The Time Traveler's Wife

Q: What’s the movie about?

A: A romance about a little girl who falls in love with a time traveling man (Eric Bana), and grows up to marry him, despite all the complications of building a life with a man who comes and goes at random. You know, put that way, it's not that different from a lot of regular marriages out there.

Q: Who’s in the movie?

A: Rachel McAdams, Eric Bana, Ron Livingston, Hailey McCann, Tatum McCann, Michelle Nolden, Arliss Howard, Jane McLean, Brooklynn Proulx, Stephen Tobolowsky, Philip Craig

Q: Is this movie worth the price of admission?

A: Proceed with Caution. Thinking about what you would and wouldn't know about the past, present and future is engaging, but the pace is often too slow, the tone too melodramatic, and you can tell from watching the movie that the book is more romantic.

Q: Will this movie make me laugh?

A: Some say melodrama is a less subtle form of comedy, so you might laugh at all the intense stares, but I don't think they mean for you to.

Q: Will this movie make me cry?

A: Because we know the future, we are never caught off guard by the sad things that happen, but there is a moment or two that could induce tears in those of you who are emotionally unstable to begin with.

Q: Will this movie be up for any awards?

A: I'm giving it the award for the Most Predictable Studio Note of the Year. There is a moment so inauthentic and obvious, that even without reading the book, I could tell it was 100% pure Hollywood concoction. And without giving anything important away, I will tell you that it has to do with the Lottery, and the fact that any movie with time travel has to do this beat, even though we've all seen it a million times before... To quote my ex-boyfriend, misquoting Jay-Z, "So unnecessary."

Q: How is the Acting?

A: Rachel McAdams is as talented and beautiful as she always is, but I don't yet get why Eric Bana, was plucked off the streets of Australia to become the next big Hollywood star. He does nothing particularly wrong, but he's not super great looking, and I have yet to see him do any acting that answers the question "Why him?"

Q: How is the Directing?

A: From the first frame I was bored by both the music and the tone. Thankfully there were scenes that exceeded my low-set expectations, but still, this movie is more proof that first impressions can taint your whole experience.

Q: How is the story/script?

A: There are too many times when the young versions of Rachel McAdams say to the time traveling man, "You've never said that before." This is used to telegraph the rules of time travel to the audience, and it works, but it's way too on the nose. It's also a pretty good example of the level of finesse the rest of the script displays.

Q: Where can I see the trailer?

A: http://www.moviefone.com/movie/the-time-travelers-wife/28722/trailers

Back To Top

Bruno

Q: What’s the movie about?

A: Gay fashionista, Bruno (Sacha Baron Cohen), experiences a public fashion faux-pas, and suddenly goes from hot to not in his home country of Austria. Solution? Go to America to try to rebuild and contrive his celebrity anew.

Q: Who’s in the movie?

A: Sacha Baron Cohen, Gustaf Hammarsten, Clifford Banagale, and cutie pies Chibundu and Chigozie Orukwowu, with cameos by Bono, Sting, Snoop Dog, Chris Martin, Elton John, Slash, Paula Abdul, Harrison Ford, Ron Paul, and a bunch of randoms.

Q: Is this movie worth the price of admission?

A: Proceed with Caution. It's a bit much. And by "a bit much," I mean, totally hard to stomach and offensive in ways that make you want to shower until you run out of soap.

Q: Will this movie make me laugh?

A: You'll spend more time saying, "Eew," than "ha ha ha," but I know that for some of you freaks those emotions are pretty interchangeable.

Q: Will this movie make me cry?

A: If you go in expecting the brilliance and depth of Borat, you will at least be sadly disappointed.

Q: Will this movie be up for any awards?

A: Larry Charles and Sacha Baron Cohen should consider their R rating to be the highest of awards, because the MPAA I know would've given any other filmmakers a minimum of NC17 for this raunch-fest.

Q: How is the Acting?

A: Nobody can deny that this man has balls. It's only too bad we had to spend so much time looking at them.

Q: How is the Directing?

A: What worked about Borat was that the situation and the people felt real and authentic. I'm sure I won't be the first or the last to say that despite its authenticity, this pseudo-documentary feels totally staged.

Q: How is the story/script?

A: What worked about Borat was that the character was an innocent, trying to be sympathetic to his new world, and approaching it with very humble goals. Bruno is the opposite of that, and borders on unlikeable. Also in Borat the brilliance came from the real people, who showed their ugly true colors to the foreigner. Whereas in this film, it's the main character, Bruno, whose colors are ugly, and the real people who end up seeming fake.

Q: Where can I see the trailer?

A: http://www.moviefone.com/movie/bruno/34365/trailers

Back To Top

Confessions of a Shopaholic

Q: What’s the movie about?

A: A young woman obsessed with shopping (Isla Fisher), finds herself unemployed and in credit card debt up to her ears, so she gets a new job working for a magazine that gives advice on saving, and we all hope she will learn something from her own writings.

Q: Who’s in the movie?

A: Isla Fisher, Hugh Dancy, Krysten Ritter, Leslie Bibb, Kristen Scott Thomas, Joan Cusack, John Goodman, John Lithgow, Wendie Malick, Fred Armisen, Julie Hagerty, Robert Stanton

Q: Is this movie worth the price of admission?

A: Proceed with Caution. More romantic than you'd expect a movie about credit card debt to be, but unless you can relate to spending more than twice what you make every month on designer labels that would make you a good candidate for a New York City mugging, before they work their way to the back of your closet, only to be forgotten forever (or at least until you get the credit card bill), I'm not sure what's so fun about this story.

Q: Will this movie make me laugh?

A: Not enough to attract any male viewers, or any women over seventeen.

Q: Will this movie make me cry?

A: It's sad what happens to her, but it's sadder that we live in a society where anyone thinks that a $4000 purse is going to make them a happier or even more popular person. Frugal tip from me to you: Once you take the item out of the beautiful store in which it poses so luxuriously, wearing only an exorbitant price tag, no one is going to know where you bought it, or how much you paid... So you may as well be wearing a hand-me-down.

Q: Will this movie be up for any awards?

A: Not even the most childish and immature of awards organizations is going to remember this story long enough to think of giving it a nomination.

Q: How is the Acting?

A: I'm glad that all the more famous actresses turned this role down, so that we could get a chance to see how spunky Isla Fisher (of Wedding Crashers) can be in a starring role. She is sweet and delightful... but unfortunately for her, a poor man's Amy Adams. Which is kind of ironic considering the character's ring tone is "If I were a rich girl," by Gwen Stefani.

Q: How is the Directing?

A: P.J. Hogan is an expert at keeping things upbeat and fun, even when the plot is thin and predictable. He creates a bouncy and colorful vibe with the soundtrack, the cuts, and of course, the colors.

Q: How is the story/script?

A: I didn't read the book, but I can't help but wonder if there was something more suspenseful in the writing of it than what was translated to film. Aside from a clever moment (that I won't spoil), where the main character does something smart that comes back to haunt her later, there's not a lot here that doesn't feel like it could only happen in a movie.

Q: Where can I see the trailer?

A: http://www.moviefone.com/movie/confessions-of-a-shopaholic/33070/trailers

Back To Top