From feds to family to crooks and politicians, everyone has and angle – or three — in American Hustle, David O. Russell’s new film that offers a look at the post-Watergate schizophrenic culture of America. No more is this exemplified than in the opening scene that offers Irving Rosenfeld’s (Christian Bale in a role physically antithetical to […]
Derek Cianfrance’s Blue Valentine begins with a young girl alone in a field, calling for her dog. She is alone and unheard. A similar beginning greets the audience in The Place Beyond the Pines. It begins in darkness with deep inhales and exhales and the rhythmic click-shish of a switch blade. The tattooed, shirtless Luke (Ryan Gosling) […]
Amidst the mishmash of clichés, Limitless is okay, but the first thirty seconds impel the viewer to question “Why do I watch?” as it presents itself as yet another film that begins at the end, with Eddie Morra (Bradley Cooper) contemplating whether stepping from the ledge of his upper story balcony is better than facing the forces […]
Two months ago, the Liberian Girl and I were lying in bed trying to fall asleep. The TV, which was trying to watch us, spit out a 60-second spot for a movie called Hanna. After the ad concluded, I mumbled something to the effect of: “I may be half sleep, but I’m pretty sure I just saw […]