Revolutionary Road

Q: What’s the movie about?

A: A couple (Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet) are smitten by each other in the first scene. Cut to the part where they're married and fighting and grasping at straws to keep the dream alive.

Q: Who’s in the movie?

A: Kate Winslet, Leonardo DiCaprio, Kathy Bates, Kathryn Hahn, David Harbour, Michael Shannon, Zoe Kazan, Dylan Baker, Jay O. Sanders, Richard Easton, Max Casella, Max Baker

Q: Is this movie worth the price of admission?

A: Proceed with Caution. This movie makes the point that marriage is a hopeless, desperate prison, in which people get locked so securely by the traditional entrapments of life's occurrences, that-- much like the vows say-- the only way out may well be death.

Q: Will this movie make me laugh?

A: Only if you're a confirmed bachelor or bachelorette. And even then, it's not the movie that will make you laugh, so much as all the idiots out there who were dumb enough to get married.

Q: Will this movie make me cry?

A: No, but it might make you wish you were watching Titanic... And if you do that you might cry.

Q: Will this movie be up for any awards?

A: The hype is there, but the feeling that this film will become a classic is not. Still, I wouldn't count out the score, which is good despite the fact that it's reminiscent of the score this director and composer turned in for American Beauty.

Q: How is the Acting?

A: I liked them better in Titanic, when they had the decency to die before getting a chance to get married and ruin all the romance.

Q: How is the Directing?

A: Sam Mendes consistently makes movies with poetic visuals and well though out composition. This is no exception.

Q: How is the story/script?

A: I haven't read the book it's based on, but I can tell from seeing the movie that the book is much more powerful. Maybe pick that up first, to get the full effect.

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

A: Since I wrote this last night, Leonardo, Kate, and the movie itself have been nominated for Golden Globes. If any of them beat out the much stronger performances in their respective categories it would be a travesty.

Q: Where can I see the trailer?

A: http://www.moviefone.com/search/revolutionary%20road/trailers

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Nothing Like the Holidays

Q: What’s the movie about?

A: Another ensemble holiday movie about the drama that ensues when families get together for Christmas. Only this time, the family is Puerto Rican!

Q: Who’s in the movie?

A: Alfred Molina, Elizabeth Pena, John Leguizamo, Debra Messing, Freddy Rodriguez, Vanessa Ferlito, Jay Hernandez, Luis Guzman, Melonie Diaz, Ramses Jimenez

Q: Is this movie worth the price of admission?

A: Proceed with Caution. If you've ever been home for the holidays, this movie will feel familiar to you. It will also feel familiar if you've ever seen The Family Stone, This Christmas, or Home for the Holidays. Hey, it's nothing new, but it will satisfy your annual craving for holiday-themed films about a family that's almost as messed up as yours.

Q: Will this movie make me laugh?

A: It will certainly try.

Q: Will this movie make me cry?

A: Also an A for effort.

Q: Will this movie be up for any awards?

A: Well, it's got the Latin thing going for it, which qualifies it for some awards that films of other ethnicities might not be in the running for. But if you're into Latin hotties, you're probably just gonna want to give it the Best Eye Candy Award.

Q: How is the Acting?

A: Surprisingly, Alfred Molina is not up to his usual amazingness. His acting is fine, but his accent goes from White to Scarface and everything in between, depending on the scene. Elizabeth Pena, playing his wife, does the cooking, the cleaning, and the good acting in this one.

Q: How is the Directing?

A: Clearly the work of someone looking to have an illustrious career in TV. Hey, TV has gotten very fancy these days.

Q: How is the story/script?

A: It does a great job of capturing that eerie way in which being around family brings your emotions from the happiest highs to the angriest lows and back in the most unpredictable and instantaneous ways. But every time the story tries to deal with the son who has just returned traumatized from Iraq, the dialogue becomes trite, corny and cliche, like, "Why'd it have to be me and not him?"  While I'm sure that survivors guilt is a common pain that veterans suffer, there's something about it that just seems to come off cheesy in films about Iraq vets. (Which is not to take credit away from Stop Loss, which is the only film that I've seen capture those feelings well, so far.)

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

A: My friend left the theater wishing she was Puerto Rican, so they must've done something right!

Q: Where can I see the trailer?

A: http://www.moviefone.com/movie/nothing-like-the-holidays/33265/trailers

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