"Finality is not the language of politics." --Benjamin Disraeli

On that note, a couple of quick, relevant reviews from this week's viewing schedule:

Carnage (2011) --76/100--

Director: Roman Polanski

I'm guessing Ina Garten makes a better
one than Jodie Foster, so if you have an oven...

I'll admit I didn't get a chance to see the play "Le Dieu du Carnage/God of Carnage" in any of its incarnations, so as a cold reading of a wonderful piece of writing I really enjoyed it. The performances are all excellent and John C. Reilly is a bit of a surprise in that regard, he comports himself extremely well among the Oscar winners, Foster, Winslet, Waltz and Polanski. It is tight, hilarious and thoroughly enjoyable. That said, as a film it suffers slightly being boxed in by the theatrical constraints, of which Polanski never really seeks to break out. It's a single setting, so forgivable. As the ebb and flow of agreements and arguments spiral into a whirlpool of upper-middle-crust anarchy, it is clear that the adults are no more mature than their children, reminding me at times of Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?. It falls short of that; it's not quite a classic, but well worth a look.

Politics, n. A strife of interests masquerading as a contest of principles. The conduct of public affairs for private advantage. -- Ambrose Bierce, The Devil's Dictionary

The Ides of March (2011) --78/100--
Director: George Clooney

This took for. ev. ver. getting to my mailbox (thanks for the throttling, Netflix!). Another one based on a play that I never saw. Yay! Works on many levels, riffing from Shakespeare to Fox News, most of which remind me how soul-sucking politics can be. As the story develops, I really appreciate that the political arguments made are given strong counter-arguments, so it balances into more of a morality play than a political soapbox. While every character spouts their own brand of idealism, their words and actions inevitably reveal their characters as flawed human beings.

It's just so damned difficult to hate Clooney, the guy is incredibly talented and could charm the pants off a one-legged ostrich. Here he takes the helm and though he is cast as the Governor/primary candidate, the part is relatively minor. He's like a king on a chessboard as other pieces machinate around him. Ryan Gosling has had meatier roles, but he's serviceable in the lead. The real juice is in the shining supporting cast: Evan Rachel Wood, Marisa Tomei, and (as always) Paul Giamatti and Philip Seymour Hoffman.

As a side note, I'm considering doing a stretch sometime this year listing some of the best political films of all time. Countdown/Top 10, whatevs. It's an election year, but I'm avoiding the cable news as much as possible, so I hope that'll help distract ya, too.