United 93

I was sitting at home, in my basement, watching Fox News, CNN and MSNBC when the events of United 93 were unfolding. For me, the events of Semptember 11th were happening somewhere else, to other people. United 93 put me on the plane, with the passengers who must decide to do what is right, laying down thier lives for thier fellow countrymen. The film is effective in expressing the emotional progression of that morning; the grogginess of early morning travelers, fear and shock of the initial violent attack, panic and confusion, seeking answers and comfort, and finally resolve based on unlinching belief. This is an honarable effort by the filmmakers to pay tribute to the captive passengers and crew of United 93.

That is only part of the film though. The other significant focus is on the terrorists themselves. The film begins with them praying. These are not crazed delusional psychopaths, rather they are determined, scared, religious hijackers. This film is not about the character or motives though, just about that morning. In the context of the film, I do not know what happened yesterday to any on board United flight 93. It is not important, all that is important is what happens this morning. The one thought I had as I left the theater was this, it was actually a prayer, that God would give me strength to do what is right if I were ever faced with a decision like those captive passengers on United 93

The Sentinel

This movie does not deserve a review. It wasn't a bad movie, don't get me wrong, it was worse than bad, it was vanilla. I'm sorry, that's mean, I really like vanilla, especially natural vanilla Bryers ice cream, with some hot fudge sauce and some real whipped cream, and maybe some butterscotch topping as well. The Sentinel was bland, boring, dull and it wasted not only my time, but also the time of all those actors and actersses. Imagine how cool a movie could be with Michael Douglas, Kiefer Sutherland and Kim Basinger... Well the movie you just imagined had no similarity to The Sentinel.

Lucky Number Slevin

I don't judge all movies in comparison to Pulp Fiction, but this one just begs to be in the same category. There is the Tarantinoesque dialouge, the gritty urban enviornments, more characters than you can shake a stick at, and of course a healthy dose of violence. Well maybe a little more than a healthy dose, but not like an overdose or anything that might require a shot of adreneline straight to the heart.

Lucky Number Slevin is smart. It knows that anyone who comes to see it has already seen Tarantino and all of his copycat wannabes. It makes you think that you're seeing a tired retread of the double-doublecross, twists in the twists, revenge flick. There were even times that I thought that the filmmakers had completely screwed up their own stroyline, or added unnecesary layers or details. Then came the last ten minutes of the film. I've probably already given away too much, and if you're still reading this it's you're own fault. The movie doesn't end believing it has suprised us, or let us in on some amazing mystery. Rather it shows us how all of its characters react to the devolepments and unraveling of the plot. Especialy note Ben Kinsley's reaction to the final revelation; priceless. Lucky Number Slevin knows its not original, but it knows that we don't know that it knows it's not original.

P.S. Bruce Willis is doing a good job at this point in his career of recognizing his strengths and weaknesses. I told my friend Rob that his hitman character is Pepe Le Puing his way through the movie. When you get to be Willis' age there's no reason to be running all over the place dodging bullets and breaking stuff, might as well play it smart and cool. Now when's Die Hard 4 supposed to be here?