Next up in Books and Movies

I watched Drive with Ryan Gosling recently. It was much different than I expected. It was good, but the pace of the movie threw me off quite a bit. It starts quiet and slow though you might expect a slam bang action movie from start to finish by the way the trailer depicts it. After getting over my expectations, I’m really glad the movie had the pace that it did because it allowed the characters to develop a whole lot more than they might have with a faster pace.
Go see it, but realize that if the scene looks like its going to get violent — it’s going to get very violent. Oh and there’s a scene in a strip joint.
Saw Ryan Gosling in Crazy Stupid Love, too. Got my hair cut and started dressing better because of him in that one. He’s a good lookin dude and not a bad actor either. That’s why I’d also like to see Ides of March with him and George Clooney. Its out on Zune (Xbox 360) right now, but I think it’ll be cheaper to get it from RedBox.
Also making the list of “to see” movies: Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy. I love a good spy movie and Gary Oldman is always worth seeing.
Had a pleasant surprise when my wife and I watched a movie we’d never heard anything about — The Whistleblower. This movie was entertaining enough, but the kicker was that it portrayed such an accurate depiction of what really goes on in the sex trade and human trafficking. So often, human trafficking is perpetuated by government officials unwilling to expose the truth for the harm it will do their office’s reputation and law enforcement agents that hold themselves above the law. Whether you understand what im talking about or not, watch The Whistleblower. Its based on events.
Books
Speaking of bad government … I’m interested in reading Dylan Ratigan’s latest book Greedy Bastards: How we can stop corporate Communists, bankers and other vampires from sucking America dry. Watching my government crap all over the constitution while they see massive debt as no more of a nuisance than a teenager with daddy’s credit card has turned my stomach too many times and I want their power trip and stupidity stopped.
And since the mainstream media plays such a huge role in helping us miss the important things going on with our government, I’d also lime to read Information Diet: The Case for Conscious Consumption.
Movies you should’ve already seen


UPDATE: This list will be for movies from your college days or before, if you’re my ageĀ (ie around 5+ years ago).
** I’ve nixed a few great movies simply because they’re just too recent. I’ll make another list/poll for those. Since the conversation started with Garden State (2004) – that will be the cut off. Also, anime has been nixed (because I’m close minded).
In a recent conversation with some friends, we stumbled upon the fact that my girlfriend fiancee wife had never seen Garden State. We were all flabbergasted. As we investigated further, we came to find out that she had missed out on many of the rest of the groups favorite movies from years past. It turned into a quick-fire survey where we were all shouting out movies, most with her shaking her head “no” to. I quickly got out a paper and pen and started writing down the movies we were throwing out with much nostalgia, noting the ones my hypo-cinematically-exposed lady friend had not seen.
(Edit) I quickly lost the list before I was able to transfer it to this blog. So help me out by posting the movies that you feel are staples in your DVD collection or ones that you would be surprised to find out if one of your friends hadn’t seen it yet.
(Edit) I’ve made the list into a poll – feel free to vote for your Top 20 “Should’ve Already Seen” movies – View Results link at bottom.
[poll id="2"]Top Ten: Spy Movies
1. Bourne Supremacy
2. Bourne Ultimatum
3. Body of Lies
4. Spy Game
5. Casino Royale
6. Bourne Identity
7. Mission: Impossible
8. The Saint
9. The Recruit
10. True Lies
I’d say I’m a spy movie junkie. I love the espionage, the con-ing, the martial arts expertise. It’s awesome! If it didn’t take years of training with no room for family or a real social life, I would probably have gone that route long ago. But alas, I didn’t, so I watch the movies to quell my desires to slip past teenaged security at Target and make my way into the “Employee Only” break room and slip someone’s lunch into my coat pocket.
These are my top choices.
| Movie | The Awesome Spy (Actor) | Comments |
| 1. Bourne Supremacy |
Jason Bourne (Matt Damon) Kirill (Karl Urban) |
It’s all there on this one |
| 2. Bourne Ultimatum |
Jason Bourne (Matt Damon) Desh (Joey Ansah) |
Parkour on the roof and using a book with deadly force |
| 3. Body of Lies |
Roger Ferris (Leonardo DiCaprio) |
Suspense at every turn. Plenty of espionage and tight situations in which DiCaprio has to rely on his stellar spy skills. |
| 4. Spy Game |
Tom Bishop (Brad Pitt) |
Old spy takes promising new spy under his wing. Espionage on the field and in the office. |
| 5. Casino Royale |
James Bond (Daniel Craig) |
Gadgets, Parkour, Crack shooting, amazing cars, out witting the bad guy… and of course a ripped up spy dressed to the nines. |
| 6. Bourne Identity |
Jason Bourne (Matt Damon) The Professor (Clive Owen) |
Dozens of passports, Spy vs Spies, nonstop suspense |
| 7. Mission: Impossible |
Ethan Hunt (Tom Cruise) |
Micro-gadgets, mystery, real looking faces for disguises |
| 8. The Saint |
Simon Templar (Val Kilmer) |
Multiple disguises and accents. Contraptions and specialized gear. |
| 9. The Recruit |
James Clayton (Colin Farrell) |
Spy training course |
| 10. True Lies |
Harry Tasker (Arnold Schwarzeneggar) |
Comedic elements and completely far-fetched, but tux under a wetsuit, Harrier jet, using spy resources to humiliate a used car salesman – fantastic! |
To peruse a list of modern spy movies, check out this list:
Spy Movies at the Box Office – Box Office Mojo
Update: I’m thinking Munich should be on this list. A bit more of a realistic look at spy activity.





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