Sicko
June 22nd, 2007
Sicko is Michael Moore’s most mature work to date and almost certainly his best film. As Hillary Clinton found out the hard way, health care isn’t a particularly sexy topic, but with his usual populist’s touch, Moore has crafted a film that’s intellectually and emotionally gripping from start to finish. Without oversimplifying the complex issues involved, Moore deftly reduces the problem to its most basic elements: don’t we all have a responsibility to look after the weak and the sick? No less strident a polemic than Fahrenheit 911 or Bowling for Columbine, at heart, Sicko is a passionate plea for solidarity and compassion.
The rest of my review is up at About.com. Sicko opens today.
Sicko. Michael Moore, 2007. ****
The Good Shepherd
December 6th, 2006
Pretty good. Robert De Niro directs a terrific cast in a story that outlines the creation of the CIA from the thirties to the Bay of Pigs, with Matt Damon as stoically loyal spy. Angelina Jolie, Alec Baldwin, William Hurt, Billy Crudup, Timothy Hutton, Keir Dullea, Joe Pesci, John Turturro, and Michael Gambon make the nearly three-hour running time fly by, and it’s not until afterwards that you wonder about certain plot points. And how often do you see two movies on the same day where people try to buy their way out of Berlin by selling rocket scientists? Opens December 22.
The Good Shepherd. Robert De Niro, 2006. ***
[tags]film, 3 stars, spies, robert de niro, angelina jolie, matt damon, alec baldwin, william hurt, billy crudup, michael gambon, rocket science, cia, cuba, berlin, russia, cold war, world war ii[/tags]
The Lost City
April 10th, 2006
Oh god no. We walked out of Andy Garcia’s Cuban epic after about 20 mins.
