Wednesday, July 23, 2008

No rhyme or reason, just getting these off my plate

And dammit, some of them probably deserve their own posts. But I'm a lazy sumbitch these days. And by that I mean, I'm too damn busy. Yeah, that's it.

Thank goodness for Sam Jackson: "The Long Kiss Goodnight"

Because otherwise, I would have laughed even more at this movie, and not in a good way.

This movie is special to me because it plays a key role in my movie-viewing decisions. I call it the "Long Kiss Goodnight-Big Night argument."

Both movies came out at roughly the same time, and "Big Night" was received much more favorably. And I'm sure it's a much better movie. But "Long Kiss" had a lot of bang-bang, kablooey, and if I'm going to see a movie in the theater, I want the whole benefit of the big screen and big speakers. I can rent artsy-fartsy food movies at home. And yes, it's this kind of logic that leads a person to pay full price for "Assault on Precinct 13," starring Ethan Hawke.

Anyway, "Long Kiss" is dumb fun, at best. Geena Davis is an amnesiac who learns she was a spy. Jackson is a private dick who helps her. Brian Cox, David Morse and Craig Bierko -- who is pretty funny -- are agent/spy types. Some funny lines from Samuel J.J. and Bierko keep things going, but this is pretty stupid in the end. And the beginning. And during.

Also, I know it was the mid-90s and all, but I'm not sure what was harder to swallow: Davis as an assassin, or Davis as a sexpot. I mean, come on.

No, it went like this: "Rashomon"

One of the Kurosawa classics, and definitely worth seeing. Really, you don't even have to read the movie for more than 90 minutes. It's not hard.

After a very deliberate set-up that involves a few guys taking shelter in a pouring rain, we learn a man has been murdered. From there, we hear the tale of how it happened ... then another tale of how it happened ... then another tale of how it happened ... then ...

You get the idea. Bottom line: Everyone has a different version, and we don't know what really happened. The idea, of course, is that the truth is not universal. Or truth is not fact. Or ... aw, hell, I don't know. I guess it's just that everybody has a story, and you can choose who you believe. That deep enough for you?

In any case, definitely an interesting movie, especially given the short time it takes to tell the story(ies) and the influence it had on other movies. "Courage Under Fire" comes to mind, but there are many more, I'm sure. Heck, the term "Rashomon" is now used to describe different accounts of the same event. That's influence right there, baby.

I'm a-Walken, down the street ... : "The Dogs of War"

So I see this on IFC or something and think, "Hey, Chris Walken and Tom Berenger in some kind of action movie." And that's as good as it got.

Walken is a soldier of fortune enlisted to research a Third World African nation for some Brits who want to depose the dictator and install their own lackey. Walken goes in, but darn it if he runs into some trouble. Eventually he extracts himself and returns to cry havoc ... and let slip the dogs of war! Yeah. Shakespeare, bitch.

While I liked the idea of Walken getting the sh*t beat out of him, here's what bothered me about this movie: (1) Walken is just too skinny to be taken seriously as a badass soldier. Nope, sorry. Even his bug eyes during the action didn't convince me. (2) Despite the "action," this movie seemed long ... and it's maybe an hour and 45 minutes.

In short, for diehard Walken fans only, and even then, maybe have something to read nearby for the slow parts.

* * *

Got a couple of more, but gotta walk the dog. (Literally, not a euphemism.) Maybe I'll post again Thursday. Ooooh, the suspense!

1 Comments:

At 2:31 PM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

'Dumb fun" is a good description for "The Long Kiss Goodnight." Nice cast and lots of pyrotechnics. Easy to watch ... just don't think about it.

I think I've told you that "Rashomon" inspired "The Outrage," a '60s movie featuring Paul Newman as a Mexican bandit(!), as well as pre-"Star Trek" Bill Shatner as a preacher. Interesting.

Saw "Dogs of War" again not that long ago on a movie channel. Given Walken's presence and the subject matter, it's surprisingly bland. Disappointing.

 

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