short short film reviews

revolutionary road: steep descent into hellish world of disjointed marriage, 9 to 5 corporate bondage, and anesthetic, skin-deep suburban life. kate winslet is radiant as usual. she is trapped, suffocating in her perfect family life. leo dicaprio is uneasy in role of superficial, lightweight, pedestrian husband, deeply confused and angered by wife’s unhappiness. his mind-numbing, inconsequential job and his wife’s baffling resentment create some empathy for his character but not for long. his ambivalence about the character he plays creates a level of discomfort in us, the audience. a lot of raw emotion. some particularly well-observed details, sharply filmed. as in “american beauty” sam mendes is interested in exploring the tragic results of disconnection.

benjamin button: one word – forrest gump. larger than life, magical realism. really long film with great special effects, costumes and female lead. unlikely personal saga and historical epic, all rolled in one.

two lovers: smaller film. fewer effects, fine ensemble acting. joaquin phoenix is charming and vulnerable (what’s all the hoopla about him leaving acting for good?) gwyneth paltrow a bit off doing a nasal impression (it seemed) of mira sorvino’s hilarious fruity accent in “mighty aphrodite”. vinessa shaw is the real revelation here and as it happens, also the center of the film. and isabella rossellini is good to have on screen – for any reason.

state of play: interesting premise (though by no means original). the kind of mystery/thriller hollywood is good at making. russell crowe is impeccable in role of savvy, committed, likable journalist who never got married and lives off of cheetos. ben affleck is ok as good-looking, conflicted senator (always found him to be a bit plastic anyway). other great actors in tiny roles – jeff daniels is amazing as smug, full-of-crap politician, jason bateman is delightfully hilarious as greasy, gigolo-esque PR man, and helen mirren is spot on (though typecast) as caustic editor with trenchant humor and appropriate british accent. the interplay between her and crowe is fun. the storyline is chock-full of cliches (politics, corruption, sex scandal, murder, adultery, friendship, betrayal – they got it all), the dialogue does not sparkle, most of the acting is topnotch, the film is not bad.

russell crowe in “state of play”

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