One-second movie reviews

(because I am lazy)

Doubt
(Dir: John Patrick Shanley)

Meryl Streep once again takes a chance! Meryl Streep once again misfires!

Instead of reprising the Anna Wintour-whisper she used in Prada, this time she goes in the opposite direction: using some kind of flat, Brooklyn housewife-accent to portray the nun at the center of Doubt. It doesn't help the movie or her co-stars, who all acquit themselves nicely, as if they had to act around her. Shanley's attempts to expand his play beyond the stage are transparent and ineffective.

Slumdog Millionaire
(Dir: Danny Boyle)

The soundtrack is the best thing in this movie, but trust me, Score, Song and Cinematography are the only Oscars this movie deserves. (I'll give it film editing, too). The screenplay is laughable. I've never liked how Danny Boyle portrays children (remember that awful movie "Millions"?) Subtlety is not in his vocabulary. Here again the kids are lying, cheating, thieving little rapscallions. (but oh so loveable--yeah, right!) And the Mumbai police have no greater crimes to deal with than cheating game-show contestants? Bad timing.

The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
(Dir: David Fincher)

Forget Forrest Gump (the movie this Eric Roth-penned marathon is most often compared to): this movie reminds me more of Titanic. First and foremost, the movie is anchored by a horribly aged old lady (the unrecognizable Cate Blanchett). Under all that make-up, though, Cate can still act. (That old lady in Titanic could neither act, nor wash off the age spots). Like Titanic, the movie is a triumph of production values, yet it is always teetering on the edge of sinking under a woefully inadequate script. Fincher may not be 'King of the World,' but he still can dazzle with some amazing set pieces. The Make-up, visual effects, and Sound Mixing are top-notch, Academy voters.