Dollar Movie

NO MOVIE

No film this Wednesday, so try to think of something useful to do during the time you normally watch these films. One idea would be to write a letter of complaint to AB Films, maybe suggesting they reinstate Wednesday movies so that a certain Tartan staffwriter can stop having to fill a certain space with witticisms that barely qualify as creative. Just a thought.

Secretary
8 10 12

Secretary is a sexual black comedy that ventures into an area of film that is usually left to the porn industry. Stars Maggie Gyllenhaal (who won a Golden Globe for her role) and James Spader play flawed individuals who dive into the world of S&M to cope with exterior problems. Inserting humor at raw, dirty moments to ease up on some of the more intense scenes in the film, Secretary is a thoughtful and original film that should not be ignored. Gyllenhaal and Spader shine in roles countless other actors would wisely shy away from. Definitely not a date movie... unless, of course, you’re into that kind of stuff.

Dan in Real Life
8 10 12

Steve Carell is Dan, an advice columnist who could really use some of his own words of wisdom as he struggles to cope with the death of his wife while trying to stay close to his three daughters. Though Carell tones down his nuttiness this time, that doesn’t mean this isn’t just as funny as any comedy out there. Dan in Real Life delivers a heartfelt message about love lost and then found again amid a bevy of warm, fuzzy performances from people you didn’t know could act.

Enchanted
8 10 12

The best musical to come out in 2007 (sorry Hairspray fans), Enchanted blends animation with real life as Giselle, a classic Disney princess, played by Amy Adams, is forced from her fairy-tale land to New York City. Songs ensue as Giselle learns that not all stories end with happily ever after. Even though Disney clichés abound throughout the movie, the film remains pleasantly original — and watching fantasy darlings try to interact with grizzled New Yorkers is amusing to no end.

The Fly
8 10 12

One of the more disgusting movies ever made, The Fly details eccentric scientist Seth Brundle’s tragic teleportation experiment that accidentally turns him into — you guessed it — a fly. And if you thought human-sized flies would be cute, think again. The “Brundlefly” is horrific to a frightening degree, and Brundle’s mental transformation is just as scary. The Fly, also a remake, has become a lynchpin of the horror genre for its Oscar-winning makeup effects, which succeeded in the seemingly impossible task of giving Jeff Goldblum a spot in horror history forever.