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Showing posts with label joint. Show all posts
Showing posts with label joint. Show all posts

Tuesday, December 15, 2009

It's Complicated


Q: What’s the movie about?

A: 10 years after her husband leaves her for a younger woman, Jane (Meryl Streep) finds herself having an affair with her ex-husband (Alec Baldwin), behind his new young wife's back.

Q: Who’s in the movie?

A: Meryl Streep, Alec Baldwin, Steve Martin, John Krasinski, Lake Bell, Zoe Kazdan, Hunter Parrish, Caitlin Fitzgerald, Mary Kay Place, Rita Wilson, Alexandra Wentworth, Emjay Anthony

Q: Is this movie worth the price of admission?

A: PhotobucketProceed with Caution. While most good romantic comedies leave you a feeling like you want to fall giddy in love, this one instead, leaves you feeling like you want to fall giddy into bed with someone, so you can feel giddy the next day about how you fell giddy into debauchery.

Q: Will this movie make me laugh?

A: There are some funny set pieces having to do with old people smoking pot, old people being naked, and old people getting caught being bad. Yeah, old people are pretty funny when they do young people stuff.

Q: Will this movie make me cry?

A: If you're from a family of divorce, you may be as moved as I was to see how loving it can feel to have all the scattered pieces of your original brood, back together around the lunch table, like it was old times.

Q: Will this movie be up for any awards?

A: Meryl Streep is competing against herself for the Golden Globe. Unfortunately for this gourmet chef, the other one is probably going to win.

Q: How is the Acting?

A: Let's skip over the people we already know are great, and get right to the fact that the 3 children they supposedly conceived together are terrible. From the first frame to the last, every reaction they have is over the top and seems fake-- like they were plucked right out of their beginning acting classes to do this film. Only Hunter Parrish gets a pass, for being so cute, and reminding me of a young Ethan Hawke (minus the acting skills-- don't want to offend Ethan).

Q: How is the Directing?

A: As guest reviewer, Russ, pointed out to me, Nancy Meyers' directing is like an add for Williams-Sonoma. Although Meryl Streep has a beautiful and large kitchen, she dreams of having (--and is finally hoping to get in this movie--) a beautiful and large kitchen. As Russ put it, "It's like rich people's problems." I imagine it's easier to shoot a family of five (plus an ex-husband) in a beautiful and large kitchen. I imagine that's why she didn't choose to shoot the multiple kitchen scenes in an ugly and small kitchen. But I can't imagine how the renovations she's making on her house will do anything besides give her a smaller backyard.

Q: How is the story/script?

A: Nancy Meyers clearly goes to a lot of trouble to make her two main characters somewhat likeable in the midst of their despicable act of cheating. I also respect and admire that she's telling original stories about older women in modern times. I'm learning so much about what is to come for me, although by the time I'm that old, modern times will be different than they are now, so I may need to learn entirely new lessons at that point. I also want to applaud her for several moments where the characters' reactions to a situation are not what you'd expect. The one thing I feel dissatisfied by, however, is why does Steve Martin's character have to be so damn dull? It certainly doesn't make you root for him to win the girl.

Q: Where can I see the trailer?

A: http://www.moviefone.com/movie/its-complicated/34200/trailers

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Monday, April 27, 2009

Lymelife

(Guest Review by Russ)

Q: What’s the movie about?


A: Set during the late 70s, a fifteen-year-old boy grapples with first love while dealing with a chaotic home life involving his constantly quarreling parents.

Q: Who’s in the movie?

A: Rory Culkin, Emma Roberts, Alec Baldwin, Timothy Hutton, Jill Hennessy, Kieran Culkin, Cynthia Nixon

Q: Is this movie worth the price of admission?

A: PhotobucketProceed with Caution. This is a paint-by-numbers ‘indie’ developed through the Sundance Institute which helps explain its pedigree both in front of and behind the cameras (e.g. Martin Scorsese is a producer on it). You’ve seen variations on it before many times, and since this film is dated, I'm going to allow myself to use a dated joke: I liked this movie the first time I saw it, when it was called The Ice Storm.

Q: Will this movie make me laugh?

A: The other reviewers make it sound like a yuck-fest from beginning to end-- don’t believe them! It's not a comedy, which isn't to say that you won't chuckle here and there-- if you’re paying attention.

Q: Will this movie make me cry?

A: Only if you’re intimate with the horror that is lyme disease.

Q: Will this movie be up for any awards?

A: Coming out in April…? Despite fine performances, I would guess that the distributors of this film have written off major award consideration.

Q: How is the Acting?

A: It’s a terrific cast and they all give terrific performances. Rory Culkin is in just about every scene – it’s very much his film – and his angular, oddly handsome face perfectly expresses the confusion, anger and bemusement of a 15 year-old boy going through major life-changes. The revelation is Emma Roberts (Julia’s niece) as the precocious love object of Rory’s affections. She goes from sexy to vulnerable – and everything in between – within the heartbeat of a single scene (multiple times) breaking down every stereotype of a 16 year-old teenager that ever existed. The adults are all good too – even Timothy Hutton in a pointless and thankless supporting role.

Q: How is the Directing?

A: Apparently this is a pretty low-budget film, but it looks really good – getting the Long Island setting period detail (late 70s) just right. The film is small and intimate, and the direction is given over to letting the performances shine and in that regard it’s more than competent. The tone is also consistent but it’s not as ‘quirky funny’ as the filmmakers probably think it is.

Q: How is the story/script?

A: So about a half-hour into this you start to realize there’s no plot and maybe – unlike myself – you are fine with that because you rarely expect indie films to have plots because supposedly a plot would not make it very ‘indie.’ I miss having plots when they aren’t there regardless of what kind of movie it is. This movie would have been better with a plot, but as ‘coming-of-age’/'slice-of-life’ films go, it’s fine and will most likely hold your interest thanks to Rory Culkin and Emma Robert’s performances.

Q: Where can I see the trailer?

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

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