Early Summer Entertainment Options – June 9, 2009

Surveillance

Directed by Jennifer Lynch

Starring:  Julia Omond and Bill Pullman

I was given the unique opportunity to see “Surveillance” prior to its theatrical release on June 26, 2009.  The story was wicked and intense but the underlying attraction came from the actors assembled to portray entertainingly complex personalities.  I found the title of the movie to be a bit elusive considering the horrific plot line.  A better name for this flick would have been “WHEN BADDER THINGS HAPPEN TO BAD PEOPLE”.  Those of you who decide to watch this movie must be prepared to batten down the hatches and hold on for dear life.  The psychopathic killers were motivated by the sheer thrill of torture so be prepared for some violence and horror.  By the end of the thriller, I was totally entranced by the performances provided by Omond and Pullman.  They were delicious.  Omond, in particular, utilized her beautiful hair to illustrate the many nuances of her character as an FBI agent.  The supporting roles were also satisfying including Pell James, Ryan Simpkins, French Stewart, Kent Harper, Kyle Briere, Hugh Dillon and Gill Gayle.

Jay’s Grade:  A-

Hangover

I had a stressful weekend.  I ran my first swim meet as a Hytek software operator.  A colleague’s husband died suddenly.  I made a nice dinner for my family and nobody showed up to eat it.  And for some bizarre reason, for many years now, I have experienced  an unexplainable ‘down’ the first few days after a school year closes.  I know it makes no sense!  The perfect cure to my doldrums seemed to be a “Hangover” (the movie not the condition).  Unlike many comedies lately, the trailers didn’t reveal all of the film’s humor thus leaving nothing for the big screen.  In fact, the story actually was a bit more heartfelt than I expected.  I laughed from the start to the finish (make sure you stay for the final credits to see the photos from the wild Vegas night).  I so, so needed to laugh and this flick delivered.  My favorite guffaw moment occurred during a rooftop Jagermeister toast before the crazy night of debauchery even began to unfold.  The soon to be brother-in-law stole the entire movie starting with his toast and continuing throughout the whole ordeal via numerous hilarious antics.  Virtually every mirthful moment involved this character.  So if you need a laugh, go see “Hangover”.

Jay’s Grade:  A-

The Mystic Arts of Erasing All Signs of Death

By Charlie Huston

Suppose you just want to escape into a good book.  You could do much worse than reading the latest novel from cool author Charlie Huston.  Just who does clean up after a suicide?  Who removes the ‘yuck’ from a homicide scene after CSI has done its work?  The novel introduces us to an ex-teacher named Webster Fillmore Goodhue just as he joins a messy corpse clean up team.  It doesn’t take long for Web to inadvertently get involved in a crime caper with typical Huston thrills and chills.  I’m also fairly sure that Huston will resurrect Web and his clean team for more novels in the future.  Overall, the story was an entertaining and diabolically fun and frivolous read.

Jay’s Grade:  A-

DVD Options:

The Wrestler

I loved watching Mickey Rourke in Darren Aronofsky’s awesome movie “The Wrestler”.  Although I have still not seen “Milk”, I find it incredibly difficult to believe that Sean Penn gave a better performance than Rourke.  My favorite scene involved Rourke’s job at a meat deli.  He sold the lunch meat with the same bravado and charisma in which he exhibited insane wrestling moves in the ring.  However, when we see him working the same job in a later scene, Rourke realized that he didn’t fit into any real world (normal) occupation.  Mickey’s aged but amazingly built torso was also totally convincing on the wrestling stage.  One bloody fight was mesmerizing yet totally gross.  Additionally, Mickey’s interaction with his neglected daughter (played impeccably by Evan Rachel Wood) was acting eye candy and added more layers to the story.  I was also totally knocked out by Marisa Tomei in a supporting role.  While stripping for an audience at a night club, Tomei’s character looked out into the crowd with an utterly convincing countenance of washed up pitiful despair.  Unfortunately I wasn’t in that audience, because there was no way I would have overlooked her stunning body despite her age.  Nevertheless, she sold that moment, and was completely vulnerable.  What an amazing performance!  This is also the first movie I have ever watched entirely on an IPOD.  Although depressing, the powerhouse performance by Rourke must be experienced.

Jay’s Grade:  A

Gran Torino

I avoided this movie for so long because I heard it was a depressing story about a racist bigot.  I’ve been around enough Archie Bunker’s in my life, and seeing one on screen did not appeal to me in the least. However, I wasn’t prepared for the hilarity of Clint Eastwood’s interactions with every ethnicity on the planet, and I wasn’t prepared for the intense emotional content that kept me riveted to the film.  I savored every scene in this amazing movie, and Clint was at the top of his game both as an actor and as a director.  Wow!

Jay’s Grade:  A

June 9, 2009