Fritz Lang's M, about the terror that a child molester/murderer puts town through and their mob mentality response, is amazing and why hadn't I seen it before? I loved Metropolis, so how this escaped me is a mystery. It's tense and creepy and really, really provocative. I can't imagine a film like this, covering this subject matter in such a confrontational way, could ever get made today.

I think it was probably hard to get made back then as well. We did get a reasonably bold look at the subject in Little Children, though.

Half Nelson was very worthwhile. Ralph Fiennes' Wuthering Heights, not so much. I realize that it's practically impossible to film this novel because Heathcliff is such an unadulterated shit, but Ralph Fiennes wasn't even trying for complicated or nuanced evil. He was just muhahahing all over the place. And The White Countess was a total snoozefest.

Oh lord, that Wuthering Heights was almost hilarious. I think it was one of Ralph Fiennes' first movies (he'd been mostly doing theater) and it was one of Juliette Binoche's first films in English. That blond wig had me in convulsions.

I did think the scene where their on the bed on top of each other, cursing each other was hot.

But agreed. I prefer the Olivier version.

Last Friday, I watched Roadhouse. That movie is the shit. Patrick Swayze, still wearing the wardrobe of a dancer with all the flowing high-waisted pants which really didn't suit the whole bouncer career, >> rips a guy's throat out - awesome - after the guy delivers my favourite line of the film, "I used to fuck guys like you in prison" << which openly addressed the flaming homoeroticism of the entire movie! Bold. Also bold? The villain's choice of what I believe was a neckerchief to accent his eeeeevil outfit of bland neutrals and tailored pants.

Plus, and I was surprised to find myself feeling these feelings, Sam Elliott was really very hot. Swayze had nothing on him and his "I know you wanna fight the commies but you gotta fight them from down here" line at the strip bar, which amusingly enough was probably dated from about 6 months after the movie came out in 1989.

So yeah - surprisingly hot Sam Elliott and the righteous ass-kickings and some pretty good music from the Jeff Healey Band. Roadhouse is good, especially when you watch it with friends, drinking beer.

Sam Elliott owns a sort of hotness that is timeless.
I watched The Queen last night. I don't think it should have been nominated for Best Picture but Helen Mirren did own the film. (Plus I have always dug the Queen.)
The other day I was watching Emma Thompson's Sense and Sensibility. I had not watched it in years. I had forgotten how young Kate Winslet was when she did that. She was very good and I think she captured how freaking heedless Marianne Dashwood was. (I always had trouble with that book because I wanted to slap the life out of Marianne) And of course Alan Rickman being so repressed and Alan Rickman-y. I would pay that man to read the telephone book.

Oh, I love Roadhouse. Its one of those movies that I will happily watch once a month or more (I don't rewatch very many movies very often). I adore Patrick Swayze in this, but you're correct; Sam Elliot wins. He's less polished than Swayze and that is so appealing.

I'm gonna make you my regular Saturday night thing.

This was on one of the 20 movie channels we get and my husband watched and I just couldn't. By no means am I a movie snob, but Kelly Preston as a Doctor? Patrick Swayze's mullet alone gave me nightmares. Quentin Tarantino needs to work his magic on this genre of movies.

The only reason to watch.

One of the finest exchanges in cinematic history comes from Roadhouse Even Orson Welles couldn't come up with something this good.

The thing I find funny about Sense and Sensibility was that Kate Wisnlet ended up growing up to look a lot more like Emma Thompson than we all thought she would.

The Way of The Gun.

I've seen it before, and I like it. It's proof that Ryan Phillippe really can act, and he and Benecio Del Toro both rock. The movie itself, unfortunately, is mostly anti-climactic and fails to accomplish much of anything.

Listening to Christopher McQuarrie's commentary, though, makes it clear that he made a movie very different from the movie he thought he was making. I think he intended something of a satire/parody of normal Hollywood crime movies, something evident in the deleted scenes storyboard and his commentary. Either outside forces put an end to that, or the weakness of his own story could not accomodate his intended goal. I would bet both, and that's the ultimate failing of the film - it doesn't do anything. But the performances are enjoyable, and frankly I love a good shoot 'em up, even when the filmmaker thinks he's being clever.

Jesus Christ Vampire Hunter. It's a musical, y'all. :D And you can't go wrong with a character named Mary Magnum.

Also, Fulltime Killer, which is one of those delightfully ludicrous Hong Kong action movies. All you really need to know is that it could just have easily been titled "Andy Lau Wears Leather Pants And Shoots People."

Last night Mr. Jenner and I watched this movie called The Missionary. It starred Michael Palin and Maggie Smith. It was strangely sweet and amusing. It wasn't exactly a black comedy but it kept veering in that direction all while being very light. It was fun to watch. And if you are a fan of breasts -there is quite a bit of that going on too.