Cool, Baby

Over the weekend, I managed to catch Collateral, the new Tom Cruise/Jamie Foxx vehicle. I’ve always liked Michael Mann’s work. Heat was brilliant and Manhunter is, in some ways, better than Silence of the Lambs. Collateral is a kind of noir ode to Los Angeles, especially the after-dark version of LA. Much of the movie shows the characters driving from one location to another, eating in their cars, practically living in their cars. It’s all about the sprawl of the city and the vaguely disconnected ambiance of its office towers and nightclubs, which the film depicts with great success.
It’s supposed to be in the 60s all week around here. I think I’ve only turned on my air conditioner twice all summer. Good for my energy bills, but I’d still like a couple more blasts of summer heat before the long and interminable winter settles in.
Here’s a promo for the new Star Trek: The Original Series. The tone of the ad is a bit schizophrenic: 60’s camp meets 70’s funk. But it still works.