in_no_big_hurry

i remembered seeing TV spots when this first came out, and i remember thinking it had a real cool look to it, but to be honest i did not feel like going to see it because i did not think too highly of Paul Walker and i thought it was be style with absolutely no substance. I was wrong about both. I never did not like Paul Walker, but surely had never impressed me in the least with his acting talent. He did in this picture. I don't think its a spoiler to say he is basically at an extreme state of mind at all times, extremely tense/angry/emotional etc., and i think he pulls it off very well. he does a good job on the accent too, its subtle and not over the top like accents tend to be in films.

As for the film, there certainly is whole lot of style, and there is substance as well. it pulls you in at the start, and does not let go until just about the final frame. i hate to compare it to other films as people always do, but i would say its like Snatch meets Training Day. Sort of. Like "Snatch" in terms of energy and style, and Training Day in that you kind of go for a ride with this guy for a day. i did not really describe that too well, let me just say if you liked Training Day, Snatch, Lock Stock, Pulp Fiction, Man on Fire, etc., there is a better than decent chance you will really enjoy this film. As the director says in the "making of" documentary, it is almost like a take on "Alice in Wonderland", there are a lot of characters that grab your attention and maybe churn your stomach. its not one of the most violent films i have seen, but it definitely has brutal violence, so be wary of that if somewhat realistic violence bothers you.

I have not seen a lot of 2006 films so far but it is easily the most enjoyable film i have seen. I liked Syriana and the Da Vinci Code quite a bit, but i liked this one even better. And far better than the disappointing X-Men 3. I highly suggest picking it up on your next trip to Blockbuster or moving up to the top of your Netflix queue.

9.5/10

i give West Wing a nine out of ten. i know a lot of people have said this, but after Sorkin left the show it was still one of the best shows on TV, but it was no longer clearly the best show on TV. the first four seasons are fantastic. magnificent. entertaining and insightful. from then on, they are very good. that is really the only way to describe it. the show has a superb cast, you look at every main character and think there is no way they could have done a better job, both in casting and in the work the actors themselves do on the show. the direction is great, the editing is great, and the writing (once again, in the first four seasons, though still great afterwords) is the best ever in a dramatic series that i have seen. This show is right up there with Scrubs, The Shield, Arrested Development, 24 and others as the best shows on television in both recent memory and television history. Bradley Whitford, Richard Schiff, Allison Janney, Martin Sheen, Aaron Sorkin, John Spencer and the rest of the team behind "The West Wing" have truly made a show for the ages.

no matter what side of the political or social or economic spectrum you fall on, you need to watch this documentary. it should be required viewing for all Americans. so many people fail to realize the faults of today's modern media. too many people take what the TV news show tells them at face value, without realizing all the inner workings behind the camera. you probably really learn more nowadays from watching The Daily Show or The Colbert Report than from CBS, ABC, and most certainly FOX. at least the first two shows do journalism, even if it is mock journalism. most mainstream news outlets today simply do "coverage" and then get their people in studio to argue over talking points. if you are curious about how the news you get gets to you (how it is shaped, filtered, etc.) i would suggest viewing this. 10/10