Monsters

I've wanted to see Monsters I first saw the trailer. I almost paid $10 to rent it from iTunes before it was in theaters, but my inner cheapskate won out. Since my ability to get to the theater lately is nill, I was forced to wait for it to wait for it to be on pay per view. I got lucky though and it showed up on Netflix(in HD) at about the same time.
Monsters is billed as a smart, independent monster movie that was made for a pittance. The film maker did the special effects on a MacBook Pro and they look as good as anything being out out by the big studios. The movie delivers on its promises except for the one in the title.
There are monsters and they are big and scary, but they are not the focus of the movie. It is also possible that the title is a metaphor. The monsters are the backdrop for a quest story. The main action of the story is two people, one rich and one poor, trying to get home. The journey is perilous because they must cross a quarantine zone that is populated by the monsters of the title. There is also tension in the journey because home is fraught with complications for both characters.
The thing that makes the movie is the relationship between the central charters as they travel through the quarantine zone. The actors, who are a real life couple, bring the rawness and complexity of their charters to life. The male lead is a war photographer who has been sidelined by his employer. He is tasked by his employer to bring the employers daughter home. The daughter is in South America for unknown reasons and does not seem thrilled to be going home.
As the journey progresses, we learn why they are both so raw. We are also presented with subtle commentary on war and futility.
I highly recommend renting Monsters.

An Education

Over the weekend H and I watched "An Education" on Netflix. The reviews were mostly positive and the movie deserved them. It was well done. The acting was excellent, the story was well crafted, and the cinematography was top rate.
That said it was not a great movie. Like most European dramas it felt slow. We kept waiting for something to happen. This is because "An Education" relies on character and good acting instead of big plot arcs.
Also, the whole story is a little creepy. Perhaps my work with mentally ill kids who have had run ins with pedophiles, or the fact that I'm a new father of a lovely daughter, makes me particularly sensitive. I suppose the argument could be made that in 1960 such an affair would be more common, but I find it hard to believe.
Despite the movie's flaws we gave it four out of five stars.

Funny thing happened on the way home from school today

I was sitting at a light, behind a white work van of some type as there were ladders and tools in the back. Just sitting there, getting ready to turn right when the light changed...then a man opened the passenger side door of the white van and spit a few times. Of course, I was like "oouuuhhh, gross". But then he began to vomit! And vomit. And vomit. Again I was like "gross!" but kept on watching. Then the light turned green. The van began to creep slowly forward but the man kept the door open and threw up some more. And I kept on watching. I slowly made my right turn but managed to see the van go straight with the man puking on the street. It did look like the van was going to turn into the Bickford's parking lot which I was thankful for. But then I was so intrigued with the fact that I was fixated on watching this person throw up repeatedly, from a moving van, even as I was making a turn. Why? It struck me as very odd to see this image at 3:30 on the afternoon on a weekday. I wouldn't be so surprised if it was at night or even on a weekend. So, then I began thinking of reasons why this man was sick. Was he starting his weekend really early? Did he and the boys have too many beers at lunch break? Or was he just sick with a stomach bug...