Coop-8

Let me just start off by saying that American Psycho is, in fact, my favorite book. I think that is a hilarious and razor sharp satire. A wonderfully funny black comedy, albeit (at times) a very graphic and disturbing one. Obviously I had very mixed feelings about the idea of an American Psycho film. It was something that I wanted to see, but at the same time, I didn't think that it could be pulled off. So it was with great reservations that I went into the theatre to see the film. I loved it. I think that Marry Harron has made the best possible adaptation that ever could have been made from Ellis' book. Without presenting a literal adaptation Harron manages to stay very faithful to the tone and spirit of the novel. The idea of combining the Huey Lewis/Genesis/Whitney Houston chapters with the murder scenes was brilliant. By keeping the on screen violence to a minimum she let the satire shine right through. Christian Bale's performance was fantastic. He managed to portray Bateman not just as a monster, but also as the dork that he really is. The infantile behavior of Bateman and the men around him is almost perfectly captured from the novel. My only real complaint is that the movie could have been longer. There could have been more conversations between Bateman and the guys, Bateman and Evelyn, Bateman and Courtney. It would have added so much more depth to characters that, as is, run the risk of becoming flat. Overall though, I really enjoyed the film. This may not be the best movie that I see all year, but I think that it is as good an American Psycho movie as any fan of the book could have hoped for. 7/10

Had South Park been released a year ago it may have been the cause of a parental over-reaction like the one seen in the film. However, in the wake of the "crackdown" on violent and vulgar movies and TV shows that has followed the Littleton killings, South Park has become a very sharp bit of satire about free speech and censorship. Although there is still potty humor 'o plenty much of the film is extreamly witty and well done. A very funny film that makes a dead-on statement.

It may be hard to get through the first half of this movie, but try. Once you get to the end all of the bad dialog and odd performances make sense. Just keep in mind that everything in eXistenZ is deliberate and the film knows some things that you don't. This is one of those movies that gets better the more you think about it after you leave the theatre. Do be warned that eXisteZ is kinda gross. If you've seen "The Fly" or "Naked Lunch" then you know how creative David Cronenberg can get with gross-out make-up effects, and in eXistenZ he really lets his imagination go.