One of the more interesting things about this upcoming weekend in film is Need For Speed, the latest video game turned movie that also looks to be a franchise starter for Aaron Paul. Paul, coming off the role of a lifetime as Jesse on Breaking Bad, is now looking to do what any longtime series regular on a career-making television show: figure out what’s next.
It’s why Need For Speed gets me interested about film this week … mainly because it’s the first big step for Paul following the AMC television show that made his career. Before being Jesse Pinkman the biggest thing that he’d been known for was a stint on Big Love. He had a ton of roles and was a working actor, of course, but he was just another background character or one shot episode actor until then. Paul turned out to be so good in the role that the plan to kill him off in the first season wound up being cancelled, allowing for a pronounced and profound character arc throughout the show.
Pinkman was a character who turned out to be finely tuned in his hands early on and I imagine the long term arc of the entire show changed because of how good Paul was. Vince Gilligan planned out the series from season one on, of course, but I think his plan was initially a bit different and the addition of Jesse in the morality play of Walter White wound up being the best thing for Gilligan. I’m not sure the show would’ve hit the heights it would’ve hit without the inclusion of Jesse Pinkman for the length of the show, as well as without Aaron Paul.
It was an unlikely combination that managed to work and leaves a profound mark on television history; if Aaron Paul never did another acting project again, and devoted himself to the charity work that marks his free time, he’d always have a spot in small screen history. Unlike Bryan Cranston, who had a fairly distinguished career before being cast as Walt, this was Paul’s big break and something that defined a large portion of his professional career.
It’s why the fact that his first big project after that show is Need for Speed, a Fast & Furious looking clone based off a fairly successful video gaming franchise about car racing, is interesting. This feels like Paul cashing in on all the fame immediately as NFS looks like it could be a franchise for him of some substance. If we can get seven Fast & Furious films and counting then this shouldn’t have that much of a problem doing something similar.
I can’t blame him, either, as I imagine that a film franchise can be lucrative and this is the absolute best spot he’ll ever be in as an actor. He was terrific in the little seen Smashed and after Bad I can see why he’d go for the franchise action film. This is his chance to get walk away money and I can’t blame him for it. If the film is as big a hit as the Vin Diesel/Paul Walker films he’ll have the chance to do the films I imagine he wants because he’ll have the clout to do so.
Stuff for General George S. Pimpage, Esq
From elsewhere in the Inside Pulse Network:
I reviewed a pair of Blu-Rays, Instructions Not Included and The 300 Spartans. Neither were all that impressive.
Travis had a similar opinion as to mine about the 300 sequel.
And now on MMC … we DO THE HARLEM SHAKE!
If you want to pimp anything email it to me with a good reason why. It helps to bribe me with stuff, just saying ….
A Movie A Week – The Challenge
This week’s DVD – Three Days of the Condor
Joseph Turner, code named Condor (Robert Redford) is a CIA Analyst who walks out for lunch on an ordinary weekday when he finds his entire station wiped out. On the run, and unable to tell who’s on his side and who wants him dead, Condor is forced to use all the tricks he only read about to figure out a wild conspiracy within the hall of Langley. Thus is the Cold War thriller Three Days of the Condor.
After the spy film has essentially turned into an action genre in modern times it’s interesting to see this, much like The Conversation, as the sort of old school spy noir that is more focused on building to something needing revealing. This isn’t one with a lot of twists as it’s more like an onion; there’s lot of layers to it.
It’s an interesting film for the time period and in Redford’s career. This was during the two decades of his most important work as an actor, for lack of a better word, as this was one of the films that will be used to define his legacy. Condor was a year before probably his best work in All The President’s Men and is in that roughly 20 year stretch that featured those two films, The Sting, Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid and essentially concluded with The Natural.
Redford had that swagger to him that Brad Pitt had for the 90s and early 2000s. It was easy for him to play that cool, suave guy with a slight sophistication to him. Turner is kind of a bookish nerd, very out of character for Redford to play, but he doesn’t play him with a naiveté either. It’s interesting to see Redford play against his instincts, and type, and play the guy who’s putting the pieces together as opposed to already having solved the puzzle in his mind.
It‘s an interesting bit of work for him and a terrific film. This is the sort of film that wound up becoming a template for the spy thriller action film of the 80s and beyond. Between this and what the Bond films end up becoming you see where the genre was headed. Redford laid the groundwork for two ‘80s staple genres, the buddy action film and the action spy thriller, during his peak years as an actor.
The crazy thing is that he’s had plenty of great work after … but this was a fairly impressive peak period and Condor is a very different role (and film) than the rest of it. I like to think of this as a spiritual first film in spy franchise that encompasses this, Spy Game and perhaps the upcoming Captain America sequel.
It’s interesting that Redford will have three films with spy convocations to them in three different eras of film and three different moments of his career. This was Redford the young man, at the height of his powers. Spy Game was Redford the aging mentor type, lending his star power in the service of the man many pegged as the next generation’s version of him. Winter Soldier looks to be Redford as the older man, the one lending his gravitas and experience as the elder statesman.
Strongly recommended
What Looks Good This Weekend, and I Don’t Mean the $2 tall boys of Red Fox and community college co-eds with low standards at the Fox and Hound
Need for Speed – Jesse Pinkman gets revenge against Iron Man’s Dad … with cars
See it – There’s no CGI with the stunts, which makes it worth the view.
The Single Moms Club – Tyler Perry’s latest opus, about how awesome single moms are or something.
Skip it – It’s Tyler Perry … nuff said.
Bad Words – Jason Bateman enters spelling contest against kids and is a foul mouthed goon. In limited release.
See it – Jason Bateman cursing out small children is always worth it.
Veronica Mars –The television show lives on as a movie. In limited release.
See it – Fans of the show forked over $2 million to a Kickstarter and that alone would get my interest. So far the trailer looks like it’s designed for someone who wasn’t a fan of the show to be able to watch it and be able to follow along.
Scott “Kubryk” Sawitz brings his trademarked irreverence and offensive hilarity to Twitter in 140 characters or less. Follow him @ScottSawitz .
