The Nanny Diaries

With a moral applied with the force of a hydraulic jackhammer, this mediocre movie is practically screaming that money doesn’t buy happiness. (This is true, but it buys everything else)  While much about the film is predictable, it does have a certain charm. Framed as an anthropology-style field guide to life in Manhattan, it focuses on the foibles and idiosyncrasies of the highly polished echelon of “ladies who lunch”. Scarlett Johansson beautifully portrays Annie, a recent college graduate who radiates a Girl Next Door vibe. She’s the narrator, introducing us to the sometimes bizarre world of the Upper East Side as she somewhat accidentally becomes a nanny to a little boy named Grayer.

Paul Giamatti does an excellent job playing sleazeball Mr. X and Laura Linney as Mrs. X is appropriately self-absorbed and inconsiderate. Replete with many obligatory references to Mary Poppins, the story is not particularly original. Not even the devilishly handsome Chris Evans, playing the quasi-off limits Harvard Hottie, can elevate the rather pedantic tone of the film as it spools out to its inevitable and certainly not unanticipated ending. Hey, not every movie is going to be spectacular and while this one is fairly run-of-the-mill, it’s not horrible by any means. It certainly indulges in many clichés but still manages to make a few valid points. – BETHANY

To see the actors’ other films, plus anything else you might want to know about this movie, visit: The Nanny Diaries on IMDB

Annie (Scarlett Johansson) introduces Grayer to kid friendly food.

Mr and Mrs. X (Paul Giamatti and Laura Linney).  Doesn’t this look like a fun car ride?

                                           Kid birthday parties that are only really fun for adults.

    Harvard Hottie (Chris Evans), the guy literally next door.

What, doesn’t everyone dress up for the 4th of July?

Aw, a rooftop date.  How very … Hollywood.

Oh no, not the ‘barging in on the girl when she’s not presentable’ scene!

                                      Mrs. X might not have everything, but she definitely has an awesome closet.  I want!

 

 

Photos courtesy of The Weinstein Company, Metro-Goldwyn Mayer and FilmColony

The Vampire Diaries

The CW really hit the motherlode with this most excellent Young Adult show, populated by beautiful people and just about every aesthetically pleasing supernatural being you can think of (no mermaids as yet in the six seasons so far, but hey, it could happen). Mystic Falls, a fictional town somewhere on the eastern seaboard, seems to be a magnet for vampires, werewolves, doppelgängers, witches, etc., but vampires are definitely the main attraction. The story has grown so complicated over the past five seasons that I won’t even try to unravel it, as somebody would no doubt cry “spoilers!” anyway, but I will say the show’s writers have developed a very complex and rich mythology for their world. The core group of characters are extremely finely drawn and the plots are inventive and interesting. But don’t think this is a plot-driven YA soap, because nothing could be further from the truth. The characters are the driving force here and absolutely everything that happens feels authentic to the established personalities of those involved. Yes, of course there is a Big Bad or impending disaster as the thematic villain for each season, but it all happens so organically that you actually begin to believe the characters are real. Nobody is perfect in Mystic Falls and nothing is precisely what it appears to be, which I think is part of the appeal. The dialogue is pure genius and for a drama, the show can be surprisingly funny. Spectacular special effects, excellent current music, gorgeous costumes and constantly evolving characters, this show is most definitely not just for the younger crowd. Endlessly cool and richly entertaining, it is also worth noting that there is an amazing pool of acting talent in this show. My personal favorite is Damon Salvatore (Ian Somerhalder), a devil-may-care, somewhat sarcastic and way too cool for everything vampire who does whatever he jolly well pleases and gets more than his fair share of really good lines. – BETHANY

For everything you’ve ever wanted to know about The Vampire Diaries, visit the Internet Movie Database

There are a ton of these type of pictures online in which every character looks like they’ve been dressed by Vogue magazine.

Glamour shots of Bonnie Bennett (Kat Graham), Elena Gilbert (Nina Dobrev) and Caroline Forbes (Candice Accola).

Jeremy Gilbert (Steven R. McQueen) and Matt Donovan (Zach Roerig)

Caroline and Elena at the debutante ball.  (I guess they look like Vogue magazine dressed them in the show, too)

The Brothers Salvatore: Damon (Ian Somerhalder) and Stefan (Paul Wesley)

Ye Olde Civil War Era Brothers Salvatore

 

Photos courtesy of Outerbanks Entertainment, Alloy Entertainment, CBS Television Studios, Warner Bros. Television and the CW network (unless otherwise credited in clickable form)