Weekend of February 16-17

The first movie was Gone Baby Gone. It stars Casey Affleck, Michelle Monaghan, Morgan Freeman and Ed Harris. It was co-written and directed by Ben Affleck.

It's the story of a couple who gets hired to investigate a missing child. As they begin their investigation, they encounter drug dealers and child abusers and quickly find that this case involves much more than a missing child.

I absolutely loved this movie! It leaves you guessing until the very end. There are several twists and turns that truly shock you! I would definitely, without a doubt, recommend this movie. John, on the other hand, didn't care for it. I'm not entirely sure why.

I give this movie 4.5 stars out of 5.

The second movie was Definitely, Maybe. It stars Ryan Reynolds, Isla Fisher, Abigail Breslin, Rachel Weisz, and Elizabeth Banks.

It's the story of a father telling his daughter how he and the girl's mom got together. (I know that was horribly written, but it's the best I can do right now.)

John and I saw this in the theatre last night and midway through, I was begging for closing credits or a quick and painless death. This movie is very, very slow moving. It keeps bouncing back and forth between the girlfriends. I suppose its intent was to keep the viewer interested and to build suspense about which woman would turn out to be the baby mama, but it just leaves you groaning a loud "SHE'S back again?!!". There are some laugh-out-loud moments, but they're not enough to save you from the agony of watching the movie drag on and on. I would definitely NOT recommend spending $10.00 at the theatre to see it. I wouldn't even recommend paying $4.00 to rent it when it comes to DVD. If you're at home someday in the future and it happens to be showing on regular TV, I'd say you should watch it. Just make sure you have something, like vacuuming, to keep you entertained while it's on.

I'd give this movie 1 star out of 5.

The next movie is Feast of Love. It stars Morgan Freeman and Greg Kinnear.

It's a story about several different relationships within a group of friends from Oregon.

I'm a HUGE Morgan Freeman fan, but have never been much of a Greg Kinnear fan. This movie actually made Greg likeable. John wouldn't watch this movie with me because he thought it was just a "mushy chick flick". Well, I got the last laugh on that one! John will watch ANY movie if he's told there are naked breasts in it. Little did I know, Feast of Love has A LOT of nudity in it. There's a lesbian topless kissing scene, two full frontal shots of two very attractive female actors, and a lot of bare-breasted scenes. No, most of the nude scenes weren't necessary for the story, but I'm guessing that's how the director planned to get guys to see the movie too. I didn't tell John what he missed. It's much better just knowing it myself. ;) I really, really liked this movie! The characters are all very real and most of them make you fall in love with them. Morgan Freeman, as usual, is PHENOMENAL in his role. His character, Harry Stevenson, is one of my favorite characters he has ever played. I'm toying with the idea of purchasing this movie, but haven't made a decision yet. The end is heartbreaking and quite moving. I would recommend renting this movie.

I give it 4 stars out of 5.

The fourth movie I saw was a Blockbuster-exclusive rental called Dedication. It stars Billy Crudup and Mandy Moore.

It's the story of a writer of children's books who suffers from OCD in a huge way. His only friend and the illustrator of his books dies, leaving him to find a new illustrator. He finally finds one and eventually the two of them fall in love.

I don't recommend this movie. I was shallow and only rented it because the Christian Bale look-alike, Crudup, was in it. I have learned from my mistake. I held the remote during this movie so that I could constantly fast-forward the most boring parts. Do not rent this movie. If you do, I have no sympathies for you. You were warned.

I give this movie 0.5 stars out of 5.