Jason Statham in Diabetes

Watch Jason Statham in "Diabetes" on CollegeHumor

He had his heart stolen in Crank 2, but now Jason Statham faces his biggest challenge yet! LOL!

Audi The Chase Super Bowl ad with Jason Statham 2009

This was one of my favorite ads from the Superbowl last night. I love that look of disgust and resignation Jason Statham gives the cars until he finds the Audi.

Jason Statham in Transporter 3

You're welcome.

Review Roundup

I have been remiss in reviewing movies lately. I've been catching up with the new fall TV shows on my DVR, but I have seen a few in the last few weeks that I would recommend.

Tropic Thunder

Tropic Thunder, directed by Ben Stiller, had me laughing like I haven't in a long, long time. My husband did not know the whole setup, and went WTF? when the trailers for the actors started at the beginning. Everyone was hilarious in this, but Robert Downey, Jr. as such a method Australian actor that he surgically alters his skin to play the black soldier had me on the floor. There were so many inside Hollywood jokes and references to just about every war movie made and all the cliches. Tom Cruise was funny, but he didn't have me on the floor like the very un-PC conversation between Stiller and Downey: "Everyone knows you don't go full retard! Ask Sean Penn!" Three and a half stars and a laugh RIOT. If you missed it in theaters, make sure you rent this one.

The Bank Job

The Bank Job is based on a true story from the 1970's of a ham radio operator overhearing a robbery in progress. It's a solid performance by Jason Statham in a more understated role for him. I loved all the 1970's period costumes and sets. Very fun and definitely worth a rental. Three stars.

Burn After Reading

Burn After Reading -- Variety claimed this Coen Brothers film was "too silly." Well, I have to say, that I wasn't on the floor gasping for breath like I laughed in Tropic Thunder, but I chuckled quite a bit. The plot makes no sense, and even the CIA boss says "Get back to me...when it makes sense!" Who cares! The fun of this film is seeing all these actors spoofing themselves and their image. Brad Pitt as a blonde male bimbo is a riot. He steals the film for me like when he rides his BIKE to a meeting with the CIA agent! I loved the little quirks, like George Clooney's character who is a serial adulterer. Each house he enters, he can't help commenting on the floor, even in the midst of seduction. "Is that white maple?" There is a moment of violence that is quite shocking. I know this is a spy spoof and all, but it almost didn't belong in this film, except this is the Coen brothers who brought us the wood chipper in Fargo. Three stars. Great performances by the whole high wattage cast.

Where are the American tough guys?

Anne Thompson of Variety has written an interesting article saying that the U.S. is short on tough guy actors. She says that we are far from the days of Steve McQueen, and directors seem to need to turn to other countries to find tough guys. Most American male stars are boy-men. Johnny Depp can be fey, and Brendan Fraser is goofy. Ed Norton? Tobey Maguire? Most definitely boy-men.

Casting the titular tough-guy New York hero of his upcoming adaptation of “The Spirit,” Frank Miller also had trouble finding the right actor.

“Hollywood is great at producing male actors, but sucks at producing men,” says Miller. “I found them all too much like boys.” (He hired New York TV actor Gabriel Macht, 36.)

Two of the top rising action stars right now are both from the U.K.: “300” star Gerard Butler and Jason Statham (“Death Race”).

“We all wish there were five more guys like Jason Statham,” says producer Mark Gill. “There’s no shortage of roles for them. There’s a shortage of guys who can plausibly do them. The more expensive the budget, the narrower the list.”

Having just seen a series of Jason Statham movies on DVD in the past month, I see what Anne is talking about. I cannot think of an American actor who has his charisma of toughness. Not one his age, anyway. Crank was set in the gang culture of L.A., and here was Jason Statham with his English accent. But no one else could do it like him! And of course, I've always admired Gerry, and look forward to his upcoming action roles in RocknRolla and Game. It's not just the accent, there's just something about these real men, who are most definitely NOT boy-men. Read the whole article here.

Crank - mini-review

I am beginning to love Jason Statham.

The premise of Crank is that Chev (Jason Statham) is a contract killer in LA, and he wakes up groggy & blurry eyed after being poisoned by another bad dude. He discovers that adrenaline is the only way he can keep his heart pumping and stay alive. So he seeks adrenaline every way he can: doing drugs, picking fights, rock & roll, speeding his car and being chased by cops, and my personal favorite, having sex with his girlfriend in the middle of the street in Chinatown. So, if the description doesn't scare you off, you'll love it. The filmmakers have a wild different kind of style. They use split screens and wild cuts, and it feels like you're in the middle of a violent video game. There are in fact, a lot of video game references in the film. and Chev has told his girlfriend he is video game programmer. I found Jason's relationship with his sweet naive girlfriend just a riot. One minute he'll be cussing out someone on his cellphone, and his girlfriend will call, and his demeanor completely changes as he's gentle and soft with her. He screams as her answering machine answers one of his calls, and then calms down and says quietly, "Honey, please get a cell phone." It's quite violent in parts, too, but it was one 90 minute adrenaline rush! It's mindless trash, but if you're in the mood for this kind of thing, it gives a good ride. Jason Statham just has that perfect mix to play this part, too: determination, sweet love and protection of his girlfriend, and explosive violence at the drop of a hat. Three stars.

This was the first film of the writer director team of Brian Taylor and Mark Neveldine. Their film Game, starring Gerard Butler is due out in 2009. I wanted to get a taste of their style, and now I am really pumped for Game! Watch the trailer for Crank here.

Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels - mini-review

This weekend I did some homework -- some Guy Ritchie homework as I had never seen one of his films. He's directing Gerard Butler's upcoming RocknRolla due out this fall. I remembered lots of talk ten years ago about his wunderkind first movie as both writer and director: Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels. RocknRolla is supposed to be another English ganster caper film in a similar vein.

The film starts out with an amazing parade of characters. It feels confusing at first and you fear that you'll never figure out who goes with who. Roger Ebert joked in his review that he wished the gangsters were wearing nametags! And the Cockney language takes some getting used to. Ritchie had some authentic East Enders in the film and they use the rhyming slang of the streets-- "Chevy Chase" for face, for example.

This is a madcap plot, as we follow the adventures of Eddie and his pals as they get in over their heads with some local gangsters. Sting makes an appearance as Eddie's father and his bar is in danger as the big cheese gangster may demand it as payment for Eddie's debt.

This movie owes an homage to Quentin Tarrantino, but then what modern gangster film doesn't. It has lots of comedy mixed with the violence. You can certainly tell that Ritchie was a director of music videos and commercials. There are many stylistic flourishes -- lots of slo-mo and freezes, but I really enjoyed all that. It certainly was visually interesting! But the best thing is the characters and their names! I especially like Barry the Baptist -- evidently played by a former pro-wrestler in England. Jason Statham started his film career with Lock, Stock as one of Eddie's buddies named Bacon because he's spent so much time under arrest he's almost become a pig himself!

I give this excellent film 4 stars. It's really fun and has a satisfying finish after a wild ride. If you're looking forward to RocknRolla, you should really give this one a rental. Don't be put off by the confusing beginning -- it all makes sense by the end. I don't know if Guy Ritchie reached as great success again, but the man has talent, that's for sure. Have to check out Snatch next and let you know about that one, but I'll skip Swept Away (his film with Madonna). This film makes me even more anxious to see what he does with some bigger stars like Tom Wilkinson in RocknRolla. Can't wait! Guy Ritchie certainly is much more than just Mr. Madonna!