Hurt Locker, The (2008)

A glib and unpersuasive attempt to identify the primitive and savage “other” with the super-rich

More evidence, if evidence were needed, that the movies are not very good at re-imagining the myths and legends of the past, especially not Biblical ones

Baz Luhrmann’s Romeo and Juliet is a good example of Shakespeare killed by terminal hipness. It is remarkably clever, and even has some good dramatic ideas. Having Juliet (Claire Danes) wake up just before Romeo (Leonardo DiCaprio) drinks the poison and simply cutting Friar Lawrence (Pete Postlethwaite) out of it is an interesting notion and…

An actor’s movie — written by his brother — to show off the considerable talents of Philip Seymour Hoffman

The Hollywood in-joke of presenting Jack Nicholson as a therapist for angry people takes this movie a long way, but not long enough.

Maybe I’m getting too old to take a continual exposure to our morally radioactive popular culture. The experience of watching Whipped, written and directed by Peter M. Cohen, produced on me the same effect that the sight of Poor Tom o’Bedlam had on the Earl of Gloucester in King Lear: “I’th’ last night’s storm I…