Descent

...was one of the best horror movies I've ever seen. I've only seen it once, so I don't know how well it stands up to repeated viewings. A big part of its power is how you can't guess what's going to happen next. It is truly relentless. Although enough time has gone by that maybe I'll have forgotten some of it and be scared/surprised all over again. It's interesting to note that the American ending is different from the British ending. More hopeful, obviously, since that's what we Americans like. It made me think immediately of the two different endings of 28 Days Later--again, one American and one British. I preferred the British ending of Descent, but, believe it or not, the happier American ending of 28 Days Later. There was something powerful about the image of the the three of them in the countryside, able to breathe for a moment but not yet totally safe.

Jeffrey made a comment about the pedophile in Little Children having a "wide range of emotion," which made me think of The Woodsman, which goes even further towards suggesting that there might be redemption for what is probably the most despised kind of sinner in our society. I thought it was a gutsy film and wished that it hadn't held back in the ways that it did. Definitely thought-provoking and I'd like to see it again. Has anyone else seen it? Any thoughts?

Lisa: Kiss, Kiss, Bang, Bang, is so TOTALLY underrated. You're right in that it looks like it's going to be a mediocre film and then turns out to be really clever. I watched it with Adrienne and we both were kind of dumbfounded that it was as good as it was. Especially since I picked it out, and I'm not always good at picking out films for us to watch together. It makes for pleasant reminiscing, though, so there's that.

I think my comment on Inland Empire was exactly the same as Brandon's--I tried to watch it twice and fel asleep both times. It's funny how being a part of film club has let me see that it's okay for me to not like Lynch as a director. It's freeing. He's definitely one of those if-you're-serious-about-film-you-must-like-Lynch types of directors. The Straight Story, however, is pure gold.