Amazon Holiday

Showing posts with label fraud. Show all posts
Showing posts with label fraud. Show all posts

Thursday, January 28, 2010

Saint John of Las Vegas


Q: What’s the movie about?

A: A compulsive gambler (Steve Buscemi) leaves Las Vegas to get a day job, which then puts him on a case that leads him right back to Las Vegas.

Q: Who’s in the movie?

A: Steve Buscemi, Romany Malco, Sarah Silverman, Peter Dinklage, Tim Blake Nelson, Emmanuelle Chriqui, John Cho, Aviva

Q: Is this movie worth the price of admission?

A: PhotobucketStop! This effort at comedy tries really hard to be offbeat, but mostly, it's just off.

Q: Will this movie make me laugh?

A: Almost. Like the promise of dream that gets whisked out from under you, just as you're about to sign on the dotted line.

Q: Will this movie make me cry?

A: Gambling addictions make me sad. I just don't relate to why these people continually throw away all their money, when all they want is to have money? I usually avoid movies about gamblers altogether, but this screening was free... Thank the Lord!... Still not worth it.

Q: Will this movie be up for any awards?

A: Sure, I'll give it the Award for Least Annoying Sarah Silverman has ever been in a movie. Not only did I not mind her in this movie, I actually kinda liked her.

Q: How is the Acting?

A: The thing that is most "off" in this comedy is the timing. The actors are of a much higher caliber than the script or the director, and it's the director's lack of editing skills that seems to do them in. Considering who the actors are, it's highly likely, they said their lines right on set, but then the director threw off the timing in post production, by adding long pauses between the jokes and the punchlines. This is especially disheartening when you find out that this director has an editing background.

Q: How is the Directing?

A: The directing in this film could not have been worse. The look of the film is reminiscent of a home video-- but not the cool, clear ones your phone might take, I'm talking about 1980s VHS quality. But worse than that, there are actually shots in this movie that snapped me right out of the story so that I could think to myself, "What exactly is this director trying to get me to look at right here?" Who is Hue Rhodes? And how did he/she get $3.8million dollars and a cast like this to be in this sub par, nonsensical movie? If you have any insight, please let me know.

Q: How is the story/script?

A: As I'm trying to rethink how exactly these fraud adjusters solved their crime, I'm realizing that I have no idea what the basic logic was behind their success... That is, if they were successful at all. Who knows what happened when all was said and done? I'd even go so far as to wonder if Hue knows.

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

A: While you're answering some of my questions, would you also mind explaining to me why the title implies that there's anything "Saintly" about this guy? I can't even think of any ironic references to him being a Saint. Please explain. Thank you.

Q: Where can I see the trailer?

A: http://www.moviefone.com/search/saint%20john/trailers

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Wednesday, October 21, 2009

The Yes Men Fix the World

Q: What’s the movie about?

A: Two concerned pranksters go around posing as high powered executive spokespeople from large multinational firms, and staging elaborate presentations to convince conference-goers that the corporations they represent are going to do something for the good of the people... Of course, that's not true.

Q: Who’s in the movie?

A: The Yes Men: Andy Bichlbaum & Mike Bonanno.

Q: Is this movie worth the price of admission?

A: PhotobucketGo! Any ideas you might get about changing the way we do things in our country for the better are alright with me.

Q: Will this movie make me laugh?

A: The merry prankster style of our two heroes is not dissimilar to Michael Moore's, if he were two people, and those two people were a Vaudeville team.

Q: Will this movie make me cry?

A: No. But thankfully, it will make you angry.

Q: Will this movie be up for any awards?

A: As a direct competitor to Capitalism: A Love Story, giving these guys an award would be a great slap in the face to Michael Moore-- for anyone out there who's interested in slapping Moore in the face.

Q: How is the Acting?

A: These guys have giantes cajones... Or maybe they have a secret fantasy to spend some time in jail.

Q: How is the Directing?

A: The producing is really what's impressive here.

Q: How is the story/script?

A: It can start to feel a bit repetitive, because while they vary the pranks at each conference and for each company they're pretending to represent, the ultimate outcome is usually the same each time. Someone figures out it's a hoax, and they're still proud that they got people talking about an important issue.

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

A: The fact that in the last month I've seen three movies (this one, Capitalism: A Love Story, and Crude) about the pitfalls and deaths caused by Capitalism and American corporate greed is a sign that this tragedy is in the zeitgeist. And the fact that it's in the zeitgeist, is a sign that it's time to take action and change our system.

Q: Where can I see the trailer?

A: http://www.moviefone.com/movie/the-yes-men-fix-the-world/36262/trailers

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Sunday, September 20, 2009

The Informant!

Q: What’s the movie about?

A: A high level office drone (Matt Damon) gets put in a position where he feels compelled to tell the FBI about his business' illegal dealings in price fixing, and before he knows it, he must become an FBI informant.

Q: Who’s in the movie?

A: Matt Damon, Scott Bakula, Melanie Lynskey, Joel McHale, Rick Overton, Tom Wilson, Tom Papa, Ann Cusack, Eddie Jemison, Andrew Daly, Tony Hale, Larry Clarke, Jayden Lund, Patton Oswalt, Paul F. Tompkins, The Smothers Brothers

Q: Is this movie worth the price of admission?

A: PhotobucketProceed with Caution. What I like about the movie is that it is original, true, and in no way underestimates its audience. What I don't like about the movie is that it's the opposite of hopeful.

Q: Will this movie make me laugh?

A: Matt Damon has a running non-sequitur, inner monologue that rarely makes you laugh out loud, but keeps you at a constant chuckle on the inside.

Q: Will this movie make me cry?

A: Only if corruption without accountability makes you cry. Which I'm thinking, if you live in America, it probably doesn't, because if it did, maybe once in a while, one of you would stand up and do something about it.

Q: Will this movie be up for any awards?

A: Even though there's something thoroughly not enjoyable about this story, I kind of think the film deserves some recognition.

Q: How is the Acting?

A: Damon is great, but did he really have to put on 30 pounds to play a guy, who no one knows what he looks like? Please discuss.

Q: How is the Directing?

A: The look of the movie is often fuzzy and yellow, as if the film had just been taken out of a vault in which it had been stored for 30 years. This might have been an effect meant to portray the period of the piece, but along with the graphics and the music, it seemed a lot more 70s than the 90s.

Q: How is the story/script?

A: More complex than it appears on its surface... much like its main character.

Q: Where can I see the trailer?

A: http://www.moviefone.com/movie/the-informant/34202/trailers

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