sammi says

Warning: Do not go see this movie without a bottle of water.

"127 Hours," directed by Danny Boyle (Slumdog Millionaire) tells the true story of Aron Ralston, an avid rock climber who gets his hand trapped by a boulder that breaks free in a canyon. Ralston, played by James Franco is stuck between a rock and a hard place for 127 hours before he takes the plunge and cuts his arm off to free himself.

You probably remember hearing about this story on the news when it happened in 2003.... you know how it turns out, he cuts his arm off and survives...Despite knowing how this movie ends, it is so worth seeing.

The film moves at a pretty fast pace. The score by A.R. Rahman (Slumdog Millionaire) fits perfectly. The music, along with Boyle's direction kept me on edge and anxious the whole film, even before Ralston is trapped. Every move Franco made kept me guessing if this was the moment it was going to happen and what is going to happen next.

Franco's performance, the way he embodies this character that is absolutely hopeless was incredibly moving. I loved the moments where he was speaking into his handheld video camera, giving his last words to his family and examining his life. The use of flashbacks and hallucinations blended seamlessly into the narrative. It's not all doom and gloom. There's a scene where he is so dehydrated and incoherent that he hosts his own talk show, interviewing himself, which lightens the mood but also reveals a lot about his character and the life that he's led.

I had heard that viewers passed out or got nauseous during the amputation scene. I was skeptical about their reactions...I watch "Dexter," so I've seen my fair share of limb removal...Wow, was I wrong. There was a moment where Ralston breaks his bone and as I was watching with my mouth agape, this loud, disgusting noise involuntarily came out of me. Was it a scream? Was I gagging? I don't know, but it was pretty unexpected. My own ridiculousness made me start cracking up during one the most intense parts of the movie. Let's just say that the scene is as disturbing as they say. No matter how many scary movies you watch, seeing a man amputate his own arm and knowing that this 100% actually happened, is so much different.

This is one of those films that really makes you want to examine your own life. Not so much in the sense of what would you do in a survival situation, but about your priorities. He should have called his mom back, he shouldn't have acted like such a hot shot to his co-worker, the list could go on and on. Sure, he lost his arm but you get the sense that he gained so much more from the experience.

I left the theatre with sweaty palms, incredibly thirsty and a little overwhelmed. I really enjoyed the movie, but it's definitely not one of those movies you can watch over and over again.

Upon hearing about the tragic death of LFO lead singer, Rich Cronin, I went straight to YouTube to watch the “Summer Girls” music video. YouTube’s related video suggestions took me on a trip down memory lane. I ended up spending way too much time watching music videos from some of my old favorites and videos from some groups I haven’t thought about in years.

So here’s my list of the best (worst?) boy band songs of the late 90’s…

"Everybody (Backstreet's Back)"- Backstreet Boys, 1998

I could have easily put every single Backstreet Boys song from the late 90's on this list...It was very difficult for me to a choose a favorite so I chose the one with the best music video. Why were the Backstreet Boys trapped in a haunted house and transformed into monsters? I don't know and I don't care- this video is AWESOME! Some of my fondest pre-teen memories are watching the behind-the-scenes making of this music video with my friends and learning the moves to the dance break (at 3:50 in the video). You can't watch this and tell me you don't remember busting a move to this song.



"Tearing Up My Heart"- N'Sync, 1998

If you couldn’t tell from the previous song description, I was (am?) a die-hard Backstreet Boys fan and despised N'Sync. Before I bought into the manufactured competition between the two groups, I admit that I loved hearing "Tearing Up My Heart" on Radio Disney.



"Because of You"- 98 Degrees, 1998

Nick Lachey. Oh my god. So hot and the best voice. For some reason 98 Degrees wasn't really involved in the competition between Backstreet Boys and N'Sync. Was it because they lacked a 5th member? Because they didn't dance? The world may never know...but what I do know is that I really liked 98 Degrees.



"Summer Girls"-LFO, 1999

Amazing song with lyrical gems such as, "You like fun dip and cherry coke. I like the way you laugh when I tell a joke," "Like the color purple, macaroni and cheese. Ruby red slippers and a bunch of trees. Call you up, but what's the use. I like Kevin Bacon but I hate Footloose." This song made us white girls feel like we could rap.



"Hardest Part of Breaking Up (Is Getting Back Your Stuff)"- 2gether, 2000

MTV decided to capitalize on the boy band phenomenon with the spoof group, 2gether. How can you forget U+Me=Us? Looking back at it now, this song still cracks me up. The music video is perfect too...it definitely brings me back to the days of rushing home to see who would be the top video on TRL.



"Back Here"- BBMak, 1999

Aww, this is still a pretty solid pop song. I'm only a little ashamed to say that I still remember a lot of the lyrics.



"When the Lights Go Out"- 5ive, 1998

I can't say I really remember a lot about 5ive, but I definitely remember liking this song. It screams 90's.



"I Love You Came Too Late"- Joey McIntyre, 1999

I was a little too young to be a fan of New Kids on the Block but I was a fan of the group's solo endeavors. I couldn't help but fall victim to Joey Mac's baby blue eyes in "I Love You Came Too Late."



"Give it to You"- Jordan Knight, 1999

He wasn't nearly as cute as Joey Mac, but Jordan Knight's "Give it to You" was a TRL summer favorite.



"Can I Get Your Number (Girl Like You)"- No Authority, 2000

Hit me with those seven digits! This was one of those songs that I knew was dumb at the time but was so bad it's good.



"Liquid Dreams"- O-Town, 2001

Looking back at this song and music video I can't help but think, "Did this really happen?" It just proves how huge the boy band craze became and that we would literally listen to anything MTV threw at us. Four seasons later and MTV still hasn't learned that "Making the Band" just does not work.



"Mmm...Bop"- Hanson, 1997

I was never a huge Hanson fan but how could I make this list and not include "Mmm...Bop?" I still don't know what they're saying or what this song means but it's so much fun! They were the blonde, long-haired predecessors to the Jonas Brothers.



I’m sure there are some great (terrible?) songs I’ve overlooked. Let me know what I’m missing!

P.S.You’re welcome!

I watched the pilot of "Rubicon" on AMC after the finale of "Breaking Bad" earlier this summer. The pilot set it up to be a show about conspiracy theories, superstitions and code breaking. It centers around Will, an analyst at a top secret government agency called API. In the first episode Will cracks some sort of code spanning all major newspaper crossword puzzles. He tells his boss, who also happens to be his father-in-law, about his discovery. Dear old dad tells him that it's nothing and to forget about it but then mysteriously dies in a train accident the next morning. Several clues lead Will to believe that his father-in-law's death was no accident and that there are greater powers at work.

I tend to like shows about mystery, finding out pieces of the puzzle, big reveals at the end of each episode...So I added "Rubicon" to my TiVo season pass. I think I'm about five episodes in and besides the pilot, "Rubicon" has been a total bore. Each episode moves at a snails pace and is very quiet. Seriously. Minutes go by several times in each episode with absolutely no dialogue.

We see Will brooding, thinking, walking, reading...basically a nightmare for a multi-tasking TV watcher like myself. Did I mention that Will, played by James Badge Dale, looks like Matthew Morrison's (Mr. Schuester on "Glee") older, more serious brother? (Upon googling their photos for a side-by-side, I discovered I'm not the only with this astute observation. Read New York Magazine's "Guide to Telling Apart the Wills")

I keep telling myself to let it go and stop watching, but I can't help but feel like it's going to start getting good. I'm probably too hopeful but AMC has proved to be a pretty exciting TV network with shows like "Breaking Bad" and "Mad Men." Maybe it's just a show geared towards old men and I'm clearly not it's target demographic. Is there hope for "Rubicon?"

"The Twilight Saga: Eclipse" lived up to my expectations. The best book in the series translated into the best "Twilight" movie yet. Go figure that the movie with the most supernatural activity seems to be the most realistic.

In case you've been living under a rock, here's what's happening in this installment...Edward and Bella are back together after Edward's plan to leave her to a normal life fails. Jacob is still in love with Bella and is not happy with her decision to be turned into a vampire. Victoria, still bitter after Edward killed her mate in the first "Twilight" movie, creates an army of newborn vampires to seek vengeance on the Cullen family and kill Bella. The vampires and werewolves team up to save Bella's life.

This is the first "Twilight" movie to step away from Bella's perspective for a few scenes. We got to see what was going on in Seattle with the newborn vampires, their leader Riley (major hottie, Xavier Samuel) and the red-haired villainess, Victoria (Bryce Dallas Howard). I think this really helped break up the intense mood set by the Edward-Bella-Jacob love triangle.

Robert Pattinson finally brings the undead, Edward Cullen back to life. In the first two films Edward was always sulking in the shadows, brooding and silent. This time he is full of genuine emotion. He was secretive, jealous, vindictive, sly and despite all of that he had captivating moments of lightheartedness. Just a few months ago Robert, Kristen and Taylor had to go to Vancouver to reshoot the infamous "tent scene" and I'm so glad they did. Granted, I don't know what it looked like before, but Rob stole the show and lit up the screen. He made Edward human and it made the entire film.

We finally got to see Bella grow up. "New Moon" showed Bella's immaturity while "Eclipse" portrays Bella as composed, decisive and even a little funny. A monologue at the end of the movie (that wasn't in the book) really makes the whole movie, even series, believable. Bella basically puts it out there and makes you understand why she's choosing Edward and not for the obvious reasons. I thought Kristen Stewart made Bella much more likable in this movie. My only complaint was with her terrible wig.

More vampires and less werewolves really seemed to agree with the film. But I thought the addition of Leah and Seth Clearwater (Julia Jones and BooBoo Stewart) was wasted considering they're barely in the movie, at least not in human form. I remember really liking Seth's character and his relationship with Edward in the books. I thought after Edward and Seth's victory there should have been some recognition of their teamwork. I realize Seth couldn't phase into a human but I would have accepted a scratch on the head or something. Am I the only one?

The battle was pretty cool. I was surprised at how violent things actually got. I've never seen so many headless vampires. It was pretty gross. It was totally creepy seeing *spoiler* Victoria's head lying next to her body and Edward setting her on fire.

Bringing on David Slade as director was a great idea. The film was dark without taking itself too seriously. It was fast paced and left you wanting more. "The Twilight Saga: Eclipse" could stand on its own outside of the series as an exciting and romantic film.

Steve Carell has announced that he will be leaving "The Office" after its seventh season this fall.

He says, ""I just think it's time. I want to fulfill my contract. When I first signed on I had a contract for seven seasons, and this coming year is my seventh. I just thought it was time for my character to go."

That's fine. You can't begrudge the guy for wanting to move on, but NBC needs to wise up and make season seven the last season of "The Office." While I still love "The Office," I think it would be absolutely disastrous without Michael Scott as boss.

Seven years is a long time to play the same character. Not all shows can go on for ten seasons like "Friends" or "Seinfeld." "The Office" deserves to go out on a high note. It's never fun when TV shows overstay their welcome and end up getting cancelled.

If NBC decided that "The Office's" seventh season would be its last it would give the writers and actors a chance to develop and move to other projects. The writers and actors of "The Office" are some of the most creative, funny people in the business...I'd actually be excited to see what they could come up with next and that can't happen with "The Office" still on the air. The actors, especially, have really established themselves in TV and film and I have no doubt they could thrive on a new or different series.

So listen up, NBC. Work with the producers of "The Office" and come up with a way to go out with a hilarious bang.

It's that time again. We're only days away from the opening of "The Twilight Saga: Eclipse," the third installment of the hit franchise, in theatres June 30.

I used to be a little embarrassed about my love of all things "Twilight," but not anymore. I was an apprehensive "Twilight" fan at first, but fully jumped on board after last year's "New Moon" (read my review). I know these movies aren't for everyone but I think I can come up with some very good reasons for you to quit hating, have some fun and see “Eclipse.”

"Is it high art? No. But it’s not trying to be," says "Twilight" screenwriter, Melissa Rosenberg. Even she understands that "Twilight" is all about fun. They aren't trying to make cheese-free, serious movies. The films are exciting and entertaining...there is no need to feel guilty. The movies are geared towards a slightly younger crowd but as long as you aren’t wearing “Team Jacob” t-shirts or making YouTube trailer reaction videos, I don’t think there’s anything to be ashamed of…(I cried I was laughing so hard watching the link above)

Oh, did I mention the films star the super-hot, super-charming Robert Pattinson? My love for "Twilight" has grown just because of the R-Pattz interviews I've seen and read. It's possible that he's the whole reason I'm into this phenomenon in the first place. He's so incredibly charismatic, funny, self-deprecating and I love him. It's hard to watch an interview with Rob and not feel warm and fuzzy. Plus, he’s British. Hello? Who doesn’t love a man with an accent? I think it’s safe to say that Rob Pattinson is not going anywhere anytime soon. Since his “Twilight” success he’s landed the lead roles in some pretty interesting projects. He recently filmed “Bel Ami,” a period piece about a man who uses sex to work his way up the social ladder co-starring Uma Thurman and Christina Ricci. He’s currently shooting “Water for Elephants,” co-starring Reese Witherspoon and Christoph Waltz. Lucky for me, Rob should be around for many years to come. His co-star/girlfriend doesn't show any signs of slowing down either...

Can you say K-Stew? That’s right, I’m totally behind the sometimes grouchy and slouchy Kristen Stewart. The more I see and read about her, the more I like her. I don’t think she’s half the grump the media makes her out to be. I think she’s completely self-aware, wears her heart on her sleeve and has had her moments of really great acting. Recently, she compared being followed by the paparazzi to rape and all hell broke loose. In an upcoming Entertainment Weekly article, her boy-toy Rob comes to her defense and starts seriously hating on internet media going as far as calling bloggers nerds. Kristen, knowing Rob can do no wrong, responds, “You could say, “I just took a s***on the Queen’s face,” and people would be like, “Oh, I love him! I love him!” So, so true. Love it!

“Eclipse” is not just brooding vampires and shirtless werewolves. Ok, that’s a big part of it, but there’s supposed to be a lot of action in this film. The director, David Slade, has a reputation of making brutally violent vampire movies. The action should make the movie a little more fast-paced and exciting and a little less heavy breathing and longing stares.

And lastly, if you see “Eclipse” you’ll finally get the answer to the question you’ve been dying to learn. Who does Bella choose? Edward or Jacob? Ok, I’m sure if you’re reading this you already know that answer. For those of us who have read the books we know that some of the most anticipated moments in the series are in “Eclipse.” We finally get to see Edward propose to Bella, even some sexy-time between the two and of course, the infamous tent-scene.

What more could you want? I’m super excited to see the movie and hope it lives up to my expectations. “Eclipse” is my favorite book out of the series and I’m hoping it will be the best “Twilight” movie yet.

If anything, you should go see the movie so we can talk about how hot Robert Pattinson is…

Sometimes girls just want a good cry. It's true. There are days where we just want to read a cheesy book or watch a sad movie and remember that our problems aren't so bad. Such was the case when I borrowed the book, "My Sister's Keeper," by Jodi Picoult from a friend. I remember seeing previews for the movie so I knew it was going to be a real downer. What I didn't know was that a very popular and widely received book could be so incredible juvenile.

Each chapter of the book is told from the first person narration of each character and is written in different fonts in case you needed more distinction that you're reading someone else's opinion. I've read books with two or three different perspectives...but seven different points of view? It left absolutely no sense of mystery and left nothing up to interpretation. The story itself was an interesting take on a family struggling with cancer. The main character, Anna, is admirable. So when I finally got over the cheese factor and started enjoying the book thinking things are going to wrap up just how I imagine they will then...BOOM!

It seems like Jodi Picoult consulted M. Night Shyamalan in writing the last ten pages. Picoult throws in a major, unexpected tragedy and gives us ten whole pages (from three different perspectives) to deal. Because she shocked us and made us cry are we supposed to think that this is good or worthy literature? Hardly. It's a cheap, trash novel that could have told a emotional story about a struggling family, but instead took the route of ripping our hearts out and calling it a day.

I was so furious with the ending that I immediately wanted to watch the movie to see if it would redeem itself. I had heard friends say the movie was nothing like the book, so I figured that perhaps the movie would take the high road and eliminate the trick ending while keeping the heart of the story. Well, wrong again. Yes, the ending is different but the entire movie is focused on Kate, the sister with cancer, rather than Anna, the book's protagonist. So basically they removed the only good parts of the book (Hello? Campbell and Julia!) and added a super whiny Cameron Diaz.

Boo's all around for "My Sister's Keeper."