A perfect little slice of uncertainty and insecurity, Zwigoff's adaptation of the graphic novel of the same name finds its strength in the quiet little oddities shared among its characters. Though initially off-putting, Thora Birch is delivers a nice turn as Enid, who's something like Daria, but without the premature wisdom/smarts. Poor Scarlett Johannson, though, doesn't get nearly as much to do as Rebecca, and I was surprised that the film ended up pushing Rebecca into supporting-player status. The real winner here, however, is Steve Buscemi as the record-collecting Seymour. Buscemi earned a well deserved Golden Globe nomination for the performance, which capitalizes on the actor's inherent quirkiness, while also adding complexity to the role, allowing it to rise above being simply "another weird performance from that Buscemi guy". It's just further proof that, like in The Messenger, Buscemi is capable of much more than being That Weird Guy. As a film, Ghost World also maintains interest, even though it had all of the potential to be as lost and confused as its protagonist.Grade: B+
Breaking Bad: Seasons 1-3 (2008-???):
AMC's other hit drama, about a dying chemistry teacher who turns to cooking meth to help secure his family financially, didn't immediately grab me. Granted, it's interesting, well acted, and at times action-packed, but for the life of me I just couldn't get my self involved during season 1; it mostly felt like an obligation, with only a few moments of real interest/tension, with some black humor thrown in every now and then. That all changes in the show's current high point, season two. Though a little slow for the first few episodes, by the time it's over you won't know what hit you, especially the final minutes, which are cryptically alluded to throughout the series and left me gaping at my TV in horror. Season three goes the opposite route, starting off at the quality of season two's end, and slightly declining. The opening is mysterious, chilling, and hypnotic, introducing a pair of murderous cousins who blaze through New Mexico like the well-dressed, bald offspring of Anton Chigurh. But despite my complaints about some of the story arcs, the acting is uniformly excellent, and I can see why Bryan Cranston won the Emmy (Lead Actor - Drama) two years in a row as Walt and will likely win again for his work in the recently finished third season. Granted, it's not the second coming of acting, (I still prefer Michael C. Hall's work in Dexter) but it's hard to deny the strength of the work on display. Backing him up are Aaron Paul as his partner-in-crime Jessie Pinkman, Anna Gunn as Walt's wife, along with Dean Norris and Betsy Brandt as Walt's in-laws, and RJ Mitre as Walt's son with cerebral palsey. The only thing that has me worried now is the chilling season finale. On the one hand, it opens up possibilities for an even more epic story arc, but there are more than a few things that could leave the writers coming up with contrived ways of getting out of logistics loopholes. Series showrunner Vince Gilligan admitted to SlashFilm that the third season wasn't as planned out from the start as season 2, and it shows. That said, I'll be eagerly awaiting the show's fourth season, which should start up around March 2011.
AMC's other hit drama, about a dying chemistry teacher who turns to cooking meth to help secure his family financially, didn't immediately grab me. Granted, it's interesting, well acted, and at times action-packed, but for the life of me I just couldn't get my self involved during season 1; it mostly felt like an obligation, with only a few moments of real interest/tension, with some black humor thrown in every now and then. That all changes in the show's current high point, season two. Though a little slow for the first few episodes, by the time it's over you won't know what hit you, especially the final minutes, which are cryptically alluded to throughout the series and left me gaping at my TV in horror. Season three goes the opposite route, starting off at the quality of season two's end, and slightly declining. The opening is mysterious, chilling, and hypnotic, introducing a pair of murderous cousins who blaze through New Mexico like the well-dressed, bald offspring of Anton Chigurh. But despite my complaints about some of the story arcs, the acting is uniformly excellent, and I can see why Bryan Cranston won the Emmy (Lead Actor - Drama) two years in a row as Walt and will likely win again for his work in the recently finished third season. Granted, it's not the second coming of acting, (I still prefer Michael C. Hall's work in Dexter) but it's hard to deny the strength of the work on display. Backing him up are Aaron Paul as his partner-in-crime Jessie Pinkman, Anna Gunn as Walt's wife, along with Dean Norris and Betsy Brandt as Walt's in-laws, and RJ Mitre as Walt's son with cerebral palsey. The only thing that has me worried now is the chilling season finale. On the one hand, it opens up possibilities for an even more epic story arc, but there are more than a few things that could leave the writers coming up with contrived ways of getting out of logistics loopholes. Series showrunner Vince Gilligan admitted to SlashFilm that the third season wasn't as planned out from the start as season 2, and it shows. That said, I'll be eagerly awaiting the show's fourth season, which should start up around March 2011.Grades: Season 1 (B-), Season 2 (A-), Season 3 (B+)
Ran (1985) dir. Akira Kurosawa: 
I don't exactly have the best relationship with Kurosawa's filmography, and Ran is simply further proof of that. I mean, I appreciate the hell out of what he did in terms of developing certain story-telling techniques, but I can't quite bring myself to really love his work (save for The Hidden Fortress). Kurosawa's adaptation of "King Lear" is at times arresting, and filled with some stunning visuals and strong music, but, perhaps only the fault of history, the acting in Kurosawa's films has always struck me as too similar to Kabuki theater: an unappealing mixture equal parts guttural and shrill. Here, however, some of the characters actually do stand out, namely the King Lear figure, his Fool, and the wicked Lady Kaede. Unfortunately, the King's three sons, had it not been for their preference for different colors, aren't so easy to distinguish from each other. Still, it's probably worth any film fan or Shakespeare enthusiast's time to give it a go; it just didn't do much for me (that said, I am looking forward to renting Kurosawa's Throne of Blood, his adaptation of my favorite Shakespeare play, Macbeth).
I don't exactly have the best relationship with Kurosawa's filmography, and Ran is simply further proof of that. I mean, I appreciate the hell out of what he did in terms of developing certain story-telling techniques, but I can't quite bring myself to really love his work (save for The Hidden Fortress). Kurosawa's adaptation of "King Lear" is at times arresting, and filled with some stunning visuals and strong music, but, perhaps only the fault of history, the acting in Kurosawa's films has always struck me as too similar to Kabuki theater: an unappealing mixture equal parts guttural and shrill. Here, however, some of the characters actually do stand out, namely the King Lear figure, his Fool, and the wicked Lady Kaede. Unfortunately, the King's three sons, had it not been for their preference for different colors, aren't so easy to distinguish from each other. Still, it's probably worth any film fan or Shakespeare enthusiast's time to give it a go; it just didn't do much for me (that said, I am looking forward to renting Kurosawa's Throne of Blood, his adaptation of my favorite Shakespeare play, Macbeth).Grade: B
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