Snob Movie Review: Changeling

Clint Eastwood directs this period-piece set in 1920's Los Angeles (not to be confused with the cult favourite The Changeling, the Canadian horror movie). It opens in wide release on October 31st, just in time for awards season.

It stars Angelina Jolie as a young single mother who leaves her child alone at home one day to go to work. When she returns, she finds the boy gone. The police eventually return a boy to her - but it's not her son. What then occurs is an unbelievable set of circumstances and situations that show the level of corruption and politics within the police. The problem is that it's all true. The film is a true story.

There are some problems with the storytelling: it lags at some points, and it doesn't really have a satisfying ending. Perhaps if the movie ended 30 minutes before it actually does, I would have been happier.

However, the good things outweigh the bad. Jolie's performance, although bordering on the same thing over and over (it would be fun to count how many times she says 'I want my son back!' or how many times she cries) is still believable and heart-wrenching at times. John Malkovich as a Presbyterian reverend that comes to the woman's aid is incredible. I never thought I'd see him in a role like this, but he does it well. By and large, the supporting cast (Jeffrey Donovan as a corrupt captain, Colm Feore as the chief and Jason Butler Harner as a killer) is what makes this movie work. They will all be overlooked.

Snob Movie Review: Religulous

Larry Charles (Of Seinfeld, Curb Your Enthusiasm and Borat fame) brings us another run-and-gun style documentary about America. It opened last night (October 3rd).

The film consists of Bill Maher questioning every facet of the three 'major' religions in America: Judaism, Christianity and Islam. It is definitely the most damning critiques about religion since Monty Python's The Life of Brian.

In Maher's quest to learn about why religion is still such a major force in America despite the overwhelming evidence against it, Maher interviews devout followers and religous leaders. He travels the world and also delves into his family history with faith.

Some of the interviews work, some of them don't. The most interesting ones are with the folks associated with the Vatican. Their answers are shocking in their candidness and their progressiveness.

Content aside, the movie is quite slick and amounts to just being a travelogue with several sound bites. I feel that some scenes scenes needed to be played out a bit more, others should have been cut down. Although the pace and tone of the movie don't exactly work, the filmmaker's thesis is clear and never deviates from it.

Right before the credits, Bill Maher sums up the entire film in one 'straight for the jugular' angry rant while epic orchestrations play. It's equal parts comedy, satire and insight.

Perhaps not the greatest documentary ever made, Religulous does have some genuine laughs and is entertaining. That's a lot to say for a movie that tackles a taboo topic. It also proves that Larry Charles is one of the great comedic directors of our time.