Be Kind, Please Rewind

He Overdosed on Chill Pills. He’s the…

Vidiot

Week of January 20, 2012

There should be an 8th weekday between Sat & Sun. First up…

The Ides of March

Bad things always happen during March: Messiahs rise from their graves, Irish people are encouraged to get smashed and stabbings while eating Caesar salad increase.

That spring tradition of tragedy now continues with this thriller. 

Determined to see Governor Morris (George Clooney) succeed at his run for presidency, Stephen (Ryan Gosling) excels at his junior position under the Senior Campaign Manager (Philip Seymour Hoffman).

In fact, he’s so exceptional that he is headhunted by the campaign manager (Paul Giamatti) for Morris’ Republican opponent.

Later, a Morris aide (Evan Rachel Wood) comes forward with news that could devastate the white knight’s reputation, while Stephen’s meeting with the enemy is leaked to a reporter (Marisa Tomei).

A pulse-pounding plunge in to the political arena, The Ides of March is a superlative study of a naïve guppy’s evolution into a shrewd shark. 

As for politics, it’s best left to those who can afford to keep their gay lifestyle a secret.  0

Abduction

The best thing about your dad being a CIA agent is that you can cut ties with your dealer and start buying off him. 

And while the spook in this action movie isn’t carrying, he does have an unsafe item on his person.

When Agent Price (Dermot Mulroney) disappears with a list of crooked operatives, a terrorist (Michael Nyqvist) tries to obtain it by posting fraudulent posters of Price’s son Nathan (Taylor Lautner) on missing children websites.

Years later, while working on a missing child assignment for school with his classmate Karen (Lily Collins), Nathan comes across his photo.

When he calls the number posted, Nathan instigates events that lead to his evading the terrorists in a frantic flight across the country.

A maelstrom of ham-fisted acting, slapdash action and sheer pointlessness, Abduction should remain missing.

Although, it is refreshing to see it’s not a known relative doing the abducting.  0       

***Capitol Hillbilly***

Mr. Smith Goes to Washington

Being elected to Senate is like winning the lottery because everyone in town now knows that you have millions of dollars to dole out.

Hence, the effort the newly elected Senator in this drama is putting into the formation of a boys’ camp in his home state.

Appointed a U.S. Senator through providence, head ranger scout Jefferson Smith (James Stewart) finds himself in Washington under the tutelage of Senator Paine (Claude Rains).

Pegged as a patsy, Smith’s subtle stubbornness shines through when his proposed wilderness sanctuary impedes on a dam construction bill helmed by his mentor, Paine.

To prevent its construction, Smith stonewalls proceedings by prompting a filibuster.

While the patriotic pageantry does get laborious, at its core, Mr. Smith Goes to Washington is a hardnosed account of dirty politics in action.

As for making the right decision in politics, whichever choice covers up the strangled intern is the right one.

He Makes Impeach Preserves. He’s the…

Vidiot