Movie Review: Shattered Glass

We all pretty much know that the Star Wars movies, these past two--are pretty much sucky, don't we? I mean, when did politics enter the storyline? What exactly is the purpose of JarJar outside of another cool toy tie-in?

It's because we have to put Lucas' kids through college and Willow flopped at the box office.

The only reason I bring it up is because of the star, Hayden Christensen. He is the star and backbone of this movie.

Hayden turned a sucky series of films into all the more suckiness. He whined alot. I have it on DVD if you want to see it. He looked good on camera, but I can't remember him doing anything more then whining thoughout the entire Attack of the Clones.

He made my head hurt.

I rented this movie because I'm a writer. I loved All the President's Men. Julia. The Front Page. His Gal Friday. It's a subgenre, and it's fun to have it at my beck-n-call. So when I read about his title in Time mag, I wanted to pay it a visit for some time.

And I will tell you, as Stephen Glass, the pseudo protagonist, Hayden had a lot to whine about. So here-it works well. The story is true, based on a youthful author for the New Republic. It seems he fabricates stories and no one has noticed. It wasn't too big a deal until he did a tale on hackers. And an internet magazine, Forbes.com, was furious at not hearing about the detials. So Forbes.com investigated and the ruse becomes exposed.

It leads to several scenes where Hayden can cry, cry and cry some more. I would have been upset, hadn't not actually worked with the story and the persona he has pretty much developed. I don't know what to think of the kid. He needs to do a wee bit more.

I know, I know, I always come down on the script, and the same here. I've not a clue why Mr. Glass fabricated these stories. It's never made clear if there's something Freudian lying underneath or the mere need to be paid attention to. I think the film would have carried more wait. As it is, the viewer becomes angry at Glass for his shengigans and doesn't really understand what happens in the end.

My wondering is who is "Tove Christensen?" The name is listed on the credits {I'm unsure if it's a male or female name...} as a producer. and I can't help thinking they got Hayden the job. Sorta like Bush escaping from Vietnam, only in reverse. Is this the source of Hayden's rise to fame? If so, I'm a bit concerned if we don't see him do something better soon.

All this picking on Hayden, and I'm sorry. I give the film high marks, however, for the rest of the cast. I saw Rosorio Dawson for the first time on Celebrity Poker this weekend on Bravo and thought she was nice, but didn't have much of an opinion about her. Then there was this movie. She had only, like, 10 lines, but still, she was not who I saw at the televised poker game, when acting might come in handy. Good stuff. Steve Zahn always rules and takes on great projects. It's also good to see him not doing horror or indie comedy. Leave it that to Jack Black.

Very good stuff on all levels. A decent read, I should think.

Just someone shut Hayden up.