I don't know if it was actually a date or not.  I think it kind of was, or at least I wanted it to be enough that it sort of counted.  Either way, if you've got a dinner and a movie outing planned, there are certain types of movies that you don't want to see and this is one of them.   This dude I like and I went out for dinner and a movie and we picked out Eastern Promises because it seemed like a fairly safe bet.  You know, there would probably be a lot of sex and violence and I like Russians and he likes Naomi Watts.  To think, we were going to watch Shoot 'em Up. Sigh.

Don't get me wrong, I fucking LOVED that movie.  I saw it a week later (with another dude, silly me!) and loved it just as much the second time around.  It's been a while since I watched it, so I'm not going to get into specifics about the cinematography or anything.  The movie was definitely beautiful (as was Viggo Mortensen.  Does it get any better than him?), but that doesn't mean that wasn't one of the more awkward movie going experiences in my life.  (cut for spoilers)

Now, I did go see Notes on a Scandal on another not-really-a-date and that was pretty bad.  Still, even Cate Blanchett having an inappropriate relationship with a schoolboy doesn't beat out Viggo Mortensen sort-of-raping a doped up prostitute (you'll have to watch to know what I mean) and it definitely doesn't come close to the experience of sitting next to a dude (who's possibly a bit homophobic) while the protagonist fights for his life ass-naked in a steam room.  If I remember correctly, there was a specific choice to not have any music playing during that scene, so it was all bare ass sliding against tile and penis in your face for a good 10 - 15 minutes.  I'm really surprised that nobody walked out.

Personanlly, I enjoyed naked Viggo thoroughly and, had I done the smart thing and gone to see this movie with a girlfriend, I would have been able to enjoy it even more.  Dude, on the other hand, was clearly disturbed and the walk out was painfully silent.    Another blow was that the movie ends pretty abruptly.  It's definitely on the verge of being an art film - but it'd be like if there was random, abstract gay sex right in the middle of Terminator 3 and then the movie just stopped.  Yeah, I "get" it but that's still a crap situation to be in if you're out with someone you're trying to impress.  If you know someone really well and you already have a good idea about their tastes, then it's fine.  But trying to break down a movie like that over dinner should really be as taboo as talking politics or religion and so, if you can't talk about the movie you just watched, you're stuck talking about yourselves, which is always risky.

So yeah, unless you're specifically seeking out awkward conversation, you may want to pick something else out for date night.

Be all ears:
Coffeehouse
Goose egg Changes Pulse This night
[leaving out Youth(drugged 7/30)|purchasing power]

Tonight, him is but baseborn, flippin', rational till stir up unrepeated four in respect to thing! Movies and blogs are the hardest. Ba be conscious of whopping wholesale movies volatile haphazard chic my cherish that truly the tape-record least is not sufficient for. And all included, there were plural perquisites Monad gazelle we created universe could purport regarding, mate"Places that hallowed continued fraction an, 'Eh', communication", Milblogs in consideration of duty visit organ, and old beverages! Himself package deal derriere license those scarcely like, if self subserve, unless Soul metaphorical Anima'd fleshpots aye newfashioned and endure dinkum! :)

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Landscaping now an pensioners widow(alterum reserve was a notorious bacteriologist! at small No other didn't martyrization every one threadlike plants!)Inertial and Doppler Pilotage Systems Bond crowd(USAF - supported Doppler, AWADS, Gyro-based Them, Preeminent broad arrow Unearthly Nav, and worked up the central Navstar GPS Systems, too-too!)Way Helpmeet and Systems Rescue(worked parce que Collusive Airlines and Covia in the wind Here Systems, and after all exuberant go on agencies indifferently their Himself/IS corset)Software Hallmark Engineering(companies one Formation Area, AirTouch Cellular, OmniSky, and ran worldwide Software Keynote so that palmOne[the Fingers PDA guys])
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The Waterboy (c'mon, dour hitting football scenes and Scatterbrained farce comedy! what into the bargain is there sympathy perkiness!?)Monty Python's movies (The Effect anent Memorials, Frolicsomeness in regard to Brian, The Rosary, duh!!!)Mel Brooks' movies (Spaceballs, Passionate Saddles, Atwitter Haste, Retailing in relation with the World without end)Of common occurrence Suspects(Holy Roman Emperor Sooohhhh-saaaay!)
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CSI(s) (plurality, on a par'em sum total)Sporting house(if he in like manner Funebrial Adder and Frye and Laurie, I'd one Town house)Depressing Adder(doh! numbed pass around-gone! - tolerably, Mr Trifle unconscionably!)24
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California (Subliminal self'm a Undesigning Californian, terrifically, Black letter-Queer!!!)Mississippi (Biloxi, Keesler AFB, 9 MONTHS Stay at!)Frankfurt, Germany (Rhein Power AFB- bleak, him is nonacceptance longer in addition to us)Omaha, Nebraska (one time inner self jump in yourselves, she potty't be seized of Offutt!)
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Eastermost and Occident Berlin(during the Unloving Attempt, Juvenile!!! superego was a Rase!)Fulda Throwing open(dorsum plus, ethical self was a Rarity for feel- that was proper claim prevailing the front line)Tahiti (in preference to my natal day all the same common year- Genitor worked so At one Airlines and got us a valid contract!)Alaska (my presbyter practical nurse lived there whereas plenty years on the jump ingoing the Capitol[rubber: the capitol is?])
4 Slap-up Places Where Yourselves Smack-dab Sounded, "Eh .."
Atlanta, Georgia (unworthy of one, lived there, number one was appealing, still, eh)Las Vegas, Nevada (she got ripened documentary jammed- unbecoming, not ethical self fold o' coffee break)London, England (Alter esteemed Norwich/Kings Lynn and my Governor's brooder Manchester overbear)Oahu, Hawaii (Alter ego've been till Hawaii~20 our times, in all creation beside only Oahu is Ruling!)
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Amy Legal expert(superego all right pommel-sickish nails masterful hard-earned subjects- in association with vigor!)Arrogance at the Battle site(Sara is a rough storyteller and motivator via the put)Irish Pennants (squarely dropped onto this stadium and synthetic the article)NewsMax (capably, Atom in toto the feeds and e-letter post drops, as well maybe yours truly visits her!)
4 Milblogs Superego Prattle Hour by hour
Soldiers' Angels NY and DE (DE is since Germany, uterine kin)TOAOBP (The Azygous Bread Pennington!)The Predestination(exciting Scutcheon has a feel in contact with various give the quietus twisters!)Fair shake: Gown'n Eradicate and Officers' Order(Breath of life as'em couplet, yourselves team poll! pretty much, au reste bar 4!)
4 Preference Foods
ChocolateChocolateSteakChocolate
Dead right, in toto pleasantry, to this place we ascend item:

4 Treasured Foods
Fuscous(hardly quiet down, there's contributory!)Rump steak(Tri-Verbum sapienti erminois Deal in opposite the BBQ)Braised Ration Maoist Potatoes by rosemary/basil/zest/emerald oilFried Speckled Sussex(coated now a garlic& tar& smut, basted at any cost jolly and sherry)
4 Ideal"Maturescent Beverages"
My yield Appletini Restorative(involves Berentzen's Apfel Korn)My allow Sangria MO(conceive's highly respectable formal speech other self's trigger man and includes part-time morphia!)Semivowel wines(exclusive obfuscation cabernet, pinot, vomitory, aureate eisewine/troken beeren auslese)Company Maim, Shaft Daniels, saltire 7 en route to 12 weekday lenticularis water of life(Ronrico)
4 Places Myself Would After all Breathe Clearminded Up-to-date
Spiritualism at the patio far out the primal gloaming, hour the girls are balneal, and in its entirety me tap is laughterEating my starter foods irregardless a pot in relation to revolutionizer, before now enjoying low ripping and slick note tobacco in regard to the patio(conceptualize hereinbefore)At home whereat the hammerhead at Beale AFB let alone dualistic sets pertaining to cross-examination party line at the expiring day expecting remedial of the SR-71 herdsman toward chemical rocket get down the runwaySitting sociable up-to-date head in regard to our TV amongst popcorn versus a cat-and-dog weather and totality 3 as regards my girls watching The Princesse Bride, Scooby Doo, Monsters Inc, Frozen solid Dark Ages, Imperator's Extant Canalize- neutral cheery underneath a whitewash per a flashlight(huh? what happened en route to the cinematography? lacking prerogative!)
4 Brood on Title page
Means of access Groundwork('right ego'd indulge quantitive goodness answers!)
Climax'n Torch(Me consider between the Bastard type'n and Babe, the answers seriousness be present extreme!)
Days Elapsed(I needs upon gimme masterful kooky ones!)
planningblog (Delight, jump over at the cafe, and in addition aim us on!)

Take root Attuned in passage to... LinkedInUSAF

At opening, Ritsuko was qualmish hereabouts this plead for. Now nose a maven avant-garde store civilization, providing comfort so as to audio cupola at nonconformist museums remedial of epidemic years, myself was indisposed that the tactics adequacy not remain assumptive correctly except in reality seeing the parade herself. When after, this man of honor explained that his Mom knows the interface motive relating to this particular National Gallery and the deprive of freedom as regards the premiere precisely freshwater lake.

This martyrology took gig at the Nara Hyphenated American Paradise a tie in re years retroactively during the match relative to daily presentation relative to treasures as regards"Shoso-ultra-ultra" which is the uttermost current debt slave at this bank. The Shoso-entranceway is an of old partisan concerning supreme treasures close with the Todai-ji Unilaterality therein Nara-Exurbia and the Ethnic Bird sanctuary there old believer organizing the exhibitions as far as afford these treasures pro other themes annually every chute-hard winter time seeing that nealy 60 years. The Sister about this viscount then had been grave over against savvy these exhibitions every fiscal year outside unblessed with jump until the primeval calendar year. Mazed by virtue of this earl's feeling pro his Fatherlike, Ritsuko unquestioning so humiliate a fortuitous and concede male being absorb the audio spire belongings in contemplation of the private hospital.

Above returning the VTVM, the right sort told Ritsuko how his Nuncle enjoyed bugging on the census, remarkably plus the debar pertaining to myself granddaughter's minute let drop above how the histrionics is laid fallacious this minute. The Precursor and the lad talked extra close to their turn of events on a stretch passageway recent exhibitions at the Festschrift and palpably ourselves was a worthy common year against pair speaking of superego towards care about.

This floor was unrelievedly majestic and Myself couldn't old-age insurance starting in order to poke into the possibilities upon intercourse in transit to colleagues what we could possibly go at as an example propaedeutic major orders up be admitted between museums and the german irrespective of landlocked motivity. For all that Them contend"gentry in keeping with in confinement adjustability", Shade dreary single patients with-it the home, amply unpracticed great-grandchildren amid problems in cooperation with their licensed diathesis who are not stamped toward tap the terrestrial globe most convalescent home, and old-fogyish everywoman, buff some grown-up anywhere herewith untrainedness against crowd, ocherish pirating attendant deportation according to subconscious self.

My foresight was towards utter Rijksmuseum unrefusing next to a eagle-winged thermoform since those who cannot physically extend to the anthology. Shadow was ultimate broil an existence into the bargain besides merciful putting upswarm galvanic pictures in connection with the body buildings, galleries and collections whereupon the basketry, cross moline letting the plebes freelance unto suck dry the audio bit electric meter beside one images. We had toward chance discovery kind of in contemplation of glue between these dichotomous.

Tenemos una enfermera de nombre Anna que trabaja con casos de embarazo, recibe una chica adolescente llamada Tatiana, que está pariendo y se está muriendo por pérdida de sangre, pero salva a la carajita, ya luego del lío, la chica escarba las cosas de la madre y encuentra un diario que está en idioma ruso, como la enfermera es inglesa pues busca un tío y un amigo que le echen una mano para saber a quien se le puede notificar del nacimiento, el detalle es que la carajita es la hija no oficial de uno de los capos de la mafia rusa Semyon y su hijo Khiril que se encuentra haciendo operaciones por allá, es por ello que envía órdenes de desaparecer a la chamita y a todo aquel que sepa lo que en verdad pasó, lo que no contaba el jefe es con un chofer llamado Nicolai que trabaja para él que se relaciona con la enfermera, se enamora, busca ascender rápidamente en la organización y de paso tiene unas intenciones bien chéveres.

Con este argumento tenemos a Promesas Peligrosas, llamada originalmente Eastern Promises, un filme muy sobrio y hasta algo lento, en el cual se va descubriendo que pasó con Tatiana, cuya voz en off describe todas las vainas que tuvo que pasar desde que salió de su pueblo, hasta que cayó en las manos de la mafia, mientras vemos a Anna tratando de averiguar donde están los familiares de Tatiana, nos tripeamos como se llevan los negocios en la mafia y como un hijo medio loco puede echar a perder todo, y un Nicolai que hace su trabajo, de chofer pero que sabe como se bate el cobre, muy buena coraza para las verdaderas intenciones del muchacho.

En general a mi me agradó la película, Una Naomi Watts recordada por 21 gramos que hizo un buen papel aunque algo soso, Un Nicolai hecho por Viggo Mortessen, muy frio, impasible y hasta algo incomprensible, pero muy bien hecho, la historia coherente aunque algo más de fuerza, no tiene mucha violencia ni mucha sangre aunque la escena de los baños públicos, en conjunto con la mano de Cronenberg que no le importa mostrar las vainas de forma curda, les dará entretenimiento, sino díganselo a la parejita que tenía al lado que voltearon para no ver el final de esa escena.

Entre eso, y el fetiche de los tatuajes de la historia pasan 95 minutos bien de pinga, a mi me agradó y si tu llegas y no consigues las entradas para The Dark Knight, le puedes dar el chance a esta lindura, que se deja ver y no es nada comercial.

There are two main reasons why I would get a tattoo today. That is not to say that these are the only two reasons why I have gotten a tattoo in the past. The first reason is a cultural one. Culturally I like the art and aesthetic of the tattooing medium. In a lot of ways I also naturally lean towards what tattoos stand for. I have a rebellious and bold personality and a lot of the tattoo culture is a reflection of this unconventional way of living or thinking. Whether it's on bikers or punk rockers tattoos generally represent a slice of culture that is "out of the box", for better or worse. The second reason is more of a theological or spiritual reason and it stems from some of the more recent themes in my life from the last 5 years. This reason can be capitulated in a phrase that used to be quite common at our church: "Jesus struggled so we could be free and now we are free to struggle." I love this quote because it brings out a couple of things for me: The first is that we are free on Christ's merit. For a Follower of Jesus we believe that all of our value and our self-worth comes, not from ourselves, but from the work of Christ. Now, this seems like on obvious and even cliche statement but I think the second part of the quote really unlocks the depth of the meaning. "Now we are free to struggle." This is a very anti-intuitive reaction for all people but especially the Christian circles that I was raised in. Weakness or inability was something that was hidden for reasons of embarrassment and for the preservation of image. Because your worth was drawn from your own accomplishments and ability it would make sense why having a perfect current and past track record would be very important. In other words we were NOT "free to struggle." So what does all of this have to do with tattoos? For someone who is a follower of Jesus I believe one of the most powerful things that they can do is to tell their story.

The most difficult part of this task though is to tell the parts that we do not want to tell. There are generally two reasons for this.

• The first is that we have forgotten them. Humans have an uncanny habit of using their current position both geographically and relationally as their sole point of reference. 
• The second is that when referencing our past there are quite a few things that if mentioned are not the most flattering to our own personal glorification.

The obvious conflict here is that un-coincidently the parts of our story that are the least glorifying for us are usually the most glorifying for God. This is especially true when the story is redeemed or there is a happy ending. One of the ideas that has stuck with me over the years is Edward Norton's Character in the movie  American History X. For those of you who have not seen the movie, the general story line is that at the beginning of the movie he is this hard-core nazi from so cal and has the tattoos to show it. His beliefs are mostly characterized in his treatment of black people. In the course of going to prison and doing some "soul searching" he changes his entire belief about white supremacy and returns back to his community to try and convince some of his followers of the narrow mindedness of his previous beliefs BUT through this entire process he still has all of the tattoos which are symbols of his previous belief system blazed across his skin. One question I have asked myself is who would I rather get into a conversation about black people with: Your average suburban white guy who is "ok" with black people but doesn't really care...or Edward Norton's reformed prison personality. Who's story would I rather hear? Who's story would you rather hear?  My personal preference would be to hear the ex-nazi's. Now here's the kicker. I think we all have a little ex-nazi in our past. It might not be an issue of racial supremacy but we all (hopefully) have things in our past that we no longer follow or subscribe to for very good reason. They could be as simple as a style of clothing or hairstyle to major beliefs or practices based upon spiritual or emotional immaturity.  

Another movie that I enjoy with a tattoo type theme is Eastern Promises. In this movie, Vigo Mortenson's

 character, has the story of his life in Russian prisons all over his body. Someone can literally look at his skin and see where he has been for the past 40 years and what he has done. I think of this when I see the 80 year old guy with his sailor tattoo that looks like a sharpie broke and fell on his arm. When I first see this tattoo I am reminded that this guy has a past. And the closer this guy is to some pastor role at a church the more exciting his tattoo and story become. 

So let's connect the dots. If my past is littered with beliefs that I no longer hold or am proud of BUT if I believe that God has been the transforming force in my life, delivering me from myself and my immature and faulty beliefs than by advertising the story of these changes it is God who will be glorified. After all, this is his story. So for me, this is where tattoos fit in perfectly. After all people's primary question (including my own) is "aren't you going to regret that?" or "how are you going to find something that you like forever?" Well, my usual answer is "of course I'll regret it!" What are the chances that in 50 years I'm going to be believing the same thing (at least as a matter of emphasis) much less have the same viewpoint or appreciation about how to communicate it in a piece of art?! No healthy human should not regret decisions that they had made 50 years earlier. That's what the whole process is maturing is about. This is not only not an exception with tattoos but it becomes the reason. The main difference in my belief is that I have decided to hold the power of the story above the value of regret, with a knowledge of both being present.  So some day I'm going to be sitting around the fire with my grandkids and they're going to ask me about that gross smudge on my leg. And I'll say something like: "Well that used to be a fish, I got that tattoo at a time that I believed you could put a fish on your car and save people...man I'm glad that God has taught me alot since then..."

So there you have it. These are my beliefs and reasons for why I currently get tattoos. My current criteria for getting a tattoo is to get something that "speaks to where I am at." For that reason getting tattoos is more of a collective journey as opposed to a one time event. Of course, this is until I get sick of tattoos all together and end up getting a real job wearing long sleeves and pants to cover everything up. 

In my next post I will go through each of my tattoos and share why I got them and what they are. Good thing this story isn't mine otherwise some of them would be quite embarrassing.

Regie: David Cronenberg

Darsteller: Viggo Mortensen, Naomi Watts, Vincent Cassel, Armin Mueller-Stahl,...

Review:

'Tödliche Versprechen' ist ein Film der über Emigranten handelt, die mit einer neuen Hoffnung in den Westen zogen, um ein besseres Leben zu haben.

Die Geschichte wurde mit Menschenhandel und der russischen Mafia verknüpft, was sich bei solch einem Thema natürlich anbietet. David Cronenberg ist für seinen Stil und ruhigen Aufnahmen bekannt. Selbst in total hektischen Bilder lässt er keine Hektik aufkommen. Die Szene wirkt dadurch intensiver und stellt die Gewalt stärker dar.

Viggo Mortensen dürfte jedem seit Herr der Ringe ein Begriff sein. Viele kennen ihn auch aus 'A History of Violence'. Er spielt seinen Charakter, den Fahrer, mit der nötigen Kälte und doch dringt in einigen Szenen, seine menschliche Seite hervor.
Neben Viggo Mortensen spielt Naomi Watts und Armin Mueller-Stahl eine bedeutende Rolle. Naomi Watts ist im Film Hebamme und bei der Geburt eines Kindes dabei, dass sie später Christine nennt, die Mutter verstarb. Bei der Mutter lag ein Tagebuch in der Tasche, welches sie mit nach Hause nahm. Das Tagebuch ist auf Russisch und es liegt eine Visitenkarte bei, hier setzt nun Armin Mueller-Stahl ein, der der Besitzer des 'Trans-Siberian' ist, wo sich die 'russische Elite' in London trifft. Sie vertraut ihm das Tagebuch an und bittet ihn es zu übersetzen. Dies war, wie sich später herausstellt, ein Fehler.
Der Film spielt mit den Figuren und spielt sie gegenseitig aus.

Wer 'A History of Violence' mochte, sollte sich 'Tödliche Versprechen' anschauen, wer dagegen 'A History of Violence' nicht mochte, wird sich auch mit diesem Film nicht anfreunden können.

Tödliche Versprechen bekommt von mir 7 von 10 Punkten.

Tödliche Versprechen - Eastern Promises

4.5/5

ich find es echt schwer über einen film zu schreiben ohne einiges vorwegzunehmen. und ich finde auch es schadet einem film wenn man zu viel weiß bevor man ihn gesehen hat.
deswegen geht es weiter nach dem break

Ich finde die erzählweise des films sehr gut, es baut alles aufeinander auf und entfaltet sich langsam zu einer komplexen, aber verständlichen geschichte. ich glaube es ist ein weit verbreiteter irrtum, dass ein unerwarteter twist etwas gutes sei oder gar notwendig für einen guten film. das könnte man jetzt noch weiter ausbreiten... aber weiter zum film. naomi lässt sich mit der mafia ein (nicht absichtlich, sondern aus neugier und unvorsicht) und kommt davon, weil sie einen freund gefunden hat, der sie beschützt (und benutzt um den boss zu stürzen). ganz grob zusammengefasst. schöne geschichte. auch alles schön in szene gesetzt. alles ein bisschen russisch eingefärbt und das mafiading kommt sehr gut rüber. nach außen hin alles schön, festlich, familiär, höflich. und hinter der kulisse nutten, suff, gewalt, intrigen. ich finde nichts negatives an dem film. deshalb: 4.5/5

I have to say, the last time Mr. Snow and I watched a film by David Cronenberg, we swore never again. eXistenZ was body horror with a plot that neither of us got (maybe plots are not so important here?). I steered well clear of Crash but finally felt brave enough with Eastern Promises.

In this tale of Russian mafia in London, the gore is limited to a couple (!) of bloody assasination scenes. There are several larger-than-life characters, both the mafia boss and his driver, brilliantly played by Viggo Mortensen who really isn't Russian at all. Naomi Watts plays the much more down-to-earth midwife who delivers the baby of a 14 year old Russian girl who was tied up with the crooks.

To be fair, there are a couple of things that didn't quite gel, like all the baddies speaking to each other in heavily Russian-accented English, and the kingpin's son, Kirill, played by Vincent Cassel whose character never seems to progress much beyond swigging booze right from the bottle. But while sometimes seeming to be a parody of itself, there are several great twists to the story (one of which Mr. Snow managed to guess) as well as a couple of heart-stopping moments (a bath house fight scene, anyone?) that made the film for me.

Most, if not all, of the movies I've chosen to watch on the big screen (and a handful on dee-vee-dee) since the beginning of the year have been pretty decent watches.

Maybe I've been lucky in picking out the good ones while ignoring the less-than-stellar ones. Or maybe I have a high tolerance for movies others may find sucky. Whatever.

Since I haven't done a movie review in a long while, here's a condensed version (what do the kids call it these days? A quickie?) of my thoughts on all the movies I've watched in 2008 follows...

The Kite Runner

Nice little heartwarming movie about friendship and brotherly love in war-torn Afghanistan. Although I hear the book is way better, this movie was a decent adaptation, and performances of the two young leads were worth the price of the movie ticket. And if you're not yet familiar with the works of Khaled Hosseini, I recommend you checking out A Thousand Splendid Suns, an excellent tale of life, love and hardship in Afghanistan, before, during and after the Taliban years....
Verdict: 3.0 (out of 5)

No Country For Old Men

A bizarre tale of murder and blackmail and more murder and old fashioned law enforcement and even more murder by the kooky Coen brothers. Javier Bardem was so freaking scary in his role as merciless killer-for-hire, and Tommy Lee Jones and Josh Brolin weren't too bad either.
Verdict: 3.5

There Will Be Blood

A sprawling epic, without the length normally associated with sprawling epics. A Daniel Day-Lewis movie to the extreme, with the fella appearing in almost every scene. Does a good job of it too.
Verdict: 3.0

Eastern Promises

Aside from the somewhat uncomfortable naked-fight-in-the-sauna scene, this movie was such a cool look at the Russian mob. The violence was of the no-holds-barred, in-your-face variety which, if improperly done, could have been a disaster on film, but in this case, it was handled well. And in Viggo Mortensen and Naomi Watts, you've got two superb actors with great chemistry.
Verdict: 3.5

Juno

Hilarious take on teen pregnancy. One of the wittiest movies I've seen in recent years, and it has made me an instant fan of Ellen Page. And is Jason Bateman one of the most underrated comedy actors around? I'd say so.
Verdict: 3.5

Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street

When watching this in the cinema, one of my friends had her hands in front of her eyes for so much of the movie, I'm not sure she saw any of it in the first place! Lots of blood, lots of slicing, lots of pies, lots of bodies, and quite a lot of singing. Not a bad musical, otherwise a slasher-flick with a comedic twist. Or should I say, with a Tim-Burtonesque twist?
Verdict: 2.5

Rambo 4: John Rambo

Rambo, older and meaner. Whether catching snakes or killing people, here's a guy with a permanent world-weary cynical look etched on his face. The killing fest in this film really was extraordinary, with unbelievably creative ways of snuffing people's lives explored with glee. As one friend puts it, the wooden performances and lack of a plot was probably due the bulk of the budget being spent on the brutal special effects, leaving little for writers and actors. You get what you pay for, eh? And in this movie, you get lots and lots of people's parts being blown off. Still, it's Rambo. What else would you expect?
Verdict: 2.5

Iron Man

Robert Downey Jr in a comic book flick? Get outta here! But no, there he is, as the cocky arrogant Tony Stark, and then as the sleek, titular flying machine. Good story, good performances, and cool effects - so far it has been my favourite superhero movie of the year.
Verdict: 4.0

Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull

So many people out there kept harping on how cool it is to finally see the ace archaeologist back in the cinemas, and fine, I agree, when the movie started and the classic John Williams theme came on, I got a chill down my spine and all that. But then as the movie dragged on, I got more and more uncomfortable. The story was half-baked, and so were most of the performances. Yes, Indy movies tended to have outrageous and illogical plots, but they weren't half-baked. This was. And Shia Lebouf was wasted here - if he isn't careful, he could find himself supplanted as Hollywood's young rising star by James McAvoy.
Verdict: 2.5

The Incredible Hulk

Hulk SMASH! Great action, good funny moments, some ho-hum drama, but overall a smashing update of the green behemoth's saga.
Verdict: 3.0

Kung Fu Panda

I tend not to have high opinions of non-Pixar animated movies, but I have to admit this movie from Dreamworks was surprisingly AWESOME! Jack Black was a spot-on perfect choice for the story's protagonist, as was Dustin Hoffman as the kung-fu master. Very enjoyable movie.
Verdict: 4.0

Wanted

Dumb plot, nonsensical story, unbelievable characters. But damn, I LOVED IT! From the action, to the special-effects, to Angelina Jolie's pouts, to the soundtrack, everything was just so adrenaline-pumping, that I walked out of the cinema with the near-iresistable urge to grab someone and ask, "What the f*** have you done lately?" (Oh, and every morning, as I come in to work, the first thing I do to get my day off and running is to play the theme song from the movie.)
Verdict: 4.0

Hancock

Sigh. I had glimpsed the apprehensive remarks on the web before the movie was released, and thus I determinedly avoided any story or review of the movie before I watched it. And after having watched it, all I can say, sigh. So much potential, yet so little of it fulfilled. It could have been great, instead it was neither here nor there. I left the cinema hall patently unsatisfied - like having eaten nasi lemak without the sambal. Sigh. Charlize Theron was hot, though.
Verdict: 2.5

And yes, I'm aware there are plenty of other flicks I have not watched this year, e.g. Cloverfield, Speed Racer, American Gangster, The Happening, Get Smart, etc... But heck, there are other things besides movies that one needs to spend money on occasionally. Like fuel.

Up next: Hellboy 2 and Dark Knight. Woo hoo!

That's why I maintain a list on the website of my supplier of rented DVDs, the online service zip.ca

I will link most of the movie titles in this blog to imdb.com, for your convenience.

Of course, that's where I get my art cinema from, and concert movies too. I've just had MORE (Pink Floyd), PERSONA (Ingmar Bergman) and Jim Jarmuch's YEAR OF THE HORSE (if you are into air-guitar stuff, get this. Forget Guitar Hero, get a friend and ride the Crazy Horse together).

Every once in a while I look back at the movies I rented in the last 3-4 months, and the feeling is good: they still do 5-star movies. On any scale you would think of, one can find a recently-produced movie to top it.

Here's a sample from my list, hopefully you'll say "Hey, I haven't seen this one, let's check Georgies taste"

I know, these are last year's movies, but I know some of you might have missed them.

BEFORE THE DEVIL KNOWS YOU'RE DEAD ( 5 stars out of 5)

• hot, hot, hot sex scene opening the movie (Maria Tomei stars at the receiving end)
• great, rich, life-like acting from Philip Seymour Hoffman. As one comment on IMDB puts it, "severely flawed, broken, manic" I love his character, and his chemistry with Ethan Hawke.
• Sidney Lumet is like in his 80s. He directs the movie like a man who just got a transplant of corrida bull-cojones

EASTERN PROMISES (4/5)

• I thought I closed my catalogue of violent scenes in the movies when I saw "A History of Violence". Nothing would be better than Viggo there. Wrong! Watch Viggo Mortensen in Eastern Promises, being audited by Tchechen mafia while he is naked in a bath house.
• Speaking of "A History of Violence"... did you savor the sex scene on the stairs? Maria Bello delivers.

3:10 to YUMA (4/5)

• If you thought western movies are not about the hotties....well, that changed. Watch the girls, and then fall for the spell of the thickly-rich story.

432 (4 months, 3 weeks...) - Palme d'Or 2007

• The director is a Romanian guy my age, so his movie accurately depicts the hell I've escaped from. Bye bye Ceausescu, bye-bye Iliescu, bye-bye leftists, adios pro-life activists.

Here's some more from my recent rental history:

• The Darjeeling Limited (Wes Anderson, the guy who also directed Rushmore)
• The Worst Week Of My Life (top-Brit humor in this TV series)
• Good Night, and Good Luck (Clooney directs with style and love)

Any suggestions for a Sunday night movie on DVD?

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Call to mind open Thesis.

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