Doing It With Sarah - I Don't Know How She Does It

Kate Reddy (Sarah Jessica Parker) is a devoted mother of two. Her husband Richard (Greg Kinnear) adores her, as she juggles her domestic demand over her job in a high power investment firm. In fact, this time Kate is coming up with a proposal that just might give her a promotion. But she has to fly from Boston to New York and back to work on this project. Moreover, she has to enveigle her presence with a charming financial executive, Jack Abelhammer (Pierce Brosnan) who is gradually warming up to her cooky moments, like singing a lullaby for her 2 year old over the phone, or resisting the urge to scratch when she gets afflicted with her daughter’s head lice.

Plot thickens when she gets even busier than usual, she starts missing her child’s school events and even had to fly to New York during Thanksgiving to close a deal. Richard’s starting to detest Kate’s frequent rendezvous with Jack. After all, the latter’s single and not exactly a hideous looking gentleman. This last 3 months would test Kate’s multi tasking luck. Would she lose her family over her impending promotion?

We’ve seen similarly themed movies like this before. But I was nonetheless looking forward to watch Sarah Jessica Parker flex her corporate muscle – with her gorgeous pairs of shoes. The movie doesn’t drag, and it’s populated by feisty characters that buoy a rather predictable story.

The film espouses on several new age ideas: Men and women look at child care (i.e. hiring nannies) very differently. For men, it’s an outflow of cash they badly need. But when a couple is too occupied with each of their careers, how are they going to address adequate child care when they are simply unavailable?

Among disputing moms of school-age children: Working mothers need solidarity. Their rank in likability is just below a felon and just above a shop lifter. It’s funny how stay-home mothers are pitted against working moms. They compete during bake sales and school events, disposing commentaries on how children should be reared.

There’s a scene here which I love. While en route to their mountain cabin for Thanksgiving, the film takes an aerial shot of the sinewy road where Kate and Richard’s car was plying. The terrain looked immaculate in snow-capped white while Bill Weather’s “Lovely Day” starts playing. Before long, every one sings along including Emily Reddy, the couple’s daughter. Hearing that song reminds me of Christmas and all the other feel-good holidays.

Parker does well as career-juggling Kate, but though the film is briskly paced and well acted, the narrative meat feels a bit gaunt. Director Douglas McGrath’s film needed new ideas to allow the film to soar. That didn't happen.

Finally, on the existing double standard against working people, a male character offers how, among other things, men have to spend time shining their shoes; something that represents the expectations the corporate world places on this demographic. He concludes: “Have you ever seen women shine their shoes?" You'd have to admit the argument is rather flimsy and doesn't quite hold water.

Regardless, here's my question: Is it even appropriate to show grooming in public? I clean my shoes, that much I know. I just don’t have the constitution to show it. There’s etiquette to that. Men are sometimes too clueless with the ways of proper grooming convention.

Pierce Brosnan is Jack Abelhammer


Sarah Jessica Parker is Kate Reddy








Greg Kinnear plays Richard


Christina Hendricks plays Allison, Kate's bestfriend


Christina Hendricks is a voluptuous CalistaFlockhart ("Ally McBeal"). See the poster below for the uncanny semblance. She was in "E.R." and more recently in "Mad Men" as Joan Harris.


Olivia Munn plays Kate's assistant Momo





Olivia Munn


Seth Meyers plays the requisite naughty boy Chris Bunce.

The Ghost Writer - Roman Polanski Delivers the Chiller in a Thriller

Remote places that invoke edge-of-the-world ambiance ignite my imagination. And director Roman Polanski ("The Pianist") depicts such mystifyingly eerie atmosphere in his latest movie, "The Ghost Writer".

A professional ghost writer (brilliantly played by Ewan McGregor) is hired by an embattled former British Prime Minister Adam Lang (Pierce Brosnan) who is accused of aiding in the inhumane torture of suspected terrorists. The writer flies to a remote island just off the coast of mainland Massachusetts to finish the memoirs of the PM written by his predecessor who died under suspicious circumstances! But baffling situations seem to arise thereafter, not the least of which is the constant distraction provided by Ruth (Olivia Williams), Lang's "suffering" wife! Why is the manuscript fervently sought after? Are there secrets waiting to be discovered?

Though the series of events take their time to unravel, we soon sit and watch as the writer finds himself running for his life! And Ewan McGregor provides the perfect persona for his character's requisite onymousity, a trait imperative among ghost writers! Olivia Williams reminds us of Ms. Charlotte Rampling. What an exquisite lady! Once again, McGregor finds a reason to disrobe... and we aren't complaining! ;->

Roman Polanski never fails to engage us in a cogitative state!

"I am gorgeous," says this boyishly charming Scot!

Ewan McGregor - Doesn't he kinda look like Jude Law here? See the last photo below!

Mr. Prime Minister, Pierce Brosnan! Was he a war criminal?

Jude Law and Ewan McGregor share an intimate moment together!

Robert Pattinson is Worth Remembering

Allen Coulter's "Remember Me" gave me a few apprehensions even before I saw it. I was afraid it would lose the mysticism that Robert Pattinson carries for his "Twilight" persona. But how wrong can I be?

Very wrong. In fact, Pattinson proves that there's more to him than being a gorgeous vampire. In the film, we see him bear a full smile - which looks a bit skewered to be honest, but sexy nevertheless. The story goes: Perky girl Ally (Emilie de Ravin) meets moody boy Tyler (Robert Pattinson) - and they fall in love. On the side, Pattinson's character is dealing with personal demons that concern his emotionally distant dad - the amazing Pierce Brosnan - and his bullied sister Caroline!

As the movie draws ro a close, we see Tyler's face light up, gazing at a window from a luxurious office in New York, we believe that he finally found the peace that he'd been seeking. The camera pans from the window and moves further afield as it gradually draws away from New York's Twin Towers. The date: September 11, 2001.

I had tears streaming down my face.

Caroline and Tyler

Emilie de Ravin

"I love the sunshine," declares Robert Pattinson.

Bad Case of Juvenile Imagination - Percy Jackson & the Olympians

It could have been spectacular!

But praytell, how can anyone who's directed a Harry Potter movie come up with such a clunker in "Percy Jackson & the Olympians - The Lightning Thief"? Well, majority of its pitfall lies in its story really.

A group of teens are sent to a summer camp of demi-gods, children of Gods like Zeus, Athena and Hades, et. al. These kids have never met their all-too-powerful parents. Half of their parentage is human, so they come together at a camp headed by Pierce Brosnan who's half-man, half-horse.

But Percy Jackson (Logan Lerman) is being accused of stealing the world's most powerful weapon - the spearlike lightning bolt! He must travel to Olympus - by braving the ravages of hell first! - then "explain" to Zeus that he is innocent of this misdeed! On his quest for justice, he takes with him his friends Grover (who's half goat, half human) and Annabeth (daughter of Athena). So we have an adventure!

But setting this wildly imaginative storyline in present day California is anachronistic. The storyline never quite fits! And I always have trouble enjoying a film with a basic premise that I couldn't swallow!

Too bad! It had an avenue fit for a spell-binding adventure, but it turned out to be a pea-brained Nickelodeon flick (charming cast notwithstanding)!

Logan Lerman plays 15 year old Percy, accused of stealing the "lightning bolt" from the titan Gods. Logan is growing up a dashing young man. Strictly Zac Efron territory! He was that brilliant game player in Gerard Butler's "Gamer".

Jake Abel is naughty naughty Luke! He was the frisky high school stud in Peter Jackson's "Lovely Bones".