Holy geez it’s been a while since I did a movie review blog post. Sorry guys! I haven’t been able to do the screenings or even make it to the theaters lately so I’m behind. But I’m catching up so expect more soon.

Let’s just go right into the movie I saw this weekend staring two of the biggest superstars in the world: Johnny Depp and Angelina Jolie. Can their star power and sex appeal make this movie out of this world?

Movie: The Tourist

Rating: PG-13

Release date: December 10, 2010

Everyday Adventures’ grade: B-

Summary: Frank is a teacher from Madison, WI (WOO WOO!) who is on vacation in Italy when he runs into a smoking hot woman, Elise (Angelina Jolie,) who keeps him on his toes and on the run from multiple guys with guns. Women.

My thoughts: I don’t want to give away some of the twists so I’ll say this, the movie was okay. The scenery in Paris and Venice was amazing. Literally, I cannot wait to go to the latter in 2011. Much like Eat, Pray, Love, the scenery is to die for but the story is a little lacking. In this case, the main things I love in this movie are the scenery and Angelina Jolie’s fashion. Seriously, I wanted to steal every single thing she wore and rock it around Chicago. She is bringing back opera-length gloves in one swoop and I am riding that train.

The story. The trailer definitely paints an intriguing picture but only part of it comes to the screen. The movie seems to want to be a comedy, action movie and mystery/thriller but it doesn’t really come across as any of them. And the fact that it jumps around among them, makes it a little confusing. But parts did make me laugh even if the action scenes fall a little flat. Even the “big reveal” at the end confused me, fortunately my friend could clarify.

Johnny Depp is perfect (as always) as the hapless Frank and Jolie smolders and prances around looking beautiful all the time (I think the clothes helped that) and even Paul Bettany (A Beautiful Mind) is funny. Basically, it will make you want to run off to Europe for a little adventure and that’s not bad either.

Verdict: Wait for DVD, but if you want to see it, go to a matinee. But you will seriously love the scenery!

Are you a Johnny and/or Angelina fan?

Before I started working in communications, I had dreams of being on TV. Initially, it was to be on-air talent, but then I thought about being a producer. Neither of those careers worked out in the long run, but while chasing them, I did spend a summer working at a local TV news channel and it was…interesting.

That is partially why I was super excited to see a screening of the new Rachel McAdams (hey girl crush!) movie, Morning Glory.

Let’s take a closer look.

Movie: Morning Glory

Rating: PG-13

Release date: November 10, 2010

Everyday Adventures’ grade: B

Summary: Becky (Rachel McAdams) is a Type-A workaholic morning show producer who is attached to her Blackberry (probably keeps it on vibrate) and is trying to revive a struggling morning news show with pissy, b*tchy, diva anchors (Diane Keaton and Harrison Ford) while sexing up a co-worker (Patrick Wilson). Girl, I would sex him up too if he was unmarried, straight and worked in my office.

My thoughts: First, I have to call out the Oasis lyric on the poster. When I first heard about the movie, I did think back to that song, but I’m not totally loving how they’re playing on it in the poster. But I’ll let that go. There are some great parts to this movie that made me cry laughing, and some that made me roll my eyes. If you’re looking for a scene like the meltdown in “Network,” you will not find that here, but it’s a fluffy, light look behind the scenes of morning television, which, turns out, can kind of suck.

McAdams is beyond adorable in this, using her charm to light up every scene she’s in, even if she has a tendency to grate on you with the sugary sweet charm. But, seeing her brought back a lot of memories of me starting out in my career. So she’s a keeper, but not all of the supporting cast gives you warm fuzzies. Diane Keaton is tolerable as the diva co-anchor who is supposed to have an Odd Couple-like relationship with Tom Brokaw-inspired Mike Pomeroy (Harrison Ford). I would give anything to see Harrison Ford just SMILE in a movie. He is as tough and gruff (again) as they come here, even in a sharp suit, but at least he doesn’t yell, “where is my family!?,” so that’s a plus. Even McAdams has an after hours relationship with co-worker Patrick Wilson, who doe s not spend enough time shirtless in this movie. Seriously, every time I looked at him on screen, I heard a bell in my head go off that said, HOT!

But the real relationship is between Ford and McAdams (platonic of course), however, it’s tough to really connect. Ford is rigid and difficult and McAdams tries to balance it out by being over-the-top. This works for awhile but soon enough, it wears on you. Throw in a few cliche romantic comedy moments and this is a fun, marshmallowy movie for a Saturday afternoon.

This isn’t a bad thing, but I did expect a little more…umph in the movie. But, I still laughed, cried from laughing and had a few moments of gripping my friend’s arm so it was worth it :)

Verdict: Check it out on a rainy day or on Netflix.

What movies have you seen lately?

Yep, I’m still hitting the free screening circuit in Chicago and about a week ago, I was super lucky to get tickets for TC and me to see a preview of the upcoming Jake Gyllenhaal/Anne Hathaway movie Love and Other Drugs.

This was on my list of must-see movies when it’s released and I’ll be honest, I love a little Jake G man candy. Ever since he was on the cover of Entertainment Weekly years ago in a soaking wet blue dress shirt, I was in LOVE.

Let’s take a closer look.

Movie: Love and Other Drugs

Rating: R

Release date: November 24, 2010

Everyday Adventures’ grade: B

Summary: Jamie (Jake Gyllenhaal) is a man whoring, free spirit who attempts to become a full adult by taking a responsible job as a drug rep in the Midwest (hey! I live in Chicago, call me!) While pimping out the drugs to doctor’s offices (and banging any female in sight), he meets Maggie (Anne Hathaway) who may actually get him on the straight and narrow.

My thoughts: I liked this movie. I had no idea what to expect but I was pleasantly surprised by both Jake and Anne, who obviously have great chemistry (from the few scenes they had in Brokeback Mountain) and have an easy, fun banter between them. And yeah, Jake is shirtless in many scenes and it’s everything I hoped it would be :)

But in reality, there are a lot of sweet moments in the movie. Jake is as charming and slick as you can imagine but without making him smarmy, he’s captivating to watch and really, you can’t help but hope he gets himself together. There’s something you can relate to, watching him struggle to make his own way from a successful family only to wonder if all the rebelling has left him dangling out on a lifeboat for too long. Yes, I wanted to rescue him and fix him up (hopefully with his shirt off).

The best scenes are really him and Anne together talking (in between all the sex scenes and shots of Anne’s bare boobs, hello!). There is a real intimacy between them and honesty coming from them both that shows their tough facades as really a front. Those conversations felt real and made one scene at the end feel very emotional. Seriously, I was dabbing my eye and I think TC was too.

We were also fortunate to have Ed Zwick, the director, to speak to the crowd. One of Zwick’s earlier movies was the 1986 movie “About Last Night” with Rob Lowe and Demi Moore set in Chicago (I heard about this from “I Love the 80s”) and he said this had a similar feel to it. After watching this one, I agree with it. I see a lot of parallels to it. The movies are very open about sex between the two main characters, but rather than turn it into a soft porn, it’s a way to show them connecting, leading to the real emotional intimacy I mentioned before.

Also noteworthy, Josh Gad, who played Jake’s brother. Seriously, the guy was hilarious and was entertaining in every single scene.

Verdict: Worth checking out, but if you are a little uncomfortable with movie sex, wait for Netflix.

Are you a big Jake Gyllenhaal or Anne Hathaway fan?

I didn’t join Facebook until two years ago, and before then, I had no intention to join. It seemed…dumb and a waste of time. Well, then I joined (after much prodding from my brother) and now I’m on it almost daily. Sure there are things I don’t like about it (Farmville, poking) but it has helped me reconnect with old friends and even a long-lost family member.

And ever since the trailer for The Social Network ran before Inception, I’ve been WAITING to see this. Let’s see if it was disappointing.

Movie: The Social Network

Rating: PG-13

Release date: October 1, 2010

Everyday Adventures’ grade: A

Summary: Harvard sophomore Mark Zuckerberg (Jesse Eisenberg) gets dumped, gets angry and decides to channel his energy into a new project…which becomes the largest social networking site in the world. But along the way, he learns that the more successful the company becomes, the more responsibility it requires and what it could cost him. Kids.

My thoughts: I was really amped to see this movie all week and it didn’t disappoint. It was smartly written, acted and directed, the trifecta for a good movie. Aaron Sorkin, well he is not short on words, and the way he adapted the story was really genius, told from various perspectives as Mark faces lawsuits from his former best friend and Facebook CFO (Andrew Garfield) and insanely hot Harvard twins and their business partner (Josh Pence, Armie Hammer and Max Minghella). Being sued for $600 million? That is a bad day.

Jesse Eisenberg does his best work to date here. I loved him in Adventureland and Zombieland but this is really him at his best. He’s biting, arrogant and a huge a**hole but behind that facade, he really is a sweet, lonely kid. He just goes about his good intentions all the wrong ways. And holy crap he’s brilliant too and socially awkward. Andrew Garfield (who is moving up on my “hot actor list”) is also great as a suave, smart and betrayed friend, who tries to do right by Mark but ends up pushing him toward Sean Parker (Justin Timberlake) who leaves him in the dust.

I still think JT needs to go back to making music (and bringing me some sexy back) but he plays the electric, magnetic Parker really well. Listening to him and Mark talk in a club had me almost pulling out my wallet to write a check for whatever he’s selling. There is a profile of Parker in the latest issue of Vanity Fair and it’s very good (in case you want to check it out).

The movie takes you on a variety of emotions and it doesn’t take sides. I found myself identifying with several people and seeing the story from their perspectives moves you all over the place too. The final scene was very bittersweet for me, making me want to give Mark a hug, even though he was a total d*ck throughout most of the movie :)

Verdict: I’m poking you to go see this. And I’ll update my Facebook status to prove it!

Did you check this movie over the weekend? What were your thoughts?

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.