Today's movies
Things wondered about the forgettable, formulaic, studio processed yet enjoyable movies viewed today:
UNKNOWN with Liam Neeson, January Jones and Aiden Quinn
UNKNOWN with Liam Neeson, January Jones and Aiden Quinn
- I didn't know Europeans (in this case Germans) treat biotech conferences as major star-studded events. They have a red carpet at a hotel entrance for a cocktail party, complete with velvet ropes, paparazzi, reporters yelling questions and starstruck throngs of common folk bearing what appears to be Eastern European cold.
- taxis are Mercedes station wagons. I'd drive that for a living.
- Germany has no sun. Their clouds are kind of blue hued filter just like they use on Hollywood picture cameras. Night scenes and car chases take place just after a rain, yet no rain is spotted. I guess only hack movies use actual rain just like bad music videos use fire, blowing curtains, breaking mirrors and slow-mo horses doing anything.
- So nice to see Aiden Quinn working, long a favorite he hasn't changed since the last time in saw him in 1998's Practical magic. wonder if this movie was some Irish Connection.
- Conversely I can't see how January Jones can get any work outside of Mad Men where she is perfect and great by the way. She's like Dina Merrill or Grace Kelly except with the total inability to make facial expressions or vocal intonation. Not her fault, just no range apparently.
- even aliens make the stupidest mistakes. great powers that you're supposed to hide? Display them in front of everyone and tell anyone you've known for more than a day. I had to remind myself to suspend my disbelief every 10 min or so. Just attribute it to teen hormones = stupidity as usual.
- I swear I've seen this movie already. Many times. Oh wait, not just this movie but many MANY failed one-season television shows of a loner/outcast/specially powered-gifted youth setting out to track down the others/last/survivors of their kind from another world/similar super secret lab/research facility.... I can't go on with the hyphens and slashes and hashmarks, it's just too many. I'll just say: Escape to Witch Mountain and be done with it.
- Again with the blue filters. Do the lighting people have the same work to do today as say, when they lit Citizen Kane or even The Truman Show? I walk out of these theatres with a vitamin D deficiency and rickets, I swear.
- Yet the movie was still fun. I like super powered people and fight scenes that don't go over 5 minutes without taking a breath to change to a different hall or location. 15 minute car chases are so Italian Job.