Sex and Death 101

Q: What’s the movie about?

A: A guy (Simon Baker) finds out the names of all the women he will ever sleep with, and he proceeds to cross those names off of his 'to-do' list.

Q: Who’s in the movie?

A: Simon Baker, Winona Ryder, Leslie Bibb, Mindy Cohn, Julie Bowen, Frances Fischer, Dash Mihok, Patton Oswalt, Tanc Sade, Neil Flynn

Q: Is this movie worth the price of admission?

A: Proceed with Caution. If 27 Dresses had been written from a male point of view, you would come out with this movie. While 27 Dresses is the female fantasy about love and marriage, this movie depicts the male fantasy of sex without strings. Alternate titles for what I saw could have been: '101 Ways to Avoid Getting Married,' '101 Women Who Don't Want a Relationship,' or-- let's keep it simple and call it, "All Women are Easy Sluts."

Q: Will this movie make me laugh?

A: It's by the writer of Heathers, and the tone is similar, but the jokes aren't quite as fresh.

Q: Will this movie make me cry?

A: Only if you're sensitive about sex with dying old ladies, girl-on-man rape, or necrophilia.

Q: Will this movie be up for any awards?

A: New Year's Eve is and always has been the most overrated party night of the year. I've only enjoyed it a small handful of times in my life, and I'm happy to announce that one of those times was at a party hosted by the writer-director of this film. So Kudos to you, Daniel Waters-- which in Greek means, 'Praise for Exceptional Achievement.' A fun New Year's party is a hard task to pull off, and you did it. You win the New Year's Eve Party Award!... Too bad you can't win 'em all.

Q: How is the Acting?

A: Quite possibly where the problem lies. To be fair, without noble goals to strive for or undying love for baby animals, most of the characters aren't particularly likable to begin with. On top of which, before seeing this I thought Winona Ryder hadn't been working much because she was busy going in and out of jail, but it turns out it's because she's been going in and out of talent.

Q: How is the Directing?

A: The words over-the-top and fantastical come to mind. What I'm trying to say is that no effort is made to seem remotely like real life. I'm not knocking it, it's good to pick a style. But the directing choices did remind me of the 80s for some reason.

Q: How is the story/script?

A: Shallow on the surface, but quite possibly containing metaphors about the parallels between marriage and death, if you choose to analyze it more deeply.

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

A: I could see this movie catching on in a culty way, over time.

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27 Dresses

Q: What’s the movie about?

A: Jane (Katherine Heigl) loves weddings, and dreams of romance and marriage-- preferably to her seemingly perfect boss (Edward Burns). But when her gorgeous and fun sister (Malin Akerman) comes to town, Jane's boss falls for her, and Jane is forced to put her ideas about romance into question.

Q: Who’s in the movie?

A: Katherine Heigl, James Marsden, Malin Akerman, Edward Burns, Judy Greer, Brian Kerwin, Melora Hardin

Q: Is this movie worth the price of admission?

A: Proceed with Caution. First of all, as much as I want men to go to romantic comedies more and stop calling them, "Chick Flicks," this isn't the one that's going to turn them. Even I felt a little nauseous at the main character's obsession with weddings and marriage and romance, as if the world had nothing else to offer. But the story picks up about two thirds of the way in, and the ending leaves you feeling like you may have gotten what you came for.

Q: Will this movie make me laugh?

A: Judy Greer will.

Q: Will this movie make me cry?

A: Yes. If you're a sap.

Q: Will this movie be up for any awards?

A: Coming out in January is pretty much a guarantee that it won't. But if anyone remembers this movie a year from now, it would actually be somewhat deserving in the costume department, because the variety of wedding dresses and types of bridesmaid dresses is astounding.

Q: How is the Acting?

A: Malin Akerman is lovable, even as the most hateable character in the film. Contrarily, Edward Burns comes off like a jerk, even though the dialogue keeps telling us what a saint he is. But Judy Greer steals the show, squeezing laughs out of lines without jokes in them.

Q: How is the Directing?

A: I hope that Anne Fletcher continues to have a long and illustrious career because, of all the movies I've reviewed so far, this is only the second one that's been directed by a woman... and fyi, it doesn't look any different than the ones directed by men. Just wanted to point that out, because it's my blog, and I can do what I want to.

Q: How is the story/script?

A: By the numbers. Everything is perfectly in its place, but there are no particularly clever turns.

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