 | | | | | |
| LAPDANCE LARRY |
| SEVENTIES SIMON |
| PHOTOGRAPHY |
| COMIC ART |
| INTERVIEWS |
| Sub-menu 1.2.1.1 |
| FESTIVALS |
| EXHIBITIONS |
State of Play
Starting life as a six-part television series on BBC One back in 2003, State Of Play has now become an Americanized movie with all the bells and whistles included. A big cast, expensive production values and a major ad campaign that sees its four main actors staring at you from what seems like every bus stop and roadside sign imaginable are just a few of its US traits. It does beg the question though; will it actually be any good?
And in a rare departure of form it proves to be quite a thrill ride and has a few strong acting performances at its core. Russell Crowe downplays the epic and is quite convincing as Cal McAffrey, the old school newspaper reporter and the always-excellent Helen Mirren is a lot of fun as the paper’s editor and McAffrey’s boss Cameron Lynne. The usually disposable Ben Affleck is also quite good as the politician at the centre of events Stephen Collins.
Giving away too many details of the storyline would be unfair but a few things can be reveled. The story involves seemingly unrelated criminal events, a big corporate conspiracy, self serving politicians and an interesting glimpse into the newspaper business as it gets challenged by the new electronic media.
In this type of film, timing is all and the ending has to not devalue the entire proceedings. Using those criteria, its American masters have succeeded. This version of State Of Play has few hiccups along the way and delivers a film that will have you donning your Sherlock Holmes cap and second-guessing everyone’s intensions and culpabilities. Also the obligatory twist at the end will catch more than a few out.
Rob Hudson
official website
|
|
| also featured |
| CURRENT COMPETITIONS! Get the Gringo Competition Thanks to Icon Movies, we have ten in-season double passes to give away to Get the Gringo! Read more >> The Women in Black Administering the sale of a deceased estate for a law firm, widower
Arthur Kipps (Daniel Radcliffe) discovers a town where the children are
dropping like flies seemingly at the ghostly hands of a local vengeful
spirit - the woman of the title. Is it safe yet? After a mixed season last year of too many films that had a social agenda, is it safe now to go back to the cinema for nothing more than just a good time? Read more >> The Avengers After years on the outer, never quite making the big time, Buffyverse creator and Toy Story scribe, Joss Whedon, has finally arrived. Read more >> Mirror Mirror Funny how time and again movies with similar themes or stories seem to hit the cinema around the same time, think Deep Impact/Armageddon or even Naked Lunch/Barton Fink, and it's happening again this year with (of all things) Snow White. Read more >> American Pie: Reunion vs. Battleship In a titanic struggle to capture the hearts, minds and disposable incomes of an ever-younger audience, two films line up to do battle for the crown in the great popcorn war of 2012. Read more >> 21 Jump Street Transforming a popular TV show into a mainstream movie is very seldom a successful endeavour. Read more >> John Carter The votes are in and the result is clear: Andrew Stanton is the dud director of Pixar. Read more >> The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel There is a common complaint among older moviegoers that the majority of releases today are tailored to a specific demographic and their group gets short shift. Read more >> Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close As a clear sufferer of Asperger Syndrome, Oskar (Thomas Horn) is not short of an anxiety or two or a measure of compulsiveness. Read more >> Contraband Contraband is a continuing response to the question of where does a superstar film career go when the matinee idol good looks start to fade? Read more >> |
 |
| Stay up to date with modmove news |
| about modmove |
| What to know how we got started? Read more >> |
| read the modmove blog |
| Check out all the random stuff that didn't make it to the website! Read more >> |
| contact Us |
| If you have any queries or if you would like more information about modmove, we would love to hear from you! Read more >> |
| join our mailing list |
| subscribe to the mailing list and receive the modmove newsletter. |
| search |
| search modmove for previous news and reviews. |
Privacy Notice | Contact Us | Site Map | Copyright © 2009 modmove.com | Entertainment and Popular Culture in Review at modmove.com