Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close

Q: What’s the movie about?

A:  A young boy (Thomas Horn) struggles to get over the senseless death of his father in 9/11.

Q: Who’s in the movie?

A:  Thomas Horn, Max von Sydow, Sandra Bullock, Tom Hanks, Jeffrey Wright, Viola Davis, John Goodman, Zoe Caldwell

Q: Is this movie worth the price of admission?

A:  Proceed with Caution.  Every step of this movie is totally contrived.  Does some of it work?  Sure.  But the set-ups and pay-offs are so in your face that you may be too annoyed to enjoy any of it.

Q: Will this movie make me laugh?

A: They say that comedy equals tragedy plus time, so is 9/11 funny yet?

Q: Will this movie make me cry?

A:  It will try to make you cry by any means possible, throwing crap at the wall until something sticks.  It's as if the writer were sitting on your shoulder like a little devil saying, "Oh, death didn't get you?  Try alienation...  Oh, that didn't work either?  But remember 9/11, that was awful, right?...  Still nothing?  But he's a little boy, and he's hurting, and he misses his daddy!...  What are you some cold heartless monster?"  To which I reply, "I wasn't until I met you, so I guess you bring that out in me... we should probably break up now."

Q: Will this movie be up for any awards?

A: Boy am I getting sick of all these wanna-be Oscar movies that are trying so hard to be important that they neglect the basics, like being entertaining and seeming effortless.

Q: How is the Acting?

A:  Don't be fooled, neither Tom Hanks nor Sandra Bullock is in the movie for more than 10 minutes, so I hope you like kid actors who aren't particularly cute or charming!

Q: How is the Directing?

A:  The imagery is consistently well thought out, and many of the shots demonstrate a strong voice.  Also, the art is impressive, but I don't believe for one second that a 10 year old could have made any of it.

Q: How is the story/script?

A:  The friend I saw it with really liked the strong sense of community that the movie suggests exists-- even though we both agree that it's a lie, because the people in your neighborhood don't really hang out with Mr. Rogers, which is why they're not all that friendly or generous with their time.  But the fundamental issue with the script is that when you try this hard to matter and be about  heart-string issues that I'm supposed to naturally be moved by, I feel manipulated.  And when I feel manipulated, I start to discredit you, even in the areas where you succeeded.

Q: Where can I see the trailer?

A: Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close Trailer

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Pariah

Q: What’s the movie about?

A:  A semi-closeted teenage African-American lesbian comes of age.

Q: Who’s in the movie?

A: Adepero Oduye, Pernell Walker, Aasha Davis, Kim Wayans, Charles Parnell, Sahra Mellesse, Zabryna Guevara, Kim Sykes

Q: Is this movie worth the price of admission?

A:  Proceed with Caution.  You've seen one lesbian coming of age film, you've seen them all.

Q: Will this movie make me laugh?

A:  I laughed in my head when I realized that I spent the first 10 minutes of the movie trying to decide whether the main characters were women or men.  It was a seriously heated debate in there!

Q: Will this movie make me cry?

A:  Going in I thought this would be this year's Precious.  But it's like a Disney Channel movie in comparison, breaking almost no new ground... Except maybe uncovering how women make themselves look like men.

Q: Will this movie be up for any awards?

A: It won Cinematography at Sundance, which is especially surprising when you consider that all the out of focus shots were the one thing in this film that kept me annoyed throughout... Then again, most of what Sundance likes tends to annoy me, so I don't really know why I'm surprised.

Q: How is the Acting?

A:  It is good to see Kim Wayans-- and in a dramatic role, no less!  I worked with her on a sit-com, back in the day, and I always thought she was one of the most under-rated talents I had ever come across.

Q: How is the Directing?

A:  The odd choices about where to center the focus in many shots is clearly deliberate and artistic, but it doesn't work.  It's distracting and looks like a mistake.

Q: How is the story/script?

A:  For a film getting so much attention, it's surprising how little feels original about it.  I mean, who hasn't already seen at least one movie where the Black husband is a cheater, the teenage girl hates her mother, and the mother is a homophobe?

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

A:  Warning: despite the scary title, this is NOT a horror film or a video game.

Q: Where can I see the trailer?

A: Pariah Trailer

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The Class (Entre les Murs)

Q: What’s the movie about?

A: Based on a book that's based on a true story, this movie about a French teacher (François Begaudeau) who  struggles to get through to his upstart students, in an underprivileged upper school in Paris, is entirely improvised.

Q: Who’s in the movie?

A: François Begaudeau (writer of the book, teacher of French, and now bona fide movie star), Franck Keita, Rachel Regulier, Wey Huang, Boubacar Tour, Carl Nanor, Louise Grinberg, Esmeralda Ouertani,

Q: Is this movie worth the price of admission?

A: Proceed with Caution. The film holds your attention over the course of the school year, even though it is more like a string of interesting moments than an over-arching story. The banter and impromptu dialogue between the teacher and the students is witty and engrossing, as we watch these kids try to bully their teacher into losing complete control of the situation.

Q: Will this movie make me laugh?

A: If you speak French you will laugh a little. If you don't, you will laugh a little less. What I'm trying to tell you is the subtitles are terrible. Some of the most hack-job translation I've ever seen.

Q: Will this movie make me cry?

A: If you've ever been a kid who's been accused of being bad, when you know in your heart that you're good, or if you've ever been a teacher who's been accused of trying to make a difference, when you know in your heart that it's not possible.

Q: Will this movie be up for any awards?

A: It was nominated today for an Academy Award for Best Foreign Film (France). Allons enfants de la patrie le jour de gloire est arrivé! (Sorry, I'm just getting a little patriotic on my French side-- Hi, Mom!)

Q: How is the Acting?

A: The teacher, François Begaudeau, who plays himself, and the students, who are also non-actors, are unreasonably comfortable and natural in front of the camera.

Q: How is the Directing?

A: Between the hand held camera and the shakiness of the teacher's hold on his students, you will definitely feel the squirm factor, as you worry that at any moment, he could go too far and misspeak, with that fast talking mouth of his, or his students could waft him a verbal blow so severe that he might never recover.

Q: How is the story/script?

A: As I watched it, I kept thinking the story would build to something. When it didn't, I left the theater feeling cold. But as the days have gone by, since I left the theater, I've found myself thinking about it more and more, and bringing it up with passion in conversations. So if you're planning to see me anytime soon, be warned.

Q: Where can I see the trailer?

A: http://www.moviefone.com/search/the%20class/trailers

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Ballast

Q: What’s the movie about?

A: When a man (Michael J. Smith Sr.) loses his brother to suicide, the teenage boy who has been robbing him for drug money (JimMyron Ross) moves in next door, and their relationship grows in new and unexpected ways.

Q: Who’s in the movie?

A: Michael J. Smith Sr., JimMyron Ross, Tarra Riggs, Johnny McPhail

Q: Is this movie worth the price of admission?

A: Proceed with Caution. To the sophisticated movie goer this methodical and subtle arthouse film will be seen as a rare gem. But it's not for the short of attention span or those who don't have the patience to chip all the carbon off a diamond in the rough.

Q: Will this movie make me laugh?

A: Only if you're incredibly sick and twisted. And I mean in that serial killer way.

Q: Will this movie make me cry?

A: Maybe afterwards, when you go home and think about how messed up life is for poor people in this country... And, not to be a downer, but the way things are going, we'll probably all be living like these folks soon enough, so it might do you good to see this film so as to mentally prepare yourself for what's to come.

Q: Will this movie be up for any awards?

A: At Sundance it won Directing and Cinematography, and was nominated for the Grand Jury Award.

Q: How is the Acting?

A: This group of non-professionals brings an authenticity that is often missing from professional actors' performance. There is no glitz, no glamor, just a few meaningless people saying so much, with so little.

Q: How is the Directing?

A: Blatantly independent, but really interesting. Little, subtle, visual touches all throughout, make this teency-tiny little film a shining example of how to tell stories without using words.

Q: How is the story/script?

A: Itttttt iiiiiiiis reallllllllllly sllllllllllowwwww pppppppaced. And don't expect a self-explanatory ending. You will need to think about what the ending means, or if it means anything at all.

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Honeydripper

Q: What’s the movie about?

A: The Black owner (Danny Glover) of a blues club in rural Alabama, in the 1950s, owes everybody money, and has one weekend to earn enough in cover charges, liquor and food, to pay all his debts and save his club, The Honeydripper.

Q: Who’s in the movie?

A: Danny Glover, Lisa Gay Hamilton, Yaya DaCosta, Charles S. Dutton, Vondie Curtis-Hall, Gary Clark Jr., Mable John, Stacy Keach

Q: Is this movie worth the price of admission?

A: Stop! I truly enjoyed the last ten minutes of this movie, which were high energy and filled with blues music, but I can not in good conscience recommend the rest of it to anybody. I have racked my brain to think of who might enjoy this long and slow paced meditation on being a musician in the Black south in the1950s, and I have come up blank. I thought maybe Blues and Gospel fans would like it, but there isn’t nearly enough music strung throughout the movie to satisfy that audience. I thought maybe Black Americans would like it because this is a part of their personal history, but the racial issues were covered tritely, and didn’t seem to add anything to the general knowledge most people already have about that time period. If anything, I would say the film was too soft in all areas.

Q: Will this movie make me laugh?

A: A couple of light chuckles, nothing memorable.

Q: Will this movie make me cry?

A: Not even if you cry easily.

Q: Will this movie be up for any awards?

A: It tied for Best Screenplay at the San Sebastian International Film Festival, with Siete Mesas de Billar Frances. But keep in mind, English is not a Spanish judge’s first language, and I’m guessing the festival was kinda dead this year.

Q: How is the Acting?

A: Danny Glover and Charles S. Dutton are a fun “buddy” team. Yaya DaCosta of America’s Next Top Model (Cycle 2) is still skinny. And Gary Clark Jr., in his first acting role, shows off why he’s one of the hottest young blues guitar players in the world. Okay, that’s not really a comment on his acting. But he’s so relaxed when he’s playing his music, that in contrast, it becomes more obvious that he’s not relaxed when he’s not playing.

Q: How is the Directing?

A: This is another example of a director not knowing when to cut. Coming in at a little over 2 hours, I can think of several whole scenes that were completely unnecessary toward advancing the very thin plot.

Q: How is the story/script?

A: While it’s clearly a personal story that John Sayles wanted to communicate about his connection to this type of music and it’s roots, I can’t say that his love of it translated from his heart and mind to his audience.

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