Another Update

A week has past since I last wrote. Oh, forgive me avid readers, for I did not mean to forsake you. I have just been soooo busy, what with no job and all.

First of all, movies.

Batman Begins: Phenomenal, fast, and exciting. Scarecrow was very creepy, and the movie seemed to just end before it had started, informing my brain that I was engrossed throughout. Indeed I was. Christian Bale was his usual sexy self, and gave Batman and Bruce Wayne a new dimension of mystery...not in the "comical" mystery way of past Batman's. Katie Holmes did not distract, which was a surprise to me, in light of all her recent endless Tom Cruise related press. Each time a new "name" actor would show up, it would delight. I knew some of them were to be found, but Gary Oldman was a surprise, and it was just wonderful to see him playing a good guy. Who knew? It was fun to see some Chicago locales on screen. It was a very fun movie experience.

High Tension: I had heard this was a difficult film. I did not have terrifying nightmares afterward, but it was still quite effective. The heroine was super lesbo-hot, and the movie itself was, you guessed it, tense. I did not see the twist coming, nor did I expect one to begin with. The first moment you see the killer has to be the nastiest of all the scenes. When you see it, you will know what I mean. However, the death of the mother was almost as horrifying, as she looked through the slats of the closet. This movie had a bit of Deliverance, Texas Chainsaw Massacre and Duel in its moments, but did quite well on its own. The joy of this film was how simple it was. Very little dialogue (also I did not understand the choice of having the actors dubbed sometimes and the employment of subtitles in other moments), and it did not need it. This is a visceral experience, and probably not for the squeamish. It is very bloody and very juicy. A real treat. I highly recommend this one.

The Interpreter: Not as good as I had hoped. All of the ads and behind the scenes I had seen on its initial release set me up for some really crazy thrills. I had seen Sydney Pollack on Charlie Rose, and the way he talked about this film, it made me anxious to take a look. It was by no means bad, but not anything particularly original or horrifying. It is still worth a look.

Bowling for Columbine: Great. I was aching to watch this with my brother, who is a big believer in the second amendment. He owns many guns, and has two small children. I have not voiced my opinions to him, cuz it is not my life, and I fear he would have the same lame excuse for this ownership as many of the gun-toters interviewed in this film. No one who carried/owned guns could really explain their need for weapons. Even Charlton Heston (NRA President) could not really explain why he loved weapons. In a few stomach churning moments between Heston and Michael Moore, Heston was unable to justify his need for guns, as he had never been a victim of crime. Michael Moore is certainly pushy, but he gets his point across. The footage of the Columbine shooting was horrific. Also, Moore's journey to Canada to prove his point of how violent the US is, was a real eye-opener. I want to know how my brother would react to this film. With an open ear and an open mind? Or a defense so lackluster he would have to just leave the "interview" as Heston had. Not as upsetting as I thought it would be, cuz most of this info is common knowledge. Moore just pushes and pushes until it is ingrained in your skull. Guns equal death. Not worth it.

Superstar: It was late, and this movie was only over 80 minutes long. Molly Shannon is a treat and there were several great moments; i.e. the lunchroom robot dance. As with so many of SNL's characters, they are not meant to be made into a feature. Sure, there are funny moments, but not enough to fill the feature length time. Good time for a late night watch.

More updates later.