Yes is the New No

In his latest film, Yes Man, Jim Carrey returns to the screen in his crazy antic self, although this time he is a little older, a little more subdued, but just as funny. Carrey plays the role of Carl Allen, a bank loan officer who finds his constant declines at work have filtered into his personal life since his wife of six months left him over two years ago. Still bitter, Carl is forever ignoring friends requests to go out or do anything more than checking out videos at the local Blockbuster.

That all changes when he is coerced into attending a "Say Yes!" seminar by his friend Nick (the hilarious John Michael Higgins). Inspired by the guru Terrence (Terence Stamp), Carl now decides that he will say yes to every opportunity that comes his way. Of course, informing others of his new philosophy leads him into situations that at first seem inopportune, but in movie magic fashion, end up being the best thing for him.

Digging his free spirit ways is Allison (Zooey Deschanel), Carl's love interest that he meets the first night of his new found ways. Deschanel plays the adorable quirky girl role that is familiar to her, and she does so brilliantly, though the age difference between the two actors (they are exactly 18 years apart) might be a bit too much for some moviegoers to make a convincing love story.

There are also some elements that will undoubtedly remind the audience of Jim Carrey's 1997 hit Liar, Liar. The comparisons are not helped by the screenwriters' decision to make Carl afraid of what will happen if he changes his response to a negative one; it's a little too close to Liar Liar's magically induced truth telling. However, this film is a fun escape from a world that makes it all too easy to be isolated and negative.

While it may not make you compelled to say yes to everything that comes your way, it may make you think before giving an automatic no at your next opportunity. Check it out at the matinee show or wait for a rainy day rental.

Golden Globe Nominations

Here are the list of nominations for the Golden Globes, airing on January 11th. Last years awards were announced by press conference, due to the Writer's Strike. Let's hope the current negotiations with actors runs smoothly so the show does go on this year.

Drama: "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button," "Frost/Nixon," "The Reader," "Revolutionary Road" and "Slumdog Millionaire."

Comedy or musical: "Burn After Reading," "Happy-Go-Lucky," "In Bruges," "Mamma Mia!" and "Vicky Christina Barcelona."

Director: Danny Boyle ("Slumdog Millionaire"), Stephen Daldry ("The Reader"), David Fincher ("The Curious Case of Benjamin Button"), Ron Howard ("Frost/Nixon") and Sam Mendes ("Revolutionary Road").

Actor in a drama: Leonardo DiCaprio ("Revolutionary Road"), Frank Langella ("Frost/Nixon"), Sean Penn ("Milk"), Brad Pitt ("The Curious Case of Benjamin Button") and Mickey Rourke ("The Wrestler").

Actress in a drama: Anne Hathaway ("Rachel Getting Married"), Angelina Jolie ("Changeling"), Meryl Streep ("Doubt"), Kristin Scott Thomas ("I've Loved You Too Long") and Kate Winslet ("Revolutionary Road").

Actor in a comedy or musical: Javier Bardem ("Vicky Christina Barcelona"), Colin Farrell ("In Bruges"), James Franco ("Pineapple Express"), Brendan Gleeson ("In Bruges") and Dustin Hoffman ("Last Chance Harvey").

Actress in a comedy or musical: Rebecca Hall ("Vicky Christina Barcelona"), Sally Hawkins ("Happy-Go-Lucky"), Frances McDormand ("Burn After Reading"), Meryl Streep ("Mamma Mia!") and Emma Thompson ("Last Chance Harvey").

Supporting actor: Tom Cruise ("Tropic Thunder"), Robert Downey Jr. ("Tropic Thunder"), Ralph Fiennes ("The Duchess"), Philip Seymour Hoffman ("Doubt") and Heath Ledger ("The Dark Knight").

Supporting actress: Amy Adams ("Doubt"), Penelope Cruz ("Vicky Christina Barcelona"), Viola Davis ("Doubt"), Marisa Tomei ("The Wrestler") and Kate Winslet ("The Reader").

Animated film: "Bolt," "Kung Fu Panda" and "Wall-E."

Screenplay: Simon Beaufoy ("Slumdog Millionaire"), David Hare ("The Reader"), Peter Morgan ("Frost/Nixon"), Eric Roth ("The Curious Case of Benjamin Button") and John Patrick Shanley ("Doubt").

Foreign-language film: "Gomorrah," "I've Loved You So Long," "Waltz with Bashir," "The Baader Meinhof Complex,: and "Everlasting Moments."

Original score: James Newton Howard ("Defiance"), Alexandre Desplat ("The Curious Case of Benjamin Button"), A. R. Rahman ("Slumdog Millionaire"), Hans Zimmer ("Frost/Nixon") and Clint Eastwood ("Changeling").

Original song: "Down to Earth" from "Wall-E," "Gran Torino" from "Gran Torino," "I Thought I'd Lost You" from "Bolt," "Once in a Lifetime" from "Cadillac Records" and "The Wrestler" from "The Wrestler."

Television

Best TV comedy series: "30 Rock," "Californication," "Entourage," "The Office" and "Weeds."

Best TV drama series: "Dexter," "House," "In Treatment," "Mad Men" and "True Blood."

Longing for the Dark

While being one of the few females I know who was not completely enthralled with Stephenie Meyer's human/vampire love story, Twilight, I had high hopes that the movie based on the international best seller would fare better. Instead, it was on level with the book; a good premise lost in teen angst and unsophisticated production.

Those few souls that have not been swept up in the hype, here is the story in a nutshell: lonely, clumsy, new girl in town falls for lonely brooding boy of the undead variety.

Bella Swan (Kristen Stewart) moves from Phoenix to Forks, Washington towards the end of her Junior year. Completely awkward and shy, she makes quick friends in high school, invariably due to nothing new and exciting happening in town for ages. The one group that doesn't race to secure her friendship is the Cullen clan, a group of "teenagers" that were adopted by the local doctor and his wife and who keep to their brooding selves.

Being rejected obviously makes Bella want to befriend the Cullens even more, especially the hottie of the group, Edward (Robert Pattinson). Edward's desire to have nothing to do with Bella both infuriates and intoxicates her, and it isn't long before they are thrown into life and death situations that leave Edward forced to befriend his prey.

That's right, Edward and the rest of the Cullen gang are vampires. Although they are vampire lite, or as they like to call themselves, "vegetarian vampires" because they only try to survive on the blood of animals and not humans. This helps them stay in one place for a while, long enough for the younger looking to graduate from high school again, and again, and again. And you thought your high school classes were boring!

While it is dangerous for Edward and Bella to fall in love, they can't help it and give in to their mutual obsession. Unfortunately for Bella, not every vampire is of the "Save a human, eat a deer" mentality and it isn't long before a group of more traditional vampires (if you can call any of Meyer's creations traditional) comes along seeking Bella for more than chaste companionship.

This movie was obviously made for fans of the novels, as those that have not read the novels will find themselves sometimes confused by what seems like the unnecessary introduction to a bevy of new characters that go nowhere and strange plot points, like the need for the Cullen family to wait until a thunderstorm to play baseball. While I can put up with Meyer's changing the more popular theories regarding vampires for the most part, don't even get me started on the idea of vampires avoiding the sun because they sparkle.

I don't envy director Catherine Hardwicke and screenwriter Melissa Rosenberg's roles of adapting the story to film. Twilighters (crazy obsessed fans of the book) are meticulous when it comes to the characters being just as they imagined. Whether or not they are the most talented of actors, Stewart and Pattinson do their best to make the sometimes downright awful dialogue work and always place themselves fully and confidently into their roles. The unintentional giggles that broke out during my screening at some of the attempted serious scenes was more the fault of the material (and the horrible make-up job on the vampires) than the performance.

Despite all the film's flaws, the massive mob of fans that flooded the movie theaters opening weekend has guaranteed that Meyer's second novel in the series, New Moon, will be coming to the multiplex near you sometime this winter. Hardwicke's unexpected replacement at the director's chair, Chris Weitz (The Golden Compass) will hopefully either have a higher budget for special effects or nix them altogether. Afterall, if the film is really made for the true Twilight fan, the violence could be left out completely. As long as Edward still struggles to resist holding Bella's hand in Science lab, the fans will be more than satisfied.