Denzel, Darwin, food and aliens
Trying to find the right simile for the experience of watching " The Taking of Pelham 123," the NYC subway hostage drama starring John Travolta and Denzel Washington, I decided on this: It's like slightly upgraded fast food - familiar, bland, but with a little touch of upscale zestiness. A $7 Angus burger, say. Or a spicy chicken wrap.
In other words, it's pretty lousy. But as with certain fast foods, sometimes this kind of movie is exactly what you're hungry for. "Pelham" meets its own modest ambitions as a frenetic urban actioner, with all the players doing their usual shtick, professionally and adequately.
Director Tony Scott provides the satellite photo segues, the chase sequences, the manly profane dialogue and the product placements. Travolta is all ego and rage as the bad guy. And Denzel projects his trademarked decency and resolve as he walks away from the SWAT trailer in slow motion. This particular scene seems to be in every one of his movies; maybe it's mandated in his SAG contract.
The zestiness in this DVD package actually comes in the extras. In addition to the thorough making-of featurettes and commentaries, there's an interesting documentary on the insanity of NYC's 24-7 subway system.
For a heartier DVD entree, consider " The Genius of Charles Darwin," written and presented by marquee atheist Richard Dawkins (author of "The God Delusion"). This two-DVD set contains the original three-part British television documentary plus hours of uncut interviews and a 16-page viewer's guide.
More like a study guide, really. This DVD set feels like work, as Dawkins tackles Darwin's legacy from various historical and cultural perspectives. Fascinating, if you are at all interested in this sort of thing. "Genius" is as much about Dawkins as it is about Darwin, and it goes down nicely in a cultural eat-your-vegetables kind of way.
