MOVIE REVIEW
State of Play (2009)
Glen Wilson/Universal Studios
Even though a BBC miniseries serves as its basis, “State of Play” has a scrapbook worth of major American news items from the past decade such that it might as well tout itself as inspired by true events. The death of researcher Sonia Baker (Maria Thayer), the first domino to fall in the film, brings to mind the 2001 murder of Chandra Levy. Standing in for Rep. Gary Condit is Stephen Collins (Ben Affleck), a congressman whose extramarital affair with Sonia comes to light as a result of the ensuing investigation. The film has a plethora of these familiar stories about crooked politicians, war-mongering defense contractors and journalists grappling with the quandary of everything from the “fair and balanced” slogan to gossip Web sites like the Drudge Report. When blogging colleague Della Frye (Rachel McAdams) requests some information, our hero journalist Cal McAffrey (Russell Crowe) responds sarcastically: “I have to read a couple of blogs before I can form an opinion.” Zing.
Continue reading “Off the Record, On the QT and Very Hush-Hush” »
MOVIE REVIEW
Is Anybody There? (2009)
Nick Wall/Big Beach Films
“Is Anybody There?,” the latest in a long line of painstakingly sweet British coming-of-age stories, features the requisite elements of such a cinematic production. Peter Harness’s screenplay showcases distant parents, a wide-eyed, curious adolescent, an oddball setting and a surly older father figure. Director John Crowley gives the material a tone that oscillates between humor and sadness, and the heavenly clouds that gather over the seaside setting ideally suit the narrative’s evocation of the major stages in the circle of life.
Continue reading “Curious Case of Friendship that Transcends Age” »
MOVIE REVIEW
Anvil! The Story of Anvil (2009)
Brent J. Craig/Anvil! The Story of Anvil
“Anvil! The Story of Anvil” documents the tragicomic story of Anvil, the band of Canadian heavy metal rockers that showed some promise in the 1980s before lapsing into relative obscurity. In the best tradition of such ventures, however, it’s really about much more. The film is not a musical hagiography, or an apologia for the band and its commercial failings. It is instead a hopeful testament to the power of unrelenting optimism and the contentment that can come from refining the definition of success.
Continue reading “Setting Off the Heavy Metal Detector” »
MOVIE REVIEW
Observe and Report (2009)
Peter Sorel/Warner Bros. Pictures
“Observe and Report” could easily have been Binghamton killer, the movie, and it’s really not a stretch. The protagonist of this alleged dark comedy exhibits the same personality traits and psychological profile as Jiverly Wong, who killed 13 people and himself on April 3. A loner constantly enduring taunts for his mental illness, Ronnie Barnhardt (Seth Rogen) has developed an obsession with firearms and a vigilante complex. Although the similarities end there, one can’t help but think that laughing at a dangerously deranged person in the wake of Wong’s mass murder could be in very poor taste.
Continue reading “Earning the Badge of Dishonor” »
MOVIE REVIEW
Hannah Montana: The Movie (2009)
Sam Emerson/Disney Enterprises
“Hannah Montana” is much like the Easter bunny. The premise of this lucrative Disney Channel franchise, about an average teen who dabbles in pop superstardom as an extra-curricular activity, is a lie most parents probably deem harmless enough not to burst their kids’ bubble over. This tall tale reaches new heights in “Hannah Montana: The Movie,” which idealizes a simple country life that is just as unattainable as celebrity.
Continue reading “Even Cowgirls Get the Blues” »
MOVIE REVIEW
Il divo (2008)
Music Box Films
Italian politics, prone to looking like a nest of vipers to an outside observer, receives the full weight of Paolo Sorrentino's cinematic imagination in "Il divo." Presenting the inner workings of the country's Christian Democrats through an operatic whirlpool of cross-cutting, flamboyant set-pieces, audacious musical choices and the odd surreal interjection, Mr. Sorrentino has crafted a film feverish enough to do the subject justice.
Continue reading “Vote the Right One In” »
MOVIE REVIEW
Frequently Asked Questions About Time Travel (2009)
Lionsgate
Richard Curtis has a lot to answer for. This does not apply to “Blackadder,” the most amusingly misanthropic show ever. Nor does it apply to his charity work with Comic Relief and the astounding amounts of money it has raised. But it does apply to “Four Weddings and a Funeral” and everything that followed it. Not only the subsequent films he has written, but also those he inspired, “Frequently Asked Questions About Time Travel” included.
Continue reading “Back From the Future” »
MOVIE REVIEW
Lymelife (2009)
Screen Media Films
If there’s one type of movie that immediately comes to mind when one thinks of Sundance, where “Lymelife” played after premiering at Toronto, it’s a quirky dysfunctional family drama set in the suburbs. It’s a testament to the quality of the craft of “Lymelife” that it works well despite rigidly adhering to the template.
Continue reading “Love in the Time of Lyme Disease” »
MOVIE REVIEW
The Escapist (2008)
Vertigo Films
The opening shots of “The Escapist” provide an intriguing study in the ways those elements serve as a compacted distillation of the filmmaking interests borne out over the course of a feature. The film begins with Frank Perry (Brian Cox) sitting alone, a serious, concerned look affixed to his face as darkness shrouds him and Leonard Cohen plays on the soundtrack. It’s an introspective, peaceful moment that jarringly contrasts with the film’s next sequence, in which the title is introduced in large letters that fill the screen as we join, in process, the prison escape around which the narrative centers.
Continue reading “Shaking Off the Shackles of Convention” »
MOVIE REVIEW
Modern Life (2008)
Soda Pictures
Director Raymond Depardon is also a photographer of some renown. His website is just astonishing, with painterly, well-composed landscapes and also portraits. This eye for capturing images and ability to position the camera to maximize the beauty of the local landscape is truly remarkable. But he did not win the Louis Delluc prize for the best French film of 2008 due to his eye for images. He won for his ability to tell the French a story about themselves.
Continue reading “A Hard Row to Hoe” »