Scott: Received Wisdom

The key words in AO Scott's review of this year's films is "received wisdom." I love his point about it - that even the allegedly thoughtful films operate on pre-pressed narratives and premises. I think that's the biggest ailment in the film industry at the moment. I can mention any number of films that his statement reminds me of. I'm not sure about the minimalist micro-stories being the solution, however. I haven't seen Wendy and Lucy yet, but having seen Kelly Reichardt's previous laconic outing Old Joy, and having seen Chop Shop recently, I'm just not convinced that's the way out. While I'm happy to see films like these, I wouldn't want every film to be like them.