The Next Three Days

Q: What’s the movie about?

A: When a man's (Russell Crowe) wife (Elizabeth Banks) is incarcerated for a crime he knows she didn't commit, he constructs a plan to break her out of jail himself.

Q: Who’s in the movie?

A: Russell Crowe, Elizabeth Banks, Ty Simpkins, Olivia Wilde, Lennie James, Liam Neeson, Brian Dennehy, Helen Carey, Jason Beghe, Aisha Hinds, Allan Steele, Michael Buie, Moran Atias, RZA, Daniel Stern, Kevin Corrigan, Peyton Grace Allen

Q: Is this movie worth the price of admission?

A: Go! Both the good guys and the bad guys are so many steps ahead of each other, that you get to a point where you're not sure if the good guys are bad or the bad guys are good.

Q: Will this movie make me laugh?

A: There's not a lot of room for humor when you're trying to keep the tension high.

Q: Will this movie make me cry?

A: Not really, but things sure can get awkward when your mom is in prison. And sometimes, it's really hard not to take it out on her.

Q: Will this movie be up for any awards?

A: Paul Haggis, Russell Crowe, and a November 19th release date... probably.

Q: How is the Acting?

A: I love Elizabeth Banks, especially in comedies, but as hard as she tries in some of her difficult dramatic moments, you never forget that she's acting opposite Russell Crowe, and she's just not on his level.

Q: How is the Directing?

A: It starts out dull and boring, much like the lives of the protagonists, and it ratchets up as the suspense builds.

Q: How is the story/script?

A: Paul Haggis is an Academy Award winning screenwriter, and yet there's something about this French remake of Pour Elle that feels like it's simply a translation of the original screenplay. Though, to be clear, that's not an insult to the original film... Which, to be even more clear, I didn't see.

Q: Where can I see the trailer?

A: http://www.moviefone.com/movie/the-next-three-days/1441492/trailers

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Scott Pilgrim vs. the World

Q: What’s the movie about?

A: Scott Pilgrim (Michael Cera) falls for a girl (Mary Elizabeth Winstead) who has 7 evil exes that he must defeat, for no reason in particular.

Q: Who’s in the movie?

A: Michael Cera, Mary Elizabeth Winstead, Kieran Culkin, Ellen Wong, Mark Webber, Alison Pill, Johnny Simmons, Anna Kendrick, Aubrey Plaze, Chris Evans, Jason Schwartzman, Brandon Routh, Satya Bhabha, Brie Larson, Mae Whitman, Keita Saitou, Shota Saito, Ben Lewis

Q: Is this movie worth the price of admission?

A: Proceed with Caution. This film is all style and no substance. But there always seems to be some idiot who gloms onto that sort of a thing and calls it a cult classic.

Q: Will this movie make me laugh?

A: The style is pretty funny at times, but when I say style, I'm talking about dialogue more pretentious than in Juno.

Q: Will this movie make me cry?

A: No, because you won't give a crap about anybody in it... not in you heart anyway.

Q: Will this movie be up for any awards?

A: Best Directing. Bet you didn't think I'd say that?

Q: How is the Acting?

A: Kieran Culkin steals the show because he has the best lines. And Anna Kendrick-- is there anything she's not in?

Q: How is the Directing?

A: Edgar Wright's visuals are the only reason anyone will be fooled into thinking this is a good movie.

Q: How is the story/script?

A: Don't expect to care about anybody, or even understand why Scott Pilgrim likes the girl he has to fight for. Also prepare to wonder where he gets his superpowers to fight these exes, why the exes turn into money when they are defeated, and by the way, how he defeats any of them, when in most cases it looks like they killed him first, multiple times. Basically, we are shown a surrealistic world of magical reality, but the rules of the world and the magic are never set up or explained to us.

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

A: It tries to be a live action videogame, probably in order to pander to the young male audience that no one seems to be able to reach because they're busy playing actual video games. Since there's no user participation in this viewing experience, I don't see any reason for that audience to come out and see this. So why don't we all just accept that that audience is done with movies, and start making movies for the people who actually like to go to them. Like, for example, girls.

Q: Where can I see the trailer?

A: http://www.moviefone.com/movie/scott-pilgrim-vs-the-world/35215/trailers

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X-Men Origins: Wolverine

Q: What’s the movie about?

A: Where did Wolverine come from? How did he get to be the way he is? You will find out, but he won't.

Q: Who’s in the movie?

A: Hugh Jackman, Liev Schreiber, Danny Huston, Will.i.am, Lynn Collins, Kevin Durand, Dominic Monaghan, Taylor Kitsch, Daniel Henney, Ryan Reynolds

Q: Is this movie worth the price of admission?

A: Proceed with Caution. After resisting seeing this movie, I have to say, it's not nearly as bad as you think it's going to be. I'd even go so far as to admit that it's a lot of fun-- so long as you don't require any elements that you've never seen before in a film.

Q: Will this movie make me laugh?

A: There are several efforts made, but none of them are successful.

Q: Will this movie make me cry?

A: I hope you don't mind fingernails on a chalkboard, because in a movie featuring so many characters with remarkable nails, you're bound to get a lot of them scratching up things... and the flesh is almost easier to take than the metal.

Q: Will this movie be up for any awards?

A: How great is Weapon XI? Best bad guy ever! Talk about having it all!

Q: How is the Acting?

A: As good of an actor as Hugh Jackman is, I sometimes have a hard time getting past his total thespianism. His posture in the the way he walks, and stands, and glares is so actor-y to me, that I don't always see a tough guy-killer, but rather a sweet, family man, who likes to take on interesting roles. And I love Danny Huston, but the mere fact that he's cast in a role, gives away who the bad guy is going to be. He needs to play some nice guys soon, to bring back that element of surprise.

Q: How is the Directing?

A: The directing is fast-paced and move-y. So much so, that it inspired me to make up a word... only to realize that the word already exists, and it's spelled, "movie." But, yeah, I thought the directing was great.

Q: How is the story/script?

A: The fights, the superpowers, the special effects, are all there. And the story is absolutely adequate, too. They kind of had it easy though, since we already know that Wolverine doesn't remember his past, from the X-Men movies we've already seen. So the writers could basically do anything, because they have to erase his memory by the end, for continuity, so this story is ultimately irrelevant to the rest of the lore.

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

A: Do not stay for the little scene after the credits. It's not nearly interesting enough to justify sitting through approximately 17 minutes of visual effects credits.

Q: Where can I see the trailer?

A: http://www.moviefone.com/movie/x-men-origins-wolverine/30722/trailers

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Anvil! The Story of Anvil

Q: What’s the movie about?

A: This documentary about 1980s heavy metal band, Anvil, shows us where they are now. And to our surprise, this band never broke up, they just faded away.

Q: Who’s in the movie?

A: Anvil, their families, and the five people who drunkenly stumbled into the bar they happened to be playing at.

Q: Is this movie worth the price of admission?

A: Proceed with Caution. Depending on what kind of person you are, this band’s never say die attitude toward reclaiming the fame they had back in the early 80s will either inspire you, or make you wonder how people can never say die when they’re already dead and buried.

Q: Will this movie make me laugh?

A: They do have a volume knob that goes to 11.

Q: Will this movie make me cry?

A: As these talented musicians pursue their lofty dreams, one thing that’s sadly evident is how incredibly out-dated their music is.

Q: Will this movie be up for any awards?

A: To predict the future I will look into the past, and after seeing that it has already won several festival awards for Best Documentary, I can predict with assurance that it will.

Q: How is the Acting?

A: The guys in this band are best friends, so that’s sweet. They’re also 50-year-old musicians who are trying to make it, so that’s crazy.

Q: How is the Directing?

A: The director, Sacha Gervasi, used to tour with the band when he was a teenager and a fan, so he knows these guys pretty intimately. And while we can feel just how wacky his characters could be, with their reckless drive to be somebody, and their complete disregard for the fact that they already once were, somehow we feel like the best of the insanity may have been left on the cutting room floor. Perhaps Gervasi was too close to his subjects, and hoped to protect their image just enough to stop this film from having the raw, squirmy moments that would have put it over the top.

Q: How is the story/script?

A: The story’s arc is standard and predictable, without quite enough surprise twists to make it feel completely original. Ironically, the most interesting part of the movie’s conclusion is likely to happen after the film gets some notoriety, as that will likely lead to the band’s newfound glory, even more so than recording a 13th and 14th album which nobody is going to hear.

Q: Where can I see the trailer?

A: http://www.moviefone.com/movie/anvil-the-story-of-anvil/32510/trailers

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The Love Guru

Q: What’s the movie about?

A: The owner of the Toronto Maple Leafs Hockey Team (Jessica Alba) hires her favorite Guru (Mike Myers) to get her star player (Romany Malco) back on track, by reuniting him with his wife.

Q: Who’s in the movie?

A: Mike Myers, Jessica Alba, Romany Malco, Meagan Good, Justin Timberlake, Ben Kingsley, Verne Troyer, John Oliver, Stephen Colbert, Jim Gaffigan, Telma Hopkins, and many great cameos, like Mariska Hargitay.

Q: Is this movie worth the price of admission?

A: Proceed with Caution. This movie is random. Which at times is enjoyable. But Mike Myers' comedies tend to play better on the small screen, when you watch them in bits and chunks, and you're only half paying attention. So you should probably wait for DVD.

Q: Will this movie make me laugh?

A: If your sense of humor is as juvenile as mine, you'll laugh.

Q: Will this movie make me cry?

A: If your sense of humor is more juvenile than mine, you'll laugh 'til you cry... Especially if it's your first time getting stoned and you're having a laugh-attack. Because I have to assume that if your sense of humor is more juvenile than mine, you're probably young enough to never have gotten stoned before, thereby still being susceptible to the ever-elusive pot-induced laugh-attack.

Q: Will this movie be up for any awards?

A: No, but it does have elephant sex, so that's impressive.

Q: How is the Acting?

A: Like Austin Powers with an Indian accent and less teeth.

Q: How is the Directing?

A: If it had been paced up a bit, it would be twice as funny. The script is pretty good, but the director lets the actors milk each joke with pauses, as if to say at every turn, "See that? We made a funny."

Q: How is the story/script?

A: Better than the actors make it look. Not you Stephen Colbert. You were impeccable.

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