Movie check

Now it's been three weeks... time to check in...

A SERIOUS MAN (2009)

How very exciting to have a film experience that merges Coen Brothers weirdness with inside jokes about Jewish traditions! I always feel a little special when I use Yiddish based words to move a conservation along, and watching this made me feel like I was part of a cult with the unique background to get all the detailed observations. Only replace "cult" with the implications that Judaism is some kind of fanboy thing and consider my appreciation for this movie coming from a unique spiritual heritage. Definitely a effective film.... at times difficult, but one of my favorites of the year.

PUSHER II (2004)

Continuing through this cult trilogy that's available on Comcast On Demand in HD. It has the same awesome opening as #1, and continues a very immediate and intimate focus on characters that are absolutely in the dumps. So far these two movies have turned the cliched "fall from grace" storyline into sometime far more depressing... characters that start so low that their fall into depravity is so natural.

DONKEY PUNCH (2008)

Ringing in a new era of movie watching... Netflix sent me a disc that lets me play all of my instant movies through my PS3 on my big TV! Hundreds of films at my fingertips! Of all my choices I jumped the gun and chose this one based on Harry Knowles' Ain't It Cool recommendation that this was one very disturbing thriller.

And yes it is... and only a few minor times did the characters seem a little unbelievable to the point where I was reminded this is a genre film that follows the pattern of an initial tragic incident turning everyone against eachother. But it works... there are no monsters, or supernatural forces causing violence, just fragile people stuck in a hopeless situation.