I’m fighting a wicked sinus infection, so I rented a bunch of movies. Last night, we watched MonkeyBone and most of Requiem for a Dream (talk about a mood shift). MonkeyBone was funny, and the feel of the movie was just perfect. Brendan Fraser is a good actor! Go figure… I had no idea. He pulled it off and was pretty believable in the the whole thing. Downtown had some of the coolest looking characters and sets I’ve seen since Beetlejuice. The stop-motion monkey was great, and the Minotaur bartender was great. Definitely worth renting.
On to the drug movie… This is one depressing flick. Unlike Traffic‘s semi-hopeful recovery ending (sorry if you haven’t see it yet), Dream‘s ending left no room for hope, no light at the end of the tunnel. It showed the darkness at the bottom of the well of addiction. It’s a great film. Ellen Burstyn was robbed, absolutely robbed. She shows the journey in unflinching reality. It was amazing to see her go from lonely widow to strung out junkie. Even Jared Leto was good! Marlon Wayans was good! This is not a movie to watch if you want to feel good about yourself. If you have a kid who likes to play with pot or drink on the weekends, this is the movie to sit them down in front of. The beginning’s sexy and shows people having a good time, and then shows what happens when they lose control and the drugs take over. Not pretty, but I think it was very honest.
Speaking of Jared Leto, I ALSO watched American Psycho. I liked it, but I don’t think I got all of it. Was he really crazy? Did he really kill Paul Allen and the stripper, and holy crap, everyone else? Or was it all in his head? Was he a closet lunatic like the rest of us, keeping our rage and pain under the surface, finding outlets in video games or fantasies? Did his fantasy life come a little too close to the surface? Was that last scene him gaining control over his secret life? Ok… if anyone can explain it to me, please do. Also did anyone else think the “Have to meet Cliff Huckstable at the Four Seasons” line was terribly funny?