This film actually doesn't focus on the character of Mike Morris (George Clooney) but from the character of Stephen Meyer himself. A young figure who tries his luck in the political world. In this film, we can see the inner conflict faced by every person who has just entered politics : maintaining idealism or saving his "head" by justifying any means. In fact, one of the characters in this film, Tom Duffy (Paul Giamatti), advised Meyer to immediately get out of the world before he finally turned into a manipulative and cynical figure like himself and most politicians in the world. Yea this is the truth about politics. I was little surprised when I realized that my boo (Gosling's) acting…

"I'll do or say anything if I believe in it."

The Ides of March is a film I had to talk myself into liking. On the surface, it feels like one of those films with good writing and a better cast but which falls apart if you pick at it too long and will ultimately be lost to the fading memory of cinematic history. After drafting up this review, I'm still not convinced that it's a great movie, but I am convinced that it's at least a good one for which I have a strong personal affection. Whether I'll ever watch it again or how much of it I'll retain is unclear, but I do know that there was enough…

Film#64 of 'It's June Jim, but not as we know it'

The excellent cast and Clooney's solid direction compensate for this film's complete lack of characterization and weak plot.

With a title as clever as this one, you'd half expect the script to follow suit, but it unfortunately doesn't. Even though it manages to capture the Machiavellian nature of American politics rather accurately, it never does anything with it. It in stead opts for simplicity, sacrificing every chance to convey a compelling message about politics other than 'it's a dirty business'.

But I guess the biggest problem it has lies with the characters. Most characters are completely flat. This does not necessarily have to be a big problem, but when…

Film #18/30 for April Scavenger Hunt #49!

So, I enjoyed this film a lot more than I thought I would. This film doesn't have a fabulous reviews, and it's kind of forgotten over the time.

It's really interesting to see who was all involved in this film, so hear me out now. 
This film was directed by George Clooney. For me, he's a very interesting director. He always manages to pull out good performances from his actors, even in his weaker films. Also, his selection of the shots has been always interesting, and he's always trying to do something creative, which I really admire. At least every single one of his films looks good. Speaking of the looks of the…

Filmwelt Filmclub #6 - The Ides of March - Ausgewählt von Phillip

Ein mehr als solides Politdrama, welches einen bitterbösen Nachgeschmack hat. So charmant und angenehm das Szenario beginnt, offenbaren die Intrigen um die Persönlichkeiten, dass es hinter dem formellen Grinsen alles andere als rosig zugeht. In dem Sinne erachte ich The Ides of March als bockstark. Er behält eine besorgniserregende Glaubwürdigkeit und bietet einen realistischen Blick in den Verlauf eines Wahlkampfes zur Präsidentschaftskandidatur. Zwar vertieft er einige Aspekte wenig, dennoch ist das Gesamtpaket meiner Meinung nach zu stimmig, um da von meiner Seite groß Kritik anzulegen.

Die Darsteller holen alles aus ihren charismatischen Charakteren heraus und überzeugen permanent, wo besonders Ryan Gosling und Philip Seymour Hoffman herausstechen. Im Mittelteil…

Filmwelt Filmclub #6 - The Ides of March - Ausgewählt von Phillip

Hört mich an: Grundsätzlich wurde hier kein schlechter Film abgeliefert, leider aber auch kein wirklich guter. The Ides of March ist ein, mal mehr und mal weniger fesselndes, Politdrama über mehrere Tabuthemen die während des Wahlkampfes auftreten können.

Ideen und Geschichte wurden hierbei in Ordnung rüber gebracht, was einen Film mit einer so und so eher langweiligen Handlung nicht wirklich retten kann. Eigentlich schade, da hier so manch wichtige Themen angesprochen werden.

Ich selbst beschäftige mich nur ein wenig mit Politik in meinem Heimatland und daher erst recht nicht mit amerikanischer, weshalb ich hierbei natürlich nicht die Authentizität der besprochenen Themen und Parteien bewerten kann. Vielleicht findet ein politisch interessierterer Mensch im…

The only responsible way for me to review this film is in two parts, because in my mind that’s how how this movie is divided.

It starts as a par-for-the-course political drama (calling it a thriller would be both generous and inaccurate), but the problem is that at this stage real world politics has truly become stranger than fiction, making this presidential race seem like boring shite. The actors muddle through with what they’re given. Giamatti and Gosling play off each other well, but in all honestly the affair is only really made semi-worthwhile by Philip Seymour Hoffman being Philip Seymour Hoffman and saying “fuck” pleasingly frequently. Evan Rachel Wood is another highlight and her character in this movie just…