The Ugly Truth
It truly pains me to say I enjoyed this movie but I actually did. The truth is, there was no reason for this movie to be good. Its two leading actors, Katherine Heigl and Gerard Butler are pretty terrible (or at least in this movie). The plot is an absolute cliché. No matter how much the cast may try to convince you in interviews that it is an original story, don’t believe them. It is the typical boy meets girl, for some stupid reason they hate each other, and then for some even more ridiculous reason, they fall in love at the end and live happily ever after. Yet somehow, the movie is still entertaining, though highly unoriginal.
The Ugly Truth stars Katherine Heigl (“Grey’s Anatomy”) as Abby, a morning news television producer. When the show’s ratings begin to plummet, the show brings in Mike (Gerard Butler), the rude, misogynistic host of a local public access show call “The Ugly Truth.” The show is basically Mike standing in front of a camera telling women, very graphically, how to sexually please a man. After much resisting, Abby finally caves and grudgingly jumps on the bandwagon. As Mike and Abby’s professional relationship flourishes, so does their personal one. To make a long story short, they fall in love and live happily ever after. As if you didn’t already know that.
As I said previously, there is no reason why The Ugly Truth is an entertaining movie. In fact, all signs would indicate that it would be a terrible movie. Neither Gerard Butler nor Katherine Heigl is good at comedy. In fact, they are terrible. Heigl forces the comedy relentlessly. It’s not fluid at all. She thinks she has the acting chops to do comedic movies like this one and 27 Dresses but she doesn’t. However, she does show signs of maybe someday being able to do somewhat dramatic roles. As for Gerard Butler, he had moments of funniness but overall, he should just stick to action roles like his hugely successful action flick 300.
The Ugly Truth may be as cliché as romantic comedies come but it is still fun to watch once. However if you are really looking for a good romance film, I highly recommend (500) Days of Summer. I give The Ugly Truth a B-.
The Ugly Truth stars Katherine Heigl (“Grey’s Anatomy”) as Abby, a morning news television producer. When the show’s ratings begin to plummet, the show brings in Mike (Gerard Butler), the rude, misogynistic host of a local public access show call “The Ugly Truth.” The show is basically Mike standing in front of a camera telling women, very graphically, how to sexually please a man. After much resisting, Abby finally caves and grudgingly jumps on the bandwagon. As Mike and Abby’s professional relationship flourishes, so does their personal one. To make a long story short, they fall in love and live happily ever after. As if you didn’t already know that.
As I said previously, there is no reason why The Ugly Truth is an entertaining movie. In fact, all signs would indicate that it would be a terrible movie. Neither Gerard Butler nor Katherine Heigl is good at comedy. In fact, they are terrible. Heigl forces the comedy relentlessly. It’s not fluid at all. She thinks she has the acting chops to do comedic movies like this one and 27 Dresses but she doesn’t. However, she does show signs of maybe someday being able to do somewhat dramatic roles. As for Gerard Butler, he had moments of funniness but overall, he should just stick to action roles like his hugely successful action flick 300.
The Ugly Truth may be as cliché as romantic comedies come but it is still fun to watch once. However if you are really looking for a good romance film, I highly recommend (500) Days of Summer. I give The Ugly Truth a B-.
Up
I am sure most people would agree that almost every Pixar movie ever made, dating back to Toy Story in 1995, has been a mesmerizing cinematic experience. Not only have the graphics improved exponentially over the years since, but the stories have also reached the point where children and adults alike can enjoy the films. Up most certainly has the highest number of adult themes I have ever seen in a Pixar movie, which adults can appreciate when talking the children to the movies.
Up is about a bitter old man, Carl, who lives alone in the house he and his now deceased wife lived in for almost their entire lives. Now, Carl (voiced by Ed Asner) decides to literally pick up and embark on an adventure of a lifetime. Along for the ride is a young Wilderness Explorer named Russell who is in the midst of trying to earn his “Helping the Elderly” badge. Throughout the course of their cross-continental trip, the duo encounters a number of obstacles including giant, mythic birds, talking dogs, and a power-hungry old man who battles Carl in a hilarious conclusion.
While Up is obviously a film children will undoubtedly love, it also touches on a couple very adult situations. That said, Up is the first Pixar movie to be rated PG since The Incredibles in 2004. Although the graphics and other effects in Up are beautiful, they are definitely not as good as, say, Finding Nemo. The voice acting is as good as can be expected. However newcomer, Jordan Nagai, as the voice of Russell, was as cute as could be. He did a superb job. I give Up an A-.
Up is about a bitter old man, Carl, who lives alone in the house he and his now deceased wife lived in for almost their entire lives. Now, Carl (voiced by Ed Asner) decides to literally pick up and embark on an adventure of a lifetime. Along for the ride is a young Wilderness Explorer named Russell who is in the midst of trying to earn his “Helping the Elderly” badge. Throughout the course of their cross-continental trip, the duo encounters a number of obstacles including giant, mythic birds, talking dogs, and a power-hungry old man who battles Carl in a hilarious conclusion.
While Up is obviously a film children will undoubtedly love, it also touches on a couple very adult situations. That said, Up is the first Pixar movie to be rated PG since The Incredibles in 2004. Although the graphics and other effects in Up are beautiful, they are definitely not as good as, say, Finding Nemo. The voice acting is as good as can be expected. However newcomer, Jordan Nagai, as the voice of Russell, was as cute as could be. He did a superb job. I give Up an A-.
Up In The Air
One of the best ways to describe this movie is ‘unexpected.’ The smart, witty dialogue, the inclusion of such a bright young actress and the fact that George Clooney didn’t just seem as though he was walking through the role, made Up in the Air a surprisingly wonderful film.
Up in the Air stars George Clooney as a Ryan Bingham, a man who spends most of the year traveling the country firing people for a living. A young ingénue, Natalie Keener, enters the picture with the new idea of firing people anywhere in the country from a computer screen. Being old fashioned, Bingham feels that because being fired is already one of the worst moments for a person, the least their company could do is the humane thing and continue to do it in person. To prove to the board they should continue to travel to do their job, Bingham takes Keener on a trip around the country to show her why the human interaction is so important. On the road Bingham begins a relationship with a woman who also spends most of her time traveling. Keener, meanwhile continues to try to convince Bingham her way is more effective, time-wise and financially.
Up in the Air is so much deeper than the story lets on. Each character has a unique personality. When we first meet Keener, she resembles a young version of Clooney’s character in the sense that she still feels like she can do anything and that she has all the answers to life’s questions. Clooney, on the other hand, is a perfect example of how lonely his job can be if you are good at it. As the trailer for the film tells us, although he is constantly surrounded by other people, he lives a very isolated life. That is why his relationship with the woman he meets on his trip is so important.
The dialogue truly is the greatest aspect of this film. The script may even be the best of 2009. So many of today’s films rely heavily on visual effects and other details that used to be implemented to enhance a film, not be the main attraction. Up in the Air takes us back to the days when dialogue truly made a film great. Hopefully, this movie will be able to jumpstart that very important trend again.
The other excellent aspect of the film is the acting. George Clooney is a very good actor but it seems like most of the roles he plays are not stretching his abilities. His character in this movie does just that. He actually shows real emotion in this film and I found myself truly caring about his character for the first time in years. Anna Kendrick, who plays Natalie Keener, is perfect. In the span of a 2-hour movie she is able to transform her character from a girl who looks and acts like she has all the answers to a mature adult who realizes that no one has all the answers in life.
If you are anything like me, you saw the trailers for this film and thought, at best, it deserved a rental. Take it from me, this film is much more than it seems. Go see Up in the Air. I give it an A-.
Up in the Air stars George Clooney as a Ryan Bingham, a man who spends most of the year traveling the country firing people for a living. A young ingénue, Natalie Keener, enters the picture with the new idea of firing people anywhere in the country from a computer screen. Being old fashioned, Bingham feels that because being fired is already one of the worst moments for a person, the least their company could do is the humane thing and continue to do it in person. To prove to the board they should continue to travel to do their job, Bingham takes Keener on a trip around the country to show her why the human interaction is so important. On the road Bingham begins a relationship with a woman who also spends most of her time traveling. Keener, meanwhile continues to try to convince Bingham her way is more effective, time-wise and financially.
Up in the Air is so much deeper than the story lets on. Each character has a unique personality. When we first meet Keener, she resembles a young version of Clooney’s character in the sense that she still feels like she can do anything and that she has all the answers to life’s questions. Clooney, on the other hand, is a perfect example of how lonely his job can be if you are good at it. As the trailer for the film tells us, although he is constantly surrounded by other people, he lives a very isolated life. That is why his relationship with the woman he meets on his trip is so important.
The dialogue truly is the greatest aspect of this film. The script may even be the best of 2009. So many of today’s films rely heavily on visual effects and other details that used to be implemented to enhance a film, not be the main attraction. Up in the Air takes us back to the days when dialogue truly made a film great. Hopefully, this movie will be able to jumpstart that very important trend again.
The other excellent aspect of the film is the acting. George Clooney is a very good actor but it seems like most of the roles he plays are not stretching his abilities. His character in this movie does just that. He actually shows real emotion in this film and I found myself truly caring about his character for the first time in years. Anna Kendrick, who plays Natalie Keener, is perfect. In the span of a 2-hour movie she is able to transform her character from a girl who looks and acts like she has all the answers to a mature adult who realizes that no one has all the answers in life.
If you are anything like me, you saw the trailers for this film and thought, at best, it deserved a rental. Take it from me, this film is much more than it seems. Go see Up in the Air. I give it an A-.