‘The Informant!’
3 out of 5 stars
Steven Soderbergh’s version
of the true tale about an Illinois whistle-blower who wreaked havoc on his
employer, Archer Daniels Midland, holds our interest when not getting bogged
down in the dirty details of the agricultural-business behemoth. Matt Damon is
the titular rat (and “mole,” to boot) who moves along
the slippery slope he created for himself during the early 1990s, though his
appearance — and that of the cinematography — screams 70s.
Based on Kurt Eichenwald’s
book (minus the explanation point, which fittingly suggests a comedic slant),
it walks a fine line between a documentary-like expose and audience-friendly
cinema. When he isn’t serving as voiceover narrator, Damon appears well cast,
believably conveying Soderbergh’s unique blend of pathos and humor while dragging
FBI agents (Scott Bakula and Joel McHale) into a swamp of price-fixing and finger-pointing.
The movie proves livelier
than it had any business being, though it’s best summarized by the old saying, “There
are lies, damn lies and statistics.”
Short Takes - Summaries of current-run films
“Sorority Row”
1 ½ out of 5 stars
Promising title, miserable
movie. On a college campus lurks a killer – are you serial? Ostensibly returning to the scene
months after a practical joke goes awry, the plot leads to the inadvertent death
of a sorority sister (gorgeous Audrina Patridge, on screen less often than for
TV’s “The Hills”). Not exactly an original premise — and the picture itself is a rehashing of dubious “The
House on Sorority Row” a quarter century ago.
It all starts with the date
drug “roofies” and gets no more imaginative from there, unless you count
menacing threats made via cell phones. Stewart Hendler’s formulaic frightfest
tries to match the urgency of another predecessor, “I Know What You Did Last
Summer,” with every truism in the horror handbook: buckets of blood, fleeting
nudity, banal dialogue.
“Inglourious Basterds”
4 ½ out of 5 stars
Quentin Tarantino returns to
form with a vengeance, and not a moment too soon. The notorious writer-director’s
revisionist slant on the Holocaust follows the path of a band of Nazi trackers
led by Brad Pitt (“I want my scalps!”) who leave their mark in more ways than
one. Along the way, this spectacle spoils audiences with nerve-racking drama —
its opening scene at a French farmhouse is one for the ages – and more
laughs than you might expect, given the wartime subject. In turn, Tarantino’s
latest deserves a spot just below “Pulp Fiction” in his distinctive catalog.
Despite its array of
intriguing participants and wickedly entertaining passages, the picture’s most
powerful element is that of a self-proclaimed “Jew hunter” (exceptional
Christoph Waltz) who strikes a balance between getting a point across without
always tipping his hand. This proves as watchable and substantive a character
as Tarantino has ever drawn up, and it would be a travesty – come Academy
Awards time – if Waltz’s unforgettable presence is denied. Previously
reviewed
“Extract”
3 out of 5 stars
Despite its ridiculous
title, Mike Judge’s latest big-screen farce is every bit as funny as the
beloved “Office Space,” which has enjoyed a cult following for the past decade.
In this timely take on corporate America, Jason Bateman (enjoying an impressive
resurgence with “State of Play” and “Juno” as well) shines as a plant owner
whose employees prove as troublesome as his unfaithful wife.
Most of the batch of
characters — particularly Ben Affleck’s amusing bartender (“She’s a
tramp?”) and J.K. Simmons’ manager — deliver the
one-liners with aplomb, even as the narrative grows stale and redundant. Dustin
Milligan, as a witless gigolo, and Gene Simmons (yes, that one) supply
out-of-the box comic relief, though this movie — like blue-collar
companies worldwide — ultimately suffers from too many chiefs, not enough
Indians.
“(500) Days of Summer”
3 ½ out of 5 stars
This offbeat romantic comedy
has boasted remarkable staying power for months, and with good reason:
Filmmaker Marc Webb unveils a non-linear twist on the fickle relationship
between a young man (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) and his quirky colleague (Zooey
Deschanel), the latter who doesn’t believe in love and fate.
The movie’s ambiguous title
refers not to the warmest season, but to Deschanel’s radiant player. (A typical
reaction from the seemingly unflappable heroine whenever a courtship goes sour:
“That’s just life.”) Behind the camera, Webb complements the unusual
proceedings with refreshing interplay and cinematic flourish rarely seen in
mainstream fare.
“Whiteout”
2 ½ out of 5 stars
Hollywood ventures to
Antarctica for a chilly whodunit, and fortunately for viewers, Kate Beckinsale
stands front and center for the duration. As a U.S.
Marshal, the convincing Beckinsale ends up stuck trying to solve a murder-caper
around the South Pole for an entire winter, although how anyone can
differentiate between the seasons is the real mystery.
When frozen corpses begin
piling up, so do the action clichés. In the hands of director Dominic Sena, who
seems to have lost his bearings since the compelling “Kalifornia” years ago,
token characters battle the frosty elements and hackneyed script. Proficient
cinematographer Chris Soos does his best to offset an avalanche of CGI effects.
At day’s end, an unspoiled Beckinsale — with an assist by understated Tom
Skerritt — emerges as the only explorer who comes out unscathed. Previously
reviewed
jluksic@syvjournal.com