the grapes of wrath

I noticed at Chapters someone screwed up. They had Master and Commander on the shelf as well as The Office (second season), both of which aren't due to be out till Tuesday (27th). However, I didn't care enough about either to pick them up.

But I did pick up The Grapes of Wrath (Fox, special edition). Now there's a movie with images I have burned into my brain from childhood. I don't know why, but they've stayed with me. I'm not sure how many times I've actually seen it. Quite a few, I think.

But it's been a long time since I last saw it and I'm looking forward to seeing - tonight! (To hell with hockey.)

what have they done to vampires?

I rant about the decline of vampires in my take on Underworld, the worst review I've given a movie in quite some time.

the matrix revolutions on dvd

I finally saw The Matrix Revolutions last night after picking up the DVD. For some reason the store threw in posters and buttons which immediately found their way into the recycle bin once I got home.

Early opinion? While better than The Matrix Reloaded (no eight minute car chase though the Wachowski brothers still insist on action sequences that go on longer than Oscar award shows), it struck me as a largely forgettable movie.

The movie certainly captures comic book/anime imagery but as others have said, who were the characters and why would anyone care about any of them? There’s just no sense of any involvement with what is happening on screen.

In the end, The Matrix movies may end up being a lesson in what happens when you hype the pee out of something: a lot of fuss over nothing.

frank capra & mr. smith & mr. deeds & jean arthur

This week I decided, on a whim, to watch Mr. Smith Goes to Washington. Then, having seen that, I decided the next day to watch You Can't Take It With You. And the day after that, it was Mr. Deeds Goes to Town.

For some reason, Frank Capra movies were what I wanted to see. Well, Jean Arthur too.

Despite their sentimentality, I always enjoy Frank Capra films. My favourite, I think, is Mr. Deeds Goes to Town. (I've never been able to bring myself to watch that Adam Sandler thing. Who knows? Maybe it was okay. But Sandler in a Gary Cooper role? I don't think so.)

Not sure how long I'll be on this Capra thing but I do know the on-deck circle has Lost Horizon and Arsenic and Old Lace. Maybe tonight ...?