Hugh Hefner: Playboy, Activist and Rebel

Q: What’s the movie about?

A: Hugh Hefner has lived through the Great Depression, a World War, two east-Asian wars, two gulf wars, the sexual revolution, the civil rights movement, and the invention of plastic surgery, and I'm pretty sure he had a hand in all of it.

Q: Who’s in the movie?

A: A bunch of bunnies, a bunch of horn dogs, some old-timey famous folks, and George Lucas.

Q: Is this movie worth the price of admission?

A: Proceed with Caution. It's interesting to learn that before Hef hung out with gaggles of indistinguishable fake-boobed blonds, young enough to be his grand-daughters, he was an activist who made strides in racial rights and even (supposedly) in some aspects of women's rights, but it's hard to reconcile with the fact that he seems incapable of seeing how his work exploits women.

Q: Will this movie make me laugh?

A: Here's something funny: Hef doesn't understand why some people call his magazines pornography. So just to be clear, I looked up the definition on Merriam-Webster, which says, "the depiction of erotic behavior (as in pictures or writing) intended to cause sexual excitement." And then, next to it, there was a picture of Marilyn Monroe on the cover of the first edition of Playboy.

Q: Will this movie make me cry?

A: Dr. Ruth says it best when she pin-points the sad truth about why Hef won't be remembered for the relevant and important impact he had on making the world a more just and fair place for women and minorities. She explains that he made the mistake of mixing up his personal life with his professional life, and now no one can take him seriously, because all anyone associates with him is the fact that he's dating between three and seven women at once, all of which only love him for his money. (I admit, I added that last bit.)

Q: Will this movie be up for any awards?

A: You are not gonna believe this, but it won the Hugh M. Hefner First Amendment Award for free speech!... Okay, it hasn't won it yet, but since Hef gives it out, don't you think it's got a good chance?

Q: How is the Acting?

A: Before he got all old and creepy, Hugh Hefner was actually a much more attractive and fascinating man than I care to admit. Yeah, I would've done him.

Q: How is the Directing?

A: I know Hugh Hefner is almost 200 years old, but the movie about his life didn't need to be in real time. Over 2 hours for any film is a mistake, but over 2 hours for a documentary about one person shows a lack of restraint that borders on unprofessional. I'm thinking the director is a hoarder.

Q: How is the story/script?

A: Provocative, but it feels like a bit of propaganda to me. Hef has a line where he says that he still picks every centerfold and every cover, and edits all the cartoons and articles... well I've got a feeling that director, Brigitte Berman, only gained this kind of access because she gave Hef final cut on how he would be represented in his final impressions, too.

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

A: Boobies!

Q: Where can I see the trailer?

A: http://www.moviefone.com/movie/hugh-hefner-playboy-activist-and-rebel/10011272/trailers

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Zombieland

Q: What’s the movie about?

A: After zombies take over the United States, the few remaining humans must find new ways to survive in a world where no one can be trusted, and there's usually a guy in your backseat waiting to eat you.

Q: Who’s in the movie?

A: Jesse Eisenberg, Woody Harrelson, Emma Stone, Abigail Breslin, Amber Heard, and a comedy great who I'm not going to mention because I don't want to ruin the surprise.

Q: Is this movie worth the price of admission?

A: Go! Despite the constant threat of zombies attacking, this film is a fun, hilarious, and disgusting ride about complex characters, all of which are experiencing loss, and secretly longing to rekindle even the smallest form of human connection.

Q: Will this movie make me laugh?

A: From the first scene to the one that comes after the closing credits.

Q: Will this movie make me cry?

A: I wouldn't go that far.

Q: Will this movie be up for any awards?

A: Is it possible to get awards when you're a zombie movie?

Q: How is the Acting?

A: Woody Harrelson is charming as a psychopathic zombie killer with a heart of gold. Emma Stone is one of my favorite up-coming actresses, even though most of you seem to have no idea who she is. And Abigail Breslin has never been more adorable than she is when she's sporting a shotgun. Come to think of it, shooting zombies is a skill that could've won her the talent portion of Little Miss Sunshine.

Q: How is the Directing?

A: First time feature film director, Ruben Fleischer, shows a distinct vision for comedy and a style all his own within the first minute of this film, and then he never lets up. If you have a comedy you need a good director for, get him now, before he stops returning your phone calls.

Q: How is the story/script?

A: I'm not into zombie movies. On some level it seems like there is nothing we don't already know about what can happen with a zombie, and since they're generally slow and stupid, it's hard to imagine how a person couldn't easily escape one. This zombie movie works because it starts from the assumption that we all have a certain amount of knowledge about zombies, and takes off from there. Ultimately, it doesn't focus so much on the zombies attacking, as it does on the emotions of being left alive and alone, one of the sole survivors, in a world that's hardly worth living in.

Q: Where can I see the trailer?

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

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Easy Virtue

Q: What’s the movie about?

A: Set in the UK in the 1920s, the prodigal son (Ben Barnes) of a rich family returns home with an older woman (Jessica Biel), whom he's already married, and who is American. And so his mother (Kristin Scott Thomas) sets to breaking them apart.

Q: Who’s in the movie?

A: Jessica Biel, Ben Barnes, Kristin Scott Thomas, Colin Firth, Kimberley Nixon, Katherine Parkinson, Kris Marshall, Charlotte Riley, Christian Brassington, Pip Torrens

Q: Is this movie worth the price of admission?

A: Proceed with Caution. Based on a Noel Coward play, the fast paced farcical tone gets off to a good start, but about 20 minutes in, you realize that this movie has no plot, and the story element that would've made the catty goings-on more interesting is not revealed until 20 minutes before the end.

Q: Will this movie make me laugh?

A: The dialogue is quick witted, but you might want to brush up on your proper English listening comprehension skills, because in some parts it is so fast and thrown away that you completely miss what they're saying.

Q: Will this movie make me cry?

A: Maybe, if you've ever had in-laws. But probably not.

Q: Will this movie be up for any awards?

A: Can you imagine how insulted Kristin Scott Thomas must have been when she found out she was going to be acting up against 7th Heaven's Jessica Biel? Apparently she put all that anger into this role, and it served her well because she has already won a couple of acting awards in Great Britain for this film.

Q: How is the Acting?

A: Jessica Biel is pretty, but she's completely miscast as the older woman. Not only does she not appear to be older than her husband, but in real life, she's several months younger than Ben Barnes. The whole movie would have made a lot more sense if they had gotten Charlize Theron or Angelina Jolie. Another reason those actresses would've been more impactful, is that they wouldn't look so ridiculous trying to act next to top tier professionals like Kristin Scott Thomas and Colin Firth. On a positive note, I'd like to ask you all to look out for Kimberley Nixon, a fairly newcomer, who really does hold her own next to these old pros. I see a big career in her future.

Q: How is the Directing?

A: Even though it is an adaptation of a play, and takes place primarily all on one giant estate, it never feels too small or boxed in to be a movie.

Q: How is the story/script?

A: The script, on the other hand, does not escape the play-to-movie transition unscathed. A play and a movie don't have the same format. In a play, the audience is more patient, and you can leave certain key plot points and underlying emotional motivations until the end. But in a movie format, the audience is accustomed to knowing why a character is being unreasonably cruel much earlier, so that they can feel deeply for both the villain and the victim, and experience the moral dilemma of choosing sides. If the screenwriters had introduced the pivotal plot piece twenty minutes into the film instead of twenty minutes from the end, they might have had a movie. But as it sits now, they have a very cinematic play.

Q: Where can I see the trailer?

A: http://www.moviefone.com/search/easy%20virtue/trailers

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Ghosts of Girlfriends Past

Q: What’s the movie about?

A: Structured like Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol, but having nothing to do with Christmas, this is the story of a man who is visited by 3 ghosts, who take him on a journey to his past, his present, and his future, so that he can discover that he's a total douche.

Q: Who’s in the movie?

A: Matthew McConaughey, Jennifer Garner, Michael Douglas, Breckin Meyer, Lacey Chabert, Robert Forster, Anne Archer, Emma Stone, Daniel Sunjata, Noureen DeWulf, Rachel Boston, Camille Guaty, Amanda Walsh, Logan Miller, Christa B. Allen, and Christina Milian

Q: Is this movie worth the price of admission?

A: Proceed with Caution. It's not deep or anything, but it's a really good take on A Christmas Carol. When you go see a romantic comedy, you know who's going to end up together before the movie ever begins. So what makes one good isn't so much the "What?" as the "How?" When you genuinely wonder how one of the characters is going to get past the other one's irredeemable flaws, and the filmmakers find a way to convince you that they actually could overcome all the obstacles that have been keeping them apart, that's when a rom-com is worth watching. This one manages to do all that, within the predictable construct of being visited by 3 familiar ghosts, who usually only show themselves at Christmas time.

Q: Will this movie make me laugh?

A: The biggest laugh was during the preview trailer for the Wayans Brothers' Dance Flick, but that certainly wasn't the only laugh this film had to offer.

Q: Will this movie make me cry?

A: I've seen 5 versions of A Christmas Carol in the last 6 months, but this one had the only "Christmas Present"scene that almost got me crying. When the nephew defends the "scrooge"-- in this case the younger brother defends his older brother-- behind his back, it usually seems like he's doing it out of obligation, but in this version, you can really feel the sincerity of his love.

Q: Will this movie be up for any awards?

A: I think it'll win Biggest Box office for a movie based on A Christmas Carol, that was released before July. It could even take home Only movie based on A Christmas Carol released before July.

Q: How is the Acting?

A: Matthew McConaughey plays the same guy he always plays, only this time with playboy dialogue. But I happen to have met this particular playboy before, and McConaughey's portrayal is realistic enough to serve as a poignant reminder to always run away from him, as fast as you can. Lacey Chabert turns in more of those magnificent freak-outs, she gave us a small taste of in Mean Girls. And if you haven't had a chance to fall in love with Emma Stone yet, you obviously haven't seen all her movies, like I have.

Q: How is the Directing?

A: Mark Waters has a way of shooting comedies that keeps them feeling fun, upbeat and grounded in reality, without ever looking cheezy or too broad. He manages to keep an even tone, even when the script tries to get wacky. If you don't believe me, watch Mean Girls again.

Q: How is the story/script?

A: Surprisingly unpredictable for a story we know by heart. Good concept, good gimmick, good title, and good resolution. You can almost hear screenwriters around the world pulling out their hair as they scream, "Ghosts of Girlfriends Past, why didn't I think of that?"

Q: Where can I see the trailer?

A: http://www.moviefone.com/movie/ghosts-of-girlfriends-past/26716/trailers

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