Ruang talok 69 (1999) Here’s a film with a simple premise, blood money delivered to the wrong apartment results in a high body count. Now before you discount it as an action flick there is very little fighting and when it occurs it is over in a breath. What 6ixtynin9, the English title of the film, lays out is the notion of how far one might go to protect a secret, in this case a case of money delivered to the door of a young woman who had just lost her job and was facing a tight economy with little or no prospects and the events that ensue are darkly comedic. Added to this, the cinematography is lush and colorful making every environment pop from the dull concrete floor light by flickering fluorescence to the verdant countryside. Highly worthwhile.

The Call of Cthulhu (2005) The subject of easy ordering from Amazon via the iPhone this is a film that I have been waiting to see since I first heard about it a couple of years prior. Some caveats, it is silent, low budget, and a fairly strict interpretation of Lovecraft’s work so if any of the three turn you off skip it. That said, I was riveted by the movie not just because I cut my literary teeth on Lovecraft or that I suffered through so many terrible film adaptations of his work but for the creativity and artistry expressed in the film.

The score was tense, moody, and lyrical and carried the plot along unobtrusively (are you reading this John Williams?). The set design and camera work was imaginative, particularly when creating the city of dreams and the lost island, and seeing the production stills after the feature really makes the point that with less you can often do more. The scant 47 minutes saw the story neatly delivered, unfolded, and concluded and there was never a moment that I felt short changed or as if some key element were missing. I cannot recommend this film enough.

The End of Suburbia (2004) I am officially depressed.

If there is a film you should watch this election year make it this one. The current wars and conflicts we are embroiled in are a direct result of an unsustainable lifestyle that we all partake in. The message is all the more painful to swallow for me as I sit in my three-bedroom ranch in the suburbs, with two cars in the driveway, a lawn I hate to mow, and a daughter I am trying to raise as best as possible. The life I have will not be hers. The life I live is taking that away from her.

So when you listen to the politicking this year think about what the candidates are really saying and bear in mind that the world will change whether we want it or try to will it to not. Are they asking those difficult questions and seeking those seemingly impossible answers? Will we live by blood and sword or in some enlightened fashion? We have had but the smallest taste of the former in the last seven years, can we sacrifice more of our own and others to ensure that the smallest of conveniences are met?

Watch it.

Tags: H.P. Lovecraft, movies, Oil, Politics, Thailand, War

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