The Descendants

Q: What’s the movie about?

A:  A man's wife goes into a coma, and that's when he (George Clooney) finds out she was cheating on him. 

Q: Who’s in the movie?

A:  George Clooney, Shailene Woodley, Nick Krause, Amara Miller, Robert Forster, Beau Bridges, Judy Greer, Matthew Lillard

Q: Is this movie worth the price of admission?

A:  Proceed with Caution.  It's called The Descendants but it should have been called, "Come Visit My Dead Wife in the Hospital," because that's the majority of what happens in the movie.

Q: Will this movie make me laugh?

A:  Yes, but not as much as you have in past Alexander Payne films.  So don't go in expecting Election or Sideways.

Q: Will this movie make me cry?

A:  Right when I thought I couldn't care less, Judy Greer had me holding back tears so I wouldn't embarrass myself by crying.

Q: Will this movie be up for any awards?

A:  There is buzz, but most of it is from before anyone saw the movie.

Q: How is the Acting?

A:  I don't like George Clooney as an actor, he just doesn't jump off the screen.  But the 3 kids are amazing!  I predict much work in the future for Amara Miller, Nick Krause, and Shailene Woodley-- who just today came out as one of Hollywood Reporter's 35 power people under 35.

Q: How is the Directing?

A:  Alexander Payne goes to great lengths to show us the ugly underbelly of the West-Coast's favorite vacation spot, Hawaii.  If this was supposed to draw tourism to the area (which is Hawaii's #1  industry), then I'm sorry to say that I'll soon be checking out Tahiti.

Q: How is the story/script?

A:  There is some interesting dialogue here and there, especially out of the mouths of babes, but the story of the land buyout isn't executed in a compelling manner, and the dying wife starts to feel like she's not even there.  Sometimes, in the midst of all the characters' depression, I couldn't even remember what they were so depressed about.  Maybe it would've been different if we'd gotten to know the wife a little bit before the coma.

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

A:  People dress funny in Hawaii.  I guess the cost of getting a fashion magazine across all that ocean is just too high.

Q: Where can I see the trailer?

A: The Descendants 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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Life as We Know It

Q: What’s the movie about?

A: A man (Josh Duhamel) and woman (Kathrine Heigl), who barely tolerate each other, are thrown together to raise a child, after their best friends die, leaving behind a newborn orphan girl.

Q: Who’s in the movie?

A: Katherine Heigl, Josh Duhamel, Josh Lucas, Alexis Clagett, Brynn Clagett, Brooke Clagett, Hayes MacArthur, Christina Hendricks, Sarah Burns, Melissa McCarthy, Britt Flatmo, Jessica St. Clair, Rob Huebel, Andrew Daly, Bill Brochtrup, Will Sasso, DeRay Davis, Kamail Nanjiani

Q: Is this movie worth the price of admission?

A: Proceed with Caution. If you feel inclined to see this movie, you will probably enjoy it, despite its predictability, because Katherine Heigl and Josh Duhamel are so damn cute together.

Q: Will this movie make me laugh?

A: There are a few good laughs, but Katherine Heigl having poo on her face isn't one of them. That's just gross.

Q: Will this movie make me cry?

A: Did you read the plot description? Their best friends die!

Q: Will this movie be up for any awards?

A: If I had to pick something in this movie to give an award to, it would definitely have to be the face painting. They are the 3 cutest cats I've ever seen. And in case you forgot this extremely important fact about me: I hate cats.

Q: How is the Acting?

A: In this role, Josh Duhamel is the best, cutest, and most charming he's ever been, and his chemistry with Katherine Heigl may just be worth repeating. He's also very tan for some reason.

Q: How is the Directing?

A: The sequence after the best friends die dragged on for me, because after a brief moment of almost crying, I quickly felt emotionally neutral. I know the filmmakers had to get past that death-y part as fast as possible if they were ever going to regain any levity in the premise, but something was missing, as I was never pulled into what they must've been going through in a real way, in my heart.

Q: How is the story/script?

A: Even though they supposedly dislike each other, it is clear from the start that this man and woman have a very comfortable and relaxed rapport, so it feels like they're together long before they actually are. This is a problem because once the hatred(ish) is gone between them, the only obstacle they have to overcome is a minor crush that Katherine Heigl's character has on the baby's doctor.

Q: Where can I see the trailer?

A: http://www.moviefone.com/movie/life-as-we-know-it/38945/trailers

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The Freebie

Q: What’s the movie about?

A: The most happily married couple in the world decides that to spice up their sex life, they should each have a one night stand.

Q: Who’s in the movie?

A: Dax Shepard, Katie Aselton, Frankie Shaw, Ross Partridge, Bellamy Young

Q: Is this movie worth the price of admission?

A: Go! It's short, (bitter)sweet, and to the point.

Q: Will this movie make me laugh?

A: The cute couple's cute banter would be incredibly funny if you were in the cute relationship. But it's a lot less so for those of us that aren't, which includes everyone. This should serve as a good reminder that all your cute little couple's jokes are really only funny to you, so don't expect me to laugh when you try to explain them to me.

Q: Will this movie make me cry?

A: Cheating, even with permission, is a very bad idea. Does that make you cry?

Q: Will this movie be up for any awards?

A: This is a truly indy film that deserves to steal some indy film awards away from all those "indy" movies with big stars and name directors, whose budgets are higher than what most people will make in their whole lives.

Q: How is the Acting?

A: I liked Katie Aselton in The Puffy Chair but I loved her in this. And while Dax Shepard can't hold a candle to her, this is a great opportunity for him to showcase his acting in a non-goofball role.

Q: How is the Directing?

A: Katie Aselton also directs. She uses the classic indy style of a loose, vaguely swaying camera, along with the very modern zooms in and out, which used to be considered a directing faux-pas, but ever since the rise of digital cameras has become known as a way of saying, "Hey, look how hip I am." It's all been done before, but it serves her purpose nicely here.

Q: How is the story/script?

A: The story is told out of order, once in a while, so you find out how it's going to turn, long before it happens. The shift in the time line is used here to create tension in scenes that would otherwise feel redundant and banal. That said, I could've done without some of the happy couple montages. We immediately get that they're happy, so the montages end up seeming like filler trying to lengthen the film to a feature theatrical running time.

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

A: Not about the movie, but for those of you who've wondered why I've slacked so much over that last couple of weeks, I did not quit movie blogging, I was on vacation for the first time since I started this site. I'm back though, so check back often, as awards season is upon us, which means lots of movies will be watched.

Q: Where can I see the trailer?

A: http://www.moviefone.com/movie/the-freebie/10024214/trailers

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Please Give

Q: What’s the movie about?

A: After a family of three buys the old lady next door's apartment, so they can tear down the walls and expand their own property, a relationship develops between the family and the old lady's granddaughters, as they all wait for the old lady to die.

Q: Who’s in the movie?

A: Catherine Keener, Oliver Platt, Rebecca Hall, Amanda Peet, Sarah Steele, Ann Guilbert, Thomas Ian Nicholas, Lois Smith

Q: Is this movie worth the price of admission?

A: Proceed with Caution. Nicole Holofcener's films are growing on me with age. My age, not the films' ages. In other words, I'm recommending this to more mature audiences.

Q: Will this movie make me laugh?

A: If you ever knew a bitter, old lady like my grandmother (God rest her soul), who loudly speaks the offensive truth, even when people are listening, you will know exactly what's so funny about this movie.

Q: Will this movie make me cry?

A: As much as you want her to be put out of her misery, there's something very sad about that old curmudgeon's passing... but it's probably just the feeling you get when you're forced to look directly into your own cold, dark heart.

Q: Will this movie be up for any awards?

A: I'd like to give out my own Independent Film Award to one of the few independent filmmakers out there, who tells deep interesting stories, without being pretentious or forgetting to give the audience a reason to watch.

Q: How is the Acting?

A: Amanda Peet stands out because in the role of the brutally honest, self-centered bitch, I'm finding that she's actually pretty entertaining. Oliver Platt blends into his character so seamlessly that I actually forgot he was in it. And where on Earth did they find that old lady? Priceless!

Q: How is the Directing?

A: Aside from the grotesque opening montage of old, saggy, mangled breasts getting compacted in a mammogram machine like cars being crushed for recycling, there are no shots that try to draw too much attention to themselves, and no inserts missed. If this were my film, I would have come out of the editing process knowing that the cut was perfect.

Q: How is the story/script?

A: In several films, now, Nicole Holofcener has shown us that she likes to examine the ins and outs of rich peoples' guilt. I also enjoy indulging in the fantasy that they have any.

Q: Where can I see the trailer?

A: http://www.moviefone.com/movie/please-give/50647/trailers

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Last Chance Harvey

Q: What’s the movie about?

A: A divorced man (Dustin Hoffman) goes to London to see his daughter get married, and while he's there he loses his job, and finds out that his daughter wants her step-dad (James Brolin) to give her away. That's when he meets a lonely woman (Emma Thompson), and spends a romantic day with her.

Q: Who’s in the movie?

A: Dustin Hoffman, Emma Thompson, Eileen Atkins, Kathy Bates, James Brolin, Liane Balaban, Richard Schiff, Daniel Lapaine, Bronagh Gallagher, Michael Landes

Q: Is this movie worth the price of admission?

A: Stop! You know how some movies put all the funny parts in the trailer? Well, this one puts all the entertaining, romantic, and remotely interesting parts in the trailer. Watch the trailer, and skip the rest.

Q: Will this movie make me laugh?

A: This is one of those movies where most of the comedy is in the awkward pauses where people don't say something. That is often my favorite kind of comedy-- and it's certainly the most highbrow kind. But it didn't work on me here.

Q: Will this movie make me cry?

A: As boring as the movie is, Hoffman's speech to his daughter at her wedding did bring tears to my eyes. So at least they got one thing right.

Q: Will this movie be up for any awards?

A: The two lead actors are nominated for Golden Globes in the Musical or Comedy category, but this film doesn't even deserve that amount of recognition. Hoffman and Thompson are great, because they're always great, but these roles are nothing of a stretch for either of them, and they should lose points for picking a movie so full of nothingness.

Q: How is the Acting?

A: Every bit of life this film contains comes from the predictably perfect performances of Dustin Hoffman and Emma Thompson. That said, the background performers are for the most part pretty terrible. They look like wanna-be actors who can't beleive they were sharing the frame with the likes of Dustin Hoffman, and the thought playing in their eyes is, "Look! There he is!" I probably shouldn't have been noticing the extras in the first place, and we can blame the director for that... or maybe we can blame the writer for causing me to be so bored that I would pay attention to the people walking by. As a compromise, I'll just blame them both, since it's the same guy anyway.

Q: How is the Directing?

A: Directors are often judged on their taste in material, and in this case, Joel Hopkins proves that he's not to be trusted. If he couldn't get his hands on a stronger project then he should've made the writer develop this script into something that feels like more than a first draft based on a personal experience. Unfortunately, since he is the writer, he thinks his story is already perfect and has no way of seeing that it is completely underdeveloped . Hopefully for him, Harvey's last chance won't also be his.

Q: How is the story/script?

A: There is no conflict between the main characters. He asks if she wants to go on a walk, and she says yes. He asks if he can wait for her outside her class, and she says yes. He asks if she wants to go to a wedding, and she says yes. Because everything is so easy for them, all the romantic-comedy tricks that are supposed to keep them apart and build the tension so we think they might not come together, feel like stupid character choices that no real person would make. Meanwhile, all the parts where they're supposed to be getting to know each other are shown as musical montages of two people walking and talking, where you can't hear what they're saying. In the end we have no idea what it is they admire about each other besides that she's desperately lonely, and he's got nothing else going for him.

Q: Where can I see the trailer?

A: http://www.moviefone.com/movie/last-chance-harvey/30332/trailers

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Marley & Me

Q: What’s the movie about?

A: A couple of newlyweds (Owen Wilson & Jennifer Aniston) buy a puppy who grows up to be completely out of control, and in so being, ends up controlling the lives of his "masters."

Q: Who’s in the movie?

A: Owen Wilson, Jennifer Aniston, Eric Dane, Alan Arkin, Kathleen Turner, Hayley Bennett, Nathan Gamble, Clarke Peters, Finley Jacobsen, Lucy Merriam

Q: Is this movie worth the price of admission?

A: Proceed with Caution. This movie is a thrill ride for eXtreme dog lovers. It has an unspoken message about taking responsibility for your dog, even when you're dying to give him away to the pound. If you don't relate to that from the bottom of your soul, then this story will not likely resonate with you.

Q: Will this movie make me laugh?

A: Don't go expecting an Owen Wilson brand comedy... Or even a Jennifer Aniston brand comedy, for that matter.

Q: Will this movie make me cry?

A: If you are that aforementioned eXtreme dog lover, you will not escape it.

Q: Will this movie be up for any awards?

A: I'm sure PETA will think of some award to give it. They're always looking to jump on everyone else's publicity bandwagon.

Q: How is the Acting?

A: Owen Wilson gives one of the most convincing dramatic performances of his career. Jennifer Aniston shows an emotional variation that if performed by Kate Winslet would be garnering her award nominations. And I have the rare opportunity to predict that a new star is born: 6-year-old, Lucy Merriam, in only a very small part, is reminiscent of a young Drew Barrymore in both looks and natural on-screen presence.

Q: How is the Directing?

A: They move from Miami to rural Philadelphia, and through all the seasons of the year, and all of it is shot like a travel magazine, making you want to uproot your life and go there immediately. And let's not forget the dog's performance, whose endearing facial expressions and obnoxious physicality are most likely due to good direction of seamless special effects.

Q: How is the story/script?

A: The depiction of marriage and having kids is incredibly realistic. Unfortunately, realism and entertainment value can often be diametrically opposed, especially since the true story of marriage and kids is grueling and exhausting.

Q: Where can I see the trailer?

A: http://www.moviefone.com/movie/marley-and-me/25073/trailers

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Towelhead

Q: What’s the movie about?

A: Based on a book by Alicia Erian, Towelhead spins a humorous tale of a 13-year-old Arab-American girl's struggle with racism, sexual awakening, and statutory rape.

Q: Who’s in the movie?

A: Summer Bishil, Peter Macdissi, Aaron Eckhart, Toni Collette, Maria Bello, Eugene Jones III, Matt Letscher, Chase Ellison, Gemmenne de la Pena, Lynn Collins

Q: Is this movie worth the price of admission?

A: Go! Relatable, titillating and squirm inducing, this film has all the elements that make independent films worth making.

Q: Will this movie make me laugh?

A: Yes.

Q: Will this movie make me cry?

A: It's moving, but not gut-wrenching, as it always stays light, even in the darkest of situations.

Q: Will this movie be up for any awards?

A: You can bet on it. I don't personally believe in betting, but hey, it's your money.

Q: How is the Acting?

A: Watch out, Summer Bishil! Your private life is about to come to an end. Before long the tabloids will be stalking your house, just waiting for you to do something humiliating, so they can photograph it, and expose your deepest, darkest secrets to the world... The upside is you're about to become the next "It Girl."

Q: How is the Directing?

A: Alan Ball, in his feature directorial debut, perfectly captures even the most subtle and complex of emotions as they drift fleetingly across the actors' faces. And sometimes, even the editing is funny.

Q: How is the story/script?

A: You'll quickly be reminded of why Alan Ball won an Academy Award for American Beauty. Here, in another depiction of how hard it is for us humans to walk that ambiguous moral ground, the dialogue is always unexpected and the moments are consistently original. He gives credit to the book author, but just to be safe, I'd like to give both of them a hug.

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

A: If you're squeamish about period blood, you may want to steer clear of this one. You'll be missing a great film. But that's what you get for being a big baby.

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