Watchmen

(Guest Review by Jack)

Q: What’s the movie about?

A: Adapted from Alan Moore's landmark comic book series, Watchmen is a story set in an alternative 1985, where the world is ticking closer to the brink of nuclear war, and a plot to eliminate a band of ex-crime fighters is instigated, but why? and by whom? It is up to two of those ex-crime fighters to investigate the plot, before the plot exterminates them.

Q: Who’s in the movie?

A: Malin Ackerman, Billy Crudup, Matthew Goode, Jackie Earle Haley, Jeffrey Dean Morgan, Patrick Wilson, Carla Gugino

Q: Is this movie worth the price of admission?

A: Stop! For all but the die hard fans of the graphic novel, this movie will not live up to expectations or the hype. It is not your typical Superhero movie, in that (much like in the novel) there aren't that many fight scenes or action scenes. Just a lot of standing around and talking– which is very heady when you're trying to enjoy your popcorn. Plus, if you have not read the book, you will most likely be lost a good portion of the time, since some of the key back story is left out. Concurrently, if you did read the book, and didn’t like it, you won’t feel any differently about this incredibly faithful movie adaptation.

Q: Will this movie make me laugh?

A: Not intentionally. I did hear a few laughs during the screening– but they had that air of confusion, as if to say, "What is going on?" Having read the graphic novel, I could tell from what they weren't getting, that those laughing had not.

Q: Will this movie make me cry?

A: At 2hrs40, my eyes were filled with tears from the large Coke I had to drink to get through it– I was running for relief when it ended.

Q: Will this movie be up for any awards?

A: Maybe Visual Effects, if somebody wants to throw it a bone.

Q: How is the Acting?

A: Malin Ackerman, who plays Silk Spectre 2 (one of the major characters), falls flat most of the time. But the rest of the cast does well, and the standout performance by Jackie Earle Haley, as Rorschach, made me want to see a movie based solely on him.

Q: How is the Directing?

A: It is extremely faithful to the graphic novel– even framing most shots to replicate the novel’s visuals. While not requiring the imagination that made Lord of the Rings transcend its source material, Zach Snyder does a good job with this movie.

Q: How is the story/script?

A: The problem with the movie is its source material, which holds this movie back from mass appeal. The Watchmen is a challenging deconstruction of the Superhero. This is something that works on the page in a way that can't possibly be translated to the screen. On top of that, some scenes come off campy, using word for word dialogue taken from the novel-- this is especially true of the final confrontation.

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

A: I don't know why Warner Brothers thought that Joe Blow in Idaho would like this story. And it begs the question whether the guy at Fox who thought the script was unreadable and passed on the project had ever read the graphic novel. My guess is that he only read the coverage.

Q: Where can I see the trailer?

A: http://www.moviefone.com/movie/watchmen/26998/trailers
Back To Top

Changeling

(Guest Review by Russ)

Q: What’s the movie about?

A: Set in the late ‘20s in Los Angeles, a single mother (Angelina Jolie) is distraught when her 9 year-old son is abducted from her house. But things turn more bizarre when the police try to reunite her with a boy that she believes is not her son.

Q: Who’s in the movie?

A: Angelina Jolie, John Malkovich, Amy Ryan, Jeffrey Donovan, Colm Feore, Michael Kelly, Jason Butler Harner, Gattlin Griffith

Q: Is this movie worth the price of admission?

A: Go! Changeling is based on a true story that has to be filed under the ‘truth is stranger than fiction’ category. It’s a truly bizarre and – for a while at least – incredibly sad story that charts the sickening and horribly corrupt history of the Los Angeles Police Department in the late ‘20s and early ‘30s. But there is a light at the end of this tunnel and centering the story on a strong and determined woman makes for a compelling film with few dull moments.

Q: Will this movie make me laugh?

A: Something makes Angelina Jolie’s character laugh at the very beginning, but we’re not privy to what it is. After that, not many smiles are cracked on screen or off.

Q: Will this movie make me cry?

A: I didn’t, but if you’re a mother, or a person with maternal instincts of any kind, you might want to gird yourself for some tears.

Q: Will this movie be up for any awards?

A: Angelina Jolie’s performance has been nominated for a Golden Globe and SAG Award so far, and since there are rarely enough dynamic parts written for female leads each year to fill the 5 slots in that category, her streak is likely to continue to the Academy Awards.

Q: How is the Acting?

A: Angelina Jolie proves once again why she is a rare, American acting treasure. You will feel her unbearable loss in your gut. And even while playing a strong, independent woman, she never betrays the period her character exists in, being mindful of her ‘place’ in society (when the U.S. was much more of a man’s world) by subverting her strength and fire when the circumstances dictate it. Her character goes to hell and back, and few actresses can take us on that journey the way Jolie can. Surrounding her is a really good cast of familiar and not-so-familiar faces that fit perfectly into the period. And for a film with so many pivotal supporting parts that rely on kids, they found some really good ones here.

Q: How is the Directing?

A: Not only is every performance spot-on, the movie looks amazing as Clint Eastwood depicts late 1920s Los Angeles in all its beautiful period detail. Every car, building, street lamp, coat, hat, even roller-skate is gorgeously featured and anyone who has ever lived in or loved the City of Angels will enjoy seeing it transported back in time with so much precision. Los Angeles is a city with some stunning architecture, and watching Changeling is a great reminder of it. Across the board, it's a step up from Gran Torino.

Q: How is the story/script?

A: In so many ways it plays out as such a straightforward story, that when it’s over you’ll feel like it was easy to see everything that was coming. But that doesn’t take away from how riveting it is while you’re watching, which is why you’ll end up feeling more than satisfied. Screenwriter J. Michael Straczynski not only fictionalizes a sensational and tragic real-life story from the past, he also finds the human, beating heart at its center and brings out the strong, uplifting message at its core. Sure, a lot about Changeling is a downer, but you’ll leave feeling inspired by what a determined person can accomplish in life. And how important it is to always have hope.

Q: Where can I see the trailer?

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

Back To Top

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.

Back To Top