Robert Duvall scored a 1997 triumph as writer, director and star of The Apostle, in which he played a defrocked Pentecostal minister. Duvall wears the same three hats in Assassination Tango, but the results are disappointing.

As Brooklyn hit man John J., Duvall travels to Argentina to kill a retired general. It's there that he falls hard for the tango and for the lovely Manuela (Luciana Pedraza, Duvall's offscreen lady), who teaches him the dance. As expected, the tango seduces, and the scenes with John J. and Manuela have the improvisatory feel of the films of John Cassavetes. But Duvall missteps in trying to mesh suspense with a love story that also involves the woman (Kathy Baker) John J. lives with and her young daughter (Katherine Micheaux Miller), on whom he disturbingly dotes. Something about this ambitious film stays out of reach.

“Time to Pretend”

Listening to MGMT’s breakthrough song, one might interpret it as being about the excesses of rock stardom, but it’s actually about the duo’s pet praying mantis. Ben Goldwasser and Andrew VanWyngarden told Rolling Stone they got the idea from the insect's jerky movements. The mantis died, but the two bandmates kept the egg sack and allowed the hundreds of eggs to hatch. “We tried to name them all, but they died after a day,” said Goldwasser, with VanWyngarden chiming in, “But the praying mantis dance inspired us.”