rock over London. rock on, Chicago.

I got a mohawk last night. and the Spurs won twice on the road. fuck you, Josh and Mike.

last nite’s feature:
The Guns of Navarone

this movie, from what I’ve read, came in a string of big budget WW2 action films. you had “The Longest Day” (which has this scene with John Wayne where he’s kicking it in this empty hangar, then an aide comes up to him and tells him that the invasion of France is on and he takes his cup of coffee and just throws the motherfucker down on the floor and starts running) and “The Great Escape.” little known fact: “The Great Escape” was actually called “Steve McQueen is Awesome” in Europe.

this movie stars Gregory Peck, David Niven, and Anthony Quinn as a man so hard that he doesn’t even have to act it.
Gregory Peck is, well, Gregory Peck. the dude was a film icon. he plays the action film star of the 60s to a hilt – stiff pants riding almost up to his belly button, barrel chested, just a hint of stubble and a good tan – and manages to not only scale a rock wall, kill him some kraut scum, and be dazzling, but he gets to make out with a hot chick at the same time.
Anthony Quinn’s character is way too real for you. the guy is a conflicted man (who smokes an awesome looking pipe), whose hatred for that smarmy asshole Peck is only overcome by his seething hatred for those evil nazi bastards. he also doesn’t mind kicking a woman’s ass, or beating up janitors who don’t habla englais. both of these things take place during the film.

as far as the actual movie goes, it’s okay. it follows a British commando team that is charged with blowing up two big ass German radar targeting guns that totally own an important passage in the Aegean sea, so ships can pass by them and rescue a regiment of stranded British soldiers.
the team’s got the regular assortment of idiots: the conflicted one, the young guy, the comic relief, the Gregory Peck (played by Gregory Peck), the inevitable love interest, the physically scarred ex-con who does some soul searching and finds god, the minority, and the Judas.
I made a lot of those up. try and guess which ones!

it’s not a bad film by it’s time period’s standards. it’s the kind of film my dad would recommend we watch on some saturday on Turner Classic Movies. but, it is jingoistic, simplistic, unbelievable, hard to follow, and shot in technicolor.
so in other words, not to be missed!
besides, if you miss it, Anthony Quinn (who is among the hardest of the hard) will rise from his grave and beat your bitch ass. he’s the man in this movie.