I saw Atonement this weekend, and HOLY SHIT, JAMES MCAVOY.

Um, the rest of the movie was pretty good, too. But James McAvoy, MY GOD.

Oh, yes. Although, I did cry like a little bitch at the coda. My heart, she went crack.

Saw Cloverfield last night. I did not hate it, didn't love it. Sorta didn't anything it. In the words of Jordan, I guess I "nothinged it".

Although after reading through here, I agree (and may have hoped for this in the deep dark recesses of my brain) that there should have been alternate camera footage from a different group with a different story.

I also want to know if Marlena exploded or was shot before something bad(der) happened? From the way she was rushed into that containment area, and based on the guy wheeled by as the medics were shouting "another bite victim!" had a giant hole in his gut, I think she exploded, but I'm not sure.

Atonement, wow. We have a new Independent/Arts movie theatre here in the capital (Red River!) with wonderful stadium seating, oddly yummy popcorn, and bins too small to accept popcorn containers.... Anyhoo, I was able to catch the movie since it had departed all the major theatres in the area. Wow.

I've been meaning to go back and read all the spoiler-fonted discussion that I'd avoided when it first came out, but, this was the movie everyone was raving about the use of sound, right? Right on.

I've had an unhealthy crush on James McAvoy since he played Mr. Tumnus in The Lion, Witch, and the Wardrobe.

Then I realized he was the young hottie in Children of Dune. Still haven't forced myself to watch Last King of Scotland for him though.

Vonnie, me and my brother did a marthon of BoB last month, which is the second or third time I watched that miniseries, but now I have a lot more British actors under my.... *cough* ...belt and it was rather fun playing HITG! with my expanded UK actor knowledge! And then of course there was the dude from How I Met Your Mother...

Atonement questions: is it a fairly accurate rendering of the novel? and (really big spoiler for the end of the movie!) it hit me the next day that not just the fairytale happy ending was fake, but so was every private moment between Cecilia and Robbie. I feel kinda stupid for asking, but it's an ongoing argument between me and my girlfriend.

Julie, I think (Cloverfiled) that was supposed to be a reference to Alien and 28 Days Later. She had something inside her, I think that busted through.

If it was a reference/shout out, I get the former, but not the latter. Unless it's the "if you get the blood on you/in you you're infected too?"

yes. I think that is what we are supposed to gather.

Still haven't forced myself to watch Last King of Scotland for him though.

not totally sure you'd want to, to be perfectly honest. it's pretty hard to watch.

I know it's futile to bring realistic science into speculation about a movie that has a giant monster trashing NYC, but I would tend to think that an implanted larval parasite would kill someone well before it grew large and strong enough to spread their entire torso open and escape. I'm assuming what we saw was the effect of some kind of venom or digestive enzyme that reacted with the victims' stomach acid after a certain point and burst them with the internal pressure of suddenly expanding gasses .

McAvoy fans: it's worth renting the BBC Shakespeare Retold: MacBeth if only for the leather pants.

not totally sure you'd want to, to be perfectly honest. it's pretty hard to watch.

that's what I'm thinking, too, tiggy.

What about The Wind that Shakes the Barley?

hee, Laga, I think the Life fans have put "a very long wait" onto anything Damian Lewis related on Netflix. (I believe McAvoy's McBeth is on the same disc with Much Ado About Nothing).

Shameless is a lot of fun for McAvoy fans.