Cross Creek Pictures, Demarest Media, IM Global,

Andrew Garfield, Sam Worthington, Luke Bracey, Teresa Palmer, Hugo Weaving, Rachel Griffiths, Vince Vaughn

Desmond Doss (played by Andrew Garfield) was the son of a man who was severely tested by World War I. His father was an abusive alcoholic who used to beat his wife and children senseless. Desmond was very religious, and swore never to touch a gun, and never to harm anyone. But when World War II broke out, he was touched by the need to defend our country. But he had a different plan. He wanted to serve America as a medic to protect and save his brothers, but without a gun. Desmond ended up in the battle for Okinawa, one of the most vicious and horrible battles of the war, without a gun, where he saved the lives of a great many of his fellow soldiers. This is a true story, based on the real Desmond Doss who not only survived the battle, but lived to tell the story in his humble manor.

This is an intense story of probably the worst battle of WWII. When the soldiers were sent to capture Okinawa in a necessary step to conquer Japan, they had no idea how many Japanese were hiding in an underground bunker. This film was expertly directed by Mel Gibson, and is a wonderful film. Special notice has to go out to Vince Vaughn who plays Sgt Howell, one tough Sergeant, who has a close connection to Desmond in the end. At the end, we get to meet the real Desmond Doss and some of the other major characters who confirm the things in the story. As near as I can tell, the things that are depicted really happened. This film not only covers Desmond’s childhood which shaped his thinking due to the hardships he endured, but also the difficulties in getting though basic training before finally being deployed. There is no way this guy could have survived what he went through, but somehow he did. The battle scenes in this movie will take your breath away. It is very intense and gives the film it’s R rating which it deserves due to the realistic battle scenes, but it’s also very heart warming as well. One minute you’ll want to cry, and the next your heart is bursting with pride. It is such an amazing story and one that had to be told. Typically I’m not a big fan of War Movies, but this particular one is so very well done, that you have to see this one. The fact that it’s true is a huge plus as well. Make sure to see this movie!

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DiNovi Pictures, Finch Entertainment, Relativity Media,

Michelle Monaghan, James Marsden, Liana Liberato, Luke Bracey, Gerald McRaney

Amanda (Michelle Monaghan) and Dawson (James Marsden) met as teenagers, but they came from very different backgrounds. Amanda comes from a wealthy and well respected family, whereas Dawson comes from a white trash family headed by an abusive father and a bunch of know-nothing brothers. Aside from their different lives, they fall madly in love. Things happen to pull them apart, but when 20 years later a coincidence brings them back to together for a weekend, they will have to look deep in their heart to find the pain and determine what fate has in store for them.

Nicholas Sparks certainly has a style of writing. He gets a lot of criticism, which I can understand, but the ladies seem to love everything he writes. I had a coupon from the local theater that I got from their loyalty program. It provided two free tickets plus a medium popcorn and two medium drinks. Since I could not pick one of the most recent films due to the restriction on the ticket, we picked The Best of Me. I got a bit worried when the theater started filling up with humans of the female persuasion. As it got a little closer to showtime, a few couples came in and I knew I would have some company. Seriously though, the first 90% of this movie was an excellent story. It did go a little bit overboard in the last 10 or 15 minutes. There was more crazy stuff happened in the last few minutes than in the rest of the film altogether. This is really the only complaint I have with the film. Sparks has a good story, then he has to go too far. But again I must say that for the fans, that’s probably what they wanted. So guys, I gotta warn you that this is a lady film, 100%. If you do have to watch it, be prepared to be disappointed in the ending. The acting was really good, and the five main characters were really very good together. There’s a lot of excitement and suspense, a lot of romance and heartbreak. It’s a love story, and what you’d expect from this type of film. I have to rate it highly because of the quality of the production and performances, but truthfully I would have enjoyed it so much more if it hadn’t turned silly in the end. It turned into a 19th century melodrama there.

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Fox 2000 Pictures, Blossom Films, Mid Atlantic Films

Selena Gomez, Katie Cassidy, Leighton Meester, Cory Monteith, Andie MacDowell, Brett Cullen, Amanda Fairbank-Hynes, Luke Bracey, Catherine Tate, Pierre Boulanger

Grace (Selena Gomez) just graduated and is on a trip to Paris with her best friend and her step-sister for a week long vacation. But suddenly they’re whisked away to Monte Carlo on a private jet because Grace is mistaken for Coredelia Winthrop Scott, a British heiress who’s worth a fortune. Scared to death that they’re going to get caught, the decide to seize the moment and enjoy the fortune and fame as long as it lasts.

This is a cute movie for the pre-teens (Justin Bieber and Selena Gomez fans) who haven’t seen it before, but this film has been done before, a number of times. Hillary Duff has done it, and even the Olsen Twins have done it. It’s even close to the “Prince and the Pauper” story way back in the times of Mark Twain. This is just a two people who look exactly alike who get mistaken for one another story. That being said, it’s cute, the actors are cute, and the music is current. So for the younger (girls especially) who haven’t seen this done before, I suspect they will love it. But if you’re a grown up, you’re probably going to get bored. It’s a little too contrived, and too similar to what we’ve seen before.

Now, don’t get me wrong. It’s very cute, and very well made. So if you’re in the right demographic, you’re going to love it! This is something I have never done before, so please excuse me, but I am going to copy a review directly from a Netflix user’s review to illustrate my point about the age appropriateness of this movie. It’s so cute, I wanted to share it with my readers:

User Review of Monte Carlo from www.netflix.com

OMG!!!!!!!!! It is like the BEST movie in the world!!!!!!! If you can not decide if you want to see it or not you should TOTALLY see it.Selena Gomez is the best actress in that movie.She plays two parts and she is good at both of them! This is a chick flick so make sure you watch it.If you do not know what Monte Carlo is about go on youtube and see the trailer.There is also some clips from the movie you should see. PLEASE WATCH BECAUSE IT IS THE BEST MOVIE EVER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

6 out of 7 members found this review helpful

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