The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent

At turns amusing, bemusing, exciting, and heartwarming, this film ultimately earns the simple and perhaps most important characterization a film can receive: entertaining. The clever conception of the movie’s recursive plot and structure makes it something of a puzzle to be put together by the viewer, though not one that ever reaches the status of too difficult or overly frustrating. The greatest wonder here may be Nicolas Cage's self-deprecating self-awareness; he not afraid to make himself look foolish while celebrating himself at the same time. One curious aspect of this work is the fact that it relies upon—with no small amount of justification—the idea that pretty much everyone understands the mechanics of Hollywood filmmaking; we’re all immediately in on the joke. Unique and enjoyable, this flick can hardly be called unbearable, whatever level of talent it may truly display.

Snowden

Regarding tangled webs we weave: we give a great deal of thought to the webs, but we tend not to consider much about the weaver. If we do give consideration, it's usually to condemn and judge--nothing particularly positive. Oliver Stone set out to shift against that with this biopic of both the man and his actions. The attempt was not entirely successful; there are enough inconsistencies that nagging feelings about the verdict are inescapable. Some of the problems are simple movie-making issues. For instance, Shailene Woodley portrayal of Snowden's girlfriend starts off sharp and smart, but devolves into a hyper-emotional almost-bimbo. (Though it may be the best testimony to Snowden's integrity, that he was willing to forgo his hottie for the sake of personal freedom.) The best work here is probably from Rhys Ifans as young Ed's mentor in the spook world; he covers the whole gamut from menace to nobility in an excellent performance. So is Snowden a hero or traitor? There's no point in saying in a review of this movie; the answer is largely a matter of personal viewpoint (though the film's coda, with various media reports of government action to curb surveillance, seems to present a pretty good case in his favor). You'll just have to judge for yourself.

Matchstick Men

The story remains engaging throughout, but there are a few too many hairpin turns from light and breezy to somber and serious. I make this a tough call; you won't want to forget it, but it's not particularly memorable either. Toss a coin.