Re-watching snatch tonight. Not keen on statham playing XXXX
I'm just not diggin it.
now, first let me say... i do really like jason statham. my complaint isn't about that issue. but i'm not sure he's the one to fuse VLM with the original, in style and substance.
i know VLM will likely vary a great deal from the first film (sadly) but i keep hoping vaughn or someone (craig?) will step in and make some executive/artistic declarations to keep it true to the original themes/flavor/style, if no other reason for the allegiance of the fan base. (this film does have a huge cult following, led by me, the official Number One Worlwide Fan)
in a way, layer cake is an interesting study because it ('and the pigs finish what the dogs don't do' ...sorry, snatch is playing in the background as i type, couldn't resist. lol)
where was i?
...because it fell right there at 2004-05 when the business was at the precipice of radical changes. (in funding, distribution, etc) films and series in the ten years since 04 have been subjected to rules and qualifications not applied to earlier phases of the biz.
IMO layer cake / VLM is a textbook example of this. oh yeah, craig's and vaughn's metoeric rise is part of the story too. but vaughn could still dally with this one on the side, were the rudaments in place the way they were ten years ago, or beyond. but now, with the climate the way it is for producing and distributing (believe me, i have looked at all this. hard. plat?) nobody is willing to lay money on the line 'just to suit a small niche audience of cultish fans' .....they smell money, or no. it's as simple as that.
(if you have no idea what i am talking about, check out soderbergh's speech http://vimeo.com/65060864
as i said, i keep HOPING that there will be some piece of news trickle in someday where vaughn has stepped up to merge the sequel with the original, and fuse the two together as one cinematic wonder. the fans want it, i know. maybe not as many as are rabid about "spider man 14" (thank you kris turner) but it wasn't always about doing it for huge numbers. was it matt?
for now it looks like statham is gonna take it in another direction. i will keep hoping that it won't be a total departure from the original masterpiece
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Once there was a hushpuppy, and she lived with her Daddy in the bathtub.