More movie reviews

Man, I am all over the map when it comes to video on demand.

First up is Good Hair. Did you see it? It was a documentary Chris Rock did on African American hair, specifically women's hair. I had wanted to see it when I first heard about it. Spending almost 10 years in a city like Baltimore, which is predominantly African American, gave me an appreciation for the amazing hair styles that black women have. And this was a fascinating movie. Chris Rock went literally all over the world, from an African American hair convention in Atlanta, to salons and barbershops all over the US, to a temple in India where hair weaves originate, to a studio where he interviewed a variety of African Americans (including Al Sharpton and Maya Angelou) about hair. I learned that the active ingredient in relaxers is sodium hydroxide (!), hair weaves can cost on average $1000 and up, and that black women do not want anyone to touch their hair. Which was reinforced when Neicy Nash said the exact same thing on Dancing With the Stars last night.

Shifting gears completely, I also saw The Hurt Locker. To say I enjoyed this movie would be the wrong word, since it's not the most enjoyable topic. But I can see how it got some serious awards. It also reinforced my appreciation for the situation in Iraq over the years and the horror that many of our soldiers, sailors, and marines have had to endure. Unfortunately I would have to agree with a recent review that it wasn't the Best Movie Ever, since it seemed to end with the most common themes that permeate every war move ever made.

And just so you know, we finally saw the end of 2012. I don't think I told this story here. On opening night of 2012, J and I went to see it at a late showing up the road. The movie theater was a dump and there were teenaged hoodlums hanging around, but the movie was enjoyable enough (the special effects were amazing, even if Danny Glover can't act his way out of a paper bag. But anything with John Cusack in it is OK in my book). Anyhoo, we're about 15 minutes from the end of the movie, and the reel stops, the lights come on, and 2 girls walk in. The building next door is on fire, and we have to evacuate. Lovely. J and I debated on whether to ask for a refund (why bother), go see it again (the theater shut down the following week), or wait for it to come out on VOD so we could see the end. We waited. And we watched the last 15 minutes. It was fine. I'm glad we didn't spend another $9 to sit through whole thing again. With our method, we got to FF through the bad parts and watch the cool special effects all over again.