Catch and Release, 2006

Catch and Release, 2006
Director: Susannah Grant
Cast: Jennifer Garner, Kevin Smith, Timothy Olyphant



Stage: Home TV selection, late Sunday night.



Catch and Release in short: After the sudden death of her fiancé, Gray Wheeler finds comfort in the company of his friends: lighthearted and comic Sam, hyper-responsible Dennis, and, oddly enough, his old childhood buddy Fritz, an irresponsible playboy whom she'd previously pegged as one of the least reliable people in the world. As secrets about her supposedly perfect fiancé emerge, Gray comes to see new sides of the man she thought she knew, and at the same time, finds herself drawn to the last man she ever expected to fall for.


Preps: I don't know the essence of the movie, nor have I heard anything about this piece. But Jennifer can be cute in some romantic pieces. let's see.


Reality: It is an interesting piece. Starts off with irony of the moment. Losing a guy you are supposed to marry is a tragedy. Especially if you really mean it and you are all up to it. Quite another thing is finding out all the secret life he has been living parallel to living with you. This movie deals with loss and getting over by finding out all the bad things about your ex. Somehow different to similar pieces.

Gray is faced with all the dirty details, plus she falls for one of his friends. Scene where they kiss for the first time, is one of more optimal  solutions to the problem, what to do about it. Step aside and think. Not go for it, all the way. The irony of the moment is so strong it keeps me wondering for a long time. The same goes for the dialogues and the black humour witty stuff that keeps my belly trembling with anxiety.

As said, one of the better pieces in the genre, that wants to be some kind of comical drama and succeeds truly. The friends are neat, the family is awful (getting the engagement ring back might seem a good idea as the spouse isn't going to stay in family, but from her perspective it is either highly ironical or unacceptable). I believe I would slap the future ex mother in law in the face. I need to admit Garner plays a tremendous role in this one, compared to some minor ones that I can remember, where she doesn't have the decent glow around her.

Nothing really perticular about this piece, but I do like it. A good Sunday entertainment, truly. Plus, the guy she falls for, cute and charming, Mr Yummy. :)

My personal rating: 6,0 (more than decent Sunday fun. To be sincere, fell to the solid ground).


Catch and Release on IMDB

I am number four, 2011

I am number four, 2011
Director: D.J. Caruso
Cast: Alex Pettyfer, Timothy Olyphant, Dianna Agron



Stage: Local theatre, colloseum.


I am number four in short: Extraordinary teen John Smith (Pettyfer) is a fugitive on the run from ruthless enemies sent to destroy him. Changing his identity, moving from town to town with his guardian Henri (Olyphant), John is always the new kid with no ties to his past. In the small Ohio town he now calls home, John encounters unexpected, life-changing events-his first love (Agron), powerful new abilities and a connection to the others who share his incredible destiny.

Preps: A friend of mine drags me to the movies. I haven't been there for a while, so I don't really care what she will pick. She claims this one to be a good sci-fi. Let's see.


Reality: Well, this isn't a sci-fi movie, just to be clear at the beginning. But it's a good high school adventure - I am not sure, but maybe we should come up with a new genre, that includes vampire movies and similar ones. This piece definitely reminds me of the Twilight saga. Does it come from the same root? Doubtfully, however it does circulate in my mind, everything about teenage vampire movies. This piece is again, located in an unknown city, filled with young high school teens, waiting for some action. And voila, it comes in a shape of extra terrestrial survivors from another planet, that are being chased by another bunch of ET's. The humans here are more in the role of an inhabitant of a certain planet (or playground) of these aliens and the chase until the death is on, while the viewer is pushed with an indefinite romance between an alien and earthling in shape of a lovely (yet wacky) girl.

It just happens every now and then, when I am in the middle of the movie, that the mind drifts away to this concept of a wild goose chase and an impossible romance. The concept is so similar to the Twilight, that in my honest opinion, if you are a fan of that saga, you will absolutely adore this piece. Nicely put together, a strong posture in terms of adventure chase/fight/battle scenes and good versus evil. However in this case, the saints are the one to be rescued. This is the distinctive competence in aspect of Twilight. There you should first adopt the idea of liking vampires and then the fact that they could have feelings too. Here you have an adorable kid that strives for true love and wants to be a member of a regular family instead of the one he's having, being tired of the chase and wants to settle forever (isn't it funny how we never are satisfied with the things that are ours and always want to have something that neighbour has (even if as in this case, it comes in a shape of a cheesy dinner with parents that are cracking unfunny jokes and making a positive attitude towards the family spirit - if you buy that, of course).

The ending of this piece is pretty predictable, yet another flash arrives in a shape of an avenger (the number 6), and the dog, transforming into chimera (or being chimera and transforming from a dog to a poisonous animal). It brings the last breath out of the spectator and yes, I recommend it to all of those, that die when watching something similar to lately popular vampire teen movies. Could it really be a new genre that we are seeing here? Most probably.


My personal rating: 7,5 (a very highly positioned movie in its genre and a good combination of teen love, striving for something new and unusual, yet old and traditional when trying to settle in. Fresh and new cast, new faces and a good act).

I am number four on IMDB

Rango, 2011

Rango, 2011
Director: Gore Verbinski
Cast (voices): Johnny Depp, Isla Fisher, Timothy Olyphant


Stage: Local colloseum, row 7, late screening


Rango in short: Rango is an ordinary chameleon who accidentally winds up in the town of Dirt, a lawless outpost in the Wild West in desperate need of a new sheriff.


Preps: The newest hottest thing in our local cinemas. The kids going crazy about this. I don't know much about it, still waiting for a cartoon to catch my mind completely like How to train your dragon. Will this be it?



Reality: Well, first you take a bowl. And think about cool movies with Johnny Depp. Or cool cult movies, like Pulp Fiction. And some magic from Harry Potter. Stick it all in, mix it up and shake it, not stirr :)

Result - voila - Rango. Definitely an animated adult movie. Not much children can really take from this, but a whole wide range of stuff for the adults. OK, we have the fight between good and bad. But, to really phylosophically ask yourself, who you are and who you can become - pretty adult stuff to my knowledge. And furthermore, you get to see the remorsement period of a young chameleon, when he needs to buy his way out of his lies. It's pretty realistic, considering the facts you have stated in this movie. If you need to stand out, a way with rebuilding your image (or lying about it), could do the trick. Until the people realize it's all been a joke. And you are then mocked like you have never been before. One of the craziest and greatest ideas of the movie is definitely to stand and face the enemy (or a rival), no matter his size and no matter his backup. And in this glory there's a good chance you will get lucky and win. Apart from that, chasing the wrong thief seems to be the hot red line in the movie. Quite normal for our everyday life, I believe that many people could relate to this very much. Or chasing the wrong impression, the wrong thing (in this case, an empty bottle of what it was supposed to be water).

A substory in capitalism, bringing all the good of the world to more developed parties (Vegas, in this sense), on the account of poor and unimportant others, that cannot influence the decision of money stakeholders (mayor in this example). Lots of goodies for my brains to think about. Luckily I am not a child anymore, not in the thinking part, anyway. Children wouldn't find all these treasures in this piece.

It is packed in good music, good script and great performance. I can almost see Depp in the Pirates and I can smell Travolta in the Pulp Fiction. The snake and 3D movement, reminds me of Harry Potter. The characters remind me of old Disney stuff I was crazy about.

All in all it's a good piece, a good soup came out of this bowl. I think it could be considered as the animated version of the Pirates of Carribbean. In some sense, it really is. Depp really got his soul buried in this and makes an excellent dinner to dwell upon.


My personal rating: 7,5 (only because I think the piece could be more original. You will spend a lot of time thinking hmmmm, where have I seen this before? :) But a strong recommendation. One of better ones lately. And for sure it will rise the chameleon sales worldwide. As it did for the Ratatouille movie - with the rats)



Rango on IMDB