Gone Girl is superb cinema. A classic Fincher methodical slow burn that erupts into breath-taking violence. A sharp (as nails) script, exquisitely almost perfectly lit and shot, a memorable sound track and universally fantastic performances: Ben Affleck, Neil Patrick Harris, Kim Dickens, and what’s sure to be a career-changing turn by Carrie Coon as Go….
Read moreArgo
Set in the scary, chaotic aftermath of the Iranian revolution and the storming of the American embassy in Tehran, Argo sees six embassy workers take a gap and escape into the madness of the streets. Terrified and under very real threat of death, they seek sanctuary in the Canadian embassy like so many Anne Franks,…
Read moreThe Town
OK, OK, OK, I take it all back. He’s NOT “Flobby Ben Affleck” any more, OK? I get it. He’s a lean mean fighting machine. And in The Town, which he also directed with flair, he is electrifyingly good. Set in the Charlestown area of Boston that’s apparently reknowned for its national ranking in bank…
Read moreState of Play
I’m not, generally speaking, a huge fan of politicians. My encounters with them – real or fictional – always leave me feeling a little bit tainted by all the spin and hypocrisy. State of Play, then, (starring portly Russell Crowe and flobby Ben Affleck) buys neatly into all of my wildly pre-conceived notions of political…
Read moreHe’s Just Not That Into You
I’ll start right out by saying that He’s Just Not That Into You is set in Baltimore, and that’s perhaps the most interesting thing about it. A wry-ish look at the pitfalls and pratfalls of dating amongst an extended Chinese Whisper of friends and acquaintances, He’s Just was clearly conceived as some modern When Harry…
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