The Help

Q: What’s the movie about?

A: An aspiring journalist (Emma Stone) in 1960s Jackson, Mississippi interviews the town's Negro maids (Viola Davis & Octavia Spencer) and publishes their crazy stories in a tell-all book.

Q: Who’s in the movie?

A: Emma Stone, Viola Davis, Bryce Dallas Howard, Octavia Spencer, Jessica Chastain, Ahna O'Reilly, Allison Janney, Anna Camp, Eleanor & Emma Henry, Chris Lowell, Cicely Tyson, Mike Vogel, Sissy Spacek, Brian Kerwin, Wes Chatham, Aunjanue Ellis, Ted Welch, Mary Steenburgen

Q: Is this movie worth the price of admission?

A: Go! It's an inspirational tale of courage and standing up for what's right, but it's not the best one you'll ever see, and it's waaaaaaay tooooo lonnnng.

Q: Will this movie make me laugh?

A: Octavia Spencer and Jessica Chastain make for an unlikely comedy team, but after you see them in this film, you will never want to see them do a scene in which they are not together.

Q: Will this movie make me cry?

A: The fact that it doesn't really, is one of my major gripes with it. This kind of movie should not be allowed into theaters until it has guaranteed tears built in.

Q: Will this movie be up for any awards?

A: Viola Davis and Octavia Spencer will likely duke it out for a nomination as Best Supporting Actress, even though they are clearly the leads. Then Viola will take the nom, because she's been nominated before, and because Octavia is too funny to get an Academy Award.

Q: How is the Acting?

A: This is the first time ever that I have enjoyed a performance by Bryce Dallas Howard. She is magical in this. And Sissy Spacek (in the tiny role) as her mom is the very best thing this movie has going.

Q: How is the Directing?

A: Who is Tate Taylor? From what I can tell, he's made a few movies (mostly shorts) that I've never heard of, and acted in a few movies and TV shows in the role of "Nameless Friend or Passerby," so how did he get this gig?... Well, he's best friends with the author of the novel, Kathryn Stockett, and after her 60th rejection by a publisher, he decided to option the rights to her book, not knowing that it would one day become a best seller. To which I say, "Have any of y'all written a book I should read?"

Q: How is the story/script?

A: Civil rights stories about injustice, oppression and racism will always have a special place in my heart. But somehow, despite a multitude of spectacular performances, this one plays a bit like a movie of the week-- with less crying. I think the sense of danger is not built up enough in the script or the visuals, to make you feel it on a visceral or in an always present kind of way. Often, you completely forget that there is any danger in what these people are doing, because it's never taken quite far enough-- i.e. no one that we care about is ever physically threatened before our eyes.

Q: Where can I see the trailer?

A: The Help Trailer

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The Secret Life of Bees

Q: What’s the movie about?

A: In 1964, a teenage girl (Dakota Fanning) runs away from home with her Black nanny (Jennifer Hudson), to follow a path that she hopes will lead to learning more about her dead mother. During these racially charged times, these interracial friends are taken in by a family of Black women who make and sell honey.

Q: Who’s in the movie?

A: Dakota Fanning, Queen Latifah, Jennifer Hudson, Alicia Keys, Sophie Okonedo, Paul Bettany, Tristan Wilds, Hilarie Burton, Nate Parker

Q: Is this movie worth the price of admission?

A: Go! If you like culturally relevant dramas that explore the many shades of what it is to give and receive love, this is the one for you.

Q: Will this movie make me laugh?

A: Here and there, it's very rare. Dramas just don't care. Laughter is meant to be shared.
(If you noticed that was a Haiku, You Are Smarter Than a Fifth Grader, and you should audition here: http://www.fox.com/areyousmarter/showinfo/)

Q: Will this movie make me cry?

A: Well, first off, there's a montage to a song called, "Beautiful," by India.Arie that always makes me cry-- so that's cheating. But before all is said and done, the film itself also manages to earn a few of your tears.

Q: Will this movie be up for any awards?

A: Sophie Okonedo has a good chance of getting a nod for Best Supporting Actress, because she plays a somewhat mentally handicapped person. In fact, she has just the right amount of mental handicap to win an Oscar, if you follow the lore explained in Tropic Thunder-- which I do.

Q: How is the Acting?

A: How is Dakota Fanning a child actress? She's such a consummate professional that it's hard to imagine she's only 14. And watch-out world, she's growing up fast now, kissing boys on screen, and as soon as she starts wearing make-up, she's going to be as much of a knockout as Heather Locklear in the 80s. Jennifer Hudson and Alicia Keys are passable, but they don't quite hold their own next to Queen Latifah's strength and charisma, or Sophie Okonedo's conviction and depth of character.

Q: How is the Directing?

A: Aside from a few pacing problems where things could've been tightened up, there's nothing particularly wrong with the directing, but at times it is all too clear how often the director has worked in television.

Q: How is the story/script?

A: Spike Lee could take some lessons from Gina Prince-Bythewood on how to confront racism in a manner that's relevant and compelling.

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

A: You should know going in that Queen Latifah's character is supposed to be in her upper forties or lower fifties. Without that information, certain scenes may be confusing.

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