Curses, gambling and a bank job

Jim Sturgess plays by the numbers in "21"

Okay, okay, so Kevin Spacey insists that what Jim Sturgess’ character is doing in 21 is not gambling, it’s Math. Well, I always sucked at Math, that’s probably why I didn’t really appreciate this film. I’ve never been a fan of casino movies, only because I’ve personally never gambled and don’t see the thrill of it. Yes, you can make easy money if you’re lucky. But I’ve never seen the bright side of depending on luck, so I’ve never been drawn to these types of movies. Kevin Spacey, as per usual, is Kevin Spacey – the cool teacher act is not unfamiliar to him; he’s done it in The Life of David Gale. He employs the same smooth, cocky demeanor reminiscent of his Lex Luthor in Superman Returns. I feel like Kevin Spacey has hit a plateau, though. Like, I think his best performance was in Seven or in American Beauty. After that, I feel like he’s just…Kevin Spacey.

Other performances in 21 aren’t exactly that memorable. I mean, to begin with the story of this poor but brilliant kid attending an Ivy League school and who gets into all sorts of trouble because he doesn’t have the money to pay for college? I mean, come on. Unoriginal much? 50 Pills has done that story, and that was a pretty decent film. I just didn’t see what was so interesting about this movie. I only saw it because I like Jim Sturgess. He’s kind of like in the same boat as James McAvoy and Jamie Bell, I think, and he might be the next big thing. He was great in Across the Universe, and his singing voice is not bad, so we know he can do musicals. Other than that, he wasn’t really anything spectacular in 21. His character did undergo a bit of an evolution, but not so much that I was completely blown away. Kate Bosworth…nothing special. This girl hasn’t exactly proven herself as an actress. I mean, when you say Kate Bosworth the only thing that comes to mind is Blue Crush and Win a Date With Tad Hamilton, both movies which tanked, if I’m not mistaken. In this film, I feel like she was just another actress slated for arm candy. Like, they could have replaced her with a different blonde bombshell and it could have easily been the same movie. In a nutshell, 21 isn’t really a good movie. It’s just another casino movie. Only this time, they insist, it’s not gambling, it’s Math. Sure, and I’m uninterested.

James McAvoy plays one of Penelope's suitors

Moving on to Penelope. I can’t quite make up my mind about this movie yet. I like the premise. I think it’s clever and I like the twist in this movie. I thought the twist was really interesting because I didn’t expect it from a feelgood Beauty and the Beast kind of story. Basically, Christina Ricci plays Penelope, a girl cursed with the nose of a pig. The only way that she can make it go away is if she is accepted by someone of the same nobility, so her family tries to set up marriages for her. Enter James McAvoy, who is a charming but down-and-out fellow paid by reporters to get inside Penelope’s house and take pictures of her (because she’s hidden away by her family that no one really knows what she looks like). I love the atmosphere of the film. It feels like The Addams Family, but with the soundtrack of a Tim Burton film. I like how the backdrop is London, or somewhere in England at least, but the people are from everywhere. Like for instance, James McAvoy’s character has an American accent while the rest of the characters are British. It’s very strange, but I like how the sets are elaborate and surreal, and how exaggerated the story is. On the other hand, I though it was a very short film. I would have liked a bit more depth, and a bit more character development. I thought it was funny, though. I’d probably buy this film on DVD, only because James McAvoy is so dashing in it, but other than that, I think it has the same feel as Enchanted. It’s not too deep–it’s just a feelgood movie with interesting characters and quirky acting, but with a typical yet somewhat unexpected ending (you’ll get it if you see the movie).

The team that's up for The Bank Job: starring Jason Statham and Saffron Burrows

So I figured, why not another Jason Statham movie? I mean, there can’t be anything worse than The Transporter 2 or In the Name of the King, right? This guy, honestly, I like him. He was great in The Italian Job and in the Guy Ritchie movies, and let’s admit that he’s kind of a hunk. However, he is kind of like the British Chuck Norris. He’s done a lot of B movies and his upcoming one, Death Race, looks to be another one. But I don’t doubt this guy’s talent. I mean, he’s a serious action star. In The Bank Job, he kind of employs the same kind of demeanor as his character in The Italian Job. He doesn’t do as much action in this film as he’s done in The Transporter, but it’s still a heist movie, and come on. I’m sure there are other actors, right? Anyway, he was pretty good in this movie. The film is based on a real life 1971 bank robbery called the Baker Street robbery, in which the details were never really found out at the time that it occurred because a gag order was requested by the government to protect a member of the British royal family. The story is pretty elaborate, and I thought it was interesting. The heist itself? Not so much. It wasn’t exactly the most ingenious bank robbery ever, but maybe that’s the beauty of it. The acting was fine, I didn’t think it was mind-blowing, but it was still more entertaining than 21.