Quick Shots 12

Title: No Strings Attached

Starring: Ashton Kutcher, Natalie Portman, Kevin Kline, Lake Bell, Ludacris, Mindy Kaling, Cary Elwes.

Brief Synopsis: Adam (Kutcher) and Emma (Portman) seem to keep bumping into each other. They first met at summer camp as teenagers, then again at a party where Adam attended college. Finally they meet at a farmer's marker where they both now live, LA. Eventually they become really good friends - but Adam wants more. Emma, however, doesn't believe that two people are meant to be together forever - so she just wants casual sex. Nothing can go wrong with that, right?

Opinion: Pretty basic premise - almost the same sort of premise of Love and Other Drugs, where the female of the relationship wants to keep things casual, except the male wants more. I have to admit that I'd watch Portman read the phone book, but I can take or leave Kuthcher. This was a decent film, but nothing ground breaking.

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Title: Hall Pass

Starring: Owen Wilson, Jason Sudeikis, Jenna Fischer, Christina Applegate, Nicky Whelan, Alexandra Daddario, Joy Behar.

Brief Synopsis: Rick (Wilson) is married to Maggie (Fischer), who are also best friends with another couple, Fred (Sudeikis) and Grace (Applegate). Like most men, despite having a great wife, Rick and Fred both love to look at the ladies and fantasize that they are still great catches. After Rick and Fred embarrass their significant others with their potty mouths - Maggie gives Rick a hall pass (or a week off from marriage to do whatever he likes). After finding out, Fred encourages Grace into giving him one as well - and the two 'bachelors' now have a week to do anything and anyone that they want.

Opinion: I have to admit, I laughed pretty darn hard at a lot of this movie. The one-liners and some of the scenarios that the two of them get themselves into are pretty hilarious. Plus, for the most part, this is what guys do. They think they are still hot shit and look at all the pretty ladies around them - despite finally realizing they have a pretty amazing lady right by their side.

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Title: The Adjustment Bureau

Starring: Matt Damon, Emily Blunt, Anthony Mackie, John Slattery, Terence Stamp.

Brief Synopsis: There is a company, known as the Adjustment Bureau, that keeps track of us and makes sure that we stay on the correct path. They do this by doing small things, like untying a shoe or spilling coffee, so we don't have chance meetings. What happens if an agent messes up? David Norris (Damon) is a politician, who is supposed to go onto great things - perhaps even being the president. The Bureau has entrusted Harry Mitchell (Mackie) to keep him on his path - but Mitchell makes a mistake and Norris gets on a bus with Elise (Blunt), a woman from his past that if the two are kept together will ruin Norris' and her path. So, the Bureau does everything in their power to split the pair up.

Opinion: I was pretty mesmerized by this film, honestly. They got some pretty top-notch actors to portray all of the main roles - and they did a great job. It was so interesting to see and to think that perhaps our lives are already mapped out for us - and all the random things that happen to us occur so we stay on our current path and not get sidetracked. But, we also could be missing out on a lot of great things.

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