Monte Carlo

Q: What’s the movie about?

A: A case of mistaken identity sends a random girl from Texas (Selena Gomez) to Monte Carlo with her two friends (Leighton Meester & Katie Cassidy) in place of an English heiress (Selena Gomez).

Q: Who’s in the movie?

A: Selena Gomez, Katie Cassidy, Leighton Meester, Luke Bracey, Cory Monteith, Pierre Boulanger, Catherine Tate, Andie MacDowell, Brett Cullen, Christophe Malavoy, Guilio Berruti, Bruno Abraham-Kremer

Q: Is this movie worth the price of admission?

A: Proceed with Caution. On a couch with your girlfriends and a good sense of humor, this experience could be a lot of fun. In a movie theater by yourself it's pretty uninspiring.

Q: Will this movie make me laugh?

A: I find it funny that millions of tween-aged Selena Gomez fans are going to leave this movie wishing they might someday have an opportunity to commit identity fraud.

Q: Will this movie make me cry?

A: I find it sad that the little girl in the elevator leaving the movie said that her favorite scene was the one where the heiress was tied up and gagged. Then again, to pull off a successful identity fraud, it usually does become necessary to also get involved in kidnapping, theft, and harassment.

Q: Will this movie be up for any awards?

A: This award goes to the Tourism Board of Monte Carlo, which clearly comes out the big winner on this one. Yes! I want to go there NOW!

Q: How is the Acting?

A: Katie Cassidy will get your attention-- mostly because you may not have seen her before. Everyone else in the movie doesn't do themselves any favors... or harm.

Q: How is the Directing?

A: Tom Bezucha's directing probably has a lot to do with the award the Tourism Board of Monte Carlo won above. In fact, there were several times that I noticed artistry in composition-- which is pretty rare for a teen bubble gum flick. So, yeah, good job, man!

Q: How is the story/script?

A: Allow me to share with you the set-up of this movie. An English heiress finds herself in Paris, in the same bathroom of the same hotel, as an American girl who looks the same as her. Big coincidence, right? Here's a bigger coincidence: the American girl who looks the same as her is in a bathroom stall at the time, so the heiress never sees her, but the American girl's two friends see the heiress, so they are able to hatch the plan to assume her identity. And that's just the first of many coincidences that this story relies on to exist.

Q: Where can I see the trailer?

A: Monte Carlo Trailer

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Transformers: Dark of the Moon

(Guest Review by Russ)

Q: What’s the movie about?

A: Some big alien robots fight other alien robots; audience loses.

Q: Who’s in the movie?

A: Shia LaBeouf, Josh Duhamel, Rosie Huntington Whiteley, John Turturro, Tyrese Gibson, Patrick Dempsey, Frances McDormand, John Malkovich, Ken Jeong, Bill O'Reilly

Q: Is this movie worth the price of admission?

A: Stop! Even if you're a fan of this film trilogy, or the old animated show, or Michael Bay or... uh, anyway, seriously, you have to be missing your entire brain to enjoy this mess. The answer to this question has never been more definitive: no.

Q: Will this movie make me laugh?

A: Based on the weird performances of LaBeouf, Turturro, Malkovich and McDormand I'm going to guess that the movie is supposed to be funny. Instead, it's just sad.

Q: Will this movie make me cry?

A: You'll be too bored to cry. And besides, for this movie to elicit any emotion in you would be giving it way too much credit.

Q: Will this movie be up for any awards?

A: Most Boring Film Ever Made In The History of Cinema. This plastic bag filled with my friend Roy's dog's poop goes to: Transformers: Dark of the Moon. (Even the title is dumb.)

Q: How is the Acting?

A: For John Malkovich this is just another weird performance. Unfortunately his weird performances don't have the same effect in a non-weird movie. But if you've ever wondered what it would look like if a gigantic yellow robot tickled John Malkovich and made him squirm with laughter, then at least you'll get that. (Yes I said 'tickled' and that's exactly what happens.) Otherwise, use the image of that scene as a microcosm for how horrible and ill-conceived this atrocity is. And while we're here, everyone else in this movie is bad.

Q: How is the Directing?

A: In the grand tradition of proving he can direct action, robots, clones and Ben Affleck, Michael Bay scores again with the massive action set-pieces here. Where he doesn't score is in achieving a cohesive tone. Is this supposed to be silly? Serious? Funny? Romantic? Please discuss below, because I'd really like to know... On second thought, I don't actually care.

Q: How is the story/script?

A: Watching this movie reminded me of when my parents took me to church every Sunday: I was bored and spent much of the time fantasizing about when it would end. It is not only boring, it's also incredibly annoying and grating. And heck, at least church was never two hours and forty minutes long! Maybe this has nothing to do with the story/script... but probably it has everything to do with it.

Q: Where can I see the trailer?

A: Transformers: Dark of the Moon Trailer

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Green Lantern

(Guest Review by Russ)

Q: What’s the movie about?

A: A daredevil fighter pilot (Ryan Reynolds) is recruited by an intergalactic peace-keeping squadron and given a mystical green ring that bestows him with super-human powers.

Q: Who’s in the movie?

A: Ryan Reynolds, Blake Lively, Peter Sarsgaard, Mark Strong, Tim Robbins, Angela Bassett, Jay O. Sanders

Q: Is this movie worth the price of admission?

A: Proceed with Caution. Filling a space somewhere between the excellence of Iron Man and the inexplicable awfulness of Iron Man 2, Green Lantern ultimately fails in justifying a reason for making a movie about a second-tier Marvel comic book superhero who gets his power from a lantern. Yeah, a lantern.

Q: Will this movie make me laugh?

A: Ryan Reynolds plays the title character so there was probably some initial idea about infusing humor into both the film and character because Ryan Reynolds has been known to be funny. Ryan Reynolds is not funny in this movie, but I think he was trying to be.

Q: Will this movie make me cry?

A: If you're a big Green Lantern fan from reading the comic books, then most likely yes. But not as much as when you cried over what they did to Daredevil when they made that film.

Q: Will this movie be up for any awards?

A: Sometimes the questions in these reviews simply don't apply. Here is one instance.

Q: How is the Acting?

A: Here is a second instance...

Q: How is the Directing?

A: Way back in 2006 director Martin Campbell thrillingly revived the Bond series by directing Casino Royale. Hopes were high that he could pull off something equally as thrilling by launching Green Lantern into a fantastic film franchise filled with lots of numbers after the words “Green Lantern.” If you've been paying attention to this review, then you know that did not happen. Regardless, there is still some cool stuff in Green Lantern that we can give Martin credit for.

Q: How is the story/script?

A: Clearly Green Lantern's origin story is a complicated one that, much like Thor, involves plot lines on two completely different planets with two completely different sets of characters. This script tries hard to keep things clear, but too often it just feels like it's going through the standard superhero movie motions and it all feels like been-there-done-that stuff. There are always ways to keep a new superhero movie fresh even though it might not seem that original. Iron Man achieved it, and so did this summer's X-Men: First Class. Green Lantern did not.

Q: Where can I see the trailer?

A: Green Lantern Trailer

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Bad Teacher

Q: What’s the movie about?

A: A gold-digger (Cameron Diaz) resentfully moonlights as a teacher, hating her job, students, co-workers, and basically anyone who doesn’t have money that she might be able to manipulate out of them.

Q: Who’s in the movie?

A: Cameron Diaz, Justin Timberlake, Lucy Punch, Jason Segel, Phyllis Smith, John Michael Higgins, Matthew J. Evans, Kaitlyn Dever, Kathryn Newton, Jillian Armenante, Igal Ben Yair

Q: Is this movie worth the price of admission?

A: Proceed with Caution. Not boring or hard to watch, but if my description of the movie sounds like it doesn’t include a plot, well…

Q: Will this movie make me laugh?

A: Jason Segel has most of the good lines.

Q: Will this movie make me cry?

A: When I think that this crappy teacher, with a little financial motivation, ends up being about 100 times more efficient than the majority of teachers in the public schools, yeah, it makes me a little weepy... Then again, this movie has less than nothing to do with real life, so why even compare the two.

Q: Will this movie be up for any awards?

A: Most Desirous of the Audience Noticing that the Teacher was Not Good, but "BAD." I first noticed the strong desire to get this across when in the the opening titles, they underlined the word "Bad" three times, and then circled it twice (just in case we hadn't noticed it yet.) So of course I had to ask myself why this was so important to them, and I think I figured it out. I have concluded that naming this movie "Bad Teacher" (instead of "Whore Teacher"-- which would've been a thousand times more apt), was done in an effort to create a genre based around a similar but great movie called, Bad Santa. You see in both movies, a protagonist with a drinking problem is placed in a job that involves dealing with innocent children, where the professional is expected to be sweet, but instead is an asshole-- and therefore funny. Get it? I know you do. So as a FREE GIFT from reading my blog, here are some marketable ideas that you might want to write in this genre: Bad Camp Counselor, Bad Pediatrician, and Bad Tooth-Fairy (the list of possibilities is endless). You're welcome.

Q: How is the Acting?

A: Cameron Diaz is convincingly unlikeable, and Justin Timberlake is completely miscast in the role of a naïve, easily manipulated, sensitive nerd. He is so incredibly miscast, in fact, that no amount of acting could have saved his performance. This role is simply custom-made to be played by not him. And by “not him,” I mean, Jack McBrayer of 30 Rock.

Q: How is the Directing?

A: I tend to want to blame the director for casting Justin Timberlake in a role so ill-suited to him, and thereby causing the movie to be even more stupid than it already is... But, considering all the press about how Cameron Diaz lobbied for her ex to have this role, I tend to think that Jake Kasdan's hands were tied. After all, she’s the big star, and his job is to make sure she doesn’t walk, thereby causing his movie to never get made at all.

Q: How is the story/script?

A: Most of the elements of the school, the teacher-student relationships, the parent-teacher relationships, the teacher-teacher and principal-teacher relationships are as unlikely as a woman who looks like Cameron Diaz and acts like a transparent bitch ever getting hired for a job around pubescent children. But the most offensive and blatant problem with the script is the resolution, where the character turns around her whole attitude because I have no idea why.

Q: Where can I see the trailer?

A: Bad Teacher Trailer

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Mr. Popper's Penguins

Q: What’s the movie about?

A: A high-powered, low-emotioned real estate tycoon (Jim Carrey) inherits 6 penguins from his now dead absentee dad, and right when he figures out how to get rid of them, his kids fall in love with them, forcing him to keep them in his exclusive Manhattan apartment.

Q: Who’s in the movie?

A: Jim Carrey, Carla Gugino,Ophelia Lovibond, Madeline Carroll, Maxwell Perry Cotton, Clark Gregg, Angela Lansbury, Jeffrey Tambor, David Krumholtz, Philip Baker Hall, James Tupper, Dominic Chianese, William C. Mitchell

Q: Is this movie worth the price of admission?

A: Proceed with Caution. The penguins are cute, but the adult love story is uninteresting to adults because it's obvious, and uninteresting to kids because it's an adult love story.

Q: Will this movie make me laugh?

A: There are laughs for all ages... Although most ages won't remember any of them long enough to quote them to their friends later.

Q: Will this movie make me cry?

A: If you're a kid, yabsolutely! Especially when you ask your parents to turn your living room into an ice rink and they say no. Your cry will probably go something like this, "But Mr. Popper got to do it!" To which your parents will say, "That was a movie. Mr. Popper isn't real." To which you will reply, "Sure it wasn't real. Next you'll probably try to convince me that Santa Claus doesn't exist!"

Q: Will this movie be up for any awards?

A: Most winter-y movie to come out right in time for the 4th of July! Good job marketing team!

Q: How is the Acting?

A: Jim Carrey doesn't annoy his audience with his usual wacky shtick... Then again, when you take away his shtick, you're left without a reason to cast Jim Carrey. Catch 22.

Q: How is the Directing?

A: Mark Waters has consistently made me happy with movies like Mean Girls and Ghosts of Girlfriends Past. Despite its triteness, this movie maintains that dreamy look, that makes you wanna buy into what's happening, no matter how preposterous.

Q: How is the story/script?

A: Particularly peculiar, but pointing to proficient penning, the personage of Pippi, pontificates primarily in "p" words, which is pleasant, playful, and praiseworthy.

Q: Where can I see the trailer?

A: Mr. Popper's Penguins Trailer

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The Trip

Q: What’s the movie about?

A: A possible documentary or improvised comedy about a food tour of Northern England that comedian Steve Coogan (Steve Coogan) goes on with comedian Rob Brydon (Rob Brydon), because in this, they're not just comedians, they're also food critics.

Q: Who’s in the movie?

A: Steve Coogan, Rob Brydon, Claire Keelan, Margo Stilley, Rebecca Johnson, Dolya Gavanski, Kerry Shale, with cameos by Paul Popplewell and Ben Stiller

Q: Is this movie worth the price of admission?

A: Proceed with Caution. The dynamics between Steve Coogan and Rob Brydon are so pure, that you feel like a fly on the wall of their strange friendship. But it is repetitive and has no story.

Q: Will this movie make me laugh?

A: I just found out that this movie was based on a British TV series of the same name, with the same actors. That's mostly funny because Steve Coogan, who plays himself, spends most of the movie turning down TV acting jobs because he only wants to do films!

Q: Will this movie make me cry?

A: Yes, if you go on an empty stomach, you will cry at the fact that they are on a culinary tour of England's best cuisine, and you are hungry.

Q: Will this movie be up for any awards?

A: Most Scallops. They are served platter after delicious looking platter of seared scallops. At first, you become pretty sure that you will go eat some just like that as soon as this movie is over. But by the end, you're so sick of looking at scallops, and you will decide to eat pretty much anything else instead.

Q: How is the Acting?

A: These guys do impressions. Then they do more impressions. As impressive as their impressions are, I really hate impressions.

Q: How is the Directing?

A: Michael Winterbottom pulls off the feeling that you are watching a documentary better than any of the other fake documentaries I've seen this week. And I've seen three. Yeah, because something you may not know about me, is that I see about twice as many movies as I write about-- which I realize makes me officially insane, all while proving that I have virtually no life.

Q: How is the story/script?

A: No way! This movie has a script? I'd have to see that to believe it.

Q: Where can I see the trailer?

A: The Trip Trailer

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Super 8

Q: What’s the movie about?

A: A bunch of pre-teens, who are making a super 8 film (because it's 1979, and digital doesn't exist yet), witness a mysterious train crash, and as they put together the pieces, start to realize that there is an alien force involved.

Q: Who’s in the movie?

A: Joel Courtney, Elle Fanning, Riley Giffiths, Kyle Chandler, Ron Eldard, Ryan Lee, Gabriel Basso, Zach Mills, Noah Emmerich, Richard T. Jones, Jessica Tuck, Joel McKinnon Miller, AJ Michalka, Brett Rice, Michael Hitchcock, David Gallagher

Q: Is this movie worth the price of admission?

A: Go! The story is hoaky as all hell, but the kids are adorable in a way that reminds you of Goonies and Stand by Me.

Q: Will this movie make me laugh?

A: If you stay for the Super 8 movie, which plays in its entirety about 45 seconds into the closing credits.

Q: Will this movie make me cry?

A: If you're going to, it'll be at both Elle Fanning's amazing acting, and the boys' reaction to it.

Q: Will this movie be up for any awards?

A: Most Steven Spielberg-like movie since the 80s.

Q: How is the Acting?

A: The lead in this movie, Joel Courtney, has not a single credit to his name. He must've been very intimidated playing up against an old pro like Elle Fanning. Joel's co-star, Riley Griffiths, also breaks out as the amazingly talented fat-kid, so I'm assuming he'll grow up to look like Jerry O'Connell, and marry a gorgeous super-model.

Q: How is the Directing?

A: It's impossible not to think that the filmmaking aspect of the story is a little autobiographical to J.J. Abrams. Furthermore, if you don't think that, somewhere in the back of your mind, these 11-year-olds' level of expertise quickly starts to seem completely improbable for their ages... Of course, I'm talking 1979 11-year-olds, not the ones we see today. (But in all fairness to Generation X, digital is way easier to master.)

Q: How is the story/script?

A: I've heard mashups of music, I've seen mashup shorts on the web, but this is the first time I've seen a feature film mashup. Along with being part Goonies, and part Stand by Me, it's also part War of the Worlds, part Close Encounters of the Third Kind, and there's even some elements that are strangely similar to Kung Fu Panda 2.

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

A: You're probably wondering why they decided to place this film in 1979. So was I. But I concluded that it was in order to use super 8 film. Then I wondered why it was so important to them to use super 8, when this film could have easily been in modern times... And I have yet to come to a conclusion. Let me know if you have any theories!

Q: Where can I see the trailer?

A: Super 8 Trailer

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The Last Mountain

Q: What’s the movie about?

A: This is another documentary about how corporations are controlling the government by paying for politicians' campaigns, so they can get away with polluting our air and water, and killing people. This time, it's the coal companies.

Q: Who’s in the movie?

A: Robert F. Kennedy Jr., and a bunch of Appalachians who have all their teeth.

Q: Is this movie worth the price of admission?

A: Go! I'm going to keep sending you guys to these angrifying docs until each and everyone of you can't help but rise up against the system, with the purpose of fixing it.

Q: Will this movie make me laugh?

A: Some of the grammar used by the Appalachians is funny. But you feel so bad for them, you can hardly muster up the strength to laugh at them.

Q: Will this movie make me cry?

A: Only if you care about the fact that the U.S. Government is completely corrupt. There, I said it. Sorry, but I'm not happy about it either.

Q: Will this movie be up for any awards?

A: One of the Appalachian activists ends up winning a Peace Prize for her efforts to save Coal Mountain and shut down Massey Coal. She speaks English like someone who couldn't pass a high school proficiency test if her life depended on it. All I'm saying is, if this woman can win an award nobody else has an excuse for not trying.

Q: How is the Acting?

A: Robert F. Kennedy Jr. truly cares about the animals and the environment, and he's actually putting his trust-fund-earned-free-time where his mouth is.

Q: How is the Directing?

A: The opening shot says it all. It's a sweeping beautiful landscape of trees on mountains, as seen from the point of view of a soaring eagle. Suddenly, we see puffy white clouds rolling in, like a flash storm is on the horizon. Pull back to find it's not clouds, but smoke stacks, coming from the burning coal, ruining the scenery on its way to ruining the air and water that we all rely on for life.

Q: How is the story/script?

A: At only an hour and a half, it actually feels longer. Maybe the human brain can only handle so much frustration and helpless feelings at one time.

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

A: We all rely heavily on the electricity coal produces, so they do offer an alternative. Once again, we're being sold on the value, economy, and ecology of wind farming. But the oil and coal industries are spending all they can to stop green energy from moving forward. Maybe they don't realize that when we all die from their negligence, their money won't be worth the paper it's printed on... then again, paper might be worth a lot at that point, since they've cut down all the trees to dig up coal.

Q: Where can I see the trailer?

A: The Last Mountain Trailer

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X-Men: First Class

Q: What’s the movie about?

A: Before they were X-Men, they were X-boys and girls. This is the story of how they found each other, developed their powers, and chose sides.

Q: Who’s in the movie?

A: James McAvoy, Michael Fassbender, Kevin Bacon, Jennifer Lawrence, Rose Byrne, Nicholas Hoult, January Jones, Oliver Platt, Zoe Kravitz, Caleb Landry Jones, Lucas Till, Edi Gathegi, Alex Gonzalez, Jason Flemyng, Matt Craven, Laurence Belcher, Bill Milner, Demitri Goritsas, Glenn Morshower

Q: Is this movie worth the price of admission?

A: Go! In the world of superheroes, the story of how they became who they are is always going to be the most interesting part. And that goes for stories about regular people, too.

Q: Will this movie make me laugh?

A: There's a lot that's light-hearted and fun, but none of it will really make you laugh.

Q: Will this movie make me cry?

A: The ending is really sad, because it has to leave us off where the original films begin. But it's also kind of exciting because we knew they had to get there. Kind of like the end of Revenge of the Sith.

Q: Will this movie be up for any awards?

A: I give it the Award for not using 3D! I guess when you have a good story, you don't have to rely on gimmicks to get the audiences interested.

Q: How is the Acting?

A: The most emotional performance is Mystique's morphing. Can we give acting accolades to the special effects department?

Q: How is the Directing?

A: With Stardust, Kick-Ass and this, Matthew Vaughn can add another to his quickly growing list of films that I've given green lights. Except that I only gave Stardust a green light in my mind, because it came out a few months before I developed my mutant super power of giving out lights.

Q: How is the story/script?

A: I enjoyed how they incorporated the story of mutant superheroes into the actually history of WWII and the Cuban Missile Crisis. It's especially great because now, when we want to confuse our children about where the line is between history and fiction, we no longer have to rely solely on the 24 hour news networks.

Q: Where can I see the trailer?

A: X-Men: First Class Trailer

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Beginners

Q: What’s the movie about?

A: A man (Ewan McGregor), with a gay dad who dies (Christopher Plummer), falls in love with a French woman (Melanie Laurent).

Q: Who’s in the movie?

A: Ewan McGregor, Christopher Plummer, Melanie Laurent, Goran Visnjic, Kai Lennox, Mary Page Keller, Keegan Boos, China Shavers

Q: Is this movie worth the price of admission?

A: Stop! This film did not make me think, it did not make me laugh, it did not make me cry, no not in the bath. It did not inspire me, it did not teach me a thing, it did not entertain me, it did not make me sing. But I think the most annoying thing, is that it's not quite so bad, to stop others from liking. (Yeah, I watched Green Eggs and Ham recently. So what?!)

Q: Will this movie make me laugh?

A: It did do one thing. It made me sleep-- bada-bing!

Q: Will this movie make me cry?

A: ...But at least I wasn't snoring, like the man next to me, so boring... Okay, enough with the "rhyming", which I quote to mock my timing. And get ready for it, we're going back to my usual style of wit.

Q: Will this movie be up for any awards?

A: The Animal Acting category is really filling up this year. I've got another great contender in the Jack Russell Terrier named Arthur, who is played by Cosmo... My audience gave him the biggest applause of all the actors during the closing credits.

Q: How is the Acting?

A: What a waste of good actors. Whatever. They were fine.

Q: How is the Directing?

A: Throughout the film, Mike Mills cuts to colors and still images during Ewan McGregor's quirky narrations. At first it's cute, but as it continues, you get the distinct impression that Mills is only keeping up the gimmick because he feels artistic pressure to maintain a consistent look throughout the film. You can even feel him starting to regret having introduced this style in the first place.

Q: How is the story/script?

A: Quirky and dull. Two adjectives I've never had to use together before.

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

A: The best of the quirky parts are in the trailer below, so enjoy those for free.

Q: Where can I see the trailer?

A: Beginners Trailer

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Kung Fu Panda 2

Q: What’s the movie about?

A: Po the Kung Fu fighting Panda (Jack Black) is tasked to save China and Kung Fu from a military weapon built by an evil peacock (Gary Oldman-- of course).

Q: Who’s in the movie?

A: Jack Black, Angelina Jolie, Dustin Hoffman, Gary Oldman, Jackie Chan, Seth Rogen, Lucy Liu, David Cross, James Hong, Michelle Yeoh, Danny McBride, Dennis Haysbert, Jean-Claude Van Damme, Victor Garber

Q: Is this movie worth the price of admission?

A: Proceed with Caution. With the lethal combination of feeling more geared toward the kiddies, while at the same time being too action packed with violence for many kiddies, it's just not as good as the first one.

Q: Will this movie make me laugh?

A: Not as much as the first one... by which I mean very little.

Q: Will this movie make me cry?

A: Not as much as the first one... by which I mean not at all.

Q: Will this movie be up for any awards?

A: Sequel in which I Most Would Have Liked a Refresher on the Dynamic of the Team. I didn't remember any of the characters' traits from the first one, and they aren't clearly defined in this second part... But I guess most kids have watched the first one at least 45 times by now.

Q: How is the Acting?

A: Is it just me, or is Angelina Jolie boring as hell? On a positive note, I enjoyed lesser-known actor James Hong's performance so much, I actually thought I was listening to Ken Jeong. (For the sake of clarity, I'd like to explain that by "lesser-known," I mean that despite his 56 year career, which includes about 100 movies and 150 TV series, I've never personally heard of him.)

Q: How is the Directing?

A: Jennifer Yuh makes interesting artistic choices, like distinguishing the past from the present by using a distinctively old-fashioned, 2-dimensional, Chinese style of animation for the past. Her style is noticeable throughout, as you find yourself often paying attention to the shots and camera angles, my favorite of which is a parody of the Pac Man video game-- which is no doubt setting itself up to be a basis for the Kung Fu Panda 2 video game.

Q: How is the story/script?

A: Sequels are tough. How do you move beyond an origin story and keep it fresh? The writers of this script clearly do not know the answers to that question either.

Q: Where can I see the trailer?

A: Kung Fu Panda 2 Trailer

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The Hangover Part II

Q: What’s the movie about?

A: Another night that no one can remember, ends in Stu (Ed Helms) getting a face deformation, Phil (Bradley Cooper) getting an arm injury, and Alan (Zach Galifianikis) getting a baby-- only this time his baby is a monkey.

Q: Who’s in the movie?

A: Bradley Cooper, Ed Helms, Zach Galifianikis, Ken Jeong, Mason Lee, Justin Bartha, Jamie Chung, Paul Giamatti, Sasha Barrese, Jeffrey Tambor, Mike Tyson, Gillian Vigman, Aroon Seeboonruang, Yasmin Lee

Q: Is this movie worth the price of admission?

A: Go! If you want to see another Hangover, you'll get what you came for. But, since you've seen one before, everything that was fresh and original about the first one is gone, and even the surprises won't be that surprising.

Q: Will this movie make me laugh?

A: As with the last one, the hardest laughs are in the slideshow at the end... And also, the monkey does have a banana on his hat.

Q: Will this movie make me cry?

A: That depends on how you feel about chicks with dicks. Hey, you were warned by the fact that this takes place in Bangkok.

Q: Will this movie be up for any awards?

A: This gets the prize for Consistency. Whatever they did last time, they found a new way to do it all again.

Q: How is the Acting?

A: Sometimes, when I stare into Bradley Cooper's steel blue eyes, or I catch a glimpse of his red-lipped, toothy smile, I can't help but wonder... why has he never played a vampire? Separately, I'd like to note that from now on, when someone tries to insult what I'm doing by telling me, "A monkey could do it," I'm going to assume they're talking about the monkey in this movie, and be flattered.

Q: How is the Directing?

A: The first half is really slow and predictable. It even gave me time to wonder who could possibly be the one to get married in The Hangover Part III. I don't think Bradley Cooper can, because he's such a dick that his only redeeming quality is his marital status. Ed Helms is already on his second-- although they gave him a lot of good reasons to get dumped in the plot of this one. And Zach Galifianakis is pretty much undateable.

Q: How is the story/script?

A: They take everything so far in this one that you almost feel like you can't come back from it. And actually, their attempt to do so is passable at best.

Q: Where can I see the trailer?

A: The Hangover Part II Trailer

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Beautiful Boy

Q: What’s the movie about?

A: An estranged couple (Monica Bello & Michael Sheen) find out that their son (Kyle Gallner) has just opened fire on his classmates and then killed himself, and they have no idea how to deal with this information.

Q: Who’s in the movie?

A: Maria Bello, Michael Sheen, Kyle Gallner, Alan Tudyk, Moon Bloodgood, Meat Loaf Aday, Deidrie Henry, Austin Nichols, Cody Wai-Ho Lee

Q: Is this movie worth the price of admission?

A: Proceed with Caution. After nobody saw either Rabbit Hole or American Gun, I guess these filmmakers took it as a sign that audiences want more movies about school killers and the loss of a child. Despite it being a completely misguided commercial effort, the movie is still pretty gripping-- in an independent way.

Q: Will this movie make me laugh?

A: Only if you're demented.

Q: Will this movie make me cry?

A: Possibly the whole time.

Q: Will this movie be up for any awards?

A: I'm sure it will be up for all kinds of Spirit Awards, it's just the right mix of quality actors, low budget, and depressing.

Q: How is the Acting?

A: At the Q & A, Michael Sheen said that working with Maria Bello was, "Literally the best experience I've ever had working with another actor." Which is sweet to her, but kind of an insult to all the other brilliant talents he's worked with. Then again, I've seen a lot of movies with both of them, and I can't think of any time either of them was less than spectacular, so maybe they should just get married.

Q: How is the Directing?

A: Listening to Shawn Ku describe his technique was more inspiring than watching it. But listening to the actors discuss how the technique opened them up to be in the moment got me thinking that maybe I should try it on my next film!

Q: How is the story/script?

A: Don't expect any answers as to why someone would shoot up a school, because we'll never know, so there's no point in speculating. What you get instead is a love story about how misery loves company, especially when there's no one else in the world who can relate to the kind of pain and confusion you're in after your kid becomes a monster... one who's never coming back to tell you if his becoming a monster was your fault.

Q: Where can I see the trailer?

A: Beautiful Boy Trailer

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Midnight in Paris

Q: What’s the movie about?

A: An engaged man from the present day (Owen Wilson) falls for a woman from the 1920s (Marion Cotillard), who dreams of living during the Belle Epoque. The one thing they can agree on, Paris is the only place to be.

Q: Who’s in the movie?

A: Owen Wilson, Rachel McAdams, Marion Cotillard, Michael Sheen, Kathy Bates, Carla Bruni, Corey Stoll, Alison Pill, Tom Hiddleston, Kurt Fuller, Mimi Kennedy, Lea Seydoux, Marcial Di Fonzo Bo, Adrien Brody, Gad Elmaleh

Q: Is this movie worth the price of admission?

A: Proceed with Caution. Personally, I could’ve sat and watched this movie for another 2 weeks. It has everything I love: Paris, Owen Wilson, Paris… But unless you’re a very well-read and highly cultured individual, many of the references will be over your head, and the storyline’s not enough to make up for it. Then again, you’ll always have Paris.

Q: Will this movie make me laugh?

A: Michael Sheen’s pretension had me giggling through every one of his scenes.

Q: Will this movie make me cry?

A: I felt sad that I wasn’t inside the picture.

Q: Will this movie be up for any awards?

A: Anyone who gives me this much Paris to dream about has my vote!

Q: How is the Acting?

A: Owen Wilson plays a great Woody Allen. And he may even be the first to do it without losing himself. At the same time, it’s kind of unsettling to see a Texas good ol’ boy embracing his love for a place that is sooo not Texas. In retrospect, I'd like to add that I can't stop thinking about Alison Pill, who is an absolute stand-out as Zelda Fitzgerald.

Q: How is the Directing?

A: Never been Woody Allen’s forte, but Paris’ beauty is impossible to miss.

Q: How is the story/script?

A: Scripting is Woody Allen’s forte, and while the dialogue remains witty, this script has several amateur mistakes. Rachel McAdams’ character has so few redeeming qualities, that even the Mean Girl herself can’t infuse any charm into her. The fantasy element is fun, but it doesn’t build beyond the one note joke of getting to hang out with famous dead people. Once you’ve established that, a professional screenwriter is supposed to do something with them. I’m assuming Woody Allen doesn’t know this, because he never went to see Night at the Museum. Then again, I can’t stay mad at him for throwing together a script whose sole purpose seems to be to showcase Paris.

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

A: I've always thought Ernest Hemingway was one of my favorite authors. Between you and me, I've only actually read one of his books, but I read it like six times, so I think I get a lot of cred for that! But my point is, after seeing Corey Stoll's interpretation of Hemingway's speech patterns, which so cleverly mimic his writing style, I remember all the more clearly why I love Hemingway so very much.

Q: Where can I see the trailer?

A: Midnight in Paris Trailer

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Something Borrowed

Q: What’s the movie about?

A: A woman (Ginnifer Goodwin) is in love with the man (Colin Egglesfield), whom her best friend (Kate Hudson) is about to marry.

Q: Who’s in the movie?

A: Ginnifer Goodwin, Kate Hudson, Colin Egglesfield, John Krasinski, Steve Howey, Ashley Williams, Geoff Pierson, Jill Eikenberry

Q: Is this movie worth the price of admission?

A: Go! If you're in the market for a romantic comedy that has enough characters to make you wonder who’s good, who’s bad, and which way this is going to go, you will appreciate the tension in the dilemma this story-- so obviously based on a Chick-lit book-- has to offer.

Q: Will this movie make me laugh?

A: It’s more romance than comedy, but at least it's not unfunny.

Q: Will this movie make me cry?

A: Surprisingly, there isn’t even a point at which you would want to, because right when things get as bad as they can, something on the side always happens to go right.

Q: Will this movie be up for any awards?

A: Lamest Use of a Falsely Gay character. The set up is fine, where they take it is a missed opportunity.

Q: How is the Acting?

A: After hearing the premise, I was curious to know how they were going to make the main character likeable, with such a questionable motivation as wanting to steal your best friend’s man. The answer lies in the casting. Ginnifer Goodwin is the perfect noble victim, and Kate Hudson is the perfectly oblivious nuisance.

Q: How is the Directing?

A: Luke Greenfield lets the story take the lead... But this isn't the first time he's made a "comedy" that isn't funny.

Q: How is the story/script?

A: Not unfamiliar to either readers of chick-lit novels, or viewers of romantic-comedy films, but certainly at the top of both (naturally limited) genres, which I personally love so much, despite all the hateration.

Q: Where can I see the trailer?

A: Something Borrowed Trailer

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