Blogging on Lunch

First off, some sad news. Charles Bronson is dead. The former action hero passed away due to complications arising from pneumonia at age 81. Though never as popular as Bruce Willis or (God forbid) Ben Affleck, Bronson indelibly left his mark on the action genre. Starting with a role in The Magnificent Seven, he was better known for his portrayal of a Dirty Harry-esque vigilante cop Paul Kersey in the Death Wish movies. I remember watching a lot of those many times during my childhood. The films may not be that great, but it is sad to see another familiar face go. Here's to you, Charles. Thanks for the magic moments. I know I'll miss you, in a way.

Secondly, I watched Identity this weekend. Starring (get this) John Cusack, Ray Liotta, Jake Busey, Amanda Peet, and Rebecca De Mornay, this film boasts excellent pacing and cinematography as well as brilliant performances from all the players. Here's a short summary of the movie, courtesy of IMDB.com:

Ten strangers with secrets are brought together in a savage rainstorm: A limo driver, an '80s TV star, a cop who is transporting a killer, a call girl, a pair of newlyweds and a family in crisis, all take shelter at a desolate motel run by a nervous night manager. Relief in finding shelter is quickly replaced with fear as the ten travelers begin to die, one by one. They soon realize that, if they are to survive, they'll have to uncover the secret that has brought them all together.


That's James Mangold's slasher/psychological thriller in a nutshell. The script may not be heavyweight, but it hooks the viewer into the story..and forces him to wait until the eye-opening finale. Interspersed with the gory proceedings are scenes of a panel deciding the fate of a serial killer, and incongruous as these may be, the viewer knows that it's all tied together somehow, if he can only find the link..the why of it. John Cusack's cool driver cum hero Ed provides a counterpoint to Liotta's violent (and dangerous) Rhodes, while the rest of the cast are adequate in their roles, and make good use of the script. Some say the ending's predictable, but I'll have to say it's not so much predictable as...logical. Eerily so, perhaps.

Definitely recommended if you're a fan of psychological horror.

***UPDATE: If anyone's interested in knowing just why I love Neil Gaiman's work so much, check out these two articles, courtesy of IGN. I wish I could have been there to thank him in person, and a big round of thanks goes to Peter Sanderson for his extremely wonderful coverage of ComicCon 2003 San Diego. You'll also be able to read of the follow up to Coraline, the Graveyard Book. Imagine Kipling's story, only with the boy being raised by dead people. Am I excited? Very. And finally, you'll also be able to read of Gaiman's latest work for Marvel, 1602. This new series puts familiar superheroes in Elizabethan England, and should be out by the time you read this.

Cheers!