In the Loop (2009)

 

Synopsis: If you enjoy watching venal, self-serving and foul-mouthed politicians and politicians scream at each other via cellphone conversations, this is definitely your movie! 

Blurb From the DVD jacket: “The fate of the world is on the line” 

What Did I Learn?: 1) Builders never fucking turn up in the nick of time. 2) “Iceman” probably isn’t a real name. 3) The Brits have a say: “difficult, difficult, lemon difficult.” 4) don’t leave your boss twisting in the wind and then burst in late, smelling like a pissed seaside donkey. 5) Frosting is on cakes. 6) In the land of truth, the man with one fact is the king. 6) The Canadians are always happy - and surprised - when they’re invited to participate in a major international initiative. 

Might Like This Movie If: You understand the importance of staying within the magic loop. 

Really?: 1) Wait - Toby sleeps over in Liza’s apartment after their late-night tryst, and she doesn’t wake him up the next morning even though they’re supposed to attend the same early-morning meeting? That doesn’t seem credible. 2) So, wait… if Karen Clark and General Miller want Simon’s assistance during a critical meeting, maybe they could have actually explained their position, or told him what they wanted him to do? Just a thought. 3) See: “Synopsis”… strange how every single character fits this description, and is sarcastic, to boot. 

Rating: In the Loop is an excellent example of a very rare type of film: a smart, compelling and very funny political comedy that somehow resists the temptation to get preachy, much like the 1970s/80s British sitcom Yes Minister. My only complaint is that all of the characters seem to be cut from the same cloth, and it’s difficult to actually care one way or the other if war breaks out in the Middle East because none of the “good guys” are all that competent or likeable, and the would-be villains are quite funny at times. Highly recommended. 9/10 stars. 

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1226774/?ref_=nv_sr_srsg_0

Bonnie and Clyde (1967)

 

Synopsis: Post-Classical Hollywood romanticizes spree-killing outlaw couple…..oh wait, that’s the Synopsis for Badlands! 

Blurb From the DVD jacket: “Adrift in the Depression-era Southwest, Clyde Barrow and Bonnie Parker embark on a life of crime.” 

What Did I Learn?: Apparently, it was relatively easy to shove seven people into an early-1930s Ford and then ride comfortably. 

You Might Like This Movie If: You know that any gang led by a guy named Clyde has to be bad news.

Really?: 1) So, why exactly is Clyde impotent? This isn’t properly explained. I also have to wonder why Bonnie would stay with him when he can’t satisfy her, sexually, and he’s wanted by the cops. 2) It’s strange how neither Bonnie nor CW react all that much after Clyde ices a bank employee - the gang’s first murder. This should have been a much bigger moment in the film. 3) The characters mention a couple of interesting events - a group of farmers protecting the gang from the police with their pitchforks, and the gang robbing a local armoury to obtain Tommy-guns and grenades - that I can’t help thinking should have been filmed and actually shown to the audience. 4) Why in the world would the gang bring Blanche along for their robberies, considering she does nothing except scream during gunplay? 

Rating: Famed critic Roger Ebert called Bonnie and Clyde “a work of truth and brilliance,” and I’m inclined to agree with him. The film is a very enjoyable biopic that manages to make its title characters sympathetic, even though they’re violent and narcissistic criminals with a warped sense of right and wrong. And holy cow, what a cast - during a car ride we get to see Warren Beatty, Faye Dunaway, Gene Hackman and Gene Wilder (in his screen debut) exchange jokes and laughter. Highly recommended. 9/10 stars. 

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0061418/?ref_=rvi_tt