Once again Idol Chatters are about to get a glimpse into the scattered and dissonant nature of my soul as revealed through my movie choices. When thinking of recent DVD releases to pick, I felt obligated to recommend the sweet, light-hearted “Penelope,” but at the same time, I have been wanting to review the overlooked-at-the-theaters crime drama “In Bruges,” which was released on DVD recently as well. These movies couldn’t be more different, so I guess my real recommendation is to decide if you are interested in watching something (relatively) family-friendly and breezy or if you are interested in something dark, disturbing, yet surprisingly thoughtful and redemptive. Either way, I have you covered.

“Penelope” probably was not worth the money at the cineplex, but this Cyrano de Bergerac/Shrek/Beauty and the Beast kind of fractured fairytale is worth catching on DVD. It’s nice, escapist fare for the summertime. In this instance, our plucky heroine has a pig nose as part of some evil family curse and therefore, cannot find true love. Catherine O’Hara–who plays the wacky mom part to perfection once again– is always worth watching and Christina Ricci does a good job as the heroine. There’s a nice little message about self-image mixed in as well. (If you want a full review of this movie, check out Movie Mom’s.
“In Bruges,” on the other hand, is about two hit men (Colin Farrell, Brendan Gleeson) on the run who have been sent to the beautiful city of Bruges, Belgium by their crime boss (Ralph Fiennes) to avoid the police back in London. It doesn’t take long for the two men to get into trouble while in Bruges, however, and the boss soon comes after them to play a tragic game of cat and mouse.
What makes “In Bruges” surprisingly good is not only the great acting and some smart comedic moments in between the blood and profanity (yes, be warned this movie really deserves its “R” rating), but also the way Ray and Ken try to find redemption. They see the bleakness of their souls and amidst the beauty of Bruges they try to regain some hope that it is not too late for them to find salvation for their heinous acts.
Like I said, two really different movies. But each is worth watching for its individual, yet distinct, merits.