Ok, I know it's slightly off-topic, but if anybody who read last night's rambling is wondering why the hell I would rent a movie on a day like today, here's the scoop: The case arrived, but nothing else. All the yummy guts were sent in a separate package, which will hopefully arrive early next week. So...

I went to Blockbuster, and quickly decided that this was the movie to see. I had actually wanted to get it the other day, but it was out, so I settled on Boys Don't Cry instead. This time, I got lucky. I rented it knowing absolutely nothing about the content of the movie itself. I didn't even read the back of the jacket. All I knew was that it was a Wachowski Brothers film. I figure anything that comes from the same genius brains who made The Matrix would be near impossible to go wrong with. Indeed.

And so, when I got it home, ate my spaghetti, and hit Play, I had no idea what I was going to see, except that it would be good. (Ok, I did know it had something to do with the crime/mafia genre, but that was it.)

Well the first 25 minutes were... holy cow. I knew it was going to be an interesting movie, but... Talk about the steamy f/f scenes!

Don't get me wrong, it was very well done. Well acted, and very stylishly filmed. (Duh, it's Wachowski Brothers.) Just not quite what I was expecting. Such are the adventures of watching movies in complete and willful ignorance of their contents prior to screening. :)

What then emerges is one of the most intelligently done caper movies in recent memory. I haven't seen enough of those lately. The perfect crime -- to steal from the mafia itself. Lots of intense suspense, plot twists, and of course, bundles of Wachowski style camera fun. Echoes of certain techniques used in The Matrix. (Technically, since this movie was made years before, it would be The Matrix echoing Bound.)

A plot which makes sense, never lets up on the intensity, and just keeps the heart pounding continuiously. That much sustained suspense in a movie is quite a feat to pull off. The humor was interesting too, because every time the dilemma worked its way up another notch, I found myself laughing at the sheer bloody franticness of the situation, but at the same time, I was caught up in it. Constantly rooting for Corky and Violet to pull it off.

Then I listened to he commentary track, which started out with the Wachowski dudes, the editor, and Susie Bright. (Yes, I'm 99.99% certain it's the same Susie Bright who writes for Salon. The first time through, watching the credits, I saw it, and I thought for sure that was somebody else who happened to have the same name. After all, what would somebody who writes the sex column have to do with being a "technical consultant" on a movie? Think about it.)

So anyway, those four started talking, which was amusing, but as the film progressed, they were joined by an ever-expanding cast of people who apparently were just popping in on a whim. Joe Pantoliano. Later on, Jennifer Tilly. Gina Gershon toward the end. Ever more entertaining, by the end I felt like I was listening to a full-blown party. Quite hilarious. lol.

Well, this was a very good movie. Definitely Wachowski. Definitely cool. I wouldn't go so far as to say it surpasses Tarantino in the organized crime setting, but it still rocks.