FILM VAULT TUESDAY

When Joel said you'd be hearing poop stories, you thought it'd be about my kids, didn't you? Here’s all you need to know about my absence from FVT, yesterday. This morning, I became of member of the "Schart" club. Most of you have seen "Along Came Polly", so I know you know what I’m talking about. Am I proud of this? No. Do I expect you to forgive me for not writing sooner? Damn right I do. Don't blame me if you get the stomach virus. I'm pretty sure that its not contagious through the internet. Let’s move onto FVT.

Title: The Game (1997)

Cast: Michael Douglas, Sean Penn, and James Rebhorn.

Why: Depending on what day of the week you ask me, this movie lands in my Top 10. I first saw it when I was 16 (on an airplane no less), and I like it a little more every time I see it. It’s a well-paced thriller that never really loses its momentum. No one is particularly great in their role (besides maybe Rebhorn as the cog to the whole operation), but Penn and Douglas are always good. Wait…ignore the whole Douglas is always good part. I should clarify that I have a slight man-crush on Douglas and my opinion of him may be slightly skewed. Where were we?

Remote Stopper Scene: The ending. I can’t get into it in the event you haven’t seen a movie, that as of today, is in my Top 10 (just don’t ask me tomorrow because it may be #14). I really like how David Fincher wrapped everything up (he also did two other Top 10's for me with Se7en and Fight Club). Not much more can be said without me ruining the movie, and subsequently, your life (if you haven’t seen it, of course).

Goosebump/Tear Factor: This category doesn’t really apply here, so I’m going with my favorite part of the movie not named "The Remote Stopper Scene". Like I said, this movie almost takes off right from the beginning. About 20 minutes in, Douglas is driving home to his luxurious estate when he finds a clown in his driveway. This isn’t you standard "Makes Kids Happy" clown, but the other kind of clown; the subtly frightening porcelain clown. From that moment on, I knew I was hooked. I’m getting a little giddy just thinking about the movie.

Overall Rating: Just thinking about the movie in length has vaulted it back into my Top 8. As I said before, no one was great, but no one really took anything off the table. Fincher is probably my favorite director, and I want to have Michael Douglas’ babies. There, I said it. What more do you want from me? Because of this, I’m giving the movie a solid 9 out of 10. I wish I could say more about the movie, but I don't want to spoil your experience. If you have some free time this weekend, please, do yourself a favor and watch/re-watch this movie. If it’s late at night in a dark room, even better.