Eat Pray Love

Q: What’s the movie about?

A: Book writer, Elizabeth Gilbert's (Julia Roberts), memoirs about the time when her life and marriage fell apart, and she lost all of her money, but somehow had enough left over to take a year off so she could travel to Italy to eat, to India to get religion, and to Bali to do-- God knows what her plan was there, but luckily she fell in love, so that her book could have a title that comes full circle.

Q: Who’s in the movie?

A: Julia Roberts, James Franco, Viola Davis, Javier Bardem, Billy Crudup, Richard Jenkins, Mike O'Malley, Hadi Subiyanto, Tuva Novotny, Luca Argentero, Giuseppe Gandini, Christine Hakim, Anakia Lapae

Q: Is this movie worth the price of admission?

A: Proceed with Caution. Everything about the book that works works better in the book.

Q: Will this movie make me laugh?

A: There's a funny scene where Julia Roberts and her Swedish friend realize that they've eaten so much in Italy, and put on so much weight, that they can no longer zip up their pants. The funniest part about the scene is how skinny they both are.

Q: Will this movie make me cry?

A: Boy does this film have a lot of sentimentality in it.

Q: Will this movie be up for any awards?

A: Let me smile in my liver on it and get back to you.

Q: How is the Acting?

A: Julia Roberts is still a movie star who lights up the screen without even trying. Javier Bardem and James Franco are duly sexy in their respective love interest roles. But Richard Jenkins, as the unlikely friend who's unlikely to be in an ashram, is totally miscast. For one thing, he doesn't look enough like an all-American Texan good-ol' boy, by which I mean he's not fat. And more importantly, he looks like a Democrat.

Q: How is the Directing?

A: It's hard to go wrong in such colorful places as Italy, India and Bali, so it looks beautiful, but I wish the meditations had been more visually inventive... Although I admit that based on the description in the book which describes the meditations as indescribable, that was a losing battle from the moment the director signed up for this job.

Q: How is the story/script?

A: Any adaptation is a challenge because there are things that work on the page which don't translate well to the screen, and this adaptation is no exception to the rule proven by my personal, made-up statistic that an average of 1 out of 18 books succeeds as a movie. This adaptation, along with the other 17 out of 18, fails on several levels. Things that are described in the book come off staged and monolgue-y when they're said out loud as dialogue. Also most of the angst that works as a starting point for Liz Gilbert's inspiring transformation from a depressed mess to a well-balanced woman with an undeniable joie de vivre is invisible on the screen. In the book, being inside her head keeps the audience attuned to her ever changing emotional level. But it would be ridiculous to hear her every thought throughout the movie-- hey, I just got a good idea for a Will Ferrell comedy!

Q: Where can I see the trailer?

A: http://www.moviefone.com/movie/eat-pray-love/27799/trailers

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Moon

(Guest Review by Russ)

Q: What’s the movie about?

A: Astronaut Sam Bell (Sam Rockwell) is weeks away from finishing a three-year stint working all alone on the moon harvesting new energy to ship back to earth when something goes horribly and mysteriously wrong.

Q: Who’s in the movie?

A: Sam Rockwell, Kevin Spacey, Dominique McElligott, Kaya Scodelario, Matt Berry, Malcolm Stewart, Benedict Wong

Q: Is this movie worth the price of admission?

A: Proceed with Caution. Moon is a sci-fi, thriller and psychological character study all rolled into one – and the mix works really well. Sam Rockwell is practically a one-man show in this, with only a computer named GERTY (voiced by Spacey) as companion. Something is amiss very early on in Moon, and once the mystery starts unfolding it’s impossible not to be riveted and intrigued by an intelligent, thought-provoking pay-off. This movie will not be for everyone, but if you have the patience for an-- at times slow-- film that’ll make you think, Moon is the one to see and then go discuss with your friends for hours on end afterwards.

Q: Will this movie make me laugh?

A: If you still see the humor in emoticons.

Q: Will this movie make me cry?

A: There is a scene near the end between Sam and his daughter which may indeed start the water works. You’ve been warned.

Q: Will this movie be up for any awards?

A: Even though it’s being released during the summer, Sam Rockwell makes such a searing impression that it will be hard to ignore his performance(s) come awards season at the end of the year. In fact – without any spoilers – Sam Rockwell could conceivably become the first actor in history to be nominated for Best Actor and Best Supporting Actor for playing the same part in the same film. Wow, I think I just blew my own mind thinking about that. But go see Moon and you’ll understand and agree with me.

Q: How is the Acting?

A: Sam Rockwell is an amazing talent and has made a career of effortlessly working in both indies and big studio films. He is so good in this film – and in many regards it’s a very understated performance – that I can’t think of a single actor who would have been better. Rockwell has a way of conveying emotion that is uniquely his own and just hits you in the gut because it’s so devastatingly real and heartbreaking.

Q: How is the Directing?

A: Up to this point director Duncan Jones was probably most famous for simply being the son of singer David Bowie. But this debut film will push him out from under his famous father’s shadow. For all intents and purposes Moon is an indie film (picked up for distribution by Sony at the 2009 Sundance Film Festival) that looks and feels rich on what was probably a relatively low budget. The special effects are not flashy but the moon locale, machines, space-suits and space-station all feel authentic and real. And Jones displays a sure hand in presenting challenging material in a way that is visual and suspenseful but also respectful to the audience.

Q: How is the story/script?

A: There is a strong emotional core to Moon, that is embedded in its story, and as the secrets of what’s happening unfold, the logic of it all makes perfect sense. Additionally, within the trappings of an unraveling mystery that is both suspenseful and tense, the story asks fascinating questions about what makes us human – and how much respect does a living breathing person deserve. It’s also worth mentioning that the ending of Moon is so good that you will realize it has perfectly set up a sequel that might be even more compelling. (And I nominate they title the sequel Moon 2: Earth.)

Q: Where can I see the trailer?

A: http://www.moviefone.com/movie/moon/36289/video/moon-trailer-no-1/20292755001

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