list http://www.spout.com/ Recent community activity around Trading Places on Spout Copyright 2005-9 Spout, LLC Spout RSS http://www.spout.com/images/SpoutLogoRSS.jpg http://www.spout.com/ 136 30 http://www.spout.com/films/Trading_Places/35676/default.aspx Title: Trading Places
Year: 1983
Director: John Landis
Plot: The "nature-nurture" theory that motivated so many Three Stooges comedies is the basis of John Landis's hit comedy. The fabulously wealthy but morally bankrupt Duke brothers (Ralph Bellamy and Don Ameche) make a one-dollar bet over heredity vs. environment. Curious as to what might happen if different lifestyles were reversed, they arrange for impoverished street hustler Billy Ray Valentine (Eddie Murphy) to be placed in the lap of luxury and trained for a cushy career in commodities brokerage. Simultaneously, they set about to reduce aristocratic yuppie Louis Winthorpe III (Dan Aykroyd to poverty and disgrace, hiring a prostitute (Jamie Lee Curtis) to hasten his downfall. When Billy Ray figures out that the brothers intend to dump him back on the streets once their experiment is complete, he seeks out Winthorpe, and together the pauper-turned-prince and prince-turned-pauper plot an uproarious revenge. With the good-hearted prostitute and Winthorpe's faithful butler (Denholm Elliott) as their accomplices, they set about to hit the brothers where it really hurts: in the pocketbook. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
Times Tagged: 21
Number of Lists: 32
Number of blog posts: 9
Number of discussion threads: 2
SpoutRating: 3
]]>Tue, 25 Aug 2009 17:08:06 GMTTrading Places1983John LandisThe "nature-nurture" theory that motivated so many <a href=/films/151701/default.aspx style='text-decoration:underline'>Three Stooges</a> comedies is the basis of <a href="/players/P____98623/default.aspx" style='text-decoration:underline'>John Landis</a>'s hit comedy. The fabulously wealthy but morally bankrupt Duke brothers (<a href="/players/P_____5165/default.aspx" style='text-decoration:underline'>Ralph Bellamy</a> and <a href="/players/P_____1323/default.aspx" style='text-decoration:underline'>Don Ameche</a>) make a one-dollar bet over heredity vs. environment. Curious as to what might happen if different lifestyles were reversed, they arrange for impoverished street hustler Billy Ray Valentine (<a href="/players/P____51440/default.aspx" style='text-decoration:underline'>Eddie Murphy</a>) to be placed in the lap of luxury and trained for a cushy career in commodities brokerage. Simultaneously, they set about to reduce aristocratic yuppie Louis Winthorpe III (<a href="/players/P____80282/default.aspx" style='text-decoration:underline'>Dan Aykroyd</a> to poverty and disgrace, hiring a prostitute (<a href="/players/P____16288/default.aspx" style='text-decoration:underline'>Jamie Lee Curtis</a>) to hasten his downfall. When Billy Ray figures out that the brothers intend to dump him back on the streets once their experiment is complete, he seeks out Winthorpe, and together the pauper-turned-prince and prince-turned-pauper plot an uproarious revenge. With the good-hearted prostitute and Winthorpe's faithful butler (<a href="/players/P____21589/default.aspx" style='text-decoration:underline'>Denholm Elliott</a>) as their accomplices, they set about to hit the brothers where it really hurts: in the pocketbook. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide21Tag Target (>10)32923http://www.spout.com/ProductImages/u35671pd2zf.jpghttp://www.spout.com/films/Trading_Places/35676/default.aspxFilm http://www.spout.com/blogs/spoutblog/archive/2008/12/12/38295.aspx Post By: SpoutBlog
Post To: SpoutBlog on spout.com
Post Date: 12/12/2008 12:00:31 PM
Body: Earlier this month, Production Weekly reported that Alex Cox and David Lynch would begin shooting their Repo Man sequel, titled Repo Chick, next month. Fifteen years after the release of the first movie, Cox revealed that it’s a timely revisit, as the new movie will “unfold against the background of the credit crunch and the subprime mortgage crisis in the US, where repossessions of homes, cars and other forms of property is at a new high.” Coupled with the recent announcement that John Carpenter is producing a remake of his own They Live, the news of a second Repo Man film has us wondering what other ‘80s cult classics should appropriately be remade or revisited now that the economy is shit again. Depending on your definition of “cult film” (many people call Ghostbusters a cult classic), some of the selected films may not be fitting for that term. Regardless, the following ten movies, if redone today, would have definite relevance to these troubled times. Chu Chu and the Philly Flash (1981) With unemployment on the rise, and homelessness sure to increase, it’s time for Hollywood to break out the ol’ Capra-esque stories of bums hitting the big time. Some films, such as Trading Places and Down and Out in Beverly Hills, don’t need to be touched. But this forgotten yet somewhat beloved movie could use a redo. Alan Arkin stars as an unemployed baseball player who may have a new job in the minors if he can only raise the money to get across the country. Fox could remake this story without retaining the title or the profession (though what’s more American Dream-like than baseball player? Capra employed the same idea in Meet John Doe), so as not to associate the new film with this ancient box office disappointment. Eating Raoul (1982) We recently spotlighted this “gold standard for black comedies” on a Thanksgiving-related list of cannibal movies. But it fits here as well. A couple in need of money ends up killing people and selling the corpses for cash. While the original film has the human meat sold to a dog food company, it might be even a greater gag in this financial crunch to have it feed the homeless. Or, better yet, in the U.S. Capitol’s cafeterias. The Survivors (1983) The opening premise alone will have the recently laid off feeling better about their own firing. One guy (played by Robin Williams) is let go by a parrot, while another (Walter Matthau) loses his business when it blows up. From there, anything goes with the remake as long as it still shows desperate measures resulting from unemployment. As a buddy movie, though, it’ll be worthwhile to pit a financial layoff with a blue-collar layoff. Breakin’ 2: Electric Boogaloo (1984) Don’t say it makes no sense to remake a sequel without remaking the original. Nobody cares about the first Breakin’. Besides, Electric Boogaloo is the one that features the cliché plot involving a greedy real estate developer wanting to tear down a community center. And evil real estate developers and bankers ought to be making a comeback. Rappin’ (1985) If nobody wants to touch the sacred icon that is Breakin’ 2: Electric Boogaloo, then here’s another hip-hop movie involving an evil real estate developer. Despite a similar cheesiness, it’s not nearly as celebrated, or remembered. A remake could right all the wrongs of the original, especially with regards to the rhymes. The Goonies (1985) Hardly a cult classic, sure, but it does have the feel of one, especially to all those people who take trips to Astoria, Oregon, just to visit the film’s locations. Anyway, more evil real estate developers here, and more kids trying to save the day. Rather than truly remake the movie, which would be met with disapproval, and rather than completely bypass the reunion sequel that’s been talked about for so long, Warner Bros. ought to make a separate remake-type sequel titled The Goonies Too. The new movie will simply follow another group of kids on another adventure that will similarly stop the impending foreclosure of their homes. One Crazy Summer (1986) Yeah, yeah, more greedy real estate developers. But this one involves saving the house of an old man who nobody in the audience cares about. And a regatta. Actually, without the warped genius of Savage Steve Holland and without John Cusack in the lead, a remake of this comedy would be pointless, even if relevant. Of course, it wouldn’t be the first time Hollywood made a pointless remake, right? The Money Pit (1986) It may not technically be a cult classic, but it’s so rarely celebrated for its good qualities (like the excellent scene involving a cataclysmic sort of Rube Goldberg machine) that it deserves to be here. Plus, few plots are more relevant to the subprime mortgage crisis than one involving a couple (played by Tom Hanks and Shelley Long) that finds a deal on a new home that’s too good to be true. Wisdom (1986) If a cult classic requires only a cult of one member, then Wisdom is a cult classic. And since every economic recession needs its own Robin Hood movie, this is ripe for a remake (never mind Ridley Scott’s forthcoming Nottingham). Repo Man star Emilio Estevez wrote, co-directed (with Robert Wise) and co-starred (with Demi Moore) in this Bonnie and Clyde tale of a pair of bank “robbers” who bomb bank file cabinets in order to erase records of loans and mortgages, thereby helping out the struggling debtors. This time, though, it’s key that the main characters don’t get killed. Hiding Out (1987) Jon Cryer stars as a stockbroker on the run from mobsters he’s cheated. Does he flee to Florida and join an all-girl band? No, he shaves off his beard and magically becomes a teenager again. Then he reenrolls in his cousin’s high school and falls in love with a young girl who’d probably get him in worse trouble than he is already in. A remake of this film could be more depraved, more American Psycho than Some Like it Hot, by having the protagonist on the run from the government rather than the mob (he’s guilty of insider trading or some other form of Wall Street corruption), and his unlikable traits would extend to his multiple affairs with minors while pretending to be a high school student. And this time, it’s key that the main character does get killed. Originally posted on:SpoutBlog
]]>Fri, 12 Dec 2008 17:00:31 GMTSpoutBlogSpoutBlog on spout.com12/12/2008 12:00:31 PMEarlier this month, Production Weekly reported that Alex Cox and David Lynch would begin shooting their Repo Man sequel, titled Repo Chick, next month. Fifteen years after the release of the first movie, Cox revealed that it’s a timely revisit, as the new movie will “unfold against the background of the credit crunch and the subprime mortgage crisis in the US, where repossessions of homes, cars and other forms of property is at a new high.” Coupled with the recent announcement that John Carpenter is producing a remake of his own They Live, the news of a second Repo Man film has us wondering what other ‘80s cult classics should appropriately be remade or revisited now that the economy is shit again. Depending on your definition of “cult film” (many people call Ghostbusters a cult classic), some of the selected films may not be fitting for that term. Regardless, the following ten movies, if redone today, would have definite relevance to these troubled times. Chu Chu and the Philly Flash (1981) With unemployment on the rise, and homelessness sure to increase, it’s time for Hollywood to break out the ol’ Capra-esque stories of bums hitting the big time. Some films, such as Trading Places and Down and Out in Beverly Hills, don’t need to be touched. But this forgotten yet somewhat beloved movie could use a redo. Alan Arkin stars as an unemployed baseball player who may have a new job in the minors if he can only raise the money to get across the country. Fox could remake this story without retaining the title or the profession (though what’s more American Dream-like than baseball player? Capra employed the same idea in Meet John Doe), so as not to associate the new film with this ancient box office disappointment. Eating Raoul (1982) We recently spotlighted this “gold standard for black comedies” on a Thanksgiving-related list of cannibal movies. But it fits here as well. A couple in need of money ends up killing people and selling the corpses for cash. While the original film has the human meat sold to a dog food company, it might be even a greater gag in this financial crunch to have it feed the homeless. Or, better yet, in the U.S. Capitol’s cafeterias. The Survivors (1983) The opening premise alone will have the recently laid off feeling better about their own firing. One guy (played by Robin Williams) is let go by a parrot, while another (Walter Matthau) loses his business when it blows up. From there, anything goes with the remake as long as it still shows desperate measures resulting from unemployment. As a buddy movie, though, it’ll be worthwhile to pit a financial layoff with a blue-collar layoff. Breakin’ 2: Electric Boogaloo (1984) Don’t say it makes no sense to remake a sequel without remaking the original. Nobody cares about the first Breakin’. Besides, Electric Boogaloo is the one that features the cliché plot involving a greedy real estate developer wanting to tear down a community center. And evil real estate developers and bankers ought to be making a comeback. Rappin’ (1985) If nobody wants to touch the sacred icon that is Breakin’ 2: Electric Boogaloo, then here’s another hip-hop movie involving an evil real estate developer. Despite a similar cheesiness, it’s not nearly as celebrated, or remembered. A remake could right all the wrongs of the original, especially with regards to the rhymes. The Goonies (1985) Hardly a cult classic, sure, but it does have the feel of one, especially to all those people who take trips to Astoria, Oregon, just to visit the film’s locations. Anyway, more evil real estate developers here, and more kids trying to save the day. Rather than truly remake the movie, which would be met with disapproval, and rather than completely bypass the reunion sequel that’s been talked about for so long, Warner Bros. ought to make a separate remake-type sequel titled The Goonies Too. The new movie will simply follow another group of kids on another adventure that will similarly stop the impending foreclosure of their homes. One Crazy Summer (1986) Yeah, yeah, more greedy real estate developers. But this one involves saving the house of an old man who nobody in the audience cares about. And a regatta. Actually, without the warped genius of Savage Steve Holland and without John Cusack in the lead, a remake of this comedy would be pointless, even if relevant. Of course, it wouldn’t be the first time Hollywood made a pointless remake, right? The Money Pit (1986) It may not technically be a cult classic, but it’s so rarely celebrated for its good qualities (like the excellent scene involving a cataclysmic sort of Rube Goldberg machine) that it deserves to be here. Plus, few plots are more relevant to the subprime mortgage crisis than one involving a couple (played by Tom Hanks and Shelley Long) that finds a deal on a new home that’s too good to be true. Wisdom (1986) If a cult classic requires only a cult of one member, then Wisdom is a cult classic. And since every economic recession needs its own Robin Hood movie, this is ripe for a remake (never mind Ridley Scott’s forthcoming Nottingham). Repo Man star Emilio Estevez wrote, co-directed (with Robert Wise) and co-starred (with Demi Moore) in this Bonnie and Clyde tale of a pair of bank “robbers” who bomb bank file cabinets in order to erase records of loans and mortgages, thereby helping out the struggling debtors. This time, though, it’s key that the main characters don’t get killed. Hiding Out (1987) Jon Cryer stars as a stockbroker on the run from mobsters he’s cheated. Does he flee to Florida and join an all-girl band? No, he shaves off his beard and magically becomes a teenager again. Then he reenrolls in his cousin’s high school and falls in love with a young girl who’d probably get him in worse trouble than he is already in. A remake of this film could be more depraved, more American Psycho than Some Like it Hot, by having the protagonist on the run from the government rather than the mob (he’s guilty of insider trading or some other form of Wall Street corruption), and his unlikable traits would extend to his multiple affairs with minors while pretending to be a high school student. And this time, it’s key that the main character does get killed. Originally posted on:SpoutBlog http://www.spout.com/blogs/spoutblog/archive/2008/10/27/36709.aspx Post By: SpoutBlog
Post To: SpoutBlog on spout.com
Post Date: 10/27/2008 7:00:43 PM
Body: It’s been more than 100 years since the Philadelphia Quakers changed their name to the Philadelphia Philadelphians, which was thankfully shortened to “Phillies” very quickly, probably by printers who were afraid of using up all of their ‘P’s in the printing press. Since being founded in 1883, they’ve been one of the most tenacious teams in baseball, winning six pennants, and the World Series in 1980. In fact, in all of American sports (not just baseball), the Phillies are the team that’s been in one city with one name for the longest time. They’re one game away from another World Series win tonight, despite being the Major League team with the most losses in history. We celebrate their scrappiness with a list of quintessential Philadelphia movies. Check them out after the break. Rocky When most people think about Philadelphia and movies, the first thing that springs to mind is the iconic shot of Rocky Balboa running up the stairs to the Philadelphia Museum of Art and triumphantly pumping his fists to the sky from Rocky. City Commerce Director Dick Doran said Sylvester Stallone and the movie did more for Philadelphia’s image than Ben Franklin,  and that scene has probably been recreated by thousands of people that visit the city. In fact, the closing credits of Rocky Balboa is a long montage of images of people imitating his famous run, and there are countless fan recreations on YouTube. The Philadelphia Story Even though it’s set entirely on a Hollywood soundstage, this 1940 film skewers Philadelphia high society  in a comedy of errors. It also features Katherine Hepburn, Jimmy Stewart, and Cary Grant at the top of their game, with Stewart winning an Oscar for Best Actor for his role. Katherine Hepburn had previously starred in the Broadway play the film is based on, and eccentric billionaire Howard Hughes bought the film rights for the play and gave them to her as a gift. Which was somewhat ironic, since Philip Barry had written the play for her in an effort to bring her back to Broadway. It’s still one of the best-written romantic comedies of all time, and the city of brotherly love is probably proud of the fact that its name is in the title. Mannequin Set in the famous Wanamaker’s department store in downtown Philadelphia, this is one of those quintessential 1980s movies that critics hated, but audiences adored. Although this story about window display mannequin come to life might not hold up well today, it has grossed over $42 million dollars and was considered such a success that they made a sequel in 1991 called Mannequin Too: On The Move. That one didn’t do quite so well. The original featured both Andrew McCarthy during his rise in the Brat Pack, and Kim Cattrall in her pre-pre-pre Sex and the City days. Besides giving us Starship’s “Nothing’s Gonna Stop Us Now,” the film has become iconically linked with Philadelphia through Wanamaker’s, now a Macy’s, which was the first department store in Philly and one of the first in the United States in 1876. Philadelphia This movie provided the one-two punch of a powerful performance from Tom Hanks along with Bruce Springsteen’s “Streets of Philadelphia” song, both of which netted Oscars. This film not only addressed AIDS and gay issues in a straightforward manner that was extremely new for Hollywood, it helped open the door for future films and even television series in the sexually conservative (at least in gay and lesbian terms) entertainment industry. It also was shot in key locations around the city, including the courtroom scenes which were filmed in an actual court in Philadelphia. Ironically, Denzel Washington’s character says he prays that the Phillies will win the pennant, and when this film came out in 1993 they did just that. The Sixth Sense M. Night Shyamalan famously shoots all of his movies in or around Philadelphia, and this is easily his most famous. Shymalan goes out of his way to show that the film is set in his hometown, including in the opening scene where Bruce Willis and Olivia Williams are looking at a citation Willis has just received from the mayor. The camera pans all the way down to show the words “of Philadelphia.” The film also features several key locations in South Philadelphia. The filmmaker has continued to show love for the city, although audiences haven’t been loving his movies. The Sixth Sense grossed over $600 million at the worldwide box office, but his latest, The Happening, has only pulled in $163 million. Dawn of the Dead Although most of this film takes place in a shopping mall in Monroeville, PA, the action starts in Philadelphia with the main characters fleeing from pandemonium in the city via helicopter. The entire city has become overrun with zombies, which is probably high time to leave any city. The Philadelphia S.W.A.T. team responds to an apartment building full of zombies, which doesn’t turn out so well for them since zombie attack from your reanimated dead loved one probably isn’t in the training manual. Romero shot the film in and around Philadelphia for around $650,000 dollars in 1978, and it still stands as one of the best horror movies of all time and the strongest in his zombie trilogy which includes Night of the Living Dead and Day of the Dead. National Treasure Right on the heels of the success of The Da Vinci Code came this Nicolas Cage starrer with historic clues to lost treasure hidden in Philadelphia. The central clue in the film is the Declaration of Independence, which leads the main characters to Independence Hall (where the Declaration was signed) in Philadelphia where they find a pair of special glasses hidden by Philadelphia’s most famous historical resident, Benjamin Franklin. Although the treasure ends up being underneath an old church in Boston, the scenes in Philadelphia with the secret brick and Franklin’s glasses are one of the most interesting homages to Indiana Jones’ headpiece to the Staff of Ra in Raiders of the Lost Ark. Nicolas Cage’s character is also named Benjamin Franklin Gates, so they had to show some Philly love. Trading Places This comedic version of the prince and the pauper tale is set in an affluent neighborhood in Philadelphia, and in the offices of a commodity brokerage downtown. It’s a double rags to riches tale, with Winthorpe and Billy Ray (Dan Ackroyd and Eddie Murphy) swapping places before they turn the tables on the Duke brothers and bankrupt them as well. Winthorpe’s mansion is actually a real location in a ritzy part of town, and many of the downtown scenes key Philadelphia locations and even local television reporters as extras. Although Randolph and Mortimer return briefly in Murphy’s Coming to America, they’re seen as bums in New York, and not Philadelphia. Witness Ironically, most of this key Philadelphia movie doesn’t take place in the city at all, but rather in the Amish communities of nearby rural Lancaster County. The film opens with a very young Lukas Haas witnessing a murder, which leads to a conspiracy within the city’s police department. Police Captain John Book, played by Harrison Ford, is shot while discovering this, and takes Haas back home to protect him. However, he collapses from his bullet wound, and is nursed back to health by a bonnet-wearing Kelly McGillis. He stays on to protect the boy, and is eventually accepted by the community before offing the bad guys and returning to the big city. 12 Monkeys While this Terry Gilliam post-apocalyptic film is set mostly in modern-day Baltimore and Philadelphia, it’s the shots of the virus ravaged Philly that are the most haunting. Bruce Willis roams the future devastated landscape in his steampunk environmental suit while encountering wild animals and looking for clues that can help the human race repopulate and return to the surface. The iconic ending sequence in the airport was actually shot inside the Philadelphia Convention Center, and the asylum where Willis is a patient is the Eastern State Penitentiary, which is the one of two things Charles Dickens wanted to see when he visited the U.S. The other was Niagara Falls. Originally posted on:SpoutBlog
]]>Mon, 27 Oct 2008 23:00:43 GMTSpoutBlogSpoutBlog on spout.com10/27/2008 7:00:43 PMIt’s been more than 100 years since the Philadelphia Quakers changed their name to the Philadelphia Philadelphians, which was thankfully shortened to “Phillies” very quickly, probably by printers who were afraid of using up all of their ‘P’s in the printing press. Since being founded in 1883, they’ve been one of the most tenacious teams in baseball, winning six pennants, and the World Series in 1980. In fact, in all of American sports (not just baseball), the Phillies are the team that’s been in one city with one name for the longest time. They’re one game away from another World Series win tonight, despite being the Major League team with the most losses in history. We celebrate their scrappiness with a list of quintessential Philadelphia movies. Check them out after the break. Rocky When most people think about Philadelphia and movies, the first thing that springs to mind is the iconic shot of Rocky Balboa running up the stairs to the Philadelphia Museum of Art and triumphantly pumping his fists to the sky from Rocky. City Commerce Director Dick Doran said Sylvester Stallone and the movie did more for Philadelphia’s image than Ben Franklin,  and that scene has probably been recreated by thousands of people that visit the city. In fact, the closing credits of Rocky Balboa is a long montage of images of people imitating his famous run, and there are countless fan recreations on YouTube. The Philadelphia Story Even though it’s set entirely on a Hollywood soundstage, this 1940 film skewers Philadelphia high society  in a comedy of errors. It also features Katherine Hepburn, Jimmy Stewart, and Cary Grant at the top of their game, with Stewart winning an Oscar for Best Actor for his role. Katherine Hepburn had previously starred in the Broadway play the film is based on, and eccentric billionaire Howard Hughes bought the film rights for the play and gave them to her as a gift. Which was somewhat ironic, since Philip Barry had written the play for her in an effort to bring her back to Broadway. It’s still one of the best-written romantic comedies of all time, and the city of brotherly love is probably proud of the fact that its name is in the title. Mannequin Set in the famous Wanamaker’s department store in downtown Philadelphia, this is one of those quintessential 1980s movies that critics hated, but audiences adored. Although this story about window display mannequin come to life might not hold up well today, it has grossed over $42 million dollars and was considered such a success that they made a sequel in 1991 called Mannequin Too: On The Move. That one didn’t do quite so well. The original featured both Andrew McCarthy during his rise in the Brat Pack, and Kim Cattrall in her pre-pre-pre Sex and the City days. Besides giving us Starship’s “Nothing’s Gonna Stop Us Now,” the film has become iconically linked with Philadelphia through Wanamaker’s, now a Macy’s, which was the first department store in Philly and one of the first in the United States in 1876. Philadelphia This movie provided the one-two punch of a powerful performance from Tom Hanks along with Bruce Springsteen’s “Streets of Philadelphia” song, both of which netted Oscars. This film not only addressed AIDS and gay issues in a straightforward manner that was extremely new for Hollywood, it helped open the door for future films and even television series in the sexually conservative (at least in gay and lesbian terms) entertainment industry. It also was shot in key locations around the city, including the courtroom scenes which were filmed in an actual court in Philadelphia. Ironically, Denzel Washington’s character says he prays that the Phillies will win the pennant, and when this film came out in 1993 they did just that. The Sixth Sense M. Night Shyamalan famously shoots all of his movies in or around Philadelphia, and this is easily his most famous. Shymalan goes out of his way to show that the film is set in his hometown, including in the opening scene where Bruce Willis and Olivia Williams are looking at a citation Willis has just received from the mayor. The camera pans all the way down to show the words “of Philadelphia.” The film also features several key locations in South Philadelphia. The filmmaker has continued to show love for the city, although audiences haven’t been loving his movies. The Sixth Sense grossed over $600 million at the worldwide box office, but his latest, The Happening, has only pulled in $163 million. Dawn of the Dead Although most of this film takes place in a shopping mall in Monroeville, PA, the action starts in Philadelphia with the main characters fleeing from pandemonium in the city via helicopter. The entire city has become overrun with zombies, which is probably high time to leave any city. The Philadelphia S.W.A.T. team responds to an apartment building full of zombies, which doesn’t turn out so well for them since zombie attack from your reanimated dead loved one probably isn’t in the training manual. Romero shot the film in and around Philadelphia for around $650,000 dollars in 1978, and it still stands as one of the best horror movies of all time and the strongest in his zombie trilogy which includes Night of the Living Dead and Day of the Dead. National Treasure Right on the heels of the success of The Da Vinci Code came this Nicolas Cage starrer with historic clues to lost treasure hidden in Philadelphia. The central clue in the film is the Declaration of Independence, which leads the main characters to Independence Hall (where the Declaration was signed) in Philadelphia where they find a pair of special glasses hidden by Philadelphia’s most famous historical resident, Benjamin Franklin. Although the treasure ends up being underneath an old church in Boston, the scenes in Philadelphia with the secret brick and Franklin’s glasses are one of the most interesting homages to Indiana Jones’ headpiece to the Staff of Ra in Raiders of the Lost Ark. Nicolas Cage’s character is also named Benjamin Franklin Gates, so they had to show some Philly love. Trading Places This comedic version of the prince and the pauper tale is set in an affluent neighborhood in Philadelphia, and in the offices of a commodity brokerage downtown. It’s a double rags to riches tale, with Winthorpe and Billy Ray (Dan Ackroyd and Eddie Murphy) swapping places before they turn the tables on the Duke brothers and bankrupt them as well. Winthorpe’s mansion is actually a real location in a ritzy part of town, and many of the downtown scenes key Philadelphia locations and even local television reporters as extras. Although Randolph and Mortimer return briefly in Murphy’s Coming to America, they’re seen as bums in New York, and not Philadelphia. Witness Ironically, most of this key Philadelphia movie doesn’t take place in the city at all, but rather in the Amish communities of nearby rural Lancaster County. The film opens with a very young Lukas Haas witnessing a murder, which leads to a conspiracy within the city’s police department. Police Captain John Book, played by Harrison Ford, is shot while discovering this, and takes Haas back home to protect him. However, he collapses from his bullet wound, and is nursed back to health by a bonnet-wearing Kelly McGillis. He stays on to protect the boy, and is eventually accepted by the community before offing the bad guys and returning to the big city. 12 Monkeys While this Terry Gilliam post-apocalyptic film is set mostly in modern-day Baltimore and Philadelphia, it’s the shots of the virus ravaged Philly that are the most haunting. Bruce Willis roams the future devastated landscape in his steampunk environmental suit while encountering wild animals and looking for clues that can help the human race repopulate and return to the surface. The iconic ending sequence in the airport was actually shot inside the Philadelphia Convention Center, and the asylum where Willis is a patient is the Eastern State Penitentiary, which is the one of two things Charles Dickens wanted to see when he visited the U.S. The other was Niagara Falls. Originally posted on:SpoutBlog http://www.spout.com/blogs/spoutblog/archive/2008/9/24/35507.aspx Post By: SpoutBlog
Post To: SpoutBlog on spout.com
Post Date: 9/24/2008 5:00:59 PM
Body: Yesterday I wrote of the news that Wanted director Timur Bekmambetov is helming an effects-heavy adaptation of Herman Melville’s Moby Dick. It’s not entirely shocking, but it does still seem like a cruel joke. More specifically, it sounds like something Jasper Fforde would jest about in his Thursday Next novels. Of course, the news came just as I’m in the middle of Fforde’s latest, First Among Sequels, in which Pride and Prejudice is turned into a reality TV show. Although I’m not exactly well read as far as literary classics go, I’ve been wondering what other revered books (particularly those in the public domain) could be reworked as potential summer blockbusters. Obviously, there are certain sci-fi, fantasy and adventure novels that work, yet the fitting fictions of Verne, Wells, Burroughs, Dumas and others are already fodder for cheap movies with lots of action and/or special effects. Therefore, I’ve tried to limit my choices to those books that aren’t such easy candidates for a Memorial Day weekend opening. 1. The Divine Comedy by Dante Alighieri Dante’s epic poem has inspired a few films over the years, including the hugely successful 1911 silent L’Inferno, but it’s about time for Hollywood to bastardize the otherworldly tale with lots of computer-generated visuals. Maybe you’re thinking that What Dreams Come already made some attempt at this, and it failed at the box office. Sure, but it was still an awesome spectacle of a film. Now, think of something similar starring Will Smith as Dante. And some rewrites to allow for more fight scenes (yes, even in Heaven). The poem will be divided into a trilogy of films, of course. 2. Gulliver’s Travels by Jonathan Swift Georges Méliès, the original visual-effects cinema showman, made the first adaptation of Swift’s satire, and a later version featured special effects from stop-motion master Ray Harryhausen. The last adaptation also had decent effects, at least for a TV miniseries, but it’s high time for a new big screen attempt, which shall employ all the latest effects innovations. And Will Ferrell. It should also have a more contemporary setting and lose all the allegory and commentary stuff. Nobody needs to be thinking about antiquated messages at the multiplex; they just want to watch giant people destroying little cities, pirate attacks and other straightforward spectacles. 3. Candide by Voltaire Similarly, Voltaire’s satire could be made into a more straightforward adventure through life’s calamities. And yet just by adhering to the basic plot, the main idea could still be communicated without making the audience think they’ve actually been made to think about it. It should probably be modernized, and it should probably star Shia LaBeouf. 4. Scaramouche by Rafael Sabatini I guess a modernization of this classic would seem like just any other movie about a man forced into hiding as an actor, and a more faithful adaptation would probably not feature a better swordfight than the one in MGM’s 1952 version. So, it should be reset in the future, should star James Franco, who is due for more action and more comedy, and be some kind of cross between Sister Act and Star Wars. 5. Oedipus Rex by Sophocles I’m picturing Nicolas Cage in yet another movie involving prophecies. Only in this one, he not only can’t avoid killing his father and mating with his mother, he also fails to save the world from an apocalypse. See, the movie is about how you can’t change your destiny, and it’s also about a lot of cool and disastrous destruction occurring at the film’s climax. 6. The Metamorphosis by Franz Kafka Matt Damon is reunited with director Terry Gilliam for an absurd action movie that’s as much The Bourne Identity as it is The Metamorphosis. Damon plays Gregor, a man who wakes up one day to find he’s a giant bug. That’s about as far as Kafka’s story is retained. From there, he must go on the run while being chased by an organization of pest control operatives in an attempt to find out why he’s transformed and how he can return to human form. 7. Treasure Island by Robert Louis Stevenson I know, it’s been filmed a billion times, and it’s technically one of those books I wanted to exclude on account of its ease in becoming a blockbuster. But here’s the thing: it would be completely different this time, and I don’t mean because it will be set in space. That’s already been done. No, instead, thanks to the success of the Pirates of the Caribbean movies, the story of Jim Hawkins (Cameron Bright) and Long John Silver (Gerard Butler) will include some paranormal additions, courtesy of Hollywood’s idea of poetic license. 8. The Last Days of Pompeii by Edward Bulwer-Lytton I don’t know if this is still considered a classic, but as long as the adaptation of Robert Harris’ Pompeii book (which was once to be directed by Roman Polanski) is struggling to get made, now is the chance for some big producer to get a blockbuster made out of this book. And worse comes to worse, there ends up being competing Pompeii movies, which would fit in with the tradition of disaster movies anyway. 9. The Prince and the Pauper by Mark Twain In a way, this movie will just be a combo of Trading Places and Face/Off, but it will have that more respectable title and a less respectable script. And Nic Cage can again play twins. 10. Don Quixote by Cervantes Many of cinema’s greatest filmmakers have had the ambition to make a great adaptation of Cervantes’ masterpiece. And now it’s time for Michael Bay to admit he’d also like to give it a try. And with a big enough budget, he’ll succeed, though it won’t exactly be faithful to the book. Instead it will be about a man (Nic Cage again) who’s seen too many action movies and so, with great delusions, takes it upon himself to become an action hero. I can’t wait to watch all those windmills explode! Originally posted on:SpoutBlog
]]>Wed, 24 Sep 2008 21:00:59 GMTSpoutBlogSpoutBlog on spout.com9/24/2008 5:00:59 PMYesterday I wrote of the news that Wanted director Timur Bekmambetov is helming an effects-heavy adaptation of Herman Melville’s Moby Dick. It’s not entirely shocking, but it does still seem like a cruel joke. More specifically, it sounds like something Jasper Fforde would jest about in his Thursday Next novels. Of course, the news came just as I’m in the middle of Fforde’s latest, First Among Sequels, in which Pride and Prejudice is turned into a reality TV show. Although I’m not exactly well read as far as literary classics go, I’ve been wondering what other revered books (particularly those in the public domain) could be reworked as potential summer blockbusters. Obviously, there are certain sci-fi, fantasy and adventure novels that work, yet the fitting fictions of Verne, Wells, Burroughs, Dumas and others are already fodder for cheap movies with lots of action and/or special effects. Therefore, I’ve tried to limit my choices to those books that aren’t such easy candidates for a Memorial Day weekend opening. 1. The Divine Comedy by Dante Alighieri Dante’s epic poem has inspired a few films over the years, including the hugely successful 1911 silent L’Inferno, but it’s about time for Hollywood to bastardize the otherworldly tale with lots of computer-generated visuals. Maybe you’re thinking that What Dreams Come already made some attempt at this, and it failed at the box office. Sure, but it was still an awesome spectacle of a film. Now, think of something similar starring Will Smith as Dante. And some rewrites to allow for more fight scenes (yes, even in Heaven). The poem will be divided into a trilogy of films, of course. 2. Gulliver’s Travels by Jonathan Swift Georges Méliès, the original visual-effects cinema showman, made the first adaptation of Swift’s satire, and a later version featured special effects from stop-motion master Ray Harryhausen. The last adaptation also had decent effects, at least for a TV miniseries, but it’s high time for a new big screen attempt, which shall employ all the latest effects innovations. And Will Ferrell. It should also have a more contemporary setting and lose all the allegory and commentary stuff. Nobody needs to be thinking about antiquated messages at the multiplex; they just want to watch giant people destroying little cities, pirate attacks and other straightforward spectacles. 3. Candide by Voltaire Similarly, Voltaire’s satire could be made into a more straightforward adventure through life’s calamities. And yet just by adhering to the basic plot, the main idea could still be communicated without making the audience think they’ve actually been made to think about it. It should probably be modernized, and it should probably star Shia LaBeouf. 4. Scaramouche by Rafael Sabatini I guess a modernization of this classic would seem like just any other movie about a man forced into hiding as an actor, and a more faithful adaptation would probably not feature a better swordfight than the one in MGM’s 1952 version. So, it should be reset in the future, should star James Franco, who is due for more action and more comedy, and be some kind of cross between Sister Act and Star Wars. 5. Oedipus Rex by Sophocles I’m picturing Nicolas Cage in yet another movie involving prophecies. Only in this one, he not only can’t avoid killing his father and mating with his mother, he also fails to save the world from an apocalypse. See, the movie is about how you can’t change your destiny, and it’s also about a lot of cool and disastrous destruction occurring at the film’s climax. 6. The Metamorphosis by Franz Kafka Matt Damon is reunited with director Terry Gilliam for an absurd action movie that’s as much The Bourne Identity as it is The Metamorphosis. Damon plays Gregor, a man who wakes up one day to find he’s a giant bug. That’s about as far as Kafka’s story is retained. From there, he must go on the run while being chased by an organization of pest control operatives in an attempt to find out why he’s transformed and how he can return to human form. 7. Treasure Island by Robert Louis Stevenson I know, it’s been filmed a billion times, and it’s technically one of those books I wanted to exclude on account of its ease in becoming a blockbuster. But here’s the thing: it would be completely different this time, and I don’t mean because it will be set in space. That’s already been done. No, instead, thanks to the success of the Pirates of the Caribbean movies, the story of Jim Hawkins (Cameron Bright) and Long John Silver (Gerard Butler) will include some paranormal additions, courtesy of Hollywood’s idea of poetic license. 8. The Last Days of Pompeii by Edward Bulwer-Lytton I don’t know if this is still considered a classic, but as long as the adaptation of Robert Harris’ Pompeii book (which was once to be directed by Roman Polanski) is struggling to get made, now is the chance for some big producer to get a blockbuster made out of this book. And worse comes to worse, there ends up being competing Pompeii movies, which would fit in with the tradition of disaster movies anyway. 9. The Prince and the Pauper by Mark Twain In a way, this movie will just be a combo of Trading Places and Face/Off, but it will have that more respectable title and a less respectable script. And Nic Cage can again play twins. 10. Don Quixote by Cervantes Many of cinema’s greatest filmmakers have had the ambition to make a great adaptation of Cervantes’ masterpiece. And now it’s time for Michael Bay to admit he’d also like to give it a try. And with a big enough budget, he’ll succeed, though it won’t exactly be faithful to the book. Instead it will be about a man (Nic Cage again) who’s seen too many action movies and so, with great delusions, takes it upon himself to become an action hero. I can’t wait to watch all those windmills explode! Originally posted on:SpoutBlog http://www.spout.com/blogs/spoutblog/archive/2008/9/16/35197.aspx Post By: SpoutBlog
Post To: SpoutBlog on spout.com
Post Date: 9/16/2008 2:01:08 PM
Body: I’m probably the least financial-minded person there is, and I’ve never owned a stock, bond or whatever else people invest in. But I am an expert on being broke, being poor, being frugal and, most importantly, putting things into perspective. What I mean is, whenever I feel like things just can’t get any worse for me money-wise, I think of the people who are or were actually worse off than I am. And by people, I mostly mean characters from the movies. So, as you may be worrying about your finances after Black Monday, consider dropping by the video store on your way home from the office (or job interview) today. Invest a few bucks into your own sanity and happiness by renting one of the following movies. Don’t worry, I’ve tried to make the selections rather common and accessible. If you’re like any of the financial guys and girls I know, you’re not likely the sort to go for obscure or difficult cinema. And if you are of the sort, then you probably don’t need this list anyway. The Grapes of Wrath (1940) Let’s begin with one of the basics, a movie that will make you glad you at least aren’t living through the Great Depression. There are tons of films from and about the era, but this is perhaps the definitive example, adapted from John Steinbeck’s definitive story of the Okie migration. At times I’ve felt like I can identify with the financial hardships of the Joads, particularly when I’ve been after a job that tons of other people are after, too. But there’s really no comparison, and you’re likely to agree. After seeing the family’s struggle, you’ll be glad you don’t have it so bad. But you’ll also hopefully be lifted up by the conclusive speeches of both Tom and Ma Joad, who inspire us all to keep on keeping on, no matter what the setback. American Madness (1932) Going back a little earlier, here’s another film dealing with the Great Depression (though not as directly), and one that’s more relative to the current situation of bank failures. Its plot deals with a bank that is robbed and then rumored to be out of money, leading to a withdrawal panic. Released one year prior to the creation of the FDIC, it may be a comforting reminder of how much more secure your deposits are today. (Even if it is a potential problem that the FDIC doesn’t exactly have as much money as it insures against.) Nine Queens (2000) A lot of films dealing with cons can be watched to ease the suffering of financial woes. But then you have to realize that while you may be better off than the victim who has lost all his savings or seen his casino vault emptied, you’ll still want to hate the con artist who gets away with the fortune. With Nine Queens, there is indeed one of those guys you’ll be upset with in the end, but the film has an extra level to it than most movies about a long con, because it’s set amidst Argentina’s economic collapse at the turn of this century. Like the desperate bank run scenes from American Madness, a similar scene involving a crisis at a Buenos Aires bank should leave you a little more optimistic about the current situation in the U.S. Surely we could never experience as critical an economic failure as they did in Argentina, right? One more thing: don’t dare rent the inferior American remake, Criminal, which just doesn’t have the same relevance. I Served the King of England (2006) You won’t find this in the video store just yet, but hopefully it’s playing in a theater near you (currently it’s on 37 screens). I’ve so far contrasted your possibly upsetting financial situation with that of sufferers of the Great Depression and of the Argentine economic crisis. Now, here’s the worse-off situation of the Czechs under Nazi occupation and then communism. Filled with irony and wit, this film should, unlike some of the rest, put a smile on your face while also making you thankful that you didn’t have the misfortune of becoming a millionaire right on the brink of your nation’s change to communism. If there’s anything worse than losing your fortune, it’s losing your fortune and being sent to prison for having such a fortune. Enron: The Smartest Guys in the Room (2005) On the other side of the coin, you may want to watch this documentary about the Enron scandal if you are more angry about your economic situation and would rather see a villain sent to prison for corruptly amassing a great fortune. Of course, while the protagonist of I Served the King of England is a lot more lovable, his riches aren’t exactly free from sin, either. And if you’re completely averse to watching either a doc or a foreign film, you could just watch Wall Street again and take out your frustration on Gordon Gekko. Bicycle Thieves (1948) Hopefully you’re not against foreign films, though, because anyone experiencing a financial crunch should take a look at this Italian neorealist classic. Any time I’ve felt helpless due to unemployment or lack of money, I remember that at least I have a certain level of education and skill to fall back on, unlike poor Antonio, who can’t get work after his bicycle is stolen. Films with similar stories inspired by DeSica’s masterpiece, including Cyclo and Man Push Cart (but probably not Pee-Wee’s Big Adventure), may also be worth a look. Grey Gardens (1975) Also, hopefully you aren’t completely against watching a documentary, especially one that’s a little more lighthearted than Enron. Of course, watching two nutty former socialites living in squalor and allowing a once-beautiful mansion to fall apart could possibly make you just as irate. Just be glad that your own riches to rags story doesn’t involve tons of feral cats and a seemingly oblivious daughter who will one day be a poster girl for drag queens. Trading Places (1983) Despite whatever happens with the current economic disaster, America will always be a place where one can get rich as quickly as one can lose it all, and no movie focuses on that truth as well as this comedy, about a bet to see how easily a bum can be made a millionaire, and a millionaire can be made a bum. Plus, it’s always nice to watch the greedy Duke brothers get their just deserts in the end. Just don’t watch Coming to America afterward, so as to pretend they never come back. The Pursuit of Happyness (2006) A lot of people are too cynical to enjoy this movie, but when you’re down in the dumps, especially financially, it’s a good pick-me-up, both for the uplifting story and the general American dream idea that one can truly rise from such poverty to such success as the real Chris Gardner did. Of course, given the current events, getting excited about a man struggling for a career in the financial world may not be so easy. I wonder if there are any good movies about working hard and making it big that don’t involve finance, sports or the entertainment industry. The Gold Rush (1925) In the Depression-set movie Sullivan’s Travels, it’s realized that audiences struggling with financial difficulties and other real-life woes would rather watch comedies than serious films focused on social problems. In that film, it’s a Disney cartoon called Playful Pluto that gives evidence of this, but it’s widely known that Preston Sturgis intended to use a Chaplin picture instead. So, as the final movie selection for the economically depressed, here’s one of the more fitting Chaplin features. While any film involving the Little Tramp could possibly serve to relatively lift you up, there’s just nothing better than watching Chaplin eat his boot and then being thankful for what you’ll be eating for dinner tonight. Now, I must address the possible outcry over the idea of making oneself feel better through the suffering of others. Yes, it’s terrible what people have had and still have to go through, both in America and around the world. Poverty is no joke, and it’s not exactly something that exists merely to balance out the brattiness of those not living in and with such poor conditions. So, I encourage you to, after watching whatever movie lifts your spirits up, find it in your heart to also be inspired to help someone less fortunate than yourself. Originally posted on:SpoutBlog
]]>Tue, 16 Sep 2008 18:01:08 GMTSpoutBlogSpoutBlog on spout.com9/16/2008 2:01:08 PM I’m probably the least financial-minded person there is, and I’ve never owned a stock, bond or whatever else people invest in. But I am an expert on being broke, being poor, being frugal and, most importantly, putting things into perspective. What I mean is, whenever I feel like things just can’t get any worse for me money-wise, I think of the people who are or were actually worse off than I am. And by people, I mostly mean characters from the movies. So, as you may be worrying about your finances after Black Monday, consider dropping by the video store on your way home from the office (or job interview) today. Invest a few bucks into your own sanity and happiness by renting one of the following movies. Don’t worry, I’ve tried to make the selections rather common and accessible. If you’re like any of the financial guys and girls I know, you’re not likely the sort to go for obscure or difficult cinema. And if you are of the sort, then you probably don’t need this list anyway. The Grapes of Wrath (1940) Let’s begin with one of the basics, a movie that will make you glad you at least aren’t living through the Great Depression. There are tons of films from and about the era, but this is perhaps the definitive example, adapted from John Steinbeck’s definitive story of the Okie migration. At times I’ve felt like I can identify with the financial hardships of the Joads, particularly when I’ve been after a job that tons of other people are after, too. But there’s really no comparison, and you’re likely to agree. After seeing the family’s struggle, you’ll be glad you don’t have it so bad. But you’ll also hopefully be lifted up by the conclusive speeches of both Tom and Ma Joad, who inspire us all to keep on keeping on, no matter what the setback. American Madness (1932) Going back a little earlier, here’s another film dealing with the Great Depression (though not as directly), and one that’s more relative to the current situation of bank failures. Its plot deals with a bank that is robbed and then rumored to be out of money, leading to a withdrawal panic. Released one year prior to the creation of the FDIC, it may be a comforting reminder of how much more secure your deposits are today. (Even if it is a potential problem that the FDIC doesn’t exactly have as much money as it insures against.) Nine Queens (2000) A lot of films dealing with cons can be watched to ease the suffering of financial woes. But then you have to realize that while you may be better off than the victim who has lost all his savings or seen his casino vault emptied, you’ll still want to hate the con artist who gets away with the fortune. With Nine Queens, there is indeed one of those guys you’ll be upset with in the end, but the film has an extra level to it than most movies about a long con, because it’s set amidst Argentina’s economic collapse at the turn of this century. Like the desperate bank run scenes from American Madness, a similar scene involving a crisis at a Buenos Aires bank should leave you a little more optimistic about the current situation in the U.S. Surely we could never experience as critical an economic failure as they did in Argentina, right? One more thing: don’t dare rent the inferior American remake, Criminal, which just doesn’t have the same relevance. I Served the King of England (2006) You won’t find this in the video store just yet, but hopefully it’s playing in a theater near you (currently it’s on 37 screens). I’ve so far contrasted your possibly upsetting financial situation with that of sufferers of the Great Depression and of the Argentine economic crisis. Now, here’s the worse-off situation of the Czechs under Nazi occupation and then communism. Filled with irony and wit, this film should, unlike some of the rest, put a smile on your face while also making you thankful that you didn’t have the misfortune of becoming a millionaire right on the brink of your nation’s change to communism. If there’s anything worse than losing your fortune, it’s losing your fortune and being sent to prison for having such a fortune. Enron: The Smartest Guys in the Room (2005) On the other side of the coin, you may want to watch this documentary about the Enron scandal if you are more angry about your economic situation and would rather see a villain sent to prison for corruptly amassing a great fortune. Of course, while the protagonist of I Served the King of England is a lot more lovable, his riches aren’t exactly free from sin, either. And if you’re completely averse to watching either a doc or a foreign film, you could just watch Wall Street again and take out your frustration on Gordon Gekko. Bicycle Thieves (1948) Hopefully you’re not against foreign films, though, because anyone experiencing a financial crunch should take a look at this Italian neorealist classic. Any time I’ve felt helpless due to unemployment or lack of money, I remember that at least I have a certain level of education and skill to fall back on, unlike poor Antonio, who can’t get work after his bicycle is stolen. Films with similar stories inspired by DeSica’s masterpiece, including Cyclo and Man Push Cart (but probably not Pee-Wee’s Big Adventure), may also be worth a look. Grey Gardens (1975) Also, hopefully you aren’t completely against watching a documentary, especially one that’s a little more lighthearted than Enron. Of course, watching two nutty former socialites living in squalor and allowing a once-beautiful mansion to fall apart could possibly make you just as irate. Just be glad that your own riches to rags story doesn’t involve tons of feral cats and a seemingly oblivious daughter who will one day be a poster girl for drag queens. Trading Places (1983) Despite whatever happens with the current economic disaster, America will always be a place where one can get rich as quickly as one can lose it all, and no movie focuses on that truth as well as this comedy, about a bet to see how easily a bum can be made a millionaire, and a millionaire can be made a bum. Plus, it’s always nice to watch the greedy Duke brothers get their just deserts in the end. Just don’t watch Coming to America afterward, so as to pretend they never come back. The Pursuit of Happyness (2006) A lot of people are too cynical to enjoy this movie, but when you’re down in the dumps, especially financially, it’s a good pick-me-up, both for the uplifting story and the general American dream idea that one can truly rise from such poverty to such success as the real Chris Gardner did. Of course, given the current events, getting excited about a man struggling for a career in the financial world may not be so easy. I wonder if there are any good movies about working hard and making it big that don’t involve finance, sports or the entertainment industry. The Gold Rush (1925) In the Depression-set movie Sullivan’s Travels, it’s realized that audiences struggling with financial difficulties and other real-life woes would rather watch comedies than serious films focused on social problems. In that film, it’s a Disney cartoon called Playful Pluto that gives evidence of this, but it’s widely known that Preston Sturgis intended to use a Chaplin picture instead. So, as the final movie selection for the economically depressed, here’s one of the more fitting Chaplin features. While any film involving the Little Tramp could possibly serve to relatively lift you up, there’s just nothing better than watching Chaplin eat his boot and then being thankful for what you’ll be eating for dinner tonight. Now, I must address the possible outcry over the idea of making oneself feel better through the suffering of others. Yes, it’s terrible what people have had and still have to go through, both in America and around the world. Poverty is no joke, and it’s not exactly something that exists merely to balance out the brattiness of those not living in and with such poor conditions. So, I encourage you to, after watching whatever movie lifts your spirits up, find it in your heart to also be inspired to help someone less fortunate than yourself. Originally posted on:SpoutBlog http://www.spout.com/blogs/spoutblog/archive/2008/8/8/33761.aspx Post By: SpoutBlog
Post To: SpoutBlog on spout.com
Post Date: 8/8/2008 2:00:37 PM
Body: Yesterday’s list dealt with Tom Cruise’s performance in Tropic Thunder. Today, a response to Robert Downey Jr.’s role in the same film as a white actor portraying a black soldier in a war movie (seen in the above clip). Doesn’t it seem such an original and shocking idea? I guess not if you see it as an update on blackface. Fortunately, it’s different when it’s an actor playing a character who makes himself up to look black. It’s funny. But isn’t it typically more acceptable when the make-up isn’t quite as authentic-looking as Downey’s? He actually looks black. Specifically, he looks like Fred Williamson. I’ve seen plenty of lists detailing the worst instances of one race or nationality playing characters of another race/nationality (John Wayne and Susan Hayward in The Conqueror comes to mind as #1), but I can’t recall any lists involving actors playing characters disguised as or playing another race. So here’s one: My Geisha (”Lucy Dell”/”Yoko Mori”) - Shirley Maclaine is an American movie star who fools her filmmaker husband when she disguises herself as Japanese in order to win the lead role in his latest movie. She’s so good that throughout the whole production, he thinks he’s shamefully falling for a woman who isn’t his wife. But really, she’s not so much passing for Japanese as she is passing for the look of a geisha, which itself is not an ethnicity but a costume. Still, the makeup designer (Shu Uemura) pinned Maclaine’s eyes back in a way that wasn’t always done for “yellowface” in Hollywood films. The method (seen here) looks like it must have been excruciatingly painful. Gambit (”Nicole Chang”) - A few years after My Geisha, Maclaine played white playing Asian again in this crime caper starring Michael Caine, but this time her primary character is apparently part-Asian already, hence her surname, Chang. So, I guess she’s more like Eurasian playing more exaggerated Asian. Shanghai Noon (”Chon Wang”) - Did you know that Chinese and Native Americans look the same? You don’t even have to do anything cosmetic. Well, maybe some war paint. Otherwise, just put some Native American dress on Jackie Chan, and he’ll pass as an Injun. Or a Jew? (see this gag). Once Upon a Time in China and America (”Wong Fei-Hung”) - In that part of Shanghai Noon, Chan’s racial “transformation” was likely referencing this film, directed by his oft-collaborator Sammo Hung Kam-Bo, in which an amnesia-inflicted Jet Li mistakes himself for Native American. Which is even more ridiculous when considering that all the Native Americans in this sixth installment of the Once Upon a Time in China series were apparently played by white actors. Black Like Me (”John Finley Horton”) - The problem with this adaptation of John Howard Griffin’s memoir is that James Whitmore doesn’t look all that convincing as a black guy. Eddie Murphy was more convincing the other way around in the old SNL skit when he goes undercover as a white man. Soul Man (”Mark Watson”) - Even C. Thomas Howell looked more black in this unofficial remake. The thing I truly don’t buy with this movie, though, is how Rae Dawn Chong’s character forgives him and even falls for him at the end despite the fact that he pretended to be another race to win the scholarship she should have won. That couple belongs on the list I compiled earlier this year of romances that probably didn’t last. True Identity (”Miles Pope”) - Going back to the Eddie Murphy thing, I never realized that this early ’90s comedy was actually a feature-length spin-off of that SNL skit (both were written by Andy Breckman) combined with the ol’ accidental murder witness plot of Some Like It Hot, Pineapple Express, etc. Here, the witness is a black actor (British comedian Lenny Henry) who disguises himself as white. I’ve never seen True Identity, nor can I even find any stills from the movie (the image above comes from the Siskel & Ebert review), but in the Washington Post review, Henry is said to resemble Mr. Potato Head more than an actual white guy. Trading Places (”Louis Winthorpe III”) - Another Eddie Murphy connection. Here it’s Dan Aykroyd, though, whose character changes race. Let me tell you: I know this reggae singer who sounds authentically Jamaican and almost seems to think he’s actually Jamaican. But he’s still just a white guy in dreads. Yet I have to give him credit for being more passable as Jamaican than Louis. Silver Streak (”George Cardwell”) - Maybe it’s just easier to fool people on trains. A few years before Aykroyd’s character did it in Trading Places, Gene Wilder’s character attempted to look black in order to sneak past some cops and get onto a train. I get the tradition to portray policemen as stupid, but nobody is that stupid. The Master of Disguise (”Pistachio Disguisey”) - Among the many disguises Dana Carvey’s character takes on in this lame comedy, a few are offensively ethnic, including Indian and Cuban (really just an impersonation of Al Pacino as Tony Montana from Scarface). The fact that this guy is supposed to be the greatest master of disguises is upsetting. The fact that so many children saw the thing was even more upsetting. Zelig (”Leonard Zelig”) - The titular “Chameleon Man” character of Woody Allen’s mockumentary also “becomes” other ethnicities, such as African American, Chinese and Native American. The fact that he always still just looks like Woody Allen is part of the joke, though. Torch Song (”Jenny Stewart”) - Most of the time I don’t even buy Joan Crawford as a white woman, but in this movie her character performs in blackface for the infamous number “Two Faced Woman,” and she looks even less authentic as an African American woman. Maybe one day I’ll figure out what race and gender I would have actually accepted her as. Sexless alien creature? (YouTube clip, unauthorized for embedding, can be found here). L’eclisse (”Vittoria”) - Maybe I’m just used to seeing women with too much bronzer or too many tanning salon visits, but when Monica Vitti’s character goes blackface for a tribal dance in this Antonioni film, she simply looks like a white girl who has darkened her skin. I guess she’s not really trying to pass (neither is Crawford in Torch Song), but her costume isn’t traditional minstrel-type blackface, either. Krippendorf’s Tribe (”Shelly Krippendorf”) - To produce a fake documentary program on a made up lost tribe, James Krippendorf (Richard Dreyfuss) disguises his children in black skin and junky tribal costume. But as even his daughter (Natasha Lyonne) admits, she looks more like Tammy Faye Baker than a native of New Guinea. White Chicks (”Kevin Copeland” and “Marcus Copeland”) - Quite possibly the least convincing racial disguises of all time, Shawn and Marlon Wayans play two FBI agents (so I guess this list is actually of 16 characters) who go undercover as Paris Hilton types. But they look like a cross between a Michael Jackson Halloween mask and Eric Stoltz in Mask. Originally posted on:SpoutBlog
]]>Fri, 08 Aug 2008 18:00:37 GMTSpoutBlogSpoutBlog on spout.com8/8/2008 2:00:37 PM Yesterday’s list dealt with Tom Cruise’s performance in Tropic Thunder. Today, a response to Robert Downey Jr.’s role in the same film as a white actor portraying a black soldier in a war movie (seen in the above clip). Doesn’t it seem such an original and shocking idea? I guess not if you see it as an update on blackface. Fortunately, it’s different when it’s an actor playing a character who makes himself up to look black. It’s funny. But isn’t it typically more acceptable when the make-up isn’t quite as authentic-looking as Downey’s? He actually looks black. Specifically, he looks like Fred Williamson. I’ve seen plenty of lists detailing the worst instances of one race or nationality playing characters of another race/nationality (John Wayne and Susan Hayward in The Conqueror comes to mind as #1), but I can’t recall any lists involving actors playing characters disguised as or playing another race. So here’s one: My Geisha (”Lucy Dell”/”Yoko Mori”) - Shirley Maclaine is an American movie star who fools her filmmaker husband when she disguises herself as Japanese in order to win the lead role in his latest movie. She’s so good that throughout the whole production, he thinks he’s shamefully falling for a woman who isn’t his wife. But really, she’s not so much passing for Japanese as she is passing for the look of a geisha, which itself is not an ethnicity but a costume. Still, the makeup designer (Shu Uemura) pinned Maclaine’s eyes back in a way that wasn’t always done for “yellowface” in Hollywood films. The method (seen here) looks like it must have been excruciatingly painful. Gambit (”Nicole Chang”) - A few years after My Geisha, Maclaine played white playing Asian again in this crime caper starring Michael Caine, but this time her primary character is apparently part-Asian already, hence her surname, Chang. So, I guess she’s more like Eurasian playing more exaggerated Asian. Shanghai Noon (”Chon Wang”) - Did you know that Chinese and Native Americans look the same? You don’t even have to do anything cosmetic. Well, maybe some war paint. Otherwise, just put some Native American dress on Jackie Chan, and he’ll pass as an Injun. Or a Jew? (see this gag). Once Upon a Time in China and America (”Wong Fei-Hung”) - In that part of Shanghai Noon, Chan’s racial “transformation” was likely referencing this film, directed by his oft-collaborator Sammo Hung Kam-Bo, in which an amnesia-inflicted Jet Li mistakes himself for Native American. Which is even more ridiculous when considering that all the Native Americans in this sixth installment of the Once Upon a Time in China series were apparently played by white actors. Black Like Me (”John Finley Horton”) - The problem with this adaptation of John Howard Griffin’s memoir is that James Whitmore doesn’t look all that convincing as a black guy. Eddie Murphy was more convincing the other way around in the old SNL skit when he goes undercover as a white man. Soul Man (”Mark Watson”) - Even C. Thomas Howell looked more black in this unofficial remake. The thing I truly don’t buy with this movie, though, is how Rae Dawn Chong’s character forgives him and even falls for him at the end despite the fact that he pretended to be another race to win the scholarship she should have won. That couple belongs on the list I compiled earlier this year of romances that probably didn’t last. True Identity (”Miles Pope”) - Going back to the Eddie Murphy thing, I never realized that this early ’90s comedy was actually a feature-length spin-off of that SNL skit (both were written by Andy Breckman) combined with the ol’ accidental murder witness plot of Some Like It Hot, Pineapple Express, etc. Here, the witness is a black actor (British comedian Lenny Henry) who disguises himself as white. I’ve never seen True Identity, nor can I even find any stills from the movie (the image above comes from the Siskel & Ebert review), but in the Washington Post review, Henry is said to resemble Mr. Potato Head more than an actual white guy. Trading Places (”Louis Winthorpe III”) - Another Eddie Murphy connection. Here it’s Dan Aykroyd, though, whose character changes race. Let me tell you: I know this reggae singer who sounds authentically Jamaican and almost seems to think he’s actually Jamaican. But he’s still just a white guy in dreads. Yet I have to give him credit for being more passable as Jamaican than Louis. Silver Streak (”George Cardwell”) - Maybe it’s just easier to fool people on trains. A few years before Aykroyd’s character did it in Trading Places, Gene Wilder’s character attempted to look black in order to sneak past some cops and get onto a train. I get the tradition to portray policemen as stupid, but nobody is that stupid. The Master of Disguise (”Pistachio Disguisey”) - Among the many disguises Dana Carvey’s character takes on in this lame comedy, a few are offensively ethnic, including Indian and Cuban (really just an impersonation of Al Pacino as Tony Montana from Scarface). The fact that this guy is supposed to be the greatest master of disguises is upsetting. The fact that so many children saw the thing was even more upsetting. Zelig (”Leonard Zelig”) - The titular “Chameleon Man” character of Woody Allen’s mockumentary also “becomes” other ethnicities, such as African American, Chinese and Native American. The fact that he always still just looks like Woody Allen is part of the joke, though. Torch Song (”Jenny Stewart”) - Most of the time I don’t even buy Joan Crawford as a white woman, but in this movie her character performs in blackface for the infamous number “Two Faced Woman,” and she looks even less authentic as an African American woman. Maybe one day I’ll figure out what race and gender I would have actually accepted her as. Sexless alien creature? (YouTube clip, unauthorized for embedding, can be found here). L’eclisse (”Vittoria”) - Maybe I’m just used to seeing women with too much bronzer or too many tanning salon visits, but when Monica Vitti’s character goes blackface for a tribal dance in this Antonioni film, she simply looks like a white girl who has darkened her skin. I guess she’s not really trying to pass (neither is Crawford in Torch Song), but her costume isn’t traditional minstrel-type blackface, either. Krippendorf’s Tribe (”Shelly Krippendorf”) - To produce a fake documentary program on a made up lost tribe, James Krippendorf (Richard Dreyfuss) disguises his children in black skin and junky tribal costume. But as even his daughter (Natasha Lyonne) admits, she looks more like Tammy Faye Baker than a native of New Guinea. White Chicks (”Kevin Copeland” and “Marcus Copeland”) - Quite possibly the least convincing racial disguises of all time, Shawn and Marlon Wayans play two FBI agents (so I guess this list is actually of 16 characters) who go undercover as Paris Hilton types. But they look like a cross between a Michael Jackson Halloween mask and Eric Stoltz in Mask. Originally posted on:SpoutBlog http://www.spout.com/blogs/lopezdash/archive/2008/3/11/26091.aspx Post By: lopezdash
Post To: The Movie Blog
Post Date: 3/11/2008 2:54:16 PM
Body: 1. Manhattan: A Woody Allen classic all too often overshadowed by Annie Hall. The story is pretty much the same as most of Allen's films. He plays a lusty, bumbling New Yorker seeking love wherever he can find it�a search which lands him with a high schooler and later his best friend's mistress. With Meryl Streep and Diane Keaton. 2. Small Time Crooks: One of the few recent Woody Allen films worth seeing. The story follows one cookie manufacturer from near failure and foreclosure to fortune and fraud: delightful! 3. Coming to America: Eddie Murphy at his best! Murphy as an African prince arrives in Queens to find a wife and goes undercover as an employee at fast-food restaurant. 4. Trading Places: Eddie Murphy was so funny once, what happened? Oh, right. Enter: Norbit. Here, Dan Aykroyd and Murphy team up to get back at Aykroyd's boss and stick it to The Man. 5. Blues Brothers: Another fine moment for Dan Aykroyd. Aykroyd and Jon Belushi, in this musical-comedy quest, come together as Midwestern crooks and reunite their blues band in order to raise the money to save the orphanage where they grew up. 6. Raising Arizona: An earlier Coen Brothers classic. Nicolas Cage and Holly Hunter steal a baby. Enough said. 7. Father of the Bride: Steve Martin charmingly grapples with the parental and financial anxieties of seeing his first-born daughter married. With Martin Short as a ambiguously European wedding planner. 8. The Mask: A Jim Carrey and Cameron Diaz tour de force in which Carrey finds a mysterious mask that transforms him from a lonely goof to a smoking, green-faced stud. And Cameron Diaz looks really hot. 9. Breaking Away: A young and muscular Dennis Quaid fights to win a cycling competition and break free from his small-town digs. 10. The Sting: An indispensable Paul Newman and Robert Redford comedy and crime thriller. Set in the 1930s, Newman and Redford play charming crooks who rustle together a masterful get-rich quick scheme.Source: Bwog
]]>Tue, 11 Mar 2008 18:54:16 GMTlopezdashThe Movie Blog3/11/2008 2:54:16 PM1. Manhattan: A Woody Allen classic all too often overshadowed by Annie Hall. The story is pretty much the same as most of Allen&#39;s films. He plays a lusty, bumbling New Yorker seeking love wherever he can find it&iuml;&iquest;&frac12;a search which lands him with a high schooler and later his best friend&#39;s mistress. With Meryl Streep and Diane Keaton. 2. Small Time Crooks: One of the few recent Woody Allen films worth seeing. The story follows one cookie manufacturer from near failure and foreclosure to fortune and fraud: delightful! 3. Coming to America: Eddie Murphy at his best! Murphy as an African prince arrives in Queens to find a wife and goes undercover as an employee at fast-food restaurant. 4. Trading Places: Eddie Murphy was so funny once, what happened? Oh, right. Enter: Norbit. Here, Dan Aykroyd and Murphy team up to get back at Aykroyd&#39;s boss and stick it to The Man. 5. Blues Brothers: Another fine moment for Dan Aykroyd. Aykroyd and Jon Belushi, in this musical-comedy quest, come together as Midwestern crooks and reunite their blues band in order to raise the money to save the orphanage where they grew up. 6. Raising Arizona: An earlier Coen Brothers classic. Nicolas Cage and Holly Hunter steal a baby. Enough said. 7. Father of the Bride: Steve Martin charmingly grapples with the parental and financial anxieties of seeing his first-born daughter married. With Martin Short as a ambiguously European wedding planner. 8. The Mask: A Jim Carrey and Cameron Diaz tour de force in which Carrey finds a mysterious mask that transforms him from a lonely goof to a smoking, green-faced stud. And Cameron Diaz looks really hot. 9. Breaking Away: A young and muscular Dennis Quaid fights to win a cycling competition and break free from his small-town digs. 10. The Sting: An indispensable Paul Newman and Robert Redford comedy and crime thriller. Set in the 1930s, Newman and Redford play charming crooks who rustle together a masterful get-rich quick scheme.Source: Bwog http://www.spout.com/blogs/spoutblog/archive/2007/12/14/22830.aspx Post By: SpoutBlog
Post To: SpoutBlog on spout.com
Post Date: 12/14/2007 4:00:49 PM
Body: It’s so easy to criticize the Academy Awards’ ignorance of the merits of comedy (even if such criticism is unfounded), but the Golden Globes have rarely been so deserving of scrutiny in their exclusion of the funny business. After all, the Hollywood Foreign Press Association actually has a category for best comedies of the year. Sure, the genre is still considered second fiddle to drama and has to share its category with musicals (which are sometimes musical dramas), but at least we know there’s a place that honors Trading Places, A Fish Called Wanda, Ghostbusters, Back to the Future and Crocodile Dundee as one of its year’s best pictures (thank goodness for the musical-less ’80s!). The problem is, now that the musical genre is back in (near) full force, comedies are not getting as much recognition, even in their own (shared) category. Following the Globe nominees yesterday, there was a good deal of complaining going on that Knocked Up wasn’t one of the Best Motion Picture Musical or Comedy nominees. At New York magazine’s Vulture blog, they said, “what’s a Comedy award for, if not to reward the best-reviewed and most successful comedy of the year? Apparently, it’s to reward quasi-musicals like Across the Universe, quasi-comedies like Charlie Wilson’s War, or quasi-movies like Hairspray.” Dave Karger at Entertainment Weekly actually thought the “best-reviewed comedy of the year” got snubbed in the best actress and best supporting actor categories, too. And Carpetbagger David Carr points out that if the Best Motion Picture Drama category can have seven films listed, the Musical or Comedy box should get to have two more picks. But would Knocked Up have really gotten one of those two slots? (more…) Originally posted on:SpoutBlog
]]>Fri, 14 Dec 2007 21:00:49 GMTSpoutBlogSpoutBlog on spout.com12/14/2007 4:00:49 PMIt’s so easy to criticize the Academy Awards’ ignorance of the merits of comedy (even if such criticism is unfounded), but the Golden Globes have rarely been so deserving of scrutiny in their exclusion of the funny business. After all, the Hollywood Foreign Press Association actually has a category for best comedies of the year. Sure, the genre is still considered second fiddle to drama and has to share its category with musicals (which are sometimes musical dramas), but at least we know there’s a place that honors Trading Places, A Fish Called Wanda, Ghostbusters, Back to the Future and Crocodile Dundee as one of its year’s best pictures (thank goodness for the musical-less ’80s!). The problem is, now that the musical genre is back in (near) full force, comedies are not getting as much recognition, even in their own (shared) category. Following the Globe nominees yesterday, there was a good deal of complaining going on that Knocked Up wasn’t one of the Best Motion Picture Musical or Comedy nominees. At New York magazine’s Vulture blog, they said, “what’s a Comedy award for, if not to reward the best-reviewed and most successful comedy of the year? Apparently, it’s to reward quasi-musicals like Across the Universe, quasi-comedies like Charlie Wilson’s War, or quasi-movies like Hairspray.” Dave Karger at Entertainment Weekly actually thought the “best-reviewed comedy of the year” got snubbed in the best actress and best supporting actor categories, too. And Carpetbagger David Carr points out that if the Best Motion Picture Drama category can have seven films listed, the Musical or Comedy box should get to have two more picks. But would Knocked Up have really gotten one of those two slots? (more…) Originally posted on:SpoutBlog http://www.spout.com/blogs/marymcilwain/archive/2007/10/29/21272.aspx Post By: marymcilwain
Post To: Dollar Video Curator
Post Date: 10/29/2007 5:00:50 PM
Body: The Curator's run in recently with appalling customer service at a major, national retail store chain has inspired a recurring loop of angry thoughts. Not the least among them is how hard it is to find good help these days. Harder still, to find it on the Curator's shelves in any film dated post-1992, the sad year a true gent of the stage and screen departed the living for that great hospitality service industry in the sky. Denholm Elliott was a graceful, congenial co-star and servant to many a great actor including but not limited to, Harrison Ford, Sean Astin, Lou Gossett, Jr. and Dan Aykroyd. A moment of gratitude then for Denhold Elliott, a jolly good fellow, far in advance of next year's National Service Professional Appreciation Day. Trading Places (1983) Denholm co-stars as Coleman, a bit of an unscrupulous, opportunistic butler. His boss Louis Winthrope is in a bit of a jam. Seems he's being screwed in a hilarious twist of fate, when his bosses, the wickedly rich Dukes brothers, decide to fuck with his life and make him a poor, transplanting a homeless Eddie Murphy in his high society place. Denholm, caught in the middle as his paycheck does come from the Dukes, at first gleefully plays his role, shutting Dan out in the cold. But, as his desire to serve can not help but spring forth, Denny eventually comes around to serving both Masters well, and even comes out financially on top in the end. *Fun Curator Fact! This is first movie the Curator saw that prominently featured full-frontal boobies.**Fun Curator Aside! This was at some sort of over-night party in which the host's dad's video collection was raided. Host's parents were not pleased, and host was subsequently grounded for 2 weeks. Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade (1989) In his most prominent Indiana Jones franchise role, Denholm actually gets to accompany Indy on an adventure into the spiritual unknown. He not only offers comic relief, story point and biblical explanations for us, the uneducated viewer, but he participates in driving the plot along by getting kidnapped, and with his misadventures in the Nazi tank. Basically, he acts as a surrogate “you.” You bumble, get lost, don’t get the girl, and you don’t get the treasure. You do get a good story though. Denny entertains us and delights us as he keeps up with the Joneses. Toy Soldiers (1991) Denny really takes the back seat here, this time to a young, surprisingly buff, Sean Astin. Denholm is the Headmaster at a sleep-away school for rich young punks well-versed in various misbehaviors. As far as plot lines go, that's usually enough. In this case however, the school is attacked... by Terrorists! As this film was made in 1991, back before Osama bin Laden was invented, these terrorists hail from Columbia, where all evil used to originate from. All that really is of inconsequence; what really matters is these bad boys are the last stand between terrorism and the downfall of America. And who's there to cheer them on, believe in them even though the rest of the world may have given up on them and maybe even read them a couple bed time stories while on lock-down? Denholm of course, serving in all his capability to the last. P.S. There is no National Service Professional Appreciation Day. Originally posted on:Dollar Video Curator
]]>Mon, 29 Oct 2007 21:00:50 GMTmarymcilwainDollar Video Curator10/29/2007 5:00:50 PMThe Curator&#39;s run in recently with appalling customer service at a major, national retail store chain has inspired a recurring loop of angry thoughts. Not the least among them is how hard it is to find good help these days. Harder still, to find it on the Curator&#39;s shelves in any film dated post-1992, the sad year a true gent of the stage and screen departed the living for that great hospitality service industry in the sky. Denholm Elliott was a graceful, congenial co-star and servant to many a great actor including but not limited to, Harrison Ford, Sean Astin, Lou Gossett, Jr. and Dan Aykroyd. A moment of gratitude then for Denhold Elliott, a jolly good fellow, far in advance of next year&#39;s National Service Professional Appreciation Day. Trading Places (1983) Denholm co-stars as Coleman, a bit of an unscrupulous, opportunistic butler. His boss Louis Winthrope is in a bit of a jam. Seems he&#39;s being screwed in a hilarious twist of fate, when his bosses, the wickedly rich Dukes brothers, decide to fuck with his life and make him a poor, transplanting a homeless Eddie Murphy in his high society place. Denholm, caught in the middle as his paycheck does come from the Dukes, at first gleefully plays his role, shutting Dan out in the cold. But, as his desire to serve can not help but spring forth, Denny eventually comes around to serving both Masters well, and even comes out financially on top in the end. *Fun Curator Fact! This is first movie the Curator saw that prominently featured full-frontal boobies.**Fun Curator Aside! This was at some sort of over-night party in which the host&#39;s dad&#39;s video collection was raided. Host&#39;s parents were not pleased, and host was subsequently grounded for 2 weeks. Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade (1989) In his most prominent Indiana Jones franchise role, Denholm actually gets to accompany Indy on an adventure into the spiritual unknown. He not only offers comic relief, story point and biblical explanations for us, the uneducated viewer, but he participates in driving the plot along by getting kidnapped, and with his misadventures in the Nazi tank. Basically, he acts as a surrogate &ldquo;you.&rdquo; You bumble, get lost, don&rsquo;t get the girl, and you don&rsquo;t get the treasure. You do get a good story though. Denny entertains us and delights us as he keeps up with the Joneses. Toy Soldiers (1991) Denny really takes the back seat here, this time to a young, surprisingly buff, Sean Astin. Denholm is the Headmaster at a sleep-away school for rich young punks well-versed in various misbehaviors. As far as plot lines go, that&#39;s usually enough. In this case however, the school is attacked... by Terrorists! As this film was made in 1991, back before Osama bin Laden was invented, these terrorists hail from Columbia, where all evil used to originate from. All that really is of inconsequence; what really matters is these bad boys are the last stand between terrorism and the downfall of America. And who&#39;s there to cheer them on, believe in them even though the rest of the world may have given up on them and maybe even read them a couple bed time stories while on lock-down? Denholm of course, serving in all his capability to the last. P.S. There is no National Service Professional Appreciation Day. Originally posted on:Dollar Video Curator http://www.spout.com/groups/Dish_Me_Up_Some/Re_eddie_murphy/332/11458/1/ShowPost.aspx Post By: lukasblu
Post To: Dish Me Up Some
Post Date: 6/19/2007 10:31:03 PM
Body: i liked shrek ,shrek 2 , mulan(personal faves) and the oldies beverly hills cop1 and 2 and trading places like you. My other faves are: Coming to America (1988)very funny classic with asenio hall(whatever happened to him?)james earl jones in queens ,n.y.(i have actually been there where they filmed that movie,i have seen that mcdugalls{really mcdonalds);i remember the scene when when e.murphy(prince akeem) hands out a stack of money to two homeles old guys that became poor because of the switch of stock shares from the movie Trading Places??; Showtime (2002) great annoying funny cop duo with robert deniro,; Holy Man (1998) ,and Bowfinger(1999) under rated but so-sooo funny especially when e.murphy had to cross that super busy freeway(one my guilty-pleasure funny faves movie)He did win a Screen Actors Guild Awards and a Golden Globe award for Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Supporting Rolefor: Dreamgirls (2006) which is pretty great ;i believe it is his first win for both the SAG awards and Golden Globe awardas for the 2009 beverly hills cop , 15 years later??? i wonder how that would turn out,Will they have the same original cast??guess will find out in the future because nothing much has been written up about this,i thinkyou know,he has an older brother (mostly stand-up comic/comedian and a few bits of acting parts,nothing major though) Charles Q. Murphy;just saw him in a movie a few mths.ago,King's Ransom (2005),not bad;never knew he had an acting brother til i saw that movie;when i saw kings ransom, i thought it was eddie murphy (kinda looks like him but older looking)til i took a second look and read the credits/cast at the end of the movie
]]>Wed, 20 Jun 2007 02:31:03 GMTlukasbluDish Me Up Some6/19/2007 10:31:03 PMi liked shrek ,shrek 2 , mulan(personal faves) and the oldies beverly hills cop1 and 2 and trading places like you. My other faves are: Coming to America (1988)very funny classic with asenio hall(whatever happened to him?)james earl jones in queens ,n.y.(i have actually been there where they filmed that movie,i have seen that mcdugalls{really mcdonalds);i remember the scene when when e.murphy(prince akeem) hands out a stack of money to two homeles old guys that became poor because of the switch of stock shares from the movie Trading Places??; Showtime (2002) great annoying funny cop duo with robert deniro,; Holy Man (1998) ,and Bowfinger(1999) under rated but so-sooo funny especially when e.murphy had to cross that super busy freeway(one my guilty-pleasure funny faves movie)He did win a Screen Actors Guild Awards and a Golden Globe award for Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Supporting Rolefor: Dreamgirls (2006) which is pretty great ;i believe it is his first win for both the SAG awards and Golden Globe awardas for the 2009 beverly hills cop , 15 years later??? i wonder how that would turn out,Will they have the same original cast??guess will find out in the future because nothing much has been written up about this,i thinkyou know,he has an older brother (mostly stand-up comic/comedian and a few bits of acting parts,nothing major though) Charles Q. Murphy;just saw him in a movie a few mths.ago,King&#39;s Ransom (2005),not bad;never knew he had an acting brother til i saw that movie;when i saw kings ransom, i thought it was eddie murphy (kinda looks like him but older looking)til i took a second look and read the credits/cast at the end of the movie http://www.spout.com/groups/Grew_up_in_the_80_s/Re_What_is_your_Favorite_Comedy_of_the_1980_s/38/10483/1/ShowPost.aspx Post By: lukasblu
Post To: Grew up in the 80's
Post Date: 6/9/2007 3:40:10 AM
Body: what about national lampoon's vacation, trading places, and coming to america;And a lot of my 80's friend still like this ,plus alot of new generation of teens today like ferris buellers day off
]]>Sat, 09 Jun 2007 07:40:10 GMTlukasbluGrew up in the 80's6/9/2007 3:40:10 AMwhat about national lampoon&#39;s vacation, trading places, and coming to america;And a lot of my 80&#39;s friend still like this ,plus alot of new generation of teens today like ferris buellers day off http://www.spout.com/members/0/tags/Loved-It/MemberTagFilms.aspxLoved-It
Number of films tagged: 509

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]]>Tue, 03 Nov 2009 17:56:35 GMT509179921Tag http://www.spout.com/members/0/tags/hilarious/MemberTagFilms.aspxhilarious
Number of films tagged: 222

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]]>Mon, 03 Aug 2009 18:39:04 GMT222165331Tag http://www.spout.com/members/0/tags/revenge/MemberTagFilms.aspxrevenge
Number of films tagged: 5189

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]]>Wed, 02 Dec 2009 23:13:41 GMT5189145489Tag http://www.spout.com/members/0/tags/money/MemberTagFilms.aspxmoney
Number of films tagged: 508

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]]>Tue, 24 Nov 2009 21:03:25 GMT50846145Tag http://www.spout.com/members/0/tags/greed/MemberTagFilms.aspxgreed
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]]>Wed, 30 Sep 2009 17:40:23 GMT5923264Tag http://www.spout.com/members/0/tags/business/MemberTagFilms.aspxbusiness
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]]>Tue, 04 Aug 2009 13:05:14 GMT17472770Tag http://www.spout.com/members/0/tags/homeless/MemberTagFilms.aspxhomeless
Number of films tagged: 330

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]]>Sat, 12 Sep 2009 00:39:36 GMT3301731Tag http://www.spout.com/members/0/tags/SNLAlum/MemberTagFilms.aspxSNLAlum
Number of films tagged: 71

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]]>Sat, 23 Jun 2007 07:57:40 GMT7115107Tag http://www.spout.com/members/0/tags/ragstoriches/MemberTagFilms.aspxragstoriches
Number of films tagged: 250

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]]>Mon, 18 May 2009 13:02:09 GMT2501318Tag http://www.spout.com/members/0/tags/conscam/MemberTagFilms.aspxconscam
Number of films tagged: 2333

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]]>Wed, 12 Aug 2009 13:02:59 GMT23331219Tag http://www.spout.com/members/0/tags/SNL-Alum/MemberTagFilms.aspxSNL-Alum
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]]>Mon, 29 Dec 2008 21:27:19 GMT661278Tag http://www.spout.com/members/0/tags/prostituteprostitution/MemberTagFilms.aspxprostituteprostitution
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]]>Fri, 17 Jul 2009 13:02:52 GMT165578Tag http://www.spout.com/members/0/tags/roleswitching/MemberTagFilms.aspxroleswitching
Number of films tagged: 317

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]]>Fri, 20 Mar 2009 13:02:27 GMT317715Tag http://www.spout.com/members/0/tags/philadelphia/MemberTagFilms.aspxphiladelphia
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]]>Sat, 11 Jul 2009 05:50:28 GMT656Tag http://www.spout.com/members/0/tags/streetgang/MemberTagFilms.aspxstreetgang
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