W. gets a trailer

In theaters Friday: The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor , Swing Vote
New on DVD: Shine a Light

Oliver Stone’s W., a seemingly light-hearted biopic chronicling George W. Bush’s rise from hard-drinking Harvard party animal to disinterested businessman to president of the United States, has a trailer. And actually it looks decent, like the kind of film Bush haters and Bush stalwarts would both feel compelled to see. And for that reason, it should turn a fair profit.

When Stone announced in January that he would write, shoot and edit a feature-length film about the sitting president and release it before the fall elections, I was dubious. But judging by the trailer, he may have pulled it off. Why? Because it’s not a silly string of gags taking pot shots at the president. At this point, to make fun of Bush in that way is to make fun of ourselves. No, Stone’s script stays focused on the one question featured in the trailer: What drove Bush from a rebellious son buckling under the weight of his father’s mighty shadow to a man convinced it was his calling to become the leader of the most powerful country in the world? In The Bush Tragedy, Jacob Weisberg proposes that an intense desire to prove himself to his father, and even outdo him, motivated “junior” to seek the highest office in the land. Whether Stone’s film comes to the same conclusion is unknown, but regardless, W. just may be a flawed but thought-provoking must-see movie.

I rented 21 and Cassandra’s Dream last weekend. 21 showed some signs of life and a few twists and turns, but got off to a glacially-paced start, and then never quite captured the thrill those MIT students must have felt raking in the cash by counting cards in Vegas. But if you like watching poker on TV, you might love this, I suppose.

On the other hand, Woody Allen’s latest — and final — film in his English series that began with the excellent Match Point is Cassandra’s Dream. It is perhaps his darkest, most tragic film to date. Ewan McGregor and Colin Farrell are two working-class brothers from London, and both attempt to climb the social and economic ladder in their own ways. McGregor’s smooth-talker lies his way into a relationship with a gorgeous actress, and Farrell’s big-hearted brooder sinks into gambling debts up to his eyelids. Both are hopelessly trapped in prisons of their own making until their wealthy uncle approaches the pair with a quid pro quo proposition. The uncle, played by Tom Wilkinson, has a former friend who is threatening to reveal his illegal business practices. The move would ruin him financially and probably put him behind bars. So in return for bailing both out financially, the uncle asks the brothers to murder this informant before he can squeal. Tension mounts as McGregor and Farrell debate the morality of their uncle’s request and deal with the weight of their decisions. McGregor and Farrell are believable as brothers who see the world in starkly different ways. Wilkinson is always good, so I felt he was slightly underused here. I would have liked to see him in three or four more scenes.

I’m not sure if I enjoyed it as much as Match Point, but Cassandra’s Dream is definitely worth a rental, if for nothing more than to marvel at Allen’s long, uninterrupted, free-flowing takes, and McGregor’s charismatic and tortured performance. Allen’s next film, Vicky Christina Barcelona, hits selected theaters Aug. 15.