26 September 2008

Traitor

Spanks - 2

Director - Jeffrey Nachmanoff

Writers - Jeffrey Nachmanoff & Steve Martin

Starring - Don Cheadle, Guy Pearce, Saïd Taghmaoui, Neal McDonough and Jeff Daniels

Release Date - 27 August 2008

MPAA Rating - PG-13

Traitor tells the story of a fictional Islamic terrorist group plotting attacks on the United States with the help of American Samir Horn who was previously in the armed forces. Getting in Samir's way is FBI agent Roy Clayton. The film follows Samir across three continents to complete his mission with agent Clayton on his trail.

I went into this film not know what it was about or what to expect. It was very interesting and suspenseful. I kept wanting to know what was going to happen next. There were a few times in the movie where I never expected what was going to happen next. It also gives you the terrorist point of view, and not the terrorist side from the good guys point of view, which doesn't happen often in Hollywood. I was expecting and hoping for an unexpected Arlington Road like ending, unfortunately that ending never came. It had the ending I didn't want to happen when the Future Mrs. Spanky suggested it.

14 September 2008

Burn After Reading

Spanks - 3.5

Director - Ethan Coen & Joel Coen

Writers - Joel Coen & Ethan Coen

Starring - George Clooney, Frances McDormand, Brad Pitt, John Malkovich & Tilda Swinton

Release Date - 12 September 2008

MPAA Rating - R

Burn After Reading is not what I thought it was going to be from the trailer. The trailer made it seem like it was going to be more of a comedy like the Big Lebowski, but in reality it was a Coen Brothers movie that had a few really good laughs.

The film is about blackmail, online dating, national secrets, affairs, and physical fitness. John Malkovich plays a CIA analyst who quits his job, Tilda Swinton is his wife, George Clooney is a agent for the treasury department, and Brad Pitt and Frances McDormand work for the gym Hardbodies. They film follows how their lives are intertwined over the course of a few days, which happens because of Malkovich quitting his job at the CIA.

My only problem with Burn After Reading was it was slow getting started. Once everything was in place the movie felt like it just started. The film does a great job of keeping you thinking what will happen next, which you will probably guess wrong every time... I did. If you do go see it, pay attention because its one of those movies where you can miss something very easily and you will want to see again when it is released on DVD.