Brandon hearts Statham (but so do I)

I read your post right after I posted my most recent one. THANK YOU! I feel validated. Your comments about Michael Bay went beyond what I was trying to say, but I agree. There are a lot of successful working directors out there who know how to put a picture together but don't really have a vision of their own. I wouldn't hold them to the same standard to which I'd hold an auteur, because they're not trying to do the same thing. They've set out to make a crowd-pleasing film and have been chosen for their ability to choose people who can get the job done, who themselves have vision but maybe for a smaller piece of the pie. When I watched the Transformers making-of video I was all set to defend Bay, but it sounds like he needed convincing to do the picture at all, and even then seemed to be in it for the experience of making the film more than the film itself. I could totally buy him signing on for ten more films because of the money he stands to make off them. But I don't want to shortchange all the other talented individuals who are actually putting their creative energies into a project to try to make it as good as it can be. I'll often appreciate a movie more once I've seen the behind-the-scenes featurette, even if I didn't like the movie all that much upon first viewing. Sometimes it helps to have more context, though a superb film shouldn't need it. Nevertheless, when I hear people talking about the vision behind even the dumbest comedies, it helps me to be able to enjoy them more.

I knew it was a Statham film, if not The Mechanic. I went back and reread your post and realized I was mixing up your love of Statham with the film itself. I'm not a huge action film buff, basically I love the Die Hard movies and I love Jason Statham. I've watched Lock, Stock, and Snatch, all three Transporters, both Cranks (Chev Chelios is the weirdest and coolest name for an action hero), and Death Race (I haven't given The Expendables the time of day. I want Statham to be the only star in his film). Conversely, I could count on one hand all the Stallone, Van Damme, and Steven Seagal films I've seen.

On a side note, I'd wager that the most homoerotic fight scene in recent history is in Eastern Promises, though I haven't seen The Mechanic to compare it.