This Weekend's Theme: Ummm.... Dead People?

We saw 1408 on Saturday. It was scar-eeee! I'm a sucker for the stereotypical scary movie stuff - loud noises, ghostly people, creepy children with big eyes. John Cusack is great in the movie, and elevates the material. He provides a little comic relief whenever it's needed. He plays a guy who writes books about haunted hotels. His daughter recently died. He stays in Room 1408 and the fun begins. Creepy creepy. Of course the dead daughter visits him. It's great stuff - I was the kind of scared where I just giggle because I'm so terrified. At one point I whispered to Mike, "I hate you. I'm going to kill you." - because he had made me watch the movie. But I enjoyed being scared in the end. Good times.

I had to see A Mighty Heart by myself, so I went Sunday while Mike golfed. It's really, really good. I was prepared for a depressing movie where I'd bawl my eyes out. But it wasn't too depressing. I mean, you already know what happens at the end, so maybe that helps. The movie made me more anxious than sad. Half the movie focuses on the search for Daniel Pearl by the Pakistani police, complete with raids and interrogations. Trying to solve the kidnapping is very interesting. The other half of the movie is of course focused on the pregnant Mariane Pearl. Her fellow journalists are there to support her, and there are some really beautiful little moments with them, reading What to Expect When You're Expecting and making sure she eats.

I thought Angelina did a really great, understated job with this part. She plays Mariane as very strong, keeping emotion reigned in until the moment she finds out Daniel is really dead. Even after Daniel's death, Mariane was on television asking people to remember other journalists and victims of terrorism. It's not heartbreaking, but it's not uplifting, it felt more like a matter-of-fact documentary to me. But maybe that's because I have no feelings.