The Burning Plain

Cause harm repeatedly to most parts of the body and they eventually grow desensitised, calloused and indifferent to the pain over time. This dispassionate, earthy and very dry aesthetic that film-maker Guillermo Arriaga applies to the world of his first major... Full review

Just saw this memorable piece at the Newport International Film Festival. It is a beautifully framed, exquisitely visual movie featuring remarkable, ground-breaking performances by Theron, Bassinger, Lawrence and ALL of the male actors. No clichés attached to "The Burning Plain". The... Full review

The movie reminded me of Babel, which is not that crazy since Arriaga wrote and directed Babel together with Alejandro González Iñárritu. (I only found this out after I saw The Burning Plain). Whereas I thought Babel was good but not... Full review

I had recently become a fan of both Guillermo Arriaga and Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu's work through their previous four films Amores Perros, 21 Grams, The Three Burials of Melquiades Estrada, and Babel (in order of release). In hearing of their creative... Full review

This is the first feature directing experience for Guillermo Arriaga. Already an established writer (Amores Perros, Babel, The Three Burials of Melquiades Estrada), Arriaga promisingly directs his own script in this movie. The movie follows the characteristic feature of Arriaga's script:... Full review

The pace of the film (probably due to poor editing) is inconsistent. The first half of the film is engrossing, but the second half can be easily predicted. A lot of scenes of the second half can be edited out. Apart... Full review

Charlize Theron and Kim Bassinger headline a film written and directed by Guillermo Arriaga, who wrote Babel, 3 Burials of Melquides Estrada and 21 Grams, three films who's appeal has eluded me. The time tripping movie has Theron dealing with events... Full review

The writer Guillermo Arriaga, much famed for his trilogy of films with director Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu, namely Amores Perros, 21 grams and Babel, steps behind the camera and debuts his own directing skills with 'The Burning Plain' a multi-layered affair that... Full review

Screenwriter Guillermo Arriaga, the one of "21 Grams", employs a very peculiar narrative style to tell stories of different characters, Charlize Theron's Sylvia, Jennifer Lawrence's Marina, and Kim Basinger's Gina. At first everything seems a bit messy (various threads seemingly insignificant)... Full review

Following his artistic divorce from Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu, writer Guillermo Arriaga, whose Tarantino-inspired interlocked storytelling also formed the basis of Tommy Lee Jones' magnificent The Three Burials of Melquiades Estrada, makes his debut as director with The Burning Plain, another recount... Full review

For what it's worth, The Burning Plain is the better film.... ... Full Review

Burning Plain' a confusing tale....Just because you tell your pretentious, plodding story out of order doesn't mean it's any less pretentious or plodding.....Charlize Theron and John Corbett co-star in The Burning Plain, a confusing story about birds, blonds and lusty teens..... ... Full Review

becoming an irritant to the more obsessive-compulsive viewer looking for a tight fit between well-crafted scenes.....he finds another good weave of elements in this story of generational guilt.....it sits at the very heart of The Burning Plain, the directorial debut from lauded screenwriter Guillermo Arriaga ( 21 Grams, Babel ) starring Charlize Theron and Kim Basinger..... ... Full Review

The film is not without interesting moments or performances.....To paraphrase the old joke about lawyers, sometimes a screenwriter who represents himself on film has a fool for a client.....It's possible to admire the performances of stars Charlize Theron and Kim Basinger in The Burning Plain....Theron plays her part mad and is all the more interesting for being unlikable.....But he may not have the editorial skills to be a good director..... ... Full Review

the tone is overwrought melodrama..... ... Full Review

Digging deep into the muck of a menacing world, Ree Dolly, the 17-year-old girl at the heart of the spare, powerful Winter's Bone, becomes a sort of accidental detective - investigating a disappearance, going up against dope fiends and the... ... Full Article

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Along with the change of name from the AFI Dallas International Film Festival to the Dallas International Film Festival come some other changes. The center of gravity for the April 8-18 film event will move from Victory Park to the... ... Full Article

January 18th, 2010 Within a relatively short amount of time, Guillermo Arriaga has written some amazing films that push the envelope of the traditional screenplay structure. ... Full Article