You are currently browsing the category archive for the 'The Informant!' category.
We were a little behind in getting out our top fives, so we put them all into one post. Like the good old days. Tragically, we all agree way too much. And it appears we wish the Academy would find a little more room for comedies. Especially comedies concerning the undead. I do wonder, though, at the counting abilities of a few of my fellow Grouches. I’m not naming any names, but I swear I see more than five movies listed for a couple of them.
Adam
Inglourious Basterds
Zombieland
The Hangover
(500) Days of Summer
Up In The Air
Honorable Mentions:
Sunshine Cleaning
Taken
Star Trek
Brian
Up
District 9
Zombieland
The Informant!
The Hangover
Honorable Mentions:
I Love You, Man
Sin Nombre
Jared
Zombieland
Up
District 9
(500) Days of Summer
I Love You, Man
John
Up
Zombieland
The Informant!
Julie and Julia
Up in the Air
It’s not quite the end of the month but I’m headed out on safari for a few weeks and I know no one will sleep until they hear my latest top 5.
1. Up. Still no change.
2. Zombieland. What a delightful surprise. This is a clever, funny, deliciously gory film. It sticks to its premise and takes it in a fun direction. Absolutely terrific characters with some excellent surprises. This is the multiplex movie to see at the moment.
3. The Informant!. Zany, hilarious, twisty.
4. I Love You, Man. Funny! If it’s on the plane I think I’ll watch it again.
5. Moon. Will the fledgling movement to get Sam Rockwell a nomination pay off? Probably not. But that would be sweet.
As time goes on we see more films it’s tougher to move the top five, so occasionally I’d like to highlight a film that probably would have made the top five had I seen it earlier.
9. By no means a perfect movie but I enjoyed its unique visual style and surprisingly dark themes. The second half is significantly better than the first – probably because by then you accept the relatively thin plot and characters – and the climax is quite effective.
For once our opinions are relevant and timely instead of only thoughtful and brilliant! Three of the Grouches got to take in a preview screening of Steven Soderbergh’s newest film, The Informant!. Matt Damon stars as Mark Whitacre, a manager at agri-conglomerate ADM in the early 90s. He tips the FBI off to his firm’s schemes to fix prices for corn derivatives. But rather than a corporate or crime thriller – this is no Michael Clayton or The Firm – The Informant! is a zany journey through Whitacre’s twisted motivations and off-kilter personality.
The film opens this Friday. Here are our quick thoughts:
Brian
Speaking as someone who knew next to nothing about the ins and outs of the Mark Whitacre story, I loved watching the plot unfold and seeing the case for/against ADM unfold. Damon was hilarious and transformative, and Marvin Hamlisch’s score reminded me of one of my favorite movies, The Sting. Even before the big reveals towards the end, I enjoyed playing the “crazy like a fox?” or “just plain crazy?” game with Damon. Highly recommended.
Jared
Frustratingly obvious and consistently flat, The Informant! knows where the jokes should be, but fails to deliver on any of the punchlines. Perhaps because I knew the story ahead of time, the barely-there plot isn’t as twisty as it thinks it is. But maybe most disappointing is the criminally underused supporting cast. What’s the point in having people like Scott Bakula, Tony Hale, Tom Wilson, and the Smothers Brothers in a comedy if they are all going to play straight?
John
The highest praise I can give The Informant! is that it is spot-on tonally. Rather than playing the plot straight, Soderbergh turns the story into a madcap adventure into one businessman’s twisted mind. The plot is interesting enough but the true strength comes in all the clever little touches and humorous absurdities. I wouldn’t call it laugh-out-loud funny for the most part but it’s always amusing and intensely fun. Damon should get some Best Actor consideration. In short: see this because not only is it terrific but I fear it will need every dollar it can scrounge up. The Oscar season is truly off and running.
Recent Comments