Machine Gun Preacher

Q: What’s the movie about?

A: The true story of Sam Childers (Gerard Butler), a heroine addict-ex-con who finds God, decides to build an orphanage in Sudan, and becomes a key player in the civil war going on over there.

Q: Who’s in the movie?

A: Gerard Butler, Michelle Monaghan, Michael Shannon, Ryan Campos, Madeline Carroll, Kathy Baker, Souleymane Sy Savane

Q: Is this movie worth the price of admission?

A: Proceed with Caution. Despite the action and the guns, this is a message movie about the unsolvable troubles in Africa.

Q: Will this movie make me laugh?

A: The title is the funniest part. Once you get past that it's pretty much all drugs, violence, killing, maiming, and Jesus.

Q: Will this movie make me cry?

A: The situation is really sad.

Q: Will this movie be up for any awards?

A: Movies set in Africa only ever come out at one time of year, and that's Awards Season. As far as their chances at Oscar, they're the second most popular winners after movies about the Holocaust.

Q: How is the Acting?

A: I just have one question: do people in Pennsylvania have southern accents?

Q: How is the Directing?

A: Marc Forster, who is generally known for leaving all emotional moments on the cutting room floor, has his first emotional story with this one. Someone else might have made you cry-- especially considering all the children who lose their parents before their eyes-- but I'm proud of the guy for even showing a little bit of heart.

Q: How is the story/script?

A: It starts a little before the beginning and therefore goes on too long. And it's not the screenwriter's fault that the true story is still completely unresolved, but it doesn't make for a Hollywood ending.

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

A: The look of the film is hyper-grainy and sometimes out of focus, but I'm not sure if that's because of the cinematography or the theater I saw it projected in.

Q: Where can I see the trailer?

A: Machine Gun Preacher Trailer

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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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Observe and Report

Q: What’s the movie about?

A: A mall cop (Seth Rogen) is totally f'd in the head.

Q: Who’s in the movie?

A: Seth Rogen, Ray Liotta, Anna Faris, Michael Pena, Dan Bakkedahl, Jesse Piemons, John Yuan, Matt Yuan, Celia Weston, Collette Wolfe, Randy Gambill, Alston Brown, Danny McBride, Ben Best, Aziz Ansari, Patton Oswalt

Q: Is this movie worth the price of admission?

A: Proceed with Caution. This comedy is so dark, it may actually cause you to long for Paul Blart.

Q: Will this movie make me laugh?

A: The jokes are mean and ugly, and some of them even make you laugh.

Q: Will this movie make me cry?

A: I cried a little inside when I realized that I enjoyed watching Paul Blart: Mall Cop slightly more than Ronnie Barnhardt: Go "f" yourself if you think I'm not a good enough cop... Did it write that out loud? It's okay. I'll be right back. I'm just gonna go kill myself now...

Q: Will this movie be up for any awards?

A: ... Not to cry wolf, but I decided to put of my imminent pending suicide on hold so I could give this movie the award for Best Use of Totally Unknown, Chubby, Asian Twins. They're adorable, and they're not even babies!

Q: How is the Acting?

A: Rarely have I seen so much believable drunkenness as in this movie. Anna Faris' eyes actually get glossy, making her look wasted, tired and haggered, like only a drunk slut can. And Celia Weston, best known as that actress you've seen a million times in a million movies, but couldn't possibly name any of them, even for a million dollars, is incredible as Seth Rogen's alcoholic, slurring-her-words, insensitively-brutally-honest mom.

Q: How is the Directing?

A: The budget has gone up exponentially from Jody Hill's first film, The Foot Fist Way, but the production quality hasn't gone up proportionally.

Q: How is the story/script?

A: Many admirable risks are taken in this attempt to be something different. Most are cringe-worthy disasters, but a few teeter on the edge of genius. Thanks, at least, for trying to do something original.

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

A: Male frontal nudity. Lots of it. And not the pretty kind.

Q: Where can I see the trailer?

A: http://www.moviefone.com/search/observe%20and%20report/trailers

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Tropic Thunder

Q: What’s the movie about?

A: While making a Vietnam movie, the film’s director (Steve Coogan) decides that his actors (Ben Stiller, Jack Black, Robert Downey Jr.) are too spoiled, so he drops them in the middle of the jungle to fend for themselves, and to elicit more realistic performances out of them. Unfortunately, while the actors think they’re just making a movie about war, they accidentally get caught up in an actual war.

Q: Who’s in the movie?

A: Who isn’t?! Ben Stiller, Robert Downey Jr., Jack Black, Steve Coogan, Matthew McConaughey, Tom Cruise, Bill Hader, Nick Nolte, Danny McBride, Jay Baruchel, Brandon T. Jackson, Brandon Soo Hoo, Reggie Lee, Trieu Tran. With cameos by Christine Taylor, Tyra Banks, Maria Menounos, Tobey McGuire, Jon Voight, Jennifer Love Hewitt, Jason Bateman, Lance Bass, & Alicia Silverstone

Q: Is this movie worth the price of admission?

A: Go! If the premise sounds ridiculous and implausible that’s because it totally is! But what this movie lacks in groundedness, logic, and common sense, it makes up for in laughs per minute.

Q: Will this movie make me laugh?

A: Obviously, but it might also make you puke. The blood, guts, vomit, and general level of gore is off the charts, so try to go on an empty stomach.

Q: Will this movie make me cry?

A: Either I’m a sucker for cute Asian babies, or this flick actually has a moving scene in it… But it’s still a far cry from crying.

Q: Will this movie be up for any awards?

A: Best impersonation of an Academy Award. Best impersonation of an Academy Award winning actor. Best impersonation of an Academy Award winning film. In fact, if you’re looking to find out how to land an Academy Award, this movie gives away all the secret tricks of the trade.

Q: How is the Acting?

A: As much as I wanted to hand over the Oscar to Robert Downey Jr. for playing a white Australian actor who’s playing a 1960s black soldier, there are times when his phony black accent makes it hard to understand what he's saying. Don’t get me wrong, his performance is still groundbreaking, but I’m just saying.

Q: How is the Directing?

A: Ben Stiller has a fun, broad, campy, brightly lit style that stays constant from movie to movie. Which is tonally effective, if you like that sort of thing-- which personally, I do.

Q: How is the story/script?

A: For anyone who didn’t already know that that actors are all messed up in their heads, this movie will confirm your suspicions. Hey, two of the three writers are actors (Ben Stiller and Justin Theroux), so I'm thinking they've got something of an inside scoop on the matter.

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

A: Well, in my infinitely astute and remarkably accurate observation, I noticed that each of the main characters is impersonating at least one actual famous person. So while Ben Stiller is doing some kind of Sylvester Stallone routine, Jack Black, in a hyper-ironic turn of events, seems to be playing Robert Downey Jr.. But to make matters even more bizarre, Robert Downey Jr.’s character has several hard-to-ignore similarities to none other than... Heath Ledger! It sure is funny, but is it too soon? (Although that’s a rhetorical question, I welcome your earnest responses below.)

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