Morning Glory

Q: What’s the movie about?

A: An up-and-coming morning show producer (Rachel McAdams) gets hired way out of her league on a show that's tanking in the ratings, has a majority of difficult personalities working on it, and the morale of a prison camp.

Q: Who’s in the movie?

A: Rachel McAdams, Harrison Ford, Diane Keaton, Patrick Wilson, Jeff Goldblum, John Pankow, Matt Malloy, Ty Burrell, J. Elaine Marcos, Arden Myrin

Q: Is this movie worth the price of admission?

A: Go! It's predictable and fluffy, but considering its main point is to validate the very fluffiness we all seem to give our attention to when asked to choose between things that are mindless and things that are intellectual, it's almost impossible to judge it adversely for ultimately being trite.

Q: Will this movie make me laugh?

A: Physical morning show comedy from a particularly untalented weather caster will have you belly laughing for a good minute and a half.

Q: Will this movie make me cry?

A: No, but it might get you banging your head against a wall about how often Rachel McAdams' character purposely bangs her head against a wall, or her hand, or whatever may happen to be in her proximity. Personally, I haven't banged my head against a wall since I was 9, and I found out that Ronald Reagan had just won the Presidency. Shortly thereafter, I found out that banging your head against cement hurts, and when something has just made you feel bad, the bruises and scratches on your forehead will only make you feel worse. By the end of the movie, McAdams actually has a line of dialogue where she says, "I feel like I'm banging my head against the wall." Which for me only aggravated my aggravation, because as a nine-year-old I knew that yes, banging your head against the wall does make you feel like you're banging your head against the wall.

Q: Will this movie be up for any awards?

A: This movie is being compared to an update of Broadcast News, which was nominated for 7 Academy Awards. But this movie is not Broadcast News, this movie is the fluffication of Broadcast News if you were to fast-forward Broadcast News 23 years into a future society where nobody has the intellectual capacity anymore to care about real news. Welcome to today, and just remember, when you choose to watch junk, you cause the ratings of junk to go up, which leads to being served more junk. But that's what you want, right?

Q: How is the Acting?

A: The acting is the one aspect of this movie that truly is comparable to Broadcast News. Rachel McAdams has a scene where she goes from excited to depressed in one stagnant shot, and the only thing that changes on her entire smiling face are the tears that suddenly, almost imperceptibly show up in her eyes. Diane Keaton gets hotter and funnier with age. And I'm not mentioning Harrison Ford because I'm too busy wondering how a man who over-acts, under-acts, and has virtually no comic timing, has a career... Oh yeah, he was Han Solo, 33 years ago. Lucky for him.

Q: How is the Directing?

A: One shot, when she finds out she gets the job, is overly showy and obvious, but in the rest of the film, Roger Michell finds ways to work around difficult transitions and even add laughs.

Q: How is the story/script?

A: Aline Brosh McKenna has a way of making it all look so easy. The dialogue is cute, though not often laugh out loud. The happy Hollywood ending, on the other hand, has a few elements to it that made me very uncomfortable about how things are going to be for these people about two months after the movie ends. Once you've seen it, let me know if you felt that, too.

Q: Where can I see the trailer?

A: http://www.moviefone.com/movie/morning-glory/31567/trailers

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Megamind 3D

Q: What’s the movie about?

A: Megamind (Will Ferrell) was born evil, so it's his moral obligation to conquer good. But when he finally succeeds, he goes into full-fledged identity-crisis mode.

Q: Who’s in the movie?

A: Will Ferrell, Tina Fey, Jonah Hill, David Cross, Brad Pitt, Ben Stiller, J.K. Simmons

Q: Is this movie worth the price of admission?

A: Proceed with Caution. It's cute, but the superhero movie has been so overdone, that there's not much left to imagine about it that's fresh or original.

Q: Will this movie make me laugh?

A: The superhero movie has been so overdone, that it's easy to make jokes out of all the cliches that aren't fresh or original, and that can be quite original.

Q: Will this movie make me cry?

A: Your kids might cry when one of the characters announces that there's no Easter Bunny or Tooth Fairy. I suggest you prepare a comeback (read: lie) to tell them, if you want to keep the myth alive after they see this. Hey, maybe that's why it's rated PG, so you don't bring kids who are too young to find out that their stupid old teeth aren't really worth money to anybody, and the brown egg-shaped things that comes out of a rabbit's butt aren't really chocolate.

Q: Will this movie be up for any awards?

A: Prettiest Eyes... Or is it Giantest Eyes?

Q: How is the Acting?

A: It's animated, so it's weird that they were able to come up with characters who fit Tina Fey, Will Ferrell, and Jonah Hill's shtick so perfectly... It's also weird that they're all so much better looking in this movie.

Q: How is the Directing?

A: What I love about 3D is that after you pay a $4 surcharge, you get confused and a headache for about 5 minutes, and then you totally forget that you're watching 3D. It's worth it... Okay, I obviously have a vendetta against this whole trend, but for those of you who like 3D (read: idiots), I should tell you that director, Tom McGrath, uses it very well. By the way, no offense. (Did that work? Are you not offended now?)

Q: How is the story/script?

A: Will Ferrell's evil character is so sweet that you sort of know right from the start where the story's gonna go, so the only question you're left asking yourself is "how?" In this case, the how gets somewhat convoluted with a body switch scenario that goes in 3 Directions. Yet another example of one too many Ds.

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

A: Prepare to introduce your children to the smooth vocal stylings of Ozzy Osborne and AC/DC.

Q: Where can I see the trailer?

A: http://www.moviefone.com/movie/megamind/33136/trailers

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Hereafter

Q: What’s the movie about?

A: A man in America (Matt Damon) struggles with his gift for talking to the dead, while a woman in France (Cecile de France) struggles with the aftermath of a near-death experience, while a boy in England (Frankie McLaren/George McLaren) struggles with the sudden loss of his twin brother.

Q: Who’s in the movie?

A: Matt Damon, Cecile de France, Jay Mohr, Frankie McLaren, George McLaren, Thierry Neuvic, Bryce Dallas Howard, Richard Kind, Lyndsey Marshal, Rebekah Staton, Declan Conlon, Steven R. Schirripa, Jean-Yves Berteloot, Niamh Cusack, George Costigan, Jenifer Lewis, Marthe Keller, Derek Jacobi

Q: Is this movie worth the price of admission?

A: Go! I was so into it, that I couldn't stop thinking it was a true story. It's not... But I still think the basic principles of it are.

Q: Will this movie make me laugh?

A: Clint Eastwood wouldn't know humor if it landed on his head and farted ... Okay, I may just be saying that to get a rise out of the idiot commentators who threatened to rape and kill me when I compared Clint Eastwood's performance in Gran Torino to Will Ferrell. I've erased the comments because they were so incredibly graphic and offensive, but I still wanted to take this occasion to say F-U!

Q: Will this movie make me cry?

A: As I learned from the aforementioned commentators, death is a very sensitive subject, especially when it's threatened on you. But the answer to this question would have been yes anyway. You will cry.

Q: Will this movie be up for any awards?

A: I kind of hope so, even though this is the kind of "Hollywood" movie that will have all the die hard cineastes up in arms if itwins. It's got a similar vibe to Crash.

Q: How is the Acting?

A: The young boys and their heroin-addicted mother (Lyndsey Marshal) are the surprise break out performances. And Cecile De France has a charm that's reminiscent of Meg Ryan in her prime-- with a cute little French accent to boot.

Q: How is the Directing?

A: Anyone who shoots a movie that takes place in not one, but both of my favorite cities in the world, is all right with me. Go ahead, take a guess. Hint: they're the two cities I grew up flying back and forth between. If you've been reading my reviews, you should be able to answer this one by now.

Q: How is the story/script?

A: Let me tell you why Peter Morgan is a great writer: even as I'm predicting what's going to happen next, I'm not feeling like I'm watching anything formulaic. Try to figure that one out.

Q: Where can I see the trailer?

A: http://www.moviefone.com/movie/hereafter/1421819/trailers

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Monsters vs. Aliens 3D

Q: What’s the movie about?

A: A young woman (Reese Witherspoon) gets hit by a meteor on her wedding day, and suddenly becomes the 50 foot woman. Now she must save the world from an alien attack.

Q: Who’s in the movie?

A: Who isn't? Reese Witherspoon, Seth Rogen, Hugh Laurie, Will Arnett, Kiefer Sutherland, Rainn Wilson, Stephen Colbert, Paul Rudd, Julie White, Jeffrey Tambor, Amy Poehler, Ed Helms, plus Renee Zellweger and John Krasinski in parts so small, I don't even remember who they were! Can anyone tell me who the characters named Katie and Cuthbert were?

Q: Is this movie worth the price of admission?

A: Proceed with Caution. Although it is entertaining and without flaws, this alien invasion will not blow you away.

Q: Will this movie make me laugh?

A: Seth Rogen is in it.

Q: Will this movie make me cry?

A: Before the wedding there's a touching moment where the main character's father cries a little at the thought of having to give her away. It reminds me that this is the perfect opportunity to say, "I love you, Dad!"

Q: Will this movie be up for any awards?

A: Well it's not Pixar, which naturally reduces its chances of winning an Oscar in the animation category to zero, but considering it made almost $60 million on its opening weekend, it's certainly good for a nomination.

Q: How is the Acting?

A: I was impressed at how many of the actors managed to make their voices unrecognizable by using unlikely accents to portray their characters. Among them, Rainn Wilson doing an evil British accent, Kiefer Sutherland doing a militant southern accent, and Amy Poehler doing a computer.

Q: How is the Directing?

A: I sprung for the 3D version, and I have to say there aren't nearly enough 3D effects to justify the extra $3.50. I counted only 5 moments where they really took advantage of the medium, and 2 of them were in the first minute of the movie.

Q: How is the story/script?

A: The story is fine, but I think it's high time we get clear on what officially qualifies as a "Monster." Because while they are certainly freaks of nature, from what I can see each of them is a person or thing that got in a freak accident that caused them a mutation, which gave them superhuman powers, thereby propelling them into a life of fighting crime. And in our culture, that's the definition of a "Superhero."

Q: Where can I see the trailer?

A: http://www.moviefone.com/movie/monsters-vs-aliens/28117/trailers

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