Gentlemen Prefer Blondes

Marilyn was divine, but I have to say Russell put me off quite a bit. I wanted to like it more. 3.5/5


Gentlemen Prefer Blondes on Netflix

Trust

This darkly emotional drama is devastating in its honesty & realistic portrayals - Owens just killed me. So tragic. 4/5

Trust on Netflix

The Ledge

With this cast, especially Hunnam, I expected greatness, but the slow pace & Liv Tyler's acting left me unfulfilled. 3/5

The Ledge on Netflix

Win Win

Giamatti is truly excellent in this moving drama with characters you really care about from start to finish. Well done! 4/5

Win Win on Netflix

Paul

Time for another special FTRQ review for another Potentially Bad Movie Night with Emilie Staat (@emofalltrades on Twitter)! This week we have "Paul", a Simon Pegg/ Nick Frost film about two nerds on the run... with an alien? So how was it? Let's find out!


DONNA:
Since I wasn't a huge "Shawn of the Dead" fan I always fear I'm not going to like a Simon Pegg film. I'm usually wrong, just as I was with "Paul". This comedy was smartly written, perfectly acted and really well paced. It was a truly clever film that rose above the trappings of the absurd quite easily and I really, really enjoyed it. Well done! 4/5

EMILIE:
Paul was really, really funny. Since it is a modern comedy of the "stupid" or "obscene" variety, I was very pleased to see that it has heart as well. Pleased, but I was expecting it, too because I've liked the movies that Simon Pegg and Nick Frost have made together. And this movie, unlike some I could name (ahem, Your Highness), actually capitalized upon the very talented, very funny women in the cast. And there are many: Kristen Wiig, Jane Lynch, Blythe Danner and Sigourney Weaver. And the guys weren't half bad themselves. 5/5

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DONNA'S RATING: 4/5
EMILIE'S RATING: 5/5

Wow - we both really liked this one, and I'm glad of it. Jeez... it seems even when trying to pick potentially bad movies we keep finding gems. Maybe we'll find something truly horrid for our next #PotentiallyBadMovieNight - stay tuned!

Paul on Netflix

Beastly

About the only reason to watch this is because NPH is his usual marvelous self - the rest is pretty awful. Meh. 2/5

Beastly on Netflix

Walking and Talking

Although the acting was wonderful I honestly found this bland, predictable & boring. Meh. 3/5

Walking and Talking on Netflix

Seize The Day

This '86 sleeper starring Robin Williams just broke my heart - a dark, tragic, but all too real story. 3.5/5

Seize The Day on Netflix

Circo

A fascinating little documentary about a traveling circus family in Mexico, although I do wish it had delved deeper. 3/5

Circo on Netflix

Your Highness

Time for another special FTRQ review for another Potentially Bad Movie Night with Emilie Staat (@emofalltrades on Twitter)! This week we have "Your Highness", a farcical tale of knights, maidens and quests starring Danny McBride, James Franco, Natalie Portman and Zooey Deschanel. How did our movie night turn out? Read on!

DONNA:
Okay, bear with me again here. There is a fine line a comedy walks between funny & farcical and over-the-top stupidity. Your Highness tries very hard to walk *exactly* on that line, which is precarious business. It often fails, falling badly into the banal & stupid, but the comedic talents of McBride & Franco save it over and over again. I found myself laughing far more than I sighed or groaned. Not great, but certainly not bad either, so in the end this is the only rating I can give it. 3/5  

EMILIE:
Watching Your Highness is like watching a group of teenage boys playing the penis game, one extended dare to see who can be the loudest and most daring. If it were funnier or ever strayed from the penis/sex/gay jokes, it would've been far better and might have a chance of standing the test of time like Monty Python movies or Princess Bride. But there's absolutely no subtly or variation.Natalie Portman is the best thing about the movie, but she arrives far too late. Enormously funny Zooey Deschanel is given so little to do that it's embarrassing, yet she *almost* succeeds in turning her vacuous, wide-eyed Belladonna into a satirical caricature of what she's expected to be. I expected a stupid movie. I just thought it would be a more clever stupid movie than it was. 2.5/5


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DONNA'S RATING: 3/5
EMILIE'S RATING: 2.5/5

Once again, Emilie and I prove we're not too far off in our opinions. We're always within a half of a star of each other - quite a record! What will happen for our next Potentially Bad Movie Night? Stay tuned! :)

Your Highness on Netflix

Source Code

This sci-fi thriller is well paced, intriguingly written & well acted by all. I guessed it but enjoyed it as well. 4/5

Source Code on Netflix

Glorious 39

This period drama is well acted & intriguing in design but is far too slowly paced to really keep my interest. 3/5

Glorious 39 on Netflix

Nursery University

A witty & intriguing documentary about the insanity that is NYC nursery school. These parents are NUTS! 4/5

Nursery University on Netflix

Hesher

Joseph Gordon-Levitt is absolutely note-perfect in this darkly funny yet poetically tragic dramedy. I adored this - sheer brilliance. 5/5

Hesher on Netflix

The Music Never Stopped

Lou Taylor Pucci & JK Simmons were spot on in this truly poignant & emotional story. Well done. 3.5/5

The Music Never Stopped on Netflix

Middle Men

Time for another special FTRQ review for another Potentially Bad Movie Night with Emilie Staat (@emofalltrades on Twitter)! This week we have "Middle Men", the true-to-life story of a Southern businessman who gets involved in the development of Net porn! How did our movie night turn out? Read on!

DONNA:
Okay... WOW that was so not the movie I was expecting & I mean that in all the best possible ways! Yes, it was funny but also poignant, dramatic, really well acted, detailed & wonderfully directed. I'm so pleasantly surprised. 4/5


EMILIE:
Middle Men wasn't what I expected. I don't know why, but I thought it'd be more comedic and I was pleasantly surprised that it wasn't just a silly light-hearted romp. It was funny and interesting and ended just about the best way it possibly could. 3.5/5 stars.

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DONNA'S RATING: 4/5
EMILIE'S RATING: 3.5/5

So... another potentially bad movie night averted! We're two for two in finding really good films disguised as bad ones... but will our luck continue? Stay tuned! ;)

Middle Men on Netflix

The Winning Season

Not even the mighty Sam Rockwell could save this movie from predictable mediocrity. Good, not great. 3/5

The Winning Season on Netflix

Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance

This is gorgeously shot & inventively written but disjointed editing often left me confused. Regardless of any confusion... Chan-wook Park is one disturbed individual. Seriously. But in a totally good way. 3.5/5

Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance on Netflix

Limitless

This high-tech "Flowers for Algernon" was engaging, well paced & finely acted - i would have changed the ending though. 4/5


Limitless on Netflix

Everything Must Go

Will Ferrell is surprisingly earnest & sensitive in this rather poignant drama with a good heart. Well done 4/5

Everything Must Go on Netflix

Wet Hot Amercian Summer

This is just terribly, awfully, atrociously bad. I can't believe I finished it. Really, just... no. 1.5/5

Wet Hot American Summer on Netflix

Local Color

This is a perfectly average, ordinary, nice, sweet coming of age story, unremarkable in any way. Good, but just. 3/5

Local Color on Netflix

Rubber

EXPLANATION: A while ago I discovered that Emilie Staat (@emofalltrades on Twitter) and I seem to have quite the same taste in films.We've been trading movie opinions back and forth for a while and we both recent saw the trailer for "Rubber", a black comedy about a sentient killer tire. Yeah, I know... that's what we both said. So, on a dare, we both rented the film and both watched it at the same time. Here are our collective thoughts on the film. Enjoy!

DONNA:
Bear with me, this needs explaining so I'm just going to lay it all out here. On the one hand, this movie is absolutely genius. Everything you need is given to you in the first five minutes and the film never breaks it's own rules. It's darkly funny, gorgeously shot, and meta in a truly delicious way. However, on the other hand, this film just gets too clever for it's own good. The pacing is far too slow and the action gets truly incredulous at times. Even though you are told exactly what this film is, I still found myself saying "WTF?" far too many times. The end, however, is really brilliant, and I truly want a sequel. In the end, I actually liked this way more than I thought I would.

So in the end, how can I say I liked this film? No reason. ;) @emofalltrades, what did you think? I give it a 3.5/5!

EMILIE:
I'm 4:51 into #RubberTheMovie and I've asked myself, "What the f*&@?!!" at least 20 times. I've laughed four times. I will say I'm intrigued -I didn't see how a 90 minute movie about a killer tire was gonna work.

Wow. That was weird. A commentary on Hollywood moviemaking maybe? I thought it was interesting, unexpectedly fascinating and funny. And a twisted commentary on Hollywood film making, like the part where the motel manager's head explodes and the sheriff pulls a sheet of paper from his shirt pocket (probably sides, which is what we call small versions of that day's script pages for the cast & crew to carry on set) and he says "That's right, the killer is a tire!" with this sort of exasperation that really made me laugh. And the "audience," etc... I'll give it a 4/5 stars, 1 star just for the sheer surprise.

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DONNA'S RATING - 3.5/5
EMILIE'S RATING - 4/5

Well, Emilie and I had been calling this our Potentially Bad Movie Night. Turns out it wasn't nearly so bad after all - in fact, we both quite enjoyed it! My recommendation... rent it! It's totally worth the experience.

Rubber on Netflix

In A Better World

This film is sheer brilliance, wonderfully written & powerfully executed. I completely deserved the Oscar. 4.5/5

In A Better World on Netflix

Wrecked

Adrien Brody is captivating in this intense psych thriller that keeps you constantly guessing. Dark & intriguing. 4/5

Wrecked on Netflix

Easy A

Okay, this movie might be trite, but it is really quite witty & funny & I enjoyed it far more than I expected. 4/5

Easy A on Netflix