Movie Night at Folsom Prison

In the last week, I have watched a couple of movies from off the beaten track which were quite good--actually one was outstanding and the other was very good.  I am still of mixed mind about adding a record of the movies I have watched, but these two are certainly worth mentioning largely because neither one is as well known as would be proper in a World in which Good Movies were the only ones which were Well Known.

1. The Lives of Others
 If there was a word which meant "Movies which achieve the status of Great Literature," this movie would merit that accolade.  Incredible in every way.  It's the story of a member of the Secret Police in East Germany and a writer whom he is watching.  Every character in the movie is played perfectly, the story line is great--it has a Shakespearean air to it.  The movie is German, but has subtitles for the non-German speakers among us.  If you like Good Literature, you will like this movie.

2. Metropolitan
This was a very witty movie; not slapstick, but wit.  The tale of a bunch of the bored, young rich in Manhattan and thier lives of...well, they don't do much of anything.  And that is the point.  The whole movie is brief snippets--few scenes run long; yet it is cleverly done throughout--well, cleverly done until the last couple of minutes which are a bit painful--I think the director couldn't really figure out a way to end the movie, so he tacked on a standard Happy Ending to a movie which really should have had a pointless ending to make the whole thing cohere.  But that is a minor blemish on a movie which is otherwise well worth wathcing.

I suppose I can also throw in an album review.  The Amazon Download of the Day ($3.99) a week or so ago was Johnny Cash's At Folsom Prison, a live album from the place suggested by the title of the album.  It's amazingly good.  (Though I am sorry to say that Lily now speaks of the album with the same tone of voice she speaks about Frank Sinatra ("Not this album again.).  Sigh.  At least Lily has grown to love my Flogging Molly album.  Actually, even Janet is now enjoying Flogging Molly.  Maybe there is some hope for my family yet.  (On the other hand, none of them like Led Zeppelin.  (But, then again, Lily is starting to like the Rolling Stones.)))  Anyway, there doesn't seem to be a YouTube clip from the At Folsom Prison album, but this one is close.