a filmblog

Under discussion:

Swoon  (1991)

Savage Grace  (2008)

Almost two decades after the stunningly beautiful Swoon, Tom Kalin makes his triumphant return to full-length feature filmmaking with Savage Grace. The scintillatingly perverse story of the Baekelands: Barbara (Julianne Moore), Brooks (Stephen Dillane) and Tony (Eddie Redmayne) struggling with their life of nonchalance and socializing with the glitterati around the world. Julianne Moore drives this uncomfortable yet enthralling depiction of a world without limits and societal mores, where Greek tragedy occurs before brunch and gritty true crime during cocktail hour.

Under discussion:

Otis  (2008)

An amalgam of daytime soap opera and 80's horror, Otis accepts its B-movie heritage and goes completely gaga with it. Despite an all too familiar story, it works: a fat, lonely nerd goes crazy after being traumatized in high school and builds a dungeon in his decrepit home to torture buxom blonde nymphettes that he abducts while delivering pizzas. Once their daughter Riley has fallen prey to Otis, Will (Daniel Stern), Kate (Illeana Douglas) and their son Reed (Jared Kusnitz) decide to take some revenge on the psychopath and hilarity ensues. Drags in some parts but the soapy dialogue (particularly every word by Illeana Douglas) is more than reason enough to give it a chance.

Under discussion:

Jumper  (2008)

Owing in large part to being on the cusp of Generation X & Y and having that slacker mentality emblazoned on my soul, Jumper seemed to perfectly appeal to my flights of fancy and kept me excited from start to end. Simple story (undoubtedly too much so for some) and loaded with action and effects that keep you mesmerized, not skeptical, drive this film about a young man discovering that he has the ability to teleport anywhere in the world and using it to do whatever, whenever, he wants.