I gave blood earlier this week, and one of the perks was a coupon for a free Chick-fil-A sandwich. I thought it was cool of them to support the blood drive and not give out something lame (like free order of fries or two-ounce smoothie or something). And I like Chick-fil-A (and fast food in general) more than I should.
So I went to a local restaurant to redeem my coupon and had to wait several minutes for them to cook up some fresh chicken, as the lunch rush had wiped them out. No problem, I thought (and the sandwich, when I finally got it, was great and all the better for being fresh). And guess what? Because I had to wait for my free sandwich, they gave me a gift card for yet another–you guessed it–free sandwich!
I knew I was forgetting a few titles when I posted my most recent movie roundup. And I’ve watched at least one since then, so here are the latest victims: The Final Cut, I’ll Sleep When I’m Dead, Kinsey, and Spider.
I had seen part of The Final Cut at someone else’s house. I thought the concept looked interesting (it’s a futuristic film), but I wasn’t sure about the movie itself. Still, I was curious enough to rent it and finish it. And my final impression of it is the same as my initial one. It’s not bad, and the concept is interesting, but the execution is not flawless and, in fact, is a little anti-climactic at the end.
I’ll Sleep When I’m Dead is a good little revenge movie staring Clive Owen, whom I loved in Closer and like in general. He’s great here.
Kinsey was suprisingly good and a little shocking in places (like the section where Kinsey is teaching sex ed to college students). I guess, if nothing else, it does a good job of portraying how terrifying his ideas must have been to an audience still mired in Victorian values.
Spider was the final chance I’ll ever give David Cronenberg. I’ve liked exactly two films from him, though I’ve seen many more: Naked Lunch and eXistenZ. Both were pretentious as hell, but they held my interest and he’s very skillful with a camera. I hated Crash with a blinding passion. So I was hesitant to try another film by him. And, well, I learned my lesson. On the level of camera work, Spider is a beautiful film. Turn it on sometime with the volume off. But as a film, it’s 98 minutes that feels like three hours, and all to tell a story that would have made a good short.