Blame it on books

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 13^th: 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 13^th 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.