The Film Crusade

Every film has a different code of ethics for its newspaper, reporter, editor, and even its subjects. The most recent newspaper movie, “State of Play”, reminded us of just how downright dirty editors and reporters on film can be.

It’s no surprise that Sean Byrne’s relentlessly blood-soaked “The Loved Ones” won the Cadillac People’s Choice Award at TIFF’s midnight screening. The young Australian writer/director has since been hard-pressed for free time as many in Hollywood have been vying for his attention.

On June 30th it will have been 20 years since Spike Lee’s “Do The Right Thing” was screened in theaters. Lee’s controversial yet bold exercise in filmmaking proved himself a pioneer in understanding race relations and certainly one of the best black voices in film.

What is it with the bad-guy biopics? And why do audiences keep eating them up? Michael Mann’s Public Enemies is a clear-cut example of the direction Hollywood has been going for the last couple decades in terms of framing traditional antagonists as protagonists.

What makes Watchmen so challenging is that it is not easy-watching. While most comic-book flicks these days are purely geared towards escapism, Watchmen compels viewers to consider humanity in its lowest form and think about the human capacity for evil.

One of the most highly anticipated of 2008, Oliver Stone’s W. is less an attempt at defining President Bush’s legacy as President, and more an introspective character study on how Bush came to be President and how he viewed the office.