My First IDF

So, last Friday, I was feeling sort of crappy about life. In addition to the normal run of things to worry about, I had to send my computer off for repairs, which was really just the straw that broke the camel's back. I knew (or, I suppose, was reasonably certain) that it would be back soon, and it's still under warranty, so it really could have been worse, but there were an awful lot of other straws that week, so there you go.

In an attempt to ward off the self-pitying funk I was slipping into, I decided to engage in one of my favorite activities: going to the movies. Now, this was a dangerous choice - there's always the possibility that some asshole will answer his phone or send text messages to her friend during the film - but I felt like I could probably suppress the urge to choke somebody in exchange for an evening of entertainment. And there were lots of things playing that I wanted to see: The Queen, Pan's Labyrinth, Children of Men, Catch and Release, The Departed, Smokin' Aces... So, I called V, who was kind enough to indulge my last-minute whimsy, and we settled on "Children of Men." I was kind of thinking that I might stick around and see "Catch and release" afterwards, but I hadn't really decided.

So, V and I went to see "Children of Men," which was very good. Clive Owen is, as always, fabulous, and there are two scenes that, I think, show just how good he is. Without giving anything away, I will say this: whether being overwhelmed by the sharp pain of a new loss, or silently expressing the dull ache of an old one, his performance is perfectly pitched. The story around him may be slightly predictable, and there is little to break out of the typical bounds of dystopian visions, but that hardly seems the point, and doesn't make it any less remarkable a film. If it is not entirely surprising, it is still well acted and thought-provoking, which is far more than can be said of much of what hits the multiplex.

After the dark, heavy beauty of "Children of Men," I felt like something a little fluffier might be called for, so I did catch the last showing of "Catch and Release." The movie starts with a funeral, after (and at) which hijinks, not-so-shocking revelations, threadbare character development and "growth" ensue. Girl (a charming enough Jennifer Garner) loses Boy, her fiance, then finds out that there were "Things She Didn't Know" about him. Girl (re)meets another Boy (Timothy Olyphant, as sexy/skeezy as ever) and - you guessed it - hates him, then doesn't. On the sidelines, Guy Friend #1 (Kevin Smith) provides adorkable comic (mostly) relief and Guy Friend #2 (Sam Jaeger) plays the long-suffering, unrequited role. Unfortunately, he mainly comes across as bland and neutered. There's actually a good bit of the latter going around, as both Timothy Olyphant's "sketchy friend" and Juliette Lewis' "sexy/flighty Free Spirit" are rendered non--threatening at lightening speed. That said, it was cute, better than I expected, and a much easier movie to sleep after. It's the cinematic equivalent of cotton candy (the details really did start to melt almost as soon as they occurred on-screen), but part of the soundtrack has proved a bit tougher to forget: Joshua Radin's "What If You," another for my list of great songs discovered in slightly shameful places.

All in all, I'd say it was $10 well spent.

Up next: Torn Between Two Imaginary Lovers, or, Nathan Fillion and Jason Bateman: Two Sides of the Same Crush-Coin?