Come see the scenic Missouri

Thankfully Winter's Bone got into theaters here - I was afraid it would be strictly DVD fare. Apparently Daniel Woodrell's novel is called country noir, and it isn't a bad label for the film either. A determined protagonist is asking unpleasant questions about a missing person and gets in harm's way - sounds like noir to me. Jennifer Lawrence is great as the 17-year-old Ree Dolly and John Hawkes (Deadwood) backs her up nicely. If they both get an Academy Award I won't be crying foul.

Black Santa of the Woods with the Thousand Elves

Finally got around to watching last year's Rare Exports. It was a pretty successful blend of action, horror and comedy. This was a really bad Santa.

Hit rate so far: 2/2

A few days ago I watched From Russia with Love, which had been as lovingly restored for HD as the first Bond. Another similarity was that it was a good movie. Unlike most Bonds, the plot was recognizable to readers of the novel, too.

I had avoided it this far...

But now I have seen Gone with the Wind. Knowing little about it except the general idea, I was surprised how unsympathetic the two main characters frequently were for such a beloved story. Being the losing side in a war was also described more harshly than I expected. The portrayal of slavery was a rather idealized version of what happened, but I guess you couldn't show everything in 1939. Maybe the film is just being faithful to the novel in this respect, I don't know.

What struck me most was how beautiful the movie was. The 70th anniversary restored DVD version is a sight to behold. It was one of the most expensive films ever made at the time, and it shows.

I am happy that I took the time to watch it.

Spiritual

That's how I would describe Contact. Science and religion are rarely treated this equally in popular fiction. No simple, definite, correct answer is offered. The cast includes a bunch of heavyweights but ultimately the film rides on Jodie Foster's slender shoulders and she carries it brilliantly. A lesser performance would have made it much more difficult to be swept along. It's not a perfect film, but it has never failed to engage my brain or my heart.

I don't know if there's a God or life in outer space, but I like what Sagan said about waste of space.

Driver, Detective, Player and Connection

Thus are called the four main characters in Walter Hill's The Driver. They are bare-bones archetypes and the film doesn't really need lengthy explanations of motivations or background. The action sequences do the title proud: there's lots of driving and it's suitably exciting. Thankfully CGI wasn't available yet.