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Film:  Transporter 3

There's an absurd genius going on in films like this.  On the one hand, they are utterly terrible and almost unwatchable.  Cringeworthy dialog.  Completely absurd situations.  But you would be foolish to think the filmmakers are not aware of it.  The principal organizing factor is handcuffing your hero.  In this film, Jason Statham is handcuffed to a girl and his car.  They will both literally explode from an explosive bracelet if they get outside of 75 feet from the car.  This makes for all sorts of insane set pieces, including the car sinking in water, the car driving on top of a train, etc.

I find a strange inspiration from films like these, who take a basic populist pleasure in action-cinema.  I am reminded of being a young man and the coded messages in such movies about bravery, doing good, having strength, and so forth.  I actually don't think they are such bad lessons to learn.

Watched Sorcerer the other night and it reminded me of a saying that the ancients only valued courage.  I loved the end when the people were cheering and happy for Roy Scheider because he was brave (in contrast to hating gringos during the earlier part of the film).  Same message (although the movie is changed by the end beat when the guys come for him).

Reading a book right now that describes Orwell's opinion of Kipling: when he was young, he loved Kipling, as he got to be a teenager and twenty-something, he despised him.  Later on, he grew to appreciate him again.  The actual detail of the reading-relationship was more nuanced, but basic premise holds.  I'm wondering if I will come back to enjoying just the dumb B-action films of my youth, the Segal, Schwarzenegger films.