this week's netflix

The Grudge: I had seen a few scenes from Ju-On (the Japanese original) that really creeped me out (that little boy's big empty mouth in particular) and someone I know had to return the film to the video store the night it was watched in order to not sleep in the same apartment with it. So I was hoping for a good scare and I'd say it delivered. In some ways, Bill Pullman's death was the most disturbing scene in the movie. There was something invidious, though, in the way the majority of the victims were white, terrorized by these Asian ghost-demons. I think I prefer Japanese horror originals, even if they don't feature the uncanny Grace Zabriskie.

I Heart Huckabees: Yawn. Is Charlie Kaufman the only writer in Hollywood who can pen truly poignant existential plots? The release of this film did get me to watch David O. Russell's 1999 film Three Kings, which was quite interesting in light of our current situation in Iraq.