Focus

that gambling scene was so stressful was more enjoyable than i expected read more

review originally posted here! i love a good con movie. from the sting to oceans eleven to catch me if you can, the genre is as formulaic as it is entertaining. the secret to its success is a combination of familiar warmth and detached unpredictability: everyone knows the general beats of a con movie pretty much up to the minute, and it is within that space of comfort that the filmmakers get to play with their twists. con movies work because the audience knows every trick, and yet they still fall for them. there also hasn't been a good one in a while. as somebody who hated american hustle,... read more

focus is another one of those con artist movies that puts con on top of con, each one with a more elaborate concept than the last. cool con's but otherwise not such an original film and one that is mostly held together by it's charismatic performances. it's well put together, it's well directed, it looks nice and it's got a great role for major dad himself, gerald mcraney. but it's also filled with illogical things, contrived plot points and a story that such diesn't make sense if you think about it for to long (and kind of while you are watching it). i mean con men are real but in this film... read more