Crowley Webb Blog

This Is…Stonehenge?

by Cindy Hennessey

It’s coming up on 25 years since Rob Reiner made his classic mockumentary, “This Is Spinal Tap,” about the aimless heavy metal band from Britain. The band reunited last year for a short film screened at the Tribeca Film Festival as part of an initiative to raise awareness about global warming. Now, Tap’s Nigel Tufnel is at Stonehenge, of all places (if you’ve seen the film, you’ll no doubt recall the 18"-high Stonehenge model the rockers used as a prop on stage during one of their concert performances). Tufnel explains the mysteries behind the iconic British site in a series of videos posted online to promote an upcoming series on the National Geographic Channel. It’s pure Spinal Tap silliness, all wrapped up in the guise of educational TV. Check it out. And turn it up to 11.

Every eleven years, go see a movie you know nothing about.

by matt low

My subscription to Netflix and my aversion to leaving the house generally keep me from seeing many movies in the theatre. There are exceptions, however, such as the waning hours of a major holiday when one is too bloated to consume any more alcohol and too tired to endure any more conversation by loved ones. This was the case last Thursday when I was treated to one of my best movie experiences of 2007.

I knew nothing of “Before the Devil Knows You’re Dead” outside of what the marquee poster revealed to me on the way to my seat. But there is something delightfully unnerving about having zero preconceived notions prior to viewing a film. Will it be a drama? Will it be a slasher flick? Will it be littered with people taking pies to the face? Will it be so bad I’ll have to bathe with Comet cleanser when I get home? A super that read, “The day of the robbery.” five minutes into the film made me realize I wouldn’t regret letting my uncle buy me a nine-dollar ticket.

If you haven’t seen the movie, I don’t want to ruin it for you. I’ll simply say it is packed with pure awesomeness. But not the kind that makes you feel good in any way other than you’re glad you’re not any of its characters. It’s the kind of awesomeness that makes you stay in your seat no matter how full your bladder may have been when you sat down during the opening credits.

Okay, I’ll say more than just the movie is packed with awesomeness. It’s a movie that starts out with a seemingly simple, evil plan that spirals so out of control you the viewer feel dizzy and nearly ill by the time the screen fades to black. I likened it to “Fargo” without an ounce of the humor.

Philip Seymour Hoffman delivers a performance that makes you forget he was ever Scotty crying in a car calling himself an idiot. A performance that makes you forget he is even an actor at all. The rest of the cast does the same. The result is a film that makes you forget there was ever another film ever made. For at least 20 minutes or so.

For me, it is a film that makes me happy I was completely unbiased prior to viewing. I haven’t had that experience since going to see “Fargo” based on its name alone.