Memoirs of a Geisha - I have not read the book, so I had none of the expectations a reader would have going into seeing the movie. Still, I found it lacking. It was visually stunning, and the acting was good, but there was something missing. I should have connected more emotionally with Sayuri and instead I felt like a detached observer.
A History of Violence - Now I was anything but detached while watching this. An extremely well-acted, well-directed and altogether unsettling look at violence in all its forms: in our homes, in our culture, in ourselves. One of the questions posed, I think, is "Are we born violent, or are we made that way?" To paraphrase one of the characters, "I remember trying to strangle you in your crib, but Momma caught me and gave me a beating...I guess all kids try to do that." Well, actually, no they don't...but did he exhibit violent tendencies because he was born that way, or because his mother beat him? What about Jack Stall? He was raised in a loving, pacifist family, yet when he is finally pushed too far by the bullies in school, he unleashes a beatdown that Jet Li would be proud of. Is his talent for brutal violence just another inherited trait? I keep running through scenes in my head today. Great movie.
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