Tuesday, September 26, 2023

Overboard, 2018 American Comedy super fun!

 Overboard is a 2018 American romantic comedy film directed by Rob Greenberg, who wrote the screenplay with Bob Fisher and Leslie Dixon. A characteristically-reversed remake of the original 1987 film (also scripted by Dixon), the film stars Eugenio Derbez (in the Goldie Hawn role), Anna Faris (in Kurt Russell's), Eva Longoria, and John Hannah. It follows a struggling, working-class single mother who convinces a rich playboy with amnesia that they are married.



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Kate Sullivan is a widowed single mother of three daughters who works two jobs while studying to be a nurse. Assigned to clean carpets on a yacht owned by spoiled, arrogant playboy Leonardo 'Leo' Montenegro, he makes rude remarks to her, firing her without pay when she refuses to bring him food. When Kate calls out his behaviour, he pushes her off the boat with the cleaning equipment.

Meanwhile, in Mexico, Leo's younger sisters Magdalena and Sofia are tending their ailing father, who announces Leo as his successor to run their company. That night, Leo slips off the yacht and falls into the ocean unnoticed. Waking up on a beach with amnesia and no recollection of his identity, he wanders through town and is eventually brought to the hospital. 

Magdalena finds him, but leaves him there unclaimed after learning of his amnesia. She returns home with an urn filled with ashes from a campsite grill and falsely reports Leo was killed by a shark, as she intends to take over the family company herself.

Kate and her friend Theresa see a news report on Leo's amnesia. To compensate her for his earlier misdeeds, taking advantage of his amnesia, they make him believe he's married to Kate. They go to the hospital and convince Leo of the ruse when Kate correctly identifies a tattoo of Speedy Gonzales on his rear, a detail she had seen on the yacht. Kate takes him home and introduces him to her girls, making up details about their alleged life together. She sets him up with an exhausting construction job, for Theresa's husband Bobby.

Leo eventually bonds with the girls. Kate begins to feel guilty and considers telling him the truth, but changes her mind after seeing how much the girls enjoy having him around. Instead, they spend the evening celebrating Kate's new revelation: it's their anniversary. The next day, Leo discovers condoms. Assuming the worst, he confronts her, Theresa takes the blame, stating she was having an affair. Leo and Kate decide to renew their vows.

Meanwhile, Leo's family is having a memorial service for him when a photo of him at the beach turns up. Realizing Magdalena lied, Mr. Montenegro goes to find Leo. When he reaches Kate's, Leo's memory returns upon seeing him and he realizes what happened. Hurt and angry, Leo returns to his yacht. The girls tearfully run after him and plead for him to stay, but are unsuccessful.

Kate decides to go after Leo, and she and the girls rush to the pizza place to borrow Bobby's boat to chase after the yacht. Meanwhile, Leo has become aware of how selfish and pretentious his life was before meeting Kate and the girls. He realizes he wants to be with them and has the captain turn the boat around. Mr. Montenegro attempts to stop him, but Leo jumps into the water. Kate does the same as they swim to each other and share a kiss. Leo dismisses threats from his father, who in the process decides to name Sofia as his new successor as he is furious at both Leo (for choosing to be with Kate) and Magdalena (for lying to him).

Leo returns to a life with Kate and the girls. Leo's former employee Colin arrives to offer his service as a nanny. After telling him they can't afford him, he mentions that Sofia sent him to remind Leo that he still legally owns the yacht, worth $60 million. Kate and Leo marry aboard it. Friends and family toast the newlyweds during the end credits. In the meantime, Magdalena tries to get herself back in good graces by claiming to have started an education initiative for children in the Philippines, though none of the children like her.

Rating: 10 Stars

I used to be famous, 2022 Netflix

 I Used to Be Famous is a 2022 British drama about a singer out of career that struggling make a friend film made by Forty Foot Pictures for Netflix. Directed by Eddie Sternberg in his feature length debut, and starring Ed SkreinEleanor Matsuura and Leo Long. The film debuted on Netflix on 16 September 2022.




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Vince Denham used to be famous as "Vinnie D", one of five members of the boyband Stereo Dream. 20 years later, he lives unemployed in Peckham, London. Desperate to recapture his former success, he struggles to write a first solo album. One day he starts practicing on his keyboard in the middle of a market when 18-year-old Stevie starts drumming along. The crowd is captivated, but the show ends abruptly when Stevie's worried mother Amber pulls him away.

A video of the performance goes viral, and after some scouting Vince finds a local pub manager who agrees to let them perform at an upcoming music night. Vince searches for Stevie, and stumbles across him and Amber again when he overhears and joins a drumming circle at a church. He invites Stevie to perform, but Amber immediately refuses. She explains that Stevie is autistic: he is unable to handle crowds or unusual situations, and she does not trust that Vince can handle his meltdowns. However, she changes her mind when Vince is able to calm Stevie down with a drumming exercise they learned at the church.

Dubbed "The Tin Men", the gig starts well, but after Vince punches a man for heckling Stevie the landlord kicks them out. Amber breaks off contact between the two. Vince spirals into depression, remembering how he chose going on tour with Stereo Dream over visiting his terminally ill brother Ted, missing his death and causing an estrangement with his mother. Meanwhile, Stevie lashes out at Amber, accusing her of secretly resenting him for forcing her to quit her dancing career to care for him, and insisting that Vince meant well. He begins visiting local pubs and secures another gig for The Tin Men, then sets Vince up with an opportunity to apologise to Amber. Vince and Stevie begin practicing and writing new songs again.

Former Stereo Dream member Austin Roberts see a video of The Tin Men and offers Vince the chance to be the opening act on his final tour. Their old manager also offers him a recording contract, but dismisses Stevie as "a special needs kid"—he demands that Vince performs as a solo act, and only uses label-approved studio musicians instead of Stevie. Vince is appalled, but also unable to resist the opportunity—he accepts. He tries to let Stevie down gently by spinning it as an opportunity for him to pursue his own dream of enrolling at a music school. Stevie is distraught, but does as Vince suggests, and he manages to win a place at the Royal College of Music.

Amber visits Vince secretly and thanks him for making her realise Stevie's potential, but also demands that Vince cut off contact entirely, worried that Stevie now has an unrealistic expectation of achieving the success Vince promised. Vince agrees, but later in the studio is alienated by his label-assigned producers' choices, including removing Stevie's drumming for a more "contemporary" electronic beat. On Stevie's birthday, he decides to set up one final surprise Tin Men gig at the market where they first performed together. As Amber and Stevie arrive, he invites Stevie onto the stage. A huge crowd gathers and cheers for Stevie, and Amber, unable to resist, joins in.

Rating: 10 Stars

Monday, September 25, 2023

Easy A, is a 2010 American teen comedy film with Emma Stone

 “Easy A” is a 2010 American teen comedy film directed by Will Gluck and starring Emma Stone, Amanda Bynes, Penn Badgley, before become a psycho in YOU was a really good boy, and Dan Byrd. The plot follows Olive Penderghast (Emma Stone), a high school student who lies to her best friend about losing her virginity, and then spreads a rumor that she has lost it to other students. The film is loosely based on Nathaniel Hawthorne’s 1850 novel “The Scarlet Letter”.



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Shot at Screen Gems studios and in Ojai, California, the film was released on September 17, 2010. The film received positive reviews with high praise for Stone's performance, and was a major financial success, grossing $75 million worldwide against a budget of $8 million. Stone received a Golden Globe nomination for Best Actress in a Comedy or Musical, while the movie won the Critics' Choice Award for Best Comedy.

The film is ranked as number 14 on Entertainment Weekly's 2021 list of the Best High School Movies.



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The story is narrated by Olive Penderghast, a seventeen-year-old high school girl living in Ojai, California, speaking into her webcam.

Olive lies to her best friend, Rhiannon Abernathy, about going on a date in order to get out of camping with Rhiannon's hippie parents. Instead, she hangs around the house all weekend listening to the Natasha Bedingfield song "Pocketful of Sunshine" from a musical greeting card her grandmother sent her. The following Monday, Rhiannon presses Olive until she lies about losing her virginity to a college boy. Marianne Bryant, a devout Christian whom Olive considers to be prudish, overhears her telling the lie and it soon spreads throughout the school. The school's church group, run by Marianne, decides to "save" Olive from her supposed promiscuity. Olive confides the truth to her friend Brandon, who is bullied by other students for being gay. Brandon asks Olive to pretend to have sex with him at a party so the other students will believe he is straight, to which she agrees.

After a fight with Rhiannon over her new reputation as a "dirty skank", Olive decides to counteract the harassment by embracing her new image as the school tramp, wearing more provocative clothing and stitching a red "A" onto her clothing, inspired by Hester Prynne from Nathaniel Hawthorne's 1850 novel The Scarlet Letter, which she was reading in her English class. Boys who have had no previous luck with girls beg Olive to increase their popularity by saying they have had sex with her, which she does in return for gift cards to various stores. Things get worse when Micah, Marianne's boyfriend, contracts chlamydia from sleeping with Mrs. Griffith, the school guidance counselor, and blames Olive. As Mrs. Griffith's husband, Mr. Griffith, is Olive's favorite teacher, she accepts the blame to spare their marriage.

The church youth group, which now includes Rhiannon, begins harassing Olive in an attempt to get her to drop out of school. Olive is asked out on a date by Anson, Rhiannon's crush, which ends badly when Anson tries to bribe Olive to actually have sex with him and not just pretend that she did. Olive later reconnects with Todd, her childhood crush and the school mascot, who tells her he does not believe the rumours because she lied for him when he was not ready for his first kiss years ago. Olive decides to ask everyone she lied for to help her by telling everyone the truth, but nobody is willing to relinquish their newfound popularity. When Mrs. Griffith also refuses to tell the truth, Olive threatens to expose her affair, but Mrs. Griffith says no one would believe her. Out of spite, Olive immediately tells Mr. Griffith, who subsequently separates from his wife.

After talking with her open-minded mother, Olive comes up with a plan – she performs a song-and-dance number at a school pep rally to draw people's attention and tells them to watch her webcast later that night, promising an online sex show with Todd when in reality, it is the webcast that has served as the narrative device for the film. As she is concluding her webcast, Todd comes by her house riding a lawn mower. She signs off by saying that she may lose her virginity to Todd sooner or later, but declares that "it is nobody's goddamn business." Olive texts Rhiannon and apologizes for lying to her. She goes outside to meet Todd and the two share a kiss before riding off on the lawn mower.

Rating: 10 Stars

Beyond the Universe, 2022

Beyond the Universe, 2022 is a film about a young and talented pianist named Nina who dreams of playing with the São Paulo Symphony Orchestra. However, her life takes a toll when she is diagnosed with lupus, a disease that attacks the body’s tissues and organs. Nina’s health deteriorates, and she needs a kidney transplant to survive. Amidst her struggles, she finds love and support from Gabriel, a young doctorGabriel helps Nina overcome her insecurities and fight for her dreamThe film revolves around their romance and Nina’s journey to fulfill her musical aspirations




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Talented pianist Nina Soares started playing at eight, and wanted to join the symphony orchestra from 13. At that age she collapses during an important recital, and is soon diagnosed with lupus.

Now a young adult, Nina discovers the lupus has damaged her kidneys so severely they are working at under 10%, so is put on a kidney donor list and must undergo four hours of dialysis three times a week. There are over 14,000 people before her on the list.

After a month, Nina is scheduled to start dialysis. That morning, she sees the São Paolo Symphony Orchestra is seeking a piano soloist. After teaching a lesson at the music conservatory, Nina is warily OK to practise after hours, but her work mustn't suffer.

Nina plays piano in the train station by the hospital, as Gabriel is passing through on his bike. Mesmerized, he crashes into the piano. Unimpressed, Nina stops, heading to the hospital.

Gabriel is a resident doctor at Nina's hospital. There, he is constantly brightening up patients' days. Gabriel and fellow resident Yuri compare notes on their crushes, one the chance encounter in the station and the other through an app.

The next day Nina finds Gabriel on her medical team, and is surprised by the strong connection they have. Initially she is very pessimistic, but he insists she keep fighting. Gabriel finds her a practise piano when the conservatory fires her, then rushes her across town to apply for the audition.

Hospital director Doctor Alberto summons Gabriel, who is also his son, reminding him of his Hippocratic oath, because of Nina. The young adults end up making a trade, he teaches her to cycle while she teaches him to play piano, afterwards they go dancing and kiss.

During her long dialysis sessions, Nina befriends Amanda, who's under the same treatment. An optimist, she attributes her attitude to her daughter. Observing the chemistry between Nina and Gabriel, she predicts her young friend's outlook might be improving.

Although the pain from the lupus makes her hands ache, Nina practises through the pain and gets to the first audition. Initially pausing after a shooting pain, she powers through and passes to the second round. Gabriel invites Nina to a celebratory dinner.

Yuri, also Gabriel's roommate, preps dinner. His love interest Tulio arrives before Nina, and he mildly irritates Gabriel, who gets them to leave so he can be alone with Nina. She spends the night, and in the morning he tells her about a hike he does annually to honor his mother, his inspiration who died of cancer when he was 13.

Alberto confronts Gabriel about secretly getting tested to donate his kidney to Nina, which Gabriel then shares with her the negative result. Although he'd planned to attend Nina's second audition, Gabriel unexpectedly has to do clinic hours. He crashes his bike hurrying to get there, just as she collapses at the piano.

Nina wakes three days later in the hospital, dejected. When she realizes Gabriel might lose his residency due to their inappropriate doctor-patient relationship, she gets discharged without telling him. Finding her at home, Nina pessimistally doesn't want to request an appeal with the orchestra or stay together. She suggests he apologize to the disciplinary hearing committee.

When Nina tells Amanda what happened, she calls her an idiot for not fighting for Gabriel. So, she goes to his hearing and convinces them to keep him on, taking full responsibility for their interaction. Gabriel then gets Nina to go to the hospital, allegedly for Amanda's birthday. The chapel is set up with a piano, so she performs for one of the orchestra's jurors, who offers her another audition.

Gabriel soon leaves for his annual hiking trip, but first gives Nina his mother's lucky necklace to protect her. On the top of the mountain, he suffers a great fall. Although rushed to the hospital, Gabriel contracts a subdermal hematoma and passes away in the operating room. Nina and Alberto bond over their grief for Gabriel. The director discovers he is compatible to donate his kidney to her.

One year later, on stage with the São Paulo orchestra, Nina dedicates a song she wrote in Gabriel's honour.

Rating: 10 Stars

Outlaw King, 2018

Outlaw King is a 2018 historical action drama film, co-written, produced, and directed by David Mackenzie. Chris Pine stars as Scottish kin...