I had gotten terribly behind on my Netflix movies. I like to have a pretty solid turn-around, and there was a title here I’d had out for two weeks. Oh boy.
* I’d wanted to see In America for some time, since a friend whose taste in film I respect speaks about it in the same way I describe The Hanging Garden. It was worth the wait. Utterly gorgeous film about an Irish family in New York in the 80s, and the whole cast, including the young girls, was awesome. (Though for those who look for this sort of thing, it’s pretty hard to avoid reading the character of Mateo as a magical negro.)
* The Chumscrubber opens with Jamie Bell (with excellent American accent) discovering the body of his friend, who has committed suicide. He leaves the house without telling anyone, and thus begins a surreal portrait of grief, disconnection, and suburban America, with a total who’s-who cast. Pretty cool, but since Lou Pucci appears in it, I feel obligated to tell you that Thumbsucker is better.
* Sympathy for Mr Vengeance was a slick & stylish revenge movie. It’s the first in a trilogy. I have the next one, Oldboy near the top of my queue, and the third one is in the theatre here now.
If you just see one see … In America.
wicked jaws 