I remember when my husband and I started dating, when I still had the power to drag him to all the chick-flick movies. Now, we've been married for awhile and though he says he'd go with me, I know he'd rather be suspended over a pot of boiling oil by his toenails than be caught seeing a girl movie.
That's why I ventured to the theater all by my lonesome to see Reese Witherspoon's newest film, "Just Like Heaven."
The film starred Witherspoon as Elizabeth, an over-stressed and over-worked young doctor in San Francisco, who frequently works 26-hour shifts in her bid for an attending position. Her dreams come to a halt when she's involved in a bad accident.
Three months later, David Abbott (Mark Ruffalo) is searching for the perfect apartment to sublet - by "perfect," I mean he's more interested in the comfort level of the couch than in anything else.
When David finally chooses an apartment, he gets the shock of his life when he discovers he's not alone.
Elizabeth's spirit is occupying the residence with him and doesn't appreciate how he consistently leaves cup rings on her mahogany table.
David proceeds to call in everyone from a priest to a pack of Asian ghostbusters in his bid to rid the apartment of Elizabeth's spirit. Upon seeing the priest sprinkle holy water all over her polished wood floor, she calmly tells David he's going to have to clean it up.
The only real help David gets is from the owner of an occult bookstore, Darryl (Jon Heder), who tells him that Elizabeth's spirit may be so strong because she's not actually dead.
Now, David and Elizabeth embark on a quest to find her body and find out what happened to her - she couldn't remember anything except her name, which she discovered from a coffee cup.
Meanwhile, the two discover that their feelings for each other grow.
This was a really sweet movie. It was charming and funny and I left the theater completely happy with the experience.
I do have one question, though. How can Elizabeth walk through doors and tables, but can sit in a car or on a chair without falling through?
"Just Like Heaven" is rated PG-13 "for some sexual content," so is only recommended for mature viewers.
Though I didn't make my husband go to "Just Like Heaven" with me, I probably couldn't have made him stay away from the second film I saw.
"Lord of War" starred Nicholas Cage as Yuri Orlov, a Ukrainian immigrant who decides to make his fortune trafficking guns and ammunition.
With the help of his younger brother, Vitaly (Jared Leto), Yuri becomes the largest arms dealer in the world, supplying warring countries with weapons indiscriminately. It's not Yuri's concern who wins or loses, as long as they pay their bills on time.
Yuri's wife, former model Ava Fontaine (Bridget Moynahan), believes him when he says he's in the international shipping business. She just doesn't ask exactly what it is he ships.
Interpol agent Valentine (Ethan Hawke) has made it his mission to catch Yuri, but the criminal always seems one step ahead of him. When Valentine traps him on a ship filled with guns, Yuri is able to change the ship's name and disguise the evidence with rotten potatoes. When Valentine catches him with an airplane full of illegal weapons, Yuri forces the pilot to land in the middle of a dirt road and gives the merchandise away. Ten minutes later, when Valentine shows up with his troops, Yuri is found sitting on an empty crate next to an empty airplane.
Yuri's business is booming with the collapse of the Soviet Union and the acquisition of hundreds of thousands of Russian AK-47s, which he sells to the highest bidder.
His boasts that his weapons were used in every major contemporary conflict in the world and that he has supplied every army but the Salvation Army.
When he is questioned about his motives, he answers that war will happen whether he sells guns or not.
This film really made you think. Some of Yuri's weapons ended up in the hands of 12-year-old "soldiers," and some of his bullets ended up in the heads of innocent women and children. But, he rationalized his actions by saying that the atrocities of war would happen anyway and his weapons kill fewer people than alcohol or tobacco. And, though his end product is death, he reconciles that by saying he doesn't actually kill anyone.
"Lord of War" is rated R "for strong violence, drug use, language and sexuality," so isn't recommended for younger viewers.
Hitting theaters over the next couple of weeks are "Flightplan," "Tim Burton's Corpse Bride," "The Greatest Game Ever Played," "Into the Blue" and "Serenity."
Selina Vert is editor of Bay Mills News.
