The Terminal (2004): review: 3/10

A man is stranded in a beaurocratic twilight zone when his fictitious East-European country has a revolution, and his passport is no longer accepted by the US. He lives in the airport which he is forbidden to leave. He has an ongoing conflict with the head of immigration at the airport, whose ends seem unclear.  He manages to find ways of earning money, make friends and begin a romantic liason with a women which lacks any discernable fizzle.

The film does not emphasis the inherant tragedy in the beaurocratic situation, it's strangeness and awfullness: it is too light. Hanks is as irritating as ever: with that ghastly, saggy mouth and piggy eyes and oily skin, and his horrible "folksy-method" acting style.

The joke is often the ridiculousness of foreigners, most notable the Indian floor-cleaner. Hanks is given a stupid accent and a silly walk There no parallel joke about the ridiculousness of Americans.

The film is considerably overlong and unpleasantly ingratiating.

The Great Buck Howard (2008): review: 6/10

Against the wishes of is father, a young mans drops out of law school, seeking to become a writer. To earn some money in the meantime, he takes a job as assistant to "mentalist" showman  Buck Howard, who is attempting to revive his career.

The film parallels the career beginnings of the young man with the older, and the plot is handled deftly. The acting is generally good and the film is never dull.

But there is something unimaginative about the direction, so that the film considerably lacks the atmosphere and passionate engagement that the story and characters deserve.