There are some story ideas that have simply been worn threadbare with overuse, such as "the cop that doesn't play by the rules". Perhaps the most recent overused plot is "the criminal who is persuaded to do one last job". Most of these are heist pictures, so I tend not to mind the overuse. The heists themselves are often entertaining enough so that I can forgive the unoriginality of the plot. But one film that used this storyline five years ago was so engrossing, It could have had taken out the heist entirely and not been diminished in the least.
"Sexy Beast" opens on a palatial home in Spain, where a retired gangster named Gary "Gal" Dove (Ray Winstone) has been living the good life. He has plenty of money put away, he has a beautiful wife Deedee (Amanda Redman) and he spends his days sunning himself by the pool. The only violent actions left in his life is the occasional rabbit hunt in the desert. He soon gets word that an old criminal associate of his, Don Logan (Ben Kingsley), is coming to visit and ask him to come and do one last job in London. And, as the audience will soon discover, Don Logan does not, not take "No" for an answer.
Symbolism, when it's overdone, can be really annoying. "Sexy Beast" manages to tread the fine line from the very first scene to the very last. Gal's life is first interrupted by a giant boulder that rolls down a mountain and lands in his swimming pool, and this mirrors the other force of nature that will quickly enter his life in the form of Logan. Soon, he is haunted by nightmares of an Uzi-toting rabbit wearing cowboy boots (this sounds like a ridiculous image, but trust me when I say that this is one of the most effective and convincing dream sequences I've ever seen done). He's haunted by the past he left behind, and Logan is a very vivid reminder of it.
When we later see Gal in London, it is jarring to be in the middle of the blue and black shades of a typically English downpour after being in the yellows and reds of the hot Spanish dessert. More than that, we notice a shot of Gal in a bathrobe and sitting on the bed in his posh hotel room. The whole image is of a soft man being put up in a soft place, like a tourist (which is what he is after having been away from his birthplace for so long). He's out of his element, and the thinly veiled contempt that the other criminals show towards him speaks volumes. The movie is all about Gal, and our attention and sympathies are with him every step of the way.
Don Logan is the flashier character, but that's partly because he's certifiably insane. It's not the entertaining insane he often see in villains, but rather the more genuine unpredictable insane that makes everyone, both characters and audience, uncomfortable and nervous. There's a moment when he talks a string of pure nonsense in the bathroom mirror, and his psychosis is almost hypnotic. At the time of the film's release, every reviewer felt contractually obligated to mention Ben Kingsley's most famous role of Ghandi. Comments like these give the impression that his performance is solely stunt casting, which it is not. Kingsley makes his presence known physically as well as audibly in every scene he's in. And we get to see the fierce intelligence behind his physical threats, particularly in a scene when he runs into trouble at the airport.
Final mention should also be made of Ian McShane, who plays mob boss Teddy Bass. Although his appearances in the film are brief and often quiet, he makes a distinct impression. He proves himself to be just as viscous as Logan, but in a more subtle way. I've read that he's currently impressing audiences with his villainous turn in the HBO Western series "Deadwood". If his character in that series is anything close to Teddy, then I can understand why people are taking notice of him.
This is a tough film to watch at times, but never to the point that you want to turn it off. You get totally caught up in the plight of Gal and his own descent into a familiar Hell. As much as I like films like "Ocean's 11", this is a heist film with a heart and soul far deeper than Clooney and company will ever go on one of their capers.
Nine out of Ten
Thursday, January 13, 2005
Wednesday, January 12, 2005
Yeah, I'm sure Laos and Zambia are real interested.
In the latest round of commercials trying to get everyone motivated for the Super Bowl, local personalities take turns looking into the camera and saying things like "The World will be watching".
Sorry, folks. I'm trying to be supportive of my hometown and all, but the World doesn't give a flying fig about the Super Bowl. The United States will be watching, and the Nielson people can verify that. However, we can take solace that if Jacksonville ever lands the World Soccer Cup contract, we can reuse these TV spots.
Sorry, folks. I'm trying to be supportive of my hometown and all, but the World doesn't give a flying fig about the Super Bowl. The United States will be watching, and the Nielson people can verify that. However, we can take solace that if Jacksonville ever lands the World Soccer Cup contract, we can reuse these TV spots.
My Wife the Geisha
Mrs. Mosley is an old fashioned kind of girl. She likes romantic comedies, Janet Evanovich mysteries, and a nice bowl of tuna noodle casserole. Once in a while, she will surprise me. Several months ago, she went to lunch with a friend of hers to a Japanese restaurant. Now, she had been to Japanese steakhouses before, as I have previously detailed, but she had yet to partake of Sushi. Like most people, she had that initial "raw fish" phobia, but she soon learned that it wasn't all raw fish. And then she tasted a piece. And that began a passion that continues to this day.
Particularly now, in these first few weeks of the new year when we're trying to keep our calories low, she sees Sushi as her delicious, low calorie salvation. Far be it for me to begrudge her. I like it too, though not to the extent that she currently does. And all the virtues she extols about Sushi are true. So, aside from some bemused moments when she clamors for a California Roll in the same way she once did for German Chocolate Cake, I've endeavored to be supportive of her new culinary interests like a good husband should.
And now, for my wife's enjoyment and perhaps yours, some Sushi links:
Some basic Sushi roll ingredients and recipes
Sushi Vocabulary
Local Sushi spots
The Sekisui restaurant homepage
More Sushi Links
I will admit there is one downside to my wife's desire to go to Japanese restaurants these days: When was the last time you were in a Sushi place that also served Chicken Caesar Salad?
Particularly now, in these first few weeks of the new year when we're trying to keep our calories low, she sees Sushi as her delicious, low calorie salvation. Far be it for me to begrudge her. I like it too, though not to the extent that she currently does. And all the virtues she extols about Sushi are true. So, aside from some bemused moments when she clamors for a California Roll in the same way she once did for German Chocolate Cake, I've endeavored to be supportive of her new culinary interests like a good husband should.
And now, for my wife's enjoyment and perhaps yours, some Sushi links:
Some basic Sushi roll ingredients and recipes
Sushi Vocabulary
Local Sushi spots
The Sekisui restaurant homepage
More Sushi Links
I will admit there is one downside to my wife's desire to go to Japanese restaurants these days: When was the last time you were in a Sushi place that also served Chicken Caesar Salad?
Tuesday, January 11, 2005
Better than Ginger: The Windhexe
Some of you might recall back in early 2001 when word spread that inventor Dean Kamen was preparing to reveal his latest invention. Code named "Ginger", it was said to be beyond revolutionary and had attracted some very rich investors who trumpeted that it would change the world as we know it.
Well, such pronouncements got a lot of people very curious, including myself. Among the theories being suggested was anti gravity devices, water engines or perhaps even cold fusion. When it was finally revealed, the worldwide sigh of disappointment was deafening.
The invention was, of course, the Segway scooter. For those of you who don't know about it, it is a one person scooter that is perfectly balanced and can be steered through very slight body movements. On the whole, it is indeed an impressive invention, but it didn't deserve the hype that preceded it.
Which brings me to a new series on Acrentropy: "Better than Ginger". With these posts I'll be highlighting some very cool developments in Science and Technology. I'm starting with the Windhexe, which I first heard about almost a year ago. It's nickname, "Tornado in a can", is just that: a machine that produces an artificial whirlwind. The results of this is that farmers can put in the bones of cattle, chickens or other animal byproducts in the top of the machine and they emerge out the bottom as dust. Pretty cool.
And though the company continues to pursue the farm angle when talking about it's function, they state as an aside that the Windhexe can do this to pretty much anything. With such an invention, we can very possibly see the end of landfills in our lifetime.
Very cool, and much better than Ginger.
Well, such pronouncements got a lot of people very curious, including myself. Among the theories being suggested was anti gravity devices, water engines or perhaps even cold fusion. When it was finally revealed, the worldwide sigh of disappointment was deafening.
The invention was, of course, the Segway scooter. For those of you who don't know about it, it is a one person scooter that is perfectly balanced and can be steered through very slight body movements. On the whole, it is indeed an impressive invention, but it didn't deserve the hype that preceded it.
Which brings me to a new series on Acrentropy: "Better than Ginger". With these posts I'll be highlighting some very cool developments in Science and Technology. I'm starting with the Windhexe, which I first heard about almost a year ago. It's nickname, "Tornado in a can", is just that: a machine that produces an artificial whirlwind. The results of this is that farmers can put in the bones of cattle, chickens or other animal byproducts in the top of the machine and they emerge out the bottom as dust. Pretty cool.
And though the company continues to pursue the farm angle when talking about it's function, they state as an aside that the Windhexe can do this to pretty much anything. With such an invention, we can very possibly see the end of landfills in our lifetime.
Very cool, and much better than Ginger.
Monday, January 10, 2005
And more importantly, what should I wear?
Speaking of travel...
As a Librarian, I often get the first look at many brand new books that enter the collection such as the latest Harry Potter novel. And then there are days like today when we get a new shipment of magazines and I get...the latest issue of Oil & Gas Journal complete with Events Calendar for 2005!
Yet now I have the dilemma of, out of all the choices for the second week in April, which conference I should attend. Given the options of the AIChE Advances in Fluid Catalytic Cracking Conference in Atlanta, the IADC Offshore Logistics Conference & Exhibition in Lafayette, or the SPE/CoTA Coiled Tubing Conference & Exhibition in The Woodlands, Texas, which would you choose?
Any advice on this topic would be greatly appreciated.
As a Librarian, I often get the first look at many brand new books that enter the collection such as the latest Harry Potter novel. And then there are days like today when we get a new shipment of magazines and I get...the latest issue of Oil & Gas Journal complete with Events Calendar for 2005!
Yet now I have the dilemma of, out of all the choices for the second week in April, which conference I should attend. Given the options of the AIChE Advances in Fluid Catalytic Cracking Conference in Atlanta, the IADC Offshore Logistics Conference & Exhibition in Lafayette, or the SPE/CoTA Coiled Tubing Conference & Exhibition in The Woodlands, Texas, which would you choose?
Any advice on this topic would be greatly appreciated.
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