Like Crazy

Q: What’s the movie about?

A:  An American boy (Anton Yelchin) falls in love with a British student (Felicity Jones), and before they know it they become star-crossed by immigration problems, when she can't get back into the country.  Stuck in a long distance relationship that can only exist on her side of the pond, they must now decide if it is worth it or not to give up on the love of their lives.

Q: Who’s in the movie?

A:  Anton Yelchin, Felicity Jones, Jennifer Lawrence, Charlie Bewley, Alex Kingston, Oliver Muirhead, Finola Hughes, Ben York Jones, Chris Messina, Jamie Thomas King, Amanda Carlin

Q: Is this movie worth the price of admission?

A:  Proceed with Caution.  I am torn between my respect for the art that they attempted to create and my feeling that the end result is rather trite.

Q: Will this movie make me laugh?

A:  The entire movie is improvised.  It turns out that the word "improv" isn't always followed by "comedy."

Q: Will this movie make me cry?

A:  It's been so long since I was in love with anybody, that I can't personally relate to these emotions. Maybe you could be the judge and get back to me.  Thanks!

Q: Will this movie be up for any awards?

A:  So far it has won every award it's been nominated for, which includes 2 prizes each for the lead actors, Anton Yelchin and Felicity Jones, as well as the Grand Jury Prize at Sundance, which only re-iterates how little I understand about what that high mountains altitude can do to your taste in movies.

Q: How is the Acting?

A:  Improvisation always makes the actors look good.  How can you not be in the moment when you don't have to memorize other people's words and say them back as if they are your own?  When you improvise, the words are your own.  So all you're doing is having a made up conversation, like when you were 4.

Q: How is the Directing?

A:  The directing is intimate and interesting, but the credit clearly belongs as much to the cinematographer and the editor in this case, as it does to the director, because when it's all improvised, the camera guy has to figure it all out on the fly, and the editor has to take those 70 hours of footage and turn them into something cohesive... Kind of like on a reality show.

Q: How is the story/script?

A:  The couple meets when she leaves a four page love letter on his car windshield, which we never get to read or hear.  Their love develops through a series of shots of them writing silly notes to each other, which we never get to see.  Many other standard moments are left out, too, like their first kiss, and any clue as to why they like each other.  Apparently the script was a 50 page detailed outline, with character back-stories, emotions, and beginnings, middles,  and ends to each scene, but no dialogue whatsoever.  Again, I am torn between my respect for the risks the filmmakers took in doing it this way, and my feelings for how the story turned out.

Q: Where can I see the trailer?

A: Like Crazy Trailer

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Beginners

Q: What’s the movie about?

A: A man (Ewan McGregor), with a gay dad who dies (Christopher Plummer), falls in love with a French woman (Melanie Laurent).

Q: Who’s in the movie?

A: Ewan McGregor, Christopher Plummer, Melanie Laurent, Goran Visnjic, Kai Lennox, Mary Page Keller, Keegan Boos, China Shavers

Q: Is this movie worth the price of admission?

A: Stop! This film did not make me think, it did not make me laugh, it did not make me cry, no not in the bath. It did not inspire me, it did not teach me a thing, it did not entertain me, it did not make me sing. But I think the most annoying thing, is that it's not quite so bad, to stop others from liking. (Yeah, I watched Green Eggs and Ham recently. So what?!)

Q: Will this movie make me laugh?

A: It did do one thing. It made me sleep-- bada-bing!

Q: Will this movie make me cry?

A: ...But at least I wasn't snoring, like the man next to me, so boring... Okay, enough with the "rhyming", which I quote to mock my timing. And get ready for it, we're going back to my usual style of wit.

Q: Will this movie be up for any awards?

A: The Animal Acting category is really filling up this year. I've got another great contender in the Jack Russell Terrier named Arthur, who is played by Cosmo... My audience gave him the biggest applause of all the actors during the closing credits.

Q: How is the Acting?

A: What a waste of good actors. Whatever. They were fine.

Q: How is the Directing?

A: Throughout the film, Mike Mills cuts to colors and still images during Ewan McGregor's quirky narrations. At first it's cute, but as it continues, you get the distinct impression that Mills is only keeping up the gimmick because he feels artistic pressure to maintain a consistent look throughout the film. You can even feel him starting to regret having introduced this style in the first place.

Q: How is the story/script?

A: Quirky and dull. Two adjectives I've never had to use together before.

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

A: The best of the quirky parts are in the trailer below, so enjoy those for free.

Q: Where can I see the trailer?

A: Beginners Trailer

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Somewhere

Q: What’s the movie about?

A: A movie star (Stephen Dorff) is forced to spend an extended period of time with his 11-year-old daughter (Elle Fanning), and in the process comes face to face with the emptiness of his rich and famous life.

Q: Who’s in the movie?

A: Stephen Dorff, Elle Fanning, Chris Pontius, Kristina Shannon, Karissa Shannon, Lala Sloatman, Laura Chiatti, Nunzio Alfredo 'Pupi' D'Angieri, Michelle Monaghan, Giorgia Surina, Randa Walker

Q: Is this movie worth the price of admission?

A: Go! Intellectual people will love this film for saying so much without saying anything at all. And all the rest of you should see it anyway, because it honestly depicts the loneliness of celebrity, in a real way that will help you run screaming away from your dreams of fame and fortune, while thanking your lucky stars for your anonymity, your closeness to your family, and the joys that come with having to work to get laid.

Q: Will this movie make me laugh?

A: Did you find Lost in Translation funny? Because this is the same story, different hotel... It makes you wonder if Francis Ford Coppola's daughter has any gripes about her childhood that she's trying to get off her chest. I don't know about you, but I'm starting to think she doesn't like staying in hotels very much.

Q: Will this movie make me cry?

A: Not out loud, unless you're a rich, famous, guy who has to drug himself with prescriptions and alcohol, because he's so bored about being able to afford anything he wants at any moment, and get laid by anyone he wants at any moment, regardless of whether or not he's taken a shower anytime within the last calendar year.

Q: Will this movie be up for any awards?

A: It's won a couple of gimme awards, that seem to only exist for the purpose of giving someone an award because you feel like it, even though you can't think of anything to award that person for... The funny thing is, if it had been nominated for directing or cinematography in the Independent Spirit Awards, this year, I might just have voted for it. For reals.

Q: How is the Acting?

A: Elle Fanning is getting to that age where she's going to start being compared to her uber-talented sister, Dakota, so let me be the first to annoy them by doing so. And the verdict is.... it's a toss up. They're like comparing apples to apples, where one of the apples is a few years older than the other apple, but aside from that, the apples are completely indistinguishable. Stephen Dorff also does a great job of playing what I imagine is a richer and more famous version of himself.

Q: How is the Directing?

A: I have seen all of Sofia Coppola's movies, and generally find them to fall somewhere between middling and downright awful. But with this one, for the first time, she managed to suck me in, hold my attention, and build my ability to patiently wait out the silent meaning of each slow, stagnant shot. Weird. She must've done something right.

Q: How is the story/script?

A: There are probably about 11 lines of dialogue in the whole thing, and frankly, that may be this film's genius. I imagine the script was about 20 pages long, since almost nothing describable happens in it either. Yet somehow the quiet alienation of this glamor lifestyle is deeply compelling. My only complaint is the open-ended ending, which makes you want to like this movie less than you actually did.

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

A: I once spent a weekend living at the Chateau Marmont. And despite my excitement about the glamorous premiere I was attending, where I would-- and did-- hob-nob with celebrities, the Chateau is the kind of place that makes you want to take drugs to the point of overdose. It's cold, the furniture is stiff and uncomfortable, and there are rumors of ghosts living there, including that of John Belushi, who actually did overdose to the point of death, in that hotel. While, in my opinion, ghosts are the only suitable inhabitants for the place, it should come as no surprise that Tim Burton has also spent many years of his life renting out the penthouse. See any one of Burton's movies if you want to better understand the state of mind that the energy in this haunted castle will drive you to.

Q: Where can I see the trailer?

A: Somewhere Trailer

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Hugh Hefner: Playboy, Activist and Rebel

Q: What’s the movie about?

A: Hugh Hefner has lived through the Great Depression, a World War, two east-Asian wars, two gulf wars, the sexual revolution, the civil rights movement, and the invention of plastic surgery, and I'm pretty sure he had a hand in all of it.

Q: Who’s in the movie?

A: A bunch of bunnies, a bunch of horn dogs, some old-timey famous folks, and George Lucas.

Q: Is this movie worth the price of admission?

A: Proceed with Caution. It's interesting to learn that before Hef hung out with gaggles of indistinguishable fake-boobed blonds, young enough to be his grand-daughters, he was an activist who made strides in racial rights and even (supposedly) in some aspects of women's rights, but it's hard to reconcile with the fact that he seems incapable of seeing how his work exploits women.

Q: Will this movie make me laugh?

A: Here's something funny: Hef doesn't understand why some people call his magazines pornography. So just to be clear, I looked up the definition on Merriam-Webster, which says, "the depiction of erotic behavior (as in pictures or writing) intended to cause sexual excitement." And then, next to it, there was a picture of Marilyn Monroe on the cover of the first edition of Playboy.

Q: Will this movie make me cry?

A: Dr. Ruth says it best when she pin-points the sad truth about why Hef won't be remembered for the relevant and important impact he had on making the world a more just and fair place for women and minorities. She explains that he made the mistake of mixing up his personal life with his professional life, and now no one can take him seriously, because all anyone associates with him is the fact that he's dating between three and seven women at once, all of which only love him for his money. (I admit, I added that last bit.)

Q: Will this movie be up for any awards?

A: You are not gonna believe this, but it won the Hugh M. Hefner First Amendment Award for free speech!... Okay, it hasn't won it yet, but since Hef gives it out, don't you think it's got a good chance?

Q: How is the Acting?

A: Before he got all old and creepy, Hugh Hefner was actually a much more attractive and fascinating man than I care to admit. Yeah, I would've done him.

Q: How is the Directing?

A: I know Hugh Hefner is almost 200 years old, but the movie about his life didn't need to be in real time. Over 2 hours for any film is a mistake, but over 2 hours for a documentary about one person shows a lack of restraint that borders on unprofessional. I'm thinking the director is a hoarder.

Q: How is the story/script?

A: Provocative, but it feels like a bit of propaganda to me. Hef has a line where he says that he still picks every centerfold and every cover, and edits all the cartoons and articles... well I've got a feeling that director, Brigitte Berman, only gained this kind of access because she gave Hef final cut on how he would be represented in his final impressions, too.

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

A: Boobies!

Q: Where can I see the trailer?

A: http://www.moviefone.com/movie/hugh-hefner-playboy-activist-and-rebel/10011272/trailers

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Joan Rivers: A Piece of Work

Q: What’s the movie about?

A: An unflinching look at Joan Rivers' rise to fame, and her desperate attempt to stay there until the day she kicks the bucket.

Q: Who’s in the movie?

A: Joan Rivers, Melissa Rivers, Larry A. Thompson, Bari Pearlman, Edgar Rosenberg, Kathy Griffin, Don Rickles, Johnny Carson, Ed Sullivan, Donald Trump,

Q: Is this movie worth the price of admission?

A: Go! Joan Rivers clearly did this movie to prove that she's still funny, and guess what? She is.

Q: Will this movie make me laugh?

A: It's possibly the most genuinely funny movie I've seen this year... but you have to be up for a crass old lady making anal sex jokes.

Q: Will this movie make me cry?

A: She is so damn insecure!.... But as we funny people know, that's where comedy comes from... Pain.

Q: Will this movie be up for any awards?

A: No, because the Best Old Lady Comeback of the year has already gone to Betty White.

Q: How is the Acting?

A: I learned from this movie that Joan Rivers will say yes to any offer.... I also learned that despite the ugly stigma she comes with, she really can act. So, Quentin Tarantino, we're counting on you to bring her back and legitimize her.

Q: How is the Directing?

A: For a documentary, there are a lot of seemingly candid shots with soft, flattering lighting.

Q: How is the story/script?

A: The footage is seamlessly edited, flowing between the present day story of Joan trying to stay relevant, and the history of her sordid past. What I can't help but wonder is, where is that old senile, spacey and incoherent Joan who used to ask crazy and embarrassingly irrelevant questions on the red carpet, not 5 years ago? This version of her is not only coherent, she's got enough brains and quick wit for everyone in the room.

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

A: It turns out that Johnny Carson was as much of a douchebag as Jay Leno... so maybe he is the right host to carry on the legacy of the Tonight Show.

Q: Where can I see the trailer?

A: http://www.moviefone.com/movie/joan-rivers-a-piece-of-work/10024268/trailers

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Valentine's Day

Q: What’s the movie about?

A: Love is really hard and painful, but if you can look past all of a person's personal crap, at least you will have someone to spend Valentine's Day with.

Q: Who’s in the movie?

A: Ashton Kutcher, Jennifer Garner, Jessica Biel, Anne Hathaway, Topher Grace, Jamie Foxx, Patrick Dempsey, Queen Latifah, Eric Dane, Bradley Cooper, Julia Roberts, Emma Roberts, Taylor Swift, Taylor Lautner, Carter Jenkins, George Lopez, Bryce Robinson, Shirley MacLaine, Hector Elizondo, Jessica Alba, Kathy Bates, Matthew Walker, Larry Miller, Kristen Schaal, Erin Matthews, Julia Springer, Megan Suri

Q: Is this movie worth the price of admission?

A: Proceed with Caution. This movie has too many falsities to mention, but if you can look past all of its personal crap, at least you will know that beautiful people can find each other in time to celebrate Valentine's Day.

Q: Will this movie make me laugh?

A: There are a couple of good laughs, several of which are in the credit bloopers, and one of which (for me), came after the preview for Clash of the Titans 3D-- it was a subscript that read "2D offered in some theaters!"

Q: Will this movie make me cry?

A: I did. I felt really stupid about it at first, but then I ran into a friend in the bathroom, and she had also cried at the same part. I'm telling you this so that you don't have to feel stupid when you cry, too.

Q: Will this movie be up for any awards?

A: Best looking couple. Pick one.

Q: How is the Acting?

A: Let's talk about Taylor Swift. I can't decide if she is awful or brilliant. She plays a dumb, awkward high school student, and I didn't really buy her dumb act, but her awkward act is to perfection... to the point where it almost sells the dumb act by default. While we're on the topic of Taylors, Taylor Lautner gives a bizarrely stiff performance. And after seeing several of Rob Pattinson's recent indy film efforts, I think I'm starting to lean heavily toward team Edward-- at least where acting ability is concerned.

Q: How is the Directing?

A: I love Garry Marshall so much. He doesn't come out to direct that often, but when he does, we can always count on him to bring the schmaltz!

Q: How is the story/script?

A: At first I was getting a headache from trying to keep all the characters and storylines straight, then I went through the part where I scoffed at how the characters and storylines crossed too coincidentally, and then I was frustrated by how easily many of the stories resolved. But by the end, there were some clever surprise twists, which you'll remember more than you'll forget how forgettable the rest of the movie is.

Q: Where can I see the trailer?

A: http://www.moviefone.com/movie/valentines-day/37962/trailers

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My One and Only

Q: What’s the movie about?

A: When a high-class woman (Renee Zellweger) walks in on her husband (Kevin Bacon) cheating, she takes her two sons (Logan Lerman & Mark Rendall), and goes on a road trip across America to find a new husband who can support her.

Q: Who’s in the movie?

A: Renee Zellweger, Logan Lerman, Mark Rendall, Kevin Bacon, Chris Noth, Nick Stahl, Troy Garity, J.C. MacKenzie, Eric McCormack, Molly C. Quinn, Steven Weber, Robin Weigert, David Koechner, Phoebe Strole

Q: Is this movie worth the price of admission?

A: Proceed with Caution. This is one of those movies that carries you along at a lukewarm clip, without too much suspense, but pays off in the last two minutes, when you find out who it is about. The ending is satisfying, but more so if you don't already know whose true story it is, and you're old enough to put that person's name to their face. So my advice, if you want the best possible experience, is don't read anything about this movie before you see it.

Q: Will this movie make me laugh?

A: There is one big belly laugh, and it's about a car, and where you take it when it breaks down. Why are you still reading?

Q: Will this movie make me cry?

A: You're still reading?! That means that either you've already decided not to see this movie, or you've figured out that I'm not going to give anything away. In either case, you're much too intellectual to be moved by the slight emotional moment at the end of the movie.

Q: Will this movie be up for any awards?

A: Since you're still reading, I'm gonna give you the award for biggest knucklehead. Unless you've already seen the film, in which case, I invite you to put all the spoilers you want in the comments section.

Q: How is the Acting?

A: Logan Lerman is the hearthrob of the future, so you may as well get used to him. I guarantee this kid will soon be starring on the cover of magazines, as well as the majority of movies you try to see in the next decade. (He hasn't been cast in them yet, I'm just warning you, it's his destiny.)

Q: How is the Directing?

A: It's fun to see the styles and sets of the 1950s, and they are well highlighted in this film, but the passage of time, especially how much of it has gone by from one scene to the next is very hard to follow.

Q: How is the story/script?

A: If you can get past Renee Zellweger's giant face, and the bizarre fact that everyone continually tells her how beautiful she is, here are three things that might stand out about the script. 1. She has the cutest little sayings about stuff, and you'll wonder where they come from. 2. It feels like it would make a better book than a movie. 3. The main character has an uncanny knack for running into rich ex-boyfriends the moment she sets foot in any big city in America. I mean, sure, that happens to me all the time, but-- who are we kidding, that doesn't happen to anyone!

Q: Where can I see the trailer?

A: http://www.apple.com/trailers/independent/myoneandonly/

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Paper Heart

Q: What’s the movie about?

A: A pretend documentary asking the question, "What is love?" from the point of view of a girl (Charlyne Yi) who doesn't believe in it.

Q: Who’s in the movie?

A: Charlyne Yi, Michael Cera, Jake M. Johnson

Q: Is this movie worth the price of admission?

A: Proceed with Caution. The concept of figuring out what love is to different people around America is heartening, but as my friend Greg says, "It comes off more like 3 characters in search of a story." To prove his point, let me quote some of the dialogue shared between the filmmaker, Nick (played by Jake M. Johnson) and Charlyne: Nick, "What's the movie going to be about? It has to be about something." Charlyne, "I don't know, I guess we'll just get there, and see what happens." Nick, "Did you prepare anything?" Charlyne, "No." Nick, "Charlyne!!!"

Q: Will this movie make me laugh?

A: There are some laughs, but often times it feels like the characters are on the verge of a joke, we think they're setting one up, and then they lose steam, give up, and cut to another scene. It's sort of like a sneeze that won't come out.

Q: Will this movie make me cry?

A: No, but this review kind of makes me cry, when I pretend I'm Charlyne Yi... Well, let's hope she doesn't read it!

Q: Will this movie be up for any awards?

A: It won some screenwriting award at Sundance. Which especially blows your mind when you find out that the script was just a five page outline with a few scenes described in detail, and a few sections described like, "Drive across America and see what happens."

Q: How is the Acting?

A: Michael Cera does mumblecore. Still magic. But watching him pretend to fall in love with his real life girlfriend makes you wonder what he sees in her. She's not nearly as charming and quirky as she thinks she is, and she's way too self aware to sell the concept that she's worried about not having the right genes to fall in love-- even with him, one of the nicest, most lovable people to grace his generation. He's even from Canada! Meanwhile, Charlyne's best quality seems to be her ability to create 2-dimensional cardboard cutouts, which she uses to stage re-enactments of the true love stories of the real people she meets. They are cute... But why isn't Michael Cera using all his money and fame to land some of the hotties on Gossip Girl or 90210, like a normal person?

Q: How is the Directing?

A: The style of filming is reminiscent of what happens when you take a kid who came up with a 3 minute YouTube video that for some incomprehensible reason went viral, and you give him a deal to make a really long YouTube video. The problem with YouTube videos is when they go on for more than a couple of minutes, you start to realize that they're not going to have a point. And then you remember that's because they're made by complete amateurs.

Q: How is the story/script?

A: Charlyne Yi, a girl of less than average looks and personality, uses every ounce of her energy to resist falling in love with an A-list actor who's crazy about her, even though he's way out of her league. It's really confusing. Which is only intensified by the thought that they're a couple in real life, and this film is pretending to be a documentary. Interestingly enough, the best parts of the film are the truly documentary parts, where they interview real people across America, about how they would define love, how they found it, and how they lost it.

Q: Where can I see the trailer?

A: http://www.moviefone.com/movie/paper-heart/36299/trailers

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The Great Buck Howard

Q: What’s the movie about?

A: A law school drop out (Colin Hanks) takes a job as a personal assistant to a mentalist (John Malkovich) who is past his prime, and in complete denial of the fact that he no longer matters. Basically, it's The Wrestler with a magician, minus the depressing tone and the naked stripper.

Q: Who’s in the movie?

A: Colin Hanks, John Malkovich, Emily Blunt, Ricky Jay, Steve Zahn, Adam Scott, Griffin Dunne, Patrick Fischler, Wallace Langham, Tom Hanks (uncredited), and 90% of the talk show hosts you can think of.

Q: Is this movie worth the price of admission?

A: Proceed with Caution. Yet another movie that makes you ask "why?" Why bother? Why not? Why ask why, drink Bud Dry. I miss Bud Dry. And if I had asked "why," I might never have learned that it was my favorite American beer in America. But some prefer Sam Adams. Do you get the metaphor?

Q: Will this movie make me laugh?

A: A little. But some of the laughs feel like they belong in a different movie.

Q: Will this movie make me cry?

A: It tries to be moving, but you won't be connected enough to cry.

Q: Will this movie be up for any awards?

A: This is the most 'based on a true story' movie that's NOT being billed or marketed as a true story. It turns out that these characters are loosely based on the magician, The Amazing Kreskin, and Sean McGinly, the writer-director of this film, who served as his road manager, much like the main character, Troy Gabel... So at least now I know why he wanted to write and direct this. Although I'm still not sure why everyone else got involved.

Q: How is the Acting?

A: John Malkovich is magic. The best thing about Colin Hanks is his dad.

Q: How is the Directing?

A: If I disregard the boom mic I saw drop into one shot, the directing is pretty good, as Sean McGinly does manage to create the requisite tension in the moments when we don't know whether a magic trick will be successful or not. But the lighting is a little slapped together, landing the film's look somewhere between a glossy studio film and a trying-to-look-realistic independent, which subsequently doesn't help give the movie a clear cut tone. The cinematographer, Tak Fujimoto, has done a lot of great work in the past, though, so I tend to blame the script for the confused tone.

Q: How is the story/script?

A: It's hard to tell what this script wants to be. Is it a comedy? A cautionary tale about making it big? Or just a slice of life about a boy who doesn't know what he wants, except that it's not law school? While the script does have a clear cut beginning, middle, and end, as well as an enjoyable enough running voice over, you may leave wondering what you were meant to learn or gain from watching it.

Q: Where can I see the trailer?

A: http://www.moviefone.com/search/the%20great%20buck%20howard/trailers

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