Bite Me!

As there wasn't much compelling fare at the local googol-plexes this weekend the Beloved Girlfriend and I stayed home and watched a pair of unexpectedly good movies. One of which I'll bet you never heard of.

The first one we tackled was Jaws. Yes, the famous shark movie from 1975. Neither of us had seen it since its initial release and we were both amazed at how enjoyable it still was. It was startlingly light on special effects but it had fabulous characters. For me, it was the Anti-Transformers. That's a good thing.

The second flick, the one I really want to talk about, was "The Fall", directed by Tarsem Singh, directer of "The Cell". It was poetic and moving and funny and felt for all the world like a reincarnation of the Princess Bride. Every shot was gorgeous, awe-inspiring, featuring an exotic locale that had each us wondering where in the world it was and how soon we could get there. You can see a trailer of the movie here.

I almost hate to tell you this but I was surprised to learn that this film only made $3 million when it was released in 2008. I can't even begin to imagine why it languished unless it got completely overshadowed by the Iron Man's and Speed Racer's and Narnia's and the What Happens in Vegas's that hogged the screens in  early '08.

Be that as it may, if you love romance and great direction and beautiful scenery and a good story then by all means give this movie a look.

Oddly, what both movies shared was a rigorous birth. Each featured a "making-of" documentary that exposed all the scars and headaches in making these seemingly effortless films. All I can say is, better them than me. But kudos to Mr. Spielberg and Mr. Tarsem for a couple of magical nights sitting in the dark.

=mike=