Two Great Movies
I don't know anything about movies, and most of them that I see are dreck, but I've seen two (IMHO) fantastic ones recently, and can't resist the urge to say something about them on the off chance that anyone's interested. They're very different, one being a documentary+re-enactment, the second just being a regular (though superlative) movie.
1. Touching the Void
About a climbing mishap in the Andes. A tale of two guys made of much sterner stuff than the rest of us.
2. Lemony Snicket, A Series of Unfortunate Events
Just saw this one. Haven't read the books, was only dimly aware of their existence. This movie just blew me away. Clearly kids books have gotten lots better since my childhood fave, The Old Blue Truck. If I'd read these books as a kid who knows? I might have made something of myself. Actually, I'm about to go out and buy the first book. One great thing about the movie is that it's a well-tuned morality play, emphasizing virtues like courage, diligence, curiosity, and kindness. No sneaky religious pseudo-virtues snuck into the movie, just the genuine article.
I don't know anything about movies, and most of them that I see are dreck, but I've seen two (IMHO) fantastic ones recently, and can't resist the urge to say something about them on the off chance that anyone's interested. They're very different, one being a documentary+re-enactment, the second just being a regular (though superlative) movie.
1. Touching the Void
About a climbing mishap in the Andes. A tale of two guys made of much sterner stuff than the rest of us.
2. Lemony Snicket, A Series of Unfortunate Events
Just saw this one. Haven't read the books, was only dimly aware of their existence. This movie just blew me away. Clearly kids books have gotten lots better since my childhood fave, The Old Blue Truck. If I'd read these books as a kid who knows? I might have made something of myself. Actually, I'm about to go out and buy the first book. One great thing about the movie is that it's a well-tuned morality play, emphasizing virtues like courage, diligence, curiosity, and kindness. No sneaky religious pseudo-virtues snuck into the movie, just the genuine article.
posted by Winston Smith at
12:46 PM
2 Comments:
The Lemony Snicket books are good fun, and take under an hour to read. Save 'em for when you're really busy and need a quick break--at least that's what I do.
Touching the Void is one of my favorite movies, partly because I'm a mountaineer (though I've never done the extreme climbs that these guys were into), and partly because of this line: "Bloody Hell! I'm going to die with a Bony M song stuck in my head!"
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