The Kids Are All Right

Q: What’s the movie about?

A: A lesbian couple (Julianne Moore and Annette Bening) has their life turned upside-down when their teenage son and daughter (Josh Hutcherson and Mia Wasikowska) track down their sperm-donor dad (Mark Ruffalo).

Q: Who’s in the movie?

A: Julianne Moore, Annette Bening, Mark Ruffalo, Mia Wasikowska, Josh Hutcherson, Yaya DaCosta, Kunal Sharma, Eddie Hassell, Zosia Mamet, Joaquin Garrido

Q: Is this movie worth the price of admission?

A: Proceed with Caution. This deliberately independent film is not spoon fed, nor does it get completely resolved and tied up in a happy little bow for you. It's more interested in showing the trials and tribulations of life as it really is... first difficult, and then disappointing.

Q: Will this movie make me laugh?

A: There is a smattering of awkward moments that will cause individualized chuckling.

Q: Will this movie make me cry?

A: If only people could visualize the repercussions of following their momentary sexual whims, before the aftermath has ruined their life, there would be a lot less heartbreak in the world.

Q: Will this movie be up for any awards?

A: Mark Ruffalo's character is so hard to pin down, that you can't help but admire the fact that no other actor could have portrayed this particular combination of aloofness and unconditional love. At the same time, it's one of those performances that's almost too good to get noticed as having been acting.

Q: How is the Acting?

A: With a cast like this you go in expecting the best, and come out with your expectations exceeded.

Q: How is the Directing?

A: Lisa Cholodenko films Los Angeles with so much love that she makes it look like any nice normal American suburb, where even the most God-fearing of average Americans would want to live.

Q: How is the story/script?

A: What's really heart-warming about the execution of this story is that even though it revolves around a family with two matriarchs, the marriage is portrayed in a way that is filled with the same love, familiarity, and contempt that any male-female husband and wife relationship would have. Before long, you forget that you are watching a family of four with two moms, and you realize that you are simply watching a movie about a family that is about as together as they come-- in other words, hardly at all.

Q: Where can I see the trailer?

A: http://www.moviefone.com/movie/the-kids-are-all-right/10025812/trailers

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Coraline

Q: What’s the movie about?

A: An animated girl, named Coraline, discovers a secret passageway in her new house that leads to an evil woman, posing as a better version of her mom, in a better version of her life. But when Coraline gets wise to her Other Mom's evil ways, the Other Mom won't let her leave.

Q: Who’s in the movie?

A: Dakota Fanning, Teri Hatcher, Jennifer Saunders, Dawn French, Keith David, John Hodgeman, Robert Bailey Jr., Ian McShane

Q: Is this movie worth the price of admission?

A: Proceed with Caution. The colors, animation, and 3D effects are spectacular, but who is the audience for this movie? It's not clever enough for adults, it's too dark for little girls, and it's got too much of a female protagonist for little boys.

Q: Will this movie make me laugh?

A: If you find giant, naked, old lady boobies funny, then sure. I think they can be funny, too... But not in a kids' movie. And by the way, when I say "giant," I guarantee that what you're picturing in your mind right now is only half the size of what they actually drew. And wearing nothing but pasties. I couldn't be more serious.

Q: Will this movie make me cry?

A: No, but the imitation Enya music will put you in a trance and make you very, very sleepy.

Q: Will this movie be up for any awards?

A: Least attractive animated humans ever drawn. Come on, they're animated, there's no excuse for them not to be cute!

Q: How is the Acting?

A: I'm a huge Dakota Fanning fan, but the animators didn't do this character any favors with the facial expressions they created. Coraline is not particularly likeable, she's not nearly as cute as Dakota Fanning, and Dakota is much better at using her eyes to look sweet and innocent when she's saying something bratty-- that's how she gets away with all the bratty things she says in live action movies. Teri Hatcher, as the Other Mom, has the opposite effect. Thanks to the animation, her textured vocal tones are, for once, matched by an expressive physicality. What I'm saying is, her performance had a complete lack of Botox!... I actually thought she was fantastic in this.

Q: How is the Directing?

A: Aside from the slow pace at the beginning, the directing is quite obviously the star of this film. The animation is vivacious, and with 3D glasses, it even comes right into your seat.

Q: How is the story/script?

A: It seems to have been made into a movie about one draft too soon. The beats of a story are there, but it's devoid of those clever, "Why didn't I think of that?" moments. Once we know what the story is going to be, everything is laid out too easily for the protagonist to succeed.

Q: Where can I see the trailer?

A: http://www.moviefone.com/movie/coraline/26304/trailers

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Seven Pounds

Q: What’s the movie about?

A: After killing 7 people in a car accident, Ben Thomas (Will Smith), decides to find 7 deserving people whose lives he can save.

Q: Who’s in the movie?

A: Will Smith, Rosario Dawson, Woody Harrelson, Michael Ealy, Barry Pepper, Elpidia Carrillo, Robinne Lee, Joe Nunes, Bill Smitrovich, Tim Kelleher, Gina Hecht, Judyann Elder, Madison Pettis, Fiona Hale

Q: Is this movie worth the price of admission?

A: Go! Much like practicing yoga, the process of doing it isn't all that enjoyable, but you feel really good once it's over.

Q: Will this movie make me laugh?

A: About as much as yoga does.

Q: Will this movie make me cry?

A: Yoga can be very cathartic.

Q: Will this movie be up for any awards?

A: I'm inventing the Eleanor Rigby Award, and giving out the first annual one to this movie because none of the characters in it seem to have any friends. Ahhh, look at all the lonely people. But that's L.A. for ya'. People would rather be totally alone than have to get in their cars and drive anywhere.

Q: How is the Acting?

A: The acting is fine, but Will Smith's character lies and sneaks around so much that he starts to come off like a sociopath. Which in turn makes it hard to understand why Rosario Dawson is so into him. Maybe because she doesn't have any friends.

Q: How is the Directing?

A: There are a surprising number of shots that aren't in focus, and I can't think of any artistic reason for that to be the case, so I don't think it was a choice. Also in the beginning of the film the lighting is often too dark or too bright, causing your pupils difficulty adjusting. And in my case, even causing my eyelids to have to close a little bit.

Q: How is the story/script?

A: It starts out really slow and confusing (especially if you don't know what it's about), but soon builds to a bittersweet, yet inspiring tale of romance and redemption. Does it have a million holes? Sure it does. But if you go along with the good feelings it imparts, you might not care.

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

A: The score combines melodrama with a lullaby, which rocks you to sleep. Probably not the best choice, since I doubt the filmmakers want the audience sleeping. This is yet another similarity with yoga, because sometimes I find it hard to stay awake when I'm lying in Savasana,  too.

Q: Where can I see the trailer?

A: http://www.moviefone.com/search/seven%20pounds/trailers

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High School Musical 3: Senior Year

Q: What’s the movie about?

A: The High School Musical gang is in their senior year, so they're playing their last basketball game, performing their last musical, and trying to figure out how they will deal with their broken hearts as they leave each other to go off to college.

Q: Who’s in the movie?

A: Zac Efron, Vanessa Hudgens, Ashley Tisdale, Lucas Grabeel, Corbin Bleu, Monique Coleman, Bart Johnson, Alyson Reed, Olesya Rulin, Chris Warren Jr., Ryne Sanborn, KayCee Stroh, Matt Prokop, Justin Martin, Jemma McKenzie-Brown

Q: Is this movie worth the price of admission?

A: Proceed with Caution... Unless you're under 8 years old, in which case congratulations on finding and reading this incredibly mature blog.

Q: Will this movie make me laugh?

A: Mostly at yourself, for being there.

Q: Will this movie make me cry?

A: If you grew up watching good musical and dancing movies about high schoolers, like Grease and Footloose, it makes you sad to notice that not only is the depth of teenage music, life and angst only scratching the surface here, but bizarrely, as real life teenagers get more and more wild, the depiction of them in movies gets more and more tame. What's that trying to prove?

Q: Will this movie be up for any awards?

A: Craziest phenomenon of the new millennium.

Q: How is the Acting?

A: Zac Efron is dreamy. Which is the only reason I can think of that justifies how this series caught on. As far as the rest of the cast goes, you find yourself wondering where they will be 5 years from now. My guess is The Surreal Life.

Q: How is the Directing?

A: It's like watching The Disney Channel on a really big screen.

Q: How is the story/script?

A: If you're going to this movie for the story, you don't know anything about High School Musical. And if you don't know anything about High School Musical, you're living under a rock. And if you're living under a rock, you've got bigger problems to worry about than how lame this story is.

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

A: You should probably take my in-depth analysis with a grain of salt on this one, because while I did see the first High School Musical, I missed the second one, so I might have missed some of the important hidden innuendo in the third.

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