Uneven 'Edukators' offers stimulating social critique
· Hans Weingartner's _The Edukators_ opens with an affluent family returning from vacation to find their opulent furniture piled in the center of their living room and their priceless porcelain soldiers crammed into the toilet. Amidst the chaos, a note is found, "Your days of plenty are numbered -- The Edukators." In this manner, Weingartner introduces us to The Edukators, a group of political activists dedicated to fighting socioeconomic injustice in the world.
Provocative 'Persuasion' faulters on darkly comic tone
· Director Marcos Siega's _Pretty Persuasion_ manages to be a movie about teenagers without succumbing to the pitfalls of the overdone teen movie genre. This dark and twisted satire attacks the complexities of racism, ignorance and sensationalism in society, but gets caught trying to be both humorous and relevant and fails at being tragically funny. The biting lines of dialogue delivered by the characters make for great laughs but ultimately detract from the deeply cynical message. The viewer gets mental whiplash from the shifting tone.