The Hurt Locker

Hello. I'm sitting here listening to The Scene Aesthetic playing a cover of Taylor Swift's "Love Story." For those of you who don't know that one by name, it's the one that goes "you were Romeo and you were throwing pebbles," during the chorus. The question i'm asking myself though, is which of the two is more ridiculous; The Scene Aesthetic, the Taylor Swift cover, or the fact that even though I often am forced to defend my heterosexuality, I've chosen to listen to the most bubble-gum acoustic pop band ever covering a female pop artist. I'll just have to ponder that one for a while.


Old School, The Hangover director Todd Phillips

Anyway, with that on the table i'd like to discuss a couple of films. The first; Todd Phillips' The Hangover (2009), followed by Kathryn Bigelow's Iraq war drama, The Hurt Locker (2009). For weeks I had been hearing about the former of the two, and all I had heard were rave reviews. Granted, with raunchy comedies like this one, a rave review can only go so far, as this type of comedy is not universal in the way that family friendly comedies like Tommy Boy (1995), or Dumb and Dumber (1994) are. Nonetheless, I had planned to go and see Transformers 2 (2009) at a special 3:15am show on it's opening night (the midnight was sold out), but when the lady friend I was with and I agreed we'd rather enjoy the comforts of a bed and covers than a movie theater, we decided to forgoe the film and see it the next day. However, the opening day shows were all sold out, so we decided to see Todd Phillip's newest attempt to top his original hit Old School (2003). Quite honestly, it was more forgettable than miraculous. While I expected the actors to fill the spots of Will Ferrel, Vince Vaughn and Luke Wilson, they failed o bring the same crisp magic to the film that the comic veterans brought so impactfully to Old School (2003). Most of the gags felt cheap and predictable, and where certain moments of all Phillip's films all have that sort of trying too hard edge to them, this one just didn't explode off the screen in its strong moments like I expected it would. I will admit that my high expectations may be partially responsible for some of my disappointment, but that aside, I think i'm a decently objective critic. I'd give The Hangover (2009) a B-, or a 71%.



As for The Hurt Locker (2009), I won't say too much now, as I'd like to properly review it when I've actually seen the film. The most exciting element for me here is that fact that it is directed by Kathryn Bigelow. For those that aren't familiar with Bigelow, she was once married to legendary dircetor James Cameron, and in 1991, she directed my all time favorite film, Point Break (1991). This new picture looks to be her most serious effort to date, and has recieved nothing but solid praise. The story is of a member of a United States bomb squad who has seemingly lost his fear or sensitivity to the danger of his job. Stationed in the heart of the Iraq war, he develops an uncommon relationship with his team. Beyond that, I don't really know what to expect. Nonetheless, I am very excited for it. I'll et you guys know what I think.
-Ben

If anybody is still listening

Hello. It's exactly 11:01am on Tuesday, the 23rd of June. I'm sitting here drinking a grande black coffee at Fuel, a little cafe' on 19th in capital hill. Although there are 3 fuel coffee's in Seattle proper, this was the original location. Interestingly enough though, the chain was started by a veteran barista and lesbian, so nearly the entire staff and female patronage is comprised of "tough guy broads." It's a very strange place to sit and do much of anything that requires focus, because the portal into this other world of trendily homosexual coffee is terribly distracting.
Anyhow, introductions aside, I should probably explain my abrupt and prolonged absence from blogspot if I intend to inspire any kind of attention to this site. It's been just over 2 months since my last post, and in that time i've had some pretty incredible epiphany's regarding the value of time, and the importance of prioritizing. Regretfully, these life lessons have reduced my filmic intake by almost 60%. This isn't a statistic I intend to keep constant forever, but until I learn how to fit everything else into the equation that is my day to day, i'll have to settle for what I can afford. To mark the first day of this second stage in my blogging career, I will make one promise (to myself if no one else); I will post at least 5 times a week, always with a film in mind to discuss or relate to a current event. Hopefully, I will be able to get in 3 or more movies a week, and in time, perhaps I'll be able to structure themed weeks again (always open to suggestion, cough, cough). For now though, if anybody is reading this post, I still want to improve as a writer, and for that reason, I will keep this pseudo-journal active. Thanks for checking in.

-Ben