I’m back in Lawrence, briefly, before my excursion beyond the pond. Just went and saw the movie ‘Crash’ with Kristen, a movie I hadn’t heard about or seen previews for since I haven’t watched TV or paid attention to movie news lately. She got free Fandango tickets from her parents, who couldn’t use them in Wichita. Our options were either ‘Crash’ or making fun of Paris Hilton in ‘House of Wax,’ and we chose the former.

I’m really, really, really glad we did. And not just cause I’m tired of seeing Paris Hilton’s trashy mug all over the place. ‘Crash’ is one of the best movies I’ve seen in a long time. Don Cheadle produced and stars in it, and he’s beginning to be one of my favorite actors. Apparently, from what Kristen told me, many of the big-name actors in the movie took a pay cut to do it, because they found the script so interesting. And yes, Ludacris, the rapper responsible for all the “Ho” songs, is in it, and he does a surprisingly excellent job.

I loved the movie, yet as with most movies that I like, I don’t know how to really describe it. ‘Crash’ is a movie about racism in America, but it’s more than that. I guess ‘the human condition’ or something corny like that. If I could put it more eloquently, I’d be a published writer and not a mere wannabe. My complaint with most ‘racism’ movies is that they tend to be rather heavy-handed and moralistic, but it doesn’t stick to this movie. Every single character, every bit of dialogue, was very convincing and real to me.

The plot follows the lives of several people in Los Angeles, spanning across different cultures, races, and classes. It might be a bit hard to follow for some people at first, because so many different characters are introduced, but I didn’t have a problem with the flow at all - the transitions were beautifully done. Cheadle and crew do a good job at tying all the disparate elements and storylines of the movie together. Dialogue: funny and intelligent. Acting: splendid. Story: damned compelling. I’m going to be mentally chewing on this movie for quite some time. (ed. - hehe. As soon as I read over that, I pictured a disembodied cerebellum chowing down on a DVD case. I didn’t call this blog ‘Bad Metaphor’ for no reason).

Go see it! And bring along some tissues (if you’re at all like me, you’ll need them. Damn).