In a Better World

Q: What’s the movie about?

A: Two outcast school boys (William Johnk Juels Nielsen & Markus Rygaard) begin to retaliate against the violence and injustice of their assaulters and it goes too far.

Q: Who’s in the movie?

A: Mikael Persbrandt, Trine Dyrholm, Ulrich Thomsen, William Johnk Juels Nielsen, Markus Rygaard, Bodil Jorgensen, Toke Lars Bjarke, Simon Maafaard Holm, Odiege Matthew, Elsebeth Steentoft, Anette Stovelbek, Kim Bodnia, Martin Buch

Q: Is this movie worth the price of admission?

A: Proceed with Caution. As is the case with most of Susanne Bier's films, you have to have a strong stomach and a fair amount of patience to endure it, but if you can, you will find you have a lot of respect for how angry she makes you feel.

Q: Will this movie make me laugh?

A: Susanne Bier doesn't believe in humor.

Q: Will this movie make me cry?

A: Cry for a better world maybe. But mostly, it will inspire you not to have children, because they are the ones who will have to live in this one.

Q: Will this movie be up for any awards?

A: I predict that it will win the Academy Award for Best Foreign Film, last year.

Q: How is the Acting?

A: If the Academy really felt compelled to nominate kids for acting awards, these are the ones they should've nominated. Both Markus Rygaard and William Johnk Juels Nielsen blow Hailee Steinfeld out of the water. And if their characters had met her in a swimming pool, they probably would've done it literally.

Q: How is the Directing?

A: Susanne Bier is one of the original Dogme 95 crew, and 16 years since that Danish filmmaking philosophy was founded, she hasn't seemed to veer too much from it. Some of the rules she still follows are: shooting solely on location and hand held. One of the rules she no longer follows is: The director must not be credited.

Q: How is the story/script?

A: Intense, vicious, and true to how quickly sorrow, depression and desperation can turn even the most average of us into destructive psychopaths.

Q: Where can I see the trailer?

A: In a Better World Trailer

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You Again

Q: What’s the movie about?

A: A woman (Kristen Bell) goes home to her brother's wedding and finds out that he's marrying her high school nemesis (Odette Yustman).

Q: Who’s in the movie?

A: Kristen Bell, Odette Yustman, Jamie Lee Curtis, Sigourney Weaver, Jimmy Wolk, Betty White, Victor Garber, Kyle Bornheimer, Billy Unger, Sean Wing, Kristin Chenoweth

Q: Is this movie worth the price of admission?

A: Proceed with Caution. This movie will be passable on video because Sigourney Weaver, Jamie Lee Curtis, and Kristin Chenoweth are fun in it. Other than that it consists of a series of bad impulse decisions made by its characters, which sometimes lead to comedy, and sometimes lead to lame attempts at comedy. Hey, at least they tried...

Q: Will this movie make me laugh?

A: Maybe out of peer pressure.

Q: Will this movie make me cry?

A: If it could, it would have made me, because I was feeling extra sensitive, as proven by the fact that I nearly cried in the preview for Burlesque, simply from the sound of Christina Aguilera's amazing singing voice.

Q: Will this movie be up for any awards?

A: This may surprise you, but I'm gonna give Odette Yustman the Breakout Star of the Year Award. Her performance reminded me of early Rachel McAdams, and we've all seen what she's been able to do since then.

Q: How is the Acting?

A: Bottom line, Kristen Bell's agent should not have let her do this role. It makes her look less attractive than her buzz claims her to be, and after When in Rome, it's the second in a line of not very good romantic comedies, she's been expected to hold up. Granted, this one is a chef d'oeuvre in comparison.

Q: How is the Directing?

A: Andy Fickman's work hearkens back to absolutely nothing you'd remember having watched.

Q: How is the story/script?

A: Think Mean Girls: the Sequel, 10, 30, and 50 years later (keeping in mind that sequels are rarely as good as their originals). High school is over, but those old traumatic memories linger on... which is why it's a good policy to be stoned throughout high school. Take my word for it, you won't remember anything that happened!

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

A: Is The Rock having a hard time getting hired these days? This movie has, like, the third single-scene cameo I've seen him play recently.

Q: Where can I see the trailer?

A: http://www.moviefone.com/movie/you-again/38333/trailers

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The Karate Kid

Q: What’s the movie about?

A: When an American boy (Jaden Smith) moves to China with his mother (Taraji P. Henson), he is bullied by the local boys, so he learns Kung Fu from a broken master (Jackie Chan).

Q: Who’s in the movie?

A: Jaden Smith, Jackie Chan, Taraji P. Henson, Wenwen Han, Zhenwei Wang, Rongguang Yu, Shijia Lu

Q: Is this movie worth the price of admission?

A: Go! I'm sorry Ralph Macchio, but there is truly no longer any reason to ever watch the original again. Though it's the same story, everything in this new one is of a higher quality.

Q: Will this movie make me laugh?

A: Not too much, but Jackie Chan's expression when he sees what Jaden Smith's character decides to do for his final fight makes up for all the laughter that was lacking throughout the rest.

Q: Will this movie make me cry?

A: There's a scene that's supposed to, but that was the one part where I found myself thinking about other things, like what I'm gonna eat for lunch tomorrow. Maybe I should've gone to the grocery store instead of the movies.

Q: Will this movie be up for any awards?

A: Best Fight on MTV. You know how bad guys in movies often say things like, "I'm gonna beat you up with that guy's fist!"?... Well, in this movie, Jackie Chan actually does that.

Q: How is the Acting?

A: Jaden Smith is such a ham! He regularly mugs too much for the camera, but you forgive him because he's just so adorable when he does.

Q: How is the Directing?

A: Going to China for this remake was such a good idea. The beautiful scenery and landmarks and culture make you wonder how there ever could have been a version of this film that took place in America. We are taken to the Great Wall and the Forbidden City and the Dragon Fountain, where we get to see the mountainous scenery on the way. And I learned a few new ways to use a crane shot in the process.

Q: How is the story/script?

A: There is not one line of corny dialogue in this remake. Despite repeating the beats of the original, everything feels real, natural and surprisingly new. I was also impressed with how well defined Jaden Smith's character is. He is goofy and cocky around people he likes, but shy and scared around people he doesn't. His blind courage is well set up in the first fight (or should I say "beating"), so it's believable that he would make bold choices by the end.

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

A: As a consolation to Ralph Macchio, we still love The Outsiders and My Cousin Vinnie.

Q: Where can I see the trailer?

A: http://www.moviefone.com/movie/the-karate-kid/35823/trailers

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Lymelife

(Guest Review by Russ)

Q: What’s the movie about?

A: Set during the late 70s, a fifteen-year-old boy grapples with first love while dealing with a chaotic home life involving his constantly quarreling parents.

Q: Who’s in the movie?

A: Rory Culkin, Emma Roberts, Alec Baldwin, Timothy Hutton, Jill Hennessy, Kieran Culkin, Cynthia Nixon

Q: Is this movie worth the price of admission?

A: Proceed with Caution. This is a paint-by-numbers ‘indie’ developed through the Sundance Institute which helps explain its pedigree both in front of and behind the cameras (e.g. Martin Scorsese is a producer on it). You’ve seen variations on it before many times, and since this film is dated, I'm going to allow myself to use a dated joke: I liked this movie the first time I saw it, when it was called The Ice Storm.

Q: Will this movie make me laugh?

A: The other reviewers make it sound like a yuck-fest from beginning to end-- don’t believe them! It's not a comedy, which isn't to say that you won't chuckle here and there-- if you’re paying attention.

Q: Will this movie make me cry?

A: Only if you’re intimate with the horror that is lyme disease.

Q: Will this movie be up for any awards?

A: Coming out in April…? Despite fine performances, I would guess that the distributors of this film have written off major award consideration.

Q: How is the Acting?

A: It’s a terrific cast and they all give terrific performances. Rory Culkin is in just about every scene – it’s very much his film – and his angular, oddly handsome face perfectly expresses the confusion, anger and bemusement of a 15 year-old boy going through major life-changes. The revelation is Emma Roberts (Julia’s niece) as the precocious love object of Rory’s affections. She goes from sexy to vulnerable – and everything in between – within the heartbeat of a single scene (multiple times) breaking down every stereotype of a 16 year-old teenager that ever existed. The adults are all good too – even Timothy Hutton in a pointless and thankless supporting role.

Q: How is the Directing?

A: Apparently this is a pretty low-budget film, but it looks really good – getting the Long Island setting period detail (late 70s) just right. The film is small and intimate, and the direction is given over to letting the performances shine and in that regard it’s more than competent. The tone is also consistent but it’s not as ‘quirky funny’ as the filmmakers probably think it is.

Q: How is the story/script?

A: So about a half-hour into this you start to realize there’s no plot and maybe – unlike myself – you are fine with that because you rarely expect indie films to have plots because supposedly a plot would not make it very ‘indie.’ I miss having plots when they aren’t there regardless of what kind of movie it is. This movie would have been better with a plot, but as ‘coming-of-age’/'slice-of-life’ films go, it’s fine and will most likely hold your interest thanks to Rory Culkin and Emma Robert’s performances.

Q: Where can I see the trailer?

A: http://www.moviefone.com/search/lymelife/trailers

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Watchmen

(Guest Review by Jack)

Q: What’s the movie about?

A: Adapted from Alan Moore's landmark comic book series, Watchmen is a story set in an alternative 1985, where the world is ticking closer to the brink of nuclear war, and a plot to eliminate a band of ex-crime fighters is instigated, but why? and by whom? It is up to two of those ex-crime fighters to investigate the plot, before the plot exterminates them.

Q: Who’s in the movie?

A: Malin Ackerman, Billy Crudup, Matthew Goode, Jackie Earle Haley, Jeffrey Dean Morgan, Patrick Wilson, Carla Gugino

Q: Is this movie worth the price of admission?

A: Stop! For all but the die hard fans of the graphic novel, this movie will not live up to expectations or the hype. It is not your typical Superhero movie, in that (much like in the novel) there aren't that many fight scenes or action scenes. Just a lot of standing around and talking– which is very heady when you're trying to enjoy your popcorn. Plus, if you have not read the book, you will most likely be lost a good portion of the time, since some of the key back story is left out. Concurrently, if you did read the book, and didn’t like it, you won’t feel any differently about this incredibly faithful movie adaptation.

Q: Will this movie make me laugh?

A: Not intentionally. I did hear a few laughs during the screening– but they had that air of confusion, as if to say, "What is going on?" Having read the graphic novel, I could tell from what they weren't getting, that those laughing had not.

Q: Will this movie make me cry?

A: At 2hrs40, my eyes were filled with tears from the large Coke I had to drink to get through it– I was running for relief when it ended.

Q: Will this movie be up for any awards?

A: Maybe Visual Effects, if somebody wants to throw it a bone.

Q: How is the Acting?

A: Malin Ackerman, who plays Silk Spectre 2 (one of the major characters), falls flat most of the time. But the rest of the cast does well, and the standout performance by Jackie Earle Haley, as Rorschach, made me want to see a movie based solely on him.

Q: How is the Directing?

A: It is extremely faithful to the graphic novel– even framing most shots to replicate the novel’s visuals. While not requiring the imagination that made Lord of the Rings transcend its source material, Zach Snyder does a good job with this movie.

Q: How is the story/script?

A: The problem with the movie is its source material, which holds this movie back from mass appeal. The Watchmen is a challenging deconstruction of the Superhero. This is something that works on the page in a way that can't possibly be translated to the screen. On top of that, some scenes come off campy, using word for word dialogue taken from the novel-- this is especially true of the final confrontation.

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

A: I don't know why Warner Brothers thought that Joe Blow in Idaho would like this story. And it begs the question whether the guy at Fox who thought the script was unreadable and passed on the project had ever read the graphic novel. My guess is that he only read the coverage.

Q: Where can I see the trailer?

A: http://www.moviefone.com/movie/watchmen/26998/trailers
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Happy-Go-Lucky

Q: What’s the movie about?

A: A few weeks in the life of Poppy (Sally Hawkins), a grade school teacher who can find the humor in just about anything, including having her bike stolen, a flamenco teacher on the edge of a nervous breakdown, and a driving instructor who hates just about anything that is set in his path.

Q: Who’s in the movie?

A: Sally Hawkins, Eddie Marsan, Alexis Zegerman, Samuel Roukin, Karina Fernandez, Sinead Matthews, Kate O'Flynn, Caroline Martin, Oliver Maltman, Jack MacGeachin

Q: Is this movie worth the price of admission?

A: Proceed with Caution. A lot of memorable scenes and interesting characters populate this movie, which hasn't much more direction than a slice of your own life.

Q: Will this movie make me laugh?

A: The laughs are very British, but there's plenty of them.

Q: Will this movie make me cry?

A: If you're the type of person who gets irritated at people who are always in a good mood, it could stir up some negative feelings in you. Some might call it annoyance, some might call it resentment, I call it jealousy.

Q: Will this movie be up for any awards?

A: Following her Best Actress Award at the Berlin International Film Festival, Sally Hawkins will most likely be considered for both the Oscar and the BAFTA. It's also worth mentioning that the film itself has earned Mike Leigh an Award in Norway which has the cutest name I've ever heard: "Most Enjoyable Film-- Bringer of Joy Award." I'm not making that up.

Q: How is the Acting?

A: Delightful. Sally Hawkins is mesmerizing in all her optimism, as she laughs her way through life, making adorable little happy sounds at everything the world has to offer. On the other extreme, Eddie Marsan is perfect as her bitter and angry driving instructor whose every emotion is expressed by yelling. And Karina Fernandez, in a small role, as the Spanish flamenco teacher, delivers several hilarious monologues that acting students looking for original material should probably steal to perform for their classes.

Q: How is the Directing?

A: If you happen to be a Mike Leigh fan, you may be disappointed that this film veers so severely away from his usually morbidly depressing type characters and themes, and instead examines how easy it can be to maintain an upbeat attitude in the face of all that is wrong with people and the world.

Technically, he doesn't let the fact that this is a small film stop him from going out of his way to add artistry to his shots. In particular you may notice his masterful use of foreground extras to add depth, as well as several shots taken from a bird's eye view, that could be framed and shown in a photography gallery.

Q: How is the story/script?

A: Very European. The individual scenes are often dramatic, real, and very well played, but neither the main character nor the storyline seem to have any goals, so you're not sure what you're watching for. On a more specific note, there's one scene that literally comes out of nowhere and goes nowhere, as Poppy approaches a homeless man for no apparent reason, and even after he proves to be potentially violent, she sticks around to have what is certainly an interesting and cleverly written conversation, but is in no way believable, necessary, or sane.

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Boy A

Q: What’s the movie about?

A: A young man (Andrew Garfield) gets released from jail after doing time for a murder he (may have) committed as a boy. Now he has to rebuild his life under an assumed identity.

Q: Who’s in the movie?

A: Andrew Garfield, Peter Mullan, Alfie Owen, Taylor Doherty, Katie Lyons, Shaun Evans, James Young, Anthony Lewis, Jeremy Swift

Q: Is this movie worth the price of admission?

A: Stop! If you manage to get past the low-class British dialect which makes the dialogue nearly incomprehensible to the non-Manchester-born viewer, you will be left with a plot that is depressing and not particularly well justified in its unfolding.

Q: Will this movie make me laugh?

A: Only if you're Satan. And it's not a happy laugh either. It's more of an evil victorious laugh. The kind you let slip when you've just won another soul from the Heavens.

Q: Will this movie make me cry?

A: That would've been a good thing for the filmmaker to aim for... Maybe I'll drop that one in the suggestion box.

Q: Will this movie be up for any awards?

A: It's just slow and boring enough to be called a masterpiece by all those edumacated critics, who go around giving awards for pretension, which they are clearly confusing with art.

Q: How is the Acting?

A: Most of the supporting cast was decent. But I never bought that Andrew Garfield was British... And to be perfectly honest, I think I'm still holding a grudge against him for starring in Lions for Lambs.

Q: How is the Directing?

A: Dark, Gritty, possibly the least offensive aspect of the movie.

Q: How is the story/script?

A: There are a few good scenes and a few good moments, but the story is a downer with no lessons learned, no inspiration given, and not even a clever plot twist that makes it feel okay when the audience is left with a completely hopeless ending.

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Step Brothers

Q: What’s the movie about?

A: A couple of 40-year-olds (Will Ferrell & John C. Reilly), who act like they're 12-year-olds, and still live at home, are forced to endure each other when their respective single parents get married.

Q: Who’s in the movie?

A: Will Ferrell, John C. Reilly, Richard Jenkins, Mary Steenburgen, Adam Scott, Katheryn Hahn, Andrea Savage, Rob Riggle

Q: Is this movie worth the price of admission?

A: Go! Just suspend your disbelief and let the stupidity and ridiculousness of this broad comedy carry you to those rolling hills of laughter.

Q: Will this movie make me laugh?

A: If you like jokes that are dirty.

Q: Will this movie make me cry?

A: No, but there is a close up of Will Ferrell's nut sack. A long one. Yes, both.

Q: Will this movie be up for any awards?

A: Is there a Best Hug category?

Q: How is the Acting?

A: The actors put deep commitment into every implausible moment in this absurd scenario. We've seen Ferrell and Reilly do this a million times, but it's Richard Jenkins and Mary Steenburgen, playing the parents, whose interesting character choices bring an element of originality to the screen.

Q: How is the Directing?

A: The relational perspective of the juxtaposition of the characters is disorienting in a few scenes-- much like this sentence. In other words, the director sometimes cuts from wide shots, where the characters are standing extremely far away from each other, to close-ups and over the shoulder shots, that make them appear to be in each other's faces. I can't imagine this was done on purpose.

Q: How is the story/script?

A: Not in any way genius, but it's a vast improvement on the last several Will Ferrell-Adam McKay collaborations. For one thing, this time it seems like they may have used an actual screenplay as the basis for the film. Yeah, the kind someone writes down and hands out to the cast and crew before filming begins. I know, it's a crazy concept.

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Meet Dave

Q: What’s the movie about?

A: A spaceship, in the shape of a human, with a crew made up of lots of tiny little human-looking aliens, crash-lands on Earth to find a lost probe, which the mini-aliens need to recover in order to save their planet. Unfortunately for us Earthlings, saving their planet means destroying ours.

Q: Who’s in the movie?

A: Eddie Murphy, Elizabeth Banks, Gabrielle Union, Ed Helms, Scott Caan, Kevin Hart, Mike O'Malley, Judah Friedlander, Pat Kilbane, Marc Blucas, Austin Lynd Myers

Q: Is this movie worth the price of admission?

A: Stop! Meet Dave is a great concept ripe with opportunities for humor and clever observations about human life on Earth... None of which are taken.

Q: Will this movie make me laugh?

A: Only if you've never been to the movies before, because there's not a joke to be found that hasn't been in another movie before it.

Q: Will this movie make me cry?

A: Yes, when you think about the talent that Eddie Murphy continually wastes when he chooses mediocre scripts to star in. I was just watching Eddie Murphy Raw again on TV last night, and man, can that guy be funny! Like for hours at a time.

Q: Will this movie be up for any awards?

A: In line with Norbit and The Adventures of Pluto Nash, Eddie Murphy's comedies seem to be on a winning streak at the Razzies.

Q: How is the Acting?

A: Eddie Murphy has his usual moments of genius in the physical comedy department. And Elizabeth Banks, who has not always given me cause for fandom, is charming and believable as a neurotic overbearing single mother. But several of the child actors in this piece really come off like child actors.

Q: How is the Directing?

A: The slow pace of much of the delivery of the lines-- in particular by the alien and robotic characters-- gives you way too much time to think about how slight your level of entertainment is. On a positive note, when the spaceship first lands on Earth, and rocks fly up into the screen, it's immediately evident that the special effects work is way more professional than in Hancock.

Q: How is the story/script?

A: Riddled with coincidence, easy answers, and moments that require supreme suspension of disbelief, this script is either a first draft, or the product of too much time in development, where studio executives forced compromise after compromise onto the screenwriters, gradually sucking any and all life out of what could've been a great comedy. Even the original title, Starship Dave, was multitudes more memorable than the title it's being released with, so you be the judge.

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Drillbit Taylor

Q: What’s the movie about?

A: Three high school Freshmen hire a bodyguard (Owen Wilson) to defend them from the school bully.

Q: Who’s in the movie?

A: Owen Wilson, Troy Gentile, Leslie Mann, Nate Hartley, David Dorfman, Alex Frost, Josh Peck, Valerie Tian, Danny McBride... and a great cameo by the bodyguard from My Bodyguard, which I'm only spoiling because that movie came out 28 years ago, and you might not remember what he looks like if I don't tell you to look for him.

Q: Is this movie worth the price of admission?

A: Proceed with Caution. Did you know that Drillbit Taylor is a homeless person? Yeah, it's kind of depressing. And despite his generally positive attitude about it, it lends a sad undertone to the first three-quarters of the film. Thankfully, the climax is satisfying.

Q: Will this movie make me laugh?

A: Sure, but don't expect a laugh riot.

Q: Will this movie make me cry?

A: How should I know? I've never been bullied.

Q: Will this movie be up for any awards?

A: I don't know who ShoWest is, but they always seem to be giving out awards for the Star of Tomorrow. By weighing their odds with a cast this young, I think these guys might be angling for that one. It's their only chance.

Q: How is the Acting?

A: Owen Wilson's lines weren't up to his ability, but he still made the best of all of them. And Troy Gentile, who often gets cast as a young Jack Black, has a huge career in front of him-- so long as he doesn't start doing drugs like the rest of them.

Q: How is the Directing?

A: I've got no complaints.

Q: How is the story/script?

A: Could've been a lot funnier, more heart, less predictable, more clever, less over-the-top... But it wasn't that bad.

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