Christian Bale

Going Fast: A Review of ‘Ford v. Ferrari’

Fast cars are a way of life.

I know this better than most. My grandfather raced Porsches back in the 1970s, and my father and brother have carried on the tradition. They spend about one weekend a month at the track, and a good portion of the rest of their time building racecars. Racing, and the racing life, requires just as much time, dedication, and money, as any other sport, but, you go a hell of a lot faster.

Ford v. Ferrari is an homage to the sport, and, a touching tribute to one of its finest: Ken Miles.

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Beware the quiet man: A review of “Vice”

by The Collected Mutineer

Its Oscar season, which means that the Collective team is working its way through each film nominated in the Best Picture category. For me, this time of year comes with both a measure of excitement and a measure of reservation. I often wonder why certain films were nominated, why some were snubbed, and even more often: “did anyone actually see this movie?”

In the case of Vice, which stars Christian Bale transformed as former veep Dick Cheney, I wasn’t surprised to see its name listed. After all, Hollywood loves movies where actors are nearly unrecognizable (and boy, does Bale deliver). What I wasn’t expecting, however, was how the film was going to make me feel by the time it was over—despite some fumbled storytelling and forced analogies, Vice is an unforgiving reflection of American society.

**This review is as spoiler-free as I can make it, considering the events are public knowledge and in living memory for many of us.** 

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