Paper Man

Q: What’s the movie about?

A: A wanna-be novelist (Jeff Daniels) with an imaginary friend (Ryan Reynolds) befriends a teenager (Emma Stone) as he tries to overcome his writers' block and his general fear of being alive.

Q: Who’s in the movie?

A: Jeff Daniels, Emma Stone, Lisa Kudrow, Ryan Reynolds, Kieran Culkin, Hunter Parrish

Q: Is this movie worth the price of admission?

A: Stop! It seems I've stumbled into yet another indy film that's just trying to be quirky for quirk's sake.

Q: Will this movie make me laugh?

A: Since you're probably not going to see this, I'll just tell you the one brilliant joke this movie offers. When they're trying to come up with book titles, one of the suggestions on the list is "Memoir of an Amnesiac." Now that's a movie I'd like to see!

Q: Will this movie make me cry?

A: I'll tell you what's not brilliant, the title they actually agreed was brilliant. It was Paper Man.

Q: Will this movie be up for any awards?

A: This script was developed through the prestigious Sundance Labs. I've said it before and I'll say it again: the good people at Sundance have really bad taste.

Q: How is the Acting?

A: Emma Stone is really a great actress, and I think I finally figured out why her weird little face is so damn cute-- she looks like a Japanese anime. And Hunter Parrish, who's also a pretty face, seems totally uncomfortable in the skin of a low-class Long Islander.

Q: How is the Directing?

A: The first shot of Ryan Reynolds, the imaginary friend, showing up is done brilliantly. I only wish the husband and wife co-writing/directing team of Michele & Kieran Mulroney (brother of Dermot) had put that much thought into each of the times he shows up, because sometimes it comes off kinda shlocky.

Q: How is the story/script?

A: Look, I've got nothing against quirkiness, in fact, I love it, but the dialogue and character choices still have to make sense to a normal person. I asked myself, "Why would that person do that?!" way too many times. BTW, guess who's writing the sequel to Sherlock Holmes?

Q: Where can I see the trailer?

A: http://www.moviefone.com/movie/paper-man/1424116/trailers

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The Kite Runner

Q: What’s the movie about?

A: Based on the best selling novel by Khaled Hosseini, The Kite Runner tells the story of Amir, a rich kid in 1970s Kabul who betrays his best friend, Hassan, a Hazara servant boy. In present day, Amir is still guilt-ridden from not having protected his loyal friend in a time of dire need. So when he is confronted with his past, he must choose whether he will make up for his childhood cowardice or continue running away from his mistake.

Q: Who’s in the movie?

A: Nobody who’s famous in America. Homayon Ershadi, Khalid Abdalla, Zekeria Ebrahimi, Ahmad Khan Mahmidzada

Q: Is this movie worth the price of admission?

A: Go! This is the kind of powerful drama that reminds us that the movies are not only a form of entertainment, but also an art form.

Q: Will this movie make me laugh?

A: Not very much.

Q: Will this movie make me cry?

A: Definite possibility, although not a guarantee. While it is emotionally tense, there are no tear-jerking moments.

Q: Will this movie be up for any awards?

A: Although it hardly has any English in it, this movie is a likely contender for the Best Picture Oscar. It also has a good chance at nominations in the areas of Best Supporting Actor, Best Director, Best Adapted Screenplay, and Best Cinematography. See the next three questions for more details.

Q: How is the Acting?

A: The acting is impressive. And even though I didn’t understand a word of what anyone said, I walked out feeling that Homayon Ershadi would get a best supporting actor nomination for his role as Baba, Amir’s father, whose life spans 30 or 40 years in the course of the tale. I also hope that the two young children will not be overlooked by the Academy, as their performances were deep and rich and realer than a reality show. One performance which is sure not to get any award recognition, due to its short length of only one scene, was the brilliant performance of Nasser Memarzia, as the director of the orphanage… After all, everyone knows that only Judy Dench can win awards for being in less than 10 minutes of a film.

Q: How is the Directing?

A: Exuding a warmth that is missing from many of his previous films, this is Marc Forster’s best work to date. The Academy voters will want to honor this movie, as well as Forster’s growing track record for films that are both artistic and commercially successful. Not to mention that the kite flying scenes are inarguably visually stunning.

Q: How is the story/script?

A: David Benioff has become one of Hollywood’s most sought after writers, and this film demonstrates why. Often when books are turned into screenplays they fall into two traps: 1) They disappoint those who enjoyed the book by leaving the best parts out. 2) They discount those who haven’t read the book by not putting enough insider knowledge in. Coming from someone who has not read the book, I thought as a movie this story worked beautifully. Without doing any homework or bringing any back story to the theater, I knew who the characters were, I understood the plot, and I was able to engage in the emotions of these boys’ lives… And somehow Benioff managed to pull that off with characters who speak mostly in Dari!

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