Good Crash Course

Last night for the first time in nearly six months, I found time to go see a movie. Anticipating wanting to see one this weekend, I purchased a movie pass from my job for $5.50. It's definitely a good perk since the cost of seeing a movie these days is nearly $10. $9.75 to be exact. Total highway robbery.

So anyway I chose to see "Crash". There was a smorgasbord of top name actors and actresses in this flick. These include Sandra Bullock, Brendan Frasier, Don Cheadle, Jennifer Esposito, Larenz Tate, Thandie Newton, Terrence Howard and Matt Dillon. Basically the premise of the movie is how our daily interactions with other people in the course of the day or two leads to various other actions.

Dare I say it, even though the coincidential meetings of the numerous characters seemed a bit much, the movie managed to pull it off. It was interesting how you'd hate a character one minute but then feel sympathy based on their backstory.

***Warning, if you haven't seen the movie yet, don't read the next paragraph or so.

Case in point, Matt Dillon's character of the racist cop Ryan. You're really supposed to hate his racist ass. He pulls over a black couple (Thandie and Terrence) just because they drive a black Navigator, the same kind that was stolen from a well to do white couple (Sandra & Brendan) by two black guys (Larenz & Ludacris's character). Then RC Ryan proceeds to feel up a drunk and upset Christine (Thandie) while her husband Cameron (Terrence) can do nothing but helplessly watch for fear of them both being shot. We later get a backstory of how RC Ryan is the primary caretaker for his elderly father, who is sick with a possible urinary tract infection. Then in one of the movie's odd coincidences, RC Ryan has to rescue Christine from a car accident she later finds herself involved in. This supposedly turns RC Ryan around. It's a bit contrived, of course, but it oddly worked for me.

But perhaps the most emotional moment of the movie comes later. The story is of a Hispanic locksmith (can't remember the actor's name) who tries to helpfully tell an Iranian store owner that he needs to fix his door. The ISO thinks the locksmith is trying to rip him off so he ignores the advice and the locksmith wanting to avoid conflict decides not to charge the man for the new lock and tosses the receipt in the garbage. DUN DUN! Anyway the store gets broken into the next day and ISO blames locksmith and hunts him down. You guessed it, by the receipt that was thrown out the night before. So ISO confronts the locksmith at his home preparing to shoot him. Locksmith's little girl comes racing out towards her father and jumps to him just as ISO shoots his gun. It looks like he actually shot the little girl but miraculously she's not hurt. The ISO starts feeling remorse for his actions while the relieved father takes his daughter inside. There's more backstory into this but I won't get into all of it.

Suffice to say, I enjoyed this movie! It's a definite must see. I'd even go so far as to purchase it when it comes out on DVD. It was that good.

Anyway I definitely need to blog more often. I haven't really been in a blogging mood lately. But yes, I'm still alive. In case anyone cares...*LOL*. Till next time.