“You know, you know, a friend of mine a while back broke his hand and put it in a cast. Very next day, he falls, protects his bad hand, and he breaks his good one. So he breaks it too, you know. So, now he’s got two busted flippers. So, I says to him: ‘Creighton,’ I says. ‘I hope your wife really loves you, because for the next five weeks, you can’t even wipe your own god damn ass.’ [laughs] That’s the test, ain’t it? Test of true love.” — M. Emmet Walsh as Private Detective Loren Visser in Blood Simple
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The Girl in the Café (2005) I remember Kelly Macdonald from Trainspotting, and it was great to see her again as Gina, the young girl with a past who, to the consternation of her escort (Bill Nighy), disrupts a G8 summit in Reykjavik and manages to prod prime ministers and presidents into taking positive action. Momentous issues loom in the background of what is essentially a May/September romance, sweetly done and endearing. Warning to viewers: Nighy’s terminally shy character will make you squirm, but in a good way! |
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Let the Right One In (2008) I thought I was too old to get much out of a vampire movie, but Let the Right One In was outstanding. Low key and (perhaps precisely for that reason) horrifying, especially the ending. A few scenes are engraved in my memory and will stay with me forever. My only regret is that I watched the English-language version … the dubbing is not very good. Also, I’m told, the soundtrack to the Swedish-language original is much clearer. The movie was so good, I’m planning to rent the original and watch it again, this time with subtitles. |
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Blood Simple (1984) The first Coen Brothers movie, and it’s as if Joel & Ethan came into the movie business fully formed. If you became a fan of the Coen Brothers after watching their later films, you need to treat yourself to this one. Yes, it does drag a bit during the first half hour, and you’ll watch a lot of ceiling fans slowly rotate, but trust me, it picks up, and you’ll soon be holding your breath and clutching the arms of your chair. The young Frances McDormand is fabulous (and hot), but M. Emmet Walsh? Best. Villain. Ever. |
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The Descent (2005) I knew this was going to be a horror movie and just assumed the chills would be organic to the plot … you know, people going down into dark caves and not being able to find their way out. I had no idea there were hillbilly Morlocks down there! Other than that surprise, and an all-female pool of victims, this was pretty much the teen movie gorefest you’d expect. |
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Five Minutes of Heaven (2009) This one didn’t live up to my expectations. What could be more full of dramatic promise than a meeting, 25 years later, between a man who saw his brother murdered by an Irish Protestant terrorist, and the terrorist himself? Sadly, it’s a dull letdown, and comes across as propagandistic in its advocacy of “truth & reconciliation.” |
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Creation (2009) If you’re looking for a movie about how Darwin developed his theory of evolution and came to write The Origin of the Species, look elsewhere. Creation is a psychodrama about a troubled, miserable man mourning the death of a beloved daughter; a man, moreover, almost paralyzed by fear of what might happen if he antagonizes the church and settled academic opinion by publishing his work. The producers must have caught some of Darwin’s fear, because they can barely bring themselves to utter the word “evolution” … I think I heard it only once or twice during the movie. Yes, it’s beautifully filmed, and the actors are superb, but I quickly grew tired of Paul Bettany’s moping about and wanted to give him a good thashing. Mostly, though, I’m annoyed that the seminal, science- and humanity-changing ideas of Charles Darwin get such short shrift here. |
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The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet’s Nest (2009) Some reviewers complain that the third and final movie of Stieg Larsson’s Millenium Trilogy doesn’t have enough action. As Roger Moore of the Orlando Sentinel says: “It’s only our investment in these fascinating characters and in wholly unraveling the mystery of Lisbeth Salander’s awful past that keep it compelling.” To which I say, yeah, so? Isn’t that the point of going to see The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet’s Nest? And what’s this about not enough action? There’s plenty of action, from the assassination of Lisbeth’s father at the start to Lisbeth’s gory revenge on her half-brother Neidermeyer at the end. If you loved the first two movies you will love this one too. By the way, I want to note that my wife, who hasn’t read the books and had previously seen only the first movie, was as fascinated and engaged by this one as I was, and not only raved about it on the way home but gave me permission to buy all three movies (in Blu-Ray yet) for our DVD collection. |
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Best Worst Movie (2009) A documentary about a bad movie that, many years after its direct-to-video release, developed a cult following. The Netflix blurb makes Best Worst Movie out to be a dark comedy, but in fact it’s quite lighthearted. The documentary primarily follows original cast member George Hardy, a likable man bemused by, and grateful for, his sudden underground popularity. He’s for real. The Rocky Horror Picture Show-style crowds who pack art houses to watch Troll 2 (the “best worst movie” of the title), on the other hand, come across as poseurs. My overall reaction to Best Worst Movie was mixed. It’s entertaining but ephemeral. Apart from the pleasure of meeting George Hardy (and a few cringing laughs at the expense of agoraphobic co-star Margo and asshole director Mario), there’s not much to it. |
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Iron Man 2 (2010) Iron Man 2 is loaded with spectacular location shots. Oh, Mickey Rourke as the bad guy … he’s good too. Otherwise it’s a predictable sequel, with the introduction of darkness to the narrative (thus guaranteeing yet another sequel), a blossoming love interest, and lots of zooming around with random destruction. Fun, but I felt diminished afterward for not having done something better with my time. |
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Restrepo (2010) Writer Sebastian Junger and documentary film maker Tim Hetherington spent a year with an Army platoon in the Korengal Valley in Afghanistan, at the time the most dangerous place American troops could be assigned. I believe the film is meant as a companion piece to Junger’s book about the experience, War, and that’s how I approached it … reading the book first, then watching the documentary. This is dramatic stuff, but the overwhelming impression it left on me is that what we are doing in Afghanistan has nothing to do with rooting out Al Qaeda; that our mission has devolved into a war on the Taliban being fought strictly for its own sake … they shoot at us, we shoot at them, for ever and ever amen. What a waste of fine young men. I must say, though, that Junger and Hetherington scrupulously avoid making any judgments on the war itself, focusing instead on the soldiers of the platoon. I was left to make my own judgments, and your mileage may vary. |