Like Crazy

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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One Day

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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Something Borrowed

Q: What’s the movie about?

A: A woman (Ginnifer Goodwin) is in love with the man (Colin Egglesfield), whom her best friend (Kate Hudson) is about to marry.

Q: Who’s in the movie?

A: Ginnifer Goodwin, Kate Hudson, Colin Egglesfield, John Krasinski, Steve Howey, Ashley Williams, Geoff Pierson, Jill Eikenberry

Q: Is this movie worth the price of admission?

A: Go! If you're in the market for a romantic comedy that has enough characters to make you wonder who’s good, who’s bad, and which way this is going to go, you will appreciate the tension in the dilemma this story-- so obviously based on a Chick-lit book-- has to offer.

Q: Will this movie make me laugh?

A: It’s more romance than comedy, but at least it's not unfunny.

Q: Will this movie make me cry?

A: Surprisingly, there isn’t even a point at which you would want to, because right when things get as bad as they can, something on the side always happens to go right.

Q: Will this movie be up for any awards?

A: Lamest Use of a Falsely Gay character. The set up is fine, where they take it is a missed opportunity.

Q: How is the Acting?

A: After hearing the premise, I was curious to know how they were going to make the main character likeable, with such a questionable motivation as wanting to steal your best friend’s man. The answer lies in the casting. Ginnifer Goodwin is the perfect noble victim, and Kate Hudson is the perfectly oblivious nuisance.

Q: How is the Directing?

A: Luke Greenfield lets the story take the lead... But this isn't the first time he's made a "comedy" that isn't funny.

Q: How is the story/script?

A: Not unfamiliar to either readers of chick-lit novels, or viewers of romantic-comedy films, but certainly at the top of both (naturally limited) genres, which I personally love so much, despite all the hateration.

Q: Where can I see the trailer?

A: Something Borrowed Trailer

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Another Year

Q: What’s the movie about?

A: An old married couple (Jim Broadbent & Ruth Sheen) deals with all the tragically desperate single people around them.

Q: Who’s in the movie?

A: Jim Broadbent, Lesley Manville, Ruth Sheen, Oliver Maltman, Peter Wight, David Bradley, Martin Savage, Karina Fernandez, Michele Austin, Phil Davis, Imelda Staunton

Q: Is this movie worth the price of admission?

A: Proceed with Caution. It's tragically long and desperately tragic, but the acting is so mesmerizing, that it's almost worth enduring.

Q: Will this movie make me laugh?

A: Isn't "desperate" a quality that's always funny?-- I mean, when it's another person's desperation.

Q: Will this movie make me cry?

A: Okay, you're right, desperation is tragically depressing regardless of whose it is.

Q: Will this movie be up for any awards?

A: This film may actually contain this year's Best Performance by a man or a woman. But Leslie Manville will probably get screwed out of her deserved Academy Award because Natalie Portman's got all the hype. My advice, go for Supporting and win!

Q: How is the Acting?

A: A series of well executed subtle and not-so-subtle shared looks and glances tell stories more complex than any words ever could.

Q: How is the Directing?

A: In making movies like Happy-Go-Lucky and Topsy-Turvy, Mike Leigh has tried to fool us into thinking that he makes upbeat spirited movies, only to lure us back into his original world of movies with the word "Bleak" in the title. Thankfully, he puts hyphens in the titles of his upbeat movies, and not in the titles of his downbeat ones, so in the future, we'll have to pay closer attention to that, if we don't want to find ourselves in a 2hr 20mn exploration of desperately tragic loneliness.

Q: How is the story/script?

A: The dialogue is well written and perfectly executed by the actors, but the ending doesn't give you a lot of hope for these tragically desperate characters... which I guess is the point, since after all, it's not called "A Pivotal Year," it's just Another Year.

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

A: The Brits are known for having bad teeth, but some of the teeth in this film are distressing enough to be showcased in some kind of bizarre human museum, like Ripley's Believe It or Not. Even the normal-looking teeth are shown filled with scraps of food for entire scenes at a time.

Q: Where can I see the trailer?

A: Another Year Trailer

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Made in Dagenham

Q: What’s the movie about?

A: In 1968, Ford Automotive's female factory workers in Dagenham, England went on strike to try to get equal pay for women, and in the process shut down the whole plant, putting their own husbands out of work, and pissing everybody off.

Q: Who’s in the movie?

A: Sally Hawkins, Bob Hoskins, Geraldine James, Daniel Mays, Andrea Riseborough, Miranda Richardson, Jaime Winstone, Rosamund Pike, Kenneth Cranham, Richard Schiff, Rupert Graves, Marcus Hutton, Roger Lloyd-Pack

Q: Is this movie worth the price of admission?

A: Go! Anything worth having is worth fighting for. But in this day and age, we've all grown so entitled about what we think we deserve that we don't think we still have to fight to get it, and sometimes I wonder if any of us will ever have anything worth having again.

Q: Will this movie make me laugh?

A: I finally understand why I'm reading so much about Andrea Riseborough in all the Hollywood trade magazines. In this movie, she looks like Angelina Jolie with a potty-mouth and a low class British accent. So as you can imagine, she has all the good lines.

Q: Will this movie make me cry?

A: Most of the time... then again, women's lib has been my issue since elementary school, where I used to pick fist-fights with the boys just to prove that a girl could beat them up, so maybe it's just me.

Q: Will this movie be up for any awards?

A: I can't imagine any of the British Awards will overlook this Norma Rae for Limeys.

Q: How is the Acting?

A: The British don't ever seem to put actors in their movies who can't act. Can you think of anyone in any British movie that was less than excellent?

Q: How is the Directing?

A: I'm trying to figure out what it is about Nigel Cole that attracts him to so many projects about the plight of women. In Calendar Girls he fought against ageism geared at women by telling the story of a group of women over 50 who put together a nude calendar, and here he follows that up with what can only be described as part two of a natural trilogy. I'm thinking the final installment should be about a group of women who figure out how to get their husbands to do housework.

Q: How is the story/script?

A: You know this script is British because nothing gets overly dramatic or in your face, and right when you think of the obvious comeback for a character, they say something much more subtle, and possibly more effective than the obvious.

Q: Where can I see the trailer?

A: http://www.moviefone.com/movie/made-in-dagenham/51718/video/made-in-dagenham-trailer-no-1/648405641001

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Hereafter

Q: What’s the movie about?

A: A man in America (Matt Damon) struggles with his gift for talking to the dead, while a woman in France (Cecile de France) struggles with the aftermath of a near-death experience, while a boy in England (Frankie McLaren/George McLaren) struggles with the sudden loss of his twin brother.

Q: Who’s in the movie?

A: Matt Damon, Cecile de France, Jay Mohr, Frankie McLaren, George McLaren, Thierry Neuvic, Bryce Dallas Howard, Richard Kind, Lyndsey Marshal, Rebekah Staton, Declan Conlon, Steven R. Schirripa, Jean-Yves Berteloot, Niamh Cusack, George Costigan, Jenifer Lewis, Marthe Keller, Derek Jacobi

Q: Is this movie worth the price of admission?

A: Go! I was so into it, that I couldn't stop thinking it was a true story. It's not... But I still think the basic principles of it are.

Q: Will this movie make me laugh?

A: Clint Eastwood wouldn't know humor if it landed on his head and farted ... Okay, I may just be saying that to get a rise out of the idiot commentators who threatened to rape and kill me when I compared Clint Eastwood's performance in Gran Torino to Will Ferrell. I've erased the comments because they were so incredibly graphic and offensive, but I still wanted to take this occasion to say F-U!

Q: Will this movie make me cry?

A: As I learned from the aforementioned commentators, death is a very sensitive subject, especially when it's threatened on you. But the answer to this question would have been yes anyway. You will cry.

Q: Will this movie be up for any awards?

A: I kind of hope so, even though this is the kind of "Hollywood" movie that will have all the die hard cineastes up in arms if itwins. It's got a similar vibe to Crash.

Q: How is the Acting?

A: The young boys and their heroin-addicted mother (Lyndsey Marshal) are the surprise break out performances. And Cecile De France has a charm that's reminiscent of Meg Ryan in her prime-- with a cute little French accent to boot.

Q: How is the Directing?

A: Anyone who shoots a movie that takes place in not one, but both of my favorite cities in the world, is all right with me. Go ahead, take a guess. Hint: they're the two cities I grew up flying back and forth between. If you've been reading my reviews, you should be able to answer this one by now.

Q: How is the story/script?

A: Let me tell you why Peter Morgan is a great writer: even as I'm predicting what's going to happen next, I'm not feeling like I'm watching anything formulaic. Try to figure that one out.

Q: Where can I see the trailer?

A: http://www.moviefone.com/movie/hereafter/1421819/trailers

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Joan Rivers: A Piece of Work

Q: What’s the movie about?

A: An unflinching look at Joan Rivers' rise to fame, and her desperate attempt to stay there until the day she kicks the bucket.

Q: Who’s in the movie?

A: Joan Rivers, Melissa Rivers, Larry A. Thompson, Bari Pearlman, Edgar Rosenberg, Kathy Griffin, Don Rickles, Johnny Carson, Ed Sullivan, Donald Trump,

Q: Is this movie worth the price of admission?

A: Go! Joan Rivers clearly did this movie to prove that she's still funny, and guess what? She is.

Q: Will this movie make me laugh?

A: It's possibly the most genuinely funny movie I've seen this year... but you have to be up for a crass old lady making anal sex jokes.

Q: Will this movie make me cry?

A: She is so damn insecure!.... But as we funny people know, that's where comedy comes from... Pain.

Q: Will this movie be up for any awards?

A: No, because the Best Old Lady Comeback of the year has already gone to Betty White.

Q: How is the Acting?

A: I learned from this movie that Joan Rivers will say yes to any offer.... I also learned that despite the ugly stigma she comes with, she really can act. So, Quentin Tarantino, we're counting on you to bring her back and legitimize her.

Q: How is the Directing?

A: For a documentary, there are a lot of seemingly candid shots with soft, flattering lighting.

Q: How is the story/script?

A: The footage is seamlessly edited, flowing between the present day story of Joan trying to stay relevant, and the history of her sordid past. What I can't help but wonder is, where is that old senile, spacey and incoherent Joan who used to ask crazy and embarrassingly irrelevant questions on the red carpet, not 5 years ago? This version of her is not only coherent, she's got enough brains and quick wit for everyone in the room.

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

A: It turns out that Johnny Carson was as much of a douchebag as Jay Leno... so maybe he is the right host to carry on the legacy of the Tonight Show.

Q: Where can I see the trailer?

A: http://www.moviefone.com/movie/joan-rivers-a-piece-of-work/10024268/trailers

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Get Him to the Greek

Q: What’s the movie about?

A: An aspiring music exec (Jonah Hill) has to get a famous rock star (Russell Brand) from London to Los Angeles in three days, without getting side tracked by drugs, sex, or the rock star's insane membrane.

Q: Who’s in the movie?

A: Jonah Hill, Russell Brand, Elizabeth Moss, Rose Byrne, Sean "P. Diddy" Combs, Colm Meaney, Aziz Anzari, Lars Ulrich, Lino Facioli, Nick Kroll, Dinah Stabb, T.J. Miller, Carla Gallo

Q: Is this movie worth the price of admission?

A: Proceed with Caution. If you liked The Hangover, you'll like this drug induced extended party sequence a little less than that one.

Q: Will this movie make me laugh?

A: Clearly I see too many movies and I'm jaded because everyone else laughed a lot more than I did. Then again, I hardly laughed in The Hangover either. Shhhh. Don't tell.

Q: Will this movie make me cry?

A: You won't, but according to the dialogue, Lars Ulrich, drummer for Metallica, can cry for 3 hours straight. On a more observational note, I thought it was clever that they had Russell Brand fall in a pool right before the scene where he's supposedly crying, because once his face is covered in water, it's harder to tell, that as an actor, he can't actually cry. I still noticed.

Q: Will this movie be up for any awards?

A: Best product Placement for a New Drug. I wonder how much money the drug dealer's union kicked in for that Jeffery sponsorship?

Q: How is the Acting?

A: My friend Meredith liked Russell Brand more as a bit part in Forgetting Sarah Marshall, but I thought the character was still funny (even though I didn't laugh), and it was nice to see a deeper side to the comic relief character. Jonah Hill, for once not standing next to Michael Cera, gets his chance to play the put-upon innocent whom stuff just happens to, and he's unexpectedly good at it. But he really needs to lose some weight before I'll buy that he can get a girlfriend.

Q: How is the Directing?

A: Nick Stoller, who never directed anything before Forgetting Sarah Marshall, is clearly getting more comfortable behind the camera, as he can be seen here experimenting more, especially when it comes to creating that drugged out POV.

Q: How is the story/script?

A: A lot of jokes try to make up for a total lack of substance. Despite the supposed urgency of getting him to the Greek, we never feel that the stakes are very high, because in a worst case scenario, Jonah Hill will lose his job, and at a certain point, we're not so sure that he cares about that anymore.

Q: Where can I see the trailer?

A: http://www.moviefone.com/movie/get-him-to-the-greek/38930/trailers

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Harry Brown

Q: What’s the movie about?

A: After losing everything, an old man (Michael Caine) goes vigilante on the gang members in his neighborhood.

Q: Who’s in the movie?

A: Michael Caine, Emily Mortimer, Charlie Creed-Miles, David Bradley, Iain Glen, Sean Harris, Ben Drew, Jack O'Connell, Jamal Downey, Lee Oakes, Joseph Gigun, Liam Cunningham

Q: Is this movie worth the price of admission?

A: Proceed with Caution. This highly independent version of a shoot 'em up is well done, but it is in no way fun to watch.

Q: Will this movie make me laugh?

A: Sure, if you find it funny that people in the projects are killing each other just for the sport of it.

Q: Will this movie make me cry?

A: It is depressing.

Q: Will this movie be up for any awards?

A: It won an Empire Awards in the UK. I've never heard of that award either.

Q: How is the Acting?

A: I paid very close attention, and I have to tell you, I saw Michael Caine blink several times. If that means nothing to you, I suggest you get hip to the pop culture on the 1980s by watching this video: Michael Caine on Acting

Q: How is the Directing?

A: The first few shots will make you want to throw up because they're so shaky. And then you'll want to throw up again because of what happens in them. After that, the directing becomes less showy for the most part.

Q: How is the story/script?

A: A man with nothing to live for always makes for a great vigilante. The only problem is that when he's got nothing to live for, it's harder to care about whether or not he lives.

Q: Where can I see the trailer?

A: http://film-book.com/harry-brown-movie-trailer/

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Sherlock Holmes

(Guest Review by Russ)

Q: What’s the movie about?

A: Famed Scotland Yard detective Sherlock Holmes and his fearless partner Dr. Watson take on a baffling case that may threaten all of England.

Q: Who’s in the movie?

A: Robert Downey Jr., Jude Law, Rachel McAdams, Mark Strong, Kelly Reilly, Eddie Marsan, James Fox, Hans Matheson, William Hope, Robert Maillet

Q: Is this movie worth the price of admission?

A: Go! I’ll confess, I thought this movie would be terrible with fingers crossed that it would at least rise to the level of mediocre. Well surprise, it’s excellent! Whether he’s a billionaire in a red and yellow suit made of iron or blazing up a pipe as British sleuth Sherlock Holmes, Robert Downey Jr. continues to specialize in making his characters uniquely entertaining to watch. The film is as clever as Holmes himself, and has as much eye-popping action as any big summer blockbuster. Thank you Santa for delivering such stellar entertainment this holiday season. (In this case Santa = Warner Bros. Studios.)

Q: Will this movie make me laugh?

A: It stops just short of being an outright comedy, so expect plenty of non-stop chuckles throughout. Most are derived from the clever exchanges and emotional bond between Holmes (Downey Jr.) and Watson (Jude Law).

Q: Will this movie make me cry?

A: Well, I teared up a bit in the first ten minutes as the realization hit that the film was actually good (tears of joy, yes). Now you can go knowing that fact and not fearing a crying jag.

Q: Will this movie be up for any awards?

A: It’s escapist fun, so not really built for awards, but with that said, the production design, visual effects and costumes are off-the-charts fantastic.

Q: How is the Acting?

A: I never read any Sherlock Holmes books or paid attention to past films, so as far as I’m concerned Robert Downey Jr. makes a perfect Holmes in 2009. He’s clever, witty and an agile fighter so he has it going on in the hero department. My only quibble was that his (otherwise flawless) British accent was hard to understand at times. Jude Law is really really good as Dr. Watson, and his chemistry with Sherlock Holmes is way better and far sexier than the chemistry between Downey Jr. and Rachel McAdams. I know that seems gay, but the homoerotic underpinnings of Holmes’ and Watson’s relationship seems to have been done very much on purpose and it only makes the movie that much better and emotionally richer. Many of the supporting parts are peppered with director Guy Ritchie’s British favorites and they’re all clearly having a great time with their roles.

Q: How is the Directing?

A: Guy Ritchie has carved out a well-respected career with low-budget films such as Lock Stock and Two Smoking Barrels, Snatch and the recent Rock-n-Rolla. So a big Hollywood studio finally gave him a big budget and franchise to see what he could do and personally I’m just happy that millions of new fans will now get to see his work. He keeps his trademark camera flourishes and style more under wraps here but overall the film is shot with loads of energy and visual creativity. It also looks gorgeous and even with a massive budget Ritchie still puts his personal stamp on it by laying a whole new twist on Holmes’ fight scenes. Ritchie has always had a particularly macho approach to filmmaking and the stories he tells, and that sensibility infuses Sherlock Holmes with more liveliness than it would otherwise have had. But within all that machismo is a sly sense of humor, inventive wit and amusing twists and turns that Ritchie has coalesced into a superior detective story.

Q: How is the story/script?

A: I was never expecting this version of Sherlock Holmes to be clever, but it is, and in a way that always makes sense and rarely loses the audience. Holmes has great fun being the ever-observant ‘savant’ – seeing clues that even modern-day CSI teams might miss – while still staying true to the period. The script also gives as much attention to its characters and humor as it does the story, which is another reason the entire film is so darn entertaining. The end – while completely satisfying – nicely sets up a sequel, which I already can’t wait to see. (Rumor has it Brad Pitt will play the bad guy; even better.)

Q: Where can I see the trailer?

A: http://www.moviefone.com/movie/sherlock-holmes/35683/trailers

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Frost/Nixon

Q: What’s the movie about?

A: British talk show host, David Frost (Michael Sheen), gets a chance to interview Richard Nixon (Frank Langella), after his impeachment, in the hopes of getting him to confess to his crimes.

Q: Who’s in the movie?

A: Michael Sheen, Frank Langella, Kevin Bacon, Rebecca Hall, Matthew Macfadyen, Sam Rockwell, Oliver Platt, Clint Howard, Toby Jones

Q: Is this movie worth the price of admission?

A: Go! It's yet another opportunity to learn something about the history of the 1970s without having to think too hard. And much like Milk, it also has a strange timeliness, as a fallen President tries to rebuild a legacy that will hopefully be more impressive than the truth.

Q: Will this movie make me laugh?

A: Only when you least expect it.

Q: Will this movie make me cry?

A: Almost. But mostly it serves as a good reminder never to drunk dial!... That may have been Nixon's biggest mistake.

Q: Will this movie be up for any awards?

A: While Frank Langella looks hardly anything like Nixon (I don't even think he gets the ethnicity right), he does manage to channel his energy and his expressions in a way that will most likely get him a nod. But if he's up against Josh Brolin playing W. they could presidentially cancel each other out for the win. In any case, between them and Sean Penn in Milk, this is shaping up to be a very political race for the Oscar. And we thought that after November 4th we could finally get a break from all that!

Q: How is the Acting?

A: This is really Michael Sheen's movie, and he totally owns it, bringing with him the essence of the 70s from the hair to the goofy look on his face.

Q: How is the Directing?

A: Though it's based on a play, Ron Howard manages to keep it feeling cinematic.

Q: How is the story/script?

A: It's hard to deny the talent that it takes to write a script that keeps things moving, when your source material is two men sitting in chairs.  Peter Morgan's script feels like a boxing match, despite the fact that both men are pinned to their seats.

Q: Where can I see the trailer?

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

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RockNRolla

(Guest Review by Russ)

Q: What’s the movie about?

A: A real-estate scam leads some underworld tough-guys to millions in cash, but not before a lot of double-crosses with a lot of colorful characters set in the colorful city of London.

Q: Who’s in the movie?

A: Gerard Butler, Tom Wilkinson, Thandie Newton, Jeremy Piven, Chris 'Ludacris' Bridges, Mark Strong, Karl Roden, Jimi Mistry, Toby Kebbell, Tom Hardy, Idris Elba

Q: Is this movie worth the price of admission?

A: Proceed with Caution. RockNRolla signals a nice return to form for writer/director Guy Ritchie, so if you loved Lock Stock and Two Smoking Barrels and Snatch, you will eat this up. If thick British accents, dark humor and plot-twists for days aren’t your thing, then maybe skip it.

Q: Will this movie make me laugh?

A: When criminals, Russian mobsters, gay and straight tough-guys and sexy accountants are all this smart, this dumb, this lucky and this snake-bitten, it’s hard not to laugh. But fortunately, you’re supposed to.

Q: Will this movie make me cry?

A: No. If you want to see a Guy Ritchie movie that’ll make you cry, go rent Swept Away. On second thought, don’t, I can't want to be responsible for your suicide.

Q: Will this movie be up for any awards?

A: Probably not, but there would be no shame in seeing Tom Wilkinson and newcomer (at least to America) Toby Kebbell (as rocker Johnny Quid) get acting nominations.

Q: How is the Acting?

A: It’s all so natural that it makes you forget how good everyone is, and it’s always nice to see some fresh faces that are lesser known on American shores. How does Tom Wilkinson find these roles year in and year out and become such completely different characters? He’s amazing. Gerard Butler is slyly funny, confident and freaked-out all at the same time. And one more mention to Toby Kebbell (I know: Who!?) as the RocknRoller (i.e. singer) who wants to be a RocknRolla (i.e. gangster) that everyone is trying to find. He starts out as a side-note, until you realize he’s the most pivotal character in the film, and probably the most interesting.

Q: How is the Directing?

A: Guy Ritchie is never at a loss for directing with true style that doesn’t come off as showy, but rather informs his story and characters. RockNRolla is less hyper than his past films, but in this case, that’s a good thing.

Q: How is the story/script?

A: The thin plot is what makes RockNRolla a lesser film than either Snatch or Lock, Stock…, but it’s just engaging enough to keep you interested. And after an over-explained set-up that can be hard to follow, it doesn’t turn out to be that hard to follow. The final intersection of the two divergent stories could have been smoother, but that’s a minor quibble. Overall, it’s a satisfying framework in which to let these oddball characters loose, so they can rattle around and bump up against each other for two hours.

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