She's Out of My League

Q: What’s the movie about?

A: After a broken heart for both of them, a "5" (Jay Baruchel) gets to date a "10" (Alice Eve).

Q: Who’s in the movie?

A: Jay Baruchel, Alice Eve, T.J. Miller, Mike Vogel, Nate Torrence, Lindsay Sloane, Kyle Bornheimer, Jessica St. Clair, Krysten Ritter, Debra Jo Rupp, Adam LeFevre, Geoff Stults, Hayes MacArthur

Q: Is this movie worth the price of admission?

A: Proceed with Caution. If you enjoyed The 40 Year Old Virgin, this movie wants to be that one. Only that movie is a "10" and this one is only a "6"... so you'll probably enjoy it if you're drunk.

Q: Will this movie make me laugh?

A: Every comedy writer is looking for a new way to do the hair gel scene from There's Something About Mary or the waxing scene from The 40 Year Old Virgin, and these guys thought of new ways of doing both.

Q: Will this movie make me cry?

A: If you're a hot girl trying to find that one decent, good looking man, this story could be a sad reminder of how much you're expected to lower your standards for his looks, if you ever want to be treated right.

Q: Will this movie be up for any awards?

A: Best repeated usage of The Finger. For a movie with so many The Fingers, I was surprised at how often I found its placement and direction both surprising and original. Possibly the most original thing about the movie.

Q: How is the Acting?

A: As sweet as Jay Baruchel is, I think I prefer him as supporting cast. Lindsay Sloane deserves a shout out for being one of the most underused and underrated comedic talents in Hollywood. And Alice Eve, while possibly a "10" to some, can't walk in heels! You see, I learned from this movie that everyone feels more comfortable knowing that she has a flaw.

Q: How is the Directing?

A: It's a "7".

Q: How is the story/script?

A: With his looks, job, and car the main character is really no more than a "2", maybe a "3" if his sense of humor is really as good as the other characters claim it is (although that's up for debate). There is no world in which a hard "10"-- no less a "7" or "8"-- would go for this guy, so it's clear to me without even looking at them, that the writers of this script are ugly. I'm glad they had a chance to work through their deep rooted male fantasy, and I hope they will realize that by doing this, they are now no better than those of us women who go to female oriented rom-coms, and come out really believing that there exists a man who is gorgeous, charming, and has the personality of one of your girlfriends.

Q: Where can I see the trailer?

A: http://www.moviefone.com/movie/shes-out-of-my-league/38533/trailers

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The Ghost Writer

Q: What’s the movie about?

A: A man (Ewan McGregor) hired to ghost write a memoir for a controversial politician (Pierce Brosnan) gets caught up in a political plot that could potentially lead to his death.

Q: Who’s in the movie?

A: Ewan McGregor, Pierce Brosnan, Kim Cattrall, Olivia Williams, Tom Wilkinson, Robert Pugh, Jon Bernthal, Timothy Hutton, James Belushi, Eli Wallach

Q: Is this movie worth the price of admission?

A: Proceed with Caution. This thriller doesn't genuinely scare you because you're never quite sure what's going on. My opinion is that-- at least by the time it's over-- a thriller should make you feel smart.

Q: Will this movie make me laugh?

A: The humor is so subtle, that the wife of the politician had to point out that the ghost writer was funny, before I even noticed that he'd been cracking jokes.

Q: Will this movie make me cry?

A: From the architecture to the weather, it's cold and emotionless.

Q: Will this movie be up for any awards?

A: Most exciting Behind the Scenes intrigue... you know what I'm talking about.

Q: How is the Acting?

A: You know that Ewan, Pierce, and Tom Wilkinson are always great so let's talk about Jon Bernthal, who stands out as someone to watch, even in this relatively small and standard role, as the writer's agent. James Belushi shows us that when you shave his head bald, he instantly transforms from comedic patriarch to serious dramatic actor. And Kim Cattrall, unfortunately, proves to have a limited range, both in acting and in accents.

Q: How is the Directing?

A: Clearly comfortable in his skin, Roman Polanski doesn't showboat much in this piece, except for the last shot of the movie, which is the stuff that future film class history will be made of.

Q: How is the story/script?

A: You know something is wrong with the story when you notice the score building to something scary, and you find yourself looking around the screen wondering, "What am I supposed to be getting nervous about right now?" Ultimately, the political plot line is too complicated and hard to follow (especially in so much as people's motives are concerned), and the pay off doesn't make you feel like there was anything all that interesting to figure out in the first place.

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

A: Here are some questions for those of you who have seen it: What was the manuscript the lawyer gives Ewan at the beginning, and what was the significance of that in the movie? When he's at the Ferry motel, why does Ewan decide to trust Robert Rycart? Why does he write down the information he has figured out, and pass it in a note to the person it concerns? What was the very end conclusion trying to say? (I mean, beside the obvious action that occurs.) Why did that occur and what was the greater meaning of it?

Q: Where can I see the trailer?

A: http://www.moviefone.com/movie/the-ghost-writer/32030/trailers

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Up in the Air

Q: What’s the movie about?

A: A professional down-sizer (George Clooney) prides himself on having the perfect life, which consists of flying around the country firing people without ever having to make any real human connections. Then, two women (Anna Kendrick & Vera Farmiga) come along and create circumstances, at work and at play respectively, that force him to start doubting the validity of the lifestyle he has come to cherish.

Q: Who’s in the movie?

A: George Clooney, Vera Farmiga, Anna Kendrick, Jason Bateman, Melanie Lynskey, Danny McBride, Zach Galifianakis, J.K. Simmons, Tamala Jones, Amy Morton

Q: Is this movie worth the price of admission?

A: Proceed with Caution. This film is much closer in tone and style to Thank You for Smoking than it is to Juno-- which Reitman didn't write. If you loved Juno, this is nothing like it. If you loved Thank You for Smoking, you may be in business, as this story also focuses on justifying a controversial job, and how it makes the man who does it cold hearted. Ultimately, the film is extremely well done, but thoroughly depressing and anxiety inducing, so unless you can detach yourself from the feelings it's eliciting in you, watching this may not be all that enjoyable. Especially if you're experiencing the effects of the current economic climate.

Q: Will this movie make me laugh?

A: A lot of times you will think something is funny without actually having any urge to laugh about it.

Q: Will this movie make me cry?

A: No, but in a weird way, it could inspire you to get back on your anti-depressant medication.

Q: Will this movie be up for any awards?

A: It's highly likely to be nominated in the Screenplay, Directing, and Best Picture categories, but I think it's only got an outside chance of winning a WGA Award (Writers Guild of America).

Q: How is the Acting?

A: Vera Farmiga's face can say everything while doing nothing. George Clooney's face can say nothing much while doing anything. And Anna Kendrick's face only ever seems to say one thing, which I believe is something to the effect of, "The thing in my butt is stuck so far up there, that my gas has backed up all the way to my eyeballs, which I regularly have to squint and squeeze shut, in order to prevent myself from letting one rip out of my peep holes. And I really don't wanna do that, because then anyone who sees it will think I'm an eye-farting weirdo, and I totally can't handle the embarrassment." Just watch, you'll see what I'm talking about.

Q: How is the Directing?

A: Jason Reitman knows what he's doing. From the moment the opening credits start to roll, he establishes his visual themes, setting them to high energy music that gets you fired up for what you are about to see, and he maintains his clearly defined personal style throughout. Did I just say "personal style"? Tyra would be so proud.

Q: How is the story/script?

A: The craft is remarkable. This is one of those scripts that manages to clearly communicate almost all of what it wants to say without ever saying any of it directly. Unfortunately, the one place where it fails to communicate clearly is at the ending, which is ambiguous, and may or may not be completely devoid of hope, depending on how you chose to interpret it.

Q: Where can I see the trailer?

A: http://www.moviefone.com/movie/up-in-the-air/34956/trailers

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Last Chance Harvey

Q: What’s the movie about?

A: A divorced man (Dustin Hoffman) goes to London to see his daughter get married, and while he's there he loses his job, and finds out that his daughter wants her step-dad (James Brolin) to give her away. That's when he meets a lonely woman (Emma Thompson), and spends a romantic day with her.

Q: Who’s in the movie?

A: Dustin Hoffman, Emma Thompson, Eileen Atkins, Kathy Bates, James Brolin, Liane Balaban, Richard Schiff, Daniel Lapaine, Bronagh Gallagher, Michael Landes

Q: Is this movie worth the price of admission?

A: Stop! You know how some movies put all the funny parts in the trailer? Well, this one puts all the entertaining, romantic, and remotely interesting parts in the trailer. Watch the trailer, and skip the rest.

Q: Will this movie make me laugh?

A: This is one of those movies where most of the comedy is in the awkward pauses where people don't say something. That is often my favorite kind of comedy-- and it's certainly the most highbrow kind. But it didn't work on me here.

Q: Will this movie make me cry?

A: As boring as the movie is, Hoffman's speech to his daughter at her wedding did bring tears to my eyes. So at least they got one thing right.

Q: Will this movie be up for any awards?

A: The two lead actors are nominated for Golden Globes in the Musical or Comedy category, but this film doesn't even deserve that amount of recognition. Hoffman and Thompson are great, because they're always great, but these roles are nothing of a stretch for either of them, and they should lose points for picking a movie so full of nothingness.

Q: How is the Acting?

A: Every bit of life this film contains comes from the predictably perfect performances of Dustin Hoffman and Emma Thompson. That said, the background performers are for the most part pretty terrible. They look like wanna-be actors who can't beleive they were sharing the frame with the likes of Dustin Hoffman, and the thought playing in their eyes is, "Look! There he is!" I probably shouldn't have been noticing the extras in the first place, and we can blame the director for that... or maybe we can blame the writer for causing me to be so bored that I would pay attention to the people walking by. As a compromise, I'll just blame them both, since it's the same guy anyway.

Q: How is the Directing?

A: Directors are often judged on their taste in material, and in this case, Joel Hopkins proves that he's not to be trusted. If he couldn't get his hands on a stronger project then he should've made the writer develop this script into something that feels like more than a first draft based on a personal experience. Unfortunately, since he is the writer, he thinks his story is already perfect and has no way of seeing that it is completely underdeveloped . Hopefully for him, Harvey's last chance won't also be his.

Q: How is the story/script?

A: There is no conflict between the main characters. He asks if she wants to go on a walk, and she says yes. He asks if he can wait for her outside her class, and she says yes. He asks if she wants to go to a wedding, and she says yes. Because everything is so easy for them, all the romantic-comedy tricks that are supposed to keep them apart and build the tension so we think they might not come together, feel like stupid character choices that no real person would make. Meanwhile, all the parts where they're supposed to be getting to know each other are shown as musical montages of two people walking and talking, where you can't hear what they're saying. In the end we have no idea what it is they admire about each other besides that she's desperately lonely, and he's got nothing else going for him.

Q: Where can I see the trailer?

A: http://www.moviefone.com/movie/last-chance-harvey/30332/trailers

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