Acts Of Violence

Bless me, Father. It has been nearly a week since my last confession... er... I mean post.... I have some stuff I want to talk about, but I'm not sure exactly what I want to say yet, so I'm going to put my newest relationship rant on hold until I can straighten some of this crap out in my own head... In the meantime, here are some quick movie reviews I've not gotten around to putting up:

"A History of Violence" - Viggo Mortensen at his best. The rest of the cast is good (especially a very creepy Ed Harris), but this is Viggo's movie. It's violent (read the title, duh!) and not totally predictable. It's basically an indie film, with a slightly better budget than normal, and a slightly more high profile cast than your typical indie. If you like thrillers and mob films, you'll like this one. David Cronenberg always puts out "edgey" films and this one is no exception.

"Domino" - This film could have really sucked. But it didn't. I must say it was a pleasant surprise. Keira Knightly was a bad ass. This is a very different kinda film for her and she was great in it. I've taken to describing this movie an an indie action film. There's a lot of violence and mayhem but it's shot in this ultra-saturated, high contrast way that just works. Tony Scott is a good director and the cast works well for him. Aside from Knightly, Mickey Rourke rocks. The movie is both funny and action packed, but is not for the squeamish. It's seriously violent, which in my book is a good thing, but is probably not for everyone...

"Kiss, Kiss, Bang, Bang" - This is easily one of the best (and probably my favorite) movies of the year so far. It's a modern-day film noir. There's a little Raymond Chadler. A little Dashiel Hammet. A little Coppola. And a little Tarantino. This film is for anyone who loves LA like I do or for anyone who has even the smallest inkling as to how fucked up this town (and the entertainment business) really is. The plot is intricate and convoluted and often unpredictable. The dialogue is witty and well-written. This film has some of the best quotes ever. Robert Downey, Jr and Val Kilmer both give nominateable performances. It's a really fun movie. It has it's violent moments, but lots of time they at least have a sense of humor to go along with them. The film is in limited release in NYC and LA right now, but opens wide next week. Go see it. It's great. You'll love it. Trust me on this one...

Perry Van Shrike: You're an idiot. You know that. You know if you looked in the dictionary next to the word "idiot" you know what you'll find?
Harry Lockhart: A picture of me?
Perry Van Shrike: No! The definition of the word "idiot". Which you are.

-- Val Kilmer and Robert Downey, Jr - "Kiss, Kiss, Bang, Bang"