So I am watching the Matrix: Reloaded on DVD, and it occurred to me that every movie about the future, with the exception of 2001, seems to be grimy and dirty. Do we outlaw soap in the future, you think? Is Windex a goner?
Movies
Kill Bill?
Has anyone seen Kill Bill? If so, was it worth it?
Also- don’t forget the Balloon Juice Laptop fiasco, which is still mired at $57.25 (and one offer to pay me to quit blogging). You- reading this- all it takes is a dollar, and you push us closer to a new or used laptop. In fact, I am putting my foot down- no more posting until the fund passes the $60.00 threshhold.
Chicago
I just saw Chicago, and, well- it was great. Well worth the two hours, and I was shocked by the performances of Renee Zellweger and John Reilly. And, of course, it has Queen Latifah, who I think is the female Snoop Dogg- anything she does is cool.
Also- the Press Conference/marionette (‘We Both Reached For the Gun’) scene is about the best ten minutes of movie ever made. I just loved that.
Bowling For Columbine
I just saw Bowling for Columbine, and as was expected, it was neither as good nor as bad as most would have you believe. Moore was fast and loose with a lot of things- but that is to be expected. The subject he covered best was his criticism of the media’s incessant coverage of crime as well as his discussion of race, the lowpoint was the treatment of Charlton Heston.
Overall, I am so numb to outrage from the far-left and far-right anymore that I didn’t even come close to throwing anything at the television. Roger & Me was still a better film, though.
Winged Migration
When I got sick of the debate, I watched a documentary on the migration habits of birds named Winged Migration. This may be one of the most beautiful films I have ever seen, and I recommened it if you have two hours to spare.
Movie Mistakes
One of my biggest pet peeves is military movies that get the military culture, and most annoyingly, researchable, verifiable facts WRONG. To me, it is inexcusable- there are a couple MILLION veterans who would be able to help the Hollywood nitwits out- not everyone has to hire Dale Dye.
At any rate, one of the most egregious and unforgiveable mistakes in recent history was in Courage Under Fire, that 2 hours of bilge, in which my beloved M1A1 Abrams was portrayed as a diesel belching monstrosity. I am not going to explain why this infuriated me (other than I was an M1A1 tanker)- you can go look it up. Then there was that little issue with the spent casings in the turret. Never mind.
At any rate, with much hesitation, I decided to rent and watch Basic tonight- it didn’t look to good, but I am a sucker for a military flick. About ten minutes into the movie, I noticed something that almost made me quit watching. For those who have never been in the military, this is the rank insignia for paygrade E-4, Specialist:
This is the rank insignia for paygrade E-5, Sergeant:
Notice the similarities? You shouldn’t – because there are none- Specialist is an enlisted rank, Sergeant is a Non-Commisioned Officer. They are distinctly different for a reason.
So why then would the main character of the movie, Master Sergeant West (portrayed by Samuel Jackson) a hard charging Ranger Platoon Sergeant, be wearing Specialist rank, when his rank should be this:
Laziness. Sheer, despicable, inexcuseable LAZINESS. Even if the rest of the movie is ok, I will remember only this. And they probably spent 40 million making the damn thing.
FWIW- I submitted it to Movie Mistakes.
Solaris
I just saw Solaris, starring George Clooney, and I think it was one of the best sci-fi flicks I have seen in years. Why did I not hear anything about it? I highly recommend it.