Love and Other Friends with Strings Attached

Disclaimer:  Yes, random, meaningless sex is not what God intended.  So please know that I understand this while describing the movies below.  To enjoy many movies that are released today, you have to essentially realize that people in movies aren't going to do what God intended, be it through physical hook-ups, language, violence or any number of things.  Now, whether we as Christians should be watching movies with such things is an entire discussion that is for another day.  So if you feel that you cannot watch nor enjoy any movie with such things in them, I'd suggest you skip this post... no hard feelings. =)

So, I almost feel like I watched the same movie three times... all three movies have to do with a guy and a girl who decide its a good idea to use each other for sex, and what happens when emotions get involved--because naturally they all do.  They all include a chick who has baggage and just can't commit, and a guy who has issues with his feelings for her, and they all three include what happens when one (or both) of the couples decide to venture out and date/do someone else.

The movies in question are:  "Love & Other Drugs", released November, 2010... "No Strings Attached", released January 2011... and "Friends With Benefits", released July 2011...

And here's how I rank 'em...


My Least Favorite of the Three:

Here's the thing... you have to like Natalie Portman, and you really have
to like Ashton Kutcher to enjoy this film fully

"No Strings Attached"
Directed by: Ivan Reitman ("Ghost Busters", "Twins", "Six Days Seven Nights")
Domestic Gross: $70,662,220
Rotten Tomotoes Rating: 49% on the Tomato Meter
The Guy: Ashton Kutcher, playing Adam, a TV production assistant
The Chick: Natalie Portman, playing Emma, a resident at a local hospital with commitment issues
Disease Involved:  None
Wacky Friend/Parent:  Adam's dad (Kevin Kline) and all of Emma's roommates
Rating:  R for language and sex.
Plot:  Two people who have busy, complicated lives meet up, have sex and agree that they should only do that, to the point where they make up rules to keep out emotion. But of course, one of them develops feelings for the other, only to find out the other has feelings to but is scared because of their past issues.
My Thoughts:  This wasn't a bad movie, really, but there was nothing special about it.  There doesn't seem to be much chemistry at all between Natalie and Ashton, and although all of these movies are predictable, this one is moreso. 


My Second Favorite of the Three:

Jake and Anne, in one of her rare moments with a shirt on

"Love and Other Drugs"
Directed by: Edward Zwick ("Glory", "The Last Samarai", "Legends of the Fall")
Domestic Gross: $32,367005
Rotten Tomotoes Rating:  48% on the Tomato Meter
The Guy: Jake Gyllenhaal, who plays Jamie Randell, a drug rep who sells Viagra as soon as its available
The Chick: Anne Hathaway, who plays Maggie Murdock, a senior citizen worker
Disease Involved:  Parkinson's Disease
Wacky Family Member/Friend: Josh, Jamie's boorish and lazy brother
Rating:  R, for lots and lots of Anne's boobies, plus language.  And sex.
Plot:  Two people who have busy, complicated lives meet up, have sex and agree that they should only do that, to the point where they make up rules to keep out emotion.  But of course, one of them develops feelings for the other, only to find out the other has feelings to but is scared because of their past issues.
My Thoughts:  The problem to me is that I truly like Anne Hathaway, but I'm not a huge Jake Gyllenhaal fan.  So while I could give Anne a 7 out of 10, I could only give Jake a 3 out of 10, averaging a 5.  The film does, however, have Judy Greer, who I'm a huge fan of, and she's a 8 out of 10, so that bumps it up to about 6.  The script is fun, and her dealing with Parkinson's Disease was something I didn't know about, and certainly didn't expect it to play a big of a role as it did.  There are way too many boob shots in this movie--almost like Anne Hathaway wanted to show off as much as possible. 


And Finally, My Favorite of the Three:

Its hard not to like Justin Timberlake, and Mila Kunis has
really grown on me, especially since "The Book of Eli"

"Friends With Benefits"
Directed by:  Will Gluck ("Easy A")
Domestic Gross: $38,200,000 (still in theaters)
Rotten Tomatoes Rating:  68% on the Tomato Meter
The Guy: Justin Timberlake, who plays Dylan Harper, an internet art director
The Chick: Mila Kunis, who plays Jamie Rexler, an executive recruiter in NYC
Disease Involved:  Alzheimers
Wacky Family Member/Friend:  Patricia Clarkson as Jamie's kooky mom;  Woody Harrelson as Dylan's gay, wacky sports director
Rating:  R, for language. No nudity except for butt shots.  Oh, and sex.
Plot:  Two people who have busy, complicated lives meet up, have sex and agree that they should only do that, to the point where they make up rules to keep out emotion. But of course, one of them develops feelings for the other, only to find out the other has feelings to but is scared because of their past issues.
My Thoughts:  In my own (un)humble opinion, the far superior of the three films.  The script is funny and light, and more real than the rest (the hilarity of the first hook up is a great example), the jokes are funny, and there is great on-screen chemistry between Mila and JT.  You end up liking both characters a lot, and by the time you find out Dylan's story--father with the beginning stages of Alzheimers--it doesn't feel like a ploy to get you to like him because you already do.  Jenna Elfman shows up as Dylan's sister and plays the part great (and cameos from Emma Stone, Andy Sandburg, Rashida Jones and Jason Segel are great too) and the whole romance is entirely believable this time around.  I liked this film alot, and will probably be the only one of the three to appear on The 100 Coolest Things of 2011... I asked The Lovely Steph Leann which of the three she would watch again, and she agreed that this one would be it. 

So there you have it... skip "No Strings Attached"... catch "Love and Other Drugs" if its around, but know the boobies are there... rent "Friends With Benefits"

The Summer of Blogging Day Forty Nine

A Crazy Smart Movie

Tonight, we went to see "Crazy Stupid Love".  And here's the review...

This was s movie that I wasn't really looking to see, but the combo of very positive reviews and The Lovely Steph Leann insisting that we should see it gave me a little more excitement about it.  Starring Steve Carell, Ryan Gosling, Emma Stone and Julianne Moore, its a story of love, broken heartedness, the rash things we do when things aren't good and crushes at a young age.

Carell plays Cal Weaver, who's world falls apart when his wife Emily (Moore) reveals she had an affair and now wants a divorce.  He finds his way into a bar and is noticed by Jacob (Gosling), a ladies man with all the tricks and moves... Jacob hears the sad story and in turn takes the older Cal under his wing to train him in the ways of mack-dom.  It works, because he ends up hooking up with lonely teacher Kate (I love me some Marisa Tomei), but one-night stands aren't always the best way to move-on in a heartbreak. 

While Emily tearfully discusses the break up of their marriage, Cal
goes on and on about care of the yard... to prevent a breakdown

Complicating matters are the fact that the guy that Emily cheated with, David Lindhagen (Kevin Bacon in his smarmy best) is chasing Emily relentlessly... Robbie Weaver, the 13 year old son, is in absolute love with Jessica, the babysitter... and Jessica, 17, is in absolute love with...well, Cal.  Yes, Cal.  Oh, and this is in the previews, so I'm not ruining anything, Jacob's player ways and player days come to and end when he meets Hannah (Emma Stone), who he calls "a game changer".   Actually, as the movie went on, I was almost afraid of hitting "Hitch" territory--not a bad movie at all, but the "Mack daddy teaches the schlub to get the girl, and ends up falling for a girl of his own" plot line just wouldn't have worked in that way in the movie.

The film progresses and Cal's life goes from bad to worse, Robbie's crush gets deeper, Jessica's crush on Cal gets even deeper and weirder, Kate doesn't take the one-night stand as easily as Cal wanted her too, Emily can't shake David Lindhagen, Jacob is bewildered by how much he likes--loves--Hannah... and the lives intersect one after another.

By the time it gets to the windmill scene towards the end, there's a little twist that not only did we not see coming, that we didn't even see the path that it could come until after the movie and we thought, "Oh yeah... that makes sense..."   And when the climax of the movie rolls around, during Robbie's 8th grade graduation, it is just about perfect. 

I don't think I knew Ryan Gosling was as good as he is... and Emma
Stone is great too

"Crazy Stupid Love" was not only a great film, it was one that we ended up talking about over dinner an hour later.  Discussing characters, discussing plot points, discussing the movie as a whole, because it made us want to discuss it--it make me personally want to see more.  At just under 2 hours, I didn't feel like it was long enough, I could have seen another 30 minutes or more. 

All leads--Carell, Stone, Moore and Gosling--are just about perfect in their parts, newcomer Analeigh Tipton does a solid job as jealous Jessica, and Jonah Bobo does a brilliant job as awkward, lovelorn Robbie.  The meeting, and subsequent standoff between Robbie, the 13 year old son, and David Lindhagen, the man who busted up the Weaver marriage, is hilarious and heartfelt.

What I liked so much about this film was that it seemed real.  Yes, Cal Weaver is jilted, but watch how Emily reacts when she finds out about (in the worst possible way) he and Kate's random hookup... and even though the big rumble at the windmill (you'll know what I'm talking about) is almost over the top, it still work

The screenplay can be a little tedious at times, and the jokes can be a little corny and out of place, but we both laughed heartily at all the right places, and recognized the emotions of a family falling apart.

While far from the perfect movie, "Crazy Stupid Love" is one of the better romantic comedies that I've seen in a long, long time.  Its funny and warm and emotional and silly and adult and smart. 

Its a love story.  Its a little crazy, but its far from stupid... it's smart.  Smart is a good word for it.

The Summer of Blogging Day Forty Eight

Captain America Does His Duty

Chris Evans (l) as the title character, greeing a fawning Hayley Atwell (r)

Sometimes you have high expectations for movies, movies that you cannot imagine not blowing you away, which is dangerous because if its not good, nay, great, you feel underwhelmed..  "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2" is a great example of the former, and "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince" is a big example of the latter.

Comic book movies are even more so... for every "Spider Man 2", you have a "Spider Man 3" as well as "Green Lantern".  For every "X2: X-Men United", you have a dozen "Elektras"... so I've learned over the years to not raise my expectations too high when it comes to putting Marvel--and especially DC--on the screen.  "Thor" was a pleasant surprise.  "Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer" was not. 

So when "Captain America: The First Avenger" was announced, I had some reservations.   It had to be good, because not only was it the final set-up before "The Avengers" movie came out in May of 2012, but also as it followed some great successes like both Iron Man movies (and yes, I liked them both) and Thor.

The movie starts with the familiar Marvel opening (the animated flipping pages) but now a Disney graphic as well, which is a little weird, and anyone who knows anything about Captain America knows right from the first scene how this movie will eventually end.  I won't spoil it here, in case you truly have no clue, but it's almost as known as the Superman lore of coming from Krypton.

Quickly, though, the movie moves to the early 40s, in the height of the US' involvment in World War II, and we see a young Steve Rogers trying desperately to get into the Army.  He wants to serve his country so, so badly, and it is even worse when he sees his best friend Bucky Barnes get taken and go overseas.

So when Stanley Tucci shows up and tells him to volunteer for an expiramental program that the military is developing, one that will counteract Hitler's science program called Hydra, Steve Rogers immediately jumps on board.  Hydra is being led by Johann Schmidt, and he's captured a mysterious cube full of energy which has allowed the Nazis to create a super weapon. 

Of course, Steve Rogers becomes Captain America, but to do so, he has to go through the expiramental program, which he does, develops a love interest, SSR Peggy Carter (played wonderfully by Hayley Atwell), clashes and follows Col. Chester Phillips (Tommy Lee Jones, who just eats up the screen with this type of character), and of course, The Tuch.   The Lovely Steph Leann and I love The Tuch.

Neal McDonough as Dum Dum, looking alot like the character in the
comic books.

And, of course Cap becomes a hero in the war, but not before he takes the long way around, in a scene that I didn't expect yet found hilarious and fitting to the story.  Cap also collects a band of soldiers to go into battle with him, including Dum Dum Dugan (That Guy Neal McDonough in a really-grown handlebar mustache and bowler hat) and Gabe Jones (Derek Luke, the Biker Boyz Boy himself).  And at some point, you know Cap and Johann Schmidt--more commonly known as The Red Skull--will go toe to toe in the climax.

My thoughts on the film?  Absolutely fantastic.

First, the story itself is solid.  It does veer into camp-territory at times, but its purposeful and light when it does.  The jokes aren't hokey or corny, except when they are, and when they are, its an homage to the comics.

Secondly, there are lots of references to the comic and its lore.  Everything from Tony Stark's father Howard being a major player in the development of the serum to the program itself--Captain America is actually Weapon I... for a point of reference, Wolvering is Weapon X, the tenth in the line of expiraments trying to make a super soldier. 

Forget Elrond the Elf King Guy... Hugo is best when he's a bad boy

Hugo Weaving is such a good bad guy too... borrowing his sneer from The Matrix, he's completely believable as a crazy, crazy guy wanting to take over the world, and the "cosmic cube" he finds is going to help him do it--if you saw "Thor", and stayed for the credits, thats the same cube that makes an appearance in the extra scene.

Finally, Chris Evans does his triple duty in comic book filmdom... first, he was The Human Torch in both the good Fantastic Four movie (the first one) and the bad Fantastic Four movie (the second one), and then last year's not great, yet still enjoyable "The Losers", and here, he's just great as Steve Rogers.  Scrawny at first, then bulking up to fill the costume and be the hero, he is great as someone who knows what its like to be powerless, which gives him the respect for the power he gains.  Word is that the F/X people couldn't replicate Chris Evans' movements via CGI, so they just filmed him, then shrunk his body on screen.  They used green screen to fill in the backgrounds where his body used to be before it was shrunk.

Its a little over 2 hours long, and its wall to wall fun, with very little language and the violence runs along the lines of comic-book-violence only.  As in, would I let a 3 year old Campbell Isaiah see this movie?  No.  Would I let a 7 year old Campbell Isaiah see this movie?  Probably.  Cause it rules.

Don't forget to stay through the credits, because there is the obligatory extra scene... and this one is a doozy... it's the actual "The Avengers" trailer for the May 2012 film.   I thought I was going to pee myself when I saw Robert Downey Jr's Tony Stark talk to Thor, with The Black Widow in the background, Hawkeye with his bow and arrow and Captain America with his shield.

Loved it.  Saw it in 2D, wouldn't recommend 3D unless you are just jonesing to pay the extra.

ps... do not... I repeat, DO NOT, watch the 1990 "Captain America" film.  Its awful.  Its terrible.  And I don't mean bad like, "its so bad its awesome", or bad like "guilty pleasure" or even bad like "its so bad its craptacular", I mean "bad because its terrible".  You have been warned.

The Summer of Blogging Day Forty Six

The Potential Awesomeness of Death By Misadventure

Aaaaaand.... we're back.
Been a somewhat relaxing weekend, taking a break from most things computer and interwebby, and though I probably could have blogged about four times, I thought I'd leave it til today... watched a ton of movies this weekend, both at the theater, on television, on DVR and on DVD/Blu-Ray, so I'll do my best to shoot through that soon enough.

What else have we got to talk about?  Well, for starters, there's the remaining 40 Coolest Things of 2010, and now that it's almost August, meaning the year is about 60% over, I'm running a bit late on that.  I blame Idol.  Typically, the goal is to have all 100 listed in January, but with American Idol coverage, that's 2 to 3 posts per week, and its just exhausting.  And if I miss one single Idol update, I automatically hear from Brad Latta, the Clouds in My Coffee Ombudsman, with great vengeance and furious anger. 

And there is not only one Disney trip to deal with, from February, there is a Disneyland trip!  And a billion people... okay, maybe not a billion, maybe more like six.  Or eight... have asked me "which do you like better, World or Land?" and its a question that definitely deserves an answer.

Of course, Amy Winehouse died.  Is it sad that... well, I don't really care that much.  I guess I should--perhaps apathy is more dangerous than a hatred, but I'm just being honest.  Wasn't a fan of her music, really, and its to no one's surprise that Amy was found dead.  At 27.  Though, and please excuse me if I cross the "too soon" line, but I'm not sure she deserves to be added to the infamous 27 Club, along side Hendrix, Joplin, Cobain, Morrison and Rolling Stones co-founder Brian Jones.   We still remember those names decades later... in fifteen years, I doubt anyone will remember Winehouse with the same kind of reverence... perhaps she'll be listed alongside those other other names that died at 27, like Fat Pat the rapper and Kristen Pfaff from Hole. 

Not to diminish Amy Winehouse's death... its a tragic thing.  And I'm... well, I could say fearful, but that's not the right word... maybe more of "concerned" or "curious" that someone like Lindsay Lohan is headed down the same path. 

By the way, Brian Jones died in 1969 of drowning in a swimming pool.  His coroner's report literally stated, "cause of death by misadventure".  I have no idea if drugs were involved for sure, though the report went on to say that his liver and heart were enlarged by drug and alcohol abuse.  But take the drugs and booze part out, how great would it be to live a full life, then die at 82 with your coroner's report saying, "Death by misadventure"?   Awesome. 

Three potentially awesome ways to die by misadventure... (1) Not securing your lap bar on a coaster, one that flies off the track when coming down the steepest hill... (2) Texting and driving around Talladega Motor Speedway at 188 miles per hour... (3) Simply participating in The Running of the Bulls.

Didn't say any of them were smart.  Just misadventurous.

And as the fall goes on, I guess there will be more and more mentions of Campbell's or Lorelei's impending arrival.  The Lovely Steph Leann is just over 20 weeks, and that constant state of nausea has gone away just to be replaced with a constant state of heartburn.  I feel bad for her, as I sit and watch "A Fistful of Dollars" on The Movie Channel (like I'm doing now). 

Randomly, we sometimes look at each other and I'll say, "Holy crap.  There's going to be a person who calls you mommy and me daddy.  Dear God, how frightening is that?" and she hangs her head in acknowledgement and shame.  I mean, I can barely be responsible for my own self, much less some runt that is depending on me for food and shelter and clothes.  But man, the tax breaks!   When I suggested holding that kid in until January 1st, so I'd be able to get through the holidays without missing work, she said, "No way!  We need it for the tax write off for 2011!"  That's her, always thinking.

Speaking of "A Fistful of Dollars", its been on my DVR for something like, six months.  Its part of the "Dollars Trilogy" from the 60s, which also contains "For A Few Dollars More" and "The Good, The Bad and The Ugly", all starring Clint Eastwood, and all considered the most popular of the "Spaghetti Westerns"--essentially, westerns made by Italians back in the day, known for their music and style and such... check out the Wiki page on it if you want more.

Anyway, the movie isn't bad.  Don't misunderstand me--its not for everyone... if you don't like westerns, and certainly if you don't like Clint, you won't like this at all. 

That being said, Clint Eastwood is as cool as a cucumber, with his poncho and his low hat and his cheap rolled cigar in his mouth, as he plays "The Stranger", or "The Man With No Name"--he is actually called "Joe" late in the film, in a pay-attention-or-you-will-miss-it moment.  The Stranger rides into San Miguel, this little Mexican border town, and ends up in the middle of a gang war over ownership of the town.  Because he's apparently a capitalist, he actually ends up playing both sides against each other, taking money from each for various reasons and tasks.  Of course, the good guy in The Stranger ends up taking over for the greedy guy in The Stranger, and a pretty intense duel happens between he and the bad guys. 

What sets this movie apart from most of those 60s westerns is the music, which is full of flutes and violins and catchy riffs, the style, which is everything from the color to the scenery to the script, and the story itself... the bad guys are only bad because they don't like each other, while the good guy isn't all that great... 

This isn't a film I'll watch over and over, or maybe not even again, and I don't know that I would consider this in my Top 500 films of all time--and yes, that list does exist--but I'm glad I watched it.  Its enough to make me check out the next two in the trilogy.

Boy, that post went everywhere, didn't it?

The Summer of Blogging Day Forty Four

Twas a Sunday

So, while I sit here watching Holmes on Homes... well, let's be clear, I'm not watching it, I'd rather be watching "Hoarders", but its on, The Lovely Steph Leann has the remote and even though she doesn't want to turn it, she keeps dozing off.  Somehow, her condition now encompasses control of what we watch... like, we watched the last half of a Twilight movie, and the first half of the next one the other night.  I threw up in my mouth a few times, especially when Jacob took his shirt off... which was about 98% of the parts that I saw.

I would be totally afraid of Holmes coming to The Cabana.  Yes, its a home only about three years old, but still...

Update!  She just gave me the remote!  I turned it to "Hoarders".  Its the episode that we almost watched a week ago, but she made me turn it because the family in question has mice in their home.  We'll see if she puts up with this one.

When I want to make myself feel better about our living conditions, I watch "Hoarders".  We tend to keep stuff longer than we should.  But our home, like most others, is just cluttered.  Not packed and disgusting.  So I take solace.

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I got to see "Harry Potter & the Deathly Hallows Part 2" again today.  The Lovely Steph Leann had not seen it, nor had other members of the family like Bro-in-Law Randy and Niece Maddie.  And yes, I wanted to see it again... and so did Melanie and her two young ones that saw it on Friday... her man Chris had not seen the movie and depending on who you ask, either he wanted to see it, or she wanted him to see it, but either way, The Z Five were there with us, watching Harry and his final appearance.  And we all loved it, some of us again.

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You might be thinking "He sure does talk about this Melanie chick alot", and yeah, its kinda true. What can I say?  Our family--that being The Lovely Steph Leann, myself and now Fiddy--and theirs have become close over the last year or two, with the Z Family being some of the most unselfish and generous people I've met in a long, long time.  Quite simply, they are good to us, and very helpful in so many ways.  I know The Lovely Steph Leann adores all three kids, Melanie and Chris.

As for me, I think Chris is a cool dude.  And I see Melanie an awful lot, most of that at work, but many times at family outings and such.  (seriously, we aren't stupid--its not like me and Melanie slumber parties at our respective homes or anything... its called boundaries, so stop your worrying) 

That being said, let me brag on Melanie for a second...  Well, she's awesome.  She's gorgeous and she's funny and she's a great mom and she's cool and she's hot and she's all those things... plus, she's one of my very best friends.  So yes, I do bring her up frequently on the blog site here, mostly because she's involved in half of my stories I have to tell. 

And if I ever get around to finishing my Coolest Things of 2010, I have she and her family ranked rather high, because they were a big part of last year, just like this one.  Its like, The Year of Melanie or something.

So there.

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"How Do You Know" (2010)
Reese Witherspoon stars as Lisa, a member of an Olympic softball team who didn't make the latest cut, and is now trying to figure out "what's next"... she's dating Matty, a Washington Nationals pitcher who is a cad and a pimp daddy and a jerk and selfish and all that, played in earnest by Owen Wilson.   Enter Paul Rudd, who's character of George stumbles into Lisa's path and her life altogether. 

While Matty is doing his player thing, Lisa's life is miserable, and George has his own set of problems due to the fact he's the center of a criminal investigation at his father's company where he serves as an exec.   The father is none other than Jack Nicholson, who is giving a typical "I'm Jack, I've made a dozen classic films and this one isn't important so I'm mailing it in..." kind of performance.

Now, this movie is not nearly as bad as you might think.  Made for $120 million, though I cannot for the life of me figure out why this movie cost 120 million (I did see that the salaries for the stars took up about $55 million alone), it only made back around $35 million or so, making it a colossal bomb at the box office.

However comma I thought the movie was kinda funny.  A little overlong, but still kinda enjoyable.  It completely relies on the charm of Owen, Paul and Reese, and though their chemistry might not be as great as you'd like, its the story itself that is lacking.  You end up wanting a little more from all of it, but overall, I was glad I saw it... I guess I was prepared to hate it, and I just couldn't do it.

Wait for it on cable, or spend a buck at the Redbox or something. 

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So, on this episode of "Hoarders", we are still watching the episode with the mice problem.  Its so bad, we just learned a new term for a disease that comes as a result of unattended rat droppings in the house.  The bug guy on tv said, "She thinks she's got four or five mice.  She has hundreds, maybe into the thousands." 

Not good times.  Bad times indeed.

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And that's my Sunday night.  Thanks for reading. =)

The Summer of Blogging Day Thirty Nine

The Potter Finale

The time is 1:32p.  I sit now in my recliner, Investigative Discovery showing Dateline NBC on the TV.  There's a bottle of water to my left on a Mickey Mouse coaster, and Leonard Matlin's Movie Guide 2011 on the arm of the chair.  Remote to my right.  Computer in front of me.  I sit, unable to relax, unable to focus on much of anything, except for the reflection that, a half hour ago, I was watching the credits to "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2" as they rolled on the screen.  A half hour and two minutes ago, I was watching the movie adaptation of the famous Epilogue in the final book of the Harry Potter series.

And now I sit and think about how absolutely, positively amazingly terrifically awesome this movie was.  Because it was all of those things.

Now, I'm not someone who just likes a movie because it has certain characters in it.  Hurricane Rhett raves about "Transformers: Rise of the Fallen", the second in the series, even though I thought it was terrible.  People tend to love "Terminator: Rise of the Machines", when I thought it was useless.  That is to say, just because its a an addition to a series I love and enjoy does not a great movie make...

...but this is a case where, as Yoda might put it, "...a great movie makes it does."

Because this movie has been out in wide release now for, oh, 12 hours or so, I'll keep any spoilers secret... if you haven't read the books, then I won't tell you anything you would find out in the movie.  If you have read the books, then I'll allude to some things that you might know if you think about it, but I won't spell it out.  Spell.  Spell?  Get it?  Harry Potter is a wizard and he... well, spells and... spells?  Never mind.

(now, if you haven't seen the last movie, I can't help you.)

Ron, Harry and Hermione outside of Shell Cottage

The movie jumps right in where the previous movie left off, with ol' Voldy jacking up Dumbledore's grave in order to get the Elder Wand.  We then see Harry on a beach, outside of Bill and Fleur Weasley's home, Shell Cottage.   Harry is leaning over a grave, one that he dug as a result of the death that happened at the end of Part 1, and he joins Hermione and Ron inside the cottage. 

For the next 20 minutes or so, you get a little exposition--Griphook the Goblin is there to discuss the plan that Harry, Ron and Hermione are working on... that is, breaking into Gringott's Bank to retrieve a hidden item from a heavily guarded vault, the vault of Bellatrix Lastrange.  The trio then move over to the room where an ailing Ollivander, the wandmaker, sits, and he talks about the secretive Elder Wand and the possibility of its existence.

Get through this little bit of conversation between the characters, and the movie takes off fast, like a dragon flying through the skies of London.   And the action comes fast and furious. 

Part 2 covers the last half of the final book, which, as we know culminates with The Battle of Hogwarts, and oh what a battle it is.  Prof. McGonagall turns into a bada** (there is no other way to put it), and Hogwarts comes alive with defenses, magic and literally an army of students, teachers and others to protect their school.

The bad guys come in full force, with Voldypoo and Bellatrix leading the charge, as Dementors and Death Eaters surround the castle.  Once the force field is broken (oh come on, that's in the previews...), it's game on.

The war covers probably the final 45 minutes to an hour of the book, but in my mind, it wasn't even long enough.  Having read "Deathly Hallows" 3 times, I remembered several little details that the movie skimmed over, and the movie has its own ideas of who should live and die.  I was actually surprised at the death of one character, thinking, "Really?  They didn't die in the book, and certainly not like that..."

And when the war is over, when its all said and done, we see that Epilogue, that five minute scene that tells you everything is good, everything is right... that tells you All is Well. 

As usual, I had a few small issues with the movie--kind of a "I didn't like that that character didn't do this, like in the book", and "We never saw them do that in the book!" and "Interesting that the movie chose to do this situation that way".  I missed seeing more of The Weasley Twins, Prof. Slughorn and others, but we get a good dose of Luna Lovegood, more Seamus Finnigan that we've gotten in a long time, and a huge dose of Neville Longbottom--as it should be.  Alan Rickman also gets to sink his claws into Severus Snape as a major player, something he had always been in the books, but not so much in most of the movies.

From the Epilogue, Ginny and her husband, with their son, Albus
Severus.  I feel bad for that kid.

But, for the first time I think in any of the Harry Potter movies, I can say with complete honesty, there are things that happen in this movie that I actually liked better than the book.  I love the series, but have always had an issue with the somewhat abrupt ending to the war, after Voldy dies (oh, come on now, you knew he would die, I'm not spoiling anything--that's like saying "Batman beats The Joker in 'The Dark Knight' ruins that movie for you...), and I feel like this movie ends a little better.  Maybe still abrupt, but not as much. 

With so much going on, your favorite characters do make appearances, but sometimes with little to no lines... The Weasley Twins speak twice.  Mr. and Mrs. Weasley have a combined three lines--and I think she says them all.  Even Hagrid only has a handful... but because this is the end, we get alot of characters that have remained AWOL during movies that didn't concern them... Percy is back.  Cho Chang is back.  Lavender Brown comes back.  Pansy Parkinson is back.  Even Goyle is back (Crabbe's absence is never explained, though in real life, the kid who played him, Jamie Waylett, was busted for drugs, so the movie's producers dropped him altogether).  According to the cast list, apparently Oliver Wood, Cormac McClaggen, one of the Patil twins and Romilda Vane appear, but I guess I missed them.  Either way, the love gets spread around to everyone.

All in all, this is the best of the Harry Potter series.  I think if you have only seen the movies, you will have a few questions and you'll find a few holes... and if you have read the book, you'll be like me, and have questions that start with, "I wonder why they did/didn't..."   However, because of the scope and size of the book, I think you will agree that they did the best that could have been done.  The screenwriter, Steve Kloves, got it right... absolutely right, and almost perfect.

And as the camera panned away from Harry and Ginny, Ron and Hermione, and the familiar music came on and credit rolled, I had only one thought...

All is well.

The Summer of Blogging Day Thirty Eight

Hobos in a Grindhouse

Hobo with a Shotgun... For all the talk about the glory and niche of "grindhouse" movies, every time one comes around that is supposed to be an homage to grindhouse, it typically is a pile of crap.  Not every grindhouse style movie is a pile of crap...

...let's discuss "Grindhouse", first.  What does that mean, to the common moviegoer?  In the early part of last century, the 50s and 60s, maybe even the 30s and 40s, a "Grind House" was considered a theater that showed "exploitation films", and named for an actual theater located in New York City on 42nd Street where people would "bump and grind" while dancing.  A grindhouse theater would many times show B-movies and double features.  The term eventually evolved from meaning the theaters that showed such movies to the actual movies themselves, a'la "a grindhouse movie", and its typically a movie that contains sex, tons of ridiculous violence and usually a bizarre premise, it was always filmed on very lowgrade film with lots of scratches and cuts, and mostly were movies that were blasted by critics as horrible films.

Another great thing about Grindhouse movies
are the movie posters.  They are silly, corny and
completely over the top.  This one is a great
homage to those films.

...anyway, when Tarantino and Robert Rodriguez did "Grindhouse" a few years ago, it was your typical grindhouse-like double feature... Rodriguez's part of the film, "Planet Terror", was awesome.  It was funny, it was ridiculous, and it was a great tribute to those old kind of movies.   Even right in the middle of it, there is a "missing" scene that, one the front end had two characters at odds, and when the film cut out and came back, those two characters were discussing how they were father and son.  Plus, there is Rose McGowen who has a machine gun for a leg.  Bizarre premise, like I said.
Tarantino's part, "Death Proof", was less than so.  It was long winded, it was trying to do too much, trying to be too much, and except for an awesome use of Kurt Russell, it was a disappointment after watching "Planet Terror".  The main character introductory scene right in the middle of the film, using an old style camera shot of just going around the table, seamlessly, from person to person, was enjoyable for, oh, the first ten minutes, but it just kept going on and on and on until it was just completely boring.   Even the last scene was a total letdown, save for a car chase that was sorta, kinda fun for again, the first ten minutes.  Eh.

There are hundreds of grindhouse movies out there--this Top 10 list alone has titles like "Faster, Pussycat!  Kill!  Kill!" and "Ilsa, She Wolf of the SS" and "Please Don't Eat My Mother" and one of my favorite movie titles ever, "Sweet Sweetback's Badasssss Song"--and includes one that I actually have seen, that being "Vanishing Point".

SIDEBAR... Speaking of "Sweet Sweetback's Badasssss Song", when Wookiee and I went to see the Troy Trojans play football, we made sure we stuck around for the band, the Sound of the South.  Best band in the South, and that includes you, The Million Dollar Band of Alabama.  Anyway, when the Colorguard came out, we noticed someone of color with a flag.  Not unusual, right?  Well, this someone was a guy.  And he pranced, and twirled and did his thing better than most of them.  We immediately dubbed him "Sweet Sweetback".  He was there the next two games we went to, but not the last time we went.  We miss Sweet Sweetback. 

"Vanishing Point" really is nothing but a 90 minute car chase and features lots of gunfire and explosions and a blind DJ named Super Soul and an awesome white 1970 Dodge Challenger R/T with a 440/375 horsepower engine.  Not a whole lot of plot, but I liked it because it was so ridiculously simple, yet cool.

Another film that came out in 2010 was the Robert Rodriguez/Ethan Maniquis film "Machete", which was just about the ultimate "grindhouse" film.  It was absolutely stunning in how ridiculous, over the top yet tongue-in-cheek it was, and yet, the main character, Machete (played by Danny Trejo, who, along with Luiz Guzman, is part of a Mexican That Guy Mafia), is still hilarious.  Honestly, this movie has no social redeeming value, has no purpose on this earth and this is so far removed from being Emmy Turnbow Safe, it makes "The Hangover" look like a Pixar movie.  As a Christ Follower, I cannot in good faith, along with a desire to be encouraging and not a stumbling block, recommend you see this movie.  That being said, its a hoot. 

Here's Rutger Hauer.  He plays a Hobo.  And that Hobo has
a shotgun.   It doesn't get much deeper than that.

The whole point of this blog, though, was to discuss "Hobo With a Shotgun", a movie I saw recently on cable.  Starring Rutger Hauer, the film stems from a contest winner--the contest asked participants to submit trailers, with the winning trailer getting a chance to be made into a film.  The contest was held during a recent South by Southwest festival, and was held by none other than the aformentioned Robert Rodriguez.  

Rutger plays The Hobo, who wanders into Hope Town, which has been taken over and is being run by a mean guy named The Drake, along with his sons Ivan and Slick, and all The Hobo wants to do is save up some money and open up a lawnmower shop, and he ends up meeting and caring for a young girl named Abby--he protects her, not chases her, by the way--and she wants to help him with his business when things go horribly awry and The Drake gets involved and then things get violent with The Hobo and then and so on and... well, you get it.

This movie was pretty terrible all the way around.  I mean, I tried to watch it tongue-in-cheek, tried to appreciate why it was made, and how intentional the crap was supposed to be, and still, it was a pretty crappy movie, 

So, there's your look at recent grindhouse.  I'd recommend "Planet Terror", and possibly "Vanishing Point", and if you can handle the long conversation, "Death Proof".   "Machete" is likable, but its really bad, and "Hobo with a Shotgun" is just bad all the way around.  

The Summer of Blogging Day Thirty Five

Larry Crowne's Big Miss

This movie should be an awesome film.  Starring one guy who is almost a "Can't Miss", that being Tom Hanks (for anyone who has seen "The Ladykillers", you'll know that the "almost" in that statement is necessary), and at least until recently, a bankable leading actress, that being Julia Roberts (though since "Eat Pray Love" made about 9 dollars at the box office, that might not be true either.)

Mercy and Larry, discussing the GPS, which is voiced by Nia
Vardalos.

...or if you are a glutton for punishment, watch both in "Charlie Wilson's War", only made good by the presence of Philip Seymore Hoffman and Amy Adams, whom I'm in love with...

Anyway, "Larry Crowne"'s premise is promising... a guy who has been successful at a U-Mart, a big Costco-like store, gets fired because he doesn't have a college degree, and to better his life, he heads back to school.  To do what, I'm not sure, but he heads back there.

The co-stars also leads you to believe this might be a, excuse me Chazz Sheen, "winning" movie.  Cedric the Entertainer and Taraji Henson play comical neighbors without being too slapsticky, while Gugu Mbatha-Raw and Wilmer Valderrama lead the group of college friends that Larry meets.  Bryan Cranston is the jerkweed hubby of Mercedes (Julia's character), and does a fine job being jerkweedy, and finally, George Takei almost steals the movie as the eccentric, somewhat creepy Dr. Matsutani, one of Larry's professors.

This looks like a made up pic of Takei... but this is him in the movie,
and he is one part weird and one part hilarious, and wholly
uncomfortable.

Finally, the fact that Tom Hanks directed it, though only his second directing effort, his first was "That Thing You Do!", one of The Lovely Steph Leann's favorites, and a good, good movie.  "Larry Crowne" was also co-written by Nia Vardalos, screenwriter of "My Big Fat Greek Wedding", one of my 35 favorite films of all time, and star of another of my new favorites, "My Life in Ruins". 

But somehow, like a jigsaw puzzle piece that almost fits, that almost goes into the spot you think it should go into, but it still had to much wiggle room, or the knobby part is a little too big to go into the slot like it should, this movie doesn't quite fit, it doesn't quite get into that slot like you want it to.

I liked the movie well enough... it does have its funny moments, and I did find myself laughing out loud a few times.  Tom Hanks is the Tom Hanks we love, sort of goofy, never too serious, just lovable.  It doesn't make any sense that he wins the Employee of the Month for like, 8 months in a row, after spending years of high service in the Navy, and he's discarded for not having a college degree.  Heck, John Stossel himself tells us in a recent Washington Post article that college might not nearly be as necessary as we make it out to be.

Overlooking that, then there are the neighbors who make a living by having a 24/7 yard sale.  Then there is the scooter buddy who leases and opens a consignment shop.  Then there is the fact that Julia Roberts' character's name is "Mercedes".

Looking past all of that, however, there is one thing that kinda dulls the movie for me... and that's that Tom Hanks and Julia Roberts have no chemistry.  They just... well, they just don't.  The Lovely Steph Leann will disagree with me here, but there was just no spark between Tom and Julia, which made it hard to put forth a believable spark between Larry and Mercedes. 

Please understand, though, it sounds like I'm doing nothing but telling you the bad stuff about the movie, and maybe that's what I'm doing, but if you can get past all of this, then its not a bad movie at all.  Its entertaining, and even if it never hits the goal that the ambition strives for, its easy to laugh at the neighbors and their yard sale set-up, and its easy to like Larry's newfound hipster scooter friends, and watching Mercy kick out her hubby when he really stoops to new lows of scumbuckety is also great.

I would love to tell you that you should go see this, at least in a matinee, because Tom Hanks is one of those guys you just don't want to see fail, but really, I would have to tell you to Netflix or Redbox it.

If you want to see Julia Roberts with some real chemistry, though, then watch her and Clooney in "Ocean's Eleven", or her and Aaron Eckhart in "Erin Brockovich" or her and Hugh Grant in "Notting Hill", my 113th, 91st and 14th favorite films of all time, respectively...

As for Tom Hanks, watch he and Meg Ryan in the 90s.  They were like a modern day Hepburn and Tracy, and made wonderful movies together.  Oh, and he and Wilson in "Cast Away"... they had a ball together.     

The Summer of Blogging Day Thirty Three

American Patriotic Fuzzy Wuzzy Movies Part II

Aaaaaand... we're back...

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.

NUMBER FIVE... "AIR FORCE ONE"
"Get off my plane!"

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. 

NUMBER TWO... "INDEPENDENCE DAY" (1996)



Good morning.

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...

The Summer of Blogging Day Thirty One

Americana Patriotic Fuzzy Wuzzy Movies Part I

So, for the 4th of July, being the proud American Conservative that I am, I usually do something kinda fun and/or serious for the Independence Day weekend, as I try to remember what this holiday weekend is all about... sacrifice, determination, and the birth of a nation.

But this year, I thought of something a little different... The Movie Angle.  I decided to do a Top Ten American Films... now that doesn't mean "Made in America", necessarily... it means, Top Ten Films About American, or Americana... movies that make you feel good, movies that make you proud to be in this country, movies that just give you a great feeling about who we are, and that this is in fact that greatest country in the history of the entire world, nay universe. 

And that quite simply defines the qualifications of this list of movies... its about American, its about the American dream, its about Americana... and its not depressing or too serious.  That means that "Saving Private Ryan", "Glory" and "United 93", which are all amazing movies, were not considered for this list, because... well, though they are about this bravery of this country and its history, they leave you feeling a little sad and quiet.   And let's be real--its the holiday weekend, no one wants to be sad. 

Movies that didn't make my list, but must be mentioned as "Honorable Mentions"... "Mr. Smith Goes to Washington" (1939), not listed because its been so long since I've seen it, I can't remember it enough to honestly talk about it... "Coming to America" (1988), one of Eddie Murphy's finest, and a great story about the success that anyone can have... "Rocky" (1977), because while a great film, man is it slow... "The Dirty Dozen" (1967), another great film, but still a little depressing with all the death and destruction--great for a guy movie, but not necessarily a Top Ten Americana Film.

Alright, now that we have gotten this part down, let's get to the first five... now, these aren't listed from my tenth favorite to my favorite film, as in, my #1 or #2 might actually be ranked lower on my overall The Dave 100 favorite films list--but these are films ranked in "Most American Dream/Spirit/History/Cana"...

Who else can name anothe Paul LeMat movie?  I can!  I thought he
was cool back in the day.  Cindy Williams went on to do "Laverne and
Shirley", while we all know Opie Cunningham's success

NUMBER TEN... "AMERICAN GRAFFITI" (1973)
I saw this film when I was a kid, and loved it then, and seeing it as an adult, I love it even more.  This movie actually spent a little time in my Top Five Films Ever... now, it currently ranks as my 15th favorite film of all time.

This is very character driven, taking place overnight, following the high school graduation of friends Curt (and his search for the mysterious blonde in the T-Bird)... Steve, and his chick Laurie... John Milner, who becomes an accidental baby sitter... and Terry "The Toad", who just wants to get some alcohol to impress a girl.

You know how DieHard started a trend with other movies being described as "DieHard on a boat!" or "DieHard on a bus!"... well, "American Graffiti" became known as a phrase to describe a film that features a bunch of young stars who would go on to be a famous... this one featured Ron Howard, Richard Dreyfus, Suzanne Somers, Paul LeMat, Charles Martin Smith... all actors who are either still famous, or enjoyed much success for at least the next few decades.  And of course, a very young Harrison Ford in a drag race. 

NUMBER NINE... "MEET ME IN ST. LOUIS" (1944)
Wanted to give something for everyone on this list, and that includes the token musical... I love this movie.  No, seriously, I really do love this film.  Judy Garland was at her young adult peak, and is simply magnificent in this movie.

Set against the backdrop of the 1904 World's Fair in St. Louis, Missouri, it follows a season or two in the life of the Smith family, including Mr and Mrs. Smith, and their children Rose, Esther (Garland), Agnes, Tootie and Lon Jr, the only boy.   They live, they share romance, like Esther's romance with the boy next door, and Rose's expectations of a proposal from her boo.


What can I say?  I love this song.

Seasons pass, first summer, than Halloween, then onto Christmas where you hear the immortal "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas"... by the way, we sing that now as a fun Christmas song, but in the context of this movie, holy crap is this song sad.

But what's not sad?  "The Trolley Song", sung on the trolley as Esther awaits the arrival of her man, John.  I dare you to not feel at least a little happy when this scene takes place, one of my favorite musical scenes of all time.  Bang bang bang goes the trolley... clang clang clang goes the bell...

NUMBER EIGHT... "DAVE" (1993)
Dave Kovic works at a D.C. area temp agency, and makes a side living by impersonating the president at car lots and business openings and so on.  So, when the president becomes incapacitated in a most embarrassing fashion (which includes Laura Linney, who I just adore), Secret Service Agent Duane Stevenson (played by a young Ving Rhames) shows up to ask... or tell... Dave that he now gets to portray the president.

And portray he does, figuring it out as he goes along, trying to use common sense to solve the issues that we see unsolved and wonder why that's so.  All the while, he's battling Chief of Staff Bob Alexander (Frank Langella), who is trying to use Dave as his own puppet to get stuff done and further his political aspirations. 

I think this movie led me to be a Democrat in high school and early college, with the belief that the government can pretty much do anything!  When Dave steps up and says, "I want everyone to find a job, and the government will make that it's job to do so!" 17 year old me was like, "Yeah!  That's awesome!"

I've since wised up, but still look upon this movie as a gem, an idealistic image of what our country could be if we just worked together to make it happen... and if the government could be trusted.  My 38th favorite movie of all time.

Benjamin Martin (l) and Tavington (r) square off

NUMBER SEVEN... "THE PATRIOT" (2000)
Well, you have to have an actual Revolutionary War film on this list, don't ya?  I actually have two, but we'll get to that later...

Mel Gibson was in his prime in the late 90s and early 2000s, well after Lethal Weapon movies had come and gone, but before he reached his pinnacle in "Passion of the Christ" (and then subsequent fall of the cliff of relevance due to recent year's activities), and it was in 2000 that "The Patriot" came out.  I remember seeing this movie with Mikey and Shawn and the biggest America lover of 'em all, The Honorable Revr'n Ty Sharpton Coffey, who I literally thought would walk out of the theater, find someone with a British accent and punch them in the face. 

This is a rather silly movie, if you think about it, but nonetheless, its entertaining... it tells the the story of a peaceful American farmer who is swept into the  Revolutionary War when his family is threatened.   Mel plays Benjamin Martin, who is loosely based on real Continental Army officer Francis Marion, along with other Revolutionary War figures.

The real pleasure of this movie is Jason Isaacs, however, a few years before playing Harry Potter baddie Lucious Malfoy. Jason, with his platinum blonde hair, menacing eyes and crazy creepy voice, is Col. William Tavington, and is ruthless, bloodthirsty, and promises the English Army leader Lord Cornwallis that he will capture Benjamin, but "if I do this... I won't be able to ever return to England..."

Of course, there are battle scenes, and violence and a heartbreaking moment when a church burns with everyone inside, but overall it, its engaging and worth a watch.  And yes, you might want to punch a Brit when its all over. 

"Okay, so you go here, and you there, you'll be over here and..."

NUMBER SIX... "MIRACLE" (2004)
If I gave you a short list of events that I wish I could go back in time and tell my Past Self to attend, that list would include the Miracle on Ice in New York, even though at the time my Past Self was only five.  I guess my Now Self would have to convince my Then Parents to take my Past Self.

Either way, that event was monumental in sports history, and this movie tells the story of the American achievement here, namely, their victory over the Soviets.   Herb Brooks (Kurt Russell) takes the job as coach, then begins to form the dysfunctional team into a solid team, which includes the famous "Again" scene on the ice following a tie with Norway.. I won't spoil it for you, but its goose pimple inducing.

Of course, you know that the Americans beat the Russians in a semi-final game (it wasn't the gold medal game, contrary to popular belief) and went on to defeat Finland for the gold, but this movie is all about the journey, the struggle and yes, will make you ultimately proud to be an American.  Where at least you know you are free.  And you won't forget the men who died who gave... sorry.  Habit.

TOMORROW, on July 4th... Americana Patriotic Fuzzy Wuzzy Movies Part II, my picks for the five best Americana Patriotic Fuzzy Wuzzy Movies ever... including baseball, lost artifacts, aliens, airplanes and history!

The Summer of Blogging Day Thirty

The Cars 2 Review

Its hard to know how I should feel about Pixar's latest, "Cars 2"... is it weird that an animated film can leave me so conflicted?

Here's the plot... "Cars 2" picks up where "Cars" left off... Lightning McQueen is off racing, winning multiple Piston Cups, and returns to Radiator Springs to his girlfriend Sally and his best buddy Mater, along with the rest of the gang from the first film, like Ramone, Flo, Red, Sarge, Fillmore and the others... wisely, Pixar chose not to replace Paul Newman as the voice of Doc Hudson, instead just giving the Hudson Hornet a glance and homage.

Finn and Mater... I've read the thoughts that Mater might be Pixar's
version of Jar Jar Binks... a much maligned characters that has somewhat
sullied a great movie series--or in Pixar's case, their movies in general

Through a wacky set of circumstances, McQueen ends up entered into the inaugural World Grand Prix, and brings along his "team", which includes Mater, and through an even wackier set of circumstances, Mater gets confused for an American spy by the good guys like Finn McMissile (Michael Caine) and Holley Shiftwell (Emily Mortimer) and the bad guys, like Professor Z (Thomas Kretschmann).

So over the next 90 minutes, we are treated to a visually colorful and dazzling adventure full of explosions and big ships and crazy cars and fast racing and cool gadgets and funny sight gags and foreign lands and all that kind of stuff. 

What we aren't treated to is a great movie.  Its a fun movie, its a pleasant, amusing movie, but not a great movie.  This will, in my mind, go down as Pixar's worst film, and though the general consensus is that Pixar can do no wrong, this one is hard to defend.  If anything, Pixar's record is 11-1, or at best, 11-0-1... which, in of itself is still a stellar mark.

Don't get me wrong... I liked this movie.  Its got that Pixar flair with the jokes flying fast and free, and sight gags everywhere--watch the drive-in movie sign in Radiator Springs not long after McQueen makes his return... and its fun watching the change of cultures from a car's perspective when they tour Japan (the Japanese game show is a hoot) and other countries.
 
And cars "die" in this movie!  I mean, I hope I'm not spoiling anything for you, but seriously, there are at least four or five car deaths in this film, which is a bit... well, I say violent, but we're talking about cars being blown up, so judge that how you will.

Its the story, the kind that Pixar usually excels at telling, that is the weakest part of the film.  I found myself wondering if a six year old kid could follow all that was happening, and even if those kids would understand why the bad guys--Gremlins, Pacers and other "lemons"--were the bad guys... I mean, what kid under 15 knows what a "lemon" is?  I also found myself ready for the movie to be over towards the end, something I'm not sure I've ever felt in a Pixar film. 

Here's my conflict... what am I supposed to expect out of Pixar? I have been taught to expect masterful story telling like "Wall*E"... I have been taught to expect movies for children that are still made for adults, like "Monsters Inc"... I now expect to have toys make me tear up, like in "Toy Story 3"... but do I expect that because Pixar told me "We are going to make the best animated films you have ever seen in your whole life!"

John Turturro voices Francesco Bernoulli, McQueen's main rival.  Having
worked at The Happiest Place in the Mall for a time, all I could think
was "Wow, are they going to release a billion new Cars toys for this"

No, I expect such things from Pixar because that's just what they do. But this time around, it seems like they are just having a good time... they aren't trying to win the Oscar for Best Animated Film (at least I hope not, because it won't happen this time), it seems like they are just having a good time. And out of any studio out there, Pixar deserves to have a good time, at least once, and do a movie that is just full of goofiness and silliness and fun.

A few years back, when the rumor that "Cars 2" was being made, The Disney Channel released a number of "shorts" starring Mater, called "Mater's Tall Tales".  They all centered around Mater telling his friends stories, or tales, about his misadventures, the "tall" part coming in because he's exaggerating... Mater told of his adventures as a stunt daredevil, and as a fire truck, and as a matador (Materdor!)... after "Cars 2" ended, I looked over at The Lovely Steph Leann and said, "This was like a very long episode of Mater's Tall Tales".

I know, I know, I seem so up and down about it... I guess I'll say this about "Cars 2".  Don't expect "Toy Story 3", or "The Incredibles" or even "Finding Nemo"... expect a fun movie, one that is kind of forgettable.  Expect your sons to love the crap out of it, expect your daughters to... well, did she like this first one?  She will probably like this one.  Did you like the first one?  Yeah, you'll probably enjoy this one as well.

Oh, finally, if you don't like Larry the Cable Guy, you will have a hard time with this one, because Larry is all up in this film, pretty much from start to finish. 

2D or 3D?  Go 2D.  The only reason to see this in 3D is to see the Pixar trailer for the 2012 movie "Brave", which you can find online, and the 3D trailer for the upcoming "The Lion King in 3D" release.  I still say go see it in 2D, save your money.


Formerly known as "The Bear & the Bow", Pixar introduces its first fairy tale, "Brave".  And it looks amazing.

Worth the price of admission, in 2D or 3D, is the Toy Story short, "Hawaiian Vacation", coming on before "Cars 2"... when Barbie & Ken miss their trip to the Hawaiian islands, Buzz, Woody and the gang step in to give them the de facto vacation of a lifetime... and if you liked this one, then you'll be happy to know that there will be another Toy Story short in front of "The Muppets", coming this Thanksgiving.

And, you heard it here first... Tom Hanks says "Toy Story 4" is in the works.  Not sure how I feel about that, but until "Cars 2", Pixar has never given me a reason to worry.  Truthfully, I'm not worried.

The Summer of Blogging Day Twenty Five