Unnerving movie quotes: Full Metal Jacket (1987)

"Are those ... live rounds?"

"Seven-six-two millimeter. Full. Metal. Jacket."

Happy Birthday: Mary & Cameron

Mary Shelly - writer of Frankenstein

Cameron Diaz - my favorite roles of hers are in The Mask, and The Sweetest Thing

Quick Look: Insomnia (1997)

Insomnia is one of my favorite foreign films and one of the best films of the 1990's.  Stellan Skarsgard portrays Swedish detective Jonas Engstrom, who is sent to a town in northern Norway to investigate a murder case with his partner Erik Vik, played by Sverre Anker Ousdal.  While pursuing a lead, Engstrom, Vik, and several local policemen trace the killer to a shed on the coast, and a foot chase ensues through some fog which has rolled in.  One policeman is shot in leg, Vik gets shot and killed, while the killer escapes.  The stakes are high as Engstrom continues the pursuit for weeks while seemingly losing his mental facilities.  The film is directed by Erik Skjoldbjaerg, and is unrated, but I would consider it like a PG-13 or R, for subject matter and violence.  Language tracks are Norwegian and Swedish.

**spoiler alert**  The title of film is derived from the fact that Engstrom is unable to sleep in Norway; first because the town they are in is above the Artic Circle, the proverbial "land of the midnight sun" where the sun is present 24 hours a day for half of the year (including the timeline of the movie), and second, because of possible guilt over shooting and killing Vik during the previously mentioned foot chase.  Even worse for Engstrom is that the killer, whose name is Jon Holt (Bjorn Floberg), witnessed him shooting Vik, and now is going to blackmail Engstrom with the information to protect himself from arrest and prosecution.
Insomnia could be considered somewhat of neo-noir film, and the reason it plays out much better than a typical police procedural/ murder mystery is that Engstrom is a clearly flawed character, and Skjoldbjaerg never really lets the audience love or hate him.  Right after the Vik shooting we actually see Engstrom seemingly ready to "confess" the truth, but then he is let off the hook as the senior detective assigns blame to the suspect without having asked Engstrom the question.  Engstrom just goes along with this, so what are we to think at this moment?  Engstrom is truly a bad guy with no morals, or that he made a mistake and will make things right by solving the original crime?  We see several other scenes play out with this same ambiguity, as well as Engstrom's mental state start to deteriorate, like when he begins hallucinating images of Vik.  It is masterful work done by Skarsgard, and equally excellent direction.
The scenes and effects were fairly minimal, but highly effective in creating the tension of man who is under pressure; the walls almost closing in at some moments, and in a mental and physical haze from the lack of sleep or guilty conscience (or both).  This film succeeds with subtlety, production, and nuance, not with explosions, an "ah-ha Hollywood" moment, a big car chase, or a shoot-out.  I highly recommend Insomnia - fans of Skarsgard, and foreign films will be in for an even bigger treat.

- There is a 2002 remake starring Al Pacino, Robin Williams, and directed by Chris Nolan.

Happy Birthday: Pee Wee

Paul Reubens - aka Pee Wee Herman ... not many people have the ability to make us laugh both on and off screen

Quick Look: Chasing Amy (1997)

This is the third of Kevin Smith's films, and I still hold it as his best work, to date.  The story involves 2 best friends named Holden (Ben Affleck) and Banky (Jason Lee) who are comic book creators.  At a comic convention they meet Alyssa Jones (Joey Lauren Adams) who is also a comic creator, and a lesbian.  Alyssa and Holden quickly become friends, and soon after that, lovers.  Banky learns about a past sexual encounter Alyssa was involved in, and after he reveals it to Holden, all of their lives change.

**spoiler alert** This movie had the perfect balance of comical dialogue and moments, to go along with dramatic, emotionally painful ones.  The reveal about the prior encounter that Banky makes to Holden about Alyssa, is that in high school she had sex with two guys at once.  This is "ancient" history, but Holden cannot seem to get past it.  His passive aggressive confrontation with Alyssa during a hockey game was as masterful of an on-screen break up as I have ever watched.  What is somewhat ironic about the arrival to breakup scene unfolding, is that Holden knew Alyssa had slept with multiple women, and she was continuing to do so prior to her relationship with Holden, somewhat casually, yet he clearly had no problem with the idea of this.  This is another facet of Chasing Amy that takes this film to the "next step" of film greatness for me; it makes you think how you would react in a similar set of circumstances, and what your current perceptions are concerning your best friends and your lovers.  As far the film portrayed - Banky felt protective of Holden (among other feelings), so he felt it was his duty to seek out the dirt on Alyssa to "watch Holden's back"; Holden felt betrayed in his own mind(perhaps crushing a fantasy?) about Alyssa having had sex with two guys when she was still in high school; Alyssa felt she had done nothing wrong as she was monogamous throughout her relationship with Holden, and was equally as disturbed with Holden's attempt to reconcile his relationships with both her and Banky - a scene as tough to watch as the aforementioned breakup scene.
      
For the comical moments Affleck and Lee work very well together on screen.  A character named Hooper X (Dwight Ewell) provided even more fun at the comic convention; he acts as if he is a militant black man, when in reality he is a sensitive gay one.  Jay ( Jason Mewes) and Silent Bob (Kevin Smith) make a one scene appearance, and ironically Silent Bob makes the longest speech of the movie, including a line from which the movie's title derived.
Where Chasing Amy succeeds and does not make itself into a romantic comedy, is due to the ending.  The friends part ways, with nothing said to each other (on screen, anyway), and the guy does not get the girl.  The last scene was ambiguous and could be looked either with a sense of closure, or for the romantic, maybe a sense of hope.
All in all, I highly recommend this film as one to see, and to date, in my opinion, is Kevin Smith's crown jewel.  'R' rating is for language, both profanity and discussion of sexual situations.


Trivia:
- Kevin Smith wrote the script based on his own experience with former girlfriend Joey Lauren Adams, which is maybe why this movie was so believable on screen.

Awesome movie quote: Robocop (1989)

"I got the muscle to shove enough of this factory so far up your stupid wop ass, that you'll shit snow for a year."

Happy Birthday: Dave, Rupert, Steve & Alex

Dave Chappelle - comedian, and creator of one of the great comedy shows in the last 10 years

Rupert Grint - the only role he will be known for, for now, is lovable loser Ron Weasley of Harry Potter fame

Steve Guttenberg - remember in teh 80's when he was comedy gold, making movies like Police Academy, Short Circut, and Three Men and a Baby?

Alex O'Loughlin - great TV roles in the new Hawaii Five-O and Moonlight

Happy Birthday: River and Ray

River Phoenix - best roles in Stand by Me and My Own Private Idaho

Ray Park - stunt coordinator, and great action character - best roles are Darth Maul in Star Wars I, and Snake Eyes in the GI Joe movies...

Quick Look: The Hunger Games (2012)

I recently had a chance to watch one of the year's big blockbuster films, The Hunger Games.  I have not read the books as of this posting, so I am writing from only the perspective of having watched the film and having asked my wife a few questions about perceived plot holes, as she has read the books.  The leads are Jennifer Lawrence, Josh Hutcherson, and Woody Harrelson; it is directed by Gary Ross, and it is rated PG-13 for violence.
**spoiler alert** At some point in a post-apocalyptic future, all that remains of North America is a rich, technologically advanced, fascist city-state called the Capital, and the rest of the nation, which is split into 12 Districts.  As punishment for having rebelled against the Capital in the past, the 12 Districts every year must submit 2 "tributes", one teenage boy and one teenage girl, to the Capital to participate in the Hunger Games - a fight to the death which is broadcast for the nation to watch, and the last tribute alive is the winner.  Said winner brings home the pride of the nation for that year, and extra food rations - which are scarce in these times.  Katniss (Lawrence) and Peeta (Hutcherson) are the tributes from District 12 and the protagonists of the film.  They both do a respectable job playing the naive teenagers who have never set foot outside their District, and forced into this barbaric contest.
The plot is fairly straightforward, and unfolds in a very predictable direction.  Katniss and Peeta are developed ever so slightly, and we see them prepare for the Games.  We learn a little more about some of the different Districts, the current distribution of wealth in the nation, and little about the Capital.  We do not learn much about the other tributes.  Harrelson plays the role of a middle aged man who was the only previous winner from District 12, and it is his job to promote Katniss and Peeta to the rich patrons in the Capital to win popular support for them, because that can earn "gifts" throughout the competition.
The Games open with about half of the tributes immediately being cut down by other teens from some of the richer Districts (we learn that some of those kids literally spend their lives training to win the Hunger Games), and several of them also then form a "kill squad" together to hunt the weaker District's tributes.  The rest of the movie we see the remaining tributes playing cat-and-mouse, hunting each other in the woods while the world watches on.  In the Capital there is a control room in which we see a group of people literally controlling every elemental aspect of the environment the kids are in, so when we see Katniss trying to hide and not hunt early on, they reign fire down on her to force her back into an area where the other teens are.  Then to make things "exciting" at another point the controllers loose some bear-like dogs to attack the teens.  Even worse is that the controllers can alter the rules of the Games at any point, which we learn is to stir up ratings and entertainment value.  There is no surprise by the end of the film and the audience is nicely set up for the next installment.
The effects, costumes, music, sets and location were all excellent, in fact, I would say that is what drove the film for me more than the acting.  I feel as if The Hunger Games was as much of a commentary about the state of reality TV, the distribution of wealth, perception of class, the public's general obsession with death, and the power wielding of a corrupt government, more than it is about a teen adventure in a dystopian future.  This is a very entertaining movie, but what would have put it over the top was a little more background on the tributes so that the audience was more attached to them. Even a little more focus on the Capital forcing these kids into this blood-sport could have given us a better feel for the state of the union versus the 12 Districts, but instead we are led from point A to point G without a proverbial road map.  It could have also been more entertaining if this was purely an action film, and considering what the movie is supposed to be portraying, there is not as much on screen "action" as I would have expected, especially in light of the fact this movie is 142 minutes long.  It seemed the director did his best to cover all of the plot bases, background, with some action mixed in - very well - but I felt like each of the many elements suffered just a little from underexposure because there were so many plot points to expose the audience to.
Ideally a director's cut will be forthcoming, and the subsequent films will fill in some of the unanswered questions.  In the meantime, it is worth seeing, and I will definitely have to read the books.

       

Awesome movie quotes: The Godfather (1972)

"Leave the gun. Take the cannoli".

Happy Birthday: 2 ladies and Spongebob

Kim Cattrall - best know for her role on the TV and movies 'Sex and the City', but also had good parts in Big Trouble in Little China, and Porkys

Carrie-Anne Moss - best roles in Memento, Suspect Zero, and The Matrix

Stephen Hillenburg - writer, creator, and the voice of Spongebob Squarepants

Review: Airplane (1980)

People in the Movie: Robert Hays, Julie Hagerty, Lloyd Bridges, Robert Stack, Leslie Nielsen

Director: Jim Abrahams, Jerry and David Zucker (the Zucker brothers)

Pigeonhole: Comedy / Spoof / Satirical

The Basics: The story is about of a shell-shocked war pilot named Ted Striker (Hayes) who ends up on a flight from Los Angeles to Chicago, trying to “win back” his estranged girlfriend Elaine (Hagerty), in which most of the crew and a good number of passengers end up sick from severe food poisoning. So, it is up to Ted with Elaine’s help, to land the plane.  The movie spoofs a typical day in the airport; the flight and its slow crescendo into chaos; plus the mayhem in the tower trying to eventually assist Striker to land the plane safely.

Recommendation: I highly recommend this film to anyone who enjoys spoof-type comedy.  Many films have attempted to copy the formula put forth in Airplane, because it is that great.  ‘PG’ rating is for language, drug and sexual references.  This would likely be more like a PG-13 if rated today.

My Take: I cannot count how many times I have seen this film, but it is one of a select few movies that I can keep watching it over and over and not get tired of it.  Why I think Airplane has such great appeal lies in the performances of the supporting actors, specifically Lloyd Bridges, Peter Graves, Robert Stack, and Leslie Nielsen.  All of them had previously done dramatic roles and in disaster films, so it made the “deadpan” delivery twice as funny.  Nielsen’s comedy career actually launched, as it were, from Airplane.  Besides those big name actors, a bevy of the passengers on the flight also created forever memorable characters including; the sick girl, the Jive talkers, the religious cult guys, the panicking wife, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, and Johnny.

This is also probably the single most quotable movie I have ever watched, surely.  Some of the highlights include:

“Joey, do like to watch movies about gladiators?”

“I am serious.  And don’t call me Shirley.”

“Stewardess, I speak Jive.”

“Looks like I picked the wrong week to quit drinking.”

“There’s a sale at Penny’s!”

I think that Airplane highlights what can happen when a great script, great directing, excellent comedic acting, and probably a little luck, all come together and hit the bullseye.  The day just does not seem as funny for me when I cannot work an Airplane quote into some situation.

Final Thoughts/ Extras/ For Fun: The jive talk was mostly improvised by the 2 actors… Airplane is based mostly on Zero Hour!, a film from 1957.  The lead characters name in that film is Ted Stryker… Hays and Hagerty practiced the dance routine for the disco scene for over a month… There was a sequel that Abrahams and the Zucker brothers were not involved with…

Happy Birthday: to 3

James Marsters - best know for his role on TV's Buffy the Vampire Slayer, and Angel

Ray Wise - has over 170 acting roles, to date... my favorites of which are in Twin Peaks (movie and TV), and Jeepers Creepers 2

Isaac Hayes - singer/ actor ..best role in Escape From New York

RIP Tony Scott

I was saddened to learn of the death of director Tony Scott this morning.
He is the brother of director Ridley Scott, and has directed and produced many successful movies including Top Gun, True Romance, Days of Thunder, Beverly Hills Cop II, Crimson Tide, and Unstoppable.
I am looking forward to the TV miniseries 'Coma' out soon.

Happy Birthday: to 5

Patrick Swayze - my favorite roles of his were in Road House, and Dirty Dancing, and Point Break

Edward Norton - an excellent actor who I regard one of the best of my generation... best roles are in Primal Fear, American History X, Fight Club, and The Illusionist

Christian Slater - my favorite roles of his are in Heathers, True Romance, Mobsters, and Pump Up the Volume

Madeleine Stowe - great roles in 12 Monkeys, The Last of the Mohicans, and The General's Daughter

Robert Redford - actor / director... my favorite films of his are The Natural, Sneakers, Indecent Proposal, and All The Presidents Menn

Happy Birthday: Robert and Sean

Robert De Niro - with too many great roles to name ... my highlights include Godfather II, Wag the Dog, The Untouchables, and Heat

Sean Penn - actor/director ... U Turn, Mystic River, and 21 Grams

Happy Birthday: Jim, Tim, and Madonna

James Caemron - he has directed some films you may have heard of: Avatar, Aliens, Terminator 2, Titantic...  I would love to see him direct a film that the budget was less than a million dollars and see what happened.

Timothy Hutton - has been around awhile, believe it or not, and has a good role on TV's Leverage.  My favorite film roles of his are Beautiful Girls, and The General's Daughter.

Madonna - singer, actor... I actually thought Desperately Seeking Susan was entertaining, as well as Dick Tracy, not so much for Shanghai Surprise

It's Big (1988), that you weren't supposed to see

This is Big (1988), re-edited  ...very funny


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S-vJ4wiNkfM

Awesome movie quotes: PCU (1994)

"What is this? You're wearing the shirt of the band you're going to see... don't be that guy."

Happy Birthday: Ben and Stieg

Ben Affleck - actor, writer, director... my favorites of his are Mallrats, Good Will Hunting, The Town, and Gone Baby Gone

Stieg Larsson - he wrote the Girl the Dragon Tattoo books... they did well on the big screen

Awesome movie quotes: Risky Business (1983)

"I don't believe this! I've got a trig midterm tomorrow and I'm being chased by Guido the Killer Pimp!"

Awesome movie quotes: Swingers (1996)

"I want you to remember this face here, OK, this is the guy behind the guy behind the guy."

Happy Birthday: Steve, Halle, and Mila

Steve Martin - SNL alum... my favorite roles of his are in Three Amigos, Leap of Faith, and The Man with Two Brains

Halle Barry - my favorite roles of hers are in X-Men, Swordfish, and Die Another Day

Mila Kunis - her best roles are in Black Swan, and The Book of Eli

Quick Look: Big (1988)

Big is a late 80's comedy that is family appropriate (consider the stuff that is on "family channels" anymore)  starring Tom Hanks, Elizabeth Perkins and directed by Penny Marshall.  I recently watched a portion of this movie, and it brought back some memories, so I thought I would write it.  It is rated 'PG'.

The basic premise:  A 12 year old boy named Josh Baskin goes to a carnival with his family, but is soon embarrassed while trying to impress an older girl he has a crush on, when he is told he is too small to go on a ride.  Josh makes a wish to the (now infamous) Zoltar, a carnival machine to be "big".  Josh is startled that the machine was working, despite not being plugged in, however, he shrugs it off and heads home.  The next morning he wakes up and is in the body of a 30 year old man (Hanks).  His mom panics thinking a stranger broke in and Josh goes on the run to New York City.  He gets an associate level job at a toy company, but quickly ascends the ranks when he meets the company's owner MacMillan (very well acted by Robert Loggia) out one weekend, and they discuss toys - which earns Josh an executive product development gig.

The rest of the movie is comical moments of Josh trying to navigate life with his kid mentality, but being in adult situations; having a job and going to meetings, going to a corporate party, and eventually getting involved in a sexual relationship with a co-worker named Susan (Perkins), although I must note the sex is implied only, we do not actually see anything on screen.  Hanks played the naive suburbanite kid trapped in an adult body extremely well.  In fact, I cannot name another actor from that time who could have pulled it off.  Perkins plays a believable role as the corporate climber, and attractive, without being slutty, girlfriend.  Marshall guides the scenes very much through the eyes of an adolescent, and it works well.

I was 14 years old when this movie came out, which is possibly what attached me too it then.  The idea of a kid falling into a dream job at a toy company, then ending up with a great girlfriend seemed like a fun escapist fantasy at the time.  I am not sure what it was about my recent viewing that was kind of a let down, but the fun "magic" was not there for me any more.  Maybe it is some of the cynicism I have in life, or that the conclusion left me thinking "eh, whatever", but I just didn't like it as much as I used to.

I think I could not now in 2012 accept that Josh's parents were just left hanging (for however long he was gone), and there was seemingly no investigation into his disappearance.  I have little doubt that Josh's friend Billy would have caved in under police questioning him, and revealed where Josh really was.  Plus, I had a small problem that there was no trace on the Baskin's phone when Josh called that one evening.  That just did not seem right.  I think Josh's transition from the "kid" persona (the one with a trampoline in his apartment), to the "adult" persona, merely because he had sex with Susan was also shaky.  Suddenly he is a well mannered socialite who goes out on the town with his yuppie girlfriend?  Most movies have a level of fictional acceptance to overcome and Big is no different, the previous luster I held this film with, however, has worn off.

Big is still a good family film with some funny moments that I think many of us can relate from our adolescence - being excluded for being too young, too small, etc... The film also works in reverse to show us that "having that kid inside" as an adult is, in fact, desirable and fun.      

Awesome movie quotes: Psycho (1960)

"It's not like my mother is a maniac or a raving thing. She just goes a little mad sometimes. We all go a little mad sometimes."

Happy Birthday: Alfred Hitchcock

One of the greatest directors of all time, and it is great to see that his work is still getting recognized as being some of the best films of all time.

Review: Zodiac (2007)

People in the Movie: Jake Gyllenhaal, Mark Ruffalo, Robert Downey Jr., John Carroll Lynch

Director: David Fincher

Pigeonhole: Drama / True Crime / Ensemble Cast

The Basics: The movie is based on two books written by author Robert Graysmith about the Zodiac killings in California the 1960’s and 70’s.  The Zodiac’s true identity still remains a matter of speculation (although the movie points primarily at one suspect), and no person was ever tried or convicted for any of the murders. 

The year is 1969; Robert Graysmith (Gyllenhaal) is working at the San Francisco Chronicle as an editorial cartoonist, while Paul Avery (Downey) works the crime beat at the paper.  They are drawn into the Zodiac case after the suspect mails the lead editor a letter that describes several murders he has recently committed; threatens the city at large with violence if his demands are not met; and with a cypher that supposedly reveals the Zodiac’s identity.  Graysmith seems intrigued with the case, while Avery seems a bit flippant thinking the Zodiac is just “crazy”, and just another story for the paper.  Dave Toschi (Ruffalo) and Bill Armstrong (Anthony Edwards) are a San Francisco Police Inspectors who soon become involved after the Zodiac kills a cab driver.  The rest of the movie (spanning more than a decade) is spent with the police investigating, but failing to make an arrest (for multiple reasons); Avery eventually leaving San Francisco in a cloud of paranoia after being threatened by the Zodiac and drowning himself in alcohol; Graysmith becoming obsessed with Zodiac at the cost of his personal life, and his safety; and the Zodiac killing more people and cruelly taunting the police and the public at large.  Graysmith zeros in on one suspect named Arthur Leigh Allen (Lynch) with a pile of circumstantial evidence and a possible witness, but like Jack the Ripper, the Zodiac fades into history as one of the great unsolved serial killer mysteries. 

Recommendation:  For fans of “true crime” stories, and fans of the actors and director involved, this movie is a real treat.  I should note the movie is over two and half hours, and much of what you see is detail, nuance, and dialogue- versus action, which some people could interpret as boring.   ‘R’ rating is for violence and language. 

My Take: Having read both of Graysmith’s books about the Zodiac prior to the movie, and later learning that David Fincher was directing – I was very excited to see how this film would unfold on the big screen.  This is an excellent period piece, and it is very clear that Fincher took great care in making both the characters and the historical incidents to look and feel as genuine as possible, based on the case information that was available regarding these crimes.

**spoiler alert** I think Fincher did an outstanding job of creating the look of this film, which takes place mostly in the 1970’s; as well as guiding the acting.  Overall we see most of the characters go into a slow downward spirals of frustration, anger, loss, and in some cases substance abuse.  Having read about the real case, my opinion is that every actor was cast perfectly into his and her roles, and the problems that unfolded throughout this (still unsolved) investigation were highlighted extremely well within the constraints of on screen time.  As I noted earlier, there is not a lot of “action” to witness as one might see in a typical cop drama/police procedural, nor is there any gratuitous on screen violence one could expect from a typical serial killer type movie.  Zodiac uses great acting, dialogue, music score, lighting, and background to take the audience to California during this period in time.  Fincher creates alarm and tension primarily seen through the eyes of the media, and a nerve-racking sense of helplessness through the eyes of the various law enforcement agencies as they investigate every lead possible to capture this predator, but with no results.   

In addition to the serial killings this type of case might now be also referred to as a form of domestic terrorism, with the way that Zodiac was creating fear and panic using the newspapers as his forum making threats to shoot at school buses and set off bombs in San Francisco (the Zodiac only threatened these later actions in various letters to the newspapers).  While the movie never really stated it outright, it could be implied that the Zodiac was smarter than his pursuers, at least in the ability to cover his motives, means, and opportunities given the number of crimes he committed, the fact he chose to taunt police publicly (giving him further exposure to possible witnesses), and the number of people (police and civilians alike) that would have been committed to investigating all the different crime at any point through the decade.

Because I knew where the Zodiac case stood, there was nothing that surprised me about the end of the film, and I felt it was wrapped up perfectly.  I will say however, if you were previously unfamiliar with what had happened throughout the case and its proverbial “conclusion”, you might be disappointed, as this is not a Hollywood ending.  As noted above the Zodiac was never brought to justice, and if Arthur Leigh Allen was, in fact, the Zodiac killer I suppose there is an additional amount of frustration knowing that he took his possible guilt with him to the grave, and I find it even more ironic that he died possibly just days ahead of his pending arrest.         

Beyond the already noted actors- Brian Cox, Chloe Sevigny, Elias Koteas, Dermont Melrony, Donal Logue, and Philip Baker Hall all had great supporting roles in this film, and is yet another reason to really enjoy it.   

Final Thoughts/ Extras/ For Fun: The director’s cut of the DVD/ Blu-Ray has a bunch of extra features on the Zodiac killer and Arthur Leigh Allen that I highly recommend seeing… Robert Graysmith has conceded that it is possible Arthur Leigh Allen was not the Zodiac killer…

Fantastic 4, the version that didn't make it, thank goodness

The version that did not make it to the big screen, and with good reason.
There is a reason that comic book movies, for a long time, had a very bad rap - because of cheese like this.

Laugh, but remember there are probably lots of movies worse than this sitting on producers desks right now.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r_X5C6e3ZeY&list=PLA442EBD05DBCEAEB&index=1&feature=plpp_video

You will never look at Full Metal Jacket (1987) the same...

This is the opening day at boot camp, but the voices were re-done...
Very funny -

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=so82yln_Z7s&feature=share

Happy Birthday: 2 guys 4 girls

Sam Elliott - great roles in Tombstone and The Big Lebowski

Gillian Anderson - best know as Scully on the TV show and movies The X Files

Eric Bana - great roles in Munich, Troy, and Star Trek (the newest one)

Rhona Mitra - best roles on the TV show The Gates, and in the movie Underworld: Rise of the Lycans

Audrey Tautou - great French actor, who has also done some American films... best roles in Amelie, The Da Vinci Code, and Dirty Pretty Things

Whitney Houston - more known for her singing career, but had a good role in The Bodyguard

Awesome movie quotes: Weird Science (1985)

".. this isn't bullshit, it's a Pershing missile, Chip."

"That's CHET.  My NAME is Chet... and I didn't think it was a whale's dick, honey.."

Happy Birthday: Dustin Hoffman

my favorite roles of his are in I Heart Huckabees, Rain Man, Wag the Dog, and All the Presidents Men

Awesome movie quotes: Burglar (1987)

".. cause I'm a black man in a white mans world..."

"Um, Mr. Hefler, you're caucasian... "

"Beautiful! Hold that against me, too... "

Bob's Quick Look: The Watch (2012)

Ben Stiller plays an ordinary (okay, boring) guy in small town Ohio. He manages the local Costco, is the founder of several local clubs, and is actively trying to start a family. This al;l changes when the night security guard of Costco is found murdered. When the police show no interest in finding the killer, Evan organizes a neighborhood watch to patrol the streets and find his friend’s killer. Joining him for the duty is Jonah Hill, Vince Vaughn, and Richard Ayoade. During their investigation/patrol/beer drinking, they learn that the killer in question was an alien from outer space, and what was once a job of neighborhood security becomes a mission to save the world from an extra terrestrial invasion.

*Spoiler Alert* This is a pretty good summer comedy. In other words, it is a nice escape from superheroes, family cgi adventures, and science fiction action flicks (even though the movie concerns an alien invasion.) The four leads in this movie do a good job bringing their characters to life, and have an excellent on screen chemistry from beginning to end. I also like how each of them have a backstory that feeds into their motivation throughout the story. Evan is a perfectionist who is having trouble having children and he cannot confide in his wife that he is sterile. Bob (Vaughn) is dealing with being the parent of a teenage girl, and Franklin (Hill) is finding his role in adulthood after being rejected by the police department. Jamarcus’s (Aroade) backstory does not come til later when he reveals that he is one of the aliens who has come to like humans for their potential, which was a surprise twist that I should have seen coming, but did not. Bravo director Schaffer.
The R rating is for adult language, crude sexual humor and violent content. This one is definitely not for the kids. But the humor is well executed and succeeded in keeping the audience (including me) laughing hard. The special effects, while kept to a minimum, were well executed and lavish on the big screen. I recommend this one for a night away from family style summer fun.

Interesting note: This movie was originally titled “Neighborhood Watch” but was changed due to sensitivity over the Trayvon Martin shooting in Florida.

Happy Birthday: 2 TV gals, 1 director, and 1 actor

Robert Mitchum - a great, great actor from the previous generation... my favorite roles of his are Cape Fear (both versions), Night of the Hunter, and Ryan's Daughter

M Night Shyamlan - writer / director ... best films are The Sixth Sense, Unbreakable, and The Village

Catherine Hicks - best know for her role on TV's 7th Heaven, but good movie roles in Child's Play, and Star Trek IV

Soleil Moon Frye - ah Punky Brewster, where have you gone?

Photo spread : Full Metal Jacket (1987)

Kind of a cool link of behind the scenes photos from the Stanley Kubrick film Full Metal Jacket :


http://cnnphotos.blogs.cnn.com/2012/08/06/a-photographic-diary-of-full-metal-jacket/?hpt=hp_c3

Awesome movie quotes: Sixteen Candles (1984)

"No more yankie my wankie. The Donger need food!"

Happy Birthday: The Ogre

Donald Gibb - best known for his role in the Revenge of the Nerds as the one of the most Alpha Beta's, but has over 80 acting credits

Awesome movie quotes: Hot Dog: The Movie (1984)

"Now that's a girl I could take advantage of."

Quick Look: Hot Dog: The Movie (1984)

I will rarely make a proclamations such as this, but, Hot Dog is the best skiing movie I have seen, to date.  It also doesn't hurt that the movie unfolds with plenty of juvenile screwball-type humor, and the plot essentially involves a constant search for parties, sex, and the perfect ski slope.  The movie is directed by Peter Markle, and stars Patrick Houser, David Naughton, John Patrick Reger, and Shannon Tweed.  This is a great 80's comedy that is thin on plot, high on laughs, and for the adolescent male in all of us - plenty of nudity.
Harkin Banks (Houser) is the fresh-faced kid from Idaho making his way Squaw Valley to compete in the freestyle skiing championships.  He picks up a hot blonde teenage hitchhiker named Sunny (Tracy Smith) who after some miles on the road, and conversation, they begin a sexual relationship.  In Squaw Valley Harkin hooks up with an awesome group of ski-bums who refer to themselves as the "Rat Pack".  They are led by Dan O'Callahan (Naughton), a veteran on the American freestyle skiing circuit.  We are also introduced the main antagonists, the Austrian ski team, who are led by Rudi Garmisch (Reger), and another blonde "ski bunny" named Sylvia (Tweed).  Harkin inevitably has sex with Sylvia, at a huge party she is throwing, so Rudy has sex with Sunny at the same party.  Good times.  The remainder of the film is the skiing competitions in which Harkin is shown to be the better skier than Rudi, but the judges at the competition give Rudi the higher ratings for political and sponsorship reasons.  It's an underdog story, and its a fight to the finish.
The music is 80's fabulous, the characters are all hilarious, the shots of the skiing are incredible- they were not done up special effects, the footage was of real skiers, and there is a good amount of time spent actually seeing the action on the slopes.  You are never going to wrong with a movie that includes: a wet t-shirt contest; a comical party montage to Duran Duran's "Hungry Like the Wolf"; multiple hot tub sex scenes; a character named Squirrel; and a full 5 minute finale of the all time greatest fun in skiing - Chinese Downhill.
'R' rating is for nudity, sexual situations, language and drug use.    

Extras:
Shannon Tweed's first "major" role in a film... David Naughton is credited (as of this writing) with over 70 different acting roles, so he would actually be the most successful "stars" to come out of this movie...

Happy Birthday: John and Martin

John Landis - director of 2 all time comedy classics Animal House and The Blues Brothers

Martin Sheen - my favortie roles of his are in Apocalypse Now, and President Barlett on the TV show West Wing

Happy Birthday: 2 directors

Wes Craven - writer and director ... my favorites of his are Nightmare on Elm St, Scream, Cursed and The Serpent and the Rainbow

Kevin Smith - writer, director, and actor ... my favorites of his are Clerks, and Chasing Amy

Awesome movie quotes: The Breakfast Club (1985)

"Yeah, I have a question.  Does Barry Manilow know you raid his wardrobe?"