Week 4: Gone in 60 Seconds

Academy Award(R)-winners Nicolas Cage (1996 Best Actor, LEAVING LAS VEGAS; ADAPTATION, MATCHSTICK MEN) and sexy Angelina Jolie (1999 Best Supporting Actress, GIRL INTERRUPTED; LARA CROFT TOMB RAIDER) ride an unstoppable wave of speed and adrenaline in this hot, egdy action hit from high-octane producer Jerry Bruckheimer (PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN: THE CURSE OF THE BLACK PEARL, PEARL HARBOR). Legendary car booster Randall "Memphis" Raines (Cage) thought he'd left the fast lane behind -- until he's forced out of retirement in a do-or-die effort to save his kid brother (Giovanni Ribisi, LOST IN TRANSLATION, TV's FRIENDS) from the wrath of an evil mobster! But with speed to burn and attitude to spare, Memphis hastily reassembles his old crew -- a rogues' gallery including Academy Award-winner Robert Duvall (1983 Best Actor, TENDER MERCIES; OPEN RANGE) -- and floors it in a full-throttle race to pull off the ulimate car heist: 50 exotic beauties in 24 hours -- and the cops are already on to them! Directed by Dominic Sena and written by Scott Rosenberg, GONE IN 60 SECONDS is an action-packed thrill ride that comes out fast and never slows down.

Captain’s Log: week 4 – The research team has set out to find Janeane Garofalo but instead ran into a disgruntled Nicholas Cage. He showed signs of sensitivity that you might believe were genuine if you didn’t know he was Nicholas Cage. Instead you just find him angry and crazy – which is better. The mannequin-esque performance filled with silly one-liners, soft whispers and loud yells does resemble something honest though; Cage trying his best to become a believable human being. That effort combined with a camera not only produces a film you can watch but also one in which you enjoy it.

3 / 5 thrusters and a pair of Nicholas Cage’s eyebrows!

I really like Nicolas Cage so I can forgive a lot. The movie moved fairly quickly and had some fun chase scenes.

3 / 5 Thrusters

Nick Cage was the best car thief ‘boost’ ever to steal a car.  But now he’s retired working a boring job pushing kids around on go carts. He promised his Mama he would be a good example for his baby brother. Now lives are in danger and they need him.  Now he has to come out of retirement for just. One. Night. One Job. After checking with his Mama to make sure its okay, it’s go time.  The whole movie was kinda cool, but not really. Mostly just unoriginal as hell. There’s a detective that shows up when Cage comes back to town to let Cage know that he (the detective) is keeping a careful eye on Cage. That’s never been done. Oh? There’s an angry crime lord involved? Interesting. And? Cage has a mental block to overcome? Why not. What? Angelina Jolie is kinda slutty? That’s new. With bleached dreads you say? Ok. I guess that really was original.

2.5 / 5 thrusters

As long as you’re OK with back to back to back to back to back miracles allowing Cage to escape, and you don’t mind a bland story line that you could drive a stolen truck through – then you’ll enjoy this movie. It’s mindless. And the only real reference to Gone in 60 Seconds was Jolie’s lipstick that forgot to make it into the next scene. It’s fluff, it’s fun, but it’s nothing special.

2 / 5 Thrusters

Odd that a movie about stealing cars only had one car chase but it was a pretty good one.  It was also pretty fun seeing Nic Cage before he was full on “Nic Cage”.  Why was Angelina Jolie the only woman in the movie dressed in boy clothes with grody hair the whole movie?  Sadly lacking the magnificent Janeane Garaffalo that it needed to take the movie home.

1.5 / 5 thrusts

 

We're on vacation next week, but join us for our bonus movie: The Other Guys