Tag: Ryan Gosling
Movie Review: ‘The Ides of March’
This is the third Clooney-directed film I’ve seen, and I’ve noticed it’s a common issue. Where’s Jack Nicholson screaming, “you can’t handle the truth!” Where’s the fist fight? Where’s the heavy-hitting music to create suspense? When actors turn to directing, they leave behind these essential elements in favor of an understated approach (remember Robert De Niro’s ‘The Good Shepherd,’ for example?). I think they feel above it. I think they resent having spent so much time executing cheesy dialogue while running from a burning vehicle that they feel they can accomplish the same task without it. But like it or not — those things are often necessary to make a movie enjoyable. Otherwise, it’s as if I’m watching a documentary.
The movie stars Ryan Gosling as Stephen Meyers, the Junior Campaign Manager for Mike Morris (George Clooney), the Pennsylvania Governor who is trying to win the Democratic Primary to later run for President. Philip Seymour Hoffman plays Paul Zara, his Senior Campaign Manager. The campaign can be cutthroat at times, and by the end of it, it really doesn’t matter what anyone’s political belief is as long as Morris wins. The plot is relatively expected, with the exception of an interesting twist in act three. Unfortunately, by the time act three hit I had already mentally checked out of the film.
OVERALL RATING: 3/5 DISHES
Movie Review: Crazy, Stupid, Love
Netflix Recommendation: Lars and the Real Girl
Today’s Question: Will a Movie Ever Get a NC-17 Rating Because of Violence?
Ryan Gosling and Michelle Williams’ new film, The Blue Valentine, was slapped with the much dreaded NC-17 rating by the MPAA, because of its graphic sex scenes. If the movie manages to get an Oscar nomination (which is likely), it will be in the company of only two movies — Henry and June and Midnight Cowboy. Midnight Cowboy was actually rated X, which has now been turned into an NC-17 rating, because the porn industry has a stronghold on the letter “X.” Here’s what I will never understand about this rating. The puritanical folks over at the MPAA can give an NC-17 rating based on sex, but never on violence? Remember Passion of the Christ? Which movie do you guess is more disturbing for a young child — Passion of the Christ or Showgirls? I’m guessing a young teen might loose sleep over Showgirls, but not for the same reasons that he might loose sleep after watching Jesus get tortured for hours on end.