Sunday, July 31, 2011


Anti-Microsoft crusaders, "Antitrust".If you think Microsoft has an unfair marketplace advantage that has been shaped by anti-competitive actions, believe their operating systems and software applications are technologically-inferior, believe that CEO Bill Gates is the Devil-incarnate, or if you simply can't stand that animated paper clip that keeps popping up without warning, then you will have a ball with director Peter Howitt's ("Sliding Doors") latest effort, "Antitrust". Though it is little more than a cliché-ridden conspiracy thriller rife with gaping plot holes, the shots it takes at the software behemoth, as well as Tim Robbins' ("Mission to Mars") moustache-twirling portrayal of Bill Gates, salvage this lackluster effort from complete obscurity.Indicative as to how quickly the 'New Economy' has cooled since "Antitrust" was in production, the story has brilliant computer whizzes Milo Hoffman (Ryan Phillippe of "Cruel Intentions") and Teddy Chin (Yee Jee Tso) about to start their own software company out of a garage, backed by venture capitalists who are lining up to give them seed money. However, Milo is also being courted by the charismatic CEO of multi-billion-dollar software giant NURV (which stands for 'Never Underestimate Radical Vision'), Gary Winston (Robbins), and is offered a lucrative programming position. Apparently, Winston's 'Synapse' project, which will allow limitless transmission of voice and data anywhere in the world through a network of satellites, is behind schedule, and only Milo has the smarts to finish it on time. At the urging of his girlfriend Alice (Claire Forlani of "Mystery Men"), Milo decides to take Winston on his offer, and pretty soon, he's got his own cubicle at Microsoft, I mean, NURV.Trust me when I tell you that "Antitrust" will appeal only to two distinct groups of moviegoers: those who absolutely can't get enough of Ryan Phillippe, and those who have it in for Microsoft and Bill Gates. Only these two demographic groups will be able to stand the paint-by-numbers script and the incredible leaps of logic necessary to suspend disbelief.

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