Body of Lies: A Facade In The End – So So
The plot sounds kind of silly on paper, but for a large portion of the film, it doesn’t feel that way. Director Ridley Scott is a talented guy, and the facade he provides Body of Lies is almost convincing enough to cover up the fact that the emperor is not wearing any clothes. His locations are immensely convincing and realistic; the attention to detail is quite impressive. The dialogue also goes a long way towards selling things. These are literate characters who sound like they know precisely what they’re talking about. However, these scenes reflected another element that Burn After Reading pointed out: in this sort of film, characters are frequently saying things that seem reasonable on the surface… but the more you actually think about what they are saying, the more you realize just how absurd it all is.
Setting aside the fact that the film is a lot less credible than it wants us to think it is, the movie is also weakened by a tendency to lean towards action movie conventions. There is a moment towards the end of a film that mirrors a similar scene in The Kingdom, in which a inescapably grisly and painful scene is averted thanks to the sort of last-second heroics that seem to only happen in the movies. The weight of Scott’s statements about the corrupt way in which we conduct ourselves in modern warfare is diluted by his aversion to letting his film enter the real world on a more significant level. It’s just another sugar-coated Hollywood ending. Actually, as gritty as this thing tries to be before succumbing to convention.
The Duchess Review: Awkward But Great
Teenaged Georgiana Spencer (Keira Knightley) has intercourse for the first time with her new husband, the much older Duke of Devonshire (Ralph Fiennes). Imagine this scene for a moment if you can. Ordered to strip naked and lie on the bed, Georgiana trembles with positive terror as her husband enters her with all the wordless efficiency of a man fulfilling a prescribed brief; Knightley’s exquisite face gradually crumbles as it dawns on her that this is how it shall always be.
Wall-E Review: A Delightful Destiny
There are a lot of reasons to like WALL-E. It’s a beautiful film, and one that highlights Pixar’s rare ability to make a film with almost universal appeal. The production team remembers that “family film” doesn’t mean the same thing as “kid’s movie,” and creates something parents will enjoy rather than simply tolerate. Pixar is also uncompromising with the overall vision for the film, making a number of risky choices that pay off. That said, it’s also a film with big commercial appeal. They are a studio who realizes success comes from bold risks.
The Dark Knight Review: W-O-W.
(Advanced Screening for Media)
Christopher Nolan’s “The Dark Knight” isn’t merely a study in the psychology of a nearly 70-year-old character tailored to the familiar; instead audiences will be met with an accessible tale of deep and painful truths, a unique vision of hope in the face of seemingly aimless villainy, a new staple alongside the greatest of tragedies — in any medium.
Wanted Review: Suspense and Freeze
If you are averse to brutal violence, gun play, and cruelty to animals, Wanted isn’t your bag. For everyone else, strap yourselves in for a ride.
Then She Found Me Review: Who Wouldn’t Find Her?
Hunt herself plays Epner, a 39-year-old woman working as an Elementary school teacher in N.Y.C. She has wanted a baby all her life, and now she is going through a mid-life crisis of sorts regarding her biological clock. To add to her complications, her husband Ben (Matthew Broderick, The Producers) is about to tell her their marriage is over. The next day, he inexplicably leaves with no goodbye…and then her mother passes away soon afterward.
Son of Rambow Review: Imagination Fun
Son of Rambow is endearing. A joyous affair that practically drowns audiences with seemingly inexhaustible amounts of charm and whimsy, it is an all-singing, all-dancing explosion of nostalgia, and the perfect film to usher in the summer.
Jarhead Review: Hoo-rah
In one of the many startling and morally jagged moments that propel Jarhead, a Marine squad readies for combat by watching the ”Ride of the Valkyries” attack sequence from Apocalypse Now. As the choppers lay waste to a Vietnamese village, the Marines erupt in cheers, imitating the soldiers on screen — the tapping of a rifle magazine on a helmet. These Marines were hungry to kill, to ”get some.” Yet for any civilian who has watched that helicopter raid, it is a shock to encounter young soldiers getting off on the thrill and dismissing the horror.
John Q. Review: Bad Film, Worse HMO
John Q. Archibald (Denzel Washington), a financially strapped factory worker, finds himself in deep trouble when his son will die unless he receives a heart transplant. Surgeons aren’t known for their bedside manner, but to say that Woods fails to show sympathy would be an understatement. He looks, and sounds, about as compassionate as a man ordering a lap dance. Informed that his company insurance plan will not cover a transplant, Archibald is forced to come up with $250,000 all by himself. He tries and tries, even selling off his furniture, but there is no way that the desperate family man, awash in nobility, can begin to make the payment. Driven over the edge, he wanders into the hospital with a gun and proceeds to take everyone in the emergency room hostage.
