A Prophet (un prophète)

Q: What’s the movie about?

A: A young Arab man (Tahar Rahim) goes to prison, where he is forced to kill or be killed. Before he knows it, he is rising through the ranks in a gang of Corsican natives who hate Arabs.

Q: Who’s in the movie?

A: Tahar Rahim, Niels Arestrup, Adel Bencherif, Hichem Yacoubi, Reda Kateb, Jean-Philippe Ricci, Jean-Emmanuel Pagni, Leila Bekhti, Slimane Dazi, Rabah Loucif, Frederic Graziani

Q: Is this movie worth the price of admission?

A: Go! Navigating politics is never easy, but navigating prison politics is so hard, you'd have to be some kind of prophet to do it. This film plays out like a season of Survivor, where if you get caught lying and manipulating, you get your flame snuffed out-- but literally.

Q: Will this movie make me laugh?

A: More than you'd expect from a film filled with blood and murder. But for me the funniest bit was a conversation about conjugating the French subjonctif plus-que-parfait, which reminded me of the time I spent in French school asking the teachers why, if nobody used it anymore, I (along with every other French child in the world) was required to learn it? It would be like Americans having to learn old English... or new English, for that matter.

Q: Will this movie make me cry?

A: If you didn't want to go to prison before seeing this, then after seeing this film, you really won't want to go there. You might even get scared right into passing your GED.

Q: Will this movie be up for any awards?

A: All of them. Here's a condensed list of the ones it's already won: BAFTA, Cesar, National Board of Review USA, European Film Awards, Cannes... And this weekend we'll see if it adds Spirit Award and Oscar to the list. I think it will.

Q: How is the Acting?

A: There were actors in this film? I didn't recognize any of them.

Q: How is the Directing?

A: The movie is way too long, but there is a lot of information to get out, and certainly some moments when you notice how interestingly that information is gotten out.

Q: How is the story/script?

A: Intricate, intense, original, and with an Arab protagonist, who is not a good guy, but only doing bad things because he has to. He is also smarter than anyone else in the room, and more honest, so you never stop feeling for him, despite the fact that he's not usually doing anything that commendable.

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

A: As a native French speaker, I wondered if it would be confusing to mono-linguists watching subtitles where the Corsicans often speak their language, and the Arabs often speak their language, and there is no differentiation on screen for those who don't know that they're no longer speaking French-- which is relevant because it means certain people in the room can no longer understand what is being said. And what is being said could potentially at any time be, "Kill that guy."

Q: Where can I see the trailer?

A: http://www.moviefone.com/movie/a-prophet-un-prophete/38552/trailers

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Cop Out

Q: What’s the movie about?

A: A pair of buddy cops (Bruce Willis & Tracy Morgan) get suspended from the force for playing by their own rules, but continue to play by their own rules when one of them gets robbed of a rare baseball card, which he needs to sell so he can pay for his daughter's wedding. Further proving that weddings get you into trouble.

Q: Who’s in the movie?

A: Bruce Willis, Tracy Morgan, Guillermo Diaz, Seann William Scott, Kevin Pollak, Adam Brody, Cory Fernandez, Michelle Trachtenberg, Rashida Jones, Jason Lee, Francie Swift, Ana de la Reguara, Susie Essman, Fred Armisen

Q: Is this movie worth the price of admission?

A: Proceed with Caution. Did you ever wonder what would happen if you remade Lethal Weapon, but you made the Black guy the crazy one and the White guy the one who's getting too old for this sh-t? Add in some zaniness, some dick jokes, and a far less professional filming style, and presto! You don't have to wonder anymore.

Q: Will this movie make me laugh?

A: Probably, but the humor is as annoying as it is funny.

Q: Will this movie make me cry?

A: Maybe if you're a baseball collector.

Q: Will this movie be up for any awards?

A: This script was on the 2008 Blacklist, which is an elite list of the best films that executives in Hollywood read that year. Either they changed a lot of it since then, or Hollywood executives are easily fooled by a few clever jokes, into thinking that an entire script is good.

Q: How is the Acting?

A: Bruce Willis was once considered a comic genius of his time, but this film makes him look like he's getting too old for this sh-t. He works too hard in his performance, and still has no clear character definition, as he holds back from laughing at Tracy Morgan's improvs. Adam Brody, on the other hand, has an understated naturalness to his comedic style that I'd be happy to see explored more in bigger roles.

Q: How is the Directing?

A: It's hard to believe that after 14 years, Kevin Smith still directs like an amateur. His close ups are too tight for the big screen, they are inappropriate for the emotional level of the story, his shot selections are boring and don't always help us follow the story, and he manages to make veterans (like Bruce Willis) look like they can't act. Look, he seems like a nice, intelligent guy, and I would love to sit down at the dinner table with him for some stimulating conversation, but why does he continue to get away with such embarrassing work? Will somebody please tell him to take a directing class?

Q: How is the story/script?

A: So long as you leave your sense of maturity and reality at home, there are a few good jokes and sequences, within this cliche story that could have been any rejected buddy cop script after a quick search and replace to, "Insert raunchier dick joke here."

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

A: The original title of this movie was A Couple of Dicks. Which is both more clever and explains why so many dick jokes.

Q: Where can I see the trailer?

A: http://www.moviefone.com/movie/cop-out/36928/trailers

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Sin Nombre

Q: What’s the movie about?

A: A gang member trying to escape his fate and a young Honduran woman trying to reconnect with her estranged family in the United States, cross paths on the danger-ridden Central American illegal immigrant train to the border.

Q: Who’s in the movie?

A: Paulina Gaitan, Edgar Flores, Kristian Ferrer, Diana Garcia, Tenoch Huerta, Luis Fernando Pena, Hector Jimenez

Q: Is this movie worth the price of admission?

A: Go! You will empathize with the joys and perils of being in a murderous gang, and then gasp your way closer and closer to the edge of your seat, as you watch to find out whether or not these two lost souls will be able to arrive alive to destination hope.

Q: Will this movie make me laugh?

A: I laughed 3 times during one of the gang shootouts. But I was the only one laughing. It was embarrassing.

Q: Will this movie make me cry?

A: It will definitely leave you feeling like you need to take a deep breath.

Q: Will this movie be up for any awards?

A: It won for Directing and Cinematography at Sundance, and was Nominated for the Grand Jury Prize. Not too shabby for a first feature film.

Q: How is the Acting?

A: Save one or two cast members, this group of unknowns has little to no acting experience prior to this project. You really can't tell.

Q: How is the Directing?

A: It is easy to see why this director's short film would have won the Student Academy Award. Remember the name Cary Fukunaga, because you're likely to see it on the big screen for years to come.

Q: How is the story/script?

A: After four years of research, riding the Central American train and interviewing Central American gang members and immigrants, it's no wonder there is fresh new insight into both the life of a gang member and the hazards of illegal immigration.

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

A: This is my first green light of 2009! I'm so happy...

Q: Where can I see the trailer?

A: http://www.moviefone.com/movie/sin-nombre/36316/trailers

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