ShannonAmidala

I've been hearing lots of negativity about this movie. I think a lot of people have been shocked, frankly, by the raw and rough nature of the film. Having read the play, I've been looking forward to it for about a year now, and it's honestly one of the best plays I've ever read. Mike Nichols presents it in an amazing way, very faithful to the words as they're written (and they should be, for the movie is also written by the man who wrote the play, the brilliant Patrick Marber).

It's a brutal topic, sex and love, especially when they're combined. I thought the movie was amazing. It captured all of the vulnerability, caustic harshness, and acerbic flirtation that the play vibrated with. All of the cast brought the movie alive. It uplifts and then brings you way down, but that's the point, and yet at the end, I didn't feel depressed or saddened, just really really awake and curious. It's the feeling you get when you get "closer", I suppose.

Natalie Portman, in a tour-de-force performance, is the standout by far. Maybe it's because she's the youngest, and not expected to be that awesome, but she is. Anyways, her Alice is flirty and sweet, caustic and manipulative, evasive and yet very open, sexual and gloomy all in one character. She has the best chemistry with the men - whether it be purely sensual with Clive Owen, or innocence and affection with Jude Law. She comes alive with the two guys, and their scenes are ones to look forward to.

Julia Roberts, whom everyone looks towards, is not bad in this film. She's very understated and good, but she is outshone in nearly every scene by whomever she's acting with.

Clive Owen is absolutely astounding, and he's definitely on everyone's radar screen. As the man of experience and "simplicity", as Jude Law's character comments, he's brash and hotheaded, but also extremely clever. Owen perfectly plays the sleazy, unlikeable character, but somehow manages to appeal to the audience and even though he's a disagreeable character, I think many managed to find something all right about him - Owen's human sense in Larry.

Jude Law is simply very very good; neither astounding nor bad. The only reason he does not stand out is the fact that we've all expected him to do a good performance. And he does, he has a great performance. He and Portman have amazing scenes together, and he's always on par.

Simply put, the movie is not for everyone (especially not for seeing with a parent or young child); it's a mature adult flick, and does not back down from anything. It's high drama - with all the uplifting romance and brutal arguments of relationships. It's a story about people.

Jennifer Garner is sensational and completely winsome in this delightful movie, 13 Going On 30. Jenna Rink is 13, and like any 13-year-old girl, wants to be cool. It's 1987, and on her party of the year invites the "Six Chicks" and her goofy next-door-neighbor-best-friend, Matt. Her one wish? To be "thirty, flirty, and thriving". Next thing you know, she is.

But there's a price to being "thirty, flirty, and thriving" for Jenna Rink. She has everything she wants, or does she? Mark Ruffalo is really really great as older Matt, and he and Jennifer Garner have lovely chemistry. The movie has a good pace, and the comic moments are not always fall-over-funny, but they always shine! This is due to the top-notch writing and Garner's effervescence. It was great seeing Andy Serkis in a movie after Lord of the Rings, and he was really good.

All in all, the idea may seem hackneyed at first - but it'll surprise you with its wit, youth, and freshness. A great movie!

In this 50's story that takes you back to pre-Revolutionary Havana, Cuba, Katey Miller (Romola Garai) is of a small group of Americans living in the country. Her parents (Sela Ward and John Slattery) try to keep her sheltered, and though she does attend a largely American private school, along with James Phelps (Jonathan Jackson) and her sister Susie (Mika Boorem), she soon drifts into the spicy, rhythm-based center of Havana with waiter Javier (Diego Luna).

The story may seem predictable and a poor retelling, but I really enjoyed it. The actors are all very good, and I was impressed by how fresh and vibrant everything was. The dancing, the music, setting were all top notch and really brought everything to life. The dancing is absolutely astounding, and I really felt like learning the salsa, mambo, and cha-cha after I saw it. :)

The actors are all very, very good. Romola Garai was impressive to me, and continues to impress me after I saw her in Nicholas Nickleby and I Capture the Castle. She's very natural. Some of the dialogue seemed contrived and stilted, but she pulled it off admirably. Also someone to watch out for is Diego Luna. Everyone knows him as Tenoch in Y Tu Mama Tambien, and he does well here - both on the dance floor and on the stage. He can definitely hold his own. Sela Ward and John Slattery were good as the concerned parents, and it was nice seeing Mika Boorem out and about after John Stockwell's rollicking surf flick Blue Crush. Also ones to mention are January Jones and Jonathan Jackson as Katey's American acquaintances.

Everyone instantly rolls their eyes when they see 'Dirty Dancing' tacked on to it, but I encourage people to forget about its predecessor and see the story that Guy Ferland and his team are trying to tell this time around. It's completely different, although at its heart is the same message: as the tagline says, "Break the rules. Find your freedom. Live your life". My only real complaint about the movie was that it was too short. ;)