February is a strange month for moviegoing, with studios tiptoeing past the January dumping ground to give us slightly offbeat comic-book movies (Deadpool), sequels (Zoolander 2), and a Coen Brothers flick (Hail, Caesar!). Meanwhile, at the art house, we’ve got new documentaries, foreign films (including an Oscar nominee), horror and thrillers, and – this being February and all – even a couple of romances.
Requiem for the American Dream
Release Date: Out now
Directors: Peter D. Hutchison, Kelly Nyks, Jared P. Scott
Documentary
The style and structure are plainly swiped from Errol Morris (specifically of his Oscar winner The Fog of War), but if you’re gonna bite a style, that’s the right one for this Noam Chomsky primer, focusing on the linguist, commentator, and rabble-rouser’s “10 Principles of Concentration of Wealth and Power.” It’s a swirling, upsetting picture that gets bigger and scarier the more he talks; sharply edited and convincingly argued (though some of the animations are frustratingly literal), and designed to leave a residue of rage and action.
