State of Play

V: I always look forward to seeing Russell Crowe in a movie, ever since A Beautiful Mind. He's just a really great actor. This movie didn't give him a whole lot to go on, though. State of Play must have been sponsored by the Save-the-Newspapers Club. And then there's a whole lotta whodunit and why. Except the "why" is really not there. That's what ultimately made this movie a disappointment. When it all unravels - and oh, yes, it continues to unravel, and unravel . . . - you're left thinking, "Really? Why did . . .? Why would . . .? But wouldn't . . .?" The implausibility of it is pretty heavy. But, remember, it's a good thing there was a newspaper, and not just a blog! So, it's kinda entertaining. Good cast - even Mike's fave, Ben Affleck. And there's an oddly unhilarious turn by Jason Bateman. (His roles should always be hilarious.) But the movie just becomes increasingly irrelevant. Like newspapers. 2 stars.

M: *SPOILER ALERT* Ben Affleck is the actor I love to hate. Russell Crowe, my go-to overrated actor (with the exception of Beautiful Mind and to a lesser extent Cinderella Man). But I think they were both pretty good in this show. I even liked Jason Bateman' s part, he makes me giggle (although he wasn't supposed to). State of Play has some moments that get your heart racing, so it is good there. But, in the end, the movie really loses steam and misses the boat. The whole movie we are led to believe that there is a big masterminded conspiracy afoot, which makes your mind whirl, and revs up the excitement. The twist at the end is that there was no grand conspiracy, and all the events were just the unfortunate acts of a crazy person. There was simply no reason for all the adventure. That bugged me. But I really dug the ongoing ode to newspapers. I mean, really, is there anything cooler than a movie about how great newspapers are? I heard a rumor about a newspaper article about how great movies are, but I couldn't find anyone who had read it. 2 1/2 stars.