I just got back from watching Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen, with the full intention of writing a review here on the blog, only to come home and find out that Michael Jackson died. Nothing against Ed McMahon (who I only know from Star Search; too young for him on The Tonight Show) and Farrah Fawcett (who I only know as someone who was once super hot; too young for Charlie's Angels), but Michael Jackson was bigger than both of them combined. Times thirty. And then some. Its wild. I always thought that he would have one last great comeback moment before he died (think Elvis "Aloha From Hawaii"). Even now, just after his passing, there's talk about how he'll be remembered; will his recent legal troubles/bizzare behavior overshadow his monumental impact on music. I say no way. We got past fat, drug-addicted Elvis, we'll get past Michael's issues. Yeah, so he was borderline functional as a person; he was an absolute musical genius. As ESPN's Matthew Berry (@TheRealTMR) tweeted this evening- Say what you want, but when most people die, they don't have four minutes as good as this:
Couldn't agree more.
(And by the way, Transformers was exactly what you'd expect it to be- giant robots, big explosions, hot chicks, minimal story/plot. Go in with those expectations and you won't be disappointed. Go in expecting anything more and you're a moron.)
Thursday, June 25, 2009
Thursday, June 18, 2009
Great Years For Movies
I've seen a lot of movies so far this year. Watchmen, X-Men Origins: Wolverine, Star Trek, The Hangover, Angels & Demons, just to name a few. Not quite halfway through 2009 and I've probably seen more movies in the theater this year than I did in the past two years combined (and there are still several more to go; I'm looking at you, Transformers, G.I. Joe, Harry Potter, Public Enemies). And while not all of these movies (if any) are destined to be classics (though I've got high hopes for Public Enemies), it did get me to think about the great years in movie releases. I was aided in this inquiry by the current issue of Toyfare magazine (yes, a magazine/price guide for toys, action figures, busts, statues, maquettes, etc.- get over it).
The folks over at Toyfare have proclaimed 1984 to be "the best year in pop culture." Now, I tend to think that's more a function of our distance from 1984 (25 years, for those of you who struggle with math) than it does with that actually happened in 1984, but that's an argument for a different time. I mention the article here because it alerted me to the plethora of great movies that were released in 1984. Check out this list:
The Terminator, Gremlins, This Is Spinal Tap, Ghost Busters, A Nightmare on Elm Street, Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom, Amadeus, Beverly Hills Cop, The Karate Kid, The Natural, Sixteen Candles, Footloose, Purple Rain, The Neverending Story, Red Dawn, Police Academy, Bachelor Party, The Last Starfighter, Revenge of the Nerds
That's pretty damn good, and I'm sure I missed a few. Now, any cinephile will tell you that the greatest year for movies was 1939, and its really hard to argue that. I mean, when your lineup's got Gone With The Wind, The Wizard of Oz, Stagecoach, Gunga Din, Wurthering Heights, and Mr. Smith Goes To Washington; that's like the '27 Yankees. So everyone's battling for second place. Fine. What years stack up after '39? I think 1984 has a strong case. They may not all be "classics" but they are some good movies. Thinking about 1984 lead me to consider 1994, which has also been named a great year for movies. Consider:
Pulp Fiction, The Shawshank Redemption, The Lion King, Hoop Dreams, Heavenly Creatures, Clerks, Forrest Gump, Quiz Show, Nobody's Fool, The Professional, Natural Born Killers, Four Weddings and a Funeral, The Mask, The Crow, Interview With The Vampire, Ed Wood, Reality Bites, Speed (okay, maybe not so much)
Another solid year. Maybe years ending in -4 have something to do with it (1974-The Godfather Part II, Chinatown, The Conversation*, Young Frankenstein, Blazing Saddles, The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, Lenny; 1964: Dr. Strangelove, Mary Poppins, Goldfinger, My Fair Lady, A Fistful of Dollars). Maybe its just because years ending in -4 puts the difference between then and now on the -5's.
[Random note: John Cazale, aka Fredo Corleone, appeared in all of 5 movies before dying of cancer, The Godfather Part I, The Godfather Part II, The Conversation, Dog Day Afternoon, and The Deer Hunter, and appeared in archival footage in The Godfather Part III. All 6 movies were nominated for Best Picture. Not bad for 6 movies.]
So what about 2004? Which if these, if any, will be remembered as "classics" or "greats" 15 or 20 years from now: The Incredibles, Million Dollar Baby, Sideways, Spider-Man 2, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, Ray, Shaun of the Dead, Finding Neverland, The Aviator, Garden State, Crash, Napolean Dynamite, Saw, Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgandy?
For me, I might have to go with 1999 as my favorite year (again with the nice, neat time difference). Fight Club, The Matrix, Office Space, The Sixth Sense, American Beauty, American Pie, Lock, Stock, and Two Smoking Barrels, 10 Things I Hate About You, Toy Story 2, Three Kings, Galaxy Quest, Being John Malkovich, The Blair Witch Project, Election, The Insider, South Park: Bigger, Longer, and Uncut; now THAT was a good year. Although, I think the fact that Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace also came out in 1999 make the year ineligible for competition. No year that saw the release of a Star Wars prequel is qualified to call itself "the greatest year for movies." Damn you, George Lucas.
The folks over at Toyfare have proclaimed 1984 to be "the best year in pop culture." Now, I tend to think that's more a function of our distance from 1984 (25 years, for those of you who struggle with math) than it does with that actually happened in 1984, but that's an argument for a different time. I mention the article here because it alerted me to the plethora of great movies that were released in 1984. Check out this list:
The Terminator, Gremlins, This Is Spinal Tap, Ghost Busters, A Nightmare on Elm Street, Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom, Amadeus, Beverly Hills Cop, The Karate Kid, The Natural, Sixteen Candles, Footloose, Purple Rain, The Neverending Story, Red Dawn, Police Academy, Bachelor Party, The Last Starfighter, Revenge of the Nerds
That's pretty damn good, and I'm sure I missed a few. Now, any cinephile will tell you that the greatest year for movies was 1939, and its really hard to argue that. I mean, when your lineup's got Gone With The Wind, The Wizard of Oz, Stagecoach, Gunga Din, Wurthering Heights, and Mr. Smith Goes To Washington; that's like the '27 Yankees. So everyone's battling for second place. Fine. What years stack up after '39? I think 1984 has a strong case. They may not all be "classics" but they are some good movies. Thinking about 1984 lead me to consider 1994, which has also been named a great year for movies. Consider:
Pulp Fiction, The Shawshank Redemption, The Lion King, Hoop Dreams, Heavenly Creatures, Clerks, Forrest Gump, Quiz Show, Nobody's Fool, The Professional, Natural Born Killers, Four Weddings and a Funeral, The Mask, The Crow, Interview With The Vampire, Ed Wood, Reality Bites, Speed (okay, maybe not so much)
Another solid year. Maybe years ending in -4 have something to do with it (1974-The Godfather Part II, Chinatown, The Conversation*, Young Frankenstein, Blazing Saddles, The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, Lenny; 1964: Dr. Strangelove, Mary Poppins, Goldfinger, My Fair Lady, A Fistful of Dollars). Maybe its just because years ending in -4 puts the difference between then and now on the -5's.
[Random note: John Cazale, aka Fredo Corleone, appeared in all of 5 movies before dying of cancer, The Godfather Part I, The Godfather Part II, The Conversation, Dog Day Afternoon, and The Deer Hunter, and appeared in archival footage in The Godfather Part III. All 6 movies were nominated for Best Picture. Not bad for 6 movies.]
So what about 2004? Which if these, if any, will be remembered as "classics" or "greats" 15 or 20 years from now: The Incredibles, Million Dollar Baby, Sideways, Spider-Man 2, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, Ray, Shaun of the Dead, Finding Neverland, The Aviator, Garden State, Crash, Napolean Dynamite, Saw, Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgandy?
For me, I might have to go with 1999 as my favorite year (again with the nice, neat time difference). Fight Club, The Matrix, Office Space, The Sixth Sense, American Beauty, American Pie, Lock, Stock, and Two Smoking Barrels, 10 Things I Hate About You, Toy Story 2, Three Kings, Galaxy Quest, Being John Malkovich, The Blair Witch Project, Election, The Insider, South Park: Bigger, Longer, and Uncut; now THAT was a good year. Although, I think the fact that Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace also came out in 1999 make the year ineligible for competition. No year that saw the release of a Star Wars prequel is qualified to call itself "the greatest year for movies." Damn you, George Lucas.
Monday, June 15, 2009
Tuesday, June 9, 2009
What Did You Get On Your SAT's?
Zack Morris got a 1502 (the one piece of Saved By The Bell trivia I know).
That is just weird. Awesome. But weird.
That is just weird. Awesome. But weird.
Monday, June 8, 2009
Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaand We're Back
Hopefully.
Maybe.
We'll see.
So, I've been a little lax recently on posting here. I'm going to try and be less lax about doing so in the near future. I'll start by making another movie recommendation- if you want to laugh for an hour and a half, go see The Hangover.
Nothing actually happens in the movie, and yes, the trailers pretty much give you the movie, but it was still funny as hell. Sure, it probably would have been funnier if you didn't already know that Mike Tyson had a cameo, but his scenes are still hysterical. I mean, Mike Tyson singing In The Air Tonight? Never not funny. Supposedly, there's a sequel already in the works. I'm not entirely sure how that's going to work (perhaps the storyline involving Ed Helm's Stu character), but I'm sure it will. Anyway, the movie's a riot. Mindless, juvenile, offensive, yes. But really funny. Go see it.
(Random factoid I discovered while reading up on The Hangover: Zack Galifianakis was offered a role in Into The Wild because Sean Penn saw an earlier movie he had done about 15 times. The movie? Out Cold. See Puddin', you're not only one with love for Out Cold; Sean Penn's seen it 15 times!)
Maybe.
We'll see.
So, I've been a little lax recently on posting here. I'm going to try and be less lax about doing so in the near future. I'll start by making another movie recommendation- if you want to laugh for an hour and a half, go see The Hangover.
Nothing actually happens in the movie, and yes, the trailers pretty much give you the movie, but it was still funny as hell. Sure, it probably would have been funnier if you didn't already know that Mike Tyson had a cameo, but his scenes are still hysterical. I mean, Mike Tyson singing In The Air Tonight? Never not funny. Supposedly, there's a sequel already in the works. I'm not entirely sure how that's going to work (perhaps the storyline involving Ed Helm's Stu character), but I'm sure it will. Anyway, the movie's a riot. Mindless, juvenile, offensive, yes. But really funny. Go see it.
(Random factoid I discovered while reading up on The Hangover: Zack Galifianakis was offered a role in Into The Wild because Sean Penn saw an earlier movie he had done about 15 times. The movie? Out Cold. See Puddin', you're not only one with love for Out Cold; Sean Penn's seen it 15 times!)
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