Little Miss Sunshine (2006)

This is a movie about the typical disfunctional American family. The dad is a motivational speaker whose career is going nowhere but down. The mom is the normal mom just trying to get everything to work out and to keep everyone together. The son has taken a vow of silence for the past several months and spends his days working out in hopes of entering the Air Force Academy. The daughter is obsessed with beauty pageants and wants nothing more than to walk to the stage someday at Miss America. The grandpa has been kicked out of his nursing home for bad behavior, and the mom's brother just got out of the looney bin for trying to kill himself after a relationship gone bad.

Then one day they get a call saying that Olive, the daughter, is invited to compete in Little Miss Sunshine. Needless to say Olive is ecstatic and being that she is the only sane one in the family and the only one everyone likes, they all agree to get in their yellow VW van and the whole group heads to California.

Starring:
Steve Carell, Greg Kinnear, Toni Collette, Alan Arkin, Paul Dano

Running Time: 1 hr. 41 min.
Release Date: July 26th, 2006 (limited); December 19, 2006 (DVD)
MPAA Rating: R for language, some sex and drug content.

My Rating : 4 stars
This was a much better movie than I had anticipated after hearing such mixed opinions about it. I was laughing constantly through the entire film, I don't think they could have put a better cast together. The only reason it's not getting 5 stars is because I thought the ending kinda sucked.

Who would I recommend this to? Anyone who can see humor in a disfunctional family, you know who you are! Great date movie and good for families with older children too.

Would I rent this again? Yes, in fact I may watch it again before sending it back.

Thank You For Smoking (2006)

Nick Naylor is the spokesman for the tobacco companies. This movie looks into the world of the cigarette companies and follows Naylor's journey to defend their honor in today's anti-lightup world.

Starring:
Aaron Eckhart, Maria Bello, Cameron Bright, Adam Brody, Sam Elliott

Genres: Comedy, Drama, Adaptation and Politics/Religion
Running Time: 1 hr. 32 min.
Release Date: March 17th, 2006 (limited); October 03, 2006 (DVD)
MPAA Rating: R for language and some sexual content.

My Rating: 1 Star
I found this movie terribly boring even though it's called a "comedy" I don't recall laughing more than maybe twice.

Who would I recommend it to? People who are generally interested in the tobacco industry, otherwise nobody.

Would I rent this again? Nope!

Trust The Man (2006)

This film follows two New York couples thru the ups and downs of relationships. Tom & Rebecca are married with 2 kids and have what appears to be a normal marriage. However underneath the surface Tom is addicted to porn and Rebecca is worried he may stray from the marriage. Rebecca's brother, Toby, and his girlfriend of 7 years, Elaine, are going thru different kinds of issues when Elaine announces she is ready to take the relationship to the next level.

Starring:
Julianne Moore, David Duchovny, Billy Crudup, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Eva Mendes

Genres: Comedy and Drama
Running Time: 1 hr. 41 min.
Release Date: August 18th, 2006 (limited); September 8th, 2006 (wide); February 06, 2007 (DVD)
MPAA Rating: R for language and sexual content.

My Rating: 5 stars!
I really loved this movie. I think any couple could relate to the issues of at least one of the couples in this film. Moore and Duchovny deliver outstanding performances. I laughed thruout the entire thing and so did my husband which surprised me since I figured this would be more of a chick flick. It's not.

Who would I recommend this to? Anyone who's been in a troubled relationship and fought hard to stick it thru. Adults only, alot of this movie is about sexual issues.

Would I rent this again? Absolutely! It's something I could watch time and time again.

Fast Food Nation (2006)

Fast Food Nation is based on the bestselling book of the same name by Eric Schlosser. It goes inside America's obsession with junk food and also follows the lives of several individuals who are all involved with the industry but on different levels.

Starring:
Catalina Sandino Moreno, Wilmer Valderrama, Ana Claudia Talancon, Greg Kinnear, Bobby Cannavale

Genres: Drama, Thriller, Adaptation and Politics/Religion
Running Time: 1 hr. 46 min.
Release Date: November 17th, 2006 (limited), November 22, 2006 (wide), March 06, 2007 (DVD)
MPAA Rating: R for disturbing images, strong sexuality, language and drug content.

My Rating: 3 Stars
This movie kept my attention that's for sure and it definitely does the job of making you realize the gross reality of the meat-packing industry. However, it was a bit disappointing. It jumps around alot and follows so many story lines it at times gets frustrating. It was also 40% in caption since there's alot of Spanish spoken by the movies "illegal immigrants", so if you're like me and don't like reading thru your movies, this will definitely be an issue.

Who would I recommend this to? People who are interested in the health issues of America. I can say after watching this I won't want to eat beef for a while due to the graphic nature of the film. With that being said, do NOT watch this if you have a weak stomach, there were a few times I had to close my eyes. Also completely unacceptable for children due to some strong sex scenes and drug use.

Would I rent this again? No, but I don't feel as if I wasted 2 hrs of my life on it either.

Man of the Year (2006)

Tom Dobbs is the host of a political comedy show when one day he jokingly says he should run for president, while on air. The press takes his statement and runs with it and soon the country is looking forward to the comedian's Presidential Campaign. When Dobbs surprisingly wins the election by a landslide it leads to fun and an united country but then inevitably an out of control scandal surfaces.

Starring:
Robin Williams, Laura Linney, Christopher Walken, Jeff Goldblum, Lewis Black

Genres: Comedy
Running Time: 1 hr. 55 min.
Release Dates: October 13th, 2006 (wide) & February 20, 2007 (DVD)
MPAA Rating: PG-13 for language including some crude sexual references, drug related material, and brief violence.

My Rating: 2 Stars
This was definitely an original movie, it's not an overplayed plot. It took a long time to get into it and even then it wasn't that great. It had several huge stars in it and frankly I expected better. I did laugh several times but mostly at Williams one-liners and less at the story.

Who would I recommend it to? Nobody really. I think the younger generation will find it a bore but perhaps older generations would enjoy it. If you do decide to rent it I wouldn't watch it with children due to many adult rated jokes.

Would I rent this again? No way, I had a hard enough time getting thru it the first time.

Stranger Than Fiction (2006)

Harrel Crick is a man who leads a normal boring existence. He is an IRS auditor whose entire life revolves around a very strict time schedule where he is obsessed with numbers (very appropriate considering his job). All of that changes one day when he discovers his life is being narrated by a woman's voice, word for word, action for action, thought for thought. One day he uncovers the truth that he's actually living in novel where the writer always kills the main character off in a horrible way. The movie is a journey to try and save his life before his early and horrific death takes place.

Stars Will Ferrell, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Queen Latifah, Emma Thompson, Dustin Hoffman

Genres: Comedy, Drama, Romance and Science Fiction/Fantasy
Running Time: 1 hr. 53 min.
Release Dates: November 10th, 2006 (wide) February 27, 2007 (DVD)
Rating:PG-13 for some disturbing images, sexuality, brief language and nudity.

My Rating: 5 Stars!
This is one of the best movies I've seen in a long time! I have to be honest I wasn't looking forward to it since the last several Will Ferrell movies I haven't enjoyed, but this was just great. I laughed thru the entire movie and actually paused it when stepping away for a moment because I didn't want to miss a thing. My husband, a HUGE Will Ferrell fan, said he thought it was one of his best performances as well.

Who would I recommend it to? It's a great date movie, so I would definitely say couples, families with older children, and of course an individual who wants a good laugh.

Would I rent this again? Absolutely! I might even end up buying it because I know it's a film I could watch time and time again.

Welcome to my Movie Blog. This is intended for those of us who choose to skip the crowds, sticky floors, tall men, and crying babies and opt to stay home and enjoy our movies. Whether you have a hot date coming over and need a movie suggestion or you're just bored and head to Blockbuster because there's nothing good on TV tonight, this is the blog for you. I give real honest opinions of movies that are available on DVD and who I would or wouldn't recommend them to. These are the opinions of an average girl who lives in an average world. Not the opinions of some film critic living in Hollywood who has private screenings. Enjoy.