No Country for Old Men

This was a stunning masterpiece of a film. The cinematography is absolutely breathtaking. Javier Bardem did indeed deserve the Oscar for Best Supporting Actor - he is fantastic. Tommy Lee Jones, too, is great. It is tense, captivating, and thought-provoking. I am still thinking about what it means. There is a lot of visual metaphor and symbolism, and I think a lot of what is said is important. One thing it is saying is that America itself is No Country for Old Men - it is harsh, it is violent, and it is unforgiving. There are people like Chigurh who do get away with it. But when the time comes, will you be brave enough to do what you must? I don't know if Ed Tom Bell goes after Chigurh in the end or not. It is ambiguous. I think correctly interpreting the dreams at the end is crucial - and I'm not sure if I'm ready to do so or not. Which is why I'm now reading the book.

Grade: A+

Headhunter

This... is a terrible movie. In a somewhat enjoyable way... not as enjoyable as some other terrible movies, though.

Grade: D+

The Brave One

My mom highly recommended this one, though she said it was emotionally draining. It is indeed very good and emotionally draining, and also extremely thought-provoking. Some of the shots are absolutely brilliant: the scene where it cuts from a love scene to doctors cutting away her clothes... each passionate touch by her boyfriend mirrored by a clinical touch on the same place... amazing. I would highly recommend this movie. I have always had a thing for revenge flicks... but this one is so reflective, and chock full of meaning.

Grade: A

Latest Views: Fool's Gold; Dead Man

Fool's Gold

Saw this in the theater with my mom on Saturday. Of course, Kate Hudson and Matthew McConaughey are extremely attractive people, so that does not hurt this romantic comedy. It is funny and endearing, sweet and a bit quirky. I swear it must be based on a Carl Hiaasen or Tim Dorsey novel... the plot is similar. It's about treasure, and love of course. If you want a movie with some action and some lovin', this is a good bet.

Grade: B+

Dead Man

This was Johnny Depp's first major role, in 1995. It's in black and white, and is incredibly artsy and slow-paced. However, this is not a bad thing - it's an excellent film. It's funny in parts, profound in others. Heavy on the symbolism, you need to watch carefully. I saw it Friday night with some Spanish house people in a room that is supposed to be haunted by a guy who committed suicide there. No sign of that, though; just a great movie.

Grade: A

Mae, with Tokyo

Mae
Originally uploaded by amber in norfolk

Went to the Mae concert at the UC Chesapeake last night. This is a photo of them at the Norva, taken by some other lovely photographer. Anyway, the opening act was Tokyo, who was pretty good. Mae was excellent, but only played for about an hour. At the door, tickets were $6 for students, so what can you expect I guess. They played bunches of songs I don't know, but also all the songs by them I do know. Good times. Alex Douglas came with me, we did not stand too close which I think is good because I probably got less hearing damage. I got some, but not too bad. There was some crowd surfing, actually, and one girl got dropped. Crowd surfing is such a bad idea! Anyway, if you dig Mae or similar sounds you should check them out in concert. Plus they're from Norfolk! So they play at the Norva a lot.

Grade: A-

Sex Workers' Art Show

This was clever, funny, entertaining, and intellectually stimulating. Probably not things you'd expect from all the media attention about it (check out this frustrating and uninformed article!). In reality, this was not a sex show, and in no way glorified the sex industry. The purpose of the show was to humanize sex workers, to emphasize that what they do is just that, work. And to bring to our attention the American public's tendency to dehumanize whatever it consumes, or in a sense to pretend it comes just like that naturally. I would describe the show as more like a comedy tour, which happened to have a little stripping and dancing (don't worry! nearly no 'real' nudity, pasties included!). One thing that was interesting is that they did not allow a merchandise table. What? Also, one professor actually thinks watching it will cause us to rape everybody! Hooray! I especially liked Erin Markey's performance. That woman has pole dancing strength! And amazing songwriting skills.

Grade: A!

Fracture

Anthony Hopkins is creepy here. The 'twists' are pretty damn predictable. It's slow. I enjoyed the cinematography... it was pretty. But all in all, not so great.

Grade: C