Movies I’ve seen, movies I want to see

Finally managed to buy a DVD copy of E.T., The Extraterrestrial. Astrovision is selling DVDs at bargain prices, from P199.00 to P350.00 and E.T. was priced at P199.00.

Then, there was Willie Wonka and the Chocolate Factory, the 1971 adaptation of Roald Dahl’s book which I want my kids to see after the bitter disappointment over the Johnny Depp starrer.

It’s been too long since I last posted an entry about movies and I must have seen dozens since. I can’t recall them all especially since some were totally forgettable. Here are some which I have not forgotten either because they were really good, I found them wanting or they were simply bad.

• Mr. Brooks:

I’m not a fan of Kevin Costner. His attempts at making himself out as a superhero by producing and starring in films like Waterworld and Dances With Wolves made me want to puke but, my goodness, I had a change of heart after seeing Mr. Brooks.

Mr. Brooks (Costner) is a serial killer who follows the dictates of his imaginary half (William Hurt). He wants to stop killing but his last escapade was witnessed and photograph by a neighbor of his victims. The witness blackmails him into allowing him to accompany Brooks in his next killing.

Brilliant plot, brilliant acting, unexpected twists and creative scenarios. One of the best movies I’ve seen in a long time.

• A Mighty Heart:

Based on the memoirs of freelance journalist Mariane Pearl, the film in an account of the kidnapping and murder of her husband, Daniel, a journalist working for the Wall Street Journal in Pakistan in 2002. Despite the very political atmosphere and although the term “terrorists” was used several times, it was clear that no one really knew who was responsible for the death of Daniel Pearl. The prevalence of “cells” ensured that everyone who had something to do with the kidnapping and killing knew only his part so that he was unable to point to any other person. Angelina Jolie as Mariane Pearl delivered a stunning performance.

• Fracture:

Anthony Hopkins does it again. This guy never fails to deliver. Hopkins plays Ted Crawford, a wronged husband who shoots to kill his wife and frames her lover. Miraculously, the wife survives although remains comatose. Crawford is arrested and charged, and he chooses to defend himself when he realized who would be prosecuting the case — an ambitious young lawyer, Willy Beachum (Ryan Gosling), who is on his way out of the District Attorney’s office and with one foot already in the more lucrative world of private law practice. Crawford correctly predicts that Beachum would treat the case as an easy one, become overly confident and negligent — and lose.

The story is not so much about the marital infidelity or the ethics of killing an unfaithful wife. It is really about character and about a man’s ability to predict the moves of another by understanding his character. “Fracture” refers to a weakness in one’s character, that which Crawford saw in Beachum and which he manipulated for his own ends. It’s turning another person’s weakness into one’s own advantage. Crawford comes out as a brilliant strategist to Beachum’s amateurish bravado. Beautiful, beautiful film.

In the archive

• Sexy even in old age
• Discovery, not the channel
• Another iconic woman
• Entertain me
• I wanted excitement but dozed off instead
• Sam insisted we watch “Shutter”
• Love means you should say you’re sorry
• A breather: Iron Man and The Andromeda Strain
• One war, two stories
• Alfred Hitchcock’s “The 39 Steps”