Tag: 2007

  • Michael Clayton (2007)

    Critics swooned when Michael Clayton hit theaters in the fall of 2007, and rightly so. Here was the sort of legal thriller, went the conventional wisdom, that John Grisham movies always promise to be but rarely are: Smart, complex, suspenseful. The collective fawning was more than justified. Michael Clayton is just about pitch perfect, an…

  • Nanking (2007)

    In late 1937, one of the most harrowing atrocities of the 20th century took place in China’s then-capital of Nanking. Japanese imperial forces invaded the walled city after a series of punishing air raids, only to then engage in a systematic reign of rape, torture and murder. Nanking, a documentary chronicling that horror, is a truly…

  • Disturbia (2007)

    Disturbia isn’t a great thriller, or even a very memorable one, but this compact little flick delivers some thrills, injects humor and visual flair, and boasts an appealing performance from Shia LaBeouf. Such positives help compensate for what winds up a disappointing abundance of genre clichés.  LaBeouf is Kale Brecht, a smart and likeable 17-year-old going…

  • The Visitor (2007)

    Richard Jenkins is one of those character actors you see often, and often take for granted. If there is one great thing about indie films (and, for the record, there are a number of great things about them), it’s the opportunity for criminally overlooked thespians of a certain age or look to shine in leading…

  • Eastern Promises (2007)

    Throughout most of his career, David Cronenberg twisted moviegoers into knots by exploring their fears of losing control, particularly when it came to one’s body. Such shenanigans spawned masterpieces of the macabre, from the exploding heads of Scanners to an even-creepier-than-usual Jeff Goldblum in The Fly, but too often, Cronenberg’s thematic obsessions overwhelmed his storytelling.…

  • Crazy Love (2007)

    Boy meets girl. Boy loves girl. Boy loses girl. Girl meets someone else. Boy commits despicable act of spite and jealousy. Boy resolves to win girl back … once he serves out his prison sentence, that is. The riveting documentary Crazy Love packs all the thrills, poignancy and dark humor of the most enthralling work…

  • Death Sentence (2007)

    As trashy vigilante fantasies go, you could do a lot worse than Death Sentence. That might sound like damning with faint praise, and perhaps it is, but director James Wan deserves credit for dressing up this Death Wish-knockoff with honest-to-goodness visual flair.  Kevin Bacon lends a welcome intensity to the role of Nick Hume, a well-heeled business…

  • The Great Debaters (2007)

    Among the many intellectual exercises connected to competitive debate is the ability to defend stances that, at first blush, might seem indefensible. I know; I debated in high school and remember many a contest assailing the evils of seatbelts and motorcycle helmets. Judging by The Great Debaters, however, you wouldn’t think that debate requires much…