Just a couple of movie thoughts

Watched Road to Perdition tonight. It's just one of those movies that I'd never picked up, though I'd meant to. I liked Max Allan Collins' graphic novel, which I read back when the movie was in theaters. I just never got around to watching the movie itself.

I liked it, though I really think my experience was hurt by pan & scan. Saturday night being a busy movie rental night, most everything I wanted to see was out, including a widescreen copy of Road.

But like I said, there looked like there were a lot of interesting noir-ish shots in the movie, especially where it concerned Connor Rooney and Jude Law's ghoulish Maguire. But a lot of the periphery of the frame was cut out in the pan and scan formatting, and I think I missed out a little a bit.

I did enjoy the shot where we are introduced to Maguire, the hitman/photographer of the dead, as he walks between the columns of the Elevated train, and we get a distended, fisheye type look at the little ratty, ghoulish man as he marches toward his duty.

Let's see if I can say "Ghoulish" one more time.

I liked the diner scene between Law and Tom Hanks. Hanks' Mike Sullivan sits at the table. Jude Law's Maguire? He hovers. Ghoulishly.

Pretty good movie1, I thought. Excellent performance by Mr. Law.

I also rented Runaway Jury, kind of on a whim. The video store I go to puts the newly released titles on the counter, and I saw that a copy of this was in. I kind of wondered about the wisdom of the move...I mean, if it's actually in a movie store on a Saturday night, how good can it be, right?

But I kind of liked this one. For the ensemble performance, mostly. John Cusack's put himself in a couple of nice ensemble pieces lately, Identity being the other I've seen him in lately.

The movie itself is kind of light, and it panders to the audience a couple of times having to reveal that Rachel Weisz is in disguise, at one point. You know. For those folks who aren't able to pay attention to a movie long enough to actually look at her face.

But it does have Bruce "D-Day" McGill in all his southern, blustery glory, and Luis "I'm in P.T. Anderson's movies" Guzman, playing, well, himself, as near as I can tell. Jennifer Beals shows up, though she's not given a lot to do (no dancing). Wet Hot American Summer's Marguerite Moreau likewise appears, though in a much more conservative tableau. Orlando Jones makes the briefest of appearances...and did I mention Rachel Weisz is in the movie?

Because I like Rachel Weisz. She's purty.

The whole anti-gun thing wasn't so much of a distraction for me, but I could see where a lot of people would get annoyed by it, especially since those who are pro-gun in the movie are all portrayed as huffy, ignorant, redneck savages. With money.

And....could somebody just tell Dustin Hoffman that he doesn't need to do his southern accent any more? As a southerner, it was more than a little distracting. To me, a badly performed southern accent, however sincerely attempted, is a mocking southern accent.

One more note on the whole movie renting experience, and this is just a quick note to another customer.

To the lady (and I use that term loosely) who darted in front of me to make sure to pick up one of the three available copies of Dickie Roberts: Former Child Star before (I assume) that I could grab them...I assure you that there was no need.

There were three (3) copies, ma'am. Even if I were to rent Dickie Roberts, I'd just need one of the three...or maybe two, just in case the first one broke. But I wouldn't rent all three, all at once. I mean, I'm just one man, and can only take so much of that David Spade Glitz all at once. So I ask you to, even in the presence of that warming glow of that David Spade Glitz, to control yourself, and respect all socially recognized boundaries of personal space.

Thank you, and enjoy your movie.