Dollar Movie

O Brother, Where Art Thou? 8 10 12

It’s The Odyssey, sort of. Only it’s in the south, set in the 1930s. Sound intriguing? The Coen brothers, known for their work on Fargo, The Big Lebowski, and Raising Arizona, tackle one of the greatest stories ever told with a distinctly American flair. Instead of Odysseus, we get three escaped prisoners, one of whom is conveniently named Ulysses (George Clooney), and instead of finding their way home, they are searching for buried treasure. The links to The Odyssey are there, but if you’re not familiar with the story a lot of the references might not register immediately. It’s still a damn good movie, and how else are you going to fill your weekly banjo quotient?

Perfume: The Story of a Murderer 7 10 1

The story looks good on paper: Man develops a super-sensitive sense of smell. Man becomes an expert perfume maker. Man starts to go crazy and kills women to create perfumes. Alright, so maybe it doesn’t look quite that great on paper. Just think of it as an evil version of Chocolat and you’ll be fine. This movie is based on a novel, which probably means the book is better than the movie. However, you have to ask yourself: Is watching a movie about a murderous perfume maker better than reading a book about a murderous perfume maker? I think the jury might still be out on that one; but seriously, according to IMDb.com this was rated R for “aberrant behavior.” How often do you see that?

Volver 7:30 10 12:30

Remember Ghost, with Patrick Swayze? Well this is like that, except in Spanish, and starring the hot Penélope Cruz instead of Swayze. Cruz is haunted by the ghost of her dead mother, who has returned to fix up her family — and fix some hair in the process, while impersonating a Russian. It’s by Pedro Almodóvar (La Mala Educación, a.k.a. Bad Education), who is an exceedingly famous director, so you can almost guarantee you’ll be entertained and possibly even enthralled. Mystery, intrigue, and a great European feel make this movie atypical Friday fare; it might impress your date a lot more than suggesting a cultural experience via dinner at Chipotlé.

Rocky Balboa 8 10 12

Thirty years after Rocky gave Sylvester Stallone his first big break, he returns to the silver screen for one last Rocky-based hurrah (he will be starring in a new Rambo picture, tentatively titled John Rambo, in 2008). While there is no Apollo Creed and likely dangerously low amounts of music by Survivor, the movie is essentially everything you remember about the Rocky movies. Except that instead of a blue-collar boxer with something to prove, he’s a questionably delusional old man.

Nausicaä 8 10 12

To round out your last weekend before classes end, why not treat yourself to some anime? One of Hayao Miyazaki’s (Princess Mononoke, Howl’s Moving Castle) earlier films, this one takes us to a post-apocalyptic Earth. Nuclear holocaust has ruined most of the planet, and what little of humanity is left has had to struggle to survive. Giant monsters of both the plant and animal variety pose a threat to the already-weakened mankind... or do they? In a complex tale of man’s ignorance and the beauty of natural life, the eponymous Princess Nausicaä must determine who is the true enemy and bring peace to her kingdom once and for all. Plus, it’s animated! Hooray