PREMIUM RUSH

Action thriller

PRINCIPAL CAST MEMBERS

Joseph Gordon-Levitt: NYC bicycle messenger Wilee (as in Wile E. Coyote)

Dania Ramirez: Wilee’s ex-girlfriend Vanessa

Jamie Chung: Vanessa’s roomie Nima

Assif Mandvi: Raj, company dispatcher

Michael Shannon: NYPD Detective Robert Monday

Wolé Parks: Manny, another bicycle messenger

Christopher Place: NYPD bicycle cop

REVIEW

Clearly not an Academy Award candidate, it is nevertheless interesting enough watching a group of “kamikaze” bike riders do their thing along the streets of Manhattan. To crank up the action (as if there is not enough) a rogue cop wants to get his hands on the premium rush package before it gets delivered. Let the fun begin.

The crisp editing keeps things moving along and the unusual routes these delivery people take result in some comic moments to lighten things up, just in case you’re taking things too seriously.

  

CLASSIFICATION

for some violence, intense action sequences and language.

SOURCE CODE

Science fiction thriller

PRINCIPAL CAST MEMBERS
Jake Gyllenhaal: U.S. Army helicopter pilot Captain Colter Stevens
Michelle Monaghan: 28-year-old Christina Warren
Vera Farmiga: Air Force Capt. Colleen Goodwin
Jeffrey Wright: Source Code inventor Dr. Rutledge

REVIEW
Sci-fi fans will immediately recognize the time loop plot device in which time runs normally for a set period (in this case 8 minutes) then resets to the beginning and repeats as many times as required.

Couple that with the newest technology that allows the US military to use “time reassignment” that sends the subject to a place in time as someone other than himself and you have the makings of a very entertaining hour and a half.

There are some really good performances, the action is fast paced and the CGI quite good. My only one serious complaint is the fact the 8 minute sequences soon become a bit tiresome. Fewer sometimes is better.

CLASSIFICATION
for some violence including disturbing images, and for language.

FOR NITPICKERS ONLY
1. The Rotating product placement is one of my favourite nitpicks: from one shot to the next the item in question moves about without being touched so that the brand name is clearly seen. In this instance it is the Dunking Donuts bag on the seat beside Christina.
2. Colter gets off the Chicago-bound commuter train at the Glenbrooke station (the thinly disguised real Glenview station) and the platform clock behind him correctly shows the time to be 7:43 (the scheduled time for train #2116) the but the clock in the trackside station tower reads 4:10.
3. Colter passes by several bikes getting to the exit door; bikes are not permitted on this early morning train.
4. Given that the train is travelling north to south and he alights on the left hand side he would be in early morning shadow not bright sunlight.
5. The crane shot above the platform clearly shows downtown Chicago to be reasonably close; Glenbrooke station is a good 20 miles from the city.
6. Later with the train speeding towards its destination seeing Lake Erie on the right hand side means our point of view is from the East whereas train # 2116 is coming from the north.
7. Colter Is given a phone number to call beginning with 465. There is no such area code in the United States.

P.S.
Canadian comic Russell Peters plays it mostly straight but does have one stand-up routine worth a chuckle.

UNKNOWN

Thriller

PRINCIPAL CAST MEMBERS
Liam Neeson: Dr. Martin Harris
January Jones: his wife Liz
Diane Kruger: taxi driver Gina
Karl Markovics: Dr.Farge
Eva Löbau: Nurse Gretchen Erfurt
Bruno Ganz: former Stasi agent Ernst Jürgen
Sebastian Koch: seminar host Professor Bressler
Frank Langella: Martin’s longtime colleague Professor Rodney Cole

REVIEW
It is far too complicated to make any sense of it. And too long at almost two hours in part because the chase scenes go on forever.

But back to the storyline: there are far easier ways to accomplish the task at hand than this convoluted mishmash round-about method involving at least a half dozen people on both sides. It gets to the point there is no way of knowing what is real or not, why the bad guys (or are they the good guys?) are out to harm our hero.

After a while you just give up trying to figure things out because it does not make any sense, hoping that at the end the dénoument will clarify things. Well sorry to tell you but it doesn’t.

CLASSIFICATION
for some intense sequences of violence and action, and brief sexual content.

FOR NITPICKERS ONLY
• While in the taxi on their way to the hotel Dr. and Mrs. Harris pass a roadside clock that shows the time to be 8:37 but moments later he checks his cell phone and the time shown is 9:03.
• While checking in he tells the receptionist his name but she addresses him as Mister Harris, something that would never happen in a five star hotel.
• The Band-Aid he has on his forehead changes position from one scene to the next
• When Martin takes the subway he checks his watch; it reads 2:18 but a minute later when he alights the platform clock shows it to be 9:30.
• Unlike the real thing his Canadian passport has a clear film covering the photo page.

UNSTOPPABLE

Action/thriller
Based on a true story

PRINCIPAL CAST MEMBERS
Chris Pine: young train conductor Will Colson
Denzel Washington: veteran railroad engineer Frank Barnes
Ethan Suplee: yard shunter engineer Dewey
Lew Temple: shop welder Ned
Rosario Dawson: railroad yard manager Connie Hooper
Kevin Dunn: her boss Galvin, VP of Operations
Kevin Corrigan: Federal Safety Inspector Scott Werner

REVIEW
Anyone who has ever sat at a railway crossing watching a long freight train as it lumbers past can only be impressed with the awesome power of the engines and the tremendous bulk of the cars passing by. This movie effectively captures that display of force by viewing the train in question from various angles. The accompanying sound serves to enhance the experience.

However as with any suspense thriller, the less said the better other than to mention that the acting is terrific, the characters are convincing and by incorporating television news reports we are always kept abreast of the unfolding story. The crisp editing keeps things moving along at a good clip.

CLASSIFICATION
for sequences of action and peril, and some language.

FOR NITPICKERS ONLY
This is one of my classic all-time favourite nitpicks: at the end of the telephone conversation Frank’s daughter hangs up and he is left listening to the dial tone. In reality the dial tone is only heard after picking up the phone before dialling. That’s why it’s called a dial tone.

THE AMERICAN

Action/thriller

PRINCIPAL CAST MEMBERS
George Clooney: Jack
Johan Leysen: his boss Pavel
Paolo Bonacelli: an elderly priest, Father Benedetto
Thekla Reuten: Mathilde, Jack's last client?
Violante Placido: Clara, a prostitute

REVIEW
Although promoted as an “action suspense thriller” there is very little action of any consequence to interrupt the long interludes with nothing much happening at all. But the Italian countryside is lovely to look at (as are some of the people Jack encounters) so not all is lost.

Clooney’s performance is unlike his other films in that he is rather subdued and not very talkative. Mind you that’s all that is asked of him as this enigma of a man nearing the end of his career.

Some of the conversations Jack has are hard to make out, especially with the priest and one scene with Mathilde near the church. Because of this and the dearth of expository dialogue I left the theatre with more questions than answers about what had transpired.

CLASSIFICATION
for violence, sexual content and nudity.

FOR NITPICKERS ONLY
• Jack and Mathilde sit at adjacent tables at an outdoor café facing each other. She removes her sun glasses and puts them on the table beside the newspaper. However when the scene is viewed from over her shoulder she has the sunglasses in her hand.
• The church bell tolls once before Jack strikes the ball peen hammer and then 4 more times indicating it to be 5 o’clock but Jack’s watch shows it to be 6 o’clock.
• Jack pursues a car that comes to a crashing stop yet the windshield wipers continue to swish back and forth even though the engine is dead.
• Jack is about to take a photograph with his Nikon digital SLR camera and we see the subject through the viewfinder. Trouble is Nikon cameras have the Type B BriteView Clear Matte focusing screen with just one reference circle not three concentric ones.
• Jack and Mathilde are sitting in a roadside café. Although no one touches the little red plastic table marker, when he stands up it has moved from the side of the table to closer to where he was sitting.

SALT

Action, thriller

PRINCIPAL CAST MEMBERS
Angelina Jolie: C.I.A. officer Evelyn Salt
Liev Schreiber: Salt’s colleague and friend Ted Winter
August Diehl: Salt's husband Michael "Mike" Krause, a German arachnologist
Daniel Olbrychski: Orlov, a Russian defector
Chiwetel Ejiofor: C.I.A. Internal Affairs operative, Agent Peabody
Hunt Block: United States President Lewis

REVIEW
Once it gets going, the action never lets up with more chase scenes than any other movie currently in release. Salt proves she is a “one-woman” saviour to the world and capable of almost anything. And she pulls it off without too much assistance from the CGI wizards. How refreshing.

As with most films of this sort the plot is purposely convoluted and full of surprises. If nothing else, this labyrinthine spy thriller keeps you guessing.

CLASSIFICATION
for intense sequences of violence and action.

FOR NITPICKERS ONLY
• Following a flashback a title screen indicates we are back to present day. Some time later we see the tombstone of the U.S. Vice President with the year of his death shown incorrectly as 2011.
• Salt gets a scratch on her cheek, just below her left ear. It changes position from one scene to the next.

SHUTTER ISLAND

Thriller

PRINCIPAL CAST MEMBERS
Leonardo DiCaprio: U.S. Marshal Teddy Daniels
Mark Ruffalo: his partner Chuck Aule
John Carroll Lynch: Deputy Warden McPherson
Ben Kingsley: Dr. John Cawley, Chief psychiatrist at Ashecliffe Hospital
Max Von Sydow: Senior physician Dr. Jeremiah Naehring
Michelle Williams: Teddy’s wife Dolores
Patricia Clarkson: patient Rachel Solando

REVIEW
This is Leonardo’s show: he really gets a chance to show his acting skills and pulls it off beautifully. Perhaps his best performance ever? Not that the others are far behind mind you except for Ruffalo: he plays his character as a B-movie mob guy gangster that comes across as less than real, almost cartoonish.

The music is a strong element in setting the scene, even before the opening credits we know we’re into something mysterious. The camera work and overall look of the film is notable as well.

However with a running time approaching two and a half hours many will be anxious for this mystery thriller to end as it seems to go on forever.

CLASSIFICATION
for disturbing violent content, language and some nudity.

FOR NITPICKERS ONLY
• While travelling by boat to the island Teddy and Chuck are standing in the corner of a railing. Although they do not move, when they arrive part of the railing is no longer there.
• Dachau, a World War II concentration camp seen in flashback was liberated on 29 April 1945, well after the winter snow had melted.
• Although supposedly dead, the young boy laying down on the grass on the right hand side moves his left foot ever so slightly.

FIFTY DEAD MEN WALKING

Action, thriller
Based on a true story

PRINCIPAL CAST MEMBERS
Jim Sturgess: 22-year-old street hustler Martin “Marty” McGartland
Natalie Press: his girlfriend Lara
Kevin Zegers: Marty’s best friend Sean
Conor MacNeill: Frankie, another of Marty’s mates
Tom Collins: IRA Belfast Brigade leader Mickey Johnson
Ben Kingsley: British Special Branch interrogations officer code-named Fergus
Rose McGowan: senior member of the IRA

REVIEW
The situation in Northern Ireland is confusing at the best of times so it takes more than a dozen on-screen captions identifying some people and the occasional voice over to sort things out. Furthermore the thick Belfast accent often makes it impossible to comprehend what they are saying. I was fortunate in that the screening I saw had French subtitles which I used to “translate” the on screen dialogue. But one should not have to rely on a lucky happenstance to be able to understand what is being said.

A lot is going on and it’s not always clear what is happening nor why. So there are huge plot gaps. For example what was Marty’s motivation for his actions (revenge for what happened to his friend?). We should not have to guess at important things like that.

There are some fine performances by the main cast (well maybe not McGowan’s) and excellent work by the makeup department. The squeamish like me will have to avert their eyes about half way through when the IRA Internal Security Unit attempts to get a confession from a suspected “tout” or squealer.

CLASSIFICATION
for disturbing images, explicit portrayals of violence and language.

BURN AFTER READING

Crime comedy

PRINCIPAL CAST MEMBERS
John Malkovich: CIA analyst Osborne (Ozzie) Cox
Tilda Swinton: his wife Katie, a pediatrician
Frances McDormand: Linda Litzke, an employee at Hardbodies Fitness Center
Brad Pitt: her colleague Chad Feldheimer
George Clooney: Treasury agent Harry Pfarrer
Richard Jenkins: Ted Treffon,the manager of Hardbodies gym

REVIEW
Promoted as a “comedy thriller” it is anything but. There are several mildly amusing moments amidst a proliferation of swear words and there is absolutely nothing thrilling about it. Makes you wonder if it’s the same movie they are talking about than the one I saw?

The musical score is mostly heavy thumping bombastic percussion and often totally out of sync with what we see. Maybe we are supposed to see the humour in that?

There are some viewers who will be offended to see the machine Harry has invented. That kind of thing belongs in a pornographic movie not one for general audiences.

CLASSIFICATION
for pervasive language (they got that right: not two minutes into the film we get to hear our first f-word and there must be about a hundred more after that), some sexual content, and violence.

FOR NITPICKERS ONLY
 The video surveillance tape of Linda and Chad at the Russian Embassy shows the date to be May 1st but when Harry checks his cellphone the date shown is 17/9/2008, September 17th.
 When we first see the black car in Georgetown it is parked bumper to bumper with the white car behind it. After a quick shot of Harry’s reaction then back to the car it is now backing up with a space of at least 3’ still to go.
 Osborne pulls part way into the driveway and parks the car with the back end still on the sidewalk. When he comes out of the house to drive away it has neatly parked itself much closer to the wall.

P.S.
The Coen brothers, Joel and Ethan, are four-time Academy Award winning American filmmakers. For more than twenty years the pair have written and directed numerous successful films, including No Country for Old Men, Fargo and many others.

P.P.S.
I cannot recall any time when I’ve seen the audience leave the theatre so quickly. As soon as the end credits appeared almost everyone stood up and started to walk out. By the time the lights came on the theatre was almost empty. Guess they couldn’t get away fast enough.

THE UNKNOWN WOMAN

Thriller
In Italian with English subtitles
Original title: La Sconosciuta

PRINCIPAL CAST MEMBERS
Xenia Rappoport: Irena, an Ukrainian refugee
Alessandro Haber: the apartment building porter
Claudia Gerini: Valeria Adacher, wealthy jeweller
Clara Dossena: her 4-year-old daughter Thea
Pierfrancesco Favino: her father Donato
Piera Degli Esposti: their maid Gina
Michele Favino: Mold, a very nasty fellow

REVIEW
The first five minutes seem like an promotion for some pornographic website and then it’s all forgotten. Problem is, in no way is this an essential part of the story. In fact we’re left to guess what the heck is going on. Never did figure that out.

But that is just the first of many events that take place which don’t make any sense at all. Given that it is a thriller you expect some things to be something other than what they appear. But there is a limit to how many incomprehensible plot devices you can foist on the viewer.

Apart from that as soon as the story gets moving along we are subjected to a series of flashbacks giving us some idea of Irena’s earlier life. But the frequency they appear seems only to reinforce the porno website aspect of the whole thing.

One more thing: it’s too long at almost two hours.

CLASSIFICATION
for disturbing images, explicit portrayals of violence, full frontal nudity and sexual activity.

FOR NITPICKERS ONLY
Given its location it would be impossible for Irena to see the safe from the doorway of the workshop.

LUST, CAUTION

Original title: Se jie
In Mandarin with English subtitles

BACKGROUND
Imperial Japan invaded China in July 1937. The Japanese had neither the intention nor the capability to directly administer China. Their goal was to create a friendly puppet government favourable to Japanese interests. From these actions Japan would obtain a secured supply of raw materials and a market to ensure the prosperity of the Japanese home islands. However, the atrocities committed by the Japanese army made the governments that were set up very unpopular.

In conjunction with its military campaign in World War II, Japan invaded Hong Kong the day after the Pearl Harbour attack of December 7, 1941. The Battle of Hong Kong ended with the British and Canadian defenders surrendering control of the colony to Japan on Christmas day, December 25. During the Japanese occupation of Hong Kong civilians suffered from widespread food shortages caused by imposed rations and hyperinflation due to the forced exchange of their Chinese currency for military notes.

PRINCIPAL CAST MEMBERS
Tang Wei: Wang Jiazhi, the wife of Mr. Mak, a wealthy Hong Kong businessman
Tony Leung: Mr. Yee, security head of the puppet Chinese government Wang Leehom: Kuang Yumin, young leader of a resistance group

REVIEW
The one thing you need to see this one through is patience. It is long, way too long at 2 hours and 40 minutes. Case in point: the first half-hour is devoted primarily to watching four ladies play mah-jongg while they rattle on about the world around them at such a rate it’s hard to keep up with the subtitles flashing by. Good editing would cut this down to a couple of minutes to include the telling glance Wang Jiazhi gives Mr. Lee. That’s the essence of it. There is no need to drag it out for 30 minutes, when 3 minutes will suffice.

Having set the pace, it continues to advance ever so slowly including lengthy scenes from a student play and a couple of musical interludes that really have nothing to do with the plot. They serve no purpose other than to showcase the talent of these people. But that’s not what we came to see.

Buried in all this is some fine acting, a lot of which is non-verbal. But the overall impression is one of being too long and too weighty.

CLASSIFICATION
for several explicit, graphic, prolonged sexual encounters, the hallmark of hardcore pornography.

P.S.
Some viewers will find it difficult to watch the extended sequence of the knifing about three-quarters of the way through.

EASTERN PROMISES

Thriller

BACKGROUND
Gulag (an acronym for Glavnoye Upravleniye Ispravitelno-trudovykh Lagerey i kolonii) was the government body responsible for administering prison camps across the former Soviet Union. These camps are primarily known as a place for detaining political prisoners and as a mechanism for repressing political opposition to the state. But they also housed criminals of all types. During Stalin’s dictatorship a new system arose, the vory v zakone which is roughly translated as the "thieves in law". The members adopted a code of "complete submission to the laws of criminal life, including obligations to support the criminal ideal, and rejection of labour and political activities."

In order to be accepted prospective members must demonstrate considerable leadership skills, personal ability, intellect and charisma. Once accepted they are given the title vory and must live according to the code. The penalty for violation of this code is mutilation or death. Acceptance into the group was often marked by extensive tattooing. The tattooing would often be indicative of rank within the society and/or noteworthy criminal accomplishments.

Under the code of the vory, each member must...
 Never, under any circumstances, work or live only on means gleaned from thievery.
 Keep secret information about the whereabouts of accomplices (i.e. dens, districts, hideouts, safe apartments, etc.).
 In unavoidable situations (if a thief is under investigation) to take the blame for someone else's crime; this buys the other person time of freedom.
 Have good command of the thieves' jargon ("Fenya").
 Not gamble without being able to cover losses.
 Teach the trade to young beginners.
 Not lose your reasoning ability when using alcohol.
 Have nothing to do with the authorities, not participate in public activities, nor join any community organisations.
 Not take weapons from the hands of authorities; not serve in the military.
 Make good on promises given to other thieves.

After the break-up of the Soviet Union in 1991 the vory assumed a leading role within the Russian criminal hierarchy, the so-called Russian Mob (aka the Russian Mafia) and has now extended itself beyond the frontier of the country.

PRINCIPAL CAST MEMBERS
Naomi Watts: Anna Khitrova, a midwife in a London hospital
Jerzy Skolimowski: her uncle Stepan
Armin Mueller-Stahl: Semyon, owner of the Trans-Siberian restaurant
Vincent Cassel: his son Kirill
Viggo Mortensen: Semyon’s driver and bodyguard Nikolai

REVIEW
Being a thriller not too much can be said about it without giving away the whole thing. With great acting throughout and a good story line coupled with crisp editing it makes for a fine movie. Adequate time has been given so the characters can reveal themselves in bits and pieces as to who they really are. Yet it is only 1½ hours long. On that basis it’s probably a 4 star movie.

However the violence is just a little too much. The first instance occurs within 5 minutes of the opening credits which more or less sets the tone of what is to come. Anyone who flinches at the sight of blood had better think twice about going to see this movie. The violence culminates with a fight in a Turkish bath which so shocked some people in the audience you could hear audible gasps from the more squeamish (me included).

CLASSIFICATION
for strong, brutal and bloody violence (and they ain’t kiddin’), some graphic sexuality, language and nudity (mostly male).

FOR NITPICKERS ONLY
When Nikolai pays for “services rendered” he lays a card on top of the money and then we see him make some remark. When the camera returns to her we see she has not moved but the card has and is now no longer on top of the cash.

THE BRAVE ONE

Drama\thriller

PRINCIPAL CAST MEMBERS
Jodie Foster: Erica Bain, a 40-something NYC radio talk show personality
Naveen Andrews: her fiancé David
Terrence Howard: NYC Police Detective Sean Mercer
Nicky Katt: his partner Detective Vitale
Mary Steenburgen: Erica’s boss Carol

REVIEW
The trouble with any review of a thriller is not to give away too much. With that in mind several things need be said:
 this is Jodie Foster’s best performance in quite some while. The role calls for a wide range of human emotion and she pulls it off big time.
 the supporting cast is first rate
 the production values are top notch (cinematography, costume design etc)

Despite the fact it runs almost two hours, there’s not a lot that could be edited out. In fact time goes by quickly enough since there is a certain element of uncertainity that keeps you attentive.

One cautionary note: there are some scenes of violence but it’s not something most people can’t handle.

CLASSIFICATION
for violence, profanity, sexual situations, brief nudity.

FOR NITPICKERS ONLY
When Detective Mercer is shot he shouts into his walkie-talkie “10-13, 10-13”. This is the police 10-code requesting weather and road conditions. It seems entirely out of place. A 10-43 (call a doctor) would have been more appropriate given his circumstances.

RED ROAD

Thriller
In heavily accented Glaswegian (a Scottish dialect) with English subtitles (I kid you not)

BACKGROUND
The Closed Circuit Television Cameras (CCTV) initiative was set up under the United Kingdom Home Office Crime Reduction Programme in 1998 with £170 million funding of 684 CCTV projects. CCTV is a situational measure that enables a locale to be kept under surveillance remotely. This makes it possible for the police, and other law and regulatory agencies such as private security, to respond to incidents when alerted, and to have information about what to look for when they arrive.

These cameras have been installed in a wide range of locations, including car parks, town and city centres, and residential areas. The camera images are viewed in control rooms by licensed Public Space Surveillance CCTV Operators who watch over the banks of monitors. Each is connected to a recording device of some sort, where they are available to be watched, reviewed and/or stored.

Recently Britain has become the first country in the world where the movements of all vehicles on the roads are recorded. A new national surveillance system will hold the records for at least two years. Using a network of cameras that can automatically read every passing number plate, the plan is to build a huge database of vehicle movements so that the police and security services can analyse any journey a driver has made over several years.

“The network will incorporate thousands of existing CCTV cameras which are being converted to read number plates automatically night and day to provide 24/7 coverage of all motorways and main roads, as well as towns, cities, ports and petrol-station forecourts.”

PRINCIPAL CAST MEMBERS
Kate Dickie: Jackie, a Glasgow CCTV Operator with City Eye Control, Division E
Tony Curran: Clyde Henderson, someone Jackie recognizes
Martin Compston: Clyde’s roommate Stevie
Natalie Press: his girlfriend April

REVIEW
Although the slow pace and paucity of dialogue may be of annoyance to some, the use of this technique allows us to figure out for ourselves what is going on without having to be told. Relying more on the visual aspect of story telling (rather than the usual emphasis on the narrative) the blurry, dark, poorly lit images and the frequent use of a hand held camera serve to set the mood as does the crisp editing.

The acting throughout is top notch and the stark realism of this seedy part of a big city is depicted with clarity.

CLASSIFICATION
for nudity, language and some violence but should be X for the graphic, explicit, prolonged sex scene portion.

F.Y.I.
Trifle: Noun. Slang for an alcoholic drink.
A fiver: Noun. A five-pound note.
Wanker: Noun. A contemptible person or an idiot or an incompetent person. Term not used in polite society.
50 p = fifty pence, half a pound.
Bird: Noun. Slang for a female.

PREMONITION

Drama, thriller

PRINCIPAL CAST MEMBERS
Sandra Bullock: Linda Hanson, homemaker
Julian McMahon: her husband Jim
Kate Nelligan: her mother Joanne
Nia Long: her best friend Annie

REVIEW
I don’t think they should shoot a movie based on the first draft of the screenplay. Especially when the main premise is about time-shift. There has to be some logic to it so we, the viewers, at least have a chance of figuring it all out by ourselves.

Had they done a rewrite, the movie would have been less convoluted and without so many loose ends. As it stands, it’s a mess and you walk out with that unsettling feeling of “wot happened?”

CLASSIFICATION
for some violent content, disturbing images, thematic material and brief language.

FOR NITPICKERS ONLY
When Linda is speaking with the priest his left arm is either draped over the back of the pew or bent in front of him depending upon which point of view is on screen.

P.S.
Product placement is so blatant: every shot of Linda in her SUV lingers on the Ford crest on the grill and when she goes to her husband’s office I swear every car in the parking lot is a Ford SUV, all nicely lined up facing us so we can see the crest. If you will excuse the pun all I can say is how pedestrian.