The Movie I Watched Last Night LVIII
I'm behind on these, as I watched several movies over the last couple of weekends, but if the Pieces, Particles entries are any indication, I'll all about catching up.

Thursday: The Pianist
After a quick dinner of French toast and strawberries with a Harpoon IPA with Andrea and Lauren at Zaftig's in Brookline, we headed to the Coolidge Corner. I've been trying to maintain a low threshold for experimentation and spontaneous experiences lately, so when Andrea told me they were going to the movie -- and asked if I wanted to join them -- I jumped at the chance. And even though I might not have gone to see The Pianist by myself, am I ever glad I did. Set in the Warsaw Ghetto during World War II, the movie details the plights and ongoing flight of a radio broadcast pianist. While Roman Polanski could have easily gone over the top in terms of portraying the atrocities that the German forces exacted on the Polish Jews, most of the violence, while present, was rather tastefully done. Similarly, the cinematographic styling was top notch. There were several scenes that were absolutely breathtaking, including several snow and blowing leaves in autumn shots, and a wide pan of some CGI ruins of Warsaw. The characterizations in the movie were deeply rooted, and I felt a real affinity for many of the characters. Best line, paraphrased: "Weren't you lucky to run into us today? That's the historical imperative in action, as I like to say." A beautiful classical soundtrack, stunning visuals, and a sensitive script made this a beautiful movie. Well worth seeing.