The Lovely Bones

So often, yours truly will remark, "The book was better than the movie." But, ye socks won't hear me make such an utterance in this case.

I suppose, one cannot make a more subjective statement concerning the latest DVD selection from our friends at Netflix.

But, words alone could not have conjured a more chilling character than the one portrayed by Stanley Tucci in this 2009 adaptation of the 2002 novel of the same name.

Indeed, the whole cast does a frighteningly good job of retelling the story of a serial killer from the perspective of one of his victims: a 14-year-old girl from Norristown, Pennsylvania. Particularly good are Mark Wahlberg (who plays her father) and Susan Sarandon (who plays her chainsmoking grandmother).

Bottom line: Disturbing, yes. But, worth watching.