"Blackhat"; "East of Eden"; "Two Step" - W/E: Sep. 27

"BLACKHAT" - MOVIEHOOVIE GRADE: C

Michael Mann can still make a compelling shootout, I'll give him that! This one's got a doozy in it... and that's about it; pretty dull and poorly-scripted otherwise. Well, also, Dude-man Thor does a good American accent and isn't such a bad lead outside of Marvel. It's really not the worst thing you could watch on a lazy day.

(1st watch; 9/26/15 - Netflix DVD)

------------------------------------------------------------------------

"EAST OF EDEN" - MOVIEHOOVIE GRADE: C-

Egad! The best thing I can say about this "classic" is the camerawork was pretty and inventive. James Dean's a whiny brat; his and everyone else's acting is pretty bad throughout (and I loved "Rebel without a Cause" and "Giant"), and the direction and editing are bad! I was amazed at how many times I was thrown off by the cuts and weird blocking. And, yes, I like classic literature and movies. (It did make me consider reading the book.)

(1st watch; 9/24/15 - Netflix DVD)

------------------------------------------------------------------------

"TWO STEP" - MOVIEHOOVIE GRADE: B+

Sweet little Texas-set neo-noir. (No, not "sweet" like a home-cooked pie - look at the blood on the poster!) Definitely Coen Bros- and Tarantino-inspired, but very well-done by a first-time director. The acting is standout, the script is witty, the cinematography is really nice. That guy in the photo is a pretty captivating bad-guy; I'll be looking out for him and the director again. (It's not as violent as the poster makes it out, but people die, duh.)

(1st watch; 9/21/15 - iTunes HD)