The Messenger

Q: What’s the movie about?

A: A wounded war hero (Ben Foster) comes back from Iraq with 3 months left to serve and is assigned to join the team of soldiers who inform the next of kin when their loved ones have died in battle.

Q: Who’s in the movie?

A: Ben Foster, Woody Harrelson, Samantha Morton, Jena Malone, Steve Buscemi, Jahmir Duran-Abreau, Yaya DaCosta, Eamonn Walker, Lisa Joyce

Q: Is this movie worth the price of admission?

A: Go! This film manages to gut-wrenchingly portray the atrocities of war, without ever showing a single frame of the atrocities of war.

Q: Will this movie make me laugh?

A: What is it about Woody Harrelson that makes his most disturbed characters come off so funny? I guess there's a fine line between hilarious and clinically insane.

Q: Will this movie make me cry?

A: If you don't cry, you might just be hilarious (as defined above).

Q: Will this movie be up for any awards?

A: Woody is up for Best Supporting actor at the Oscars, as are the screenwriters, Oren Moverman and Alessandro Camon. They're all also nominated for Spirit Awards, along with Samantha Morton. Meanwhile, Ben Foster comes off like one of the most overlooked performances of the Awards season. And I'll tell you why I think he was overlooked... Because (at least in this movie) he looks like Owen Wilson.

Q: How is the Acting?

A: All the actors have so much going on underneath the surface that you empathize with them, without ever imagining that you might be able to relate to the inner torture of what they're going through.

Q: How is the Directing?

A: The directing is not particularly noticeable, except when the camera holds a little too long on several shots of Ben Foster staring off at someone he feels compassion for.

Q: How is the story/script?

A: The dialogue is understated in exactly the right way. It doesn't give you everything, but it never leaves you hanging. At some point in the second half, the story meanders onto a different course than it originally set off on, and the movie starts to feel about 10 minutes too long, but in the end you forgive it, because it still feels important and new. How is it that this is the first time that anyone has ever thought to tell the sad story of the poor soldiers who are tasked with reporting the worst possible news to loving families, day in and day out?

Q: Where can I see the trailer?

A: http://www.moviefone.com/movie/the-messenger/36286/trailers

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The Boys Are Back

(Guest Review by Tempany)

Q: What’s the movie about?

A: When a globe trotting sports reporter (Clive Owen) loses his wife to cancer he is forced to finally become accountable as a father.

Q: Who’s in the movie?

A: The very handsome and talented Clive Owen, an astoundingly brilliant child actor called Nicholas McAnulty, George MacKay, Laura Fraser and Emma Booth.

Q: Is this movie worth the price of admission?

A: Go! If you need a good cry and a chance to relive any abandonment issues as a child, this is the flick for you! Much cheaper than therapy and unlike the couch, The Boys Are Back actually leaves you with hope that the world isn’t such a horrible place after all.

Q: Will this movie make me laugh?

A: The kid has some excellent one-liners that will most definitely make you grin through your tears. Out of the mouths of babes and all that jazz.

Q: Will this movie make me cry?

A: Yes, yes and more yes. If you don’t cry you may just be a sociopath. (BTW, Monique didn't cry.) But the crying is a satisfying weep filled with hope and the promise of a happy ending.

Q: Will this movie be up for any awards?

A: The Australian Film Industry will no doubt give this a big nod for independent awards and hopefully the rest of the Indie Prizes around the world will follow suit.

Q: How is the Acting?

A: Fantastic. The two boys in the film are so utterly convincing as lost and confused kids that you may just forget you’re watching a film. Clive Owen does a great job at keeping things understated and believable and we soon grow to love the whole family.

Q: How is the Directing?

A: Scott Hicks, who directed the wonderful Shine, does not disappoint. His picturesque sun drenched Australian landscapes do not distract from the families’ cloudy journey through the grieving process. In a perfect world we could have done without the ghostly visits from the deceased wife but luckily they don’t bug you too much.

Q: How is the story/script?

A: Pretty damn incredible. Based on Simon Carr’s memoir, screenwriter Allan Cubitt creates some of the freshest and funniest dialogue in years. Fatherhood gets a thorough examination, warts and all. Although the subject matter of the film is tragic, the story moves along with inspirational jolts the whole way.

Q: Where can I see the trailer?

A: http://www.traileraddict.com/trailer/the-boys-are-back/trailer

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