Old-Movie Reviews

I've decided to do short reviews of some of the movies we watch. Here is the first installment of Old-Movie Reviews (approved by the SRFIA).

Burn After Reading

Spoiler Alert: This movie is terrible! As my wife suggested this movie should have been entitled Burn Before Watching. This was just another typical Coen Bros. movie. Filled with every type of post-modern tripe that you have come to expect. Hint: if you've seen Fargo you've seen all of the Coen Bros. movies. They are all the same. At least O Brother, Where Art Thou? had a great soundtrack.

This film was allegedly a comedy. If adultery, very crude sexual references, the 'f' word, watching someone get beaten to death in the head with the blunt side of an axe and marriages falling apart is funny, the world is worse of than I thought. Burn spent so much time on character development I forgot what I was watching (and yet hated every minute of it, Coen magic!). By the time the plot finally rolled around I just didn't care, I just wanted it to be over.

There is one shining light to the movie, however! The acting. The cast was really phenomenal. George Clooney, Frances McDormand, Brad Pitt, John Malkovich, Tilda Swinton, Richard Jenkins, they all did a very fine job indeed! Especially given what they had to work with.

If I had some kind of rating system, this would score a "don't even bother."

Thanks!
Scott.