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Michael Giltz
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Movies , New York Film Festival , Entertainment News
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Inspiring Funny Hot Scary Outrageous Amazing Weird CrazyNew York Film Festival Embraces
"Carnage"
The 49th New York Film Festival kicks off with Roman
Polanski's Carnage . It's an ideal Opening Night movie:
the film contains stars for the red carpet (Jodie Foster,
Kate Winslet, Christoph Waltz and John C. Reilly), it'sfun and light but with a patina of seriousness to reassure
the audience that it's "art."
The festival itself is especially civilized. As a critic, you
feel none of the tension and pressure at NYFF that you
might at other, larger festivals. In a way, it's a film
festival for people who can't go to film festivals. Theycherry pick movies that have appeared at other fests
around the world and offer them to savvy New Yorkers,
the very audience that would seek out these movies at
independent cinemas if and when they got a theatrical run (as many of the films here do). It's a relaxed,
ideal way to end the festival circuit. And for movie buffs, it's a good way to check the pulse of world
cinema.
CARNAGE ** 1/2 out of ****
Playwright Yazmina Reza specializes in boulevard comedies -- well-constructed plays with small casts and
strong roles that appeal to top actors. Her most successful works are Art (a clever piece in which three
friends bicker over one of their purchases in modern art) and now Gods Of Carnage, shortened for film
to just Carnage . They're easy to over-praise and just as easy to under-praise. The glimmers of debate
about deep and meaningful topics -- What is art? How do you raise children? How close are we to chaos?
The importance of language -- annoy those who see her works as just slightly above sitcom level. But
FOLLOW US
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Scotty McCreery's Fail At
Thanksgiving Day Parade
The Weirdest Commercial You'll See
Thanksgiving Weekend!
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Posted: 9/30/11 01:05 PM ET
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dismissing them as empty pfiffle ignores their genuinely solid structures and strong characters that
invariably bring in top actors.
Carnage is no different. Two couples meet one afternoon to negotiate a "truce" over their sons, one of
whom struck the other with a stick, knocking out teeth. The parents try to be polite, but as they dance
around awkward differences in sensibility and parenting, the afternoon becomes tenser and tenser untiltensions explode.
Jodie Foster is good as the tightly wound mother and writer who bristles at every comment of the
rapacious lawyer Christoph Waltz. He's a lawyer constantly interrupting the conversation to carry on legaladvice with a pharmaceutical company about bad fallout over a drug with disastrous side effects.
Needless to say, the uber liberal Foster is horrified. Reilly is her working man husband (though they
certainly have a very nice apartment) and Winslet is Waltz's put-upon wife with her own successfulcareer that makes Foster and Reilly either green with jealousy or suspicious over privilege.
It's a note for note reproduction of the play, with unnecessary bookends set in a park. Actually seeing the
fight between the boys and then the coda back at the park is a very bad idea that softens the real impact
of the play, which is to let our imagination fill in what might have happened and watch adults descend
into brutality. This is NOT about the boys and their fight so beginning and ending with them (not tomention a lame visual gag) throws the movie off.
Otherwise, Polanski nimbly keeps the action flowing with an active camera that avoids the feeling of a
play captured on film. That apartment (the story essentially takes place over 80 minutes in one location)doesn't feel as claustrophobic as it might. Still, there's a certain lessening of dramatic impact without
actually being trapped in that space with the couples in a live performance. The stage set managed to be
more abstract, allowing Carnage to revel more completely in the social breakdown when the couples get
out of control. That's lost a bit on film, but it's still easy entertainment with four actors having a balldigging into the lines of Reza that can definitely amuse. You'll forget it an hour after seeing it, but light
entertainment and solid performances are all too rare in the theater or at the movies.
Thanks for reading. Michael Giltz is the cohost of Showbiz Sandbox, a weekly pop culture podcast that
reveals the industry take on entertainment news of the day and features top journalists and opinion
makers as guests. It's available for free on iTunes. Visit Michael Giltz at his website and his daily blog.
Download his podcast of celebrity interviews and his radio show, also called Popsurfing and also
available for free on iTunes. Link to him on Netflix and gain access to thousands of ratings and reviews.
Note : Michael Giltz has access to free screenings of all the movies at the festival.
Follow Michael Giltz on Twitter: www.twitter.com/michaelgiltz
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Michael Giltz
Freelance writerGET UPDATES FROM MICHAEL GILTZ
Follow
Movies , New York Film Festival , Entertainment News
5 33 0 0React
Inspiring Funny Hot Scary Outrageous Amazing Weird CrazyNew York Film Festival Embraces
"Carnage"
The 49th New York Film Festival kicks off with Roman
Polanski's Carnage . It's an ideal Opening Night movie:
the film contains stars for the red carpet (Jodie Foster,
Kate Winslet, Christoph Waltz and John C. Reilly), it'sfun and light but with a patina of seriousness to reassure
the audience that it's "art."
The festival itself is especially civilized. As a critic, you
feel none of the tension and pressure at NYFF that you
might at other, larger festivals. In a way, it's a film
festival for people who can't go to film festivals. Theycherry pick movies that have appeared at other fests
around the world and offer them to savvy New Yorkers,
the very audience that would seek out these movies at
independent cinemas if and when they got a theatrical run (as many of the films here do). It's a relaxed,
ideal way to end the festival circuit. And for movie buffs, it's a good way to check the pulse of world
cinema.
CARNAGE ** 1/2 out of ****
Playwright Yazmina Reza specializes in boulevard comedies -- well-constructed plays with small casts and
strong roles that appeal to top actors. Her most successful works are Art (a clever piece in which three
friends bicker over one of their purchases in modern art) and now Gods Of Carnage, shortened for film
to just Carnage . They're easy to over-praise and just as easy to under-praise. The glimmers of debate
about deep and meaningful topics -- What is art? How do you raise children? How close are we to chaos?
The importance of language -- annoy those who see her works as just slightly above sitcom level. But
FOLLOW US
'Titanic' Trailer! Celebs On Parade
'DWTS' Reunion Jean Paul Gaultier:
From the Catwalk to
the...EDITION: U.S.
November 24, 2011
Bloody New Look From Angelina Jolie
Scotty McCreery's Fail At
Thanksgiving Day Parade
The Weirdest Commercial You'll See
Thanksgiving Weekend!
Like 63
Posted: 9/30/11 01:05 PM ET
SHARE THIS STORY
Submit this storyGet Entertainment Alerts
Sign UpPHOTO GALLERIESCONNECT
FRONT PAGE POLITICS BUSINESS ENTERTAINMENT TECH MEDIA LIFE & STYLE CULTURE COMEDY HEALTHY LIVING WOMEN LOCAL MORELike 51KMusic Movies Rihanna Television Smarter Ideas More Log in
dismissing them as empty pfiffle ignores their genuinely solid structures and strong characters that
invariably bring in top actors.
Carnage is no different. Two couples meet one afternoon to negotiate a "truce" over their sons, one of
whom struck the other with a stick, knocking out teeth. The parents try to be polite, but as they dance
around awkward differences in sensibility and parenting, the afternoon becomes tenser and tenser untiltensions explode.
Jodie Foster is good as the tightly wound mother and writer who bristles at every comment of the
rapacious lawyer Christoph Waltz. He's a lawyer constantly interrupting the conversation to carry on legaladvice with a pharmaceutical company about bad fallout over a drug with disastrous side effects.
Needless to say, the uber liberal Foster is horrified. Reilly is her working man husband (though they
certainly have a very nice apartment) and Winslet is Waltz's put-upon wife with her own successfulcareer that makes Foster and Reilly either green with jealousy or suspicious over privilege.
It's a note for note reproduction of the play, with unnecessary bookends set in a park. Actually seeing the
fight between the boys and then the coda back at the park is a very bad idea that softens the real impact
of the play, which is to let our imagination fill in what might have happened and watch adults descend
into brutality. This is NOT about the boys and their fight so beginning and ending with them (not tomention a lame visual gag) throws the movie off.
Otherwise, Polanski nimbly keeps the action flowing with an active camera that avoids the feeling of a
play captured on film. That apartment (the story essentially takes place over 80 minutes in one location)doesn't feel as claustrophobic as it might. Still, there's a certain lessening of dramatic impact without
actually being trapped in that space with the couples in a live performance. The stage set managed to be
more abstract, allowing Carnage to revel more completely in the social breakdown when the couples get
out of control. That's lost a bit on film, but it's still easy entertainment with four actors having a balldigging into the lines of Reza that can definitely amuse. You'll forget it an hour after seeing it, but light
entertainment and solid performances are all too rare in the theater or at the movies.
Thanks for reading. Michael Giltz is the cohost of Showbiz Sandbox, a weekly pop culture podcast that
reveals the industry take on entertainment news of the day and features top journalists and opinion
makers as guests. It's available for free on iTunes. Visit Michael Giltz at his website and his daily blog.
Download his podcast of celebrity interviews and his radio show, also called Popsurfing and also
available for free on iTunes. Link to him on Netflix and gain access to thousands of ratings and reviews.
Note : Michael Giltz has access to free screenings of all the movies at the festival.
Follow Michael Giltz on Twitter: www.twitter.com/michaelgiltz
Sponsored Links
57-Year Old Mom Looks 25
FALL SPECIAL: Mom Reveals $5 Wrinkle Trick That Has Angered Doctors!
ConsumerLifestyleAlerts.orgMOST POPULAR ON HUFFPOST 1 of 2
Fox News Viewers Know Less
Than People Who Watch No
News: Study
Loyal Dog Refuses To Leave
Owner's Grave, Goes Week
Without Food
Charlie Angus What if They
Declared an Emergency and
No One Came?
Kris Humphries: Husband
From Hell?
Kirstie Alley Looking Good
Jenny From The Block's Fiat
Commercial A Sham
Bourbon Distillery To Obama:
'Give Us The Bird'
PHOTOS: Pepper-Spraying
Cop Makes His Way
Throughout Art History
Jack Wagner Confronted By
Long Lost Daughter
DON'T MISS HUFFPOST BLOGGERS 1 of 5
Dr. Peggy Drexler
We Can Be Thankful for Each
Other
Dylan Ratigan
This Thanksgiving, Occupy
Yourself
Like 317K
Like 42K
Like 44K
Recommend 804
Like 237
Like 3K
Like 193
Like 5K
Like 233
'Twilight: Breaking
Dawn's' Taylor LautnerOn His Most
Challenging Scene And
Jacob's MassiveTransformation (Video)
'G.I. Joe' Sequel Crew
Member Dies On Set
Jennifer Lopez's Love
TOP LINKS ON THIS TOPIC 1 of 5
Kate Winslet looking beautiful in #victoriabeckham x
Kate Winslet's Wax Figure Wows Us - E! Online
Emmy Nominations: 'Mildred Pierce,' 'Mad Men' Lead -
The Hollywood Reporter
Yoda Cup Of
Noodles Japanese
Commercial: Star...
Sarah Silverman
Comedy Picked Up
By NBC
Jimi Hendrix Named
Greatest Guitarist
Of All...
Robert Wagner:
Murder Suspect On
'NCIS' Buy a link here New Trick in TENNESSEE
If you drive 25 mi/day or less you better read this...
Insurance.Comparisons.org
Black Friday: HDTVs as low as $23.74
Black Friday Special! 100s of HDTVs being sold for as low as $23.74.
QuBids.com
Map Your Flood Risk
Find Floodplan Maps, Facts, FAQs, Your Flood Risk Profile and More!
www.floodsmart.gov
More in Entertainment...TOP VIDEO PICKS 1 of 9
MOST DISCUSSED RIGHT NOW 1of 2
HOT ON FACEBOOK 1 of 3
More Entertainment News at THR.com
More Celebrity News at People.com
nicoabad "las mujeres tenemos la habilidad de culpar a los hombres de cosas que
ellos ni siquiera saben que han ocurrido". kate winslet en canal+
2 days ago from Twitter for iPad
InStyle What's Kate Winslet wearing? http://t.co/8lX1DMPs
10 hours ago from HootSuite
THR VIDEO: New 'Titanic 3D' Trailer Released by Paramount PicturesFor Bodysuits (Photos)
Cynthia Nixon: Max Will Try
His First Thanksgiving
Stuffing
READ MORE
Kim Kardashian'sThanksgiving Contribution?Sweet Potato Soufflé
READ MORE
Heidi Klum Takes Her Kidsto Katy Perry's Concert
READ MORE
'TOWIE' Star Amy Childs Opens a
Salon
George Michael in Hospital
Asylum Snowtown Interview
The Greatest Guitar Player
Of All Time Revealed!
Scotty McCreery's Big Lip
Sync Fail At Thanksgiving
Day Parade
The Smartest Show On TV
Proves It With Secret
Scene
HOT ON TWITTER 1of 2
HUFFPOST'S BIG NEWS PAGES
Volunteering
Video
Holidays
TV
Latino Politics
Zimbabwe
Thanksgiving
Angelina Jolie
Metropolitan
Police Buy a link here Sponsored Links
57-Year Old Mom Looks 25
FALL SPECIAL: Mom Reveals $5 Wrinkle Trick That
Has Angered Doctors!
ConsumerLifestyleAlerts.org
We’ll Sing At Any Door!
Send Carolers To Your Friends With HomeGoods,Marshalls & T.J.Maxx!
www.ShareACarol.com
New Trick in TENNESSEE
If you drive 25 mi/day or less you better read this...
Insurance.Comparisons.org
MORE BIG NEWS PAGES »
ENTERTAINMENT CELEBRITY MEDIA COMEDY MUSIC TV CELEBRITY KIDS MOVIEFONE
Advertise | Log In | Make HuffPost your Home Page | RSS | Careers | FAQ
Like 990
The Roots Greet Michele
Bachman With 'Lyin' Ass
Bitch'
Like 4K
theellenshow
RetweetI'm so thankful for @MarloThomas
and Jennifer Aniston and theincredible work they do for children.
You can help them. http://t.co/8e6dE
willyouatme
RetweetThis is your brain on love (beautiful
INTERACTIVE GRAPHIC)http://t.co/a6gW3YVI /via
@HuffingtonPost
FRONT PAGE POLITICS BUSINESS ENTERTAINMENT TECH MEDIA LIFE & STYLE CULTURE COMEDY HEALTHY LIVING WOMEN LOCAL MORE
User Agreement | Privacy | Comment Policy | About Us | About Our Ads | Contact Us
Copyright © 2011 TheHuffingtonPost.com, Inc. | "The Huffington Post" is a registered trademark of TheHuffingtonPost.com, Inc. All rights reserved.
Part of HuffPost News