From Hot Shots:
What should you do with an elephant that has three balls?
Walk him and pitch to the rhino...
Showing posts with label Movies. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Movies. Show all posts
4.14.2008
10.24.2007
9.13.2007
Enough of the Catfighting
Marvel Comics has put in a major effort to sell movies based on its comic books. Spiderman, Hulk, Fantastic Four, X-men, to name a few. Some have been successful, some not (Daredevil, Ghost Rider, Elektra, Punisher), but success is measured two ways. The first, obviously, is the box office receipts, but I would argue that before you get there, you must be a hit with the fanboys.
DC Comics has not been as prolific; relying on Superman and Batman and some lesser known titles (Road to Perdition, League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, Constantine, Stardust), but I would give the edge to DC in terms of hit-to-miss ratio.
Several new films are coming to test my fanboy theory. First off, Ironman hit theaters next year. The trailer is out and looks interesting. I would not have picked Robert Downey, Jr., but RD is a hugh fan of the comic and Tony Stark has a dark-side not unlike Downey's own. My resistance is that Downey is a bit too cheeky for me, which we see in the trailer. The plot development is similar to the comics...so we shall see. (Samuel L. Jackson is supposed to play Nick Fury!)
Thor is the next unique interesting project. Again, fanboys will not be pleased if the director screws up a great franchise.
Then there is DC Comics' Wonder Woman. Wonder Woman is an icon. Her "modern" story - Paradise Island, Steve Trevor, alter ego Diana Prince, do-not-kill code - are as well known as her creation to balance a male-dominated superhero world. While Wonder Woman has often been sexualized (well, with a costume like that...), she can be a great metaphor for coming to grips with female power - think of a less dark version of Batman Begins.
And for Thew...Kate Beckinsdale has been rumored to play her.
DC Comics has not been as prolific; relying on Superman and Batman and some lesser known titles (Road to Perdition, League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, Constantine, Stardust), but I would give the edge to DC in terms of hit-to-miss ratio.
Several new films are coming to test my fanboy theory. First off, Ironman hit theaters next year. The trailer is out and looks interesting. I would not have picked Robert Downey, Jr., but RD is a hugh fan of the comic and Tony Stark has a dark-side not unlike Downey's own. My resistance is that Downey is a bit too cheeky for me, which we see in the trailer. The plot development is similar to the comics...so we shall see. (Samuel L. Jackson is supposed to play Nick Fury!)
Thor is the next unique interesting project. Again, fanboys will not be pleased if the director screws up a great franchise.
Then there is DC Comics' Wonder Woman. Wonder Woman is an icon. Her "modern" story - Paradise Island, Steve Trevor, alter ego Diana Prince, do-not-kill code - are as well known as her creation to balance a male-dominated superhero world. While Wonder Woman has often been sexualized (well, with a costume like that...), she can be a great metaphor for coming to grips with female power - think of a less dark version of Batman Begins.
And for Thew...Kate Beckinsdale has been rumored to play her.
9.04.2007
My Turn...Top 10 Action Sequences
Woot...sounds like an owl coming.
Anyway, in no particular order:
Matrix - Morpheus' Rescue. The scene in the lobby just typifies all the great action in the Matrix.
French Connection - Car Chase. C'mon, it is one of the grandaddies of car chases along with Bullitt.
Casino Royale - Lot's of Bond to pick from, but I really like the opening in the latest.
Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon - Ditto on Thew's sentiment.
Kill Bill Vol. 1 - House of Blue Leaves, but lots to pick from.
LOTR - I loved Helms' Deep, but the Battle of Pelennor Fields (Minas Tirith) is a huge sentimental favorite...and Legolas is just fabulous.
Saving Private Ryan - D-Day, just jaw dropping.
Star Wars - I echo Tdub in that the destruction of the first Death Star was, for the time, really impressive, but the destruction of the second Death Star is my favorite of the original trilogy.
Gladiator - The opening scene is great, but the first gladiator fight in the arena is my favorite.
Apocalypse Now - The helicopter assault on the beach was and is a classic scene.
The are some others I really liked, such as the final scene in The Professional. My introduction to Jean Reno...and Natalie Portman. The Die Hard series has many great scenes. The car chase scene in Ronin almost knocked off the French Connection. Finally, Raiders of the Lost Ark is just one big, great action sequence.
But hard to argue with any of the postings.
Anyway, in no particular order:
Matrix - Morpheus' Rescue. The scene in the lobby just typifies all the great action in the Matrix.
French Connection - Car Chase. C'mon, it is one of the grandaddies of car chases along with Bullitt.
Casino Royale - Lot's of Bond to pick from, but I really like the opening in the latest.
Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon - Ditto on Thew's sentiment.
Kill Bill Vol. 1 - House of Blue Leaves, but lots to pick from.
LOTR - I loved Helms' Deep, but the Battle of Pelennor Fields (Minas Tirith) is a huge sentimental favorite...and Legolas is just fabulous.
Saving Private Ryan - D-Day, just jaw dropping.
Star Wars - I echo Tdub in that the destruction of the first Death Star was, for the time, really impressive, but the destruction of the second Death Star is my favorite of the original trilogy.
Gladiator - The opening scene is great, but the first gladiator fight in the arena is my favorite.
Apocalypse Now - The helicopter assault on the beach was and is a classic scene.
The are some others I really liked, such as the final scene in The Professional. My introduction to Jean Reno...and Natalie Portman. The Die Hard series has many great scenes. The car chase scene in Ronin almost knocked off the French Connection. Finally, Raiders of the Lost Ark is just one big, great action sequence.
But hard to argue with any of the postings.
8.28.2007
Alien Deleted Scene
Tdub notes a scene in Aliens where the woman begs to be killed. Well, as a bit of trivia, one of the scenes in the book, which was deleted in the movie, Alien, was when Ripley finds the remains of Dallas and Brett, who are not dead, but turning into eggs.
Dallas begs for death and a distraught Ripley torches the place with the flamethrower.
It was considered too gruesome for the original, but made it into the second movie. Which is why, I think, it was not included in the Director's Cut.
Oh, and a bonus picture:
Dallas begs for death and a distraught Ripley torches the place with the flamethrower.
It was considered too gruesome for the original, but made it into the second movie. Which is why, I think, it was not included in the Director's Cut.
Oh, and a bonus picture:
8.27.2007
My Top Seven
Okay, horror is Thew's specialty, not mine. I am not a big slasher film guy, but I can give my Top 7 scariest scenes...blood or not.
1. The Alien Being Born - Alien. You knew something was going to happen, but you did not know what. The "what" was fantastic.
2. The Head in Jaws - Seeing the head in the boat was frightful and the fact that he was underwater and could not get away fast enough compounded the fright.
3. The Clown in Poltergeist - Whew! It was not under the bed...it's behind you. Just when you thought it was safe, too.
4. Sloth in Se7en - Poor dead bastard. Oh, wait! Scared the s*** out of me.
5. The First Transformation in American Werewolf in London - When the snout was sprouting, you could just FEEL it.
6. Peeling Off the Face in Silence of the Lambs - Simply unexpected and phenomenal.
7. The Whole Climax in Manhunter - The second Thomas Harris book-based film. I remember watching this and just not breathing for the climax.
Honorary Bloodiest scene: House of Blue Leaves scene in Kill Bill Vol. 1.
Like I said, I am not a slasher film guy, but I do enjoy a good scare...
1. The Alien Being Born - Alien. You knew something was going to happen, but you did not know what. The "what" was fantastic.
2. The Head in Jaws - Seeing the head in the boat was frightful and the fact that he was underwater and could not get away fast enough compounded the fright.
3. The Clown in Poltergeist - Whew! It was not under the bed...it's behind you. Just when you thought it was safe, too.
4. Sloth in Se7en - Poor dead bastard. Oh, wait! Scared the s*** out of me.
5. The First Transformation in American Werewolf in London - When the snout was sprouting, you could just FEEL it.
6. Peeling Off the Face in Silence of the Lambs - Simply unexpected and phenomenal.
7. The Whole Climax in Manhunter - The second Thomas Harris book-based film. I remember watching this and just not breathing for the climax.
Honorary Bloodiest scene: House of Blue Leaves scene in Kill Bill Vol. 1.
Like I said, I am not a slasher film guy, but I do enjoy a good scare...
8.13.2007
OMG!
Speed Racer will be a movie!
And in what will be the ultimate movie news for Thew...Thor is coming to the big screen.
And in what will be the ultimate movie news for Thew...Thor is coming to the big screen.
7.30.2007
Hmmmmm, Not Quite What I was Expecting
We do agree, as it turns out, on more than a few of these. I have a few to add, though I am guessing that these are a bit obscure. But first a story...
When I was a Little Tilam, my folks went out to eat and left my younger brother, my younger cousin and me at home with our much older cousin babysitting. That night we were watching a horror flick called "The Crawling Eye." I was probably 8 or 9 and the other two were 6 or 7. We were on the couch scared out of our minds watching this thing when my cousin went to the bathroom. As a joke, she let out a blood curdling scream. I have never been more scared in my life. At that age, there were Crawling Eyes and it definitely had just eaten our cousin.
Horror movies suck you in and make you believe.
The ones we agree:
Psycho. Hitchcock at his horrible best. I still get scared.
Alien. Classic haunted house genre done perfectly. Deleted scenes too much for even jaded audiences.
Exorcist. The grandpappy of the "possession" thrillers, so Rosemary's Baby and The Omen don't make it.
Jaws. "You're gonna need a bigger boat," to knock out this movie.
The Shining. "Here's Johnny!" Nicholson at his creepy best.
Caveat: I have not seen Saw, but more then Thew place it in the Top 10...
The next five:
The Sixth Sense. Loved it and the final twist just made the movie.
Manhunter. The much better prequel to Silence of the Lambs. Dark and disturbing.
Halloween. The original slasher is still the best.
The Other. The movie was just as scary as the book. Several plot twist keep you guessing.
The Changeling. George C. Scott overlooked pants pisser. Makes a rubber ball bouncing down the stairs terrifying.
There several honorable mentions. I loved Poltergeist. In particular the use of kids to create the suspense got to me. I need to tip my hat to Willard. Another 70s throwback that scared the shit out of me (and everyone else). I also loved Se7en with Brad and Gweneth, and thought the end was great. Kudos also to Jurassic Park which managed to peg the "oh, shit" meter a few times.
Here is another perspective from the Boston Globe.
Finally, I would be remiss in not mentioning Resident Evil. No, not the movie, but the game. The music, the undead, CLASSIC!
When I was a Little Tilam, my folks went out to eat and left my younger brother, my younger cousin and me at home with our much older cousin babysitting. That night we were watching a horror flick called "The Crawling Eye." I was probably 8 or 9 and the other two were 6 or 7. We were on the couch scared out of our minds watching this thing when my cousin went to the bathroom. As a joke, she let out a blood curdling scream. I have never been more scared in my life. At that age, there were Crawling Eyes and it definitely had just eaten our cousin.
Horror movies suck you in and make you believe.
The ones we agree:
Psycho. Hitchcock at his horrible best. I still get scared.
Alien. Classic haunted house genre done perfectly. Deleted scenes too much for even jaded audiences.
Exorcist. The grandpappy of the "possession" thrillers, so Rosemary's Baby and The Omen don't make it.
Jaws. "You're gonna need a bigger boat," to knock out this movie.
The Shining. "Here's Johnny!" Nicholson at his creepy best.
Caveat: I have not seen Saw, but more then Thew place it in the Top 10...
The next five:
The Sixth Sense. Loved it and the final twist just made the movie.
Manhunter. The much better prequel to Silence of the Lambs. Dark and disturbing.
Halloween. The original slasher is still the best.
The Other. The movie was just as scary as the book. Several plot twist keep you guessing.
The Changeling. George C. Scott overlooked pants pisser. Makes a rubber ball bouncing down the stairs terrifying.
There several honorable mentions. I loved Poltergeist. In particular the use of kids to create the suspense got to me. I need to tip my hat to Willard. Another 70s throwback that scared the shit out of me (and everyone else). I also loved Se7en with Brad and Gweneth, and thought the end was great. Kudos also to Jurassic Park which managed to peg the "oh, shit" meter a few times.
Here is another perspective from the Boston Globe.
Finally, I would be remiss in not mentioning Resident Evil. No, not the movie, but the game. The music, the undead, CLASSIC!
The Cooler King
C'mon. Give me a hard question.
Kudos to Animal House, which I should have considered more seriously and bumped Fletch. Same with Bachelor Party, which certainly deserves a mention, though is not Top 10 material.
The seems to be an Ahnold bias with both Terminator and Predator in the Thew Top 10. Oddly, I was torn about including an Ahnold flick, but my favorite Schwarzenegger movie is Total Recall. Terminator is a close second.
But the fact is that there at least 20 Top 10 Guy Movies. I just don't think you can narrow it down to a "definitive" 10.
Now, I pass the leadership hat back to Thew and ask for his Top 10 Horror Films. Caveat, we do not measure "horror" by the amount of blood, we measure "horror" by the minutes of sleep lost and the number of heart attacks during the movie.
Kudos to Animal House, which I should have considered more seriously and bumped Fletch. Same with Bachelor Party, which certainly deserves a mention, though is not Top 10 material.
The seems to be an Ahnold bias with both Terminator and Predator in the Thew Top 10. Oddly, I was torn about including an Ahnold flick, but my favorite Schwarzenegger movie is Total Recall. Terminator is a close second.
But the fact is that there at least 20 Top 10 Guy Movies. I just don't think you can narrow it down to a "definitive" 10.
Now, I pass the leadership hat back to Thew and ask for his Top 10 Horror Films. Caveat, we do not measure "horror" by the amount of blood, we measure "horror" by the minutes of sleep lost and the number of heart attacks during the movie.
7.27.2007
Top Ten Guy Movies
You know to be fair to Thew, it is easy to sit back and criticize a pioneer. So I thought I would take the liberty and post the next list first. That way he can say something like, "Tilam, that jerk, how could he forget the BEST GUY MOVIE EVER!!!"
I would offer some criteria, while there is nothing more most guys would like to do then watch Neve Campbell and Denise Richards kiss, Wild Things is not a guy movie. Now part of the indication of it being a guy movie may be your wife/girl friend/date says, "Ugh! No way," but that is merely one positive contributing factor.
Okay, so here it goes:
- Stand By Me. This is definitely the definitive guy move for the late-Boomers.
- Deliverance. Dueling banjos. Burt Reynolds (who narrowly missed the last list). Total suspense. It also allows me to grudgingly not put Smokey and the Bandit on the list.
- Dirty Harry. With all the Clint Eastwood movies there have been, especially The Good, the Bad and the Ugly, it is really hard to choose.
- Die Hard. Yippee Ki Yay. Love it the 10th time.
- The Godfather. My homage to James Caan, not Marlon Brando.
- The Great Escape. Beats out some outstanding war movies like Apocalypse Now, The Longest
Day, Saving Private Ryan, Midway and To Hell and Back. There are a bunch more great war flicks, including my sleeper favorite, Rambo II.
- Gladiator. Beats out Ben Hur and 300 in the same genre. Leaving Charlton Heston off the list is just hard.
- The Magnificent Seven. This is freakin' heart-breaking because it means I leave Gary Cooper (High Noon) and John Wayne (The Alamo, True Grit, Rio Lobo) off the list. Something is not right.
- Butch Cassidy & the Sundance Kid. "Who are those guys?" And Katharine Ross, too.
- Fletch. Sorry, I have to respect the guy comedy...and Caddyshack was on the other list.
Other I thought really hard about are The French Connection, and Bullitt, but there so many more. This was much tougher then the last category.
Thew, I am anxious to hear where I screwed up...
I would offer some criteria, while there is nothing more most guys would like to do then watch Neve Campbell and Denise Richards kiss, Wild Things is not a guy movie. Now part of the indication of it being a guy movie may be your wife/girl friend/date says, "Ugh! No way," but that is merely one positive contributing factor.
Okay, so here it goes:
- Stand By Me. This is definitely the definitive guy move for the late-Boomers.
- Deliverance. Dueling banjos. Burt Reynolds (who narrowly missed the last list). Total suspense. It also allows me to grudgingly not put Smokey and the Bandit on the list.
- Dirty Harry. With all the Clint Eastwood movies there have been, especially The Good, the Bad and the Ugly, it is really hard to choose.
- Die Hard. Yippee Ki Yay. Love it the 10th time.
- The Godfather. My homage to James Caan, not Marlon Brando.
- The Great Escape. Beats out some outstanding war movies like Apocalypse Now, The Longest
Day, Saving Private Ryan, Midway and To Hell and Back. There are a bunch more great war flicks, including my sleeper favorite, Rambo II.
- Gladiator. Beats out Ben Hur and 300 in the same genre. Leaving Charlton Heston off the list is just hard.
- The Magnificent Seven. This is freakin' heart-breaking because it means I leave Gary Cooper (High Noon) and John Wayne (The Alamo, True Grit, Rio Lobo) off the list. Something is not right.
- Butch Cassidy & the Sundance Kid. "Who are those guys?" And Katharine Ross, too.
- Fletch. Sorry, I have to respect the guy comedy...and Caddyshack was on the other list.
Other I thought really hard about are The French Connection, and Bullitt, but there so many more. This was much tougher then the last category.
Thew, I am anxious to hear where I screwed up...
Whoa! Now for Some Serious Debate and a Major Sports Movie Gaff
Okay, some quick thoughts on the movie list. There are a few omissions in the consideration category at least. And he did not even THINK about the GREATEST SPORTS MOVIE EVER!
But without further delay...
I agree with:
Raging Bull
Hoosiers
Caddyshack
I did not see (gasp!!):
Friday Night Lights
Remember the Titans
Million Dollar Baby
Would have in my Top 10 no matter what:
Breaking Away
The Rookie
Miracle
So some other point one should consider. First, Bull Durham is not even Kevin Costner's best baseball movie...it is second behind For the Love of the Game and in front of Field of Dreams.
I would also look at Glory Road, Invincible and The Longest Yard (original).
He is also not considering two soccer movies: Goal and The Game of Their Lives.
Of the comedies, I would only have Caddyshack in my Top 10. Overall, I have a preference for "feel good" come from behind types of sports movies. I loved Slap Shot and Major League.
But I am shock, nay beyond shock, that he did not even call out the best, I mean THE BEST, sports movie ever.
The Pride of the Yankees. OMG, High Noon in Pinstripes.
All the others...well, I just don't think they cut it. So my Top 10 are:
The Pride of the Yankees
Breaking Away
Hoosiers
Miracle
The Rookie
Raging Bull
For the Love of the Game
Invincible
Glory Road
Caddyshack
The only caveat is to swap out the movies I did not see at some future date.
And I would swap out Jennifer Garner for Ashley Judd in a heartbeat...
And on September 21, Faith Hill for Jody Foster
Oh, and Kate Hudson for Jessica Simpson...
Oh, and Mrs. Tilam for all of the above.
But without further delay...
I agree with:
Raging Bull
Hoosiers
Caddyshack
I did not see (gasp!!):
Friday Night Lights
Remember the Titans
Million Dollar Baby
Would have in my Top 10 no matter what:
Breaking Away
The Rookie
Miracle
So some other point one should consider. First, Bull Durham is not even Kevin Costner's best baseball movie...it is second behind For the Love of the Game and in front of Field of Dreams.
I would also look at Glory Road, Invincible and The Longest Yard (original).
He is also not considering two soccer movies: Goal and The Game of Their Lives.
Of the comedies, I would only have Caddyshack in my Top 10. Overall, I have a preference for "feel good" come from behind types of sports movies. I loved Slap Shot and Major League.
But I am shock, nay beyond shock, that he did not even call out the best, I mean THE BEST, sports movie ever.
The Pride of the Yankees. OMG, High Noon in Pinstripes.
All the others...well, I just don't think they cut it. So my Top 10 are:
The Pride of the Yankees
Breaking Away
Hoosiers
Miracle
The Rookie
Raging Bull
For the Love of the Game
Invincible
Glory Road
Caddyshack
The only caveat is to swap out the movies I did not see at some future date.
And I would swap out Jennifer Garner for Ashley Judd in a heartbeat...
And on September 21, Faith Hill for Jody Foster
Oh, and Kate Hudson for Jessica Simpson...
Oh, and Mrs. Tilam for all of the above.
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