Been Watching

Last week was the kind of week where you watch a bunch of movies. Chappie: Like Neill Blomkamp's other movie District 9, Chappie is set in South Africa in the dystopian future. And crikey! I liked it. It's funny, sad, gripping—with an ending that's both redemptive and sinister. Sci fi is a go for me. Sure, it's about the future and robots and shit. But really, it's about us.

Crimson Peak: In homage to All Hallow's, watched this one on the big screen. It's a good ol' fashioned ghost story. (In the spirit of honesty: I believe in ghosts.) This one's a Guillermo del Toro joint, so it was more creepy than terryifing—but I still got skeeered. The film was beautiful, too, each scene like a painting.

The Departed: It's the other Whitey Bulger movie. Made by a fellow named Martin Scorsese back in 2006. I watched it ’cause every time I'd say I saw Black Mass, someone from Boston would be like, "I liked The Departed better." Now that I've seen both, I do agree. It had, among other things, a wicked good soundtrack.