MONA LISA SMILE

I got the job, off to Chicago I go!

...and it appears I'll be arriving right in the middle of the Polar Vortex 2.0.

MONA LISA SMILE: Two out of five stars.

Avoiding the obvious (and boring) Julia Roberts smile jokes here and instead choose to remember fondly when Julia Stiles was the hottest young actress around.  What happened?  I still find her incredibly attractive (even by Hollywood's obnoxious standards) and she is phenomenally talented - so why don't we see her in films that much anymore unless its a supporting role?

She's way better than the bit parts she played in SILVER LININGS PLAYBOOK or the BOURNE films.  Instead we're stuck with the much less attractive and much less talented Kirsten Dunst in everything.  At least Ginnifer Goodwin and Maggie Gyllenhaal are still working in major roles on film and television.

While the charisma of the cast, Dunst excepted, is phenomenal and Roberts provides a earnest performance the film falls flat under the weight of other similar films about teachers trying to raise their students above the limited expectations of society - most notably DEAD POETS SOCIETY.  The film feels much like the Van Gogh paint-by-the-numbers that forms the sentimental ending of the film - familiar but not as good as the original.

Film List:
January 1: THERE WILL BE BLOOD (5/5)
January 2: BUTCH CASSIDY AND THE SUNDANCE KID (3.5/5)
January 3: THE ARTIST (5/5)
January 4: THE KING'S SPEECH (2.5/5)
January 5: UPSTREAM COLOR (5/5)
January 7: THE PIANIST (4.5/5)
January 8: DRINKING BUDDIES: (4/5)

January 9: THE LONE RANGER: (1/5)

                 FAST & FURIOUS 6: (3/5/5)
January 10: THE IRON LADY (1.5/5)
January 11: THE FIRST GRADER (3/5)
January 12: THE TALENTED MR. RIPLEY (4/5)
January 13: GOOD BURGER (2.5/5)
January 14: HOFFA (2.5/5)
January 15: J. EDGAR (3.5/5)
January 16: WOLF OF WALL STREET (5/5)
January 17: MONA LISA SMILE (2/5)