It’s no secret that I’m vocal in my hatred of the spawn of celebrities getting into the film industry.  It just seems as if they don’t earn the celebrity that they have.  But every once in a while there’s one that comes along that is counter to my labels of “talentless and lucky” and an example of that is director Duncan Jones.

Jones is the son of singer David Bowe and really impressed me with his last movie Moon.  It was a one-man show that featured Sam Rockwell putting in the last two weeks of a three year contract mining minerals by himself on the moon.  It was a sci-fi headtrip that was tense, sad and tragic.  What was amazing though was that it was science fiction for people who don’t really like science fiction.  That’s not an easy task to pull off, especially to do it well.

For his follow-up film he chose to do exactly that again and surpassed it in scope and story.  This time, Jake Gyllenhaal is an Air Force pilot who wakes up to find himself in a secret military operation that involves reliving the same 8 minutes before a terrorist attack in Chicago in the body of someone else over and over again in an attempt to try and catch the killer.  Can you wrap your brain around that?!

But what’s most interesting to me is that he opens it up to be more than just a mindless action movie that, frankly, anyone from Bruce Willis to Jet Li could have pulled off.  By the end of the film Jones has shifted the thesis of the movie to one of morality, forgiveness and hope.  He also has the timeless theme of government overstepping their limit and stripping away rights for what they consider to be for the greater good.  Think of it kind of like Groundhog Day but with an exploding train.  Each time Gyllenhaal has to go back to solve a little more of the mystery, the story unfolds into more and more mystery.

What’s really cool because what you think would be the exciting parts of the film, such as finding the bomb and finding the terrorist, pale in comparison to the real mystery of how The Source Code works and how he got in it.  The only disappointment is that the scenes that do involve locating the bomb and confronting the terrorist are not executed as well as they should be.  They lack a pulse and seem almost rushed with cheesy dialogue and luke warm performances.  But when you make it to the end of the film and then look back on it, those scenes really aren’t the point of the film.  It’s not an action movie.  Source Code is science fiction drama that happens to have some cool explosions and jumps from a speeding train.  The originality of the script, written by Ben Ripley, is what drives this movie to the level of awesomeness it gets.  The twists and turns that shock and sadden are genuine and unpredictable, which seem to be the trend in Jones’ movies.  Makes me look forward to his next film with heavy anticipation.

The Source Code (Rated PG-13)
Gavin Grade: A-

Wow, Rihanna looks awesome as usual. Love her red hair in this photo shoot. Go behind the scenes with Ri Ri below!

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Here’s a quiz that has nothing to do with how good or bad Jane Eyre is, the film based on the classic novel most of us had to read in school by Charlotte Bronte.  What’s a worse movie watching experience?  A: Theater full of teenagers.  B:  Theater full of ethnic stereotypes (you know what I mean).  C:  Theater full of old people.  After seeing Jane Eyre I can confidently say that the answer is C.  My theater was packed with the geriatric and if they weren’t loudly snorting in through their nose every 15 seconds or trying to gnaw down their buttered popcorn, then they were loudly explaining the movie to each other.  But I will try not to allow that to ruin my opinion of the film…I just had to vent.

Like all movies that are based on a book, you have to prepare yourself for a lean and trimmed representation of what the pages contained.  Unfortunately for director Cary Fukunaga (Sin Nombre), Jane Eyre is a really long book.  What they chose to chop was selective and calculated but it was also somewhat vital to character development.  If you never read the book and expect the movie to make you love Jane as much as the readers do, you will be disappointed.  But this should make English teachers happy who will easily be able to catch whether or not a student read the book or saw the movie…be warned!

The film has a great dreary look to it and I know it’s easy to chalk up the overcast sky and pall of gloom as…well…England, but it actually fits the mood of the story very well.  Of course after sitting through two hours of that kind of atmosphere, it doesn’t make you feel romantic at all and instead makes you want to jump off a cliff.

The performances from star Mia Wasikowska (Alice in Wonderland, The Kids Are Alright) and Michael Fassbender (Inglorious Basterds, 300) are very good, especially from her.  She displays the reserved joy and masked misery that Jane should, although the years of torment that leads to her stoic persona are cut from the film.

The problem with this adaptation is where they decided to take it.  I never took Jane Eyre, the book, as a sweeping period romance but instead a gothic mystery that had romance in it.  Nevertheless, a sweeping period romance is, indeed, where it ended up.  I won’t give anything away but scenes of spooky noises and terrifying night visions could have made the film much more entertaining to a broader audience, but instead they were cast aside to cater to middle-aged women seeking 19th century romance.

This isn’t me just hating on the movie because it’s simply not the book.  I try to separate my feelings on the two.  If you never read the book you will probably enjoy the film at a “take-it-or-leave-it” level.  Dangerous though since if you did read the book, you will probably wish you did it again instead of see the film.
Jane Eyre (Rated PG-13)
Gavin Grade: B-

Does anything surprise you with Charlie anymore? I think not.  It looks like Charlie isn’t stopping at a nationwide tour. He’s taking his rants to the mic. But he not just talking. He’s rapping. Or singing. Well, we’re not really sure what exactly he’s doing at this point, but we do know that the troubled actor has teamed up with west coast hip-hop legend Snoop Dogg to record a song. Yes, a song! 

I mean, since the TV career is in the pits, why not play with music? It’s all about #WINNING! lol

Whether you are small breasted, large breasted (like me), or somewhere in between, the need for just a little cleavage or a whole lot of cleavage can change with our mood.

And having a drawer full of different bras that all serve a different purpose is not only taking up a ton of room but can be expensive; I can’t tell you how many hours I have spent trying on different bras trying to achieve that perfect look.

That’s why I was so excited when I found the OnGossamer Bump it Bra.

I can keep the girls covered for a conservative look or with a simple twist of the front center knot I can go up a whole cup size for maximum sexiness.

It will let your boobs show the many different sides of their personality!

Gavin visited Katie and her 2 year old daughter in the hospital one week after Abbey’s open heart surgery…

Hair extensions. We have all seen celebs like Britney rocking them but they aren’t just for famous goddesses any more. Normal chicks like you and me are going the way of synthetic hair for a lot of different reasons…

But taking care of your extensions is very different then you real hair. Make sure you are using the right brush… one with soft bristles and you need to start brushing from bottom to top. Tie your hair up in a smooth knot while you sleep and never ever try to color your extensions yourself.

Whether you have thin hair, want to try something different but don’t want to wait for your hair to grow or if you are like me and just like having plenty of hair for your man to softly brush away from your face during those romantic moments… Hair extensions are hot, in and a lot of fun.

Mariachi band and all–Gaga celebrated her 25th birthday in style in Los Angeles with some close friends. Check out Gaga performing “Born This Way” with the mariachi band. Happy Birthday Lady Gaga!

Oh, and Ellen made sure not to forget to call Gaga on her birthday–check out that video here: