A History of Violence & Fresh

A History of Violence is gory, graphic, and great. Viggo and Maria are excellent, and Ed Harris is very threatening. And it's nice to see William Hurt get a fun role. The theater was packed, and we were stuck in the first row of the theater. I could almost see the entire screen at once. I really hate it, and my neck is still a little sore. Plus, seeing that gore so huge really messed with me. I'm also not sure about seeing Mario Bello's pubes so big on the screen either (well, not that she had a lot of pubes, but that I was very close to a big screen). Also a little disturbing to have the entire audience dissolve into giggles during the first sex scene. Admittedly, it starts out sort of funny, but giggling at a 69 position? Are they laughing because they don't expect to see that in a mainstream movie or something? What? And that brutal sex scene on the stairs? Why laugh at that? Doesn't make any sense. Cronenberg directs the action scenes very well, and it's definitely effective.

Fresh has a great performance from Sean Nelson. I need to see The Corner a bunch. And damn if Samuel L. Jackson isn't one of the best actors out there. His few scenes are very effective. It's just a great movie, and made me feel like I was watching part of the Wire. When the hell is season 3 coming out? Back to Fresh, and Giancarlo Esposito, who needs more good work. But as good as the adults are, and Esposito and Jackson are very good, Sean Nelson is so damn good that he actually outshines everyone. And he is much younger than everyone else in it. He was 13-ish when it was filmed, but he just controls this film and every scene he's in. Some of this is clearly a result of Boaz Yakin and his directing and writing talent for this film. A little flashier than I would like, not nearly enough like David Simon attached projects, but still good. That it's almost all chess based just adds to the attraction of the movie.