Movie Reviews by FAQs

In Darkness

2011-12-29T13:16:00.000-08:00

Q: What’s the movie about?

A: During World War II, a Polish man (Robert Wieckiewicz) hides a group of Jews in the sewers he is paid to maintain. True story.

Q: Who’s in the movie?

A: Robert Wieckiewicz, Benno Furmann, Agnieszka Grochowska, Maria Schrader, Herbert Knaup, Marcin Bosak, Krzysztof Skonieczny, Milla Bankowicz, Oliwer Stanczak, Kinga Preis, Julia Kijowska, Michal Zurawski, Zofia Pieczynska

Q: Is this movie worth the price of admission?

A: Go! There's not much I don’t like about the Holocaust! I mean, besides the racism, and the genocide, and the Nazis, and the desolate living conditions, and the brain-washed stupidity of the minions who agreed that it was okay to kill and abuse their peers in the name of race and religion... I guess what I’m trying to say is that stuff makes for high stakes dramatic conflict every time. Hard to believe people really went through this.

Q: Will this movie make me laugh?

A: There’s not much that’s funny about this, except maybe the territorial battle that goes down in the sewers between the Jews and the rats, who believe they have just as much claim to this holy land as the Jews… Significantly, in this scenario, they all learn to get along and live together in the common space.

Q: Will this movie make me cry?

A: It’s not a tear jerker, but if you’re not moved enough to utter an “ooh” or “ahh” by some of the tragedy involved, you’re probably a Jew-hating Nazi. (And by Nazi, I mean literally a German Nazi who worships Hitler, which is not to be confused with the more modern definition of the term, “Someone whose political opinions differ from mine.”)

Q: Will this movie be up for any awards?

A: This is Poland’s entry into the Best Foreign Film category at the Oscars, and considering The Academy’s track-record with Holocaust-based films, I’d say it has a pretty good chance of making the cut.

Q: How is the Acting?

A: Well the film is called In Darkness, so for the most part, it’s pretty hard to see. To be clear, what I’m saying is there’s a lot of darkness.

Q: How is the Directing?

A: Due to all the darkness, it’s hard to figure out who the characters are at first, but thankfully, a few of them get killed off, narrowing down the amount of faces you have to keep track of, so it gets a lot easier. Camera-wise the film is always frantic and moving, so don’t worry about being stuck in a stagnant sewer for (over) two hours. And if you are worried about that, think about how much longer than you those Jews had to endure it.

Q: How is the story/script?

A: I didn’t think there was anything left to say about the Holocaust, but what I’ve learned is that much like procedural TV shows about lawyers, cops, and doctors, that’s irrelevant. It stays interesting no matter how many times you hear the story.

Q: Is there anything else worth mentioning about the movie?

A: This movie will not be released until January 27th, so mark your calendars.

Q: Where can I see the trailer?

A: In Darkness Trailer

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We Bought a Zoo

2011-12-26T22:18:00.001-08:00

Q: What’s the movie about?

A: After the death of his wife, Benjamin Mee (Matt Damon) feels the need to move himself and his kids out of town to escape all the memories of her, but the house he falls in love with happens to also be a zoo.

Q: Who’s in the movie?

A: Matt Damon, Scarlett Johansson, Thomas Haden Church, Colin Ford, Maggie Elizabeth, Jones, Angus Macfadyen, Elle Fanning, Patrick Fugit, John Michael Higgins, Carla Gallo, J.B. Smoove, Stephanie Szostak, Kym Whitley

Q: Is this movie worth the price of admission?

A: Go! This is the "family film" version of The Descendants, and between you and me, it's a lot more pleasant to watch.

Q: Will this movie make me laugh?

A: More than The Descendants.

Q: Will this movie make me cry?

A: More than The Descendants.

Q: Will this movie be up for any awards?

A: Less than The Descendants, but that wouldn't be the case if I were the boss of all things buzz.

Q: How is the Acting?

A: Matt Damon is always good-- if we don't count that moment when he smiles a little too hard at Scarlett Johansson, who is usually bad, but bucks that trend in this one-- if we don't count that moment when she stares a little too hard at Matt Damon. But the true breakouts here are the kids, Colin Ford, who shows some real acting chops at the ripe young age of 14, and Maggie Elizabeth Jones who may actually be as cute as Drew Barrymore was as a kid.

Q: How is the Directing?

A: My only gripe about the directing is actually about the acting. Both John Michael Higgins and Angus Macfadyen seems to be in a much broader and over the top movie than the rest of the cast, who played it real. I would let it slide with a lesser director, but Cameron Crowe, you're better than that.

Q: How is the story/script?

A: Nothing in the script is particularly brilliant, but you still let the occasional cheesy or improbable line of dialogue slide because the story is so damn sweet.

Q: Where can I see the trailer?

A: We Bought a Zoo Trailer

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Albert Nobbs

2011-12-23T10:35:00.000-08:00

Q: What’s the movie about?

A: In the late 19th century, a woman (Glenn Close) dresses as a man to work as a waiter, as he saves for his dream.

Q: Who’s in the movie?

A: Glenn Close, Mia Wasikowska, Janet McTeer, Aaron Johnson, Brendan Gleeson, Maria Doyle Kennedy, Pauline Collins, Bronagh Gallagher, Antonia Campbell-Hughes, Jonathan Rhys Meyers, John Light

Q: Is this movie worth the price of admission?

A: Proceed with Caution. I kept waiting to find out why this person was dressing as a man, and when it finally arrived, I didn't buy it. So ultimately, I had a hard time relating to what the film was supposed to be about.

Q: Will this movie make me laugh?

A: If you watch the trailer you might... Funnily enough, the very same jokes in the actual film aren't nearly as funny.

Q: Will this movie make me cry?

A: You will definitely feel for this gentlefemme, as he tries to court a bratty young golddigger-- really a bronzedigger, considering our hero's financial means-- but your confusion about what he/she actually hopes to accomplish emotionally from marrying another woman will prevent you from actually caring to see him/her succeed. I mean, he's not even a lesbian!

Q: Will this movie be up for any awards?

A: This is one of those films that people will think they should see for the performances. Unless you're studying acting, you should never see films for the performances.

Q: How is the Acting?

A: The women dressed as men will undoubtedly get some acclaim as they take on the male physicality with precision and consistency, which especially comes through when they don dresses. Even so, Glenn Close does herself the disfavor of proving that she's much more attractive as a man, while Janet McTeer looks unmistakably like a woman (albeit a butch one) from the first time she appears on the screen to the moment when she reveals her gigantic breasts.

Q: How is the Directing?

A: I've enjoyed Rodrigo Garcia's work in the past, and his directing hasn't faltered. But the one difference between this and his previous projects is that he didn't write this one. So I guess he should take the fact that I enjoyed this film less than his others as a compliment.

Q: How is the story/script?

A: I know it's based on book, but it was hard enough to buy that one woman was dressed as a man, so when we find out there are two women dressing as men, it's super unbelievable-- unless this was a common occurrence of the times, in which case you, the writer, should make a point of explaining that. The way it is now, it seems highly coincidental and not very well justified.

Q: Where can I see the trailer?

A: Albert Nobbs Trailer

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The Sitter

2011-12-19T19:57:00.000-08:00

Q: What’s the movie about?

A: An aimless slacker (Jonah Hill) gets stuck babysitting three difficult kids (Max Records, Landry Bender, Kevin Rodriguez) on the night when the girl he's trying to sleep with (Ari Graynor) gives him his big chance.

Q: Who’s in the movie?

A: Jonah Hill, Max Records, Landry Bender, Kevin Hernandez, Ari Graynor, Sam Rockwell, J.B. Smoove, Kylie Bunbury, Erin Daniels, D.W. Moffett, Jessica Hecht, Bruce Altman, Samiri Wiley, Cliff "Method Man" Smith, Sean Patrick Doyle, Alex Wolff, Jack Krizmanich, Grace Aronds, Jane Aronds

Q: Is this movie worth the price of admission?

A: Go! Yes, it's R-rated and shows children swearing, stealing, blowing things up, and partying with dangerous grown-ups until the wee hours of the night, but isn't that what's great about it?!

Q: Will this movie make me laugh?

A: The laughs aren't non-stop, but when they come they are subtle and clever, and generally make you happy you're there.

Q: Will this movie make me cry?

A: It made me sad that there weren't more people in the theater. Mostly because there would have been a lot more laughs if there were.

Q: Will this movie be up for any awards?

A: Best Commercial Comedy that Nobody Decided to See.

Q: How is the Acting?

A: Most of the laughs wouldn't be there if it weren't for the actors' awkward delivery. Jonah Hill is known for this style of acting, but Erin Daniels, in the small role of the mom, does a great job of laughing awkwardly at her own weird dialogue, too.

Q: How is the Directing?

A: David Gordon Greene has done bigger movies and smaller movies, and he seems absolutely comfortable at any level.

Q: How is the story/script?

A: Okay, so it's not the most original or artistic thing you've ever seen, but it captures the fish-out-of water comedy caper genre at least as well as Date Night did. And frankly, after sitting through several weeks of mediocre to bad awards contenders, this kind of improbably fun ride is a welcome relief.

Q: Where can I see the trailer?

A: The Sitter Trailer

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War Horse

2011-12-16T22:34:00.000-08:00

Q: What’s the movie about?

A: A boy and his horse are separated during World War I, and we follow the horse's journey through the war.

Q: Who’s in the movie?

A: Jeremy Irvine, Peter Mullan, Emily Watson, Niels Arestrup, David Thewlis, Tom Hiddleston, Bnedict Cumberbatch, Celine Buckens, Toby Kebbell, Patrick Kennedy, Leonard Carow, David Kross, Matt Milne, Robert Emms, Eddie Marsan

Q: Is this movie worth the price of admission?

A: Stop! I can see the little old church ladies now, watching this movie on TV and then telling their grandchildren, "Oh, wasn't that a nice picture?" They are the only ones who feel that way.

Q: Will this movie make me laugh?

A: I laughed several times at how ridiculously improbable every other beat in the movie was-- starting with the way the boy acquires the horse. Any decent screenwriter knows that you can't have more than one coincidence in a script. This movie is built around them.

Q: Will this movie make me cry?

A: Horse lovers might, but I'd like to prevent that by reminding them that horses don't really think like humans do. That's just a movie device.

Q: Will this movie be up for any awards?

A: I think it's time to give Spielberg the Lifetime Achievement Award, because based on the movies I've seen in the last two nights, he has clearly passed his peak.

Q: How is the Acting?

A: People regularly have giant reactions to absolutely nothing; reactions that last longer than the final shot in a soap opera scene. How do I know this style is outdated? All of the soap operas just got cancelled.

Q: How is the Directing?

A: It's 2 1/2 hours of melodramatic acting with melodramatic music, shot in exteriors that are lit like they are on a sound stage from the 1950s. Need I say more?

Q: How is the story/script?

A: There is one good scene in the entire movie, and I'd seen that one done before too.

Q: Where can I see the trailer?

A: War Horse Trailer

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The Adventures of Tintin

2011-12-15T22:40:00.000-08:00

Q: What’s the movie about?

A: Based on a combination of stories from the Belgian comic books, a young journalist named Tintin buys a model ship from a flea market, and suddenly people are trying to kill him and steal the ship, which leads him on a journalistic adventure to find out what is so special about this little ship.

Q: Who’s in the movie?

A: Jamie Bell, Andy Serkis, Daniel Craig, Simon Pegg, Nick Frost, Toby Jones, Cary Elwes, Daniel Mays, Mackenzie Crook, Gad Elmaleh, Tony Curran, Kim Stengal, Enn Reitel, Joe Starr

Q: Is this movie worth the price of admission?

A: Proceed with Caution. I spent most of the movie wondering who the target audience was supposed to be. If it's supposed to be for grown-ups, then making it live-action would've made the action-adventure parts more exciting. And if it's supposed to be for little boys, then why is one of the main characters a drunk?

Q: Will this movie make me laugh?

A: For once I can say, I preferred the book. I remember reading these as a kid, and I remember them being funny-- especially those twin cops Thomson and Thompson. Even with one of my favorite comedy teams (Simon Pegg and Nick Frost) in the roles, this is not.

Q: Will this movie make me cry?

A: I felt like crying for poor little Tintin because the way they animated it, he looks about 14, so when he gets lost at sea and then lands in a foreign country without his mommy and daddy, I worry. Turns out-- and I had to have this explained to me-- that he's in his low twenties. I'm not a fan of the look they chose for him. He doesn't look old enough to be a journalist, and more importantly, he doesn't look like Tintin. It's animated! You could've made him look exactly like he does in the books.

Q: Will this movie be up for any awards?

A: The Award for 2011 goes to Belgium! Between this and The Smurfs, Belgium is really positioning itself this year to look like more than just the European Canada.

Q: How is the Acting?

A: Once again, my favorite actor is the dog. But in comparison to the live-action dog in The Artist, who I've heard has people campaigning for his eligibility in the Best Supporting Actor category, this dog is nothing more than a drawing.

Q: How is the Directing?

A: The choice to do this animated originally made sense to me, because the comic book lends itself to animation. But the choice to do the animation using motion capture, so that the characters end up looking semi-human, without looking anything like their drawn counter-parts mind-boggles me. Now that I've seen it, I think they should've gone with live-action -- which was Spielberg's first instinct, once again proving the point that you should always listen to your gut.

Q: How is the story/script?

A: Tintin is such a goody-two-shoes, that his character is boring, and never gives you any sense that he might mess up, or not figure something out. In other words, there's no suspense.

Q: Is there anything else worth mentioning about the movie?

A: Spielberg isn't the only master of his craft to deliver less than stellar results here, composer John Williams also creates a score that is beneath him. The music itself is fun and light, and would probably make good listening if you were sitting around in your library smoking your pipe, but put up against this movie, it just feels wrong. In the opening credits for example, twice as much action is in the music than in the images on the screen. And in the rest, it would've served the movie to have music creating a greater sense of suspense in the parts when the story did not. It's cheating, but it's exactly what makes renowned composers like John Williams so great at their jobs.

Q: Where can I see the trailer?

A: The Adventures of Tintin Trailer

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The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo

2011-12-12T22:24:00.000-08:00

Q: What’s the movie about?

A: Based on the book of the same name, this remake of the movie of the same name that came out two years ago, retells the Swedish story of a defamed journalist and his assistant (Daniel Craig and Rooney Mara) who try to solve the mystery of a teenage millionaire's untimely death in the 1960s-- only this time, it's American-style!

Q: Who’s in the movie?

A: Daniel Craig, Rooney Mara, Christopher Plummer, Stellan Skarsgard, Steven Berkoff, Robin Wright, Yorick van Wageningen, Joely Richardson, Geraldine James, Goran Visnjic, Donald Sumpter, Ulf Friberg

Q: Is this movie worth the price of admission?

A: Go! I was lucky enough to have missed the first version of this movie as well as the book, so I got to enjoy this clever thriller as if for the first time, because it was my first time.

Q: Will this movie make me laugh?

A: Bizarrely, yes, about three times.

Q: Will this movie make me cry?

A: It's pretty cold, but there is one part that will break your heart.

Q: Will this movie be up for any awards?

A: Clearly David Fincher and Trent Reznor are trying for a two-peat, and I think they have a chance.

Q: How is the Acting?

A: It was a big deal when they cast Rooney Mara (best known as the girl who dumps Mark Zuckerberg in The Social Network creating the impetus for him to start The Facebook) in the part of Lisbeth Salander. Well, she lives up to the hype. Then again, I never saw Noomi Rapace in the part, so for all I know she's just imitating the original performance.

Q: How is the Directing?

A: There's a reason David Fincher is considered the David Fincher of movie directing. He brings movement and artistry to scenes that would be stagnant in a lesser director's hands. With him, you can see where the script stops and the vision begins. And yet he does it all without drawing attention to his own work-- which may be what I respect most about his style.

Q: How is the story/script?

A: A good story is a good story in any language. The people who read the book thought so. The people who saw the Swedish movie thought so. And the people who see this version will think so, too.

Q: Is there anything else worth mentioning about the movie?

A: I'm assuming there will be two more parts, as with the Swedish version, but I'm still waiting to find out the significance of the Dragon Tattoo.

Q: Where can I see the trailer?

A: The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo Trailer

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A Dangerous Method

2011-12-11T09:27:00.001-08:00

Q: What’s the movie about?

A: Carl Jung (Michael Fassbender) experiments with a lot of bad ideas as he (along with Sigmund Freud (Viggo Mortensen) and Otto Gross (Vincent Cassel)) develop what has become modern-day psychoanalysis.

Q: Who’s in the movie?

A: Michael Fassbender, Keira Knightley, Viggo Mortensen, Sarah Gadon, Vincent Cassel

Q: Is this movie worth the price of admission?

A: Proceed with Caution. The subject matter is interesting, although when you look at the questionable mental stability of the people who pioneered the modern psychology movement, you will also want to proceed with caution when it comes to getting professional help. But the love story is disgusting and unromantic, partly due to its content, but even more-so due to a performance that makes you want to turn the movie off every time you are subjected to it. Stay tuned to find out whose...

Q: Will this movie make me laugh?

A: It's funny how men can find any ridiculous, convoluted reason to justify adultery... especially Austrian men played by French men, making no effort to hide their French accents.

Q: Will this movie make me cry?

A: Every time Kiera Knightley uttered a word in her terrible Russian accent I wanted to cry myself all the way out of the theater. Stay tuned for a more in depth analysis of why and how she's awful...

Q: Will this movie be up for any awards?

A: Michael Fassbender won an acting award from the National Board of Review, but I didn't think this role involved all that much. Meanwhile Viggo Mortensen got 3rd Place Best Supporting Actor from the New York Film Critics Circle, but I think anyone who gives Viggo Mortensen 3rd place in anything acting-related can't really be taken seriously.

Q: How is the Acting?

A: If you've ever hated Keira Knightley because she's beautiful, now you can hate her because she's ugly, too. Her performance as a mental patient is cringe-inducing. It reminds me of an aspiring actress desperate to prove she can make it by taking on an character that's way out of her league, and then trying too hard to give it interesting quirks and mannerisms until you feel sorry for her, because you know her dreams of stardom will never see the light of day. I have never personally had anything against Keira Knightley, but after watching the film, I happened upon a sexy perfume commercial she stars in, and I couldn't even watch that because I still felt so embarrassed for her.

Q: How is the Directing?

A: David Cronenberg cast Kiera Knightley in this role, so that's a fail.

Q: How is the story/script?

A: In a lot of ways it's hard to tell if the script was any good, as you watch Kiera Knightley butcher it. The scenes she's not in are passable, and sometimes even intellectually stimulating. But most of those are talking head conversations that make it all too clear that this movie was derived from a play.

Q: Where can I see the trailer?

A: A Dangerous Method Trailer

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Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close

2011-12-08T23:29:00.001-08:00

Q: What’s the movie about?

A: A young boy (Thomas Horn) struggles to get over the senseless death of his father in 9/11.

Q: Who’s in the movie?

A: Thomas Horn, Max von Sydow, Sandra Bullock, Tom Hanks, Jeffrey Wright, Viola Davis, John Goodman, Zoe Caldwell

Q: Is this movie worth the price of admission?

A: Proceed with Caution. Every step of this movie is totally contrived. Does some of it work? Sure. But the set-ups and pay-offs are so in your face that you may be too annoyed to enjoy any of it.

Q: Will this movie make me laugh?

A: They say that comedy equals tragedy plus time, so is 9/11 funny yet?

Q: Will this movie make me cry?

A: It will try to make you cry by any means possible, throwing crap at the wall until something sticks. It's as if the writer were sitting on your shoulder like a little devil saying, "Oh, death didn't get you? Try alienation... Oh, that didn't work either? But remember 9/11, that was awful, right?... Still nothing? But he's a little boy, and he's hurting, and he misses his daddy!... What are you some cold heartless monster?" To which I reply, "I wasn't until I met you, so I guess you bring that out in me... we should probably break up now."

Q: Will this movie be up for any awards?

A: Boy am I getting sick of all these wanna-be Oscar movies that are trying so hard to be important that they neglect the basics, like being entertaining and seeming effortless.

Q: How is the Acting?

A: Don't be fooled, neither Tom Hanks nor Sandra Bullock is in the movie for more than 10 minutes, so I hope you like kid actors who aren't particularly cute or charming!

Q: How is the Directing?

A: The imagery is consistently well thought out, and many of the shots demonstrate a strong voice. Also, the art is impressive, but I don't believe for one second that a 10 year old could have made any of it.

Q: How is the story/script?

A: The friend I saw it with really liked the strong sense of community that the movie suggests exists-- even though we both agree that it's a lie, because the people in your neighborhood don't really hang out with Mr. Rogers, which is why they're not all that friendly or generous with their time. But the fundamental issue with the script is that when you try this hard to matter and be about heart-string issues that I'm supposed to naturally be moved by, I feel manipulated. And when I feel manipulated, I start to discredit you, even in the areas where you succeeded.

Q: Where can I see the trailer?

A: Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close Trailer

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Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy

2011-12-06T21:09:00.001-08:00

Q: What’s the movie about?

A: Based on a book by John Le Carre, this story chronicles the uncovering of whether or not there is a double agent at the highest levels of British Intelligence who is working for the Russians.

Q: Who’s in the movie?

A: Gary Oldman, Colin Firth, Tom Hardy, Toby Jones, Ciaran Hinds, John Hurt, Mark Strong, Benedict Cumberbatch, David Dencik, Stephen Graham, Kathy Burke, Svetlana Khodchenkova, Peter Kalloy Molnar, Konstantin Kahabenskiy

Q: Is this movie worth the price of admission?

A: Proceed with Caution. Bring your intellect, your patience, and try to have read the book 5 or 6 times already if you plan on understanding anything that goes on in this spy thriller.

Q: Will this movie make me laugh?

A: Yes, but mostly at your own thoughts about how confused you are.

Q: Will this movie make me cry?

A: Yes, because the above noted thoughts of confusion will probably lead you directly to thoughts about how dumb you must be.

Q: Will this movie be up for any awards?

A: This definitely gets the award for Fastest Movie to Put Me Out. I was snoozing before the opening credits came on, and leading up to this point, I had not had a very hard day.

Q: How is the Acting?

A: All of these top notch actors have very little to do that's challenging. Sure one or two of them cries here and there, but mostly they all just stand around looking like tough-guys who can keep a secret or two.

Q: How is the Directing?

A: It's a beautifully shot movie, but as it goes back and forth between the past (1950s) and the present (1970s), it's not always clear which one we're in.

Q: How is the story/script?

A: Mostly incomprehensible. Assuming that the book makes enough sense to have become a best-seller, which in turn would have attracted a film company who wants to capitalize on that by making it into a movie, I would venture to say that the screenwriter didn't dumb it down enough.

Q: Is there anything else worth mentioning about the movie?

A: I just realized that reading the Wikipedia page is a great help in understanding this story. They explain all the "inside lingo" that you're supposed to understand without ever having it explained to you. Perhaps read that before you go see this. Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy Wikipedia Page

Q: Where can I see the trailer?

A: Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy Trailer

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The Artist

2011-12-05T21:40:00.001-08:00

Q: What’s the movie about?

A: It's a silent film about a silent film star (Jean Dujardin) struggling with the concept that audiences want actors to talk in movies now.

Q: Who’s in the movie?

A: Jean Dujardin, Berenice Bejo, John Goodman, James Cromwell, Penelope Ann Miller, Missi Pyle, Beth Grant, Ed Lauter, Joel Murray, Malcolm McDowell, Ken Davitian, and Uggie the dog.

Q: Is this movie worth the price of admission?

A: Go! I'm pretty sure this is what a masterpiece looks like.

Q: Will this movie make me laugh?

A: The biggest laughs are at sounds.

Q: Will this movie make me cry?

A: This happy little silent film actually gets about as depressing as depressing can be, at one point.

Q: Will this movie be up for any awards?

A: It's the sleeper hit of the season, so it's already surprised Americans with several come-from-behind wins, and I suspect it will continue to do so, as it's about the most original film I've seen in my lifetime. But I also hope that Award-givers won't forget to recognize the score, since it is one of the main communicators in this dialogue-less film.

Q: How is the Acting?

A: The actors are as adorable as a kitten. Especially the dog.

Q: How is the Directing?

A: All while paying homage to the black & white film era, director Michael Hazanavicius, keeps the camera moving in a modern way and finds places to exhibit his artistry as a film composition expert.

Q: How is the story/script?

A: It functions on so many levels at once that it's hard to imagine that there is one.

Q: Is there anything else worth mentioning about the movie?

A: How is it possible that in 2011, I've just seen back to back movies where a silent film star, depressed about talkies, burns all of his work?

Q: Where can I see the trailer?

A: The Artist Trailer

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Hugo

2011-12-03T18:00:00.001-08:00

Q: What’s the movie about?

A: An orphan boy, who lives in a Paris train station (Asa Butterfield), fixes clocks and forms relationships with the other train station dwellers in his effort to figure out how he fits into the machine.

Q: Who’s in the movie?

A: Asa Butterfielld, Chloe Grace Moretz, Ben Kingsley, Sacha Baron Cohen, Helen McCrory, Michael Stuhlbarg, Emily Mortimer, Christopher Lee, Ray Winstone, Jude Law, Frances de la Tour, Richard Griffiths

Q: Is this movie worth the price of admission?

A: Go! This movie is an instant classic... Which isn't to say that it's not slow and boring at times.

Q: Will this movie make me laugh?

A: Sacha Baron Cohen has a small part, and he smiles funny.

Q: Will this movie make me cry?

A: Once I was done dozing off, I did get around to crying a little.

Q: Will this movie be up for any awards?

A: I would hope so, it's some of the most interesting directing and cinematography I've seen all year. In fact, I might even give an award to the 2nd unit director.

Q: How is the Acting?

A: This Ben Kingsley guy is going places-- I mean, Asa Butterfield, right, he's the newcomer.

Q: How is the Directing?

A: You spend most of the time wondering how they gave it that look. This is a beautiful film, and for once, I didn't even mind the 3D. In fact, because the film is about the evolution of filmmaking in some ways, this was the first time it actually felt justified. That said, the pacing is really slow for the first half, and that's not the script's fault.

Q: How is the story/script?

A: It gets around to making some interesting points by the end, but let's not give it any Awards. Agreed?

Q: Where can I see the trailer?

A: Hugo Trailer

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I Melt With You

2011-12-01T23:18:00.001-08:00

Q: What’s the movie about?

A: 4 44-year-old guys (Thomas Jane, Jeremy Piven, Rob Lowe, & Christian McKay) reunite every year for one of their birthdays and take more drugs than seems humanly possible, as they work out their lives. Let me tell you something about the number 4, in China, it's considered such bad luck, that the elevators don't have any floors with the number 4 in them. Yes, this does mean that if you live on the 50th floor of a building, your direct downstairs neighbors live on the 39th floor.

Q: Who’s in the movie?

A: Thomas Jane, Jeremy Piven, Rob Lowe, Christian McKay, Carla Gugino, Tom Bower, Arielle Kebbel, Zander Eckhouse, Abhi Sinha, Sasha Grey, Joe Reegan, August Emerson, Rebecca Creskoff, Melora Hardin, Shane Roney

Q: Is this movie worth the price of admission?

A: Proceed wit Caution. This movie is love it or hate it. Personally, I did both.

Q: Will this movie make me laugh?

A: If you are paying very close attention.

Q: Will this movie make me cry?

A: There is a butt-load of crying in it, but will you relate? That depends on how much you hate yourself and why.

Q: Will this movie be up for any awards?

A: Surprisingly it's not yet. And oddly, this is one overly-arty and borderline boring indy film that I would've voted for in a few categories-- particularly directing.

Q: How is the Acting?

A: Christian McKay often seems to be in a much more melodramatic film than the others. Jeremy Piven has moments where you begin to see his range, and others where you wonder if he'll ever be anyone besides Ari Gold again. And Rob Lowe... Is it just me, or is he getting hotter with age. I never went for him as a kid (I was a rebel), but now, his face is practically inhuman.

Q: How is the Directing?

A: Mark Pellington directs this film as an independent film should be directed. He shows individuality and a style all his own, without coming off deliberately pretentious. His shots are unpredictable and often have you wondering why he chose to shoot from a certain angle, but strangely, this time the thought is never accompanied by a feeling of anger.

Q: How is the story/script?

A: I knew where this film was going to go about 30 minutes in, but it is such a strange place to go that I remained intrigued about how it would manage to go there. Ultimately the characters' actions as a group are completely unjustifiable, despite the fact that their actions as indivuals make perfect sense. I have you intrigued, don't I?

Q: Is there anything else worth mentioning about the movie?

A: The soundtrack wants me to comment about it, but I'm not going to.

Q: Where can I see the trailer?

A: I Melt With You

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The Muppets

2011-12-01T11:53:00.001-08:00

(Guest Review by Russ)

Q: What’s the movie about?

A: When a greedy oil tycoon (Chris Cooper) threatens to take over the old Muppet Show Theater, Kermit the Frog teams up with two human fans (Jason Segal and Amy Adams) to reunite the old Muppet gang and put on a show to save the theater.

Q: Who’s in the movie?

A: Jason Segal, Amy Adams, Chris Cooper, Rashida Jones, Alan Arkin, Jack Black, Jim Parsons, Sarah Silverman, Kermit, Miss Piggy, Fozzie Bear, Animal, Gonzo, Beaker, Swedish Chef, Scooter, Miss Poogy
Q: Is this movie worth the price of admission?

A: Proceed with Caution. It’s a Disney-fied version of the Muppets and if you enjoyed the old Muppet Show there are a few moments in this movie that will remind you of the off-beat wackiness of that show’s best moments. Short of that, this version of The Muppets skews more “kiddie” and simplistic than past Muppet versions. The Toy Story short that screens first will remind you of how well Pixar has created ‘kid films’ that appeal equally to adults. Unfortunately, it makes us acutely aware of how much The Muppets does not walk that line.
Q: Will this movie make me laugh?

A: It’s not bust-out-loud laugh inducing, but there are some good chuckles here and there. I do seem to recall Miss Piggy being funnier than she is in this movie though.
Q: Will this movie make me cry?

A: I’m pretty sure it wanted to and it tries really hard. But the only thing that effort elicited in me was a discussion with my friend afterwards about past films that have made us cry. (My top #1: Rudy.)
Q: Will this movie be up for any awards?

A: I can’t think of a single one unless some union gives them out for puppeteering: The Puppet Union?

Q: How is the Acting?

A: I can’t stand Jason Segal so it’s unfortunate he’s the main human driving this story. Amy Adams is normally great in most films she’s in, but sort of wasted here. Thankfully more screen time is given to the Muppets than any human and they all act as well as you remember any Muppet acting. Back to Jason Segal though: one of the best things about the Muppets was their interaction with human guest stars on their show. To that end, I wish they had a more interesting – or funnier – human at the center of this story. Jack Black would have been much better, because all his scenes with the Muppets are way funnier than Jason’s.

Q: How is the Directing?

A: I didn’t really notice it much in either a good way or bad, so I guess it disappeared enough and got out of the way enough to be considered… “meh.”

Q: How is the story/script?

A: The general idea of the story is spot on because it calls for the Muppets to reunite and put their show on again. And the Muppet Show was a truly great show. The problem is it takes a little too long to get there and everything leading up to it isn’t very funny. Or, well, not as funny as the actual show. There’s also a big deal made out of the basic plot points, which really dumbs down the movie in a needless way. Lastly, most of the original songs aren’t very good; although a barbershop quartet rendition of Nirvana’s Smells Like Teen Spirit captures the irreverent brilliance of what the old Muppet Show was like on a weekly basis.

Q: Where can I see the trailer?

A: The Muppets Trailer

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Young Adult

2011-11-22T21:58:00.001-08:00

Q: What’s the movie about?

A: A Young Adult novelist, who used to be popular in high school (Charlize Theron) and hasn't evolved since then at all, returns to her home town 20 years later to try to nab her high school boyfriend (Patrick Wilson) who just had a baby with his wife (Elizabeth Reaser).

Q: Who’s in the movie?

A: Charlize Theron, Patton Oswalt, Patrick Wilson, Elizabeth Reaser, Collette Wolfe, Hettienne Park, Brian McElhane, Jill Eikenberry

Q: Is this movie worth the price of admission?

A: Proceed with Caution. While the dialogue reminds us why we fell in love with Diablo Cody, and the pacing reminds us why Jason Reitman's films so far have been 3 for 3, the story itself is fairly unimportant in every way possible.

Q: Will this movie make me laugh?

A: If you like dark and dry, this will have you laughing in that way that only dark and dry can-- silently, so that nobody can hear how f'd up you are.

Q: Will this movie make me cry?

A: Possibly at the sex scene at the end. It is consensual and at the same time extremely sad.

Q: Will this movie be up for any awards?

A: In yet another one-man show character story, Charlize is aiming at Oscar number two. I'd nominate her.

Q: How is the Acting?

A: Patrick Wilson, in a role that looks like nothing, is the one I was most impressed with. There is a deceptive simplicity to his role, so don't be deceived.

Q: How is the Directing?

A: There's no question that Jason Reitman is one of the most significant rising directors of his generation. That remains true in this, his least entertaining movie to date.

Q: How is the story/script?

A: The point of the script is that nobody cares about pretty girls anymore. The problem with the script is that nobody cares about pretty girls anymore.

Q: Where can I see the trailer?

A: Young Adult Trailer

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Rampart

2011-11-21T21:55:00.001-08:00

Q: What’s the movie about?

A: A very dark cop (Woody Harrelson) gets involved in some dark cop business, and before long his life and his state of mind get even darker than the darkness they began in.

Q: Who’s in the movie?

A: Woody Harrelson, Robin Wright, Sigourney Weaver, Brie Larson, Ben Foster, Ned Beatty, Cynthia Nixon, Anna Heche, Sammy Boyarski, Ice Cube, Steve Buscemi, Jon Bernthal, Stella Schnabel, Jon Foster, Robert Wisdom

Q: Is this movie worth the price of admission?

A: Proceed with Caution. It's just another character story with not much story-story to it, but there's no denying that this character is interesting-- at least so long as there's a screen standing between us, and keeping him at a safe distance away from my scorn.

Q: Will this movie make me laugh?

A: One guy talks about a barrel of monkeys, and monkeys are always funny.

Q: Will this movie make me cry?

A: It's too cold for tears, but it could freeze your heart.

Q: Will this movie be up for any awards?

A: Woody Harrelson is certainly in the running for the Oscar with this one-man-show of a film, and Oren Moverman has a good chance at an Indy Spirit Award for his directing.

Q: How is the Acting?

A: Supporting Woody you'll find a plethora of A-level pros who never bomb, including Sigourney Weaver, Robin Wright, and Ben Foster. You'll also find a breakout performance by the youthful Brie Larson.

Q: How is the Directing?

A: Very hand-held and indy, but deliberate in an interesting and often original way. Oren Moverman makes particularly daring choices when it comes to his high and low angles.

Q: How is the story/script?

A: There are moments of intrigue, but you sort of know the whole time that it's not really going to lead to anything, and after about an hour and a half, it starts to feel extraneous, and you start to feel like if you got up and left you wouldn't really miss anything. You'd be right.

Q: Where can I see the trailer?

A: Rampart Trailer

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The Twilight Sage: Breaking Dawn - Part 1

2011-11-20T22:22:00.001-08:00

Q: What’s the movie about?

A: Bella and Edward (Kristen Stewart & Robert Pattinson-- like you don't know) get married and defy all possibility when she gets pregnant from his demon seed, which threatens to kill her.

Q: Who’s in the movie?

A: Kristen Stewart, Robert Pattinson, Taylor Lautner, Billy Burke, Ashley Greene, Peter Facinelli, Elizabeth Reaser, Kellan Lutz, Nikki Reed, Jackson Rathbone, Gil Birmingham, Sarah Clarke, Booboo Stewart, Alex Rice, Chaske Spencer, Kiowa Gordon, Julia Jones, Bronson Pelletier, Alex Meraz, Anna Kendrick, Christian Serratos, Justin Chon, Michael Welch, Michael Sheen, Mia Meastro, Maggie Grace, MyAnna Buring, Casey LaBow, Jamie Campbell Bower, Christian Camargo, Mackenzie Foy

Q: Is this movie worth the price of admission?

A: Proceed with Caution. This movie is very weird, and the only reason you should see it is if you're a Die-hard Twihard, and you're going to see it anyway. According to this weekend's box-office, that description accounts for a butt-load of you.

Q: Will this movie make me laugh?

A: Well it starts with a human marrying a vampire, followed by some teenie-porn, and finally concludes with what I'm pretty sure is a form of pedophilia between a half human-half werewolf and a half vampire-half baby, so yeah, it's just all very, very weird.

Q: Will this movie make me cry?

A: "Everybody cries at weddings," one of Bella's cheesier lines, turns out to be kinda true.

Q: Will this movie be up for any awards?

A: I'll tell you what it won't be up for, Make-up, special effects, screenplay, directing, cinematography... The clothes are pretty good-- mostly at the weddings.

Q: How is the Acting?

A: Some of the lines are so bad, that I could actually hear the actors' inner struggle to get them out. And that's why I have the utmost respect for these actors, especially Kristen Stewart and Robert Pattinson, who have pauses and stares that make you keenly aware that this series could not have worked with anybody else in those roles. Taylor Lautner still can't act.

Q: How is the Directing?

A: Bill Condon is a great director, but there's no way to know that from watching this film. Most disappointing for me are the warmer colors used in the cinematography, which are completely inconsistent with the look and tone of the first 3 movies in the series. Even TV shows manage to look the same from week to week, and they sometimes have over 100 different episodes, using up to 50 different directors.

Q: How is the story/script?

A: It starts with a wedding and then strains to have anything to talk about for the next two hours, proving why movies are supposed to end with weddings. There is some very strange and illogical drama around the now-defunct love-triangle-- which no longer makes any sense because Bella has already made a firm decision-- at the wedding. The author tries her damnedest to find reasons to keep Taylor Lautner involved, but they all ring false. And then there's some drama about whether or not Bella will survive her pregnancy, which is also kind of spoiled by the fact that the title includes the phrase "Part 1."

Q: Where can I see the trailer?

A: The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn - Part 1

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Tower Heist

2011-11-15T21:35:00.001-08:00

Q: What’s the movie about?

A: When a group of high-rise employees lose their pension to a Ponzi scheme that one of their tenants got them involved in, they hatch a plan to rob the money back from the white collar criminal.

Q: Who’s in the movie?

A: Ben Stiller, Eddie Murphy, Alan Alda, Matthew Broderick, Casey Affleck, Michael Pena, Gabourey Sidibe, Tea Leoni, Stephen McKinley Henderson, Nina Arianda, Marcia Jean Kurtz, Juan Carlos Hernandez,

Q: Is this movie worth the price of admission?

A: Go! It doesn't suck. And at this point, that's good enough for me!

Q: Will this movie make me laugh?

A: It's more of a light-hearted heist movie than a comedy, so don't be surprised if you don't laugh as much as you would in another Ben Stiller comedy. And by another Ben Stiller comedy, I mean Zoolander, because let's be honest, most of the rest of them aren't all that funny.

Q: Will this movie make me cry?

A: There's one part where Alan Alda explains why he (as a rich man) matters more than they do (as average incomed people). That's sad because rich people really think this way, and they're wrong. The only time they matter anymore than the rest of us is when they're giving their money away for a good cause.

Q: Will this movie be up for any awards?

A: No, but speaking of awards, don't you think it's interesting that after the Oscar Awards producer, Brett Ratner, who happens to be the director of this movie made a homophobic slur, that caused him to resign, which caused the host, Eddie Murphy, who happens to be the star of this movie, to drop out, that Brian Grazer, who happens to be the producer of this movie quickly stepped in to replace Brett Ratner as the Producer of the Oscars. No one has mentioned this, but here's my analysis of why Brian Grazer suddenly decided that he had to take on this thankless job: P.R. emergency. Grazer, who I'm assuming never really wanted the job of producing the Oscars, is taking a bullet for the team, so that this movie, and his company, Imagine, don't continue to get the bad rap that started when Vince Vaughn had a similar debacle due to what some called a "slur" in the trailer for The Dilemma, and has been followed up with a series of high-profile flops, including Cowboys & Aliens. Tower Heist is the first Imagine movie in some time to make any money, and Grazer has no choice but to save its face, by tying a positive image to someone involved with the movie (himself). The happiest news, though, is that he somehow landed the best Oscar host of all time, Billy Crystal. And by "somehow," I'm sure I mean, "Paying him way more money than anyone has ever been offered to host the Oscars before." (Disclaimer: The above paragraph is all hearsay, made up by me... But think about it.)

Q: How is the Acting?

A: Ben Stiller isn't annoying, even one single time. Eddie Murphy is funny for the first time since Beverly Hills Cop II, and Michael Pena is quickly making his way to the top of my hilarious actors' list.

Q: How is the Directing?

A: Everyone thinks Brett Ratner is a really funny guy, because he bangs all those chicks on Entourage and looks like an older Jonah Hill, but most of his movies are much more serious than you remember (see: The Family Man.)

Q: How is the story/script?

A: The script had me wondering how they were gonna pull things off, and even sometimes thinking they were clever in the way they did it. All that, while being simple enough to make screenwriting look easy-- which is one of the hardest things to do when you're writing a script.

Q: Where can I see the trailer?

A: Tower Heist Trailer

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A Very Harold & Kumar 3D Christmas

2011-11-14T21:48:00.001-08:00

Q: What’s the movie about?

A: Harold & Kumar (John Cho & Kal Penn) are no longer friends because Harold is married and has decided that Kumar's friendship is trouble. Now Harold needs to find a 12 foot Christmas tree to appease his father-in-law (Danny Trejo), and Kumar still loves him enough to help him, despite the fact that Harold has become a stuck-up douchebag.

Q: Who’s in the movie?

A: Kal Penn, John Cho, Danny Trejo, Thomas Lennon, Amir Blumenfeld, Paula Garces, Elias Koteas, Jordan Hinson, Patton Oswalt, Bobby Lee, Ashley Coss, Chloe Coss, Hannah Coss, RZA, Da'Vone McDonald, Yasen Peyankov, John Hoogenakker, Eddie Kaye Thomas, David Krumholtz, Neil Patrick Harris, Daneel Ackles, Bennett Saltzman, Jake M. Johnson, Richard Riehle

Q: Is this movie worth the price of admission?

A: Proceed with Caution. It's wacky, but not in a clever way. The most interesting thing is the weird ways in which they attempt to use the 3D psychedelically. But I still hate 3D. First it makes me dizzy, and then it puts me to sleep.

Q: Will this movie make me laugh?

A: The funniest parts are around a baby's first drug trips, so that's bound to be really unfunny to parents-- mostly because parents have no sense of humor about how kids do the darndest things!

Q: Will this movie make me cry?

A: Actually, it is sort of depressing at the beginning, when you see these two best friends who no longer talk. Why do people who get married think they're so much better than those who don't? Have they forgotten that over 50% of marriages end in divorce? Do they think they're unsusceptible to that statistic? Seriously married people, get off your high horses, and respect those people who were there for you when you were just a lonely loser, you may need them again sooner than you think.

Q: Will this movie be up for any awards?

A: Despite Your Highness's best efforts, this one takes the award for longest penis.

Q: How is the Acting?

A: Even after his hiatus to work in the White House, Kal Penn has not forgotten how to act and be charming. A few others start to break out in some of the miniscule roles, allowing you to picture them in bigger parts in future movies, including Jake Johnson of The New Girl, Bobby Lee of Mad TV, and Amir Blumenfeld of pretty much nothing.

Q: How is the Directing?

A: The 3D effects are noticeable, especially when you consider that Todd Strauss-Schluson is essentially a first time feature director. Aside from those, it could have been directed by anybody.

Q: How is the story/script?

A: I just wish that Harold & Kumar had rekindled their friendship earlier on, because while the plot is clearly meant to be about the rekindling, the script is missing the love that used to be the reason Harold would put up with or go along with all of Kumar's hijinks. Without the love, it's just one character annoying another, and that's not funny. It's sad.

Q: Where can I see the trailer?

A: A Very Harold & Kumar 3D Christmas

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J. Edgar

2011-11-10T23:52:00.001-08:00

Q: What’s the movie about?

A: The history of J. Edgar Hoover (Leonardo DiCaprio) forming the FBI.

Q: Who’s in the movie?

A: Leonardo DiCaprio, Armie Hammer, Naomi Watts, Judy Dench, Josh Lucas, Ed Westwick, Josh Hamilton, Jessica Hecht, Denis O'hare, Stephen Root, Damon Herriman

Q: Is this movie worth the price of admission?

A: Stop! Technically this movie is stunning, but it has no hook, no stakes, and nothing that pulls you through it besides your deep-seeded love of J. Edgar Hoover-- a man who pretty much nobody loved.

Q: Will this movie make me laugh?

A: The guy behind me laughed awkwardly when Leonardo said, "I love you." You never want that. He was right. It was funny.

Q: Will this movie make me cry?

A: It's sad that my favorite part of the movie was when they said J. Edgar was dead, because I figured the movie would be over soon. It's sadder that the movie still went on for another 10 minutes after that.

Q: Will this movie be up for any awards?

A: I usually don't like for awful movies to get any awards, but in this case it really deserves several, in particular for Cinematography, Make-up, and Leo's performance.

Q: How is the Acting?

A: From the first off-screen line, Leo blows your mind with his talent. And because I like to say it first, I'm predicting him for the win, despite the terribleness of the movie and that false and hoaky moment when he says, "I love you." Armie Hammer will probably get nominated, too-- because he deserves it-- but he's not a sure thing for the win.

Q: How is the Directing?

A: The visuals are superb across the board, but why this boring piece of... history had to be 2 hours and 17 minutes, I'll never know. Then again, in history's defense, I'm sure this story was much more interesting than this movie makes it seem.

Q: How is the story/script?

A: If you haven't figured it out by now, I thought the script gave me a lot of time to think about all things I need to get done for the shoot I have tomorrow. So that was good.

Q: Where can I see the trailer?

A: J. Edgar Trailer

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Pariah

2011-11-08T22:57:00.000-08:00

Q: What’s the movie about?

A: A semi-closeted teenage African-American lesbian comes of age.

Q: Who’s in the movie?

A: Adepero Oduye, Pernell Walker, Aasha Davis, Kim Wayans, Charles Parnell, Sahra Mellesse, Zabryna Guevara, Kim Sykes

Q: Is this movie worth the price of admission?

A: Proceed with Caution. You've seen one lesbian coming of age film, you've seen them all.

Q: Will this movie make me laugh?

A: I laughed in my head when I realized that I spent the first 10 minutes of the movie trying to decide whether the main characters were women or men. It was a seriously heated debate in there!

Q: Will this movie make me cry?

A: Going in I thought this would be this year's Precious. But it's like a Disney Channel movie in comparison, breaking almost no new ground... Except maybe uncovering how women make themselves look like men.

Q: Will this movie be up for any awards?

A: It won Cinematography at Sundance, which is especially surprising when you consider that all the out of focus shots were the one thing in this film that kept me annoyed throughout... Then again, most of what Sundance likes tends to annoy me, so I don't really know why I'm surprised.

Q: How is the Acting?

A: It is good to see Kim Wayans-- and in a dramatic role, no less! I worked with her on a sit-com, back in the day, and I always thought she was one of the most under-rated talents I had ever come across.

Q: How is the Directing?

A: The odd choices about where to center the focus in many shots is clearly deliberate and artistic, but it doesn't work. It's distracting and looks like a mistake.

Q: How is the story/script?

A: For a film getting so much attention, it's surprising how little feels original about it. I mean, who hasn't already seen at least one movie where the Black husband is a cheater, the teenage girl hates her mother, and the mother is a homophobe?

Q: Is there anything else worth mentioning about the movie?

A: Warning: despite the scary title, this is NOT a horror film or a video game.

Q: Where can I see the trailer?

A: Pariah Trailer

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Son of No One

2011-11-03T22:17:00.000-07:00

Q: What’s the movie about?

A: Told between flashbacks to 1986 and present day 2002, a boy, who is now a cop (Channing Tatum) must deal with the on-going repercussions of having accidentally murdered 2 people in the tenement he grew up in.

Q: Who’s in the movie?

A: Channing Tatum, Jake Cherry, Al Pacino, James Ransone, Brian Gilbert, Ray Liotta, Katie Holmes, Tracy Morgan, Juliette Binoche, Lemon Anderson, Ursula Parker, Simone Jones, Peter Tambakis, Karen Christie-Ward, Decorte Snipes, Marilyn dobrin, Johnnie Mae, Roger Guenveur Smith, Michael Rivera

Q: Is this movie worth the price of admission?

A: Stop! Either everyone in my audience was an idiot or the film didn't make any sense.

Q: Will this movie make me laugh?

A: The funniest part to me were the multiple conversations in the bathroom afterwards as people tried to figure out what they just saw.

Q: Will this movie make me cry?

A: Sure, maybe if you use the time to think about something sad. Like a clown.

Q: Will this movie be up for any awards?

A: Ursula Parker, a young blonde child, who looks like a cross between a young Elle and Dakota Fanning, will likely win All the Roles the Fanning Girls have Grown Too Old to Play.

Q: How is the Acting?

A: Tracy Morgan will surprise you in this dramatic role-- mostly in that he can do it at all. Al Pacino is strong and charismatic, despite the fact that his character motivations in pretty much all of his scenes are both unclear and illogical. And Katie Holmes will impress you with the fact that she's not totally lame.

Q: How is the Directing?

A: Just about the same as in Dito Montiel's previous film, A Guide to Recognizing Your Saints.

Q: How is the story/script?

A: The whole story revolves around the mystique of figuring out who the mystery person is who is writing notes in 2002 about the forgotten murders of 1986, and all you can think is, "Who could possibly care about the 16 year old murder of two insane drug addicts who left no loved ones behind?' Then at the end you find out, and you still don't care.

Q: Where can I see the trailer?

A: Son of No One

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The Descendants

2011-11-02T22:52:00.000-07:00

Q: What’s the movie about?

A: A man's wife goes into a coma, and that's when he (George Clooney) finds out she was cheating on him.

Q: Who’s in the movie?

A: George Clooney, Shailene Woodley, Nick Krause, Amara Miller, Robert Forster, Beau Bridges, Judy Greer, Matthew Lillard

Q: Is this movie worth the price of admission?

A: Proceed with Caution. It's called The Descendants but it should have been called, "Come Visit My Dead Wife in the Hospital," because that's the majority of what happens in the movie.

Q: Will this movie make me laugh?

A: Yes, but not as much as you have in past Alexander Payne films. So don't go in expecting Election or Sideways.

Q: Will this movie make me cry?

A: Right when I thought I couldn't care less, Judy Greer had me holding back tears so I wouldn't embarrass myself by crying.

Q: Will this movie be up for any awards?

A: There is buzz, but most of it is from before anyone saw the movie.

Q: How is the Acting?

A: I don't like George Clooney as an actor, he just doesn't jump off the screen. But the 3 kids are amazing! I predict much work in the future for Amara Miller, Nick Krause, and Shailene Woodley-- who just today came out as one of Hollywood Reporter's 35 power people under 35.

Q: How is the Directing?

A: Alexander Payne goes to great lengths to show us the ugly underbelly of the West-Coast's favorite vacation spot, Hawaii. If this was supposed to draw tourism to the area (which is Hawaii's #1 industry), then I'm sorry to say that I'll soon be checking out Tahiti.

Q: How is the story/script?

A: There is some interesting dialogue here and there, especially out of the mouths of babes, but the story of the land buyout isn't executed in a compelling manner, and the dying wife starts to feel like she's not even there. Sometimes, in the midst of all the characters' depression, I couldn't even remember what they were so depressed about. Maybe it would've been different if we'd gotten to know the wife a little bit before the coma.

Q: Is there anything else worth mentioning about the movie?

A: People dress funny in Hawaii. I guess the cost of getting a fashion magazine across all that ocean is just too high.

Q: Where can I see the trailer?

A: The Descendants Trailer

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In Time

2011-10-30T23:06:00.000-07:00

Q: What’s the movie about?

A: In a world where time is literally money, which when you run out of it you die, Justin Timberlake is given a hundred years by a suicidal man, which he uses to infiltrate the rich neighborhood, before being accused of stealing the time, at which point he kidnaps the richest man's daughter (Amanda Seyfried), and goes on the lam, while giving every hour he can back to the poor people in his ghetto neighborhood.

Q: Who’s in the movie?

A: Justin Timberlake, Amanda Seyfried, Cillian Murphy, Vincent Kartheiser, Olivia Wilde, Alex Pettyfer, Johnny Galecki, Matt Bomer, Collins Pennie, Toby Hemingway, Yaya DeCosta, Brendan Miller, Ethan Peck

Q: Is this movie worth the price of admission?

A: Proceed with Caution. A really interesting premise gets lost inside of what becomes a never ending chase scene.

Q: Will this movie make me laugh?

A: The only joke I remember is Amanda Seyfried accidentally firing off a gun-- haha, somebody got shot.

Q: Will this movie make me cry?

A: A lot of main characters die at the beginning, middle, and end, so-- no.

Q: Will this movie be up for any awards?

A: When I was at Comic Con, the preview for this movie was By Far the Best Preview I Saw in Hall H... Which makes it that much more disappointing that the film didn't live up to its promise.

Q: How is the Acting?

A: Justin Timberlake plays a character called Will Salas, but he might as well have been called Justin Timberlake because you never stop thinking you're watching Justin Timberlake. Amanda Seyfried is cute and strong as always. And how is Cillian Murphy not a bigger star by now?... Oh, yeah, because 50% of the roles he picks are cross-dressers. At least he recognizes that he looks hot as a woman.

Q: How is the Directing?

A: The... Pace.... In... Certain... Sections.... Is... Sooooooo... Slowwww... That... I... Started... To... Fall... Aslee--zz-zz-zz...

Q: How is the story/script?

A: The story starts out interesting, as you learn about the whats, hows, and whys of this world, which aims to parallel the division of wealth in our own society between the 1% and the 99%. Then Justin Timberlake is given a whole lot of time, which he wants to use to bring down the 1% by giving it back to the 99%. But when he gets accused of stealing that time, the script goes in a direction that doesn't take advantage of the interesting dynamic that has been set up. The minute police take all his time, and he goes on the run. I would've liked to see this premise go in more of a "clever mind game" direction, and less in a "who can run the fastest" direction.

Q: Where can I see the trailer?

A: In Time Trailer

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Martha Marcy May Marlene

2011-10-24T22:28:00.000-07:00

Q: What’s the movie about?

A: You can take the girl out of the cult, but you can't take the cult out of the girl.

Q: Who’s in the movie?

A: Elizabeth Olsen, Sarah Paulson, John Hawkes, Hugh Dancy, Maria Dizzia, Louisa Krause, Brady Corbet, Julia Garner, Christopher Abbott

Q: Is this movie worth the price of admission?

A: Proceed with Caution. Interesting subject matter. Interesting character study. I have no idea what I was supposed to think happened at the end.

Q: Will this movie make me laugh?

A: It was developed at the Sundance Institute, so I'll give you one guess, and the answer isn't "yes."

Q: Will this movie make me cry?

A: It's more likely to cause the deep pondering of questions like: "Why do people fall for cults?" "How do they find them?" And, "How are they so easily brainwashed?"... I guess my parents were too loving for me to ever understand the answers to questions like these.

Q: Will this movie be up for any awards?

A: Director Sean Durkin won his category at Sundance, and it was nominated for the Grand Jury Prize, but lost out to the previous movie I saw, Like Crazy. Still, even the nomination looks a little bit like self-nepotism. If you develop a movie, is it really fair to nominate yourself for a prize?

Q: How is the Acting?

A: Elizabeth Olsen gives a star making performance, but I knew that before I even saw the movie because of all the press and hype that's been surrounding her since last January. What I didn't know is that she would be so interesting, that I would find myself struggling with how exactly she's related to her sisters Mary-Kate and Ashley.

Q: How is the Directing?

A: Despite Sundance nominating itself for prizes, Sean Durkin actually does deserve recognition. He seamlessly shifts between the past at the cult and the present at a Lake House, using color schemes and clever editing that has your brain working just the right amount throughout, as you try to keep up with where each scene is taking place.

Q: How is the story/script?

A: Mostly, I just wish I understood what I was supposed to take from it.

Q: Where can I see the trailer?

A: Martha Marcy May Marlene Trailer

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Like Crazy

2011-10-21T23:07:00.000-07:00

Q: What’s the movie about?

A: An American boy (Anton Yelchin) falls in love with a British student (Felicity Jones), and before they know it they become star-crossed by immigration problems, when she can't get back into the country. Stuck in a long distance relationship that can only exist on her side of the pond, they must now decide if it is worth it or not to give up on the love of their lives.

Q: Who’s in the movie?

A: Anton Yelchin, Felicity Jones, Jennifer Lawrence, Charlie Bewley, Alex Kingston, Oliver Muirhead, Finola Hughes, Ben York Jones, Chris Messina, Jamie Thomas King, Amanda Carlin

Q: Is this movie worth the price of admission?

A: Proceed with Caution. I am torn between my respect for the art that they attempted to create and my feeling that the end result is rather trite.

Q: Will this movie make me laugh?

A: The entire movie is improvised. It turns out that the word "improv" isn't always followed by "comedy."

Q: Will this movie make me cry?

A: It's been so long since I was in love with anybody, that I can't personally relate to these emotions. Maybe you could be the judge and get back to me. Thanks!

Q: Will this movie be up for any awards?

A: So far it has won every award it's been nominated for, which includes 2 prizes each for the lead actors, Anton Yelchin and Felicity Jones, as well as the Grand Jury Prize at Sundance, which only re-iterates how little I understand about what that high mountains altitude can do to your taste in movies.

Q: How is the Acting?

A: Improvisation always makes the actors look good. How can you not be in the moment when you don't have to memorize other people's words and say them back as if they are your own? When you improvise, the words are your own. So all you're doing is having a made up conversation, like when you were 4.

Q: How is the Directing?

A: The directing is intimate and interesting, but the credit clearly belongs as much to the cinematographer and the editor in this case, as it does to the director, because when it's all improvised, the camera guy has to figure it all out on the fly, and the editor has to take those 70 hours of footage and turn them into something cohesive... Kind of like on a reality show.

Q: How is the story/script?

A: The couple meets when she leaves a four page love letter on his car windshield, which we never get to read or hear. Their love develops through a series of shots of them writing silly notes to each other, which we never get to see. Many other standard moments are left out, too, like their first kiss, and any clue as to why they like each other. Apparently the script was a 50 page detailed outline, with character back-stories, emotions, and beginnings, middles, and ends to each scene, but no dialogue whatsoever. Again, I am torn between my respect for the risks the filmmakers took in doing it this way, and my feelings for how the story turned out.

Q: Where can I see the trailer?

A: Like Crazy Trailer

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The Big Year

2011-10-19T23:04:00.000-07:00

Q: What’s the movie about?

A: Three guys compete in the Big Year competition, which consists of attempting to look at the largest variety of birds between January 1st and December 31st of any year. You don't have to take pictures or have any kind of proof to win, you just have to say you saw them. Very un-American.

Q: Who’s in the movie?

A: Jack Black, Steve Martin, Owen Wilson, Rachida Jones, Rosamund Pike, Diane Weist, Brian Dennehy, Joel McHale, Kevin Pollak, JoBeth Williams, Anjelica Houston, Jim Parsons, Paul Campbell, Anthony Anderson, Tim Blake Nelson, Cindy Busby, Steven Weber, Andrew Wilson

Q: Is this movie worth the price of admission?

A: Stop! This movie wrongly assumes that anyone cares about birds, or watching them.

Q: Will this movie make me laugh?

A: Well, Owen Wilson's nose does still look like a phallic symbol.

Q: Will this movie make me cry?

A: I had a vulnerable moment around a baby's name, and that's how I remembered that I needed to stop by the store on the way home and pick up some feminine hygiene products.

Q: Will this movie be up for any awards?

A: I remember reading that this story was set up at a studio and thinking, "Why? How could that possibly be interesting?" Then I read that Steve Martin and Jack Black and Owen Wilson were in it, and I thought, "There must be something I don't know about it that makes it interesting." And then I read that it was based on a book, so I imagined that there had to be something interesting about the book that made them want to turn it into a movie... Well after all that, I'd like to give myself the "I Was Right" Award. And that's why it's important to always go with your first instinct.

Q: How is the Acting?

A: Nothing wrong with it... except that these people thought this film was a good use of their talents.

Q: How is the Directing?

A: Really, David Frankel? You're gonna go from The Devil Wears Prada and Marley & Me to a movie about people who ruin everything in their lives so they can run around looking at birds? I have nothing more to say on the matter.

Q: How is the story/script?

A: It's naively hopeful to think that a competition about looking at bird varietals across America could be relatable to anyone who isn't already a birder, so when these guys risk their relationships and jobs over it, they look pretty bird-brained-- and not in a funny way, just in an idiot way. What I'm saying is that the stakes are terrible. And normally before making a movie, producers look into the size of the built-in audience, but come on now, how many people in the world really care about birds that aren't marinated in a balsamic reduction?

Q: Is there anything else worth mentioning about the movie?

A: Somebody please remind me not to see the movie formerly known as Everybody Loves Whales. My gut instinct was the same when I read about that movie getting set up at a studio as when I read about this one. I've seen the trailer for it now, too (currently -- and forgettably -- entitled Big Miracle), and I have a strong feeling that it's going to have exactly these same problems as Big Year, because everybody doesn't love whales, either!

Q: Where can I see the trailer?

A: The Big Year Trailer

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Footloose

2011-10-17T23:01:00.000-07:00

Q: What’s the movie about?

A: Based on the older and wiser movie of the same name, the new kid in town (Kenny Wormald) is shocked to learn that public dancing under the age of 18 is illegal.

Q: Who’s in the movie?

A: Kenny Wormald, Julianne Hough, Dennis Quaid, Andie MacDowell, Miles Teller, Ray McKinnon, Patrick John Flueger, Kim Dickens, Ziah Colon, Ser'Darius Blain, L. Warren Young, Brett Rice, Maggie Jones, Mary-Charles Jones, Enisha Brewster

Q: Is this movie worth the price of admission?

A: Proceed with Caution. This movie is neither sexy enough nor cheesy enough.

Q: Will this movie make me laugh?

A: Like I said, it's not cheesy enough. If it had taken itself a little less seriously and gone for the "so bad it's good" category, it could have had me rolling out of my seat in uncomfortable laughter.

Q: Will this movie make me cry?

A: The friend I saw it with admitted to a couple of moments of getting teary-eyed, but she also admitted to being on diet pills, and I hear those make you emotional.

Q: Will this movie be up for any awards?

A: Yes, the I Miss Kevin Bacon Award-- which is especially surprising when you consider that Kevin Bacon is in so many movies, that you hardly have time to miss him... But oh, how I do!

Q: How is the Acting?

A: Kenny Wormald is-- I miss Kevin Bacon. Dennis Quaid is a brave man to attempt to take on a role previously played by John Lithgow. And did you know that Andie MacDowell is in this movie? Neither did I, and I watched it. Miles Teller in the Chris Penn role is the only one who comes close to matching his predecessor's energy. That is not counting Julianne Hough, who blows Lori Singer's Ariel out of the water... But I never did like Lori Singer. Probably because she got to kiss Kevin Bacon.

Q: How is the Directing?

A: As much as I loved Hustle & Flow, the directing on Footloose does not make Craig Brewer appear to know what he's doing. The dance scenes are poorly choreographed-- I think-- it's hard to tell because they are shot and edited so haphazardly that you can hardly tell what's going on in them. The director basically uses wide shots, often from high angles, or tight close-ups in which you can't see how anyone's body is moving. The only dance shots that work are the ones that I recognized as lifted directly from the original movie. You'll have to trust me on this because despite the fact that I haven't seen it since 1984, I'm something of an expert on the original Footloose. You see, I wrote a book report on it. Yeah, for school.

Q: How is the story/script?

A: They added some back story and took out all the sexiness. I don't think they meant to, but I sure do miss Kevin Bacon.

Q: Is there anything else worth mentioning about the movie?

A: They paid homage to many of the important songs from the original, Footloose, I Need a Hero, Let's Hear it for the Boy, Almost Paradise, but in many cases the remake versions of these songs leave you feeling tantric, like you're almost where you want to be, but you're pretty sure you're never gonna get there. On the positive side, one of the original songs used was by one of my favorite new indie artists, Lissie, and it fit very well.

Q: Where can I see the trailer?

A: Footloose Trailer

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The Ides of March

2011-10-09T22:09:00.000-07:00

Q: What’s the movie about?

A: As we go behind the scenes of the idealistic campaign of a hopey-changey Democratic Presidential candidate, we are exposed to just how dirty politicians have to get if they want to win elections. It's disgusting and disheartening.

Q: Who’s in the movie?

A: Ryan Gosling, George Clooney, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Paul Giamatti, Even Rachel Wood, Marisa Tomei, Jeffrey Wright, Max Minghella, Jennifer Ehle, Gregory Itzin, Michael Mantell

Q: Is this movie worth the price of admission?

A: Go! The hopeful politics preached at the beginning are depressing. You listen to this driveling propaganda, wishing that it could be real, but knowing in your heart that politicians themselves will ruin anything positive before it gets a chance of happening. Then the intrigue begins, and the story goes from being a platform for George Clooney's personal politics to an exciting mind-twisting political thriller that you can't figure out how to solve.

Q: Will this movie make me laugh?

A: This film has the darkest, driest funny line I have heard in a movie all year. I'm pretty sure I was the only one in my showing who even got that it was funny.

Q: Will this movie make me cry?

A: Not out loud, but oh so much... How soon 'til we get to throw out every single person in Washington and start over, please?

Q: Will this movie be up for any awards?

A: If Ryan Gosling gets an Acting nomination, I hope it's for this one and not for Drive.

Q: How is the Acting?

A: Ryan Gosling is quickly becoming the Robert DeNiro of our time-- by which I mean that every actor in every acting class will start saying they aspire to be as good as him. George Clooney is completely forgettable, as usual-- by which I mean, this is why he never made it as a "movie star." And Paul Giamatti, as much as I love him, has a scene where he totally overacts.

Q: How is the Directing?

A: The directing in the opening scene had my mind buzzing with questions about why certain angles were being chosen, but before long, George Clooney reminds us that he's significantly more memorable behind the camera than in front of it.

Q: How is the story/script?

A: Not only are the plot twists unexpected, but many moments of dialogue are mind-boggling, too. Don't know how much of this was lifted directly from Beau Willimon's play, "Farragut North," but since he co-wrote the script, I'm just gonna be happy that Aaron Sorkin's not the only one who can write stuff this good.

Q: Where can I see the trailer?

A: The Ides of March Trailer

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50/50

2011-10-05T22:17:00.000-07:00

Q: What’s the movie about?

A: A 27-year-old guy (Joseph Gordon Levitt) discovers he has cancer, with a 50/50 chance of survival.

Q: Who’s in the movie?

A: Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Seth Rogen, Anna Kendrick, Bryce Dallas Howard, Anjelica Huston, Serge Houde, Andrew Airlie, Matt Frewer, Philip Baker Hall, Jessica Parker Kennedy, Sugar Lyn Beard, Sarah Smyth

Q: Is this movie worth the price of admission?

A: Proceed with Caution. A lot of people are hyping up this movie, but I think it may be because it's inspired by the true story of writer Will Reiser's actual cancer, and they feel like they have to say good things about it because, shit, the guy had cancer!

Q: Will this movie make me laugh?

A: Seth Rogen does his schtick, and it works, but guess what? Cancer's not funny.

Q: Will this movie make me cry?

A: There is one moment that almost got me, and surprisingly, it was a shot of a book.

Q: Will this movie be up for any awards?

A: It will most likely win a Golden Globe for Best Comedy because it's not funny. I've noticed that Awards shows don't like to recognize sense of humor as an award-worthy skill, so if they can find a project that was marketed as a comedy, even though it's not, they feel more dignified giving an award to that.

Q: How is the Acting?

A: Joseph Gordon-Levitt is impeccable, as always. This is by far Anna Kendrick's best performance ever. And Seth Rogen is perfectly cast in the role of himself-- really, his character is based on the real life him.

Q: How is the Directing?

A: Jonathan Levine finds ways to be interesting even in the most mundane of shots.

Q: How is the story/script?

A: There's nothing wrong with it, but ultimately it's just like watching someone go through cancer, and as the friend who turned me down to go to this movie with me said, "Don't we do that enough in our real lives?"

Q: Where can I see the trailer?

A: 50/50 Trailer

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What's Your Number?

2011-10-02T22:29:00.000-07:00

Q: What’s the movie about?

A: When a girl (Anna Faris) finds out that the number of men she's slept with is considered high, she decides to go back through her ex's and try to marry one of them rather than sleeping with yet another guy.

Q: Who’s in the movie?

A: Anna Faris, Chris Evans, Ari Graynor, Blythe Danner, Ed Begley Jr., Dave Annable, Oliver Jackson-Cohen, Heather Burns, Eliza Coupe, Kate Simses, Tika Sumpter, Joel McHale, Jacquelyn Doucette, Chris Pratt, Denise Vasi, Zachary Quinto, Mike Vogel, Martin Freeman, Andy Samberg, Thomas Lennon, Anthony Mackie, Ivana Milicevic, Aziz Ansari

Q: Is this movie worth the price of admission?

A: Proceed with Caution. There are a lot of "cute" moments, but they are surrounded by lines that are too cheesy or plot points that are too unbelievable, so you never buy into the premise completely.

Q: Will this movie make me laugh?

A: Aside from a few shots of unnecessary nudity, you can't help but wonder why they decided to make this cutesy rom-com rated "R." That said, the few truly funny jokes do fit into the "R" category, they just don't fit into the rest of the script.

Q: Will this movie make me cry?

A: In regards to this, my number is zero.

Q: Will this movie be up for any awards?

A: In this category it will also remain a virgin.

Q: How is the Acting?

A: Anna Faris is at her best when she gets to do really broad, over the top comedy. She doesn't get to do a lot of that here.

Q: How is the Directing?

A: Anna Faris doesn't look pretty in 90% of the film. Rather than blame the fact that she's not aging well, I'm gonna blame the director for not looking out. But only because there were so many other things that bugged me about his work, like rack focus shots that forgot to rack, and other such instances of random blurriness.

Q: How is the story/script?

A: The two writers Gabrielle Allan & Jennifer Crittenden come from the very top of TV... Jennifer Crittenden has written for Arrested Development, The Simpsons, and Seinfeld (to name a few impressive shows), and Gabrielle Allan is a name I'm familiar with because, not only did she write for Scrubs, but she wrote pretty much every episode that was good enough to get me to look up who the writer was for that episode... But somehow, in this case, their talent doesn't translate all that strongly to film.

Q: Where can I see the trailer?

A: What's Your Number? Trailer

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The Skin I Live In

2011-09-28T22:52:00.000-07:00

Q: What’s the movie about?

A: A plastic surgeon (Antonio Banderas) holds a beautiful woman captive in his house, and by the end of the film, we will know why-- Duhn-duhn-duhn!

Q: Who’s in the movie?

A: Antonio Banderas, Elena Anaya, Marisa Paredes, Jan Cornet, Bianca Suarez, Barbara Lennie, Roberto Alamo, Susi Sanchez, Eduard Fernandez, Jose Luis Gomez, Fernando Cayo

Q: Is this movie worth the price of admission?

A:Proceed with Caution. This one is for the hardest of hard core Almadovar fans only. Right when you thought he couldn't get any crazier, he completely loses his mind.

Q: Will this movie make me laugh?

A: If you have very dark and demented sensibilities.

Q: Will this movie make me cry?

A: I feel like crying when I look at Elena Anaya flawless skin, and remember that all youthful skin ever gave me was pimples.

Q: Will this movie be up for any awards?

A: While we're on the topic of Elena Anaya, let's just give this film the ever-coveted award of Miss Universe. I can't imagine any contestant in the world pretty enough to beat her.

Q: How is the Acting?

A: Speaking of beauty, Antonio Banderas at age 51 hasn't lost an ounce of it. Also, it's nice to see him still getting a chance to do a serious role once in a while, since he can really only be taken seriously in Spanish. And after Puss in Boots comes out, our ability to not laugh when he speaks English will only get worse.

Q: How is the Directing?

A: Almadovar stays true to his personal style, which combines simplicity with total oddness.

Q: How is the story/script?

A: It's based on book, and you can't help but wonder if the book pulls off this bizarre non-linear tale of a convoluted insane family any more logically or believably than its surreal film counterpart does.

Q: Is there anything else worth mentioning about the movie?

A: Balloons and Steamers! This is our 500th review!!!

Q: Where can I see the trailer?

A: The Skin I Live In Trailer

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Moneyball

2011-09-24T23:11:00.000-07:00

Q: What’s the movie about?

A: The true story of how the General Manager of the Oakland A's, Billy Beane (Brad Pitt), took average players with nearly invisible gifts to create a record breaking team, and in so doing, revolutionized the game of baseball... Even though Peter Brand (Jonah Hill) really did all the work.

Q: Who’s in the movie?

A: Brad Pitt, Jonah Hill, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Robin Wright, Chris Pratt, Stephen Bishop, Casey Bond, Nick Porrazzo, Reed Thompson, Kerris Dorsey

Q: Is this movie worth the price of admission?

A: Go! Yay for sports movies! You just can't go wrong.

Q: Will this movie make me laugh?

A: Yes, and it will also make you want to play fantasy baseball-- even if you don't like baseball. Here's a good place to start: Razzball Fantasy Baseball site

Q: Will this movie make me cry?

A: No, but it did make me a little nauseous to see the amount of food Brad Pitt shoves down his throat in every scene, for no apparent reason. (Does that really count as a character trait?)

Q: Will this movie be up for any awards?

A: This is this year's Facebook movie.

Q: How is the Acting?

A: Sometimes we forget that Brad Pitt actually has a skill for which he's famous. This movie is here to remind us. And Jonah Hill is charming, despite being in the body of Jonah Hill.

Q: How is the Directing?

A: The integration of real life documentary footage with actors playing real life people is subtle, and nicely done. And while the flashbacks do a good job of helping us understand Billy Beane's inner motivation, they are heavy-handed, and we all remember what Brad Pitt looked like at 18, and it wasn't Reed Thompson... And one more thing, can somebody tell me why Brad Pitt wears a wedding ring in the movie, even though he's clearly been divorced for quite some time?

Q: How is the story/script?

A: Most of the time it's interesting and clever and engaging... and then there are the scenes where he hangs out with his daughter, which seem like they're in the script because some executive read a book called, "To Make a Character Likeable, He has to Have a Child," and which bring the movie to a full stop every time they appear.

Q: Is there anything else worth mentioning about the movie?

A: The score noticeably drives the emotions in ways that are sometimes meant to throw you off, and add some nice suspense within the highly predictable sports movie format. And speaking of music, the song Brad Pitt's 12-year-old daughter (Kerris Dorsey) makes up and beautifully sings to him, is a definite radio hit that proves that America really does Got Talent!

Q: Where can I see the trailer?

A: Moneyball Trailer

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Take Shelter

2011-09-20T22:00:00.001-07:00

Q: What’s the movie about?

A: A man (Michael Shannon) starts to dream about a dangerous storm that makes people and animals violent, and in his effort to protect his family, everyone (including him) thinks he's losing his mind.

Q: Who’s in the movie?

A: Michael Shannon, Jessica Chastain, Tova Stewart, Shea Whigham, Kathy Baker, Lisa Gay Hamilton, Ray McKinnon, Katy Mixon, Robert Longstreet

Q: Is this movie worth the price of admission?

A: Proceed with Caution. This movie made me feel like I wanted to be anywhere else. But maybe that's because I hate horror movies. Don't get me wrong, the film is definitely a drama first, but the horror-like dream sequences are deeply anxiety inducing.

Q: Will this movie make me laugh?

A: A man losing his mind is only funny when Bill Murray plays him.

Q: Will this movie make me cry?

A: You know what makes me cry? The fact that I can't remember the last time I saw a movie that even attempted to entertain me... And you wonder why The Help is still in the top 5! (Okay, so I do remember, it was The Help.) But my point is-- entertain me people! I don't go to the movies to hear about your problems.

Q: Will this movie be up for any awards?

A: As a French person I am embarrassed, but not surprised to see that this movie won the Critics Week Grand Prize at Cannes.

Q: How is the Acting?

A: If the little 6-year-old girl playing the deaf daughter isn't really deaf, then I'm really impressed with her... And if she is deaf, I'm pretty impressed, too.

Q: How is the Directing?

A: Too slow, too long, and too self-indulgent. What I'm saying is that I had a lot of time during the film to think about how pissed off I am that somebody crashed into my car today. But for the sake of not being a total haterator, I should tell you that the special effects are excellent and the score should take the majority of the credit when it comes to inducing anxiety.

Q: How is the story/script?

A: Most people who like horror don't really go for important dramas, and most people who like important dramas don't really like horror, but maybe this film will find that miniscule cross-section of people who like a good scare as they watch a married couple fall apart due to a psychological disorder. I'm certainly not it. But maybe I'm just bitter because someone crashed into my car today.

Q: Is there anything else worth mentioning about the movie?

A: You may love a lot of the elements of the film, whether it be the cinematography, the character study, or the performances (which are no better or worse than any of these talented actors have done in other films), but for me what is lacking is a reason to subject myself to this painful experience.

Q: Where can I see the trailer?

A: Take Shelter Trailer

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Machine Gun Preacher

2011-09-19T22:27:00.000-07:00

Q: What’s the movie about?

A: The true story of Sam Childers (Gerard Butler), a heroine addict-ex-con who finds God, decides to build an orphanage in Sudan, and becomes a key player in the civil war going on over there.

Q: Who’s in the movie?

A: Gerard Butler, Michelle Monaghan, Michael Shannon, Ryan Campos, Madeline Carroll, Kathy Baker, Souleymane Sy Savane

Q: Is this movie worth the price of admission?

A: Proceed with Caution. Despite the action and the guns, this is a message movie about the unsolvable troubles in Africa.

Q: Will this movie make me laugh?

A: The title is the funniest part. Once you get past that it's pretty much all drugs, violence, killing, maiming, and Jesus.

Q: Will this movie make me cry?

A: The situation is really sad.

Q: Will this movie be up for any awards?

A: Movies set in Africa only ever come out at one time of year, and that's Awards Season. As far as their chances at Oscar, they're the second most popular winners after movies about the Holocaust.

Q: How is the Acting?

A: I just have one question: do people in Pennsylvania have southern accents?

Q: How is the Directing?

A: Marc Forster, who is generally known for leaving all emotional moments on the cutting room floor, has his first emotional story with this one. Someone else might have made you cry-- especially considering all the children who lose their parents before their eyes-- but I'm proud of the guy for even showing a little bit of heart.

Q: How is the story/script?

A: It starts a little before the beginning and therefore goes on too long. And it's not the screenwriter's fault that the true story is still completely unresolved, but it doesn't make for a Hollywood ending.

Q: Is there anything else worth mentioning about the movie?

A: The look of the film is hyper-grainy and sometimes out of focus, but I'm not sure if that's because of the cinematography or the theater I saw it projected in.

Q: Where can I see the trailer?

A: Machine Gun Preacher Trailer

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Drive

2011-09-17T22:24:00.001-07:00

Q: What’s the movie about?

A: A driver for stunts, robberies, and racing (Ryan Gosling) meets a girl he likes (Carey Mulligan), but her husband (Oscar Issac) gets him into trouble with the mob.

Q: Who’s in the movie?

A: Ryan Gosling, Carey Mulligan, Bryan Cranston, Albert Brooks, Oscar Isaac, Ron Perlman, Christina Hendricks, Kaden Leos

Q: Is this movie worth the price of admission?

A: Proceed with Caution.Personally, I hated this movie despite its handful of interesting moments and artistic choices. I struggled to stay awake for the first half--a romantic drama-- and then struggled to justify how the tone of the second half--a gory, B-movie-style, mob thriller-- had anything to do with the first half. But I'm still going to recommend it to anyone who enjoyed No Country for Old Men, because clearly you people find characters who can kill in cold blood without thinking twice charming.

Q: Will this movie make me laugh?

A: Mostly at the positive buzz it's been getting.

Q: Will this movie make me cry?

A: Mostly at the positive buzz it's been getting.

Q: Will this movie be up for any awards?

A: Probably. Which will be followed closely by me swearing at my TV.

Q: How is the Acting?

A: Ryan Gosling is an extremely interesting and complex actor, even in the role of an empty vessel who hardly says anything and has no definable character traits besides the fact that he is a great driver, and has virtually no friends, family or confidants of any kind in his life. Without his performance, which brings just enough texture to confuse you into thinking that there might be something to this guy, this movie would be nothing more than B-level thriller looking for foreign DVD distribution at the AFM. (Definition AFM: American Film Market-- notorious place for selling action-thrillers with big stars to foreign markets because American companies weren't stupid enough to pick them up for distribution.)

Q: How is the Directing?

A: Bordering on pretentious, Nicolas Winding Refn, who is currently the hottest thing going in Hollywood, forces you at every turn to notice his directing work, with his constant use of reflections, shadows, and extreme angles. In fact, you will be thinking more about his work than about the story-- which may be a good thing for the story.

Q: How is the story/script?

A: Never before has a screenwriter set us up so perfectly for a prequel. Hossein Amini gives us so little about the main character's backstory that you leave the film wondering where he came from, how he was raised, and basically what in his life makes him someone who can kill another human being so effortlessly and accurately on the drop of a dime. There are enough questions about who this talented murderer with a heart of gold is to fill an entire movie setting this one up. And the lack of dialogue, which is obviously supposed to be artistic, is completely unrealistic-- especially when it comes to the woman character.

Q: Is there anything else worth mentioning about the movie?

A: The blood looks like Karo syrup with red food coloring #3 in it. The kind used in amateur horror movies. Not the kind used in Ryan Gosling/Carey Mulligan films. Just embarrassing.

Q: Where can I see the trailer?

A: Drive Trailer

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Our Idiot Brother

2011-09-07T21:53:00.000-07:00

Q: What’s the movie about?

A: A man (Paul Rudd) is so sweet and naive in his belief in the good in people that he gets himself and his three sisters into a lot of trouble. But it's also because he has a big mouth.

Q: Who’s in the movie?

A: Paul Rudd, Elizabeth Banks, Zooey Deschanel, Emily Mortimer, Rashida Jones, Steve Coogan, Adam Scott, Kathryn Hahn, T.J. Miller, Shirley Knight, Matthew Mindler, Sterling Brown, Hugh Dancy, Janet Montgomery, Lydia Haug

Q: Is this movie worth the price of admission?

A: Stop! This is a very sweet character and a perfectly sweet movie, but there's nothing engaging about any of it.

Q: Will this movie make me laugh?

A: It is marketed as a broad comedy and it's not. There are still some good clever laughs, but the humor is much more subdued than you might think. It's almost British, in fact.

Q: Will this movie make me cry?

A: Still not engaging.

Q: Will this movie be up for any awards?

A: Best Movie I've Ever Told You Not to See... It's going to be more enjoyable on the small screen anyway. Wait for that.

Q: How is the Acting?

A: There are a lot of stand out performances. Paul Rudd is perfectly dumb. Elizabeth Banks is a perfectly uptight bitch, not dissimilarly to Kathryn Hahn's perfectly hippie bitch.While T.J. Miller is perfect at seeming like he's understudying for the role of the idiot brother.

Q: How is the Directing?

A: There is an energy missing from the film that keeps it from being as fun as it should be, and it seems to have something to do with the directing.

Q: How is the story/script?

A: It just doesn't feel original in any way... and you really want it to.

Q: Where can I see the trailer?

A: Our Idiot Brother Trailer

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One Day

2011-09-03T23:18:00.000-07:00

Q: What’s the movie about?

A: Based on the bestseller, this is the story of romance between two best friends (Anne Hathaway and Jim Sturgess) as told using only one day a year, July 15th, of their nearly 20 year courtship.

Q: Who’s in the movie?

A: Anne Hathaway, Jim Sturgess, Rafe Spall, Ken Stott, Patricia Clarkson, Romola Garai, Jodie Whittaker, Georgia King, Tom Mison

Q: Is this movie worth the price of admission?

A: Stop! The romance is depressing, although I have a sneaking suspicion it wasn't if you read the book.

Q: Will this movie make me laugh?

A: The comedy doesn't make you laugh, although I have a sneaking suspicion it would if you read the book.

Q: Will this movie make me cry?

A: The sad parts don't make you cry, although I have a sneaking suspicion they would if you read the book.

Q: Will this movie be up for any awards?

A: Most Pointless Ending Ever. When you have an inevitably predictable ending on your hands, what can an author do afterwards to give you a surprise you might not have seen coming? I'll give you one guess. And yes, it is what you're thinking. Yet another reason this movie feels pointless.

Q: How is the Acting?

A: Without Jim Sturgess's charm his character would be despicable and bring Anne Hathaway's character down with him, for the mere fact that she loves him.

Q: How is the Directing?

A: Lone Scherfig did what she could with a terrible script, but maybe if she wasn't such a Danish, middle-aged woman, she'd be getting offered better scripts to begin with. Work on that, Lone!

Q: How is the story/script?

A: Without having read the book, I can honestly say that this is a terrible adaptation. Whatever romance, comedy, and tragedy made this book a bestseller was left on the bookshelf.

Q: Is there anything else worth mentioning about the movie?

A: In 20 years of hairstyles, Anne Hathaway's Emma clearly only had one good hair day.

Q: Where can I see the trailer?

A: One Day Trailer

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The Debt

2011-09-02T22:28:00.000-07:00

Q: What’s the movie about?

A: Three Mossad agents (Jessica Chastain, Sam Worthington, & Marton Csokas) go on an assassination mission against a German, Nazi, Doctor (Jesper Christensen), but when they get older (Helen Mirren, Ciaran Hinds, & Tom Wilkinson) they realize they have a debt to pay.

Q: Who’s in the movie?

A: Jessica Chastain, Sam Worthington, Maron Csokas, Helen Mirren, Tom Wilkinson, Jesper Christensen, Ciaran Hinds, Romi Aboulafia

Q: Is this movie worth the price of admission?

A: Proceed with Caution. Going in it seems like it will be an original and special film, but underneath all the intrigue, there's not that much there.

Q: Will this movie make me laugh?

A: The bad guy has most of the funny lines, so that's sick and twisted.

Q: Will this movie make me cry?

A: Mossad agents do actually have something in common with the Germans. They're cold. Not that there aren't any emotions in the film, but the characters are all so reserved that you can hardly play along.

Q: Will this movie be up for any awards?

A: It certainly hopes to be, but I can't think of any it could get besides maybe a Supporting Actress award for Jessica Chastain. But if the Academy is gonna give her that one, I'd rather see her get it for The Help.

Q: How is the Acting?

A: Helen Mirren may have top billing, but this movie belongs to Jessica Chastain. Who is she? Where did she come from? I don't know, but she just came out in The Tree of Life, The Help, The Debt, and she still has Sundance winner Take Shelter and William Shakespeare's Gerard Butler and Ralph Fiennes vehicle, Coriolanus, coming out later this year. Which is why my bet on Academy recognition isn't such a long shot.

Q: How is the Directing?

A: The interweaving of the past and the present is artful and appropriate, but I'd like to give most of the credit for that to the script.

Q: How is the story/script?

A: Structurally it's a very interesting storyline, but the moral may be a little too subtle and unrelatable for me.

Q: Where can I see the trailer?

A: The Debt Trailer

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Restless

2011-08-30T22:17:00.001-07:00

Q: What’s the movie about?

A: A young man (Henry Hopper) obsessed with death falls in love with a young woman (Mia Wasikowska) who is dying.

Q: Who’s in the movie?

A: Henry Hopper, Mia Wasikowska, Ryo Kase, Schuyler Fisk, Jane Adams, Chin Han, Lusia Strus

Q: Is this movie worth the price of admission?

A: Proceed with Caution. There are a few sweet moments within the slow paced story, and the jokey attitude toward death is somewhat entertaining, but overall, it's been done before.

Q: Will this movie make me laugh?

A: You might chuckle once or twice at some of the quirk.

Q: Will this movie make me cry?

A: Bryce Dallas Howard's complete ignorance of how nepotism works in Hollywood makes me cry a little. This, her first film as a producer, was made under her father's banner, Imagine, and she is very concerned about being seen as having gotten it made there out of nepotism, so she goes out of her way to explain in a Q & A how she met with people at the company who weren't her dad (Ron Howard). The fact that these people liked it was proof to her that it wasn't nepotism. What makes me sad is thinking about how she grew up in Hollywood since birth and still has such a poor understanding of how nepotism works. See, the thing is, Bryce, those people you met with are employed by your dad, and they know better than to say no to his little girl. Their children are depending on it. Your dad pays for their food and shelter.

Q: Will this movie be up for any awards?

A: In honor of Bryce Dallas Howard's first producing effort, I'd like to give my younger siblings and niece a Nepotism Award, because I have already begun to shower them with nepotism at every opportunity, and I plan to continue passing on my many years of experience and contacts to them, guilt free, for as long as I am able. Here's my best advice to Bryce and any other lucky recipients of nepotism: take it, see it for what it is, and be grateful that you get to partake. I sure would've been!

Q: How is the Acting?

A: The chemistry between Mia Wasikowska and Henry Hopper is the only reason to see this film. Mia is quite charming. And Henry, in his first on-screen performance ever, grows on you throughout the film, and is the son of the late Dennis Hopper-- speaking of nepotism.

Q: How is the Directing?

A: Gus Van Sant clearly did this film because they were over-paying him and he would be able to shoot in his home town of Portland. Normally he makes films like this for $3 million dollars, but because Sony and Imagine were involved, he made this one for over $14 million. He couldn't even figure out how to spend the money... what was left of it, anyway, after Imagine's giant fee.

Q: How is the story/script?

A: Apparently, in development they spent a lot of time talking about the "physics of the world" in which the main character has an imaginary/ghost friend. The "Rules of the world" note is one of the most common notes you will get from a producer any time you are dealing with fantasy, magic, alternate realities, or other-worldy creatures, like ghosts. So common is this note, that it shouldn't have taken them more than 5 minutes of conversation to see that they never established a justification in the "rules of the world" for how this imaginary/ghost was able to punch a living person in the face leaving a bruise and putting him in the hospital. Nope, that's not how ghosts work. Newton's Law explains clearly that ghosts can't exert force on things in the material world unless you, the writer, establish that they can.

Q: Is there anything else worth mentioning about the movie?

A: I finally figured out which one of my friends Mia Wasikowska looks exactly like... Amy, I have found your doppleganger! Mia, if you ever need a dead-on double, call me. I'll put you in touch.

Q: Where can I see the trailer?

A: Restless Trailer

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Cowboys & Aliens

2011-08-25T22:36:00.000-07:00

(Guest Review by Jack)

Q: What’s the movie about?

A: With a title like that, you have to ask?

Q: Who’s in the movie?

A: Harrison Ford and Daniel Craig are the cowboys. CGI wizards are the aliens...

Q: Is this movie worth the price of admission?

A: Proceed with Caution. It has a lot of summer popcorn scenes that you should like, but none of them have any "wow!" And the genre mash-up is not enough to keep it fresh.

Q: Will this movie make me laugh?

A: If you do, it'll be at that stupid title.

Q: Will this movie make me cry?

A: Doubts... Other than the tears that I shed after reading Russ’ great review for Captain America. I let the movie time pick between the two. I guess I lost...

Q: Will this movie be up for any awards?

A: I doubt that even MTV wants to reward this one.

Q: How is the Acting?

A: An over the top Harrison Ford is enjoyable, but his easy turn from the “bad guy” to the “good guy” makes his character a big mess. And Daniel Craig is always fun to watch in my opinion, but in this story, even his charisma couldn’t keep me from looking at my watch. Olivia Wilde is a hottie, for sure. She says very little in the film until a dumb plot twist makes her say a lot. Not necessarily a good thing...

Q: How is the Directing?

A: The strong suit of an action film should be the action sequences. Jon Favreau did well with the first Iron Man, but this is a different story. The action is just okay. Not a single scene makes me want to see it again.

Q: How is the story/script?

A: It's just cowboys fighting aliens... which is its biggest draw and its biggest fault.

Q: Where can I see the trailer?

A: Cowboys & Aliens Trailer

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The Guard

2011-08-24T21:47:00.000-07:00

Q: What’s the movie about?

A: A murder in small town Ireland brings an FBI agent (Don Cheadle) into an offbeat partnership with a very strange police officer (Brendan Gleeson).

Q: Who’s in the movie?

A: Brendan Gleeson, Don Cheadle, Liam Cunningham, David Wilmot, Rory Keenan, Mark Strong, Fionnula Flanagan, Dominique McElligott, Sarah Greene, Katarina Cas, Pat Shortt, Darren Healy, Laurence Kinlan, Michael Og Lane, Owen Sharpe

Q: Is this movie worth the price of admission?

A: Go! Today I challenge you to see a film that is smarter than you and nothing like any Hollywood movie you can think of... Except:

Q: Will this movie make me laugh?

A: Not since Fargo has a crime mystery been so funny due to dialect.

Q: Will this movie make me cry?

A: Not since Waking Ned Devine have the Irish been depicted in their own movie as so unabashedly shameless.

Q: Will this movie be up for any awards?

A: Not since Snatch has an English language film so badly needed English language subtitles.

Q: How is the Acting?

A: Not since In Bruges has Brendan Gleeson played such a multi-dimentionally hilarious bad guy with a heart of gold.

Q: How is the Directing?

A: Not since The Future has an independent film been shot so still, wide, and patient.

Q: How is the story/script?

A: Not since Inception has there been a good ending so ambiguous, debatable, and intriguing.

Q: Where can I see the trailer?

A: The Guard Trailer

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The Future

2011-08-23T21:11:00.000-07:00

Q: What’s the movie about?

A: A very strange couple (Miranda July & Hamish Linklater) decide based on some convoluted logic that they only have one month to live-- really live-- so they quit their jobs and follow the Universe to a place that's unexpected, and not necessarily more pleasant than the lives they lead before.

Q: Who’s in the movie?

A: Miranda July, Hamish Linklater, David Warshofshky, Isabella Acres, Joe Putterlik, Angela Trimbur

Q: Is this movie worth the price of admission?

A: Proceed with Caution. If you enjoyed Miranda July's first effort, Me, You, and Everyone We Know, then you should probably see this less sophisticated but equally as bizarre and intriguing second effort.

Q: Will this movie make me laugh?

A: You'll want to laugh at it, but you won't because you will know that they are in complete control of your mind-- even your desire to laugh at them is premeditated.

Q: Will this movie make me cry?

A: No, but it will make you crawl out of your skin every time you are forced to listen to the cat, Paw-Paw's narration of the events. I hated cats before, but this film, which in some ways revolves around the affection this couple plans to feel for this cat, only re-confirmed how disgusting they are.

Q: Will this movie be up for any awards?

A: Best Unintended Incest of the year. Miranda July and Hamish Linklater play soul mates, but they look like brother and sister, and I'm pretty sure they are. (Seriously, look at the picture.)

Q: How is the Acting?

A: Miranda July plays the voice of Paw-Paw, so I'm just gonna assume that she doesn't do voices. As herself, she's quite watchable, and almost looks like a poor-man's Vera Farmiga. Hamish Linklater, who I'd only known previously from The New Adventures of Old Christine, proves that he can commit to the off-beat without seeming out of sync.

Q: How is the Directing?

A: Miranda July has a performance art background, and it shows in no uncertain terms, that she is an artist, a risk taker, and one of the few distinct voices in filmmaking.

Q: How is the story/script?

A: July's voice is so strange and specific, in fact, that her dialogue makes Diablo Cody look like she's writing Kevin James films. But for as witty as her turn of phrase may be, her sense of story needs more development. The story is mind-boggling, up until the last third, when it runs out of steam, loses its direction, and makes you wonder if it ever had any in the first place. So you wait for the ending, in hopes that all will be explained, and then Miranda July simply gets bored of writing, and puts down her pen.

Q: Where can I see the trailer?

A: The Future Trailer

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Circumstance

2011-08-17T22:36:00.000-07:00

Q: What’s the movie about?

A: A pair of teenage girls (Nikohl Boosheri & Sarah Kazemy) fall in lesbian love in Iran, where it's illegal to be gay.

Q: Who’s in the movie?

A: Nikohl Boosheri, Sarah Kazemy, Reza Sixo Safai, Soheil Parsa, Nasrin Pakkho, Sina Amedson, Keon Mohajeri

Q: Is this movie worth the price of admission?

A: Proceed with Caution. Those of you who love truly independent should run to see this movie because you will love it. For the rest of you, I'm going to throw out some keywords, and you can decide for yourself if it sounds up your alley: lesbian teens, oppression, surveillance, religious fanaticism, men controlling women, secret lives, secret clubs, lack of freedom, rape. So, you in?

Q: Will this movie make me laugh?

A: As part of their rebellion, they decide to dub the movie Milk into farsi... but mostly we watch them do the sex scenes.

Q: Will this movie make me cry?

A: More like rise up and fight for these poor Iranians.

Q: Will this movie be up for any awards?

A: Best Foot Rape scene. Did you know that it's possible to rape someone just by rubbing their foot? Well, you do now... Oh, and it also won the Audience Award at Sundance.

Q: How is the Acting?

A: Superb. Every single actor in the film brings something unique and unexpected to their role.

Q: How is the Directing?

A: Very independent. At times it jumps around, leaving scenes abruptly and entering others without warning. You are often left wondering what a scene was doing in the film, and yet you find yourself giving the director the benefit of the doubt, thinking to yourself that it probably needed to be there and you're just a little too dumb to figure out why.

Q: How is the story/script?

A: This is a script of few words. And many long stares. Sometimes too long, bordering on melodrama. But sometimes just right, bordering on letting you in on the storyline.

Q: Where can I see the trailer?

A: Circumstance Trailer

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The Help

2011-08-15T22:21:00.001-07:00

Q: What’s the movie about?

A: An aspiring journalist (Emma Stone) in 1960s Jackson, Mississippi interviews the town's Negro maids (Viola Davis & Octavia Spencer) and publishes their crazy stories in a tell-all book.

Q: Who’s in the movie?

A: Emma Stone, Viola Davis, Bryce Dallas Howard, Octavia Spencer, Jessica Chastain, Ahna O'Reilly, Allison Janney, Anna Camp, Eleanor & Emma Henry, Chris Lowell, Cicely Tyson, Mike Vogel, Sissy Spacek, Brian Kerwin, Wes Chatham, Aunjanue Ellis, Ted Welch, Mary Steenburgen

Q: Is this movie worth the price of admission?

A: Go! It's an inspirational tale of courage and standing up for what's right, but it's not the best one you'll ever see, and it's waaaaaaay tooooo lonnnng.

Q: Will this movie make me laugh?

A: Octavia Spencer and Jessica Chastain make for an unlikely comedy team, but after you see them in this film, you will never want to see them do a scene in which they are not together.

Q: Will this movie make me cry?

A: The fact that it doesn't really, is one of my major gripes with it. This kind of movie should not be allowed into theaters until it has guaranteed tears built in.

Q: Will this movie be up for any awards?

A: Viola Davis and Octavia Spencer will likely duke it out for a nomination as Best Supporting Actress, even though they are clearly the leads. Then Viola will take the nom, because she's been nominated before, and because Octavia is too funny to get an Academy Award.

Q: How is the Acting?

A: This is the first time ever that I have enjoyed a performance by Bryce Dallas Howard. She is magical in this. And Sissy Spacek (in the tiny role) as her mom is the very best thing this movie has going.

Q: How is the Directing?

A: Who is Tate Taylor? From what I can tell, he's made a few movies (mostly shorts) that I've never heard of, and acted in a few movies and TV shows in the role of "Nameless Friend or Passerby," so how did he get this gig?... Well, he's best friends with the author of the novel, Kathryn Stockett, and after her 60th rejection by a publisher, he decided to option the rights to her book, not knowing that it would one day become a best seller. To which I say, "Have any of y'all written a book I should read?"

Q: How is the story/script?

A: Civil rights stories about injustice, oppression and racism will always have a special place in my heart. But somehow, despite a multitude of spectacular performances, this one plays a bit like a movie of the week-- with less crying. I think the sense of danger is not built up enough in the script or the visuals, to make you feel it on a visceral or in an always present kind of way. Often, you completely forget that there is any danger in what these people are doing, because it's never taken quite far enough-- i.e. no one that we care about is ever physically threatened before our eyes.

Q: Where can I see the trailer?

A: The Help Trailer

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30 Minutes or Less

2011-08-12T22:01:00.000-07:00

Q: What’s the movie about?

A: A pizza delivery boy (Jesse Eisenberg) wakes up strapped to a bomb, with a pair of small time criminals (Danny McBride & Nick Swardson) demanding that he rob a bank for $100,000 if he wants to get out of exploding.

Q: Who’s in the movie?

A: Jesse Eisenberg, Danny McBride, Aziz Ansari, Nick Swardson, Dilshad Vadsaria, Michael Pena, Bianca Kajlich, Fred Ward

Q: Is this movie worth the price of admission?

A: Proceed with Caution. It's incredibly dumb, but not dumb enough to be awesome.

Q: Will this movie make me laugh?

A: The funniest clips are in the trailer, and to add insult to injury, even those are slightly funnier when taken out of the context of the film.

Q: Will this movie make me cry?

A: No emotions of any kind will be had.

Q: Will this movie be up for any awards?

A: Funniest panel at Comic Con. If you weren't one of the thousand people at that panel, you may never discover how truly hilarious the actors in this film actually are. Because it's not particularly clear from watching this film.

Q: How is the Acting?

A: Aziz Ansari is such a bad actor that he makes Jesse Eisenberg seem like he's over-acting just for hitting his emotions at appropriate levels. And Michael Pena, whose resume includes just about everything serious that's ever been made, turns out to be something of a comic genius... After this performance, I have a feeling that he will get a speedy welcome into the club.

Q: How is the Directing?

A: The opening car scene is pretty awesome... and then you never notice the directing again.

Q: How is the story/script?

A: So after getting a bomb strapped to you, you go to your best friend who is a school teacher, and you say "Rob a bank with me," at which point he deserts his classroom full of children and agrees to rob a bank with you. Think about that... Yeah, there's no world in which it happens that way. Here's a possible alternative. You rob a bank by yourself, while your best friend calls the cops to explain why you're robbing the bank, and then the cops, using their years of professional knowledge and expertise, devise a strategy to get you out of that bomb. And don't get me started on the dialogue.

Q: Where can I see the trailer?

A: 30 Minutes or Less Trailer

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Rise of the Planet of the Apes

2011-08-12T13:21:00.000-07:00

(Guest Review by Russ)

Q: What’s the movie about?

A: A genetic engineer's (James Franco) quest for an Alzheimer's cure results in making his pet chimpanzee (Caesar) really smart, and then really determined to rule like that other Caesar he was named after.

Q: Who’s in the movie?

A: James Franco, Freida Pinto, John Lithgow, Brian Cox, Tom Felton, Andy Serkis, David Oyelowo

Q: Is this movie worth the price of admission?

A: Go! Here we have yet another version of an apes-rule-the-world scenario loosely based on the amazing novel by Pierre Boulle, but it really is like no smart-ape movie that has come before it. Using motion capture technology on par with Avatar, the apes are no longer humans in costumes but that is only one part of what makes this film so thrilling. The deep emotional through-line between Caesar the chimp and his owner sucks you in, and the knock-out suspenseful and action-packed finale will leave you as satisfied as the popcorn and soda you had while watching it all.

Q: Will this movie make me laugh?

A: Many of Caesar's antics as a young, growing chimp will keep you amused in a I-want-a-pet-chimp! sort of way. (But read Monique's review of Project Nim before you do!)

Q: Will this movie make me cry?

A: For most pet owners, it probably will. For all others, uh, yeah, you'll probably cry too. Sorry.

Q: Will this movie be up for any awards?

A: The advanced special effects on display will most likely get attention. But with the Academy still considering nominating up to ten films for Best Picture, this one might very well get some votes. It's that good.

Q: How is the Acting?

A: The stand out performance here is without a doubt, Andy Serkis as the grown-up Caesar. The actor (who also played Gollum in Lord of the Rings) was later digitally manipulated into a chimp, but his very human reactions, eyes and empathy come through in every single scene and it gives the film its huge heart. His transformation from a sheltered curious child to a cunning and manipulative leader is the stuff of Academy Award nominations. There are some other amazing ape performances; a gorilla and former circus orangutan come to mind. Yeah, the actors who did those apes were great too.

Q: How is the Directing?

A: I really have no clue who Rupert Wyatt is, nor have I seen the one other feature film he directed before this one, but he gets just about everything right here. This is another example of a director who makes everything seem so effortless that you sort of forget how impressive it all is. This guy just jumped to the Hollywood A-list of directors with this one.

Q: How is the story/script?

A: If there's a quibble to be had here, it's with the script. The story works just fine, but I wish more had been given to some of the human characters. Freida Pinto is beautiful to look at and I'm pretty sure she's a very capable actress, but she's little more than window dressing in this story. Also, John Lithgow (as James Franco's father) disappears about half way through the movie and it would have been nice to not leave us hanging so much where he's concerned. But overall this is a stellar re-imagining of this material that pulls off the difficult feat of creating a satisfying ending while also setting up a sequel that's sure to be even more interesting.

Q: Where can I see the trailer?

A: Rise of the Planet of the Apes Trailer

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The Change-Up

2011-08-07T19:08:00.000-07:00

Q: What’s the movie about?

A: A married man (Jason Bateman) and a single man (Ryan Reynolds) switch bodies and try not to f-up each other's lives.

Q: Who’s in the movie?

A: Jason Bateman, Ryan Reynolds, Leslie Mann, Olivia Wilde, Alan Arkin, Sydney Rouviere, Mircea Monroe, Grogory Itzin, Ned Schmidtke, Lo Ming, Craig Bierko, Bailey Anne Borders

Q: Is this movie worth the price of admission?

A: Proceed with Caution. If you go to a body-switch movie, and your main complaint is that the set-up and the ending are predictable, then you only have yourself to blame. That's what body-switch movies do. You're supposed to watch a body-switch movie for the second act. That's where you get to find out if the actors where able to transform to the point of making you believe they are inhabited by the other, and it's where you get to see the ways in which they screw up each other's lives while they are inhabiting them. So let's talk about the second act, which isn't anywhere near as bad as the buzz on it. In fact, once it's released on VOD and DVD, I predict that many people will find themselves telling a friend, "You know what I saw last night, that wasn't half bad?"

Q: Will this movie make me laugh?

A: Not out loud much, because the writers rely too heavily on swear words instead of humor, and the insulting nicknames the characters lob at each other incessantly quickly begin to feel overbearing and self-conscious.

Q: Will this movie make me cry?

A: What makes me cry most is how all the nerds and haters are so quick to say this movie is the end of the raunchy R-rated comedy being hot. Some of us love comedies, don't consider them a phase but rather a necessity, and don't start screaming about how it's the end of your stupid comic book movies, just because Green Lantern came out and sucked. (Disclaimer: I didn't see it.) Hey, I'm noticing a pattern. Maybe we could all get along if we instead went around screaming that it's the end of Ryan Reynolds?

Q: Will this movie be up for any awards?

A: I'm giving Judd Apatow a Tolerance Award for letting the mother of his children show her boobs. It takes a truly secure man to be okay with that... Or maybe a truly twisted one. Either way, we should start counting down to their divorce.

Q: How is the Acting?

A: Jason Bateman does an amazing job of making you forget that he doesn't actually have Ryan Reynolds inside his body. Ryan Reynolds does an amazing job of making you forget why he's become such a hot commodity.

Q: How is the Directing?

A: David Dobkin directed Wedding Crashers, so my first instinct is never to say anything bad... But. There are several pivotal pissing scenes, where we get full frontal shots, and before you get all grossed out, let me clarify that my complaint is that neither one of these men seems to have a penis. Now I know you can't show that in an R-rated movie, but what I don't know is why the director chose to shoot an angle that makes it so obvious that they're holding little water hoses rigged to come out of their flies. It would have been so easy to use only angles that don't show the pants' opening. The way it is shot, you can't help but peek, and seeing nothing there is disturbing.

Q: How is the story/script?

A: From the writers of The Hangover, comes a film that feels like it's from the writers of an ABC Family Film-- with tits, swearing, and male leads. I think the lesson here is that you shouldn't try to do a body-switch movie for the R-rated audience. It would seem they don't care for the conceit. Oh well, I guess I'd better scrap my plans to write that body-switch movie between a hooker and her pimp.

Q: Where can I see the trailer?

A: The Change-Up Trailer

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Captain America: The First Avenger

2011-08-04T19:23:00.000-07:00

(Guest Review by Russ)

Q: What’s the movie about?

A: Steve Rogers (Chris Evans), a skinny kid from Brooklyn with a big heart is finally accepted into the U.S. Army during WW II after agreeing to volunteer for a top secret project that turns him into super-strong super hero Captain America.

Q: Who’s in the movie?

A: Chris Evans, Tommy Lee Jones, Hugo Weaving, Dominic Cooper, Hayley Atwell, Stanley Tucci, Sebastian Stan, Toby Jones, Neal McDonough, Derek Luke, Samuel L. Jackson, Richard Armitage

Q: Is this movie worth the price of admission?

A: Go! Hollywood is churning out superhero films by the boatload these days with varying degrees of success. But it's obvious Marvel Studios is taking the greatest of care with their well-known characters and this one is no exception. Staying true to an origin story that took place 70 years ago makes for a nice change of pace while watching a super-strong man try to save the world.

Q: Will this movie make me laugh?

A: There is a sly sense of humor woven throughout the film that will keep a smile on your face. Especially when Cap mistakes the meaning of the word "fondue."

Q: Will this movie make me cry?

A: No, and we can thank the filmmakers for not trying to go somewhere that this film didn't need to go.

Q: Will this movie be up for any awards?

A: A pitch should be made for costume design. It's a deft blend between a clever winking nod to the absurdity of superhero costumes and some beautiful designs that take into account historical accuracy along with top-notch creative talent and inspiration. (I guess this has been a week for good costumes, here at the blog.)

Q: How is the Acting?

A: Chris Evans was an inspired choice for this role; his performance is an effortless blend between humor/earnestness and sensitivity/machismo. This is one of those moments in time when the exact right actor is paired with the exact right part. Hugo Weaving thankfully keeps things in check as the main villain and Hayley Atwell is a nice new face as Cap's love interest who proves to be as tough as him.

Q: How is the Directing?

A: The period film looks beautiful and the pace is perfect both in set-up and pay-offs. One might wish some of the action scenes were less montage-y, but for those wanting to see Captain America wield his ultra strong shield as a lethal weapon, you definitely won't be disappointed.

Q: How is the story/script?

A: I'd like to thank Marvel Studios for hiring good screenwriters who ultimately deliver a straightforward, entertaining script. No one is trying to reinvent the wheel with this one, and that alone should be commended. It could be said that Captain America is more Americana-Apple-Pie than even Superman himself, and this film feeds into that ideal beautifully. You might not recognize the America on display in this movie, but the reminder of what it once was will give you goosebumps (and then probably make you depressed).

Q: Is there anything else worth mentioning about the movie?

A: Yes, two things: 1. Stick around until the end credits are done to see a continuation of the last scene which turns into a teaser-trailer for next summer's The Avengers movie (which Captain America will be a big part of). 2. Everyone is talking about the visual effect of "skinny" cap at the start of the film (before he transforms). Many assume it's Chis Evans' head on another actor's body (like they did with Brad Pitt in Benjamin Button). It's not though; it's all Chris Evans and they digitally made him thinner and shorter. An amazing effect in a film full of them.

Q: Where can I see the trailer?

A: Captain America: The First Avenger Trailer

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Crazy, Stupid, Love.

2011-08-01T21:48:00.000-07:00

Q: What’s the movie about?

A: When a man's (Steve Carell) wife (Julianne Moore) asks for a divorce, he goes to a bar where he meets a womanizer (Ryan Gosling), who teaches him to get his manhood back.

Q: Who’s in the movie?

A: Steve Carell, Ryan Gosling, Julianne Moore, Emma Stone, Analeigh Tipton, Jonah Bobo, Joey King, Marisa Tomei, Kevin Spacey, John Carroll Lynch, Beth Littleford, Liza Lapira, Josh Groban

Q: Is this movie worth the price of admission?

A: Go! It's sweet and romantic, and Steve Carell will charm the pants off you -- quite literally if you're a woman who frequents that one bar he goes to.

Q: Will this movie make me laugh?

A: Sure, there are some jokes, but it's also funny to think that Ryan Gosling's pickup lines could work on anyone, no less everyone. Film's Message #1: Women love to have one night stands with complete tools.

Q: Will this movie make me cry?

A: What's depressing is Film's Message #2: You only have one true soul mate in life. Don't worry, if you lose that person, fate will eventually bring you back together. But if it doesn't, because you live in the real world and not fantasy land, you can always kill yourself, because what are you living for anyway, now that you will never love again? (Can you tell that I hate the theory of "The One," or am I being too subtle?)

Q: Will this movie be up for any awards?

A: From the opening shot on a pair of shoes that I absolutely must have, to the most beautiful men's wear line I have ever seen, this film absolutely must win a costume design award. More likely though, it won't be nominated, because it's not a period piece, and most voters are too dense to recognize that copying old designs from pictures of the past is way easier than creating a beautiful and original style within modern men's wear.

Q: How is the Acting?

A: While Steve Carell and Julianne Moore find the line between heightened reality and comic timing pitch perfectly, Ryan Gosling has some challenging character and dialogue improbabilities to overcome. Meanwhile, Emma Stone mugs a lot more than I would expect from an actress of her caliber, making this her first performance that I haven't enjoyed (not counting her cameo in Friends with Benefits, which exposed a similar problem). And Analeigh Tipton, in the role of the babysitter, has a nice awkward quality, but to quote the teenage girls I encountered in the bathroom, "Her acting is really weird."

Q: How is the Directing?

A: The vibrant color scheme is pleasant, but my problem with the directing is that I could tell it was shot in L.A., and the amount of coincidences in the story just isn't realistic in a city that big. They never show any landmarks or mention what city it is, so maybe they were hoping it would look like some non-descript small town where everyone has a plausible chance of running into each other all the time, and there's only one bar that anyone ever goes to, but I'm sure I'm not the only one who recognized the Century City shopping mall, or the smog covered Santa Monica Mountains... I'm just sayin', this is what Canada is for!

Q: How is the story/script?

A: Within the world of being a romantic comedy, it feels original because it revolves around a family, rather than young, unattached star-crossed lovers falling in love for the first time. But the coincidences get a little out of control. And if Ryan Gosling's character does exist, he's been cast on the Jersey Shore, and he's not falling in love ever -- not in that faithful way, anyhow.

Q: Where can I see the trailer?

A: Crazy, Stupid, Love. Trailer

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Another Earth

2011-07-27T22:24:00.001-07:00

Q: What’s the movie about?

A: At the moment we discover another parallel Earth, a teenage girl (Brit Marling) drunk drives into a family of three, killing the wife and young son. When she gets out of jail, 4 years later, she tries to apologize to the surviving husband (William Mapother), and ends up becoming his maid instead, giving them an opportunity to get to know each other.

Q: Who’s in the movie?

A: Brit Marling, William Mapother, Jordan Baker, Flint Beverage, Robin Lord Taylor, Kumar Pallana, Diane Ciesla

Q: Is this movie worth the price of admission?

A: Go! Not since Birdie (1984) has a film that just barely holds my attention become an instant indy classic based 100% on the conclusion.

Q: Will this movie make me laugh?

A: Did you laugh during Winter's Bone? Because this is just a repeat of that cold, dark tone, with a vastly different plot.

Q: Will this movie make me cry?

A: Gasp, yes. Empathize, yes. Cringe, yes. Cry? It's almost too depressing for that simple of an emotion.

Q: Will this movie be up for any awards?

A: It won two special prizes at Sundance. Why do you think I went to see it?

Q: How is the Acting?

A: Brit Marling, much like Jennifer Lawrence, is a beautiful blond playing a low class dirty tough chick. Unlike Jennifer Lawrence, Brit Marling fails at hiding her beauty in this role. But I can definitely see why everyone was talking about her after Sundance. She's an A-lister in the making. William Mapother also breaks out in this role, although I personally wasn't nearly as impressed with his acting or his beauty. (And a lot of the time I was distracted by looking for similarities between him and his cousin Tom Cruise (maiden name "Mapother"), of which there are plenty.) Special mention to Jordan Baker, in the tiny role of Brit Marling's mom, because she reminds me of Diane Keaton, and on Another Earth, could've had her career.

Q: How is the Directing?

A: Mike Cahill makes his directing debut with this incredibly Sundance-y looking film. The Winter's Bone influence works well enough, but on more than one occasion, he uses dissolves in a way that reminds me of a cheesy 1970s Steely Dan Video.

Q: How is the story/script?

A: Brit Marling and Mike Cahill, who have collaborated before and I assume are dating (this is how rumors get started), write a slow, quiet, and somber movie with enough poignant dilemmas to keep your attention until the Inception-like ending, which puts the whole story over the top.

Q: Is there anything else worth mentioning about the movie?

A: I know this is terrible to bring up, but I'd like to take wagers on how many months Brit Marling can make it in Hollywood without getting a boob job. I don't normally notice this through clothes, but she's the most flat-chested actress I've seen since Selma Blair. I'm giving her 2 more flat chested movies, and by the 3rd, I'm expecting to see a C-cup. So, I guess that adds up to about 9 months. Come on, you love me because I'm honest!

Q: Where can I see the trailer?

A: Another Earth Trailer

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Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2

2011-07-25T19:14:00.000-07:00

(Guest Review by Jack)

Q: What’s the movie about?

A: If you haven’t figured what this series is about by part 8 out of 8, you obviously don’t get to the movies that much- so why are you reading this blog? (Note from Monique: Don't answer that. I don't care about your reasons. Just read, read away!)

Q: Who’s in the movie?

A: The same little kids from the first 7 movies- only 10 years less cute-looking now.

Q: Is this movie worth the price of admission?

A: Go! Even if you have not seen all the rest of them, they have plenty of recap dialogue to catch you up, and this one is a fine way to end it! That said, you may want still want to (re)visit the last one on Blu Ray, because it's fun!

Q: Will this movie make me laugh?

A: There are a couple of forced moments with Filch (The Hogwarts Caretaker), but it's mainly just an action movie.

Q: Will this movie make me cry?

A: No, but it should have. Again, they missed the emotional mark with this series– at least in comparison to the books.

Q: Will this movie be up for any awards?

A: As usual, the tech credits are all top notch. People have started talking about the Academy finally recognizing the series, but really, it's no Lord of the Rings in terms of overall storytelling and creative excellence.

Q: How is the Acting?

A: The best thing about the series is the casting. They really got lucky with those kids!

Q: How is the Directing?

A: David Yates provides plenty of exciting sequences and the movie starts even before you see the WB logo – so get ready, because it's action packed from the moment it fades in. (BTW, I saw this in 2D because all the others were that way – and I was already feeling dizzy that night. But my sister saw it in 3D and says that the added dimension actually makes some of the epic battle scenes easier to follow.)

Q: How is the story/script?

A: The book was great. This movie, like most of its predecessors, feels like Cliff’s Notes. But because this film only covers one third of the last book, it is not nearly as bad off as many of the previous films. In fact, between you and me, the only other HP movie that really worked for me was Order of the Phoenix. Too often, these movies have failed to capture the emotional power of the books. Thankfully, this is one of the good ones.

Q: Is there anything else worth mentioning about the movie?

A: This is the final chapter in the Harry Potter saga… For some of you out there, this brings a sigh of relief. You never have to hear of HP again. For the rest of us, who have loved the books and wished they never ended, this is like a death in the family. We will miss them dearly, but we must be grateful for the joy our loved ones brought us while they were relevant to pop culture.

Q: Where can I see the trailer?

A: Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2 Trailer

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Friends with Benefits

2011-07-23T19:45:00.000-07:00

Q: What’s the movie about?

A: A man (Justin Timberlake) and woman (Mila Kunis) become best friends after they each get dumped for being "damaged," and to prove the point, they decide to have casual sex on a regular basis, while attempting to maintain their best-friendship.

Q: Who’s in the movie?

A: Justin Timberlake, Mila Kunis, Patricia Clarkson, Woody Harrelson, Jenna Elfman, Richard Jenkins, Bryan Greenberg, Nolan Gould, Andy Samberg, Emma Stone, Shaun White, Jason Segel, Rashida Jones

Q: Is this movie worth the price of admission?

A: Proceed with Caution. It's a little edgier than No Strings Attached, and they really are friends first this time, but it's hard to enjoy the rom-com process when the entire first half of the film makes you feel like an idiot for enjoying rom-coms.

Q: Will this movie make me laugh?

A: The laughs are slight but plentiful.

Q: Will this movie make me cry?

A: Your eyes might get teary at the end, but then you'll remember how at the beginning these very characters called you a wuss for buying into the romance that movies like this sell. So as thirsty as you may feel, you will suddenly get an uncontrollable urge to not drink the Kool-Aid. (And to those people sitting next to me, I got mascara in my eye.)

Q: Will this movie be up for any awards?

A: It Smells Like the 70s Just Got a Lot More Puritanical Award... For all the sex they have, most of it is hidden under sheets -- very un-70s. But you will get a naked butt shot of both Justin and Mila during non-sex scenes, so at least people still walk around naked in the privacy of their own movie.

Q: How is the Acting?

A: I apologize in advance, but as much as we love him on SNL, on the big screen Justin Timberlake is completely flat. I'm sure he's charming and charismatic in person -- I've heard nothing but good things -- but his charm and charisma just aren't photogenic.

Q: How is the Directing?

A: Nothing really stands out in the directing, except for how big and creepy Mila Kunis's eyes are in the first scene. I think they're gorgeous, myself. How about you? Creepy or stunning?

Q: How is the story/script?

A: The beginning of the script is so punchy and clever, that you know it was a good read. Unfortunately, when put on its feet, it feels more forced than clever. The second half of the film is more grounded, and is therefore more compelling.

Q: Where can I see the trailer?

A: Friends with Benefits Trailer

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Project Nim

2011-07-20T19:09:00.000-07:00

Q: What’s the movie about?

A: A family of wacky hippies in the 70s decides it's a good idea to move a baby chimp (Nim) into their Upper West-side Brownstone and raise him like a human being, teaching him to communicate through sign language.

Q: Who’s in the movie?

A: Stephanie, Herb, Laura, Bob, and a bunch of other first names they made a point of writing across the screen real big, which I don't remember.

Q: Is this movie worth the price of admission?

A: Proceed with Caution. The pace is fairly slow, then it overcompensates to keep your attention with suspenseful music and intriguing camera pans that imply that something fatal is around the corner. SPOILER ALERT: nothing is.

Q: Will this movie make me laugh?

A: Yeah, the 70s are funny as shit, no matter how many monkeys got hurt in the process.

Q: Will this movie make me cry?

A: It didn't me, because I'm a cold-hearted animal non-worshiper-- by which I mean that I would never put their needs before those of human beings. That said, some pretty messed up things end up happening to this monkey.

Q: Will this movie be up for any awards?

A: It did win the Best Documentary award at the Newport Beach Film Festival, but the Newport Beach Film Festival wins the award for the Closest Film Festival to Los Angeles that No One in Hollywood has Ever Been to.

Q: How is the Acting?

A: One of the best things about this movie is its demonstration of how, in researching this monkey, humans once again prove that they themselves are the stupidest species in the Animal Kingdom.

Q: How is the Directing?

A: Similarly to how I felt about James Marsh's previous effort, Man on Wire, there is a constant impending sense of doom, which never leads to doom, and therefore leaves me feeling very... shall we say, "tantric"?

Q: How is the story/script?

A: I'm pretty certain that this is the best story coming out this summer about monkeys acting like humans. I'm talking to you Rise of the the Planet of the Apes! DISCLAIMER: I haven't seen Rise of the Planet of the Apes. The trailer was quite enough for me, thank you very much! Rise of the Planet of the Apes Trailer

Q: Where can I see the trailer?

A: Project Nim Trailer

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