Hello everyone, it's me, TheCinemaChick, your friendly local neighborhood reviewer. I have seen some movies since watching Hop, but honestly, I haven't figured out how to explain that one yet. There's still a long list of movies I want to see, just haven't gotten the change to see yet. Plus nothing has appealed to me. Kit Kat and I are planning on doing a "Bad Movie Bonanza" segment, so stay tuned for that. I also plan on tackling some Disney movies and why they should NEVER have sequels. I mean, I thought cars was a very good movie, but the next movie they're doing involves spies and Japan. You know this will have absolutely nothing to do with the original film, which is pretty sad.
Enough about my thoughts on the sequels.
Today I bring you an indie movie called "The Conspirator". It's a movie about a woman who is accused of working with a group of men who had plotted to kill Lincoln. This movie isn't very publicized even thought it has some fairly big names starring in it. We've got Robin Wright Penn, James McAvoy, Evan Rachel Wood, Kevin Kline and Alexis Bledel. Granted, they aren't A-Listers, but it's still pretty impressive. As if that weren't enough, it's a Robert Redford film.
What more could a person want in a film?
I saw this with Butterfly (whose name I may change because he finally discovered what I've been calling him) and we were both impressed. I was just happy that I'd finally paid him back for Suckerpunch.
The movie starts off with the Civil War. We see two men lying in a ditch, both of them are injured. In the background, men are looking for survivors. The two men are rescued and then we have a time skip to the night of Lincoln's assassination.
Let me just say that I saw no point to the opening scene in the field. It's never mentioned again, nor did it really serve any purpose. Yeah, it's sort of an establishing shot to set the period and show us who the main character is, but the fact that it really does nothing for the movie bothers me.
Moving on.
We see Lincoln's murder, which was a rather impressive scene, cinematic-ally. It is mildly confusing because it skips between John Wilkes Booth and his co-conspirators. I didn't even know the plot to kill Lincoln went so deep. I believed it was a one man job. Butterfly did point out that he would like to know how historically accurate the movie was. As of right now, I have done no research to say if it is or not. Stay tuned for more info on that.
After the murder, we are introduced to our main characters. We have Mary Surrat, who is accused of working with her son and the other conspirators. She owns an inn with her children, which happens to be the place where Booth stayed. Because of that, she is sent to trial.
Honestly, I don't really have to delve deep into the plot. The movie goes slow, showing how Frederick Aiken (McAvoy) goes about collecting information and defending Mary at the expense of his personal life. And that is my only problem with this movie. The pace is almost is slow, almost painfully slow. It takes forever to reach the climax of the film, which even then, it wasn't a major one. Mary is declared guilty and sentenced to hang. It is heartbreaking because Aiken's evidence clearly proves she's innocent. Then the film shows her being hanged with the other men accused of the conspiracy.
Perhaps I'm a bit early on saying this but I'd say Robin Wright Penn deserves a nomination for her performance. Whether it be a Golden Globe or an Oscar, she deserves recognition for her role.
And despite the snail pace set by the film, it's very well done. The costumes are incredible, the acting is near flawless and the characters are believable.
What does TheCinemaChick think?
It's great. History buffs will enjoy it or people who are fans of period pieces. Average movie goers will most likely pass this one over because it does seem boring. They're going to be missing out on a hidden gem. See if it's playing in your area and at least consider it. It's not incredible, the best thing ever, can't miss movie but it's a subtle, quiet film that deserves to be mentioned.
Well, that's all for now. What's next on my list? At some point, I will do my review for "Your Highness" although I'm not sure how I can review that one without a lot of cursing and drug references.
What will I see next? I don't know. It depends on what's coming out and what I can afford. I am looking forward to Thor, Pirates of the Carribbean and some others.
Well, I'm TheCinemaChick and on behalf of my crew, I bid you an enjoyable theater experience.
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