Reviews

All-around Traffic was a fresh and accurate look on drug trafficking. It wasn't sugar coated nor was it sorrowful. The use of colour during the edited process set the tone for the film which made it feel somewhat real. Together with how the director related sound into the film added an extra dimension to the viewing experience. This was most prevalent during the first car scene.

The acting in this film drew you into the characters and their stories. Personal I was drawn to Catherine Zeta-Joneses character Helena Ayala largely because of her character development. At the beginning she was naive and fragile yet by the end of the story she had transformed into a strong and bold woman. Likewise with Michael Douglas's character Robert Wakefield who played both a conservative judge and father of a drug addicted daughter. He was set in his ways about the war on drugs but by the end he no longer believed what he once fought for. Another clear example of character development.

When it came to the storyline I loved it mostly because I am drawn to films with multiple story lines. The reason why I love films like this is because you get to see multiple points of view on one underlining theme. This makes it easy for multiple demographics to relate to one story. And this issue on drugs is still current which doesn't age this film a bit. Drugs and Alcohol will be an ongoing issue. I was somewhat surprised that the film was 15 years old. Overall I would recommend this film to anyone.

This fast paced crime drama was exciting to watch and had you thinking through out the whole film. The dialogue was fascinating and peculiar which made the actors performance that much more enjoyable. Both Joseph Gordon-Levitt as Brendan a dry and quick-witted teen and Meagan Good as Kara a twisted drama queen really took on their character and had a powerful performance. How it was shot added to the brisk and rough feel. The diverse variety of shots and angles gave you an interesting perspective but the way they were cut made it feel fast passed. My absolute favorite scene in the film was when Pin and Tugger got into a fight so Brendan left the room to let the two could fight it out. What I really enjoyed about that scene was that they insinuated what was going on in the room, which made you cringe with wonder. Lastly the sound effects added another dimension to the film. Overall this was a great revival of the classic film noir genre!

As a young film student this biography incorporated how society, film, and actors were like during the silent film era seamlessly. They featured such actor as Fred Karno, a British comedian who is known for inventing the custard-pie-in-the-face gag. Douglas Fairbanks, an American actor who is known for his swashbuckling roles in silent films. Mary Pickford, a Canadian actress known for her role as "America's Sweetheart". And finally Mack Sennett, a Canadian-born American director /actor who was known as the innovator of slapstick comedy in film. As well as the iconic Keystone cops who were incompetent policemen, featured in short silent film comedies. The controversy between Republican Party and Communist Party was also prevalent in the film when Charlie was forced to leave the United States. This makes for a great educational movie for someone just getting into the silent film genre.

The only part of Chaplin's life that was missed is his later life in Europe. This film made it appear as though Chaplin's life was at a stand still after he left America. There definitely was a bias towards America because even though he wasn't in the peak of his career he still could have been happy. He made some good films, got an education, and had a family during his time in Switzerland. This was probably because Chaplin was an American film.

Other than that I thought Robert Downey Jr. did the iconic actor justice. Robert Downey Jr. accent and ability to achieve slapstick effortlessly was mesmerizing. It felt as though you were watching Chaplin himself and his workaholic and sympathy sides made him a more dynamic and interesting character. The period set design and classy soundtrack fit perfectly into the atmosphere of the film without taking away from the film. Editing could have been better, it dated the film and didn't look polished. It reminded me of the cheesy transitions you could use in iMovie. On the flip side my absolute favourite part of the film was during the title sequence with Chaplin's transformation into the tramp. This set the tone for the whole movie. You knew right away that this wasn't going to be just another biography but, about the man behind the mask.