My guy friends convinced me that I needed to go to a midnight showing of Fast Five in IMAX. Not my typical genre of choice, but I was pleasantly surprised with the film. Unfortunately, the projector broke before the end, so I can’t tell you how (allegedly) awesome the final car chase scene was. But I can tell you how cool it was to watch everyone in the theater throw cups at the screen…

Fast Five picks up with fugitive Dominic Toretto’s struggle to break out from prison and his subsequent hide out in Rio. Of course “one last job” must happen and a gang is brought together to rob Rio’s top drug lord. American FBI Agent Hobbs, played by Dwayne Johnson, comes to Rio to track down Toretto. Car chases and explosions ensue. Alright, it’s not that complex, but it’s pretty cool to watch.

And just to prove to you guys that I’m not ashamed to admit I’m wrong (Birthers, I’m looking at you to follow my lead), I bring you the list of the week.

Top 4 reasons why I shouldn’t have judged Fast Five by its cover (…or trailer…):

Car chases can be fun. Who knew, right? But it’s hard to not feel secondhand adrenaline rush while watching Dominic and Brian escape trouble just in the nick of time. It’s a lot more lively than the Royal Wedding at least. And there’s a little bonding moment when the guys race police cars down the street. Not gonna lie, the whole movie sort of made me want to hop in an expensive car and race Vin Diesel down the street.

It’s not actually anti-feminist. I initially thought that the only women in The Fast and the Furious franchise were half-naked chicks sitting on cars. Turns out, there are kind of some badass female characters. Mia is hot, smart, a hella good driver. Oh, and she bagged Paul Walker’s character so she’s clearly doing something right. And there’s an epic female police officer working on Hobbs’s force. Girl power, yo.

Hot men. Okay, so you probably could have gathered this one from the trailer, but there are some sexy men in this movie. Vin Diesel, you have some epic muscles. Paul Walker, don’t even get me started on your eyes. Ludacris, I could literally never get enough of you. And Dwayne Johnson, just, marry me. That’s all.

It might actually be funny? No, they obviously didn’t hire Hollywood’s top comedy writers to pen the script, but that’s part of the fun. Fast Five is self-aware of itself as a face-value action flick and they work it. The cast has surprisingly good chemistry and honestly they all just look like they’re having a good time. Some of my favorite scenes were when the gang was just sitting around riffing or Dwayne Johnson was delivering some of his tough guy lines.

So, if your guy friends try to drag you to Fast Five this weekend, don’t knock it til you try it. That was my mistake, and now I’ll never hear the end of having to admit I was wrong.

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Cedar Rapids is the story of Tim Lippe (Ed Helmes), a by-the-book insurance agent who has to go to Cedar Rapids, Iowa to present at an insurance conference. Three past attendees of the convention teach Tim their more free-spirited ways.

I’ll be the first to admit that I’m tough on comedies in general. In fact, I seem to be getting a rep as a movie snob… (See: Easy A and No Strings Attached). But at the end of the day, all I really want is a comedy that will respect its audience. I think Cedar Rapids is the perfect example of that.

The writing is sharp, but it is also backed up by a clear plot that never disappears for the sake of a joke. It doesn’t cater to what it could so easily be – a fish-out-of-water story or a buddy comedy. And, luckily the cast members who are often known for their overzealous acting style (Ed Helms, John C. Reilly), really give great performances, even understated at times. Cedar Rapids refuses to dumb itself down for its audience. And it certainly won’t overwhelm you with endless strings of pop culture references just for a laugh.

I love Ed Helms, but when I saw the trailer for this film, I worried that he might have started to create an acting niche for himself. After all, we all saw The Hangover. We know that he can play a straight shooter who goes through some crazy partying and comes out the other side a changed man. But, after I saw Cedar Rapids, I realized that Helms isn’t falling into a niche; rather, his character from The Hangover can be viewed as an oversimplified version of Tim Lippe. Helms has us cheering for Lippe from the beginning, but it comes from a much subtler place. We’re never hit over the head with Lippe’s likability; instead, Helms plays him with endearing naïveté that never comes across as unnatural.

John C. Reilly does a lovely job as well. He takes on a role that should encourage many comparisons to his roles in Step Brothers and Talladega Nights, but he gives his character a lot of great quirks that are completely role-specific. I would like to mention the hilarious The Wire references that Isiah Whitlock Jr. has – he was actually a cast member on HBO’s The Wire and there are a couple of nods to that.

Cedar Rapids isn’t just another buddy-comedy that you’ve seen a million times. Instead, it’s a short and sweet story that will make you laugh. The writing is sharp, the acting isn’t overdone, and unrealistic situations aren’t used for a cheap laugh.

Click here to get Meredith’s take on other new releases.

And this is coming from a self-proclaimed reading snob.

I’ve created a list of my top 4 books made into movies. Granted, I have not seen every movie ever made that is based on a book, but I think I have a pretty good base to choose from. Let me know if you agree or add your own to the list

#4. Lord of the Rings Trilogy

I know that I’m probably going to get flack for this one from the hard-core fans, but making “The Lord of the Rings” novels into movies was not only one of the best financial decisions ever made (raking in a cool BILLION on ticket sales and rentals alone), but also a smart pop culture move. Before the movies, the books and whole “culture” of LOTR were fairly underground; some people read the books in school, but other than that, they weren’t terribly popular. And I’d like to think I know why.

I tried to read the books. I barely got through the first one and had to give up. I’m not a detail person so I found several pages describing the movement of grass in a valley to be WAY too much. But then I saw the movie – which obviously eliminated all that need for boring description – and it. was. awesome. The story, the drama, the imagination that went into coming up with all those characters and details. Good move with the movie, LOTR people. A good move, indeed.

#3. Girl, Interrupted

“Girl, Interrupted” is actually an autobiography. Susanna Kaysen was committed to a mental institution in 1967 because reality had become too “dense.” Susanna was certainly not crazy, so her account of her 2 year stay makes for a super interesting read. However, the visual is so much more compelling. You can read about the interesting characters she encounters all you like, but when you actually see them there is a much greater impact. Matched with Angelina Jolie and Winona Ryder’s superb acting skills (critically acclaimed, in fact!), the story just takes flight. I found myself to be much more attached to and affected by the movie compared to the book. Some things you just have to see for yourself, I guess!

#2. The Bourne Trilogy

After I realized that the Jason Bourne movies were actually based on action novels, I rushed to the library to pick up “The Bourne Identity.” I was shocked at the size of it: a whopping 544 pages! Needless to say I less-than-quickly read through it and was left wanting more. The movies were so action-packed and kept me on the edge of my seat and the books fell a little bit flat. Perhaps this was because I had already seen the movie, but I really feel like the book is a bit of overkill. For example, the first 60 or so pages explain how a Frenchman found Jason floating in the middle of the ocean and nursed him back to health on an island. In the movie, that same part took about 30 seconds to explain. I just found that the screenwriters did a really good job of cutting out the unnecessary junk in the book and making a really streamlined, fast-paced thriller (as all action books and movies should be).

#1. The Notebook

Originally written by Nicholas Sparks, “The Notebook” was a best-selling novel. But despite how well it did as a book, the movie just blows it out of the water. I won’t give away too much plot for those 3 people on earth who haven’t seen it, but basically, it revolves around the epic love story of Allie and Noah. From their humble beginnings as teenagers, to a rough time where they almost lose each other due to family problems, to them as seniors, the movie encompasses their entire lives together.

The film is heartfelt and tells the story so perfectly, jumping between the past to the present. The cast was perfect and everything from the script to the scenes to the superb acting just draws the viewer into the story. I’m typically not a crier, but I cry every. time. I watch this movie. It truly is book-to-movie perfection.