Fear This

Paranormal Activity. $15,000 movie that was a big hit at the theatres. A young couple, she's an English college major, he's a day trader, start filming night-time activities to catch what is making noises and moving things. Like The Blair Witch Project, it's supposed to be all real life just as a real couple would film themselves. The really creepy part usually starts at some time around 2am in the morning and then you start feeling primal fear. No blood really, no scary monsters that you can see, but it is very effective.

Two more movies in February

Blood and Chocolate, 2004. This could have been a great movie. Paranormal romance books are so popular right now and this is based on a young adult novel, like Twilight. Loup Garou (werewolf) girl loses her family to humans at a young age and finishes growing up in Bucharest with part of her clan. She has a human life, working in a chocolatier, but is pursued by clan leader, Olivier Martinez, who picks a new mate every seven years. She meets a young graphic artist and the love triangle is on. This should have been good but the movie falls flat--I think the main actress was too tough acting for the part--she needed that heroine vulnerability. Also, the clan leader was too old and had too thick a French accent--when he is rousing fellow werewolves you have to strain to hear what he is saying.

Il Divo, Italian. This movie has a fantastic reputation and nearly won the Cannes Film Festival's highest award--the Palm D'Orr. That said, it is a puzzling film with a whole new look into the world and history of Italian politics. A satirical look at an actual Italian prime minister's decades long reign, which ended in his repeated trials for corruption and ties to the Mafia, it is full of suble humor. The character of Andreotti, the Prime Minister, is someone I barely recognized--the stooped, intellectual, and coldly-intelligent Italian politician--not a world I am familiar with. It's funny how the Italians seem to pick politicians who are the opposite of good-looking (unlike in the United States). They seem to go more for gravitas--age and experience. You never really find out if Andreotti was guilty or not--he gets off scotts free in the end and is elected senator for life. Andreotti had lots of peculilar quotes that are treasured by the Italian public, for instance, "Power tires only those who do not have it," and "You sin in thinking bad of people, but, often, you guess right."

February Movies

Katyn, Polish, sub-titled. Drama about the Soviet 1940 massacre of 20,000 Polish professional class which was covered up until 1990. This is such a good movie it is hard to describe. I'm starting to see that watching enough great movies is a higher education and civilizing influence. The Polish director's father was murdered in the Katyn forest and this movie is a tribute to a lost generation. The crime was compounded by the Soviets forcing the communist-ruled Polish people to repress any mention of it--the Soviets wanting the official truth to be the Nazis did it. Stalin ordered this incomprehensible act. There are many worldwide monuments to the Katyn massacre, including ones in Baltimore and New Jersey.