Again, I pose the question… where to begin? I could talk about the myriad of movies I have seen recenlty – The Italian Job, 28 Days Later and a couple others. I could go on about the visit from Tony and Allison, I could discuss the additions I am making to the pond in the back yard (henceforth known as ‘Turtle World”) or I could take a deep breath and calmy relay the story of how some piece-of-shit asshole busted into my truck and boosted my stereo system and iPod. I could talk about what I would do with my Louisville Slugger if I could have ten minutes alone with the pile of human waste that would do this. I could relay the ‘counselling’ he would be given upside his temple and the ‘rehabilition’ his spine alignment deserves for such a cowardly and despicable act….

Ah… I guess I will talk about the movies – I wouldn’t want it to be on record as premeditated if the chance did come up to affect his recidivism rate.

The Italian Job was a fun jaunt – and periodic shots of Charlize Theron didn’t hurt it one bit. First off, I thought this remake of the 1969 movie of the same name was a nice update. Folks will notice the homage to Michael Caine’s version playing on Edward Norton’s TV. Speaking of Norton… I am a huge fan and cannot remember finding fault with any previous performance – but I think his strength in the ‘bad guy’ arena is more of a psychotic… his attempt a true ‘heavy’ did not work for me. He is just not imposing enough… The characters were fun although Jason Statham’s Handsome Rob character did not get to show he was the “best wheelman” around as the big chase scene involved three drivers. Seth Green did a great job and that can be attributed to knowing the kind of role that Green excels in. Lyle, ‘The Napster’ is a role perfectly suited for him.

The banter was typical witty exchange and tough quy quips, but it flowed well and didn’t get in the way of the movie. Speaking of not getting in the way – Director, F. Gary Gray (The Negotiator, Friday) did a fine job of staying out of the way and just telling the story. Hats off to him. Overall, it was a fun flick.

RATING 7 out of 10