Except for certain scenes here and there, most movies are not worth a full second look except to cinephiles and those in the business.
In Bruges (2008) is an exception. Martin McDonagh wrote and directed this exceptional downbeat crime drama, leavening it with occasional humor. It is the story of two hitmen sent to the Belgian city, pronounced Broogs, that has preserved its medieval look. They are portrayed brilliantly by Colin Farrell and Brendan Gleeson, and are matched by Ralph Fiennes as their angry boss. The dialogue is first rate, perhaps too clever at times for such characters, but that's what writers, including myself, do. It is not an action film, although it contains violence. It is an examination of criminal mentality geared to adults. 350,000+ users at IMDb have rated it, forging to a consensus of 7.9 on a scale of ten. I would go higher. Although it was not a box office smash, it was financially successful, returning $33 million worldwide on a budget of $15 million. I bet it has raked in loads of cash in DVD rentals and sales, and streaming. Those offended by profane dialogue, political incorrectness, and bloodletting should pass. McDonagh does not have an extensive resume. He has directed only three full length films. I look forward to
Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri (2017), which was nominated for a Best Picture Oscar and soon should be arriving in my mailbox, and I've added
Seven Psychopaths (2012) to my Netflix list. This Londoner seems a major talent. Here's a still from
In Bruges:
RIP NFL Hall of Fame FB Jim Taylor, 83, who played for the Packers during the Vince Lombardi era. He was a member of four championship teams with Green Bay, including the first two Super Bowls. In five straight seasons, 1961-'64, he gained more than a thousand yards, leading the league in '62. In nine seasons, the last with the Saints, he averaged 4.4 yards per carry and had 83 TD's. Awesome, sir.
My thanks to Monsey, who bought
Symptoms: The Book That Answers The Questions: Am I Sick? Is It Serious? Should I Call My Doctor? by Isadore Rosenfeld M.D., and
Dealing With People You Can't Stand by Rick Brinkman and Rick Kirschner; and to Sasha, who selected two books from the Young Adult section with the approval of her grandma, who chose Thomas Mann's
The Magic Mountain and Alexander Solzhenitsyn's
The Gulag Archipelago; and to the woman who purchased Danielle Steel's
Answered Prayers; and to the elderly woman in the company of her attendant, who picked out three books from the Russian sector; and to the woman who bought Philippa's Gregory's
The Queen's Fool and
The Other Boleyn Girl. This put a little dent in the inventory. I hope tomorrow's session will make more room for the deluge I'm expecting beginning Monday.
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