Drive-Thru Reviews

Here's a quick rundown of some of the films I've watched recently:

The Cat's Meow - about the mysterious death of movie mogul Thomas Ince aboard W.R. Hearst's yacht in 1924. Directed by Peter Bogdonavich. Most notable for Eddie Izzard's portrayal of Charlie Chaplin. Enjoyable film.

8 Women - French film, weird yet oddly captivating. Murder mystery in a French country estate - man of the house is found dead in his bed in the morning. Who did it: his wife? one of his two daughters? his sister-in-law? his mother-in-law? the cook? the maid? his sister with the bad reputation? The players occasionally break out in songs which have nothing to do with the plot, but the colors are gorgeous, the melodrama is high, there are some honestly funny moments and Catherine Deneuve is still gorgeous. Odd ending.

Men in Black II - inferior to the first film, definitely. Sort of a blur, actually. Most notable for Tommy Lee Jones as a postman and Frank the pug. I need to watch it again.

Possession - Based on the A.S. Byatt book (that I didn't read), starring Gwenyth Paltrow and Elizabeth Ehrle (from A&E's Pride & Prejudice). A love story and a mystery. Good movie.

Insomnia - with Al Pacino and Robin Williams. I really liked this one. Not really a murder mystery (the cat is let out of the bag early on), but more of a game of psychological cat and mouse. Best performance by Al Pacino in years. He doesn't chew a bit of scenery, there is no "hoo ha!"-ing - he just "is", and we have no problem feeling what he's feeling. And the scenery is gawgeous.

Now that my back is finally improving, maybe I'll get to see The Two Towers next?