I realize that it’s been quite a stretch of time between day two and day three. There are reasons, but not especially interesting ones. I will spare you. Together we shall agree to ignore that gap and proceed as if nothing were amiss. In payment for that gesture of goodwill, I dedicate myself to the more frequent gratification of my vast reading public.

The next movie I saw on the list is Animal Factory. It’s a prison coming-of-age story that stars Eddie Furlong and Willem Dafoe. My spirit guide Danny Trejo plays a tiny but unimportant role and it’s directed by my favorite dyspeptic character actor, Steve Buscemi. I don’t think I liked it as much as Maltin did, but it was definitely well-acted and compelling in spots. Also, Mickey Rourke in drag. So, there’s that.

I thought the movie was fairly compelling, despite its movie-of-the-week budget and look.

Let’s get this out of the way – Willem Dafoe is weird-looking. He appears to be about 46% cheekbones. In this movie he has his head shaved, increasing the jarring qualities of his grille exponentially. It is neither right nor fair for me to review a movie based on the alien-face of one of the leads, and I will try to let it go now. Seriously, though, it’s more skull than face.

Eddie Furlong is a rich delinquent thrown to the wolves on pot charges. Willem Dafoe is a respected and feared alpha inmate who takes a sexual interest in our protagonist. The sexual interest somehow blossoms, quite chastely, into a father-son or mentor-mentee relationship that allows Furlong’s character to survive the rigors of being a pretty young thing in lockup. Why Dafoe’s character extracts no payment for his protection is left to the viewer to apprehend, although I imagine it’s got something to do with redemption. It’s possible that because everything I know about prison comes from OZ and the “Caged Heat” series I may be unduly negative in my assessment of prison relationships.

The film looks low-budget, but with the exception of the confusingly non-exploitative relationship of the main characters it seems to aim to portray prison life clearly and honestly. It manages to be gritty and occasionally quite dark without being hopeless. Willem is working really hard in this film to make a lightly drawn character into something mythic, and even Furlong’s performance is nuanced and interesting. Rourke is ridiculous, but I think he’s supposed to be. Even his “Vincent from Beauty and the Beast” grillework kind of suits the character. Bully for him.

It’s not a home run, but it’s a solid double. I don’t know how often it’s on cable, but if you find yourself on the couch with the sniffles you have my permission to go for it.

Next up – Aurora Borealis, Badassssss! and The Ballad of Little Jo.