Set out to see LA CONFIDENTIAL tonight, but saw THE EDGE instead. Loved it. Review below, but as usual here is what happened to set my mindset for today.
The day started at noon today, when my father woke me to write my book proposal which my agent is waiting for. I had done the outline, but now I had to do the full 15-20 page proposal, which my agent will show around to publishers to get a bazillion dollars for me, and not a cent less. If you have never done this, this is one of the weirdest things you will ever write. Remember in High School when that evil English teacher would have you write an outline to a story you were going to write for class? Well I hated that. I didn't understand why you just didn't write the damn thing. Writing can lead you to ideas you never would have "planned" for. I despise outlines. I like to write. Like right now, I have no idea what the next paragraph is about, but I will after I write it.
For 5 hours I typed. Writing chapter summaries and sales pitches. A very interesting process. I began liking it. It was like watching the project come together quickly, and precisely. A book report of a book yet to be written. Interesting concept. A challenge, but I have been thinking about a book for months now, it's really neat to see it taking shape!
At 5pm, I finish the first draft. It looks good. I get up out of bed for the first time. Muscles stiff, I walk into the living room to find my father in agony. His leg hurting like hell. I ask him what is wrong, Old bones is the answer. Hmmmm, I have no idea what that means, but I don't want to know, he looks like he is in pain. He also tells me that a gigantic limb is laying across our power line and telephone line. So I get out and muscle this 200 pound giant branch off of the wires, pressing it over my head, and toss it against the fence line. UGA BUGA ME MACHO MAN, AWWWWWWWWWWWWWWAEEEEEAWWWWWWWWW!!!!! (Tarzan yell)
Next I load Dad up in the van to go get my sister at school. At this point we are thinking about seeing SABRINA at the Paramount theater in town, or LA CONFIDENTIAL at the LINCOLN theater. I say we leave it to Dannie, my sister, to decide. She decides she wants to see LA CONFIDENTIAL.
So instead of the Potato Bar, we go to the Pizza Bar. Yummmm. Dad is in agony, so I get him lots of extra strength ouchie cures to swallow with his food and drink, and he zones the pain away.
After food we head to the Lincoln with no passes, but we don't really need them, because we are LINE PEOPLE, and the LINE PEOPLE take care of their own. And so was the case here. We get to the theater, and go to get in line only to find out that we are in line to see THE EDGE!!! Bummer, I think. You see I haven't liked the trailers and I think ALEC BALDWIN is a sign of BAD MOVIE (don't count his performance in GLENGARRY GLEN ROSS, that was a fantastic freak of nature in my opinion).
We go into the theater and relatively quickly we have the screen going dark, and trailers playing.
ALIEN RESURRECTION: same trailer, maaaaan I want to see this movie. Damn good trailer, and Ripley? I love that smile.
ICE STORM: a strangely unsatisfying trailer, I loved Ang Lee's SENSE AND SENSIBILITIES, but this trailer created zero desire to see the film.
Then another trailer that was sooooo effective I can't remember what it was.
The Flying Robotic Mario THX trailer, they didn't have the THX on, Mono sound from behind the screen only. No hammering over my right shoulder, sure sign.
Then Dolby Digital Greek Column thing. God I hate this one, it doesn't show any satisfying use of sound in my opinion, doesn't test the sound system, and only takes up my time.
Then the film begins. THE EDGE. I love this movie. This was alot of fun. Anthony Hopkins and Alec Baldwin explode on screen. They are great. Hopkins is a fantastic character, and Baldwin as the quirky fashion photographer gives a wonderful performance.
I'm an Eagle Scout, I know ALOT about wilderness survival, and even had an experience of being forced into a two mile hike to get rescue forces to save my fellow students in the school bus stuck in the middle of a gigantic snow drift. The hike through waste deep snow, in unfamiliar territory was frightning, but when I got to the farmhouse, and sat on the heater to dethaw, I was exhilirated. I spent the rest of that day wrapped in heating blankets as feeling poured back into my feet. The scariest part was when I fell into a dried creek that had been filled with snow. Frightening as hell. Thought I was dead, but I managed to get out.
All the thrills of that adventure were in this, but amplified to an extreme. But first and foremost:
BART THE BEAR ROCKS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
This damn Bear is 5 times scarier than any dinosaur in Jurassic Park or Lost World. This bear kicks major ass. And Lee Tamahori knew exactly how to use that mean ol bear. This ain't Pooh, and he is in pursuit of food, and I get the idea that Sir Anthony in a nice Chianti sauce would have done nicely. WOW. Some of the most intense terror sequences in quite some time. It had me jumping and squirming. And that's alot given my bear like size.
This film only had one problem for me, and it was a stupid possible infidelity plotline which I felt has become trite in film, and especially unnecessary given the coolness of the film. Doesn't destroy the film, but it did keep me from going completely head over heels in love for it. See it for Anthony Hopkins, Alec Baldwin and that damn bear named BART. WOW! That bear is cool, mean and vicious. Most viscious animal I have seen on screen since Samuel Fuller's WHITE DOG.
This is my favorite film with Alec Baldwin, I actually like it a bit more than HUNT FOR RED OCTOBER. I know that's near blasphemy, but while Sean Connery was amazing in that one, I don't think the rest of the film equaled his coolness. Here Bart the cool damn bear, Anthony Hopkins and Alec Baldwin all kick ass.
Originally titled BOOKWORM this David Mamet written, Lee Tamahori directed (he did Once Were Warriors, which was a fantastic film) If you love the outdoors, if you love Man against Nature films, if you love regular guys conquering the seemingly unconquerable, then go see this movie. It was a blast. The bear rocks. The bear is cool. Go see the bear. This is one Bart you don't want to "eat your shorts"!!!
