RELE VAN T RECOMMENDS: DV DS
ZERO DARK THIRTY K ATHRYN BIGELOW [COLUMBIA PICTURES, R]
> One word sums up Zero Dark Thirty: ambivalence. Not because the film is a mixed bag of successes and failures. With her eminent style—a cinematic realism of mobile camerawork, excessive dialogue and restrained performances—Kathryn Bigelow constructs an engrossing feat. Its ambivalence is due to its conflicted view of the War on Terror, making the film as pertinent as it is entertaining. While labeled “journalistic,” Bigelow and screenwriter Mark Boal’s approach spurs more out of complexity than a commitment to objectivity. From its brutal portrayal of torture to its celebratory depiction of bin Laden’s demise, Zero Dark Thirty represents a complicated outlook— personified in its protagonist, Maya, played spectacularly by Jessica Chastain—that so many hold. It’s an outlook unafraid to admit the paradoxical nature of war and violence.
WRECK-IT RALPH RICH MOORE (WALT DISNEY, PG)
PROMISED LAND GUS VAN SANT (FOCUS FEATURES, R)
> This latest animated installment
> A filmmaker with plenty of duds
from Disney feels like a superficial frenzy of nostalgia, with its bright colors, manic action and Nintendonoise score. It moves swiftly and sporadically like, well, a video game. But underneath the chaos lies a meditation on human experience and being an outsider. Through an exploration into the souls of arcade avatars, particularly that of Ralph who sets off on an odyssey after growing tired of being the “bad guy,” the film proves to have heart behind its gimmicks and ploys.
and delights, Gus Van Sant puts together a smart drama in his latest. Promised Land tells the story of two city slickers, Steve (Matt Damon) and Sue (Frances McDormand), who try to convince a small town to let a gas company drill on their land. But as Steve falls for a local (Rosemarie DeWitt) and butts heads with a skeptical scientist (Hal Holbrook) and an environmentalist (John Krasinski), he begins to question his actions. The result is half cautionary tale and half romantic comedy.