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Paranormal Activty 9:00PM Thursday, October 18th AMC Hoffman Center 22 Theater Capacity: ~400 (70% full; very diverse audience of people spanning from children to older couples on dates and mostly 20- and 30-somethings) Ticket Price: $0 (*originally $10, but I had reward bucks on Stubs!) Concessions: medium popcorn, $6.00 TRAILERS: Oz - same trailer, a few people talking after it, okay reaction. Mama - the Guillermo Del Toro horror film, plays well with a horror crowd. A lot of people were shouting "Holy Sh!t!" after the trailer, perfect reaction. Carrie - YAY! I'm very pumped for this remake--I LOVED the original! Had some talking after. Hansel & Gretel Witch Hunters - very cool-looking, was a funny trailer and got a lot of talking after. I wouldn't have suspected this to be so R-rated. Chasing Mavericks - good reaction to the trailer, just not for me. Jack Reacher - Tom Cruise action movie? Could be worth checking out; got lots of talking after. THE FILM: This was my third time seeing a Paranormal Activity film during opening weekend, and the experience never disappoints! Usually, you expect any movie franchise to lose its steam after the second or third installment, but Paranormal Activity 4 does such a great job simultaneously adding on and peeling off layers of the story that stem from the same universe. Katie Featherston will haunt my dreams for eternity for her presence in these films. Just as I said in my crowd report for Paranormal Activity, I refuse to call what I observe in these films "performances" because the technique employed for these found footage documents consistently fools me and others into believing what we're watching has actually happened. Yes, I understand that there's a script, a director, a set designer, and special effects specialists. And more so than the other PA films, PA4 intentionally includes homages to horror/thriller classics that the audience sees and immediately knows something f*cked up is about to happen. While this is kind of a cheap move, I think it works very effectively on an experience level in a large theater auditorium. As always, the only way to watch this film is at night in a packed movie theater or with a large group of friends. Everyone's reactions to this film and the others are priceless and an experience well-worth the price of a ticket. Also, I'm normally put off by anyone that talks during movies, but there is something so great about the outbursts and cautionary exclamations, like "DON'T GO IN THERE!" or "TURN THE F*CK AROUND!!!" It's totally worth going to see this in theaters. Experience - 30/30 Story/Writing - 13/20 Acting - 8/15 Tech Specs (Cinematography, Editing, Effects) - 8/15 Direction - 6/10 Music - 10/10 (*No, there is no music or score for this film. But the mastery at which they use the simple creak of a door hinge or sound of a footstep to raise the audience's anticipation is incredible) THE VERDICT: 75/100, B

Alex Cross 7:00PM Tuesday, October 16th (Press Screening) Regal Fenway 13 & RPX Theater Capacity: 250 (100% full, some press but mostly regular folks who found pre-screening tickets online... and to my surprise the audience was almost a perfect split between black people and Asian people (?). Definitely a weird audience. This was the first time I've seen so many people bring their own food into the theater--I'm talking bowls of soup from Panera, homemade nachos, and even a Boston Market rotisserie chicken!) Ticket Price: $0, free... I know a guy. Concessions: n/a TRAILERS: N/A THE FILM: What a piece of garbage this movie was! Without even checking the rating of other critics, I am confident this is a rotten tomato. (UPDATE: just checked RT, only 3 reviews up and all rotten... no surprise there). I saw a promising trailer for this a few weeks ago and was initially impressed with Matthew Fox's physical transformation into a ripped badass. Yet aside from a disturbing debut early in the film where the film highlights Fox's character and his physical prowess, the rest of his performance is so bland and unimpressive. And don't even get me started with Tyler Perry. I will never, ever understand the appeal of Tyler Perry. Maybe it's because I'm white, I dunno... I don't want to dwell on racial issues. But if Alex Cross proved anything to me, it's that South Park hit the nail on the head with their "Funnybot" episode last year. Much of the audience ate his character up, especially in the overly melodramatic family scenes or when he was getting physical with Fox's character. The movie editing was awful; the screenplay was weak; the characters were thin; and the effects were shoddily put together. I will give the film some credit for casting Cicely Tyson. Her role is small, much as it was in The Help, but she is such a joy to watch on the big screen. I don't think any actress packs a wallop the way she does. Maybe it won't surprise you that Alex Cross is such a piece of garbage. After all, the film not only takes place in Detroit but also shamelessly points out what a hopeless sh*thole Detroit has become. Seriously, I'm sorry for anyone from Detroit. The truth is a film taking place in your town should paint a hopeful, prospective vision for the city and its potential--get people excited about your town. Instead, you're stuck with movies like 8 Mile, Private Parts, and now Alex Cross that highlight what a miserable city Detroit must be. Everybody, do yourselves a favor--DO NOT SEE THIS MOVIE! Experience - 13/30 Story/Writing - 0/20 Acting - 1/15 (*for Cicely Tyson) Tech Specs (Cinematography, Editing, Effects) - 0/15 Direction - 1/10 Music - 0/10 THE VERDICT: 15/100, F-

Seven Psychopaths 1:50PM Saturday, October 13th AMC Boston Common 19 & Lie-MAX Theater Capacity: 214 (70% full, mainly older than 25 in the audience) Ticket Price: $10.00 Concessions: N/A TRAILERS: (*There was a blurb before the trailers began where AMC alerted audiences to identify their nearest exits in an emergency and to report suspicious activity, clearly a reaction to the Aurora shooting. Not sure if any other theater chains are doing this, and I'm wondering if it's a little overkill to remind audiences about that). Promised Land - nice solid trailer, got some talking from the audience. Alex Cross - looks very action-packed, also had some talking and an okay reaction. I'm seeing this on Tuesday. Flight - lots of talking, and not a single giggle at the upside down airplane this time... interesting. Lincoln - good trailer, good reaction Identity Thief - looks very funny but got no reaction Hitchcock (!!!) - excellent trailer and definitely looks more fun than I expected it to. Got no reaction from the audience, though. Parker - Jason Statham doing a Jason Statham movie, shot in my hometown (Boca Raton)! I'll definitely be seeing it, it got some talking. THE FILM: Seven Psychopaths is one of the funniest movies I've seen in theaters this year. Granted it helps to have a very, VERY dark sense of humor to truly appreciate this movie, the film really satisfies on all levels in such shameless, unexpected goretopia you'll be hard-pressed not to immediately compare this to a Tarantino film. The whole plot plays out in so many fantastic ways and almost feels like little vignettes that connect the story together. I felt like there's a little A Serious Man influence in the way stories are told throughout... the biggest strength for Seven Psychopaths is that it is almost entirely told like small stories. You won't even be sure in some parts if the movie is being self-aware or just intensely wry. Colin Farrell plays his character with the same gusto and tenacity as his previous work with Director Martin McDonagh in In Bruges. And Sam Rockwell completely owns the screen and wins over the audience, fueling the fire of the stories in enough ways as if to satiate the masses. Christopher Walken is back in full form, even while lackadaisically moping through the third act in the funniest ways possible. The movie definitely has heart, the end result is infectiously entertaining, and the unconventional aura surrounding Seven Psychopaths definitely make it stand out among similar genre pics. I blame distributor CBS Films for marketing this so poorly to the public because this film should become a massive hit--the kind of movie you can't wait to talk about with friends at how awesome so many of the scenes are. Honestly, if you enjoy films like In Bruges, Reservoir Dogs, Pulp Fiction, A Serious Man, or Machete, you should go to the theater right now and watch this. There's no excuse--Seven Psychopaths is amazing. Experience - 29/30 (*only one point off here because there was some douche in the audience that had the most obnoxious laugh) Story/Writing - 20/20 Acting - 15/15 Tech Specs (Cinematography, Editing, Effects) - 14/15 Direction - 10/10 Music - 8/10 Bonus- Awards Caliber, +3 (Acting Ensemble, Original Screenplay, Make-Up/Effects... whichever one gets credit for gore); Originality, +4 THE VERDICT: 103/100, A+

Argo 10:10PM Friday, October 12th Regal Fenway 13 & RPX Theater Capacity: 500+ (65% full; only the front third of theater was empty) Ticket Price: $9.00 Concessions: n/a TRAILERS: Les Miserables (extended look) - I really like this; it got an excellent crowd reaction. My friends next to me (who had never seen this) both said, "Wow!" at Anne Hathaway near the end. Cloud Atlas - F*ck The Hobbit! I'm more pumped for Cloud Atlas than any film this year... it looks amazing! Got a great crowd reaction too, lots of talking. Gangster Squad - this was the first post Aurora-shooting trailer I've seen for Gangster Squad, and a major kudos is in order for Warner Bros. who delivered a new trailer for this film with some new footage and still maintained the high quality content we had seen in the previous trailer. Very stylish, great cast, and some talking from audience. Zero Dark Thirty - I hated the teaser for this but now that we have a real trailer I'm actually looking forward to seeing this. I had no idea Jessica Chastain would be in this--it's certainly timely and got some talking in the room. Flight - once again, the trailer is great and holds your attention until that final shot of the airplane flying upside down... then everybody just giggles. I'm curious to see how this performs at the box office. Les Miserables (teaser) - great teaser, little talking (Les Mis fatigue). Lincoln - lots of talking and great reaction Anna Karenina - still looks 'meh', but I'll admit the trailer is growing on me. No reaction from crowd. THE FILM: Up in Boston, the folks seem to hold Ben Affleck to high esteem. I think if you say "Boston" and "movie" to most people today, they'll probably conjure up the name Ben Affleck (and Matt Damon... and now Ted, but that's off topic). After directing two excellent films in his home town, I think a lot of us in the theater were curious to see what he'd make next after abandoning The Walking City. And the curiosity paid off as Affleck demonstrates the world is his oyster and he is worth being taken very seriously as a filmmaker. The story is really miraculous, even if only for the fact that it all actually happened. While I'm sure a little fluff and entertainment value was added to make the screenplay more interesting, I'm mostly impressed that after searching it after seeing the movie that the "Canadian Caper" rescue operation really happened thirty years ago. A lot can (and will) be said about how great the acting was, how well the location shoots turned out, and how surprisingly funny the movie turns out to be (Alan Arkin definitely stands out); but the real value of Argo is its service as a history lesson dressed in a highly entertaining medium. Once the credits began to roll, the opinion was pretty unanimous that Argo was a great film. Many of us started clapping and a lot of people stuck around through the credits, smiling at the screen or commenting to each other how much they enjoyed it. Without question Argo reminds me more of Catch Me If You Can than any other film I've seen. Between the government involvement making up a large chunk of the story juxtaposed with the ridiculous-but-necessary antics taking place in the rest of the story, the two films make great companions for each other. And although Argo to me feels dissimilar to Gone Baby Gone or The Town, I think it spotlights the bright future audiences can look forward to as Affleck becomes comfortable shooting different types of projects behind the camera... even if they're fake. ;-) Experience - 28/30 Story/Writing - 19/20 Acting - 15/15 Tech Specs (Cinematography, Editing, Effects) - 13/15 Direction - 10/10 Music - 8/10 Bonus - Awards Caliber, +4 (Best Picture, Best Director, Best Screenplay, and Best Ensemble) THE VERDICT: 97/100, A

Arbitrage 9:40PM Thursday, October 4th Coolidge Corner Theatre Theater Capacity: ~180 (5% full, about 8 or 9 people mostly older) Ticket Price: $7.00 Concessions: n/a TRAILERS: Argo - great trailer, no reaction (I was the only one in the theater at this point) Girl Model - French film about models, but I wasn't reading the subtitles so no clue what it's really about. No reaction. THE FILM: Recently I moved to a new neighborhood and now bicycle past "The Coolidge" movie theater practically everyday on my way to work. And every time this past month while riding by the theater, I would see the title Arbitrage on the marquis and wonder to myself, "What does that mean and what the heck is that movie about?" So I decided to mosey over to the theater (first time inside, really cool place) and see this "thriller". Never watched a trailer, never read a description, and didn't even read too much into the movie poster. Now I'm looking at the poster after having seen the film and think it's a contender for best poster art of 2012. And the movie: excellent. Richard Gere dishes out a great performance as Robert Miller, a powerful investor type who must project an image of success at all costs... literally. I was concerned early that Miller was a cinema version of Mad Men's Don Draper and that the film would turn into a contemporary version of a Mad Men episode, but sure enough the incident happens that affects the whole plot. Arbitrage sticks to the traditional three-act structure closely, yet presents it in such a way that it neither feels tired nor disposable. The high-stakes drama definitely warrants your attention from start to finish and plays out in a semi-disturbing way, depending of course on your feelings about money and power. After the movie ended, I still didn't know what the word "arbitrage" meant as it wasn't used in the film. It's not like in Inception where they use the word a lot and explain it for you to understand. So when I got home and looked up arbitrage online, the title made perfect sense to me (it's a complex finance term). One of the major themes of the film directly relates to the act of arbitrage, though in another way I think the title Arbitrage is also a metaphor for the personal, non-economic events transpiring in the film. It's a pretty clever movie and one I'm happy to recommend to others. I'm now officially looking forward to awards season, too, as I have high hopes for Richard Gere. Experience - 25/30 Story/Writing - 18/20 Acting - 15/15 Tech Specs (Cinematography, Editing, Effects) - 12/15 Direction - 8/10 Music - 7/10 Bonus - Awards Caliber, +1 (Richard Gere for Best Actor) THE VERDICT: 86/100, A

10 Years 4:30PM Thursday, October 4th AMC Boston Common 19 & Lie-MAX Theater Capacity: <180 (6%, about 10 of us and all in our 20's by the look of it) Ticket Price: $9.00 Concessions: small Hi-C and medium popcorn, $10.75 TRAILERS: (I walked in late, missed some) Silver Linings Playbook - good trailer, good reaction This is 40 - great trailer, no reaction except to the starfish joke at the end THE FILM: Are you sitting down and asking yourself, "What is this movie?" If you're nodding your head right now, you're not alone. 10 Years is only playing in 63 movie theaters around the country right now and hasn't even made more than $200,000 at the box office after three weeks. There wasn't a lot of marketing and it doesn't look like it's going to get a major expansion. After watching the movie, I find myself asking, "Why?" 10 Years has all the goods that audiences look for and is a really fun movie. The movie has a smorgasbord of stars like Channing Tatum, Rosario Dawson, Chris Pratt, Anthony Mackie, Justin Long, and Aubrey Plaza playing characters at their ten-year high school reunion. The film is neither art house nor big budget, and the plot fits comfortably in the mold of dramedy. Probably the most interesting quality about the movie is how relatable it feels, even if formulaic. Where other films in this genre turned to flashbacks (i.e. Romy & Michelle's High School Reunion) or depended on previous installments (i.e. American Reunion) to develop their characters, 10 Years explains things along the way well enough that you feel like you knew these people from way back when you went to high school together. Maybe I'm just nostalgic for the high school years... Who am I kidding? Everyone from my senior class SGA has already tasked me with planning our ten-year reunion down the road! I live for reunions and good memories! ;-) But seriously, the movie's fun and I'm sure it'll be a hit when it's available to rent/on TV. While it's kind of a stretch to make this comparison, 10 Years reminded me a lot of one of my favorite party movie, Can't Hardly Wait. If you liked that movie, you'll enjoy 10 Years. Experience - 20/30 Story/Writing - 16/20 Acting - 10/15 Tech Specs (Cinematography, Editing, Effects) - 9/15 Direction - 7/10 Music - 9/10 (* there's a scene where one character sings to someone else that's so poignant, I felt like I was watching Once or the end of Wedding Singer) THE VERDICT: 71/100, B

Pitch Perfect 3:50PM Monday, October 1st Regal Fenway 13 & RPX Theater Capacity: 500+ (1.2% full, i.e. just 6 of us in the theater) Ticket Price: $9.00 Concessions: small popcorn, $0.00 (courtesy of Regal reward) TRAILERS: Les Miserables (extended look) - still cool, no reaction Identity Thief - this looks hilarious and awesome! Got some talking from the (weak) audience Les Miserables (teaser) - no reaction (kind of overkill) Here Comes the Boom - one girl laughed, but no reaction otherwise Beautiful Creatures - no reaction Fun Size - this looks funny, good reaction Twilight's Breaking Dawn: Part 2 - make it end already; no reaction THE FILM: First things first: yes, I have watched Glee and was (keyword *was*) a fan of it; and no, I hadn't made up my mind about the movie before walking in to see it. I think the trailers for Pitch Perfect were hilarious and effective at making this look more like a comedy and less like a musical. The movie I saw was the same as the one Universal was marketing, so for that I was happy. And the movie itself is on the right track virtually the whole way... but when it ends, I sat in my seat through the credits asking myself, "Seriously?!" Everybody knows Anna Kendrick (Becca) oozes with talent, so I won't gush over how great she was. Rebel Wilson (Fat Amy), however, was freaking hilarious and needs more work ASAP! To me the real surprise was the character Jesse played by Skylar Astin. Jesse is a character that I watched and felt like I was watching myself in a movie--not with all the singing, obviously, but just his personality (i.e. has amazing taste for movie scores and secretly wishes he produces one someday, watches movies from his dorm room with a bowl of popcorn, is kind of a dork and doesn't care, has a crush on Anna Kendrick). Even the mashup performances were great. A music-driven plot should feature great music and Pitch Perfect succeeds at this. (***This paragraph may contain light spoilers***) The negatives boiled down to two things: Anna Camp and the end of the movie. Anna Camp's character is a b*tch the whole movie, and just when you think it'll be explained why it never really is. She's kind of a stereotypical b*tchy character, except she's on the team you want to succeed... not the enemy's team. That doesn't make a lot of sense to me. As for the end of the movie? I felt really let down. Becca and Jesse talk a little in the movie about how movie endings are generally predictable and all the same. What they've done screenplay-wise is created an opportunity for themselves to have Pitch Perfect end in an unpredictable, big way. But what happens? JUST WHAT YOU EXPECT! Nothing bold, risky, or really climactic happens. It's like the end just kind of happens and then the credits begin to play. I was so shocked (in a bad way) that I stuck around through the credits to see if anything else happens and something does: a single outtake of a ginger joke. That's it. WTF?! (***End spoilers***) If you like music, comedy, and attractive young people, Pitch Perfect will ultimately make you feel good. I'm just a little bitter because the movie sets itself up for an Easy A-type payoff and instead ends up with Fired Up-type mediocrity. Both are good, funny movies that I enjoy watching again and again, but only the former really hits it out of the park in a big way. Please watch the movie and tell me if you see what I mean. Experience - 15/30 Story/Writing - 7/20 Acting - 13/15 Tech Specs (Cinematography, Editing, Effects) - 8/15 Direction - 6/10 Music - 10/10 BONUS - Music-driven plot, +5 THE VERDICT: 64/100, C

The Perks of Being a Wallflower 4:55pm Sunday, September 30th AMC Boston Common 19 & Lie-MAX Theater Capacity: 340 (60% full; 2:1 ratio of women to men in audience, like seeing The Hunger Games) Ticket Price: $12.00 Concessions: small Coke Zero, $4.75 TRAILERS: Silver Lining Playbook - same trailer, some talking and a good reaction Beautiful Creatures - young adult adaptation geared to women = lots of talking from this audience Here Comes the Boom - the Warrior rip-off as I like to call it, trailer still gets laughs and an okay reaction Twilight's Breaking Dawn: Part 2 - lots of laughing out loud (pity laughs) Chasing Mavericks - surfing movie with a weak reaction The Impossible - really love this trailer, even if it gives away the whole movie... no reaction THE FILM: As far as coming-of-age movies are concerned, The Perks of Being a Wallflower is in the top tier of its genre. I'll admit I did not read the book (definitely the minority in the audience), but I fondly remember my high school years (they only ended five years ago) and Wallflower is probably the most sincere movie I've seen about that time since the John Hughes era. Wallflower possesses similarly fast-paced, witty dialogue like that of 10 Things I Hate About You, Mean Girls, and Easy A. Its protagonist, portrayed in a career-defining turn by Logan Lerman, comes off as a likable, less vulgar Holden Caulfield. Although the story takes place in early 1990's Pittsburgh, it take enough effort to figure this out that I think Wallflower has a really timeless quality about it that will resonate with teenagers and young adults in generations to come. Emma Watson proves there is more to her than Hermione Granger, and I'd even admit there were a couple scenes of hers with Lerman that were very mature & emotionally-charged. Walking out of the theater, I heard at least 4 different girls discuss how well they believe this was adapted from the book. This is attributed, of course, to the fact that the book's author, Steven Chbosky, both adapted the screenplay and directed the film. There was even an applause from many in the audience as the film ended, further demonstrating how well the film came out. The Perks of Being A Wallflower was not my top choice to see this afternoon, but I'm glad my friends invited me to see it and I'm confident it'll get a big cult following, it not become a sleeper hit at the box office. Experience - 28/30 Story/Writing - 19/20 Acting - 15/15 Tech Specs (Cinematography, Editing, Effects) - 11/15 Direction - 7/10 Music - 10/10 THE VERDICT: 90/100, A

Looper - Regal Premium Experience 4:00PM Saturday, September 29th Regal Fenway 13 &amp; RPX Theater Capacity: 550 (40% full; certainly a decent turnout considering how big the auditorium is; and the 7:31PM showing had already sold out) Ticket Price: $12.50 TRAILERS: Les Miserables - Extended look at the picture, I think this is a really cool, beautiful, and clever way to lure the I-Don't-Watch-Musicals crowd to go see this picture; the audience reaction was audible. Zero Dark Thirty - same 'ole teaser, same meh reaction. Red Dawn - very cool action trailer (Chris Hemsworth is on fire this year!) and tons of talking from the audience. Cloud Atlas - "Oh sh!t, Oh sh!t!!!" That's what my friend and I were saying; this movie looks so great. Excellent trailer, lots of talking from audience, and overall great reaction. Mama - From "Guillermo Del Toro, Producer of Pan's Labyrinth"... and Don't Be Afraid of the Dark(!). I love Del Toro as much as the next cinephile, but I'm skeptical whether creepy children and Jessica Chastain will be enough to get me to see this. There were a lot of talking and "WTF?!" reactions to the trailer, probably good. Paranormal Activity 4 - same good trailer, decent reaction. Lincoln - the trailer's great, but it didn't get the warm reaction I'd expected, especially because this row of girls behind me laughed at the end of it. Killing Them Softly - looks less interesting every time I see this trailer. No reaction. THE FILM: From the very instant I finished seeing the Looper trailer the first time, I knew this was one sci-fi picture I wouldn't be missing. Although I go out of my way to watch and enjoy films from all different genres, the movies I enjoy most tend to be of the cerebral sub-genres: psychological thrillers, mind benders, and especially time-travel pictures. It has never been a secret that Back to the Future is my all-time favorite movie. But over the years, I have experienced additional time travel pictures and appreciated stories' different handling of cause-and-effect in the space time continuum... in this regard, I believed that Twelve Monkeys and Harry Potter &amp; The Prisoner of Azkaban are the only films that truly get time travel right (i.e. their perspective of time travel is that everything would happen as it should). Looper, on the other hand, throws a wrench in everything I thought I knew about time travel possibilities presented from past time travel pictures. Thus, Looper is one of the most original, thought-provoking movies I've seen in a long time. I'll spare you the gloating about the performances--everyone is amazing. The visual effects are cool, the dystopian future believably portrayed, the JGL make-up convincingly executed, and the experimental sound editing appreciably audible. The real meat of Looper is what's presented by its writer-director, Rian Johnson. [NOTE: I've made 5 attempts now to write a next sentence, but am still struggling to find the words to describe this film that neither discredit the films it honors nor spoil the film for others] ... Rian Johnson is a clever filmmaker that clearly did his homework. The audience loved this movie, and I loved this movie. Before walking in to see it, I jokingly said to my friend, "This better be better than Twelve Monkeys." As soon as it ended, though, I looked back at him and said, "My God, this might've actually been better than Twelve Monkeys!" Now that I've had a few hours to dwell on it and let the film really sink in, I'm still unsure how this ranks on my scale of genre favorites. That's mainly because Looper opens up so many possibilities and questions to be asked, I know it'll be interesting to discuss with others and get their takes on it. Seriously, go see this movie. If you were a fan of the Terminator(s), Back to the Future, Twelve Monkeys, Inception, The Butterfly Effect, Identity, The Matrices, or any other film that made you walk out and think for a while, you must watch Looper. Experience - 27/30 Story/Writing - 20/20 Acting - 14/15 Tech Specs (Cinematography, Editing, Effects) - 15/15 Direction - 10/10 Music - 9/10; the music is less memorable than the incredible sound editing/mixing Bonus - Originality +5 THE VERDICT: 100/100, A

Liberal Arts 1:30PM Monday, September 24th (it was a slow day at work) Kendal Square Landmark Cinema Theater Capacity: 200 (4% full; me and seven random other men who looked to be in their 50's or 60's) Ticket Price: $9.00 Concessions: Medium Popcorn, $6.50 TRAILERS: The Loneliest Planet - looks like an artsy suspense film about hiking through the Andes; no reaction. Diana Vreeland: The Eye Has to Travel - looks like a must-see fashion documentary for anyone that cares about fashion (judging by the lack of reaction, not this audience) The Flat - Hebrew-language documentary about discovering facts from nazi-Germany... looks interesting; no reaction. How to Survive a Plague - AIDS documentary about the social movement in the 80's and 90's, and the trailer held my attention mainly by using the Adagio in D Minor theme from Sunshine. No reaction. The Perks of Being a Wallflower - good trailer, good cast, and excited to go see it; no reaction from anyone else. THE FILM: Amid the countdown for tonight's premiere of How I Met Your Mother, I decided to watch Josh Radnor's Liberal Arts. I last saw a trailer for it months ago and really only remembered that it starred Radnor and Elizabeth Olsen (the talented Olsen). Other than that, I had read no reviews for this film and, therefore, had no expectations for it. Fortunately, I liked the movie! The movie is about a guy returning to his alma mater after thirteen years and remembering how alive and optimistic he felt when he was at college. Josh Radnor's character, Jesse, maintains all of the charm and humor he plays well in HIMYM's Ted Mosby. Elizabeth Olsen is awesome--no surprise to anyone that saw her in Martha Marcy May Marlene. But then there were the characters I was surprised (even excited!) to see in the movie. Richard Jenkins, Allison Janney, and Zac Efron each play completely different supporting characters, all of whom dish out strangely thought-provoking life advice and clearly have the type of back story that makes you wonder "what happened to this person in life that made them the way they are?" Sadly, the film's only playing in 20 theaters around the country right now, but it's one that I think a lot of people might enjoy. It comes off as pretentious at times and feels a little more like life happening rather than a plot truly unfolding, yet I'm glad I saw it and would probably watch it again. I suggest this film to anyone that ever went to college, enjoys reading, and/or wants to see a relatable "arts" film playing in theaters now. Experience - 20/30 Story/Writing - 16/20 Acting - 14/15 Tech Specs (Cinematography, Editing, Effects) - 12/15 Direction - 7/10 Music - 8/10; a lot of attention on classical music (always a plus) THE VERDICT: 77/100, B

http://www.youtube.c...ed/7MJSpgSnX24 Hey everyone! Sorry I've been missing for a while. Unfortunately, I've had login difficulties with my "Andy Stitzer" account that couldn't be rectified, so I just decided to make a 2nd account to share crowd reports. For the record, I've seen Lawless and Premium Rush in the last month and a half (C and B, respectively). However, tonight I watched: The Master 6:50PM Saturday, September 22nd Regal Fenway 13 & RPX Theater Capacity: ~500 (60%+ full, audience skewed older and more intellectual-looking types... no surprise there) Ticket Price: $9.00 Concessions: n/a TRAILERS: Les Miserables Extended Look - I've watched this online a couple times already, it's pretty cool and had a lot of talking afterwards. Silver Linings Playbook - same good trailer with a great reaction and lots of talking. Killing Them Softly - great cast, meh trailer, and some talking from audience. Flight - looks like a compelling movie, but there was a crescendo of laughter at the final shot in the trailer of the airplane flying upside down... probably not the reaction they're aiming for. Cloud Atlas - this was a shorter trailer (i.e. not 5 minutes long) and looked equally impressive. I'm very excited for this, even the audience was whispering a lot after it. The Sessions - also looks interesting, glad to see it's a Fox Searchlight film, and surprised to see Helen Hunt is still acting (she looks like she hasn't aged a day in 15 years); lots of laughing from the audience, good reaction Anna Karenana - weak reaction. THE FILM: This is a weird movie. Yes, these five words could be said about any film directed by Paul Thomas Anderson (*full disclosure--I still need to see There Will Be Blood), but at least for his other films more favorable adjectives pop into mind, like sexy, groundbreaking, bold, monumental, and impressive. With The Master, it only comes off as weird. I've read people complain about the timeline jumping around and throwing them off a bit, which is admittedly weird; however, I didn't have any trouble with that. I think The Master reminds me a little of Blue Valentine in the sense that it features a cast of actors I absolutely love playing characters on screen that I absolutely hate! I don't know how closely The Master aligns with the origin story for Scientology, but the film's story annoyed me mostly because I felt it dwelled mainly on an uninteresting character (played by Joaquin Phoenix). As everyone has said, Phoenix acts incredibly well in this film. He's just such a f*cking imbecile, though, that you grow irritated with him by the film's end (at least I did). Now there was no shortage of "The Master" on screen (Hoffman's character), but he too turns out to be a f*cking imbecile in my humble opinion. I won't say anymore about the characters or the film so those of you reading this and interested in watching can enjoy it spoiler-free. This is certainly awards season bait, and much of the accolades it receives will have been deserved. But this is not a popcorn movie for the masses. The film will test your patience at times, even though (to its credit) it's sprinkled amply with comic relief... mainly from Phoenix's character. If you enjoy other Paul Thomas Anderson films you'll likely enjoy The Master. I'm not exactly sure how I felt about it except that it was weird, and I think much of the audience shared the sentiment. Experience - 21/30 Story/Writing - 10/20 Acting - 15/15 Tech Specs (Cinematography, Editing, Effects) - 15/15; these were excellent Direction - 10/10; Anderson's an amazing director, no question Music - 6/10 THE VERDICT: 77/100, B