Still creepy, still brilliant (American Beauty, 1999, rewatch)
American Beauty, 1999, directed by Sam Mendes, Paramount Pictures blu-ray (2017), 4 stars. I was apprehensive about this movie this time around. American Beauty was one of my favorite finds of the early DVD era, more than 20 years ago. I loved everything about it, and watched it several times back in the day. But it had been awhile, long before the Kevin Spacey thing happened. I recently picked up a blu-ray edition of American Beauty at a clearance-sale price, so I decided to give it a revisit. And I wasn't sure how it would feel knowing what we now know. I am happy to say that even though much of American Beauty did feel a little ickier now than it did a couple decades ago, it still held up pretty well for me. Spacey's central character, Lester Burnham, had that slimy, creepy feel about him. But it was fine because the character was written that way -- and because Spacey was so damn good at playing creepy people. That was his stock in trade. And for years, he was celebrated fo...