Intermarkets' Privacy Policy Support
Donate to Ace of Spades HQ! Contact
Ace:aceofspadeshq at gee mail.com Buck: buck.throckmorton at protonmail.com CBD: cbd at cutjibnewsletter.com joe mannix: mannix2024 at proton.me MisHum: petmorons at gee mail.com J.J. Sefton: sefton at cutjibnewsletter.com Recent Entries
America's Worst Previous President, Jimmy Carter, Dead at 100
THE MORNING RANT: Government is Paying Manufacturers to Produce Electric School Buses, and Then Paying School Districts to Buy Them Mid-Morning Art Thread The Morning Report — 12/30/24 Daily Tech News 30 December 2024 Sunday Overnight Open Thread - December 29, 2024 [Doof] Gun Thread: Post Christmas and Pre-New Year 2024 Edition! Food Thread: Raccoons, Brisket, And Latkes...A Match Made In Heaven! First-World Problems... The Progressives Love Lawfare...Payback Is A B*tch! Absent Friends
Bandersnatch 2024
GnuBreed 2024 Captain Hate 2023 moon_over_vermont 2023 westminsterdogshow 2023 Ann Wilson(Empire1) 2022 Dave In Texas 2022 Jesse in D.C. 2022 OregonMuse 2022 redc1c4 2021 Tami 2021 Chavez the Hugo 2020 Ibguy 2020 Rickl 2019 Joffen 2014 AoSHQ Writers Group
A site for members of the Horde to post their stories seeking beta readers, editing help, brainstorming, and story ideas. Also to share links to potential publishing outlets, writing help sites, and videos posting tips to get published.
Contact OrangeEnt for info:
maildrop62 at proton dot me Cutting The Cord And Email Security
Moron Meet-Ups
|
« The Passing of a Great |
Main
| How Soxblog Hoaxed Me About a Non-Hoax »
April 02, 2005
At the Movies With Ace and Ice-TSo, as I'm buying soda, I notice a black guy in a baseball cap and leather jacket buying hot dogs and popcorn. I also notice his bombshell blonde of a girlfriend. It's Ice-T, and his girlfriend, who I might say looks like she could be a porn-star, and of course I mean that in the best way possible. I've seen them around the neighborhood once before. The first thing you notice is, "Hey, that's Ice-T." The second thing you notice is the girl, and you keep noticing her for a good long while. I think he's dating her primarily so that people don't recognize him. Ice-T and his girlfriend gave me their own brief review of Sin City. More on that later. Sin City is one of the most cinematically-gorgeous movies I've ever seen. Black and white is used to startlingly evocative effect, and the camera does a great job of capturing the stark and melodramatic compositions of well-drawn comics. Color is dabbled onto the canvas here and there, and that looks lovely as well, but I think the black and white itself could easily have carried the day. The colorization is a bit gimmicky, and we've seen it before... all the way back in that dumb Elton John video. This movie has made it safe to shoot in black and white again. Expect there to be more black and white films. And they'll look amazing. The credits are odd: the film is "shot and cut" by Robert Rodriguez -- have you ever seen that credit before? -- and directed by "Frank Miller [the comic's author] and Robert Rodriguez." Plus, a special "guest director" named Quentin Tarrantino. Tarrantino hasn't shown me anything since Pulp Fiction, but whatever he contributed here is good, because it's all good. The film is ultraviolent, as you might expect, but in a fun way. A lot of people have described this film as having no "good guys." That's not really true. There are three genuine heroes, even if one is a violent monster of a thug suffering from psychotic hallucinations, and one is an ex-murderer (who, in a bit of one of the film's problems with repetition and similar characters, also apparently is prone to psychotic halluciantions). And then there's a genuine moral heroine in Jessica Alba, and a minor heroine in Brittany Murphy, who's really more cute and spunky than a genuine heroine, but whatever. And of course Bruce Willis, playing a non-wisecracking version of John McClane. Basically, the movie is a mix between Pulp Fiction -- violent vignettes lightly connected in entwining storylines -- and L.A. Confidential. In fact, an awful lot of the characterization is taken from L.A. Confidential. But whereas LAC featured three distictive heroes -- Jack Vincennes, the sleazy cop who develops a conscience; Ed Exley, the smart and ambitious tight-ass; and Bud White, the hulking, brutish thug who sees it as his personal mission to protect abused women -- this film also features three heroes, but all of them are Bud White. Mickey Roarke is a hulking monster, looking a bit like Quasimodo before the first coffee of the day, who cannot abide the abuse of women and uses brutality and mayhem to save them. Clive Owens is the handsome cypher with a dark past who also cannot abide the abuse of women, and who also uses brutality and mayhem to save them. Bruce Willis -- turning in another fine performance -- is the One Good Cop in the dirty city, about to retire (the film claims he's "pushing sixty," which provoked chuckles from the audience), who also, get this, cannot abide the abuse of women -- or at least one specific woman, a little girl he saved years before -- and who also also uses brutality and mayhem to save her. Repetition is the only real problem with the film... we see an awful lot of hands being chopped off, and at least three instances of villains having their genitals either shot off (or, in one grim scene, ripped off by hand). Mickey Roarke goes on a suicide mission to save a woman from a creepy farmhouse guarded by corrupt cops; and wouldn't you know it, an hour later Bruce Willis goes to the same creepy farmhouse guarded by corrupt cops to save another woman. That said, the film is a hell of a good time. The dialogue (60% of it narrative voice-overs) is over the top noir-speak, sometimes ludicrous, but the spirit of the film, and its inherently gonzo nature, makes it all work. There are dangerous men and beautiful (and also dangerous) dames -- more dangerous dames than dangerous men, actually, as the "Old City" is controlled entirely by what appear to be covert-ops trained whores -- and there are gorgeous shots of long twisty LA-ish coastal highways, cigarettes being lighted left and right, driving rain and driving in the rain, and it's always nightime, sometime around 3am it seems... It's basically every noir film you've ever seen turned up to 11, or actually about three notches above 11. Sort of the Raiders of the Lost Ark for violent pulp noir. One thing: Don't expect what I was expecting, the "team up" between the various heroes, as occurs at the end of LA Confidential. My one disappointment was that Clive, Mickey, and Bruce didn't all get together for some serious ass kicking at the end. Their storylines remain almost entirely separate, save for the fact that they see each other in the same bar from time to time. They never actually talk to one another or interact in any way. Highly recommended. Anyway, back to Ice-T. He was in the next row over, and we happened to get to the aisle at about the same time (I timed it a little, yeah), and so I introduced myself as a reporter and asked for his review. He said it was interesting though he sometimes found it confusing (I imagine he means the Pulp Fiction-esque unclear chronology), but that he really got into it once he began to understand the city and everyone in it. He says it's a breakthrough role for Mickey Roarke, and that "Mickey is back." I think he may be right about that. I suggested that Roarke was soooo hulking in several scenes that I thought the might be using digital effects to enlarge him, and his girlfriend said, "Yes, I was just saying that!" But Ice-T disagreed, saying it was just his head that was big (he wears a lot of facial prosthetics) and pointing out that Roarke is a boxer. I think the girlfriend is right. I've seen Mickey Roarke, and while he's beefy, he ain't a hulking monster. Both were surprisingly friendly and enthusiastic about talking about the movie with strangers. So, okay, Ice-T might have a shitty attitude about cops, but he's not an asshole personally. And his girlfriend... well, she's hot enough to be a bitch and get away with it -- easily -- but she's not. She really was pretty damn friendly and nice. Plus, I could see about 80% of her boobies, which sort of won her bonus points. So, there you go. I said I was a reporter, and I didn't lie. I interviewed a subject, remembered what he'd said, and reported it. I am now ready for my media exemption to the coming FEC rules governing non-reporters. Coupla Other Points I Just Thought Of: If you hate Elijah Wood -- and, let's face it, who doesn't?; if I had heard that freak say "We really were a genuine Fellowship" during his LOTR publicity blitz I would have hunted him down and killed him like an animal -- you'll be shocked at the audacity of his casting in a role as a heavy, and how well it actually works. I won't give away the surprise, but let's just say if I described his character and his, erm, combat abilities, you would just laugh at me. But it works. I'm always down on CGI, but here it's used to good effect, and is only mildly obtrusive a couple of times. Lotta people in the cast -- Nick Stahl, Rosario Dawson, etc. -- and all pretty good. If I had to guess which part Tarrantino directed, I'd guess it was the Old City super-ninja commando-whores sequence, because he's been peddling that conceit of his for more than ten years-- from the first introduction in Pulp Fiction (Mia was in the pilot for "Fox Force Five") to the chhhorible Kill Bill abortions. Come to think of it, that part was the dumbest and most juvenile of the film, so yeah, I'm gonna go with Tarrantino on that. The three main heroes seem to correspond to gonzo versions of classic noir heroes. Roarke is the thuggish and fascist Mike Hammer, this time made into a physical monster (as Hammer had been, arguably, a moral monster); Owens is the smooth and deadly Phillip Marlowe, with a touch of Marlowe's trademark of fighting on behalf of causes for reasons which seem a mystery to both the reader and himself. And Willis-- well, I can't think of a classic noir hero who's the One Good Cop in the dirty city, but, for crying out loud, there must have been hundreds. Is This the Blonde Bomshell? Update: Allah wants to know if this is the woman I saw with Ice-T. (Not quite safe for work.) I'm pretty damn sure it was. She looks better than that, though. That's a pretty harsh shot of her. And Allah also tips to her website, "Coco's World" (definitely NOT SAFE FOR WORK). Well, whatever I can do to help a fellow blogger and movie-buff out, right? Ooops... for some reason that website doesn't seem to want to, ahem, load. Perhaps she just can't handle an Ace-alanche. | Recent Comments
Seems Legit:
"How odd, I thought everyone understood that electr ..."
rickb223 Gold & Silver Spot Prices [s][/b][/i][/u]: "You’d think they would’ve come up with ..." Commissar of Plenty and Lysenkoism in Solidarity with the Struggle : "MiG-29 has two sets of intakes Bonus hole. ..." It's me donna : "270 242 To be fair, Elon did advise that there isn ..." West Frisian Women's Auxiliary : "The red head gene mutation also enables them to dr ..." eleven: "If there wasn't a steel re-enforced concrete wall ..." SMOD: "DC_Draino @DC_Draino Think about this If Tr ..." Sponge - F*ck Joe Biden: "[i]thus, his push to ship congolese lithium mining ..." garrett: "What is the increased Mass of an Electric School B ..." Thomas Paine: "242 To be fair, Elon did advise that there isn't e ..." Skip : "Bet they won't get 10 years of use out of a EV Bus ..." Sponge - F*ck Joe Biden: "[i]They handle 25% more pain than others, and repo ..." Recent Entries
America's Worst Previous President, Jimmy Carter, Dead at 100
THE MORNING RANT: Government is Paying Manufacturers to Produce Electric School Buses, and Then Paying School Districts to Buy Them Mid-Morning Art Thread The Morning Report — 12/30/24 Daily Tech News 30 December 2024 Sunday Overnight Open Thread - December 29, 2024 [Doof] Gun Thread: Post Christmas and Pre-New Year 2024 Edition! Food Thread: Raccoons, Brisket, And Latkes...A Match Made In Heaven! First-World Problems... The Progressives Love Lawfare...Payback Is A B*tch! Search
Polls! Polls! Polls!
Frequently Asked Questions
The (Almost) Complete Paul Anka Integrity Kick
Primary Document: The Audio
Paul Anka Haiku Contest Announcement Integrity SAT's: Entrance Exam for Paul Anka's Band AllahPundit's Paul Anka 45's Collection AnkaPundit: Paul Anka Takes Over the Site for a Weekend (Continues through to Monday's postings) George Bush Slices Don Rumsfeld Like an F*ckin' Hammer Top Top Tens
Democratic Forays into Erotica New Shows On Gore's DNC/MTV Network Nicknames for Potatoes, By People Who Really Hate Potatoes Star Wars Euphemisms for Self-Abuse Signs You're at an Iraqi "Wedding Party" Signs Your Clown Has Gone Bad Signs That You, Geroge Michael, Should Probably Just Give It Up Signs of Hip-Hop Influence on John Kerry NYT Headlines Spinning Bush's Jobs Boom Things People Are More Likely to Say Than "Did You Hear What Al Franken Said Yesterday?" Signs that Paul Krugman Has Lost His Frickin' Mind All-Time Best NBA Players, According to Senator Robert Byrd Other Bad Things About the Jews, According to the Koran Signs That David Letterman Just Doesn't Care Anymore Examples of Bob Kerrey's Insufferable Racial Jackassery Signs Andy Rooney Is Going Senile Other Judgments Dick Clarke Made About Condi Rice Based on Her Appearance Collective Names for Groups of People John Kerry's Other Vietnam Super-Pets Cool Things About the XM8 Assault Rifle Media-Approved Facts About the Democrat Spy Changes to Make Christianity More "Inclusive" Secret John Kerry Senatorial Accomplishments John Edwards Campaign Excuses John Kerry Pick-Up Lines Changes Liberal Senator George Michell Will Make at Disney Torments in Dog-Hell Greatest Hitjobs
The Ace of Spades HQ Sex-for-Money Skankathon A D&D Guide to the Democratic Candidates Margaret Cho: Just Not Funny More Margaret Cho Abuse Margaret Cho: Still Not Funny Iraqi Prisoner Claims He Was Raped... By Woman Wonkette Announces "Morning Zoo" Format John Kerry's "Plan" Causes Surrender of Moqtada al-Sadr's Militia World Muslim Leaders Apologize for Nick Berg's Beheading Michael Moore Goes on Lunchtime Manhattan Death-Spree Milestone: Oliver Willis Posts 400th "Fake News Article" Referencing Britney Spears Liberal Economists Rue a "New Decade of Greed" Artificial Insouciance: Maureen Dowd's Word Processor Revolts Against Her Numbing Imbecility Intelligence Officials Eye Blogs for Tips They Done Found Us Out, Cletus: Intrepid Internet Detective Figures Out Our Master Plan Shock: Josh Marshall Almost Mentions Sarin Discovery in Iraq Leather-Clad Biker Freaks Terrorize Australian Town When Clinton Was President, Torture Was Cool What Wonkette Means When She Explains What Tina Brown Means Wonkette's Stand-Up Act Wankette HQ Gay-Rumors Du Jour Here's What's Bugging Me: Goose and Slider My Own Micah Wright Style Confession of Dishonesty Outraged "Conservatives" React to the FMA An On-Line Impression of Dennis Miller Having Sex with a Kodiak Bear The Story the Rightwing Media Refuses to Report! Our Lunch with David "Glengarry Glen Ross" Mamet The House of Love: Paul Krugman A Michael Moore Mystery (TM) The Dowd-O-Matic! Liberal Consistency and Other Myths Kepler's Laws of Liberal Media Bias John Kerry-- The Splunge! Candidate "Divisive" Politics & "Attacks on Patriotism" (very long) The Donkey ("The Raven" parody) |