Step Up 2 The Streets

Step Up 2 The Streets (2008)
Starring: Robert Hoffman, Briana Evigan, and Adam Sevani
Directed by: Jon M. Chu
SC=5 V=5 C=4
Grade: A++

This is one of the best sequels ever, where it not only is as good as the original but almost tops it. Briana Evigan is, by far, the coolest of all of the Step Up girls and Robert Hoffman is awesome. Plus, Adam Sevani makes everything better. Andie (Evigan) is part of a dance crew that gets in trouble a lot. She's lived with her mom's friend since her mother died and the woman has had enough. Andie's friend Tyler Gage (cameo by Step Up star Channing Tatum) talks the woman into giving Andie one more chance to change by going to Maryland School of the Arts, the school that changed him. After Andie gets accepted, with a little help from the director's little brother Chase (Hoffman), she sees that going to this school will not be anything like she thought it would. But with her new friend Moose (Sevani) and help from Chase, she puts together a dance crew to compete with her old crew. Where will they battle? The Streets, of course. The Streets is a battle of the best dance crews, where they bring their best moves. But will Andie's new crew of misfits be able to bring it? Or will they end up burning out, just like Andie will if her second chance doesn't work? Not only does this movie have amazing dancing all the way through, but the dance at the end is one of the best dances I've ever seen (in the rain?! Heck yes.). Oh, and make sure to keep an eye out for Christopher Scott, choreographer on So You Think You Can Dance. He plays Hair.

Step Up

Step Up (2006)
Starring: Channing Tatum, Jenna Dewan, and Mario
Directed by: Anne Fletcher
SC=4 V=6 C=5
Grade: A++

This is one of my all time favorite movies (it helps, of course, that this movie has great dancing and stars Channing Tatum...which would help any movie). Tyler Gage (Tatum) is a tough guy who has had a hard life. After vandalising a performing arts school, his punishment is to serve his community service at said school. There, he meets Nora (Dewan), a very driven ballet dancer who is working on her piece for the end of the year showcase. After her partner is hurt and unable to practice, Tyler witnesses her auditioning students for a person to practice with, none of them good enough. Nora, on a whim, lets Tyler audition and decides that he's the only one that can handle the lifts. Nora's classical style and Tyler's street style clash from the very beginning. But what no one sees coming is that they actually gel and work out a new piece for the showcase that is the perfect blend between both styles. But, when Nora's old partner comes back, will she stick with Tyler or choose the easy way out? Jenna Dewan is good and Channing Tatum is his usual hot self, just with more dancing this time. And, boy, is he a good dancer.

The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants

The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants (2005)
Starring: Amber Tamblyn, Alexis Bledel, America Ferrera, and Blake Lively
Directed by: Ken Kwapis
Based on the book by: Ann Brashares
SC=5 V=3 C=4
Grade: A+

This movie is beautiful. The four girls are perfectly cast. Tibby (Tamblyn), Lena (Bledel), Carmen (Ferrera), and Bridget (Lively) are four best friends that are going to be apart for the summer. After they find a magical pair of pants that somehow fit all four of their very different bodies, they decide they will stay together by sending the pants back and forth between them. Tibby stays in their boring hometown, working at a local grocery store. But after she meets Bailey, a little girl who fainted in the store, her summer becomes more interesting. Bailey helps Tibby make her documentary on people in the town. As she and Bailey become closer, it becomes clear that Bailey is hiding something. Shy Lena is sent to spend the summer with her relatives in Greece. There, she meets the handsome and charming Kostas. She learns from her grandmother that Kostas' family are enemies of their family and Lena realizes they are like Romeo and Juliet. Carmen spends the summer with her father in South Carolina. She is suprised when she finds out that he has a new family. And, of course, they don't get along. Bridget spends her summer in Mexico at a soccer camp. She thinks one of the coaches is really cute, but they can't date because he's one of the coaches. As the pants circle around each of the four girls, a miracle happens when the girl wears them. But not all miracles are what they appear.

Little Miss Sunshine

Little Miss Sunshine (2006)
Starring: Abigail Breslin, Greg Kinnear, and Paul Dano
Directed by: Jonathan Dayton and Valerie Faris
SC=7 V=5 C=9
Grade: A++

This movie has some very foul language, but it is absolutely adorable. Olive (Breslin) is a chubby little girl who was entered into a beauty pageant by her aunt. All she wants to do is be Miss America. So, when the winner of the pageant has to pull out and Olive qualifies for the Little Miss Sunshine pageant, her dysfunctional family decides to go. Richard (Kinnear) and Sheryl (Toni Collette), Olive's parents, decide they have to drive her all the way to California, because they can't afford a plane ticket on Sheryl's salary, because Richard is trying to sell a self-help technique. Olive's grandpa, Edwin (Alan Arkin), decides that she can't go without him (as he is her coach), which means they must bring Frank (Steve Carell), Olive's suicidal uncle, and Dwayne (Dano), Olive's brother who has been silent for a year. As the family sets off for California, they meet many, many obstacles, including the bus not starting unless they push it, Richard's rejection by the executive that promised to sell his plan, and the death of a family member. But everything will be worth it when they get there. Or will it?

August Rush

August Rush (2007)
Starring: Freddie Highmore, Keri Russell, and Jonathan Rhys Meyers
Directed by: Kirsten Sheridan
SC=4 V=5 C=4
Grade: A+

I loved this movie when I saw it the first time in 2007 and I loved it just as much rewatching it now. Freddie is, as usual, great. Keri Russell is good and Jonathan is his normal hot self (and great actor, too, of course). Evan Taylor (Highmore) lives in an orphanage but knows that his parents are out there. After a meeting with a social worker named Richard Jeffries (Terrance Howard), he decides to go to the city to find them. There he meets up with Wizard Wallace (Robin Williams) who takes Evan "under his wing" and teaches him how to perform (Evan is a musical prodigy. He can pretty much pick up an instrument and play it perfectly the first time.) Evan's talent apparently came from his parents, Lyla (Russell) and Louis (Rhys Meyers), who had one night together but were separated by Lyla's father. Louis never knew Lyla was pregnant and Lyla was told by her father that the baby died after she was in a car accident, but he was really put up for adoption after her father faked her signature. After her father tells her the secret, she sets out to look for Evan, who she would have found if he would have stayed in the orphanage. After a chance meeting with Richard Jeffries, Lyla finds out what the baby's name is. But, what Lyla and Jeffries don't know is that Evan is now going as August Rush. Will they be separated forever? Or will fate find a way to put all three together? Watch for the adorable scene with Evan and his father, neither of whom know who the other is. So sweet.

Monte Carlo

Monte Carlo (2011)
Starring: Selena Gomez, Leighton Meester, and Katie Cassidy
Directed by: Thomas Bezucha
SC=3 V=2 C=1
Grade: A++

The three girls in this movie are adorable. I've always loved Selena and the few things I've seen Katie in, she's been good. I'm always surprised by Leighton Meester. She is really good in this movie, especially because she is so different from most of the characters she plays. Grace (Gomez) has finally saved enough to go on her trip to Paris and is going to take along her best friend, Emma (Cassidy). Her newly married mother and step-father make arrangements for Grace's step-sister, Meg (Meester) to go too. She's very studious and never has any fun, so Emma, the fun loving and crazy best friend, is not happy about her coming along. Once they get to Paris, things don't get much better. The tour Grace picked goes to fast, the rooms they booked are terrible, and the tour eventually leaves them behind at the Eiffel Tower. After getting caught in the rain, they go into a nice hotel to dry off, with Grace saying she wants to leave because nothing is how she imagined it. As Grace goes into a stall, Cordelia Winthrop Scott comes out. Emma and Meg are amazed at how much Grace looks like Cordelia. When they overhear that Cordelia is going to try to get away for a couple days, they talk Grace into pretending to be her for a couple hours so they can get food and rest in a nice hotel. The next thing they know, it's the next morning and they are rushed from their room to a limo waiting to take them to Monte Carlo. As the girls get deeper and deeper in their lie, they meet new people that make it harder and harder to tell the truth.

Bad Teacher

Bad Teacher (2011)
Starring: Cameron Diaz, Justin Timberlake, and Jason Segel
Directed by: Jake Kasdan
SC=8 V=4 C=7
Grade: C-

I was really excited about seeing this movie. My friend and I knew it was R, so we knew it would be kind of raunchy. And while we don't like that, what we really don't like is just plain weird. And this movie was WEIRD. Just freaky stuff. Cameron was annoying and witchy with a b, Justin Timberlake was very, very odd, and Jason Segel was the only likable character, but that is only because everyone else was so awful. Elizabeth Halsey (Diaz) is retiring from being a teacher to marry her very rich fiance. But, when he finds out that she doesn't like him all that much, he breaks off the engagement, which means that Elizabeth has to go back to teaching and back to finding another husband. Russell Gettis (Segel), the gym teacher, thinks he's the perfect person but Elizabeth has her eye on adorable and shy substitute teacher Scott Delacorte (Timberlake), heir to a very large watch fortune. As she tries to get around Scott's new girlfriend, Amy Squirrel (played by Lucy Punch), Elizabeth realizes she has more to worry about as Amy is out to try to prove that Elizabeth is not only a thief and takes drugs, but is a bad teacher.

Transformers: Dark of the Moon

Transformers: Dark of the Moon (2011)
Starring: Shia LaBeouf, Rosie Huntington-Whiteley, and Josh Duhamel
Directed by: Michael Bay
SC=5 V=7 C=4
Grade: A++

I loved the first Transformers movie and hated the second (it was awful). But, when the trailer for this one came out, it looked so good I decided to go ahead and see it. And I'm so glad I did. This movie was so great, I'd say it even outdid the first one. Shia is great, as always. And Rosie was actually much more likable as Carly, Sam's new girlfriend, than Megan Fox as his old one. And a major awesome bit, they used the song Iridescent by Linkin Park, which is one of my favorite songs (also used in the epic YouTube video Katniss and Rue). Sam Witwicky (LaBeouf) is having trouble adjusting to his new life of no excitement, no recognition, and no Bumblebee. Even his girlfriend Carly (Huntington-Whiteley) has a glamourous new job working for Dylan (Patrick Dempsey), a really rich guy that collects cars. Sam soon learns that the Decepticons are, yet again, trying to take over Earth (You'd think they would have learned by now...) and the Autobots have to defeat them again. Like many Michael Bay movies, the story isn't all there. But good characters and epic fight scenes more than make up for it. (The scene in the office building, which is, like, 20 minutes long, is especially awesome.)

The Back-Up Plan

The Back-Up Plan (2010)
Starring: Jennifer Lopez, Alex O'Loughlin, and Michaela Watkins
Directed by: Alan Poul
SC=5 V=3 C=3
Grade: A

First of all, I love JLo in any movie she's ever in. And this is no exception. She's adorable as Zoe. And Alex O'Loughlin is equally adorable. Zoe (Lopez) is a girl who has always wanted to have a baby. And since she hasn't met the man of her dreams, she decides she's going to take matters into her own hands and have a baby via artificial insemination. That same day, she meets Stan (O'Loughlin). Of course, he actually is the man of her dreams. He's sweet, caring, smart, and oh-so-good-looking (seriously...he's gorgeous). After dating for a while, she finds out that she's pregnant. Of course, this is a shock to Stan but he decides to stay with her and be the father. But Zoe, who has had everyone she ever loved leave her in some way, keeps waiting for Stan's inevitable freakout, not opening herself up to him to protect herself. The warning on this movie says it can scare teenagers because of the fact that parenthood is getting closer. My family and I laughed it off. I can tell you right now: I will never laugh off that kind of warning ever again. Several scenes were truly terrifying and I was forced to rethink my position on parenthood. So, the lesson here is...pay attention to warnings. They might save you a lot of pain.

Die Hard

Die Hard (1988)
Starring: Bruce Willis, Alan Rickman, and Bonnie Bedelia
Directed by: John McTiernan
SC=3 V=6 C=7
Grade: A++

This is one of those classic action movies that everyone says you have to see. And I agree with them, wholeheartedly. I was surprised, but I loved it. Action packed and Bruce Willis is awesome, as always. John McClane (Willis), who's even cooler than Jack Bauer...never thought I'd say that, has just arrived from New York City to spend Christmas in Los Angeles with his wife (Bedelia) and kids. What he doesn't know is that a group of terrorists (the leader played by Rickman) have taken over his wife's building and are holding everyone hostage. As the terrorists evade the police, it is up to John McClane to not only get the police to surround the building but stop the terrorists before they start killing hostages. The entire movie, from about ten minutes in to the end, is all action and very exciting. My favorite role of Bruce Willis's by far. Definitely worth watching!

Beastly

Beastly (2011)
Starring: Alex Pettyfer, Vanessa Hudgens, and Mary-Kate Olsen
Directed and Written by: Daniel Barnes
SC=3 V=4 C=3
Grade: A+

I loved the book this movie was based on, but I had heard that the movie wasn't good at all from several different sources. I kept an open mind throughout the movie and I loved it. This movie is a modern take on Beauty and the Beast. Alex Pettyfer is very endearing as Hunter (not so much as Kyle) and I am convinced he would have made an excellent Peeta in The Hunger Games, Vanessa Hudgens did a respectable job (for the first time ever) as Lindy, and Neil Patrick Harris is amazing, as usual. But, who surprised me more than anything, was Mary-Kate Olsen. She and her sister were my favorite actresses growing up, but I haven't liked any of their recent movies. I thought Mary-Kate was AMAZING as Kendra. Just the subtle hints of evil she shows were really awesome. Kyle Kingsbury (Pettyfer) is a rich snob who thinks everyone who isn't rich and good-looking shouldn't be allowed to be around anyone who is. Lindy (Hudgens) is a poor girl who goes to his rich school on a scholarship. They happen to meet one night, but Kyle dismisses it, not knowing that this night will change his life forever. After trying to humiliate an outcast student named Kendra (Olsen), she reveals that she's actually a witch and places a curse on him. If he doesn't find someone to love, that will love him back, in a year, he will stay ugly forever. For the first half of his year, Kyle mopes around his new house that his father bought for him, to make sure no one saw him, taking his misfortune out on his housekeeper Zola (Lisa Gay Hamilton) and his blind tutor Will (Neil Patrick Harris). After he sees Lindy again, he starts following her and, after saving her life, he arranges for her to stay at his house for protection. Kyle (calling himself Hunter now) finds himself falling for Lindy. But will Lindy ever be able to love a person with a face like Hunter's?

The Breakfast Club

The Breakfast Club (1985)
Starring: Emilio Estevez, Molly Ringwald, and Judd Nelson
Written and Directed by: John Hughes
SC=6 V=4 C=9
Grade: A++

This is not only one of my favorite 80's movies but one of my favorite movies period. The interaction between the cast (which also includes Ally Sheedy and Anthony Michael Hall) is brilliant and John Hughes's direction is spot on, as always. The movie is the story about five kids from completely different cliques all thrust together for one day of Saturday detention. There's Andrew (Estevez), the jock, Claire (Ringwald), the princess, Bender (Nelson), the criminal, Allison (Sheedy), the basket case, and Brian (Hall), the brain. As they spend the day getting to know each other (reluctantly in some cases), they realize that what they thought about each other was completely wrong. There is not a lot of "action" in this movie. The real prize (and why it is highly regarded as the epitome of films about teenagers) is the clever dialogue and the way the actors deliver it and portray how truly hard it is to be a teenager in high school.

Red Riding Hood

Red Riding Hood (2011)
Starring: Amanda Seyfried, Shiloh Fernandez, and Billy Burke
Directed by: Catherine Hardwicke
SC=6 V=6 C=3
Grade: A+

I had wanted to see this movie in theaters, but couldn't find the time. So, I bought it as soon as it came out on DVD. I loved it! Amanda Seyfried once again proves how talented she is. Both Shiloh and Max were very hot leading men. And I love Billy Burke in anything. Valerie (Seyfried) is a beautiful young woman torn between two men. She's in love with the brooding outsider, Peter (Fernandez), but her parents have arranged for her to marry the wealthy Henry (Max Irons). Valerie and Peter plan to run away together when they learn that Valerie's sister has been killed by the werewolf that prowls around the town at night. While the men go to hunt for the wolf, the town priest (Lukas Haas) sends for famed werewolf hunter Father Solomon (Gary Oldman). After the wolf strikes again, the townspeople have no choice but to trust Father Solomon as he tries to find the wolf that is clearly someone in town. The wolf also can talk to Valerie and wants her to come with him, or he will kill everyone she loves. It soon becomes clear that the wolf is someone Valerie loves, so she can't trust anyone. Not even Peter.