Six Brother Double Feature

[rsadelle]

This afternoon began with Four Brothers. It's just about what you would expect from the trailers, by which I mean that it's passably fun but not very good, and I totally called it that Mom was a social worker who knew too much. Of course, Mom's appearance as a ghost or memory or whatnot is a little odd and doesn't much seem to fit with the rest of the movie, but then the whole movie is a little odd. There's a nice shot of Marky Mark walking across the snow to lay the smack down on the bad guy, which was rendered completely hilarious by the "Oh, yeah" reaction of the audience who clearly didn't see it coming.

Garrett Hedlund's baby brother Jack is slashy with everyone. When he meets up with Green, I was expecting a little Jack/Green something-something, but it never went anywhere. Green's partner, by the way, is Josh Charles playing a corrupt cop; he seems to be making a career out of it. The real subtext of the movie is Jack/Bobby (Marky Mark). Bobby continually talks about how much Jack likes cock--Jack's protest that he likes boobs is a little weak--and Jack's end completely makes the pairing. He gets shot, and does he call for Angel or Jerry? No. He shouts for Bobby, who keeps yelling back at him to hold on. Then Bobby, who hid his tears at his mother's death, openly cries over Jack's body. It's completely irresistible.

And now a little Four Brothers snippet: Two Brothers

Being in Mom's room is way too weird, and Bobby knows that he'll cry again if he tries to go back in there, so instead he sits on the floor next to Jack's bed and listens to him play. It's nice, to be home again, with his brothers.

He's tired now, and he leans his head back against the bed and doesn't even say anything when Jack has to stop and brush the tears out of his own eyes.

Later, Angel's in his room with Sofi and Jerry's home with his family, and Bobby takes off his clothes and joins Jack on the bed. He kneels over him, and bends over and takes Jack into his mouth. He teases Jack about liking cock, but they both know he's the one who always does this.

He jerks off onto Jack afterwards, and Jack lies back with an arm across the pillow above his head. "You always make such a mess," he says, and his voice is slow and lazy. Sated.

"You love it."

"I love you, big brother." Jack kisses him, and it's like his voice, slow and lazy.

It's nice, to be home again, with his brothers.

Then, after a short walk across the parking lot for lunch (Brad and Jay) and ice cream (Brad and myself), we returned to the theater for The Brothers Grimm. It's very good, which is not what the dire predictions would have you believe. It's surprisingly funny, and I love the way fairy tale elements are woven through it without being explicitly mentioned--the glass slippers on the twelve girls, for example, and the way the queen sleeps on a pile of mattresses.

Plus there's a lot of Will/Jacob subtext, and the end definitely leaves it open for a Will/Jacob/Angelika happily ever after. I can't wait for the DVD, because there has to be a blooper reel that has Heath Ledger completing the kiss he nearly plants, at the urging of Peter Stormare's Cavaldi, on Matt Damon.

I did discover, based on this experience, that I really need a writing break between movies. I was so focused on the above Four Brothers snippet and on the Matt in my head that I had a hard time concentrating on the Matt on the screen. And so I give you a second snippet: the Matt in my head (original character het). [Confidential to Molly: This fits between the other two.]

Matt flies across the country, which he hates, and rents a car to drive up to Rebecca's. He checks into a hotel first, and sleeps for sixteen hours straight. Then he shaves, goes out for a haircut--cheap, but Rebecca doesn't like him with shaggy hair--and takes a shower.

He's waiting on the grass next to her door when she gets home from her evening walk. She smiles when she sees him.

"Matt!" She talks as she steps around him and unlocks the door. "I'd hug you, but I'm all sweaty and gross."

Matt follows her into the apartment. "I'll order pizza while you shower."

"Sounds like a plan." She drops her keys on the counter and closes the door to her bedroom.

Matt finds the number for the pizza place and places their order.

Rebecca's done before the pizza gets there, and he's already made himself at home by getting her a glass of water and himself a soda.

"Thanks." She drinks down half the glass in one long series of gulps and steps into the kitchen to refill it.

Matt pays for the pizza and tips the delivery guy generously. Rebecca always tips high, and he's getting into the habit.

He tells her stories about the set across the dining room table, and feels a glow every time he succeeds in making her laugh.

Her kitchen's almost too small for two people, and that makes it easy for him to catch her when she turns. He puts his hands on the counter on either side of her.

"Matt," she says, softly. It's not quite a warning.

He bends and kisses her, and he thinks maybe she kisses him back for a second.

She draws back. "Matt," she says again. "Matt, I don't want a relationship."

He tilts his head and presses his lips against her neck, nips at her skin. "It doesn't have to be a relationship. Just sex. No strings." He comes back up to kiss her lips again. "I see the way you look at me sometimes."

I appear to be in a present tense frame of mind these days.