Something tells me I am going to get flamed for this but, Atonement gravely disappointed me. In fact it bored me for the majority of its 130 minutes running time. I love Ian McEwan’s novels; Enduring Love was a brilliant book which they made into quite a good film. I can’t judge the translation from book to screen for Atonement as I never read it, but judging the film as it stands, it is quite simply – painfully slow.

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Philadelphia was one of the first movies in the early 1990′s to tackle the controversial subject of aids. It was the first such film to star big names and become a box-office success. Previous films had failed to draw audiences in because aids wasn’t a subject people particularly wanted to deal with. Not much was known about it and it was greatly feared. Star power was very important in the case of Philadelphia, because it was the inclusion of Tom Hanks and Denzel Washington in the movie that encouraged people to go see a film about something they weren’t too comfortable with. Their presence made audiences feel more at ease.
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Wow. I’ve just finished watching the last episode of the second series of Dexter and, to express it in the style of Deborah, Dexter’s foul-mouthed sister: I absolutely fucking love it! It’s not often that the writers of a television series succeed in weaving an intricate plot through 12 episodes, keeping the suspense at a perfect level, and still wrapping up the loose ends by the end of the season.

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The Coen brothers are back with their first full length feature since The Ladykillers (2004). As a long time admirer of their collaborative works, I was looking forward to seeing No Country for Old Men (2007) which is based on the 2005 novel of the same name by Cormac McCarthy. As I sat in the theater, watching it fill up on a Saturday afternoon, it was hard to keep my expectations in check. A new movie, by two of my favorite directors, with two well liked actors in lead roles, based on the novel by one of my favorite writers that has been getting great reviews all over town; of course I was expecting something to blow me away.

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Ah, the start of a New Year! As I break out the calandar, mark up important days to come, then, the morning surprise of snow on the ground, and a day’s worth of shoveling and snowblowing. It’s a workout, time consuming and it is depressing. Just like …The Seeler’s Annual Lemon List…, the worst films of 2007. Folks, you didn’t actually think I’d forget about this, did you? Sadly, even if I did, the world still turns, life goes on, because the more I think about these pictures the more I think nuclear armeggeddon is soon upon us.
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