I hope everyone had a great 4th of July! We spent it just lougning around; but it was a great day of rest inandof itself.
I also went to Blockbuster to rent some movies; got mom "Failure to Launch" and also got "Cellular" which I've been wanting to see for a long time. Was also going to get "8 Below" and wouldn't you know they run out. The lady there said about 30 minutes earlier to when I checked out, that sucked but got two movies for the night.
First up was "Failure to Launch" With Matthew McConaughey (Do I really have to tell ya who he is?) as the lead who at 35 years of age still lives with his parents. Said parents are played by Kathy Bates (Fried Green Tomatoes, Misery) and Terry Bradshaw (Hall of Fame Quarterback for Pittsburgh Steelers).
Sarah Jessica Parker (Sex and the City) plays a woman who dates men who still live with their parents, to get them to move out. She is hired by Al & Sue (Bradshaw and Bates respectively) after one of their friends had sucess with her.
Tripp (McConaughey) is a 35 year old bachelor, who dates just for the fun of it and breaks off the relationship when the girl goes "serious". He does this by taking her to 'his' home, where the parents pop up and the woman runs away...screaming. Tripp is accompainied by his two buddies, who also live with their parents, Demo (Bradley Cooper; Alias, Kitchen Confidential) and Ace (Justin Bartha; National Treausre, Teachers). Ace is the small nerdy friend living his his mom's basement, and Demo is the free sprit who is basically just a nomad in this thing we call life.
After Tripp and Paula (Parker) casually 'run into each other' in a furniture store Tripp sees his next playmate. They go on several dates, and Tripp relays all the fun they have with Demo and Ace while Paula goes home to her roomate Kit (Zooey Deschanel, Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy). Paula tells how she goes through steps with all her clients and they eventually gain self confidence to move out on their own!
Kit has some funny scenes with a mockingbird that of course mocks her mercilessy. Paula takes Tripp through the 'steps' and they of course get close.
But wait! Its never that simple; Paula is found out by Ace and Demo and the story goes even more hokey there.
Its really just an average run of the mill Romantic Comedy. But, I do love basically all of the cast members, so that made up for the hokey story lines. Bartha and Cooper are great supporters for McCounghey; and Deschanel reminds me a lot of her sister Emily. So all in all, if you like the cast as much as I do check it out, otherwise its just run of the mill and a 5.5 out of 10.
Now onto "Cellular". Was I disappointed in my long wait to see this movie?...read on:
This movie, like Launch has a cast I really do love. And the movie is very fast paced too; it starts up and within a minute it lets her rip and doesn't let up until the end. We start off with Jessica Martin (Kim Basinger; The Natural, Batman, 8 Mile) walking her son Ricky Martin (dunno the kid, but a funny convo about his name occurs in the movie...) to the school bus. Important to know she is a high school Biology teacher for further happenings in the movie.
Back at the Martin's home, Jessica is talking to the maid when five men come in through her back door and take her hostage (led by the character Ethan; Jason Statham, The Transporter, The Pink Panther) ; to a warehouse in outer LA they go; locking Jessica in the attic. All that she has is a shattered phone, and wondering why they'd take her.
Cut to the Santa Monica Pier where we meet Ryan (Chris Evans, Not Another Teen Movie, Fantastic 4). Ryan's just there for the fun with his friend Chad, and he sees his ex Chloe (Jessica Biel, 7th Heaven, Texas Chainsaw Massacre). Chloe dumpred Ryan for being immature, self centered, you know the drill. And Ryan wants to redeem himself by helping her and her friends (one comically called Nipples) with the "Save the Bay" fundraiser.
Off he goes to get them T-shirts when after hours of clicking together phone wires, Jessica gets through to Ryan's cell phone. Telling her story Ryan is a little skeptical; but goes to the police station to help her out. Where we meet up with Mooney (William H. Macy; Fargo, The Cooler, Seabiscut, man this guys been in a lot of stuff...hopefully you know who he is...) who after his 27th year in the force is going to retire with his wife and make a Beauty Parlor....darn no its a DAY SPA! :D
At the station, things get rowdy over gang members and Ryan is left alone with Jessica on the other side. He hears Ethan return to the attic on the other line, telling Jessica to cooperate or her son will die. So, Ryan leaves to go after Ricky before the kidnappers do, leading up to a cahin event story that had me on the edge of my seat the whole way through. He has run ins with security officers, a funny run in with a lawyer (Alex, you'll know him if you see him; and you'd enjoy what he goes through in the movie), and ultimately the kidnappers themselves.
I don't want to go too much further to spoil an awesome movie, but Evans shows his acting chops against vets like Basinger and Macy and holds his own very well. A gripping story, and catchy score to go along with it keeps your heart pounding to the last second of film. This movie will defiently become a part of my permanent collection soon, and I recommend all of you guys to check it out. A very worthy 9/10.
Just a heads up, both movies enjoy using the word shit....over and over and over...
Gub'na | 
