Amazon Holiday

Showing posts with label Explosion. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Explosion. Show all posts

Monday, December 19, 2011

The Sitter


Q: What’s the movie about?

A: An aimless slacker (Jonah Hill) gets stuck babysitting three difficult kids (Max Records, Landry Bender, Kevin Rodriguez) on the night when the girl he's trying to sleep with (Ari Graynor) gives him his big chance.

Q: Who’s in the movie?

A: Jonah Hill, Max Records, Landry Bender, Kevin Hernandez, Ari Graynor, Sam Rockwell, J.B. Smoove, Kylie Bunbury, Erin Daniels, D.W. Moffett, Jessica Hecht, Bruce Altman, Samiri Wiley, Cliff "Method Man" Smith, Sean Patrick Doyle, Alex Wolff, Jack Krizmanich, Grace Aronds, Jane Aronds

Q: Is this movie worth the price of admission?

A: PhotobucketGo! Yes, it's R-rated and shows children swearing, stealing, blowing things up, and partying with dangerous grown-ups until the wee hours of the night, but isn't that what's great about it?!

Q: Will this movie make me laugh?

A: The laughs aren't non-stop, but when they come they are subtle and clever, and generally make you happy you're there.

Q: Will this movie make me cry?

A: It made me sad that there weren't more people in the theater. Mostly because there would have been a lot more laughs if there were.

Q: Will this movie be up for any awards?

A: Best Commercial Comedy that Nobody Decided to See.

Q: How is the Acting?

A: Most of the laughs wouldn't be there if it weren't for the actors' awkward delivery. Jonah Hill is known for this style of acting, but Erin Daniels, in the small role of the mom, does a great job of laughing awkwardly at her own weird dialogue, too.

Q: How is the Directing?

A: David Gordon Greene has done bigger movies and smaller movies, and he seems absolutely comfortable at any level.

Q: How is the story/script?

A: Okay, so it's not the most original or artistic thing you've ever seen, but it captures the fish-out-of water comedy caper genre at least as well as Date Night did. And frankly, after sitting through several weeks of mediocre to bad awards contenders, this kind of improbably fun ride is a welcome relief.

Q: Where can I see the trailer?

A: The Sitter Trailer

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Friday, August 12, 2011

30 Minutes or Less


Q: What’s the movie about?

A: A pizza delivery boy (Jesse Eisenberg) wakes up strapped to a bomb, with a pair of small time criminals (Danny McBride & Nick Swardson) demanding that he rob a bank for $100,000 if he wants to get out of exploding.

Q: Who’s in the movie?

A: Jesse Eisenberg, Danny McBride, Aziz Ansari, Nick Swardson, Dilshad Vadsaria, Michael Pena, Bianca Kajlich, Fred Ward

Q: Is this movie worth the price of admission?

A: PhotobucketProceed with Caution. It's incredibly dumb, but not dumb enough to be awesome.

Q: Will this movie make me laugh?

A: The funniest clips are in the trailer, and to add insult to injury, even those are slightly funnier when taken out of the context of the film.

Q: Will this movie make me cry?

A: No emotions of any kind will be had.

Q: Will this movie be up for any awards?

A: Funniest panel at Comic Con. If you weren't one of the thousand people at that panel, you may never discover how truly hilarious the actors in this film actually are. Because it's not particularly clear from watching this film.

Q: How is the Acting?

A: Aziz Ansari is such a bad actor that he makes Jesse Eisenberg seem like he's over-acting just for hitting his emotions at appropriate levels. And Michael Pena, whose resume includes just about everything serious that's ever been made, turns out to be something of a comic genius... After this performance, I have a feeling that he will get a speedy welcome into the club.

Q: How is the Directing?

A: The opening car scene is pretty awesome... and then you never notice the directing again.

Q: How is the story/script?

A: So after getting a bomb strapped to you, you go to your best friend who is a school teacher, and you say "Rob a bank with me," at which point he deserts his classroom full of children and agrees to rob a bank with you. Think about that... Yeah, there's no world in which it happens that way. Here's a possible alternative. You rob a bank by yourself, while your best friend calls the cops to explain why you're robbing the bank, and then the cops, using their years of professional knowledge and expertise, devise a strategy to get you out of that bomb. And don't get me started on the dialogue.

Q: Where can I see the trailer?

A: 30 Minutes or Less Trailer

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Thursday, June 30, 2011

Transformers: Dark of the Moon


(Guest Review by Russ)

Q: What’s the movie about?

A: Some big alien robots fight other alien robots; audience loses.

Q: Who’s in the movie?

A: Shia LaBeouf, Josh Duhamel, Rosie Huntington Whiteley, John Turturro, Tyrese Gibson, Patrick Dempsey, Frances McDormand, John Malkovich, Ken Jeong, Bill O'Reilly

Q: Is this movie worth the price of admission?

A: PhotobucketStop! Even if you're a fan of this film trilogy, or the old animated show, or Michael Bay or... uh, anyway, seriously, you have to be missing your entire brain to enjoy this mess. The answer to this question has never been more definitive: no.

Q: Will this movie make me laugh?

A: Based on the weird performances of LaBeouf, Turturro, Malkovich and McDormand I'm going to guess that the movie is supposed to be funny. Instead, it's just sad.

Q: Will this movie make me cry?

A: You'll be too bored to cry. And besides, for this movie to elicit any emotion in you would be giving it way too much credit.

Q: Will this movie be up for any awards?

A: Most Boring Film Ever Made In The History of Cinema. This plastic bag filled with my friend Roy's dog's poop goes to: Transformers: Dark of the Moon. (Even the title is dumb.)

Q: How is the Acting?

A: For John Malkovich this is just another weird performance. Unfortunately his weird performances don't have the same effect in a non-weird movie. But if you've ever wondered what it would look like if a gigantic yellow robot tickled John Malkovich and made him squirm with laughter, then at least you'll get that. (Yes I said 'tickled' and that's exactly what happens.) Otherwise, use the image of that scene as a microcosm for how horrible and ill-conceived this atrocity is. And while we're here, everyone else in this movie is bad.

Q: How is the Directing?

A: In the grand tradition of proving he can direct action, robots, clones and Ben Affleck, Michael Bay scores again with the massive action set-pieces here. Where he doesn't score is in achieving a cohesive tone. Is this supposed to be silly? Serious? Funny? Romantic? Please discuss below, because I'd really like to know... On second thought, I don't actually care.

Q: How is the story/script?

A: Watching this movie reminded me of when my parents took me to church every Sunday: I was bored and spent much of the time fantasizing about when it would end. It is not only boring, it's also incredibly annoying and grating. And heck, at least church was never two hours and forty minutes long! Maybe this has nothing to do with the story/script... but probably it has everything to do with it.

Q: Where can I see the trailer?

A: Transformers: Dark of the Moon Trailer

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Wednesday, April 27, 2011

Fast Five


Q: What’s the movie about?

A: First of all, can you believe I saw this?! Got passes to a free screening and thought the poster looked cool, so I went to the 5th installment of The Fast and the Furious franchise, of which I've seen NONE of the the first four. So here's what I think it's about... There's this bad guy, and he befriended an undercover cop, but now the cop loves him, because he's dating the bad guy's sister, so he decides to break the bad guy out of jail, and now he's a bad guy, too. But really, they're both good guys.

Q: Who’s in the movie?

A: Vin Diesel, Paul Walker, Jordana Brewster, Tyrese Gibson, Chris "Lucacris" Bridges, Matt Schulze, Sung Kang, Gal Gadot, Tego Calderon, Don Omar, Joaquim de Almeida, Dwayne Johnson, Elsa Pataky, Michael Irby

Q: Is this movie worth the price of admission?

A: PhotobucketGo! It's loud! And crazy! And I think the heroes died about once every five minutes if this weren't a movie. But it really is adrenaline pumping, and anyone who takes it as pure fantasy, existing merely for the purpose of outlandish action, is gonna love it.

Q: Will this movie make me laugh?

A: Yes. At the acting. I haven't seen the first four, so I'm assuming this is meant to be a spoof.

Q: Will this movie make me cry?

A: They destroy at least $10 million worth of cars, so somebody should be crying. Like all those people who just lost their jobs and got their cars repoed recently. Look out for yours, it's probably in there getting smashed to bits.

Q: Will this movie be up for any awards?

A: I don't see how anyone could ever beat this in a vehicular stunt contest. I also think the guy who has to clean up the mess these guys leave in their wake should get an award.

Q: How is the Acting?

A: Vin Diesel makes the Rock look like an Oscar contender. And Paul Walker is so bland, that most actors would have to be lobotomized to do what he does. But at least the girls are bad-ass.

Q: How is the Directing?

A: Sometimes when I watch all the different angles Justin Lin had to get to cover the action scenes and explosions, I think he must have a lot of patience. But don't cast The Rock and Vin Diesel in the same fight scene. In fast motion, it's impossible to tell their bald heads apart!

Q: How is the story/script?

A: As a screenwriter myself, all I can say is, "How do they come up with this stuff?!" Oh, yeah, it's like this.

Q: Where can I see the trailer?

A: Fast Five Trailer

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Thursday, March 31, 2011

Source Code


Q: What’s the movie about?

A: An Afghanistan war vet (Jake Gyllenhaal) is part of the "Source Code" program which forces him to repeatedly go back in time, to the 8 minutes leading up to the moment when the train he is on will blow up. There, he must figure out who planted the bomb, and then deter the terrorist's plan for an even bigger attack.

Q: Who’s in the movie?

A: Jake Gyllenhaal, Michelle Monaghan, Vera Farmiga, Jeffrey Wright, Michael Arden, Cas Anvar, Russell Peters

Q: Is this movie worth the price of admission?

A: PhotobucketGo! Don't try to understand why the ending works, I'm not sure it does, but somehow that doesn't seem to lessen the entertainment value of this sci-fi premise.

Q: Will this movie make me laugh?

A: There is exactly one funny line, and it didn't come from the stand-up comedian.

Q: Will this movie make me cry?

A: Now that I think of it, all of the emotional beats are very surface. You know what, maybe don't give this movie too much thought after you see it. Because while some movies get better with reflection, this one is the opposite of that.

Q: Will this movie be up for any awards?

A: Most Engrossing Plot that Makes No Sense, Ever!

Q: How is the Acting?

A: The best actor in the cast, Vera Farmiga, has the most boring role. As far as Jake Gyllenhaal and Michelle Monaghan go, I have fairly low expectations for both, so I'm just happy when they don't annoy me.

Q: How is the Directing?

A: Duncan Jones, who directed Moon before this, is already demonstrating the kind of track record that will soon have him stealing jobs away from Michael Bay.

Q: How is the story/script?

A: The structure is unpredictable, as are many of the choices the character makes during his 8 minute train rides. When we grow to know more about the character, his choices begin to make more sense, and the seeming randomness of the choices make the movie feel original. At the same time, it's pretty easy to figure out who the terrorist is and the major twist isn't that surprising either. Maybe because it's sci-fi, and so completely make-believe from the start, but for some reason, you find yourself compelled to forgive all the major flaws in the plot.

Q: Where can I see the trailer?

A: Source Code Trailer

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Tuesday, March 15, 2011

Paul


Q: What’s the movie about?

A: A couple of English nerds (Simon Pegg & Nick Frost), who are in America for Comic Con, encounter an Alien named Paul (Seth Rogen), who is on the run from Area 51, and then, the English guys decide that it would be a good idea to help Paul get back home.

Q: Who’s in the movie?

A: Simon Pegg, Nick Frost, Seth Rogen, Kristen Wiig, Jason Bateman, Bill Hader, Jo Lo Truglio, Sigourney Weaver, John Carroll Lynch, Jane Lynch, Blythe Danner, David Koechner, Jesse Plemons, Jeffrey Tambor, Steven Spielberg (on the phone)

Q: Is this movie worth the price of admission?

A: PhotobucketGo! Don't let the slow start scare you, once it gets going, you won't want it to ever stop.

Q: Will this movie make me laugh?

A: I went for the Hot Fuzz duo, but I stayed for the funny alien.

Q: Will this movie make me cry?

A: No, but if you have strong religious beliefs, it's probably going to piss you off.

Q: Will this movie be up for any awards?

A: Comedy Central is finally putting together the Comedy Awards, in order to compete with the Tragedy Awards, also known as the Oscars, and so far, Paul is the front-runner to sweep the new show.

Q: How is the Acting?

A: Turns out, I'm not sick of Seth Rogen, after all.

Q: How is the Directing?

A: Greg Mottola is lucky that he's friends with more talented writers than himself, because when given a good script, his work is not half bad.

Q: How is the story/script?

A: Great for nerds because they will be able to pick out references to every sci-fi film and TV series ever made. And great for everybody else because they will be able to laugh at how lame it is to be so nerdy that you can recognize references to every sci-fi film and TV series ever made.

Q: Where can I see the trailer?

A: Paul Trailer

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Monday, January 17, 2011

The Green Hornet


Q: What’s the movie about?

A: A spoiled rich kid (Seth Rogen) who's mad at his dead dad (Tom Wilkinson) teams up with his dad's newly unemployed barrista/mechanic (Jay Chou) to fight crime in Los Angeles.

Q: Who’s in the movie?

A: Seth Rogen, Jay Chou, Cameron Diaz, Christoph Waltz, Tom Wilkinson, David Harbour, Edward James Olmos, Jamie Harris, Chad Coleman, Edward Furlong

Q: Is this movie worth the price of admission?

A: PhotobucketProceed with Caution. There is something very exciting about this movie... But it might just be the car.

Q: Will this movie make me laugh?

A: The humor is very dark and a little weird. I liked it... But I might have just been excited about that car.

Q: Will this movie make me cry?

A: Seth Rogen loses his mother, then his father... But I mostly felt bad about what happened to the car.

Q: Will this movie be up for any awards?

A: Better Car than the Batmobile. Yeah, I said it, Batmaniacs, bring it on!

Q: How is the Acting?

A: Jay Chou is not John Cho with a Chinese accent. Although, he's equally as funny, in a much more Taiwanese way.

Q: How is the Directing?

A: Michel Gondry plays down his abilities for the first time ever, simply telling the story without drawing excessive attention to his own superb directing skillz. He only showboats in two scenes. The first one is the opening party scene which feels forced and out of place next to the style of the rest of the film. The second showboating scene, though, where all of L.A.'s criminals spread the word about a million dollar bounty, leads your eye in so many interesting directions that you want to watch it more than once just to figure out how he did it.

Q: How is the story/script?

A: Seth Rogen co-wrote the script, so I'm surprised he didn't make his own character a little more likeable. It's probably the one thing that could've really taken this movie from slightly off-putting and vaguely disturbing to just plain great.

Q: Where can I see the trailer?

A: The Green Hornet Trailer

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Tuesday, October 26, 2010

Four Lions


Q: What’s the movie about?

A: A group of British Jihadists prepare to blow themselves up, but based on their behavior, they could just as easily be preparing for a Vaudeville act starring Larry, Curly, and Mo.

Q: Who’s in the movie?

A: Riz Ahmed, Kayvan Novak, Nigel Lindsay, Arsher Ali, Adeel Akhtar, Preeya Kalidas, Julia Davis, Benedict Cumberbatch

Q: Is this movie worth the price of admission?

A: PhotobucketProceed with Caution. The idea behind the idea is pretty genius, once you're in on the joke, but it's really challenging to figure out the joke.

Q: Will this movie make me laugh?

A: If you can get past the language barrier, and the style of the humor, I'm pretty sure this movie is drop dead hilarious. As for me, I understood about every third word, despite it supposedly being in English.

Q: Will this movie make me cry?

A: The saddest thing about it is that many of the moronic things these would-be suicide bombers do and say are inspired by true events. Like the time the jihadist was on a bicycle, on his way to deliver a bomb, and he veered to avoid a pothole running right into a lamppost. Boom! True story.

Q: Will this movie be up for any awards?

A: The Wash Your Mouth Out with Soap Award. Thanks to this movie, prematurely exploding doesn't have to be sexual innuendo anymore!

Q: How is the Acting?

A: Nigel Lindsay stands out as being Ali G level funny. Kayvan Novak and Riz Ahmed have the looks to be big stars-- which isn't to say that they weren't funny as all Hell, too. And Julia Davis is just... wow, she has a timing all her own.

Q: How is the Directing?

A: The directing is one of the few aspects of the film that is totally amateurish. You rarely know where the characters are in relation to each other or the room, and the look is of embarrassingly low quality. Director Chris Morris comes from a TV background in Great Britain, which is notorious for putting shows on the air that look like they were shot on a 1980s camcorder... but the poor resolution may also have been due to the projection system in the dumpy rent-a-theater I saw it in.

Q: How is the story/script?

A: It's particularly hard to figure out if these guys are serious about martyring themselves, or if they're just making some kind of a film within a film about what it would be like if they were. That said, some of the dialogue is pretty brilliant. In a nonsensical way.

Q: Where can I see the trailer?

A: http://www.moviefone.com/movie/four-lions/10024302/trailers

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Saturday, August 7, 2010

The Other Guys


Q: What’s the movie about?

A: A couple of buddy cops who hate each other (Will Ferrell & Mark Wahlberg) try to prove that they are not the two most incompetent police officers who ever lived.

Q: Who’s in the movie?

A: Will Ferrel, Mark Wahlberg, Michael Keaton, Eva Mendez, Steve Coogan, Rob Riggle, Damon Wayans, Jr., Dwayne Johnson, Samuel L. Jackson, Ray Stevenson, Bobby Cannavale, Andy Buckley, Lindsay Sloane, Natalie Zea, Anne Heche, Michael Delaney

Q: Is this movie worth the price of admission?

A: PhotobucketGo! As far as Will Ferrell movies go, this one actually has a story. And yes, I admit that my expectations for his movies are so low that I may be being more lenient than I normally am.

Q: Will this movie make me laugh?

A: Prepare for usual stupid, wacky Will Ferrel comedy stylings, which often make no logical sense, and yet seem to catch on like The Macarena.

Q: Will this movie make me cry?

A: No, but when people fall from tall buildings, you actually get to see them hitting the ground... So that's disturbing.

Q: Will this movie be up for any awards?

A: I think it's going to be up for the Nobel Prize in Economic Sciences for the mind blowing stats and charts during the credit sequence that point out exactly how badly we were screwed by the banks in the financial collapse. What, you didn't know this was a message movie?

Q: How is the Acting?

A: First of all Mark Wahlberg is hilarious in this. His curmudgeonliness reminded me of Mr. Roper from Three's Company, the way he would smile through intense annoyance, unable to hide his insincerity. And Will Ferrell's jokes are always funnier when they come from a character who is sweet, naive, and innocent, as they do in this film, than when they come from that unlikeble cocky, bastard place, as they do in some of his less well developed films. I am always happy to see him in a character that highlights his strength. Sadly, I didn't think Steve Coogan was exploited to the best of his abilities.

Q: How is the Directing?

A: Adam McKay, who directs most of Will Ferrell's movies, succeeded in making it look like a Will Ferrell movie.

Q: How is the story/script?

A: I was ecstatic to see that there was one, even if it contained several moments, emotions, and jokes that have no basis in reality.

Q: Where can I see the trailer?

A: http://www.moviefone.com/movie/the-other-guys/38655/trailers

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Monday, July 5, 2010

Knight and Day


Q: What’s the movie about?

A: A spy (Tom Cruise) uses a random girl (Cameron Diaz) as a mule and ends up having to protect her from corrupt FBI agents and drug lords who are all after the device he is trying to keep safe... I think.

Q: Who’s in the movie?

A: Tom Cruise, Cameron Diaz, Peter Sarsgaard, Jordi Molla, Viola Davis, Paul Dano, Falk Hentschel, Marc Blucas, Lennie Loftin, Maggie Grace, Celia Weston

Q: Is this movie worth the price of admission?

A: PhotobucketProceed with Caution. For a film as seemingly run of the mill as this, I was surprised by how convoluted and confusing the plot was. I was also surprised by how much I enjoyed it despite my constant state of confusion.

Q: Will this movie make me laugh?

A: The romantic parts probably will. I'm not sure they're supposed to. But when you laugh at the kissing scenes, at least it gives new meaning to the term romantic-comedy.

Q: Will this movie make me cry?

A: Isn't it ironic that when one person dies in a film, it can be so sad, and yet when one person dies per minute, we don't feel anything at all?

Q: Will this movie be up for any awards?

A: I'm pretty sure I already gave out the Best Mustache Award this year, so it's only fitting that there should be an award for Worst Mustache. Was Paul Dano good in this film? I have no idea, because every time he was on screen, all I could think about was what the make-up person could possibly have been thinking by shaving off the right middle of his mustache. No character, no matter how weird would wear their mustache like that, unless they were kidnapped mid-shave. Hey, maybe that was in the original cut of the movie? If anyone gets the DVD and watches the extras, let me know... Or don't. I don't really care all that much.

Q: How is the Acting?

A: Tom Cruise is still a good actor, but he's totally over. His persona has gotten too big and too ugly to leave room on his face for any character he's supposed to be inhabiting. But don't take my word for it, ask any one of the 7 people I asked to go see this movie with me, all of which turned me down due to either his presence in the movie or his evil smile's.

Q: How is the Directing?

A: Did you know that when good guys run into a stream of bullets coming from all sides they always come out unscathed? Neither did I, but it turns out that the same is true of driving head-on into traffic going the wrong way down a one way tunnel for five minutes or more. I know I'm not supposed to care, but when the action gets too preposterous, I start to miss the final scene from Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid.

Q: How is the story/script?

A: I found myself thinking much too hard to understand why he was involved with her in the first place. At the beginning of the movie, the choice to bump into her seems very deliberate and specific, as if he had been looking for her and then she showed up, but as the film goes on, you come to realize that in order for it all to make sense, she had to have been picked completely at random, in which case his acting was just a red herring.

Q: Where can I see the trailer?

A: http://www.moviefone.com/movie/knight-and-day/38099/trailers

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Friday, June 11, 2010

Micmacs


Q: What’s the movie about?

A: After getting hit in the head with a stray bullet, Bazil (Dany Boon) becomes homeless and is taken in by a group of other homeless people, each with their own strange talent. Together they embark on a convoluted plot to bring down the arms dealer who shot him, as well as the arms dealer who killed his father, by pinning them against each other.

Q: Who’s in the movie?

A: Dany Boon, André Dussollier, Nicolas Marié, Jean-Pierre Marielle, Yolande Moreau, Julie Ferrier, Omar Sy, Dominique Pinon, Michel Crémadès, Marie-Julie Baup

Q: Is this movie worth the price of admission?

A: PhotobucketProceed with Caution. It's sure to become a French cult classic, which some people will refer to as genius, and others will refer to as bizarre.

Q: Will this movie make me laugh?

A: The convenience of the many coincidences that lead the characters to formulate a perfectly played-out, mistake free, full proof heist plan might. But the Jerry Lewis-like antics won't.

Q: Will this movie make me cry?

A: No, but it hopes to get you riled up against arms dealers... just in case you didn't already think they were the bad guys.

Q: Will this movie be up for any awards?

A: It really should be considered for Art Direction. It's pretty cool.

Q: How is the Acting?

A: Over the top and clown-like. Think Jim Carrey crossed with Charlie Chaplin speaking a made up, nonsensical language. Not my thing.

Q: How is the Directing?

A: Jean-Pierre Jeunet is the Tim Burton of France.

Q: How is the story/script?

A: Surreal and requiring a great deal of suspension of disbelief. Yes, it's meant to be a fantasy version of reality (starting with the man surviving a bullet to the forehead), but ultimately this group of homeless misfits turns out to be more clever than Ethan Hunt, Macgyver, and Einstein, all rolled into one. So you have to either go with it, or go home.

Q: Where can I see the trailer?

A: http://www.moviefone.com/movie/micmacs/10011343/trailers

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Sunday, May 23, 2010

MacGruber


Q: What’s the movie about?

A: Based on the Saturday Night Live sketch, MacGruber, which is based on spoofing the 1980s TV show, MacGyver, this is the story of a supposedly amazing ex-special operative who actually totally sucks. But don't tell him that.

Q: Who’s in the movie?

A: Will Forte, Kristen Wiig, Ryan Phillippe, Val Kilmer, Powers Boothe, Maya Rudolph

Q: Is this movie worth the price of admission?

A: PhotobucketProceed with Caution. This is another one of those movies that is so dumb that it's funny. I learned from my review of Hot Tub Time Machine that some of you don't find humor in complete and total idiocy, so this yellow light is dedicated to you. The dumbditude of this movie makes Hot Tub Time Machine look like it's targeted at Mensa members.

Q: Will this movie make me laugh?

A: The people next to me giggled awkwardly and uncontrollably from the beginning to the end. I'm pretty sure they were high.

Q: Will this movie make me cry?

A: Personally, I had a tear of nostalgia, because in college, I, too, used to get high. With a couple of the writers of this movie, in fact. So the dialogue brought me right back to those good old days of the deep, important conversations, which if any of us had been sober, would have sounded completely nonsensical.

Q: Will this movie be up for any awards?

A: Best backstory in any movie, ever.

Q: How is the Acting?

A: It is some of the best acting I've seen out of both Will Forte and Ryan Phillippe... which I recognize, isn't saying much in either case.

Q: How is the Directing?

A: Jorma Taccone shows a little too much gore for my taste, but aside from that, his style is perfectly matched to the broad tone of the script.

Q: How is the story/script?

A: High on potty humor and low on cleverness, but a good, dumb time, nonetheless.

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

A: There is a homophobic joke that wants to be funny, but is only offensive. You know I'm not easily offended by humor, as I try to be an equal opportunity offender, myself. But if you're sensitive to homophobia, be warned. This joke misses the mark for anybody who understands that you can be a buff manly-man, and still want to have sex with dudes.

Q: Where can I see the trailer?

A: http://www.moviefone.com/movie/macgruber/38929/trailers

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Thursday, February 26, 2009

The Hurt Locker

Q: What’s the movie about?

A: An elite Army bomb squad is in constant peril, as they go around Iraq’s war zone finding and disassembling camouflaged, hand made bombs.

Q: Who’s in the movie?

A: : Jeremy Renner, Anthony Mackie, Brian Geraghty, Christan Camargo, Guy Pearce, Ralph Fiennes, Evangeline Lilly, David Morse, Suhail Aldabbach

Q: Is this movie worth the price of admission?

A: PhotobucketStop! Plot-wise, this movie would’ve worked better as a video game. Mainly because it’s the same scene over and over: We find a bomb, we disarm it. We find a bomb, we disarm it. We find a bomb, we disarm it. At least if it were a game, we’d get to participate at levels of ever-increasing difficulty.

Q: Will this movie make me laugh?

A: Why anybody would want to see a movie that tries to make you feel like you’re in the middle of the Iraq War, at this particular juncture in our history is beyond me, so if you’re going to this, I probably can’t relate to you enough to tell you if it will make you laugh…

Q: Will this movie make me cry?

A: …or cry.

Q: Will this movie be up for any awards?

A: It won several awards at the Venice Film Festival (none of which I’ve ever heard of), and it was up for 2 Spirit Awards for acting. But before you question my harsh judgment of this film, may I remind you that I’ve watched it, you haven’t.

Q: How is the Acting?

A: Jeremy Renner is the most under-rated actor in Hollywood, and has been for years. Maybe because he tends to pick dark, interesting roles in dark, uninteresting movies.

Q: How is the Directing?

A: As proven by her body of work, Kathryn Bigelow is a director who feels more confident about shooting action scenes than telling a story. This frantically shot film, with only a semblance of a story, continues in the tradition.

Q: How is the story/script?

A: Some of the characters are interesting, but you won’t gain much insight beyond the fact that war is Hell… And we already knew that.

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

A: If you still want to see an Iraq war movie after reading this review, rent Traitor. Here’s a link to my review of Traitor: http://moviereviewfaqs.blogspot.com/2008/08/traitor.html

Q: Where can I see the trailer?

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

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Monday, January 12, 2009

Gomorrah

Q: What’s the movie about?

A: A fictionalized true-life glimpse into the modern day Italian Mafia in Naples, knows as The Camorra.

Q: Who’s in the movie?

A: Salvatore Abruzzese, Simone Sacchettino, Gianfelice Imparato, Maria Nazionale, Carlo Del Sorbo, Toni Servillo, Carmine Paternoster, Salvatore Cantalupo, Gigio Morra, Ronghua Zhang, Marco Macor, Ciro Petrone

Q: Is this movie worth the price of admission?

A: PhotobucketStop! The first scene is fantastic, then you can go home.

Q: Will this movie make me laugh?

A: After watching The Sopranos become a national pastime, it's hard to imagine a mob story devoid of a single humorous moment, but they pull it off here.

Q: Will this movie make me cry?

A: You would if you cared about even one of the characters in this film, especially considering most of them get killed. But you don't, so you won't.

Q: Will this movie be up for any awards?

A: Somehow, it has been nominated and won several big awards around the world. Not only that, but Martin Scorsese has decided to endorse this film by adding a "Martin Scorsese Presents" credit to the front of the film for American audience. So you can take his word for it, considering he is one of the premiere cinematic authorities on all matters mob, but I was bored out of my mind.

Q: How is the Acting?

A: Imagine Pulp Fiction. Now imagine it in Italian. Now take away all the funny parts. And voila!

Q: How is the Directing?

A: 2 hours and 17 minutes for 4 unrelated stories, all of which are uncompelling and add nothing to this tired old genre, besides the insight that Italians are dumb enough to get involved in this nonsense in their own country, as well as in ours. If the director wasn't going to do something original, then at least he should have cut the movie down to a palatable length. I checked my clock 3 times.

Q: How is the story/script?

A: Apparently the author of the book that this movie is based on, Roberto Saviano, had to go into hiding, and is under permanent police supervision, due to the death threats he received for exposing The Camorra's secrets. I'm still trying to figure out what special secrets this guy exposed about organized crime that we hadn't already deduced from seeing The Godfather, Goodfellas, and Analyze That.

Q: Where can I see the trailer?

A: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hky53gXyjX0

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Thursday, December 11, 2008

Valkyrie

Q: What’s the movie about?

A: The true story of a group of high level German politicians and military men who attempt a coup on Hitler's life and regime during World War II.

Q: Who’s in the movie?

A: Tom Cruise, Kenneth Branagh, Bill Nighy, Tom Sizemore, Eddie Izzard, Terence Stamp, Carice van Houten, Thomas Kretschmann, Christian Berkel, Kevin McNally, Tom Hollander, David Bamber, Halina Reijn

Q: Is this movie worth the price of admission?

A: PhotobucketGo! It's Tom Cruise presents: History for Dummies! And let's face it, there's no better way to learn history than in a dark theater with a bucket of popcorn and a dramatic score pounding through your bones and pushing you to the edge of your seat.

Q: Will this movie make me laugh?

A: Unfortunately, he doesn't talk about Scientology or how much he loves Katie Holmes at any point, so the movie is basically humorless. Thankfully, if you need a good laugh at Tom Cruise's expense that stuff is all up on YouTube.

Q: Will this movie make me cry?

A: Not really, but it's always inspiring to see resistance forces rising up and committing high treason in order to do the right thing, in a society filled with sheep following orders. There was a time when people were willing to die for what they believed in. So maybe you'd die a little bit sooner? But at least you'd go down knowing that your life had purpose and meaning.

Q: Will this movie be up for any awards?

A: As entertaining as it is, it's got one major thing going against it, when it comes to award recognition... It's entertaining.

Q: How is the Acting?

A: Take Tom Cruise's performance from any other action thriller where he plays a ballsy hero who will stop at nothing to see that justice is served, and cut and paste it here. He never seems to get tired of that same old performance, and apparently neither do we.

Q: How is the Directing?

A: The pace and the music keep the story suspenseful, making it not just a war movie, but also a political thriller that actually is thrilling.

Q: How is the story/script?

A: For such a complicated political plot, the writers manage to keep it as clear and simple as they can. You still need a military school degree to catch all the nuances of this intricate plan to make the army eat its own tail, but it's a good introduction to how clever they had to be to get as far as they did.

Q: Where can I see the trailer?

A: [http://www.moviefone.com/search/valkyrie/trailers



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