I'm back from self-imposed exile. It's comforting to know that things haven't changed much in my absence--enetation is still next to worthless, for instance. Unfortunately, I haven't stored up a lot of exciting things to say over the past six weeks. I have, of course, seen a lot of movies--a couple on the big screen, the others on DVD. You should avoid:

1. Les Triplettes de Belleville--Satirical cartoon about a French cyclist kidnapped during the Tour de France and shipped to a caricatured North America city for nefarious purposes. I was sorely disappointed in this one. A few mildly amusing ideas stretched too thin--when a 78 minute movie feels too long, there's a definite lack of creativity.
   
2. Grave of the Fireflies--Japanese siblings struggle to survive in the aftermath of WWII. As above, another foreign animated film with not much going on, though this one is intended to be poignant rather than funny.
   

You might like:

1. The Shape of Things--I need to add Neil Labute to my list of conservative indie filmmakers, and Rachel Weisz to my list of pretty starlets, to keep track of. It's hard to believe a Mormon wrote this story about an art student who manipulates her boyfriend for her own ulterior purposes; it's not exactly the heartwarming sort of story one would expect from the typically optimistic Latter-Day Saints. Best line: "What 'Take Back the Night' rally did you find her at?"
   
2. Starsky and Hutch--Lightweight diversion with enough snickering at the '70s to keep gen-Xers like myself smiling in recognition.
   
3. Read My Lips--Interesting thriller about a plain-jane, wallflower secretary (who, in accord with hallowed cinematic tradition, is played by a not at all unattractive actress) whose drab life is transformed when her company hires an ex-con as her administrative assistant. Suspense, dry humor, and the usual understated French style.
   
4. Party Girl--Quirky fluff about a flighty NYC socialite who, when funds are low, is forced to work at the least likely of places: the public library. Parker Posey is charmingly free-spirited. I don't know if the screenwriters had a librarian consultant, or just spent a lot of time in a library, but how many other movies mention Gale's Encyclopedia of Associations?
   
5. Nowhere in Africa--or, Out of Africa redux. Well-to-do Jewish couple flees Nazi Germany for Kenya with their young daughter in tow. Similarites to the Meryl Streep movie are numerous and obvious; this one isn't quite as good but I still enjoyed it as a combination of historical drama and romanticized idyll. I wonder how much a little farm in Kenya would cost nowadays.
   
6. Swimming Pool--Clever psychological drama about a lonely, aging mystery novelist from England (Charlotte Rampling) who, struggling with writer's block, accepts the use of her publisher's French villa for a change of scenery. Unexpectedly the publisher's beautiful French daughter (Ludivine Sagnier) appears, turning Rampling's haven into a messy den of sloth and promiscuity. The expected hostilities arise until the novelist decides to play detective and investigate the daughter's obscure past. The trick ending struck me as a little gratuitous, though intriguing.
   

Now I want to see In the Company of Men (by Neil LaBute), The Mummy (because Rachel Weisz plays a librarian in it), and Dazed and Confused (because Parker Posey is in it, because it's by Richard Linklater, and because it's a '70s nostalgia piece).