A trendy guide to relationships
Submitted by Denerstein Unleashed
Here’s what you need to know about “He’s Just Not That Into You,” provided that the word “trendy” makes you run for cover.
– The movie is a big-screen adaptation of a bestselling 2004 relationship guide by Greg Behrendt and Liz Tuccillo. The book’s subtitle: “The No-Excuses Truth to Understanding Guys.” The whole thing reportedly was inspired by a line from a “Sex and the City” episode. Need I say more? Need you hear more?
– “He’s Just Not That Into You” has been filled with a variety of pretty faces, actresses with a definite appeal for a female audience in which ages top out at about 40 — and probably skew a little younger.
– The key players in this ensemble are Jennifer Aniston (as a woman who’s been living with a guy for seven years and wants to get married); Jennifer Connelly (as a wife who’s renovating a house with her less-than-committed husband); Ginnifer Goodwin (as a young woman who wants a relationship but tries too hard); and Scarlett Johansson (as a singer who’s not sure what she wants, maybe another movie with Woody Allen.)
–Goodwin currently can be seen as the impetuous Margene in “Big Love.” In that popular HBO series, she plays one of three wives in a Utah family that believes in “the principle;” i.e., multiple wives. Here, she can’t even get a date.
– The movie was directed by Ken Kwapis, who directed “The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants” and who has a lot of experience in television. It shows.
– An episodic “story” is interrupted by self-conscious monologues that enumerate the ways in which men are dogs.
– There are some amusing moments, and everyone is attractive, but the movie tries too hard to reflect the contemporary social scene, at least as its experienced by a variety of young, reasonably affluent residents of Baltimore.
– Many guys are going to be dragged by their dates to see this movie.
– Kris Kristofferson has a blinkingly tiny role as Aniston’s father. Ben Affleck plays one of the nicest guys in the movie, prompting what might be its only lingering questions: “What’s the world coming to?”
KEEP ON PUSHING — OR, ON SECOND THOUGHT, DON’T
I decided to attend a preview of “Push,” the new sci-fi action movie, because the movie was filmed in Hong Kong. I’ve never been. I want to go. Movies may be the closest I’ll ever get. “Push” offers some great shots of teeming city streets, sleek glass skyscrapers, a harbor dotted with small boats and a variety of bustling markets. Too bad, the actors sometimes block the view.
Watching “Push,” all I could think about was the meeting that might have taken place when this misshapen mess was hatched. What if we took a really confusing story, created a bunch of characters with paranormal powers, wrote some bad dialogue, incorporated a variety of special effects that evoked memories of movies such as “The Matrix,” and hired actors who seem committed to showing only one facial expression? Sounds like a winner to me.
“Push,” which features characters who are pushers, movers and watchers, tells the story of Nick Gant (Chris Evans), a guy who’s trying to hide from The Division, a force dedicated to capturing people with paranormal powers and using them as weapons. He’s joined by Cassie Holmes (Dakota Fanning), a teen-ager who can see into the future. That’s what watchers do. Nick is a mover, he makes objects float through the air. Pushers, by the way, don’t sell drugs; they penetrate people’s minds and overwhelm them with the power of suggestion. Everyone runs around madly with director Paul McGuigan setting a frantic, panicky pace. Talk about ruining a trip to Hong Kong.
Whether it's an old movie or a new release, we love movies. Let's hear your thoughts. Register on Movies and Film Blog now and get published within minutes. Before posting, it is recommended that you review our posting guidelines.
