This obsession with bloodshed is not only exported from Hollywood to the rest of the world but also travels via the US military complex that sends weaponry and soldiers overseas as if a titanic and demonic take-away martial pizza, which incidentally makes up a major slice of the US economy, under the farcical premise that they are keeping the peace. What really concerns me now is what is going to happen when every Tom, Igor and Jihadi have their own drones to drop mayhem on random targets as and when they please.
And what’s with this craze of using American in so many movie titles: American Beauty, American Sniper, American Hustle, American Werewolf in London, American Muscle, Captain America, American Gigolo, American Graffiti, American Loser, American Idiots, American Gun, American Pie, American Psycho, American Virgin, or simply The American, which is a good one. In fact there are over 100 of them and can be checked out here.
But back to the sandy movies. Pretty much long gone are the innocent halcyon days of Stan and Ollie, the Marx Brothers, Jimmy Stewart, Marilyn Monroe, Cary Grant and Audrey Hepburn bringing fun, brio and romance to an evening in front of the silver screen or living room telly. Feel Good movies replaced by Fuck You films. Jokes? Humanity? No no no, here’s a gun in your face, buddy boy. Don’t leave home without one.
Just the other night I was unfortunate to watch a film of truly top class dross called The Interview, which so irked North Korea that it threatened nuclear retaliation, eventually settling on hacking Sony Pictures web server instead. For sure the film had guns and tanks and shooting but on top of that it was marketed as a comedy except the totally humourless humour turned out to be base vulgarity, which was not funny in the slightest.
Thankfully a few great movies did find their way out here and so some dull days on the sofa were enlivened by a glow to my hardened heart and a smile to my face, resonating for a long time afterwards. Some of them I’ve viewed over and over again like my niece who has watched all 236 episodes of Friends three times. There’s even an English guy somewhere who watches Zulu every day.
Here is a list of the high points. Click on the orange title for a more in-depth lowdown:-
Guns galore but highly realistic and important in highlighting the insanity of a country that prevents women getting their tits out on the beach but where you can easily buy a pistol and shoot your neighbour, and, with a good lawyer, get away with it.
Violence Rating: Guns and death galore. Welcome to America.
Violence Rating: One slapstick shoot-out. No blood visible.
Violence Rating: A lot of guns and violence.
Violence Rating: Peace in the Sacramento suburbs.
Nb. One of THE hottest chicks I've ever met came from Sacramento. She worked as a strip-tease artiste in Reno, of all places.
Violence Rating: A lot of guns and death and violence.
Violence Rating: Zero guns or death.
Violence Rating: So much shooting that even a dog bites the bullet.
Violence Rating: No guns; one death by heart attack.