The Croods

ACTION/ADVENTURE, ANIMATED, FAMILY

Always Follow The Sun

9.0 out of 10 | MOVIE, DVD

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Rated: PG Some scary action.
Release Date: March 22, 2013
Runtime: 1 hour 31 minutes

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Director: Chris Sanders, Kirk De Micco
Writers: Chris Sanders, Kirk De Micco
Cast: Nicolas Cage, Ryan Reynolds, Emma Stone, Catherine Keener, Clark Duke, Cloris Leachman

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SYNOPSIS:  The prehistoric Crood family is forced to leave the safety of their cave when the world starts to shift and crack apart. Meeting up with a young homosapien, they have to fight predators, natural forces, and each other in the search for a safer haven.

REVIEW: Kirk De Micco (Space Chimps) Chris Sanders (How to Train Your Dragon, Lilo and Stitch) create the story, write the screenplay, and direct the new Dreamworks animated film involving the lives of one of the first prehistoric families and their fight for survival in a quickly changing world. 

Grug (Nicolas Cage, Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance) keeps his caveman family safe by following the rules set forth on the cave paintings from ancestors past. 'Fear the dark and the unknown, and stay in the cave'. Every few days the family - with wife Ugga (Catherine Keener, A Late Quartet), son Thunk (Clark Duke, A Thousand Words), older daughter Eep (Emma Stone, Gangster Squad), younger daughter Sally, and Gran (Cloris Leachman, Raising Hope) - forage every few days for sustenance, stay in the cave protected by predators, and listen to stories of exploits, fear, and death by Grug. Eep, different from her father, has a curiosity for the outside world beyond the painted car walls. One night, Eep sees the flickering light of the sun and disobeys her father's standing order to stay in the cave by investigating its source. She stumbles upon a creature similar, but different from herself, a young homosapien named Guy (Ryan Reynolds, Safe House) and his furry animal companion named Belt. He urges her to come with him, telling a tale that the landscape he has traveled from has been overcome with earthquakes, lava, explosions, and death. When she can not leave her family behind, Eep soon learns the truth if Guy's words as the family cave and the surrounding valley are destroyed, forcing them to follow Guy to an unknown and new frontier they are reluctant to travel through.

Dreamworks Animation, known for top notch animated entertainment like Monsters vs. Aliens and Rise of the Guardians, returns for a prehistoric family tale for the whole family. In The Croods, curious Eep changes the whole dynamic of the Croods' way of life because of her free spirit and the unexpected meeting of the homosapien Guy. The world and characters that Dreamworks, Sanders, and De Micco create follows in the rich tradition of the studio and its storytelling.

From the onset, after Eep narrates the whys of her family's way of life, the dynamic and pace of the action, humor, heart, and style are fossilized into place. I am just a big kid at heart, by the way, and I laughed throughout the entire film. From Krug telling Ugga to 'release the baby' and watching the little scamp tear off after prey or her own family, to a human's furry utility belt Belt who seems to have more skills than just keeping Guy's pants up, the script is filled with clever verbal quips and visual gags for 'kids' of all ages. Aside from the great humor, The Croods has plenty of action. During the Croods family's first pursuit of food, they prove how closely they work together and how much strength and agility the cave people possess as they wrestle with oversized razor-toothed predators, tusked mammoths, and angry bird mothers, for a drop of scrambled egg. But at its heart, The Croods is a story of family, of growing up, and of surviving - together.

The character voices are perfect for the Croods. Nicolas Cage's Grug is a lumbering Neanderthal and a brute, but still a fierce protector of his brood. He can 'ugh' and 'ooh' with the best caveman, even though he and his may be the last of their kind. Emma Stone, fresh off her recent more adult roles, fits right in as the younger adolescent Eeg - ready to take on the wide unknown world. Clark Duke's Thunk is as funny as he is idiotic, Catherine Keener's Ugga is soft and capable, and Cloris Leachman's Gran is feisty and wise (when she needs to be). The Homosapien Guy, voiced by Ryan Reynolds, is nearly unrecognizable as the young new breed of human trying to survive in the changing, disruptive world.

There are no villains. per say, just the continued threat of predatory animals, the increasing and more violent tectonic shift of the earth's surfaces, the worry of a caveman for his family, and the worry of a father for the safety of his daughter against the unknown quaking world, and the unpredictable quaking of a young girl's heart in love.

The Croods is a great film to be enjoyed by the entire family - young and old. Filled with dangerous action, hilarious situations and gags that would give The Flintstones a run for their money, and a heart bigger than the entire Jurassic era, The Croods is the first great animated film of 2013.

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Gangster Squad

DRAMA

New Territories

★ ★ ★ ★ out of 5 | Movie - DVD - Rental

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Rated: R Strong violence and language.
Release Date: January 11, 2013
Runtime: 1 hour 53 minutes

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Director: Ruben Fleischer
Writers: Will Beall, Paul Liberman
Cast: Sean Penn, Josh Brolin, Ryan Gosling, Emma Stone, Nick Nolte, Robert Patrick, Michael Peña, Giovanno Ribisi

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Watch Trailer

SYNOPSIS: In 1949, the chief of the LAPD enlists a group of police hard cases to form a gangster squad to go against Los Angeles crime boss Mickey Cohen.

REVIEW: 30 Minutes or Less and Zombieland director Ruben Fleischer goes dramatic Los Angeles mobster noir with a screenplay by Will Beall (Castle, the announced Justice League) from the book of the same name by Paul Lieberman. What happens when the law is not enough to keep organized crime in check? You create a task force with members more ruthless than the criminals ever were.

Ex-boxer Mickey Cohen (Sean Penn, Milk) only knows violence and power. He led with his fists in order to gain an upper hand in 1949 Los Angeles. As he controlled more and more of the city's organized crime, the cops and politicians not under Cohen's thumb are near powerless to combat the power hungry thug turned crime boss. Chief Parker (Nick Nolte, Warrior) enlists the service of homicide squad Sgt. John O'Mara (Josh Brolin, Men In Black III) to put together a squad of men who would work beyond the boundaries of the law in order to dish out justice against Cohen and his syndicate.

Gangster Squad is inspired by a true story as the men and women of post-war Los Angeles suffer under the rule of the mob. Part L.A. Confidential and part The Untouchables, Brolin's O'Mara puts together a squad of hard cases to work without the protective shield of the L.A.P.D. badge. Sgt. Jerry Wooters (Ryan Gosling, The Ides of March) is the young capable cop who has as many vices as he does virtues. African American Officer Coleman Harris (Anthony Mackie, Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter) on the beat is the only thing that stands in the way of heroin hitting his local streets. And Sgt. O'Mara's wife's urging, O'Mara ends up picking up old-style western six-shooter Officer Max Kennard (Robert Patrick, Trouble with the Curve) to give some accuracy to the boys' shooting. Tagging along with Kennard is a companion Officer Navidad Ramirez (Michael Peña, End of Watch) who doesn't seem to be right for the job but stands behind his guns when necessary. Rounding out the squad is Officer Conway Keeler (Giovanni Ribisi, Ted) who counterbalances to team's brawn with some brains as a former Army intelligence officer with skills and wiretapping to try to get at the bottom of Cohen's criminal mechanisms. 

There may be several members to the righteous Gangsters Squad but Mickey Cohen has his own men surrounding him loaded to bear. Most serve as cannon fodder and human shields to protect, but Cohen does surround himself with a trusted bodyguard and his number one lieutenant who serve him above all else. But none of the men who carry Tommy guns and carry out Cohen's orders are no match for the power-hungry man himself. Brolin's O'Mara has his hands full with the weathered, progressive-thinker brute with a plan grander than the city itself. The Chicago mobs may have clung to the old ways just a little to long, allowing themselves to be lulled into thinking their empires couldn't be toppled.

Tommy guns roar and bullets riddle both personal property and torsos. The film pulls no punches as hot lead and closed fists lead to sprays of blood. Embroiled with men on both sides of the law, Grace Faraday (Emma Stone, The Amazing Spider-Man) serves as the softer side of a story filled with hardened and driven men. A girl just trying to make it in Hollywood Land, Faraday ends up being an evening gown swishing, crimson-lipped dame on the air of both the domineering Mickey Cohen and the charismatic Jerry Wooter. Stone smokes up each scene she walks her gams into, but sometimes does not have enough to do to warrant part of the story.

Gangster Squad is the perfect post-noir period piece for your hard-boiled enjoyment. Of course, there are moments of Hollywood Land cinematic bravado. Such things are inevitable when there is such a vast library of storytelling already projected on the silver screen, plus guns and gristled men of action. Quentin Tarantino would be proud of the mob/gangster squad standoffs. And Kevin Costner, remember that scene at the train station with Elliot Ness in The Untouchables? Brolin, Gosling, and Penn ellipse that with more bullets and blood on the carpeted steps of a posh hotel. Director Fleischer and writer Beall ramp up the violence, the intrigue and the humor. Michael Peña and Giovanni Ribisi add their own sense of style to the keep the mood as light as it can handle.

Gangster Squad is the perfect blend of bullets, blood, and classy babes. Brolin's square jaw, Penn's piercing stares, Gosling's charisma, and Stone's sultry eyes make for fine entertainment taking place on the streets of the City of Angels.

The Amazing Spider-Man

Simply Amazing

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Rated: PG-13  Sequences of action and violence.
Release Date: July 3, 2012
Runtime:  2 hours 16 minutes

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Director: Marc Webb
Writers: James Vanderbilt, Alvin Sargent, Steve Kloves, based on characters created by Stan Lee and Steve Ditko
Cast:  Andrew Garfield, Emma Stone, Rhys Ifans, Denis Leary, Martin Sheen, Sally Field

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SYNOPSIS: Young Peter Parker is left in the care of his Aunt May and Uncle Ben by his parents. As a high schooler, Peter finds clues to who his parents were, the work they did, and the associates they kept - becoming a powerful superhero in the process.

REVIEW: (500) Days of Summer director Marc Webb, also known for video documentaries for 3 Doors Down, No Doubt, and Green Day, gets bitten by an irradiated spider in a web of superhero films for the some say too-soon reboot of the Spider-man franchise. Based on the character created by Marvel Comics' Stan Lee and Steve Ditko, and written by the team of The Losers James Vanderbilt, Spider-Man 2 and Spider-Man 3 scribe Alvin Sargent, and Harry Potter franchise screenwriter Steven Kloves, Marc Webb has a rich comic history to draw from to reinvent the onscreen teenage hero once more.

When their house is broken into in search for hidden documents Richard (Campbell Scott,The Exorcism of Emily Rose) and Mary Parker (Embeth Davidtz, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo) take their son Peter to the young boy's Aunt May (Sally Field, Legally Blonde 2: Red, White and Blonde) and Uncle Ben (Martin Sheen, Seeking a Friend for the End of the World) to care for. Leaving their son behind, Richard and Mary Parker disappear and do not return. As a teenager in high school, Peter (Andrew Garfield, The Social Network) is an awkward loner who takes his fair share of abuse from fellow student Flash Thompson (Chris Zylka, Shark Night 3D) while he looks out for the other cannon fodder in Flash's path. When he finds his father's briefcase in Uncle Ben's flooded basement, Peter finds scientific evidence that links his father to both Oscorp and former colleague Doctor Curtis Connor (Rhys Ifans, The Five-Year Engagement). Investigating further, Peter goes to Oscorp to find out more from Connors, but also gets bitten by a genetically engineered spider of his father's own creation. Gaining powers from the bite, Peter finds that he can stand up to Flash and whoever else stands in his way. But when his change in behavior and poor decision-making results in his Uncle Ben's death, Peter dons a costume of his own design to exact vengeance on the man responsible. As the masked vigilante Spider-Man Peter swings rampant through New York City in search of his Uncle's killer, gaining the attention of police captain Stacy (Denis Leary, Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs). He also gains the attention of fellow classmate Gwen Stacy (Emma Stone, Crazy, Stupid, Love) in a more favorable way. When Peter gives one of his father's equations to Doctor Connors, the geneticist is able to complete a regenerative serum that his boss Norman Osborn needs to survive. Forced to the point of testing the serum on himself, Connors regains his missing arm but also turns into a hulking lizard-like monster. In spite of being hunted by the police, Peter's alter-ego Spider-Man must give it his all to protect Gwen, his aunt, and the city from the rampaging and destructive Lizard (see The Amazing Spider-Man: Who is the Lizard?).

Marc Webb and his team of writers reimagine the popular Sam Raimi and Toby Maguire Spider-Man franchise by tearing the lead character down to his roots with a new web spin of one of Marvel's most beloved characters. With this controversial reboot launching only a few years after Raimi's Spider-Man 3, it is near impossible to not draw comparisons between the two franchises. Pulling inspiration starting from 'The Amazing Spider-Man' #365 and the 1997 'Untold Tales of Spider-Man' #1, this version opens with the introduction of Peter's parents as scientists working on something so important that others are trying to take the work for their own ends. Instead of Mary Jane Watson as Peter's love interest, we are treated with Emma Stone's Gwen Stacy, Peter's original love interest. Raimi may have cast for Mary Jane because she is more recognizable in the Spider-Man mythos, but Gwen Stacy is a pivotal character in Peter's life ('nuf said!). I will also say that Emma Stone is wonderful and breathtaking as Gwen, drawing more than just Peter Parker into her confidence. The origin of the radioactive spider bite has changed with the times (again), this time dealing with genetically altered arachnids that Peter's own father helped to create.

Webb's Peter Parker is a young brilliant mind in the body of a withdrawn loner, more comfortable behind the camera lens as the high school photographer than being part of the human dynamic. Raimi did the same thing with Maguire's Peter, but Garfield is more skater and hoodie than Maguire's straight-laced boy scout protagonist. Looking at this movie, I realize that Garfield's portrayal is much more faithful to the comic version of the character than Mcguire ever was - in look and in style. Garfield adds in facial ticks, eye aversions, and social awkwardness that add layers onto the character. Raimi's Aunt May (played by the incomparable Rosemary Harris) looked exactly the way you would expect her to look if pulled straight from the comics, but Sally Field more embodies May's fierce, capable and loving nature. And while a fan of Cliff Robertson, Martin Sheen as Uncle Ben is more vibrant and alive, with years ahead of him before he sleeps.

This time around, we get to see a Spider-Man rogue that hasn't appeared in any of the previous films. Well, that is not entirely true. Dylan Baker played Doctor Curt Connors in Spider-Man 2 and Spider-Man 3, but never evolved (or devolved?) into the monster known as The Lizard. While I feel for Baker and his time 'on the bench', Rhys Ifans does a spectacular job in the reboot of the franchise. His villainous reptilian monster is more than capable in dealing with the novice hero. I miss the elongated alligator-type snout of The Lizard from the comics, but I understand that choices had to be made for practicality in order for the Lizard to speak intelligently - not just hiss mindlessly. The numerous battle scenes between Spider-Man and The Lizard are brilliant, with brutal thrashings and stomach-dropping aerials. And Webb does his arachnid homework by introducing the interesting concept of the sensitivity of webbing as a tracking device just like a spider on its web waiting for a fly to buzz to close. In Amazing Spider-Man faces off against a worthy adversary in the hulking form of The Lizard. And along the way, we also find ourselves sympathizing with Doctor Connors as a redeemable individual, not just a villain.

In truth, I was blown away by Sam Raimi's Spider-Man and Spider-Man 2. I enjoyed Toby Maguire as Peter Parker and Spider-Man. I loved the antic of J. Jonah Jameson (J.K. Simmons, Contraband) and the semi-campy nature of the films. I also considered Doctor Octopus from the first sequel as the best of the series' villains, unhappy with the mechanized Green Goblin from the first film. Marc Webb and his collaborators take Peter down a darker road (a la Batman Begins) with strong ties to the source materials. There was still a little feel-good campiness in Webb's version that I was distracted by, namely a bunch of crane operators, but The Amazing Spider-Man will delight and awe.

The Amazing Spider-Man, in spite of the supposed rush to reboot and revitalize the Sony property as a tent pole franchise, delivers on its promise. A great untold story surrounding Peter's superhero origin, coupled with great character casting, unbelievable action aerials and fights (check it out in IMAX 3D!), and fine comics drama, you will be caught in this movie's web!

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WORTH: Friday Night and Blu-Ray

The Help

Heartbreaking and Uplifting

Director: Tate Taylor

Writers: Tate Taylor, Kathryn Stockett

Cast: Emma Stone, Viola Davis, Octavia Spencer, Sissy Spacek, Cicely Tyson, Allison Janney, Jessica Chastain, Bryce Dallas Howard

SYNOPSIS: In the early 1960s, aspiring journalist Eugenia "Skeeter" Phelan returns to Jackson, Mississippi and strikes out to tell the stories from the perspective of the 'Help', the African American maids and nannies who have spent their lives taking care of the white families children and households.

REVIEW: The Help is a 2009 novel written by Kathryn Stockett centering around the lives of several main characters living and working in 1960s Jackson, Mississippi. Written from Stockett's novel and directed for the screen by Tate Taylor, writer and director of 2008s Pretty Ugly People, The Help takes a humorous, heartfelt and hard look at the cultural chasms between the races.

1960s Jackson, Mississippi is a southern town where an African American woman is good enough to raise a white woman's child but not good enough to use their employers toilet, where segregation is still instituted and carried out, and where the concepts of Civil Rights are soon to become a real movement. Eugenia 'Skeeter' Phelan (Emma Stone) returns after college graduation more enlightened and ready to pursue a career in journalism. Listening to and abhorring the way some of the 'southern belles' think of and treat their maids, Skeeter reaches out to Aibileen Clark (Viola Davis), a middle-aged African American maid who has spent her life raising white children. First using Aibileen's advice for an advice column, Skeeter soon realizes there is a greater, deeper story to be told. Mississippi State law states that any written work that supports the civil rights of the negro community could land the writer in prison, so Skeeter, Aibileen, and soon the outspoken sass-talking maid Minny Jackson (Octavia Spencer) must meet in secret to get the maids' stories committed to paper. Along the way, Skeeter, Aibileen and Minny must deal with Junior League head and community social leader Hilly Holbrook (Bryce Dallas Howard) as Hilly strives to get an initiative passed to have separate bathroom facilities installed outside houses where 'colored' help is employed.

The Help focuses on the relationships, good and bad, between white southern families and their African American maids. From households where the maids have raised the children from early ages and have become an integral part of the family, to households where the maids are called upon to make sandwiches for a husband just arriving home while being expected to hush a crying child in the same moment without regard for her worth, each instance defines the deep-south, deep-rooted opinion of of the races.

Emma Stone, in a role more challenging than anything she has done before, brings a naked naivety and hopefulness to Skeeter that does the character proud. Viola Davis as Aibileen expands a performance just as powerful as her Oscar nominated Best Supporting Actress role for Doubt. Octavia Spencer adds as much sass to Minny Jackson as her character adds spices to her Crisco fried chicken. Bryce Dallas Howard's Hilly Holbrook exudes arrogance, contempt and fear of cultural change as she strives to propagate and expand the established segregation that already exists. Pairing off against Minny for more comic effect is Jessica Chastain as white social circle outsider Celia Foote. And rounding out the main cast are a couple of mothers... Allison Janney as Skeeter's ailing health cultural coward mother Charlotte and Sissy Spacek as forgetful, but compassionate Missus Walters. Every performance is riveting, powerful and enlightening.

The Help is a heartfelt, heartbreaking, uplifting, humorous and hard look at the social sentiment between the races as recently as 50 years ago, and the distance that equality and understanding still needed to travel. Powerful performances by powerful actresses, The Help is one of the films to watch come Oscar time. For the immediate future, though, be sure to keep an eye on Minny Jackson's pies.

WORTH: Matinee or DVD

Crazy, Stupid, Love

Crazy, But Not Stupid Romance

Director: Glenn Ficarra, John Requa
Writers: Dan Fogelman

Cast: Steve Carell, Ryan Gosling, Julianne Moore, Marisa Tomei, Emma Stone, Kevin Bacon, Jonah Bobo, Analeigh Tipton, Beth Littleford, John Carroll Lynch, Josh Groban, Liza Lapira

SYNOPSIS: Cal runs into marital issues when his wife Emily asks for a divorce. Unprepared for the single scene, Cal enlists the help of professional pick-up artist Jacob to help navigate its choppy waters.

REVIEW: I Love You Phillip Morris directors Glenn Ficarra and John Requa re-team with a story from popular animated adventure scribe Dan Fogelman (Cars, Tangled, Bolt, Cars 2) to bring you a more adult romantic dramedy with Steve Carell, Ryan Gosling, Julianne Moore, Marisa Tomei, Kevin Bacon and Emma Stone on board.

Fresh off of his departure from NBCs The Office, Steve Carell returns to the big screen to add to his growing body of work that includes hits like Date Night and Despicable Me and misses like Dinner for Schmucks and Evan Almighty. He stars as Cal, a man with the perfect married life. That is, until wife Emily (Julianne Moore) asks for a divorce. Thinking that their lives have become too predictable and have lost that spark that had gotten them through their marriage so far, Emily admits to having an affair with fellow co-worker David Lindhagen (Kevin Bacon). Cal moves out without a fight, leaving Emily and his kids Robbie (Jonah Bobo) and Molly (Joey King), and leaving Cal to sulk, drink and watch professional pick-up artist Jacob (Ryan Gosling) work his skills around the club.

Heartfelt and funny, Crazy, Stupid, Love brings us all too real intertwined romantic connections with a twist of humor. We have Cal who has lost his one true love to another man, Jacob who sees love as a pathetic waste of emotion, opting instead to pick up woman for one-night stands, Emily who cheated on her husband but may be having second thoughts about her decisions to end her marriage, and co-worker Dave who really wants to continue a relationship with Emily. Throw in a 13-year-old son Robbie in love with the family babysitter Jessica (Analeigh Tipton), and Jacob conquest interest Hannah (Emma Stone) who is looking for a marriage proposal from her boyfriend Richard (Josh Groban), and you have a recipe for laughter and tears.

Crazy, Stupid, Love definitely lives up to its name. Steve Carell brings his sad-sack believer in true love to the screen, reminiscent to his character from Date Night. Julianne Moore weighs down the drama with her performance, centering the film in realistic roots. And although Carell and Moore are the pivot points of the film, Emma Stone and Ryan Gosling really are the show stealers. Both are easy on the eyes, Emma with her red locks and freckles, and Ryan with his perfect stubble and "PhotoShopped" abs. Their performances apart are love-lorn and hopeful. Their shared scenes are silly, funny, real and down to earth. Young son Robbie played by Jonah Bobo is the perfect innocent foil for a love life that is all in front of him. The performance brought to the screen by Analeigh Tipton for babysitter Jessica is fun to watch, every awkward movement a study in teenage romantic angst.

Tender moments abound between Cal and Emily. The scene between them outside Robbie's teachers classroom for Parent/Teacher conferences and a phone call about restarting a boiler pilot light make you smile a little, but breaks your heart a little, too. Jacob's bravado with Cal and his distain for Cal's wardrobe to date is funny, too, but not as funny as the Hannah/Jacob Dirty Dancing moment in his bachelor pad and the moments that immediately follow. And, of course, the topper to the film is the climatic miniature golf scene where Cal, Jacob, Dave and Jessica's father Bernie (John Carroll Lynch) come to violence.

The film starts off strong, lags in the first act for a while until Jacob arrives onscreen for good, then takes off as a strong romantic dramedy for good. Get over that first hump and the rest is a sweet, tender road of romance - and the things we do for it!

WORTH: Matinee and DVD

Easy A

Whatever Happened To John Hughes

[Emma Stone, Aly Michalka, Amanda Bynes, Penn Badgley]

image from bp.blogspot.com

RANT: Barely 14 hours had past since my last movie outing. Friday at 10pm brought the "Devil" out, while Saturday's 12:30pm was an "Easy A". After writing the last blog and going to bed, there hasn't been that much activity in order to write about. I will tell you that the box office staff at the Westbury, NY AMC Regal Theater, most notably Vanessa, Tiffany, and Mary, are all smiles every time I go to the movies.

SYNOPSIS: After another student hears Olive lie to her friend that she lost her virginity, the rumor mill brands her as a slut and a harlot. At first, Olive relishes her infamy and helps guys get "sex cred", but then the web of deception spins her life too far out of control to handle.

Taylor Swift tweeted that "Easy A" was now her favorite movie! That's quite an endorsement from the multiple music award winner. And I can see why. Defty directed by Will Gluck from a story by writer Bert V. Royal, Emma Stone and cast bring the cattiness and humor that the film needed to be worth while. Where "Mean Girls" was the typical good girl gone bad teenage comedy with hi-jinks and a message, "Easy A" delves as deep into today's teenage culture while adding in a much needed dose of straight-on comedy moments.

Emma's Olive is a blend of "Mean Girls" Cady and "House Bunny's" Shelley. Of course, Emma and Anna Faris did co-star in "House Bunny", so she definitely can channel Anna from firsthand experience. Olive's parents, played by Stanley Tucci and Patricia Clarkson, provide all of the well-meaning laughs needed. Amanda Bynes plays Marianne, a teenage Christian soldier bent on exposing Olive for her misdeeds even though Marianne was the one who started the rumor mill after overhearing Olive fibs in the girls's restroom to begin with. "Hellcats" Aly Michalka plays Olive's off-again, on-again best friend Rhiannon, desperate to hear all of the juicy details of Olive's escapades, but unwilling to hold judgement after Olive's notoriety rivals her own.

We learn how destructive even the most innocuous lies can end up. The new age of instant communication and instant gratification is a glaring reminder that privacy is no longer sacred, and that any lie become truth once it appears in print or online. Today's teenagers recklessly add their thoughts to Facebook and Twitter, from the most mundane to the most private. As Olive states during her webcam, today's teenage life is not an 80's John Hughes film.

Worth: Matinee and DVD

I am also trying out a new rating system shown below based on reader reaction to my somewhat complex monetary rating scale. I will give both ratings and see what kind of reaction I muster. A movie can receive up to 5 popcorn buckets. Why popcorn buckets? Because I am a slave to the thousand + calorie delight! Enjoy!