" This weekend I watched the recently re-released "Bull Durham" on DVD. This 1988 cult classic of baseball worship ages pretty well, mostly due to its performances. Kevin Costner is unusually lively as a bull-headed sage catcher staring down his exit from the game. His protege, Tim Robbins' goofball rookie pitcher, Nuke, is all the more humorous in light of the reputation Robbins has since built for dramatic roles in "The Shawshank Redemption" and "Mystic River." And Susan Sarandon is dazzling as the soul of the film whose mytic narrative words of America's pastime lift the film above its profane guy movie staples. Without her, you'd have another "Major League." Which isn't bad, but its a whole other ballgame.

I also watched "Killer of Sheep," Charles Burnett's 1977 documentary of black life in Los Angeles' Watts district. The movie never received popular release until 2007 due to music rights issues. As such, it's the richest of time capsules. Burnett's gritty compositions hynotize with the smallest details of heat-soaked interactions between family and friends. The soulful music often contrasts scenes of monotony or desperation. Though it has no real narrative to speak of, "Killer of Sheep" gives one a remarkably thoughtful glimpse into another world realized with astonishing truth.

-David "

" In Auburn we woke up this morning to a foot of wet snow on the ground, just after a week of 40-degree days teased the arrival of spring.

So I'm thinking warm thoughts. With that in mind, here is what I'm looking forward to most at the movie theater this summer:

- "The Dark Knight." It's refreshing to really get excited about a Batman movie. If previews of Heath Ledger's penultimate role as "The Joker" and the strength of "Batman Begins" are any sign, this sequel will offer another compelling comic book thrill ride.

- "The X-Files" sequel. I've been a lifelong mark for this mythology, ever since seeing the pilot episode in 1993 at the still very frightenable age of 10. With that in mind, I'm quite hopeful creator Chris Carter will piece together a fun tale that's dark enough to destroy the sour note that was the show's final episode.

- "Iron Man." Robert Downey Jr. is one of the most enjoyably lively actors to watch today and the wisecracking personality of billionaire Tony Stark suits him perfectly.

- "Hulk" sequel. Until its bloated third act, I thought Ang Lee's "Hulk" was a compelling mixture of psychodrama and monster movie. But with Edward Norton now in the role of the green beast's alter ego, Bruce Banner, I think the series could find significant fandom.

-David "

" I never bothered with "Into the Wild" at the movie theater. I sensed it would only perpetuate the oft-romanticized post-adolescent notion of renouncing materialism and hitting the road without worry.

For better or worse, it does.

There is much to enjoy about Chris McCandless' (Emile Hirsch) odyssey from Atlanta to Alaska as a fresh college graduate seeking enlightenment on the open road. Catherine Keener and Vince Vaughn provide rich supporting roles as the oddballs McCandless encounters along the way. When the young man meets hermit Jon Franz (Hal Holbrook), the life lessons they teach each other are heartfelt, if over-polished. And Hirsch himself, more than likeable as McCandless, skillfully steers his character from liberation to frustration to despondency and back again when he finally achieves solitude in Alaska, only to be led astray by his source of salvation. (That's as specific as I can be without spoiling the end).

For all its strengths I appreciated, "Into the Wild's" faults aggravated me twofold. McCandless parents' (William Hurt and Marcia Gay Harden) are stereotyped as superficial malcontents one glass-shattering fight away from divorce. The narration of their daughter, Carine McCandless, aims to be eloquent but comes off melodramatic and overthought from the mouth of young Jena Malone. And Chris' consuming desire to push forward with his journey fuels selfish, even cold behavior toward those he befriends makes along the way.

But what upset me most of all about "Into the Wild" was, indeed, its romanticization of setting out on the open road. Until the end of the film, McCandless rarely experiences any type of hard times, either first- or second-hand, and as a result the film feels not the slightest bit real.

Being about McCandless' age, my impression of following in his footsteps and hitchhiking cross-country is neither brightened nor darkened, but wholly untouched. As a work of fiction, it would be anyway - I hope I'm not that naive - but because this film was based on a true story, I was optimistic I could find something remotely believable about "Into the Wild." Instead, I'm no less convinced that the college-age dream of a live-off-the-land journey of self-discovery is pure fiction.

-David "

" "No Country for Old Men" was released on DVD last week, and I leapt at the chance to see the film again and chew on its subtleties.

The most common subject of debate I've seen concerns the scene where sheriff Ed Tom Bell (Tommy Lee Jones) escapes the medieval wrath of Anton Chigurh (Javier Bardem) in a motel room. Some suggest Bell actually walked into a room adjacent to the one in which Chigurh was lying in wait with his shotgun. Others believe Chigurh didn't kill Bell because Bell didn't actually see the mop-topped killer in the closet (this line of thinking is supported earlier when a frightened witness asks Chigurh if he's going to kill him, and Chigurh replies, "Did you see me?").

I believe it's inconsequential why Chigurh didn't kill Bell. Both explanations are equally plausible. What's significant about the scene is that Bell readies himself for death as he anxiously draws his revolver, but escapes the room alive. In a film about the play of chance and fate, it's not the why that matters - much as we fixate on it, particularly when the less likely possibility comes true.

I've also seen some disappointment in the inglorious death of Llewelyn Moss (Josh Brolin) in that same motel at the hands of Mexican drug-runners. The actual death isn't even depicted, we only see its aftermath from Bell's point of view. Taken with a quote later in the film, the death makes perfect sense occurring right where it did. That quote comes from the wheelchair-bound man Bell visits following the motel shootout. The man tells Bell, "You can't stop what's coming. It ain't all waiting on you. That's vanity."

A few scenes before to his death, Moss makes clear his intent to cease being hunted by Chigurh and become the hunter. And right before his death, Moss takes a few moments to flirt with a young woman sunbathing by the motel pool. Ultimately, Moss is left vulnerable by this "vanity," this thinking that he can stop or even delay the forces hunting him - and Chirgurh is a force if there ever was one. So it's only natural that those forces should catch up with him soon after he forgets their power.

It's a relief to see a film so layered in meaning and so mature in its storytelling rewarded with the Academy Award for Best Picture. I hope to further unravel its truths with a few more viewings.

-David "

" We dont subscribe to HBO. Once on vacation, we thought we would watch the popular Sopranos and were able to only get thru about 30 minutes of it because of its extreme violence level and swear words in btwn every regular word. That level of sensationalism ruined any type of 'storytelling' it may have provided. On to movies. We watched Asylum and Haunted Woods - these two were really good non gory actually scary thrillers. Babel w/Pitt, very tedious and made us happy we live in America. American Haunting w/Sutherland and Spacek. Waited 6 weeks to get our hands on that rental as so popular but after watching it was dissapointed as the base line of the story was incest and pedophilia. Still havent seen Semi Pro because in this area its at the Grant Ave facility and we will NOT patronize that place. Wish the Schines would get a move on. "

" In lieu of movies, I'd like to write about the only thing I've been watching lately: "The Wire."

Having watched the first three seasons in less than two weeks, I feel like I'm neck-deep in a never-ending film. This gritty portrait of the moral mechanics of urban Baltimore pays equal mind to the politicians, the police and the drug peddlers to craft an compellingly flawed picture of the city. The scale of production is beyond cinematic, the pacing is tight and the dialogue is on par with the finest works of David Mamet.

This strength of storytelling is no stranger to HBO, whose programming - including "Sopranos," "Deadwood" and "Big Love" - has consistently achieved a cinematic degree of sophistication. These shows do a lot to destroy the stigma of TV as a junk medium. Often, they're more rewarding viewings than movies.

-David "

" Ty for posting. Perhaps "cash in" was the wrong choice of words for 'DL' as we did like this film and most of Wes Anderson's work d/t his artistry. But went into with expectations of Royal Tennebaums - that movie just felt like 'home'. Nothing can compare to that flick - guess thats why its one of my top 5. Ty, I did read Jan & Feb and thought March was looking a bit lonely. We go on movie binges and are on one now - finishing the series mentioned earlier w/Reincarnated. All in Japanese, no subtitles - but decent. I hope its ok to share our experiences? "

" I haven't watched many movies lately, as I've been caught up in "The Wire." But I recently saw "The Darjeeling Limited," which pleasantly surprised me in light of the mild reviews it was met with upon release.

Though not as affecting as director Wes Anderson's finest work ("Rushmore," "The Royal Tenenbaums"), there's much to love about "Darjeeling's" depiction of three dysfunctional brothers coping with their demons over the course of a train trip across India. Each icy exchange between them brings the three closer to reconciliation, but not by compromising the idiosyncrasies that distanced them from the start.

It feels affirming in a genuine way by allowing the brothers to only partially connect while acknowledging that a simple train ride isn't panacea for such deeply rooted conflict. Anderson's baggage metaphor (the brothers leave behind their suitcases to continue the journey) is a bit heavy-handed, but it complements a film full of otherwise subtle - and rewarding - touches.

Anderson's hallmarks abound, of course - compositional symmetry, close-ups of intensely detailed items, slow-motion tracking shots set to tender rock music, etc. (I'd hardly say it was a "cash-in" on the novelty of "Tenenbaums," these are just Anderson tropes). But they feel less forced than "The Life Aquatic," which couldn't reconcile its "cute" elements with its tragedy.

P.S. Nature Lover, if you would like to read previous entries in the blog you can click on the January and February archives in the box above.

-David "

" Ok watched #23 - ok I guess and all ?'s answered at the end except one. If she was so happily married for 13 yrs, why did she give him the book to read and most likely remember his past as a bday gift? That made no sense. Where is David Wilcox? "

" I thought you all should know that I just watched "The Reflecting Pool".

I found that the acting and cinematrography was much better than expected, and of course, the story speaks for itself.

Highly recommended,

PS_ you'll probably have to order it as I did. Got it in 3-4 days though.

"

" Welp, I c this blog is in need of a 1st entry! We watched 3! movies this weekend at home. Although we really wanted to go c Jackie Moon - Will Ferrel's new movie - time d/n permit. We are now down to 1 of the Lionsgate 8 movie's to die for, having watched Abandoned - the house is the creepiest thing. This horror series is decent if you like that stuff which we do. Not as harsh as say the Saw series but dont dwelve to long into lingering ?'s that seem t/b missing - lol. But just when we are down to needing to see the last one (Reincarnated), they have released ANOTHER 8 in the series. We saw '30 days of Night' which wasn't too bad of a vampire flick and Owen Wilson's 'Darjeeling Limited' which we think was trying to cash in on the novelty of one our fav movies 'Royal Tannebaums'. It was a bit slow, quirky but enjoyable. Did you watch any of these David? "