4 Movies I Dug

Hostel - I was skeptical going into Hostel thanks in large part to how much I hated Eli Roth's last film Cabin Fever, which was freaking terrible. I'm not sure exactly what I was expecting from Hostel, but it was not what I got. For starters, this movie takes it's self seriously, which was one of my main complains from Cabin Fever. The first half plays like a sexed up teen comedy, which is the perfect segue to the second half which is where the body count starts to rise. Jay Hernandez does solid work in the lead as Paxton. Hernandez has always been an actor I thought would do big things after I saw him in Crazy/Beautiful, so I am glad to see him doing solid work. This movie just worked for me, it lacks the diabolical craziness of the Saw films, but is a worthy running mate for them in today's modern horror film landscape of crappy PG-13 remakes.


Palindromes - Maybe it is the film school student in me, but I love Todd Solondz's films. From the director of the genius darker than dark comedies Welcome to the Dollhouse and Happiness comes Palindromes, a dark comedy about a 13 year old girl desperate to become pregnant. If that doesn't sound funny to you, don't worry, Solondz is the guy who made pedophilia funny in Happiness (no, I don't find pedophilia funny, so save the emails). The lead in this film is actually played alternately by 8 different girl, which works for the film. Solondz is really in his comfort zone here and he churns out a worthy companion piece to his already stellar catalogue of films.


Munich - I meant to write about this film weeks ago after seeing it, but I have been busy and did not get around to it until now. Munich is quite simply one of the top 2 or 3 films of 2005. Spielberg more than makes up for the debacle that was War of the Worlds with this spy thriller/ meditation on terrorist. The story is about Israel's retaliation to the terrorists involved in the 1972 Munich Olympic massacre. Eric Bana excellently plays the leader of the group charged with carrying out Israel's revenge. Bana, another actor I think is due for some big things, turns in an Oscar caliber performance. He doesn't the slow burn from family man to mentally fatigued killer with precision. There are many solid supporting performances as well and the last shot of the film is absolutely haunting. This film works equally well as a top level spy film and as a serious meditation on whether fighting terrorism with terrorism is necessary and just. This is a must see.

Enron: The Smartest Guys In The Room - This documentary about the rise and subsequent fall of Enron is absolutely fascinating. I knew about how the Enron debacle turned out, but I had no idea what they were doing for years and just how evil those people were. Jail is too good a place for Skilling and Lay. This documentary plays almost like a behind the scenes of the greatest corporate heist in history. Oceans 11 in business suits. It is a little heavy on technical jargon, but you can and should work your way through it just fine.


In closing, if you aren't watching 24 and The Shield, your crazy. Best 2 shows on TV and nothing else even comes close.