Review by Vives Anunciacion
Inquirer Libre May 30, 2005
House of Wax
Directed by Jaume Collet-Serra
Written by Chad Hayes, Carey W. Hayes
Starring Elisha Cuthbert, Chad Michael Murray, Paris Hilton
R13/ 113 minutes
Warner Brothers/ Village Roadshow/ Dark Castle
Now showing
Paris Hilton seduces her boyfriend in a scene that would remind some people of her celebrated video scandal. That might have been an inside joke for the filmmakers to include such a scene, but it’s those small incidents in the movie which may leave audiences of House of Wax with a bad aftertaste.
Like many recent Hollywood releases, House of Wax is a re-”imagining” of an old classic – this time the 1953 thriller by Andrè de Toth starring horror movie legend Vincent Price. The new movie has little similarity with the original, which was one of the first successful 3D movies produced by a studio (Warner Brothers.) The new version is the usual teen slasher movie, except that it has more than the usual serving of dismembered body parts.
In House of Wax, six teenage friends traveling to a college football championship game spend the night camped in a wooded area away from the highway. During the night, a trucker, presumably a resident of the area, disturbs the group. In the morning they find one of their cars tampered with.
The next day two of the teens – Carly (Elisha Cuthbert) and her boyfriend Wade (Jared Padalecki) look for replacement parts in the nearest town, while the others decide to head straight to the football game. Carly and Wade find the small silent town of Ambrose, whose main attraction is a wax museum called Trudy’s House of Wax. Needless to say they uncover the town and the museum’s dark, twisted secrets, endangering their lives as well as those of their friends.
Technically speaking, House of Wax is well made and competently assembled. This is not surprising for teen slasher movies which are usually vehicles for launching the big-screen debuts of new stars (compared to the way we do it here, where teen stars are mostly introduced in love teams). Even performances are competent, surprising even to see Paris Hilton perform enough that is required from her role.
The premise isn’t new – there’s a sure permutation of “mysterious town with a maniac” from time to time. Spanish director Jaume Collet-Serra’s movie debut can be considered more than satisfactory. As far as popcorn entertainment is concerned, House of Wax is not too bad.
What I’m really worried about isn’t the cheesy corny twins-battle-twins twist in the narrative nor is it with Paris Hilton’s cat-walking (though in one scene, she may have earned the distinction of making the most fashionable scared run in movie history.)
My concern stems from what seem to be the ever-increasingly violent thrillers which emerge from Hollywood’s factories. Slasher flicks have existed for quite some time now and indeed reached new cinematic heights with Alfred Hitchcock’s Psycho in 1960. The disturbing trend (or seeming trend) is to push the limits of acceptable violence on screen.
There seems to be an absolute objective to completely desensitize the audience, trivializing violence and to a certain degree making it entertaining. At some point in the press screening, some members of the audience cheered to see Paris Hilton’s character get skewered in her final scene. While there may be general dislike for the infamous heiress, in no way does she humanely deserve such reaction. As if it is enjoyable to see someone get killed. That’s disturbing.
I can’t fathom the day we are completely desensitized by on-screen violence, when what makes us human is melted away and we’ve become mannequins dead under the skin.
Monday, May 30, 2005
Wednesday, May 18, 2005
It is done!
Review by Vives Anunciacion
May 18, 2005 Inquirer Libre
Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith
Written and Directed by George Lucas
Starring Hayden Christensen, Ewan Mc Gregor, Ian McDiarmid
General Patronage/ 140 minutes
Twentieth Century Fox/ Lucas Films
Opens May 19
Forget the disasters that were Episodes I and II. Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith reinstalls the space saga George Lucas began nearly thirty years ago, and this one is worthy of the hype.
A long time ago
Star Wars was the first movie I saw as a kid, as far as my memory can recall. I remember sitting on my father’s shoulders in the standing-room only theater in Ali Mall. I recall being awed, struck by lightning as John Williams’ music thundered and the titles of Episode IV: A New Hope crawled. The magic is back with Episode III.
The Force is strong on the dark side
As all Star Wars movies open, Revenge of the Sith begins in space with two starfighters speeding towards a huge battle above Coruscant, capital of the crumbling Republic. The entire galaxy is in the midst of the Clone Wars. General Obi-Wan Kenobi (Ewan McGregor) and Anakin Skywalker (Hayden Christensen) are tasked by the Jedi Council to rescue Supreme Chancellor Palpatine (Ian McDiarmid) who has been kidnapped by the Separatist Alliance led by the half-droid, half-alien General Grievous.
Grievous manages to escape the Jedi despite the successful rescue. The rescued Chancellor proposes tighter measures to subdue the insurgency, while tightening his grip on the increasingly powerless Senate. Anakin is made to attend the Jedi Council on behalf of the Chancellor, to which the Jedi suspiciously accedes. The Council then instructs Anakin to spy on the Chancellor, which he resents, primarily because he is deprived of the title Master.
(spoiler warning – unless you already know what the previous Episodes imply, skip this section)
Meanwhile, Anakin is having nightmarish visions about his secretly pregnant wife, Padmè Amidala (Natalie Portman). Fearing the loss of his wife and the rebuke of the Jedi, Anakin is further tempted into the dark side of the Force by the opportunistic Chancellor.
As Anakin spirals down to the dark side, the Chancellor accuses the Jedi of secretly plotting to overthrow the Republic and outlaws them. The Jedi are assassinated at large. Master Yoda fails to thwart Palpatine (who has declared himself emperor of the galaxy), forcing the surviving Jedi to flee Coruscant and hide.
Help us Obi-Wan, you’re our only hope
Throughout Episode III, Obi-Wan propels the story to its fateful climax, from the beginning space battle, to the pursuit and defeat of Grievous, to the final confrontation between him and the dark Anakin - master and padawan. McGregor makes a great impression of Alec Guinness, the original Obi-Wan, unlike his lame impressions in Episodes I and II.
It is also Ewan McGregor’s performance that balances Ian McDiarmid’s skillfully malevolent Palpatine/ Emperor, whose role is only too crucial to Anakin Skywalker’s transformation into the sith Darth Vader. Natalie Portman, talented actress, is demoted to a whimpering bit actor.
Alas, it is childish dialogue and campy acting that hounds the prequel Episodes, including this one. What marvel and endeavor Lucas poured over his battle sequences and effects he simply gave up on cheesy dialogue.
The circle is now complete
Such a sprawling narrative to be squeezed into little more than two hours, and great editing manages to give time for the mysteries to unravel without sacrificing pace or emotion. What separates this Episode from the rest is John Williams’ glorious score. How unfortunate that Duel of the Fates is played in Episode I and not in this one.
Episode III manages to pull together the entire series, deftly hammering down most plot points that make the series whole. But it is not without some few unanswered ones still (what Leia’s role really is about, why the Force seems to favor Luke and not her; why Vader didn’t recognize Leia but recognized Luke; most of all, and most frustrating, is what the Sith and their revenge is truly about). Lucas’ disposition to let Star Wars books and animations explain its mythos further is un-cinematic at the least, shrewdly Fortune at the most.
But Episode III is galaxies better than the campy Episode I (Phantom Menace) and the cheesy Episode II (Attack of the Clones). Thankfully Episode III restores the cinematic bravura that was Episode IV: A New Hope and the classic Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back. Episode III belongs to the first trilogy and not with the prequels.
All told, Star Wars is a monumental (if at times flawed) achievement, a cinematic monolith spanning six movies and three decades that is one for the history books.
The force is with us, always. The balance is now restored.
May 18, 2005 Inquirer Libre
Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith
Written and Directed by George Lucas
Starring Hayden Christensen, Ewan Mc Gregor, Ian McDiarmid
General Patronage/ 140 minutes
Twentieth Century Fox/ Lucas Films
Opens May 19
Forget the disasters that were Episodes I and II. Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith reinstalls the space saga George Lucas began nearly thirty years ago, and this one is worthy of the hype.
A long time ago
Star Wars was the first movie I saw as a kid, as far as my memory can recall. I remember sitting on my father’s shoulders in the standing-room only theater in Ali Mall. I recall being awed, struck by lightning as John Williams’ music thundered and the titles of Episode IV: A New Hope crawled. The magic is back with Episode III.
The Force is strong on the dark side
As all Star Wars movies open, Revenge of the Sith begins in space with two starfighters speeding towards a huge battle above Coruscant, capital of the crumbling Republic. The entire galaxy is in the midst of the Clone Wars. General Obi-Wan Kenobi (Ewan McGregor) and Anakin Skywalker (Hayden Christensen) are tasked by the Jedi Council to rescue Supreme Chancellor Palpatine (Ian McDiarmid) who has been kidnapped by the Separatist Alliance led by the half-droid, half-alien General Grievous.
Grievous manages to escape the Jedi despite the successful rescue. The rescued Chancellor proposes tighter measures to subdue the insurgency, while tightening his grip on the increasingly powerless Senate. Anakin is made to attend the Jedi Council on behalf of the Chancellor, to which the Jedi suspiciously accedes. The Council then instructs Anakin to spy on the Chancellor, which he resents, primarily because he is deprived of the title Master.
(spoiler warning – unless you already know what the previous Episodes imply, skip this section)
Meanwhile, Anakin is having nightmarish visions about his secretly pregnant wife, Padmè Amidala (Natalie Portman). Fearing the loss of his wife and the rebuke of the Jedi, Anakin is further tempted into the dark side of the Force by the opportunistic Chancellor.
As Anakin spirals down to the dark side, the Chancellor accuses the Jedi of secretly plotting to overthrow the Republic and outlaws them. The Jedi are assassinated at large. Master Yoda fails to thwart Palpatine (who has declared himself emperor of the galaxy), forcing the surviving Jedi to flee Coruscant and hide.
Help us Obi-Wan, you’re our only hope
Throughout Episode III, Obi-Wan propels the story to its fateful climax, from the beginning space battle, to the pursuit and defeat of Grievous, to the final confrontation between him and the dark Anakin - master and padawan. McGregor makes a great impression of Alec Guinness, the original Obi-Wan, unlike his lame impressions in Episodes I and II.
It is also Ewan McGregor’s performance that balances Ian McDiarmid’s skillfully malevolent Palpatine/ Emperor, whose role is only too crucial to Anakin Skywalker’s transformation into the sith Darth Vader. Natalie Portman, talented actress, is demoted to a whimpering bit actor.
Alas, it is childish dialogue and campy acting that hounds the prequel Episodes, including this one. What marvel and endeavor Lucas poured over his battle sequences and effects he simply gave up on cheesy dialogue.
The circle is now complete
Such a sprawling narrative to be squeezed into little more than two hours, and great editing manages to give time for the mysteries to unravel without sacrificing pace or emotion. What separates this Episode from the rest is John Williams’ glorious score. How unfortunate that Duel of the Fates is played in Episode I and not in this one.
Episode III manages to pull together the entire series, deftly hammering down most plot points that make the series whole. But it is not without some few unanswered ones still (what Leia’s role really is about, why the Force seems to favor Luke and not her; why Vader didn’t recognize Leia but recognized Luke; most of all, and most frustrating, is what the Sith and their revenge is truly about). Lucas’ disposition to let Star Wars books and animations explain its mythos further is un-cinematic at the least, shrewdly Fortune at the most.
But Episode III is galaxies better than the campy Episode I (Phantom Menace) and the cheesy Episode II (Attack of the Clones). Thankfully Episode III restores the cinematic bravura that was Episode IV: A New Hope and the classic Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back. Episode III belongs to the first trilogy and not with the prequels.
All told, Star Wars is a monumental (if at times flawed) achievement, a cinematic monolith spanning six movies and three decades that is one for the history books.
The force is with us, always. The balance is now restored.
In the name of the father
Review by Vives Anunciacion
Kingdom of Heaven
Directed by Ridley Scott
Written by William Monahan
Starring Orlando Bloom, Eva Green
PG 13/ 145 minutes
Twentieth Century Fox
Jerusalem's name, according to dictionary.com, is in the original in its dual form - it both means “possession of peace” and “foundation of peace”. It is a “mountain city enthroned on a mountain fastness.” Throughout history as it is today, Jerusalem was and remains a city of endless conflict. Some cosmic irony lost the city's name in the translation.
A short historical note: as far back as 4000 BC Jerusalem was occupied by foreigners and was ruled by Greeks, Romans, Persians, Arabs, Crusaders, Turks and formerly by Great Britain under a mandate of the League of Nations. Israel took control of the city in 1967. It was Pope Urban II's proclamation to wage a “war of the Cross” against the Muslim Turks occupying Jerusalem that started the Crusades in the year 1095.
Back to the movie. Sometime the 12th century, before the Third Crusade. Orlando Bloom appears in his first lead role as Balian, blacksmith in France and estranged son of Godfrey (Liam Neeson) Baron of Ibelin and knight of the king of Jerusalem. Not having anything left with in France after the death of his young wife and a fray with the law (convenient story devices as they are), Balian makes an awkward reunion with his father. On the way to Messina, the Italian sea port to Jerusalem, they skirmish with the town sheriff over Balian's crime, leaving poor daddy Godfrey mortally wounded.
At Messina, the dying Godfrey hands down to Balian his title and his knightly oath. Balian is made to understand the purposes of his father's knightly life. Balian then leaves for Jerusalem in search of forgiveness for his father and peace for his wife - his intentions are personal more than anything else.
Balian encounters Jerusalem as a city on the brink of storm - while on the surface Jews, Muslims and Christians roam peacefully within its walls, the city foams with secrets and opportunism from all sides. The young King Baldwin (Edward Norton), heirless and dying behind a silver mask to conceal his leprosy, is afraid to leave the city in the hands of Guy de Lusignan (Marton Csokas), fundamentalist Templar Knight and husband to the king's sister, Sibylla (Eva Green). The king sees an ally in Balian as he did with Godfrey, while Sibylla finds inspiration in Balian which she never found with Guy. These naturally do not favor well with the ambitious Guy, who immediately sends Jerusalem to war against the vast armies of Muslim conqueror Saladin (Ghassan Massoud) as soon as Baldwin dies.
Balian finds himself fighting for the safety of Heaven, while two sides fight in the name of the same God. The story is long and overwrought, as many epics go. But Kingdom of Heaven's intentions, however touched by the divine, is not sublime.
For starters, Orli Bloom drowns under the mighty performances of his co stars - Liam Neeson's Godfrey permeates throughout the two-hour-plus story despite the short screen time. Edward Norton conveys mercy, anger and compassion beneath a prop mask. Jeremy Irons! One wonders why he rarely has a movie these days. And that Syrian actor Ghassan Massoud, who has such screen presence and charisma, I wished there was a whole movie on Saladin. Bloom may have pulled all the strings he could from his brief film experience to keep up with the support cast. It takes years, man, years.
Ridley Scott no question mounts a spectacular visual feast especially with the cinematography and the design of ancient Jerusalem. Having said that, this is another epic-sized historical revision with pseudo-political pretensions from Hollywood. The battle scenes are raw, savage and intense, but by all means we've seen them in The Return of the King. That movie smartly didn't put as much highlight on the battle as it did on the dramatic arch as a whole, AND it's a fantasy. In terms of emotional resonance, Kingdom has that one scene when the dying Godfrey knights his own son. Then no more, in contrast to Scott's Somalian drama Black hawk Down, which had several in between the intermittent fight scenes.
What the movie has are brave intentions and modern relevance - placing narrative balance between a large epic and a diminutive main character, as well as similar conflicts within each warring side. In a way only movies can make, theology is given less significance under Balian's (almost naïve) humanism to save the city in the name of its citizens rather than the name of religion.
If only history would end as positively as the movie, there'd be much less significance to the meaning of names. Which means infinitely less confusion. Less is always more, it is always said, on earth as it is in heaven.
Kingdom of Heaven
Directed by Ridley Scott
Written by William Monahan
Starring Orlando Bloom, Eva Green
PG 13/ 145 minutes
Twentieth Century Fox
Jerusalem's name, according to dictionary.com, is in the original in its dual form - it both means “possession of peace” and “foundation of peace”. It is a “mountain city enthroned on a mountain fastness.” Throughout history as it is today, Jerusalem was and remains a city of endless conflict. Some cosmic irony lost the city's name in the translation.
A short historical note: as far back as 4000 BC Jerusalem was occupied by foreigners and was ruled by Greeks, Romans, Persians, Arabs, Crusaders, Turks and formerly by Great Britain under a mandate of the League of Nations. Israel took control of the city in 1967. It was Pope Urban II's proclamation to wage a “war of the Cross” against the Muslim Turks occupying Jerusalem that started the Crusades in the year 1095.
Back to the movie. Sometime the 12th century, before the Third Crusade. Orlando Bloom appears in his first lead role as Balian, blacksmith in France and estranged son of Godfrey (Liam Neeson) Baron of Ibelin and knight of the king of Jerusalem. Not having anything left with in France after the death of his young wife and a fray with the law (convenient story devices as they are), Balian makes an awkward reunion with his father. On the way to Messina, the Italian sea port to Jerusalem, they skirmish with the town sheriff over Balian's crime, leaving poor daddy Godfrey mortally wounded.
At Messina, the dying Godfrey hands down to Balian his title and his knightly oath. Balian is made to understand the purposes of his father's knightly life. Balian then leaves for Jerusalem in search of forgiveness for his father and peace for his wife - his intentions are personal more than anything else.
Balian encounters Jerusalem as a city on the brink of storm - while on the surface Jews, Muslims and Christians roam peacefully within its walls, the city foams with secrets and opportunism from all sides. The young King Baldwin (Edward Norton), heirless and dying behind a silver mask to conceal his leprosy, is afraid to leave the city in the hands of Guy de Lusignan (Marton Csokas), fundamentalist Templar Knight and husband to the king's sister, Sibylla (Eva Green). The king sees an ally in Balian as he did with Godfrey, while Sibylla finds inspiration in Balian which she never found with Guy. These naturally do not favor well with the ambitious Guy, who immediately sends Jerusalem to war against the vast armies of Muslim conqueror Saladin (Ghassan Massoud) as soon as Baldwin dies.
Balian finds himself fighting for the safety of Heaven, while two sides fight in the name of the same God. The story is long and overwrought, as many epics go. But Kingdom of Heaven's intentions, however touched by the divine, is not sublime.
For starters, Orli Bloom drowns under the mighty performances of his co stars - Liam Neeson's Godfrey permeates throughout the two-hour-plus story despite the short screen time. Edward Norton conveys mercy, anger and compassion beneath a prop mask. Jeremy Irons! One wonders why he rarely has a movie these days. And that Syrian actor Ghassan Massoud, who has such screen presence and charisma, I wished there was a whole movie on Saladin. Bloom may have pulled all the strings he could from his brief film experience to keep up with the support cast. It takes years, man, years.
Ridley Scott no question mounts a spectacular visual feast especially with the cinematography and the design of ancient Jerusalem. Having said that, this is another epic-sized historical revision with pseudo-political pretensions from Hollywood. The battle scenes are raw, savage and intense, but by all means we've seen them in The Return of the King. That movie smartly didn't put as much highlight on the battle as it did on the dramatic arch as a whole, AND it's a fantasy. In terms of emotional resonance, Kingdom has that one scene when the dying Godfrey knights his own son. Then no more, in contrast to Scott's Somalian drama Black hawk Down, which had several in between the intermittent fight scenes.
What the movie has are brave intentions and modern relevance - placing narrative balance between a large epic and a diminutive main character, as well as similar conflicts within each warring side. In a way only movies can make, theology is given less significance under Balian's (almost naïve) humanism to save the city in the name of its citizens rather than the name of religion.
If only history would end as positively as the movie, there'd be much less significance to the meaning of names. Which means infinitely less confusion. Less is always more, it is always said, on earth as it is in heaven.
Do this in memory
Review by Vives Anunciacion
For Sonny Evangelista, who would have enjoyed commenting on this film
The Interpreter
Directed by Sydney Pollack
Written by Martin Stellman, Brian Ward, Charles Randolph, Steven Zallian, Scott Frank
Starring Nicole Kidman, Sean Penn
PG 13/
Opens April 22
Universal Pictures/ Working Title/ Misher Films
Sidney Pollack, bless this director who barely makes movies nowadays, he makes this one like the thrillers of old. No nonsense storytelling, with an assured pace and confident flow sans the fanfare. Set mostly in the halls of the United Nations headquarters in New York, The Interpreter has just enough suspense for a thriller, but more importantly, puts the politics back in political thrillers.
Nicole Kidman plays Silvia Broome, a South African native working as interpreter for the United Nations. One night inside the UN, she overhears a whispered conversation apparently plotting the assassination of Edmond Zuwanie (Earl Cameron), dictator of the (fictional) African nation of Matobo. Zuwanie is scheduled to speak before the general assembly to quell critics of his government and dispel rumors of genocide. In this time of paranoia and terror threats, security is instantly heightened at the UN and around New York. A secret service agent (Tobin Keller, played by Sean Penn) is assigned to protect Silvia.
The plot thickens when Silvia’s anti-Zuwanie history surfaces, making Keller believe that she’s either a liar or part of the threat. But something pushes Keller’s disbeliefs aside – a sense of connection for both loss and determination not only say she’s the real deal, and that the threat is frighteningly imminent. As the authorities scramble to capture the real terrorists, the true Silvia emerges – sending the story to a whirlwind of surprises.
Director Sydney Pollack creates an intelligent film about despots and diplomacy as well as an engaging thriller set in the once-obscure halls of the UN. The Interpreter is masterfully shot, edited with reserve and excellently written. The movie plays out almost entirely inside the headquarters, which in itself is an attraction since it’s the first time filming was allowed inside the building. Kidman and Penn are both impressive, playing vulnerability and strength in different swings of subtlety only great actors can pull off, especially Kidman, who is required to show so many nuances and yet has to add mystery to the convoluted plot. Here are two big stars at the top of their game. Their combination onscreen is even more emphasized by parallel editing at times when their stories run the same line. Great camerawork and lighting by Darius Khondji.
What The Interpreter offers is a relevant theme beneath the veneer of a Hollywood suspense thriller. At one point it shows the power of words and meanings in a place where there isn’t just one language to describe them. But even with an invented language (Ku), The Interpreter shouts a message all too familiar to understand - it’s all too easy to switch Matobo for Zimbabwe and Zuwanie for the dictator Mugabe, and the issues presented by The Interpreter become as relevant as they are startlingly real. One nation’s tyrant is the world’s tyrant, all the same.
At least they’ve put the politics back in political thrillers. That’s what Sonny would have said.
For Sonny Evangelista, who would have enjoyed commenting on this film
The Interpreter
Directed by Sydney Pollack
Written by Martin Stellman, Brian Ward, Charles Randolph, Steven Zallian, Scott Frank
Starring Nicole Kidman, Sean Penn
PG 13/
Opens April 22
Universal Pictures/ Working Title/ Misher Films
Sidney Pollack, bless this director who barely makes movies nowadays, he makes this one like the thrillers of old. No nonsense storytelling, with an assured pace and confident flow sans the fanfare. Set mostly in the halls of the United Nations headquarters in New York, The Interpreter has just enough suspense for a thriller, but more importantly, puts the politics back in political thrillers.
Nicole Kidman plays Silvia Broome, a South African native working as interpreter for the United Nations. One night inside the UN, she overhears a whispered conversation apparently plotting the assassination of Edmond Zuwanie (Earl Cameron), dictator of the (fictional) African nation of Matobo. Zuwanie is scheduled to speak before the general assembly to quell critics of his government and dispel rumors of genocide. In this time of paranoia and terror threats, security is instantly heightened at the UN and around New York. A secret service agent (Tobin Keller, played by Sean Penn) is assigned to protect Silvia.
The plot thickens when Silvia’s anti-Zuwanie history surfaces, making Keller believe that she’s either a liar or part of the threat. But something pushes Keller’s disbeliefs aside – a sense of connection for both loss and determination not only say she’s the real deal, and that the threat is frighteningly imminent. As the authorities scramble to capture the real terrorists, the true Silvia emerges – sending the story to a whirlwind of surprises.
Director Sydney Pollack creates an intelligent film about despots and diplomacy as well as an engaging thriller set in the once-obscure halls of the UN. The Interpreter is masterfully shot, edited with reserve and excellently written. The movie plays out almost entirely inside the headquarters, which in itself is an attraction since it’s the first time filming was allowed inside the building. Kidman and Penn are both impressive, playing vulnerability and strength in different swings of subtlety only great actors can pull off, especially Kidman, who is required to show so many nuances and yet has to add mystery to the convoluted plot. Here are two big stars at the top of their game. Their combination onscreen is even more emphasized by parallel editing at times when their stories run the same line. Great camerawork and lighting by Darius Khondji.
What The Interpreter offers is a relevant theme beneath the veneer of a Hollywood suspense thriller. At one point it shows the power of words and meanings in a place where there isn’t just one language to describe them. But even with an invented language (Ku), The Interpreter shouts a message all too familiar to understand - it’s all too easy to switch Matobo for Zimbabwe and Zuwanie for the dictator Mugabe, and the issues presented by The Interpreter become as relevant as they are startlingly real. One nation’s tyrant is the world’s tyrant, all the same.
At least they’ve put the politics back in political thrillers. That’s what Sonny would have said.
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