The Company You Keep

Deb 5     Me 5

We wanted to like this one, actually had a pretty good preview. It's a Robert Redford movie and you gotta remember he's the king of the indie, it's just that a lot of his films are so huge you'd think they were big studio productions. So this one is about a bunch of anti-war activists forty years after the fact and a young pup journalist ferreting them out, trying to get in their 60's heads with contemporary sensibilities. It was a slow version of the Fugitive with bad music. There were some good moments, a fairly straightforward story muddled up with atmosphere and and convoluted twists. Acting was fine, but 76 year old Redford having an 11 year old daughter pushed the credibility limits right away and the rest of the story suffered. I think this is one of those "cause" movies. The producers have a "cause" and they enlist actors of like mind, who either share the views of the script or are sympathetic towards the"cause". But like so many "causes" sometimes the most sincere intentions are lost in their execution their and it's the same with this movie.  There was some dabbling in 60's sentiment and philosophy, but they bounced between apologizing and atoning for the past, alternating attempts to reconcile or resolve history and offering some vague and dubious counseling to today's up and comers. Seems like an opportunity missed.

Renoir

Deb 8     Me 7

This is an exploration of the great painter's later years, his family, personality and the times he lived in. It assumes a lot of facts not in evidence, that is, the more you know going in, the happier you'll be coming out. With that said there were still a lot of unanswered questions and issues raised and not resolved, that's why I gave it a 7 and not higher. What they did present of Renoir the painter was pretty great, the shots of him working were very convincing. There's also some skin, which I like, good healthy bodies being celebrated on canvas. I learned some from this film, was entertained and my interest level was maintained. It is slow, but it allows you time to soak in the lovely cinematography.