Apt Pupil

You'd think I'd remember a movie that has a scene where Magneto tries to throw a cat in an oven...

I was a bit low on material for today's gambit, so I decded to dust off the old stand-by. A movie review. So I grabbed a VHS tape off my shelves, one that'd been years since I'd watched it. Apt Pupil, directed by Bryan Singer. I'm guessing you've seen his other movies (The Usual Suspects, X-Men). It stars Ian McKellen. Unless you've been in a cave lately, you've probably seen him play Magneto, or more likely, Gandalf. The movie was based on a short story by Stephen King, further proving that his best movies don't come from his horror novels (see The Shawshank Redemption, and Stand By Me if you require more evidence).

Oh, there's also David Schwimmer in a really God-awful 80s porn moustache. And Joshua Jackson in a Cheap Trick t-shirt. This short paragraph is dedicated to those of you who watch too much prime time TV. I thought I'd escaped your ranks...

I bought this movie on a whim three years ago. It was on sale at Hollywood video. And I was living in Austin for a couple months. And The Usual Suspects is my favorite movie. So I thought it was a decent deal. Yet as I tossed in the movie tonight, I couldn't remember anything about it, aside from what's obvious on the box - Gandalf is a Nazi. Turns out there's a good reason for my amnesia - this movie is slower than a rolling banana. If you had to, you could watch the last twenty minutes, and guess at what had happened before it. I'm not advocating this approach, because in hindsight there's a lot of really nice subtle work in there. All I'm saying is that you shouldn't expect this movie to grab you and make you watch it.

McKellen is spot on in this role (just like he is in everything), and aside from him looking like a very senile Phil Jackson, you believe his character all the way. Brad Renfro is the kid who mixes up with him, and your take on him will vary based on what you think the point of the movie is.

I won't give anything away, I'll just give this the broad stroke. I recalled being gripped by the ending the first time I watched the movie, and last night was the same deal. There was a scene about twenty minutes from the end of the movie that freaked the hell out of me. If only all King movies could get that level of horror out of me. And not much scares me when it comes to movies. Then the ending from there was predictible... but extremely well done, and I love the way Singer ends it with pretty much nothing tied up. Non-cliched endings being in short supply in Hollywood these days...

I'm not saying I like this movie. At the same time, I'm saying it's good, and you should see it at least once. How's that for a nice conflicting review? Another plus is, there's very little gratuitous violence. And none that's made out to be cool or hip. Alright, enough rambling, let's put it on the Trent-O-Meter:

One and a half, baby. I dig it. Ok kids, I'm out until Thursday, when I'll try to think of something a bit more original. Tchuss.

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