The Town

Q: What’s the movie about?

A: Charlestown, MA has historically cultivated more bank and armored car robbers than any other city in the world, because it's a family trade passed down from one generation to the next. This is the fictional story of one such gang of guys who grew up together, and the fate they face due to having been born into this life.

Q: Who’s in the movie?

A: Ben Affleck, Rebecca Hall, Jon Hamm, Jeremy Renner, Blake Lively, Slaine, Owen Burke, Titus Welliver, Pete Postlethwaite, Chris Cooper

Q: Is this movie worth the price of admission?

A: Go! Like an Irish mob movie, every time you try to get out, they pull you back in.

Q: Will this movie make me laugh?

A: Somehow they managed to slip in two belly laughs. That's more than most romantic-"comedies" seem to muster.

Q: Will this movie make me cry?

A: No, but it certainly does get morbid at times. Like when one character points out that sunny days remind her of her brother's death. I'd hate to think what rainy days remind her of.

Q: Will this movie be up for any awards?

A: I wouldn't mind seeing either Blake Lively or Jeremy Renner get a Supporting nod. And while we're on the topic, I'd like to complain about a preview for a new Clint Eastwood film that played before this, which proclaimed that it starred, "Academy Award Winner, Matt Damon." I know we all think Matt Damon is a good actor, but he won for writing, not acting. And he shares that award with Ben Affleck, so I guess I just saw a movie starring Academy Award Winner, Ben Affleck. What I'm trying to say is that this is a gateway advertising campaign, and if we don't use some restraint now, it won't be long before we're seeing movie advertised as starring Academy Award winners Eminem and Mafia 360.

Q: How is the Acting?

A: Blake Lively and Jeremy Renner should get married and have lots of great actor babies to populate the future movies of America. Separately, by making himself the lead in this movie, Ben Affleck pointedly neglects the main reason we're all so complimentary of his directing career-- it's because we've been hinting and hoping that he'd be so busy behind the camera, he wouldn't have any time to get in front of it.

Q: How is the Directing?

A: Ben, we love your directing!

Q: How is the story/script?

A: For a bunch of dumb idiots, these robbers really come up with some clever ideas about how to rip everybody off and get away. Thanks writers!... But I still have no idea why they took the girl hostage after the first robbery.

Q: Where can I see the trailer?

A: http://www.moviefone.com/movie/the-town/38942/video/the-town-trailer-no-1/605531563001

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The Book of Eli

(Guest Review by Tempany)

Q: What’s the movie about?

A: Eli (Denzel Washington) fights his way across a post apocalyptic world to safely deliver the supposed last St James Bible into safe hands.

Q: Who’s in the movie?

A: Denzel Washington, Mila Kunis, Gary Oldman, Tom Waits, Jennifer Beals, Michael Gambon, Malcom McDowell

Q: Is this movie worth the price of admission?

A: Stop! Do not let ANYONE trick you into paying for this movie. They should be paying you. Not only is it a poor man’s version of The Road, the entire plot is implausible, weak, ridiculous and riddled with holes. It will only leave you frustrated, angry and confused as to how it ever got released.

Q: Will this movie make me laugh?

A: Several of the hair and wardrobe choices will give you a giggle. Particularly Malcolm McDowell’s hair and Denzel’s Zen outfit in the final scenes. Not to mention Mila Kunis’s high fashion hipster outfit that looks brand new even though the world has been in disarray for thirty years….grrrr. Oh, and did I mention that everyone has shiny designer sunglasses? It’s hard to get water and food in a post apocalyptic world but Sunglass Hut has never been busier.

Q: Will this movie make me cry?

A: No. Unless you paid for it and then you will be a bit weepy.

Q: Will this movie be up for any awards?

A: Razzies for everything. Although the fight scenes were pretty good… MTV’s best kung-fu kick award?

Q: How is the Acting?

A: Mila Kunis sure is cute and made a nice transition from TV to the big screen with Forgetting Sarah Marshall. But in The Book of Eli she is way out of her league - some of the worst acting I’ve seen in a long time. Tom Waits has a nice little cameo and Denzel is solid. Gary Oldman does his evil guy schtick, but what the movie really needed was the complexity of Ian McShane’s ‘Al Swearingen’ from Deadwood.

Q: How is the Directing?

A: They just got the whole thing wrong. Even though it’s set in the future, the Hughes brothers obviously need to stay in the world of sci-fi future and not gritty realism future. There are so many bad choices that this film never had a chance in hell of being good.

Q: How is the story/script?

A: I’m still trying to figure it out – and not because it was clever and tricky. If there was supposed to be a religious message, I never grasped it because I was so distracted by how nothing made sense.

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

A: Fighting from the Matrix, warrior girl shots of Mila Kunis channeling Angelina Jolie's Lara Croft, Malcom McDowell stealing wig ideas from Christopher Lloyd, and almost identical cannibal warriors from The Road, makes The Book of Eli a million movies mashed into one very bad one.

Q: Where can I see the trailer?

A: http://www.moviefone.com/movie/the-book-of-eli/30184/trailers

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Zombieland

Q: What’s the movie about?

A: After zombies take over the United States, the few remaining humans must find new ways to survive in a world where no one can be trusted, and there's usually a guy in your backseat waiting to eat you.

Q: Who’s in the movie?

A: Jesse Eisenberg, Woody Harrelson, Emma Stone, Abigail Breslin, Amber Heard, and a comedy great who I'm not going to mention because I don't want to ruin the surprise.

Q: Is this movie worth the price of admission?

A: Go! Despite the constant threat of zombies attacking, this film is a fun, hilarious, and disgusting ride about complex characters, all of which are experiencing loss, and secretly longing to rekindle even the smallest form of human connection.

Q: Will this movie make me laugh?

A: From the first scene to the one that comes after the closing credits.

Q: Will this movie make me cry?

A: I wouldn't go that far.

Q: Will this movie be up for any awards?

A: Is it possible to get awards when you're a zombie movie?

Q: How is the Acting?

A: Woody Harrelson is charming as a psychopathic zombie killer with a heart of gold. Emma Stone is one of my favorite up-coming actresses, even though most of you seem to have no idea who she is. And Abigail Breslin has never been more adorable than she is when she's sporting a shotgun. Come to think of it, shooting zombies is a skill that could've won her the talent portion of Little Miss Sunshine.

Q: How is the Directing?

A: First time feature film director, Ruben Fleischer, shows a distinct vision for comedy and a style all his own within the first minute of this film, and then he never lets up. If you have a comedy you need a good director for, get him now, before he stops returning your phone calls.

Q: How is the story/script?

A: I'm not into zombie movies. On some level it seems like there is nothing we don't already know about what can happen with a zombie, and since they're generally slow and stupid, it's hard to imagine how a person couldn't easily escape one. This zombie movie works because it starts from the assumption that we all have a certain amount of knowledge about zombies, and takes off from there. Ultimately, it doesn't focus so much on the zombies attacking, as it does on the emotions of being left alive and alone, one of the sole survivors, in a world that's hardly worth living in.

Q: Where can I see the trailer?

A: http://www.moviefone.com/search/zombieland/trailers

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The Taking of Pelham 1 2 3

Q: What’s the movie about?

A: When a subway train gets hijacked, a central control dispatcher (Denzel Washington) finds himself getting a crash course in hostage negotiations.

Q: Who’s in the movie?

A: Denzel Washington, John Travolta, Luis Guzman, Victor Gojcaj, John Turturro, James Gandolfini, Michael Rispoli, Ramon Rodriguez, Aunjanue Ellis, John Benjamin Hickey, Alex Kaluzhsky, Gbenga Akinnagbe, Katherine Sigismund, Jake Siciliano, Gary Basaraba

Q: Is this movie worth the price of admission?

A: Go! It's a fast paced Hollywood-style thriller, with a pinch of action, and as usual, this time it gets personal!

Q: Will this movie make me laugh?

A: It's not quite as funny as it thinks it is, but every once in a while, one of those clever comebacks you'd only hear in a studio movie doesn't sound cliche.

Q: Will this movie make me cry?

A: There is one part that's pretty moving, where we find out Denzel's backstory, and surprisingly, it's nowhere near the end.

Q: Will this movie be up for any awards?

A: Best Denzel Washington film involving hostages and taking place in one day to come out this year. (I've watched the movies you pick, Denzel, and I'm onto you.)

Q: How is the Acting?

A: It's like a smörgåsbord of top professionals doing what they do best: be badass.

Q: How is the Directing?

A: Tony Scott never stops moving the camera. So even though you're watching two guys in static locations talking on the phone, (by which I mean walkie-talkies), you feel like you're watching a non-stop action-filled roller coaster ride.

Q: How is the story/script?

A: I didn't find any flaws in it. And if you've been reading my blog you know that's saying something.

Q: Where can I see the trailer?

A: http://www.moviefone.com/search/taking%20of%20pelham%20123/trailers

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Gran Torino

Q: What’s the movie about?

A: After his wife dies, Walt Kowalski (Clint Eastwood) is totally alone, with only his memories of the Korean War to keep him warm. Now he sits on his porch, disdainfully watching his all-White neighborhood get taken over by Asians, until one day, he intervenes in one of his neighbor's conflicts and ends up getting caught up in their personal lives.

Q: Who’s in the movie?

A: Clint Eastwood, Bee Vang, Ahney Her, Christopher Carley, Doua Moua, Geraldine Hughes, Brian Haley, John Carroll Lynch, Brian Howe, Chee Thao

Q: Is this movie worth the price of admission?

A: Proceed with Caution. At first the film is slow and boring, and you can take a nap. Then it gets really funny, in an inside-humor kind of way, and then it gets really dramatic, building to a moment which is not nearly as important as they hoped it would be. And that's followed up with an ending that's predictable. I enjoyed it. Mostly for the funny parts.

Q: Will this movie make me laugh?

A: If Clint Eastwood tried to have Will Ferrell's career, this is what it would look like.

Q: Will this movie make me cry?

A: The dog has something of a tear-jerking moment. But in order to be susceptible to it, you have to be the kind of person who can't handle puppy-dog eyes.

Q: Will this movie be up for any awards?

A: It's Clint Eastwood, so it's guaranteed to be nominated.

Q: How is the Acting?

A: Clint Eastwood huffs and he puffs and he over-acts the house down. Everyone else in the film is much worse.

Q: How is the Directing?

A: It reminded me of the work of a really promising first time independent filmmaker. Not necessarily a compliment to a man who's directed 29 films and won 2 Oscars for it. Warner Brothers might consider averting its eyes in shame, too.

Q: How is the story/script?

A: Tonally it's all over the place. Thematically, it feels like a vanity project in which Clint Eastwood can revisit his Dirty Harry character in a "Where Are They Now" kind of way. And the story itself? It's there...

Q: Where can I see the trailer?

A: http://www.moviefone.com/movie/gran-torino/33336/trailers

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RockNRolla

(Guest Review by Russ)

Q: What’s the movie about?

A: A real-estate scam leads some underworld tough-guys to millions in cash, but not before a lot of double-crosses with a lot of colorful characters set in the colorful city of London.

Q: Who’s in the movie?

A: Gerard Butler, Tom Wilkinson, Thandie Newton, Jeremy Piven, Chris 'Ludacris' Bridges, Mark Strong, Karl Roden, Jimi Mistry, Toby Kebbell, Tom Hardy, Idris Elba

Q: Is this movie worth the price of admission?

A: Proceed with Caution. RockNRolla signals a nice return to form for writer/director Guy Ritchie, so if you loved Lock Stock and Two Smoking Barrels and Snatch, you will eat this up. If thick British accents, dark humor and plot-twists for days aren’t your thing, then maybe skip it.

Q: Will this movie make me laugh?

A: When criminals, Russian mobsters, gay and straight tough-guys and sexy accountants are all this smart, this dumb, this lucky and this snake-bitten, it’s hard not to laugh. But fortunately, you’re supposed to.

Q: Will this movie make me cry?

A: No. If you want to see a Guy Ritchie movie that’ll make you cry, go rent Swept Away. On second thought, don’t, I can't want to be responsible for your suicide.

Q: Will this movie be up for any awards?

A: Probably not, but there would be no shame in seeing Tom Wilkinson and newcomer (at least to America) Toby Kebbell (as rocker Johnny Quid) get acting nominations.

Q: How is the Acting?

A: It’s all so natural that it makes you forget how good everyone is, and it’s always nice to see some fresh faces that are lesser known on American shores. How does Tom Wilkinson find these roles year in and year out and become such completely different characters? He’s amazing. Gerard Butler is slyly funny, confident and freaked-out all at the same time. And one more mention to Toby Kebbell (I know: Who!?) as the RocknRoller (i.e. singer) who wants to be a RocknRolla (i.e. gangster) that everyone is trying to find. He starts out as a side-note, until you realize he’s the most pivotal character in the film, and probably the most interesting.

Q: How is the Directing?

A: Guy Ritchie is never at a loss for directing with true style that doesn’t come off as showy, but rather informs his story and characters. RockNRolla is less hyper than his past films, but in this case, that’s a good thing.

Q: How is the story/script?

A: The thin plot is what makes RockNRolla a lesser film than either Snatch or Lock, Stock…, but it’s just engaging enough to keep you interested. And after an over-explained set-up that can be hard to follow, it doesn’t turn out to be that hard to follow. The final intersection of the two divergent stories could have been smoother, but that’s a minor quibble. Overall, it’s a satisfying framework in which to let these oddball characters loose, so they can rattle around and bump up against each other for two hours.

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