True Grit

Q: What’s the movie about?

A: A 14-year-old girl (Hailee Steinfeld) is determined to avenge the murder of her father, so she hires a ruthless Marshall (Jeff Bridges) and they accidentally team up with a cocky Texas Ranger (Matt Damon), on their hunt through the wild west, to find an inconsequential criminal (Josh Brolin).

Q: Who’s in the movie?

A: Jeff Bridges, Hailee Steinfeld, Matt Damon, Josh Brolin, Barry Pepper, Dakin Matthews, Jarlath Conroy, Paul Rae, Domhnall Gleeson, Elizabeth Marvel

Q: Is this movie worth the price of admission?

A: Proceed with Caution. Contrary to popular belief, this movie isn't for everyone. It's for people who love Westerns, and/or people who love the Coen Brothers. Note: I said "love," not "like."

Q: Will this movie make me laugh?

A: I'm pretty sure Jeff Bridges said a lot of funny things, but he mumbles so much that without closed captioning, you won't understand any of them.

Q: Will this movie make me cry?

A: The number one problem with this film is that you don't care about anybody. They're all cold hearted jerks, including the kid, so I dare you to find someone to cry for.

Q: Will this movie be up for any awards?

A: The Cinematography is award-worthy. The remainder of the buzz is poppycock.

Q: How is the Acting?

A: Hailee Steinfeld is good for a 14-year-old, but completely average for a person of normal-age. Let's not start giving out awards to people just for being young-- that would only aggravate the problem. Jeff Bridges is incomprehensible. And right when you think you've understood just about as little as you can understand, Matt Damon gets his tongue mangled, so that he can't articulate anymore either. Regardless of all that, the actors seem to struggle severely throughout due to the absence of their beloved contractions... Turns out, it's not so easy for even the most professional of them to sound natural when saying things like, "I will do it," when inside they're clearly dying to say, "I'll do it."

Q: How is the Directing?

A: I've never had anything bad to say about the Coens as directors, and I doubt I ever will, but this, their most profitable film ever, has much less of their signature style in it, and aside from the final shot of a woman in black walking away from us, none of the shots in this film stand out as particularly memorable.

Q: How is the story/script?

A: Aside from making the lead character a smart-talking 14-year-old girl, the story line seems particularly unoriginal. And the fact that it's a remake makes the whole 14-year-old girl idea not so original either. The dialogue is clever, though, if you're able to understand it.

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

A: Sorry for my assessment on this one. Feel free to yell at me in the comments section about all the reasons this movie is brilliant.

Q: Where can I see the trailer?

A: True Grit Trailer

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Sherlock Holmes

(Guest Review by Russ)

Q: What’s the movie about?

A: Famed Scotland Yard detective Sherlock Holmes and his fearless partner Dr. Watson take on a baffling case that may threaten all of England.

Q: Who’s in the movie?

A: Robert Downey Jr., Jude Law, Rachel McAdams, Mark Strong, Kelly Reilly, Eddie Marsan, James Fox, Hans Matheson, William Hope, Robert Maillet

Q: Is this movie worth the price of admission?

A: Go! I’ll confess, I thought this movie would be terrible with fingers crossed that it would at least rise to the level of mediocre. Well surprise, it’s excellent! Whether he’s a billionaire in a red and yellow suit made of iron or blazing up a pipe as British sleuth Sherlock Holmes, Robert Downey Jr. continues to specialize in making his characters uniquely entertaining to watch. The film is as clever as Holmes himself, and has as much eye-popping action as any big summer blockbuster. Thank you Santa for delivering such stellar entertainment this holiday season. (In this case Santa = Warner Bros. Studios.)

Q: Will this movie make me laugh?

A: It stops just short of being an outright comedy, so expect plenty of non-stop chuckles throughout. Most are derived from the clever exchanges and emotional bond between Holmes (Downey Jr.) and Watson (Jude Law).

Q: Will this movie make me cry?

A: Well, I teared up a bit in the first ten minutes as the realization hit that the film was actually good (tears of joy, yes). Now you can go knowing that fact and not fearing a crying jag.

Q: Will this movie be up for any awards?

A: It’s escapist fun, so not really built for awards, but with that said, the production design, visual effects and costumes are off-the-charts fantastic.

Q: How is the Acting?

A: I never read any Sherlock Holmes books or paid attention to past films, so as far as I’m concerned Robert Downey Jr. makes a perfect Holmes in 2009. He’s clever, witty and an agile fighter so he has it going on in the hero department. My only quibble was that his (otherwise flawless) British accent was hard to understand at times. Jude Law is really really good as Dr. Watson, and his chemistry with Sherlock Holmes is way better and far sexier than the chemistry between Downey Jr. and Rachel McAdams. I know that seems gay, but the homoerotic underpinnings of Holmes’ and Watson’s relationship seems to have been done very much on purpose and it only makes the movie that much better and emotionally richer. Many of the supporting parts are peppered with director Guy Ritchie’s British favorites and they’re all clearly having a great time with their roles.

Q: How is the Directing?

A: Guy Ritchie has carved out a well-respected career with low-budget films such as Lock Stock and Two Smoking Barrels, Snatch and the recent Rock-n-Rolla. So a big Hollywood studio finally gave him a big budget and franchise to see what he could do and personally I’m just happy that millions of new fans will now get to see his work. He keeps his trademark camera flourishes and style more under wraps here but overall the film is shot with loads of energy and visual creativity. It also looks gorgeous and even with a massive budget Ritchie still puts his personal stamp on it by laying a whole new twist on Holmes’ fight scenes. Ritchie has always had a particularly macho approach to filmmaking and the stories he tells, and that sensibility infuses Sherlock Holmes with more liveliness than it would otherwise have had. But within all that machismo is a sly sense of humor, inventive wit and amusing twists and turns that Ritchie has coalesced into a superior detective story.

Q: How is the story/script?

A: I was never expecting this version of Sherlock Holmes to be clever, but it is, and in a way that always makes sense and rarely loses the audience. Holmes has great fun being the ever-observant ‘savant’ – seeing clues that even modern-day CSI teams might miss – while still staying true to the period. The script also gives as much attention to its characters and humor as it does the story, which is another reason the entire film is so darn entertaining. The end – while completely satisfying – nicely sets up a sequel, which I already can’t wait to see. (Rumor has it Brad Pitt will play the bad guy; even better.)

Q: Where can I see the trailer?

A: http://www.moviefone.com/movie/sherlock-holmes/35683/trailers

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Changeling

(Guest Review by Russ)

Q: What’s the movie about?

A: Set in the late ‘20s in Los Angeles, a single mother (Angelina Jolie) is distraught when her 9 year-old son is abducted from her house. But things turn more bizarre when the police try to reunite her with a boy that she believes is not her son.

Q: Who’s in the movie?

A: Angelina Jolie, John Malkovich, Amy Ryan, Jeffrey Donovan, Colm Feore, Michael Kelly, Jason Butler Harner, Gattlin Griffith

Q: Is this movie worth the price of admission?

A: Go! Changeling is based on a true story that has to be filed under the ‘truth is stranger than fiction’ category. It’s a truly bizarre and – for a while at least – incredibly sad story that charts the sickening and horribly corrupt history of the Los Angeles Police Department in the late ‘20s and early ‘30s. But there is a light at the end of this tunnel and centering the story on a strong and determined woman makes for a compelling film with few dull moments.

Q: Will this movie make me laugh?

A: Something makes Angelina Jolie’s character laugh at the very beginning, but we’re not privy to what it is. After that, not many smiles are cracked on screen or off.

Q: Will this movie make me cry?

A: I didn’t, but if you’re a mother, or a person with maternal instincts of any kind, you might want to gird yourself for some tears.

Q: Will this movie be up for any awards?

A: Angelina Jolie’s performance has been nominated for a Golden Globe and SAG Award so far, and since there are rarely enough dynamic parts written for female leads each year to fill the 5 slots in that category, her streak is likely to continue to the Academy Awards.

Q: How is the Acting?

A: Angelina Jolie proves once again why she is a rare, American acting treasure. You will feel her unbearable loss in your gut. And even while playing a strong, independent woman, she never betrays the period her character exists in, being mindful of her ‘place’ in society (when the U.S. was much more of a man’s world) by subverting her strength and fire when the circumstances dictate it. Her character goes to hell and back, and few actresses can take us on that journey the way Jolie can. Surrounding her is a really good cast of familiar and not-so-familiar faces that fit perfectly into the period. And for a film with so many pivotal supporting parts that rely on kids, they found some really good ones here.

Q: How is the Directing?

A: Not only is every performance spot-on, the movie looks amazing as Clint Eastwood depicts late 1920s Los Angeles in all its beautiful period detail. Every car, building, street lamp, coat, hat, even roller-skate is gorgeously featured and anyone who has ever lived in or loved the City of Angels will enjoy seeing it transported back in time with so much precision. Los Angeles is a city with some stunning architecture, and watching Changeling is a great reminder of it. Across the board, it's a step up from Gran Torino.

Q: How is the story/script?

A: In so many ways it plays out as such a straightforward story, that when it’s over you’ll feel like it was easy to see everything that was coming. But that doesn’t take away from how riveting it is while you’re watching, which is why you’ll end up feeling more than satisfied. Screenwriter J. Michael Straczynski not only fictionalizes a sensational and tragic real-life story from the past, he also finds the human, beating heart at its center and brings out the strong, uplifting message at its core. Sure, a lot about Changeling is a downer, but you’ll leave feeling inspired by what a determined person can accomplish in life. And how important it is to always have hope.

Q: Where can I see the trailer?

A: http://www.moviefone.com/search/changeling/trailers

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