He's back and this time it's personal.
Like Mr. Gooch, I find myself in something of a conundrum these days. Something of a quandary. I am going to see movies, and more and more, I'm liking the films that are just pure entertainment.
Things that aren't high art. Things that just push me to enjoy them. And I think I know when and where it started. I think I can pinpoint the exact moment where my need for entertainment and my need for film fun just jumped and formed together like two Ron Silvers at the end of Timecop.
It was my groomal shower.
Now this was a little while back. Back in 2007 even. So it's been about 2 years now. And I'm okay with that. I'm just coming to terms with it now.
The night of my groomal shower (devoted, of course, not to female bridal shower events like games and fun, but more to drinking and testosterone) involved pizza, beer, and action movies.
All in all, a glorious event would be had.
And while with a group of guys, you don't watch movies like the Fountain that make you think.
You watch Judge Dredd. Demolition Man. The Rambo movies. The Running Man.
You watch movies that are pure enjoyment and completely against any kind of message (and even the ones that think they are giving you a message are really just explosions and boobs).
I renewed my love affair with man movies, and I've not looked back since.
I don't even care.
I'm a film fan. A critic. Someone who can find the bad in just about any movie. A friend of mine challenged me to that recently, to watch a film I completely would never watch and just try to find some joy in it.
Let me tell you, that movie was Crank 2: High Voltage.
I had never seen all of Crank. I wasn't interested in it.
It seemed overwrought. Trying too hard. Just sheer nonsense and a real waste of time.
It wasn't anything special like say The Protector, anything by Stephen Chow, or Oldboy.
It was just an action movie.
So I go and see Crank 2. And I will never turn back again. I will never question Jason Statham's abilities again.
This movie has something for film fans to just sheer love and fall in love with and want to watch a million times over.
It has a Kaiju scene. It has sex. It has drugs. It has blood and gore and insane amounts of violence and it has Corey Haim.
That's right, the other Corey.
If you've ever seen a Troma film, you know the sheer joy (which is kinda becoming the mantra of this blog) that comes from those movies. They are horrible and stupid and just plain dumb all over, but if you've ever seen one, ever just pure enjoyed it, then you'll know.
You'll know from jump that this is the closest thing we'll ever get to a Troma film on screen.
It has Q from Next Generation as a swearing news reporter. It has guest stars galore like Dennis from It's Always Sunny. It has Lauren Holly. Bai Ling. Corey Haim. Maynard James Keenan and Danny Lohner. Chester Bennington. David Carradine.
You heard me. Maynard James Keenan and Danny Lohner.
They play a gay couple trying to make their dog obedient. And it's solid gold.
But Jason Statham is the big dog here. He's the reason to see the movie. He plays this so well that you just want him to keep making more and more movies like this. You want him to just go ape-crazy on film and be a part of these spectacular extravaganzas.
You want him to be a part of this something special every so often.
The movie is outstanding. Stupid, but just so much fun you can't help but laugh. And I dare you to look away.
I dare you.
Then comes Wolverine.
A movie that had a lot of things going against it, but in spite of it all, showed me exactly what a summer movie, and a lot of comic movies, should strive to do.
Entertain us.
Not be heady and annoying and try really hard to be important like Watchmen.
Just be the Rambo of the comic book universe and be enjoyable fun. Be a movie that makes no qualms about it. If it had been made in the 80s, it would have fit right in alongside Commando and Rambo and people would not have questioned a thing.
But because people go in expecting Dark Knight and come out getting Rambo 3, they get a little perturbed.
So it, as always, will boil down to choice.
Choose whether you go see a movie expecting anything or go in expecting nothing. Go in wanting to have a good time and you'll be happy.
Go in expecting Dark Knight and you'll get Watchmen.
Go in expecting Wanted and you'll get Iron Man.
All I'm saying is, movies are entertainment. They don't all have to be significant and tell something important about someone important.
They can just be.
Unless you're Star Trek, then you'll have to be the most important thing in the known universe.
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