Frank Castle, the Marvel character, was a role Thomas Jane really enjoyed. So he made this fan film for fun. I remember my step brother having some Punisher comics back in the day that I can got to read, and his appearance on the 90’s animated Spiderman was a very interesting storyline; a vigilante hunting a vigilante who is in an unusual position to combine forces.

What I liked was the director did a great job of subtly showcasing Frank’s violent past, the destitue circumstances he’s ended up in, and the unshakable desire for him to punish criminals… even at the cost of knowingly waiting for them to commit additional acts of violence just to justify additional punishment. The intensity of the filming, the constant head shots, the forlorn look of Frank as he constantly tries to ignore the immediate events of the world around him, it really is a lot more character focused and great. Even the scene with Ron, using him as a sounding board for the philosophic struggle Frank goes through; basically setting the plot for the entire film over a YooHoo drinking.

I really hope they make it into a movie and use this filming style vs. the 2004 and 2008 one.

BTW, the wallet, which I’ve had since I was 6, is from a 1986 Z28 Chevy Camaro. Don’t miss the air-freshener in the movie. Also, helmets are only $30 bucks at Tar-jay. The dogs love it.

Ray’s review.

Smokin’ Aces is available on DVD & HD DVD today.

Blam, blam, expletive, expletive!

Crank = Good flic. I have a feeling they removed a kung-fu scene from the beginning when he goes into a biker gang’s bar. Since Jason Statham‘s character was a lot more edgy, and less rico suave than his smooth roles in the Transporter 1 & 2, my guess is they wanted a clean seperation, so removed the scene in post. Don’t take your kids. I laughed a lot. There was some really progressive editing in there, like, sub-titles would stay, and he’d read them. Good stuff.

Check this crud out; I set my iPod on the window sill at my office in Detroit, and the earpiece fell on the power strip, turning off my computer. Thankfully I saved, but what are the odds!?

Finally, I’ve been travelling to and from Atlanta & Detroit for the past 4 weeks without incident. Suddenly, last Sunday (August 27th), my belt sets off the metal detector in Atlanta airpot. I’ve been wearing the same belt for a whole month without incident. I think we need another gun test just to exacerbate the idiocy of the facade. All the hype the US media spouts about airport security is bullshit. I’ve been flying every Friday & Sunday for the past 6 weeks, and security has been the same both before, during, and after the UK thang, the crazy woman thing, and the crazy dude thing. In all fairness, I’ve heard of delays; my mom 1 day after the UK thing, took 1 hour through security (usually 4 minutes for me), and her flight was delayed 4 hours. She abandoned the trip for that weekend.

It’s a good thing I drink too much caffeine, and thus my hyper-alert status can compensate for my mediorcre hand-to-hand skills if a situtation arises mid-flight. Terrorists and nut cases beware.