This week brings us Cusack as Poe and a number of literary references. It also portends the dangers of long term engagements in the presence of sickly relatives. On the lighter side, there are claymated pirates looking to pillory foes and wreak gentle havoc on the high seas.
Payback: Just in case you weren’t aware how much debt you are in, check out this new documentary based on a Margaret Atwood novel. It’s surprising to know how much leverage we hold over others and how much others have over us. Within each of our disjoined environments – work, school, relationships – someone is the debtor, and someone is the creditor. This is certainly a depressing look at the economy of friendship and interaction, but it could also be eye-opening.
The Raven: Love Poe. Tolerate Cusack. The premise here is a bit out of Into the Mouth of Madness, or something more akin to Stephen King than Poe, but it could be intriguing if we only look at surface level interpretations of his classics like “The Cask of Amontillado,” “The Pit and the Pendulum,” and “The Masque of the Red Death.” I’m sure I’ll like the homages, but Poe was too much of a lush to be considered capable of seeking out serial killers. In fact, his rumored bouts with rabies, syphilis and gonorrhea would probably have kept him rather occupied. If this movie is half as good as the Shakespeare docudrama Anonymous, we can only pray that the producers will jointly quoth, “nevermore!”
The Pirates: Band of Misfits: Ever since the California Raisins introduced me to Christmas, I’ve dug Claymation. Ironically, I’ve never been a huge Wallace and Grommit fan, though it seems I’m the only one. There are sure to be clever moments here, but I’m not sure this won’t better fit my television screen when it’s released on Netflix.
The Five-Year Engagement: “From the producers of Bridesmaids” doesn’t carry much weight with me; in fact, it might keep me away from the movie. I didn’t hate the attempt at female raunch, but thought it was more silly and tangential than good. Either way, Jason Segal is often a sure bet that something will be moderately funny, so perhaps this is one to see on that special date night. But punch lines about prolonged engagements intertwining with dying grandmothers seems a bit forced. As does Emily Blunt’s leg getting impaled by an arrow.
