Planet Geek!: Escapism and the Big Screen

I get into these funks in winter, where I just want to curl up somewhere and escape for a few hours. For me this is where my love of movies comes to the fore. I've built enough of a setup that I can watch movies at night without disturbing my family, while enjoying good sound, good video, and a comfortable listening area.

Sure it's escapism. But it's escapism I understand - therefire I can embrace it and revel in it.

It has let me catch up on movies that I've owned for quite a while, but never actually got around to watching. Over the last week, I've gone through a handful of titles...

A Scanner Darkly

Just watched this one tonight. I've never read the original story by Philip K. Dick, so I had very little information on what I could expect to see. I knew about it's odd filming style, but nothing else, not even the cast beyond Keanu Reeves.

It was good. It seems this was Robert Downey Jr. at his most neurotic, and because of that, his acting style initially repelled me. But then I realized he and Woody Harrolson were perfectly cast. By the end I was totally involved in the story, and found it engrossing, poignant, and emotional

Spiderman 3

Boy I'm sure glad I didn't spend money on this one. What a disappointing end to a trilogy. I've heard folks say "Don't bother, go watch 2 again" and I have to agree with them. What a stinker. Visually has some moments, but there's several scenes toward the middle of the film that had me seriously considering turning off the DVD and giving up, they were so ludicrous.

The Bourne Identity

I've never actually seen Identity all the way through, from beginning to end. I've seen bits and pieces in various cable surfings, plus the non-stop previews. It was very good. Engrossing, mystifying, and all around fun. Many folks have called it What Bond Should Be, and I can see that. Matt Damon gets a lot of flack for his simplistic acting approach, but he was perfect in his role. And, of course, there's the ever wonderful Franka Potente, of Run Lola Run fame.

The Bourne Supremacy

If you're going to take the time to start in a series, why not see as much of it as you can. The sequel to Bourne Identity was certainly as good as the first, with recurring roles and appropriate references to both the first movie and modern day events. One thing I did not expect was the outstanding performance by Brian Cox (he who played William Stryker in the X-Men movies and Nathan Waldman in Long Kiss Goodnight). He had a good strong role in Supremacy, and played it marvelously.

I haven't had a chance to pick up the Bourne Ultimatum yet, but judging by how much I enjoyed the first two, it's now gone onto my wish list.

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Cloned from: Planet Geek!

Category: Life. Don't talk to me about life.

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