TWILIGHT

TWILIGHT
Kristen Stewart, Robert Pattinson, Billy Burke, Peter Facinelli, Cam Gigandet, Taylor Lautner

"When you can live forever what do you live for?"

I'm not into vampires whether in any works of fiction or movies. Let's just say they hardly figure into my realm of interests. I've also haven't read any of the Twilight books for the precise reason I've stated in the first sentence. Besides all the information I needed to know about the film or the first book for that matter can be concisely found in the FAQ portion for the Imdb entry of Twilight!

Having said that I did manage to grab a copy of the movie and watched it on Christmas day of all days. After a hearty dinner of Noche Buena leftovers, the viewing fare was a teenage love story between a human and a vampire, go figure!

It was fairly entertaining, I'd say. Nothing too serious to merit a tons of questions but neither did the movie take a simplistic approach to narrate the romance. Side plots were laid out in a comprehensive non threatening (meaning they don't intrude into the main storyline) manner. The main characters all had good personality developments. The setting was appropriately bleak befitting a town where vampires felt "safe" to inhabit without drawing too much attention to themselves. Even the makeup was good enough to distinguish the 'others' from the humans. There was enough dramatic moments spliced with special effects in action riddled scenes. I especially liked the thunderous baseball game the Cullens played in that vast field.

I guess my 'only' complaint is that I felt the chemistry between Bella and Edward wasn't as intense as I expected it to be. I figure that Kristen Steward might have been miscast as Bella Swan. In my opinion she came across as too anemic and a bit indifferent as opposed to someone who was willing to give up her 'human' form just to be with Edward Cullen. Oh well let's see if she can add more life into her character in the next film installment of the saga.

In conclusion, I figure for a non Twilight fan the movie was fairly amusing and was an entertaining viewing experience.

WAITRESS

Keri Russell, Adrienne Shelly,Nathan Fillion, Jeremy Sisto, Cheryl Hines, Andy Griffith

"If only life were as easy as pie"

Star Movies

A delightful little movie with the right dose of quirky yet endearing characters, witty lines and life altering moments. It recounts the story of a waitress named Jenna (Keri Russell) who works in a little diner which serves delicious pies which she bakes daily. She also comes up with funny names for her pies like "I hate my husband pie", "Pregnant miserable self pitying loser pie". However poor Jenna is stuck in a miserable marriage to an awful guy, Earl (Jeremy Sisto) and she is pregnant with his baby.

The film is a cutesy take on her life. How she deals with the diners customers, her selfish husband and an unwanted baby on the way. Despite her miserable life, Jenna herself exudes so much positive vibes which she conveys through straightforward dialogue. She writes letters from her heart to her unborn child, expressing in colorful terms how she truly feels about everything. She also has a good support system through her friends, Dawn (Adrienne Shelly) and Becky (Cheryl Hines) her co workers at the diner. As well as from Joe (Andy Griffith), the owner of the diner who dispenses unsolicited yet very helpful pieces of advice to Jenna.

The cast all had warm personalities and they blended together well. The dialogue was witty and crisply delivered. The plot though sometimes a bit disconnected flowed effortlessly. The setting had a homey cozy ambiance to it.

A heartwarming movie that makes us aware of just how precious life is. That we shouldn't waste it, being unhappy. That despite being stuck in a hopeless situation there is still a silver lining at the end of the rainbow. That a dead ended life is made more 'bearable' with good friends who mean well and truly hope the best for you.

It should be mentioned that Adrienne Shelly who wrote, directed and starred as Dawn (one of Jenna's friends) was murdered shortly before the film was released to a wider audience. A really tragic event but nevertheless we will always remember her through this authentically poignant film.

Friendsation

Friendsation

There is another free community website that promotes social networking. Friendsation is an interactive website that facilitates live Chat through Live Chat available in multiple mediums.

You can sign up for free and send instant messages to other members. You can Chat live in their online chat room and they also offer live Phone Chat for free for its members within the United States. Their hip and friendly website features personals and blogging facilities. You can give your personal opinions on their surveys and read up on the hottest blogs, online. Or listen to pod casts of an upbeat radio show which showcases the dating milieu for the young generation.

Friendsation is still in its early stages yet it continues to grow with its focus on various forms of live chat by building up a Dating networking database for its members. Sign up for free and join Friendsation now!

FOUR CHRISTMASES

Reese Witherspoon, Vince Vaughn, Jon Voight, Robert Duvall, Mary Steenburgen, Sissy Spacek, Jon Favreau, Tim McGraw, Kristin Chenoweth, Dwight Yoakam

"His father, her mother, his mother and her father all in one day."

Cinema 1, Shang Cineplex

The stellar cast of this film couldn't do much to uplift the dismal story line nor my fading Christmas spirits. What was supposed to be a Holiday movie turned out to be a taxing test on my patience.

The premise of the story seemed interesting enough, on paper. A new age modern couple, Brad and Kate (Vince Vaughn and Reese Witherspoon) seem to think outside the box. They don't believe in marriage, in having kids, nor celebrating Christmases with their families. Their original plan to vacation in Fiji is thwarted by the cancellation of flights due to fog. Then they are interviewed and caught red handed on TV by their families thus they are suddenly forced to spend 4 Christmases in one day. The rest of the film is focused on their mishaps during these visits to their folks. Relatives from different spectrum of society welcoming the couple into their homes as they celebrate Christmas.

First - I cannot fanthom the idea of visiting 4 different houses in just one day. Secondly - I couldn't feel the chemistry between Brad and Kate. Brad was funny and quite animated while Kate seemed rather standoffish and aloof. Thirdly - I expected it to be a "Christmasy" movie so I was hugely disappointed when it didn't exude that Yuletide vibe. The 'plot crisis' in the movie was rather predictable and the ending was well for lack of a better word, very predictable as well.

It is such a pity to watch good supporting roles given to talented actors like Robert Duvall and Sissy Spacek go to waste. They unfortunately cannot do much to show their artistic range with the below average script. Vince Vaughn though still has great comedic timing and he was a hoot to watch. I can't say the same for Reese Witherspoon who was ill matched for Vaughn in every aspect from height, comedic interludes and romantic chemistry.

Movies like these are best viewed either on cable one nothing.to.watch.on.Tv night or rented on days when.you.have.seen.every.single.film.at.the.videostore.