Day Watch (Dnevnoy dozor)

--R--Much like the first film (Night Watch) Day Watch (the second film in a trilogy) has style with the camera placement as well as the camera angles, and mood with the excellent dark and light contrast utilizing shadows, in addition the fast paced melancholic demeanor of the supernaturally inclined guardspeople of mankind is done superbly.

Now I admit when watching a well done foreign film I am always eagor to say that it is one of the better films of the year. The reason for this is mainly because the "Hollywood Machine" does whatever they can to make money and most foreign films won't even make it to our shores if it isn't at the very least a commercial success in its native land. I do however feel that most foreign films are also far superior to our local fair visually, as well as with direction and depth.

Day Watch is no exception to my general rule about foreign films. It was very well done and I enjoyed it immensely. The only thing that I can say negatively about Day Watch is that it doesn't stand on its own. If you haven't seen the first one, you will most likely leave the theater a bit confused. On the bright side Night Watch was everybit as good as Day Watch so make it a double feature and enjoy.

cah

Mr. Brooks

--R-- It has been a while since Kevin Costner has done anything worthy of note and the only reason that this one is of note is mainly due to the fact that it was fun watching him play a bad guy.

Like most Anti-Hero films this one focused on Costner's Mr. Brooks and humanized him, making him likable even though he was simply a serial-killer...okay an exceptional serial-killer, but a serial killer none-the-less. Unlike most Anti-Hero films this one made justifications for why Brooks killed. That is why I didn't enjoy this one nearly as much as another Anti-Hero film like Payback, perhaps one of the best of its genre in recent memory. A film in which there was no excuses made, and no justifications to why he was bad...he just was.

In all, I did enjoy this film due to the cinematography, the directing, the acting with special attention to William Hurt (whom played a character that did more than simply add to Brooks' psychosis) who I have never seen give a sub-par performance (yes...including Lost In Space) and relished in the end as Mr. Brooks got a creepy and elegant punishment for his crimes.

cah