The Writer's Life: The Writer's Life 8/9

Luc Besson first captured the attention of action fans with La Femme Nikita (1990), and continued with Leon: The Professional (1994). He has never pretended to be anything but a commercial film-maker. He is the screenwriter for the Transporter and Taken series. I hadn’t watched any of his flicks since The Fifth Element (1997), which was too outrageous for my taste. Born in Paris, he traveled extensively as a youth, the son of scuba instructors. He has 60 credits as a writer at IMDb, 22 as a director. Last night I watched Lucy (2014), courtesy of Netflix. I haven’t enjoyed a sci-fi movie as much as this one in a long time. The story is built around the theory that humans use only 10% of the capacity of the brain. The title character is forced into drug-running, a synthetic drug sewn into her intestines. The package breaks and her brain gradually moves toward 100% capacity. What will she do with it? I have no idea how accurate the science is -- and I don’t care. Has the science been legitimate in even half the sci-fi movies ever made? I was entertained. That’s all that matters. Does the film make profound statements? It touches on them but never descends into pretentiousness. The influence of several classics, especially 2001: A Space Odyssey, is obvious. Who better to play the title character than Scarlett Johansson, who has always exuded intelligence on screen? She is supported by an international cast that includes Morgan Freeman, who has perfected the role of the wise man. Reading the commentary section at IMDb, it seems Lucy is one of those works people either hate or love. One guy dubbed it the worst movie ever made, which is nonsense. I was surprised to find it is rated only 6.4 of ten at IMDb, where 272,000+ have weighed in on it. It did very well at the box office, bringing in $126 million in the U.S. alone on a budget estimated at $40 million. Film execs must love Besson, who has said: “Cinema never saved anyone's life, it is not a medicine that will save anyone's life. It is only an aspirin.” On a scale of five, I rate Lucy four. Another plus, it runs only 89 minutes.

Here’s a story I’m surprised hasn’t received more attention. Even the NY Post, which has a right bias and delights in the foibles of the left, devoted only a tiny space to it far from the front page. Presidential hopeful Bernie Sanders, who is unafraid to label himself a socialist, had just begun an address in Seattle when his microphone was seized by two women from Black Lives Matter. They accused the audience of “white supremacist liberalism.” Sanders vamoosed. While the item elicited a devilish delight from me and tempted me to resurrect a 60’s “Right on!”, I deplore the group’s method and know the charge is trumped up. Although a compelling argument can be made that the left’s social programs have been disastrous for many blacks, the hearts of liberals, if not their brains, were always in the right place. Jason L. Riley has addressed this in his best-seller: Please Stop Helping Us: How Liberals Make It Harder for Blacks to Succeed. Doesn't "racist" imply intentional behavior?

RIP NFL Hall of Famer Frank Gifford, 84, whose family listed his death as due to natural causes. He was an infinitely better player than broadcaster, starring first as a RB, then WR for the NY Giants. He was my first favorite football player. His matinee idol looks belied his toughness. He was involved in one of the most famous plays in league history, knocked cold by Eagles LB Chuck Bednarik, which forced him to the sidelines for an entire year. Here's a clip of it: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o1EHius5Y88

No luck selling books in Park Slope today.

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