A Feast of Films

Thanksgiving is upon us once again. A time to visit family, stuff our faces, and shop for great deals. There are also a few films out there you might consider checking out. Some as sweet as pumpkin pie, and others as dry as white turkey breast.

An Education: I like to think of this one as this year's The Reader without the explicit sex and all the Nazi war crimes stuff. Carey Mulligan and Peter Sarsgaard are outstanding as the

repressed sixteen year old school girl genius, and the thirty five year old playboy/con-artist who attempts to seduce her. I know it sounds awkward and kinda purvey on paper but do not be fooled, this is one hell of a classy and suave flick. Jenny has been groomed her entire life to be academically perfect, and has never had a life outside of school. When she meets David he sweeps her off her feet with his charm and supposed connections. As there realtionship deepens she is pulled away form her former life and learns the joy and hardships of becoming a woman. I also have to give screenwriter Nick Hornby a lot of the credit here as well. This film is proof he can write a screenplay that is as good as his novels. A-

Ninja Assassin: A former student from a clan of ninjas uses his training to fight hordes of his fellow students and main teacher after they kill his woman and use their skills for evil. The bad news is there really is no major plot, and any scenes where characters actually you know... talk are pretty dreadful. The good news is the fighting scenes are so slick, splatter-happy, and outrageous that you can't help but be entertained by their absurd style. Raizo (Rain) spends a great deal of the film slicing and dicing multiple enemies that slip in and out of the shadows. Lots of blood, dismemberment, and sharp metal objects getting flung around make this a passable guilty pleasure. Bonus for setting the final series of fights in a burning dojo that never actually burns down. B-

Antichrist: After reading Aaron's superb take on this film I first became even more anxious to see it. I love a challenge, and it has been quite some time since a quality film has been labeled an "endurance test." Now that I have seen it I realized I should have heeded the advice. Yes, there are images that once you see you will not be able to forget. I respected the power, and found the opening prologue to be rather amazing. From there we see these two characters (Willem Dafoe and Charlotte Gainsbourg) spend the better part of an hour dealing with their grief in unconventional ways, and it drags. When the film finally does fly graphically off the rails, it at times becomes borderline unwatchable. I tend to respect Lars Von Trier's body of work more than I admire it. If you have seen Dogville or Dancer in the Dark then you already know they can't really be enjoyed. Antichrist is his most disturbing work, but it is also more of a failure than a success. It spends the entire time being either boring or sadistic, and that can be a lethal combination. C

Leftovers: trailers and upcoming reviews

Leap Year (Trailer): Amy Adams travels to Ireland to propose to her boyfriend when she grows tired of waiting for him to pop the question. A man is not able to commit to the effortlessly charming Ms. Adams, so she chases him down? Sounds like the best fantasy of the year to me.

Kick Ass (Trailer): A group of vigilantes decide to suit up as powerless superheroes and learn how to take a punch while throwing plenty of their own. Looks like Watchmen meets Mystery Men. With Matthew Vaughn (Layer Cake, Stardust) at the helm, Mclovin as a character named Red Mist, and an R-rating, I will see it even if the comic book fad is wearing thin.

Once the holiday festivities have finished I plan on seeing Fantastic Mr. Fox, Red Cliff, and Boondock Saints II: All Saints Day sometime this weekend. Be on the the lookout for future reviews. Happy Thanksgiving.