Problem: 1. Michael Clayton is -- hands-down, no-question, make-your-toes-curl-with-a-creative-crush -- the absolute best, most surprising, most devastating performance Clooney has given us yet.
2. The film is stealthy, like its characters; it creeps up on you.
3. There's too much drag time in the beginning to say that this movie lives up to all the hype it's getting, but it is still worth going to see.
4. Gilroy has crafted a smart thriller that revolves around a corporate cover-up but doesn't burrow into hair-splitting details and stays away from cliché.
5. A deliberate and measured look at what happens when you wake up one day and realize you can no longer recognize the man staring back at you from the bathroom mirror.
6. [Gilroy] ratchets the tension so imperceptibly... that you don't notice how taut the action is. That is, until you notice your fingernails are embedded in the armrest.
7. George Clooney just keeps getting better and better. His performance here is rich and deep and layered, and seeing him work through his range of reactions is enormously moving. It provides a strong center for the legal thriller swirling around him.
8. Clooney makes a poor replacement for Julia Roberts.
9. [A] mostly decent '70s-style paranoia-fest.
10. ...a top-notch film that entertains, thrills, and - if you'll let it - makes you think.
What is the consensus?
****
Answer: Michael Clayton is one of the most sharply scripted films of 2007, with an engrossing premise and faultless acting. Director Tony Gilroy succeeds not only in capturing the audience's attention, but holding it until the credits roll.


Problem: 1. Its lack of objectivity doesn't hurt the film as a piece of entertainment, although it does seem to weaken its own argument a little.
2. Don Argott's new documentary makes some of the most outlandish conspiracy theories seem strangely believable.
3. The Art of the Steal paints only in black and white.
4. A tragic, true tale exposing America's ugly, two-tiered system of justice defined by the color line.
5. Argott beautifully explicates how this crew pulled off the most daring daylight art theft in history, though his passionate identification with the pro-Barnes faction limits the movie's political nuance.
6. No matter what side you end up taking, you still might be tempted to call your lawyer to go over your will just one more time.
7. [Don] Argott has made a worthwhile contribution to a controversy that deserves an audience.
8. A fascinating good guy vs. bad guy art film about the big business of culture, that puts it on the same footing as big corporations.
9. ...A highly partisan and energetic documentary
10. A terrifically convoluted yarn with dozens of major players.
What is the consensus?
****
Answer: Deeply esoteric and unapologetically one-sided, The Art of the Steal proves a documentary doesn't have to make an objective argument as long as it argues well.


Problem: 1. Even when the violence gets out of control, as bad as 'a bad day in Bosnia,' there's an underlying level of wit and humor.
2. Entertaining because of its intricate plot, kinetic editing and imaginative camera angles.
3. Even when the accents are as indecipherable as the plot, Ritchie keeps the action percolating and the humor on high.
4. A clever, complex, and comic caper that takes its share of unexpected twists and turns.
5. Smokin'.
6. We've heard it all before, and usually with a slightly more comprehensible accent.
7. You'll laugh out loud, and in the end you'll be cheering for the good guys, if you can figure out who they are and what language they're speaking.
8. Go see it if you're in the mood. You're bound to get a chuckle, but don't expect too much.
9. A Laurel and Hardy film would have looked like deep sardonic humor compared with this sophomoric effort.
10. Just don't expect to be dazzled by the story, because if you're like me... you'll have trouble following the faces, and hence, the plot, from one scene to another.
What is the consensus?
****
Answer:
Lock, Stock, and Two Smoking Barrels is a grimy, twisted, and funny twist on the Tarantino hip gangster formula.