Finding Bliss

Q: What’s the movie about?

A: An award winning film school grad (Leelee Sobieski) discovers that the only way she's going to be able to make her feature film debut is by editing films for the adult film industry.

Q: Who’s in the movie?

A: Leelee Sobieski, Matt Davis, Donnamarie Recco, Denise Richards, Kristen Johnston, Jamie Kennedy, Mircea Monroe, P.J. Byrne, Time Bagley, Caroline Aaron

Q: Is this movie worth the price of admission?

A: Proceed with Caution. For a movie about people who f#@* each other for a living, it's really cute! Like a puppy doing a bunny.

Q: Will this movie make me laugh?

A: It has dildos galore, and you'd have to be really horny not to think dildos are funny.

Q: Will this movie make me cry?

A: If, like me, you never wanted to see Jamie Kennedy whip it out, there is one part that could make you a little queasy. The good news is that I'm 99% sure it's a prosthetic. Then again, if that 1% margin is actually the case, it would explain a lot about how he's made it so far in his career... Well, that, and Son of the Mask.

Q: Will this movie be up for any awards?

A: Here's a useless piece of trivia I've somehow kept in the recesses of my mind for the past 13 years: Julie Davis, the director of this film used to work as an editor in the porn industry to pay for her filmmaking habit. Which gets this movie the award for Most Unlikely True Story of the Year.

Q: How is the Acting?

A: Mircea Monroe really stands out for me. I can see her becoming an A-list rom-com actress competing for roles with Malin Akerman. She has the looks and the comedy chops. You heard it here first, people. Check back in 2 years.

Q: How is the Directing?

A: Either the directing is really ugly, or Julie Davis purposely made her film look like a B-movie from the 80s that was shot after hours at a porn studio to reflect the story she is telling about a girl making a B-movie after hours at a porn studio.

Q: How is the story/script?

A: Loaded with cursing and sex, delving surprisingly deeper than it seems like it's going to go. And then deeper and deeper until the romantic storyline becomes filled with tension, and you just want so badly for it to... Ahhhh.

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

A: Now that I have my wits about me again, I'd like to apologize for what just happened in the script section. That was meant to be private. I'm so incredibly embarrassed and ashamed. Oh my God, my mother reads this blog.

Q: Where can I see the trailer?

A: http://www.moviefone.com/movie/finding-bliss/1426113/trailers

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The Goods: Live Hard, Sell Hard

Q: What’s the movie about?

A: A master car salesman (Jeremy Piven) is called into a struggling car dealership to save them from bankruptcy, and there, he is forced to face his own difficult past.

Q: Who’s in the movie?

A: Jeremy Piven, Ving Rhames, James Brolin, David Koechner, Kathryn Hahn, Ed Helms, Jordana Spiro, Tony Hale, Ken Jeong, Rob Riggle, Alan Thicke, Charles Napier, Jonathan Sadowski, Noureen DeWulf, Craig Robinson, Wendie Malick, Will Ferrell (uncredited)

Q: Is this movie worth the price of admission?

A: Proceed with Caution. If you can get past how incredibly stupid and ridiculous this movie is, it actually kind of grows on you.

Q: Will this movie make me laugh?

A: If you can get past how incredibly stupid and ridiculous the humor is, it actually kind of grows on you.

Q: Will this movie make me cry?

A: If you can get past how incredibly stupid and ridiculous the emotions are, they actually kind of grow on you.

Q: Will this movie be up for any awards?

A: I see some Golden Popcorn in this movie's future. Mostly because they have a category called Best WTF Moment.

Q: How is the Acting?

A: This movie has the greatest smattering of B-level character actors to ever grace the screen at one time, in the complete absence of any A-listers... Or at least not any that are credited.

Q: How is the Directing?

A: They say casting is 90% of the director's path to success, and in this case the director got the cast 110% right. If my math is correct, 110% of 90% is 99%, which leaves only 1% of room for failure. Director, Neal Brennan takes full advantage of his margin for failure, as he uses it toward being off on the timing for some of the jokes.

Q: How is the story/script?

A: This story has got a lot more story than most of the stuff that Will Ferrell and Adam McKay have put out recently. Not only are there A stories, but there are even B stories and C stories. Nothing too deep, but all of it supported by specific backstories! I'm sure even they were surprised to find out that despite all that yucky story structure, sometimes jokes can still be funny.

Q: Where can I see the trailer?

A: http://www.moviefone.com/movie/the-goods-live-hard-sell-hard/34811/trailers

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Zack and Miri Make a Porno

Q: What’s the movie about?

A: Zack and Miri (Seth Rogen and Elizabeth Banks), who have been best friends since the first grade and are currently roommates, realize that the only way they're going make their rent and get their heat and water turned back on is to make a porno... What they don't realize is that sex is called "F*#cking" because it always f*#ks everything up.

Q: Who’s in the movie?

A: Seth Rogen, Elizabeth Banks, Craig Robinson, Jason Mewes, Gerry Bednob, Jeff Anderson, Katie Morgan, Ricky Mabe, Traci Lords, Justin Long, Brandon Routh, Tisha Campbell-Martin

Q: Is this movie worth the price of admission?

A: Proceed with Caution. Don't expect a Judd Apatow film, just because it stars Seth Rogen. This is a Kevin Smith film, with Kevin Smith humor-- which can be recognized by the fact that there are just as many swear words, but only half the cleverness. That said, if you like Kevin Smith, this is one of his better movies, and you should see it.

Q: Will this movie make me laugh?

A: Again, if you like Kevin Smith, you'll laugh a lot. For people with higher standards, there are just enough laughs so you don't leave angry-- which is nice.

Q: Will this movie make me cry?

A: No, but there is a scene which rivals 2 girls 1 cup, so that's gross. But the good news is the scene in this movie loses the challenge.

Q: Will this movie be up for any awards?

A: Title Most Likely to Garner Free Publicity from People Least Likely to see it.

Q: How is the Acting?

A: You always forget how funny Jason Mewes is, because he never does anything besides Kevin Smith films and rehab. Craig Robinson, who has been creating a signature style since Knocked Up and Pineapple Express, officially catapults himself into the comedy elite with this role. And Elizabeth Banks is prettier than she's ever been before-- which is especially strange considering these characters have no money for water to shower or electricity to blow dry, and yet her curls are always perfect.

Q: How is the Directing?

A: I have to say, this is the area in which Kevin Smith has shown the most improvement over the years. I used to get annoyed by the fact that he wasn't upgrading his indy-style shooting to match his studio-style paychecks. But this one actually looks like a studio movie, and nothing about the directing annoyed me.

Q: How is the story/script?

A: If you know the title-- which you do-- it's mostly predictable. The set-up works well and is originally done, but once they get into making the porn there's not much that happens that you didn't see coming. (Pun unintended, and yet perfectly be-fitting.)

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

A: This movie is rated R despite the fact that it's about shooting a porno because they manage to keep it clean... save the full frontal nudity and the scenes about people doing it.

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Young People F***ing

Q: What’s the movie about?

A: Five intercut stories, about five different types of sexual relationships (the Couple, the Best Friends, the Exes, the First Date and the Roommates), as they each try to experience a night of pleasure.

Q: Who’s in the movie?

A: Aaron Abrams, Diora Baird, Sonja Bennett, Callum Blue, Kristin Booth, Josh Cooke, Josh Dean, Ennis Esmer, Natalie Lasinska, Peter Oldring, Carly Pope

Q: Is this movie worth the price of admission?

A: Stop! While the concept of examining these various different types of relationships is interesting, and the structure of "Prelude, Foreplay, Sex, Interlude, Orgasm, and Afterglow" is original, the film is neither insightful nor titillating, and it won't add much to your life besides a few new mental images of bouncing breast... Hey, that might be enough for some of you.

Q: Will this movie make me laugh?

A: With a subject matter this relatable, they can't help but muster a few good laughs. By the same token, there should've been a whole lot more.

Q: Will this movie make me cry?

A: If you're in a couple, the poignant reminders of how hard it is to keep your sex life interesting once you know all your partner's tricks could be saddening.

Q: Will this movie be up for any awards?

A: In a sea of indy films that will never see the light of day, this one is lucky to be released at all. And the filmmakers should consider that to be the highest of honors.

Q: How is the Acting?

A: The story, having clearly been written and conceived by actors, plays like a series of scene study exercises. Thankfully, this cast is made up of the star-students from each acting class.

Q: How is the Directing?

A: For a movie that's supposed to be about Young People F***ing, there sure are a lot of talking heads! And unfortunately, I am talking about the head bone connected to the neck bone.

Q: How is the story/script?

A: If you're gonna give your film such an edgy title, you'd better have something new, clever and deeply perceptive to say about sexual relationships and how they improve and/or ruin a person's life. Otherwise, the title just seems like a marketing ploy, making your audience feel like the suckers who fell for it. I've been had.

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