Roman Polanski's "Burn After Reading"

I think that's an apt comparison, I don't know. Except that The Ghost Writer is supposed to be a drama, but the characters in it have good, healthy senses of humour. Now I know people are probably going to be turned off because of Ewan MacGregor. I'm not sure why that is, exactly. Is it because of Star Wars? Is it because every role he takes isn't like Trainspotting or even Velvet Goldmine to a lesser extent? Anyway, the plot. I tend not to get to it right away. A former Prime Minister, not unlike Tony Blair, is having his memoirs written. There is a ghost writer involved who turns up dead, and so the job is open. Ewan happens to be the lucky/unlucky fellow who gets the job. He gets the job from... a bald James Belushi? You bastard! You never shaved your head for George Mooradian! Again, I digress. Well, I don't want to give too much away, I suppose, and I don't think the picture I doctored gives away too much. The plot meanders a little bit in the midsection but all in all it's a pretty tight script, and it gives a nice peek into the lives of those in control, even if they're sort of on vacation. Some might say that Polanski could've phoned this one in, but give him a break! At his age he's lucky he's not in an old folks home... maybe not. It did look like large portions of the movie were filmed in a mo-cap studio, and if I ever get an actual DVD copy I could look at a little closer (hint hint) instead of a TiVo copy we don't even have anymore!! (angry hint) I could make a more thorough study of it. And like The Ninth Gate, Roman's still got a flair for a slightly silly credit sequence. Maybe not Fearless Vampire Killers silly, but close enough.

good double bill with: The Ninth Gate

***1/2
-so sayeth The Movie Hooligan