From the Vaults: Blogorium Review - Kiss Kiss Bang Bang

editor's note: apparently, I never re-posted this review of Shane Black's Kiss Kiss Bang Bang which, in retrospect, was probably a good idea. Don't get me wrong - I stand by my endorsement of the film and you'll find Kiss Kiss Bang Bang mentioned frequently in the Blogorium, but it's only fair to add my initial reactions, as inarticulate as they may be. Additionally, I have no idea what's going on in the last paragraph.

I never understood what the big deal was about Shane Black; I mean, I like Lethal Weapon, and I never saw The Last Boy Scout but I did also like The Long Kiss Goodnight, but not in the kind of way you'd ever say "holy crap! you need to see those movies!!!" and I thought it was cool that he was in Predator, but then again what about Predator isn't cool? (that's not a question I intend for you to answer because the answer is nothing about predator isn't cool. period end of discussion) but I never got the whole deal about him being this big time Hollywood script writer who was envied in the same was Joe Ezsterhas was until Jade came out.

also, we'll just ignore Last Action Hero, eh? I remember as a youngster that something was wrong with a 90% empty theater on opening night, let alone the sheer awfulness that is Last Action Hero)

That was, until I saw Kiss Kiss Bang Bang. Now I understand what all the fuss was about, and why it's such a damned shame that he's been MIA for 9 years in Hollywood. See, it has to do with all the legions of idiot script doctors hired to make a script more "palatable to the idiots in middle america" (and yes, that does include Joss Whedon who contributed the most groan-worthy line of ALL TIME to X-Men because even though Arnold's puns in Batman and Robin sucked it was still Arnold so you were expecting it) and as I'd never read Shane Black's drafts for Lethal Weapon or The Long Kiss Goodnight, I was judging his work based on the movie up on the screen. However, Kiss Kiss Bang Bang is Black unfiltered, without any of those idiots who "punch up" a draft (*cough*toadstruckbylightning*cough*) and accordingly, it's one seriously subversive mystery-comedy-action-thingy ever to be released in too few theaters and accordingly forgotten about two weeks later. Which makes sense. This is the kind of movie where someone hands you a copy and says "holy crap! you need to see this movie!" and you don't believe them because they told you to watch Junebug and The Chumscrubber and you think maybe their threshold for good movies is a little more lax than yours but you watch it anyway and holy crap, they're right. It's about time Robert Downey Jr and Val Kilmer got their chance to shine and by gawd not drop the ball, and sure as shit they run with it.

Anyway watch it and if you disagree and think it's overcooked and too self aware then whatever because I still like Junebug and I still like the fuckin' Chumscrubber and Joss Whedon should've known better than to stick a Buffy joke into an X-Men movie. Otherwise I'm cool with him except for Speed which would've tanked and tanked hard were it not for his contributions, and then maybe just maybe those pieces of shit Matrix movies never would've happened.