I've been enjoying these capsule reports, Sarah.
I've decided to go on a movie binge for as long as I have this horrible cold, or for as long as my conscience allows me. Today was a good one: four movies seen.
Started off with the proudly boneheaded Eagle Eye, which had aspirations of stuff like The Conversation but ended up being a really dumb movie in the same vein of stupid as The Game and other films with similar mindbending premises. Though I did watch it in HD, which was pleasant.
My impressions of Freeway had up until today been "it's a Kiefer Sutherland b-movie featuring a post-action star of the 80's, but pre-24, Keifer". How wrong I was. It wasn't until a friend of mine made a copy of it and sent it to me that I started to realize it's something else entirely. It's essentially the Little Red Riding Hood story set against a trashy, pulpy 90's exploitation backdrop without any traces of QT (thankgod). Shocked to see a very young Reese Witherspoon in full-on trashy southern juvenile delinquent mode, with a toilet mouth that wouldn't stop. "Don't Fear the" Kiefer plays a murderous creep who gets what's coming to him (more than once). Very amoral, funny, violent but gratuitous in the way 50-60's exploitation was, not like most crime movies of the 00's. And packed with cameos, colorful characters, and ridiculous scenes. I dare to say that this is Witherspoon's best performance alongside Election. (And now I must seek out the sort-of sequel Confessions of a Trickbaby, which promises to be even sicker - Natasha Lyonne? Vincent Gallo as a Mexican nun? I'm there!)
American Teen was fairly entertaining but increasingly depressing as it went along, and it irked me that the filmmakers apparently bought into the strict high school hierarchy/clicque system they supposedly criticize; even at the start of the film it was obvious they were engaging their subjects from the perspective of what cultural-social group they "belonged" to. Reinforced lots of cliches about the American High School, and made me hate nearly all the parents.
Gonzo: The Life and Work of Dr. Hunter S. Thompson was very well made, overlong and ultimately didn't say too much new stuff about Thompson, especially after seeing every other documentary about him. My opinion stands: I love to read and hear about him, I enjoy reading his stuff, but I'm positive I would hate him if I ever spent time with him.