On the Inside

Nick Stahl (Carnivale) is the man that goes to Northwood psychiatric hospital after he kills the wrong man for attacking his girlfriend. Olivia Wilde is a patient that he meets toward the end of the movie and falls in love with & protects during an attempted escape of 2 other patients: Dash Mihok (Mr. Frying Pan in Kiss Kiss Bang Bang) and Pruitt Taylor Vince (last season of Mentalist). IMDb writes, "A decent but troubled young man is sent to a psychiatric institution for the criminally insane and soon finds himself in a fight for his life battling ghosts inside his head and very real enemies all around him." Turns out he killed his brother too. All in all, I say: STREAM IT

What's Your Number?

Evans does such a good job always flirting in these types of movies. I was surprised that although I don't usually like movies like this it was funny and light and I guess I was in the mood. Faris' character doesn't like that a Harvard study shows that a woman that has slept with over 20 guys will not get married, so she decided to revisit all 20 to see if they have changed and grown and could be the man of her dreams. Helping her is a guy who has slept with his own share of women and accepts her for who she is. Netflix writes,"Ally is a twentysomething who begins to suspect that her one true soul mate may be among the many lovers she has left in the dust. Turning to her neighbor for help, Ally begins a quest to locate her exes to see which one might be Mr. Right." You already now how it ends, but what you don't know is what number Evans turns out to be. All in all, I say: STREAM IT

One for the Money

Not quite the characters from the book, but a fun movie any ways. Netflix writes, "Janet Evanovich's spunky heroine, Stephanie Plum, is adrift after getting a divorce and losing her job. To make ends meet, she becomes a bounty hunter, with her first big case revolving around a high school boyfriend who may be falsely accused." Heigl (Grey's Anatomy) plays Plum and Jason O'Mara (Terra Nova) play Morelli. Grandma is Debbie Reynolds. All in all, I say: RENT IT.

Man on a Ledge

Sam Worthington (Terminator Salvation) plays a cop that is set up by 2 corrupt cops (one is Titus Welliver from the pilot of Touch) and an evil millionaire (Ed Harris of Abyss). To prove his innocence he needs the help of his family (father was Robert Patrick of Terminator 2 and brother was Jamie Bell from Billy Elliot) and some police negotiators (Edward Burns and Elizabeth Banks).  There as much action as I hoped - there was some suspense, but it's really predictable. All in all, I say: WAIT for it to come on tv.

The Grey

Staring, other than the obvious, Dermot Mulroney, Frank Grillo (Frankie on Warrior), Dallas Roberts (The Good Wife). Netflix writes: "After narrowly surviving a deadly plane crash in the Alaskan wilderness, a band of oil riggers must fend for their lives in the ice and snow. But thanks to wolves that view their presence as a threat, they aren't alone." Neeson's character is rather dark. The movie is one of those survival movies where one by one they get picked off. Why? Because they may be within the radius of a packs' den. I waited the entire movie for the showdown between Neeson and the alpha only to be disappointed. The wolves were robots when they were close up and real when filmed from a distance. All in all, I say: WAIT till it comes on tv.

Beauty & the Beast 3D

Same story just in 3D - not bad either - they did an ok job - what I really want to see is Finding Nemo in 3D - coming soon! All in all, I say: SEE IT. Sophia loved it!

Haywire

An ex-marine that does freelance for her boyfriend Ewan McGregor gets caught up in a conspiracy. Once she dumps her boyfriend he fears for his clients meanwhile Antonio Banderas' character is willing to sell out a journalist in order to earn some extra cash. The two plots intersect. Michael Douglas is a politician that will help the girl if she gets the dirt on the conspiracy. Channing Tatum plays a co-worker and one time lover. Michael Fassbender is hired to kill the journalist and frame the girl. Bill Paxton plays the only man she really trusts - her father. Almost the entire movie is told as a story she tells to a young boy she has carjacked. The fight scenes are fantastic! Gina Carano is so cool and tough and does her own stunts. She makes this film, as well as the director, and the screenplay. All in all, I say: SEE IT

Underworld: Awakening

Selene and Michael are trying to escape the massive executions of werewolves and vampires taking place since the public became aware of their existence. They are taken and studied for 12 years during which time Selene's daughter has been born and the doctors have been using her DNA to create superior werewolves without the government or public finding out. The son of an elder vampire and a cop help Selene get her daughter and kill the werewolf bad guy. Michael is freed, but during the showdown he runs off and the movie ends with Selene saying she needs to find Michael, protect her hybrid daughter, and save what few vampires are left. The action scenes are ok - I had no choice but to see the 3D version and there just wasn't enough for it to be worth the extra money, so if the only option is 3D I say skip it. If you can see regular version then all in all, I say: SEE IT

Red Tails

Directed by the guy who directed several episodes of The Wire - you'll a Wire favorite in it too. The main character is MI-5 alumni David Oyelowo (Rupert Penry-Jones from MI-5 also appears toward the end). Terrance Howard and Cuba Gooding Jr. do ok, but everyone else sucked in this. The acting was bad probably because the screenplay sucked. Some of the lines are so bad a groaned out loud. You would think since Lucasfilms produced the effects would rock - you would be wrong - maybe they didn't have the budget to wow us. All in all, I say: SKIP IT and re-watch Tuskegee Airmen instead.

Cavalia Odysseo

This is a mix between horses and people. There is live music, acrobatics, and horse stunts. The background is a digital screen which changes to give the audience a sense of setting. The costumes also help to bring the audience into a wide range of different cultures. There is some truly amazing horsemanship in this show interrupted periodically with acrobatic "Cirque" style. There is one scene with white cloth that is cool, but again I love the stunts. This one guy goes completely under a galloping horse and comes up the opposite side - so cool. All in all, I say: SEE IT. Discount tickets on sale & it is SO worth it.

Alcatraz

I will watch until they get too "lost" on me. Convicts and guards went missing and are coming back one by one. An FBI agent works with a Doctor and a cop to find them and put the convicts back into jail. The first convict they focus on is super cute - Jeffrey Pierce. One of the people on the modern day team, girl from Bend it Like Beckham, is actually one of the people from the past. Very curious. All in all, I say: SEE IT at least until I say otherwise.

Lost Girl

"Lost Girl focuses on the gorgeous and charismatic Bo, a supernatural being called a succubus who feeds on the energy of humans, sometimes with fatal results. Refusing to embrace her supernatural clan system and its rigid hierarchy, Bo is a renegade who takes up the fight for the underdog while searching for the truth about her own mysterious origins." Written by M.A. Lovretta

Created and in it's third season in Canada. We get season one on SyFy. The season opener was intriguing and I am looking forward to the rest. Kris Holden-Reid from the Tudors is in all three seasons. He is all kinds of hot. All in all, I say: SEE IT

The Artist

Won award at Golden Globes and I like silent films so I thought I'd check it out. It was funny and romantic - no kissing though which I thought was strange. Penelope Ann Miller plays the wife of a famous silent actor. Once talkies come out he is reluctant and is told no one would want to hear him, so his career goes downhill fast. A young actress he helped out helps him out in the end. John Goodman plays the production studio owner, James Cromwell plays the driver (really cool cars from the 20s), and Malcolm McDowell has one short scene - not sure why him. Completely forget it's in black & white. Music is good. All in all, I say: RENT IT

The Descendants

Hawaiian descendants will lose a ton of paradise in Hawaii if they don't break it up and/or sell it. While all this is going on a woman is brain dead and about to be taken off life support. Her husband finds out she's been having an affair, he has to tell her family and friends, and help his daughters cope. I wasn't saddened by the tale and felt it was a little long. I do not think it should have won best picture at Golden Globes. All in all, I say: SKIP IT

Contraband

A man and his best friend go straight and open their own businesses. Everything is going great until the brother-in-law gets into trouble with a new local gangster. So, you guessed it - not very original I know - he does one last job to clear his family and while doing so gets even with more than one enemy. Based on the actors in the movie you will know who is bad & who is good by site. Gun action only, but some suspenseful moments and light humor. It was a light action film that doesn't need to be seen on the big screen. All in all, I say: SEE IT

Wire in the Blood

A clinical psychologist (deals with criminals, psychopaths, and sociopaths) hooks up with a local Detective Inspector and helps her solve extreme cases. It is a mix of Bones and The Mentalist. His character Tony Hill is out there. After a few seasons they change the female cop, but it's still interesting. It's a British show and there is something about actor that plays Tony - sometimes he's cute. Some of the cases are cool and some are disturbing. All in all, I say: STREAM IT.

Shame

Rated NC-17 because it's about a sex addict and how he feels after his acts - Shameful. Graphic - long artsy scenes. Critics said see it, I saw a lot of it, and was bored. All in all, I say: SKIP IT unless you want to see Fassbender completely nude from head to toe.

Puncture

Based on the true story of a drug addicted lawyer that started the fight against a hospital supply company. The supply company sold plastic, reusable syringes to hospitals. They also sold to all the aid organization around the world. Medical workers get punctured with an infected one and they get HIV/AIDS. Aid station on the continent of Africa use them over and over adding the increase in HIV/AIDS in Africa. Solution: a syringe that can not be reused, but the company refused to sell it and so hospitals refused to demand the sell it. Lawyer dies, but his partner finds ammunition and a wealthy baker and the movie ends with the beginning of the lawsuit. All in all, I say: SKIP IT even if it was true & an important case - it was just boring.

39 Steps

Apparently this is the 3rd time this movie has been made. WWII is about to begin and this is about a man that gets tangled up with spies and falls in love while trying to gave his country - GB. Rupert Penry-Jones is the English gentleman and Lydia Leonard (Jericho) is the woman that gets caught up with him when in reality she is also a spy. It was horrible - it was in fact painful to watch and that is just a shame. All in all, I say: SKIP IT

Shameless (US)

Caught the marathon in preparation for Season 2 beginning soon. Usually, I'm back on HBO by this time. It must be very difficult for Macy to be drunk every episode. I like Rossum (singing from Phantom of Opera the movie). Chatwin (War of the Worlds) is cute - I see is will be in season 2, so I'm curious how they will work after the way he left at the end of season 1. He plays Rossum boyfriend. I like the dynamics - all the actors really work well together. A really amazing casting job. The scenarios on each show are also a lot of fun - it a heavy situation made light which makes it watchable. The real treasure is Cusack. All in all, I say: SEE IT.

North & South

IMDb writes, "North and South is a four part adaptation of Elizabeth Gaskell's love story of Margaret Hale, a middle class southerner who is forced to move to the northern town of Milton." Really it's just a love story. 2 people that struggle to understand each other as the world around them is in turmoil. They constantly misunderstand and fail to listen to one another which of course drives us all mad - the romantic tensions build for 3 one hour episodes until the conclusion. As always in these period, romantic pieces by BBC there is never enough kissing.

Ok, I admit it. He was the reason I decided to watch the mini-series in the 1st place. Richard Armitage, who I first saw in the BBC tv series Robin Hood is perfect for a smouldering, romantic character. He will appear in the new Hobbit films - the 2 part series by the award winning director of the Lord of the Rings series. He was also in another BBC series that the US has since borrowed called Strike Back. I'm having a very difficult time finding the UK version whereas the US version seems to be everywhere. He also appeared in MI-5 for those of you that follow that series on BBC America. All in all, I say: STREAM IT on Netflix.