Recent binges of David Mamet-related films, "Paradise Lost" trilogy, and TV shows:
Glengarry Glen Ross (1992) I realize folks here have reviewed this before, but I'd only seen it recently and it has to be one of my all-time favorites at this point. Desperate, claustrophobic atmosphere brings to mind Twelve Angry Men, and the cast's performances enhance what is some of the best dialogue ever written.
Heist (2001) Sort of like a combination of Heat and Unforgiven - an old guy has to pull off one last "job" before he can slip away into obscurity. Has some unrealistic elements, and Sam Rockwell is infuriatingly bad, but otherwise a decent crime-buddy flick. Good action sequences. I tend to always like Danny Devito's performances.
Redbelt (2008) Reviews of this movie both negative and positive all emphasized the word "implausible" regarding the plot/story and especially ending. That's certainly the case, but it would have to be implausible considering it's a noir film with a martial arts theme, rather than a traditional martial arts Chuck Norris-type deal. Basically about a guy who is honorable to the point of naivete, who gets wrapped up in a small-time conspiracy/setup like most noir-ish flicks. Great puzzle-type plot that integrates notions of honor, personal pride etc that Japanese kick-flicks tend to have but American ones tend to lack. This one is sort of in-between. If you like understated, subtle performances from non-A-list actors, it's worth a watch.
Paradise Lost documentary trilogy (1996, 2000, 2011) I have more to rant about regarding this case and the subsequent films than could reasonably be included here, so I'll just note that: 1) despite leaning toward the feeling that the "West Memphis Three" are innocent, I'm not entirely convinced. Damian Echols, even if innocent, seems to have obvious, far-reaching psychological and emotional issues making him pretty unlikeable. 2) All three films leave out any discussion of evidence which slightly implicates The Three, which seems suspicious/dishonest. There were issues involving a whiskey bottle and candle wax which put The Three a lot closer to the crime than most people perceive. 3) Either Terry Hobbs or John Mark Byers seems like the most culpable/capable suspect, but may also just be unlikeable antisocial losers that have violent pasts but didn't kill those kids. Nevertheless, there's a lot to suggest they were abusive in multiple ways to their respective step-kids/kids even if they didn't kill them. I guess that's the way these murder documentaries tend to go. Here's an interesting take on things from some Reddit commentor:
Quotethose 4 kids biked over to the known gay cruising area of west memphis called robin hills, that one kid saw his stepfather giving oral to his friend in the wood like guys do in those areas, his friend and him retardedly decided to kill them instead of letting Pam's dad and bro know because he was scared of them. end of story
