Weekly round-up

Two kinds of torture, physical and comedic

by CHRISTOPHER SYKES

Traitor

In the aftermath of Abu Ghraib and Gitmo, American filmmakers have repeatedly taken it upon themselves to comment on U.S. foreign policy. While the condoning of torture was for the most part thema non grata less than a decade ago, things have changed since 9/11. The question today seems not to be whether torture has a place in the new USA, but to what extent it should be used. And where.

Globetrotting political thriller Traitor stars Guy Pearce (Memento, L.A. Confidential) as Roy Clayton: an FBI agent assigned to track down former U.S. Special Op Samir Horn (Hotel Rwanda’s Don Cheadle). Horn has a tendency to pop up on FBI radar prior to international terrorist operations and winds up a target because of it. Despite briefly falling into Yemeni custody, where Horn and his fellow Muslim compatriots are “interrogated,” a daring escape leaves Clayton empty handed.

Over the first half Traitor is your classic cat-and-mouse chase film where the protagonist Feds are a step behind the baddies. Yet as the storyline broadens it becomes apparent things are not what they seem.

Most of the characters seem morally ambiguous and there’s a good stretch where you really have no clue who’s on what side. As the body count rises that ambiguity serves to answer the previously mentioned question: how far do you go for the greater good?

As expected, Pearce and Cheadle lead a solid cast who provide strong performances, that coupled with an intricate—if somewhat preachy—script make for an enthralling couple of hours in front of the big screen.

DISASTER OF A MOVIE: Disaster Movie

Disaster Movie

Love it or hate it, the movie spoof has made a comeback in the last few years, but for every bang (Scary Movie) there’s been a whole lot of whimpers (Meet The Spartans, Date Movie, Epic Movie). The revolving door of Hollywood celebrity coupled with the latest big-budget popcorn flick seems to provide ample ammo for writer/directors Aaron Seltzer and Jason Friedberg to plop out a new stinker each year. Not to mention they’re cheap as hell to make.

The paper-thin premise in this piece of rubbish revolves around a series of catastrophic events that befell a group of twentysomethings. The “plot” has nothing to do with the actual development of the story, and Disaster Movie is a messy melange of unfunny vignettes broken up by the odd scatological reference.

The writers take aim at Hannah Montana, Amy Winehouse and Dr. Phil, to drop a few names. The Chucky-inspired rabid Chipmunks should have been funny, but there’s only so much suckage one can take. By the time the segment rolled around I had already squirmed my way into the foetal position. Which is in itself a pun on the attempted cracks at Juno’s lack of contraception, Wanted’s bending bullets, and Carrie Bradshaw’s masculine demeanour.

For a lampoon to fly it needs a strong lead—a Leslie Nielsen or even an Anna Faris-type. Matt Lanter (who voiced Anakin Skywalker in the dreadful Star Wars: The Clone Wars) and Vanessa Minnillo (frequent contributor to Entertainment Tonight—surely the only audience that will take anything away from this) both have million dollar smiles, but there’s not an ounce of funny in their performances.

BOTH FILMS OPEN THIS
FRIDAY, AUG. 29

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