1981 - The Change-Up

Having had developed a body-swap film for some time it’s a genre I always enjoy - and when you throw a cast like this at it eventually I’ll get around to it!  This time we’ve got Ryan Reynolds a slacker swapping with family man Jason Bateman.  I’ll be honest - I had a hard time buying into Reynolds’ character actually coveting his buddies life - although he does say he was just trying to be nice.  That said, I’ll give a little leeway for the set-up, especially since the rest of the film is so enjoyable.  It’s your pretty typical broad comedy fair, but done pretty well - funny bits, and some nice little performances, especially by Leslie Mann who, despite her CGI nudity, turns in a really sweet performance here.  

You know what kind of film you’re walking into with this one and it absolutely delivers.

1687 - Foolproof

I always like to look through Netflix's Canadian category to catch up on homegrown cinema that I might have missed.  This film was 2003 and so it was just before Ryan Reynolds broke out huge.  Kristin Booth is fantastic here as well, and still a Toronto girl - bless her!
As far as Canadian films go this one is a winner.  It's not your typical Canadian fare at all (if that's a bad thing for you) as it fits in nicely with heist films from the other side of the border.  A group of friends plan imaginary heists for fun, but then find themselves in trouble when one of their plans is stolen and then they're forced to work with a crime lord or risk exposing themselves. 
It's a great little heist film with really solid production values and story turns.  It's a shame that it didn't do so well as this is the film of film that needs to be made more in Canada.  And it's the kind that more Canadians need to try and watch - luckily for you now it's on Netflix and you've got no excuse.  Watch it.  Now.

1625 - Buried

The limited location thriller is almost a genre unto itself now - and if that's the case, consider this the most gutsy, and probably successful, of the bunch.  The first Saw film can probably hold claim to being one of the first really break-out successes, but others like Open Water, and Frozen are also in league but none are so cinematic given such limitations.  I found myself a bit frustrated at times, and I'll get to that, but the thing that was most impressive was simply the performance of Reynolds, how much he conveyed given such limitations - that and the sheer emotions of the storytelling.  Rodrigo Cortés directed the hell out of this film and all he had was a rectangle box and an actor - imagine what he can do with more...
Before I get too far ahead, Buried is a film about an American truck driver in Iraq, who is kidnapped for random and buried alive with little more than a cell phone and some illumination to help get him out.  The film is an intended exercise in frustration and also a comment on similar situations in the world, I'm sure.  If you like dynamic semi-political thrillers, this one might just blow you away a little.  So there's that, and now for my complaints, which will come by the way of SPOILERS BELOW...

My only real beef with this film is how it didn't given in totally to it's premise.  Sure we see the bars on the phone going down and down - but on it's last bar he's still somehow able to record two videos (one rather long one) and upload the other to another phone, not to mention make several calls.  Some battery on that phone!  And even in the end, there was never any real risk of the phone dying.  Given the harsh ending that the film has, I think that it could have very easily cut out (the phone) when he was having his final talk with his wife.  On a similar note the oxygen thing bothered me - he spent a lot of time freaking out, using the lighter, all of which would deplete the oxygen - sure he mentions it a few times, but he doesn't really suffer from it (unless you count the very ending - but I think that falls under something completely different).  I wish I could let that little shit go, but with a film like this the devil is in the details, and I think that kind of stuff could have been just a tad stronger.

Overall this was a well written, amazingly acted, and phenomenally directed film.  Highly recommend it.

1490 - The Proposal

Surprisingly, it's a rare thing these days when romantic comedies are actually funny. Luckily, that's the case here. I've been a fan of Ryan Reynolds from the moment I first saw him in... I can't even remember what. And I remember when Speed came out that I had a pretty awesome crush on Sandra Bullock. So that, armed with a great concept was more than enough to get me to want to watch this.
The story is about a Canadian woman working in New York whose visa expires and she's about to be deported when she gets the bright idea to marry her assistant so that she can stay. Has the green card film been done before? Sure? But did they have the lovely irony of casting Canadian Reynolds as an American and vice versa for Bullock?
This film has a pretty damn fine supporting cast - bonus points given for how well (and often) they utilize Oscar Nunez's character Ramone. The laughs come often and are earned. There are a few moments that are a little cheesier than the rest (more or less revolving around the otherwise lovely Betty White). This is a film that's far better than expected. Reynolds and Bullock have chemistry. Despite the final scene feeling like a re-shoot (make-up/hair seemed way different in addition to other things) I think that they did well with how this all resolved.
It's by no means the best of the best in terms of romantic comedies, but it's certainly worth checking out should you be even remotely interested. Fun fact, both the writer and director have another film in the works with Reynolds and Bullock. Sign me up!

1245 - Definitely, Maybe

I HEART Isla. It's not just cause she's a red-head and TOTALLY my type. It's because there's this energy inside of her. I'd pretty much watch anything just because she's in it. And I'm a big fan of Mr. Ryan Reynolds. I've had my eye on this film for a while as it tells a similar story to something I have in development. Thankfully there's nothing to worry about. Overall, despite the great cast, save one that I just kinda-can't stand (but refuse to mention), this film was just kinda 'meh'. It was like it couldn't pick a tone or decide what it really want to be. And the ending just kind of dragged a bit. Not a horrible film by any means, but not something I think you just HAVE to see. See it if it looks interesting to you, but for my money there's a whole buttload of better rom-coms out there.