lockout

I don't see a lot of movies. Really, I don't much like them. I don't have a ton of time or patience for passive entertainment (I watch a total of about 5 shows during the year and see maybe, on the outside, ten films a year). Maybe it's because my job is so darn entertaining. Maybe it's because when I'm actually awake and feeling passive enough to lay there and receive signals, I tend to read. And when I'm feeling active, I like to be with my kidlets, or walking the dog with the hubbins, or in a bar, having conversation.

Last night I saw a good one, though, that made me realize why I don't love the medium of film in particular. It's called Lockout and it's soft SF (futuristic, space prison, a gritty world). I liked it. Really really liked it, Guy Pierce notwithstanding, nom nom nom.

This morning I realized why. It's a film that doesn't take itself too seriously. There's lots of solid acting, folks throwing themselves into their roles, clearly defined characterization, a streamlined plot, and a few blind corners to make things interesting.  No big themes (if there are, they're blown out of the water). No self-conscious dialogue. Lots of fun one-liners, some clever, some not so much. Not perfect, of course. But what is? It's story for story's sake.

Which is exactly what I strive to write.

Which is what I'm going to do, right now.