Roll Out

Depending on one's vantage point, this link dump is either late or early. Either way, enjoy my in-depth reviews of last weekend's giant blockbuster and the coming two weekend's biggest releases.

Coming Soon:
Brüno (Slant magazine)
Public Enemies (Slant magazine)

Out Now:
Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen (Slant magazine)
The Stoning of Soraya M. (Slant magazine)

And over at IFC, I've contributed to two near features. The first is a list of the 50 greatest movie trailers of all time (I wrote up 9 capsules), and the second is for a Bollywood package, and concerns the five biggest male movie stars working in India today.

The Fifty Greatest Trailers of All Time (IFC News)
The Ten Bollywood Stars You Should Know (IFC News)

Comments

[Anthony]

I just wanted to say I've enjoyed reading your reviews for some time and check them regularly. They are always very thoughtful and exceptionally well written. (There should be more comments on this site!)

Public Enemies was the film I was most looking forward to this summer, so I was hoping you'd be a little more excited about it. Nonetheless, I look forward to seeing it this week.

Also, what did you think of Marion Cotillard in the film? Does she bring any life to her thin role or is there not much to note?

Best,

Anthony

[Nick]

Anthony,

Thanks very much for the nice comment.

I thought Cotillard was fine in PE - as I briefly noted in my review, I really dug some of her early, seemingly skeptical reaction shots to Dillinger boastfully talking tough about his invincibility. But, like much of the film, that angle never gets developed enough. And as a result, her performance is capable but limited by the role's thinness.

[Anthony]

Hey,

Having now seen Public Enemies, I figured I'd follow up with some quick thoughts. Disappointingly given my expectations, your review was completely on the mark. I don't have too much to add. I'll just say that I felt that the film was too plodding and that it never gained the momentum necessary to capture Dillinger's live-in-the-now philosophy. The romance was unconvincing and, as such, the film is drained of the emotional weight it so clearly strives for. The film also provides little social context as to the source of Dillinger's legend.

Overall, I don't think it was necessarily a bad film. I felt it was always interesting with some strong moments, but I was hoping for a bit more.