Short Takes

It was a night of southern oddity for me with these two films. Both, might make you appreciate your siblings if you have any, or, if the coin is flipped, might make them appreciate you more. In both, there is murder, and lots of it. And both are quirky, weird, surprising, and even humorous at times.

In Leaves of Grass, Edward Norton does double duty playing twins who are opposite in many ways but when it counts, heart wise, quite similar. With brief performances by Susan Sarandon and Richard Dreyfuss, the strangeness and flow of the story will slowly draw you in. When you think you know how it's going to play out, you just might find a few surprises.



In Clay Pigeons, murder seems to happen all around Clay Birdwell, played by Joaquin Phoenix. Made me wonder if there was something in the water in that small town. And while you may start to think he's a goner, by the end of this odd but interesting story there is some satisfaction.

I enjoyed Janeane Garafalo in this, she plays an FBI agent investigating some of the murders, but it seems to me she plays herself in every movie. Not a problem for me, I kind of find it amusing, but it makes it harder to see her as whoever she's playing. And I'm not a big fan of Vince Vaughn but I thought he was quite amusing and convincing as...well, you'll have to watch and see. Even his laugh is funny.

Both movies were interesting in their own ways, and whether they were meant to be straight dramas or thrillers, both had a touch of humor and a bit of surprise to keep things interesting. All in all, an entertaining evening.