It feels like I watched more movies in August than in any other month, and funnily enough I have a book to blame:
Above the Law – I am currently reading Seagalogy: The Study
of the Ass-Kicking Films of Steven Seagal. Having finished the first chapter, Above the Law, I decided
I should probably actually watch the movie again to more deeply understand what
I was reading. I do enjoy Seagal,
and always have in some respects, so it’s probably not a surprise that I find
Above the Law completely adequate, if lacking in a gimmick. But whatever. It’s Seagal punching and kicking people, and that’s pretty
much all it needs to be.
Beverly Hills Chihuahua – It was on television when I went
to visit my parents, and that’s the only reason I watched it. It’s not awful, but it’s not for me
either.
Bruno – A fan of Da Ali G Show, I was actually always more
partial to Bruno than Borat, if only because the targets seemd so much more
deserving. And in that way, parts
of Bruno are better than parts of Borat.
But on the whole, it’s still not what I’d want in a Bruno movie. For one, it gets after too many of the
same everyman targets as Borat.
For another, I spent too much time trying to figure out what is staged
(some of it has to be), what is not and how he’s still not in jail for some of
the latter bits. Plus, the whole
point of Baron Cohen’s humor is to straddle the line, which means occasionally
going right over it. Sometimes the
inflammation is simply too much
for me to actually enjoy. But I suppose
that’s what the point is, so it’s hard to hold that against the movie. Plus, the Harrison Ford interview is
awesome.
Bull Durham – The Brewers weren’t playing tonight, so I
watched Bull Durham instead. And,
with all due respect to the Crew, Bull Durham was just as fun, but funnier.
Casino Royale – So, a few months ago, I was watching all of
the Bond films (mostly in order), through Die Another Day. Then I stopped. Why, you ask? Because Quantum of Solace had a loooong wait at the library,
and I didn’t feel like renting.
So, when it came suddenly last week – doh! – I hurried and watched this
one, which I had neglected before.
It’s still good, quite good, balancing the quiet tension, the brazen
action and the mean underdeveloped Bond as portrayed by Daniel Craig. It doesn’t hurt that Eva Green is a
total hottie, either.
Executive Decision -
Another Seagal movie, only not, as he [spoiler] dies less than halfway
through. What’s interesting to me
was that the film is not exactly an action film, since it mostly takes places
covertly, and big gunfights would completely ruin the plot. That’s not to say there aren’t action
sequences, there’s plenty and they’re good. But it is much closer to a drama, and one that’s mostly
about the tension. I’d say that’s
a good thing, considering its otherwise standard terrorist action movie plot.
Fire Down Below - More silliness entails when Seagal gets environmental again. Luckily, it's less gloomy than Glimmer Man and less environmentally heavy-handed than Deadly Ground. Though I haven't seen past this yet (at least not in a long time), it's also supposedly the last standard Seagal film, before he found his theatrical releases much more rare.
Food, Inc. – This documentary looks into mass food
production, and how it may be destroying people, the planet and commerce. It’s easy to pick out you villains in
this film, usually by their declining to be interviewed. The film is not
exactly going to change my life, but I suppose the point is to at least make me
think a little more, and in that, it was successful. Plus, it does at least seem as if the film is trying to be
even-handed, if only in that it also looks somewhat favorably on Wal-Mart. For a movie that seems to be generally
anti-big business, it’s a nice, appreciated and earnest touch. I can support that.
Friday the 13th: Killer Cut (2009) – This remake
is just fine, and best of all, does not at all skimp on any of the vices that
made the original series the hit that it was. Is it a great movie?
Well, no, of course not.
But it’s a perfectly good Friday the 13th entry, as long as
you think of it as a remake, and not a sequel.
The Glimmer Man – Seagal kicks some people in the torso, and
Keenan Ivory Wayans makes a joke or two, in this follow-up to Executive
Decision. It’s not really worth examining.
Hard to Kill – This is an alright Seagal outing (watched for
the same reason as Above the Law – as well as every other Seagal on this list),
although I seem to remember it being better. There’s not quite enough violence, and the supporting cast
should be better, but it does have its pleasurable moments.
Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (IMAX 3-D) – I wish
more of this was in 3-D, but I’ll get over it. Especially since this sixth outing is probably one of the
better outings. The material gets
slightly more adult this time around, including a little bit scarier, but it’s
handled adequately so that it can be experienced by kids without losing too
much of an edge (though I remember the cave being much scarier). Much to its credit, though, it also
offeres a lot of entertainment in the teenage angst that serves as the
background to the wizardry and mythology, which is a pretty welcome change from
previous installments, as I recall.
Marked for Death - This was my favorite Seagal vehicle until
Under Siege came along and it’s easy to
remember why: Cool villains, awesome violence and nudity were all too appealing
to my teenage self. It may not
hold up perfectly (no Seagal film could), but it holds up better than I would
have expected anyway. It’s slick,
and as far as the genre goes, it kinda redefined cool for a few minutes.
On Deadly Ground – Seagal plays Forrest Taft (seriously),
who takes on Michael Caine and his cronies in the name of the environment. This is the laughably silly of the
early Seagal – with many more expected.
The Onion Movie – The fact that it has the decently funny
“Steven Seagal: Cockpuncher” movie as a running gag has less to do with me
viewing this than you’d think.
Being a Madisonian is the real reason, as is simply seeing it at the
library. This sketch comedy
wrapped around the Madison institutional newspaper is funny enough in parts,
but like any sketch comedy, it has its misses. It actually has too many misses in my opinion, especially
when you include jokes I already read in the newspaper. It’s not necessarily worth seeking out, but I wouldn't necessarily avoid it either.
Out for Justice – Never my favorite Seagal, this one is
better than I remember, although Vern’s high praise may have something to do
with that.
Quantum of Solace – This is a muddled entry in the
series. Craig does well again,
bringing more hard edges to the formerly suave super agent. But the villains and the dames have
little to do, mostly just waiting for something bigger and better to do in a
more developed screenplay. The
screenplay is in fact the failure this time around, jumping from one action
sequences to another, never giving any of them time to breathe on their
own. It’s like an action film with
all the joy sucked out.
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