The Nappy Cat Chronicles

Sometimes, it’s satisfying to watch a straight line be drawn. While watching Taken, I found myself happy that I was to forgo the highs in order to avoid the pain of the lows. Bryan Mills (Liam Neeson) is a retired CIA agent with “a very particular set of skills” whose daughter is kidnapped by bad guys who kidnap, drug, turn out, and sell young women.

Personally, I found myself most thrilled when Bryan says the following to his daughter Kim’s kidnapper:

I don’t know who you are. I don’t know what you want. If you are looking for ransom, I can tell you I don’t have money. But what I do have are a very particular set of skills; skills I have acquired over a very long career. Skills that make me a nightmare for people like you. If you let my daughter go now, that’ll be the end of it. I will not look for you, I will not pursue you. But if you don’t, I will look for you, I will find you, and I will kill you.

From that point forward, you fully anticipate that Bryan will kill everyone involved the kidnapping with ease. And he doesn’t disappoint. This is where the movie goes right: Bryan is unambiguously the hero. Though they’re one-dimensional representations, the movie won’t have you believe that everyone involved in the kidnapping deserves to die. Simply, Bryan deserves to kill everyone involved in the kidnapping.

Unfortunately, the movie resorts to “deus ex machine” twice. In the first instance, Bryan finds Kim’s travel partner, Amanda, dead. If she had been alive, Bryan would have wasted valuable time saving her. In the second instance, the her kidnappers have sold Kim because she is a virgin. This provides Bryan with the extra time that he needs to rescue her.

After viewing this film yesterday, I’m still asking myself, if I had the ability to, would I kill everyone involved in a kidnapping in order to rescue someone I loved? I think, yes, I would. Sometimes, there’s a time to kill. Sometimes, there must be death in order to preserve life, even one. But then again, I don’t even own a gun and I doubt I’d be able to stay alive long enough to kill everyone before I made them all more angry than necessary.

National Treasure: Book of Secrets stars Nicholas Cage as Ben Gates, Justin Bartha as Riley Poole (Ben Gates’ sidekick), Diane Kruger as Abigail Chase (Ben Gates’ sidekick and romantic interest), Jon Voight as Patrick Gates (Ben Gates’ father), Helen Mirren as Emily Appleton (Ben Gates’ mother), Ed Harris as Mitch Wilkinson (Ben Gates’ antagonist), and Bruce Greenwood as the President of the United States. Also, Harvey Keitel returns as FBI Agent Sadusky.

***** Warning: Major Spoilers Ahead *****

At the beginning of the movie, the Gates learn that Patrick Gates’ grandfather may have been involved in the assassination of Abraham Lincoln. Ben Gates immediately swears to clear his great-grandfather’s name. Incidentally, this means finding the lost City of Gold. The mysterious Wilkinson is also on the hunt for the lost city and it’s immediately clear that he’s using Ben to further his quest.

Unlike the first, the puzzles and clues that lead the crew to the lost city are secondary to the plot. National Treasure: Book of Secrets is more action adventure and less riddle solving. Unfortunately, it’s not good even the good sort of Indiana Jones style action adventure. It seems as though they filmed a series of disparate scenes at majestic locations and pieced them together in a style reminiscent of Garden State and Ocean’s 12.

The actors moved from location to location with such ease that there was no sense of urgency. The first National Treasure makes you believe that there was something big at stake. The second does not. As such, I found myself not caring. Even when the luck and life challenged Riley Poole did or said something comedic, I didn’t laugh. Comedy of that sort needs tension to cut through and there was no tension.

Eventually, the crew finds the City of Gold and Wilkinson dies saving everyone else in a dramatic scene. I am apathetic regarding Wilkinson’s death. Although you learn that the conspirators’ diary had been in his family for generations, you never learn what drives him to take the extraordinary measures of kidnapping and threatening to kill the Gates family. This makes Wilkinson’s sacrifice less redeeming than it should be.

I give National Treasure: Book of Secrets a 2 out of 5. Ultimately, the movie’s big budget created more than a few well choreographed and expensive scenes. However, it created neither the fun nor entertainment of the toned down and “roughing it” aspects of the first.

After much searching for a job, I decided to see a movie to loosen up. It would be the second time I would see a movie by myself, but it happens. The first time was Mortal Kombat. So I went to see Sin City, and must say that it is a must see by yourself. This was definitely not a date movie, which is about time. Before I went in, I felt a little strange about it, but that may have come from the recent news that they are remaking Batman again. No one seems to learn. Anyway, the concept of Sin City is based off a graphic novel, which for all you dummies out there, is like a comic book, but is actually a novel. A famous actor made on of the first graphic novel named Tom Hanks. He happened to due another great movie: Road to Perdition. The movie follows the novel where the present main character is the narrator, which brings a great point of view. Of course, even with the narration, the movie is full of surprises. It seems like a crazy movie, but that is what makes it original.

The movie’s format is great. because it is black & white. The director followed a lot what Schindler’s List was: Full black & white and color is only used point out main points. In Sin City’s case, it also amplified definitions of certain characters or certain problems characters had to deal with. Pretty much, the directors kept a strong believe to project animation. All of the scenes seemed unbelievable, but they pulled it off in a way that left an impression of animation. It was a good thing. I must warn that it is definitely sinful. The move scared away most of the old people that mistakenly walked into the theater. It was great! In either case, if you like dark movies, this is the movie for you. It does no blow people away, but it keeps you interested. Besides, Elijah Wood is a freak in it. It is a good thing. Enjoy!