trois jours en succession

it was only on Saturday that I realized how I had mad respect for action films. Well, I must say that The Bourne trilogy has been the major of majorest influence in this way.
I'm impressed. I must also say that I'm impressed that Mat Damon can do action (drama?) as well as he does comedy, scripted or ad-libbed.

Tonight is Night Three of watching parts of the trilogy here chez moi. I'm pretty pumped about this thirdieme installment. I watcthed the first two with my bro-dude when he was here. I bought him the trilogy for his birthday and he said we could (try to) watch the three back-to-back. We said the same thing about The Lord of the Rings trilogy and that was about a year and a half ago - maybe two. Why does my shoulder hurt? It's hard to commit 9 hours to something that's not important. Well actually, it could have been twelve hours because we wanted to watch the extended versions of all three.

I think one of the most prevalent things I like about these films is that there's something about them I don't get. For me, it's the same feeling I have when I encounter (most) visual art. I'm not... a big action film buff (though I could easily be persuaded to become one or better yet - I would love to be guided through the ways of the action film by someone who IS a buff) but there's something about this that is utterly compelling and intense and amazing, really. Maybe it's the prolongued intensity that we like. Typically, action heroes are the best of the best of the best -- or they're even superhuman. And, we LOVE to watch people who are excellent at something we don't have a SHOT at ever attempting. Especially when it comes to large explosions, high-speed chases, weaponry, hand-to-hand combat, we like to see something that we'd say we wish we could do but never would, "in real life". I can't flip a car twice on purpose to get over a police blocade and still run for cover in a gas station bathroom where I sterilize a needle with a lighter and sew my own stitches, no. I can't dangle from buildings or shoot gas tanks or take out random henchmen (great word) with two blows. I'm not a martial artist. I'm not even a good physical fighter. But wouldn't I LOVE to be involved in those things? Well... I think I'm speaking for the general public now because my interest in most of those things isn't too great. I like the idea of it happening - because I am amazed - but I don't love it, especially in real life, for all the carnage and pain it causes.
Perhaps what I'm relating to most is how much other people love these films, namely men. I feel like that's the elephant in the room right now. I think I'm getting half a glimpse of what it is that dudes are so enthralled by when they watch action films. I'm starting to understand the appeal. Part of that dang ol romantic mystery, I guess.

I thought I could work on the compy while I'm watching the film but it turns out that this guy needs my undivided attention. Few films are like this and I respect this one for being so. It's paused now with the words THE BOURNE ULTIMATUM in steely blue on the screen. I love it. What a great place to pause. I'm reminded of The Lion King.

My bro-dud was supposed to come over on Saturday night and I actually bought a DVD player in anticipation of the triloge. (I wanted one anyways and I had a gift cert for Futch Shoppe.) When I found out he'd be there the next morning instead, my lack of patience took me to Rogers Video and, strangely enough, I ended up with Mission: Impossible apparently because my mind was already ready to watch a film of its genre. M:I, strangely enough, was in the Mysterious
section. That, I love. I wanted to say au debut de this post that I like action films more when they involve mystery CUZ I LOVE MYSTERY!! but then I had to wonder how many action films do NOT have a mystery element? I think they just might go hand-in-hand. I would love to be proven wrong AND to do my own research in the mean time.

I enjoyed Mission: Impossible VERY much and I was pleased with this. I remember when I first watched the film many years ago and I was maxxed out in the impressed department. It changed the way I look at films. It honestly threw me for more loops than I could have ever expected. (Fight Club was like this for me and so was The Lord of the Rings trilogy. What else was like this? I feel like I reference those films too much. Well, The Sting and MAYbe even Singin' In the Rain.) So many parts of that film have stuck with me for these what, five years? and I have referenced them, either in my personal writing or in conversation, you know, that I must give mad props where they are due. Anything that gives me THAT much fodder for Future Reference and that much food for thought has my stamp of approval. [I am finding myself at a HUGE loss for words right now. Can you tell? I'm wondering if it's just the time of day and other parts of the present situation that are making it harder for me to find expressive language.]

I saw Mission: Impossible III in theatres and I definitely did not see M:Imp II at all either because I was told it wasn't good, I hated the commercials (I know I hated them but this might not be why I said NO), I hated the hype or I was in that phase where I boycotted sequels. I am now SURE I want to see it (and have many accompanying grains of salt ready) because a) the first one left me wanting MORE (of course!) and b) The Bourne Identity and Supremacy both fit together so dang well and I'm sure the Ultimatum will follow suit perfectly that I can't help but expect to get something "more" out of watching all three Mission: Impossible films.

Side salad: I have officially decided to lift my skepticism of The Matrix and now consent to watching parts two and three, or rather to watching all three together. I think I saw two or three in the theatre with three siblings which was mucho fun but the film just.. disappointed me beyond belief. I'm willing now to be more gracious and temper my expectations. I also don't even understand the first one so I think re-watching it and making a point of deciphering will improve how I receive the sequel and threequel.

It's one of my life-long dreams (for serious actual desire) to make a list of all the films that have parodied The Matrix's slo-mo back arching during a gun fight junk. I could probably name a handful now but I know I've seen more and I know there are many I haven't seen. The day I figure out a reasonable way to approach this task is the day I take it on.
I started a list like this for people who copied Cool Hand Luke's box - the solitary confinement, but not just that. There's more to....how it works. Then I discovered that The Great Escape just might have been the original and CHL a kind of mimic. (I actually am not sure of this and need to watch em both again. Honestly, I dread watching The Great Escape encore because I disliked the film muchly, AND it's long but CHL I have been dying to see depuis longuetemps.) Either way, I've got a list of about 10 which, considering how old I was at the time, is dang ol impressive, to me anyways. Paul Newman gets more general-public props than I realize. Boooyakalaka. OK it's time. Bourne #3. I'm in.