Eraserhead and The Ghost Writer

But first a shout-out to The Hurt Locker, which I said back in July was the best movie of the year. Yay! And Bigelow won for an action movie, not some chick flick! And Jeff Bridges! All good.

It's hard to compare and contrast The Ghost Writer and Eraserhead-it's not comparing apples and oranges, it's comparing apples and that weird food I saw in the East Berlin grocery stores, back when it was East Berlin. None of my classmates nor I could identify it, even we could read the labels perfectly well-it was mystery food. Or it's like an Art History test I had once, where we had to compare something by Jackson Pollock to Rubens "The Lion Hunt". Yes, the medium is the same but...

It's hard to call Eraserhead a movie. Not much happens, it's more a series of grotesque scenes and events. From cutting into the cooked chicken that bleeds to the little woman who lives in the radiator and sings every night, all is weird, and beautiful, in it's own way. You have to take this movie on it's own terms, because anything you bring to it will have no relevance. It looks amazing-more like art than a movie. But really, if you recommend it to friends with no warning, they will never take your recommendations seriously again.

The Ghost Writer, comparatively speaking, is extremely conventional. A ghost writer is hired to do the memoirs of the former British Prime Minister, the first one having drowned off the coast of Nantucket. What he discovers is the plot of the movie-and by the time we reach it, it's not a huge surprise. But oh the journey! It's clear from the very beginning that we are in the hands of a master director. It's beautifully shot, the cinematography is gorgeous (all icy cold colors, there is no warmth in this movie) and a story that makes you wonder about the falling-out the writer had with Tony Blair and his wife Cheri-they can't be friends anymore after this.

This movie hits every beat, note perfect. The air of menace that permeates everything-you do wonder if there's a reason for it, and as it turns out, there is a very good reason for it.

Ewan McGregor is fantastic-bemused as to why he's doing this (for the money) and even though he's not an investigative reporter, he finds himself drawn into a mystery. I've never thought much of Pierce Brosnan as actor-yes, he looks great but as an actor...but I have to give him credit here because he does a great job as the former PM, hurt by the insults and determined to redeem himself. Kim Cattrall is fine-her accent slips a bit but she's mostly good and Olivia Williams is terrific as the jilted spouse putting up with her husband-or is there more to the story? Of course there is, and Roman Polanski is a master at getting the most out of it.