Dragons and Self-Mutilators

Eragon (Stefen Fangmeier, 2006) - C+

I do understand the virtually unanimous complaints -- it kind of sucks, trite and hokey, to be compared to Dungeons and Dragons while ripping off Star Wars. At the same time, I think these sorts of Lord of the Rings-lite movies are productive in that they introduce young'uns to the archetypes of the genre in a PG-rated setting they can appreciate. For that, Eragon serves -- everything is here, from fearsome dragons to magic swords to resistance armies setting off to fight an evil king (played by a hilarious John Malkovich, no less) -- and really, it's far from repulsive for a fleeting 90-minute adventure. I don't think I can recommend the movie on its own merits (especially not during this busy season, filled with truly fine films), but if kids can engage with this sort of mythology, so much the better.


In My Skin (Marina De Van, 2002) - B+

This is extremely disturbing. I'm not sure what else I expected from a movie about a woman who develops a deep psychosexual obsession with her wounds, to the point of auto-cannibalism, but there it is. That said, after you come to terms with its demanding gruesomeness, and the fact that shouting "see a psychiatrist, lady!" at the screen will not be productive, you ought to be able to settle in for what's really a compelling exploration of (hackneyed as it sounds) what it means to be human -- to be stuck inside a body made of flesh, skin and bone, which isn't something one tends to think about existentially, but something De Van (who wrote, directed, and stars) nonetheless manages to make jarring. The film avoids reductionism at every turn, and Esther's obsession emerges and progresses organically, almost logically, as she succumbs to her urges while trying to maintain her middle-class existence. The ending is as ambiguous as possible, lending itself to two diametrically opposed and equally plausible interpretations. Rent it if you're feeling adventurous.