I went into this movie without having seen a trailer or even really knowing much about the plot. I did know it boasted a star studded cast headlined by Bruce Willis, Bill Murray and Edward Norton. Though, it soon became apparent that they all take a backseat to the quirky young star Jared Gilman. The outcast 12-year-old runs away from his scout troupe with his equally odd crush, played by Kara Hayward. The interactions between the two misfits balance on the edge of incredibly awkward, hilarious and adorable all at once.

Easily my personal favorite movie from this year and I give it 4 ½ out of 5 Beach balls.

-BB

Let me start by stating the obvious. This movie, without a doubt, is a chick flick. Do I care? No. I am an equal opportunity movie viewer, no discrimination here. I enjoy chick flicks, animated films, dramas and even mindless action films alike. For the most part, if Hollywood will produce it, I will watch it.

That said, I enjoyed this movie. I hoped I would since I’m a fan of both lead actors. Andy Samberg has been about the only reason to watch Saturday Night Live over the past few years and is hilarious as part of Lonely Island. Also, Rashida Jones has been a part of two of my favorite TV shows, The Office and Parks and Recreation. For me to like a chick flick, the key is laughter. I definitely laughed.

Jones and Samberg play a couple that were best friends since high school, married, and recently divorced, but remain best friends. Those around them are constantly confronting them about how strange it is that they continue to be so close and spend so much time together. Awkwardness abounds and mistakes are made as Jesse begins to see another woman and their relationship is strained. I’m not huge on the mushy, emotional aspects, but there were enough jokes and quirks to keep me laughing. I found it absolutely hilarious that when Jesse was down, he would watch his recording of weightlifting from the Beijing Olympics and cry.

Not appropriate for kids because of the adult humor and language used throughout. I had fun watching this movie and that’s what it’s all about right? Not the best movie you’ll see, but far from the worst.

For me, it slides in right at 3 out of 5 Beach balls.

I was really excited to see my favorite comedic actor, Will Ferrell, return to his bread and butter of outrageous comedy. He plays an incumbent Congressman from North Carolina running unopposed until Zac Galifianakis’ character throws his hat into the ring at the last minute.

As a former political science major, I enjoyed the complete mockery of the electoral process that this film provides. If you have seen a few of Ferrell’s and Galifianakis’ movies, then there are not a whole lot of surprises in store. I felt as though I could predict when Ferrell’s ridiculous tirades were coming and when Galifianakis would get a laugh with his patented effeminate gait and mannerisms. That said, I’m always up for a laugh and it delivered that. Completely unrealistic and over the top, but that’s what we have to come to expect and enjoy out of these two.

Not a great movie overall, but I enjoyed it and give it 3 ¼ out of 5 BeachBalls.

-BB

I was really excited to see what Christopher Nolan had in store for us in his third installment of the Batman series. I was not disappointed in the least. Some might complain about the length of the movie, but I found that there were enough twists and turns in the plot to keep my interest.

I thought Christian Bale, one of my favorites, delivered another great performance. My natural inclinaiton to think back to watching “The Princess Diaries” with my little sister always makes me skeptical of anything Anne Hathaway is in, but I was pleasantly surprised with her portayal of Catwoman. If I had one complaint from this otherwise very entertaining movie, it would be the voice of Bane. I found it to be ridiculous and a little distracting.

All in all, I give it 4/5 Beach balls

Hello there Braves fans –

As you know, I underwent season ending surgery back in June. As a result of staying behind to do my physical therapy while the team goes on the road, I now have a little more free time than I am used to this time of year. This abundance has given me the opportunity to spend more time on a few of my hobbies, most notably, watching and attending movies.

Watching movies has been something I’ve really enjoyed for as long as I can remember. Pretty dorky I know, but even my pursuit in college to study law was rooted back to watching Matlock and Law & Order with my Mom. Anyway, I was approached by someone from the PR department a couple of weeks ago with the idea of blogging reviews of some of the movies I was watching.

Since I already did a mini version of that occasionally via Twitter, I figured it couldn’t hurt and would only give me more reason to waste time watching movies. So, “why not?” Please remember that these are just my opinions, and while my taste in movies is impeccable, you may somehow have differing views. This is just for fun and to give me something else to do with my free time as I recover and rehab, so take what I have to say with a grain of salt.

Here we go, enjoy!

-BB