Movies I've Seen

So, yeah, I've been lousy about posting. Lousy about reading/commenting. And just all around lousy.

But I swear there's something in the air, as many of my the blogs I tend to read are likewise suffering from neglect.

But I digress. Here are some quick thoughts regarding a handful of movies:

Into the Wild (2007)
A bit on the long side and anything but flawless, this film is based on Jon Krakauer's nonfiction work of the same title. Catalogs the 2-year adventures of a recent college grad trying to escape his past all the while tapping into his true self by escaping society and making way for the mountains of Alaska. At times overdone, I was otherwise touched by the film's overall message regarding society, human relationships, and a lust for adventure... not to mention, the soundtrack which includes several acoustic ditties performed by Eddie Vedder.

Resident Evil 3 (2007)
Yeah, I know. Zombie films aren't my cup of tea, but I saw it anyway. Must admit to the occasional adrenaline rush, but otherwise the main pro for this film was that it made me to stop to think more about man's obsession with the undead insofar as it connotes a living, breathing fear of death.

Broadway Danny Rose (1984)
Woody Allen stars as a low profile talent agent who helps a few C and D stars climb their way to the B rung, only to dump him once they obtain a modicum of success. Parallel to this, one of his up and comings has a mistress and wants Rose to serve as the beard; said mistress has ties to the mob, however, and chaos ensues when Rose is hunted by the hitman brothers of a scorned lover. A decent comedy from Allen's early repertoire that's no Annie Hall but certainly more flavorful than some of the films to follow.

Paradise Now (2005)
The story of two young Palestinian men chosen for a suicide mission in Tel Aviv. When these best friends are separated, they've got to decide whether or not to continue their mission alone — an interesting film that certainly creates tension and explores both sides of a very complex age old conflict. Still, this one smacked a bit too much of Hollywood for a foreign production.