Humpday

Q: What’s the movie about?

A: Two old friends, one happily married (Mark Duplass) and the other a vagabond (Joshua Leonard), challenge themselves to make an art project for a contest... it will be a porn about two straight men having gay sex. And they will play the straight men.

Q: Who’s in the movie?

A: Mark Duplass, Joshua Leonard, Alycia Delmore, Lynn Shelton, Trina Willard

Q: Is this movie worth the price of admission?

A: Proceed with Caution. If you weren't automatically turned off by what the film is about, you should absolutely see this movie. It's brilliant on all the levels that a true film lover should appreciate. It takes risk after risk and succeeds at all of them. No-name actors, bizarre topic, improvised dialogue, and a low budget look, do not stop this story from being everything an independent film is supposed to be. If you liked Chuck & Buck, Happiness, or Kissing Jessica Stein, you must see this movie. If you've never heard of any of those films, this one's probably not for you either.

Q: Will this movie make me laugh?

A: Doesn't everyone laugh when they're uncomfortably squirming inside?

Q: Will this movie make me cry?

A: What happens after the movie is over might, but thankfully, we don't have to watch that part.

Q: Will this movie be up for any awards?

A: It won the Special Jury Prize at Sundance, and if the Spirit Awards don't follow suit they'd be-- well, they'd be the Spirit Awards...

Q: How is the Acting?

A: If you're not familiar with the Mumblecore movement yet, what's taking you so long? The actors speak casually and talk over each other, making you feel as if you were eavesdropping on their lives, as they unfold. In other words, it's like a film version of TV's The Hills, but with a plot and a point.

Q: How is the Directing?

A: Lynn Shelton uses the hand-held shaky cam in almost every scene to intensify the feelings of awkwardness and discomfort that arise around two men trying to force themselves to sleep together, despite their complete lack of desire for each other, and the married guy's wife. Shelton's directing is deceptively simple, and without any missteps.

Q: How is the story/script?

A: Brilliant. Raw. Never forced. What makes this a great independent film is the writers take a risky topic and tell a story that the studios would be afraid of, but that is still completely (and this is the important part for all you indy filmmakers out there) WORTH TELLING. But ultimately, the movie isn't even about what the premise is about. The premise is just an interesting way for the characters to discover what's really going on in their lives under the surface appearances that they put out to the world.

Q: Where can I see the trailer?

A: http://www.moviefone.com/search/humpday/trailers

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Waltz with Bashir

Q: What’s the movie about?

A: Waltz with Bashir is an animated documentary with subtitles about trying to remember being a soldier in the first Israeli-Lebanon war of the early 80s... Have I sold you on it yet?

Q: Who’s in the movie?

A: The writer-director, Ari Folman, and a bunch of his friends, therapists, and battle-mates.

Q: Is this movie worth the price of admission?

A: Proceed with Caution. If you weren't scared off by the parts of the description that mention animation, documentary, subtitles, war, Israel, or Lebanon, then you are probably into highbrow, art movies about serious matters that make you think about what they're trying to say instead of just telling you, and you should absolutely see this movie because you will think it's a masterpiece.

Q: Will this movie make me laugh?

A: Has Beirut ever been funny?

Q: Will this movie make me cry?

A: Only if you cry at trivial little things like genocide.

Q: Will this movie be up for any awards?

A: It won almost all of the Israeli Academy Awards, so it follows that it is Israel's official submission for the foreign language category at the Oscars.

Q: How is the Acting?

A: I was given a program at my screening, which included a director's bio that describes how he went off to travel the world for a year, and after two weeks, he realized he hated traveling, so he settled down in Southeast Asia and spent the rest of the year writing letters to his friends pretending to be in all the different places he was supposed to have gone. His point was that his ability to use his imagination to fabricate these letters was what lead him to decide to become a filmmaker. My point is that I don't buy that this is a documentary. I think the use of animation is the perfect cover-up for the fact that this story and these characters are in part or in whole totally made up. Now that that's been cleared up, I can tell you that the acting is fine.

Q: How is the Directing?

A: The animation is captivating from the first frame to the last.

Q: How is the story/script?

A: Another way in which the writer covers up the fact that this story is (allegedly-- according to me) invented and fabricated, is by starting the movie out with a fascinating tid-bit about how the human memory works. One of the characters explains how when the mind can't remember something, it fills in the rest with whatever fits into the parts it remembers. This is then used to justify the fact that all the first person accounts of what supposedly happened in the various battles, 20 years ago, could also be in part or in whole totally made up. That said, the way in which this film examines the faultiness of memory is what I found most intriguing about it.

Q: Where can I see the trailer?

A: http://www.moviefone.com/search/waltz%20with%20bashir/trailers

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Zack and Miri Make a Porno

Q: What’s the movie about?

A: Zack and Miri (Seth Rogen and Elizabeth Banks), who have been best friends since the first grade and are currently roommates, realize that the only way they're going make their rent and get their heat and water turned back on is to make a porno... What they don't realize is that sex is called "F*#cking" because it always f*#ks everything up.

Q: Who’s in the movie?

A: Seth Rogen, Elizabeth Banks, Craig Robinson, Jason Mewes, Gerry Bednob, Jeff Anderson, Katie Morgan, Ricky Mabe, Traci Lords, Justin Long, Brandon Routh, Tisha Campbell-Martin

Q: Is this movie worth the price of admission?

A: Proceed with Caution. Don't expect a Judd Apatow film, just because it stars Seth Rogen. This is a Kevin Smith film, with Kevin Smith humor-- which can be recognized by the fact that there are just as many swear words, but only half the cleverness. That said, if you like Kevin Smith, this is one of his better movies, and you should see it.

Q: Will this movie make me laugh?

A: Again, if you like Kevin Smith, you'll laugh a lot. For people with higher standards, there are just enough laughs so you don't leave angry-- which is nice.

Q: Will this movie make me cry?

A: No, but there is a scene which rivals 2 girls 1 cup, so that's gross. But the good news is the scene in this movie loses the challenge.

Q: Will this movie be up for any awards?

A: Title Most Likely to Garner Free Publicity from People Least Likely to see it.

Q: How is the Acting?

A: You always forget how funny Jason Mewes is, because he never does anything besides Kevin Smith films and rehab. Craig Robinson, who has been creating a signature style since Knocked Up and Pineapple Express, officially catapults himself into the comedy elite with this role. And Elizabeth Banks is prettier than she's ever been before-- which is especially strange considering these characters have no money for water to shower or electricity to blow dry, and yet her curls are always perfect.

Q: How is the Directing?

A: I have to say, this is the area in which Kevin Smith has shown the most improvement over the years. I used to get annoyed by the fact that he wasn't upgrading his indy-style shooting to match his studio-style paychecks. But this one actually looks like a studio movie, and nothing about the directing annoyed me.

Q: How is the story/script?

A: If you know the title-- which you do-- it's mostly predictable. The set-up works well and is originally done, but once they get into making the porn there's not much that happens that you didn't see coming. (Pun unintended, and yet perfectly be-fitting.)

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

A: This movie is rated R despite the fact that it's about shooting a porno because they manage to keep it clean... save the full frontal nudity and the scenes about people doing it.

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