Movies

Some thoughts on movies I watched over the weekend:

The Medallion - Seriously, one of the most awful movies I have seen in a long time. I don't really know why I decided to watch it, I was never really a big fan of Jackie Chan, and the previews for it looked kind of dumb. But despite going into the theater with low expectations, the movie managed to somehow ____ my expectations. (The ____ represents an antonym for "exceed", which I can't come up with. Try it, I challenge you to find a good antonym for "exceed", I bet you can't either). I knew it wasn't a good sign when that guy from "There's Something About Mary" was one of the main characters (the one who pretended to be a handicapped architect). As the movie dragged on, I stayed hoping that it would get better, but it only got worse. The eventual climax was one of the most awkward on-screen kisses I have ever seen in my life, between Jackie Chan and Claire Forlani. Afterwards, I decided that if I ever meet Jackie Chan in real life, I will give him a kick in the nuts and only then will we be even.

Bowling For Columbine - I originally wanted to see this movie because I thought "Roger and Me" was really good, but after Michael Moore lost my respect with his outburst at the Oscars, my eagerness to watch it significantly waned. But Olivia still wanted to watch it, so we gave it a rental. After all, nothing could be worse than The Medallion experience of the night before.

Anyways, if people haven't heard of Michael Moore, he makes these documentaries by going around with a camera crew and interviewing people, confronting people, and narrating throughout the movie with his own commentary. "Roger and Me" was about the GM layoffs in Flint, Michigan (his hometown), while "Bowling For Columbine" addressed the school shootings at Columbine High School. His style is kind of sarcastic, part "Tom Green", and his movies usually end up being pretty funny in a biting sort of way.

Well, the negative thing about this movie is that it doesn't really have a clear sense of direction or purpose. The main premise was to discuss the reasons for the Columbine tragedy and who was to blame, but it ended up being kind of all over the place. Most of the time it seemed like he was just out to make certain people look bad. So he went after Charlton Heston and the NRA for opposing gun control. He harrassed K-Mart for selling bullets. He criticized the media for hyping up violent crimes and perpetuating a society living in fear. He attacked the US government for getting involved in Bosnia and the Middle East, and targeted Lockheed Martin for its influence as a big defense contractor in the area.

Basically, I got the sense that Michael Moore is one of those guys who is always against the government, large corporations, and powerful organizations. At times it makes him seem cool to a lot of people, because he's on the side of the "little guy". But on the other hand, it does become a tired act when he's just attacking all these establishments for the sake of attacking establishment.

The positive thing about the movie is that it makes you think. Whether or not you agree with his points or his methods is another story, but at least he is bringing a lot of issues to light. So I do recommend this movie to anyone who is interested.

* A side note - I have newfound respect for Hollywood Video. I've always gone to Blockbuster, but now I might have to get a membership at Hollywood after discovering the fact that they give you a dollar credit back if you return the movie within a day. The rental fee is pretty cheap to begin with, and I return movies early most of the time anyways. What an excellent idea, I must say.

Rounders - My latest DVD purchase, $15 at Best Buy. No special features, but that's ok because this movie is definitely a quality classic. I know this because it has recently joined my list of movies that I like to quote a lot, mostly because of John Malkovich (Teddy KGB). It helps that I've been playing more poker lately and we always overuse those quotes when we play. "khanging aghround.... khanging aghround... kid's got allighator blood" "he beaiit me straaiiiight up" "i'll splash the pot whenever the ____ I want"

This movie gets better everytime I watch it, and it also makes me wish I was Johnny Chan. He is my new idol, what a true thug.