AIR FORCE ONE. Well I've been laying in wait for this film for quite some time, so I was real excited about this. But let me put you in the state of mind of me during this screening.

At about 3am this morning I got an email from Robert Rodriguez about the site and myself. It was extremely cool and had me pschyed pretty hard before going to sleep. So when I woke up around noon and saw another letter, I thought... hey I'll invite him to the screening, and pick up an extra pass for him and his wife. It didn't work out, because she had made plans and he had to babysit the kids. (Boy this guy is as well adjusted as they come it seems) Well, I'm pretty damn psyched about my little email conversation with Rodriguez, especially the threats of getting together with him and running around town. I mean that's pretty cool.

So I emailed him right before I left to go to the theater to tell him to call me after the movie at about 10:30. Then I took off.

I show up at the theater and get a pass from the ultra cool Ron of the Line People, and the line people except me into the line again as a line person. The fact I was in Newsweek doesn't faze them at all, they want their seats just like me, and they want to see the movie. I had also picked up a couple of passes from The Austin Chronicle who was screening the film, and managed to get the whole family and some friends in. Groovy.

The Arbor theater decides to have the line set up so very few people will be in air conditioning, and the great majority will have to suffer heat stroke in the summer temps. This is not cool. There is another area where they could line us up where twice as many would be saved the heat, but management wasn't listening. But on their behalf they did move us into the theater about 30 minutes earlier than normal.

The theater was packed SOLID. So the temperature slowly raised based on body heat, and the trailers began.

A GATTACA trailer which I felt was ummm... under whelming was screened. It might be good, but the trailer doesn't really convey that. This is a sci fi film with Uma and Ethan where your DNA determines who you are in life.

(NOTE: I fell asleep here typing this the night I saw the film. There were 900 pages of "F"s on screen. You see I actually fell asleep on the keyboard.)

Next was Excess Baggage, which just about describes the trailer

Then came U-TURN which was a waaaaaay cool trailer in this idiot's opinion. Looks like it was shot on either 16 mm or Super 16 and blown up to a 35mm print. Go take a look at the cast for this baby over at IMDB. Pretty damn neat trailer. It did scare some people in the theater, and the audience was utterly silent throughout. Good work.

Then came STARSHIP TROOPERS. Well, the effects are incredible, but, and it is as big a but as my own, I didn't get any sense of the performances. Two trailers, and not much in the realm of showing how these people act yet. The tattoo scene, caused some outburst of laughter in the audience. I'm there though, don't give a rat's grarled tail what anyone thinks too. Look the first star of the night's sky. (Star light star bright may I have the wish...)

Then without any goofy animated characters or sound trailers. AIR FORCE ONE began!

Ok, I ain't telling you a damn thing about how this film unfolds, other than it unfolds quickly. The score hurdles the film forward at a lightning pace. Real solid action entertainment. In my opinion FACE/OFF is better action film.

Why? Well Air Force One does have a couple of little bitty problems for me. One is an incredibly ill advised shot. And there is a character that seemingly has no motive that is never wrapped up that bothered those around me.

But that's nitpicking. When this film is in motion it flows better than the Fugitive (though it's not as good). And for the same reason, a good supporting cast. These include William Macy, Dean Stockwell, the crazy Russian from 2010, the VP as played by psycho bunny boiler, the First Lady, and a few others. Two characters didn't work for me, The First Daughter and a dutiful Secret Service Agent. I didn't buy their character's actions, because of the lack of depth in their performance.

But this film, is about movement. And at that level it soars. Harrison does a little Bruce Lee in this film. No Kung Fu. But, instead that look of loss when he kills someone. That's one of the things I loved about Bruce Lee is he can see the life he is taking, when life is the most precious thing to himself. Ford has those type of qualities. The Die Hard on Air Force One analogy is adequate, though not entirely so.

Why I say go see this film, is Harrison Ford and Gary Oldman. Both of these guys deliver the goods. Harrison seems to feel at ease with the role, and Oldman gives a good amount of character development for another finely portrayed bad dude.

At one point in the film, my friend Roland leaned over and said, "Wish I'd voted for him." Well, that's the primary lesson of the film for us geeks. Harrison Ford needs to be President. He wouldn't take crap from anyone, and he swings a mean stool. If some dictator somewhere in the world even nudged his troops in the direction of the good guys, he'd wipe em out. At the same time, he's a regular guy. A real whoop ass Prez.

Ol Gary Oldman has turned in two bad guys of such polar opposites, that you really must marvel at his wickedness. He does a great job of being a normal guy, inspired by an agenda which allows him to do the things he does. Watch his face for the signs of the nice guy, he's buried. Very cool.

The film is Harrison Ford's though. I feel this is stronger than either of his "Jack Ryan" pics, though not as good as Hunt For Red October. In the realm of big ol Passenger Jet's being taken over (albeit Air Force One is more like the Knightrider version of a Passenger Jet) this is the coolest.

Richard (special effects God) Edlund's effects crew's work is very good, with the exception of the previously mentioned ill advised scene. Tis a shame. Those jets are very cool, very cool. All in all an enjoyable film. Of course this is all in my opinion, and your opinion is every bit as valid. Voice it. If not on THE FORUM, then on Newsgroups. Don't be selfish with your thoughts, share them with others.

After the film, my friend Roland gave me a ride home, and introduced me to the ZAPPER. The ZAPPER looks like a racquetball racquet, but with a metal screen and a button. Press the button and swing it at the bug. You ELECTROCUTE the bug. A way cool bug killing toy. Hours of fun.

Then at 10:30 Robert Rodriguez called. We talked for the next two hours about all types of subjects, like two regular guys. That's probably is because we are just regular guys. At least we try to be. It's easy to be caught up in the whole, gosh golly gee whiz bit of being interviewed and recognized. It's alot of fun. But at the same time, there is a sort of creepiness to it. The idea that as you walk the earth like Kane from Kung Fu, you realize that everyone knows you are Kane from Kung Fu. They want your autograph because you were cool on that show, and they want to talk about walking on rice paper and sticky feet. Celebrity is a strange thing, and I have never really understood it till recently.