DVD Rental Day

Well I havent been watching a ton of movies lately. I did rent a couple of good ones though last week. Definately worth the rent if they sound like your kind of movie.

Blood Simple

This is one of the first Coen Brothers movie, it isnt what I would call a crime genre movie, instead it is a dark twisted movie that involves a crime. I have seen some of the dark sides of the Coen Brothers in movies like Fargo, and even to a lesser extent in O Brother Where Art Thou, but this is done much better. Where those tried to be dark yet lighten up everything with comedic overtowns, this screen play does not head in that direction. I especially like the performances of Dan Hedaya and Emmet Walsh, who plays the private detective. There performances I think take this from a decent movie, since the story has been done before, to a very good movie. Like other movies done in the 80s a great deal of the tension is created from the great sounds and music they use. I think this is something that has kind of gone away from newer movies, but watch some of your favorite suspense and horror movies from the 80s and try and notice how the director uses sound and music to derive tension in a scene. The Shining is probably the best at this.

Downfall

This is one of the better movies I have seen in a long time. It is a German movie about the last days Adolf Hitler, as seen through the eyes, of one of his personal secretaries. It is a look at the falling of one of the last empires as we know. The performance of Bruno Ganz, I believe is oscar worthy. He plays Hitler, and with the fall of Berlin imminent there are some wonderful scenes of Hitler, not as the genocidal maniac that you are often led to believe, but of a man so caught up in his convictions, and his belief that his superiority would ultimately reign supreme. Much of this film is shot in a bomb shelter or bunker beneath the streets of Berlin, and the look of the film is great. The writing doesnt have to be real strong because the presence of this immensely large character, is enough to hold the audience's attention. Knowing what we know of Hitler, and then the way Ganz, is able to adapt his belief of what the last days of Hitler would be like, truly make this a special movie. I would say rent this with Last King of Scottland and you will have a look at two of the worlds biggest tyrants, in the last couple hundred years.

Californication

This is not a movie that can be rented it is a T.V. show that just started. It stars David Duchovny as a struggling writer trying to deal with divorce, fatherhood, his struggling career, in the city of L.A. I have watched the first two episodes and am completely hooked, with Entourage really struggling to keep my attention this seems to fill the void nicely. The writing and casting seem to be perfect, and it definately has that Nip/Tuck type flair to it. It really makes me wonder how much I would like Nip/Tuck if the show, was on Showtime or HBO. Anyways this appears to be a solid new show. Check it out!