Mark Goes To The Movies

6ixty9 (dir. Pen-Ek Ratanaruang) This one was kinda fun--a noir comedy, set in Thailand during Asia's financial meltdown in the late Nineties, about a young woman who loses her job right before a none-too-quick bagman mistakenly leaves a box full of illegal money (from her ex-boss) outside her apartment door. The direction is Hitchcock by way of De Palma, and the jokes pile up right along with the bodies. Colorful characters include heroic policemen, antiheroic criminals, drug-addled kids, nosy/voyeuristic neighbors, a sentimental masseur/thug, and a really beautiful bird. And the survivors (i.e., those who don't get blown away) not only live happily ever after, they Do The Right Thing in the end! Mark's review: ***