. Normally, rom com movies have a SATC-like closet where nothing is ever repeated. It was nice to see Jenny can be just like us :)

If you’re looking for a good rom com, I highly recommend Date Night, but this is a good…back-up option. PUN!

Did you see the movie? If so, what did you think?

Normally I would post a new movie review today but because I wasn’t in the mood for Kick-Ass or The Jonses, I have nothing new to report!

So I decided to take a look back at some of the worst, most painful movies I’ve ever seen. Trust me, these are hours of my life I will never get back. And that makes me sad.

Let’s take a look:

Because I Said So

I love Diane Keaton…in Annie Hall. I wanted to love the premise of this movie, meddling mom helps her youngest daughter (Mandy Moore) meet a guy but Keaton was so over the top, annoying, screeching and obnoxious that I wanted to pierce my eardrum. And the last scene of the movie sealed why this was so awful.

Stepbrothers

I know this came out when Will Ferrel could do no wrong and I loved him and John C. Reilly in Talladega Nights but this was just awful. I don’t mind gross humor but this was just gross. I laugh at anything and I barely laughed at this at all. Maybe I would like it more if I was a guy.

The Goods: Live Hard, Sell Hard

The trailer for this movie lied. Flat out. What I saw in the theater previews and then saw on DVD rental for this movie were two TOTALLY different films. It was so bad, I got up and started cooking while it was playing. I could barely stand to finish it. Jeremy Piven, you did real wrong here.

Donnie Darko

I honest to god did not understand this movie. Friends adore it and my brother loved it but honestly, I just didn’t get it. It was a little dark and alternative for me and while I tried to keep an open mind, I just could not get through this. No thank you.

Rumor Has It

I had a feeling this would end up badly when Rob Reiner stepped in to direct this two weeks into shooting because the original director backed out. And I definitely know why. I love Mark Ruffalo but Jennifer Aniston in this movie…is awful. And whiney and screechy. There is one scene with Shirley MacLaine and Mena Suvari that was so awful, I put the TV on mute.

The Whole Ten Yards

Great example of a great movie (The Whole Nine Yards) that had to be made into a sequel and was made into one that was so awful, I actually fell asleep in the theater. Matthew Perry and Bruce Willis were great in the original but both are reduced to bumbling, screeching, intolerable versions of their original characters in this movie. I really hope they just did it for the cash.

What are some of the worst movies you’ve ever seen?