My Mini Movie Reviews

Because of my sprained ankle (which is WAY better today, btw), I've been watching a lot of DVDs, so I thought I'd do some quickie reviews here, in case you're wondering what to rent from NetFlix or the video store.

Because people think "Hepzibah" is a witch's name, I'll use broomsticks as my rating system, 5 broomsticks being the best.

Into the Wild (5 broomsticks)

This is really a super film! I like it so much I've watched it twice already. It's a great character study of the Chris/Alexander protagonist, and an interesting look through his eyes at what he seems to perceive as a materialist, consumerist, status-obsessed world.

I read the book a few years ago when it first came out (it's the only book I've ever recommended to my brother), and the film is absolutely as good as the book, imho. I'm not into nature films or the whole "man in the wilderness" theme, but this film rises above that genre. See it!

Killshot (4 broomsticks)

This is based on my favorite book by my favorite writer, Elmore Leonard. The film was panned a lot on the Internet, but I rented it anyway, preparing to be disappointed--partly because Get Shorty, Out of Site, and Tarantino's Jackie Brown, all based on Elmore Leonard novels, are such great films and such hard acts to follow. In addition, the release was delayed; when it did happen, it was limited; and for the most part, this was a straight-to-DVD movie--not a good sign.

But this film is okay--well, even better than okay. The casting was pretty good, even though the actors aren't my faves: Mickey Roarke as Blackbird and Diane Lane as Carmen. Rosario Dawson as Donna was an interesting choice, because I'd always envisioned Donna as plump and pale, but it worked. In fact, everything about the film works for me. Yeah, I know, it doesn't follow the book perfectly, but watching it is a good way to spend 95 minutes and whatever you pay to rent your movies.

Reviews coming up soon: Valkyrie and Taken.