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The Ides of March


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Frankly, I know we have last movie you watch thread, but this one deserves it's own thread, because it is most certainly not a movie, it is truly, in the classical sense of the word, a film. Movies come and go, they've happened in the past, from the 30's all the way up until this present day. Movies can even be iconic, but they aren't films. Films are truly great pieces of art that separate themselves in ways that box office numbers and secondary awards can not. That doesn't mean that great films haven't won those awards, but they don't define a film. A film defines itself. Ides of March defines itself.

 

I love movies, I really do. New, old, it doesn't matter. Stories grab me and even if something is terrible I need to watch it all to know why (if I've actually invested the time to find it, or even found it by accident). I analyze, I dissect, I take mental approaches to everything I watch, and when I watch a second time it's from a completely different perspective: I've already seen the movie, I know what happens, the second time, I need to remove myself from the picture and understand the stagings, why a scene was shot a certain way, how the structure of the story is being framed.

 

Ides of March is frankly a film I won't need to do a lot of removal from. Unlike Scorsese, who (while brilliant, and don't get me wrong, I love his movies) has become the extreme example of Hollywood super-twists, Clooney lays everything out right there, just like a political thriller of the 60's would. It doesn't try to purposely deceive it's audience, if you figure it out (I did when the plot showed it's hand) then good for you, it's not about that: it's about giving you a true perspective, a track to it's entire point. Even if you can plot that track down to where the bird shits on the fourth corner, it doesn't matter, because it's the most beautiful and surreal journey you've taken, and the journey itself is just as good as the place you want to or know you will end up.

 

The ending isn't happy. From a purely linear standpoint, it's open ended, but what is left up for debate doesn't matter, and that's part of the point. That's what makes it such a great resolution, and it was the pi?ce de r?sistance to what I thought was by far the most engaging, best political drama of the last 11 years (I put it in front of 13 Days, and others). In fact, it's the best politically based film since Wag the Dog and Primary Colors (the second being more a movie than a film, but I still really enjoyed it).

 

I'm not going to go into detail because I don't want to spoil it for anyone who actively wants to go see it, but I hope this one puts the guys who are unsure over the fence. I really think Gosling reinvented his image, along with drive, in this one. The guy is dynamic, and as far as I'm concerned he's the first actor I've seen in a long long time to exert the characteristics he has shown in his roles to this point.

 

Unbelievably good one as far as I'm concerned, an easy 4.5/5. Just see it.

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