Carnage tells the story of two couples who meet to discuss in as civilized and understanding a manner as possible the schoolyard spat of their sons that resulted in broken teeth and harsh words. One pair of parents comes to the other pair’s apartment to discuss the situation. After they come to an agreement about the wording of a document describing the incident, things start going ... more >
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Carnage
And the point of it all was ...
Jodie Foster, Kate Winslet and John C. Reilly
Directed by Roman Polanski
Roman Polanski’s Carnage
The New York Film Festival opener
Jodie Foster, Kate Winslet, Christoph Waltz, and John C. Reilly
Directed by Roman Polanski
Roman Polanski's latest effort is an adaptation of French dramatic auteur—and, for a short while, Nicolas Sarkozy confidante--Yasmine Reza's play “God of Carnage.” After being favorably received onstage, both Broadway and the West End mounted productions to mostly positive acclaim. It seems natural, then, that a film version—a ninety-minute set piece in which the characters barely leave the ... more >
Revolutionary Road
Harking back to duller times
Leonardo DiCaprio, Kate Winslet and Christopher Fitzgerald
Directed by Sam Mendes
Shortly before his death in 1992, Richard Yates, the author of Revolutionary Road, bemoaned the fact that two of his wishes as a writer—fairly common among the breed—never came to pass: One, to have a book reviewed on the front page of the New York Times and two, have a short story published in the New Yorker.( A third wish usually out of reach for most writers is to have your creation make it to ... more >
The Reader
Lost in translation
Kate Winslet, Ralph Fiennes and Bruno Ganz
Directed by Stephen Daldry
As it is most often the case with films based on well-known books, people who have read Bernard Schlink’s “The Reader” won’t much like Stephen Daldry’s film. It has evident qualities, first and foremost the excellent acting by Kate Winslet who has just won a Golden Globe award for her supporting role. But it is always slightly off and misses the spirit of the book. Scenes added, one assumes, ... more >