Something Borrowed

Something Borrowed is a romantic comedy of long lost loves and secrets of the heart.  Rachel, played by Ginnifer Goodwin falls in love with Dex in college.  Instead of telling him how much she loves him, she lets her best friend, Darcy, played by Kate Hudson, take him from her.  Through the years, she keeps her true feelings a secret until the night of her birthday.  A little too much party, a little too much drink and a lot of emotions lead to a night of bliss and a morning of regrets between the two.  What do you do when you sleep with your best friends boyfriend and to top it all off – they’re engaged!!  Needless to say - a love triangle is forged and secrets come out that change the course of all of their lives.  For me, the best part of the movie was John Krasinski, who plays Darcy’s friend Ethan.  He had the best lines in the movie!!  Otherwise it was an ok movie with an ok cast.

Limitless

Who wouldn’t want to be able to think clearer and faster and use 100% of their brain instead of the 20% that’s always quoted?  I would think most everyone would.  The movie Limitless takes you on that ride.  The main character, Eddie, a down and out wannabe writer, comes across a pill that is guaranteed to open up new connections in the brain and allow you to focus completely and have access to everything you’ve ever read, seen, heard or thought about – and it’s all completely organized in your “new” brain.  The catch is that the effects of the pill only last so long, you also might die if you stop taking them, and the pills are incredibly rare.  This causes a lot of problems for anyone involved.  It’s not long before Eddie’s life changes for the better and his newfound intelligence and new lifestyle catch the attention of some of the most powerful people in the business and financial worlds.  Everyone wants a “piece” of Eddie and his world is either going to flourish or come crashing down on him and everyone he’s associated with.  It didn't seem that far-fetched watching it, which makes it a lot easier for me to buy into.  Makes you wonder what you would do in his situation...

Arthur

OK, I admit it.  I enjoyed this movie.  I didn't want to.  I'm not a huge fan of Russell Brand.  And who could replace Dudley Moore?  I liked the original.  It was a classic.  I always say you shouldn't mess with a classic.  But, I think what I liked about this one was that Russell Brand wasn't trying to "be" Dudley Moore - he was being Russell Brand.  It was definitely over the top in a lot of scenes and totally unrealistic, but it was also fun - and very funny!  And Helen Mirren was great as his nanny, Hobson.  Overall, it was the same story as the original - he's incredibly wealthy, has never really grown up, is drunk most of the time, and finds his true love where you would least expect.  But, it's also updated for current times - the original is 30 years old!  And the story isn't exactly the same, so it's not really like watching a remake.  I actually found myself not even thinking about the original.  I didn't think that would happen!  So, yes, I liked it.  It was funny.  It was witty.  It was silly.  It was a good movie to get away from reality for awhile.  I'm glad I watched it!

Arthur

Can I say how much I enjoyed Russell Brand in this movie?  I thought he was the perfect actor to play Arthur.  Arthur was made famous by the talented Dudley Moore so when this movie came out – I was a little bit leery.  Like Eric said, it was a classic!  I wasn’t expecting it to be the “same” movie but it did have the same heart to it.  Russell Brand, did a really good job in this role.  He was funny, warm, silly, and very much embraced this character that you couldn’t help but feel sorry for him.   His relationship with his nanny, played beautifully by Helen Mirren was my favorite part of the whole movie.  The chemistry between the two was the heart of this movie.  I didn’t think the other characters worked or were believable, but I enjoyed this movie for the same reason Eric did – it wasn’t Arthur of the 80’s but a new version with some new laughs, heart, and soul.  Give it a chance - you might just enjoy yourself!

Soul Surfer

Soul Surfer is a movie for the whole family to watch!  It is Bethany Hamilton's true life story that at the age of 13, in 2003, she lost her arm to a shark while surfing.  Bethany’s story isn’t about the shark but about her life, her family, her faith, and her desire to still be Bethany!  This film is her family’s story of how they dealt with the loss of a limb and possibly - the loss of a major surfing career for Bethany.  Raised by surfing parents, her whole life was surrounded by water and the love of surfing.  One fateful day, while surfing with family friends - a shark came out of nowhere and bit her arm off right under the shoulder.  Rushed to the hospital with a low chance of survival the doctors were able to save her life. That is where her story begins. Bethany went on to learn how to surf with one arm and continued pro surfing winning various awards and became a symbol of hope to many others.  This is an upbeat film with a positive message.  Check it out for a family night of entertainment plus the library has several books by her if you’re interested in knowing more.

Soul Surfer

I think most everyone is familiar with the story for this one – the 13-year old girl who was surfing and had her arm bitten off by a shark.  I was really looking forward to watching Bethany Hamilton’s story and was not disappointed!  I liked it.  A lot!  It wasn’t a movie about the shark attack that’s trying to be a thriller – it was more a movie about dealing with things that happen in life, no matter how bad they are, and not letting them ruin you or take over your thinking and still be able to “live” without regrets.  She was positive and upbeat, but she had her down times, too, just like anyone would.  Surfing was her life up until that point, so it was quite an adjustment just to move forward and not know what she was going to do after the attack.  She decides that a missing arm is not going to stop her and keep her dreams from coming true - and will do anything she can to become a professional surfer.  I thought many of the scenes were very powerful!  I was almost up yelling and cheering "She did it, she did it" when she was back on the board and stood up for the first time!!!  So yeah, I liked it!  Makes me want to take up surfing after watching it!  It was nice to have a movie "live up" to what I was wanting it to be - and more!!!