RECENT MOVIES

I try to see a movie a week, usually on Friday. My two favorites this year are Crash and The March of the Penguins, though a few others could also be recommended.

The last two weeks I've been disappointed with North Country and Dreamer. There seems to be a bad trend here: Take a true story, "base" a story on it, sign up a few great actors, make a killer trailer, and promote like hell. It doesn't work for me. Each of these films suffers from its own flaws but they share the common flaw of not being believable in the details. And I don't feel like spending an hour on the internet searching out the true story, if there even is one true story.

North Country tries to tell way too many stories. Just as I am getting het up about her bad treatment at the mine I am asked to get het up about her relation with her father or her high school sexual history, and on and on. And I can't buy Dreamer until I actually see the Racing Form charts on the filly or mare, whichever she is supposed to be.

I say see these two movies only at the economy hour and if nothing better is being shown, or if you must get out of the rain and need a couple hours to yourself.