I'm bored, bored, bored. It started as a stay-in Saturday and threatened to play out like the day before. The last time I was out of the house was on Thursday when Eileen and I had lunch and caught The Bourne Identity. I lurve Matt Damon. Was a pretty entertaining movie but didn't quite hit the spot. And leave it to Eileen once again to save me from the dark abyss of non-activity by asking me to dinner tonight. Haha.

My date with The Man Who Wasn't There.

Like many people, I first took huge notice of Billy Bob Thornton in his Oscar winning turn with Sling Blade. He seemed like a quiet oddball then before all his eccentricities and the high profile dump(of Laura Dern) and run(with Angelina Jolie) were blown into hyperbolic weirdo-ism. Perhaps he really is unusual what with his various phobias and a unique take on life. He has even admitted to going insane twice in his life before in his conversation with James Lipton on last night's episode of In The Actor's Studio. And what perfect timing too for that episode to be aired after having caught The Man Who Wasn't There last Tuesday. I enjoyed his performances in Bandits and Pushing Tin and I regret not being able to watch Monster's Ball during its run here. But another huge factor that pulled me to The Man Who Wasn't There and perhaps even completely is that the film is the brainchild of the dynamic writing/directing duo, Ethan and Joen Coen, known collectively as the Coen brothers, those geniuses of screw ball comedy, the trojan horse of mondo bizarro...

What struck me about The Man Who Wasn't There was the downplay of the Coen silliness and the up on the dramatic. Humour is still evident and there were moments when the signature Coen bizarreness takes over. But the Coens' foray into a more concentrated dramatic mode circa the genre of film noir is intriuging. The film is in black and white and subtly stylish. Thornton portrays Ed Crane, a laconic barber who seems to grudgingly accept the passivity fate has dealt him with a mundane life. A possible venture into a lucrative business in dry cleaning opened an opportunity for him to walk out of his meagre existence. Thus, in need of 10 000 bucks cash, he proceeded to black mail his wife's boss(James Gandolfini) whom he suspected to having an affair with her(Frances McDormand). Unexpected and serious turns ensue. I feel that Ed Crane is one of the most fascinating characters in cinema history to date. And Thornton executed his performance with finesse. He narrated a lot, spoke little but exuded a wealth of expression with body and facial language. Arguably his most insightful role since Karl Chiders in Sling Blade. He indeed becomes the Man Who Wasn't There, a ghost of a person, a silent phantom in our tangible world who goes on a quest to prove his own existense to everyone else and perhaps most importantly, to himself.

Heads up, this is one mother load of a movie. It's film noir, crime, black comedy, court room drama, alien intrigue all rolled into a whirlwind. Yeap, leave it to the Coen brothers... =)

Uber cool trailers of the day...

Shekhar Kapur's The Four Feathers. Apple.com has put up some clips from the much anticipated colonial epic. Made up of a strong, young cast of Heath Ledger, Kate Hudson and Wes Bentley. I'm definitely looking forward to this one after Kapur's previous period drama, Elizabeth. Check these clips out and the trailer, you'll know what I mean... ;)

Interview with the Assassin-This one is totally interesting, it has generated strong movie geek buzz since its release on the internet sometime ago, dunno if you guys have heard about it or even seen it but I thought to just link it up anyway. When you guys view the trailer, be sure to listen attentively to the conversation exchanged.