Let's go to the....MOVIES!: December 2009

The Rebound

Catherine Zeta-Jones, a 40-year-old single mom with two kids, desperately needs a nanny. She finds one in Justin Bartha, the 24-year-old coffee shop assistant who works nearby. Needless to say, romance blooms despite the age difference. Hence, the allure of the older, alpha woman who's both hot and happening; a delightful blend of substance and sensuality.

That's what young and sensitive Aram Finklestein (Justin Bartha) sees in his older, wiser, absolutely oomphy employer Sandra (Catherine Zeta-Jones) when she hires him as her nanny. He does begin by baby-sitting her two kids, playing video games with them, enacting American Idol sessions or imitating the Grudge. But very soon, he graduates from just watching her mess up her dates with her sundry boyfriends to being the perfect boyfriend.

Genre - Romance & Comedy

Casts - Catherine Zeta Jones, Justin Bartha

Director - Bart Freundlich

Movie Trailer

Did You Hear About The Morgans?

The comedy Did You Hear About the Morgans? follows a highly successful Manhattan couple, Meryl and Paul Morgan (Sarah Jessica Parker and Hugh Grant), whose almost-perfect lives have only one notable failure – their dissolving marriage. But the turmoil of their romantic lives is nothing compared to what they are about to experience: they witness a murder and become targets of a contract killer. The Feds, protecting their witnesses, whisk away the Morgans from their beloved New York to a tiny town in Wyoming, and a relationship that was on the rocks threatens to end completely in the Rockies... unless, in their new BlackBerry-free lives, the Morgans can slow down the pace and rekindle the passion.

Genre - Comedy

Cast - Hugh Grant, Sarah Jessica Parker

Director - Marc Lawrence

Movie Trailer

A Single Man

Set in Los Angeles in 1962, at the height of the Cuban missile crisis, 'A Single Man' is the story of George Falconer, a 52 year old gay British college professor (Colin Firth) who is struggling to find meaning to his life after the death of his long time partner, Jim (Matthew Goode). George dwells on the past and cannot see his future as we follow him through a single day, where a series of events and encounters, ultimately leads him to decide if there is a meaning to life after Jim. George is consoled by his closest friend Charley (Julianne Moore), a 48 year old beauty who is wrestling with her own questions about the future. A young student of George's, Kenny (Nicholas Hoult), who is coming to terms with his true nature, stalks George as he feels in him a kindred spirit. 'A Single Man' is a romantic tale of love interrupted, the isolation that is an inherent part of the human condition, and ultimately the importance of the seemingly smaller moments in life.

It is an adaptation of 1964 novel by Christopher Isherwood and directed by the famous designer, Tom Ford. The film resonates above all because of the way it turns a single man's day into a spiritual journey from despair to transfiguration.

Genre - Drama & Adaptation

Cast - Colin Firth, Julianne Moore

Director - Tom Ford

Movie Trailer

Serious Moonlight

'Serious Moonlight' is a simple, character-driven story of what happens when high-powered lawyer Louise (Meg Ryan) finds out her husband Ian (Timothy Hutton) plans to leave her for his younger mistress Sara (Kristen Bell). Louise holds Ian hostage, the better to make him explain what happened to their marriage. Eventually, an unexpected visit by Todd (Justin Long) forces husband, wife, and mistress to confront their situation in an unexpected manner.

After she arrives at her country home for a romantic weekend getaway, things don't go exactly as planned for high-powered Manhattan lawyer Louise. First, her husband of 13 years, Ian, tells her that he's leaving her for a younger woman. Then, one thing leads to another, and pretty soon Ian finds himself held captive by an oddly cool Louise who explains that she won't release him until he professes his love for her and commits to working on their marriage. And that's when things REALLY start to go wrong. The unexpected arrival of an opportunistic young gardener and Ian's impatient mistress only serve to complicate the crisis even further, while somehow forcing Louise and Ian to reckon with their past and realistically deal with their future.

Genre - Comedy

Cast - Meg Ryan, Timothy Hutton, Kristen Bell, Justin Long

Director - Cheryl Hines

Movie Trailer

Brothers

As the US prepares to send another 30,000 troops to Afghanistan, a new film by Irish director Jim Sheridan takes a critical look at the consequences of the war on scores of American families. The film called Brothers examines the human cost of the conflict through the eyes of a decorated Marine who goes missing in Afghanistan.

It is an English language adaptation of the 2004 Danish film Brødre. In Brothers, the director who’s known for his work decides to tackle the effects of war on the relationships of a tight knit family. Tobey Maguire, Natalie Portman, and Jake Gyllenhaal lead the cast in this eye opening tale about death, love, and betrayal.

Brothers centers on a military family led by Sam and Grace Cahill (Maguire and Portman), high school sweethearts who are the parents of two young daughters. Sam is the older brother of Tommy, an ex-con who’s been recently released from prison. When Sam’s shipped out for another tour in Afghanistan his helicopter is shot down while on duty. The family is notified of his death, causing Grace and Tommy to pick up the pieces in the aftermath. While trying to heal, the unlikely pair develop a close relationship, which causes a rift when Sam unexpectedly returns. He’s a changed man, suffering from post traumatic stress disorder and unable to communicate the horror he saw overseas.