Limitless

Q: What’s the movie about?

A: A loser writer (Bradley Cooper) discovers a drug that gives him heightened brain activity as well as the ability to recall any and all information he has ever been exposed to from his entire life. Unfortunately, once you take the drug, you can't stop taking it or your body will deteriorate and you will die. Oh, and there's an extremely limited amount of it going around.

Q: Who’s in the movie?

A: Bradley Cooper, Robert De Niro, Abbie Cornish, Andrew Howard, Anna Friel, Johnny Whitworth, Tomas Arana, Darren Goldstein, Ned Eisenberg

Q: Is this movie worth the price of admission?

A: Go! Talk about life or death stakes...

Q: Will this movie make me laugh?

A: Cocky people are funny... so long as they aren't the star of your hit sitcom.

Q: Will this movie make me cry?

A: Cocky people are also sad, because what goes up must come down. But I don't like to think about that, because it defies my medication-induced optimism. And medications are too expensive to defy.

Q: Will this movie be up for any awards?

A: This deserves an Academy Award for Directing, but will most certainly be overlooked. Why it will be overlooked? Because it's early in the year and at first glance it seems like standard Hollywood fare. Why it deserves it? Because a director's job is to get you inside the mind of the story, and by the time I walked out of the theater, I felt like I had taken NZT.

Q: How is the Acting?

A: Like the directing, Bradley Cooper's performance seems straight forward enough, but in fact demonstrates incredible nuance, as he seamlessly switches between a dangerous, know-it-all, drug-induced pit bull and a weak, insecure, natural lamb. And it's not just the intensified lighting of his frighteningly blue eyes.

Q: How is the Directing?

A: At first all the special effects felt a little gimmicky, to me. But once I realized that I was completely riveted by a scene where Bradley Cooper cleans up his apartment, I knew that I had been a fool to mistrust this director's instincts. Team Neil Burger, all the way to the Oscars!

Q: How is the story/script?

A: Leslie Dixon presents interesting twists in such a way that you get to feel smart, because you know what's going on without being told. I love feeling smart. Which is why I've gotta get my hands on some of that NZT... And if that's not available, maybe I could get me a dose of that Charlie Sheen. From what I can tell, the effect of either drug is about the same.

Q: Where can I see the trailer?

A: Limitless Trailer

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Rachel Getting Married

Q: What’s the movie about?

A: A recovering addict (Anne Hathaway) comes home from rehab for her sister Rachel's (Rosemarie DeWitt) wedding, and has trouble coping with the fact that all the attention is focused on her sister's joyous day, instead of where it usually is: on her own problems.

Q: Who’s in the movie?

A: Anne Hathaway, Rosemarie DeWitt, Bill Irwin, Debrah Winger, Mather Zickel, Anna Deavere Smith, Tunde Adibimpe, Anisa George

Q: Is this movie worth the price of admission?

A: Stop! This movie is like sitting through a 5 day long wedding (in real time), where you don't know anyone, you don't care about anyone, and the one person you recognize is a completely narcissistic a-hole. Oh, yeah, and because you're actually sitting in a theater, you're not even drunk.

Q: Will this movie make me laugh?

A: It's got a few guffaws in the first fifteen minutes, but then you lose interest and stop paying attention.

Q: Will this movie make me cry?

A: If you find anything to sympathize with in this movie, it's probably because your family dysfunction is similar to theirs, in which case you would have something to cry about. But not necessarily while watching this film.

Q: Will this movie be up for any awards?

A: I hated it in just the right way for the "mainstream" critics and the Independent Spirit nominators to love it.

Q: How is the Acting?

A: If it weren't for Anne Hathaway's celebrity status, you would think the whole thing was actually unfolding in front of your eyes-- it's that real. Rosemarie DeWitt is natural and organic, and it's hard to remember that she's not Anne Hathaway's sister in real life. Since this review is such a major pan, I'd like to take some extra care to point out that that was a compliment for the acting.

Q: How is the Directing?

A: You know when an old pro, with a couple dozen films to his name, decides to pick up a hand-held dv cam, and pretend he's a first time director? It's like that.

Q: How is the story/script?

A: Jenny Lumet is the daughter of Sidney Lumet, so God only knows how she got her big break in Hollywood with this, her first outing. I imagine she worked hard, learned her chosen skill, and persisted through all the rejection and heartache... Or more likely, she wrote a first draft, with a couple of good scenes, and when she realized she only had about 25 minutes worth of story, she filled in the rest with pointless wedding speeches, guests performing for the bride and groom, and extended dance sequences at the wedding reception. After which, she had her dad call in some favors, and got herself a movie deal... Did I mention that there's a 7 minute scene where the dad and the groom-to-be compete (in all seriousness) in a competition to see who can load the dishwasher faster? Yeah.

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

A: In this Connecticut wedding, a Black man marries a White woman in a ceremony where everyone wears full (dot) Indian wedding regalia, for no apparent reason, and without comment. Their attire has you so confused, that you almost forget to notice the other gaping discrepancy, which is: there ain't never been a Black person in Connecticut!

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Tropic Thunder

Q: What’s the movie about?

A: While making a Vietnam movie, the film’s director (Steve Coogan) decides that his actors (Ben Stiller, Jack Black, Robert Downey Jr.) are too spoiled, so he drops them in the middle of the jungle to fend for themselves, and to elicit more realistic performances out of them. Unfortunately, while the actors think they’re just making a movie about war, they accidentally get caught up in an actual war.

Q: Who’s in the movie?

A: Who isn’t?! Ben Stiller, Robert Downey Jr., Jack Black, Steve Coogan, Matthew McConaughey, Tom Cruise, Bill Hader, Nick Nolte, Danny McBride, Jay Baruchel, Brandon T. Jackson, Brandon Soo Hoo, Reggie Lee, Trieu Tran. With cameos by Christine Taylor, Tyra Banks, Maria Menounos, Tobey McGuire, Jon Voight, Jennifer Love Hewitt, Jason Bateman, Lance Bass, & Alicia Silverstone

Q: Is this movie worth the price of admission?

A: Go! If the premise sounds ridiculous and implausible that’s because it totally is! But what this movie lacks in groundedness, logic, and common sense, it makes up for in laughs per minute.

Q: Will this movie make me laugh?

A: Obviously, but it might also make you puke. The blood, guts, vomit, and general level of gore is off the charts, so try to go on an empty stomach.

Q: Will this movie make me cry?

A: Either I’m a sucker for cute Asian babies, or this flick actually has a moving scene in it… But it’s still a far cry from crying.

Q: Will this movie be up for any awards?

A: Best impersonation of an Academy Award. Best impersonation of an Academy Award winning actor. Best impersonation of an Academy Award winning film. In fact, if you’re looking to find out how to land an Academy Award, this movie gives away all the secret tricks of the trade.

Q: How is the Acting?

A: As much as I wanted to hand over the Oscar to Robert Downey Jr. for playing a white Australian actor who’s playing a 1960s black soldier, there are times when his phony black accent makes it hard to understand what he's saying. Don’t get me wrong, his performance is still groundbreaking, but I’m just saying.

Q: How is the Directing?

A: Ben Stiller has a fun, broad, campy, brightly lit style that stays constant from movie to movie. Which is tonally effective, if you like that sort of thing-- which personally, I do.

Q: How is the story/script?

A: For anyone who didn’t already know that that actors are all messed up in their heads, this movie will confirm your suspicions. Hey, two of the three writers are actors (Ben Stiller and Justin Theroux), so I'm thinking they've got something of an inside scoop on the matter.

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

A: Well, in my infinitely astute and remarkably accurate observation, I noticed that each of the main characters is impersonating at least one actual famous person. So while Ben Stiller is doing some kind of Sylvester Stallone routine, Jack Black, in a hyper-ironic turn of events, seems to be playing Robert Downey Jr.. But to make matters even more bizarre, Robert Downey Jr.’s character has several hard-to-ignore similarities to none other than... Heath Ledger! It sure is funny, but is it too soon? (Although that’s a rhetorical question, I welcome your earnest responses below.)

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