The Adjustment Bureau (2011)

The Adjustment Bureau is a pleasant film, and quite often to its own detriment. Billed as a “romantic thriller”, it isn’t especially thrilling, or honest in its romanticism. But it tries hard and it means well, and occasionally that’s enough.

The Green Zone (2010)

The Green Zone is pretty much the anti-Hurt Locker, high on star-power and social indignity, and the combined urge to search out reason and answers for big-picture questions too complicated and powerful to answer in a single 2-hour action flick.  Loosely adapted from the book by former war reporter Rajiv Chandrasekaran, Paul Greengrass’s film takes place in Iraq at a time when President Bush was on an aircraft carrier declaring “Mission: Accomplished” while many American were starting to wonder just what that mission really was.  Matt Damon plays one of those Americans, a chief marine officer charged with the acquisition of WMDs.  Only every site his team hits is empty, a casualty of faulty intel.  Damon wants answers.  He wants the truth.  But can he handle it?

oscar Preview Review: Invictus (2009)

What I said before Cinewise:

Sure, it’s prestigious and decorated with award aspiration achievements. But it’s also paper thin and almost completely devoid of conflict. Morgan Freeman’s turn as South African president Nelson Mandela isn’t nearly as intriguing as Frank Langella’s portrayal of Nixon was last year, but it’s still Oscar bate. It’s the role itself that leaves us wanting.