We Bought a Zoo

Q: What’s the movie about?

A: After the death of his wife, Benjamin Mee (Matt Damon) feels the need to move himself and his kids out of town to escape all the memories of her, but the house he falls in love with happens to also be a zoo.

Q: Who’s in the movie?

A: Matt Damon, Scarlett Johansson, Thomas Haden Church, Colin Ford, Maggie Elizabeth, Jones, Angus Macfadyen, Elle Fanning, Patrick Fugit, John Michael Higgins, Carla Gallo, J.B. Smoove, Stephanie Szostak, Kym Whitley

Q: Is this movie worth the price of admission?

A: Go! This is the "family film" version of The Descendants, and between you and me, it's a lot more pleasant to watch.

Q: Will this movie make me laugh?

A: More than The Descendants.

Q: Will this movie make me cry?

A: More than The Descendants.

Q: Will this movie be up for any awards?

A: Less than The Descendants, but that wouldn't be the case if I were the boss of all things buzz.

Q: How is the Acting?

A: Matt Damon is always good-- if we don't count that moment when he smiles a little too hard at Scarlett Johansson, who is usually bad, but bucks that trend in this one-- if we don't count that moment when she stares a little too hard at Matt Damon. But the true breakouts here are the kids, Colin Ford, who shows some real acting chops at the ripe young age of 14, and Maggie Elizabeth Jones who may actually be as cute as Drew Barrymore was as a kid.

Q: How is the Directing?

A: My only gripe about the directing is actually about the acting. Both John Michael Higgins and Angus Macfadyen seems to be in a much broader and over the top movie than the rest of the cast, who played it real. I would let it slide with a lesser director, but Cameron Crowe, you're better than that.

Q: How is the story/script?

A: Nothing in the script is particularly brilliant, but you still let the occasional cheesy or improbable line of dialogue slide because the story is so damn sweet.

Q: Where can I see the trailer?

A: We Bought a Zoo Trailer

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Tiny Furniture

Q: What’s the movie about?

A: After graduating from college, Aura (Lena Dunham) moves back in with her mom and tries to find herself.

Q: Who’s in the movie?

A: Lena Dunham, Laurie Simmons, Grace Dunhan, Jemima Kirke, Alex Karpovsky, David Call, Merritt Wever, Amy Seimetz

Q: Is this movie worth the price of admission?

A: Stop! This film has been all the rage at Sundance and on the indy scene, even to the point where Judd Apatow hand-picked the writer-director, Lena Denham, to develop a television pilot with him, because he was such a big fan. You can imagine my curiosity about a movie that could draw the attention of the most important comedic auteur of my generation... but if I'm honest, I have to say that I totally didn't get it.

Q: Will this movie make me laugh?

A: It's supposed to, but it didn't make me.

Q: Will this movie make me cry?

A: It makes me want to cry to see such acclaim go to a film that has a few redeeming qualities, and a few interesting turns of phrase, but ultimately is about nothing and goes nowhere.

Q: Will this movie be up for any awards?

A: Don't ask me, I'm out of the loop on this one.

Q: How is the Acting?

A: I was unable to take my eyes off of Jemima Kirke when she was on screen. She is talented and beautiful enough to claw herself all the way to the A-List. Lena Dunham, on the other hand, who stars in her own film, has my mind in a pickle. Due to the dialogue that she herself wrote, her friends in the movie constantly tell her that she looks great and is so pretty, but the girl I was looking at was borderline homely, and hadn't even brushed her thin, matted hair in the back. Normally, I might give her a pass for that because she can't see it in the mirror, but on movie sets you have a hair person, who can see the back of your head, so there's really no excuse besides that she wanted to look ugly with bad hair. Worst of all, her character isn't particularly good-looking on the inside either. She is whiny and selfish, entitled, and manipulative. All I can say is she never would've gotten this role if she weren't sleeping with the director.

Q: How is the Directing?

A: Some of the shots are interesting. Especially the extraneous ones Dunham shows of herself getting dressed in see-through clothing, showering naked doggy-style, and walking around with no underwear on. Why she thinks anyone wants to see that is just further proof of how much I don't get this movie.

Q: How is the story/script?

A: The one thing this movie does well is capture that after-college angst of being lost and aimless and living at home like a big loser. But at some point I found myself desperately wanting to leave the theater. Maybe it was too cold in there, maybe I had realized the movie was going nowhere, or maybe I had simply realized that I didn't care whether the movie was going anywhere. I stuck it out, though, just so I could tell you with certainty that the ending does not make the rest of the viewing experience feel worthwhile.

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

A: If anyone has seen this and got it, please share your insights. I really would like to know what's so great about this story.

Q: Where can I see the trailer?

A: http://www.moviefone.com/movie/tiny-furniture/10033725/trailers

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Dinner for Schmucks

Q: What’s the movie about?

A: A bunch of a-holes invite a bunch of idiots over for dinner, once again proving that a-holes tend to be idiots.

Q: Who’s in the movie?

A: Steve Carell, Paul Rudd, Zach Galifianakis, Jemaine Clement, Stephanie Szostak, Lucy Punch, Bruce Greenwood, David Walliams, Ron Livingston, Larry Wilmore, Kristen Schaal, P.J. Byrne, Andrea Savage, Lucy Davenport, Christopher O'Dowd, Jeff Dunham, Octavia Spencer, Patrick Fischler, Rick Overton

Q: Is this movie worth the price of admission?

A: Proceed with Caution. Though the ending is sweet and redeeming, the middle becomes increasingly more and more stressful, as one mishap leads to another and then another, until you can hardly stand to see anything more go wrong. Granted, a lot of people find great humor in their on-screen counterparts' misery.

Q: Will this movie make me laugh?

A: If you loved either Meet the Parents or Anger Management, you will find just as much schadenfreude here.

Q: Will this movie make me cry?

A: No, but it might cause you an anxiety attack.

Q: Will this movie be up for any awards?

A: Best Horror Film of the Year. Trust me, you'll be yelling things at the screen like, "No! Don't go in that room!"

Q: How is the Acting?

A: I don't know if it's just the fake teeth, but Steve Carell manages to create a character who's an idiot in a totally different way than the multitude of other idiots he's played. I mean, sheesh! When it comes to idiocy, he's magnificently versatile!

Q: How is the Directing?

A: Jay Roach gets paid $10million a movie-- he'd better do a good job!

Q: How is the story/script?

A: As one of the only people in America who saw the original French movie, Le Diner de Cons, I can honestly say that... I don't remember anything about it. Not because the American version is so much better, rather because I saw it back in the 90s, and who can remember anything from the 90s? Not me. Nonetheless, the American version has a lot more story, a lot more heart, and a lot goofier jokes. One thing the two movies do have in common, though, is that there is a dinner where everyone brings an idiot.

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

A: The mouse art is incredible. The production designer deserves to be curated.

Q: Where can I see the trailer?

A: http://www.moviefone.com/movie/dinner-for-schmucks/28119/trailers

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Ramona and Beezus

Q: What’s the movie about?

A: Based on the Beverly Cleary novels, Ramona is just about the most independent, unorthodox, original 9-year-old there is. Unfortunately, when a girl can't fit in, even when she tries to, it can make for some pretty embarrassing elementary school moments.

Q: Who’s in the movie?

A: Joey King, Selena Gomez, John Corbett, Bridget Moynahan, Ginnifer Goodwin, Josh Duhamel, Jason Spevack, Sierra McCormick, Sandra Oh, Hutch Dano

Q: Is this movie worth the price of admission?

A: Proceed with Caution. At first it's unclear what the story is about, but it maintains your interest because the main character is terrifical!

Q: Will this movie make me laugh?

A: The comedy is soft but delishus.

Q: Will this movie make me cry?

A: The last 15 minutes will have you welling up over and over again for one reason and then the next... Hell, no! I didn't allow no tears to actually drop!

Q: Will this movie be up for any awards?

A: Most Ineptly Titled film of the year. Why is it called Ramona and Beezus when it should simply be called This Movie is About Ramona, and Only Ramona, So Help Me God?

Q: How is the Acting?

A: What a star! Joey King as Ramona is extraordinary. Spelled E-X-T-R-A-O-R-D-I-N-A-R-Y. See I can use Ms. Meacham's words in a sentence, too... Okay, I admit, I looked it up on dictionary.com.

Q: How is the Directing?

A: There are some partially animated imagination sequences that bring the directing to a slightly higher level than one might expect from a movie targeting 8-year-old girls.

Q: How is the story/script?

A: I know I read some Ramona books, though I'm pretty certain that I didn't read this one, and I'm even more certain that it's been almost 30 years since the last time I picked one up (yes, I learned to read 5 years before I was conceived), so I can't say if it's true to the book or not. What I can say is that the last 20 minutes are good enough to make up for the lack of direction in the first hour and a half.

Q: Where can I see the trailer?

A: http://www.moviefone.com/movie/ramona-and-beezus/31195/trailers

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Synecdoche, New York

Q: What’s the movie about?

A: A theater director (Philip Seymour Hoffman), whose life starts out fairly normal (bad marriage and a kid), gets a chance to direct his life's work-- quite literally-- as the play gradually becomes a metaphor of his own life examination, and at the same time a carbon copy of his life experiences. The project takes the rest of his life to complete, as he's constantly trying to figure his life out, although it's ambiguous enough that at certain points you wonder if he's already dead... I don't know, it's Charlie Kaufman.

Q: Who’s in the movie?

A: Philip Seymour Hoffman, Samantha Morton, Michelle Williams, Catherine Keener, Emily Watson, Dianne Wiest, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Hope Davis, Tom Noonan, Sadie Goldstein, Paul Sparks, Daisy Tahan, Robin Weigert

Q: Is this movie worth the price of admission?

A: Proceed with Caution. Don't go to this movie if you're one of those people who likes to understand what's going on. And if you do go, bring a friend, preferably one who likes psychoanalyzing poetry and extracting from it esoteric innuendo. You'll need that someone there to discuss it with you (read: explain) afterward.

Q: Will this movie make me laugh?

A: If not for Charlie Kaufman's offbeat brand of humor, this would be a David Lynch movie.

Q: Will this movie make me cry?

A: No, but it may move your mind. Sometimes to boredom, sometimes to confusion, and sometimes to insight-- or a headache.

Q: Will this movie be up for any awards?

A: Kaufman is the only person in Hollywood who's allowed to do anything original... so probably.

Q: How is the Acting?

A: Emma Watson plays Samantha Morton, and you literally don't know which is the real one and which is the fake at times. As for the rest, if I may refer you to the list of talent under FAQ #2, you'll rightly presume that everyone else is great, too.

Q: How is the Directing?

A: Charlie Kaufman directs from his own script, and it still looks like a Charlie Kaufman film. Unfortunately, I think it's less strong than some of his previous scripts, most likely due to the lack of an outside eye/director cutting and shaping the insanity into more comprehensible terms for those of us who don't live inside Kaufman's mind.

Q: How is the story/script?

A: I sat through a Q & A to find out just that, and what I learned is that Kaufman himself isn't quite sure what it's about. It conveys certain ideas about life, or dream-states, or maybe after-life, or stream of consciousness... all of which you won't be tested on.

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

A: Cleavage. Lots of it. But not the perky kind, either. More like the fleshy kind. In any case, I think our award winning screenwriter may be a breast man.

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Vicky Cristina Barcelona

Q: What’s the movie about?

A: Two American girls, best-friends Vicky (Rebecca Hall) and Cristina (Scarlett Johansson), go to Barcelona for the summer, where they are seduced by and fall for the same Latin Lover (Javier Bardem).

Q: Who’s in the movie?

A: Rebecca Hall, Scarlett Johansson, Javier Bardem, Penelope Cruz, Patricia Clarkson, Kevin Dunn, Chris Messina, Christopher Evan Welch, Pablo Schreiber, Zak Orth, Carrie Preston

Q: Is this movie worth the price of admission?

A: Go! With the Dollar so low, and the Euro so high, this may be the only affordable way to visit Spain anymore. But economics notwithstanding, the film also has going for it that it's a passionate exploration of how relationships are ultimately nothing more-- or less-- than a choose your own adventure story.

Q: Will this movie make me laugh?

A: Woody's still got a few tricks up his sleeve.

Q: Will this movie make me cry?

A: No, but it could get your sexy juices flowing.

Q: Will this movie be up for any awards?

A: Penelope Cruz, Penelope Cruz, everyone's talking about Penelope Cruz. I spent the first half of the movie wondering if she was even in this film... But boy was she ever! Without seeing any of the other performances to come, I'm going to go big, and put in my prediction now: she will win (yes, I said "win") the Best Supporting Actress Oscar.

Q: How is the Acting?

A: Rebecca Hall is incredible in the "Woody Allen role," which leads me to wonder, does he give them stuttering, hemming, and hawing lessons on set? Or do they just instinctively know that when you work with Woody Allen, every word should come from your most neurotic place?

Also, after only having seen him play a psychopath, an invalid, and a gay revolutionary, I was surprised to see how much sexiness and charisma Javier Bardem was able to bring to what may be the closest he's yet come to playing an average guy. Okay, so a Spanish master of seduction isn't that average-- but still, compared to his previous roles, this is just a regular guy. And he still comes off like an acting genius.

Q: How is the Directing?

A: I've always thought of Woody Allen as a simple director, who doesn't do much more than the bare minimum to tell the story. After all, he's known for letting his scripts do the talking. But in this film, his camera is dynamic, constantly moving, and often at a faster pace than I would associate with his work. For once, his directing actually stands out, and it turns out, he's quite talented.

Q: How is the story/script?

A: Woody Allen has written and directed a movie a year for as long as I can remember, so sometimes the quality gets compromised in the rush. That is not the case with Vicky Cristina Barcelona.

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