Be Kind, Rewind

Pretty random, pretty bizarre, and pretty good.

That's assuming you enjoy Jack Black fairly unleashed. And assuming that you also enjoy a fairly well-done film...in a low-key sort of way. And further assuming that a modest, semi-adequate and not-really-believable plot is all right on occasion.

Though there's other stuff going on, the real laugh-out-loud moments (and there are a few) center around Mos and Jack and the girl "re-making" classic movies in a very, very low-budget manner (Jack erased the originals because he was magnatized for a while. Obviously.). They do some good work, and make several high quality Sweded flicks. Their town loves it.

On a scale of VHS (1) to DVD (6), this one's a 4.1.

The Dark Knight

This film doesn't struggle with taking itself too lightly. It's dark and brooding and disturbing. The Joker is evil - selfish, anarchic, and horrible. That his destruction is seemingly flippant and light-hearted encourages one to miss the depth of his depravity.

Batman et al stare down some interesting moral questions in the process of battling the Joker, and the whole story is pretty engrossing. It's certainly intense. And the film is complete: casting, cinematography, lighting, special effects, everything is very well done. So it's tough not to like the whole...but that shouldn't happen without recognizing (and struggling with) the darker bits.

On the scale of Arnold as the Villain (1) to Heath as the Villain (6), this was a 4.6.