"In Time" review is now up on http://www.sdentertainer.com/arts/reviews-arts/in-time-justin-timberlakemovie-review/ It will be posted on the blog at a later time.
Monday, October 31, 2011
Sunday, October 23, 2011
"The Three Musketeers"
It's an extravaganza of fantasy swashbuckling adventure. Outlandish and not meant to be taken seriously. All for fun, fun for all.
DVD (blu-ray): http://tinyurl.com/4xlfp86
Thursday, October 13, 2011
"The Ides of March"
He's the real deal. That's what Stephen Myers (Ryan Gosling, "Drive"), a press secretary and political consultant to Governor Mike Morris (George Clooney, "The American"), thinks of his boss. Morris is running for the democratic presidential nomination.
Young and bright, Stephen is the idealist aide in the team led by senior campaign manager Paul Zara (Philip Seymour Hoffman). He's the one the governor turns to when looking for a more truthful picture about the campaign, as opposed to the more jaded Paul.
The opening speech provides a glance of the kind of candidate Morris is. Charismatic and presidential-looking, he claims that the constitution is his religion and appears to possess the kinds of ideals that people are aiming for.
In an exchange with Ida Horowicz (Marisa Tomei), a New York Times reporter, Stephen conveys his confidence that he truly believes Morris would make a difference in the lives of people should he be elected as president. He's not just a politician.
With Ohio being the battleground state, Morris must capture the state. In order to do so, he would need to have Senator Thompson's (Jeffrey Wright) endorsement to gain the support of his sizeable delegates. And with that, Morris would be able to lock in North Carolina, the senator's home state, and hit the home run with Pennsylvania, his state, and then clinch the nomination. Sounds like a decent plan, except that the senator would go with whoever could provide him with a certain guarantee about his lofty request, which Morris steadfastly refuses to do.
On the other hand, Morris' opponent, Senator Pullman (Michael Mantell), whose campaign is led by Tom Duffy (Paul Giamatti), would have no trouble in fulfilling Senator Thompson's ambition. Tom gets Stephen to secretly meet with him and plead with him to switch sides, with the argument that he would be on the winning team eventually when his team bags the crucial endorsement. Tom needs Stephen because of his expertise and likeability factor; simply put, he makes everything effortless and is adored by the press.
When the secretive meeting somehow gets leaked to the media, things snowball downward. This happens around the time when Stephen is also handling a delicate dalliance with an intern, Molly Stearns (Evan Rachel Wood), who has just dropped him a bombshell. Molly happens to be the daughter of the DNC Chairman, Jack Stearns (Gregory Itzin).
Whereas the news Stephen has received from Molly shatters his illusion about Governor Morris and his loyalty tested, he still feels compelled to take matters into his own hand on behalf of the campaign and moves on as planned. He declines Tom's offer and continues to remain on the Morris campaign. It's a game-changer, however, when Stephen finds out about the source of the leak and the fate of his promising career.
The way the story unfolds is fascinating to watch. Stephen learns the rope rapidly during this cruel political duel and morality tale, transforming him from fresh to seasoned. It's do or die. No longer naive, he becomes the type of shrewd you'd never imagine he'd be.
We're all shaped by the choices we make. Are you in it to win it at any cost or only as long as you believe in the cause? Would you always do the right thing even if you know it would not serve you right in the long run? Or would you choose whatever means necessary as long as the end justifies the means?
"The Ides of March" is one of the best films of the year. Razor-sharp with superb script, smart direction and compelling acting by the whole ensemble. The astuteness is shades of last year's "The Social Network."
The story is a brilliant human chess game. Play or get played. If you don't make a move or respond accordingly, you'll be taken out of the game. Intense moments, even during quieter, unseen scenes would feel as if gunfire would break out any minute. It feels like blood has been shed, even without a single weapon is drawn or shot fired. It's that good.
We'd like to believe that true democracy is alive and well and that the best person wins. While "The Ides of March" is certainly a work of fiction, the story depicted may be as realistic as it can get to our political process. Be a player or a pawn; it's politics as usual.
DVD (blu-ray): http://tinyurl.com/4ynn5s3
Monday, October 10, 2011
Note: "The Ides of March"
"The Ides of March" review is now up on http://www.sdentertainer.com/arts/reviews-arts/the-ides-of-marchmovie-review/ One of the best films of the year! It will be posted on the blog at a later time.
Saturday, October 8, 2011
Upcoming Movies: October 2011
[Note: I meant to post this last week but I was out of town with intermittent connectivity and a lot of stuff got in the way. Looks like an interesting month!]
October 7
"Real Steel" (http://www.steelgetsreal.com/) - Set in the near future, where robot boxing is a top sport, a struggling promoter feels he's found a champion in a discarded robot. During his hopeful rise to the top, he discovers he has an 11-year-old son who wants to know his father.
'The Ides of March" (http://idesofmarch-movie.com/) - An idealistic staffer for a newbie presidential candidate gets a crash course on dirty politics during his stint on the campaign trail.
October 14
"The Thing" (http://www.thethingmovie.net/) - At an Antarctica research site, the discovery of an alien craft leads to a confrontation between a graduate student and a scientist.
"Footloose" (http://www.footloosemovie.com/en_us/) - A city kid moves to a small town where rock 'n' roll and dancing have been banned, and his rebellious spirit shakes up the populace.
October 21
"The There Musketeers" (http://www.threemusketeers-movie.com/) - The hot-headed young D'Artagnan along with three former legendary but now down on their luck Musketeers must unite and defeat a beautiful double agent and her villainous employer from seizing the French throne and engulfing Europe in war.
"Margin Call" (http://margincallmovie.com/) - A thriller that revolves around the key people at a investment bank over a 24-hour period during the early stages of the financial crisis.
October 28
"Anonymous" (http://www.anonymous-movie.com/) - A political thriller advancing the theory that it was in fact Edward De Vere, Earl of Oxford who penned Shakespeare's plays; set against the backdrop of the succession of Queen Elizabeth I, and the Essex Rebellion against her.
"In Time" (http://www.intimemovie.com/) - In the future people stop aging at 25 and must work to buy themselves more time, but when a young man finds himself with more time than he can imagine he must run from the corrupt police force to save his life.
