Sometimes, a non-linear storyline serves a purpose. It can unravel a mystery piece by piece and keep the audience guessing. Sometimes, it just appears contrived. In The Debt, the non-linear storyline revealed how a trio of ex-Mossad agents had been living a lie since a seemingly high-profile arrest of a Nazi war criminal. The narrative gimmick also caused the film to drag, separating a clichéd spy story from a more interesting drama. The cast who portrays the characters in the current day are compelling, although barely featured. One of the premises of the film is that the lies told by …
The King’s Speech
Over the course of a given year, only a handful of elite films are released. Hollywood has diluted most of the major genres and most works are shallow copies of something that succeeded previously. The King’s Speech is a shining example of the contrary: a film that balances drama and comedy, features a stellar cast that honours their craft with skilled performances, and a plot that is relevant and informative. The topic – the speech impediment of King George VI and how it is threatening his ability to lead the United Kingdom following the abdication of his brother Edward VIII …
The Secret in Their Eyes
A film that alternates between drama, romance, and comedy, The Secret in Their Eyes shows that thoughtful filmmaking is not dead (at least until the final ten minutes when subtlety goes out the window). Esposito is a retired investigator who is now an aspiring writer. Although he has changed careers, he cannot put his two passions – an unsolved case and an unrequited love – out of his mind. The crime in question, a twenty-five year old murder and rape case, is not overly intricate. Some crime thrillers compile twist after twist until the story passes the bounds of plausibility …
What Just Happened?
“Indeed,” remarked the cinema patrons as they left Robert DeNiro’s latest film What Just Happened? “Was that a comedy or a drama?” said one. “I have no clue,” replied another. “Just keep walking,” urged a third. Did a comedy happen? Or a drama? I was hoping that an absurd series of events would parody Hollywood like Get Shorty. Or maybe a disaffected protagonist grinding his way through a series of soulless setbacks, like directory Barry Levinson’s T.V. series Homicide and Oz. If not that, then two leading actors bantering back and forth and satirizing their field, like another Levinson-DeNiro collaboration …