The Val Kilmer film festival

My friend Catherine hipped me to the fact that Val Kilmer didn't vanish off the face of the earth after his much-ballyhooed attempt at superstardom. Apparently he settled back into making some very nice indy movies in between the usual Hollywood fare like Heat and Red Planet (although I liked both of those). He's a much better actor than I previously thought. Here's a few I've been watching while riding the trainer. They are all interesting enough to keep you from thinking about how nice it would be if you were riding outside.

The Salton Sea - Kilmer is Danny Parker, meth head. Or is he Thomas Van Allen, jazz musician? A twisted plot and some fine performances by Peter Sarsgaard, BD Wong and Adam Goldberg.

Spartan - It wasn't until the third time I watched this that I figured out what was going on. Script and direction by David Mamet, which explains the complexity. Contains one of my favorite quotes: "You've had all your life to prepare for this moment. Why aren't you ready?"

Kiss Kiss Bang Bang - A fun movie with a non-sequential storyline. Very entertaining with a cynical take on the Hollywood experience.

Wonderland Sort of a murder mystery, sort of a view into the porn industry with Kilmer as porn star John Holmes, and his alleged part in a notorious drug murder.

OK, I know that Kilmer sucked in Alexander but everyone sucked in Alexander.