I love a good movie just as much as I love a good book. After all, aren't movies just visual books, in a sense? But while I can forgive a bad book (okay, maybe forgive isn't the word. Absolve?), a bad movie I cannot. I have less empathy for a piece of junk movie, that passes through many eyes and still comes out a waste of my money and the studio that gave it a go.
Movies like Cellular. First, I'm not a big Kim Basinger fan as it is, but I liked her in L.A. Confidential, so I try to think of that performance when I'm in a video store and faced with a Kim Basinger movie that looks interesting. As usual, I'm disappointed. In 8 mile, her "white trash" accent sounded like something from "Hee Haw." And in Cellular, oh, is she terrible. The whole movie is terrible. Nigel and I had ordered Indian food and popped the DVD in. When we order out, we like to watch movies and eat. But, ten minutes in, and I was ready to chuck my chicken biryani all over my sofa..
Finally after an hour of clunky editing, syrupy acting on Kim's part, and disorganization, Nigel's big, blue eyes pleaded with me to end his misery. "Let's just finish it," I said. But I think what hurt us the most; actually tore at our souls -- is that William H. Macy, one of our favorite actors, signed on to do this crap. I repeat, WILLIAM H. MACY! Boy, did that hurt.
Anyway, last year and most of this year so far has been pretty bad in the movie area. There was the confounding and pointless rehasing of the Manchurian Candidate, the incredibly delusive Troy, which only served in making me realize how sexy Eric Bana is. Oh, and let me not forget the lukewarm DeLovely.
However, not all was lost: I did enjoy the brief but superb Lackawanna Blues, which made me add S. Epatha Merkerson to my favorite actress list. And I did catch House of Sand and Fog for the first time, and truly loved it. Have yet to read the book, though. And sometimes in the very near future, I'm going to watch Ray.
