Posted: September 24th, 2010 | Filed under: Movies | Comments Off
Since the release of Oliver Stone’s Wall Street, our financial sector has become so amoral it’s hard to look at Gordon Gekko and see a monster. Derivatives make it possible for investors to trade on toxic assets, and after outcry from politicians and ordinary Americans, executives still enjoy hefty bonuses. The excessive wealth is a testament to the industry-wide embrace of Gekko’s “greed is good” mantra. Ironically, the current state of American capitalism is part of the reason Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps lacks the edge of the original. A corrupt system is less eye-catching than a corrupt man, plus the sequel’s human story pulls its punches when it should be devastating. While it’s great seeing Michael Douglas in fine form, Stone’s sequel feels like a pleasantly diverting afterthought.
More…
Posted: September 24th, 2010 | Filed under: Movies, Recommended | Comments Off
The tag line for Catfish is, “Don’t let anyone tell you what it is.” As a critic, such a command is maddening because description and summary are an important part of what I do. Still, I think it best to obey the tag line. Much of the movie’s success depends on the thrill of discovery, so an ordinary review could ruin the experience. Hell, I could describe the whole thing in a single sentence, maybe even a few words, but that would be doing a disservice to the remarkable documentary Ariel Schulman and Henry Joost constructed.
More…
Posted: September 24th, 2010 | Filed under: Movies | Comments Off
It is easy to be skeptical of remakes. Too often they pale in comparison to the original, or leave fans wondering why others bother tampering with a classic. Still, every once in a while there’s a remake so unlikely, it’s almost worth seeing for the sheer audacity involved. Such is the case with A Woman, a Gun, and a Noodle Shop, in which Zhang Yimou remakes Blood Simple, the Coen brothers’ masterful debut. Sure, it’s easy to think a Blood Simple remake is superfluous, but a director like Yimou answers naysayers with bizarre performances and moments of suspense. Yimou preserves the skeleton the original, and the meaty flourishes he adds are only intermittently satisfying.
More…
Posted: September 1st, 2010 | Filed under: Movies, Recommended | Comments Off
Recent TV spots would have you believe Anton Corbijn’s The American is a slam-bang actioner, one in the style of The Bourne Trilogy. Such a campaign is doing the movie a disservice. There are moments of violence, but Corbijn and screenwriter Rowan Joffe focus more on behavior than action. In fact, those expecting thrills will be put off by the movie’s slow-burn intensity, as well as its frequent moments of tense silence. It’s a shame, really, for there is plenty to relish, including George Clooney’s best performance since Michael Clayton.
More…