Usually I am pretty good at maintaining some sort of cool while in public, but last night while at L’Express I was reduced to anything but when one of my father’s funeral songs was played over the in-house speaker-system. Now I know what all of you already knew; a) I’m not so cool after all. b) I’ve not come to terms with my father’s death yet. The food was good, though.
The Brave One
The Brave One [2007]
Director: Neil Jordan
Actor: Jodie Foster, Terrence Howard, Naveen Andrews
Erica (Foster) and David (Andrews) are to be married. She’s a presenter of a radio-show and he’s a doctor. They are happy and successful people living in New York City. Until they go walk their dog in Central Park and get attacked by a group of hoods. They are beaten so badly that David dies, and Erica is in a coma for over three weeks. When she comes to she has to deal with David’s death, and the realisation that the city she once loved so dearly, is a lot darker and more sinister than she thought it was. For the longest time she feels incapable of going out and walking the streets, going to work, or even going to the grocery store around the corner. She finally manages to get her courage together and quickly realises she feels vulnerable and goes in search of protection. She tries to buy a gun and is confronted with the 30 day waiting period for a license and expresses her dismay in the store. A “friendly” co-shopper overhears and says he can get her a gun for a thousand dollars and she agrees. Pretty soon afterwards, while she’s doing some late night shopping, she stumbles upon a murder; the murderer kills his wife, the cashier of the grocery store, and doesn’t notice Erica until (of course) her mobile phone rings while she’s hiding. The cat-and-mouse game in the isles of the grocery store quickly ends as Erica finds that she’s a good enough shot to wound and kill the man. She takes the security tape and hightails it out of there. This is the start of her vigilante career, and she finds more bad guys to kill.
Investigating the dead people she leaves behind in a decidedly Charles Bronson fashion is detective Mercer (Howard), who befriends Erica and confides in her some of the frustration he feels in trying to bring people to justice when the long arm of the law doesn’t seem to stretch far enough. They both seem to fill a void in one another, but all the while Mercer is seeking to apprehend the vigilante, who is Erica.
The movie is pretty grim, and very violent, and shows the unpolished underbelly of New York City. It’s easy to be dazzled by the touristy areas of Manhattan and be fooled into a false sense of security when you see that everything clean, and open, and well-lit, and that there’s a lot of cops on the street, but there are many not-so-safe areas around New York City that you hardly ever get to see. (Hell, the only borough you usually see is Manhattan and that’s not really a good representation.) Those ugly bits have been very well captured in this movie.
The story is good, but familiar, but acting and visuals makes the film worthwhile. Jodie Foster is good, Naveen Andrews is good, but Terrence Howard is magnificent in this film. He reminds me so much of a black version of Benicio Del Toro, even down to his mannerisms and speech, and it was great to see how he got such an important role in the movie.
Kane & Lynch: Dead Men
Kane & Lynch: Dead Men is looking like Max Payne meets Gears of War and I, personally, cannot wait. :)
Sugar-Induced Good Mood
I can’t seem to stop myself from disappointing pretty much everyone in my life – including myself – but luckily I have a sugar-rush from the best banana I’ve ever had. It’s surprising how well fiber and sugar can turn your mood around. I think they should start handing out bananas at the suicide ward of mental institutions. I would like some skittles right now to further my soaring good mood. :)
A Change…
I’m getting less and less motivated to go to Kung Fu lately. Due to some managerial problems the classes are a bit lack-luster, and due to the immense influx of new people it becomes hard to progress as a veteran. You keep having to start over and over because of the new blood, and you get tasked more with helping out and you get less time to train. Also, I’ve noticed that my interest has shifted over the last two years; I’m looking for something a bit less refined, more raw and physical. Though, on the other hand, I can’t see myself not practicing Kung Fu, but that might be because I’ve been doing it for over a decade-and-a-half now.
The closest BJJ school is in Rotterdam or Leiden, which is too much of a hassle for me, and I can’t find any Greco-Roman or Sambo schools. I did find a Krav Maga school here in Amsterdam, perhaps that should be my next stop.