1/3 - 1/8: Fairies, Organs, Planets, Dumb Action, & Colin Ferrall

I think I've figured out how I'm going to keep this blog going and not completely bore everyone who reads it (hopefully). In the past I would watch a movie and then spend longer than most film's run-time writing a freaking novel about it. Yea, not doing that anymore. Call me lazy, but continuing on the way I was would tucker me out. Plus, no one really wants to read that much about some of the idiotic films I watch. I watch a lot of really awesome movies, but sometimes I'm a moron and rent the dumbest movie on the shelves.

Example: I'm going to rent Shark Night eventually. I know it's going to be horrible. I know I'll probably hate myself afterward. But it's called Shark Night and that guarantees at some point someone will get eaten by a shark. Sometimes that's all it takes for me. However, I don't want to write for an hour about Shark Night. I'm sure that neither do you.

So...

This is how this is going to work: I'm going to watch a bunch of shit, hope some of it isn't shit, and then I'm going to tell you about it.

Simple.

I'm planning to post at least once a week and give you a round-up of what I've seen since the last post. It's going to be semi-brief (unless the film warrants further discussion) and will maybe give you some clue as to whether or not it's worth your precious time to watch. I'm also going to single out one film as "Movie Of The Week." It'll be whatever was the best one I watched that week... or something like that (I've yet to decide whether that's a good idea or a dumb one but I'm rolling with it for now).

Tuesday 1/3/12: Don't Be Afraid Of The Dark (2011)

Despite only being produced/co-written by Guillermo Del Toro, Don't Be Afraid Of The Dark has the wonderful director's spirit casting it's shadow over the entire movie. I had a lot of fun with this movie. It's got a really entertaining premise of evil fairies trying to eat a little girl's teeth, a wonderful performance by Guy Pierce, and the classic gothic horror vibe that Del Toro is known for. Definitely check this out. It's classy horror fun.

Wednesday 1/4/12: Never Let Me Go (2010)

This may be one of those "novel vs film" issues for me. I absolutely adore the book that this was based on, and thus there is nothing this movie could do to make me completely happy. I've tried very much to learn how to separate a film from it's source material and judge each on it's own merits, but I'm apparently incapable of doing so. This is actually a fantastic film. Mark Romanek has done a great job staying true to the book and everyone involved is wonderful, but (for me) knowing what he leaves out ruins some of the impact. I'm going to steal what a friend said about The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo and say that the movie feels like a trailer or a highlight reel for the book. It all just seems to fly by so quickly. If you haven't read the book I'd imagine this will be a wonderful experience for you. I'd read the book again in a heartbeat, but I'd only watch this again to stare at Carey Mulligan and wonder why she's not my girlfriend.

Thursday 1/5/12: Another Earth (2011)

I had high hopes for this movie. A sci-fi film about a "second earth" appearing in the sky that seems to be an exact copy of our own sounded like a great idea. It is a great idea, but this was executed all wrong. Normally I'd praise a film that takes a sci-fi concept and chooses to focus on a human element instead. But what happens when the human story isn't very good? This is the case here. The film focuses on it's redemption story so much that the really intriguing idea of a mirror earth is almost completely ignored. On a technical aspect I've got nothing to complain about. It's all done very well and the performances are solid. I just didn't care. It all played out like a typical indie feature with a background concept that's far more interesting than the character's you spend 90% of the time watching.

Friday 1/6/12: The Bourne Identity (2002)

I'm in Hasting on Friday night and I've got several great movies in my hand (My Fair Lady, Roman Holiday, Bullitt), but an hour later I walk out of the store with The Bourne Identity. How does this happen? Well... I'm an idiot. I'd never seen this movie before and really never wanted to. Yet I see it on the shelves and I pick it over films I've been planning to watch for years. I didn't like it and really have no interest in trying the other films in the series (still won't stop me from renting them anyways). I would imagine that my neighbor Steve would love this movie, but my neighbor Steve is also a moron.

Saturday 1/7/12: In Bruges (2008) Movie Of The Week

I really really hate Colin Ferrall. And I really hate that I love him so much in this movie. Ferrall and Brenden Gleeson play hit-men who are hiding out in Bruges after a botched job, and both actors are simply a joy to watch. It's got some of the sharpest and wittiest dialogue this side of a Tarantino or Guy Ritchie movie but with a lot more heart. It's a funny, irreverent, and oddly touching meditation on doing the right thing and man's capacity for change. That's all I'm going to say about this one. Go rent it. Best movie I've seen all week and one I'm going to buy as soon as I get a chance.

Sunday 1/8/12: Cedar Rapids (2011)

You'd think that since I watched this film last night I'd have more to say about it. It was enjoyable and I laughed several times, but I'm already forgetting it. I'm guessing that doesn't speak well for it. I'd only rent this if you can't find anything else. You'll probably enjoy it while it's playing but won't care about it afterwards.