The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus

Q: What’s the movie about?

A: An ethereal battle between good and evil, which takes place in each character's imagination, as interpreted by the old mystic, Dr. Parnassus (Christopher Plummer).

Q: Who’s in the movie?

A: Christopher Plummer, Heath Ledger, Lily Cole, Andrew Garfield, Tom Waits, Verne Troyer, Johnny Depp, Jude Law, Colin Farrell

Q: Is this movie worth the price of admission?

A: Proceed with Caution. If you've ever seen a Terry Gilliam film, you know what you're in for: a lot of style and theory, with very strange substance. This film is as visually beautiful and imaginative as the storyline is surreal.

Q: Will this movie make me laugh?

A: That depends on if you have a subscription to Bizzaro magazine or not. If you do, this humor will fall right in line with your sensibilities. Also if you do, you are the proud owner of a magazine that I just made up.

Q: Will this movie make me cry?

A: If you're an aspiring actor, you'll cry when you realize that Mini-me has a legitimate acting career and you don't.

Q: Will this movie be up for any awards?

A: I might give this movie an award for premonition, because it seems as if they knew Heath Ledger was going to drop out (read: die) mid-filming. They managed to have him in all the "real-life" scenes, where his presence is necessary, and the way they use Johnny Depp, Jude Law, and Colin Farrell to replace him in the imaginings actually makes a lot of sense for the "logic" of this story.

Q: How is the Acting?

A: Tom Waits, as the devil, gets applause just for showing up... Or at least that's what the people in my theater seemed to think.

Q: How is the Directing?

A: Lavish and riddled with over-the-top, fun-loving, and sometimes campy special effects-- which begs the question: how does this guy continue to get these giant budgets to make esoteric comedies that nobody is going to see? I guess his financiers are still hoping he'll accidentally churn out another Monty Python film, despite the lack of any Monty Python players.

Q: How is the story/script?

A: Terry Gilliam is like a fun and upbeat version of David Lynch. In both cases, it's easier to call them genius, than to admit that you have no idea what they're talking about... But what really makes them genius, is I'm pretty sure that they have no idea what they're talking about either.

Q: Where can I see the trailer?

A: http://www.moviefone.com/movie/the-imaginarium-of-doctor-parnassus/33122/trailers

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The Invention of Lying

(Guest Review by Russ)

Q: What’s the movie about?

A: In a world where people can only tell the truth, an unremarkable, dumpy screenwriter (Ricky Gervais) discovers the art of lying and uses it to gain power, money, and hot chicks.

Q: Who’s in the movie?

A: Ricky Gervais, Jennifer Garner, Jonah Hill, Louis C.K., Tina Fey, Rob Lowe, Jeffrey Tambor, Fionnula Flanagan, Donna Sorbello, Nathan Corddry, Edward Norton, Martin Starr, Jason Bateman, Christopher Guest, Stephen Merchant, Shaun Williamson

Q: Is this movie worth the price of admission?

A: Proceed with Caution. Fans of the original The Office, Extras, and Ricky Gervais in general, will find their typical chuckles here, but the film ultimately wastes a lot of great comedic acting talent on uninspired cameos, while also not living up to an incredibly inspired premise.

Q: Will this movie make me laugh?

A: No big belly laughs, but if you don't find Ricky Gervais funny on some level, you should sign up for a sense of humor class.

Q: Will this movie make me cry?

A: Ricky Gervais just might turn out to be a better dramatic actor than we ever suspected, and the scene in which he proves that may well bring tears.

Q: Will this movie be up for any awards?

A: Most controversial movie that no one is talking about. Rarely has an Atheist declaration in a main stream film gotten so little attention.

Q: How is the Acting?

A: Most of the characters are two dimensional caricatures of people that would never exist, saying ridiculous things with as much seriousness as they can muster. But within that, Jennifer Garner stands out, gamely proving once again why she is a true movie star, as she figures out a way to create a character out of nothing in a film that’s about as deep as a puddle of water.

Q: How is the Directing?

A: I will admit to being a huge Ricky Gervais fan and he is credited as co-director on this, so it pains me to say that the direction is pretty bad. This is the sort of premise that would have really benefited from someone who could have put a visually creative world on screen, but instead, this movie consists of the most rudimentary of camera set-ups, moves and blocking.

Q: How is the story/script?

A: The script feels like a first draft by an incredibly brilliant and hilarious writer. It has great potential, but the studio executives should have given these two major notes: "1. Half way through, The Invention of Lying becomes about the biggest lie of all. This is a great twist, but it has zero pay-off, zero consequences for our hero, and thus ends up being toothless and unnecessary. Cut it. You can stick with the love story as the main theme, and that will free up room in the script to develop a much stronger execution of the main premise: A world in which people can't lie. Then, when the film does well, because it's a brilliant execution of a brilliant premise, we'll use that interesting twist for the sequel-- where it too can be developed in the greater depth it deserves. Number 2: Just because people can only tell the truth in this movie-world doesn’t also mean they have to blurt out whatever insult they happen to be thinking at the time. What you have created is a world where no one has an inner monologue, so all their subconscious thoughts are revealed. That's not the same as a world where no one is capable of lying..." But on the flip side, the lack of rules does help the script conform to Ricky Gervais’ one-liners, reactions, and awkward brand of comedy.

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

A: While the story doesn't hold together, this is the type of movie that college students will discover on TV and DVD for years to come, finding depth and relevance in the humor, as well as the questions about whether or not there is a God. Mostly, they will see this depth because they are stoned on marijuana cigarettes.

Q: Where can I see the trailer?

A: http://www.moviefone.com/movie/invention-of-lying/31194/trailers

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Cold Souls

Q: What’s the movie about?

A: Actor, Paul Giamatti (Paul Giamatti), finds out that there is a technology by which you can extract your soul from your body, and decides that he should try that so that he can play the role of Uncle Vanya without having to feel any of that heavy pain.

Q: Who’s in the movie?

A: Paul Giamatti, Dina Korzun, David Strathairn, Emily Watson, Katheryn Winnick, Lauren Ambrose, Armand Schultz, Boris Kievsky

Q: Is this movie worth the price of admission?

A: Stop! First of all, the premise is illogical. If you don't want to feel the pain of another person, you shouldn't extract your soul, you should quit acting . But more importantly, I don't think the filmmaker understands the soul's role in vitality; i.e, that without one, you're a motionless vegetable, who's usually considered to be dead.

Q: Will this movie make me laugh?

A: Maybe if you're not sleeping AND you have a very esoteric sense of humor.

Q: Will this movie make me cry?

A: No. But if you had any understanding of what a soul's purpose was before you saw that movie, that will be completely erased. Just in case you still see it, I've taken the liberty of printing Merriam-Webster's definition here for your future reference. "Soul: The immaterial essence, animating principle, or actuating cause of an individual life."

Q: Will this movie be up for any awards?

A: Of course it will. Don't you know that when a movie is boring and pretentious and has an out-there concept it means it must be brilliant? This is the kind of movie that award givers don't want to admit they don't get, for fear that it will make them look stupid. But pretending to get it is a lot more stupid to me.

Q: How is the Acting?

A: I was expecting Being John Malkovich, in which an actor playing himself takes on the role of John Cusack, and that of Cameron Diaz, and that of Catherine Keener, and he's so good, that you completely forget that you're actually watching John Malkovich. In this film, Paul Giamatti acts more and less animated, but regardless of whose soul he's wearing, he still always acts like Paul Giamatti.

Q: How is the Directing?

A: I blame the director for the lack of versatility in Giamatti's performance, mostly because we know he's top notch and could've done anything she asked him to do.

Q: How is the story/script?

A: The script is disappointing, mostly because the rules of what a soul can and can't do to your personality are never established, so the fun in the concept is completely missed. Also, the characters regularly make choices that go against who they are, and what they know to be true. For example, Paul Giamatti tells the soul extractor that what he's proposing is crazy. And not five minutes later, he's letting him extract his soul. Then, the soul extractor (David Strathairn) confesses that the Russians he works with are dangerous, and not 5 minutes later he gives Paul vital (traceable) information about who they are and how to find them. Even the soul mule (Dina Korzun), who knows first hand how dangerous her bosses are, betrays them without thinking twice, which leads me to believe that maybe they're not that dangerous after all.

Q: Where can I see the trailer?

A: http://www.moviefone.com/movie/cold-souls/36222/trailers

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Synecdoche, New York

Q: What’s the movie about?

A: A theater director (Philip Seymour Hoffman), whose life starts out fairly normal (bad marriage and a kid), gets a chance to direct his life's work-- quite literally-- as the play gradually becomes a metaphor of his own life examination, and at the same time a carbon copy of his life experiences. The project takes the rest of his life to complete, as he's constantly trying to figure his life out, although it's ambiguous enough that at certain points you wonder if he's already dead... I don't know, it's Charlie Kaufman.

Q: Who’s in the movie?

A: Philip Seymour Hoffman, Samantha Morton, Michelle Williams, Catherine Keener, Emily Watson, Dianne Wiest, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Hope Davis, Tom Noonan, Sadie Goldstein, Paul Sparks, Daisy Tahan, Robin Weigert

Q: Is this movie worth the price of admission?

A: Proceed with Caution. Don't go to this movie if you're one of those people who likes to understand what's going on. And if you do go, bring a friend, preferably one who likes psychoanalyzing poetry and extracting from it esoteric innuendo. You'll need that someone there to discuss it with you (read: explain) afterward.

Q: Will this movie make me laugh?

A: If not for Charlie Kaufman's offbeat brand of humor, this would be a David Lynch movie.

Q: Will this movie make me cry?

A: No, but it may move your mind. Sometimes to boredom, sometimes to confusion, and sometimes to insight-- or a headache.

Q: Will this movie be up for any awards?

A: Kaufman is the only person in Hollywood who's allowed to do anything original... so probably.

Q: How is the Acting?

A: Emma Watson plays Samantha Morton, and you literally don't know which is the real one and which is the fake at times. As for the rest, if I may refer you to the list of talent under FAQ #2, you'll rightly presume that everyone else is great, too.

Q: How is the Directing?

A: Charlie Kaufman directs from his own script, and it still looks like a Charlie Kaufman film. Unfortunately, I think it's less strong than some of his previous scripts, most likely due to the lack of an outside eye/director cutting and shaping the insanity into more comprehensible terms for those of us who don't live inside Kaufman's mind.

Q: How is the story/script?

A: I sat through a Q & A to find out just that, and what I learned is that Kaufman himself isn't quite sure what it's about. It conveys certain ideas about life, or dream-states, or maybe after-life, or stream of consciousness... all of which you won't be tested on.

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

A: Cleavage. Lots of it. But not the perky kind, either. More like the fleshy kind. In any case, I think our award winning screenwriter may be a breast man.

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