George vs. George

Just a quick word about George Clooney's two big movies of 2011, "The Ides of March" and "The Descendants".  "The Descendants" is very family friendly, if somewhat depressing while being big, lush, and visually pleasant, particularly in the winter.  Hawaii is much more realistically portrayed than usual in cinema.  George's performance is understated if self-conscious.  This will sound bad, but the story is very feminine, in a way that will automatically appeal to many women.  I'm not dismissing it, just making an observation.

Don't wait until March 15th to see "The Ides of March",  a directorial piece by George.  He has a small part that is crucial to the plot, and probably required a lot less "acting".  This story is much more masculine, a political thriller. I also have to like it because several scenes were filmed in the Cincinnati area.   Ryan Gosling, the upcoming George, is surprisingly good and deserves any attention he gets from this role.  Marisa Tomei shows off some decent acting skills but is miscast as a national newspaper reporter.  The role is a tad underwritten or over-edited.  I'm not sure which.  Phillip Seymour Hoffman is his usual intense and thoroughly believable character.

See both movies.  Go to the theatre for "The Descendants".  "The Ides of March" works fine on the small screen, unless you are a fanatic about George or Cincinnati.  They are both worth the time investment.

"The Descendants" http://www.foxsearchlight.com/thedescendants/

"The Ides of March" http://www.sonypictures.com/homevideo/theidesofmarch/