Conviction

Q: What’s the movie about?

A: This true story is about a Massachusetts woman (Hilary Swank), with only a GED from high school, who decides to get her BA and her Law Degree in order to prove that her brother (Sam Rockwell) is innocent of the crime he's been incarcerated for.

Q: Who’s in the movie?

A: Hilary Swank, Sam Rockwell, Minnie Driver, Owen Campbell, Conor Donovan, Bailee Madison, Tobias Campbell, Melissa Leo, Karen Young, Loren Dean, Clea DuVall, Juliette Lewis, Ari Graynor, Peter Gallagher

Q: Is this movie worth the price of admission?

A: Proceed with Caution. If you don't know anything about this story, you will be inspired and amazed by it. If you do know anything about this story, you will see a story about something you already know.

Q: Will this movie make me laugh?

A: The people sitting behind me and kicking me in the back throughout the movie might've laughed once. But I think that's because they were whispering jokes to each other.

Q: Will this movie make me cry?

A: After approaching me to apologize, the people sitting behind me and kicking me in the back throughout the movie claimed that they couldn't stop crying.

Q: Will this movie be up for any awards?

A: Juliette Lewis will get nominated for Best Supporting Actress, and she will probably win, despite the fact that she only has two scenes. I usually get this category right, so think of me when it comes time for your Oscar pools.

Q: How is the Acting?

A: The people sitting behind me and kicking me in the back throughout the movie claimed that the acting was so good, they felt like they were watching a documentary. Despite my ongoing annoyance and back pain, I, too, had a chance to notice that the acting was of the highest caliber, with a special mention to my man, Sam Rockwell, for being consistently out of this world in everything he does.

Q: How is the Directing?

A: The people sitting behind me and kicking me in the back throughout the movie claimed that it was a beautifully made film. The guy specifically responsible for all the kicking, even claimed that he used to be in the business, so he would know. But considering that he doesn't even know how to sit quietly in a movie theater, I'm gonna guess that he was a teamster. (For those of you who don't know, teamsters are the guys who drive the trucks and act like they're in the mob.)

Q: How is the story/script?

A: There are some nice moments, but overall there is something missing. Knowing the outcome of the case took some of the wind out of it for me, but ultimately, while I could see the characters struggling, I never felt their struggle inside my own heart. The people sitting behind me and kicking me in the back throughout the movie would disagree, though. They felt it. Hell, they couldn't stop crying.

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

A: Oh my Gosh, I just got the title. You see, he gets a conviction, and his sister has conviction to overturn the conviction. Get it?... For a smart girl, I sure can be dumb sometimes.

Q: Where can I see the trailer?

A: http://www.moviefone.com/movie/conviction/36474/trailers

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Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps

Q: What’s the movie about?

A: In 2008, a young, up and coming Wall Street trader (Shia LaBeouf) loses his mentor (Frank Langella) and then gets taken for a ride by competing would-be replacements (Michael Douglas, Josh Brolin).

Q: Who’s in the movie?

A: Michael Douglas, Shia LaBeouf, Josh Brolin, Carey Mulligan, Eli Wallach, Susan Sarandon, Frank Langella, Austin Pendleton, John Bedford Lloyd, Vanessa Ferlito, John Buffalo Mailer

Q: Is this movie worth the price of admission?

A: Proceed with Caution. I almost loved this movie, but the ending didn't make sense, and then I realized that if I hadn't seen the documentary Inside Job two days before, many parts of the middle wouldn't have made sense either.

Q: Will this movie make me laugh?

A: Surprisingly, not at all.

Q: Will this movie make me cry?

A: Surprisingly, but not at the end.

Q: Will this movie be up for any awards?

A: Carey Mulligan gives us a plethora of Oscar worthy moments.

Q: How is the Acting?

A: I was so glad they figured out how to fit in a cameo by Charlie Sheen. The Oliver Stone cameo, on the other hand, jolted my concentration right out of the movie. I don't even think I could tell you what that scene was about. All I know is there was supposed to be a sex joke in it. I didn't laugh. I was too busy getting over the fact that Stone favored himself over the lead character in the shot. Clearly, he finds himself exceedingly attractive.

Q: How is the Directing?

A: The slickest thing about this movie is Gordon Gekko's hair. And for as much as Oliver Stone's random psychedelic cutaways added to the look and feel of Natural Born Killers, that's how much they distract from the look and feel of Wall Street. I would even go so far as to say that some of his choices look remarkably amateurish.

Q: How is the story/script?

A: This script would have been so much more insightful if it had been written before the crash of 2008. As it is now, characters go around acting like they're so smart for telling us what's going to happen in the future, when their future is already in our past. I could've predicted the crash under those circumstances, too.

Q: Where can I see the trailer?

A: http://www.moviefone.com/movie/wall-street-money-never-sleeps/38914/trailers

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Inside Job

Q: What’s the movie about?

A: This documentary breaks down the whos, whats, hows, and whys of the economic crash of 2008, which caused the financial crisis we're all in today.

Q: Who’s in the movie?

A: Matt Damon does the voice over. I feel the need to tell you this, because you won't notice it if I don't.

Q: Is this movie worth the price of admission?

A: Go! If you, like I, didn't get around to reading the newspapers over the last 30 or 40 years, this will catch you up on everything you need to know about the financial section. Just don't ask me to tell you what's going on in sports.

Q: Will this movie make me laugh?

A: You know what's really funny? It wasn't the idiot layman's fault at all for taking loans they couldn't afford to pay back. We were lied to. You know what's funnier? These guys knew exactly what they were doing as they were screwing everybody, and I think they even kind of knew that they were gonna blame it all on us, the people they screwed, when it fell apart. What better way to convince us to pay them back in taxes for the debts they created?

Q: Will this movie make me cry?

A: You know what's sad? These guys made enough money with their ponzi scheme to buy off anyone who tries to make them pay back the money they stole, as well as anyone who tries to make them pay in any moral or penitentiaral way for their criminal actions. Yes, they own us, and our little government, too.

Q: Will this movie be up for any awards?

A: Biggest Comeback is going to Eliot Spitzer, who we find out here, was one of the few people who was standing up to Wall Street and trying to fight back to prevent this crash. I'm now convinced that they used the morality card to discredit him so they could get rid of him, because he was trying to stop them from ripping us all off. I'm sure I'm right about this one. Plus, according to the prostitute in this movie, they were all going to the same whores, so it wouldn't've been hard for them to figure out how to ruin him, as they passed each other in the bordello halls.

Q: How is the Acting?

A: The guys who were involved in these crimes are so bad at seeming innocent when asked a direct question, it's a wonder any of them ever got up the corporate ladder at all.

Q: How is the Directing?

A: Even though he uses the same scenic shots over and over, Charles Ferguson's shots are exceedingly scenic.

Q: How is the story/script?

A: The structure explaining how we got to this point is clear, organized, and perfectly set up by the opening story of how Iceland had been living in some sort of financial utopia until the Americans convinced them to deregulate. Then, within 10 years, Icelanders went from affluent, civilized, and stable to poverty stricken and unemployed. Thank you, America.

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

A: Greed is only one of seven deadly sins, but of all the sins a person could commit, this is the one that has the power to cause the most widespread damage and suffering to others. Think about it.

Q: Where can I see the trailer?

A: http://www.moviefone.com/movie/inside-job/10037867/trailers

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You Again

Q: What’s the movie about?

A: A woman (Kristen Bell) goes home to her brother's wedding and finds out that he's marrying her high school nemesis (Odette Yustman).

Q: Who’s in the movie?

A: Kristen Bell, Odette Yustman, Jamie Lee Curtis, Sigourney Weaver, Jimmy Wolk, Betty White, Victor Garber, Kyle Bornheimer, Billy Unger, Sean Wing, Kristin Chenoweth

Q: Is this movie worth the price of admission?

A: Proceed with Caution. This movie will be passable on video because Sigourney Weaver, Jamie Lee Curtis, and Kristin Chenoweth are fun in it. Other than that it consists of a series of bad impulse decisions made by its characters, which sometimes lead to comedy, and sometimes lead to lame attempts at comedy. Hey, at least they tried...

Q: Will this movie make me laugh?

A: Maybe out of peer pressure.

Q: Will this movie make me cry?

A: If it could, it would have made me, because I was feeling extra sensitive, as proven by the fact that I nearly cried in the preview for Burlesque, simply from the sound of Christina Aguilera's amazing singing voice.

Q: Will this movie be up for any awards?

A: This may surprise you, but I'm gonna give Odette Yustman the Breakout Star of the Year Award. Her performance reminded me of early Rachel McAdams, and we've all seen what she's been able to do since then.

Q: How is the Acting?

A: Bottom line, Kristen Bell's agent should not have let her do this role. It makes her look less attractive than her buzz claims her to be, and after When in Rome, it's the second in a line of not very good romantic comedies, she's been expected to hold up. Granted, this one is a chef d'oeuvre in comparison.

Q: How is the Directing?

A: Andy Fickman's work hearkens back to absolutely nothing you'd remember having watched.

Q: How is the story/script?

A: Think Mean Girls: the Sequel, 10, 30, and 50 years later (keeping in mind that sequels are rarely as good as their originals). High school is over, but those old traumatic memories linger on... which is why it's a good policy to be stoned throughout high school. Take my word for it, you won't remember anything that happened!

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

A: Is The Rock having a hard time getting hired these days? This movie has, like, the third single-scene cameo I've seen him play recently.

Q: Where can I see the trailer?

A: http://www.moviefone.com/movie/you-again/38333/trailers

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Life as We Know It

Q: What’s the movie about?

A: A man (Josh Duhamel) and woman (Kathrine Heigl), who barely tolerate each other, are thrown together to raise a child, after their best friends die, leaving behind a newborn orphan girl.

Q: Who’s in the movie?

A: Katherine Heigl, Josh Duhamel, Josh Lucas, Alexis Clagett, Brynn Clagett, Brooke Clagett, Hayes MacArthur, Christina Hendricks, Sarah Burns, Melissa McCarthy, Britt Flatmo, Jessica St. Clair, Rob Huebel, Andrew Daly, Bill Brochtrup, Will Sasso, DeRay Davis, Kamail Nanjiani

Q: Is this movie worth the price of admission?

A: Proceed with Caution. If you feel inclined to see this movie, you will probably enjoy it, despite its predictability, because Katherine Heigl and Josh Duhamel are so damn cute together.

Q: Will this movie make me laugh?

A: There are a few good laughs, but Katherine Heigl having poo on her face isn't one of them. That's just gross.

Q: Will this movie make me cry?

A: Did you read the plot description? Their best friends die!

Q: Will this movie be up for any awards?

A: If I had to pick something in this movie to give an award to, it would definitely have to be the face painting. They are the 3 cutest cats I've ever seen. And in case you forgot this extremely important fact about me: I hate cats.

Q: How is the Acting?

A: In this role, Josh Duhamel is the best, cutest, and most charming he's ever been, and his chemistry with Katherine Heigl may just be worth repeating. He's also very tan for some reason.

Q: How is the Directing?

A: The sequence after the best friends die dragged on for me, because after a brief moment of almost crying, I quickly felt emotionally neutral. I know the filmmakers had to get past that death-y part as fast as possible if they were ever going to regain any levity in the premise, but something was missing, as I was never pulled into what they must've been going through in a real way, in my heart.

Q: How is the story/script?

A: Even though they supposedly dislike each other, it is clear from the start that this man and woman have a very comfortable and relaxed rapport, so it feels like they're together long before they actually are. This is a problem because once the hatred(ish) is gone between them, the only obstacle they have to overcome is a minor crush that Katherine Heigl's character has on the baby's doctor.

Q: Where can I see the trailer?

A: http://www.moviefone.com/movie/life-as-we-know-it/38945/trailers

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The Social Network

Q: What’s the movie about?

A: The true story of how Mark Zuckerberg invented--ahem-- stole the idea for Facebook.

Q: Who’s in the movie?

A: Jesse Eisenberg, Andrew Garfield, Justin Timberlake, Armie Hammer, Max Minghella, Rashida Jones, Rooney Mara, Brenda Song

Q: Is this movie worth the price of admission?

A: Go! Facebook has changed the way we live our lives, so finding out that every person behind its creation is a total a-hole is enlightening-- by which I mean disheartening.

Q: Will this movie make me laugh?

A: Any time you see a character with such profound sociopathy, it's bound to make you laugh once or twice. I mean, come on, people who can't relate to others are hysterical!

Q: Will this movie make me cry?

A: It certainly should make cry the good people at MySpace and Friendster. They're probably still scratching their heads as to why Facebook is having so much more success than they are, for providing basically the same service.

Q: Will this movie be up for any awards?

A: Yes. It's the front runner in buzz so far, and why shouldn't it be? When there are no movies out about handicapped people, the next most likely award recipient is always the tortured genius-- probably because being on the brilliant side of retarded is still considered a handicap.

Q: How is the Acting?

A: Jesse Eisenberg is perfectly cast as the sort of stuck-up, entitled, Harvard nerd that I've often encountered. Armie Hammer's portrayal of the stuck-up, entitled, Harvard jerk also ressembles my experience of Harvard people. And Andrew Garfield, who constantly gets rave reviews and hot upcoming roles (like Spiderman), is totally not growing on me.

Q: How is the Directing?

A: David Fincher has certainly done more showy movies than this one, which doesn't stand out as having a branded-imprint directing-wise. For this kind of story, though, that's probably a wise choice.

Q: How is the story/script?

A: Okay, I know Aaron Sorkin is a genius and all that, but instead of giving him carte blanche, I feel like somebody's gotta point out that nobody talks like that. In particular, I was struck by the fakeness of the first conversation between Mark and his girlfriend, right before she breaks up with him, as well as the introduction of the Winklevoss twins, as they pompously row their crew boat, several boat-lengths ahead of their competitors, calmly discussing how one of them should row forward while the other rows backwards to make it a fair race. Come on!

Q: Where can I see the trailer?

A: http://www.moviefone.com/movie/the-social-network/1413499/trailers

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Waiting for "Superman"

Q: What’s the movie about?

A: This documentary explains how the public education system in America sucks the big one.

Q: Who’s in the movie?

A: Aside from a few presidents and Bill Gates, the most famous person in the movie is Ralphie from The Simpsons... because working in education is thankless.

Q: Is this movie worth the price of admission?

A: Proceed with Caution. The beginning and end focus on compelling stories about actual children who are hurt by having to win a lottery if they ever want to get into a good elementary school and on the path to making something of their lives. But the middle is reminiscent of a Statistics 101 class, which these children will probably not be in school long enough to get to suffer through.

Q: Will this movie make me laugh?

A: Many of the statistics are demonstrated through cute little animations, which provided me with my biggest laugh. Not so much the animations, but the animators' final credit, which read: "Animation by Awesome and Modest."

Q: Will this movie make me cry?

A: If you don't cry in this movie, it's because you hate the childrens.

Q: Will this movie be up for any awards?

A: President W. Bush makes a cameo appearance that reminds us that whatever elite private school he went to should get an award for giving him an Education Most Like That of a Public School Student. Oh, how I miss getting to hear him talkinating on those podium stands.

Q: How is the Acting?

A: The kids come off like miniature adults... who happen to have no chance at a future worth becoming adults for.

Q: How is the Directing?

A: The images created in this movie are proof that just because you're shooting a documentary doesn't mean you have to make it look like crap. Some of the frames Davis Guggenheim discovers could double as wall art. Or at least grace the cover of a Trapper Keeper.

Q: How is the story/script?

A: The script has too many numbers in it. I can only handle so many statistics in a row before I start to think about other things. Like cake. And I don't particularly like cake.

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

A: Despite anything negative I've said about the entertainment value of this movie, you should still probably see it. Just so you know.

Q: Where can I see the trailer?

A: http://www.moviefone.com/movie/waiting-for-superman/10024296/video/waiting-for-superman-trailer-no-1/84743779001

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The Freebie

Q: What’s the movie about?

A: The most happily married couple in the world decides that to spice up their sex life, they should each have a one night stand.

Q: Who’s in the movie?

A: Dax Shepard, Katie Aselton, Frankie Shaw, Ross Partridge, Bellamy Young

Q: Is this movie worth the price of admission?

A: Go! It's short, (bitter)sweet, and to the point.

Q: Will this movie make me laugh?

A: The cute couple's cute banter would be incredibly funny if you were in the cute relationship. But it's a lot less so for those of us that aren't, which includes everyone. This should serve as a good reminder that all your cute little couple's jokes are really only funny to you, so don't expect me to laugh when you try to explain them to me.

Q: Will this movie make me cry?

A: Cheating, even with permission, is a very bad idea. Does that make you cry?

Q: Will this movie be up for any awards?

A: This is a truly indy film that deserves to steal some indy film awards away from all those "indy" movies with big stars and name directors, whose budgets are higher than what most people will make in their whole lives.

Q: How is the Acting?

A: I liked Katie Aselton in The Puffy Chair but I loved her in this. And while Dax Shepard can't hold a candle to her, this is a great opportunity for him to showcase his acting in a non-goofball role.

Q: How is the Directing?

A: Katie Aselton also directs. She uses the classic indy style of a loose, vaguely swaying camera, along with the very modern zooms in and out, which used to be considered a directing faux-pas, but ever since the rise of digital cameras has become known as a way of saying, "Hey, look how hip I am." It's all been done before, but it serves her purpose nicely here.

Q: How is the story/script?

A: The story is told out of order, once in a while, so you find out how it's going to turn, long before it happens. The shift in the time line is used here to create tension in scenes that would otherwise feel redundant and banal. That said, I could've done without some of the happy couple montages. We immediately get that they're happy, so the montages end up seeming like filler trying to lengthen the film to a feature theatrical running time.

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

A: Not about the movie, but for those of you who've wondered why I've slacked so much over that last couple of weeks, I did not quit movie blogging, I was on vacation for the first time since I started this site. I'm back though, so check back often, as awards season is upon us, which means lots of movies will be watched.

Q: Where can I see the trailer?

A: http://www.moviefone.com/movie/the-freebie/10024214/trailers

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The Town

Q: What’s the movie about?

A: Charlestown, MA has historically cultivated more bank and armored car robbers than any other city in the world, because it's a family trade passed down from one generation to the next. This is the fictional story of one such gang of guys who grew up together, and the fate they face due to having been born into this life.

Q: Who’s in the movie?

A: Ben Affleck, Rebecca Hall, Jon Hamm, Jeremy Renner, Blake Lively, Slaine, Owen Burke, Titus Welliver, Pete Postlethwaite, Chris Cooper

Q: Is this movie worth the price of admission?

A: Go! Like an Irish mob movie, every time you try to get out, they pull you back in.

Q: Will this movie make me laugh?

A: Somehow they managed to slip in two belly laughs. That's more than most romantic-"comedies" seem to muster.

Q: Will this movie make me cry?

A: No, but it certainly does get morbid at times. Like when one character points out that sunny days remind her of her brother's death. I'd hate to think what rainy days remind her of.

Q: Will this movie be up for any awards?

A: I wouldn't mind seeing either Blake Lively or Jeremy Renner get a Supporting nod. And while we're on the topic, I'd like to complain about a preview for a new Clint Eastwood film that played before this, which proclaimed that it starred, "Academy Award Winner, Matt Damon." I know we all think Matt Damon is a good actor, but he won for writing, not acting. And he shares that award with Ben Affleck, so I guess I just saw a movie starring Academy Award Winner, Ben Affleck. What I'm trying to say is that this is a gateway advertising campaign, and if we don't use some restraint now, it won't be long before we're seeing movie advertised as starring Academy Award winners Eminem and Mafia 360.

Q: How is the Acting?

A: Blake Lively and Jeremy Renner should get married and have lots of great actor babies to populate the future movies of America. Separately, by making himself the lead in this movie, Ben Affleck pointedly neglects the main reason we're all so complimentary of his directing career-- it's because we've been hinting and hoping that he'd be so busy behind the camera, he wouldn't have any time to get in front of it.

Q: How is the Directing?

A: Ben, we love your directing!

Q: How is the story/script?

A: For a bunch of dumb idiots, these robbers really come up with some clever ideas about how to rip everybody off and get away. Thanks writers!... But I still have no idea why they took the girl hostage after the first robbery.

Q: Where can I see the trailer?

A: http://www.moviefone.com/movie/the-town/38942/video/the-town-trailer-no-1/605531563001

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Easy A

Q: What’s the movie about?

A: A high school girl (Emma Stone) lies to a friend (Aly Michalka) about losing her virginity, and before long, the whole school thinks she's a slut, which leads to her pretending to have slept with all the guys in school who need to boost their reputations, which leads to the whole school thinking she's a whore.

Q: Who’s in the movie?

A: Emma Stone, Aly Michalka, Penn Badgley, Amanda Bynes, Dan Byrd, Thomas Haden Church, Patricia Clarkson, Stanley Tucci, Cam Gigandet, Lisa Kudrow, Malcolm McDowell, Fred Armisen, Jake Sandvig

Q: Is this movie worth the price of admission?

A: Proceed with Caution. It wants to be a John Hughes movie. I know this because it mentions at least 4 John Hughes movies and then goes on to imitate at least 3. The problem is you need John Hughes to make a John Hughes movie, and John Hughes quit making teen movies 20 years before he became incapacitated.

Q: Will this movie make me laugh?

A: There are a lot of laughs, but the best ones come from the girl's parents. The funniest part of Patricia Clarkson and Stanley Tucci's joyful portrayal of a set of parents so open that they make my (usually naked) parents look conservative, is the mere idea that parents like this could exist.

Q: Will this movie make me cry?

A: It's sad to me that girls get to be considered promiscuous just for giving up their virginity one measly time. I gave mine up at least 3 times, and I never considered myself a slut.

Q: Will this movie be up for any awards?

A: The Diablo Cody Award. The dialogue in this movie makes the dialogue in Juno seem banal. Nobody talks like that. Most teenagers don't even know the meaning of banal.

Q: How is the Acting?

A: Emma Stone is cute, charming, and complex, as always. And the adults, Patricia Clarkson, Stanley Tucci, and Lisa Kudrow are all delightful. Yes, I did leave Thomas Hayden Church off that list, despite my being a big enough fan of his from Wings to have watched Ned & Stacey in its entirety. For some reason, he comes off sounding like a robot in more than one scene. That reason isn't so much a mystery as it is the dialogue, which is witty and clever to the point of making him seem like a totally unbelievable person.

Q: How is the Directing?

A: Will Gluck was born to make comedies. I mean, look at his name, "Will Gluck." Doesn't it just makes you wanna laugh? Maybe because it has a "K" in it. I was once told that "K's" are funny. Did you know that some letters of the alphabet are funnier than others? Well, now you do. I'm reporting this nonsense to you because there's nothing much to say about the directing of this movie. It does the job, but doesn't give you anything to talk about-- besides which letters of the alphabet are the funniest. Please discuss your personal favorites in the comments section.

Q: How is the story/script?

A: The script has an original point of view and an original premise, which is commendable. Then again, I couldn't relate to the point of view. A good girl choosing to be known as a slut just so that people will notice her is almost inconceivable to me. Especially when you consider that being coined a slut and a whore is possibly the all-time greatest badge of dishonor for emotionally vulnerable high school girls. I mean, sure, maybe if she were a more damaged character, but this character is smart, confident, witty, attractive, self-assured, and has a good relationship with her parents. I just never bought that she would care what people thought of her. She's way too cool. But, hey, a guy wrote it, and if you look at it from the point of a nerdy guy who might've dreamed of paying a cute girl to pretend she hooked up with him so he could upgrade his reputation, yeah, it's a total wish fulfillment fantasy.

Q: Where can I see the trailer?

A: http://www.moviefone.com/movie/easy-a/10027142/trailers

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Heartbreaker (L'arnacoeur)

Q: What’s the movie about?

A: A man (Romain Duris) is hired to break up couples by seducing the woman.

Q: Who’s in the movie?

A: Romain Duris, Vanessa Paradis, Julie Ferrier, Francois Damiens, Helena Noguerra, Andrew Lincoln, Jacques Frantz, Amandine Dewasmes, Jean-Yves Lafesse, Jen-Marie Paris

Q: Is this movie worth the price of admission?

A: Proceed with Caution. This romantic-comedy is France's entry into the Failure to Launch category. Meaning, it's impossible in every way, from the ridiculous premise about a non-existent job, to the cheesy romantic dialogue, that even the most passionate of French women would never fall for. But there's something about it that still manages to charm the pants off of you.

Q: Will this movie make me laugh?

A: If dialogue like, "You've awakened me, I feel alive again... But it's too late for me. You, you deserve better than what I can give," doesn't get you laughing, then try to imagine it being said at the end of a first date.

Q: Will this movie make me cry?

A: No, but the fake crying the actors do will make you cringe.

Q: Will this movie be up for any awards?

A: Cutest use of spelling in a title (see original language title). You see, in French, the word for a swindler is "arnaqueur," which is pronounced the same way the French title of this movie would be pronounced if it were a real word. But what they did, instead of spelling it correctly, was to combine the word swindle (arnac) with the word for heart (coeur)-- get it?! He's a heart swindler!!!

Q: How is the Acting?

A: Romain Duris is currently one of the biggest stars in France. I've always enjoyed his movies, but I've never understood why France picked him. He's always reminded me of my first love, who I never found particularly attractive. In this movie, he is regularly referred to as extremely pulchritudinous, and he acts like he knows he's gifted with good-looks. I tried to just go with it, but in the end, the only line that rang true to me was when a bartender asked how a guy like him could end up with a girl like Vanessa Paradis, who in real life is married to Johnny Depp, and is absolutely his equal in the looks department, despite a gap the size of a tooth in between her two front teeth.

Q: How is the Directing?

A: Very Hollywood.

Q: How is the story/script?

A: Apparently the original writer, Laurent Zeitoun, got the idea for this story when one of his cousins was gonna marry a jackass, and he joked that they should hire an actor to step in and break them up. While I agree that that is a great way to come up with an original screenplay idea, it's still a terrible idea for a screenplay.

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

A: Tonally, this movie is reminiscent of the Audrey Tatou vehicle Priceless (hors de prix). I thought that movie was okay with a few good jokes, but ultimately pretty silly, but other people who saw it and mentioned it to me over the years almost unanimously enjoyed it more than they had expected they would. Because the response to that film turned out so positively, I expect this little French goof to have a similar effect on people.

Q: Where can I see the trailer?

A: http://www.moviefone.com/movie/heartbreaker-larnacoeur/10026691/trailers

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The Romantics

Q: What’s the movie about?

A: A girl (Katie Holmes) is asked to be the maid of honor as the love of her life (Josh Duhamel) marries her best friend (Anna Paquin).

Q: Who’s in the movie?

A: Katie Holmes, Josh Duhamel, Anna Paquin, Malin Akerman, Adam Brody, Dianna Agron, Jeremy Strong, Rebecca Lawrence, Candice Bergen, Elijah Wood

Q: Is this movie worth the price of admission?

A: Stop! I was all set to moderately like this movie until the ending, which was like when a guy is torn between the woman he's marrying and the woman he loves, and then it rains... Oops, spoiler alert.

Q: Will this movie make me laugh?

A: Yes, it's like Rachel Getting Married, but with jokes.

Q: Will this movie make me cry?

A: It might have if you got to find out what happened.

Q: Will this movie be up for any awards?

A: I'd like to give an Irony Award to the Casting Director, who placed 5'8'' Katie Holmes next to hobbit Elijah Wood in scene after scene, and picked Anna Paquin for a character that is continually referred to as "enviably gorgeous," when she's clearly the least attractive woman in the movie. Even Candice Bergen at 64 is sexier.

Q: How is the Acting?

A: Once I got over the fact that Katie Holmes is fake-married to Tom Cruise, I began to enjoy her performance. But Malin Akerman (as always) and Adam Brody were the ones with the chemistry.

Q: How is the Directing?

A: Several shots are visibly grainy as if they had to push the exposure in post-production.

Q: How is the story/script?

A: Galt Niederhoffer has way too much experience to think it's okay to tell a story without an ending.

Q: Where can I see the trailer?

A: http://www.moviefone.com/movie/the-romantics/10024556/trailers

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Never Let Me Go

Q: What’s the movie about?

A: Three kids (Carey Mulligan, Andrew Garfield, Keira Knightley) grow up together in an English boarding school, where their love triangle is confused by the fact that they are the only family the other two know... and they're clones whose sole purpose for existing is to donate organs.

Q: Who’s in the movie?

A: Carey Mulligan, Andrew Garfield, Keira Knightley, Isobel Meikle-Small, Charlie Rowe, Ella Purnell, Charlotte Rampling, Sally Hawkins, Nathalie Richard, Andrew Riseborough, Domhnall Gleeson

Q: Is this movie worth the price of admission?

A: Proceed with Caution. There are many unanswered logic questions, which all turn out to make perfect sense if you get a chance to listen to a Q & A where the book's author, the filmmaker, the screenwriter, and the actors explain their intentions. I got that after my screening, so I know what they were trying to do, and it's quite deep. Unfortunately, most audiences won't have the cast and crew there to explain all the pitfalls in the logic, and in making up their own excuses, those who guess correctly will love it, and the rest will find it not to depict humanity very well. But the bottom line is, if the film requires a live person telling you answers, then they didn't communicate it on the screen.

Q: Will this movie make me laugh?

A: Some of the hairstyles might... aside from that it's all pretty bleak.

Q: Will this movie make me cry?

A: The friend I saw it with, who really loved it, says she was holding back tears. She was one of those who had guessed correctly, I imagine. I, on the other hand, felt detached from the characters, because they had too many passive reactions that made me write them off as clones who don't act like humans. By the end of the film I realized that was not what the filmmakers had hoped I would think.

Q: Will this movie be up for any awards?

A: It is certainly angling for that.

Q: How is the Acting?

A: Carey Mulligan is not a one hit wonder. In fact she may be the next Meryl Streep. Isobel Meikle-Small, who plays her as a child, channels Mulligan perfectly, despite the fact that she has never been in front of a camera before. And Andrew Garfield is the next Spider-man, so you may want to catch him here, in an acting role, before he never gets to do a small independent movie again.

Q: How is the Directing?

A: Coming from a music video background, Mark Romanek has a mastery of the technical aspects of shooting a film, and he uses color expertly, as he gradually desaturates the picture from the first section of the film, to the second, to the third, in an effort to depict the slow deterioration of the characters' life-spans.

Q: How is the story/script?

A: This script implies that the book it's based on is quite beautiful. What I'm saying is that the screenwriter fell in love with the book, and stayed too faithful to it, ultimately failing to translate the material cohesively to a medium that requires more direct explanations and less poetry. A film is not a book. In part because you can't hear the ramblings from inside the author's head, which normally fill the pages of a book, creating the tone and subtext. A film is a visual medium and is generally shorter than a book. To adapt it, you have to pick it apart and chop it up, which usually requires moving things around, and then you have to bring the important elements to life again in a clear, visual, and brief way, telling the same story differently, yet equally as beautifully.

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

A: The sci-fi twist seems like it wants to be the main thrust of the movie, and draws a conclusion about clones that feels trite and obvious. Surprisingly, in the Q & A, the book's author, Kazuo Ishiguro, explained that he only used the sci-fi twist as a device to show how short our time is, here on Earth. It will improve your viewing experience to know going in that the filmmakers are more interested in examining mortality and how quickly death approaches, than they are in examining the pros and cons of human cloning. Without knowing this, the cloning stuff will look like it's meant to be the main hook.

Q: Where can I see the trailer?

A: http://www.moviefone.com/movie/never-let-me-go/1428581/trailers

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White Wedding

Q: What’s the movie about?

A: A groom (Kenneth Nkosi) and his best man (Rapulana Seiphemo) try to make it from Johannesburg to Cape Town, to be on time for the wedding, but everything seems to be going wrong.

Q: Who’s in the movie?

A: Kenneth Nkosi, Rapulana Seiphemo, Jodie Whittaker, Zandile Msutwana, Sylvia Mngxekeza, Mbulelo Grootboom, Marcel Van Heerden, Grant Swanby

Q: Is this movie worth the price of admission?

A: Proceed with Caution. It's cute for a South African rom-com, but Americans would have done it better. And they have.

Q: Will this movie make me laugh?

A: What it lacks in laugh out loud comedy, it makes up for in charm.

Q: Will this movie make me cry?

A: What's sad about it, is learning that there are still groups of people who mourn the loss of apartheid openly and without shame.

Q: Will this movie be up for any awards?

A: It was South Africa's submission for this year's Academy Awards in the Best Foreign Feature category. I can see why they lost.

Q: How is the Acting?

A: I watched Rapulana Seiphemo play a bad ass gangster, earlier this year, in Gangster's Paradise: Jerusalema, so it was fun to watch him in a comedy role. The rest of the acting is decent, but some of their accents make them sound like they are having a hard time speaking English.

Q: How is the Directing?

A: Aside from one nice transition where everyone is washing their faces, Jann Turner's directing is completely banal.

Q: How is the story/script?

A: This is the aspect that I'm talking about, when I say that Americans would've done it better. From Forces of Nature, to Leap Year, to the upcoming Due Date, to the John Hughes film that started it all, Planes, Trains and Automobiles, Americans have made this movie a million times, but with stronger comedy and more moving emotional parts. Then again, there's something to be said for the cultural differences that a South African sensibility brings to the party.

Q: Where can I see the trailer?

A: http://www.moviefone.com/movie/white-wedding/1430268/trailers

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Jack Goes Boating

Q: What’s the movie about?

A: A strange and uninteresting man (Philip Seymour Hoffman) learns to swim and cook to impress an offbeat woman (Amy Ryan), whom he is dating.

Q: Who’s in the movie?

A: Philip Seymour Hoffman, Amy Ryan, John Ortiz, Daphne Rubin-Vega, Salvatore Inzerillo

Q: Is this movie worth the price of admission?

A: Proceed with Caution. Theater goers who didn't get a chance to see the play live, might enjoy the movie... much in the way that lazy high school students enjoy Cliff's Notes.

Q: Will this movie make me laugh?

A: Maybe you. Not me.

Q: Will this movie make me cry?

A: Playwrights hoping to have their works converted into movies might cry, because this film supports the argument that that's a bad idea.

Q: Will this movie be up for any awards?

A: It will be up for Best First Feature at the Independent Spirit Awards, because that's an easy nomination to give Hoffman to try to convince him to be there, live and in person. Yes, it's all rigged.

Q: How is the Acting?

A: For me, the love of good acting is the only reason to see this movie... so long as you don't mind that the characters being played aren't ones that you'd want to spend any time with.

Q: How is the Directing?

A: It's Philip Seymour Hoffman's directorial debut, so you want to cut him a little slack, but like his character, the shots are particularly uninteresting, and the cinematography seems deliberately amateurish.

Q: How is the story/script?

A: Trying too hard to be raw and real often makes you look pretentious and phony. Not my opinion, that's just what my fortune cookie says

Q: Where can I see the trailer?

A: http://www.moviefone.com/search/jack%20goes%20boating/trailers

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