Martha Marcy May Marlene

Q: What’s the movie about?

A:  You can take the girl out of the cult, but you can't take the cult out of the girl.

Q: Who’s in the movie?

A:  Elizabeth Olsen, Sarah Paulson, John Hawkes, Hugh Dancy, Maria Dizzia, Louisa Krause, Brady Corbet, Julia Garner, Christopher Abbott

Q: Is this movie worth the price of admission?

A:  Proceed with Caution.  Interesting subject matter.  Interesting character study. I have no idea what I was supposed to think happened at the end.

Q: Will this movie make me laugh?

A:  It was developed at the Sundance Institute, so I'll give you one guess, and the answer isn't "yes."

Q: Will this movie make me cry?

A:  It's more likely to cause the deep pondering of questions like: "Why do people fall for cults?"  "How do they find them?" And, "How are they so easily brainwashed?"... I guess my parents were too loving for me to ever understand the answers to questions like these.

Q: Will this movie be up for any awards?

A:  Director Sean Durkin won his category at Sundance, and it was nominated for the Grand Jury Prize, but lost out to the previous movie I saw, Like Crazy.  Still, even the nomination looks a little bit like self-nepotism.  If you develop a movie, is it really fair to nominate yourself for a prize?

Q: How is the Acting?

A:  Elizabeth Olsen gives a star making performance, but I knew that before I even saw the movie because of all the press and hype that's been surrounding her since last January.  What I didn't know is that she would be so interesting, that I would find myself struggling with how exactly she's related to her sisters Mary-Kate and Ashley.

Q: How is the Directing?

A:  Despite Sundance nominating itself for prizes, Sean Durkin actually does deserve recognition.  He seamlessly shifts between the past at the cult and the present at a Lake House, using color schemes and clever editing that has your brain working just the right amount throughout, as you try to keep up with where each scene is taking place.

Q: How is the story/script?

A:  Mostly, I just wish I understood what I was supposed to take from it.

Q: Where can I see the trailer?

A: Martha Marcy May Marlene Trailer

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Sleep Dealer

Q: What’s the movie about?

A: Set in the near future, a young man (Luis Fernando Pena) moves to the booming city of Tijuana, Mexico to become a “node worker,” which is the Mexican migrant worker of the future. In this version of the future, migrant workers perform their hard labor tasks in virtual reality, and therefore never have to physically cross the border in order to send money home to their families.

Q: Who’s in the movie?

A: Luis Fernando Pena, Leonor Verala, Jacob Vargas

Q: Is this movie worth the price of admission?

A: Go! It’s been a long time since there was an organic sci-fi film, not based on a comic book or a video game. In the vein of Blade Runner, this highly inventive and intellectual film takes the genre back to its roots to explore what becomes of humanity and society in the near future if we continue on the path that we’re on. And as sci-fi purists will tell you, it works because it’s all very plausible.

Q: Will this movie make me laugh?

A: The visual effects might. But if you remember that this is a small independent film out of Mexico, the visual effects will actually blow your mind. And then you’ll laugh at yourself for laughing in the first place.

Q: Will this movie make me cry?

A: It’s more of a thinking man’s movie. But if you are that sci-fi geek, or that deep college student, or that bio-engineer, you will find a story rich with ideas.

Q: Will this movie be up for any awards?

A: It was up for an Independent Spirit Award for Best First Feature, and as someone who watched most of the nominated films, I can tell you that this was one of only very few that weren’t too long, incredibly boring, completely pointless, or topped off with an ending that makes you want to kill yourself. Honestly, I’m surprised this little gem got nominated at all. It’s far too interesting to fit in with the rest.

Q: How is the Acting?

A: There weren’t any challenging acting moments in the script, but the main characters are attractive and the chemistry in the love story is strong, especially in the scene where they make love in a futuristic way you’ve never seen before.

Q: How is the Directing?

A: This Alex Rivera guy is going places. He tells a visual story that manages to be showy without showing off. The stylization is as organic to the story as the ideas about globalization and human disconnection through technology. I rarely understand why big studios pluck little indy and documentary directors out of oblivion and entrust them with multi-million dollar effects films, but in this case I really would get it.

Q: How is the story/script?

A: The story is easy to follow, and the timely themes, including lacking water supply, technology going too far, and immigration, will stimulate your mind.

Q: Where can I see the trailer?

A: http://www.moviefone.com/search/sleep%20dealer/trailers

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