Reviews

People of all ages will be touched by this cheerful story of love and friendship focused around four teens who are spending their first summer apart. Based on the first book in the hit trilogy by Ann Brashares, "The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants" is a joy from the opening sequence to the closing credits. The film starts out with four girls, very different in personality and shape, finding a pair of pants that fits them all despite their physical variations. Seeing the rarity of this event, they decide to send the pants back and forth through the summer.

Lena is in Santorini, Greece, and she gets the pants first. Then they progress to Tibby, stuck working at home. Next is Carmen, using the pants to help her through her dad's new engagement in South Carolina. The final 'sister' to receive the jeans is Bridget, at an exclusive soccer camp in Baja California. The pants help the girls through rough times and support them when things go well, representing everything that they need while they are separated.

Everybody has known one of these girls at some point in their life. Bridget is an intense go-getter and athletic superstar, Lena is a shy, conservative beauty. Tibby is sarcastic and cynical, but always there for her friends, and Carmen is a loving, warm person who struggles to find out where she fits in. Audiences will identify right away with the girls and recognize the others from their own experiences. We've all got sides that mirror each of them, and that is what ties the audience to the actors.

Serious fans of the book will notice that some details have been changed for the film- but don't be discouraged, none of them detract in any way from its quality. The actresses and the supporting cast are convincing and easy to like, and the settings are amazing. From the beaches of Baja California to the stone cliffs of Santorini, it's all gorgeous. The progression is logical and brings you along to feel what all the characters are feeling and to see their interaction. Those expecting a fluffy chick-flick will be surprised. Though some of the content has been toned down for younger audiences, "The Sisterhood" is not a superficial movie. It deals with appearances, prejudice, rules, death, and various other topics that provoke thought about what it is that society feels, and what it is that the viewer feels. To keep the tone up, comedy and lighthearted witticisms are interspersed with the deeper topics.

The part that people will enjoy most about this movie is its sense of family. The pants represent the friendship that stays strong despite separation, and allows some comfort. The girls are always there for each other, understanding what and when help is needed. Even in the family arguments that inevitably arise, the ties are strong between all the characters. At the end of the movie, you will feel like everything is all right in the world and no matter what difficulties arise, you will overcome them.

I was looking for something simple and funny, and "Intern Academy" is most definitely it! It centers around the internship of six young interns working in the worst run hospital in the country, "where the dregs of med school are sent when every other hospital turns them down". While it may be cheesy, it is pulled off in such a way that it is simply funny and a thoroughly enjoyable movie.

Pat Kelly and Peter Oldring play the two prominent interns in the film, though no one intern is truly the "main character". Dan Aykroyd makes an appearance as the negligent and nonchalant hospital director. Some of the other cast members are well known, though certainly not blockbuster names. All in all, the group has good chemistry.

In terms of plot and design, "Intern Academy" is highly similar to NBC's "Scrubs". Oldring and Zack Braff's characters are both quirky, geeky type doctors who are definitely lacking in suave. Both narrate their shows in a satirical voice-over, making for a hilarious view on life in a hospital. This is especially true in the case of "Intern Academy", where characters are in constant mishaps amid the womanizing director, cynical supervisor, terribly run surroundings, and a heap of typical "young-person" life problems.

If you're looking for the next "E.R." or a serious attempt at the portrayal of intern life, this is not the movie for you. But if it's satirical, witty, and in some cases crass humor that gets you, the hilarious blunders of these six interns will have you laughing in no time.

Saved! is a movie that will get to the hearts of people everywhere. It so poignantly captures the hardships and comedies of being a teenage girl.

Jena Malone is Mary, a typical teen attending a Christian school. After finding out her boyfriend is gay, a vision of Jesus provokes her to "cure" him by sleeping with him. But when Christian Mary finds out that she is pregnant, all hell breaks loose! She tries to hide the pregnancy, but it becomes difficult. Mary is shunned by her outgoing and devoutly Christian friend Hilary Faye (Mandy Moore), and finds solace with the uniquely rebellious Cassandra (Eva Amurri), who also happens to be the only Jew in the school. Mary also finds a friend in Patrick (Patrick Fugit), the pastor's son. Mary puts up with a lot from Hilary Faye and her friends trying to save her- even the pastor gets involved: "I want you to help" ... "You mean shoot her?" "No... I was thinking something a little less 'gangsta'". But when Hilary Faye goes too far, Cassandra, Mary, Patrick, and Hilary Faye's cool but wheelchair-bound brother Roland (Macaulay Culkin) team up to let Hilary Faye know that she can be "down with G-O-D", but has to be understanding of others as well.

The movie is full of hilarious lines and activities, but it remains believable. Malone portrays a typical teenager who is just trying to fit in and have fun despite her differences. Parts of the movie had me cracking up and quoting it for days on end, other parts were tear-provokingly sweet. As a whole, Saved! is one movie that you can't afford to miss. It just may save us all.