Wedding Crashers - 1 star

I can't believe how bad Wedding Crashers was. I love Owen Wilson. I think he's hilarious and kind of hot. I love Vince Vaughn. I think he's charming in a dumb kind of way. It's possible that the "uncorked" version I saw was worse than the theatrical release, but it couldn't have been that different. There was one funny moment (balloon animals). I only watched the whole thing because I thought I must be missing something. I wasn't.

Good Night, and Good Luck - 4 stars

George Cloony is doing a brilliant job of sticking it to the Man. He has just produced and starred in two anti-Bush movies without being labelled liberal and unpatriotic. Syriana is a bit more obvious than Good Night and Good Luck, but the later is a better film. Good Night is the story of Edward R. Murrow's brave defeat of Senator Joe McCarthy's attack on the First Ammendment. The Senator accused anyone who stood up to the government as "Communist" and had them stand trial. It is beautifully shot in black and white, making you feel the time. The film was slow and a bit boring, but still quite good. Kudos to Clooney for bashing the Republican establishment for calling people who disagree with the Administration as unpatriotic.

Syriana & The Constant Gardener - 4 & 3 stars

I'm reviewing these movies together because they are basically the same film. However, The Constant Gardener - (4 stars) was much better. Both movies illustrate the evils of mega-corporations and mega-governments. Syriana (3 stars) as the story of big oil and Gardener was the story of big pharma. Syriana had dozens of characters with several different story lines involving bad governments, bad corporations, bad people, and a couple of good guys. Gardener had very few characters, one story line, and was easier to follow. It was also more scenic, compelling, and a better film. The movie posters above give you a hint to their different tones.