Lord of Illusions - I've seen parts of this one over the years but never the entire flick at once until today. I have always been a big fan of Clive Barker's books and especially his short stories, but not so much his films. Visually Barker seems to always go too far over the top for me. Lord of Illusions however is subtle, and that toned down Barker works for me. Scott Bakula as Harry D'Amour, private detective with a foot in the supernatural, is a very different role for him but still suits him well. Without the horrific trappings, this is a very good film noir, and I wouldn't mind seeing Bakula do this spin more often. He's very good here. Well worth seeing, but not for the squeamish.
Session 9 - I've gotten lots of hype about this one, and having seen it, I now have no idea why. It has promise and is a fairly good premise, but when it was all over... I was just kind of "What? That's it?" and "You've got to be kidding me!" Also, I've never understood the draw of David Caruso, and this flick does little to help.
American Dreamz - This began as a rift on the "American Idol" TV phenomenon and turned quickly into an ensemble character study. All involved are very good, especially Hugh Grant in an against-type not-so-nice role. Very funny as well as thought-provoking. It did however lose me in the end which tied up much too nicely for me.
F*ck - This is a great documentary on the F word that is both entertaining and educational. Smart, funny, and it should go without saying, there is vulgar language in this one.
Latter Days - I saw this great flick on Logo and really enjoyed it. Like the better parts of American Dreamz above, it's also a character study. Two gay men, one a party boy and the other a Morman missionary, are forced to learn more about themselves after meeting. Written by C. Jay Cox who also wrote Sweet Home Alabama.
Silver Hawk - Another accidental but enjoyable find, this one has Michelle Yeoh as the super-heroine Silver Hawk. The plot is fairly mundane with the good girl fighting the villain who has a device to rule the world. Michelle falls seamlessly back into the Hong Kong superhero genre from her days with the Heroic Trio. The real coolness of the flick is watching her, in her mid-forties at the time, jumping and flying and fighting like she did in her twenties. She makes the Jet Li Black Mask look like a wimp. And not to be stereotyped, Michelle left the set here to work on Memoirs of a Geisha. Rock on, Ms. Yeoh!
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