#11: Joyful Noise

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I'm not going to lie, I was a little skeptical about seeing Joyful Noise, because I am not a religious person what so ever. However, being southern means that I was raised on Dolly Parton's music, and she is one of my families' idols. My entire family and I went to see this movie on Friday, and I was happily surprised at how wonderful it was. Joyful Noise had a great message without being in your face about God and going to church. The cast was hilarious and amazing all the while belting out spectacular songs from Michael Jackson to Chris Brown. The rocky, love/hate relationship between Dolly and Queen Latifah's characters was the funniest part of the entire film.

When G.G. Sparrow's (Dolly) choir leading husband passes away suddenly in the beginning of the movie, Vi Rose Hill (Queen Latifah) is then given the position of choir leader. Each woman is left with many tasks and obstacles to overcome in life. G.G.'s delinquent grandson shows up out of nowhere and decides to take a liking to Vi Roses' daughter. Vi Rose is dealing with her husband being away in the military, and her son's Aspergers syndrome. Joyful Noise manages to show the importance of traditions, while maintaining a balance between staying current with today's issues. I really enjoyed this film and was tearing up one minute and laughing hysterically the other. Dolly has some of the best one liners in the entire film, and made me feel like I was having lunch with my grandmas. I cannot say enough positive things about this feel good movie.

#10: Under the Tuscan Sun

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On more than one occasion I have had someone that knows me really well tell me they couldn't believe that I had never seen Under the Tuscan Sun, because they thought I would love it. Finally, I took everyone up on their advice and sat down to watch it. My best friend described it as "the original Eat, Pray, Love" (which I loved). When Tuscany, Italy is the backdrop to a moving and heartfelt film, it has amazing written all over it.

Writer/professor Frances (played by Diane Lane) has recently gone through a very messy and painful divorce, and is faced with the options of wallowing in self loathing or taking a trip to Tuscany courtesy of her best friends, Patti (Sandra Oh) and Grace (Kate Walsh). Patti and Grace are expecting their first child together and did not want to risk Patti flying while in her first trimester. Fed up with hating her current situation, Frances leaves for Tuscany, and once there makes a huge decision to buy an old villa and fix it up. One might call her a little insane, but slowly and surely Frances begins to find herself all over again through the friends around her and all the hard work put in to the house. There are many unforgettable characters in this film, and the lesson in the end is to love yourself before you love someone else. Under the Tuscan Sun is not your typical chick flick because it is so much deeper than that. This movie made me want to move to Italy and lock myself away until my novel is finished. Dare to dream. I recommend this movie to anyone who has ever felt less than worthy or unhappy with the way their life is going. Diane Lane did a wonderful job of bringing a real connection from Frances to the audience, and I absolutely loved her in this film. I would watch Under the Tuscan Sun again any day!

#9: Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy

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From the first time I saw the trailer for Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy, I knew I wanted to see it as soon as it came to theaters. The cast looked amazing, and I have a soft spot for history related anything. So, naturally I enjoyed this movie quite a bit. It was definitely one of those films where not a whole lot seemed to make sense until the very end when everything was unfolded and the truth came out. Gary Oldman as George Smiley was superb, in fact everyone of the amazing actors in this film were excellent. To sum up the entire story line into just a few short words does not do the film justice, but I don't want to give too much away. Basically, George Smiley is one part of a team of veteran espionage agents, but is forced into retirement. However, it is brought to his superior's attention that there could possible be a mole within his old group. The entire movies revolves around Smiley trying to figure out who the mole is and how each person is involved. Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy takes place during the Cold War so tension is high, and that shows through the actions taken by each party involved. The stellar cast in this film includes Colin Firth, Mark Strong, John Hurt, and the always swoon-worthy Tom Hardy, just to name a few. While this film may not be for everyone, it's definitely one where it could be watched multiple times and new things would be revealed each time.

#8: Get Him to the Greek

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Let me just put this out there: I can't stand Russell Brand. I don't think he is comical or suave at all. Now, that being said, I set all that aside to watch Get Him to the Greek because one of my best friends told me it was hilarious due to the fact that Diddy aka Sean Combs aka Puff Daddy aka P. Diddy aka whatever the hell, was the one that made the movie hilarious. So, going in I honestly didn't have high hopes, because I also think that (even though I love him) Jonah Hill seems to play the same scrambled hysterical character in all of his films. However, this movie was genuinely funny, and mostly due to Diddy. His one liners are what made the movie for me, and Jonah Hill even had some hilariously awkward moments. Rose Byrne (known to me as Helen from Bridesmaids) also had some funny scenes as she played Aldous Snow's (Russell Brand) ex lover/mother of his child/British pop star, Jackie Q.

Get Him to the Greek starts out with Aaron Green (Jonah) who works at a recording company where his boss, Sergio Roma (Diddy), gives him an assignment to get notoriously bad boy/rock star Aldous Snow from England to NY, then to LA in three days. Snow is supposed to perform at his 10 year anniversary concert at the Greek Theater in LA, and along the way make an appearance at the Today Show in NY to promote said concert. Of course madness ensues throughout the entire trip including Aaron having to smuggle drugs on a plane for Aldous, and all the while Sergio is screaming at Aaron to get Aldous where he needs to be. Overall, the movie was comical, but I don't think I will be watching it again.

#7: Midnight in Paris

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I had heard about Midnight in Paris a while ago when it was in theaters, and had mixed feelings about wanting to see it. Owen Wilson is not one of my favorite actors, because I feel like he plays the same character over and over again. He's completely type casted in just about everything he is in and something about his voice rubs me the wrong way. However, I love Rachel McAdams, Woody Allen, and anything to do with Paris, so I wanted to give it a try. I decided to rent Midnight in Paris on Itunes and watch it in the car while traveling over the holidays. Of course, that didn't happen so I finally got around to watching this movie a few days ago when I got home, and boy am I glad I did!

Midnight in Paris starts off with Gil (Owen Wilson), a screenwriter working on a novel that no one really believes in, traveling to Paris with his fiance, Inez (Rachel McAdams) and her family. Gil cannot stop gushing about the city of Paris and how much he would have loved to be there during the 1920's, while his fiance and her family treat him like he's some sort of pathetic dreamer. One morning while eating breakfast at a bistro, Inez runs in to two of her friends, Paul and Carol and it's clear that Gil is not too fond of them. When Paul invites Gil and Inez to explore Versailles with them the next day, Inez insists that they join them, much to Gil's dismay. While walking around Versailles with Paul and Carol, Gil is extremely annoyed by Paul while Inez is completely taken with his knowledge of fine art and culture. That night, Paul and Carol invite Inez and Gil to go dancing after a wine tasting. Gil declines to go because he would rather walk around the city of Paris and get some air, while Inez takes them up on their offer. Once Gil is out on is own and able to explore everything that Paris has to offer at night, he finds himself being picked up by a car of exuberant characters that look like they came straight out of the 1920's. The car arrives at some sort of party where Gil meets the likes of F. Scott and Zelda Fitzgerald, and Cole Porter. Gil leaves the party with the Fitzgeralds only to meet Ernest Hemingway at a hole in the wall bar.

Each night in Paris, Gil walks the streets and meets everyone from Salvador Dali, to Pablo Picasso and Picasso's "muse," Adriana (played by Marion Cotillard). Gil is even given the opportunity to have his manuscript read by Gertrude Stein (Kathy Bates). Soon he faces a choice of falling in love in the past or planning is life in the future. This film is full of lush scenes in Paris, sprinkled with colorful characters that are supported by an amazing cast. I cannot recommend Midnight in Paris enough, especially to anyone who is a dreamer and loves different eras from the past.

#6: Gentlemen Prefer Blondes

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Oh goodness, could I gush about this movie forever or what? For Christmas my sister bought me a pack of Marilyn Monroe films, and while I have always loved her, I have never seen a majority of her popular movies. Gentlemen Prefer Blondes was my first choice, and it was a great choice indeed.

Lorelei Lee, played by Marilyn, is a gold digging bombshell (in typical Monroe fashion) that preforms musical duets with her best friend Dorothy Shaw (played by Jane Russell). Lorelei becomes engaged to her extremely wealthy boyfriend Gus Esmond Jr (played by Tommy Noonan), whom she refers to as "daddy." When the two girls decide to take a trip to Paris via cruise liner, Gus' father hires a private investigator to follow Lorelei, because he does not think her intentions are true with his son. Once the ladies arrive on the ship, Lorelei discovers there is a man aboard that she might be more interested in. Sir Francis "Piggy" Beekman (Charles Coburn) has caught Lorelei's attention because of the not so simple fact that he owns a diamond mine. There are many mishaps, including Dorothy falling for the private investigator and Lorelei being accused of theft, that take place throughout this fun movie. And no musical would be perfect without amazing dance breaks (Diamonds Are a Girl's Best Friend comes to mind). I really loved this movie, and can fully understand why it is a classic. I recommend this film to any girl or gay that wants to get her/his ferosh on and gush over diamonds and glitter while singing show tunes.

#5: Hall Pass

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Jason Sudeikis is one of my favorite products of Saturday Night Live, next to Kristen Wiig of course. So, when someone told me that I would like Hall Pass, and I saw that he was in it, I thought it was worth suffering through Owen Wilson. I also really like Christina Applegate and Jenna Fischer, so I was really psyched. While the story line was completely predictable, Hall Pass was a funny, silly movie about what would happen if two different couples were allowed to pretend like they were not married for one week. The husbands (Owen and Jason) have every intention of snagging the first single lady they see, but find it a little difficult since they have been out of the game for a while. The wives, however (Jenna and Christina) have much more luck. The film mainly follows the husbands and their shenanigans, and towards the end things get a little crazy for everyone involved. While I wouldn't say that I would watch this movie again, it was quite hilarious and made me realize that holy shit, Owen Wilson got old.