Z/Web

I spent the morning at the courthouse going through jury orientation. I’m on call for the rest of the month and may have to serve, but I’ll have to wait and see if I get picked for a trial. I almost served on a jury in Santa Cruz, once, but was the 15th and they settled just before me (12 jurors and two alternates). It turns out November’s a good month to serve — with the holidays in the middle, it’s more like a half-month!

Director: Guy Ritchie

I like some of Ritchie’s other movies, but this one left me wanting more. It’s an interesting premise and sounds cool, but the conclusion is wimpy and the film doesn’t have the payout you’d expect. Basically we get into a typically convoluted plot about gangsters and druggies and schemers who all overlap and entangle, and usually the ending of such a film is quite brilliant. This one tries, and while the ending isn’t bad, it’s just missing a little something. After such a complicated setup, it ends abruptly, and there are gaps, pieces of the story left unfinished (at least it feels that way). It’s not bad, and quite fun in a lot of places, but ultimately you aren’t left with anything that special. I did find it interesting that the film ended with a clear indication of a sequel coming.