Beckinsale-Farmiga

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In Nothing But The Truth, director-writer Rod Lurie "has created female protagonists strong and self-aware enough to question sexism and hypocrisy. He's created two of the most fascinating female movie characters to hit screens in a long while," says Washington Post critic Ann Hornaday in a 4.28 review. "And they've been brought to life by two gifted actresses -- Kate Beckinsale and Vera Farmiga -- each working at the top of her game.

"Every once in a while, for reasons as random as a Hollywood executive's taste or an economic meltdown, a perfectly decent movie slips through the cracks, never receives a theatrical release and is relegated to the purgatory called straight-to-DVD.

"Some worthwhile cinematic gems have experienced such a fate (see Idiocracy and SherryBaby), and today we can add another one to the list. Nothing but the Truth, a taut political thriller, takes some cues from recent events, adds a dash of over-the-top melodrama and comes up with a crafty little pretzel of a movie, given added bite thanks to careermaking performances from Beckinsale and Farmiga.

"Lurie has gotten better and better over the years, and with Nothing but the Truth he's made the best film of his career, winching the drama steadily tighter as the notion of power and its abuse becomes more murky. He stages a shocking mid-point murder with jolting, ruthless finesse. But by far the most effective sequences of the film are those that feature Beckinsale and Farmiga going nose-to-nose as women trying (and failing) to find common ground."

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Posted by Jeffrey Wells on April 28, 2009 at 10:51 AM

comment #1

actionman says ...

I still go back to The Contender and watch it with extreme enjoyment. Loved that film.

I am getting Nothing but the Truth today via Netflix (with YFG's What Doesn't Kill you next to ship). Really looking forward to 'em both.

Posted by actionman at April 28, 2009 11:22 AM

comment #2

thevisceral says ...

Yes but is there lesbo action?

Posted by thevisceral at April 28, 2009 11:46 AM

comment #3

raygo says ...

Vera Farmiga has become someone I will watch in anything (let's hope that's a good thing). Loved her in The Departed, and was blown away by The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas. Looking forward to more.

Posted by raygo at April 28, 2009 12:00 PM

comment #4

actionman says ...

raygo -- have you seen Down to the Bone? She's incredible in that film. Searing work. Very emotional and passionate performance. And she gets topless (for what it's worth...)

Posted by actionman at April 28, 2009 12:25 PM

comment #5

Calraigh Bracken says ...

Agreed. It's the first film I've seen in a long time that is completely uncompromising in it's depiction of female protagonists. It's so incredibly inspiring. And yet again, great female roles get shortchanged by the industry. And I mean great female roles. Not The Reader and Changeling suffrage bullshit.

Posted by Calraigh Bracken at April 28, 2009 12:36 PM

comment #6

great scott says ...

Are we to believe there are actually newspaper reporters as hot as Kate Beckinsale? Most of the ones I've seen look more like Judith Miller, whom the character is supposedly based on.

Posted by great scott at April 28, 2009 12:44 PM

comment #7

Ryansi51 says ...

Calraigh I bet youre a party in the sack.

*ducks*

Posted by Ryansi51 at April 28, 2009 2:28 PM

comment #8

DarienStyles says ...

As I remember, both "Sherrybaby" and "Nothing But the Truth" were given limited theatrical releases, so it's not true. that these films never received a theatrical release.

Posted by DarienStyles at April 28, 2009 3:43 PM

comment #9

Calraigh Bracken says ...

Ryan, if you had any idea of what exactly a ''party in the sack'' was even remotely like in real life, you'd get away with being lame.

As it stands, you can probably go fuck yourself. Literally!

Posted by Calraigh Bracken at April 28, 2009 4:13 PM

comment #10

lipranzer says ...

Although I'm not partial to NOTHING BUT THE TRUTH because of its awful ending (that was the source? Seriously?), I do agree Farmiga was quite good in it. Beckinsale was better than she has been in a while, and got better as the film progressed, but she kept us outside all the time, instead of letting us in, which I also think hurt the film somewhat.

Posted by lipranzer at April 28, 2009 5:39 PM

comment #11

BurmaShave says ...

Business in the front, party in the sack.

Posted by BurmaShave at April 28, 2009 7:17 PM

comment #12

Pomerania says ...

Ryan with the numbers - if someone posted a comment saying how great it was to see strong roles for black actors, would you still lob out the same casual slur, would it still be okay? Pick that idea up with your two brain cells, crawl back under your rock and try to digest it, neanderthal.

Posted by Pomerania at April 29, 2009 3:47 AM

comment #13

mccool says ...

Farmiga was excellent in 'The Departed.' She was both the only one whose character didn't dissolve into a caricature and who had enough restraint to avoid going cartoonish with the boston accent.

I still can't believe that b-movie took best picture.

Posted by mccool at April 29, 2009 6:06 AM

comment #14

Floyd Thursby says ...

"Are we to believe there are actually newspaper reporters as hot as Kate Beckinsale?"

Once knew a reporter embroiled in legal tangle over refusing to disclose source, and she was even better looking than KB.

Posted by Floyd Thursby at April 29, 2009 8:23 AM

comment #15

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comment #16