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.