“Confidence” Starring Edward Burns and
Dustin Hoffman
There’s nothing like a good, solid heist picture. While there
have been many recent attempts at the genre, they all harken to a
bygone era of grifting, usually involving one or two players that
have been out of the game for ages. Despite enough mentions of
“the itch” to warrant strangulation,
“Confidence” proves that the game is very much alive
and contemporary, with James Foley’s grab bag of styles and
tricks and Doug Jung’s amusingly self-aware screenwriting
debut. While the performances are one-note across the board, the
cast strikes a powerful chord, allowing the story to show all of
its cards and still beat the audience’s hand. Ed Burns as
Jake Vig is the streetwise performer that Ben Affleck wishes he
was, and Rachel Weisz’s alluring turn as Lily accomplishes
what Julia Roberts has struggled to do for years.
“Confidence” doesn’t revolutionize the genre by
any means, but it’s undeniably charming and effective, making
for a good, solid night at the movies. ““Paul
Mendoza
“The Real Cancun” New Line
Cinema
In case you were wondering why some countries hate the United
States, this movie might provide a clue: according to “The
Real Cancun,” American college students are sluts with no
morals who just drink, party and sleep around. It’s like
watching two hours of reality TV but with nudity and cursing. And
as we all know, watching drunk people is fun for about two seconds.
Then it just gets phenomenally annoying. “The Real
Cancun” is the first so-called “reality” movie
““ it seems other documentaries don’t for whatever
reason count ““ and the concept is basically, um, “The
Real World” in Cancun (the film’s producers are the
same people who pioneered the MTV show back in 1992). This is the
true story of 16 skanky college students picked to live in a
beachfront villa during spring break. However, the main flaw of the
movie is the same thing that’s wrong with all reality TV:
it’s not “real” if the participants know
they’re being filmed. Of course, the camera only focuses on
the “interesting” kids, so those with significant
others at home or strong moral values are pretty much left out of
the picture. The film, which has no plot, drags on from party to
party and hookup to hookup, leading you to think, “I never
thought debauchery could be so incredibly boring.” The
characters, instead of being sympathetic and credible, are just
stupid. Girls, here’s a tip: Want a guy to respect you?
Don’t sleep with him after you’ve known each other a
day! The “main character” turns out to be Alan, a shy
Texan who’s never had a drink in his life. As much as Alan
professes he can live without alcohol, he’s drunk within 48
hours. “The Real Cancun” pretty much catalogs all the
reasons parents are afraid to let their children go on spring
break. But in spite of all the breasts, body shots and beer bongs,
it’s just tedious. You could stay home and watch MTV. Or if
you want the “real” world, just go to a frat party.
““Johanna Davy