Labor of Movie
I watched several movies I hadn't seen Labor Day weekend. Do a little work around the house, watch a movie for a while, do a very little work, watch a movie. I hadn't planned to do any work, but it would drive me nuts as I sat there. What happened to the good old days?
Formula 51 was a fun romp, though I suspect the drug related plot and the poopy and bloody scenes put off a lot of people. Not a heavyweight film, but a good joy ride. It is hard for me to not enjoy a film with Samuel Jackson. So I watched Basic in which he was a supporting actor, and John Travolta co-starred with Connie Nielsen who I thought did a great job as well. A very good action mystery, while not totally believable it was well cast and acted. So, who cares?
I also watched The Transporter, the only one of the bunch I had seen before. A goofy movie, which I really liked. Not quite as violent, but enjoyable for me in the same way as Snatch or The Boondock Saints. Jason Statham makes the show as the professional wheel man. He is one of those actors who brings something to characters which flavors them in a unique and fascinating way. I was thinking about this as I picked out a movie last night.
The Italian Job has Jason Statham and Set Green, both actors who bring that fascinating and unique aspect to a character. As I was watching it again it occurred to me I think either could have played most any character in the film. There are people that get type cast, and Statham may be -- he is once again the suave wheel man. Then there are roles that are type cast in a certain way. These guys appear to make bold choices which make for strong characters that are not recognizable from a hundred other movies. They are surprising and delightful. There is a silly little scene about 44 minutes into the movie. Statham is off trying to pick up a woman, and Green is sitting in the car mimicking them. I find it hysterical, and there is also something there which arrests me. It is the actors themselves, the characters they have created. Statham's swagger and Green's admiring and envious mockery works so well together. Maybe it is just me, yet I will enjoy it again all the same.
Getting back to Labor Day. Another film I watched was Mystic River. Splendidly cast, acted, directed and cut. Art. I was captured from the beginning. I expected it to be good, though I thought all the hype was no more than hype. I was wrong. It had the feeling you expect more from the stage. How To Kill Your Neighbor's Dog with Kenneth Branagh and Robin Wright Penn and The Secret Lives of Dentists are other movies with that feeling. Dentists is the other movie I watched over the holiday, and still affects me.
A pretty good holiday though I've been on a tear since then. "Tear," that is a British usage of the word which I really like. I saw some surprising performances, including two truthful films that would have been at home on stage. It seems I don't watch tv much anymore, so it was a real treat as I approach the end of my break.
Formula 51 was a fun romp, though I suspect the drug related plot and the poopy and bloody scenes put off a lot of people. Not a heavyweight film, but a good joy ride. It is hard for me to not enjoy a film with Samuel Jackson. So I watched Basic in which he was a supporting actor, and John Travolta co-starred with Connie Nielsen who I thought did a great job as well. A very good action mystery, while not totally believable it was well cast and acted. So, who cares?
I also watched The Transporter, the only one of the bunch I had seen before. A goofy movie, which I really liked. Not quite as violent, but enjoyable for me in the same way as Snatch or The Boondock Saints. Jason Statham makes the show as the professional wheel man. He is one of those actors who brings something to characters which flavors them in a unique and fascinating way. I was thinking about this as I picked out a movie last night.
The Italian Job has Jason Statham and Set Green, both actors who bring that fascinating and unique aspect to a character. As I was watching it again it occurred to me I think either could have played most any character in the film. There are people that get type cast, and Statham may be -- he is once again the suave wheel man. Then there are roles that are type cast in a certain way. These guys appear to make bold choices which make for strong characters that are not recognizable from a hundred other movies. They are surprising and delightful. There is a silly little scene about 44 minutes into the movie. Statham is off trying to pick up a woman, and Green is sitting in the car mimicking them. I find it hysterical, and there is also something there which arrests me. It is the actors themselves, the characters they have created. Statham's swagger and Green's admiring and envious mockery works so well together. Maybe it is just me, yet I will enjoy it again all the same.
Getting back to Labor Day. Another film I watched was Mystic River. Splendidly cast, acted, directed and cut. Art. I was captured from the beginning. I expected it to be good, though I thought all the hype was no more than hype. I was wrong. It had the feeling you expect more from the stage. How To Kill Your Neighbor's Dog with Kenneth Branagh and Robin Wright Penn and The Secret Lives of Dentists are other movies with that feeling. Dentists is the other movie I watched over the holiday, and still affects me.
A pretty good holiday though I've been on a tear since then. "Tear," that is a British usage of the word which I really like. I saw some surprising performances, including two truthful films that would have been at home on stage. It seems I don't watch tv much anymore, so it was a real treat as I approach the end of my break.
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