movies/dvds

[ellen_datlow]

Friday night I watched Ice Age2 --silly but sweet. What more can I say? Also two more episodes of Carnivale, which I continue to quite like, although the Ben Hawkins' stubborn streak is really starting to annoy me (as it annoys Sofie). The acting is very good and so is the cinematography. I have no problem with the slowish build up.

And yesterday I tried to see Coraline but it was sold out all day, so instead we went to Defiance, something I kind of was interested in seeing. Based on a true story taking place during WWII of two Jewish peasant brothers who lead various (mostly) urban Jews who have escaped slaughter in and around the area to relative safety in the Belarussian forests, where they hide out for four years. It was harrowing, depressing, moving despite some cliches, overly long, and well acted. Liev Schreiber and Daniel Craig are the two elder brothers. If you think you can stand another Holocaust movie, you could do worse. This one shows some hope.

Comments

[sarcobatus.livejournal.com]

I've been thinking about renting Defiance, looks interesting. Have you seen The Counterfeiters (I think I have the title right, but maybe not)? Very interesting story, slow build up, but factual, in German with English subtitles. Another good flick (though not about the holocaust) is Heaven, with Kate Blanchett, made in the late 90s. It's a tense human-interest foreign film.

[marlowe1.livejournal.com]

I was supposed to see Defiance with a group because a girl in my neighborhood is a granddaughter of the third brother, the one not played by Daniel Craig or Liev Schreiber. Didn't get to see it that night. I supposed I'll get around to it eventually.

Saw Coraline on a date. My date didn't like the movie and thought it was too disturbing. That would normally be a deal killer.

[jongibbs.livejournal.com]

I really liked the first 'Ice Age' movie, but for some reason, the second didn't quite work for me (much like the first half of 'Shrek the Third').

If you like clever animated movies, I thoroughly recommend 'Chicken Run', 'Wallace & Gromit in The Curse of the Were-Rabbit', and 'Flushed Away'.

PS: Hope the leg feels better :)

[barb-krasnoff.livejournal.com]

Coraline is definitely worth seeing -- especially if you see it in 3D, which is used to enhance the story rather than overwhelm it. Jim and I concurred that it wasn't as good as Nightmare Before Christmas, but was quite fine nonetheless.

[http://users.livejournal.com/_twilight_/]

I (heart) Carnivale. I'm still on the Save Carnivale listserv, although these days it's mostly periodic posts about how everyone should give up, and others about how much they loved the show. There was cheering when Chris Albrecht was ousted from HBO, and there's an occasional post about something assorted people are working on now. Once in a while, I'll mail out, "Please release the rights so it can continue in another form" type of letters.