Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy

Q: What’s the movie about?

A:  Based on a book by John Le Carre, this story chronicles the uncovering of whether or not there is a double agent at the highest levels of British Intelligence who is working for the Russians.

Q: Who’s in the movie?

A: Gary Oldman, Colin Firth, Tom Hardy, Toby Jones, Ciaran Hinds, John Hurt, Mark Strong, Benedict Cumberbatch, David Dencik, Stephen Graham, Kathy Burke, Svetlana Khodchenkova, Peter Kalloy Molnar, Konstantin Kahabenskiy

Q: Is this movie worth the price of admission?

A:  Proceed with Caution.  Bring your intellect, your patience, and try to have read the book 5 or 6 times already if you plan on understanding anything that goes on in this spy thriller.

Q: Will this movie make me laugh?

A: Yes, but mostly at your own thoughts about how confused you are.

Q: Will this movie make me cry?

A:  Yes, because the above noted thoughts of confusion will probably lead you directly to thoughts about how dumb you must be.

Q: Will this movie be up for any awards?

A:  This definitely gets the award for Fastest Movie to Put Me Out.  I was snoozing before the opening credits came on, and leading up to this point, I had not had a very hard day.

Q: How is the Acting?

A: All of these top notch actors have very little to do that's challenging.  Sure one or two of them cries here and there, but mostly they all just stand around looking like tough-guys who can keep a secret or two.

Q: How is the Directing?

A:  It's a beautifully shot movie, but as it goes back and forth between the past (1950s) and the present (1970s), it's not always clear which one we're in.

Q: How is the story/script?

A:  Mostly incomprehensible.  Assuming that the book makes enough sense to have become a best-seller, which in turn would have attracted a film company who wants to capitalize on that by making it into a movie, I would venture to say that the screenwriter didn't dumb it down enough.

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

A:  I just realized that reading the Wikipedia page is a great help in understanding this story.  They explain all the "inside lingo" that you're supposed to understand without ever having it explained to you.  Perhaps  read that before you go see this. Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy Wikipedia Page

Q: Where can I see the trailer?

A: Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy Trailer

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Cold Weather

Q: What’s the movie about?

A: When a guy's (Cris Lankenau) ex-girlfriend (Robyn Rikoon) disappears, at first he doesn't care, but then he realizes that this is his opportunity to practice being a Sherlock Holmes-style detective.

Q: Who’s in the movie?

A: Cris Lankenau, Trieste Kelly Dunn, Raul Castillo, Robyn Rikoon

Q: Is this movie worth the price of admission?

A: Proceed with Caution. The pace is very slow, and the amount of time the characters spend not talking often seems artificial, but the movie is cute at other times, and it's definitely an approach to a detective story that I'd never seen before.

Q: Will this movie make me laugh?

A: I laughed on the inside at how hard it was for me to figure out if the brother and sister were dating, or if they were really brother and sister. You could cut the unintentional sexual tension between them with a knife.

Q: Will this movie make me cry?

A: When they named this film Cold Weather, I think they were just referring to the protagonists primary character trait.

Q: Will this movie be up for any awards?

A: It takes place in Portland, Oregon, so-- Most Rain?

Q: How is the Acting?

A: Populated entirely with unknown actors, it's surprising that three of the four main characters had me wondering how else I would cast them in Hollywood fare and what kinds of roles I could see them playing in the future. That's a very good sign for those actors. Not such a great sign for the movie, in which I found so much extra time to think about other things, like the future success of these actors.

Q: How is the Directing?

A: While the shots themselves are unremarkable, the pace of the shots, and the length of the shots are noticeably trying too hard to be interesting. This, to me, is pretentious. The cinematography is flattering, though, and the above mentioned 3 actors are all made to look very attractive.

Q: How is the story/script?

A: My sense is that the script was a little too short, thus causing all the shots to have to be drawn out to unnecessary proportions, for the purpose of making the film long enough to qualify as a feature film. Since the writer is the director, he has only himself to blame.

Q: Where can I see the trailer?

A: Cold Weather Trailer

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Knowing

Q: What’s the movie about?

A: A scientist (Nicolas Cage) gets his hands on a series of numbers that has been buried underground for the last 50 years, and realizes that it is a pattern predicting all the major death inducing accidents that have happened since then... Only the list isn't done yet, and the next major disaster is coming tomorrow.

Q: Who’s in the movie?

A: Nicolas Cage, Chandler Canterbury, Rose Byrne, D.G. Maloney, Lara Robinson, Nadia Townsend, Ben Mendelsohn

Q: Is this movie worth the price of admission?

A: Proceed with Caution. What a great premise! What would you do if you knew in advance that something bad would happen? Could you find a way to stop it? Would knowing make you feel more relaxed, or more stressed out? Would you take full advantage of your last hours on Earth if you knew the end was near? These are all interesting questions, most of which are not addressed in the film... And then the aliens come.

Q: Will this movie make me laugh?

A: By the end, I was laughing a lot inside my head.

Q: Will this movie make me cry?

A: And crying inside my head, too, about how they took such an interesting opportunity to explore the hypothetical questions that have been on all of our minds since we developed analytical thinking skills in the second grade, and instead of mining it for gold, they mined it for human manure.

Q: Will this movie be up for any awards?

A: Let's start with the Most Illogical Character Choices Ever! Award. Everything that a normal, logical person would do if faced with these circumstances, Nicolas Cage does the opposite of... But at least his character is consistent.

Q: How is the Acting?

A: I always enjoy Nicolas Cage when he plays off-beat characters like in Adaptation, Raising Arizona and Valley Girl. Likewise I regularly find him over the top and annoying in this schmaltzy stuff where he tries to be an action hero. Rose Byrne looks a lot like Jennifer Connelly, so that was confusing me. But the kids are pretty good.

Q: How is the Directing?

A: The directing is the primary reason why this movie stays exciting, even during the scenes that defy all reason. The musical score and the sweeping shots of Cage running add a level of thrill-ride that clearly rises above anything that would have been described on the written page.

Q: How is the story/script?

A: It seems to be going for some sort of faith-based message, but I couldn't tell which faith it was attempting to kowtow to. First, it leans toward preaching that there is a Heaven... And then the aliens come.

Q: Where can I see the trailer?

A: http://www.moviefone.com/movie/knowing/32271/trailers

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