February Movies

The Hurt Locker

This film follows a fictional bomb squad in Iraq as they go out on various missions to defuse IED's or to retrieve unexploded munitions.  The story revolves around a character that seems to be addicted to danger.  He reminded me of a muted version of Mel Gibson from the first Lethal Weapon movie, he seems to have a death wish and isn't hesitant to put himself in harms way.  Muted may be the wrong word, Gibson was so over the top in his role, this one is more "normal".  The movie has gotten a lot of buzz and is even up for Best Picture this year, but to me it was predictable and boring.  The "drift factor" is high on this one as I found myself looking at the time to see how much of this film was left.  Not sure what all the hype is about.  As war films go, this one is mediocre at best.

A Serious Man

The latest film from the Coen brothers and it's another quirky story.  It's set in the late 1960's and follows the unraveling life of a Jewish physics professor who is up for tenure, his wife wants a divorce (or a gett), his son is a pothead getting ready for his Bat Mitzvah and whose neighbor is slowly and not so stealthily trying to redraw the property lines between their homes.  All this while the man's desire for answers to it all goes unfulfilled by his religious leaders.  If you like the Coen brothers style of film, you'll probably like this one as well.  The ending seems abrupt, but after thinking about it for a while, it makes sense.

Anvil:  The Story of Anvil

This film is a documentary that you might initially mistake for a mockumentary, but it turns out, the story is true.  It's about a pair of friends who formed a heavy metal hair band and nearly made it big back in the 1980's.  The kicker...they're still trying to make it big.  It's kind of sad actually, but on the other hand, you have to admire their determination.  With a dwindling potential fan base and no real support system, these guys continue to crank out albums and try to build a following.  The film fulfills the voyeuristic desire to see into another life, but ultimately leaves you wondering when they'll finally give it up or decide to change their sound to accommodate the 30 year change in culture.

500 Days of Summer

A love story for the slacker generation...not sure that's the best description, but that's what I thought while watching this film.  It tells the story of the 500 day relationship between Tom and Summer.  Obviously, since the relationship is only 500 days, it doesn't last.  The film moves back and forth within the 500 days in an almost random fashion, but the technique works, and no, it's not random.  I would classify the film as a chick flick, but one that will appeal to guys as well, or at least some guys.  It was fun to watch but that's all, a kind of brain candy with little lasting effect.

Across The Hall

This film so badly wants to be a good film noir, but it's almost as if it's trying too hard.  The story is simple.  A woman is cheating with her future husbands best friend.  The husband to be follows her to a hotel and gets the room across the hall to see who her lover is.  The rest of the story follows the cat and mouse actions of the two men, one who wants to identify his nemesis and one who is trying not to get caught.  The best character is the hotel porter who so desperately tries to preserve the hotels former standing as a grand hotel all the while knowing it's now just a seedy run down place for the less desirable crowd.  A somewhat implausible ending, but not a bad way to kill an hour and a half.

Naked States

This documentary follows the exploits of an artist who goes from town to town to photograph naked people in the middle of streets, in front of buildings and generally in public places.  I hesitate to call him an artist because when I hear that term, I think of someone doing something they feel compelled to do, because it's what they love.  In this case, I felt things were too calculated.  It seemed he was doing this work to get noticed as opposed to doing what he felt compelled to do.  I know, artists have to make a living too, but to me, this premeditated nature cheapened the art aspect of it all.

Lost:  Season 1

Wow, what can I say.  I was put aback by the fact that there were 26 episodes in this season and knowing they are currently on season 6 made me question myself about the commitment I would need to make to catch up.  In the end, I decided to watch 5 episodes and then decide if I wanted to go further.  Well, it started slow, but soon got me hooked.  I found myself watching at least 2 episodes a night and sometimes 4 or 5.  There are the soap opera-ish aspects to it that are irritating and some of the characters grate on you, but the shows ability to throw stuff at you is unsurpassed.

Lost:  Season 2

Well, I couldn't stop at the end of Season 1 when the hatch was blown open, so I had to begin watching the 24 episodes of season 2.  It turns out I went through them all in about a week or so.  The character back-story's provide additional glimpses into the intertwining lives of the characters and the mystery of the "others" as well as the button that needs to be pressed every 108 minutes kept me watching more.  I'm going to try to slow down a bit and watch only one season a month, but depending on the story lines and how they unfold, that goal may change.  I certainly hope there is a payoff at the end of all this.  If not, I'm going to be pissed.

So there you have it, my movie watching experiences for the month of February.  I'm finding these monthly posts to be more work than I thought.  I'll probably continue, but we'll have to see, especially if it takes time away from watching another LOST episode.