The Company Men

Q: What’s the movie about?

A: A multi-million dollar company lays off 1000s of people to please their rich board without touching their own higher-ups' multi-million dollar bonuses. This is the story of what happens to some of the people who are made redundant to protect their fortunes.

Q: Who’s in the movie?

A: Ben Affleck, Tommy Lee Jones, Chris Cooper, Kevin Costner, Maria Bello, Craig T. Nelson, Rosemarie DeWitt, Eamonn Walker

Q: Is this movie worth the price of admission?

A: Stop! This movie is so depressing that any ending these characters might arrive at would feel happy... including death.

Q: Will this movie make me laugh?

A: It's kind of funny how much this movie made me want to take my own life.

Q: Will this movie make me cry?

A: No, it doesn't even let you do that! There really is no hope. Why do I even keep going?

Q: Will this movie be up for any awards?

A: Just in case voters feel obliged to fulfill their "fairness" responsibilities by watching this film, despite my warnings, here is the number for the suicide hotline: 1-800-273-TALK.

Q: How is the Acting?

A: Many of the Boston accents are distractingly inconsistent, often sounding more like they're from Long Island. Also, when Ben Affleck first arrives at the unemployment placement center, there is a large Black man (Eamonn Walker) who instantly notices him, and looks at him throughout the film like he's planning to seduce the hell out of him. The weird thing is he doesn't. That's like introducing a gay gun in the first act, and not shooting it in the third act! You can't do that! Since the gay innuendo turns out to be unintended, I'm forced to deduce that it's simply bad acting.

Q: How is the Directing?

A: Boring directing tries to redeem itself with an overbearing score and soundtrack.

Q: How is the story/script?

A: My friend Lisa is one of those people who is very careful about how she phrases things, often avoiding saying anything negative or controversial, but when this movie ended, she went on a tirade about how it was redundant, pedantic, and trivializes what all the laid-off people in America must actually be going through. Personally, I thought it was a decent enough movie, but I couldn't send anyone to go see it, unless I was trying to convince them that life just isn't worth it, and they should take action against themselves immediately. Which actually gives this movie a huge upside, because it would be cheaper than taking a contract out on my enemies, and in these hard times, any penny pinched is a penny saved!

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

A: Speaking of not giving up on things that are pointless, this is our 400th review! Just my luck that it would be a red light... where did I put that suicide hotline number again?

Q: Where can I see the trailer?

A: http://www.moviefone.com/movie/the-company-men/1429932/trailers

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Capitalism: A Love Story

Q: What’s the movie about?

A: How and why capitalism rose to power in America, and how and why it has caused the demise of democracy in the USA.

Q: Who’s in the movie?

A: 1% rich people, 99% poor people, and of course, Michael Moore-- a member of a group so rare that there is no longer a place for them in the pie chart of American demographics: the middle class.

Q: Is this movie worth the price of admission?

A: Go! Vive la Revolution!

Q: Will this movie make me laugh?

A: You know it will. Michael Moore is wacky.

Q: Will this movie make me cry?

A: Will it ever. I don't know about you, but not a lot makes me cry harder than blatant injustices done to hard working people, by those who have way more than what they need.

Q: Will this movie be up for any awards?

A: If Moore has his way, this film will cause an uprising amongst the peasants-- that's us, it turns out (you'll see). If his uprising succeeds, the film will one up the awards system by going down in history as a major catalyst, in what hereafter will be known as the American Civil Revolution. (I made the term up, and yes, you can quote me on that.)

Q: How is the Acting?

A: There are a lot of down and out people who've worked hard their whole lives, just to get pooped on by the banks that their tax dollars bailed out. They are both heartbreaking and inspirational. But the star of the film for me was Congresswoman Marcy Kaptur of Ohio, who showed true signs of being in government because she actually cares about the people. I'm currently considering moving to Ohio just so I can vote for her... Hey, I got an idea: Marcy Kaptur for president! (You heard it here first.)

Q: How is the Directing?

A: Michael Moore does 2 things really well in this film. 1) He uses clips of pre-existing footage in inventive ways to do everything from parallel our society with that of Ancient Rome to demonstrating how we got brainwashed, back in the 1950s, into thinking that Capitalism was the same thing as Democracy. It's not. 2) He leaves most of the footage of himself on the cutting room floor.

Q: How is the story/script?

A: I was wondering how Moore would tackle a topic so enormous in a 2 hour film, and one technique he uses to deal with that is to make the film more than 2 hours long. That said, he unveils a lot of scary stuff you don't know, inside some of the scary stuff you do know. He weaves the story together in a somewhat arbitrary way at first, but all the pieces come back together by the end. And most importantly, he actually offers solutions and suggestions as to ways we can change and improve our society.

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

A: One small but brilliant thing that Michael Moore does in this piece, is to enlist several men of the cloth to expound upon their beliefs that Capitalism is evil. Greed, it turns out, is not good, because Jesus pretty much said so, which proves it. I love that Moore thought to call dibs on the Christians, because everyone knows that whoever gets the Christians wins the votes. And now they can't rag on him and call him a manipulator of the truth without going against their own priests, bishops and ministers. Ha-ha!

Q: Where can I see the trailer?

A: http://www.moviefone.com/movie/capitalism-a-love-story/35590/trailers

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