Choke

So once upon a time, I was at a bookstore and I really wanted to try out a random book. I wasn't sure what to get to be honest, but I was attempting, as I so often do, to read more. But to be honest, unless you have a favorite author who writes a lot of books, or someone has recommended a book to you, you're not always sure on how to start. I loved Fight Club (the movie) and figured that it was an interesting perspective to tell a story. Chuck Palahniuk wrote the book, and since I'd already seen the movie Fight Club, I didn't want to read it. So I got another book of his, 'Choke'. Going on a bit of a tangent, one might ask why I wouldn't want to read the book after seeing the movie. I've always been adamant that you should always read the book before seeing the movie. I feel that you are likely to have the director's perception of what the author wrote, rather than your own. It really limits what your imagination comes up with.

So anyways. I read 'Choke' it seemed like 5 or 6 years ago. It was a quick read, but I remember thinking afterwards, this Chuck Palahniuk guy is a bit of an oddball. How someone comes up with a story like this is beyond me. But I watched the movie finally tonight. I'm aware its 415 am but I planned on falling asleep to the movie, only to finish the whole thing. I'm way behind on reviews, so I wanted to write this one while its still fresh in my head.

Sam Rockwell did a great job in this movie. This is the second film I've seen recently that included him, the other being Frost/Nixon, and I must admit, I'm more of a Sam Rockwell fan. The story is creative, and out there. I could see most movie watchers thinking that the movie is a bit graphic, or vulgar in nature, but at the same time, its kind of humorous how some view sex. Everyone values sex differently, but its interesting to hear a story from the angle of a guy that has sex with strangers, but has difficulty with any actual relationship. This movie takes it to the extreme, since I think many a guy actually has a similar problem, on a much smaller scale.

His best friend in the movie, Denny, played by Brad William Henke, is a big plus in my eyes. I like him as an actor, first seeing him in the ABC show, October Road. He's what I think most people would describe as a 'Gentle Giant'. Coincidentally, this is where I first saw Odette Yustman, so that show is a big winner in my eyes. The movie was well done, there's a good few twists and turns throughout the movie that will keep you on your toes. It's entertaining, but nothing that I would really rave about. For a second opinion, you can ask Dave Newbery, but I think that you won't be upset afterwards thinking you wasted 2 hours of your life, but I don't think you will have missed much if you don't take the time to watch it.

I give the movie 3 out of 5 Manatees.