A day at the movies

As usual, it’s a little bit late, but I went down to see a couple of movies at the festival on Tuesday, and while I didn’t get around to it on the night (that would be far too organised), I knew straight away that I should really write about them (even though I’m the only one reading it).

First up was The Hollow Men. Yes, I’ve read the book. Yes, I’ve seen the play. And yes, I have now seen the movie. Read the DimPost’s review – I’ve got to say it’s pretty much spot on.
To be honest, it was lacking. A recap of the book with some pretty pictures to go along with it, yadda yadda yadda. I wanted something new, and the endnote that Jonkey was using Crosby Textor didn’t quite do it for me.

I know I was the target audience, and I felt the appropriate moral outrage required of a typical white middle-class liberal (I still do, but that’s another story altogether), but that was part of the issue for me – in taking the moral high ground over emotive messages to influence elections, you should really try and avoid them yourself, something I think both Hager and Barry are guilty of (this isn’t to say that I condone the hatchet jobs levelled at Hager for the last couple of weeks, he's still our best investigative journo, and that’s a topic I eventually plan to get around to).

And I completely agree with Dim on the footage of Peter Keenan – pap filth was what came to mind - not the feeling you want conflicting with that self-righteous satisfaction at knowing the manipulators of the New Right are still out there.

So yeah, disappointing (even if it did strike the right chords with me).

Number two was In Bruges. An excellent flick starring Colin Farrell as an Irish hitman lying low in Bruges (Ralph Fiennes is superb). The violence went a little over the top, but the dialogue was delightful (and cringeworthy at times for a pinko like meself). And it knew how to end itself.
Goddamit, that ending was perfect, and I wish more flicks had that same kind of awareness. If you get the chance, go see it.

REDUX: Had to get in this link, everyone loves validity.