Con Air (1997)

I first saw this film on a bus to a school camp in the country.  I think it might have been the only film the bus driver had, and we might have watched it more than once.  Bizarrely, the entire group on the bus enjoyed watching this.  I say this is bizarre because it was a bus full of teenage girls who didn't generally seek out this sort of film.  Or perhaps I just really enjoyed it and projected my enjoyment on to everyone else.

It's not the best film.  I realise this.  It's barely even a good film.  I was blinded by my discovery of John Cusack (whose entire film catalogue I subsequently made it my mission to see, and some further evidence of this will come up in later entries).  But I really enjoyed this film when I saw it the first time.  And the second time.  And the twentieth time.  I went out and bought it on VHS and watched it repeatedly.  I thought Nicholas Cage was a bit lame, but who cares when John Cusack, John Malkovich and Steve Buscemi are around to make up for it?

By the time I reached this in my current movie library viewing crusade, it had definitely been more than 5 years since I'd seen it.  Unlike Clueless before it, this one hasn't aged as well for me (though John Cusack is still as wonderful as ever).  I like my crappy action movies, don't get me wrong.  More of them will pop up as this project continues.  But sometimes it can be difficult get past the fact that they're not great.  I wonder what I would think of this film if the nostalgia factor were removed...

Final Thought:  It seems as though they thought that "Put the bunny back in the box" somehow carried the same ominous feeling as "I'll be back."

Up Next:  Cool Runnings (1993)

Being John Malkovich (1999)

I just... don't like this film very much.  I would normally assume that I watched it due to liking Eternal Sunshine Of The Spotless Mind, but that can't be the case because Being John Malkovich came out first and I definitely saw it at the cinema.  And I don't even think I liked it then, so I must have bought it purely because John Cusack was in it.  This was not a Be Kind Rewind experience - I did not enjoy it more the second time at all.  All I kept thinking as I watched it was "Did I really enjoy this the first time I saw it?  Why do I own this??  Everything is just so uncomfortable..."

It's really quite bizarre to have John Malkovich be the most likeable character in a film.  Not to be insulting, but it's really against the grain for him and I'm not sure it's intentional.  I enjoyed this film the most whenever he was on screen, and his exploration of his own subconscious is very inventive.

All in all though, I dislike this film.  It'll be going to the second hand store tomorrow.

Final Thought:  It is interesting to see story elements in this film that Charlie Kaufman clearly managed to make more successful in Eternal Sunshine.

Up Next:  Big Fish (2003)

America's Sweethearts (2001)

I'll be honest:  I bought this film because it has John Cusack in it.  That's pretty much all there is to it.  It's not an amazing film.  To its credit, it has some amusing moments, but it's quite harmless.


These days I work in the entertainment industry (and that's as specific as I'll get for now), and this is the first time I have watched this film since getting my current job.  I found it more amusing this time around as a result.  Some of the situations are outlandish, but the way that the "talent" is constantly placated and handled is spot on.  It's rather discomforting when you think about it.

Final Thought:  Every time Hank Azaria's character popped up on screen, it set my teeth on edge.  The accent is ridiculous, distracting and unnecessary.  I don't know whether he's been on The Simpsons for too long, or what, but it didn't need to be that extreme.  Unbearable.

Up Next:  An American In Paris (1951)