Drillbit Taylor

Q: What’s the movie about?

A: Three high school Freshmen hire a bodyguard (Owen Wilson) to defend them from the school bully.

Q: Who’s in the movie?

A: Owen Wilson, Troy Gentile, Leslie Mann, Nate Hartley, David Dorfman, Alex Frost, Josh Peck, Valerie Tian, Danny McBride... and a great cameo by the bodyguard from My Bodyguard, which I'm only spoiling because that movie came out 28 years ago, and you might not remember what he looks like if I don't tell you to look for him.

Q: Is this movie worth the price of admission?

A: Proceed with Caution. Did you know that Drillbit Taylor is a homeless person? Yeah, it's kind of depressing. And despite his generally positive attitude about it, it lends a sad undertone to the first three-quarters of the film. Thankfully, the climax is satisfying.

Q: Will this movie make me laugh?

A: Sure, but don't expect a laugh riot.

Q: Will this movie make me cry?

A: How should I know? I've never been bullied.

Q: Will this movie be up for any awards?

A: I don't know who ShoWest is, but they always seem to be giving out awards for the Star of Tomorrow. By weighing their odds with a cast this young, I think these guys might be angling for that one. It's their only chance.

Q: How is the Acting?

A: Owen Wilson's lines weren't up to his ability, but he still made the best of all of them. And Troy Gentile, who often gets cast as a young Jack Black, has a huge career in front of him-- so long as he doesn't start doing drugs like the rest of them.

Q: How is the Directing?

A: I've got no complaints.

Q: How is the story/script?

A: Could've been a lot funnier, more heart, less predictable, more clever, less over-the-top... But it wasn't that bad.

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Be Kind Rewind

Q: What’s the movie about?

A: When Jerry (Jack Black) tries to pull a prank on a local power plant, he gets severely electrocuted, and his body becomes magnetized. Subsequently, this causes him to accidentally erase all of the information on the VHS tapes at his friend's (Mos Def) video store. Now, in an effort to save the video store, the two of them must re-enact all the movies that customers want to rent.

Q: Who’s in the movie?

A: Jack Black, Mos Def, Danny Glover, Melonie Diaz, Mia Farrow, Sigourney Weaver, Marcus Carl Franklin, Chandler Parker

Q: Is this movie worth the price of admission?

A: Proceed with Caution. If the description sounds weird, it's because it is. While the technique in this film is astounding, and there are fleeting moments of genius amidst the boring parts, it's virtually impossible not to spend the majority of the film thinking, "This has got to be the dumbest thing I have ever seen..." And that's why I've concluded that this is sure to become a cult classic. Welcome to crazytown!

Q: Will this movie make me laugh?

A: Yes, although it's hard to know for sure if you're laughing with it or at it.

Q: Will this movie make me cry?

A: Real emotions in this film are hard to come by. Everyone in the town is just crazy enough not to realize that everyone else in the town is completely insane.

Q: Will this movie be up for any awards?

A: The artistry in all design departments is also insane... insanely good.

Q: How is the Acting?

A: Purposely bad in some places-- which is done quite well. And Melonie Diaz stands out as having a greater range than she was able to display in some of her earlier work, as well as stronger than expected comic timing.

Q: How is the Directing?

A: Michel Gondry continues to be the most original voice of his generation. He can do things with the camera, that most people can't even do with their imaginations. If I were to give any reason to see this film, it would be so that you could be blown away by the visuals he thinks up. And in this film, he pulls back the curtain a little, since his characters use some of his wacky techniques to film their remakes.

Q: How is the story/script?

A: It's the source of the majority of the problems in this movie. If you want us to buy into a fantastical world, it has to be set up in the beginning of the story and in the tone. Here, we are told that we're in a normal town, in modern day New Jersey, where it seems that some of the people are very strange. Gradually, we realize that all of the people are very strange, that none of them seems to own a DVD player, and finally we figure out that it's supposed to be other worldly in some way. But by that point, it's too late to sell us a new reality, because our confusion about time and place has pretty much been cemented.

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