Son of No One

Q: What’s the movie about?

A:  Told between flashbacks to 1986 and present day 2002, a boy, who is now a cop (Channing Tatum) must deal with the on-going repercussions of having accidentally murdered 2 people in the tenement he grew up in.

Q: Who’s in the movie?

A:  Channing Tatum, Jake Cherry, Al Pacino, James Ransone, Brian Gilbert, Ray Liotta, Katie Holmes, Tracy Morgan, Juliette Binoche, Lemon Anderson, Ursula Parker, Simone Jones, Peter Tambakis, Karen Christie-Ward, Decorte Snipes, Marilyn dobrin, Johnnie Mae, Roger Guenveur Smith, Michael Rivera

Q: Is this movie worth the price of admission?

A:  Stop!  Either everyone in my audience was an idiot or the film didn't make any sense.

Q: Will this movie make me laugh?

A: The funniest part to me were the multiple conversations in the bathroom afterwards as people tried to figure out what they just saw.

Q: Will this movie make me cry?

A:  Sure, maybe if you use the time to think about something sad.  Like a clown.

Q: Will this movie be up for any awards?

A:  Ursula Parker, a young blonde child, who looks like a cross between a young Elle and Dakota Fanning, will likely win All the Roles the Fanning Girls have Grown Too Old to Play.

Q: How is the Acting?

A:  Tracy Morgan will surprise you in this dramatic role-- mostly in that he can do it at all.  Al Pacino is strong and charismatic, despite the fact that his character motivations in pretty much all of his scenes are both unclear and illogical.  And Katie Holmes will impress you with the fact that she's not totally lame. 

Q: How is the Directing?

A:  Just about the same as in Dito Montiel's previous film, A Guide to Recognizing Your Saints.

Q: How is the story/script?

A:  The whole story revolves around the mystique of figuring out who the mystery person is who is writing notes in 2002 about the forgotten murders of 1986, and all you can think is, "Who could possibly care about the 16 year old murder of two insane drug addicts who left no loved ones behind?'  Then at the end you find out, and you still don't care.

Q: Where can I see the trailer?

A: Son of No One

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Gangster's Paradise: Jerusalema

Q: What’s the movie about?

A: After Apartheid ends in South Africa, the Black people start to realize that they're not gonna get their 40 acres and a mule, and the only way to get social justice is to steal it by hook or by crook.

Q: Who’s in the movie?

A: Rapulana Seiphemo, Ronnie Nyakale, Jeffrey Zekele, Jafta Mambolo, Motlatsi Mahloko, Robert Hobbs, Shelley Meskin

Q: Is this movie worth the price of admission?

A: Go! It's like District 9, only this time, instead of aliens, they use Black people to show the racism in Johannesburg.

Q: Will this movie make me laugh?

A: Of course! Racism is hilarious!... Okay, that's not even funny when you say it as a joke.

Q: Will this movie make me cry?

A: Yes, but only because white people are soooo mean!... It's like looking in a mirror.

Q: Will this movie be up for any awards?

A: It's the kind of film that will get a lot of buzz in the Best Foreign Film category, and then not get a nomination.

Q: How is the Acting?

A: A good job was done casting younger actors who look like their older counterparts.

Q: How is the Directing?

A: A lot of shaky-cam, a fair amount of blood and people splatting on the ground after falling from high buildings, but clearly Ralph Ziman is a talented filmmaker with a vision and a voice.

Q: How is the story/script?

A: On some levels it doesn't feel like something you've never seen before, but it certainly makes you question your ideas about right and wrong.

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

A: In South Africa, this film came out before District 9.

Q: Where can I see the trailer?

A: http://www.moviefone.com/movie/gangsters-paradise-jerusalema/37498/trailers

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District 9

(Guest Review by Russ)

Q: What’s the movie about?

A: Aliens are forced to live in a militarized slum after their spaceship breaks down over South Africa; twenty years later, while being moved to a new detention area, things start to go terribly wrong.

Q: Who’s in the movie?

A: Sharlto Copley, Jason Cope, David James, Mandla Gaduka, Vanessa Haywood, William Allen Young

Q: Is this movie worth the price of admission?

A: Go! District 9 is the definitive science-fiction film of the new millennium. No cute ETs like Spielberg’s creation or ethereal space landings as in Close Encounters, the aliens of District 9 – better known as Prawns – are angry, weird, homesick, violent, caring, curious and maybe up to something. And it’s all presented as if watching a CNN Special Report with Anderson Cooper, once again out there in some foreign locale unveiling some sickening truth about who the real bad guys are.

Q: Will this movie make me laugh?

A: Despite the relentless squalor, action and violence, District 9 has more laughs than you might expect, springing mostly from the antics of the Prawns and also the innate intelligence of the film.

Q: Will this movie make me cry?

A: If you have any Prawn-DNA in your system you will not only cry, you might not make it through the movie. (This answer doubles as an inside-joke which you will get after you’ve seen the movie.)

Q: Will this movie be up for any awards?

A: Let’s see, it is now more than midway through August and this is easily one of the best films of the year. So I won’t bet against it come awards time. (And no, I’m not talking about some made-up award like: Best Use of Cat Food In A Movie.)

Q: How is the Acting?

A: Even though District 9 oftentimes resembles a documentary (or docudrama) – and apparently almost all the dialogue was improvised – none of that takes away from the excellent performance of South African star Sharlto Copley. The emotional weight of the movie sits squarely on his shoulders (and it’s a lot of weight) and he really delivers in a believable performance that goes from weasely, nervous and unlikable at the start, to heart wrenching and heroic in the end.

Q: How is the Directing?

A: Neill Blomkamp, welcome to the start of your massive Hollywood career. Everything works in District 9 thanks to the direction. The effects, humor, pathos, acting, story and design – everything is in such perfect harmony that it becomes seamless. Blomkamp makes this all look so easy you’ll wonder why every science fiction film can’t be this entertaining. Oh yeah, maybe it’s because not every filmmaker is as talented as Neill Blomkamp (and it can’t hurt to have Peter Jackson as a producer). Hey Neill, hurry up and get working on District 10.

Q: How is the story/script?

A: There is nothing revolutionary about this story, but it doesn’t really need to be. On the surface it’s simple, yet deceptively smart and extremely well executed. Underneath however is a not-so-subtle allegory commenting on South Africa’s sad history with apartheid. But really, that sort of history can easily extend to many countries and therefore District 9 is like a mirror being held up to the human race, reflecting back its tragedies when it comes to racial discrimination. It’s ugly and sad and soul crushing and makes you wonder if we’ll ever be enlightened enough to be capable of better. District 9 deserves as much credit for that thought-provoking question as it does for being a kick-ass entertaining sci-fi action movie.

Q: Where can I see the trailer?

A: http://www.moviefone.com/movie/district-9/31920/trailers

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