delga | { a lady in need is guilty indeed }

Crash, The Island, L&O and Lost. Spoilers for the two movies.

What a beautiful film - the direction was clean, the writing was flawless and the acting was superb. The ideas that it was challenging and exploring were brutal but handled wonderfully. From the screenplay to the soundtrack, every element combined to tell an intricate and important story. I love the way each of the stories were linked to the others and how Paul Haggis didn't shy away from the questions his film was asking.

Obviously, I'm biased. I've been waiting almost a year for this film to come out and I only knew about it because of Thandie Newton's role. That being said, I was surprised by the strength of performance by the more minor characters, especially Ludacris. Both Newton and Matt Dillon played their roles superbly; all the fear and humiliation in Newton's eyes felt real. The two confrontations were gut wrenching. The molestation is sickening which is why when Dillon's character saves Newton from the car crash, her screams of terror are wrenching. A really strong chemistry between the actors made that story work and highlighted that people are never quite what they seem. Sandra Bullock's character was shallow and devastating; nice to see Bullock in a role more suited to her acting abilities. Watching the scene when the store owner pulls the trigger and the little girl flings herself at her father, I wanted to cry. Then, again, when Ryan Phillipe kills Don Cheadle's brother - shocking and breaking. I guessed most of the threads (not so difficult) but that last gunshot (and the look on Phillipe's face as he becomes what he abhors; the horror at seeing the idol of St. Christopher - fantastically executed, one of Phillipe's strongest performances) was terrifying.

Crash is moving and quite tense but it's layered with light and delicate humour. There are times when you're laughing but you really shouldn't. There are other times when the full impact of the film hits you, breathless; I got quite emotional as the separate threads pulled together. It's a very sad story, even if there are moments of joy in the conclusion. I do recommend going to see it; it's truly beautiful just to look at. The colours and the filming alone are worth the ticket price.

Now for something a little different. The basic premise of the story is that the rich pay for clones of themselves to be made so that they can harvest organs etc. If anyone's seen Logan's Run, this film feels very similar. I enjoyed it; Johannson and McGreggor are wonderful to watch and their chemistry is really strong. I personally found the swinging camera movement was surplus to requirements but the movie is fast paced, funny and a good watch. The filming, again, has a sharp quality to it (think the original Matrix) and the picture quality is bright and clear. It's not particularly moving but it's not supposed to be. Djimon Hounsou, by the way, has the longest legs I've seen on a man. His performance was a treat; I like him as an actor because even though he doesn't always appear all that versatile, he does bring a certain quality of je ne sais quoi to his roles. Amusingly, Neelix from DS9 was in the movie! It was difficult to pinpoint him without all his latex!

Again, a good movie to see; not too heavy on the brain and definitely entertaining. One to check out if you have the time.

Last night's L&O was so good and, somethign I find quite amusing, prepared me for Crash today. An ex-Black Panther kills a white cop and racial tensions fire in the city; Jesse L. Martin rocked every single one of his scenes in the episode. The writing was fluent and controlled; the issues brought up were, as ever, so pertinent. Jack McCoy's disappointment at losing the case was poignant, I felt and I loved how Greene had to balance being a black man with being a cop. A really beautiful small screen performance that I wish I'd paid more attention to.

Lost is intriguing, to say the least. Everyone on that island is damn pretty. There were a few scenes that I liked in particular - Hurley collapsing at the sight of the marshall's blood and Walt talking to Locke. Yunjin Kim's character is wonderful; there's something loevly to the actress and it's not just the innocence she portrays or the quiet melancholy of her face. There's a little something extra there that I hope we see more of. Emilie de Ravin is a surprise - I hated her in Roswell (then again, I hated Roswell at times so, oh well) but Claire is fun. I love the Lord of the Flies quality to the interation between Jack and Sawyer; Sayid is also an interesting character. Shannon and Boone are...well, they're annoying. Kate is very, very pretty (cheekbones!) Daniel Dae Kim was boring, as was Mercutio (Luhrmann's R&J). I want to see what happens so I'm going to stick with it. Next episode tonight!

Tomorrow is results. Um, yay? Also, I love this song so much.