Meewella | Critic

According to P

Tag: Russell Crowe

QuickView: Poker Face (2022)

“Maximize your wins, minimize your losses… and stay in the game as long as you can.”

Jake

Russell Crowe may have been considering his own mortality as he wrote and directed this pondorously morose thriller, but that does not justify wasting an hour and a half of my life with his insipid pseudo-intellectual blathering. The premise of a tech billionaire gathering together his childhood friends for a game whilst harbouring some ulterior motive bears such a striking resemblance to Glass Onion that it serves to demonstrate just how entertaining the concept was in Rian Johnson’s hands and how flaccid the entire affair feels here. Poker Face has a pretentious film student’s air of shallow artistry, indulging in basic techniques like cutting conspicuously from a man’s death to a folding hand of cards. Aaron McLisky’s cinematography occasionally adds a little character, which is more than can be said for the cast — it is impossible to see why any of these “friends” care about each other at all. Mortality can be a fascinating subject when addressed well, but Poker Face left me reaching straight for the flush.

3/10

QuickView: State of Play (2009)

State of Play quad poster

“Do you have a pen?”

Cal McAffrey

Political thriller State of Play deserves credit foremost for successfully trimming down a five-hour BBC miniseries into a coherent two-hour film. The result is dense with exposition and can feel rushed, but that also adds to a sense of urgency. The investigative journalist perspective now feels almost nostalgic, reminiscent of All The President’s Men. A high calibre cast compensates for a lack of character development, and I wish Helen Mirren’s editor had more screen time. Whilst the interplay between The Globe’s ailing print edition and rising online presence is already antiquated a decade on, the lucrative domestic expansion of military contractors remains just as relevant.

8/10

"A film is a petrified fountain of thought."

(CC) BY-NC 2003-2023 Priyan Meewella

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