by Ethan Johnson
October 12, 2006

We're doing our part to view every title that is available through Netflix:

Chinatown: I saw this several years ago, and was much younger and apparently lacked the patience to really grok this movie. Not sure that I'm calling it the "best movie EVAR" like so many people do, but it was much better than I gave it credit for. I missed a key piece of dialogue the first time that really sank the boat for "getting" this movie. Glad I gave it another whirl. Worth the rental, however depending on how cynical you are you may not have the "revelation" after seeing this movie only because Noir has been done so many more times since then. YMMV, etc.

LolliLove: Hokay. Remember Bad Santa? Remember how Lauren Graham was sooo not Lorelai Gilmore in that movie? Yeah, this is like that. Jenna Fischer is so not Pam Beesley from the US version of The Office in this. This is a fine Troma production, and I know that Troma is bursting with Teh Cred™ but could they please normalize the audio? I rode that volume button like a rodeo cowboy. This is by no means a "great" movie, but it has moments, and it's interesting to see the non-Office Jenna and her husband James Gunn. Also, this gives a fair amount of insight as to just how difficult shooting a movie is, regardless of the budget and approach. Worth the rental, with caveats.

V for Vendetta: Hooray, we finally saw it. Uh huh. Well. Interesting movie. Well made production-wise, but it's the kind of movie that is best forgotten about in short order or plot holes the size of Montana tear open and you might not like the movie as much. Without spoiling anything, this was a good attempt at portraying a huge "what if". The down side is, it wouldn't all fall neatly into place, hem hem. Worth renting, although your politics will heavily influence whether you like the movie or not.

Our Man in Havana: With apologies to Bill Maher, New Rule: If Bill Clinton is going to be accused of living Wag the Dog, then George W Bush (et al) has to be saddled with Our Man in Havana. Very clever movie, and if you see it, pause the ending, fast forward your brain to 2003 or 2004, and compare how art and life differed, or not. This is required viewing if for no other reason than to close another arcane pop culture reference that has defied you to this point.

Millions: I caught this on HBO, and it seemed interesting enough to save for later. This is quite the Brit film. Necessarily so, as the plot involves two brothers who come into a sizable amount of British pound notes right when the Euro conversion is happening. My complaint was with the dialogue, specifically that of the youngest kid. He delivered most of his lines like an adolescent Billy Connolly. I'm no Brit, I've never been to the UK, so maybe this was par for the course. It got old. One other thing: Crime in the UK must involve local "toughs" nattering on then about how 'eyre gonna give you wot for, right, now put the kettle on and be off then. Uh, I live in the country that apparently invented CRIME. I was left with the impression that I could sail over to the UK and own the place inside of a week simply by refusing to stop when the cops blow a whistle. Chalk it all up to culture shock or something. Worth a rental if you're into oozingly charming UK flicks, and Billy Connolly-ish dialogue.

Closer: Aha, another Natalie Portman movie. Very interesting. Adapted from a play, and you can feel it throughout. I thought the scenes (especially a rather pivotal one) with Clive Owen and Natalie Portman were worth the price of admission. The less you know the better going into this. Worth the rental.

Batman Begins: Meh. First of all, I'm still waiting for Jesus Christ to return so that I'll have some sort of visual indication as to when Frank Miller will get an ounce of credit for shaking up the venerable Batman franchise. This movie borrows tids and bits from The Dark Knight Returns, but with its own spin. But come on, the falling into the cave scene, the pearl necklace... totally Frank. (The down side of doing works for hire, methinks.) The first hour was painfully boring. The second half picked up and held my interest, but "meh." I got the impression that they're trying to reboot the whole Batman mess (since Michael Keaton on) and be more like the latest spate of Spider-Man flicks. Spider-Man has more heart. The characters are much more one-dimensional here, where Bruce Wayne devotes his life - yes, his life - to - wait for it - justice! "Bruce, your father fought for justice." "Bruce, justice on line one." "I've got a fever, and the only prescription is... more justice!" Despite all that, I'll be interested to see how the next one is, and if indeed they're trying a new formula.

Shaun of the Dead: OH MY GOD. What a great movie. This may be like Shaolin Soccer where only I and 13 other people like it, but this was really clever. One oddball observation: The intro crud in the movie says "rated R for Zombie violence/gore". Really? "Zombie violence" is a category? Kinda like "nudity" or "thematic elements"? And hey hey, Lucy Davis (Dawn in the UK version of The Office) is in it, meaning I saw three things with her in it this week. (She has parts in Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip and Ugly Betty. You go!) Worth the rent, especially close to Halloween. Unless you're not down with zombie violence or Brit slackers.

I swear, we have passes for 2 movies of our choosing, so first-run stuff should be making an appearance next time. In the meantime, what is your favorite memory of the Snakes on a Plane era? We were going to see it in the theatre, but were sick that day. <EM>