Old and New

I saw two great movies this week and thought I would share. The Gene Siskel Film Center was showing Spike Lee's Do the Right Thing. I'd never seen this movie before and must say, I really enjoyed it. I came away at the end feeling angry and confused, but it is the kind of movie you keep thinking about long after it is over. There was a Northwestern communications professor there leading a discussion, and before the movie she said that after the movie was made, the actor who played Sal, Danny Aiello, claimed Sal wasn't a racist, but the director, writer, actor, Spike Lee, claimed that he was. The character of Sal is pretty interesting and realistic, and I think a lot of that has to do with this discordance. Da Mayor, played by Ossie Davis was fun to watch, and right on the money. Currently I'm working on the moves from Rosie Perez' opening dance sequence. I was 8 when this movie came out, so clearly, I missed it the first time around. I'm glad I got to see it on the big screen. For those of you who also missed it, I highly recommend it.

Next I saw the movie The Host. Oh my. I doubt it will be in theaters much longer so you better go out and see it. It broke all kinds of box office records in South Korea and won several film festival awards. It is a South Korean monster movie that is dramatic and hilarious at the same time. Basically, the story revolves around a family who is fighting this mutated creature from the river in Korea. The characters in the family are so funny and lovable. I was totally captivated by the entire film. Also, there are some pretty satirical depictions of the United States that are amusing, scary and right on the mark. I don't want to say too much more about it, lest I give away any good parts, but I really think it is worth seeing.