my rating: Fifty-six guilty out of two suspects.

what possessed me: Dahee and I saw this trailer for the latest film by the director of Shimotsuma Monogatari a few weeks ago, and yesterday she reminded me it had opened. That about covers it.

what i learned: I haven’t had such an intense reaction to a movie since I first saw Japanese high school kids in a free-for-all survival game. I can’t say that I enjoyed it, but the world is a little different now that I’ve seen it. I begrudge my own humanity for sympathizing with each of the characters, and I’m ready to deify Tetsuya Nakashima the for putting desolation and heartbreak in such a eye-numbing package. Please, see this movie.

you may also enjoy: Battle Royale, Dancer in the Dark, Riri Shushu no Subete, Evangelion and beauty in decay.

tangential thought: I know it’s a totally common surname, but between Yumi, Mika and Tetsuya, the Nakashima gene-pool seems rife with awesome. And how the fuck did I manage to forget how great Radiohead is?

my rating: One queen out of countless bees.

what possessed me: I believe Cracka’s recommendation was stated as such: “Dakota acts the shit out of that movie.” Enough said.

what i learned: I got my viewing of this movie in just under the wire for Black History Month on February 27th. That said, I’m fairly sure that between the civil rights movement in the sixties and producers of commercial honey products, neither struggle is accurately represented in this film. Nevertheless, Dakota is characteristically mesmerizing, and as seen in the above photo, very, very white. I mean, a brief note to the wardrobe department regarding the funeral scene: We get it. She’s white. It’s a fucking funeral. Get her an appropriate dress.

you may also enjoy: Those shitty down-home melodramatic movies Natalie Portman made earlier in her career.

tangential thought: Being unable to watch this movie in good conscience without doing something unfathomably racist, I went to KFC to get some chicken and biscuits to enjoy while witnessing the action unfold. I’m glad I did, because while I don’t suggest that you watch this flick, I can now whole-heartedly recommend the impeccable Colonel’s Snack Bowl.