Thrill and Fear

Sick days are no fun when you're actually sick. Well, they're a little fun. This horrible cough has given me an extra powerful case of the Mondays that has lasted until hump day and left me lounging in my bathrobe most of this week. I battled my way through it with two gallons of OJ, three different OTC decongestants, and the guilty pleasure of the entire first season of a gritty teen drama. Those British teenage models that make up the cast of Skins can make a guy feel like his erstwhile high school and collegiate days were much lonelier than they truly were. I got plenty of vicarious living done, and of course nothing worthwhile to speak of was accomplished with my time (unless you choose to count my feeble attempt to not cough on everyone that came into the book store these last two days). So, here we are.

2/18 The House of the Devil (2009) DVD, 4/5 stars, RT: 87%

I frighten easily. I can't watch Jurassic Park today without a younger part of me feel the need to let out a high pitched cry whenever the velociraptors are present on screen (more embarrassingly, I continue to have to fight the tiny urge to crawl behind the couch whenever I see Ursula from The Little Mermaid). I know a lot of people fail to see the fun in getting scared, and when I'm being rational I'm usually well entrenched in that camp. I'm fascinated by the artistic design behind that indescribable creepy feeling you get with some movies, though. Forgive me the pretense here, there's really no other way I can begin to explain my infatuation with The House of the Devil. There's something I have to get out of the way here before I go further. Nearly everyone that discusses this movie mentions how deliberately dated it looks. I'm hardly an expert on 1980's low budget horror films (hell, I've never seen a Jason or Elm Street movie in my life) but if you showed me this movie without telling me it was made last year even I would have guessed it was from the decade of big hair. But wait, don't associate this movie with the cheesy quality you more than likely immediately conjure up when you think about the 1980's. House of the Devil has something to say about the fears most Americans had in the decade before the fall of Soviet Union, securing it in the tradition of Satanic horror films from the period. Although, yes, there's plenty of tight jeans and teased hair here as well. The tense atmosphere the director has created here for our lone, every-woman, college student doesn't need to be dated. I've honestly not seen it done much better than it's shown here (excluding Hitchcock, naturally). There's no early tease of something sinister or the seemingly requisite shots of naughty young adults being murdered, the tension is all a product of the slowly building arc of the plot. I found myself more than slightly interested in the plight of the protagonist as I was bluntly shown her dreams for a place of her own in the opening scenes (a dream which I share with her). This issue, and the associated money question, is what leads her into her desperate, demonic situation. It's believable that she's willing to house-sit for the eventual creepy old family because the actress and the rest of the film's creators have illustrated the desire of the character to be independent. The obvious theme of doing something risky now for valued safety in the future is done in a satisfying way. My one major knock against this film is the less understandable actions of the main character after she's been exposed to some big deal breakers soon thereafter. There wouldn't be a movie otherwise and it wouldn't be a horror film if I didn't cringe at the momentary stupidity of the heroine, so I'm mostly okay with it. This allows me to point out that the audience doesn't see the first absolutely shocking event of the film until nearly half way through the movie. The methodical pace of the film is the real joy here, the seemingly overdone story and characters are just the trappings. I know it's hard for most people to give completely unknown movies their time and energy, but I'm really glad I took the chance this time. There's really stellar work to be seen here, even if you're afraid of door-opening dinosaurs and obese, cartoon sea witches.

2/19 Jaws (1975) DVD, 4/5 stars, RT: 100%

I'd never seen Jaws until last week. Pop culture references flew by me while I stood there with a stupid grin on my face. No longer. Bigger boats and bad hats, Harry. I get it now. My life is much closer to being complete. Do I really need to say more? I've got to be the last person alive to see this. Here's the typical: It's cool that it takes so long to actually see the shark, the acting is pretty wonderful, and the story is totally lame.

There's a test coming up next month that's going to be the focus of most of my attention. I don't like the idea that I'm just making excuses to get out of work-- I would like nothing better than to spend more of my time watching movies. This blogger project has improved my writing enough that I have some confidence in my abilities for the exam. I'll be back afterwards, hopefully still in good spirits. There's still room for improvement when I have the time to indulge in this silly little hobby. Thanks to everyone that gave me advice and overly solicited praise. I love you.

You're My Picture On the Wall

All right. I'm back. I didn't see much this past week and had an unusually eventful Superbowl Sunday at the end of the last week. I think I slept half the afternoon. Here's the last two weeks, then, on this Valentine's evening.

2/2 Whatever Works (2009) DVD, 3/5 stars, RT: 47%

Oh, Woody Allen. You've finally left me feelingly slightly confused. You too, Larry David. And you're both in New York again. What went wrong? I think I might not have been ready for the lack of concern any of the characters have with the absurdity that transpires. Characters transform and the viewer is given no warning. Everything works out in the end, of course, and there's a lot of good laughs. If I hadn't expected something (I honestly don't know what, exactly) from Allen and David, I don't think I would have been so down on this movie by the end of it. There's just tons of better material out there from both of these genius writers.

2/2 Rebecca (1940) DVD, 5/5 stars, RT: 100%

A classic disturbing love story told through the eyes of the master of suspense. There's really nothing else you'd need to know to watch this. It's a masterpiece. I felt that Joan Fontaine might be overacting a bit, especially with today's more evolved standards, but she's still the star here. Laurence Olivier is also great, as one would expect, but he doesn't take as much screen time. His emotive reactions to his poor wife's attempts to love him are perfectly jagged. I cringed at every little mistake she made and how it affected him. I've not read Daphne du Maurier's novel so I can't comment on any plot inconsitencies, but it is stricking how well this fits in with the Alfred Hitchcock pantheon with its twists and flawed characters. I'm not saying anything new here, but I'm really in love with this movie.

2/3 You, the Living (2007) Netflix Watch Instantly, 1/5 stars, RT: 100%

I forget why this movie was added to my queue at all. When it's something I've never heard of it usually means it's been recommended by a friend or other trusted source. It's a newish release and recently added to Netflix's Watch Instantly program, and I found myself watching it. You, the Living is a critically adored Swedish film that is achingly gloomy. The plot involves a set characters with individual stories that are loosely tied together. The point of the movie is to make you understand how shitty life can be, I guess? And it's supposed to be ironic, but I mostly just wanted to be done with it the entire time. All of the characters are disgusting in a pathetic way, you're supposed to feel sorry for them but I couldn't help being elitist towards their insecurity, which made me feel even worse for being such a dick. I couldn't feel empathy at all for them and thus became bored. Goethe's poems are an inspiration for the vignettes and I could see the obvious Sturm und Drang yet I just wasn't interested. Most scenes have a fixed camera that only rarely moves, so each scene is usually just one extended take. I've always enjoyed this, it's just a shame that it had to be tied up in a movie which I didn't care for.

2/4 The English Patient (1996) Netflix Watch Instantly, 5/5 stars, RT: 84%

I have vague memories of my childhood when this movie was causing a buzz. I know it was the butt of jokes and has been seen as the ultimate modern Hollywood movie for melodrama. I can see why this is. And knowing this for so long I should have seen it much sooner. I avoided any other details about the movie, which is lucky, and saw this unspoiled. Every role is acted just how I would want it, and the ending is predictable, but I was really surprised at the layering of subplots between the two main settings. I have a love/hate relationship with the work of Anthony Minghella, but this squarely lands on the love side. Since watching I've learned that there's been some critical controversy over the actions of some of the characters with claims that they're much too selfish to be relateable. They do hurt other people that don't deserve the pain, but don't we all?

2/5 New York, I Love You (2009) Netflix Watch Instantly, 3/5 stars, RT: 40%

The next in what looks to become a series of City Name, I Love You. Paris, Je T'aime was such a wonderful collection of short love stories produced by some of my favorite auteurs. New York, I Love You has no one I'm familar with in the directing roles (except Brett Ratner, eww) and slightly lower tier actors (Bradley Cooper, Hayden Christensen, Shia LeBeouf, Orlando Bloom). The story with Bloom and one story with an aged couple (the only one seemingly not set in Manhattan) are the only ones I can claim to have really enjoyed. Unfortunately the movie does little to explore the city and focuses a lot on yuppies smoking outside of bars. New York has so much more to offer. It's over quickly, though, and was worth watching despite nothing special of note.

2/5 Role Models (2008) DVD, 4/5 stars, RT: 76%

This is another Judd Apatow style comedy (this one directed by Dain Wain) with a recongizeable cast. It doesn't overly offend and is pretty safe all around. You know the pattern the movie's going to have: individuals get thrust into a slightly shitty situation that turns out to be slightly awesome, friendships are tested, loyalty saves the day. Throw in hundreds of great jokes and quick dialogue and you're set. Jane Lynch and Bobb'e J. Thompson are the real stars, though Sean William Scott was also endearing (more so than Paul Rudd's character, interestingly). You're not missing anything profound by not seeing it, but it's entertainment to time wasted ratio is worth it if you've exhausted other classic comedies.

2/12 Hedwig and the Angry Inch (2001) Netflix Watch Instantly, 4/5 stars, RT: 93%

Wow. The synposis for this movie is pretty unbelievable. I'm feeling lazy enough right now that I'm not even going to attempt to do it justice. The basics: Transexual punk rocker Hedwig's life is pretty shitty. The plot meanders, as is the case with musicals. Hedwig herself is completely compelling because she is a total rock star. The music is wistfully in tune with the 70's pop rock that the main character grew up listening to in East Berlin. The conclusion is a fake out of sorts, but felt worthy enough to me. Hedwig is just fun.

2/13 Adventureland (2009) DVD, 5/5 stars, RT: 88%

Another recent favorite of mine that I've given another viewing. I don't often do this unless I'm sharing my passion with others, which was the case here. This is my third viewing of the movie though, and I had fears that it would start to appear dull to me. I got slight premonitions of such, but I'm still going to keep a small place in my heart for this overlooked and misintereprated movie. I'm glad that the audience of friends I shared this with seemed to like it. When I first saw Adventureland I felt really strange about it. It's surprising how heartfelt it is. I couldn't help but love it. I used more hyperbole than usual when I first explained it to friends, and though I can be more critical now, I'm still glad my enthusiasm convinced many of them to see it and that I was able to share it with more friends this weekend. It's always worth multiple viewing for the great music alone, anyhow.