Last Five Movies

Female Prisoner Scorpion: Beast Stable (1973)
In a callback to the very first one of these, yet another entry in Meiko Kaji's Scorpion series. Nowhere near as weird as the previous two entries, this one finds Scorpion on the run from the law. You've got to love a movie where, in the first minute, Scorpion cuts off the arm of the cop she's handcuffed to, and runs through the streets with it dangling from her wrist. Oh, and a note to the actresses of today: Kaji is able to come off as the toughest bitch on the planet while uttering about three lines of dialogue. There's something to be said for having a "presence."

The Lookout (2007)
An entertaining little flick, even if I'm a little unsure that it's possible to have the mental illness that Joseph Gordon-Levitt has in this. Otherwise, very enjoyable. And Jeff Daniels doesn't get nearly enough work.

Fracture (2007)
When I see legal thrillers like this, I wonder if they actually do any legal research when coming up with the plots. This movie gives us the shakiest examination of the "double jeopardy" exception since, well, Double Jeopardy (which had no basis in legal fact). And isn't it about time for Anthony Hopkins to stop playing Hannibal Lector? He does have other talents, ya know.

The Bride Wore Black (1968)
Francois Truffaut's take on Hitchcock (of whom he was a big fan) turns out to be a failure, as no Hitchcock movie was ever this boring. However, let it be said that this is probably Truffaut's best (ie, least boring) movie. Also, fans of Quentin Tarantino will be pleased to know that this film is in his "Movies I've Stolen From" file, as it shares its plot with Kill Bill.

No-brainer on this one...

Superbad (2007)
This has replaced Hot Fuzz as the funniest movie I've seen this year. It's basically Pretty in Pinkfor the Gen-Y set, told from the guys' perspective. If you're averse to raunchy talk about sex, avoid this like poison, because it's basically the plot of the movie. I liked the retro feel of the movie, from the clothes to the music, even the vintage Columbia Pictures logo before the opening credits. I was somewhat weirded out by the homoerotic subtext that pops up at the end of the film, but, honestly, it's not really that out of place, and makes sense, if you think about it. And if only cops were as fun in real-life as they are in this movie.

A great flick; check it out.