Quickie: Lions for Lambs
Lions for Lambs (2007)–** Quickie Review The story of America at war is told from the perspectives of a college professor and a promising student, a reporter and a senator, and two soldiers in Afghanistan. As boring as any of Robert Redford directorial efforts and as an unartful as any of the recent Iraq War films, this exercise in rhetorical pomposity isn’t nearly as influential as it thinks it should be. Sure, Redford’s film demands American civic engagement, but judging from the number of people eligible for AARP membership who made up the audience at my screening, it will still be unsuccessful in getting suburban kids to do something other than watch MTV or play video games. Featuring dreary, dispirited performances from Tom Cruise, Meryl Streep and...
Read MoreQuickie: Lars and the Real Girl
Lars and the Real Girl (2007)–*** Quickie Review Slightly agoraphobic, but extremely sweet, Lars shakes up his small town when he orders a human-sized, anatomically-correct female doll and treats it like a real-life girlfriend. A touching and funny dramedy, this second feature from Craig Gillespie is only as believable as the actors are good. Ryan Gosling gives a painful, tender performance as a 27-year-old just coming of age, while character actor Paul Schneider gives his best performance to date as Lars’s guilt-ridden older brother. Writer Nancy Oliver (Six Feet Under) delicately discovers a heartwarming tale inside this rather offbeat premise. (Though, it may not be offbeat enough.) Also starring Emily Mortimer and Patricia Clarkson. [youtube...
Read MoreMovie Review: The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford
The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford (2007)–**** It’s not often I can say this about a movie, but when it comes to kiwi director Andrew Dominik’s The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford, I’d be lying if I said I’d seen anything like it before. Jesse James is a folk ballad turned into an epic poem. It’s a film that could have twitched and nerved its way through the sprawling paranoia, but remains controlled amid the chaos. It’s a beautiful Greek tragedy in the Old West, and, more than that, it’s a masterpiece. Jesse James (Brad Pitt) is only 34-years-old but has the weary eyes of a retirement age cop whose seen too many bad days. His own legend wears on him, which is why he seems simultaneously repulsed and intrigued by...
Read MoreMovie Review: The Path of Most Resistance
The Path of Most Resistance (2007)–***1/2 The Path of Most Resistance is a tremendous short film from writer/director Peter Kelley, one that not only sails by on first viewing, but also retains its momentum the second (or third) time through. The real test, in fact, was that second viewing. While the film has its issues, the things we enjoy the first time through are the things we flat out adore on subsequent viewings. The film follows Tom (Tim Rouhana), a high-end cat burglar whose job is getting in the way of his romantic life. He can’t tell people, even girlfriends, what he does, so he’s rebuffed on his attempt to connect with an ex on New Year’s Eve. He has a job to do while everyone else is celebrating, meaning the promise he makes to show up at a...
Read MoreQuickie: Into the Wild
Into the Wild (2007)–**** Quickie Review After graduating from Emory University, Christopher McCandless abandons his life of privilege for a nomadic journey that ends in the Alaskan wilderness. Sean Penn’s third feature film is the defining feature of his directorial career. Penn successfully channels the McCandless’s spirit, cinematically christening him as an inspirational and spiritual icon for generations to come. This is a film that will change lives. Starring Emile Hirsch, Catherine Keener, William Hurt, Marcia Gay Harden and Jena Malone, with an Oscar-worthy turn by the 82-year-old Hal...
Read MoreQuickie: In the Valley of Elah
In the Valley of Elah (2007)–** Quickie Review The father of a murdered Iraq War veteran, himself once an Army man, helps a female police detective solve his son’s case, but the truth behind the crime is hard to comprehend. Writer/director Paul Haggis’s anti-war film proves once again that he should focus more on the writing and less on the directing. Most of the film’s drama comes from the audience’s knowledge of the current geopolitical climate and not from within the frame, while the actors are given the extreme task of contending with the world at large. This is a film that weighs on your shoulders, but rarely forces you to feel it makes one damn bit of difference. Starring Tommy Lee Jones, Susan Sarandon and Charlize...
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