A little fluff...

I need to lighten the mood a little since I've been so serious lately. When I need a mental escape I usually go rent some movies. I've watched four movies over the last few days. I sometimes feel kind of dumb talking about movies because I see them so long after they've been released. But feeling dumb doesn't usually keep me from saying something, so here goes.

The first was Sin City. I loved it! It was absolutely visually stunning. I'm not familiar with Frank Miller's graphic novels on which the movie was based, but that didn't keep me from being engrossed in the film. I really like Bruce Willis too. The older he gets the better he gets. I think Demi Moore is an idiot. I'd take Bruce over Ashton any day. Anyway, it was gritty, graphic, and somewhat gruesome without being gross. The structure of the story was cool too. That might have been the influence of the guest director Quentin Taratino. This is definitely not a movie for the kids. It has bad language, nudity, sex, and lots of violence, but as my dad has always said any movie with all of that has to be pretty good. I think this is one that I'll end up buying. I only buy movies that I know I'll watch many times.

The next was an oldie, the original 1975 Stepford Wives. I had seen the remake with Nicole Kidman and liked it a lot. And I had seen bits and pieces of the original over the years but never saw it in its entirety. It was very well shot and interesting. I liked it, but it gave me a bad dream that David left me for a midget. LOL I suppose my subconscious was saying that it's my fear that David would be happier and more satisfied with a midget Stepford wife than with me. Maybe I don't want to delve too deep into that one. There were several things in that movie that 'hit home' so to speak. Anyway, if you've never watched this film you should rent it. You'll get a kick out of the mid-seventies fashions and home decor.

And then I watched Hidalgo. I admit it, I was watching it for Viggo. He's every bit as sexy as a cowboy as he was as Aragorn in the Lord of the Rings movies. But I was very impressed with the movie itself. The scenery is beautiful in all the different locations- the American West and the Middle Eastern deserts (shot in Morocco). This is a family movie too. No bad language, nudity or sex. There is some violence, but it's not gory or anything. If you like Indiana Jones and the Mummy movies then you'd like this one. It's a great adventure story, and it's based on real events. I liked the incorporation of Native American spirituality and the ideas of free will and determination. Oh, and if you like horses then you really must see it. I think this movie is largely under-appreciated. I thoroughly enjoyed it (and not just for Viggo).

And finally, I watched The Ring Two. The first Ring movie scared me real good. I even had trouble sleeping after seeing it the first time. There's just something about evil little kids that is so unsettling that it's hard to shake. I can't say I was disappointed by The Ring Two, but it didn't scare me like the first one did. I wasn't disappointed because I hadn't set my expectations very high. It was a decent horror movie, but it lacked the punch of the first one. They did more to explain why Samara was doing what she was, but it seemed to fall a little flat because they almost made me too sympathetic toward her. I mean, geez, this kid just wants a mommy who loves her. Come on, Rachel (Naomi Watts), give a little love won't ya? Seriously though, it was kind of anticlimactic when they finally sealed her up. And I don't really understand that part anyway because in the first movie they exhumed her body out of the well. This movie is another example of why it usually isn't that satisfying to further explore certain stories. Like Rosemary's Baby, we don't really need to see another movie that further explains that one because it's scarier not knowing. It wasn't a waste of time watching the Ring Two, but I don't think it's going on my 'to buy' list.