White Wedding

Q: What’s the movie about?

A: A groom (Kenneth Nkosi) and his best man (Rapulana Seiphemo) try to make it from Johannesburg to Cape Town, to be on time for the wedding, but everything seems to be going wrong.

Q: Who’s in the movie?

A: Kenneth Nkosi, Rapulana Seiphemo, Jodie Whittaker, Zandile Msutwana, Sylvia Mngxekeza, Mbulelo Grootboom, Marcel Van Heerden, Grant Swanby

Q: Is this movie worth the price of admission?

A: Proceed with Caution. It's cute for a South African rom-com, but Americans would have done it better. And they have.

Q: Will this movie make me laugh?

A: What it lacks in laugh out loud comedy, it makes up for in charm.

Q: Will this movie make me cry?

A: What's sad about it, is learning that there are still groups of people who mourn the loss of apartheid openly and without shame.

Q: Will this movie be up for any awards?

A: It was South Africa's submission for this year's Academy Awards in the Best Foreign Feature category. I can see why they lost.

Q: How is the Acting?

A: I watched Rapulana Seiphemo play a bad ass gangster, earlier this year, in Gangster's Paradise: Jerusalema, so it was fun to watch him in a comedy role. The rest of the acting is decent, but some of their accents make them sound like they are having a hard time speaking English.

Q: How is the Directing?

A: Aside from one nice transition where everyone is washing their faces, Jann Turner's directing is completely banal.

Q: How is the story/script?

A: This is the aspect that I'm talking about, when I say that Americans would've done it better. From Forces of Nature, to Leap Year, to the upcoming Due Date, to the John Hughes film that started it all, Planes, Trains and Automobiles, Americans have made this movie a million times, but with stronger comedy and more moving emotional parts. Then again, there's something to be said for the cultural differences that a South African sensibility brings to the party.

Q: Where can I see the trailer?

A: http://www.moviefone.com/movie/white-wedding/1430268/trailers

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Babies

Q: What’s the movie about?

A: This documentary follows four babies from different parts of the world (Namibia, Mongolia, Tokyo, San Francisco) during their first year of life, comparing and contrasting how child rearing in civilized and uncivilized society is completely different and also exactly the same.

Q: Who’s in the movie?

A: Four kids under a year old who already have bigger acting careers than you. And three of them don't even speak English.

Q: Is this movie worth the price of admission?

A: Proceed with Caution. What I like about this movie (aside from all the cuteness) is the way that without telling us anything, it reminds us that we are animals in nature who function with or without the societies that we create. What some of you may not like, is that in the age of Facebook, you've probably already seen more footage of babies that aren't yours than you can stomach.

Q: Will this movie make me laugh?

A: Less if you've already seen the previews, but still quite a bit.

Q: Will this movie make me cry?

A: No, but I wouldn't want to be any of of these kids when they get to Junior High. When I was a pre-teen, I remember being embarrassed in front of my friends that my parents had naked baby pictures of me. Not only do these kids have a whole naked theatrical release about them, but two of them poop, one of them discovers his genitals, and one of them throws a temper tantrum over something really dumb.

Q: Will this movie be up for any awards?

A: We may as well go ahead and give it the Cuteness Award, because babies don't appreciate it when you take that away from them. So far, it's all they've got.

Q: How is the Acting?

A: Each child has such a distinct personality and disposition from the start, that it becomes hard to argue against nature's roll in providing us each with a soul and an essence that no one could ever imitate or duplicate.

Q: How is the Directing?

A: Heartless. There are times when these babies are getting themselves into potentially perilous situations, and you can't help but wonder how the cameraman can just sit there rolling film, rather than jumping in and saving these poor, helpless things from themselves... Then again, those are the best moments in the film.

Q: How is the story/script?

A: Seemingly simple and innocuous, but if you go see it with intelligent people, you will be surprised at how much there is to talk about (and argue about) afterward, both regarding societal norms and the constant learning curve of being human.

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

A: Yes. Enjoying life is not about money. We are survivors by nature and can adapt to any conditions. Don't ever forget it.

Q: Where can I see the trailer?

A: http://www.moviefone.com/movie/babies/50452/trailers

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Drag Me to Hell

(Guest Review by Russ)

Q: What’s the movie about?

A: A loan officer (Alison Lohman) makes a fatal mistake when she doesn’t approve an old woman for a loan and gets a supernatural curse placed on her that makes her life a living hell.

Q: Who’s in the movie?

A: Alison Lohman, Justin Long, Lorna Raver, Dileep Rao, David Paymar, Reggie Lee

Q: Is this movie worth the price of admission?

A: Go! It’s scary, it’s funny and gross as hell (of the PG-13 variety). And you’re in the talented, masterful hands of a filmmaker who knows this genre inside and out. Grab your bucket of popcorn and 10 gallons of soda and go scream with two-hundred other people and have a great time. This is why we go to the movies, right?

Q: Will this movie make me laugh?

A: Yes. It’ll make you laugh in two ways, 1: Nervous laughter cause you know things are about to go horribly wrong and 2. Genuine laughter because the filmmakers meant for you to laugh.

Q: Will this movie make me cry?

A: Does projectile vomiting make you weep? If so, bring Kleenex.

Q: Will this movie be up for any awards?

A: Probably not, but I’d rather see Sam Raimi win something for this than a Spider-Man movie.

Q: How is the Acting?

A: Lorna Raver as Mrs. Ganush, the gypsy woman who puts a curse on Alison Lohman, is brilliant. She’s all sorts of creepy-scary and her dentures alone will give you nightmares. And just wait till her eyelid gets stapled shut. Awesome! Also, I would be remiss not to mention a goat in this movie that is weirdly expressive and gets some good laughs.

Q: How is the Directing?

A: Before becoming a mega-director overseeing the Spider-Man franchise, Sam Raimi made some cool horror movies in his early career and it’s obvious he’s having a great time returning to that genre with this film. If you’ve seen any of his Evil Dead movies, then you’ll have an idea of the tone of this one and what constitutes Sam Raimi Horror. He knows how to keep it suspenseful, scary and funny without the gross-out of severed limbs and tons of blood. Drag Me To Hell offers up a bunch of sequences that will make you want to hurl, but your revulsion will be tempered by how much you’re laughing. A five-minute sequence in a parking garage near the beginning of the film is worth the price of admission alone; it has to be seen to be believed.

Q: How is the story/script?

A: There is just enough back-story mumbo jumbo about the curse to make it work, and that’s about all this movie really needs to get you hooked. The humor (mainly from Justin Long) is appreciated and the plot zips along fast enough so that you don’t think too much about any plot holes or if Alison Lohman’s character really deserves the curse she incurs. I wish the twist had been cleverer – it’s not hard to figure out – but it doesn’t detract one bit from a great ending that still comes as a nice surprise. With a title like Drag Me To Hell, don’t expect this movie to wimp out for even one second of its 99 minutes.

Q: Where can I see the trailer?

A: http://www.moviefone.com/movie/drag-me-to-hell/32362/trailers

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