REVIEW
Movie Review: Burn After Reading
In modern cinema, one phrase is constant:The Coen brothers make good movies. This holds true for their latest outing, Burn After Reading. With an all-star cast led by George Clooney, Frances McDormand, Tilda Swinton, Brad Pitt and John Malkovich, Burn After Reading is a dark-as-night comedy with enough shock and awe to keep any movie buff's jaw on the floor.
The movie opens in the middle of a well-lit corridor with the sound of dress shoes clicking against the marble floor. When the owner of the shoes, Osborne Cox (Malkovich), is forced into quitting his post as a low-level CIA agent, the mania begins.
The plot expands when Cox's wife (Swinton) decides to divorce her husband for her lover, Harry (Clooney). At her lawyer's suggestion, she copies a disk of all Cox's financial records, which falls into the idiot hands of Chad and Linda (Pitt and McDormand). The dynamically dimwitted duo then attempts to blackmail Cox.
What makes this movie so darn watchable is the crispness of the acting and the quirkiness of the script. Pitt and McDormand are impeccable as an idiotic
pair of wannabe criminals, and no other actors could have played the roles of Cox and Harry quite as well as Malkovich and Clooney.
The Coen brothers, known for their long string of excellent movies—including Fargo and last year's Oscars-sweeping No Country for Old
Men—have hit another home run with Burn After Reading.The dialogue is spot-on,and the twists and turns are not at all predictable.Just wait till you see what Harry is building in his basement.
— Mark Arehart
Movie Review: The Family That Preys
Director Tyler Perry's new movie focuses on the fragile bond between money, family and friendship. The Family That Preys follows two families whose mother figures are the best of friends. The Cartwrights are made up of Charlotte (Kathy Bates), who is the multimillionaire head of a construction company, and her son William (Cole Hauser). The Pratts, a family from a more urban environment, are comprised of Alice (Alfre Woodard) and her two daughters Andrea (Sanaa Lathan) and Pam (Taraji P. Henson).
The Family That Preys has two parallel stories playing out simultaneously. One is the story of Charlotte and Alice, who decide to take a road trip across the country, much like Thelma and Louise. Along the way, Charlotte teaches Bible-hugging Alice to live her life, while Alice tries to introduce some religion to her friend.
Meanwhile, their unruly children are dealing with drama of their own.
In a way to escape her urban past, Andrea throws herself into the world of finance and lands a job working for the Cartwrights alongside Charlotte's
son, William Andrea's husband, played by Rockmond Dunbar, is a lowly
construction worker and struggles with his inability to provide for his family. Pam, although seemingly happy with her life, pushes her husband to explore his dreams of opening his own construction
company with the line, "What's wrong with wanting a little bit more?"
As always, drama ensues between the two families, boundaries are crossed, bonds are unraveled, and Tyler Perry reminds the audience what is most important in life: family and faith.
—Mia Iverson
Music Review: Portugal. The Man, Censored Colors
A combination of disbanded Alaskan groups—namely the post-hardcore outfit Anatomy of a Ghost—Portugal. The Man formed in 2005 and has been making quirky music ever since. Portugal.The Man's eccentric sound comes together once again on their third full-length album, Censored Colors.
Colorful is certainly a fitting adjective to describe Portugal. The Man's music, which ranges from lighthearted piano to ambient orchestral numbers to folkish, acoustic melodies. John Gourley's falsetto can be both beautiful and eerie, which gives the album a wide variety of sounds.
Portugal.The Man's blend of elements makes for an intriguing listen.Any band who can successfully transition from hints of electronic tones to progressive rock numbers to acoustic tunes backed by melodic piano and cello and still be true to themselves is surely doing something right.
The charming, playful chorus of "Lay Me Back Down" blends right into "Colors," with its beautiful, harmonized vocals against a backdrop of chords, strings and solemn melodies. With the conclusion of "Intermission" comes the
Truly a one-of-a-kind band, Portugal. The Man has created a fulfilling album meshing distinctive, energetic sounds with several musical styles to create something truly unique.
more experimental half of the CD,jump started by "New Orleans," a jazzy track, and ending with "Our Way," which boasts feel-good reggae beats.
—Amanda Sorell
Movie Review: Vicky Cristina Barcelona
Genius filmmaker Woody Allen has long been fascinated by the indefinable qualities of love. Whether questioning the need for such an illogical, often painful enterprise, as in Annie Hall, or pondering the plight of the romantic, as in Manhattan, at his best.Allen brilliantly combines insight and deprecating humor to address the subject of love.With Vicky Cristina Barcelona, his 43rd picture, the venerable director returns to this familiar ground.
The story follows two American friends, Vicky (Brebeca Hall) and Cristina (Scarlett Johansson) during their summer in the titular city. It doesn't take long before the two are discovered by aggressively romantic Juan Antonio (Javier Bardem), who invites both women to a weekend in Oviedo. He assures them a good time will be had by all eating well, drinking good wine and making love.
The male fantasy is quickly hailed by the more respectable, soon-to-be-barrered neurotic Vicky, though Cristina, adventurous and curious, convinces her friend to at least keep her company. This being a Woody Allen film, the fantasy returns in the form of Juan Antonio's intensely unstable ex-wife, Maria Elena, played with gusto by Penelope Cruz.
The appealing premise has obvious potential but is undercut by overwhelming mediocrity, which is the major fault of Vicky Cristina Barcelona. The photography is handsome, but not
particularly striking or interesting. The actors perform capably, but not exceptionally. Rebecca Hall is the only real standout of the ensemble, creating a beautiful sadness through wonderfully confused glances. Plot contrivances and lazy narration confirm the movie's status as merely acceptable. Not unlike a transient love, Vicky Cristina Barcelona is attractive and occasionally fun, but ultimately unsatisfying.
Darron Carswell
September 18,2008
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