Renting DVDs This Week?

The snowy weather hit the DC area, and I hit the Blockbuster in my hood. Here are my recent views.

Couples Retreat:
Starring Vince Vaughn and Jason Bateman, among others. It is a comedy centered around four couples who settle into a tropical-island resort for a vacation. While one of the couples is there to work on the
marriage, the others fail to realize that participation in the resort's
therapy sessions is not optional.
My thoughts: Not too horrible but pretty bad. How is that for a critique? Really though, I really had big expectations on this film. You see Vince Vaughn also co-wrote this and I was hoping he would do for married life what he did for the single life with Swingers. Not. With this expectation, I was sorely disappointed. The sexual pose simulating yoga instructor in the Speedo was about as funny as it got and that was about 5-7 minutes.

Love Happens:
Starring Jennifer Aniston and Aaron Eckhart (from Thank you for Smoking). The film is about a widower whose book about coping with loss turns him into a best-selling self-help guru. On a business trip to Seattle, he fallsfor a woman who attends one of his seminars, only to learn that he hasn't yet truly confronted his wife's passing.
My thoughts: Jeniffer Aniston looks amazing. What happened to this woman and who is her doctor? I want to know about her, Nichole Kidman and Madonna. I know it is the same plastic surgeon. As she ages, she gets hotter and hotter. I hope that is how I am aging, but probably not. Ok, Aaron Ekhart, he is a great actor so long as he is portraying a slimy executive not this mushy gushy stuff. He really was bad. You see this self help guru is someone I never felt sympathy for, not even the guy who is a part of the movie trying to get over the death of his 12 year old son. I am a willing crier in any movie. I will cry in commercials. This movie, just didn't carry the emotion and sympathy part for me. I didn't like it. I actually measured and recorded the kid's height on the growth chart, cooked dinner and drank wine all the while forwarding about 40% of the movie. Dud for me.

A Serious Man:
The Oscar Nominated movie made by the famous Coen brothers is a black comedy centered on Larry Gopnik, a Midwestern professor who watches his life unravel when his wife prepares to leave him because his inept brother won't move out of the house. But that is not all. There is a lot more in this dark and genius comedy that only the Coen brothers can manage to display. The movie is a personal journey for them as they cover the time period in which they grew up as two Jewish boys living in Minnesota. I was drawn in from the moment the film began but did not expect a Hollywood ending. I was right. I will not spoil it for you. I recommend you put the kids and other distractions to bed and have a glass of wine and watch this movie before the Oscars. I think they may just take home one.

Hurt Locker is sitting on my DVD and tonight I will get to that one, will let you know soon.

That is all from me for this weekend. If you are watching anything different or have different thoughts, post it here.

Oh, we also went to the movies this weekend: Percy Jackson & The Olympians: The Lightning Thief. We loved it. Our 8 year old gives it a 7 and if you are into the books, you shouldn't miss it.