Fourth Row Center

This year's thanksgiving movie was Beowulf. Or, as I care to think of it: sweet revenge for having to sit through Sense and Sensibility two years ago. I saw the movie with my still blushing bride at the Colonial Mall Cinema in Myrtle Beach. This theater had removed all but two of their 35mm projectors and had them replaced with DLP projectors. Beowulf was also shown in 3D, making this the first full length, non kiddie, 3D film that I have seen. The film is also animated in the style of Polar Express and Monster House. Robert Zemekis directs and bring long time collaborator Alan Silvestri along to compsose the film's soundtrack. Other than the story of ridding King Hrothgar of Grendel the troll, I had no idea of the story. To be honest, it took a long time for me to get into the story. The movie almost took a turn for some unintentional humor as Beowulf slays Grendal without the help of any clothing. It reminded me of the closing scene in Austin Powers where he uses strategicall...

American Gangster is directed by Ridley Scott and stars Denzel Washington as Frank Lucas and Russell Crowe as Richie Roberts. The film is a seventies period piece that tells the story of the rise and fall of Frank Lucas, the American Gangster. Richie Roberts is a New Jersey detective who is placed in charge of a special task force that is trying to discover the source of high quality heroine known as Blue Magic. Lucas, a driver for the Harlem Kingpin, takes over when his boss dies. He brings family members up from North Carolina to distribute the heroine, which he has obtained from a source in Vietnam. Using military transports, he is able to baffle the police, and remain an anonymous figure in the crime world. Robert's task force is unaware of Lucas, and is focusing on the usual suspects, until Lucas makes a simple mistake: he draws attention to himself. Excellent film and highly recommended to catch while it still plays on the big screen.

No Country for Old Men is a riveting and powerful thriller that recalls two the Coens’ best, Fargo and Blood Simple. It is as compelling and suspenseful a thriller as I have seen in a long time. It is near perfect as a Coen film can be, as any film can be, regardless of what viewers think about film's unexpected ending. Josh Brolin is Llewellyn Moss, a hunter who stumbles upon the bloody remains of a drug transaction gone bad, and makes off with a case full of money. He doesn't get far before Anton, a ruthless killer played to chilling effect by Javier Bardem, is hot on his trail. Moss packs his wife off to her mother’s, absconds with the cash, and that’s when things get interesting. And go terribly wrong for just about everyone in this film. The local sheriff, played by Tommy Lee Jones, is pressed with finding both Moss and Anton, following the bloody trail of murder, death and destruction left in Anton’s wake. Jones stands out in this film, delivering a strong, even-handed ...

Funny that James should post about the Russell House Theater. While in college, I worked at the Bush River Mall Cinema, a mall that died and has been replaced with a Walmart. I started working there shortly after my graduation in May of 1986 until the time that I quit for the second time (circa 1989). Besides kicking James out once for sneaking into a Theater (under the influence and guise of Stanley), the best part of working there was changing the marquees on thursday night. I nearly lost a finger on that sign, and I still bear the scar. I changed the sign while Hurricane Hugo was bearing down on South Carolina. And this sign was the inspiration for my first Computer program, ultimately leading to my current career. And, btw, I more than made it up to James who got his free share of movies during this stint, and my next one at Blockbuster Video.

I saw many great flicks at the University of South Carolina's Russell House Theater back in the 1980s. Though it was my number three venue behind the Nickelodeon and the long-defunct Bijou, there were memorable screenings there, including the work print of Blade Runner and my favorite film, Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid . The marquee for the Russell House Theater was discovered in a pile of junk at the government surplus store on Boston Avenue in West Columbia. Photo by Tim Hill .