So the movie binge continues.
After the Sunset, on DVD, turned out to be a fun caper flick. Pierce Brosnan keeps a stubble (more grey than black, which is reassuring for us over-40’s) throughout the film but still manages to look cool and act sharp - or is it the other way around?
Don’t confuse it with the other film of (almost) the same title, After Sunset, which is the Ethan Hawke starrer sequel to Before Sunrise and is a lousy watch.
The Pierce Brosnan starrer is a crime caper about a diamond stealing couple, played by the Welshman and a very sexy Salma Hayek (who, mercifully, didn’t use her Frida eyebrow extensions) who are trying to retire.
They pull off one last caper, making a complete fool out of an FBI agent in the process, played by a very funny Woody Harrelson, and disappear into the sunset to enjoy their hard-stolen fortune on a tropical island, to enjoy each other’s company (in various states of undress) with plenty of umbrella drinks on glorious beachfronts.
But the FBI agent, or ‘feeb’ as their detractors like to call them, is determined to avenge the insult to his reputation and career. He tracks them down and confronts Brosnan with the allegation that he intends to steal the last of the famous Napolean diamonds from a luxury cruiser that’s about to dock at the island resort for a week.
Whether Brosnan actually intended to steal the diamond or not is irrelevant. He’s hooked now and the FBI agent dogs his every step, intending to wait till he makes a try for the stone, and then nab him in the act. It’s a cat-and-mouse game and the script throws in plenty of twists and turns, including a corrupt mayor who wants the diamond for himself.
The film is a fun watch, mainly because it never takes itself seriously, isn’t afraid to mix comedy with style, and delivers a glamorous and hilarious couple of hours worth of entertainment. Brosnan is terrific fun and Harrelson’s character and he have some really whacky moments. Hayek is eye-candy but then so is Brosnan, so who’s complaining?
Be Cool isn’t quite as cool or as fun as After the Sunset, but it’s a TP watch. For once, Travolta doesn’t take himself seriously (something he tends to do much more often than Brosnan, since we were just talking about the ex-Bond), and has a ball.
Be Cool is a sequel to Get Shorty, the very watchable movie based on the Elmore Leonard novel of the same name. If you haven’t read Leonard’s comic crime novels, you should know that he’s famous for his snappy, realistic dialogue.
There’s snappy dialogue on display in Be Cool. Oodles of it. And not all spewing from Travolta’s lips. There are at least two other characters who literally steal the show from under his feet. One’s the dude who plays the amateur-gangsta-rapper character. His performance and role itself is worth the price of the film. Watch his every move and if you don’t love it, sue The Blog.
Be Cool’s a fun movie too with a very trendy soundtrack, and at least three live performances: by Black Eyed Peas, Aerosmith and the movie character whose career Travolta is launching in the film. It’s a fun, leave-your-brains-at-home movie, and to prove it, Travolta and Uma Thurman even do a reprise of their famous samba from Pulp Fiction - and yes, the dude can still dance.
Garden State is on DVD and it’s well worth watching. This isn’t a TP movie though, and don’t be fooled by the teen-romance premise. It’s a film with serious intentions about the existentialism of American life - which, these days, has become a metaphor for human life, it seems.
Without getting into a rehash of the plot, I’d place it in the category of Donnie Darko, one of the better US movies I’ve seen in the past several years. Dark, brooding at times, and unafraid to make big philosophical statements about life, love and death.
The first two minutes should give you an idea of how different and dramatically serious the film is: It starts with the protagonist on a passenger airliner filled with screaming people, which is about to crash, and on the soundtrack we have a Sanskrit mantra praising Vakratundya, which is Ganesha.
How cool is that? Check it out. Popcorn is nice but sometimes you need a little fibre to round out your movie diet. I do.
