Movies Times Four

My parents left for the week, as well as my sister, leaving me home alone. Of course, solitude at home means one thing, movies. I have watched four this weekend, and these four movies have somehow divided themselves into three groups.

The first category is "entertaining but crap" and it contains our first selection: Aliens V. Predator. I expected almost nothing out of this movie and quite happily got what I was looking for. There is action, but it is lumbering and clumsy where it should be smooth and deadly. A human survives, which would never happen, and I am truly sorry if I spoiled the movie for anyone by revealing that detail. However, I was entertained because, well, I find the Aliens, whom I root for unceasingly, entertaining to the highest degree. And I didn't expect much, which I have already mentioned is a good thing when approaching such movies.

The second category is "entertaining but not as mindblowing as the T.V. Show." Cowboy Bebop: The Movie champions this category. The story was subpar when compared to the T.V. show, but Spike's action scenes make up for any lack of plot substance. Once again, here I looked only for quality animation, excellent well known characters, and superb fighting scenes. The movie contained all three aspects I require, and I was satisfied. Not blown away, but satisfied.

Two movies reside in category three entitled "Freaking awesome foreign films" The first movie I viewed in this category is titled The Twilight Samurai. Now when I think of samurai movies, images of disembodied heads and limbs with a touch of humor parade before my eyes. Zatoichi, another samurai movie, actually there are several but I have only seen the most modern film, fits the cliche generalization perfectly, but not Twilight Samurai. It is first and foremost a drama about a petty samurai's struggles with love, work, politics, and his children. There are only two fight scenes, which were well done, but they are only a subpoint of this movie. The actors are excellent, the plot and character intriguing, and the movie is beautiful. It has a warm, nostalgic, and weary feel to its shots that fits perfectly with the plot and characters. Superb movie, and I recommend it.

The second movie in the "Freaking Awesome Foreign Films" category is titled "Noi." The film centers around a boy from northern Iceland. The cinematographer washed the colors out, and, being in Iceland, the colors are therefore mostly white, grey, and blue. The film is funny and terribly sad at the same time. It is also slower than I expected, but not to the point of boredom. The main character of the movie has distinct features and is one of the more interestingly conceived characters I've ever watched on screen. This movie is also highly recommended.