But what the movie talked about very truthfully was how men see women and what they really want, with the most brutal honesty. Sometimes exaggerated slightly but other times right on the money.  However, the characters were the ones that were overly exaggerated in their stereotypical roles.

I would have very much preferred to see someone else who wasn’t as hot as Katherine Heigl played the role of a woman who is unable to land herself a man. Perhaps a scene could have been devoted to show how this woman was transformed by Gerard Butler’s character from the proverbial ugly duckling.

None of the jokes were original; crude languaging were thrown in to substitute for lacking in everything else, and to give that “different” kind of entertainment; but luckily the actors made it work, barely. But what’s Kevin Connolly doing in there in that one lousy scene that could have been done by anyone else?

Rating: 5 / 10

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The actors weren’t good. They don’t have the power of attraction. Hayden Panettiere doesn’t have the look of a leading lady. And hence there’s no one to carry the movie. But then again, maybe her fans will think differently.

The overall plot was weak, the attempt was weak, the execution was weak. A very weak movie from start to finish.

Rating: 3 / 10

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Funny and entertaining enough, it’s even interesting and amusing.

But yes, nothing new here and we’ve seen this plot thousands of times before. Plus it’s Matthew McConaughey yet again in his typical take on a character that didn’t really separate himself from other previous roles.

At least this time the premise was fun and Michael Douglas was having fun with his role as we got to see his romps in the yester-years. His charms were hard to resist, and that’s what McConaughey was lacking a lot.

The rest of the cast was just adequate to push the movie forward, and unfortunately Jennifer Garner was one of them. But credit have to go to director Mark Waters for keeping the fun intact throughout.

Rating: 6 / 10

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Deja vu – Sandra Bullock back in a role that’s quite similar to the one in While You Were Sleeping, and that church scene was just too familiar. The only difference with her character here was that she’s a super-successful workaholic.

Even with a generic, Hollywood-formula story; this movie had a great cast to make it entertaining.

Starting with the 87-year-old TV icon Betty White still has all that it takes to steal scenes from her younger and better looking cast-mates. She was the heart of the family in the story and one of the reasons the two lead characters fell for each other.

Craig T Nelson and Mary Steenburgen played Andrew’s parents and provide additional drama and comedy. The downside was there wasn’t enough room for Malin Akerman and funny-man Oscar Nunez to shine.

But nothing would have mattered had it not been for the blindingly-bright chemistry between Ryan Reynolds and Sandra Bullock. Both were great comedians in their own right and both played off each other so well with impeccable comedic timing that it’s as if the script by Pete Chiarelli was tailored for the pair.

Let’s face it, Bullock is no Meryl Streep (or at least not yet). But she managed to bring out her version of The Devil Wears Prada and nailed the hard-shell veneer with a soft and emotional centre down to generic perfection.

Reynolds definitely is an up-and-coming lead actor. He’s been in quite a few big roles already but none that has made him a household name yet. If this movie didn’t do it for him, he still will be come 2011 with his starring roles in two big budget comic book movies.

But one big disappointment here was the romance. The direction by Anne Fletcher was never clear enough to show exactly when both leads fell for each other. The audience had to be told that they were inexplicably in love, rather than feel their romance blossom.

Fortunately, the best thing about this movie, despite mediocre writing and a structured formula, was the spark and flair of the Reynolds-Bullock combo that sparkled just enough to steal your heart away.

Reviewer’s Rating: 6 / 10

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The writers did a fine job creating the swashbuckling character of Buck who entertained to no end and did not steal the limelight from the original cast. His loony even brought out the funny from the rest of the characters.And having Simon Pegg voice this role was nothing short of perfection even though there’s no real good reason for Buck to have a British accent.

The action in this instalment was spectacular, from combat on land to high-speed chases in the air. The highlight of it all culminateed with one daring rescue attempt aboard a pterodactyl with other flyers in hot pursuit. The adrenalin rush induced here even rivaled the best action movies this summer had to offer.

The beautiful and breathtaking animated landscapes created, especially when the herd first stepped into dino-land, reminded a lot of The Land Before Time.

The directors have also avoided pop culture references that have plagued so many other animated movies out there, but they had cleverly injected playful use of allusions, like the unforgettable Tango sequence involving the Scrat and his new found appeal.

This latest instalment of Ice Age showed that even with bigger characters and bigger action, if done properly, it can be a bigger and better movie. Even Scrat’s acorn has a bigger role this time but in all the appropriate scenes.

Rating: 9 / 10

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And disappoint he did not. Instead, and even more surprisingly, young Zac Efron was able to pull off the role of a father stuck in a teenager’s body.

Efron put on a performance that is earnest, sincere and fatherly; with a big chunk of humour in between. Who would have guessed the High School Musical heartthrob has so much depth in his acting chops? He even projected the shadow of a middle-aged man with conservative views and attitude.

But credit has to go to director Burr Steers as well for guiding Efron. This is only Steers second feature film and he has done well in the storytelling, given how badly the movie was written. Some staggering continuity issues and credibility-stretching coincidences should have been rectified, like how the son’s tormentor at school is also the daughter’s boyfriend but sibling love clearly wasn’t an issue.

Fortunately, there was a competent cast. Matthew Perry didn’t show up too much, which is best seeing as how he and Efron looks nothing alike. But he did enough with the limited screen time to establish the back story.

Leslie Mann did exceptionally well considering that I have never ever liked anything she did before. Her chemistry with Efron was unmistakable and that really helped when he had to woo her again as a teenager.

17 Again was not a well-written piece, but it proved that Zac Efron is a triple-threat star-power that is beginning to rise. With Efron oozing with charm and charisma, a lot of the shortcomings in the movie was even overlooked. He even managed to lift his co-stars’ performances. Now that’s talent.

Rating: 6 / 10

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Yes, but not exactly.

After Hitch and I Now Pronounce You Chuck & Larry, Kevin James now gets his own movie in which he co-wrote. And like what Sandler is so fond of doing, he too has his pals in his first starring endeavour.

At some point in the movie, it became Die Hard: The Comedy, but even that’s giving it too much credit. The only thing amazing about this production is that the movie was actually “wholesome”. There are no cussing involved, no jokes about bodily fluids, nothing that reminded of the usual Adam Sandler movies.

But what James relied on heavily (and pardon the pun) was throwing that big and round body of his all over and around the mall just to create some ridiculous scenes to generate laughter. There were a lot of hits-and-misses, more misses than hits as the best jokes were all shown in the trailers already. Quiet smiles are all that’s left and they may or may not be good enough for the general audience.

There were also a couple of huge gaps that are blindingly silly to have been overlooked because they made no sense whatsoever in the story’s continuity, with one involving Maya walking into the mall all alone during the lockdown. It’s like the elephant in the room that nobody talked about while making the movie.

However, the movie wasn’t a complete failure. There were some nice moments and some moments for James. Seeing him summon his inner John McClane to take command of the situation, as unbelievable as it may have been, had its own endearing qualities.

It’s a good thing James is affable and adorable, because if he wasn’t able to get the audience behind him, his bumbling and stumbling into glory would have been difficult to sit through.

Then again, this is the era of the geeks; where audiences like to see the losers and the nerds and the sized XXL dads come out on top and get the girl.

Rating: 5 / 10

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Marley was played by 22 dogs, including his puppy years and spanning over more than a decade’s transition. There were strictly no special effects or special makeup used in making this movie, so perhaps that’s why Owen Wilson and Jennifer Aniston did not age at all over the years, even after her third baby.

In the acting department, there’s not much to fault or cheer about. Everyone was good enough to make their roles likable; though “tamed” would be the word that comes to mind.

Wilson was most mellow when compared to his other movies and lost some of his sparks. Aniston was more careful but ended up delivering one of her best on the big screen. Eric Dane was not much different from his stint on Grey’s Anatomy as the career-successful man-whore. And Alan Arkin as the editor gave off his usual curmudgeon impression.

What’s great about this story was that the episodic incidents that happened in the Grogan’s lives look, and feel, real and relatable. Frankel and company injected little nuances to make certain scenes even more personal and that really made a difference.

The production was not over the top, but not great. Frankel took more caution on details where they counted. The clever shots of two filled wine glasses on a low table where Marley suddenly had one of the all-too-often let-loose antics really gave the audience a good cringing moment.

However, the movie in general may not hit the mark where it should have. Its no-brainer target audience – dog owners – may not get enough of the “pet” side of things as the story explores a lot more on the Grogans’ ups-and-downs instead.

Which is why, for the pet-less audience, it’s a good story that’s well told and enjoyable. And even if you don’t own a pet, you may just leave the cinema emptying your tear ducts… and then going to the animal shelter next.

Reviewer’s Rating: 7 / 10

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Sure nothing is original as well. It’s been done time and time again. Very predictable. Very typical. But what really got me was the jokes and the acting. And two words, James Marsden. Now that I didn’t expect.

He was more Stifler than Stifler from American Pie. His character was someone that you would dislike but if the joke wasn’t on you, you’ll be laughing there right beside him. And that’s what the audience did. And he did it better than Sean William Scott.

There was a scene involving his foot and the garage door. That scene has become one of the top ten most hilarious moments in movies for me. What can I say, he was great.

And the rest of the cast, well, compared to Role Models, they were so much better. They were funny. Seth Green was funny. Katrina Bowden was funny. And these kinds of jokes, I get. They probably didn’t look that funny on paper too but the delivery was right on par. So here’s credit to director and writer Sean Anders.

And there was a nice twist towards the ending that I don’t think anybody expected. So that was nice.

Once in a while, a stupid, horny teen movie comes and brighten your day. This was one.

Rating: 8 / 10

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The story wasn’t exactly original. It was very predictable. It’s a very normal script actually. But it was the jokes that really bored me. I didn’t see the cleverness in them, I didn’t find them funny and I sure didn’t laugh a lot after the novelty of a new movie wore off.

The acting was another issue. Paul Rudd was OK. Sean William Scott was just as expected. But Christopher Mintz-Plasse was the most disappointing. No longer McLovin’, I couldn’t see the spark that shone so brightly in Superbad. Along with the other kid, Bobb’e J. Thompson, their acting was almost amateurish.

But I would have to blame director David Wain too for not delivering a more cohesive movie. It’s like he’s trying to pull a Judd Apatow but not quite getting there.

The writing as well wasn’t impressive. A lot of turn-of-events were done lazily or just for the lack of better progressional ideas. Maybe on paper they looked great but the delivery just didn’t convince.

Elizabeth Banks was a waste. Jane Lynch and Ken Jeong could have done more. But Jeong really left an impression with his irritating character so he must have done something right.

Towards the end, nothing was funny anymore and I just couldn’t wait for it to end.

Rating: 3 / 10

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