Review and Update

Let's start this off right: our first new movie review.

What better to start it off with than...The Punisher.

First off. Not Marvel's worst movie. Better than Fantastic Four. Fine. I said it.

Remarks: the hero gets shot. Often. It keeps happening! Walks down the street. Gets shot. Gets in a fight. Gets shot. Orders a drink in a bar. Gets shot. I feel like there must have been a point in the movie when someone missed him, so he shot himself, just to keep up apperances. it was refreshing to see a hero who didn't have a magical shield or something, or a group of bad guys who actually knew which end of the gun they were using...but at a certain point, I thought...man, I'd just want to hang out for a bit after that fight. Take a break. Also, features one of the most entertaining fight scenes I've seen in a long time, between Frank Castle and a character known only as..."The Russian." Deep character. I'm not sure, but I have the sinking suspicion that he was played by a pro wrestler. Just sayin'. Also, the fight happens to "Elephant's Yeah!"

There's character progression---at one point, he grows a beard! I think he also might switch whiskeys at one point...but I could be remembering wrong.

Indicative line for the movie?

WISE MAN: Vamnos Dios, Castle. Go with God.
CASTLE: God's gonna sit this one out.

END SCENE

Here's my question---he makes a tricked out car. He has a big apartment, with lots of...if not fancy, at least servicable bits of equipment. Where is the money coming from? All his assets would be closed when he died. Does he work? All of his neighbors work. Where does he get the money?

Also---best torture scene ever. With a blowtorch, a popsicle, and a piece of steak. Also including perhaps the funniest lines of the movie:

(CASTLE has a man hanging from the celing, about to tourture him)

SCARED MAN: I've got friends, you know!
CASTLE: Let's talk about your friends.
SCARED MAN: Hey! Make your own friends!
-----------

Ok, maybe its not as funny in print. I thought it was clever.

Travolta is mildly amusing---slightly long hair. Is there a correlation between the number of people Travolta kills in a movie and the length of his hair? I've been trying to track it. Help me out anyone? Does he have long hair in Face/Off? I guess "Hairspray" kinda kills that theory...oh well.
How great is it, though, that clearly his character's last thoughts are...."oh man, had I known that man was a homosexual, I NEVER would have killed him! Shit." How's that for reversals of expectations?

Wouldn't you think that Glass (the closeted consigliere/CPA/head enforecer for Travolta) would have nothing to hide? I mean, if I were a crime boss whose biggest obsession was keeping strange men away from my wife, my first move would be to hire a man who wasn't interested. It just makes good sense.

I think the movie hits a high point, however, when a hitman described only as being "from Memphis" walks into a diner where the hero is eating breakfast, opens a very suspicious guitar case...then plays him a country song. He then packs up the guitar, tells him that he wrote the song for him, that he'll sing it at his funeral...and then leaves. It was key. Because we know, everyone from Memphis plays guitar, Especialy the hitmen. Here's a link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XfxXcBJ0LP0

All in all, an amusing movie. Again, dumb, but without the pain of certain other movies with involved a certain number of heroes who may or may not have been...well...you know the rest.
===============

What about normal life?

I've got...what, a week left in Pittsburgh? If all goes well, I'll be in Chicago come September. I love Pittsburgh dearly, and will be coming back sometime soon, even to live, I'm sure. However---I'm ready. I'm idling here. It's hard---lack of structure in life right now, etc. Looking forward to various works (both theatrical and rent-paying) for the structure and the occupation, looking forward to having a place of my own, to meeting new people and seeing friends.

So I'm excited. Looking up U-haul rental rates (which are HIGH) and finishing up with packing. More to follow soon.