Forgive and forget? Nah, forget about forgiving and get the hell outta town..."

With those words of Debbie, the girlfriend in Gross Pointe Blank, I found a tiny bit o'salvation last night. I came home, tired as a dog, only to realize that the VHS copies I made weren't transferred correctly. I forgot the F1 edit button again. GRRRR...



Then, I make some dinner, and sit down to check on the president's "speech" and decide I don't feel like screaming at the tv. Then, I flip over to TBS and my slice of heaven awaits me. It's John Cusack as Martin Blank sitting with Adam Arkin, the therapist. A hit man going back to his ten-year high school reunion. This movie restores my faith in basically not giving a rat's ass about ridiculous and impossible situations. Witty, dark, political, filled with sharp dialogue...it's fabulous. Martin's "moral flexibility" allows him to be an independent hitman. Dan Akroyd chases him through the whole film, and they have a showdown in Debbie's kitchen before Martin asks her to marry him. In the midst of Joe Strummer, The Clash, Violent Femmes, Siouxsie Sioux, The Cure, and English Beat tunes! It doesn't get any better than this.



I immediately went to find the soundtrack and read the liner notes for the first time: he thanks Bill Clinton and Hunter S. Thompson. Yup, that's our Johnny! Doing it your own way is the only way. His rules apply to everyone except him. Just the thought I needed as I remembered that last night was the one year anniversary of my wallet being stolen in a movie theater. The zipper fell off the wallet I'm using now. Was that a sign or something? Not that it's done any real damage, the assholes that took it haven't tried anything. In this age of identity theft, it's good to remember that only amateurs hack into computers, professionals hack into people. My credit report's been clear, no fraud activity. Suze Ormann would be proud. And my, how I've been vigilant this year.



A quick search on amazon showed me that there is a Grosse Pointe part two, with even more songs from the film. That's how popular this movie was. My former best friend used to have Cusack film festivals back in 1988: we'd rent 16 Candles, Better Off Dead (two dollllaaars...), Eight Men Out, and One Crazy Summer and watch them back-to-back. There's one guy who'll never get an Oscar, he's simply not part of the Hollywood game. There is hope, however, if someone like Johnny Depp (that name again!) can be nominated for an Oscar for doing it his own way. Nothing is impossible to a willing heart.



Just don't lose your head. Between Depp, Cusack, and Weir? I think I watch the right Johnnys!



(And Happy 33rd Birthday to AnnLouise Pozzolano! My name "buddy" on Cropsey Avenue! Sorry I missed you at the 4/3 reunion dinner. I still think you should have a space and an "e" though, ha ha ha)