Straddling the line between documentary and narrative, exploitation and exposé, the haunting “The Act of Killing” sees filmmaker Joshua Oppenheimer ask the leaders of the notorious Indonesian death squads, responsible for the mass murder of more than 1 million civilians in 1965-66, to recount their most brutal crimes, then allow them the opportunity to re-enact […]
murder
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“The Purge”
Like it or not, popular film, like other popular arts, often reflects important currents and significant truths appropriate to its time and place, providing a telling commentary on its cultural context. All those familiar summer blockbusters, for example, suggest some not entirely inspiring notions about the movie-going public’s demand for the constant bombardment of sound […]
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“Mud”
After spending years slumming it in one dimwitted romantic comedy (more often than not co-starring Kate Hudson) after another, Matthew McConaughey appears to have grown tired of coasting and decided to remind audiences that he’s still capable of, you know, acting. Starting with 2011’s “The Lincoln Lawyer,” he has made a number of good choices, […]
