Tag Archives: Movies

Movie Review: “The Kids Are All Right”

"The Kids Are All Right"

I didn’t like this movie half as much as I thought I would, for two reasons:

(1) The trailer gives away too much.

(2) The part the trailer doesn’t give away is the worst part of the movie.

I actually liked the trailer more than the movie.

What follows is a spoiler, so if you don’t want to know, do not continue reading!


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Movie Review: It’s Complicated

It's Complicated

I had the opportunity to see the new movie It’s Complicated last night at a pre-release screening in Times Square. It didn’t knock my socks off, but it was pleasant and funny, and I enjoyed it. It was the first time I’d seen Steve Martin in a non-comedic role. He was totally believable.

It’s the story of a divorced woman, played by Meryl Streep, who ends up in an affair with her ex-husband, played by Alec Baldwin. And then there is the divorced architect, played by Steve Martin, who also is interested in Streep’s character. I won’t tell you who wins.

I thought the acting and direction were better than the script, which was a bit predictable. The acting was great; everyone in it was good. One very funny scene was when Streep’s character tells her children about the affair with their father, thanks to some inspired direction (or maybe it was in the script, who knows). I won’t spoil that for you, either.

The movie has many funny moments – one in particular is fall-on-the-floor funny. If you see it, you’ll know which one I mean. The film consistently held my attention, never dragged. But it became obvious fairly early on what was going to happen, so there wasn’t a lot of suspense. Nor was there much depth in the character development. This is okay in a light comedy, there just wasn’t a lot to it. It’s a simple story with simple characters.

I’d rate it good but not great, pleasant but not profound. It’s a pleasant way to spend a couple hours, but not the kind of movie you tell all your friends they have to see.

Review: Michael Moore’s Capitalism: A Love Story

Capitalism isn’t as well done as Sicko, Moore’s previous film. But it’s well worth seeing for its disturbing insights and information, brought into vivid high relief by Moore’s inimitable style. The film’s main themes are:

  • Capitalism is not the great moral good that we’ve been taught it is since childhood. In fact, it’s an evil system with incentives that inevitably lead to a small number of people amassing vast wealth, while a large majority of workers can’t afford the basics of life. Ironically, although the pro-capitalist religious right has appropriated Christianity to itself, capitalism goes against all the precepts of Christianity and Jesus Christ. Moore backs up this assertion with numerous and persuasive expert interviews, and some shocking facts of which most people are unaware.
  • Capitalism is actually not small-d democratic at all. The hierarchical structure of large corporations is fascist, not democratic. You have no say; you’re a cog in a machine owned and run by others. You do what you’re told or you’re fired. Capitalism was not part of our founders’ vision. There is no reference to capitalism in the Constitution, and in fact many of our founders – including Thomas Jefferson and John Adams – warned against it. Jefferson said, “Banking establishments are more dangerous than standing armies.”

Capitalism makes its main points well, but has some weaknesses:

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