Weekly Cinemeh

Hey, we actually had a theme this week! Crime! We both noticed something this week while watching these movies. People who steal remove their mask/disguise way to often in the midst of shit. As Eshi pointed out at one point: If you are gonna spend your time as a criminal, wear a disguise that is comfortable so you don't keep ripping it off whenever you get the chance. Anyways, to the list!

1: Glengarry Glen Ross
Not a typical kind of crime movie one expects when dealing with crime movies in general, but I would consider it a crime/mystery movie. Its main story is kind of bland, people are having trouble at work, stakes get raised, someone steals the fucking leads. The story exists to put emphasis onto the characters and their interactions, all of which are amazing. These are not good people, they are salesmen. Al Pacino's character says something when he gets introduced in the film:

I have always thought that this is basically his character justifying his behavior as a salesman, pointing out that morality doesn't need to play a part in his action. 

All in all, its a great movie. Any movie that has that cast list (Jack Lemon, Al Pacino, Alan Arkin, Ed Harris, and Kevin Spacey) will have some amazing acting in it and will be worth the watch. Add an amazing script that forces these actors to compete for who has the best screen presence, and you get a great experience. Watch it, more than once if you get the chance.

Eshi: I had never seen this movie until this week. I was initially hesitant because I've worked in sales and pretty thoroughly hate everything even remotely involved. That said, the tensions and interplays in this film are fucking masterful. It plays to the things that I hate about sales and does so in such a way as to ensure my attention. It was masterfully cast and represents some stellar work from some of my favorite actors.

2: The Score

To my surprise I had apparently absorbed this movie via osmosis when it played in the background at sometime in the past. I had never seen it, at least intentionally, but I remembered weird shit, like Edward Norton faking being retarded. Anyway, it was a pretty standard heist movie. Gang gets together, doesn't trust one another (by the way, why the fuck would you commit a crime with someone you don't trust?) set up a massive payoff (one last heist) and betrayal inevitably happens. It was fun, the heist was cool, and the movie was well acted. Worth the watch, but not spectacular. 

Eshi: Eddie Norton has a very special place in my heart, and in this movie he tries really hard to abdicate the position. The whole film is a series of dick-move and counter dick-move. Honestly the only surprise in the whole thing is that Robert De Niro even fucking bothers with any of these assholes. Fun, very watchable, but by no means the best work of anyone involved.

3: Shadow Run

This is our first bad movie the we have watched for Weekly Cinemeh, and it pains me. I love Michael Caine, but this movie is bad, just... so bad. There are entire chunks of this movie that play no part in what the movie should have been about. I loved the idea behind this movie. We are going to steal the paper used to print money, so our forgeries are way more real and worth millions. Great! There is a place where radio signals get jammed and the armored car can't call for help, so we have to set up a heist in that area and workout all the details. I love it! Oh hey, here is this kid and he is sad. What? Oh, and now there is a side plot about how the bullied kid will save his school via a choir competition. OK, I thought we were watching a movie about gangsters, why the fuck is this glee all of a sudden? The only good part of the movie is when the haughty Lord gets killed. That was great. All the rest of it jumps around in tone and doesn't do shit to make me care about any of the crew. From what the movie showed us, only 3 people of a 5 person crew get fleshed out, and the other 2 come out of nowhere to drive and lift heavy things, they aren't even named. This movie is bad.

Eshi: I never thought Michael Caine could disappoint me. I don't like being proved wrong. His character has no real depth, just a generic, shitty old cockney. I have weird feeling about English culture and this movie focuses on all the worst parts. A cunty noble, a general sense of superiority and entitlement, I understand that none of these characters are supposed to be particularly empathetic but jesus. I can only say two things in favor of this movie; it was free, and no one got raped.