Yes, yes, this was promised a few days ago, actually on July 4th, and as its July 7th when I am writing this, I'm a bit late. But I've given you thirty posts in a little over 35 days, what more do you want from me? Geez... needy bunch of readers, aren't you?
Been a busy few days, forcing me to take a few days from blogging, but that's okay, we all need a little vacation from what we are doing every now and again, right?
The Lovely Steph Leann wanted me to point out to you that she wanted "Yankee Doodle Dandy" on this list, though she didn't fight for it. However, she's appalled that "Mr. Smith Goes to Washington" only made it as far as the Honorable Mentions... that let to this exchange:
Her: Why did you leave that off the list? That movie is perfect! Me: Because I haven't seen it in forever, and I can't even talk about it knowingly... Her: Just because you haven't seen it in a long time doesn't make it any less awesome. It should be on that list.
Her bags were packed, though I talked her off the ledge. As it is, however, my decision stands. You can read part 1 of this list by clicking here.
That's the key line from Harrison Ford led movie, a movie that is so utterly ridiculous, yet so utterly entertaining its ridiculous how utterly ridiculous and utterly entertaining this movie is! The President and his family are flying in Air Force One, when a terrorist group takes over, one that somehow got on the plane.
Vee have iz wife. Iz dah-ter. He veel negotiate. Gary Oldman rules.
The terrorists think that the President has been jettisoned via the escape pod on the bottom of Air Force One, which we know first, doesn't exist in real life, and second, when Harrison Ford is your President, you know he's going to kick some major Russkie butt.
The cast is stellar, including That Guy Hall of Famers William H. Macy, Philip Baker Hall, Capt. Jim Brass and Xander Berkely, as well as A-listers like Gary Oldman, Glenn Close and of course, Han Solo himself, The action is nonstop, and the movie is one of those that can be watched again and again and again, and still be entertaining... my 46th favorite film of all time.
NUMBER FOUR ... "FIELD OF DREAMS" (1989) This is not a movie I can watch over and over, because... well, I'll say it, it kinda bores me, at least a little. But at the same time, parts of it are so riveting and moving, I can't turn away.
Ray Kinsella thinks he's going crazy when he hears this random voice telling him, "If you build it, he will come", and of course, instead of getting his head examined, he builds it. And he comes.
He builds it. They show up, right out of the corn.
This is one of those films that hits you two ways--first, its entirely fantasy, and completely implausible... yet, its that unrealistic fantasy that carries the movie, that drive that Ray has to follow his heart despite what anyone and everyone tells him, that eagerness and curiosity that asks, "What if...?"
It might be something you haven't seen, or maybe something you haven't seen in a long, long time, and if so, I invite you to watch. This is a beautiful movie all the way around, and even though I've often thought of Kevin Costner as somewhat of a mediocre actor, he definitely pulls his weight here. James Earl Jones, Timothy Busfield (who, by way, was in a few scenes with legendary actor Burt Lancaster, who didn't know that Busfield was an actor and had him--Busfield--fetching coffee and running errands for him--Lancaster--until he realized they were in a scene together... Busfield happily did it anyway for a Hollywood Icon) and Amy Madigan lead a strong cast, but its the story, the idea that a dream, a vision, a voice can be so strong, so empowering that its life changing, that you have no choice but to follow it--that is what makes this movie what it is.
And yes, its about baseball, and yes, its really not "America's Pastime" anymore... that would be football now. But baseball is true Americana, its truly an American invention, an American ideal, a creation of the American spirit. This movie embodies that very imagination. Its truly Americana.
NUMBER THREE... "NATIONAL TREASURE" (2004) If ever there was a movie that could have been called "Revisionist History", it is this movie. That being said, there are few movies that I've had more fun with at the theater than Nic Cage's "National Treasure".
Nic Cage plays Benjamin Gates, a historian who's spent the better part of his life looking for a treasure that many people tell him doesn't exist. The treasure was supposedly left by the Founding Fathers of the United States, but he's never been able to get close...
Is it a declaration of independence.... or a declaration of love...?
...until a set of circumstances has him and his buddy Riley in possession of a hostage, played by Diane Kruger, but also the original Declaration of Independence, stolen from its D.C. home. They also find themselves being chased by the FBI and Harvey Keitel, but also a former friend turned foe Ian (Sean Bean), who wants to find the treasure for himself and his own greedy team.
To properly enjoy this movie, you have to take "disbelief" and not only suspend it, but put it through the paper shredder--and not a standard one, I mean one that does cross cutting and will tear up CDs and credit cards--take the shreds and spread them all over the back yard. Because when you see the liberty bell in Philadelphia, that might be the only thing about this movie that is believable. However, this movie is completely fun, funny and has a great story behind it.
The film follows one clue after another, incorporating our countries monuments and locales into the story line itself, wrapping them up with a plot involving what our Founding Fathers could have meant by what they wrote and said.
I will say, though, that while "National Treasure" struck gold, "National Treasure 2: Book of Secrets" tried the same thing and, in my own humble opinion, laid a dud egg.
In less than an hour, aircraft from here will join others from around the world, and you will be launching the largest aerial battle in the history of mankind.
Mankind. That word should have new meaning for all of us today. We can't be consumed by our petty differences anymore. We will be united in our common interests.
Perhaps it's fate that today is the Fourth of July, and you will once again be fighting for our freedom. Not from tyranny, oppression, or persecution… but from annihilation. We're fighting for our right to live. To exist.
And should we win the day, the Fourth of July will no longer be known as an American holiday, but as the day when the world declared in one voice:
We will not go quietly into the night!
We will not vanish without a fight!
We're going to live on!
We're going to survive!
Today we celebrate our Independence Day!
Dude. I frakkin' love this movie. U-S-A! U-S-A!
NUMBER ONE... "JOHN ADAMS" (2008) Okay, so I cheated. Unlike the other movies on this list, its not a theatrical release, and actually, its not even a movie... its a mini-series.
Paul Giamatti was lauded deservedly as Adams. Another amazing performance is that of Tom Wilkinson, who plays Benjamin Franklin in a humorous, yet likable light. Wilkinson also portrayed the jerkface Cornwallis in "The Patriot", also a revolutionary war movie, and number 7 on this list.
But its the best mini-series I've ever seen in my whole life. Paul Giamatti stars as the title character, with Laura Linney (told you I dug her) as his beloved Abigail, and the seven part mini-series chronicles Adams' life from his mid-30s, and right around the time of the Boston Massacre, taking you through the disputes and disagreements of declaring independence from Britain, tours of Europe to ask for money and help during the revolution, the end of the war itself, his battles with George Washington and Thomas Jefferson alike, and finally, the end of his life.
Its based on the book by David McCollough, and it does deviate from the book a bit, thus deviating from facts, its still a riveting story from start to finish... even the slow parts are great, and even eye opening, like how much resistance there actually was to independence--so many states just wanted to keep the status quo, and some even enjoyed the British rule.
I highly recommend you rent it or buy it, and spend some time on it. You'll get a better appreciation for who we are and how hard it was to get where we are now.
So there ya go... your top ten Americana Patriotic Fuzzy Wuzzy Movies. As its a few days past this year's Independence Day, perhaps this list will come in handy next year...
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I had one really long list (and subsequently, long post) of movies that I've seen in the last few months--some are new and recently in theaters, some are just on dvd, and a few are movies that I haven't seen in a long, long time that I gave another crack at.
So, I figured I'd break this up into a two part post in that very fashion... today, its the movies that are currently in the theaters and maybe Monday, a few new movies I've seen on DVD and a few random movies I've (re)watched and can give my now somewhat refined movie critique on...
But let's start with ones I've seen in the theaters in the last few months... you can read my review of "Iron Man 2", which I thought deserved its own post, by clicking here, and in this post, we're going to talk about "Losers", "Kick A**", "Robin Hood", "Date Night ", "The Book of Eli" and my favorite movie of the year so far...
"How To Train Your Dragon" Okay... so, this was a film that I wasn't sold on leading up to its release date. Call me a Disneyphile, or a Pixar snob, but DreamWorks animation doesn't do it for me. From "Antz" to "Shark Tale" to "Over the Hedge", then toss in movies that everyone tells me I should love but don't, that being "Madagascar" 1 and 2(and 3 when its released), and Shrek 1, 2, 3 and Fourth, and you've got a studio that I'm just not wild about. Don't get me wrong, I'm not anti-Dreamworks, as I enjoyed "Kung Fu Panda" and have heard good things about "Monsters vs Aliens", but put it all together, and "How to Train Your Dragon" was a film that I'd just see when I got around to seeing it.
And if the opening numbers were any indication, I was right. It opened slow and seemed like another also-ran in DWA's studio. But... as the weeks wore on, the gross for the film kept going up and up and up, and everyone and anyone who told me about this movie didn't just like it, they loved it. Kids, adults, old and young, everyone I know liked, if not loved, this film. So, at some point, I figured The Lovely Steph Leann and I should go see it... we were even told that this is a rare case where 3-D enhances the film, not just enhances the ticket price. "Avatar" was the only other film I'd seen in 3-D where that was the case, but we went ahead and went 3-D.
"How to Train Your Dragon" follows the story of Hiccup, who lives in a Viking village where the life of a Viking is to hung and kill dragons of every size--and they are aplenty in this movie. Hiccup is a loser that is made fun of by most of the clan, mostly because his heart is not into hunting anything, much less dragons, but to please his father--who happens to be village chief, no less--he does what he can.
Hiccup ends up taking down a rare Night Fury dragon, but upon finding it in the woods, cannot bring himself to finish him off... and there, the adventure takes flight, pun intended.
I loved it. I loved every single second of this movie. I loved the main character, Hiccup, I loved his love interest, a spry pixie named Astrid, I loved the dragons, including the main one nicknamed Toothless, I loved the setting, I loved the creativity, I loved the story... I thought this movie was brilliant. This was the first time I'd ever seen a non-Pixar animated movie and thought, "This should have been a Pixar film."
The Lovely Steph Leann loved it too. As the credits began to roll, she piped up and said, "Wow. DreamWorks finally got it right."
Its one of those rare movies that I feel like was just the right length, and had very little, if any, wasted minutes. And, in another rare instance, I fully recommend 3-D glasses on this one, even if you have to see it in a matinee. Its vividly colored, and I don't feel like the 3-D dampens that, but there's something about the depth of the film and the scope of the picture that you get from the 3-D that you might not get otherwise... again, like "Avatar".
Great movie, my favorite so far of the year.
“The Losers” Okay... so, this group of guys who make up this elite fighting force are framed for a village slaughter and left for dead. And what do they do? They are on a mission to find out who framed them.
Starring Jeffrey Dean Morgan, the best thing about “Watchmen” not named “Jackie Earle Haley” or “Malin Akerman” (mmm), is Clay, the leader of this group of “Losers”. Based on a DC Vertigo comic of the same name, its full of guns, explosions, cool vehicles and betrayals, and seriously—it’s a hoot. I think all the actors, including Zoe Saldana(“Avatar” and “Star Trek”), know this movie isn’t to be taken too seriously, and in knowing that, they can really camp it up with not just the one-liners but even with the action sequences which are improbable, ridiculous and at the same time, just plain fun.
Two standouts in this movie make it worth a glance, one being Chris Evans, who played The Human Torch in another comic book adaptation, “Fantastic Four” and its sequel. He’s right on par with the snappy come-backs and comic relief. The main villain is Max, played by Jason Patric, who I can’t decide if he’s mailing it in completely or having the time of his life cause he’s got a job. Either way, Jason from “The Lost Boys” has come a long, long way.
You might remember the director of this film also directing the Oscar winning classic that rivals “Avatar” in its splendor and majesty, that being “Stomp the Yard”, and like his actors, he films in a classic comic book camp style. I’ve never read the original material, so I don’t have a reference point as to how true this film is to the graphic novel… but if you can catch it at the Ghetto Buck Theater, or pick it up on cable, do so. Its worth a 90 minute viewing.
“Kick A**” Okay... so, for every reason I shouldn’t, I thought this movie was hilarious. Absolutely hilarious. Its title that I feel very uncomfortable saying (and don’t, especially on a website that I like to keep PG), its got the same language you’d find in equally as funny movies like “Superbad”, its got comic-book style violence that still produces blood spatter like crazy, and it’s got a bunch of teenagers trying to get some. There is no redeeming quality to this movie.
But still… man this was funny. Dave Lizewski is, like most protagonists of movies such as this, a dork. A nerd who has nerd friends and does nerd things. He decides that there is too much evil in his own hometown, so what better way to combat it than to make himself a “superhero” suit and become a superhero. Never mind that Dave has no skills of any kind, no athletic ability and really no fighting training of any sort. He just wings it, to sad and funny avail.
This amateur crime fighting doesn’t go down to well with two real superheroes in town, Big Daddy and Hit Girl. Big Daddy is played to the hilt by Nic Cage, who you’d think based on recent works, would be in this for the paycheck… not so, I would say, as Nic Cage is an avid comic book fan—this one really might be a labor of love. The controversy comes in with Hit Girl, who is Big Daddy’s daughter and is played by 11 year old Chloe Moretz… and who says some things in this movie that no 11 year old, nay nay, no 21 year old or anyone who keeps a clean mouth, should say. She doesn’t swear a lot, but when she does, its kinda uncomfortable.
Let’s skip that part, shall we? Anyway, Dave calls himself “Kick A**”, a… well, a stupid name for a superhero, but a name that… okay, well, it kicks… you know. Through the course of the movie, Dave figures out he’s in way, way over his head, when a crime boss comes after him. His son, Chris (a “don’t call me McLovin, even though all the characters I do now are like spin offs of McLovin Christopher Mintz-Plasse), fosters his own secret identity as Red Mist. Violence and hilarity ensues.
Anyway, I cannot in any way fathomable recommend this film. It is NOT Emmy Turnbow Safe, and sez Wiki: Australian Family Association spokesman John Morrissey, "the language [was] offensive and the values inappropriate – without the saving grace of the bloodless victory of traditional superheroes". In response to the controversy, Moretz stated in an interview, "If I ever uttered one word that I said in Kick-A**, I would be grounded for years! I'd be stuck in my room until I was 20! I would never in a million years say that. I'm an average, everyday girl.” Moretz has said that while filming, she could not bring herself to say the film's title out loud in interviews, instead calling it "the film" in public and "Kick-Butt" at home. Christopher Mintz-Plasse expressed surprise that people are angry about the language but do not seem to be offended by the many people killed by Hit-Girl.
Let's be clear here... this movie is NOT for children. As a Christ-Follower, this movie is a prime example of the topic of "what do you place in front of your eyes?", which is another conversation for another day. I've tried to give you the rundown on the film as best I can, so now its up to you as to whether to see it. Cindy Jo is probably not going to see this film. Hurricane Rhett might go out tonight and catch it.
“Date Night” Okay... so, the Lovely Steph Leann and I were in Pensacola recently, and that evening, were desiring something to do. We had just had dinner at a restaurant called Hemingway’s Island Grill, and it was fantastic. The best calamari I’ve ever, ever eaten, and I’ve eaten lots and lots of calamari.
Anyway, we decided to catch a movie, one of our favorite things to do as a couple (I say that, and half the movies on this list I saw alone…). “Date Night” was one we had our eye on, and after shooting down “Letters to Juliet”, despite my slight affinity for Amanda Seyfried(is she pretty? Is she not? I dunno).
“Date Night” stars Steve Carell and Tina Fey as a married couple who love each other, but just need a night out, something special, away from the kids. They try to get into an exclusive uppity restaurant named Claw, and after being laughed at when they ask for a table, they sneak in and take someone else’s reservations (the idea of which becomes a running gag throughout the movie)… but when the bad guys arrive and think they are the people of who’s reservations they stole, things get crazy.
What follows is kinda formulaic, kind of been-there-done-that sort of plotline… but Carrell and Fey are awesome. Both are just plain looking enough to be believable as an average couple, but good looking enough, and likable enough, to root for. Throw in the fact that Mark Wahlberg shows up as a former client and former security agent, plus he’s not wearing a shirt, making for total comedy, and you’ve got a winner.
You know how there are movies that you can turn on, and just use for background noise, knowing that if you look up at any point, you’ll enjoy whatever you see because you kinda liked all of it. This would be “Date Night” for me when it comes on HBO in March of 2011.
I really, really enjoyed this film, and The Lovely Steph Leann laughed heartily all the way through. Its got some language, including one F-Bomb dropped at the expense of Mark Wahlberg not putting a shirt on, and the violence is cartoony and silly… catch this one on a matinee.
This was the story of Robin Hood before he became Robin of the Hood. Russell Crowe broods through this film like he does most films, and Cate Blanchett, so ravishing and Sydney Ellen Wade-esque in “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button”, merely passes as Maid Marian. It was rather enjoyable to see LOST’s Martin Keamy and his creepy yet wildly fascinating grin as Little John, though, and in the credits playing “Will Scarlett”, I saw the name of none other than “Critters” and “Critters 2” star Scott Grimes. Looking at his iMDb page, the not often recognized Grimes has made quite a career for himself in bit parts and television appearances, even getting a recurring role in ER.
Neither The Lovely Steph Leann or I loved it, but she liked it more than me I think. Of course, she digs any story that takes place in old England where dudes are wearing chain mail and carrying big swords, while the chicks are in frilly, frumpy dresses and do things like wash clothes in a basin. Not saying she wants to live there, but she loves that crap.
Best Robin Hood? Dunno… never seen the Sean Connery version, but I’d have to give it to Errol Flynn, the original, though Kevin Costner’s merits could be argued. Best Maid Marian? Would be a tough battle between Mary Elisabeth Mastrantonio, Audrey Hepburn (because she’s Audrey Hepburn) and that foxy one in the Disney version.
"The Book of Eli" Okay... so what an amazing movie... the only thing I knew about this going in was Denzel Washington was a man protecting the last Bible on Earth. And the setting was some sort of a apocalyptic, everything-as-we-know-it-has-been-destroyed, cars burned up by the side of the road and rotting kind of civilization.
Denzel is Eli, a drifter who is following a vision to go to the coast, taking with him the last copy of the Bible... all others have been destroyed. If it had been said what happened, I might have missed it, but this is a world now where books are scarce, grown people can no longer even read, and communities are many times held under rule by whoever has the most power. Sex is a bartering tool, and violence is the answer for most conflicts.
We see right away that Eli is not a guy to be messed with... he's got somewhere to be, and he's headed that way. And when people try to stop him, he stops them from trying to stop him in the most convincing "don't bother me" way possible. Trouble comes when he drifts through a town and its discovered by the town's "ruler", Carnagie (played by Gary Oldman, who excels in this type of role), that Eli is carrying with him last copy of the Bible.
Carnagie then determines that he must have this Bible... not because its a collectors item, not because he is a Bible scholar... but because he declares it "a weapon, and civilizations have been built on this book." That is... well, refreshing. I'm sure the producers of the film didn't intend on making a religious statement, but they did. The world sees the Word of God as a work of fiction, but this movie hits it dead on--its a weapon. A holy, righteous, hope filled, Christ inspired weapon used to tell the stories of our Creator and guide those wo follow Hiim.
Denzel Washington, a Christ follower himself, is fantastic in this movie, and like Robert Downey Jr being irreplaceable as Iron Man, so to is Washington in this film... you take him, out, the movie falls apart. The supporting cast, though perhaps not irreplaceable, it still strong, including Oldman, Mila Kunas and Jennifer Beals.
Unfortunately, it doesn't take much to see the ending coming, with the final twist. Most people I know predicted the little surprise in the last few minutes, but that doesn't make the journey there any less entertaining.
The film is bleak in color, as many of the movies with this setting are, and language pervades throughout. The sexual moments are very few, with only a couple of allusions to it, mostly within the context of the town's danger. Violence is also heavy in this film, so expect lots of knives and gunshots and big armored vehicles. All that is to say that this movie is NOT for kids. I dare say its not Emmy Turnbow safe, but at the same time, I think Emmy Turnbow would like this movie--at least, an edited version that might come on the USA Network in June of 2012 or something.
My third favorite film of the year, following "How to Train Your Dragon" and "Iron Man 2".
Another take on this movie can be found here, by Chandler Wallace, a staff member at Valleydale Church (an sbc fellowship)... he also liked the film immensely.
Tomorrow... reviews on "Crazy Heart" with Jeff Bridges, "Orphan" with Vera Farmiga and a few older films that I've re-watched... including... "Money Train"...
Well, once again, its time for The Lovely Steph Leann and I to head to the Most Magical Place on Earth... we'll bug out tomorrow afternoon, leaving on a jet plane, don't do know when we'll be back again...
I wanted to blog something really quickly, so the Death of Swayze wouldn't be all you see for an entire week, and I actually have something on a word document that I was going to post last week, and I ended up discussing 9/11, then on Monday, I was going to post it, and then I found out of the passing of Patrick Swayze. Then, tonight, before I could sit down, do a simple copy and paste and say, "See ya soon", I heard/read some great information about Disney, Walt Disney World and so on, mostly news coming from the D23 Expo, with D23 being the Disney Fan Club and the Expo being a huge convention held this past weekend in Anaheim, California.
So, for the WDW fans out there, and for the Disney-in-General fan, here's some great information to chew on...
FANTASYLAND EXPANSION --Apparently, there have been leaked blueprints online already about the expansion of Fantasyland in the coming years. I found the prints here, and I'm not sure of the exact validity of the plans, but I can tell you this... Toontown goes away.
--Toontown will be wiped out, taken over by the Fantasyland Expansion. Apparently, most of the princesses--Aurora, Belle, Cindy, etc--will get their own interactive Meet-n-Greet areas, and there will be a Beast's Castle themed restaurant put in as well. Hopefully, they'll have Roast Beast.
--The Toontown Barnstormer will remain, but it will be re-named and re-themed. The Toontown Train Station will become the Fantasyland Train Station, and Mickey & Minnie's houses will be re-located, though they haven't released where.
--Dumbo will be getting a remake as well. They are going to try and eliminate the hot queue that wraps around the Dumbo Flying Circle ride (that The Lovely Steph Leann insists we ride every time we go, which means Friday morning, I'll be riding Dumob) by making Dumbo into a bigger ride, and they have said that there will be a waiting queue room where guests will experience an "interactive circus type atmosphere", whatever that means. John Lasseter has said, "The smallest guests stand in the longest lines for the shortest rides", so there ya go.
--The Little Mermaid Ride that is in Disneyland will also be replicated in Fantasyland in Disney World.
--The construction starts in 2010, and should be completed by 2012, except for the new, expanded Pixie Hollow, which should be finished in 2013.
MOVIE NEWS --Pirates 4 is a go! Johnny Depp made a surprise, unannounced (repetitive, repeating statement?) visit to D23 Expo to tell the world that Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides, will be shooting next year, and will be released the Summer of 2011.
--Also coming the summer of 2011? National Treasure 3... personally, I think the first Natty Treasure is one of the best movies of this decade (I think I'll make that list later this year, since its the last three months of the entire decade, and NO ONE is talking about this!) but the second one left something to be desired.
--Nic Cage, who along with Samuel L. Jackson, has never seen an action script he didn't like, is also starring in a flick called "The Sorcerer's Apprentice", which has walking brooms and that famous hat, but beyond that, nothing really to do with "Fantasia".
--Winnie the Pooh is coming back to theaters... but Pooh is coming back, John Lasseter-style. Lasseter, CCO of Disney Animation, was one of the co-founders of Pixar, and says that he is bothered by the fact that the classic, beloved character of Pooh has been railroaded into a "toddler and infant" character, and feels that Winnie the Pooh should be brought back for all ages. The movie, tentatively released in 2011, will be done with classic 2-D animation and watercolors, throwing away the tripe that filled "Piglet's Big Movie" and "The Heffalump Movie" and such.
--"Rapunzel", on the other hand, is done in CG animation, and will be premiering in 3-D from Disney... I know, I know, this brings thoughts of "Chicken Little", which was good enough, but not classic like we were hoping... however, the early buzz is, despite the CG aspect, its going to be a very good film. Its styled like all the other Princess films, and Rapunzel will likely be pushed as a Disney Princess, sitting alongside Belle and Ariel.
Rapunzel will be voiced by Mandy Moore.
--Early reports on "The Princess & the Frog" are fantastic. Word is, this makes you think of the Disney Renaissance that took place from "The Little Mermaid" to "Tarzan" in the late 80s and 90s.
--"Cars 2" comes out in 2011, and has McQueen competing in a huge international race in Europe, taking with him all of his friends--we know Mater, but I'm guessing Sally, Ramone and a few others will join him. New character Fin McMissle, a car double agent, has been announced, and though casting has not been released, rumors are they are going after Sean Connery
RIDE RENOVATIONS --Star Tours is being redone... FINALLY! That ride, while in concept is awesome, is just... well, old. And not as fun as you want it to be. But its coming, and its coming in 3-D.
--The MuppetVision 3-D is also getting a refurbishment, and again I say... FINALLY. I love the Muppet attraction in Hollywood Studios, but you can see the film itself and see how grainy, dated and old the movie is. Even in the end, when the "walls crash and you can see outside", the people just look like they are from 1993. And they might be. I didn't see word on when either of these will be renovated.
--And speaking of Muppets, there is a new Muppet movie in the works. The title? "The Cheapest Muppet Movie Ever Made". The title is a re-work of an old Jim Henson concept of Gonzo blowing the movie budget on the opening credits resulting in the remainder of the feature film being shot in the same back lot, clumsily redressed to look like different locations from around the world... report are that comedic writer/actor Jason Segel("Forgetting Sarah Marshall") will be penning the script, and probably won't follow Henson's concept.
TOY STORY 3 --First, don't forget Toy Story 1 & Toy Story 2 come back to theaters on October 2nd, as a double feature, in 3-D. Its a two week engagement, so make sure you catch it quickly.
--"Toy Story 3" basic plotline is that Andy has grown up, and is off to college. He leaves his toys at an adoption home, where Woody, Buzz, Potato Head, Rex, Hamm, Slinky and the gang are routinely abused by the children... and so they escape. And that's all I know.
And finally, for anyone my age who drools and almost wets themselves at the term "Light Cycle", there's this...
So, a few years ago, I did a post featuring some of Nic Cage's movies. The epitome of "I got my Oscar, so the rest of my career is going to me just having some effin' fun and making some serious jack".
I believe it was Matt Latta who said that Nic had a perfect guilty-pleasure trilogy... The Rock, Con Air and Face/Off, and I agree.
And then, I read this article from DNC-TV, also known as MSNBC, called "Nicolas Cage: The Anti-Sean Penn" The subtitle says, "Why does he keep making trashy thrillers? Because he feels like it."
And it says it perfectly... Dave White writes:
Back in the day, it was an easy assertion that Michael Caine was the hardest working actor alive. And the least reliable marquee name. Leave the arthouse theater where he’d be starring in Neil Jordan’s serious-minded hit “Mona Lisa” and head over to the multiplex and boom, there you’d also find him starring in tacky junk like “Jaws The Revenge.” Full court Michael Caine press. No getting away from him even if you wanted to.
Well, Michael Caine is old now. So another guy had to step in and become Michael Caine. That man is Nicolas Cage.
There is always a Nicolas Cage movie happening somewhere. There’s always one in theaters or on cable or coming soon on Blu-Ray or being shot right now or in post-production or just announced or being produced by him. This week’s Nicolas Cage movie is “Bangkok Dangerous.” It’s about a guy who runs around shooting people. Or maybe it’s about a guy who runs around getting shot at by people. I think it takes place in Bangkok. Or maybe in outer space on a planet so unstable that they say it’s not just dangerous to be there, it’s Bangkok dangerous. Or maybe Nicolas Cage plays a guy named Bangkok Dangerous. I’d tell you more about it if I could but they’re not showing it to scummy press people like me.
And I’m genuinely excited to go buy a ticket this Friday morning. First because I know in my heart that something demented will take place in this movie. And also because I know that Nicolas Cage will use his share of my ticket money to do something awesome like exhuming Elvis’ body for further inspection or private-jetting to Eastern Europe to buy the actual secret-location murder-hostel they based those horror films on.
But back to his ubiquity. I read once that Cage wanted to make a lot of movies while he was still young enough to bring his full virility to them. Something like that. I thought it was funny he referenced his own virility and that’s why I kinda-sorta remember the quote.
So he’s making good on that possibly untrue assertion with approximately 10 new projects in various pupal stages, including one in which he has to figure out how to stop some supernatural events predicted by a time capsule (“Knowing”) and one where he lends his voice to an animated guinea pig that’s been trained to stop an evil billionaire bent on world domination (“G-Force”). Not playing Penn’s game. This isn’t how serious, important, Oscar-winning actors are supposed to behave. Serious, important, Oscar-winning actors are supposed to choose projects with dignity, carefully considering their cinematic legacy.
Take Sean Penn, Cage’s thesp-peer and on-again, off-again feuding partner. Penn’s got two movies coming, the next one being Gus Van Sant’s “Milk,” where he’ll play assassinated gay-rights leader Harvey Milk.
That movie is months from release and the guy’s Oscar nomination is already a lock. If you call up the Academy and just talk to their operator, she’ll go, “Oh yeah, he’s nominated.”
Guess what one of Cage’s several 2009 releases is called? Did you just take a stab in the dark and say it’s probably called “Kick-Ass!” or something like that? Then you were right. It’s called “Kick-Ass.” No exclamation point. At least for now. It co-stars McLovin.
And in case you weren’t around for the 1980s, that’s what Nicolas Cage used to be considered: a serious, important actor. Were you there? Back when all the critics loved him? Like back in the mid to late 1980s around the time of “Birdy?” That was when they’d talk about him as the hope of acting’s future. He was “edgy” and “complex” and “unpredictable.”
He was as Method as it got, smashing things around just so he could get upset enough to shoot his scenes in “The Cotton Club.” He ate a real cockroach. David Lynch loved him. He was Sean Penn before Sean Penn was Sean Penn. OK, they were actually sort of both Sean Penn at the same time, but you get me.
Caged no more. And then he made “The Rock,” which grossed one zillion dollars, and he was liberated from the shackles of artistic purity he’d begun gnawing at around the time of “Honeymoon in Vegas.”
From that moment on Cage didn’t have a care in the world. And by that I mean he just didn’t care. Which is a nice place to be in life. You’re finally free.
So he used his freedom with abandon, indulging his comic-book-birthed obsessions (not for nothing did he name himself Cage after Luke Cage, Power Man) and zig-zagging like a seemingly crazy person between smaller, odder movies like “Adaptation” and buried-gold-themed goof-fests like “National Treasure,” from little-seen mood movies like “The Weather Man” to what may be looked at by film history as his full leap off the ledge of giving a damn: “Ghost Rider.”
That was the one about the guy who sells his soul to Satan and becomes a Karen Carpenter-obsessed, motorcycle-riding skeleton that ignites into flames as he rides his hog up the sides of buildings to bounty hunt hellbound souls.
I remember thinking, while watching “Ghost Rider” and totally, absolutely, unreservedly enjoying myself, that if I never saw him in any “quality” movie again it would be too soon. I get my art films from weird French directors like Claire Denis, so frankly I’d watch “Ghost Rider” again exactly one dozen times in a row before sitting through middlebrow, Oscar-grubbing fare like the Penn-starring “I Am Sam” again. Or the Penn-starring “21 Grams.” Or “The Assassination of Richard Nixon.” Or “All the King’s Men.” Any of them. All of them. I mean, I’m not trying to re-start a feud between these guys, but there’s your evidence in case you wanted to re-start it yourself.
And, oh, did I hear you say “Next,” where Cage can see the future and has to stop a nuclear bomb from going off, is on cable right now? And so is Penn’s very meaningful directorial effort “Into the Wild?” Well then know which one I’m watching. Because if the choice is between what’s good for you and what tastes good, then I’ll have what he’s having.
My sentiments exactly... d$
ps... Top Five Nic Cage Movies... (1) Con Air... (2) The Rock... (3) Snake Eyes... (4) Face Off... (5) Gone In Sixty Seconds... and ya know, National Treasure is somewhere on the list between 5 and 6, but I'm not sure where. So there.
