Do You Feel Lucky?

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Monday, January 26, 2009

Plot Keywords from IMDB.com for the New Liam Neeson Flick Taken

I'm not sure what this particular imdb.com feature is for, but it does give one an almost haiku-like, fractured, cubist-imagery understanding of what the film might be about! Check it:

Plot keywords for
Taken (2008/I) More at IMDbPro »
Human Trafficking
Female In Bra And Panties
Tortured To Death
Profanity
Translation
Shot In The Stomach
Extortion
Tattoo
Shot In The Arm
Handcuffed To Pipe
Knife
One Word Title
Cut Arm
Tape Recorder
Electrocution
Stabbed In The Arm
Attempted Murder
Spit In The Face
Drug Addiction
Flashback Sequence
Karaoke
Neck Breaking Scene
Stepfather
Stealing Car
Raised Middle Finger
Car Crash
Climb Through Window
Shot In The Forehead
Pop Star
Revenge
Shot Through Window
Corruption
Kicked In The Face
Hit In The Throat
Boat
Impersonating A Police Officer
Fall From Height
Chase Scene
Girl In Bra And Panties
Murder
Dragging Body
Thrown Off Balcony
Elevator
Held At Gunpoint
Pistol Whip
Auction
Stabbed In The Chest
Shot In The Back
Car Chase
Torture
Shot In The Leg
Prostitute
Jump Through Window
Revenge Motive
Paris
Strangulation
Immigrant
Screaming
Blood Splatter
Chase On Boat
Corpse
Father Daughter Relationship
Bodyguard
Shot To Death
Shot In The Shoulder
Kicked In The Crotch
Trapped In Elevator
Camera Phone
Tied To Bedpost
Door Slam
Stabbed In The Leg
Ex Wife
Shot In The Chest
Overturning Car
Martial Arts
Virginity
Champagne
Shootout
Sex Trade
Birthday Party
Surveillance
Deception
Hiding Under Bed
Agent
Kidnapping
Foot Chase
Concert
Kick Door In
Broken Mirror
Righteous Rage
Tied To Chair
Punched In The Face
Jumping Off Bridge
Needle
Explosion
Divorced Couple
Hit By Truck
Abduction

WOW! Read through all that at high speed - you tell me the effect is anything but cinematic!

I'm really grooving on some of these labels. Revenge. And then a little later...Revenge Motive. But that seems a little needless to say, does it not? Surely Revenge Motive is subsumed within Revenge. If there's no motive, you can't really call it revenge, can you? Can I just punch a complete stanger in the face walking by and cry, "YES!!! REVENGE IS MINE!!"

Well, okay, maybe I could. Point taken. But most people could not pull that off. Most people, in order to be able to get revenge, would have to have some sort of motive for doing so.

I tried to paste in every one of these keywords into my labels, but it wouldn't fit. There's a 200 character limit, alas. I'll keep it pasted here, in case they ever fix that field to limitless:
Human Trafficking, Female In Bra And Panties, Tortured To Death, Profanity, Translation, Shot In The Stomach, Extortion, Tattoo, Shot In The Arm, Handcuffed To Pipe, Knife, One Word Title, Cut Arm, Tape Recorder, Electrocution, Stabbed In The Arm, Attempted Murder, Spit In The Face, Drug Addiction, Flashback Sequence, Karaoke, Neck Breaking Scene, Stepfather, Stealing Car, Raised Middle Finger, Car Crash, Climb Through Window, Shot In The Forehead, Pop Star, Revenge, Shot Through Window, Corruption, Kicked In The Face, Hit In The Throat, Boat, Impersonating A Police Officer, Fall From Height, Chase Scene, Girl In Bra And Panties, Murder, Dragging Body, Thrown Off Balcony, Elevator, Held At Gunpoint, Pistol Whip, Auction, Stabbed In The Chest, Shot In The Back, Car Chase, Torture, Shot In The Leg, Prostitute, Jump Through Window, Revenge Motive, Paris, Strangulation, Immigrant, Screaming, Blood Splatter, Chase On Boat, Corpse, Father Daughter Relationship, Bodyguard, Shot To Death, Shot In The Shoulder, Kicked In The Crotch, Trapped In Elevator, Camera Phone, Tied To Bedpost, Door Slam, Stabbed In The Leg, Ex Wife, Shot In The Chest, Overturning Car, Martial Arts, Virginity, Champagne, Shootout, Sex Trade, Birthday Party, Surveillance, Deception, Hiding Under Bed, Agent, Kidnapping, Foot Chase, Concert, Kick Door In, Broken Mirror, Righteous Rage, Tied To Chair, Punched In The Face, Jumping Off Bridge, Needle, Explosion, Divorced Couple, Hit By Truck, Abduction,

Boy. If I only could get those all plot keywords into my labels, imagine how much more awesome and exciting my label list could be! Wow.

Who exactly chooses these plot keywords for imdb.com, I wonder? This film hasn't even been released to theaters yet! Is this a preliminary list, based on the trailer only? Or do film studios do sneak previews for the imdb plot keyword czar?

Man! I so want that gig. That would feel more prestigious and influential to me than being a film critic, for instance. Because film critics, hey, they blather on about opinion this, criticism that...who cares? Ultimately. Who cares. But if you're the Imdb.com Plot Keyword Czar, hell. You got it made! You don't even have to disrupt your filmgoing experience to think about what you think about the film. You can just sit back and watch, and check plot keywords off your list: Hit By Truck, check. Punched In The Face, check. Female in Bra and Panties, check. Oooo, Door Slam!

Check.

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