Alex looks at the one question he asks himself almost every time he watches a movie.<\/em><\/p>\n

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About halfway through watching any given movie at home, a particular thought goes through my head. It doesn\u2019t matter how many times I have seen the movie I\u2019m watching, or if I am watching the movie for the first time. Invariably, I\u2019ll end up asking myself the same question, regardless of the situation: is this the last time I\u2019ll ever watch this movie?<\/p>\n

As I was watching The Color of Money recently, I came to the conclusion that I was about as sure as I can be that I will never watch this movie again. Barring James and I doing a really extensive Martin Scorsese, Paul Newman or Tom Cruise podcast, I will never have a reason to watch it as \u2018research,\u2019 as the movie wouldn\u2019t rank as one of the most interesting works in any of those filmographies. I suppose if we do a retrospective of Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio\u2019s career I\u2019ll have to watch it again, but that\u2019s the only reason I would watch a movie again that I don\u2019t particularly care about either way. This isn\u2019t exactly a movie you suggest to a friend, and it certainly isn\u2019t one you try to get a girlfriend to watch. Thematically, the movie isn\u2019t particularly interesting; the Iggy Pop cameo is not a commentary on Reaganomics. It\u2019s just a very watchable movie starring very watchable actors.<\/p>\n

I had seen The Color of Money once before, about six or seven years ago when I was becoming the Paul Newman superfan I am now, and I didn\u2019t exactly love it. I had been wanting to watch it again, however, and I found that pretty much everything I thought then, I still feel now. It\u2019s an entertaining, but mostly forgettable, movie that can basically be boiled down to a sort of \u2018Rounders, but instead they play pool and Knish has a way bigger role.\u2019 Or Martin Landau\u2019s character, I suppose. A mix of both. Whatever.<\/p>\n

The problem with realizing this was that, while I didn\u2019t care much for the movie, there were a number of moments that I loved. This movie has some really unique cinematography, particularly in the pool scenes (and I don\u2019t mean unique in a \u2018he really loves collecting snap bracelets\u2019 sort of way). Paul Newman is predictably enjoyable, and Tom Cruise is actually kind of great, particularly in the Werewolves of London scene. Cruise\u2019s character is so over the top that his performance is essentially the personification of Christopher Walken (as Bruce Dickinson) saying, \u201cCock of the walk, baby!\u201d And Cruise nails it<\/a>.
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