Once you have signed up to terror, your mind closes right down. It becomes only our story that matters, not their story.

Five Minutes of Heaven

A powerful and thrilling meditation on revenge and redemption, Five Minutes of Heaven tells the story of Alistair Little, a former UVF member who killed Joe Griffen's brother. Twenty-five years later, the media arrange a reunion between the two changed men.

Five Minutes of Heaven looks at the difficulty of forgiveness and letting go, and how hate and regret can come together and be resolved. This is all portrayed in the fabulous performances by Liam Neeson as Little and James Nesbitt as Griffen. Neeson, brilliant as always, uses physicality and voice to portray his regret. His hands shake, his eyes droop down, his body and face scream sad. But he will not physically be at the mercy of Griffen. Despite his regret, Neeson carries Little as a strong man who has been through hell but wants to live. Similarly, Nesbitt gives a superb performance that relies heavily on physicality and voice. Lots of twitching, shouting, and nervous ticks color Joe Griffen through James Nesbitt. I haven't seen Nesbitt in much, but he did make an impression on me in his small but important role as a detective in Match Point.

This quiet, nearly scoreless movie creates ample tension through the performances and the direction. Tight shots follow Griffen as he descends towards Little. Griffen contemplates killing Little much in the way young Little contemplated going through with the murder twenty-five years ago. The two men mirror each other in an almost creepy way. The film is very intimate, like one is eavesdropping or watching from a distance all this go down. Five Minutes of Heaven's writing and shots reminded me of a Patrick Marber (Closer, Notes on a Scandal) script. As a viewer, one feels as if they are intruding and could interrupt a crucial moment at any second.

This film ponders whether enemies can become friends, media exploitation of grief and misery, is it possible to truly forgive and the power of redemption. Those are some pretty serious themes to deal with in a ninety-nine minute movie. Five Minutes of Heaven's length is its Achilles' heel. All the listed themes are vital to the film, so an extra thirty minutes might've been a good idea.

I highly recommend this film. Five Minutes of Heaven leaves a lasting impression.

Jane Lynch on Glee

This is one of the most obvious good performances I've written about. Lynch is fabulous as the hateful but sympathetic Sue Sylvester. Her humor is obvious and dry, simple and intelligent. Her height matches her big personality and she's one of the two, formerly three, reasons I continue to watch Glee. With all the TV I watch, I'd be easy for me to just forget a show that I wasn't enjoying as much anymore. But Lynch is hilarious and makes Glee more than bearable for me. I love her in all the Christopher Guest movies, The 40 Year Old Virgin, Arrested Development, etc. It's nice that I know her now as Jane Lynch and not "that funny, tall, blonde lady."

Netflix

My Wife is an Actress-I enjoy Charlotte Gainsbourg and I enjoy French cinema.
Temple Grandin-Well, it won all those Emmys.
This Is England-Netflix Instant. Keeps getting recommended to me.