Here is a summary of the films reviewed on today’s show:
The Amazing Spider-Man 2 isn’t bad but it’s simultaneously too much and not enough. In the effort to set up a vibrant world for future Spider-Man sequels the filmmakers have sacrificed the storytelling integrity of this picture. It is certainly entertaining but the narrative is a mess.
The Unknown Known would make a great entry in a film series about the post-9/11 era and it complements Errol Morris’ 2008 documentary Standard Operating Procedure, but on its own the picture does not shed much new light on the wars, the George W. Bush administration, or even on Donald Rumsfeld. Like most of Morris’ work it is thought provoking and well-made and the picture certainly merits viewing, especially as we wrestle with the legacy of the George W. Bush administration. In the end, it may be what is unacknowledged by Rumsfeld and even by the filmmakers that is most revealing.
The Armstrong Lie is terrific documentary filmmaking. This picture tells a story of corruption, hubris, and deceit that is as riveting as anything in fiction while also managing to provide insight into the way in which fans, journalists, and sponsors will enable their own deception. Alex Gibney has emerged as one of the best documentary filmmakers working today and this is one of this most important works.
Full reviews can be found in the review archive.