Bad Movie Night

Ok, I had to try really hard not to say something about this, but a quick Google search this morning really put me over the edge. First of all, Nick Cage (that's what I call him) is a bad enough actor as it is; the premise of the movie Knowing, while promising at first, gets ruined when the space ship appears at the end and takes the kids away to a safer place, where they literally run through a golden field of flowers tall weeds as the movie fades into the credits. The picture (posted) sums up just how shitty this movie is. Almost as bad as The Rock.

I got a call from Hollywood Video a few weeks ago saying that since it was my birthday, I got a free movie rental. I went into the movie store on my way home from work and had a rather cordial conversation with the female working behind the register. Her boss (some munchkin lookin' dude) kept eying over her shoulder--as in, watching her rent out my DVD, not trying to see down her shirt like I was--and you could tell she was really tired of it. I have nothing against that line of work, for the record.. that is, working at a video store. But for a second, just fathom, or imagine the idea that someone does think it's a crappy job. I'm assuming she did, and having her dorky-looking, personality-less boss scoping her out every five seconds seemed to rub in the fact that she was working at Hollywood Video for a small wage, rather than say, heading up some Fortune 500 company, being a teacher, or playing for the Phoenix Mercury (professions that I'm not afraid to admit, are probably more notable than working at Hollywood Video.. except maybe the basketball gig. I'd rather rent DVDs all day than play for the Mercury, if I was a female that is). Our delightful encounter at the video store really started, and ended, with me the customer, reassuring her that her life wasn't miserable--her boss was just an idiot and some people get off on micromanaging their employees... it's not the end of the world.

I finally got around to watching "Knowing" last night (a month or so later), after it has accumulated a solid $15-20 in late fees and have received a few nasty phone calls from the video store, probably from that possessive store manager. For the record, make no mistake.. I love Hollywood Video. I just think that guy needs to lighten up a bit. Anyways, the movie itself is pretty bad. It has the obligatory "working hard all through the night" scene, which EVERY shitty movie has. You know what I mean, right? I'm talking about the scene where the music starts, or shows someone working hard, leaping over obstacles or pushing through a time of pain, only to come out stronger on the other side. The Karate Kid has about five of these scenes. This time is was Nick Cage, discovering what a series of numbers meant (decoding it), then he stayed up all through the night, researching hard, hitting the whiskey, the music was dramatic... Scenes like that make everyone want to have a "working hard" time, whether it's a night, or a month. It never seems that exciting and dramatic in real life, however. To end this horrible rant, the appearance of Rose Byrne saved the movie and made it bearable till the end.