At the Movies With Ann Hornaday

Wondering whether to see "Changeling" or maybe Mike Leigh's "Happy-Go-Lucky" at the movies this weekend? Washington Post film critic Ann Hornaday can help you decide. She was online Friday, Oct. 24 at 12:30 p.m. ET to answer all your cinema-related questions.

Hornaday has been a film critic for the Post since 2002. Prior to that, she reviewed movies for the Baltimore Sun and the Austin-American Statesman.

Submit your questions and comments any time before or during the discussion.

A transcript follows.

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Ann Hornaday: Hello, movie people! Let's commence to chatting!

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Rockville, Maryland: In discussing "Body of Lies" you say "lack of gravitas" but that is the main point. Why else would a person go to a country and be made COS with no background or briefings or anything? So they will say all they know and still not give anything away. That point is immediately made when he is surrounded by operations he knows nothing about. "Don't like to me?" Only by omission.

At the end I really think the "master mind" is on the payroll.

Please do not say "operative." I know everyone uses it, but the term to use is "case officer" or just "officer." Operatives and agents are the poor people we pay to do the dirty work. But in the film, the distinctions seem to merge. I see an operative as someone Perry Mason would have known.

OK. Question. Did you like the "love story"? I thought it was an earnest way to show some "reality." But it was "cleaned up." I could see the sister asking much tougher questions.

Best wishes.

Ann Hornaday: Hi Rockville -- That thought occurred to me, but in the end it was more about Di Caprio's inhabitation of the character that lacked heft, rather than the character himself, if you know what I mean. It's a difficult thing to quantify, his performance just didn't work for me on an almost visceral level. (As opposed to his portrayal of a mercenary in "Blood Diamond," which I thought was good -- so it's not that he's not a "good" actor).

And thanks for your point about "operative," I'll never use it again -- reminds me of something I heard years ago about people in the know never calling it "the NSA," it's always just "NSA." Useful information!

I did like the love story, and I agree with you that the lunch conversation probably could have gone way deeper and edgier...

Thanks for writing!

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Athens, Ga.: Hey Ann. Frank here I've been seeing the ad for this movie for the last two weeks. It look like a great movie. Should I take it in? Big fan Frank Mason

Ann Hornaday: Uncle Frank! We miss you. If you're still on the chat let me know what movie you're talking about, I'm working behind a curtain here....and big ups to our friends in the Athens of Georgia...

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NY : OK, so which Colin Farrell movies WOULD you recommend for people who liked him most recently in "In Bruges," and then ... all the way back in "Minority Report"?

Thanks, Ann!

Ann Hornaday: There's a good little Irish thriller called "Intermission" that was really the first time I "got" the whole Colin Farrell thing. ... Up till then I thought he was strangely inert in everything I saw him in. Except if memory serves, I thought he was pretty good in "The Recruit," too...

And he'll always have quality points from me for reportedly being the guy who made the Academy let Czech musician Marketa Irglova back on stage at this year's Oscars to finish her speech after co-winning for Best Song. That is class!

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Bethesda, Md.: Any chance "Stranded" -- the documentary about the rugby team that crashed in the Andes -- will be playing in the DC area anytime soon? Looks to be pretty powerful -- a review I read brought back memories of "Touching the Void," another great documentary set in the Andes.

Ann Hornaday: Thanks for the question, I am REALLY looking forward to "Stranded" (which I have been assigned to review, hooray). It's scheduled to open in Washington on Nov. 14 at one or both of the Landmark Theatres. So stay tuned!

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Morristown, N.J.: Hi Ann:

What is the name of the documentary that came out earlier this year about the trials and tribulations of Midwest high school students? It was one of the best movies I've seen this year and I can't remember the name! I want to Netflix it for my wife to see.

Thanks!

Ann Hornaday: I think you're talking about "American Teen," by Nanette Burstein. I have yet to catch up with it myself, so it's high on my want-to-see list. (According to my usual sources it's not out on DVD yet.)

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Freising, Germany: It sounds like Clint Eastwood's, "Changeling" didn't quite bring eveything together. Is the film "Snake Pit", the standard by which these falsely-accused-of-insanity films are measured? The film "Gaslight" comes to mind as well.

Ann Hornaday: It does have "Snake Pit" overtones, but most distracting are the echoes with Jolie's Oscar-winning performance in "Girl, Interrupted." I found myself thinking, "Put the pill under your tongue like you did in Massachusetts!" Not good.

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Butternut, Wisc.: Hi, Ann, I'm back!

I need some advice. So far, this movie year has depressed me. It seems that the only big thing I hear all the time about movies is the endless talk about "The Dark Knight." Not even the acclaim for "Rachel Getting Married" and "Happy-Go-Lucky" seems to overcome the hammering of "Knight." Should I give up or still have some hope?

Oh, and have a great Halloween!

Ann Hornaday: Hi Butternut!

I feel your pain. I hope you do get to catch up with "Happy-Go-Lucky," it's a terrific antidote to the movies' infatuation with doom and gloom. I myself have yet to see "Rachel Getting Married," but when I was at the Toronto Film Festival, everyone was beaming about it. Another one people loved was 'Slumdog Millionaire' by Danny Boyle -- which sounds like a moving film with comic elements. ...

And hey, there's always "High School Musical 3"! Hang in there. Maybe Hollywood will turn a corner in 2009 and send us more cheerful fare...

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Columbia, MD: Will Ed Norton EVER get an Oscar? He does such terrific work in every genre immaginable. From the big budget action movies like "Incredible Hulk" and "Italian Job" to "smaller" films like "The Painted Veil," "Fight Club," and "American History X" (nomuinated), he does such great work, and clearly picks his roles very carefully. Most recently, he turns in another incredible performance in "Pride and Glory," but Collin Farrell almost single-handedly ruins the film and the subtlety that Norton and Voight brought to the table.

Can we give the local guy some love?

Ann Hornaday: I agree with you that Norton's an extraordinary actor, although I'm not as enthusiastic about his recent choices ("Hulk," "Pride and Glory") as you are. One really interesting film he did that I just recently caught up with was "Down in the Valley" -- an amazing, complex performance that shows, yet again, his depth and range. I think he'll get his due eventually -- he's too smart to let his career go off the rails. He's a long-ball hitter.

Thanks for that question!

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Athens Ga. : Hey Ann U/Frank here.The movie: "Changeling."

Ann Hornaday: Ah, yeah: No. No, no, no. Doesn't work. Way too long, and way not good enough, Angelina's awesome hats nothwithstanding. Anything playing at the Tate this weekend?

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Baltimore, Md.: Ann: I know you liked "Ghost Town," as did Michael Sragow at the Baltimore Sun, so I am wondering what your thoughts are as to why it did not do better business. Is Ricky Gervais not well enough known here to carry a movie?

Ann Hornaday: Hi Baltimore -- Thanks for the question, the reaction (or lack thereof) to "Ghost Town" really broke my heart. I don't know what the final verdict was on why it didn't reach more people -- Gervais's relative cult status might be one factor, but I also thought the title might have been off-putting. Whenever I tried to describe the movie, people kind of recoiled at the thought of a comedy featuring dead people. It was kind of a tough sell, but it deserved much, much better.

With luck it'll be a smash hit on Netflix!

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Washington, D.C.: Does the lack of quality films through the month of October demonstrate the effect of the writer's strike, or are ALL of the studios holding their Oscar bait until December this year?

Box office numbers have been pretty good, but I can't remember an October when at least one or two Oscar contenders were released. "Changeling" is the closest we've seen so far, and there's been NOTHING of note from the arthouses over the past six weeks ("Burn After Reading" is the closest thing to Oscar bait that's been released so far this fall).

Ann Hornaday: You're probably on to something regarding the writers' strike...And oddly enough it doesn't look a whole lot better going into the holidays, which might be the "Harry Potter" effect -- studios might have pulled away from the 400 pound elephant in the room, only to have the elephant decide to move. But I agree the pickings seem weirdly slim for this time of year.

But there are some intriguing titles around the corner: I'm psyched to see "Synecdoche, New York" by Charlie Kaufman, as well as the aforementioned "Slumdog Millionaire...And I can personally vouch for "I've Loved You So Long," a fabulous film that features an astonishing performance from Kristin Scott Thomas. To name a few!

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Changeling: Ann,

Please tell John Anderson that Clint NEVER makes/acts in a bad movie. So his review has to be incorrect!!

Go CLINT!

Thanks.

Ann Hornaday: I love Clint too, but I gotta agree with my man John A. on this one. "Changeling" is a fatal misfire. Let's hope for better things with "Gran Torino"! Thanks for writing!

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Maxed Out, from Nashville TN: Ann, thanks for suggesting "Maxed Out." You were prescient in selecting it. Warning for others--watching it now in our present crisis can turn it into a scary Halloween movie! It is about debt, both personal and public, and the industries that thrive on it. You can see 'forecasts' of our current problems by starting at Chapter 9, "Debt Clock." Here's a scary timeline which I copied from the movie:

1983-1988 Reagan "borrows" $300 billion from Social Security to pay the interest on the national debt. 1989-1993 Bush takes $350 billion from the Social Security trust fund and replaces it with IOU's. November 1995 The government runs out of money anyway and shuts down for 3 days. Clinton borrows billions from pensions and Social Security to avoid defaulting on interest payments. November 2004, The government runs out of cash again. Bush ups the debt limit by $800 billion. By 2005, the federal government has spent every penny of the Social Security "trust fund"... just to make its minimum payments.

-And later: The US Government spends more on interest than on homeland security, education, and healthcare combined.

End of quotes and back to 2008. WOW! Speaking of the Debt Clock, it recently had to add digits because it had run out of numbers.

Ann Hornaday: Wow, Nashville, thanks so much for that post, and for watching "Maxed Out," a movie every single American should see RIGHT NOW. Then they should show it to their teenaged friends and relatives. The prescient one was filmmaker James Scurlock, who made this incredibly perceptive documentary in 2006 -- and completely predicted our current crisis. Watch this film for a clear, coherent explanation for how we got here.

Thanks a million for writing, Nashville!

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Why?: Can you explain WHY Dane Cook keeps making movies? Who is hiring him? He is terrible, his movies are terrible...I just don't understand why he keeps getting so many tries?

Ann Hornaday: You know, I totally agree with you. I don't get him, either -- although I've never seen his stand-up show, which apparently is quite the rage. Still, that doesn't translate to getting to have an automatic movie career. I guess studios figure he has a pre-sold audience from his comedy tour and that guarantees the all-important tushies-in-seats. I guess.

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Richmond, Va.: A very interesting movie weekend with sequels from two different ends of the spectrum. Who wins the box, "Saw V," the franchise that seems like it can never miss opening at No. 1, or High School Musical III, quite possibly the most popular cable-TV movie franchise of all time? My money's on "Saw V" because there's been a real lack of scary films this October, but "HSM:III" has the same thing going for it with a real lack of family films in recent weeks.

Ann Hornaday: Wow, what a great observation/question. I admit, that apt comparison eluded me! I hate to say it but I think you're right about Saw V winning the BO, which is sad ...This weekend will be a referendum on the moral and psychological health of a nation! (Or at least its young people!)

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Max Payne: Is it me or do the Max Payne trailers make it look like a movie Ben Stiller's character in "Tropic Thunder" would make?

Ann Hornaday: Totally and not only that, the poster! A parody of itself! Ugh.

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Woodbridge, VA: With the poor success of the more recent torture horror movies, why was "Saw V" made?

Ann Hornaday: Good question, with "Why???" being the operative term. ... My guess is that these movies might be faltering at the box office, but the franchise still makes pots of money in ancillary markets like DVD and video games -- and that the theatrical releases are almost just advertisements for those more lucrative businesses. For instance, the last one cost around $10 million to make, made $100 million at the BO, which isn't super-duper blockbuster, but also didn't lose any money. It's a win-win, and a very depressing one at that.

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Washington DC: Re The Changeling: How is Jeffrey Donovan in the role of corrupt cop? I have enjoyed his work on USA's series Burn Notice and I think this is his first high profile movie. Thanks.

Ann Hornaday: He's okay, he chose to adopt a slight Irish accent that I found a little distracting...But he's not objectionable, by any means. He's just in a not-good movie is all.

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Wake Forest, N.C.: I read a few bad reviews about "Burn After Reading" so didn't plan on going. My son told me I would love it and should go. Sure enough, I thought it was great and laughed so hard at one part that I was embarrassed! It got me wondering how any critic could not like the movie. Maybe because it took brains to follow it? Maybe they didn't like George Clooney's politics? Maybe it didn't hit you over the head with its humor? Not sure, but I get annoyed with critics who get it so wrong.

Ann Hornaday: Hi Wake Forest! I still have yet to catch up with "Burn After Reading," but even the ads cracked me up. ... I went to metacritic.com, one of my favorite movie Web sites, and saw that actually most critics gave it favorable reviews, so maybe you saw some of the outliers. Still, it's hard to think of filmmakers more polarizing than the Coens, especially when they do their goofy-funny thing. You definitely either love 'em or hate 'em, very few in-betweens. I must confess, I'm not a "Big Lebowski" fan like most of its cult admirers, so who knows -- maybe I'm one of those people who just doesn't get it. But I do intend to catch up with this one ASAP.

I see that most of this chat consists of me saying "I haven't seen it yet," I'd better get my DVD-watching rear in gear!

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Bethesda, Md.: Ann,

I'm about to commit what some would consider the greatest blasphemy ever put into words: I watched "Raging Bull" last weekend, and didn't really care for it. I though it was a well-made film, with good direction and cinematography, but I found Robert De Niro's character so unlikeable that he really dragged the whole movie down for me. I realize that was the entire point, to see his Jake La Motta become so self-destructive that he loses everything, but it just didn't work for me as a character study.

I now await the apples that will undoubtedly be thrown at me.

Ann Hornaday: Dear, dear Bethesda: Now, don't you feel better? The Friday chat should always be a safe place to share our deepest and most taboo cinematical confessions. I know I speak for the group when I say, Thank You. You've got to let these things out before they fester and consume your soul from within!

(For the record, I'm a "Raging Bull" fan, but I can totally understand your reaction.)

Plus, you're in luck: A fire drill at our main office has inadvertantly cut off the power, so yours is actually the last question I'll be able to answer today!

So, everybody: Save your apples for next time, when surely something I've misunderstood, miscontrued or just plain missed will inspire the friendly lobbing of virtual fruit.

In the meantime, thanks for chatting. Now go out there and see some good movies, and with luck we'll have lots to recommend to each other next time!

Cheers!

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