Jon Snow (fb542207905)

Lakeview Terrace PG-13

The misleading trailer strikes again! I finally sat down to watch this movie expecting a total cheesefest full of Samuel L. Jackson "crazy badass moments". Lo and behold, I actually got a smart slow-building thriller that managed to pull off some sympathetic scenes for Jackson and also didn't shy from showing its heroes' flaws.

Now, Jackson's character is a total dick -- no doubt about it. It's just that the preview gives you the idea that this is going to be a non-stop all-out war between a naive yuppie couple and a corrupt cop. "Lakeview Terrace" is certainly about the escalating conflict between neighbors, but more importantly, it's also about three people individually falling apart just as they push each other's buttons. Patrick Wilson and Kerry Washington aren't just dealing with an increasingly obnoxious neighbor; they are dealing with what seems to be the first major crisis in their marriage. And Jackson is playing a racist forced to deal with his inner demons, with an interracial relationship right next door slowly bringing out the worst in him.

I kept expecting the plot to make me roll my eyes sooner or later. All the elements for a total failure are there. And it never happened. It turned out to be a damn good movie.

Bonus coolness: Shepherd Book as a racist father-in-law.

The Crow R

I wish I hadn't read "The Crow" before watching the movie. That way I wouldn't have spent a good twenty minutes of the movie trying to reconcile Brandon Lee's performance with The Crow I had in my head (mostly the voice -- I imagined supernatural, Lee gave me emo rocker). And the violence wouldn't have felt so watered down (it's a violent movie, but the graphic novel is an absolute bloodbath). This is why I always try to experience the movie first, and all other versions of the story second.

Of course, the good news is Lee's performance grew on me, and the fleshed out supporting characters of the cop and the little girl eventually made up for the lack of brutality. It may sound superficial but if I sit down to watch a revenge movie, then the villains better get what's coming to them. After seeing their fates in the original story, it mostly felt like they were getting off easy in this adaptation. But Officer Albrecht has an expanded role in the drama now (and he's played by Ernie Hudson!!!!), and the kinship between the Crow and the little girl is explained much more satisfactorily than in the book. So there's a little more to this Crow than in the graphic novel. And that balances things out.

In the end, it's still a revenge story, and a pretty straightforward one at that. Through most of the movie, the Crow simply plows through his enemies, pausing for the occasional flashback and the rare bit of detective work. He never really seems in danger until the very end (which works out fine) and there's hardly any difficulties thrown between him and his goal of killing every member of the gang that murdered him. Don't go in expecting an overly complex story, just enjoy the ride.

After a little while, I did.

Annie Hall PG

The best romantic comedy ever. This is the standard against which I judge any other romcoms. It's so witty, so inventive, and so insightful when it comes to relationships, it's enough to make you a Woody Allen fan forever.

Bullets Over Broadway PG

What "Annie Hall" did for relationships, "Bullets over Broadway" does for artists. Once again, Woody Allen at the top of his game, even if this time he's channeled through John Cusack (who does a great job of playing a Woody-like character).