May « 2006 « MonkeyThoughts

23May/060

Munich

This was a Netflix rental as I missed it in the theater. But I've been eager to see it so I had to watch it the second it came in the mail. Now let me mention two things. First, I love Spielberg and it would be unusual to NOT like anything he's done. AI was close because there were too many damn endings and frankly, I was just lost at the end. The actual end, that is. Second, I will be the first to admit that when it comes to worldly/current affairs, I have no idea what the hell is going on. I neither read a newspaper or watch the news. (But I do go to CNN.com occasionally.) Most newscasters annoy me, and the local newspaper pissed me off by calling my home for someone else every day for 2 months. (That last point has nothing to do with the fact that I'm really too cheap to buy a newspaper. It just gives my cheapness a sort of feudal feel.) Speaking of the news, how many fucking times are they going to report on the dangers of MySpace AND act like it's a new topic of discussion??? But I digress. My point was, I'm no expert in the Palestine/Israel going-ons. Although, this movie makes me want to read up on it. So I went into this movie with a really basic understanding of they don't particularly care for each other. The movie starts up at the Olympics of 1972 and the hostage to murder situation that occurred with eleven Israeli athletes. It then carries on with the Israeli move to go after anyone that was involved in the attack. The film is noted as being "inspired by actual events", as there are no available documents saying "this group of guys killed XXXX". Nevertheless, it remains a striking film delving into what is justice, violence begetting more violence, and the overall cycle of attack/be attacked. What got me most about the movie was how many times I uttered "Oh shit!", due to someone getting shot all the hell up. Munich is not shy about the violence and it's presented in a very frank, matter-of-fact way. This movie was close to 3 hours long, yet I managed to stay interested the entire time. I give it four out of five nanas. Now, I must wake my husband up. (He does not share my opinion of this movie. At least, I'm pretty sure he doesn't. I'm not entirely sure if he was awake during most of it.)

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2May/060

Hard Candy

Let me start by saying this is not a movie for everyone. I liked it, my husband hated it. But he fell asleep. And this isn't his website so therefore mine is the ruling opinion. HA! Basic story- 14-yr old girl and much older man (who happens to be a photographer...aren't they all...) flirt online and decide to meet. He takes her back to his place. She makes drinks. And slips him a mickey. And THAT'S where things get interesting. Turns out, she isn't the vulnerable little girl he mistook her for and she's out to make his day really, really bad. Now I've heard complaints that this movie goes beyond reality. First of all, no shit. It is a movie after all. If I wanted reality, I would make fun of the stinky people outside the coffee shop next to the theatre. But that's a whole other story. I got the feeling that the character of Haley was supposed to be older than 14. Like an 18 yr old who faked 14. To kick some ass. I was waiting for something to be dropped like that, but nothing was. It stays very vague about both characters' respective backgrounds, which works both for and against the film. It allows for the game of action and consequence to begin without a bunch of useless crap thrown in. And in a way, I think it makes some viewers go back and forth on who is the actual "bad guy" in this film. Is she mental? Is he a pedophile? These things are just implied without hard evidence. I mean, sure, it seems pathetic if not creepy that a 30 something old man would take a 14 yr old girl to his crib, but there's all this ambiguity. First, he doesn't give her alcohol- that's her action. He suggests she call her sister to tell her where she's going to be. He seems reserved in the sexual area (not to willing to rip her clothes off). On the other hand, if some old guy lured my niece to his place like that, I would still kick ass first and ask questions later. And there is a brief mention of kiddie porn. So again... I was almost tempted to walk out at one point. Haley gets Jeff in a rather awkward position. And by awkward position, I mean she's ready to perform surgery on him. This whole scene was just disturbing. Not gory. Nothing is shown. But the mental anguish is very intense. And I can't imagine how a guy would sit through this scene. But I stayed around to see what happened. And I'm glad I did. Cause wow. This movie likes to fuck with your head. It's hard to feel bad for Jeff without thinking "Oh, he's a damn dirty kid lover in the wrong sort of way". But it's hard to cheer Haley without thinking it's encouraging some weirdass vigilante/sadistic justice. Definitely worth the watch though.

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Munich

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