Steel White Table

A Mighty Heart — I’m not sure what to say, so I’m quoting the linked review from James Berardinelli: “Daniel Pearl‘s kidnapping and subsequent death at the hands of terrorists became a major media story during January and February 2002… A video leaked to the Internet showing Pearl’s decapitation magnified the tragedy. A Mighty Heart… examines events of that one month period from the perspective of those who sought Daniel’s release: his pregnant wife [played well by Angelina Jolie], his friends and colleagues at The Wall Street Journal, and the Pakistani security forces. The film is fascinating and at times disturbing, but Winterbottom‘s arms-length style mutes any emotional impact.” I felt like I was watching a documentary. And thankfully they don’t show the beheading. (May 12/08)

Scarface — A silly, over-rated 1980s gangster movie that is so melodramatic and dated, it’s a joke. Cubans who hear Al Pacino’s Cuban accent must laugh the way Newfoundlanders laugh at the accents in The Shipping News. It may be fun to watch as a cheesy, over-the-top, violent, blood and guts B-movie, but an animé cartoon with the same two-dimensional characters would have been just as dramatic. (May 10/08.)

Tags: al pacino, angelina jolie, brief encounter, daniel pearl, scarface