Saturday, November 11, 2006

The Self Preservation Society

You probably think that phrase has got something to do with politics, or selfishness. In fact, it's part of the theme from the original The Italian Job, which we rented from Netflix, and which we finally got around to watching the other night. The phrase "You were only supposed to blow the bloody doors off!" is a line from there, too; apparently, it's considered a classic line. We rented the film because we really enjoyed the other The Italian Job. When we heard that that one, which was quite good, was actually a remake of an earlier film, we wanted to see if that was as good.

Our conclusion? Michael Caine was outstanding in the first one; Benny Hill didn't get enough screen time, and the plot sounded as if they'd made it up that morning. The film's charming, but it has a kind of loopy sixties quality. In the second, Mark Wahlberg et all are excellent; plus, the production values are far superior. Both films are good, but, truth to tell, if I were to watch one again, it'd be the second. That Charlize Theron is in that one has only a little bit to do with it.

Bridger! Bridger! (You'll have to watch the first to understand that.)

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