Se7en

Well just a quick update, I am settling into my new job (which I started on January 3rd) and loving it. So I thought I might take a moment and give my visitors a new movie review.

"Se7en" (Seven deadly sins. Seven ways to die)

Morgan Freeman is veteran homicide detective William Somerset, about to retire in seven days (here scripter Andrew Kevin Walker throws out a red herring for the title). Brad Pitt is David Mills, his brash replacement. Somerset and Mills end up at a crime scene where an obese man was apparently murdered at his kitchen table while eating a bowl of spaghetti. Other murders they're sent on soon show a link, the seven deadly sins. Gluttony, Greed, Lust, Sloth, Pride, Envy and Wrath

Somerset and Mills' begin a desperate hunt for a serial killer who justifies his crimes as absolution for the world's ignorance of the Seven Deadly Sins. The movie takes us from the tortured remains of one victim to the next as the sociopath "John Doe" sermonizes to Detectives Sommerset and Mills, one sin at a time.

This is not a fantastic movie, but a must see for fans of horror, thriller, or crime drama. A few scenes are graphic, but the power of the film comes from a decent plot and some great acting. Freeman and Pitt co-star and providing believable characters. Kevin Spacey does a spectacular job of portraying the creepy killer. And rounding out the cast is the Gwyneth Paltrow as Mills' wife. Spacey and Pitt are the ones who make this film really enjoyable. Although Freeman is a star, his role seems downplayed if not forced. Paltrow does not have enough quality screen time, in fact she ends up being more of a plot device.

One thing I was glad to note was the directing and dark cinematography. David Fincher returns to the big screen having quite a few credits under his belt. Known for past film visual effects on "Alien³", "Indiana Jones & Temple of Doom" and "Star Wars: Episode VI - Return of the Jedi" (where he was assistant cameraman for optical effects). Fincher also helped in directing a few musical artists' films such as "Aerosmith: Big Ones You Can Look at", "Dangerous: The Short Films" for Michael Jackson, and "Madonna: The Immaculate Collection" He does a great job of creating a bleak atmosphere even when it is broad daylight in the film. There is also a lot of rain which always makes settings ripe for a dark mood.

Overall, I give it a B+. Again, not a great film but one worth watching and a must for horror fans!

• Today's Cure song is The Upstairs Room from the Japanese Whispers CD - (1985) Robert often writes that he is not sure what a song means; sometimes a song is written as random lyrics to a great tune, this is one of those examples. The guitar riffs are possessive as they jump along and swirl the listener through different moods.
  

"The upstairs room is cool and bright
We can go up there in summer
And dance all night"

CJ