Interlude III: Trilogy, Bam!

         I'm sorry these keep coming so often. My movie watching has been sparse, disappointing and perplexing. Also, my above title is partially in reference to the absurdity of the Hobbit trilogy. I have read Jackson's explanation and hope that I'm wrong, but they are devoting three movies to a book shorter than any of the portions of The Lord of the Rings.
         I watched Snow White and the Huntsman and was marginally happy with it. I may even have given it five stars, but I am loathe to review it and thus I shall not. It's not bad fare if one has a thing, as I do, for items derivative in nature.
         I have been working slowly through The Wizard of Oz and I find it vastly inferior in scope, scale, and interest to the book. That I would suggest to any fan of classical fantasy. In that version, the Tin Woodsman (more aptly named, I know) beheads an army of 40 wolves that the Wicked Witch of the West sends at him. That is one of the many public domain books for which I'd like to write an extremely faithful screenplay.
         A very disturbing, if morbidly enjoyable film that I also watched is entitled God Bless America or maybe god bless america. The latter was in the credits. It begins by using a middle-aged everyman (Fred Rumsen from Mad Men) to indict us as a cynical and both morally and creatively devoid culture. He proceeds to brutally murder the icons of that culture: reality TV stars, belligerent, rude political talk show hosts, and angry, mean-spirited competition show judges. This would be enough to fill a movie, but he includes a very interesting dynamic with a young, female accomplice who goes on the road with him and does her fair share of killing. This movie's problem is in the over-the-top style that makes us used to the idea that way more people deserve to die than do and that murderous vigilantism is cool. Don't get me wrong. I'm all for vigilantism, but my too favorites, Batman and Spider-Man, follow the same obvious rule: thou shalt not kill.
         I also watched The Debt. This film was alright, but it left me feeling something was missing. I cannot describe it well, but the script lacked things to make me care about the characters or maybe the only character I cared about died too soon and I spent the rest of the film waiting for Helen Mirren to murder an old Nazi.
         The last film I finished was entitled Take Shelter. I am endlessly perplexed by this film and I definitely need to see it again before reviewing it. Also, I know I need to see The Dark Knight Rises again and rerate it. It may not be possible that it could stand up to further scrutiny. I don't know.
         I watched Magnolia while on vacation and I feel it was too long ago to review now. I will try to review the next good film I see. Until then, au revoir.