SHOOT ‘EM UP

CAROLINE: I’m pleased to announce that my boyfriend Clive Owen is starring in the new movie “Shoot ‘Em Up.”

RYAN: What I want to know is, were you able to watch the movie and get anything from it other than the fact that you were drooling over Clive the whole time?

CAROLINE: It was difficult; I won’t lie. The movie opens with a close-up shot of his face and I just about died. He’s so great in this movie. It’s a perfect role for him, even though it’s not much more than what you would expect from the title – a bloody gun movie. But they made it funny and cheeky too, sort of acknowledging the fact that what’s going in some scenes is implausible and silly but still very cool and action-packed.

RYAN: Sadly, I didn’t get to see this movie with you so I must know more. It looks very stylized and drained of color. Are there moments where the do cool freezes and stuff?

CAROLINE: There are slo-mo shots of Clive aplenty but none of that “Matrix”-style freezing stuff. It’s more like “Check out Clive in this badass pose in slo-mo.” And the movie is kind of farcical, LBH. It opens with Clive shooting tons of bad guys whilst simultaneously delivering a baby who he then has to protect for the rest of the film.

RYAN: The baby looks very cute.

CAROLINE: It’s actually played by three different babies. Also, Paul Giamatti co-stars as Clive’s nemesis, and it’s fun to see two such talented actors playing off of each other in a movie like this.

RYAN: Does Paul G look fat and bald?

CAROLINE: He’s a tad fat and bald as is his wont. But he’s a great villain, and he has hilarious one-liners.

RYAN: So bottom-line this for me: is it entertaining and worth seeing?

CAROLINE: Most of “Shoot ‘Em Up” is silly and over-the-top, but you don’t mind since it’s done in such a funny way. It’s not a great movie, but it’s action-packed and fun and the audience was totally cheering after the action scenes. It’s a little bloody but not scarily so. I saw it with my friend Tom and we both agreed that it almost felt like a February release.

RYAN: I just think it’s a tough time for action films right now since we had so many good ones this summer in the form of “The Bourne Ultimatum” and “Live Free or Die Hard.”

CAROLINE: Yeah, “Shoot ‘Em Up” definitely doesn’t feel like a big fall movie; it’s more like a good winter release that you would be psyched to see in January or February when everything else is crap. It’s a straight-up action gun movie, somewhat inspired by John Woo according to the production notes. It’s not serious and it doesn’t have a message; it’s more like “Check out Clive Owen, he’s really hot and he’s an assassin – go.”

RYAN: So if you’re a Clive fan like yourself, you surely will not be disappointed by this movie.

CAROLINE: Hell to the no. Him in a long black trench coat is easily worth the price of admission.