The Conspirator

Redford’s post-Lincoln pic drowns its talent in the overly theatrical lighting, stagy direction, and tedious dialogue of a historical reenactment, and thus assassinates chances at cinematic success.  McAvoy’s underwhelming lead strives valiantly to accomplish nothing resulting in the most frustrating courtroom scenes ever filmed.  Plenty of potential seems suspiciously unrealized.

The Ides of March

Old-fashioned political drama. Witty banter of a Sorkin script without clever plotting or potent subtlety. The messages are nothing new and story seems to build to shameless punch-line but even in spite of unrelated plot-points still carries suspense to the end. If Clooney went into politics it would be unfair.

Whatever Works

Woody Allen writes a fantasy for himself and casts the person most like him to play the lead. David excels in the role and is aided by an excellent supporting cast. Allen’s film-referential jokes work better here than ever before and he succeeds in creating his most likeable assholes yet.