Happy All Hallow’s Eve

Rufus, Pumpkin and Lily would like to wish all of you a Happy Halloween. Be safe!!

As for us, we are finally going to see Paranormal Activity 2 tonight. I’ll let you know my thoughts and for the record, these type of movies are never better at home on DVD. They are ALWAYS better in the theatre... in the dark.

Book Blogger Hop and Feature & Follow Friday

Okay, since blogger is being extremely difficult tonight. Please excuse me if I keep this brief. First, I have to thank Jen at Crazy For Books for hosting this gather, week after week. What a great way for book bloggers, and readers to find each other!

Now for this week’s question: “What is the one bookish thing you would love to have, no matter the cost?”

Our answer: To be honest, we just bought an iPad! *Screams for Joy!* You have no idea how much we drooled, wanted, desired... Has our life changed since the purchase? Hell yes! We love our iPad and we love being able to download our books. The only problem... there is only one iPad, and two of us trying to read on it. *Sighs*

Next, we visit Parajunkee’s View for the Feature Follow Friday! This week’s featured blog is Julie from My 5 Monkeys.

This week’s question: “If you have, or would have a daughter, what book would you want your daughter to read?”

That’s tough. She’s co-blogger, so I don’t really have to ask her to read anything. She just does. I don’t have any particularly favorite book that stood out when I was young, though my husband does. He’s tried to get my daughter to read, let’s see, the list goes on and on: Moby Dick, Lord of the Flies, Something Wicked This Way Comes... My husband and I argue over what we consider classic, and what a young reader now days will comprehend and appreciate. But that in itself is a whole other discussion.

Moving on!! To recap our week.

Movies: My review of Red Hill by Patrick Hughes

Books: My review of Beautiful Darkness by Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl

What we are currently reading;

Noe: The third book in the Pretty Little Liars series

Suz: Who Got Liz Gardner by Elizabeth Allen

Our movie recommendation of the week, with Halloween only days away... based on the classic tale “The Legend of Sleepy Hollow” by Washington Irving, Sleepy Hollow, directed by Tim Burton.

My own summary: In a town of dark secrets, constable Ichabod Crane is sent to investigate mysterious murders that have occurred in the small town of Sleepy Hollow. With his own demons lurking in his dreams, Ichabod is thrust into a world of unspeakable acts, ones that have done more than taken innocent lives; ones that have awakened a malevolent curse.

Have I told you that Tim Burton owns me? I haven’t? Well, now you know. I LOVE TIM BURTON! And I love his version of Sleepy Hollow, though I could have done without Christina Ricci. Still, it’s dark and dreary, and perfect for a cozy movie rental!!

Beautiful Darkness by Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl

Reading Level: YA, Caster goodness.

Authors: Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl

Publisher: Little, Brown and Company

Hardcover: 503 pages

Summary; Ethan Wate used to think of Gatlin, the small Southern town he had always called home, as a place where nothing ever changed. Then he met mysterious newcomer Lena Duchannes, who revealed a secret world that had been hidden in plain sight all along. A Gatlin that harbored ancient secrets beneath its moss-covered oaks and cracked sidewalks. A Gatlin where a curse has marked Lena's family of powerful supernaturals for generations. A Gatlin where impossible, magical, life-altering events happen.

Sometimes life-ending.

Beautiful Darkness, continues where Beautiful Creatures left off; thrusting us back into the world of dark magic and casters.

For the most part, the beginning of the tale follows Lena and her sorrow, as she finds herself unable to come to grips with the death of her beloved uncle Macon. It is this sorrow that seems to drown Lena, causing her to turn within herself, and away from Ethan-who is desperate to help her find happiness. This unimaginable pain, seems to manifest and grow, causing Lena to completely shut Ethan out-if it is the only thing she is able to do.

And so it begins...

*Spoiler free*

The characters:

I have to say, I really enjoyed Ethan in this book and found myself distancing from Lena. I suppose I had become protective of our young boy, but I am not alone.

The authors have done a wonderful job at developing Ridley and Link, and interestingly enough, they become important aspects to the story. That was actually great to read.

The addition of Liv and John were a pleasant surprise as well and I have to wonder what role John will play in the future as well with Liz. Do I dare say Liz has become my one of my favorites?

Overall, there was a lot revealed about each of the characters and I feel I have a little more of an understanding of this mysterious and mystical world.

The plot:

I have to admit, in the beginning, things moved a little slow for me. But we’re talking about Gatlin, Georgia, are we not? As Amma would say, P.A.T.I.E.N.C.E. - As in get some.

Once the story picks up, there is much to learn. I felt like a “castergirl-in-training” as the authors unraveled their convoluted plot points, but in a way, that was absolutely spell binding.

What amazes me more than anything is the level of writing from these two ladies. When they describe scenery, I felt as if I could see it perfectly in my mind; as if a strange and wonderful movie was playing in my head. There were moments when I stopped and thought- “How the hell do these author’s imagine this stuff?” This supernatural world that Kami and Margaret have created, is utterly extraordinary.

My conclusion:

When I read Beautiful Creatures, I lost myself to Ethan and Lena.

When I read Beautiful Darkness, I lost myself to the transcendental world of darkness.

If you would like to join me in a “Beautiful Darkness” book discussion, please check out Bewitched Bookworms. These fabulous gals, along with Fragile Little Human are hosting it! *whispers* There is also a contest with awesome prizes! Mark your calendars, we start next week!

Red Hill directed by Patrick Hughes

Red Hill - An Australian Film

(Rated R)

In RED HILL, Ryan drops his southern accent for his natural Australian dialect, as he plays the young police officer, Constable Shane Cooper. When Cooper (Ryan Kwanten), relocates to the small town of Red Hill with his pregnant wife, he does so in the hope of living a quiet and peaceful family life. But when news of a prison break in the city sends the local law enforcement officers - under veteran officer Old Bill - into a panic, Shane's first day on duty quickly turns into a nightmare.

The escaped prisoner is Jimmy Conway, a convicted murderer serving life behind bars. He returns to the isolated outpost seeking revenge. Now caught in the middle of what quickly becomes a horrifying blood bath, Shane will be forced to take the law into his own hands if he is to survive.

I attended the Hawaii premiere with Ryan Kwanten himself at the Hawaiian International Film Festival-HIFF, and honestly, I had no expectations of the film. I expected to be tortuously assaulted for 95 minutes with explosions, gun fights and needless violence. I wasn't that far off, but unexpectedly, it worked.

Surprisingly, these were my observations.

1) The cinematic sweeps of the Australian highlands were breathtaking. The film was made in Omeo, Victoria and it is simply gorgeous. The perfect backdrop for this thriller.

2) Though Ryan Kwanten (of HBO's True Blood) did an outstanding job as Shane Cooper, Steve Bisley (Bill) and Tommy Lewis (Jimmy Conway) stole the show. Honestly, Tommy must have had only like 6 words, but his performance was freakishly good-scared me.

3) It is thriller with a lot of oh-crap-I-didn't-see-that-coming moments, right to the very end of the last scene. I was surprised and pleased at the plot twists.

4) This movie will appeal to all, do not let the movie poster scare you into thinking it is a 'dude's flick' (not to be confused with chick flick). I really loved it.

Red Hill is an Australian film put out by Sony Au, and will be distributed in selected U.S. theatres November 5th, 2010. If you have the opportunity, check out this foreign film!!

Cast and Credits:

Director-Patrick Hughes

Ryan Kwanten-Shane Cooper

Claire Van Der Boom-Alice Cooper

Steve Bisley-Bill

Tommy Lewis-Jimmy

Red Hill Movie Website

Book Blogger Hop: Aug 22-25 And Weekly Recap!

In the spirit of the Twitter Friday Follow, the Book Blogger Hop is a place just for book bloggers and readers to connect and share our love of the written word! This weekly BOOK PARTY is an awesome opportunity for book bloggers to connect with other book lovers, make new friends, support each other, and generally just share our love of books! It will also give blog readers a chance to find other book blogs to read! So, grab the logo, post about the Hop on your blog, and start HOPPING through the list of blogs that are posted in the Linky list below!!

A big thank you to Jen for hosting, btw!!

This week's question comes from Becky who blogs at Becky's Barmy Book Blog (Hi Becky! We are new followers!!)

"Where is your favorite place to read? Curled up on the sofa, in the bed, in the garden?"

A: Both my daughter and I like to read in my bedroom only because it's the quietest room in the house. With our huge plasma tv, two 80 lb dogs, one active cat; the house can seem chaotic at times. I've created my bedroom to be an oasis-and... the kids and dogs think so too. *Sighs*

First, welcome to any new followers. Please tell us if you have blog, we would love to visit and follow back.

Now for a recap on our crazy week, which included a two-day migraine for me.

News: Starbucks Digital Network has rolled out at participating Starbucks.

Events: I meet Roger Ebert at the Hawaiian International Film Festival-HIFF.

Books: My review of Halo by Alexandra Adornetto.

Movies: My review of Hereafter, directed by Clint Eastwood. Opening today.

What we are currently reading.

Noe: The Pretty Little Liars series

Suz: Beautiful Darkness

Our movie recommendation for this weekend (Come on, it's almost Halloween!!) - Something Wicked This Way Comes by Disney Productions, based on the acclaimed novel by Rad Bradbury.

To be honest, the book may be difficult for young readers (I'm not going to lie, I struggled with it at times), but the movie is a great way to introduce Rad Bradbury's brilliant tale.

My own summary: Something Wicked This Way Comes is about a small town, visited in the middle of the night by a circus. Once assembled, strange things seem to happen among the residents, as people turn up missing. The problem is, the only people to really notice something supernatural is taking place, are two young boys. Is it up to them to convince the one boy's father that the "autumn people" are not who they claim to be. But in doing so, it may cost the young children their lives, or worse... their soul.

Starbucks Digital Network Begins Today!

Today, customers can finally browse the new Starbucks Digital Network, offered exclusively at Starbucks. Customers can check out exclusive movie clips, weekly musical picks, digital reading material and much more... all for free!! Also an exclusivity, access to some premium paid websites, such as Wall Street Journal.

Beware though, some websites are forewarning customers the network maybe slow at times. (And please don't throat punch the kids behind the counter, it is not their fault.) Yet I'm sure that is just "Big Poppa" wanting you to linger for hours, and hype yourself up on expensive caffeine. Either way, it's an interesting concept and one that I'm eager to see expand to other businesses.

For those of us that *cough* didn't buy the iPad with 3G, we can appreciate such things.

HEREAFTER directed by Clint Eastwood

HEREAFTER

(Rate PG-13)

A drama centered on three people who are haunted by mortality in different ways. George is a blue-collar American who has a special connection to the afterlife. On the other side of the world, Marie, a French journalist, has a near-death experience that shakes her reality. And when Marcus, a London schoolboy, loses the person closest to him, he desperately needs answers. Each on a path in search of the truth, their lives will interset, forever changed by what they believe might-or must-exist in the hereafter.

In the beginning of the movie, we separately watch the lives of three characters, each uniquely dealing with death. George, played by Matt Damon, a psychic that can speak to the dead-who at one time was a former commercial success but leaves his unique gift behind to pursue a normal life; Marie, a French journalist who has a near death experience when she survives a natural catastrophe while on vacation but is unable to come back to work in light of her visions, and Marcus, a young English boy dealing with the sudden loss of a loved one while suffering due to the deterioration of his heroine addicted mother. Each plagued by their own complications and each searching for resolution.

It is not until the last fifteen minutes of the almost129 minutes of the movie, do the characters cross paths and find solace in each persons torments. Yet at this point, I felt it was anti-climatic and had wished they would have arrived here earlier in the film.

For the majority of the movie, each story seems to move along... slowly. Though we understand it is crucial to understand each characters inner demons, I felt that these stories could have been edited down, so that we could get to the heart of the matter-how each character will ultimately benefit from the other. But as I stated, they do not cross paths till the very end and then we are suddenly hit with the credits. End of film.

I suppose it is left to the imagination and ultimately the point is not where they will go from there, but that they were able to reach it to begin with.

In the end, I felt disconnected with the characters (though the young boys story was very sad) and wished the movie had sped up to the ending a little quicker, continuing from that point forward.

I liked the film, I just didn’t love it.

Hereafter opens nationwide this Friday, October 22nd.

Cast and Credits:

Director-Clint Eastwood

Matt Damon-George

Jay Mohr-Billy

Cecile De France-Marie Lelay

Frankie and George McLaren-Marcus and Jason

I Met My Hero, Roger Ebert

There are few journalist that I would go as far to say I admire but without a doubt, Roger Ebert is one of them.

Roger Ebert is actually here for HIFF (Hawaiian International Film Festival) but graciously did a book signing on Saturday.

Originally the book signing was for his newest cookbook, “The Pot and How To Use It” but thankfully Barnes and Noble were on site selling his other books as well. (You might recall, he does a “Great Movies” collection, and the most recent is volume III, which is what I actually purchased.)

It was hard not to want to purchase all his books.

After waiting in line, it was my turn to get my book signed. I was so nervous, after all, Roger Ebert has been writing for the Chicago Sun-Times since 1967, is a Pulitzer Prize Winner, a highly acclaimed film critic (and arguably the first in my eyes), has his OWN film festival-Ebertfest, Forbes describes his as “the most powerful pundit in America" and the list goes on and on.

Side note: Many of you probably don’t realize but Roger had been battling thyroid cancer for quite some time and it was his surgery in 2006 that required him to remove tissues near his throat and part of his lower jaw. He continues to write and blog, but now speaks through his wife (who is still by his side.) Here is a picture of me with Roger.

Me and Roger Ebert

As I was speaking to his wife, I explained how much I enjoy films and with the help of a local magazine, was able to launch a dedicated film newsletter that gets emailed once a week to all our subscribers. His wife listened, and then stopped when she noticed Roger scribbling something on a sticky note inside my book. She asked him why he was signing the sticky note versus the book. He turned the page to show that he had indeed signed the book (which I asked if he could put “To Suzie... An Aspiring Film Critic". After lifting the book, his wife read the note, which asked me to email him a copy of the newsletter and website. This is the point, where I almost faint.

Then he handed the book back to me... and this is what he signed instead.

This is where I want to say from the bottom of my heart, Roger Ebert is the nicest person you will ever meet. He could have been arrogant, he could have cared less. After all, none of my reviews are published in print, yet he listened and showed I mattered. And that is why I love him. What an experience, I will never forget. And... you can bet I will email him.

Halo by Alexandra Adornetto

Reading Level: YA, romantic-angelic-love affair.

Author: Alexandra Adornetto

Publisher: Feiwel and Friends

Hardcover: 496 pages

Summary; Three angels-Gabriel, the warrior; Ivy, the healer; and Bethany, the youngest and most human-are sent by Heaven to bring good to a world falling under the influence of darkness. They work hard to conceal their luminous glow, superhuman powers, and, most dangerous of all, their wings, all the while avoiding all human attachments.

In the sleepy sea side village of Venus Cove, things move at a snails pace, yet this becomes the location that three angels are sent in order to bring harmony and peace back to humans who so consistently lack faith.

Well, ignore the fact that Gabriel-Archangel to God is one of those angels, because if you try to understand why such an important entity would be sent to such a small town, then you will lose out in the entirety of this novel's whim. Think: Only God knows the entire story before it is written.

From the moment I picked up this book, to the very last words on the epilogue... I found myself effortlessly in love with the story.

The book is told from Bethany's point of view, and I marveled at how many times I saw the world through a young angel's eyes. The author does a great job at bringing naivety to Beth and even more so, through Xavier, a very handsome and attractive boy that Beth soon comes to fall in love with. It is an accidental love story.

The characters:

Gabriel is the majestic angel, disguised as Bethany's brother and Bryce Hamilton's newest music teacher. He is the male version of perfection and is adored by all... especially those of the young female species.

Ivy is a Seraphim, one of the few angels who has seen God. She is a healer and due to her unnatural beauty, takes a role as the older sister, volunteering her time doing good will and charity.

Bethany is the youngest of the three angels and the one who is closest to humans and their emotions. She is enrolled at Bryce Hamilton as a student. Her ability to love is different than that of Gabriel and Ivy. Instead of missing heaven, she wakes each day completely absorbed by the beauty of the world before her.

Xavier is an attractive young man at Bryce Hamilton; role model, school captain. Outwardly, he would seem to be every mother's dream-inwardly, he is broken. The love of his life had been killed in a house fire years before and since then he has been unable to give himself to any other. That is until he meets a new student at Bryce Hamilton, who seems so innocent, so pure-she appears angelic.

The plot:

Essentially, three very different but uniquely powerful angels are not sent to any sea side town without reason. As Bethany soon discovers from other students, the town with less than three thousand residents has had its share of misery. Unusual accidents have been happening... and with the arrival of a new student from England, seem to be happening once again.

My conclusion:

I could not put this book down. I found myself becoming a hopeless romantic and suffered at the thought of Bethany and Xavier not being together.

Halo was undemanding and did not have to use much to command my attention. I easily read through the 496 pages, and eagerly await the next book (is it out?). I absolutely loved this story (and Xavier... okay maybe Jake a little too) and without a doubt, give it five stars! It is a beautiful story.

Book Blogger Hop: Aug 15-18!

In the spirit of the Twitter Friday Follow, the Book Blogger Hop is a place just for book bloggers and readers to connect and share our love of the written word! This weekly BOOK PARTY is an awesome opportunity for book bloggers to connect with other book lovers, make new friends, support each other, and generally just share our love of books! It will also give blog readers a chance to find other book blogs to read! So, grab the logo, post about the Hop on your blog, and start HOPPING through the list of blogs that are posted in the Linky list below!!

This week's question comes from Christina - from The Paperback Princess

"When you read a book that you just can't get into, do you stick it out and keep reading or move to your next title?"

A: *Sighs* Define "Can't get into"? *smiles*

Seriously... here's a few examples of different situations.

Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger: I am in the process of reading this book but for the love of all things holy, can't seem to make it past the last third of the book. Yet... it seems to be on people's "Greatest-books-of-all-human-existence" lists and well... I'm nosey. I want to know why? So, I nibble at it a little at a time... I'm still reading it by the way.

City of Bones by Cassandra Clare: Oh yea, remember I just posted my review this week and I gave it four stars? Well, that book took me forever to get into. I don't know if it was RL getting in the way or what, but I could not get into the first half of the book and it took me over a month to finish it. But I stuck it out... and I loved it. Weird, but I just had a feeling about the book and kept giving it another chance.

Angel Time by Anne Rice: After a hundred pages, I was bored to tears... but I couldn't stand the thought of abandoning my all time favorite author. Then it happened-I ditched the book and let my husband tell me how it ends. Sometimes you just need to know when to fold.

In the end, it's not about how many reviews a book blogger can post-or bragging rights to how many books a reader can zip through in a month. It's about enjoyment, entertainment and good story telling. It's an individual choice and only you can decide if the book is not worth your time. La vie est trop courte! Life is too short.

It's Kind of a Funny Story directed by Anna Boden and Ryan Fleck

IT'S KIND OF A FUNNY STORY (Rated PG-13)

A clinically depressed teenager gets a new start after he checks himself into an adult psychiatric ward.

It's Kind of a Funny Story... was actually a very disturbing story.

The movie starts out with a nightmare that Craig (played by Keir Gilchrist) has of him being hurled off a bridge. It is an attempt at suicide... sorta.

He wakes and narrates, revealing the dreams are consistent and seem to be getting worse. Fear sets in and he decides to check himself into the ER. With continual threats of suicide, he convinces the doctor on duty to admit him to the psych ward. When he learns that he will be there for at least 7 days, alarms set off because he will not be able to go to school on Monday, and he sort of changes his mind.

Too late.

It is here that we follow Craig through the mishaps of being a teen patient in an adult psychiatric ward, and it is here that I have my issues with the movie.

Overall, I found the dark undertones of the story too overwhelming and seemed imbalanced with the lighthearted attempts at comedy. I feel the movie would have worked best as a drama and though there were some outstanding performances, for example Zach Galifianakis was perfect-I just couldn't shake the feeling that these characters were really.... effed up!

I mean in the ward we find Craig really influenced by one particular patient, Bobby (Zach G.)-yet here is a character that has attempted suicide 6 times, has no place to live-and has severe depression due to the fact that he is unhealthy for his 8 year old daughter. There is a scene that just broke my heart where Bobby is being visited by I presume an ex-wife and their daughter. The wife is basically scolding him for his instability, yells to him that he should just die and then rips his daughter from his arms. Heartbreaking!!! I hated that scene!!

Then there is the young girl that Craig soon comes to have emotions for... she's a cutter. The scars across her wrist and her face, clearly reminds the audience that these people, though able to find solace in each other, are in serious need of counseling. And some of the patients... well they might just be broken forever.

In the end, I think I just felt so emotionally invested in these characters that to laugh at their blunders, felt wrong. I really didn't think a lot of the film was funny, and Craig came off whiny and emo-in fact I was very disturbed to see a 16 year old boy so stressed that not only did he have issues with vomiting but had contemplated suicide.

Now, I do have to give some credit to the filmmakers because there were a few great moments. One being where the entire ward is in music therapy and suddenly we find them lip syncing dressed in Ziggy Stardust attire, to David Bowie/Queen's "Pressure". I wanted more of this!

I guess I just wished the movie had picked a direction or created a better balance between depressing and amusing. Little Miss Sunshine, it was not and honestly, I found myself struggling to the end.

Wait for this one on DVD but if you must see, it is playing now in selected theatres.

Released by Focus Features.

Cast and Credit:

Director-Anna Boden and Ryan Fleck, Keir Gilchrist-Craig, Zach Galifianakis-Bobby, Emma Roberts-Noelle, Viola Davis-Dr. Eden Minerva

City of Bones by Cassandra Clare

Reading Level: YA, Fiction, Nephilim Awesomeness
Author: Cassandra Clare, The Mortal Instruments series

Publisher: Margaret K. McElderry Books

Summary: When fifteen-year-old Clary Fray heads out to the Pandemonium Club in New York City, she hardly expects to witness a murder-much less a murder committed by three teenagers covered with strange tattoos and brandishing bizarre weapons. Then the body disappears into thin air. It's hard to call the police when the murderers are invisible to everyone else and when there is nothing-not even a smear of blood-to show that the boy has died. Or was he a boy?

Suz: I will be perfectly honest in my review-it took me forever to read the first half of the book. I really can't explain it because it was interesting, fast paced, well written; yet I just dragged my feet on this one.

Determined though, I kept at it and carved away at the 496 pages each moment I got. Somewhere along page 250, things took a turn for the better thankfully, as I became entranced with the twists and turns. This is where I felt myself get into that mode where you can't put a book down and you have to see how things play out-then all of sudden you find yourself spouting profanities when things unveil themselves to you, hitting people that are near you (wait, is that only me?) I think I may have knocked my daughter over a few times when I learned a few key important facts... (no spoilers here). Needless to say, I finished the last half in record time and ate up the first chapter to the next book.

Overall the author does a good job of developing the characters but clearly shines in the later half of the story-with pivotal plot points being revealed tortuously and slowly in the bitter end. I may hate Clare for that one, but she's good. I do want more-and now I will have to read book 2, City of Ashes.

I found this quote in the book (the picture below) to be perfect-for it tells how I felt while reading the book. As I said, the beginning of the book is the ascent... a very slow ascent. Patience is key.

Then the book picks up its pace, and the descent is like riding on a motorcycle fueled by demon-energy, down through the NY sky lights.

So in the end, I thought the book was a fun read and would happily recommend it. I give it four stars.

Book Blogger Hop: Oct 8-11, 2010!

In the spirit of the Twitter Friday Follow, the Book Blogger Hop is a place just for book bloggers and readers to connect and share our love of the written word! This weekly BOOK PARTY is an awesome opportunity for book bloggers to connect with other book lovers, make new friends, support each other, and generally just share our love of books! It will also give blog readers a chance to find other book blogs to read! So, grab the logo, post about the Hop on your blog, and start HOPPING through the list of blogs that are posted in the Linky list below!!

The Hop lasts Friday-Monday every week, so if you don't have time to Hop today, come back later and join the fun! This is a weekly event! And stop back throughout the weekend to see all the new blogs that are added! We get over 200 links every week!!

This week's question comes from Suko @ Suko's Notebook. (Which we are now new followers of.)

What's your favorite beverage while reading or blogging, if any? Is it tea, coffee, water, a glass of wine, or something else?

A: Love this question! Okay, for me I like to blog or work on the computer early in the morning on Sat. and Sun. My husband surfs, so the house is quiet. It's coffee all the way.

But since I live in Hawaii, the afternoon gets very hot and humid and if I'm working on the computer/reading at that time-it's gallons and gallons of water. We live for our tall glass of iced water.

What about you? When do you blog/read and what are your habits while doing so?

Life As We Know It directed by Greg Berlanti

LIFE AS WE KNOW IT (Rated PG-13)

In the romantic comedy, “Life As We Know It,” Holly Berenson (Katherine Heigl) is an up-and-coming caterer and Eric Messer (Josh Duhamel) is a promising network sports director. After a disastrous first date, the only thing they have in common is the dislike they have for each other and the love for their goddaughter, Sophie. But when they suddenly become all that Sophie has in this world, Holly and Messer are forced to put their differences aside to become caregivers.

To be honest, I wasn't so sure I would like this movie. The plot seemed predictable and over all the themed appeared as if it would be generic.

Oh was I wrong.

From the opening of this movie, I found myself laughing out loud throughout the entire film. I've always known that Heigl could do comedy (she was awesome in Knocked Up) but she simply amazes me time and time again, as she is able to act effortlessly with any actor that she is cast against. Her chemistry with Josh Duhamel felt genuine (and can I add, Josh D is smoking hot) and she has the ability to make you laugh at her, or cry along side her. I forgive her for leaving Grey's Anatomy.

Now, needless to say this is a romantic comedy and the situation that the two characters were thrust upon, horrific. As the two find themselves the caregivers noted in their beloved friends will, they without choice, find themselves a family, with the adorably cute Miss Sophie in the middle. As much as I laughed, I have to admit, I cried as well as I watched these two characters, (Heigl and Duhamel) explore what it is they truly want in life. Amazingly, people's goals change and that is exactly the moral of the movie-life cannot be planned.

If I had a half star, I'd give it 4 1/2. It really was nearly flawless. Funny, sexy, sad and sweet. Do check it out in the movie theatres as it premieres this Friday, October 8th 2010.

Released by Warners Bros.

Cast and Credit:

Director-Greg Berlanti, Katherine Heigl-Holly Berenson, Josh Duhamel-Eric Messer, Josh Lucas-Sam Alexis, Brynn & Brooke Clagett-Sophie