I’m gonna go ahead and call it, right here, right now – Mila Kunis, the new Megan Fox.

Blasphemy you say?

Well, have you seen Mila lately? This isn’t the same cute-but-bratty Jackie from That 70’s Show, or the anonymous bit-role actor of the 90’s. This is a new (maybe surgically improved?) Mila Kunis, who seems to have transformed from doe-eyed beauty to sultry siren quicker than anyone can say “next It girl”.

Her star meter on IMDB has increased by 100% (granted, Fox has gone up by 450% – don’t ask me how they calculate this, for I haven’t got a clue), she’s been making waves on the red carpet and she’s got some major movies lined up, most notably The Book of Eli with Denzel Washington coming out later this fall. There’s even talk of a super-secret script by Darren Aronofsky for Black Swan that calls for a passionate love scene with… Natalie Portman. Yeah, you heard that. I’ve been seeing her name everywhere on the web these days, so when I google-imaged “Mila Kunis” I was stunned by how flawless-looking she’s become. That’s when the Megan Fox comparison began. But maybe I’m just getting ahead of myself. I mean, Fox will continue to dominate the “sexiest actress” throne for a while, especially with Jennifer’s Body hitting theaters next week, but I definitely sense some strong competition coming from Kunis.

What do you think? Is Mila Kunis the new Megan Fox? Or is she just a flash in the pan actress who’s nowhere near Fox’s league?

Picture courtesy of JustJared.com

When I first saw the trailer I thought “oh, another crappy, witless guy comedy.” Then a few months later, headlines started declaring Hangover “The surprise hit of the summer!” and everyone was praising its hilarity and overall awesomeness. Fans and critics alike kept raving and it seemed virtually everyone was urging me to go watch it.

And so I did.

And what the hell? Seriously, what exactly was the big deal? Where was all the rip-roaring fun people kept promising? What were the stand-out jokes? Where were the scene-stealing moments? Was it the tiger? Mike Tyson? The cute baby with the over-sized glasses? Zach Galifinakis?

Mind you, all those things were funny, but the movie itself doesn’t amount to anything more than buzz-driven mediocrity. It wasn’t great and it wasn’t terrible – it was just all right. I surveyed a few other people after I had seen the movie and they more or less expressed being similarly letdown - a consequence of misguided word of mouth.

Now, if you’re planning to see the movie because you’ve heard all the great things about it, be forewarned that it probably won’t live up to the expectations. But if you set the bar really low, to the level of absolute bull crap let’s say, then yes, you’re far more likely to be pleasantly entertained.

The bottom line: the hype is usually a lie.