Happy Birthday: to 5

Clint Eastwood - all time great actor and director... my favorites of his are Unforgiven and Dirty Harry

Tom Berenger - my favorite roles of his are in Platoon and Major League

Lea Thompson - good roles in the Back to the Future movies and Some Kind of Wonderful

Colin Farrell - best roles in Miami Vice and Alexander

Brooke Shields - has it been that long since Blue Lagoon? Really?

 

Coming soon: Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter

A little revisionist history?  Just total fun and fabrication?  Or neither?
It looks entertaining, and the effects don't look too bad, either.

Who is going to check it out?

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1611224/

Happy Birthday: Mel Blanc

best known as the voice of Bugs Bunny, but has done many voices in many cartoons

Happy Birthday: Buffalo Bill

Ted Levine - very good supporting actor, best know for his role in Silence of the Lambs, and on TV's Monk

Happy Birthday: Zelda and John

Zelda Rubinstein - my favorites role of hers was in Poltergeist 1 and 2

John Fogerty - singer, songwriter, former member of CCR.

Quick Look: Persona (1966)

Once in a blue moon I will see a film that genuinely intrigues me, and that I would truly consider a work of art.  This is the case with Ingmar Bergman's 1966 work, Persona.  It is a black and white presentation, and the spoke language is Swedish.  I would refer to it as 'minimalist' in that the majority of the film there are only 2 women interacting, and only 1 does the majority of the speaking.  Many of shots are drawn in close filling the screen with one or both of the women.  There is very little done with sets/scenery, other to appear functional and minimal and there is not a lot of musical accompaniment; both elements drawing even more focus onto the actors.  You will rely more on facial expressions and tones of voices than in most typical films.

The basic premise is that an actor Elisabet Volger (Liv Ullmann) had a breakdown on stage during a performance of a play and now is unable, or unwilling to speak.  She is otherwise healthy and functional, can respond to questions, as well as accomplishing any other physical task - she just won't talk.  A nurse, Alma (Bibi Andersonn), has been assigned with observing her and providing care as needed.  The majority of the movie is Alma speaking to Elisabet - first about mundane things, then getting more and more personal the deeper into the film it goes, until there is a breaking point, of sorts.

The editing is what gives Persona a very arthouse feel; there are images inserted throughout the movie, and they are on the screen for such a short time, you almost question what you just witnessed.  At different points in the movie we see the film burn or melt away, as if there had been a malfunction in an old style projector, and at one moment we actually see a quick shot of the film crew filming the movie as if to let the audience know this is still a work of fiction, or as if we are almost participating in the creation of the screen product.  I cannot summarize the ending in any logical way only to say that is left up to interpretation, and I truly do not believe there is any correct way to express what any one person could or should take away from it.

It is not rated, but I would only caution on some subject matter specifically being verbalized stories of sex and abortion.  If you do not like black and white films, foreign films, or arthouse/indie type films, you should probably pass on Persona.  Otherwise I would highly recommend it to anyone, it will definitely make you think, and likely even want to look up information about it.

Ultimate movie quotes: Heathers (1988)

"Hey Ram, doesn't this cafeteria have a 'no fags allowed rule'?"

"They seem to have an open door for assholes, though."

"What did you say dickhead?!"

"Well, I'll repeat myself..."

(draws gun and fires twice)

Review: Heathers (1988)

People in the Movie:  Winona Ryder, Christian Slater

Director:  Michael Lehmann

Pigeonhole:  Black Comedy / Drama

The Basics: High school teen angst, with a body count.  I heard that once as a tag-line for this movie and had to put it here because of how fitting it is.  Veronica (Ryder) seems to be in limbo; she is part of the most popular clique in school, yet she doesn’t seem to fit in with them.  Her life takes an interesting turn when J.D. (Slater) transfers there.  After these two get together, the results turn out to be fatal.

Recommendation:  I highly recommend this film especially if you are a fan of dark comedy.  A must see for anyone who went to a suburban high school, especially in Ohio.  ‘R’ rating is for language and violence.

My Take:  J.D. is a rebel-without-a-cause sort, who wears a black trench coat and rides a motorcycle.  Veronica comes from a yuppie household, and is a member of the Heather clique of four at Westerburg High School.  This movie satirizes high school life in the late 80’s, and a couple who kills their fellow students by disguising their crimes as suicides.

**spoiler alert**   This movie is great on so many levels; it has awesome dialouge, good costuming (you will see what I mean upon viewing), and pulled off serious subject matter in a very darkly comic way, without being tasteless or completely absurd.  The thing that attracts me most to this film was its similarity to my own high school.  While the director made sure to include many stereotypes, the message was clearly laid out.
Heather Duke (Shannen Doherty), Heather Chandler, and Heather McNamara patrol the halls of their high school looking down on everyone.  They bully other students, and won’t even speak to anyone who is not on their income level, or a jock.  Veronica is considered part of the crew, and willingly participates in their antics, but the audience sees that she does have some moral dilemma going on in her head about their definition of “fun”.  J.D. shows up at the school, a transfer student, and quickly makes a name for himself by pulling a gun on two football player friends of the Heathers who were attempting to bully him in the cafeteria on his first day.  Veronica is seemingly impressed by his disregard for the established pecking order at the high school. 

After unwittingly embarrassing Heather Chandler at a college frat party one Friday night, Veronica wants to “get even” with her by attempting to make her puke her guts out as Veronica had done at the party (causing said embarrassment).  J.D. has other plans, however.  Instead of stopping him, Veronica lets him serve Heather a coffee cup full of drain opener which quickly kills her.  The two promptly stage her death as a suicide, and get away with the crime.  What is surprising is how everyone reacts to her death, and the inner monologue comments at her funeral might be one of the best all-time dark comedy scenes.

On the heels of Heather Chandler’s demise, J.D. and Veronica lure Kurt Kelly and Ram Sweeny (the two football players who attempted to “scare” J.D. on his first day) into the woods behind the school to shoot and kill them both.  They stage the scene so the two football players appear to have been in a homosexual relationship, and decided to commit suicide, as a result.  It is at this point Veronica decides she has had enough killing, where J.D. has gone off the proverbial deep end, and wants to blow up their school to make a “statement”, so Veronica has to finally stand up for herself.

The ending is definitely one to remember, but I also recommend checking out the special features on the DVD versions for the writer’s original vision for the movie ending.  While it would have taken the movie to the “too far” side of appropriate, and might have brought the film down a notch as far as respectability, it was still interesting to think about.

   

Final Thought/Extras/For Fun: Seeing young Slater, Ryder, and Doherty in this movie is definitely entertaining for me… Two of the supporting actors later died as they had comically mocked in the movie (see earlier Little Known Facts posts about Heathers on this blog)… This, along with Ferris Bueller is one of my most quotable movies…  

Awesome movie quotes: Vacation (1983)

" 'Scuse me holmes?  Uh, what it is bro... we're from out of town."

Happy Birthday: Christopher and Vincent

Christopher Lee - best know for his roles in Lord of the Rings and the 3 Star Wars prequels.

Vincent Price - the godfather of horror films.  Best roles in House of Wax, and House on Haunted Hill (the originals of both)

A little help here? Star Wars: A New Hope

The list of inconsistencies in the 6 Star War movies is so large that there are entire websites devoted to pointing them all out.
While I do not want to expound on minute production or filming errors, there is one major point that has always troubled me in Episode IV; where the hell were all those rebels who we see at the awards ceremony, during the Yavin space battle to destroy the Death Star?  There were several hundred people there, including a large number of folks in their pilots gear.  I would think the Alliance would have wanted to have all hands on deck for an important day like that.

Happy Birthday: 3 ladies, and one Bobcat

Stevie Nicks - rock and roll icon

Helena Bonham Carter - great roles in the Harry Potter movies, and Fight Club

Pam Grier - may favorite movies of hers are Jackie Brown and Coffy

Bobcat Goldthwait - funny roles in several of the Police Academy movies, and Shakes the Clown

Bob’s Memorial Day Recommendations

So, who are you spending your Memorial day weekend with? Family, friends, significant others, yourself? Well, as I always say, there is a perfect film for every occasion. So let’s find you guys some good titles to fit your holiday weekend.

So you don’t have to work, the kids are out of school, and it is a family holiday. Some of my top picks here would include The Wizard of Oz, The Adventures of Robin Hood (with Errol Flynn,) National Treasure, the first Star Wars (Episode 4, not 1,) Super 8,and/or The Goonies.

Long Weekend with the guys? Action! I would recommend Commando, Rambo: First Blood Part 2, Captain America: The First Avenger, The Expendables, and/or Predator.

Don’t worry, ladies. I haven’t forgotten you. I would recommend Death Proof, Bridesmaids, Now and then, and/or A League of Their Own.

If it’s going to be a romantic holiday weekend, I would recommend something for the funny bone. Try Caddyshack, Napoleon Dynamite, Raising Arizona, I heart Huckabees, or Airplane!

For those of you who are patriotic for Memorial day, a war movie is probably the way to go. I would recommend Patton, Saving Private Ryan, Platoon, or Full Metal Jacket. These are just some ideas to get you started in finding that perfect film to watch over your holiday weekend.

From your humble reviewers of Drive In: Home Edition, have a happy and safe Memorial Day.

Cookout? Sounds good, and think about these movies, too...

To start off the long weekend give Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone (yes, that is actually the name of the first Harry Potter film and book) a glance.
It is family friendly, but can still appeal to an adult audience, especially if you are familiar with the story line.  It is always nice to look back at the beginning of this great movie series.

If you detest Harry Potter, or just don't like the magic/fantasy genre, then check out The Breakfast Club.  School is winding down for most, and for persons like me, a high school reunion is on the horizon.  This movie was a staple of my high school years, and even though it is now dated the message and the comedy make it an all-time classic, and one to watch.

Happy Birthday: Gandolf, Randy, Scarecrow, and Wayne

Ian McKellen - excellent actor, my favorites roles of his are the Lord of the Rings series, Apt Pupil, and the X-men movies

Jamie Kennedy - great roles in Romeo + Juliet, and the Scream movies

Cillian Murphy - great roles in Batman Begins, Red Eye, and Inception

Mike Myers - will always be Austin Myers, yeah baby.  but Wayne's World was pretty good, too.

Coming Soon: The Dark Knight Rises

In this installment, Batman is pitted against Bane and Catwoman. Being a huge fan of Christopher Nolan’s Batman movies, I was jazzed to learn he was doing a third movie. Then I heard Catwoman was going to be in it. I don’t hate Catwoman, but there are other female Batman villains I would have preferred to see. For example, in the comics, Rha’s Al Ghoul had a daughter who Bruce Wayne fell in love with, causing great inner conflict, which I thought would be a good bookend for the trilogy. But, if anyone can make Catwoman a good character, it is Nolan.
 Then, I saw a poster that said, “The adventure ends.” I honestly don’t know what to think about this. I know Nolan wants to do one more and be finished, and I can understand him not wanting anyone to follow his vision of the dark knight. But still, I’m someone who always says, “never say never.”
 I am still jazzed about this movie, and I’ll report back as sson as I see it.

Awesome movie quotes: Scream (1996)

"Never say 'who's there'... don't you watch scary movies? It's a death wish... you might as well come out to investigate a strange noise or something."

Coming Soon: Chernobyl Diaries

So who is up for the newest POV style horror film?

trailer on IMDb:

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1991245/

Happy Birthday: Drew Carey

Ohio native, and comedian.

Happy Birthday: Alison Eastwood

daughter of Clint, and good role in Midnight of the Garden of Good and Evil

Quick Look - Book of Shadows: Blair Witch 2 (2000)

The Blair Witch Project was such a huge success that inevitably there “had to” be a sequel made, as the unwritten rule of horror movie standard operating procedure notes. While this movie could never measure up to its predecessor, it has some good points which I will highlight.
**Spoiler Alert**
This movie takes an almost satiric (or maybe tongue in cheek) stance with The Blair Witch Project, noting that the events involving Heather, Mike and Josh happened, but maybe not all was what it seemed.  This story centers around Jeff (Jeffrey Donovan) who, like many of the people around Burkittsville, Maryland, are now cashing in on the hype the first movie has caused.  He sells t-shirts and the now infamous stick figures over the internet, and is now going to lead a tour called the "Blair Witch Hunt" to the scary sites mentioned in the first movie.  His inaugural group includes Kim (Kim Director) - a psychic who dresses goth; Erica (Erica Leehrsen) - a wiccan; Tristen (Tristine Skyler) and Stephen (Stephen Baker Turner) - a couple who are students researching the Blair Witch and who are also pregnant.  The group of 5 proceed into the woods armed with tents, video equipment, and plenty of alcohol.  They make camp at the ruins of Rustin Parr's house when another tour group approaches and begins to argue with them over which of the 2 groups can camp at the Parr ruins.  The 2nd group eventually leaves for Coffin Rock, and the "party" commences.  Drugs and alcohol are consumed, and music is played loudly.  Everyone wakes up in the morning, seemingly disoriented and not remembering the events of the past night.  Their encampment is completely destroyed along with all of the video equipment, as well as all of Tristen and Stephen's written research involving the Blair Witch.  The accusations begin to fly around among the group, as well as a good dose of anger and fear about the missing time.  Kim has a vision, and the video tapes that were being shot during the party hours are eerily recovered from the same spot as where Heather, Josh and Mike's videos were found.  While the argument starts to resume about 'what happened', Tristen miscarries - so off to the hospital they go.
The hospital stay is brief and pretty much the rest of the movie is spent in or around Jeff's residence, an abandoned, gothic-looking 19th century broom factory, with the main characters using the videos and their fractured memories to attempt to piece together the events from the night in the woods.  Everyone begins seeing images of a mysterious woman, as well as other unexplained occurrences, including the murder of the tour group they encountered at the camp.  The ending, in my opinion, works very well, and makes us question  whether everything was a bunch of obsessed crazies committing crimes, or whether "the witch" had turned them all into puppets and was continuing to exact her revenge on the living.

- The style of this movie was more "big budget horror" complete with special effects, which was a vast contrast to the first film.   There was much more on screen blood, gore, and violence.  Again, for me, this worked because there was no way doing another POV/"found footage" would have worked for a sequel.
- The story was told as a flashback (more on that below) and had images of the murder mayhem interwoven throughout the film, almost like hallucinations, teasing the audience to want to "see this thing all the way through".  I liked this.  I do understand where it could have put people off.  
- I highly recommend seeing the movie on DVD/Blu-ray.  There are special features about the movie, and the production as well as some things to look for throughout the film that you will not get to see if you stream it, or get it on cable.
- All in all, I recommend this movie for fans of the first, because it actually does, in fact, expand the story like a good sequel should, and while not taking itself too seriously.  I understand the backlash of fans and critics, but I do not think it is all deserved.  As a standalone, I do not think it would make much sense.  'R' rating is for violence, gore, language, and brief nudity.  Book of Shadows also has a very good hard-rock soundtrack.

More facts:
- The writer/director Joe Berlinger has stated that Artisan made cuts and re-shot scenes to make it more “mainstream horror”, which he did not like at all, and felt changed the tone to his vision.
- Artisan Entertainment wanted a sequel on the heels of The Blair Witch Project, to ride its popularity. Haxan Films who produced the first film wanted the hype to cool off before starting a new film. Guess what happened? Artisan decided to move on without Haxan.
- Directors Daniel Myrick and Eduardo Sanchez from the first movie have stated they would like to make another sequel, they are waiting from the green light from Lionsgate (who bought Artisan).

Awesome movie quotes: The Last Boy Scout (1991)

"We may run into a few more of your fans, wanna borrow my sunglasses?"

Happy Birthday: Mr. T, Judge, and Biggie

Lawrence Tureaud - better known as Mr. T.  funny movie roles in Rocky 3 and DC Cab

Christopher Wallace - aka Biggie Smalls, aka Notorious BIG - rapper and subject of the of the film Notorious.

Judge Reinhold - despite the fact he has continued to act, his best work was still in the 80's - Beverly Hills Cop, Stripes, and Fast Times at Ridgemont High

Awesome movie quote: Screwballs (1983)

"Do you really think Purity's a virgin?"
"No girl is."
"My sister is."
"My mother is."

Happy Birthday: Balki, Agent 47, George, and Dreds

Bronson Pinchot - best know as Balki from TV's Perfect Strangers, but decect supporting roles in Beverly Hills Cop and True Romance

Timothy Olyphant - great actor who is really building up some great roles.  My favorites are Hitman, Gone in 60 Seconds, Scream 2, and The Crazies

Jimmy Stewart - maybe best known for his role in It's a Wonderful Life, but I prefer his roles in the Hitchcock films: Vertigo, Rear Window, and The Man Who Knew Too Much

Busta Rhymes - rapper/ hip-hop singer, and he had a good part in Higher Learning

(More Than A) Quick Look: The Blair Witch Project (1999)

This movie was groundbreaking on many levels, and holds a special place in movie making history.  Like the film, or hate it - it is worthy of acknowledgement as a gateway piece towards many successful horror films over the last 15 years.  It took a very small budget, 25000.00-75000.00 dollars (depending on the source), a great idea for a film, a superior marketing ploy, and the result was one of the most lucrative independent films of all time, as well a genuinely scary on screen product.

The Blair Witch Project is presented as a "found footage" documentary.  In 1994, three people, Heather Donahue, Joshua Leonard, and Michael Williams, all armed with video cameras, go to the town of Burkittsville, Maryland and into the woods nearby, to investigate a local legend - the Blair Witch- and subsequent disappearances and murders committed in her name.  The three are never seen or heard from again.  In 1995 their audio and video equipment is discovered, along with the footage they shot.  The movie the audience is seeing is a chronological record of their last known whereabouts.

**Spoiler Alert**  The first segment of the film is the three leads doing interviews, an amateurish investigation with the locals, and to historic locations that involved murders "possibly" tied to the Blair Witch legend.  The second segment is Heather, Michael, and Josh wandering around the woods, acknowledging they are lost, and realizing  that "something" may be after them.  The third segment of the film the three have deteriorated to paranoia, anger, utter fear, which leads into pleading and apologies.  Josh goes missing so Heather and Mike search for him, but to no avail.  The final sequence is a masterful piece of suspense, and the end is the proverbial "exclamation point" for me.

- This was not the first "found footage"/documentary style horror film.  My brother quickly id'd the "patriarch" as Cannibal Holocaust (1980), an Italian movie I had never heard of, but which will be reviewed in the future, upon viewing.  If you look at the number of found footage films (and successful films, to boot) after The Blair Witch Project, you will notice a very sharp increase versus the number of this style between 1980 and 1999.

- The concept of bringing in three people to not only "act", but to shoot and improvise dialogue through the movie was brilliant.  Heather, Mike, and Josh were not told about what would be happening throughout the 8 day shoot, so most of their reactions were genuine.  The crew were making the sounds at night, throwing things, and shook the tent at various times.  Taking things steps even further, the producers gave the three less and less food as the days progressed, and they were sleep deprived from the noises and action being created around them limiting the amount sleep they could get.           

- The marketing of this movie could be one of the all time best jobs of promotion of a film.  The producers presented it as "real" and set up a website purporting everything to be non-fiction, going so far as to include police reports, evidence, interviews, etc..  This is the first time the internet was widely used in conjunction with a film to perpetrate an ongoing myth.  IMDb had the actors listed as missing, presumed dead.  At Cannes when the movie was finally released, they had missing posters of Josh, Mike, and Heather put up.  Throw in the fact that upon wide release, there were reports of people getting sick during the screenings, due to the movements of the handheld cameras- the hype literally exploded to go see this.

- One of great aspects of The Blair Witch Project lies in the fact that we never actually see any violence, nor do we see a witch, or murderer, or even a "suspect".  The collective audience's mind is left to wander throughout, and conjure up whatever horrors it wants to (likely based on the prior crimes that were reported).     

- The entire Blair Witch mythology was completely made up by the film writers and producers, yet there are people who still actually believe the legend is real.

I think after the hype, and after it was discovered that the film was a work of fiction, there was a bit of a backlash against Blair Witch, which I think just goes to show how believable the film really was.  When all is said and done, this is must see for horror/suspense fans, indie fans, and anyone who likes the "found footage" / POV style of film-making.  'R' rating is for language, I believe the "f" word is used well over 100 times.  

Happy Birthday: Grace Jones & Pete Townshend

Grace - model, actor, singer - entertaining roles in A View to Kill, Conan the Destroyer, and Boomerang

Pete Townshend - rock and roll legend, and guitarist from The Who

Blade Runner 2 in the works?

not sure how I feel about this... Blade Runner is an all-time classic, and maybe should be left well enough alone... but if anyone could pull of a sequel (if it was even a true sequel), Ridley Scott could...

Link from EW:

http://insidemovies.ew.com/2012/05/18/blade-runner-sequel-ridley-scott/

Summer fun: The Amazing Spider-man trailer

This is the 4 minute long one - from IMDb :

http://www.imdb.com/video/imdb/vi717595161/

Battleship - to see or not?

Is it me, or does this movie look like Transformers, meets GI Joe, meets Independence Day?

Anyone who sees it soon, let me know.

Awesome movie quotes: Blue Velvet (1986)

"Heineken? Fuck that shit! Pabst Blue Ribbon!"

Awesome movie quotes: Weird Science (1985)

"How 'bout a nice greasy pork sandwich served in a dirty ashtray?"

Happy Birthday: Frank Booth, Chet, and Rocky

Dennis Hopper - great actor, my favorite roles of his are in Blue Velvet, Speed, and Apocalypse Now

Bill Paxton - actor and director; my favorite roles of his are in Frailty, Predator 2, and Weird Science

Peter Hinwood - you might know him as Rocky in the Rocky Horror Picture Show

Happy Birthday: David Boreanaz

Best known for his TV roles on Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Angel, and Bones... but had a good role in the movie Valentine

Bob's Worst Movie Endings- The Crow: City of Angels (1996)

*Spoiler alert* The original Crow has its place among my list of highest rated films. However there was one plot point that I never did like. In the movie, it is stated that Eric Draven is linked to this world by the crow, and this is the source of his immortality. This was a departure from the graphic novel, in which Draven could not be killed because he was already dead. (Full review coming.)
In the sequel to this movie, City of Angels, not only does the crow supply the main character, Ash, with power, but the power is shown to be tangible when the main antagonist, Judah, captures and ritualistically kills the crow and drinks his blood. After imbibing the crow's blood, Judah gains the power wielded by Ash (and Draven) while our hero is left mortal and vulnerable. After a long fight where Judah spouts off some very cheesy taunts, Ash gets lucky enough to impale Judah to a pipe, and then the spirits of those the crow brought back to earth rush down and take him to Hell. And the good guys wins.
Admittedly, these are several entries in The Crow comic book series, and the only one I have read was the original. But like I said, the crow served as a spiritual guide for Eric Draven and he could not be killed because he was already dead; he was brought back to bring justice to those who had raped and killed his love. In the films, the crow leads the two avengers to their targets, showing a spiritual type connection, or at least the crow is smart enough to know when to fly away from people that would kill him and steal his power (in the book, he spoke to Draven.)
The other thing about this ending that bugged me was that the character of Judah throughout the movie was a calm and collected cult leader/crime lord. As soon as he obtains the crow’s power, his personality (performance) suddenly goes from coolness to all out street thug, complete with extremely cheesy banter, which I find a violation of an otherwise interesting character. I understand that he becomes power hungry, but departure from his intelligence and collectiveness was too poorly scripted and/or thought out. Thus, we are given another example of how a movie can be ruined by its ending, which sucks because Iggy Pop was awesome in this movie.

Awesome movie quote: Coming to America (1988)

"Yeah, I'm almost single, baby. My husband's on death row."

Happy Birthday:Joseph and Chazz

Joseph Cotten - an "old Hollywood" actor,  friend of Orsen Welles, and great roles in Welles' The Third Man, and Citizen Kane

Chazz Palminteri - great roles in A Bronx Tale, The Usual Suspects, and Jade

1 billion dollars? Really?

So the Avengers is over 1 billion dollars worldwide, to date. Well played.

Hats off to Stan Lee the Godfather of all things Marvel Comics.

Happy Birthday: 3 multi taskers, and 2 actors

George Lucas - producer and director - if it is Star Wars or Indiana Jones, he was involved.

Robert Zemeckis - writer, producer, director, with a penchant for good special effects.  My favorite of films of his are Back to the Future, Ghost Ship and House on Haunted Hill

Sofia Coppola - another writer, director, producer.  Having not seen all of her films, my favorites are Marie Antoinette and Lost in Translation

Tim Roth - highly underrated actor.  My favorite roles of his are in Little Odessa, Hoodlum, and Reservoir Dogs

Cate Blanchett - good roles in the most recent Robin Hood and Lord of the Rings trilogy

Happy Birthday: Cedric and The Wolf

Harvey Keitel - one of my favorite actors - great roles in Bad Lieutenant, Pulp Fiction, Reservoir Dogs, The Piano, Clockers, and Smoke

Robert Pattinson - best know for his role as Edward Cullen, but also a good roles in Harry Potter 4

Awesome movie quotes: The Usual Suspects (1995)

"How about it, Keaton? You a lawyer's 'wife'? What kinda retainer are you givin' her?"

Awesome movie quotes: The Usual Suspects (1995)

"There's no way they'd line five felons in the same room, no way."

Awesome movie quotes: Pulp Fiction (1994)

"I'm prepared to scour the the Earth for that motherfucker. If Butch goes to Indochina, I want a n!&&*r  hiding in a bowl of rice ready to pop a cap in his ass."

Happy Birthday: 5 dudes

Emilio Estevez - my favorite roles of his are Breakfast Club, Young Guns, and St Elmo's Fire

Ving Rhames - best roles in Pulp Fiction and Dawn of the Dead

Gabriel Byrne - of of the great actors in film today... great roles in The Usual Suspects, Miller's Crossing, Stigmata, and Ghost Ship

Stephen Baldwin - of the 4 Baldwin brothers - great role in The Usual Suspects and Threesome

Jason Biggs - best known for his role as Jim in the American Pie movies...

Happy Birthday: Jeffrey & Frances

Frances Fisher - very good supporting actress, I like her roles in Unforgiven, Gone in 60 Seconds, Titanic, and House of Sand and Fog

Jeffrey Donovan - best know for his TV role on Burn Notice, but had a good part in Book of Shadows: Blair Witch 2

Happy Birthday: Fred and Bono

Bono - lead singer of U2

Fred Astaire - excellent dancer and performer from a now-gone era of Hollywood

Bob's Taboo Subjects: Violence in Film

(Again, I am focusing mainly on American film.)
Violence has been present in the arts since the beginning of time. Primitive cave paintings depict the often bloody hardships of their life, including hunting and fighting to survive and protect their territory. Greek tragedy would often depict acts of violence off stage, while Roman theater would execute a prisoner on stage when it came time for a character to die. Shakespeare plays often involved fencing duels and and various forms of murder. So it should not be a surprise that violence has been present in motion picture since the very beginning. Silent cinema productions of Zorro and the 3 Musketeers contained battle scenes that would claim characters’ lives at times. Unlike nudity, which was outright banned, the Hays code was lenient on violent content in films, so there was never an era in American cinema that was violence free. But, over the decades, the violent content of films as a whole has gotten more and more liberal, especially in the genres of science fiction, horror and action. Audiences, like the spectators of Roman theater, wanted more and more realistic death scenes, leading to the use of corn syrup based stage blood and gelatin guts for a touch of “realism.” Nowadays, violence is not even considered much of a taboo subject at all. Gratuitous violence barely seems to incite a reaction from watchdog groups the way it did when I was a young movie watcher. There are still those who will warn parents away from a movie based on its level of violent content, but for the most part, there is no call to completely remove a movie based on violence. The MPAA is also much more lenient on violent content than they are with nudity and sexual content.
So what is my opinion on violence in film? I’ll be honest, the vast majority of films in my personal collection contain some sort of violence. I tend to disregard romantic slaps and Napoleon Dynamite getting shoved against his locker when addressing the subject. But, I have said before that I am a horror maven, which kind of makes me a proponent of movie violence. But, just like nudity, there are some filmmakers who use violence to try to cover up the fact that their movie has no story or other remarkable qualities. I will say that when I critique a film, violence is on my list of considerations, but I’m not expecting to see extreme violence in every movie I critique. Here’s how it works: The story and the tone of the movie dictate the level of violence and gore there should be, and my consideration is based on whether the violent content of the film was right for the overall affect the filmmakers were going for. For example, I thought the movie “Class of 1984” inserted a few disturbingly grotesque scenes for shock value even though the movie’s story and premise were disturbing enough. On the other side of the coin, I thought the final chapter of the Saw franchise, especially being in 3d, was somewhat lacking in gore. Violence doesn’t seem like all that taboo of a subject, but in general, it is a subject which can be a little uncomfortable for some to admit they enjoy. I enjoy all kinds of movies, many of which call for blood and gore, machine guns, explosions, sword fighting, kung fu fighting, good old street brawling, or even Moe physically abusing Larry and Curly. But, I’m not going to say a movie is good just because it is gratuitously violent or devoid of violence altogether.

Happy Birthday: Kevin Peter Hall

The actor who played Harry in the Harry and the Hendersons, and the Predator in the first 2 Predator movies

Happy Birthday: Flounder

Stephen Furst - best known as Kent Dorfman in Animal House

Happy Birthday: Not a finger!

Darren McGavin - best know for his role as the dad in Christmas Story

Carrie Henn - only role was as the little girl in Aliens, named Newt.

Bob's Quick Look: Chillerama (2011)

The best way I can categorize this movie is to say it’s a retro cult cinema spoof horror satire.

*Spoiler Alert* It’s the final night of operation for the local drive in theater, and as a final hurrah, the owner/operator screens a marathon of films that have not been seen since their initial screenings. The movies within the movie play out as follows:

Wadzilla - A man submits himself to an experimental drug to help improve his low sperm count. But instead of growing in number, his sperm grow in size to the point that he shoots one out that grows to be ten stories high and begins eating the city.

I was a Teenage Wearbear - In this horror/musical, a high school boy falls in with the “wrong crowd;” a group of hoodlums who at first resemble the T-birds from “Grease” but are soon brought to light as the “queer” crowd. Not only are they gay (which was a huge taboo in 1962, when this movie was “made”) but when they are aroused, they transform into half men-half bears, complete with leather bondage clothing. The young teen is bitten by one of the crowd and feels himself changing.

The Diary of Anne Frankenstein - We find out that the Frank family who were immortalized in young Anne’s diary were descendants of Victor Frankenstein and had his journal among their possessions in the attic. When they are betrayed to the Nazis, Hitler takes the journal and uses it to create a seven foot Jewish monster. While this is going on, a mysterious substance has been leaked into the popcorn butter that, when eaten, turns the crowd into ultra horny zombies.
Thus ends the Chillerama.

I tend to like bad horror movies, and movies that are so bad they are funny. Those are the kinds of films that this movie is satirizing in a way. There are movies like the ones described that were made back in the sixties and played only in the dingiest of drive-ins. In today’s terms, these are the straight to home video releases. The humor of this movie is rooted in the “it’s so bad it’s funny” philosophy. The problem with that is it’s funny for a while, but it’s quick to grow old, and the humor in this movie loses it’s effect pretty early on. Then the humor just becomes cheesy. And for a spoof of exploitation style horror, there was a surprising absence of gore and nudity. Deep rooted horror fans or people into bad humor might get a kick out of this one. Like I said, I like bad horror and I laughed a little.

Big opening weekend for The Avengers

First film to break 200 million in its first three days:


http://www.imdb.com/news/ni27648696/

Happy Birthday: George Clooney & Orson Welles

George - my favorites roles of his are in Syriana, and O Brother, Where Art Thou?

Orson - a great actor, and arguably the greatest American director of all time... my favorite films of his are Citizen Kane and The Third Man (I have not seen all of his movies, to date)

Review: Batman (1989)

People in the Movie:  Michael Keaton, Jack Nicholson, Kim Basinger

Director:  Tim Burton

Pigeonhole:  Action / Comic Book

The Basics: The comic book hero comes to life on the big screen in an almost adult oriented telling of the Batman (Keaton) versus The Joker (Nicholson) story.  A millionaire, Bruce Wayne, turns to vigilante justice in his alter ego, Batman, to protect the streets of Gotham City which are overrun with criminals, while the police are unable or unwilling to help.  Within the criminal ranks, a vicious sociopath named Jack Napier, taking on a new visage, unseats the current leader of the local mob, Carl Grissom (Jack Palance).  Jack – now calling himself Joker – reigns terror down onto the city with seemingly no one able to stop him.  From the sidelines a photo journalist named Vicki Vale (Basinger) is attempting to learn more about Batman, and finds herself in the middle of this street war.

Recommendation:  I recommend this movie to comic and non-comic fans alike for the action, as well as the performances of the actors, especially Nicholson.  Comic book “purists” will notice some deviations from the original stories.  ‘PG-13’ rating is for violence.  It would likely not be appropriate for young kids.

My Take:  Having been a comic book collector in the past, I remember the anticipation and build up for this movie.  As I recall, this was one of the first movies where people would go to buy tickets to another movie just to see the trailer for Batman, and then walk out without seeing the feature.  I also remember the initial reservation about Michael Keaton’s casting (see Extras note), but once Batman premiered, and when all was said and done, this still stands as one of the best comic book feature films, in my opinion.

**spoiler alert** Tim Burton did an outstanding job with the look and feel of this movie.  Gotham City looked and felt like a dirty, beat down city that was run by criminals, and where the average citizen felt afraid to be out at night.  The scenery was all very urban, dark, and foreboding, plus the bulk of the action took place at night.  The production and direction masterfully mixed the “look” of the sets and props as if it could have been anywhere between 1950 or 1989.   Nicholson fully embodied the persona of the Joker; walking the line of violent criminal mastermind and complete psychopath, at the same time.  Keaton played Bruce Wayne/Batman very well; he was introverted as Wayne; a man with a life changing event in his past and a dark secret, as well as pulling off the tough action scenes in the Batman costume, believably.

I think what separates this movie from many of the other more contemporary comic book movies that have since come to the big screen, is that Batman has a much more organic feel to it.  There were real people doing the stunts and action.  It was not a complete digital and special effects mock up, and hence felt that much more believable.  The characters were also not caricatures which could have easily happened, especially with Tim Burton directing.  Instead he put a more mature, fantastic- but realistic adaption of the “Caped Crusader” together for the audience, and it was well received.

The soundtracks; there are two.  The instrumental/ Danny Elfman tunes, and the Prince/ pop music soundtrack.  This is a tough issue for me to reconcile.  Danny Elfman’s instrumental pieces were great.  They embody a big budget summer action flick.  Prince’s songs are very entertaining, but I am not sure if they were the best choice to be in the movie.  However, they are there, and “Partyman” and “Trust” are forever linked to two great Joker scenes.

To note a few deviations from the comics:

- Bruce Wayne’s parents were not killed by Jack Napier / The Joker

- The Joker’s real name is not Jack Napier.  We have never been told his name.

- Vicki Vale would never have been allowed in the Batcave.

- Alexander Knox (Robert Wuhl) does not exist in the comics.

   

Final Thought/Extras/For Fun: Warner Brothers initially received over 50,000 protest letters denouncing Michael Keaton’s casting as Batman… Check out IMDb for the long list of actors who were considered for each of the different leads… The original script called for the Dick Grayson/ Robin character to be introduced… This was the first film to earn over 100 million in its first 10 days of release… Both Batman and the Joker are on AFI’s 100 Heroes & Villains list…

Happy Birthday: Lance Henriksen

Veteran of many TV and movie roles, as well as doing voice work for video games.  My favorites roles of his are in Aliens, Terminator, Alien vs. Predator, Scream 3 and on the TV show Millennium.

Bob's Quick Look: The Raven (2012)

John Cusack plays Edgar Allen Poe in this Saw-meets-From Hell murder mystery.

The year is 1849 and Edgar Poe is trying to eek out a living as a writer while trying to win over the father of a girl he wants to marry. As the plot thickens, a series of murders occur, the m.o.'s of which are taken straight out of Poe’s macabre works of fiction. Duplicated from a scene of “Masque of the Red Death,” the killer kidnaps Poe’s fiancée which causes him to join in the investigation. With each new murder is a clue to the killer’s location which the investigators must follow quickly to find her before the appointed hour of her death.

For the most part, this is a pretty interesting murder mystery and period piece. John Cusack, who I will admit is on my list of favorite actors, does a good job in his role of Edgar, though I would have liked to see a little more of Poe melancholy in his performance. The death scenes had a good amount of gore and disturbing imagery, and the film had a level of suspense that one would hope to find in a story concerning one of the fathers of suspense tales. There were a few twists and turns in the plot, but not so much that one loses their place, easily. 

This is another example one of a film that makes me think there are longer versions of every movie out there. Even though this movie has my recommendation, I’m anxious to see if an extended version of this movie comes out. Not so much for the fact that I thought the movie was incomplete, it just felt a bit rushed, lacking in gory detail and the aforementioned melancholy often found in Poe’s work.

Being a student of Poe’s work, I appreciated some of the minute details found in the movie, such as Poe’s rivalry with Longfellow. But being a movie about the work, as well as the author, I thought that some of his more obscure work could have been referenced. But that’s just me.

All in all, not a bad movie for fans of murder mystery. Like I said, I’m interested to see if an extended or alternate version gets released.

Little known facts #2: Heathers (1988)

Jeremy Applegate who played Peter, who uttered the line, "Dear Lord, please make sure this never happens to me because I don't think I could handle suicide. Fast, early acceptance into an Ivy League school and please let it be Harvard. Amen." killed himself with a shotgun in 2000.

Art imitating life, imitating art?

Awesome (prophetic?) movie quotes #2: Heathers (1988)

"Dear Lord, please make sure this never happens to me because I don't think I could handle suicide. Fast, early acceptance into an Ivy League school and please let it be Harvard. Amen."

**see the little know fact about this quote

Little known facts: Heathers (1988)

Actor Kim Walker, who uttered the infamous line, "Did you have a brain tumor for breakfast?", actually died from a brain tumor in 2001.

Awesome (prophetic?) movie quotes: Heathers (1988)

"Did you have a brain tumor for breakfast?"

**see the little known fact about this quote

Awesome movie quotes: New Jack City (1991)

"Sit your five-dollar ass down before I make change."

Happy Birthday: James Brown

The Godfather of Soul... his songs have been used in too many movies to count, and he also had a great part as the preacher in the Triple Rock Church in The Blues Brothers

Awesome movie quotes: The Scorpion King (2002)

"Let me tell you, after a long day of looting and pillaging there is no greater city than Gommarah... except maybe Sodom."

James' re-butt: More Thoughts on Nudity in film

- I find it interesting that nudity, in regards to the film industry is such a taboo, whereas gratuitous violence to the point there is a sub-genre of horror called "torture porn", is thought of as "ok".
- I think that I prefer the European attitude towards nudity in film.  Their thought process seems to reflect the idea that if "real people" would be nude in this circumstance, then their actors should be, too.  I do not believe they put people on display, but are more just matter-of-fact about it.  For example: the character is on his/her way to the shower.  They undress.  That's it.
- I will not watch a movie purely because I know there is nudity in it.  The flip side to that coin is that if I am watching movies within certain genres, I have almost now come to expect nudity in some form or another.  For examples: sex/screwball type comedies, such as Porky's; erotic thrillers; and many of the horror genres (slasher, monster, supernatural, etc..).  Isn't the "rule" of horror films if you get naked/ have sex, you get killed?  Ironic that nudity gets tied to the violence in that way.  Taking this a step further in an almost philosophical direction, I see movies, much like reading books, or playing video games as a form of escapism, as well as entertainment.
- If you want to see how taboo nudity still is within Hollywood circles, pick your favorite film that has a nude scene and look up the "fun facts" about it (IMDb is good for this). See how many other actors turned down the parts of the characters who were nude, because of that fact, alone.  It's staggering.  What I cannot figure out is it the specific actors' values or beliefs that say "don't do a nude scene", or is it their belief that perceptions will change about them in Hollywood for doing a nude scene?  Something to reflect on.           
- I do not think the MPAA ratings are appropriate any longer.  They do not reflect the content of the movie nor  do they reflect the intent of it.  I think that the MPAA is a microcosm of an older, puritan, conservative America.  If "the people" want a new rating system to accurately reflect the content of the movies whether that be violence, language, sexual content, nudity, or subject matter, then bombard them with emails, communications and suggestions.


Some of my favoritie movies that also have nudity:
American Pie
Halloween (1978)
Basic Instinct
Kids
Revenge of the Nerds

Happy Birthday: The Rock

Dwayne Johnson - best known for his personality in the Wrestling World, but rising as a good action movie star.  Good roles in The Scorpion King, Doom, and Fast Five

Awesome movie quotes: The Last Boy Scout (1991)

"She said her husband was a big pimp lookin' motherf#@ker with a hat..."

Happy Birthday: Julie Benz

TV vet with great roles in Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Angel, and Dexter. Also had good movie roles in Saw V, Punisher: War Zone, and a great role in Boondock Saints II.