Friday, Feb. 12, 2010

The Movie Guy’s Review: Dear John, guy-approved ‘Chick Flick’

You see them going into the theater all the time — men — downtrodden, embarrassed and hoping desperately a buddy from work doesn’t see them. These men are towed by relational or matrimonial chains into the living purgatory that is the “chick flick,” but at least they’ll get points with their women. Dear John is the type of movie that will get you those points.

Savannah Lynn Curtis (Amanda Seyfried) is a college student on spring break when she meets John Tyree (Channing Tatum). John is a Soldier on leave. It’s one of those storybook meetings you hear about where there’s an instant romantic connection. The two begin to find out about each other’s worlds and families and things go well for the most part, but a miscommunication involving John’s father causes friction between the two. They reconcile on John’s last day of leave, and when John returns to the service, he and Savannah try to continue the relationship long distance. But then, 9/11 happens. As time moves on, John reaches the point where he can leave the service and rejoin Savannah, or re-enlist. When Savannah tells him to do what he thinks is right, he re-enlists and continues serving in combat with his unit.

As the missions become riskier, John becomes more dependent upon Savannah’s letters, which in turn becomes a problem as the letters take on a more distant tone.

This scenario is one some service members will be able to relate to, which elevates it above the average saccharine romantic drama film.

Those affected by the Global War on Terrorism have had to deal with loose ends, which is the nature of war. However, life doesn’t have to be as dramatic as the movie to deal with that kind of drama. Things happen, and it is important to deal with it while you can. Sometimes, the ending is not what we would like it to be, but in the end, we soldier on the best we can.

And so can you brave Soldiers who take their ladies to this film. You’ll come out all right.

Coming Attractions: For the weeks of Feb. 12 and Feb. 19

Valentine’s Day

It’s that time of year, when you are expected to spend money on your sweety to prove you love them. And what Valentine’s Day would be complete without a new romantic comedy? This movie is about the intertwining lives and loves of some people from Los Angeles played by the likes of Jessica Alba, Kathy Bates, Jessica Biel, Bradley Cooper, Patrick Dempsey and others. Specifically, it’s about the pressures the holiday brings upon the relationships of these people. Rated PG-13 for some sexual material and brief partial nudity.

Percy Jackson and the Olympians: The Lightning Thief

This film is based on the book by Rick Jordan, and probably intended to appeal to the same story taste buds as Harry Potter does. It’s about a modern-day teenager who discovers he is a descendant of the Olympian gods. His discovery comes with the benefit of some cool powers and plunges him right into a mythical conflict. It stars such names as Sean Bean (Zeus), Pierce Brosnan (Chiron) and Uma Thurman (Medusa). Rated PG for action violence and peril, some scary images and suggestive material, and mild language.

Shutter Island

U.S Marshall Teddy Daniels (Leonardo DiCaprio) investigates the disappearance of a patient at an isolated hospital for the criminally insane. He runs into obstacles in his investigation and begins to question his own sanity. The trailers almost make this look like a haunted house tale with a spooky looking locale and people who look like they know things they shouldn’t. But this is a Martin Scorsese film and he’s not about the supernatural, he’s about crime noir. This one looks like an atmospheric thriller. Rated R for disturbing violent content, language and some nudity.