The ‘Ugly’ Side of Relationships

I know I should have had very, very low expectations for The Ugly Truth, since I knew the premise of the film was a fiery relationship between a control-freak TV producer trying to keep her self respect (Katherine Heigl as “Abby”) and a raunchy-but-devastatingly-handsome cable talk show host who just happens to be Abby’s newest on-air project (Gerard Butler as “Mike”).

This Sony Pictures film isn’t just about the “truth” about relationships: i.e., women want the romance and a man who will meet their unrealistic,10-point checklist, while guys simply want an approachable, beautiful woman who can be sweet librarian by day and bedroom tease at night. It’s the truth about a society that is morally crumbling.

‘Angels & Demons’: A Better Dan Brown Adaptation

Angels & Demons

The newly released Angels & Demons effectively beat out Star Trek, bringing in 48 million in box office revenue its first weekend. The film marks the second of Dan Brown’s novels to make it to the silver screen. The first was 2006’s smash hit the Da Vinci Code.

Now, with Angels & Demons, we see Tom Hanks again in his role as Harvard symbolist Robert Langdon. This time he is headed to the Vatican. The pope has died and the Cardinals must prepare a conclave to choose the next successor. When the Illuminati capture the top four potential candidates – or Preferatti – and threaten to kill each man at a certain time and locale across Rome, Dr. Langdon teams up with physicist Vittoria Vetra from Switzerland to solve the clues and end the violence, effectively saving all of Rome from destruction and allowing the Vatican to pick the right man to lead the Catholic church at large.