Gender: Male
Status: Single
Age: 28
Sign: Gemini
City: Muncie
State: Indiana
Country: US
Signup Date: 8/18/2005
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Saturday, July 04, 2009
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Category: Movies, TV, Celebrities
Welcome to the 190th Edition which is a pretty cool number and hard to
believe that in two to three months that the 200th Edition will come
out. I put out some pretty unusual selections this week so I hope
you'll like it. I look forward to my ring announcing gig later tonight.
Also, my mom is making her movie debut in a local Ball State University
film. Okay, now for the movies.
Sinatra (1992): This is my
overdue tribute to the late performer Danny Gans who died in the
beginning of May of this year and plays Rat Pack alum Dean Martin
here.. This is a mini-series on the famed singer which starts with his
early adulthood, going into his rise in the music and film industry
where he had some struggles. In trying to rise to fame, he did not let
anyone get in the way of what he wanted and took many risks to get to
the top instead of being content in the middle. Philip Casnoff plays
the title role and played it very well. It also goes into his
relationships with Mia Farrow, Ava Gardner, and first wife Nancy
Barbato-Sinatra, played by Gina Gershon. It shows his connections to
the mob, to the Kennedy family and a little of the rise in the Rat
Pack. Look for 7TH HEAVEN alum Beverley Mitchell as his daughter Nancy.
There is not much else I can say without rambling but this wa a two
part mini-series and worth watching.
Heaven and Earth (1993):
Oliver Stone directed this movie which is based on the real-life Le Ly
Hayslip, who is played very well by Hiep Thi Le in a stunning film
debut. This movie takes place during the Vietnam War, showing her as
part of an oppressed family during the Viet Cong rule and experiences a
lot of hardship and some very horrifying things which can be hard to
watch in the film. With her Mom, played by Joan Chen, she flees and
gets a job in Saigon but things become difficult when she becomes
pregnant by her master where she then must leave. To make money she
must hustle American soldiers and in the process meets soldier Steve
Butler, played very well by Tommy Lee Jones, who she falls in love with
and moves to the beautiful land of America. There, she must adjust to
the different world and Steve's war flashbacks become very difficult to
deal with. Le Ly becomes an American author and humanitarian even
making a cameo in this film. While she falls in love with an American
and moves to America with him, don't watch it expecting some kind of
love story because that is really not what this movie is. It is
however, very beautiful and I feel carries through very well. This is
the third in Oliver Stone's "Vietnam Trilogy".
Captain EO
(1986): This is my tribute to the late Michael Jackson. I was talking
to Lisa and saying that I wanted to use Michael Jackson in this blog
but that I wanted to avoid THE WIZ since I have already done it. She
then turned me on to this one which they used to show a lot at Disney
World and that I found on Youtube. Francis Ford Coppola directed this
this short musical which stars Jackson as the title character who leads
a crew that includes an elephant-looking creature, robot and other
puppets on a mission to see the Wicked Queen, played by Anjelica
Huston, to give her the gift of beauty and starts by singing the song
WE ARE HERE TO CHANGE THE WORLD. This is a very entertaining 16 minutes
to watch and it is accessible on Youtube.te
Fun with Dick and
Jane (1977): This is my tribute to the late Ed McMahon who recently
left us. He plays the crooked boss of Dick who fires him in the
beginning. George Segal and Jane Fonda star in this satire of life in
the middle class and trying to make ends meet during a tough economy
which was mentioned in this movie so we are in nothing new right now
when they talk about this recession. At first Jane believes that she
will work and Dick will collect his unemployment but she realizes that
it is not that simple so they start leading a life of crime by robbing
just about anything they can see. They soon find out that armed robbery
is very hard work but have many funny moments. I have not seen the Jim
Carrey version of this movie which worked with two good actors and a
pretty big statement to middle-class life. Look closely for a very
young Jay Leno in his film debut.
Meet Bill (2007): Aaron
Eckhart stars in this comedy as the title character. His life is going
downhill with a cheating wife and a job at a bank his father runs.
Elizabeth Banks is his cheating wife. He also reluctantly mentors a
very self-assured high school kid, played by Logan Lerman, who is
determined to get him set up with a cashier named Lucy, played by DARK
ANGEL alum Jessica Alba. They help him to try to win a donut company
that Bill wants and to win back his wife. It is a great movie of a man
trying to get his life back on track and a good performance from
Eckhart and even Lerman who showed him how to have fun again. Timothy
Olyphant play reporter Tim that is having the affair with his wife.
There is not much more to say except that Eckhart is someone to be
noticed.
The 39 Steps (1935): I bring in Hitchcock this week in
one of his early and some say one of his best. Robert Donat stars as
Richard Hannay who becomes a suspect in a murder and goes on the run to
stop a spy ring while getting handcuffed with a woman who does not like
him. Madeline Carroll plays that woman who is handcuffed to him and
they work very well together. This had a lot of suspense and dark
comedy which really hit the mark for the Master of Suspense.
Shaolin
Invincibles (1977): This is my Cult of UHF movie for the week and this
week in a martial arts film. To say that I really got this would be an
absolute lie but to watch the fighting and the badly dubbed English
made this worth a watch. This one was made in Taiwan and what was
interesting was people in gorilla suits fighting. I'm not about to try
to explain a plot but if you like the old-school martial arts and
b-movies you should check this out on the Cult of UHF podcasts.
Alien
Apocalypse (2005): I admit, the only reason this is here and that I
DVRed it from the Sci-Fi network was because of that name Bruce
Campbell and even his fellow XENA alum Renee O'Connor. They come back
from a mission in space only to find out that earth is taken over by
giant grasshoppers where humans are enslaved by them and some work for
them. Bruce then bands everyone together to take down the grasshoppers
and restore freedom. Like last one, if you're looking for something
with merit, good plot, this is not it. The grasshoppers really seemed
pretty easy to kill and why I observed that I don't know. If you want
some entertainment and to see Bruce, here you go.
The Cheat
(1915): This is my silent film for the week that I found on TCM. Fannie
Ward stars as Edith, the wife of a stockbroker who embezzles $10,000
from her husband's charity. Jack Dean plays her husband Richard. She
then turns to Haka Arakau, played by Asian star Sessue Hayakawa, who is
a Japanese Ivory trader that Edith is flirting with. When things go
wrong, Edith shoots him and Richard takes the blame. It was a pretty
dark film and quite interesting. Hayakawa was pretty widely known in
America and got some pretty good work for an Asian actor in that time
period.
Kismet (1955): I end this week with this very unknown
musical which stars Howard Keel. This movie takes place in Iraq and not
the one we know today, I'd say this took place in the 1800s where Keel
stars as a poet name Hajj, who is very poor where the Wazir believes
Hajj put a curse on him years ago and schemes to stay alive and to be
able to steal the Wazir's favorite wife. Ann Blyth plays the poet's
daughter and can sing very well while taking her own interest in a
prince. Delores Gray is also great as Lalume, the wife that Hajj takes
a liking to. This was filled with some nice, lavish musical numbers but
was quite hard to follow. It is still something to take a look at,
especially for Howard Keel.
Well, that is it for this week.
Leave your comments for what you like at what you don't like. I put
some pretty unusual things on this one I admit so we'll see how you all
take this one. Next week I will likely write a blog on my experience in
AMERICA'S GOT TALENT and I will have a movie blog that include Clint
Howard, the late Farrah Fawcett, a musical, and a French short film..
FUN LITTLE FACTS
BATMAN FRANCHISE
-Gina Gershon (Sinatra) does the voice of Catwoman aka Selina Kyle in a few episodes of THE BATMAN
-Tommy Lee Jones (Heaven and Earth) plays Two-Face aka Harvey Dent in the 1995 film BATMAN FOREVER
-Aaron
Eckhart (Bill) also plays Harvey Dent where you see him as the heroic
district attorney before he becomes Two-Face in the 2008 film THE DARK
KNIGHT.
Rod Steiger (Sinatra) plays the role of Jud Fry in the
1955 film OKLAHOMA. My facebook friend Kyle played the part in the
version at Muncie Civic Theater last summer
Marcia Gay Harden (Sinatra) and Timothy Olyphant (Meet Bill) have both been on the FX tv series DAMAGES.
Tommy
Lee Jones (Heaven and Earth) plays the role of Agent Kay in the 2002
film MEN IN BLACK II and Michael Jackson (Captain EO) is himself but
wants to be Agent M.
Conchata Ferrell (Heaven and Earth) does
the voice for Calamity Jane in the 1993 tv documentay THE WILD WEST.
Anjelica Huston (Captain EO) played the role in the 1995 tv movie
BUFFALO GIRLS
Elizabeth Banks (Meet Bill) was considered for the
role of Susan Storm in the 2005 film FANTASTIC FOUR but the part would
ultimately go to her MEET BILL co-star Jessica Alba
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Saturday, June 27, 2009
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Category: Movies, TV, Celebrities
Welcome to the 189th Edition of my blog. Last Wednesday, a little part of me was on the backstage segment of AMERICA'S GOT TALENT. I was in the background on an interview which you could really only see my shirt but you could see my mom's red hair and a jean jacket she was wearing. I have one movie from the Random Myspace Profile selection this week and next week I will have none. My thoughts go out to the friends and families Ed McMahon, Michael Jackson, and Farrah Fawcett.
Singles (1992): Cameron Crowe wrote and directed this story of relationships at during the big boom of the Seattle scene in the 90s. People who lived during this time might appreciate it more and who understands the big Seattle Grunge music boom at the time. Bridget Fonda stars as Janet who has a tough relationship with her rock-star boyfriend Cliff, played by Matt Dillon who she can't leave no matter how hard she tries. Kyra Sedgwick plays Linda who forms a friendship with Campbell Scott and can't decide how far she wants it to go. These are a lot of interrelated stories within each other used with lots of music from the grunge era and even a cameo from Pearl Jam's Eddie Vedder. Other actors include Bill Pullman, Ally Walker, Tom Skerritt, Peter Horton, MALCOLM IN THE MIDDLE alum Christopher Masterson, Paul Giamatti, director Tim Burton, Debi Mazar, and ALIAS alum Victor Garber all have parts.
Grease (1978): I bring you my musical for the week where John Travolta stars as greaser Danny Zuko and Olivia Newton-John is good-girl Sandy Olssen. They meet one summer and meet again in the last year of high school when Sandy realizes how much Danny has changed since that time they met. Danny is the leader of his little gang and starts to rethink his ways for Sandy. What more can be said here. Stockard Channing was good as Rizzo. Lood for Lorenzo Lamas as Sandy's date. Other appearances include Jeff Conaway, Eve Arden, Sid Caesar, Frankie Avalon and even an uncreditted part by Michael Biehn, and many others. I have always like Frankie Valli's title theme song. I don't think I need to explain much. Most people know if they like or don't like this one. Travolt and Newton-John were great together. Most people did not exactly look high school age but I got over it.
Sweet Smell of Success (1957): This is quite the tale of greed, power, and corruption. Burt Lancaster stars as J.J. Hunsecker, a very ruthless New York columnist who is determined to keep his sister from marrying a jazz musician. He then employs press agent Sidney Falco, played by Tony Curtis, who is almost as corrupt but begins to hate himself for who he becomes and his determination to impress Hunsecker. There is not much to explain here except it was quite daring for the era and J.J. Hunsecker was kind of like a pre-Gordon Gekko (Michael Douglas in WALL STREET). Hunsecker and Curtis were great in their roles in this dark film.
Hidden Blade (2004): The Facebook friend I chose for this one is John who I had a class with at Ivy Tech. This is a samarai film that takes place towards the end of the Samarai era. This takes place around Yaichiro, who is sent to become a Shogunate but is imprisoned to to a failed political maneuver and is put in solitary confinement. He escapes and his friend Munezo must kill him to prove his innocence while Yaichiro takes hostages. This is very hard to really explain but it is a very beautiful film with the great forbidden love story and friends who must become foes. It also talks about a lot of values of the Samarai.
JCVD (2008): I now mark the first time I have ever used a movie from Jean-Claude Van Damme, which is not to say that I won't use his early work in the future but his newer stuff just usually goes through me when it comes out. This was almost one of them when I saw the DVD at Wal-Mart but then I looked a little closer and this actually sounded pretty good so I went ahead and purchased it and I was not disappointed. Van Damme plays himself returns to his country of France where he is a has-been, has a lot of financial troubles and a custody battle for his daughter that he loses. He still can't find good film projects but before anything can come around, he becomes a hostage at a post office and must try to help the others stay alive but becomes suspected of being the person holding the place hostage. This was a great part for him and he was great in this movie, including a great monologue towards the end on what his career has become where you really feel for him. I really hope they can do something like this for Steven Seagal sometime. I will never be able to look at him the same again after this one and I am so glad he got to do this one. Mabrouk El Mechri directed this and came up with the scenario for the film and all I have to say is wow. If you think Van Damme can't do a good movie, think again and check this out.
Fantasia (1940): This is a selection from the Random Myspace Profile selection process and for this one I chose Bostonmovie v2.0. This was a very innovative film from Disney which shows animation sequences to a lot of Western classical music like Beethoven, Bach, Tchaikovsky, Stravinski, and Dukas. There is a great animation sequence to Tchaikovsky's THE NUTCRACKER SUITE. There is also a good one showing the animation of evolution through the years. The most famous one is where Mickey Mouse is an aspiring musician who oversteps his bounds. There is many great sequences that are carried by the music including the great DANCE OF THE HIPPOS. These were days when computers were not necessary for animation.
Turner and Hooch (1989): Tom Hanks stars as a very clean-obsessed detective named Scott Turner who is leaving for the big city and trains FAMILY MATTERS alum Reginald VelJohnson who will become his replacement. Things come to a halt when one of his close informants is killed and the witness is a slobbering dog and very messy dog named Hooch. Turner must then adopt Hooch in order to find the murderer but sees it is hard to train Hooch. COACH alum Craig T. Nelson co-stars as his boss. It is interesting to see something again from Hanks' comedy days and was enjoyable. Mare Winningham plays a veteranarian and Hanks' love interest.
My Grandmother Ironed the King's Shirts (1999): This is my animation short for the week. This is based on the history of Norway during the WWII era. It shows that Norway hires a king and a grandmother is hired to iron his shirts but things fall apart with the Nazi invasion but the king refused to give in leading him into exile but the grandmother counters the plans of the Nazis in a funny way. I found this on the IFC channel and when watching about four shorts, I made the judgement on this one to be included. This was a nice short film written and directed by Torill Kove which I assume writes about her grandmother.
The Courtship of Eddie's Father (1963): Vincente Minnelli directed this comedy which stars a young Ron Howard as the title character whose mother has died and feels his father Tom, played by Glenn Ford, needs to marry again. He then schemes to get him to marry a woman he really likes but Tom is seeing someone that Eddie does not like which makes things difficult for him. It is a pretty funny movie but Howard does a good job of conveying how a young child might work through the hurt of losing a mother. Ford and Howard are great together as father and son. Shirley Jones co-stars as the woman that Eddie really likes and Jerry Van Dyke is amusing as radio DJ Norman Jones. Clint Howard, Ron's brother, makes his debut in an uncreddited part which is the start to quite an interesting career.
Blue Steel (1934): I really had a hard time fitting a movie from the 30s in here so I resorted to some very early John Wayne in his days with the Lone Star Stock Company. John Wayne stars as U.S. Marshall John Carruthers who must go undercover in a small town to uncover that the town's leading citizen plans on robbing everyone blind. This was a decent one, he becomes the legend and icon he is now much later in his career but this is a start. You can find this on any of those John Wayne boxed sets.
Well, that is it for this week. Leave your comments and tell me what you like and don't like. I will return next week which will include a mini-series, Tommy Lee Jones, the late Michael Jackson and Ed McMahon, and Aaron Eckhart.
FUN LITTLE FACTS
Kyra Sedgwick (Singles) does the voice for Lois Lane, the girl who can't choose between Clark Kent and Superman, in the 2008 film JUSTICE LEAGUE: THE NEW FRONTIER. Glenn Ford (Courtship of Eddie's Father) plays Clark Kent's adopted father Jonathan Kent in the 1978 film SUPERMAN.
Kyra Sedgwick (Singles) formed a relationship with John Travolta (Grease) in the 1996 film Phenomenon
Ally Walker (Singles) and Jean-Claude Van Damme (JCVD) team up in the 1992 film UNIVERSAL SOLDIER
Eric Stoltz (Singles) and John Travolta (Grease) must work together to revive Mia Wallace.
Bridget Fonda (Singles) plays FRANKENSTEIN author Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley in the 1990 film FRANKENSTEIN UNBOUND. Eric Stoltz (Singles) plays Shelley's husband Percy Shelley in the 1988 film HAUNTED SUMMER.
Tom Skerritt (Singles) plays Duke in the 1970 film MASH. My Facebook friend Thom played the role in the stage version at Lee's Theatrical Productions.
Christopher Masterson (Singles) and John Travolta (Grease) are both Scientologists.
John Travolta (Grease) read for the part of Allen Bauer in the 1984 film SPLASH but the part would ultimately go to Tom Hanks (Turner and Hooch)
Craig T. Nelson (Turner and Hooch) and Jerry Van Dyke (Courtship of Eddie's Father) coached a university football team in the long-running series COACH.
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Saturday, June 20, 2009
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Category: Movies, TV, Celebrities
Welcome to the 188th Edition. On Tuesday, June 23rd, AMERICA'S GOT TALENT premiers. If I am on tv, it will be the Chicago Edition and I do not know if I will be on tv. I see I have included quite a bit of violence in this one. I had to pass on quite a few titles while putting this together due to my "rules". The last four were all quite unplanned. Some went on into the next couple weeks and some just will not advance for now. I have two from the Random Myspace Profile selection process. Next week will probably have one but that is subject to change. Angels and Demons (2009): I saw this a couple weeks ago when I was at my dad's house. My 16 year old niece Shelby was there unexpectedly, well to me, and she insisted we go to the theaters to see this one since she is a fan of Tom Hanks. We had a small debate that in my opinion Ralph Fiennes, who was considered at one time, would have been better for Robert Langdon but Hanks did okay. This would not have been my first choice but I'm sure she could have come up with far worse to see. This is a prequal to THE DA VINCI CODE where Langdon is brought to Italy after the murder of the Pope and the kidnapping of four different popes and finds many clues that lead to the Illuminatti, a group thought to be extinct. Please don't ask me to explain much since it is very complicated. I remember trying to read the Dan Brown book and I just gave up. While watching it, I followed it for the most part and it was pretty compelling. Ewan McGregor co-stars as a young priest who would like to become a young pope. Other actors include Stellan Skarsgard, Ayelet Zurer, Armin Mueller-Stahl. The 40 Year Old Virgin (2005): This is a selection from the Random Myspace Profile selection process and for this one I chose independent wrestler Skip Radisson who I once worked with backstage when he was a wrestler and I was the announcer. I admit, the first time I saw this when it came out I was on the fence the whole way through. Maybe I was finding myself relating to him way too much since I am the 28 year old virgin and I really don't care. I kept thinking I did not want to see a movie where people just try to get him laid but that really was not the case and there is more to it. Steve Carell stars as Andy who is the title character who loves classic horror, STAR WARS, you name it and his co-workers figure out he is a virgin and cannot believe it. Paul Rudd, Seth Rogen, and Romany Malco are his more "experienced" friends that do what they can to get him laid. Catherine Keener plays Trish and takes a liking to Andy and vice versa but Andy must decide what is right before it is too late. It did actually have a pretty good message in it. It is rather obscene but very entertaining film directed by Judd Apatow who makes his directorial debut in film and co-wrote with star Steve Carell in his breakthrough role in film. Look for Kimberly Page, who some might recognize from WCW wrestling as the wife of Diamond Dallas Page, in the speed dating scene. Enter the Dragon (1973): This is in tribute to Shih Kien who recently left us. Kien played the role of Han who Bruce Lee was sent to infiltrate on an island where he holds a big martial arts tournament every three years. John Saxon co-stars as Roper who is in debt to mobsters and Jim Kelly, no not the former Buffalo Bills quarterback, co-stars as Williams who is always harassed by the police. There is a very diverse group of people taking part in this tournament that has more than meets the eye and always manages to give some good entertainment and considered by many to be the best martial arts movie of all time, definetly the best American one. This is Bruce Lee's last completed film and died three weeks before the premier. There is a showcase of martial arts talent which include what has already been mentioned, Bob Wall, Bolo Yeung, Angela Mao. Also, martial arts stars of the 80s and 90s Jackie Chan and Sammo Hung also are extras before they became big. Sammo Hung is the first person Bruce Lee fights. Chan was an extra and Lee accidently hurt him. He apparently apoligized and told Chan he would have a part in all his movies but died before that promise could be kept. This is my favorite Bruce Lee film. While I like Lee, I am not a fan of all his movies while liking Asian martial arts films but I also understand his importance in the martial arts genre. All's Well (1941): This is my cartoon short for the week and as you see I have a lot of these. This one has the character Gabby. I don't know the background of Gabby but in this one he comes across a crying baby and does what he can to make the baby smile and change the diaper. The baby does not make things easy and has some pretty funny situations and is pretty racy for a cartoon of that era which makes wonder where was the baby's mother or father but oh well I'll look past it. Speed (1994): This is another selection from the Random Myspace Profile selection process and for this one I chose my myspace friend Sylvia. Jan de Bont directed this great action film which stars Keanu Reeves as SWAT agent Jack Travin who must save many people on a bus that has a bomb on it while keeping it above 50. Sandra Bullock in her breakthrough role plays Annie who takes the driver position on the bus for Jack. Dennis Hopper plays the person who is playing the game with Jack by putting the bomb on the bus. The action starts in the very beginning when Jack and his partner Harry, played by Jeff Daniels, must save many from an elevator that has a bomb on it. Other actors include Joe Morton, Beth Grant, Alan Ruck, and Glenn Plummer. Ruck was very amusing as the dim-witted tourist on the bus. This movie has some non-stop action but a good premise and good characters to make it a good movie and much better than its sequal. A Song is Born (1948): This is my musical for the week that I found on TCM which was directed by Howard Hawks. This was a very interesting premise. We have Danny Kaye as Professor Hobart Frisbee who works at a research center with many other bachelor men. Virginia Mayo co-stars as Honey Swanson, a gangster's girlfriend who is in hiding from the police when her boyfriend is suspected of things she might know. She then finds herself falling for Frisbee and is even liked by the other professor's who do not know who she really is and she becomes very conflicted on what to do. This movie has quite a bit of Jazz and has some jazz musicians like Louis Armstrong, Tommy Dorsey, Benny Goodman, and many others. We also have a very amusing song created by Honey. It is really hard to explain but is very entertaining with some good music for jazz lovers. Fire and Ice (1983): Ralph Bakshi directed this unusual animated tale where we have Nekron, there evil Ice Lord who tries to conquer Fire Keep, lead by the good King Jarol. Jarol's daughter is then abducted by Nekron's ape-like creature but is rescued by the brave warrior Larn who joins the battle of good and evil. This is not something for children to watch and has some pretty disturbing imagery and a lot of scantily clad people. This was quite good but I liked Bakshi's WIZARDS better that I had on here a few weeks ago. I recommend just checking out Ralph Bakshi in general if you like adult animation tales.
Rush (1991): Jason Patric stars as undercover cop Jim, who partners up with Kristen, played by Jennifer Jason Leigh, who he forms a relationship with while trying to take down high-profile drug dealer Gaines, played by singer Gregg Allman. In their quest to bring him down, they get to into the life style becoming drug addicts themselves, especially Jim. The job keeps getting harder and harder when they are forced to use more crooked means to get Gaines. This is a great movie that shows how a job can really get to you if you are not careful and has quite an ending that I really had to analyze. Sam Elliott co-stars as their boss. Max Perlich and William Sadler also co-star in this movie and introduced us to Eric Clapton's hit song TEARS IN HEAVEN.
Wild Boys of the Road (1933): I was having a hard time finding anything in the 30s but came across this on TCM which is directed by William A. Wellman. This takes place during the depression where Edwin Phillips stars as high-schooler Tom, whose mother is out of work and his father has lost his job making him feel that he will only be a burden to his parents. He then gets with his friend Eddie, played by Frankie Darro, and they set off to leave and trek the USA in search for a new job. They meet a young girl named Grace, played by Rochelle Hudson, and they stick together looking everywhere for a job and meeting kids just like them. This is a very nice portrait of the effects the depression had on people and on this case the children with a pretty good message at the end.
Attack of the Monsters (1969): This comes from the podcast series CULT OF UHF where Reverend Chumley shows some b-movies so I will be featuring these periodically. This is a Japanese movie where a couple young boys find a spaceship and decide to fly in it landing in a planet where a couple aliens kidnap them to lure in the heroic Gamera, which I believe is a flying turtle that seems to have engines, to fight the monster on that planet Guiron, which has a knife for a head. Them Japanese sure come up with some interesting monsters and creatures like Godzilla, Mothra, King Ghidorah, now I know about Gamer, wow. If you like cheesy sci-fi films, this is for you. Yes, the plot is very absurd, as well as the dialogue but still entertains.
Well, that is it for this week. Please tell me what you like and what you hate. I will be back next week with movies featuring Bridget Fonda, John Travolta and Burt Lancaster
FUN LITTLE FACTS
Tom Hanks (Angels and Demons) is said to have turned down the role of Jack in this week's feature SPEED which would ultimately go to Keanu Reeves.
Tom Hanks (Angels and Demons) and Jennifer Jason Leigh (Rush) play husband and wife in the 2002 film ROAD TO PERDITION
Catherine Keener (40 Year Old Virgin) plays TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD author Harper Lee in the 2005 film CAPOTE. Sandra Bullock (Speed) plays the part in the 2006 film INFAMOUS.
40 YEAR OLD VIRGIN actors Seth Rogen and Elizabeth Banks reunite to play the title characters in the 2008 film ZACH AND MIRI MAKE A PORNO. Many of the actors from the film have done many things especially with Judd Apatow.
Seth Rogen (40 Year Old Virgin) will play the role of Britt Reid in a 2010 remake of the 60s tv series GREEN HORNET. Bruce Lee (Enter the Dragon) played Reid's partner Kato in the tv series.
Seth Rogen (40 Year Old Virgin) and Jackie Chan (Enter the Dragon uncredited) play two of the Furious Five in the 2008 film KUNG FU PANDA
Jennifer Jason Leigh (Rush) declined the role of Annie in this week's feature SPEED which would ultimately go to Sandra Bullock
O.K. CORRAL SHOOTOUT franchise
-Dennis Hopper (Speed) plays Doc Holiday in the 1980 mini-series WILD TIMES. -Hopper (Speed) also plays Billy Clanton in the 1957 film GUNFIGHT AT THE OK CORRAL -Sam Elliot (Rush) plays Virgil Earp in the 1993 film TOMBSTONE.
Sandra Bullock (Speed) and Jason Patric (Rush) are lovers in the sequal to this week's feature SPEED. Bullock reprises her role as Annie and is with a different LAPD cop named Alex, played by Jason Patric. I heard Reeves declined to reprise his part of Jack and a smart move if that is true
William Sadler (Rush) is the Grim Reaper in the 1991 film BILL AND TED'S BOGUS JOURNEY and puts Keanu Reeves through a lot of tough games.
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Saturday, June 13, 2009
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Category: Movies, TV, Celebrities
Welcome to the 187th Edition. As you see, I am now in the musical BIG RIVER which is based on the Mark Twain story HUCKLEBERRY FINN. I have not done anything since January so I look forward to returning to the theater scene. This week's edition includes three from the Random Myspace Profile selection process. Next week, I have one and that is probably it but it is subject to change. I will shut up now and get you your movies for the week. Bram Stoker's Dracula (1992): I start out this week with a selection from the Random Myspace Profile selection process and for this week I chose former TNA tag team champion Andy Douglas who has been a part of the tag team the Naturals. Francis Ford Coppola directed this version of the legend which was based more on Bram Stoker's novel than any other version which some may say is good and some might say it's bad, you decide. Gary Oldman stars as the title character where we actually see him when he is a warrior and declares revenge when his wife dies by becoming the famed vampire we know him as today. Keanu Reeves stars as Jonathan Harker who comes to see Dracula about selling some land and sees that his place is very strange. Dracula soon sees the picture of his fiance Mina, played by Winona Ryder, and pursues her after seeing a resemblance to his dead wife. This is where things play out, I won't go into too much detail but he is soon loose in the town and must be stopped. This movie paints a more humanistic characterization of Dracula where we see there is a reason that he became who he is today where we see more of a love story here but make no mistake, the gore is still there so please don't worry. Ford brought a lot of beauty to this film. Oldman was great as Dracula and had many different looks. Other people in this movie include Anthony Hopkins, Tom Waits, Cary Elwes, among many others. The Great Debaters (2007): This is another selection from the Random Myspace Profile selection process and for this one I chose Myspace friend Ken Bowens. Denzel Washington directed and stars in this movie based on the story by Robert Eisele. Washington plays the real-life poet and professor Melvin Tolson who in a small, negro town gets the first black debate team together defeating some of the best teams of all time. Denzel Whitaker co-stars as a young student named James Farmer Jr. who is part of the debate team and experiences a lot of ups and downs and Whitaker's performance should keep him out of the shadow of the other mentioned actor of the same first name. The very underrated Jurnee Smollett plays Samantha, the only female on the debate team. Other actors include Nate Parker and John Heard. This was a very inspirational one with mixed opinions to be expected but it took me all the way through. Paths of Glory (1957): This is my military film of the week and was directed by Stanley Kubrick, in a much early film for him. Kirk Douglas stars as Colonel Dax in WWI, who must lead his army into a very impossible task. His men do not go all the way through with the attack and Dax must defend three of them in a trial to stop them from getting the firing squad. This was quite the anti-war film and a very daring movie for this time period. It portrays a lot of corruption and politics in the higher-ups and what they will do to protect themselves. It is a very compelling film and shows the start of a legendary director. Kirk Douglas played a big part in getting this movie made by talking United Artist's into using his studio after many people turned down Kubrick's script. Caddyshack (1980): This is my sports comedy for the week that takes place at the golf course with many sub-plots. The main point of the movie is where Michael O'Keefe plays the caddy Danny who is trying to win a scholarship under golfer Judge Elihu Smails, played by Ted Knight, and must be caddy to the eccentric Al, played by Chevy Chase. Rodney Dangerfield is great as the new crude golfer. Bill Murray plays the groundskeeper who does everything he can to destroy the groundhog which seems to make the course worse and worse. There is on much to explain but makes a great golf comedy where the golfers are either slobs or snobs. Bill Murray's brother Brian-Doyle co-wrote the script with director Harold Ramis. Empire of the Ants (1977): I was at my dad's house last weekend and decided to look for something on On-Demand and I wanted something from the 60s or 70s and in looking, I found my chance to show a cheesy film for a change. This is based on the book by H.G. Wells where ants are exposed to radiation poisoning and become much bigger and dangerous, I suppose getting revenge on humans. Do I really need to explain much more? The special effects were not great. This is the movie to get friends together so that you can crack jokes through it. If you are trying to find a great Sci-Fi film that is not it, but if you want entertainment, here you go. In Cold Blood (1967): This is another On-Demand selection I made and once again I wanted something in the 60s or 70s and found this one where I figured my dad liked this and he was working on his computer. This is based on Truman Capote's famed novel which is the account of a real-life brutal murder and interviews the murderers to get the account. The movie was done in very compelling fashion where it seemed very realistic in the camerawork. Robert Blake and Scott Wilson are the killers and are told of a fortune at the house of a seemingly perfect family and end up killing them after a botched robbery. Richard Brooks wrote the screenplay and directed it and was very well done and rather disturbing showing them before, during and after the murder where they try to evade capture but eventually the authorities catch up to them. They each have different emotions as to what happened. Blake is great as Perry Smith in his best performance and Scott Wilson is also good as his accomplice who is more eccentric. Capote took on a rather unusual project of developing this type of novel and is still very recognized. Brooks lobbied to get actors who were fairly unknown for the killers and accomplished what he wanted to after much trouble.
Hell's Heroes (1930): I found this on TCM which is based on the novel THREE GODFATHERS by Peter Kyne and there would be a movie many years later of the actual name to star John Wayne. William Wyler directed this early adaptation of the biblical western where three bandits escape to the desert while trying to get away after a robbery. They come across a dying woman who they see is the wife of a man they killed in the robbery. She just gave birth and is asking them to take get her baby to Jeruselem. They develop a heart and decide to take the baby in very tough conditions. This is quite different from the movie that came out many years later. They are doing the favor but they are more human than hero and do not rise to the heroism of John Wayne many years later but still a compelling and even moving film. Cheese Burglar (1946): This is my cartoon short for the week which has Herman the Mouse. Herman is in a house with a cat and dog that seem to always stop him from getting the cheese giving Herman 29 days of starvation. Herman does what he can to pit the dog and cat against each other so that they will kill each other believing that cats and dogs are natural enemies. It was a pretty entertaining short and an interesting ending.
A Simple Twist of Fate (1994): I got this one off Netflix which Steve Martin stars and wrote the screenplay of George Eliot's SILAS MARNER. We start with Michael, played by Martin, who is excited about becoming a father but learns the baby is not his. Years later, he is living alone and somehow a little girl gets into his house and he decides to adopt her. Gabriel Byrne co-stars as politician John Newland who is her real father but at the time did not feel it would benefit his political career by taking her in but years later decides to take challenge Michael for custody. Laura Linney plays Newland's high-class wife. This was a great acting departure for Martin who is known for his comedy. Other actors in this movie include Catherine O'Hara, Stephen Baldwin, and even Anne Heche in an uncredited role.
Saw III (2006): This is part of the Random Myspace Profile selection process and for this one I chose Jeremy aka wrestler Ryan Wrath. Tobin Bell reprises his role as Jigsaw and continues his game where he continues to put people in extreme do-or-die situations. In this one, along with his new protege Amanda who is reprised by Shawnee Smith, kidnaps a female doctor, played by Bahar Soomekh, who must keep Jigsaw alive to keep herself alive. The other big situation is with Jeff, played by Angus Macfadyen, whose young son was killed in a car accident and has lost everything since then due to his depression and craze for revenge. Jeff must make decisions to see if revenge is really the right thing. This is obviously not for everyone but is one of the better modern-day horror film series out there right now. Other actors include Donnie Wahlberg, Dina Meyer, and PICKET FENCES alum Costas Mandylor. Just so you know, there is a part six coming.
Well, that is it for this week. Please leave your comments on what you like and what you hate and I will return next week with the 188th Edition which as of now includes Tom Hanks and Steve Carell.
FUN LITTLE TRIVIA
Muncie Civic Theater did a version of Dracula some time ago. My facebook and myspace friend Sean played Dracula. Karin played the role of Mina. Kevin played the role of Dr. Sam Seward. Rynice played the role of Lucy.
BIBLICAL FRANCHISE
-Gary Oldman (Dracula) was Pontius Pilate in the 1999 tv movie JESUS
-Richard Grant (Dracula) was John the Baptist in the 2000 animated film THE MIRACLE MAKER
-Monica Bellucci (Dracula) was Mary Magdelene in the 2004 film THE PASSION OF THE CHRIST
Gary Oldman (Dracula) plays a younger Commissioner Gordan in the Christian Bale era of Batman. Dina Meyer (Saw 3) plays his daughter Barbara Gordan in the short-lived 2002 tv series BIRDS OF PREY who in this story was Batgirl but was shot by the Joker and is in a wheelchair and a mentor to Helena Kyle, daughter of Batman and Catwoman.
Gabriel Byrne (A Simple Twist of Fate) auditioned for Dracula in this week's feature of BRAM STOKER'S DRACULA which would ultimately go to Gary Oldman
Gary Oldman (Dracula) played Reverend Arthur Dimmesdale in the 1995 version of THE SCARLET LETTER. John Heard (The Great Debaters) played the part in the 1979 tv version of the same name.
Gary Oldman (Dracula) played Lee Harvey Oswald in the 1991 film JFK. My Facebook friend Kyle played the role in the production of Stephen Sondheim's musical ASSASSINS which was at Muncie Civic Studio theater.
KENNEDY FRANCHISE
-Gary Oldman (Dracula) played Oswald, who as most know was believed to have killed Presiden John F. Kennedy, in the 1991 film JFK -Brian-Doyle Murray (Caddyshack) plays Jack Ruby, the man who killed Oswald in the same movie -Tobin Bell (Saw 3) played David Ferrie, who was also thought to have involvement in the assassination of Kennedy, in the 1992 tv movie RUBY
DRACULA actors Cary Elwes and Bill Campbell have both played Ted Bundy
-Elwes played the part in the 2004 tv movie THE RIVERMAN
-Campbell played the part in the 2003 film THE STRANGER BESIDE ME
Cary Elwes (Dracula) was part of Tobin Bell's (Saw 3) game in the first SAW
Keanu Reeves (Dracula) and Denzel Washington were brothers in the 1993 film MUCH ADO ABOUT NOTHING.
Winona Ryder (Dracula) was Jo March and Gabriel Byrne (Simple Twist of Fate) was Friedrich Bhaer in the 1994 film LITTLE WOMEN who become married.
John Heard (Great Debaters) and Catherine O'Hara (Simple Twist of Fate) were husband and wife in the first two HOME ALONE filmes.
Harold Ramis (Caddyshack director) and Bill Murray (Caddyshack) are two of the Ghostbusters in the two films and the upcoming GHOSTBUSTERS III.
Bill Murray (Caddyshack) plays John Bosley in the 2000 film CHARLIE'S ANGELS. John Forsythe (In Cold Blood) does the famed voice of Charlie and is Bosley's boss in the tv series and both movies
Bill Murray (Caddyshack) was Steve Martin's (Simple Twist of Fate) pain-loving patient in the 1986 film LITTLE SHOP OF HORRORS
Robert Blake (In Cold Blood) and Donnie Wahlberg (Saw 3) have both played outlaw Billy the Kid -Robert Blake played the part in the 1966 episode of tv series DEATH VALLEY DAYS called THE KID FROM HELL'S KITCHEN -Wahlberg played the part in the 1999 tv movie PURGATORY
Stephen Baldwin (Simple Twist of Fate) turned down the role of Jack in the 1994 film SPEED which would ultimately go to Keanu Reeves (Dracula)
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Saturday, June 06, 2009
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Category: Movies, TV, Celebrities
Welcome to the 186th Edition of my series. Last week, I got a bit of heat for SPIDER-MAN 3 which I expected but as per my request, you commented on other things so I appreciate that. I had a tough time putting this one together. I usually don't but this week the rules prevented me from featuring some on this blog. I return with my Random Myspace Profile selection which only has one selection. Next week, I know of one but expect two but it is always subject to change. I am still awaiting the casting situation of BIG RIVER but will keep everyone posted and add to my Myspace name. My Fair Lady (1964): I start this week off with this musical from George Bernard Shaw. Audrey Hepburn stars as Eliza Doolittle who is a homeless Cockney flower girl. Rex Harrison plays Professor Henry Higgins who takes a bet that he can turn her into a presentable lady with an aristocratic accent. This becomes an uneasy task for Higgins but he comes a long way and shows her. When he finally teaches her, he forgets to credit her and she believes she was just a bet and leaves for another man who is in love with her. This one has some great music and some funny moments. Other actors in this movie include Stanley Holloway, Wilfred Hyde-White, Gladys Cooper, and many others. Hepburn is good as Doolittle but her singing is dubbed by Marni Nixon. I really enjoyed Holloway as Eliza's father. Great movie looking at upper-class society. Wizards (1977): This is a RANDOM MYSPACE PROFILE selection and for this one I chose Larry Longsteth. This is my animated film for the week and this is not for the whole family like some animated films are. This centers around a pint-sized wizard named Avatar. His brother is the evil Blackwolf who is scheming to bring a new race that no longer exists. This takes place in a post-apocalyptic future that has a lot of elves, fairies, and wizards. Avatar's allies include a scantily-clad fairy named Elinore and a robot named Peace. Voices include Bob Holt, SOPRANOS alum David Proval, and Mark Hamill. This is directed by Ralph Bakshi who directed the film adaptation of underground comic FRITZ THE CAT. If you want some bizarre animation, look no further than this one.
Abbott and Costello Meet the Invisible Man (1951): I bring in the comedy duo this week where they play inept detectives who are investigating a murder of a boxing manager. Arthur Franz plays Tommy Nelson who was accused of killing his manager but is innocent and uses a visibility formula that scientists did not want to give him fearing the mental effects. A & C help Tommy to find the real killer in many funny ways. If you like Abbott and Costello and classic comedy, you should check this one out.
Chasing Amy (1997): This is one I have been waiting to include here but it just wasn't the "right time" to put it on here until now. Kevin Smith directed this one and this is my favorite of his. Ben Affleck, in a sort of breakthrough role here, stars as Holden McNeil and MY NAME IS EARL alum Jason Lee stars as Banky Edwards. This is really a breakthrough for both of them. They are both partners of the comic book BLUNTMAN and CHRONIC and are very successful. At a convention, Holden meets a girl named Alyssa Jones, played by Joey Lauren Adams, and falls in love with her even though she is a lesbian until he learns of her past. Jason Mewes and Kevin Smith reprise their roles of Jay and Silent Bob. There are a few references to CLERKS and MALLRATS in this. It is a very funny movie with lots of great discussions like the heated argument on the sexuality of Archie. While I cracked up, for the first time I see there there is a little message. I felt the message was that it might sometimes be good to leave the past alone since it cannot be changed and to let the other move on. Holden got so obsessed with Alyssa's past that it really clouded his judgement when he couldn't let her move on and enjoy what he has now. I think you get the drift so I'll shut up now. Other people in the movie incude Ethan Suplee, Dwight Ewell, Casey Affleck, Matt Damon and many others.
Carry on Sergeant (1958): This is one of the many "Carry On" movies in Britain and this is the first. Last week I did the one that took place in the hospital. This one takes place in the Army I believe. William Hartnell stars as Sergeant Grimshaw who wants to retire after the Star Squad prize but finds out he has his work cut out for him when he has some pretty inept people in his service he must turn around. This has the British humor so it might not be for everyone but it had some pretty funny moments in my opinion. Good satire on military life.
Innocent Husbands (1925): This is my silent short film for the week this time using the more unknown Charley Chase. In this one, his wife is suspicious of him because he does not seem to do any wrong. Things become a bit complicated when a woman passes out in his bedroom and must do what he can to keep her from his wife seeing since she would suspect more. Chase portrayed characters who were apparently very mild-mannered but turn out to be losers. He never did any feature films and did a lot of directing of Three Stooges shorts. He is now available on Kino Video.
Lars and the Real Girl (2007): I was very amazed by this one which was directed by Craig Gillespie. Ryan Gosling stars the title character who is a delusional young man who lives alone in the garage where his brother, played by Paul Schneider, and sister-in-law, played by Emily Mortimer, live. He then brings home a girl that turns out to be a life-size doll. First they want to get him all the help possible but the doctor advises to go along with him and his relationship with what he feels is real. The rest of the community begin to follow along when they understand how much of a good person Lars is and "Bianca" becomes a friend to many. This is very hard to explain. It just needs to be watched to be believed. It is interesting how they come up with the idea to support the mentally ill instead of "curing" him. This plot sounds absurd but it was done so well and so much that it did not come off as stupid like it could have. It is a very touching comedy and Gosling makes it very easy to care about Lars. It is unfortunate that movies like these do not receive much publicity. They don't have a bunch of CGI effects, there is no cool action scenes, all they have is a good script and good actors to fill it. Patricia Clarkson plays the doctor who advises everyone to go along with his delusions.
Lorenzo's Oil (1992): George Miller directed this true story where the title character has a very rare disease called ALD that no cure has been found or really explored. Nick Nolte and Susan Sarandon star as his parents who will not give up on finding the cure for there son. Despite having no medical knowledge, they do everything they can to learn about it to find their own cure. They begin to alienate some of their friends who believe they should just give mercy and let Lorenzo die and just abotu anyone can say that but I don't really judge since I have never gone through this before. Seeing Lorenzo's pain was very hard to watch but the movie was done very well through the performances and cinematography. In real life, many children have been saved because of their efforts. The real-life Lorenzo actually recently died on May of last year. Look for Laura Linney in her film debut. Longford (2006): This is my HBO movie for the week which was directed by Tom Hooper. This is another true story which stars Jim Broadbent as the controversial Lord Longford who visits a female inmate in prison doing a life sentence for a murder much do the dismay of his wife and family though his wife later becomes interested in the prisoner. Samantha Morton plays Myra Hindley who is in prison for murdering children. Lonford believes that he can rehabilitate her and that no one is beyond help. Broadbent was great as the title character and Morton held her own which carried the movie for me. This definetly moves and might force one to think of how far he should take his job and who decides that people should not be helped. Even his colleagues felt he should not do what he was doing but he continued. Andy Serkis is also good as Morton's accomplice at the murder where they both have a different side. Major League (1989): I found this one on HBO On-Demand at my dad's house which was written and directed by David Ward. I end this week with this baseball comedy centering around the Cleveland Indians. They are in new ownership by the late owner's wife who decides to put together a really bad team so that the attendance reduces and they can move to Miami. James Gammon manages this team and Tom Berenger is the aging player who wants one last shot. She gets more than she bargained for when the team starts playing decent and when they learn of the plot decide to step it up more. It is a baseball comedy, there is not much to say on this one. Charlie Sheen is funny as an ex-convict brought to the team. Wesley Snipes has an early role as Willie Mays Hayes. Others include Corbin Bernson, Rene Russo, 24 alum Dennis Haysbert, and many others. There is not much to say on this one. It is a pretty well-done baseball comedy and fun to watch.
Well, that is it for this week. Tell me what you love and what you hate and stay tuned next week which includes a movie with Gary Oldman.
FUN LITTLE TRIVIA Rex Harrison (My Fair Lady) plays Dr. Dolittle in the 1967 film of the same title. Bob Holt (Wizards) played the part in the brief 1970 tv show. ROMAN franchise
-Rex Harrison (My Fair Lady) plays Julius Caesar in the 1963 film CLEOPATRA. -Theodore Bikel (My Fair Lady) played Caesar in a 1955 episode of STUDIO ONE titled JULIUS CAESAR -Bob Holt (Wizards) plays Octavius aka Augustus, Caesar's stepson and later ruler, in the 1950 film JULIUS CAESAR. Bob Holt (Wizards) did the voice for Homer Zuckerman in the 1973 film CHARLOTTE'S WEB. My facebook friend Connor played the part in a Muncie Civic Theater production
Jason Lee (Chasing Amy) and Ryan Gosling (Lars and the Real Girl) both live in the L.A. Neighborhood of Silverlake.
Casey Affleck (Chasing Amy) played Robert Ford in the 2007 film THE ASSASINATION OF JESSE JAMES BY THE COWARD ROBERT FORD which was one of the best performances I have seen in this era in my opinion. Paul Schneider (Lars and the Real Girl) plays Dick Liddil, one of the members of James Gang, in the same movie.
Susan Sarandon (Lorenzo's Oil) played Janet in the 1975 film THE ROCKY HORROR PICTURE SHOW. My facebook friend Kristen played the role in various versions at Muncie Civic Theater and will be pursuing her acting career in Chicago.
Peter Ustinov (Lorenzo's' Oil) played King William IV in the 2001 tv movie VICTORIA AND ALBERT. Jim Broadbent (Longford) plays the role in the 2009 film THE YOUNG VICTORIA.
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Saturday, May 30, 2009
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Category: Movies, TV, Celebrities
Welcome to the 185th Edition of my series. I am still working on getting a role in a community theater show now that my work seems to be allowing it. So far I am 0-2 where I tried out for both RENT and FIDDLER ON THE ROOF but no luck so far. Tomorrow I am trying out for BIG RIVER which is a musical about Huck Finn so I keep you all posted there. Rope (1948): I start out this with the "Master of Suspense" Alfred Hitchcock. This is loosely based on the Leopold-Loeb case. A couple weeks ago, I used another movie based on the case called COMPULSION. It is based on a play by Patrick Hamilton. John Dall and Farley Granger play two college students who concoct the "perfect crime" by strangling a fellow classmate and put the body in a small chest in the apartment. They then proceed to have a party to challenge the perfection of their crime. James Stewart plays Rupert Cadell, a former teacher of the students who inadvertingly teaches them what they know and becomes very suspicious. Almost this whole movie was filmed inside the house where the party was taking place. Hitchcock wanted a theatrical feel for this film which used very little cuts. There was also a lot of indirect references to homosexuality which made the film very controversial and banned in some cities. This was not the most suspenseful since the crime is done in the beginning but still very entertaining to see where we go with it. Each character was written very carefully and each person pulled off their parts. Oliver and Company (1988): This is my tribute to Dom Deluise who recently left us. The Disney shorts I have shown the past two weeks come from this one. This is the Disney version of OLIVER TWIST where we find Oliver is a cute little kitten, which is done by BLOSSOM alum Joey Lawrence. He is recruited by a dog named Dodger, done actually by singer Billy Joel, who brings him into a group of other animals who survive by leading a life of crime led by Fagin, done by the late Deluise, who is in deep debt to Bill Sykes and his great danes. In one of the crimes, Oliver meets a young, wealthy girl named Jenny who takes in Oliver but Sykes threatens their relationship. This has some pretty good music and funny moments. Good for the family. Other voices include Cheech Marin and Bette Midler plus an opening theme song sung by Huey Lewis. Friday Night Lights (2004): This is my football movie for the week which is directed by Peter Berg. This takes place in a small town in Texas where high school football is everything. Billy Bob Thornton stars as Coach Gaines who is under a lot of pressure from the town to win. He always wants his team to be "perfect" and has an interesting description about what he means by it. His SLING BLADE co-star Lucas Black stars as the quarterback who is also under a lot of pressure with the team and his troubled mom. Country singer Tim McGraw co-stars as one of the fathers who is an alcoholic and is overbearing on his son and wants him to have the same success that he had in high school. This is actually a true story of a town who needed hope. Derek Luke also stars as the running back that becomes injured. It seems to be a pretty accurate portrayal of Texas high school football and them being the most important part of a town. The tv series KING OF THE HILL shows a lot of serious high school football. Sheba, Baby (1975): I got this as a free birthday rental at Hollywood video and wanted to take a look at some more Pam Grier from the 70s. This is a Blaxploitation film which has most of the white people as either a villain or a lazy cop who won't do anything. There are always stereotypes towards the blacks but that is to be expected in this movie. I felt Pam Grier diverted from most of the stereotype. She plays the title character who is a private detective in Chicago and must go back to Louisville to help her father whose loan business is being muscled. She uncovers a plot that goes to each level of corporate greed. There is not much else to say. It has a pretty good music score, if you can get past the stereotypes, you might like it. I can usually watch Pam Grier in most things. The Milagro Beanfield War (1988): Robert Redford went behind the camera on this movie about Northern New Mexico. It is a town that is poor but very proud. Chick Vennera stars as a farmer named Joe who illegally diverts water to his home but gets support from the town who feels wronged by the government. Christopher Walken co-stars as Kyril Montana, who is sent to try to stop the town and starts quite an eruption when everyone unites to keep the big business away. It is a very nice look at a small town that will never be rich but likes where they are. Other actors include Daniel Stern, John Heard, Melanie Griffith, James Gammon, and M. Emmet Walsh. First Knight (1995): The Facebook friend I selected for this one was Katie who I went to school with from middle school up to high school graduation. Jerry Zucker directed this much different adaption of the Arthurian legend. In this one, Sean Connery is the noble King Arthur who seems to have already gotten Excalibur from the stone and in fact, I do not believe it is even mentioned in the film and is set to marry Guinevere, played by Julia Ormond. Richard Gere is the care-free Lancelot who happens to save Guinevere who slowly becomes one of the knights and has a thing for Guinevere. Their biggest conflict is a knight named Prince Malagant, played by Ben Cross, who left the round table for his own path and has a vendetta against Arthur. There is no Merlin in this one so no wizardry, nor does he have his conniving sister Morgana or his illegitamate son Mordred. Maybe he already conquered both of them. The leads play their parts well making for a decent Arthur film.
A Fistful of Dollars (1964): Sergio Leone directed this first of the Man With No Name trilogy which is a western remake of Akira Kurasowa's 1961 film YOJIMBO. Kurasowa ended up suing for breach of copyright and states he made more off this than YOJIMBO Clint Eastwood stars in his star-making role as a drifter who roles into a town with two feuding families where he pits them both against each other and getting more money in the process. There is really not much to say here. Ennio Morricone wrote a great music score for this and in researching this, apparently Steve Reeves, known for HERCULES turned down the lead role saying he was making more money in other things. What would have happened if Reeves had accepted the role and where would we be today? Eastwood fans need to check this out and western fans as well. Just about everyone should.
A Sailor-Made Man (1921): This is my silent film for the week which includes "The Third Genius" Harold Lloyd. He wanted to marry a girl, played by his future wife Mildred Davis, but her father told him that he had to get a job first so he goes into the Navy. In the Navy, he finds that he does not fit in all too well but leads to some pretty funny situations. When the girl and her family dock at a Middle Eastern Kingdom and she is kidnapped and he must try to save her. This movie was originally intended to be about 20 minutes but Lloyd added on so much that they did not want to cut it making it around 45 minutes which was considered a "feature" film in those days making his first. Through the years I have tried to give Lloyd some exposure on here and hope if you like Charlie Chaplin and Buster Keaton, that you will look into him as well. His thing seems to be the average guy doing everything he possibly can to impress a girl which worked very well.
Carry On Nurse (1959): I had to go to the library and make a more random selection since AMC and TCM were showing non-stop military movies and the last one was based on the Navy so I didn't want anything more that deals with military. I was looking at this and these were two different comedies and it sounded rather interesting. This is a British comedy that takes place at a hospital where a men's ward is wreaking a lot of havoc where they try to get payback on a nurse and even do their own surgery on someone. Shirley Eaton is one of the nurses. This was a satire of a hospital and what it was like in there. There is really not much to say except I laughed quite a big.
Spider Man 3 (2007): This is in tribute to actress Lucy Gordon who recently died. She played reporter Jennifer Rubin towards the end of the film. I might takes some heat for this one but while it was quite flawed, it had its moments for me and I liked it better than TERMINATOR: SALVATION which I had just seen. Sam Raimi took the helm once again as director with Tobey Maguire reprising his role as the web slinger. He has much to fight here. First, Thomas Haden Church plays the Sandman who I felt stood out in the movie which is a tough opponent for Spider Man. James Franco reprises his role as Peter Parker's friend Harry Osborn, who is very bitter towards him and follows in his father's footsteps as the New Goblin. THAT 70S SHOW alum Topher Grace co-stars as Eddie Brock, a rival photographer to Peter who later becomes Venom. Not only did he have those three to contend with but he also had to contend with himself when a black entity got to Peter Parker/Spider Man and turned his suit black. The black suit enhanced his abilities and also brought out a very dark side of Peter. I did like the Peter Parker/Eddie Brock rivalry though I felt they dealt with the Venom character way too quickly. I also did not believe the special effects of Spider Man when he was web-slinging around and looked too computerized like in THE HULK. I can always watch Bruce Campbell who makes a cameo as a French waiter. Kirsten Dunst, OZ alum J.K. Simmons, Dylan Baker, Rosemary Harris, Willem Dafoe, Bryce Dallas Howard, and many others co-star. Now we have the Broadway musical of Spider Man to look forward to so if you hate this one, let it be known but please at least make comments on the other nine. I liked the first two better but as I said, this had its moments for me and enough to feature here.
Well, that is it for this week, tell me what you like and what you do not like and stay tuned next week for the 186th Edition. Only on here does Joey Lawrence get to be on the same boat as people such as Hitchcock, James Stewart, Eastwood, Harold Lloyd and so on. And to the filmmakers out there, give me a link and I will view your movie with a possibility of being featured here. Stay tuned next week for Audrey Hepburn and Mark Hamill and no I don't have STAR WARS for next week.
FUN LITTLE TRIVIA
Cedric Hardwicke (Rope) and Sean Connery (First Knight) have both played King Arthur and Allan Quatermain
-Hardwicke plays King Arthur in the 1949 film A CONNECTICUT YANKEE IN KING ARTHUR'S COURT. Connery plays the role in this week's feature FIRST KNIGHT. FIRST KNIGHT co-star John Gielgud played King Arthur in the 1996 film DRAGONHEART which was uncredited
-Hardwicke plays Allan Quatermain in the 1937 film KING SOLOMON'S MINES. Connery plays the role in the 2003 film THE LEAGUE OF EXTRAORDINARY GENTLEMEN. Cheech Marin (Oliver and Company) played Joe Dominguez in the 90s tv series NASH BRIDGES. James Gammon (Milagro Beanfield War) played Nick Bridges, the father to the title character. Bette Midler (Oliver and Company) was Rose in the 1993 tv movie GYPSY. My Facebook friend Joanne played the role in a production at Anderson Mainstage Theatre. ANGEL FRANCHISE -Christian Kane (Friday Night Lights) played Lindsey McDonald, an attorney for Wolfram and Hart which was Angel's nemesis much of the show. -Alexis Denisof (First Knight) played Wesley Wyndam-Price, who fought alongside Angel and his character started out on BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER for a brief stint as the new watcher. JAMES BOND FRANCHISE -Christopher Walken (The Milagro Beanfield War) plays villain Max Zorin in the 1985 Bond film A VIEW TO A KILL, the last of the Roger Moore era-Sean Connery (First Knight) plays James Bond in the 60s to the early 70s. -Shirley Eaton (Carry on Nurse) plays "Golden Girl" Jill Masterson in the 1964 Bond film GOLDFINGER which started rumors that she died from the gold paint which could not be further from the truth. Melanie Griffith (Milagro Beanfield War) plays actress Marion Davies, a ex-girlfriend of William Randolph Hearst and the biggest source for his hatred of CITIZEN KANE on her portrayal in the 1999 film RKO 281. Kirsten Dunst (Spider-Man 3) plays the part in the 2001 film THE CAT'S MEOW. Ben Cross (First Knight) plays Cardinal Richelieu in the 2001 film YOUNG BLADES. My facebook friend John plays the role in a recent Muncie Civic Theater production of THE THREE MUSKETEERS. Clint Eastwood (Fistful of Dollars) cites James Stewart (Rope) as one of his favorite actors
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Saturday, May 23, 2009
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Category: Movies, TV, Celebrities
Welcome to the 184th Edition of my series. I had quite a week, with last friday was apparently my birthday. I had some good times. I don't really have much to say so let's get on with the movies
'Round Midnight (1986): Bertrand Tavernier directed this movie which takes a look at an aging jazz musician named Dale Turner who resides in France. Real-life Jazz musician Dexter Gordon portrays the person. Through the years, he has a battle with alcoholism, estranged from his family and holding his career by a thread. Francois Cluzet plays Francis, a man who really likes his music and befriends Dale. Francis really wants to save him from his way on life so he can focus on his music. Gordon begins to value life more with him and Francis' young daughter. This was a very moving film where Herbie Hancock co-stars and wrote the music score.
Strait Jacket (2008): This is my Anime film for the week which is something I don't do often but do when I see the opportunity presents itself. For those of you that don't know what Anime is, it is a Japanese animated movie and sometimes tv show. This takes place in a world where sorcery and reality co-exist finding benefits. However, when the right precaution is not taken, humans can become monsters and must be killed. A group of sorcerists are brought together to destroy these monsters while running their own risk. They then find a big issue where the Sorcery Management Bureau must enlist the help of an unlicensed assassin named Leiot Sternberg who resides with a young mysterious girl. Both of these people have a pretty dark past and are looking for redemption. This was a pretty entertaining and somewhat moving film where one of the biggest themes is redemption and forgiveness.
Puss Cafe (1950): This is my second Pluto short in the last couple of weeks and the first times I have really taken note of Disney character Pluto. In this one, he is trying to guard his yard but a couple mischievous cats make trouble for the dog. There are some pretty funny moments and definetly something for animation buffs.
Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (2005): This is a selection from the Random Myspace Profile selection process and for this one I chose was Camilla. This is based on the fourth installment of the Harry Potter series and here he faces the challenge of his life when he is selected for a multi-wizard tournament where he is an under-aged competitor which even brings tension between him and Ron and must face the inevitable encounter with Lord Valdemort, played by Ralph Fiennes. Harry says he did not put in his name but someone did. Ron, Hemione, Snape, Malfoy, and all our other favorites return. I am sorry to the readers who might find this satanic. Other actors include Timothy Spall, Emma Watson, Rupert Grint, Alan Rickman, Gary Oldman, Maggie Smith, and others. There is not much else to say on this. I enjoyed the movie. I honestly have not read the books.
Come and Get It (1936): Howard Hawks started out as the director before getting replaced in the end by William Wyler due to some disagreements. Edward Arnold stars as Barney Glasgow, a lumberjack who becomes infatuated with a saloon girl named Lotta Morgan, played very well by Frances Farmer who I believe is the first movie of hers that I have ever featured, but leaves her to marry into wealth. Many years later, he returns to the small town to find that she has died but takes a liking to her daughter, also played by Farmer, where he then has a rivalry with his son Richard over the affections of her. Joel McCrea plays his son. Walter Brennan co-stars as Swan and wins the first Best Supporting Actor in the Academy Awards. This was a pretty compelling film with good performances. Unfortunately, Farmer did not have the career she could have because her parents had her confined to a series of asylums and institutions. She showed a lot of talent and promise here.
Lovers and Other Strangers (1970): This is a tribute to former Golden Girl Bea Arthur who recently left us. Cy Howard directed this movie based on a play by Joseph Bologna. Michael Brandon and Bonnie Bedelia star as engaged couple Mike and Susan who see many couples around them that are not very happy. Mike's brother Richie, played by Joseph Hindy, is going through a divorce with his wife Joan, played by Diane Keaton in her film debut. Susan's father is carrying on an affair. Mike's friend Jerry, played by Harry Guardino, is trying to bed the maid of honor Brenda, played by Marian Hailey who was my favorite in the movie. This shows the workings of relationships and how to solve them. Bea Arthur plays Mike's mother who is upset that her other son is getting a divorce due to her catholic beliefs. Richard Castellano plays Mike's father. Also includes Cloris Leachman as Bernice. I'm not going to go any more into the many relationship scenarios. Anne Meara plays Wilma and her husband Jerry Stiller has a cameo with their daughter, Amy, as the flower girl. This is a very overlooked movie which took the death of Ms. Arthur to make me notice.
The Story of Qui Ju (1992): This is a selection from the Random Myspace Profile selection and for this one I selected Myspace founder Tom Anderson. Zhang Yimou directed this Hong Kong film that stars Gong Li as the title character. She is a peasant in a village and is pregnant. She becomes very dismayed when the village chief kicks her husband in the groin. The chief offered money for what happened and for the medical bills but she did not want that, she wanted an apology. She then goes to many levels of court looking for this apology but is dismissed due to what they believe was the minority of the crime and feeling money should be enough. She becomes very frustrated in her quest and going farther and farther through the country. This was a very realistic film about Chinese government and very beautifully shot. However, I had a hard time with the main character going through such extremes to get this apology while hurting her family financially. I guess I just had a hard time agreeing so I was rating this lower than some at first until the end of the movie when a certain price had to be paid. Gong Li is great as the title character.
Bastard Out of Carolina (1996): Anjelica Huston directed this movie about a poor, stuggling 1950s family. Jennifer Jason Leigh stars as Anney, the mother of the family. Jena Malone is the older sister and is nicknamed Bone. Anney meets a man named Glenn, played by Ron Eldard, and they soon marry. He soon makes Bone's life hell through his abuse and molestation. Both Anney and Bone have important decisions to make and have tension even with them. This is not for everyone and I had a hard time with it myself with the images. Malone was great in her breakthrough role and I feel Eldard gets overlooked. It was definetly worth a watch and I must say it kept my attention even when I was laying down. Glenne Headly, Lyle Lovett, Dermot Mulrooney, Christina Ricci, Michael Rooker, Diana Scarwid, Pat Hingle as well as a narration from Laura Dern.
Sweepings (1933): I found this one on TCM and this seems pretty overlooked today. Lionel Barrymore stars as Daniel Pardway who builds a very big department store hoping to make it a family business but finds that his kids are not so sure they want anything to do with it. He has three sons and a daughter. Gloria Stuart plays his daughter. This is a great movie dealing with a family just like my last selection. Barrymore is great and they did a good job making him look 25 at the beginning even though he was 55 years old. This is something I did not find much info on so it does not really live on as a known classic but deserves some exposure like what TCM gave it.
The Poseidon Adventure (1972): This one is in tribute to a theater friend named Cathy. I recently spoke to her husband at the premier of MY NAME IS JERRY and cited this as one of her favorites. Unfortunately I did not know her like I should have and never had the pleasure of working with her at a show. Now to the movie. This is regarded by many as the best of the disaster films. It's the type that has an all-star cast, many sub-plots, a diverse amount of characters fighting for their survival, one person who knows they should not do what they are doing, and so on. Gene Hackman leads this group as the liberal preacher Reverend Scott. If you're looking for a great plot, this might not be the one to watch. However, it has some pretty good action. Other actors include Shelley Winters, Ernest Borgnine, Red Buttons, Roddy McDowell, Leslie Nielson, and many others.
Well, that is it for this week, please tell me what you like and what you dislike and stay tuned next week for the 185th Edition which will include the Master of Suspense, Disney, Billy Bob Thornton and even some Pam Grier.
FUN LITTLE TRIVIA
Timothy Spall (Harry Potter) plays Beadle Bamford in the 2007 film SWEENEY TODD: THE DEMON BARBER OF FLEET STREET. My Myspace friend Sean played the role in versions in both Anderson and Muncie. Fellow HARRY POTTER actor Alan Rickman played the corrupt Judge Turpin in the same movie.
HARRY POTTER actors Timothy Spall and Gary Oldman have both played Rosencrantz. Spall plays the role in the 1996 film HAMLET. Oldman played the part in the 1990 film ROSENCRANTZ & GUILDENSTERN ARE DEAD.
Daniel Radcliffe (Harry Potter) sites Christina Ricci (Bastard Our of Carolina) as one of his favorite actresses.
Daniel Radcliffe (Harry Potter) was a young David Copperfield in the 1999 tv movie DAVID COPPERFIELD. Maggie Smith (Harry Potter) was Betsey Trotwood in the same movie as Radcliffe Warwick Davis (Harry Potter) played Marvin in the 2005 film THE HITCHHIKER'S GUIDE TO THE GALAXY and his HARRY POTTER co-star provided the voice Bonnie Bedelia (Lovers and Other Strangers) was one of the hostages Alan Rickman (Harry Potter) and his group in the 1988 film DIE HARD HARRY POTTER actors Brendan Gleeson and Timothy Spall have played Winston Churchill -Gleeson plays the part in the upcoming 2009 film INTO THE STORM -Spall plays the part in the upcoming 2010 film JACKBOOTS ON WHITEHALL BIBLICAL FRANCHISE -Miranda Richardson (Harry Potter) provides the voice of Mary Magdalene in the 2000 film THE MIRACLE MAKER -Gary Oldman (Harry Potter) plays the role of Pontius Pilate in the 1999 tv movie JESUS -Ralph Fiennes (Harry Potter) does the voice of Jesus in the 2000 film THE MIRACLE MAKER -Harry Guardino (Lovers and Other Strangers) played Barabbas, the man chosen over Jesus to be crucified, in the 1961 film KING OF KINGS
Gary Oldman (Harry Potter) plays Comissioner Gordon in the Batman films with Christian Bale. Pat Hingle (Bastard out of Carolina) plays the role in the Batman films with Michael Keaton, Val Kilmer, and George Clooney Gary Oldman (Harry Potter) plays Dracula in the 1992 film BRAM STOKER'S DRACULA. Leslie Nielson (The Poseiden Adventure) plays the part in the the 1995 film DRACULA: DEAD AND LOVING IT
Alan Rickman (Harry Potter) plays Rasputin in the 1996 tv movie RASPUTIN. Lionel Barrymore (Sweepings) plays the role in the 1932 film RASPUTIN AND THE EMPRESS Frances Farmer (Come and Get it) plays Calamity Jane in the 1941 film BADLANDS OF DAKOTA. Anjelica Huston (Bastard Out of Carolina) director played the role in the 1995 film BUFFALO GIRLS
LOVERS AND OTHER STRANGERS actors Richard Castellano and Diane Keaton were both part of THE GODFATHER franchise -Castellano played Peter Clemenza in Part 1 -Keaton played Kay Adams-Corleone in all three films
Gig Young (Lovers and Other Strangers) plays C.K. Dexter Haven in the 1959 tv remake of THE PHILADELPHIA STORY. Leslie Nielson plays the role in a 1950 episode of ROBERT MONTGOMERY PRESENTS entitled THE PHILADELPHIA STORY
Diane Keaton (Lovers and Other Strangers) and Dermot Mulroney (Bastard Out of Carolina) play mother and son in the 2005 film THE FAMILY STONE.
Anjelica Huston (Bastard Out of Carolina director) and Gene Hackman (Poseidon Adventure) were estranged wife and husband in the 2001 film THE ROYAL TENENBAUMS
Anjelica Huston (Bastard Out of Carolina director) and Christina Ricci (Bastard Out of Carolina) were mother and daughter in the 1991 film THE ADDAMS FAMILY and the 1993 film THE ADDAMS FAMILY VALUES -Huston was Morticia Addams -Ricci was Wednesday Addams
Pat Hingle (Bastard Out of Carolina) played FBI founder J. Edgar Hoover in the 1992 film CITIZEN COHN. Ernest Borgnine (Poseidon Adventure) played the role in the 1983 tv movie BLOOD FEUD and the 2000 film HOOVER.
Lionel Barrymore (Sweepings) played Billy Bones in the 1934 film TREASURE ISLAND. Ernest Borgnine (Poseidon Adventure) played the role in the 1987 film TREASURE ISLAND IN OUTER SPACE.
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Saturday, May 16, 2009
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Category: Movies, TV, Celebrities
Welcome to the 183rd Edition. I am using a selection for the Random Myspace Profile selection process. Next week, I'll likely have two but that is subject to change. I choose nine people at a time for this and it's getting close to me selecting again so have some good movies on your profile for if you are randomly selected. This week, I sort of make my debut in my own blog, among others in that movie. I spent all this week on a jury. It was quite an experience but upset we had to convict the dependent knowing it was my duty as a juror. Empire of the Sun (1987): I am now paying tribute to the late J.G. Ballard who wrote the novel and recently died. Steven Spielberg directed this movie that centers around a young British boy named Jim who is living a good life in Shanghai with his parents and then gets separated during a Japanese invasion. He then gets captured and put in a POW camp for British civilians where he tries to make the most of life there. A young Christian Bale plays this part in his first feature film. John Malkovich co-stars as someone he meets while separated and forms a friendship with him and begins to admire the young Jim. SOPRANOS alum Joe Pantoliano also has a role as Malkovich's friend. Also look for a young Ben Stiller as part of the camp as well as Miranda Richardson. This movie took place right before the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor. Bale is great to watch and can see he has come a long way.
My Name is Jerry (2009): This was an independent movie shot mostly in my town of Muncie which I got to be an extra in the scene. I also saw the premier of this movie and I believe you might see a little bit of me but I need to be able to pause it to really know. Former Ball State student Doug Jones stars as the title name in this movie as a door-to-door salesman who is struggling on the job, having a mid-life crisis, and trying to reconnect with his daughter Trisha, played by DRAKE AND JOSH alum Alison Scagliotti. THAT 70S SHOW alum Don Stark plays Jerry's friend. Katlyn Carlson made her film debut as Jordan, a girl half Jerry's age but still seem to like each other. She was one of the few theater actors in Chicago that was used and really proved herself and so did the others. 7TH HEAVEN alum Catherine Hicks also co-stars. I honestly did not know what to expect here. I knew it was going to be cool that I am possibly in it and that it was filmed in Muncie so I'd see all the landmarks. I ended up really liking this movie. I think this the first time I have seen Doug Jones play a human after playing Fauno in PAN'S LABYRINTH, Abe Sapien in HELLBOY and the Silver Surfer. He was very good in the title role and I actually met him on the set and at the premier and is a very nice person. I hope this gets distributed in the Independent film world and that it can become a little more known. It's good to finally put something in here that I was in. Also very good for the budget they had.
Easy Rider (1969): This is probably the most known film I have done in a couple weeks now. Dennis Hopper directed and starred in this movie. Peter Fonda produced and starred in the movie. Hopper, Fonda, and Terry Southern all wrote this movie. Fonda and Hopper are a couple counterculture bikers who are on a bike trip for the "American Dream" and they want to go from California to New Orleans for Marti Gras. On their way, they have many interesting encounters including an alcoholic attorney, played very well by a young Jack Nicholson. There are some interesting scenes around the fire where they are really smoking pot. It was also interesting to see that even though there was the rise of segregation with blacks, these people were being judged by their personalities and looks. Peter's daughter Bridget and son Justin are uncredited in her first movie when she was a little kid in one scene. Karen Black and Toni Basil also appear in the movie. Their is also a very interesting making-of video showing the volatile nature of everyone on the set including Dennis Hopper. This movie is what manys says defines the 60s.
The Whole Nine Yards (2000): The Facebook friend I chose for this week is Ipek who I went to school with from elementary to high school graduation. This was a pretty surprising comedy of 2000 which stars FRIENDS alum Matthew Perry who is a dentist named Oz and very unhappily married to Sophie, played by Rosanna Arquette. He then sees that hitman-turned-informant Jimmy Tudelsky, played very well by Bruce Willis, moves in next door and Oz recognizes who he is even though Jimmy is using a different name. Sophie gets the idea for Oz to go to Chicago and report that he knows where Jimmy is and hoping for money which was part of her bigger plan that spirals everything out of control. Amanda Peet is pretty funny as Oz's dental assistant and the idol of Jimmy. Other actors include Michael Clarke Duncan, Natasha Henstridge, Kevin Pollak, and Harland Williams. This was disturbingly very funny and felt bad many times that I was laughing. I guess it would have been better to see this before 2003 since that was the year the sequal whose only title different was the number ten instead of nine. I did not see the sequal and it seemed quite unnecessary and just seeing who was in THE WHOLE TEN YARDS was mostly able to make me know the people that survive but I still got some unpredictability out of it. Look for Willis' three daughters around the flower cart.
Crimson Tide (1995): Tony Scott directed this naval tale which has two head officers at odds with each other. Gene Hackman plays Captain Ramsey and Denzel Washington is Lt. Commander Hunter. They are in a submarine with some possible tension from the Russians. Ramsey decides they need to use nuclear weapons and Hunter disagrees which starts quite a mutiny in the submarine putting officers at odds with each other. This is a very compelling and suspenseful film where both have good intentions, even Ramsey, but just seems to have become crazed by the job. Other people include George Dzundza, James Gandolfini, Viggo Mortenson, Rick Schroeder, Lillo Brancato, Steve Zahn, Ryan Phillippe, among others. Many of these people seem to have gotten their start here. Look for a great argument on the Silver Surfer which was apparently written by Quentin Tarantino.
Compulsion (1959): This was a pretty daring film I found on AMC which stars Dean Stockwell and Bradford Dillman as a couple wealthy college students who kill just because they can. They are law students who have a lot of potential but still want that thrill. When they are caught, attorney Jonathan Wilk is hired to defend them and makes quite a challenge to the death penalty. This was actually based on the Leopold and Loeb case. Good performances make this worth a watch. Welles is great as Jonathan Wilk. The Man Who Fell to Earth (1976): Nicolas Roeg directed this strange tale which stars David Bowie as an alien who comes to Earth because he sees videos with it looking beautiful and wants water for his family. He then starts a technology company and becomes a billionaire to get the money he needs. He then meets Mary-Lou and starts a very destructive relationship and learns greediness and corruption, something he did not count on being on Earth. This was a very interesting film which I guess is to show the greediness of people on Earth. Rip Torn, Candy Clark, and Bernie Casey also co-star. Not a bad performance for David Bowie. Lend a Paw (1941): This is my Disney short for the week where Pluto makes his debut here as Mickey's dog who saves a little kitten from drowning but is dismayed when Mickey welcomes little kitty into the home getting him kicked out of the house. The kitten then falls into a well and Pluto must choose between his consciences for if he should save the kitten. It was a pretty good Disney short and will likely soon reveal what movie dvd it is on. The Dragon Painter (1919): This is my silent film for the week which I found on TCM. Sessue Hayakawa stars as Tatsu, known as the title character. He is a painter who lives in the wilderness who paints his princess he believes is incarnated into a dragon. Edward Peil Sr. co-stars as a master painter Kano Indara who has no heir. His servant notices his paintings and Indara leads his daughter Ume-Ko, played by Tsuru Aoki, to believe that she is his princess and has them marry. However, once married, Tatsu no longer has his inspiration to paint and must explore what he really wants and his wife and father-in-law do what they can to get his inspiration back. This was a great movie which does not show Asian stereotype like many did in that time period and Hayakawa was quite a star in those days. This was definetly worth a watch and has a great musical score. Electric Dragon 80,000v (2001): This is my Random Myspace Profile selection for this week and for this week I chose independent wrestler Big Ric Cannon. Sogo Ishii wrote and directed this film which stars Tadanobu Asano as a man who as a boy gets electrocuted and develops quite a gift and curse for electricity. This new power really alienates him from everyone and all he has is his guitar as refuge. He then encounters an electronics wizard who likes electric weapons. The final battle is pretty extreme and has some pretty good music. It also has some pretty strange imagery and limited dialogue Well, that is it for this week. Last week, I had some pretty unknown selections which Fred mentioned he hadn't seen any of them. I don't think I will accomplish that this week but please still tell me what you like and dislike and stay tuned for next week.
FUN LITTLE FACTS
BATMAN AND SUPERMAN FRANCHISE -Christian Bale (Empire of the Sun) played Batman in the 2005 film BATMAN BEGINS and the 2008 film THE DARK KNIGHT. -Jack Nicholson (Easy Rider) plays the Joker in the 1989 film BATMAN -Gene Hackman (Crimson Tide) plays Superman's nemesis Lex Luthor in the Superman films of the 80s. -George Dzundza (Crimson Tide) does the voice for Clark Kent's boss Perry White in the 2006 tv movie SUPERMAN: BRAINIAC ATTACKS and other Superman cartoons. He has also voiced Batman villain The Ventriloquist in some of the Batman cartoons. -Dean Stockwell (Compulsion) does the voice for Communications Engineer Mr. Timothy Drake who would become Robin in the 2000 straight to video film BATMAN BEYOND: THE RETURN OF THE JOKER BIBLICAL FRANCHISE -Christian Bale (Empire of the Sun) played Jesus Christ in the 1999 film MARY, MOTHER OF JESUS -Miranda Richardson (Empire of the Sun) did the voice of Mary Magdalene in the 2000 animated film THE MIRACLE MAKER -David Bowie (Man who fell to earth) played Pontius Pilate in the 1988 film THE LAST TEMPTATION OF CHRIST John Malkovich (Empire of the Sun) plays Tom Ripley in the 2002 film RIPLEY'S GAME and Dennis Hopper (Easy Rider) played the role in the 1977 film THE AMERICAN FRIEND John Malkovich (Empire of the Sun) plays the role of Lennie in the 1992 version of OF MICE AND MEN and my myspace friend Sam played the part at the Indianapolis Civic Theater Ben Stiller (Empire of the Sun) picked up Harland Williams (The Whole Nine Yards) as a hitchhiker in the 1998 film THERE'S SOMETHING ABOUT MARY Ben Stiller (Empire of the Sun) and Gene Hackman (Crimson Tide) are son and father in the 2001 film THE ROYAL TENENBAUMS SOPRANOS FRANCHISE -Joe Pantoliano (Empire of the Sun) played the eccentric Ralph Cifaretto -James Gandolfini (Crimson Tide) played Tony Soprano, the main character -Lillo Brancato (Crimson Tide) played wannabe mobster Matt Bevilaqua in a brief stint. MARVEL FRANCHISE -Doug Jones (My Name is Jerry) plays the role of Silver Surfer in the 2007 film FANTASTIC 4: THE RISE OF THE SILVER SURFER and possibly is getting his own movie. -Peter Fonda (Easy Rider) plays the role of Mephistopheles, who is a devil-type character in 2007 film GHOST RIDER -Michael Clarke Duncan (The Whole Nine Yards) plays Marvel villain The Kingpin in the 2003 film DAREDEVIL. Dennis Hopper (Easy Rider) and Gene Hackman (Crimson Tide) are part of the coaching staff of the Old Hickory coaching team in the 1986 film HOOSIERS Jack Nicholson (Easy Rider) played Colonel Nathan Jessup in the 1992 film A FEW GOOD MEN. My facebook friend Tom played the role in our version at the Ricks-Weil Theater last January in Greenfield. Jack Nicholson (Easy Rider) was considered for the villain role of Mitch Leary in the 1993 film IN THE LINE OF FIRE which would ultimately go to John Malkovich (Empire of the Sun) Jack Nicholson (Easy Rider) played Col. Jessup in the 1992 film A FEW GOOD MEN. Kevin Pollak (The Whole Nine Yards) played Lt. Sam Weinberg, who was one of the people trying to bring down Jessup. Matt Craven (Crimson Tide) played the role of Lt. Spradling in the movie Pollak can also do a Jack Nicholson impersonation Toni Basi (Easy Rider) and David Bowie (The Man Who Fell to Earth) are more known for their singing than acting.
Rip Torn (Man Who Fell To Earth) apparently won a Defamation lawsuit against Dennis Hopper (Easy Rider) who apparently said some pretty bad thing about him on THE TONIGHT SHOW. Torn was originally cast in this week's feature EASY RIDER as George Hanson, which would ultimately go to Jack Nicholson.
Gene Hackman (Crimson Tide) is said to have turned down the role of McMurphy in the 1975 film ONE FLEW OVER THE CUCKOO'S NEST which would ultimately go to Jack Nicholson (Easy Rider)
Jason Robards (Crimson Tide uncreditted) plays Ulysses S. Grant in the 1981 film THE LEGEND OF THE LONE RANGER. E.G. Marshall (Compulsion) plays the part in EMMA: QUEEN OF THE SOUTH SEAS. Rip Torn (The Man Who Fell to Earth) plays the role in the 1982 mini-series THE BLUE AND THE GRAY.
Jason Robards (Crimson Tide) plays Howard Hughes in the 1980 film MELVIN AND HOWARD. Dean Stockwell (Compulsion) plays Howard Hughes in TUCKER: THE MAN AND HIS DREAMS.
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Saturday, May 09, 2009
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Category: Movies, TV, Celebrities
Welcome to the 182nd Edition of my long running blog. Right now,
at work I am on a schedule where at the moment I cannot do theater
which is very difficult for me. I have not done any shows since A FEW
GOOD MEN but last Monday I got a little taste of it again when I did a
little one night show at a church for Mother's Day. My friend Lisa
asked me to play the announcer and since there is not much demand, I
gladly said yes. I'm confident that soon I will be able to do theater
again, just not right now. I am also ring announcing at a local
wrestling show near my area so it will be good to get back into that as
well.
R.I.P. Rest in Pieces (1997): This is one of Travis' Co-Op
viewings which was a very fascinating and seemingly hard to find
documentary. This focuses on painter Joe Coleman whose art focuses a
lot on the darkness of our society and holds many outlaws and serial
killers in very high regard putting focus to his strange mind. He had
some very interesting things to say including a comparison of Jesus
Christ and Sigmund Freud. He called Freud a "modern-day Jesus" which
really cracked me up. Some of the highlights include his conversations
with director Jim Jarmusch and just his very strange and rather bizarre
thoughts on society. You should all google the name Joe Coleman, you'll
find some interesting results.
Clean, Shaven (1993): This is the
second of Travis' Co-Op viewings for me to use which is very rare. This
one was quite strange just like the first one but very good to view.
Peter Greene stars as a schizophrenic who is trying to get his daughter
from her adoptive parents. In doing this, he functions in a world with
sudden noises, voices and emotional shifts. It's a very interesting
movie where we are with him in this schizophrenic state of mind and
almost feel it. There is not much dialogue but a lot of imagery and
sound. As Travis said, I'm probably going to butcher everything he
said, put yourself with him and focus on the things around him. Not
quite like that but it was close.
The Errand Boy (1961): I
included Jerry Lewis last week and the dvd I obtained had two movies so
I thought I would check out this one. This one takes place in the great
town of Hollywood where Jerry Lewis plays the bumbling Morty. He is
unknowingly hired as a spy so that the movie studio can see where the
money is going. Like many of his movies, as good as his intentions are,
he still manages to wreak havoc. This is a nice tribute to Hollywood
and I really liked the scene where he is speaking to a puppet towards
the end. I've noticed that in the movies I have seen with Jerry that he
plays someone who has this dream and it pays off by him must being nice
and having a good attitude no matter how inept he may seem.
Boo
Moon (1954): This is something from my cartoon shorts and this one
features Casper, The Friendly Ghost. It starts out like most Casper
cartoons where no matter how friendly he is, people still fear the
unknown and become scared. He then sees the moon has a face and
encounters small moon men who become curious and capture him for the
Moon King. Their fear of him is that they believe he is a giant. Casper
then proves his worth when the enemies of the Moon Men, The Tree Men,
attack them and he does what he can to save the moon men earning their
respect and approval. Some say this is the best Casper since it took a
little different twist than usual.
And Now the Screaming Starts
(1973): This is my Hammer film for the week which takes place in 1795
England. Stephanie Beacham stars as Stephanie who just marries Charles
Fengriffin, played by Ian Ogilvy, and moves into his castle to find
that it seems quite haunted and has many encounters with a severed hand
but learns more of the past. Peter Cushing plays the doctor who is
hired to help Catherine. Not a bad horror film and of worth to see
Peter Cushing.
Quinceanera (2006): Richard Glatzer and Wash
Westmoreland wrote and directed this coming of age film starring Emily
Rios as Magdalena, a 15 year old who becomes pregnant and is kicked out
of her home. She then finds refuge with a very nice elderly uncle and
her gay cousin who is often in trouble. The three of them begin to form
a very close bond. Emily Rios is great as Magdalena. I actually found
this on the SITV and it is a great portrait of a Hispanic family.
The Tall Men (1955): This is my western for the week which was directed
by Raoul Walsh. Clark Gable and Cameron Mitchell star as brothers Ben
and Clint who join a cattle drive and when getting to Texas they save a
girl named Nella, played by Jane Russell, from the indian where she
joins them. She then has feelings for Ben but also likes the money of
the boss, played by Robert Ryan, who joins them for his own reasons.
The four of the them must make it to Montana but have a lot in their
way. I'm alway good for Jane Russell and Clark Gable was very good in
one of his later roles. This will not go down in the history of western
but worth a watch and has pretty good performances. Gandhi,
My Father (2007): This is in tribute to Bollywood star Feroz Khan, who
directed this movie and recently died. This movie is based on the
relationship between Mohandas Gandhi and his son Harilal. Harilal
became very resentful of his absent father who was off fighting for the
freedom of India. Harilal had a very dysfunctional relationship with
the man who won the freedom of his family and did not agree with
everything his father stood for and tried to join his father's
non-violent movement but never stuck to it. There is not much else to
say except that this took part a lot before Gandhi became the freedom
fighter and into both of their much different lives. This was a
less-known aspect of the life of Gandhi who much of us know today as
the man who won the freedom for India and shows the sacrifice that must
sometimes be made for the big picture. There was one song and dance
number and while it was quite lavish, it was very short and discreet on
how it came about. I mention that because much of the Bollywood films
have at least one lavish song and dance number. Marius
(1931): This is my French film for the week which I got off AMC. This
takes place in Marseilles at a bar run by a man named Cesar and his son
of the movie title. Marius has loved a girl named Fanny since childhood
but he also really loves the sea and both must decide which is more
important. This is a very funny movie and has a lot of colorful
characters and is first of a trilogy. Marcel Pagnol wrote and directed
this movie based on his play. Raimu is great as Cesar and so are the
other leads.
Kicking and Screaming (1995): This is the record number third
of Travis' Co-Op selections which was a movie showing the hardships
after graduating college in this imperfect world. Noah Baumbach wrote,
directed, and co-starred this movie that blends comedy and drama. Eric
Stoltz is great as Chet, a grad student who continues to bartend and go
to school. Josh Hamilton plays Grover, whose girlfriend goes to Prague,
but he decides to not follow her. Parker Posey is good as Miami.
There's not much to explain here except in some ways this reminded me
of DINER. We have the hardships of a handful of friends and they take
us right with them. One of my favorites was the scene with the book
club. Others include Olivia D'Abo, Sam Gould, and Elliot Gould.
Well, that is it for this week, I see I have an array of unknowns for this one. Please tell me what you love and what you hate.
FUN LITTLE FACTS
Peter Greene (Clean, Shaven) plays Zed in the 1994 film PULP FICTION. Eric Stoltz (
AND
NOW THE SCREAMING STARTS actors Peter Cushing and Herbert Lom have both
played the role of Dracula's nemesis Van Helsing in the 60s and 70s.
Herbert
Lom (And the screaming starts) plays Captain Nemo in MYSTERIOUS ISLAND
and Robert Ryan (Tall Men) plays the role in the 1969 film CAPTAIN NEMO
AND THE UNDERWATER SEA
Robert Ryan (Tall Men)
played the role of Abraham Lincoln in a 1955 episode of SCREEN
DIRECTORS PLAYHOUSE called LINCOLN'S DOCTOR'S DOG. Raoul Walsh (Tall
Men director) played John Wilkes Booth, who most of us know as the man
who shot Lincoln, in the 1915 epic A BIRTH OF A NATION. Elliot
Gould (Kicking and Screaming) played Trapper John in the 1970 film
MASH. My Myspace and Facebook friend Ben played the role in the version
we did at Lee's Theatrical Productions.
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Wednesday, May 06, 2009
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Category: Movies, TV, Celebrities
Many who know me know that I have really loved this movie and
recently purchased it on DVD. I have not anticipated a movie so much to
come out in a long time. It's pretty clear, I am too busy watching
other things but this movie hit home with me in a way only few can
understand. When I was younger and still in
school, my weekends would usually consist of finding a local wrestling
show in the central Indiana area. These were the kinds of shows which
would usually feature either local people who just wanted to have some
fun, aspiring wrestlers, and the ones who just can't get out which is
in many ways what this is based upon. The more shows I saw, the more
people I got to know and the more involved I would get. I would
eventually start ring announcing from time to time. It was there I got
to know these people and what good people most of them are where even
the ring announcer gets respect. I have also seen many people just like
Randy "The Ram" Robinson. Getting involved in theater took away from
the wrestling but theater is what I am addicted to but I still love to
see a show here and there. I came to hear about
this when I was in Netflix looking for a movie of the same title from
1974 that I heard about and I saw something that had not been released
yet and then I saw two words that threw me into all kinds of
excitement. Those words were Mickey Rourke. I then looked to see what
this was about and what I read actually sounded compelling for a
change. What we have had are things like READY TO RUMBLE, NACHO LIBRE,
NO HOLDS BARRED, well, you get the drift. I am also a fan of Mickey
Rourke and I was just so excited. I was telling a handful of people on
this and they could not understand how someone as "old" as Mickey
Rourke could play a wrestler. Well, it's simple. Wrestling is a hard
industry to get out of and at the time, his life was quite parallel to
his character. The first time I saw the
preview of this movie on Youtube, I was blown away by Mickey Rourke. He
was perfect for that role and I just could not wait for it to come out.
I usually do not take bootlegs but in this situation a guy I work with
had a copy and I could not resist. I took it home and while it was a
bad transfer, I really enjoyed the movie and I was ready for it to come
to theaters. Mickey Rourke was great. I heard that Nicolas Cage at one
time had the role and was even going to Ring of Honor shows to get into
the character but backed out. I am very grateful to Nicolas Cage for
that because Rourke was born for this role. From what I understand,
Aronofsky always wanted Rourke but the studio wanted Nicolas Cage which
shows that more freedom needs to be given to the directors and writers. It
took a long time for it to come to Indiana and after awhile after
limited patience, it was in Muncie so my friend Lisa brought her
brother and my friend Larry with her and we saw this on the big screen.
I loved it even more after I saw it in theaters. Now to the
movie. Mickey Rourke plays an independent wrestler named Randy "The
Ram" Robinson who seemed to have quite a bit of success in the '80s but
now he is working local stores, living in a trailer and works for a
grocery store. Each time he does what he has to in order to get through
a match which includes drugs. After having a heart attack, his doctor
told him that he should retire where he now leaves all that he knows.
He wants to have more of a romantic relationship with Pam, played very
well by Marisa Tomei, who works as a stripper and likes him but will
not cross her "line" with customers. He also has an estranged daughter
named Stephanie, played here by Evan Rachel Wood, who is very bitter
towards her father and he obviously was not there for her like he
should have been. Being a father has also always been a struggle in his
life. We understand her feelings but we also know Randy wants that
relationship but he does not know how to do it right. I also noticed
that Wood was perfectly cast as his daughter because I noticed a
similar chin that is pointed out a bit and she was very good in her
small part. I thought one of the saddest scenes was when he was
at the American Legion for an autograph signing where there was very
little turnout and the rest of the wrestlers there seemed like even
bigger has-beens than him. He also is still obsessed with the match he
had 20 years ago with "The Ayotallah" which was probably his most
high-profile match where he has a game set-up on his Nintendo, the
original one, and invites a kid from the trailer park to play but the
kid deems it very old and brings up games that Randy has never heard
of. With all the struggles, he decides that wrestling is his place and
believes that the rematch with The Ayotallah is his ticket back to the
top. Wrestler Ernest "The Cat" Miller plays Ayotallah and there are
many other wrestlers. I admit that the first time I watched
this, I thought this was going to be a ROCKY-type formula where
everyone was going to get behind him and support his comeback but I was
totally wrong and I was glad. This was a character study of a man's
struggle to make any other life for himself. A very significant line is
when he says "The only place I get hurt is out there". Many wrestlers
have the troubled relationships with their children which can be seen
in the 1999 documentary BEYOND THE MAT with Jake Roberts and his
daughter. Darren Aronofsky was the director and put together a
great movie on wrestling and looking into the independent world of
wrestling. Mickey Rourke worked very hard for this movie and even
getting training from Afa of the Wild Samoans. In the beginning, there
are some pretty brutal moments, especially when he had the "Death
Match" with the real-life wrestler The Necro Butcher. Rourke won a lot
of awards for this including winning a Golden Globe and being nominated
for an Oscar. Bruce Springsteen also got a big hit song of the movie
title.
I just purchased the DVD and I would have liked to have seen more but
the making-of documentary was very informative on both the making of
the movie and even the world of independent wrestling. It's
unfortunate that even when it was winning awards, it was still not
given much advertisement. I don't believe I ever saw a preview on tv,
I always had to show people the youtube video on my ipod touch. People
had no idea what I was talking about when it first started coming out.
I'm not exactly the best review writer which is one of the biggest
reasons I do the wrong I do but this one is very personal to my heart
and I am willing to make arrangements to show this movie to people so
if you are interested and live in Muncie, maybe on the outskirts, just
send me a message and we'll make the arrangements for you to see this
phenomenal movie. If you haven't checked out my blog from this week,
please do so and stay tuned next week for another installment of Shaun
Berk's 10 Movie Recommendations.
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