list http://www.spout.com/ Recent community activity around The Rock 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/The_Rock/93513/default.aspx Title: The Rock
Year: 1996
Director: Michael Bay
Plot: The sophomore film from former music video and commercial director Michael Bay, this fast-paced action yarn featured rapid-fire editing, a cutting-edge rock soundtrack and liberal use of shots awash in a haze of burnished hues, all trademarks of producers Don Simpson and Jerry Bruckheimer. Nicolas Cage stars as Stanley Goodspeed, an FBI chemical weapons expert handed a unique assignment. Francis X. Hummel (Ed Harris), an insane Marine Corps general, has taken 81 tourists hostage on the abandoned island prison of Alcatraz. He and his men are threatening to bomb San Francisco with deadly gas unless $100 million is paid in war reparations to the families of servicemen killed in covert operations. Goodspeed is teamed with former British spy John Patrick Mason (Sean Connery), the only man ever to escape "The Rock," as well as a Navy SEAL team. When their military escorts are ambushed, it's up to odd couple Goodspeed and Mason to break into Alcatraz and stop Hummel. The Rock was the last film produced by Simpson, who died of a drug overdose before the film's release. Solo, his partner Bruckheimer continued making the sort of glossy, frenetic films for which the duo was famed. ~ Karl Williams, All Movie Guide
Times Tagged: 24
Number of Lists: 41
Number of blog posts: 6
Number of discussion threads: 4
SpoutRating: 3
]]>Thu, 16 Jul 2009 07:06:38 GMTThe Rock1996Michael BayThe sophomore film from former music video and commercial director <a href="/players/P___203853/default.aspx" style='text-decoration:underline'>Michael Bay</a>, this fast-paced action yarn featured rapid-fire editing, a cutting-edge rock soundtrack and liberal use of shots awash in a haze of burnished hues, all trademarks of producers <a href="/players/P___111612/default.aspx" style='text-decoration:underline'>Don Simpson</a> and <a href="/players/P____83309/default.aspx" style='text-decoration:underline'>Jerry Bruckheimer</a>. <a href="/players/P____10155/default.aspx" style='text-decoration:underline'>Nicolas Cage</a> stars as Stanley Goodspeed, an FBI chemical weapons expert handed a unique assignment. Francis X. Hummel (<a href="/players/P____30614/default.aspx" style='text-decoration:underline'>Ed Harris</a>), an insane Marine Corps general, has taken 81 tourists hostage on the abandoned island prison of Alcatraz. He and his men are threatening to bomb San Francisco with deadly gas unless $100 million is paid in war reparations to the families of servicemen killed in covert operations. Goodspeed is teamed with former British spy John Patrick Mason (<a href="/players/P____10646/default.aspx" style='text-decoration:underline'>Sean Connery</a>), the only man ever to escape "The Rock," as well as a Navy SEAL team. When their military escorts are ambushed, it's up to odd couple Goodspeed and Mason to break into Alcatraz and stop Hummel. The Rock was the last film produced by Simpson, who died of a drug overdose before the film's release. Solo, his partner Bruckheimer continued making the sort of glossy, frenetic films for which the duo was famed. ~ Karl Williams, All Movie Guide24Tag Target (>10)41643http://www.spout.com/ProductImages/u48556ixz98.jpghttp://www.spout.com/films/The_Rock/93513/default.aspxFilm http://www.spout.com/blogs/the_mow/archive/2009/4/29/41869.aspx Post By: The_MOW
Post To: The_MOW Blog
Post Date: 4/29/2009 11:14:23 AM
Body: The Rock is an action-packed movie set mainly on the famed Alcatraz Island which tells the story of "Brigadier General Francis Xavier Hummel," (Ed Harris) who, with a group of mercenaries, takes over one of the hardest prisons in the world to escape from -- Alcatraz. He is determined to get United States government to honor his men who lost their lives in service to their country during highly covert military operations by providing their families the same benefits and tributes due other war veterans -- by unleashing a deadly gas onto the San Francisco Bay area that kills within a matter of seconds. The city's only hope are FBI chemical/biological weapons expert, "Stanley Goodspeed" (Nicholas Cage), and "John Patrick Mason" (Sir Sean Connery), a prisoner who does not exist in the eyes of the government -- and the only man ever to escape Alcatraz alive. This is one high-impact action movie, but sometimes has silly dialog that will get you to chuckle out loud. The action scenes are well produced, and leave little to no rest for the viewer. They are, for the most part, shot quite well. The acting is strong from the entire cast -- including the minor characters. Harris, Cage and especially Connery standout from the rest of the pack. Sadly, the supporting characters are not well defined. I would have liked to have seen "Agent Goodspeed's" fiancée (Vanessa Marcila) a little better defined than she turned out. Also, I would have liked to seen more of a backstory on how "Brigadier General Hummel" was able to convince his men that what they were getting involved with was the right thing to do. Also, this movie has a great soundtrack. All the music fits what is happening on screen. There is a bit of graphic violence. There is a lot of blood that flies around in the shootout scenes. I would recommend that this movie is not viewed by younger children (after all the movie is Rated R).
]]>Wed, 29 Apr 2009 15:14:23 GMTThe_MOWThe_MOW Blog4/29/2009 11:14:23 AMThe Rock is an action-packed movie set mainly on the famed Alcatraz Island which tells the story of "Brigadier General Francis Xavier Hummel," (Ed Harris) who, with a group of mercenaries, takes over one of the hardest prisons in the world to escape from -- Alcatraz. He is determined to get United States government to honor his men who lost their lives in service to their country during highly covert military operations by providing their families the same benefits and tributes due other war veterans -- by unleashing a deadly gas onto the San Francisco Bay area that kills within a matter of seconds. The city's only hope are FBI chemical/biological weapons expert, "Stanley Goodspeed" (Nicholas Cage), and "John Patrick Mason" (Sir Sean Connery), a prisoner who does not exist in the eyes of the government -- and the only man ever to escape Alcatraz alive. This is one high-impact action movie, but sometimes has silly dialog that will get you to chuckle out loud. The action scenes are well produced, and leave little to no rest for the viewer. They are, for the most part, shot quite well. The acting is strong from the entire cast -- including the minor characters. Harris, Cage and especially Connery standout from the rest of the pack. Sadly, the supporting characters are not well defined. I would have liked to have seen "Agent Goodspeed's" fianc&eacute;e (Vanessa Marcila) a little better defined than she turned out. Also, I would have liked to seen more of a backstory on how "Brigadier General Hummel" was able to convince his men that what they were getting involved with was the right thing to do. Also, this movie has a great soundtrack. All the music fits what is happening on screen. There is a bit of graphic violence. There is a lot of blood that flies around in the shootout scenes. I would recommend that this movie is not viewed by younger children (after all the movie is Rated R). http://www.spout.com/blogs/spoutblog/archive/2009/3/27/41301.aspx Post By: SpoutBlog
Post To: SpoutBlog on spout.com
Post Date: 3/27/2009 5:00:55 PM
Body: This has been quite the week for me to wish Nicolas Cage still made good movies. Besides crying over the fact that his latest sci-fi action thriller involving disaster prophesy was #1 at the box office despite being panned by critics, some of my unrelated experiences over the past seven days have coincidentally included the following: watching Wild at Heart for the first time; learning from locals that Moonstruck was partly shot in my neighborhood; discussing, at a party, not only the merits of The Rock, but also its qualifications for inclusion in the Criterion catalog. I’m now thinking I should stay home tonight and watch a marathon of Raising Arizona, Face/Off and Adaptation. Or, maybe I can just lay back and think about how Disney’s The Sorcerer’s Apprentice is going to be Cage’s return to quality. I know, I know, those of you who didn’t stop reading at my profession of love for The Rock are now wondering if I’m crazy. “Certainly this movie is going to be terrible,” you’re saying to yourself (as you plan your derisive comment). And besides, Herzog’s Bad Lieutenant “remake” shall be his next good film. Well, maybe, but after seeing the new production photos from Apprentice circulating the net (originating at JustJared), I’m prophesizing that the Fantasia-inspired film will be the Moonstruck to Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call New Orleans‘ Raising Arizona, or the Face/Off to Lieutenant’s Con Air, or the Adaptation to Lieutenant’s Windtalkers. Perhaps I am soiling my reputation by confessing my overextending appreciation of Cage’s career, but you have to respect a guy who allows himself to look and be so ridiculous for his art. The rest of the film blogosphere’s responses to the photos after the jump: As usual, Dan Hopper at Best Week Ever has the best jokes: “…on the set of his new movie Something Surely Worth Seing Dangerous. He’s about to change out of his normal clothes and hairpiece and into his costume (zuhhhh-zinggg!!!).” Pajiba headlines that this could be Cage’s “Most Hilarious Role Ever.” Let’s hope so. Mark at I Watch Stuff compares the look to WWE wrestler The Undertaker and Sega video game character Chakan: The Forever Man. Cinematical’s Elizabeth Rappe sees Cage instead as “apparently ripping his look off Hugh Jackman’s Gabriel Van Helsing” in the site’s “LOL of the Day” post. “The only thing that has me curious about this movie,” she adds, “is how Baruchel ends up as his apprentice. Because if I was approached by a ‘magician’ who looked like that, I’d run screaming the other way.” Rob Bricken at Topless Robot agrees with Rappe’s comparison but seems a tad more hopeful of the film: I admit, despite my utter hatred and fear of Jerry Bruckheimer movies, I did really enjoy the first Pirates of the Carribbean movie. And I love Fantasia, so I’ll — very regretfully — be giving this a shot. But the fact that Cage is dressed exactly like Hugh Jackman in Van Helsing means I probably won’t be watching sober. Jeremy at We Are Movie Geeks also agrees: “Looks like Cage is trying out for ‘Van Helsing 2.’” Mike Sampson at JoBlo.com sees Cage more as a “geriatric Criss Angel” and tells us how to respect this film: if I hear any “raping my childhood” crap, I’m gonna reach through the computer screen and smack you across the head. This movie has nothing to do with the Mickey Mouse cartoon. The story is a German poem written by Goethe. Get that in your head now and you’ll be OK. Somehow Josh Radde at Film School Rejects thinks Cage “appears to be doing his best Kris Kristofferson,” before once again concentrating on the actor’s hair: Add this hairdo to the pretty amazing collection of Cage ‘Dos so far. In fact, Rotten Tomatoes created a game linking a pic of his hair to the movie it appears in and it’ll surprise you how many twisted coifs this man has sported over the years. The typically optimistic Alex Billington of FirstShowing.net argues on Cage’s behalf: I would say, don’t be so quick to judge these and Cage’s new hairdo and leather outfit, but I’m sure you’ve already made up your mind. I don’t know if these will help Cage any more, or potentially ruin him entirely again, but honestly, I’m still looking forward to The Sorcerer’s Apprentice. And Sean at FilmDrunk also defends the powers of Cage, at least as box office gold: “In all seriousness though, you can make fun of Nicolas Cage all you want, but if the past has taught us anything it is that America loves his movies. National Treasure + Harry Potter = $$$.” In additional Nic Cage-is-nuts bloggery from today: Graeme McMillan at io9 shares the actor’s recent statements regarding his preference for science fiction, abandonment of gratuitous violence and overall desire to go more “into the abstract”: Does this mean that Cage sees science fiction as a gateway drug to take audiences into indulgently abstract movies? I hope so, if only because I’d love to see just how abstract the man behind Ghost Rider, Bangkok Dangerous and Adaptation can get when he puts his mind to it. Originally posted on:SpoutBlog
]]>Fri, 27 Mar 2009 21:00:55 GMTSpoutBlogSpoutBlog on spout.com3/27/2009 5:00:55 PMThis has been quite the week for me to wish Nicolas Cage still made good movies. Besides crying over the fact that his latest sci-fi action thriller involving disaster prophesy was #1 at the box office despite being panned by critics, some of my unrelated experiences over the past seven days have coincidentally included the following: watching Wild at Heart for the first time; learning from locals that Moonstruck was partly shot in my neighborhood; discussing, at a party, not only the merits of The Rock, but also its qualifications for inclusion in the Criterion catalog. I’m now thinking I should stay home tonight and watch a marathon of Raising Arizona, Face/Off and Adaptation. Or, maybe I can just lay back and think about how Disney’s The Sorcerer’s Apprentice is going to be Cage’s return to quality. I know, I know, those of you who didn’t stop reading at my profession of love for The Rock are now wondering if I’m crazy. “Certainly this movie is going to be terrible,” you’re saying to yourself (as you plan your derisive comment). And besides, Herzog’s Bad Lieutenant “remake” shall be his next good film. Well, maybe, but after seeing the new production photos from Apprentice circulating the net (originating at JustJared), I’m prophesizing that the Fantasia-inspired film will be the Moonstruck to Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call New Orleans‘ Raising Arizona, or the Face/Off to Lieutenant’s Con Air, or the Adaptation to Lieutenant’s Windtalkers. Perhaps I am soiling my reputation by confessing my overextending appreciation of Cage’s career, but you have to respect a guy who allows himself to look and be so ridiculous for his art. The rest of the film blogosphere’s responses to the photos after the jump: As usual, Dan Hopper at Best Week Ever has the best jokes: “…on the set of his new movie Something Surely Worth Seing Dangerous. He’s about to change out of his normal clothes and hairpiece and into his costume (zuhhhh-zinggg!!!).” Pajiba headlines that this could be Cage’s “Most Hilarious Role Ever.” Let’s hope so. Mark at I Watch Stuff compares the look to WWE wrestler The Undertaker and Sega video game character Chakan: The Forever Man. Cinematical’s Elizabeth Rappe sees Cage instead as “apparently ripping his look off Hugh Jackman’s Gabriel Van Helsing” in the site’s “LOL of the Day” post. “The only thing that has me curious about this movie,” she adds, “is how Baruchel ends up as his apprentice. Because if I was approached by a ‘magician’ who looked like that, I’d run screaming the other way.” Rob Bricken at Topless Robot agrees with Rappe’s comparison but seems a tad more hopeful of the film: I admit, despite my utter hatred and fear of Jerry Bruckheimer movies, I did really enjoy the first Pirates of the Carribbean movie. And I love Fantasia, so I’ll — very regretfully — be giving this a shot. But the fact that Cage is dressed exactly like Hugh Jackman in Van Helsing means I probably won’t be watching sober. Jeremy at We Are Movie Geeks also agrees: “Looks like Cage is trying out for ‘Van Helsing 2.’” Mike Sampson at JoBlo.com sees Cage more as a “geriatric Criss Angel” and tells us how to respect this film: if I hear any “raping my childhood” crap, I’m gonna reach through the computer screen and smack you across the head. This movie has nothing to do with the Mickey Mouse cartoon. The story is a German poem written by Goethe. Get that in your head now and you’ll be OK. Somehow Josh Radde at Film School Rejects thinks Cage “appears to be doing his best Kris Kristofferson,” before once again concentrating on the actor’s hair: Add this hairdo to the pretty amazing collection of Cage ‘Dos so far. In fact, Rotten Tomatoes created a game linking a pic of his hair to the movie it appears in and it’ll surprise you how many twisted coifs this man has sported over the years. The typically optimistic Alex Billington of FirstShowing.net argues on Cage’s behalf: I would say, don’t be so quick to judge these and Cage’s new hairdo and leather outfit, but I’m sure you’ve already made up your mind. I don’t know if these will help Cage any more, or potentially ruin him entirely again, but honestly, I’m still looking forward to The Sorcerer’s Apprentice. And Sean at FilmDrunk also defends the powers of Cage, at least as box office gold: “In all seriousness though, you can make fun of Nicolas Cage all you want, but if the past has taught us anything it is that America loves his movies. National Treasure + Harry Potter = $$$.” In additional Nic Cage-is-nuts bloggery from today: Graeme McMillan at io9 shares the actor’s recent statements regarding his preference for science fiction, abandonment of gratuitous violence and overall desire to go more “into the abstract”: Does this mean that Cage sees science fiction as a gateway drug to take audiences into indulgently abstract movies? I hope so, if only because I’d love to see just how abstract the man behind Ghost Rider, Bangkok Dangerous and Adaptation can get when he puts his mind to it. Originally posted on:SpoutBlog http://www.spout.com/groups/Coming_Soon/Re_Share_your_reviews_New_movies_in_theaters/216/37586/1/ShowPost.aspx Post By: SkyPilot
Post To: Coming Soon
Post Date: 11/24/2008 2:19:57 PM
Body: If your familiy is like mine, you guys always watch a movie after Thanksgiving dinner. When I was younger, my uncle usually picked the movies. He had questionable judgment...* As I got older, they started letting me pick the movies, and I took this responsibility very seriously. Here's how some of the movies went over with my family. I'd love to hear about your family movie experiences. Top 5 Movies Good for the Whole Family on Thanksgiving 1. Stardust (2007) -- Watch the trailer. I love this movie, and so did the rest of the family. It's very much in the tradition of The Princess Bride, though I like Stardust more. 2. The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe (2005) -- Watch the trailer. Even the people who don't normally like fantasy were able to get into the story. 3. Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby (2006) -- Watch the trailer. Goofy and incredibly smart at the same time, this has always been my favorite Will Ferrell movie. This one's only safe if people don't mind the "hard" PG-13 rating. 4. Thank You for Smoking (2005) -- Watch the trailer. A good mix of important message and just plain fun. If there are young viewers around, just remember there's a semi-graphic sex scene between Aaron Eckhart and Katie Holmes. They're both fully clothed, but somehow it's still embarrassing to watch with young cousins in the room. 5. Best In Show (2000) -- Watch the trailer. Maybe this one only worked so well because there are so many animal lovers in our family, but I've always thought this is the most accessible Christopher Guest movie. Note: my relative who breeds show animals did not like it. The 3 Biggest Mistakes I Made When Selecting Movies 1. Death Race 2000 (1975) -- Watch the trailer. Why did I do it? My family likes comedies, so I thought I'd introduce them to camp. My family started a mutiny at about the ten minute mark. 2. Rescue Dawn (2006) -- Watch the trailer. We actually didn't even watch this one because my sister had the sense to talk me out of it. I thought everyone would find it hopeful, but now I don't know what I was thinking. 3. About Schmidt (2002) -- Watch the trailer. For the love of God, don't show this one to your family, especially if the film reminds you of your family! *My uncle's picks. The only time I saw Highlander was on Thanksgiving, when I was far too young for it. And I was the oldest child in the room! Another year I remember we watched The Rock with Nic Cage and Sean Connery ("Lomax, you bastard!") Sure we had fun, but in retrospect, I wonder what the adults were thinking?
]]>Mon, 24 Nov 2008 19:19:57 GMTSkyPilotComing Soon11/24/2008 2:19:57 PMIf your familiy is like mine, you guys always watch a movie after Thanksgiving dinner. When I was younger, my uncle usually picked the movies. He had questionable judgment...* As I got older, they started letting me pick the movies, and I took this responsibility very seriously. Here's how some of the movies went over with my family. I'd love to hear about your family movie experiences. Top 5 Movies Good for the Whole Family on Thanksgiving 1. Stardust (2007) -- Watch the trailer. I love this movie, and so did the rest of the family. It's very much in the tradition of The Princess Bride, though I like Stardust more. 2. The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe (2005) -- Watch the trailer. Even the people who don't normally like fantasy were able to get into the story. 3. Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby (2006) -- Watch the trailer. Goofy and incredibly smart at the same time, this has always been my favorite Will Ferrell movie. This one's only safe if people don't mind the "hard" PG-13 rating. 4. Thank You for Smoking (2005) -- Watch the trailer. A good mix of important message and just plain fun. If there are young viewers around, just remember there's a semi-graphic sex scene between Aaron Eckhart and Katie Holmes. They're both fully clothed, but somehow it's still embarrassing to watch with young cousins in the room. 5. Best In Show (2000) -- Watch the trailer. Maybe this one only worked so well because there are so many animal lovers in our family, but I've always thought this is the most accessible Christopher Guest movie. Note: my relative who breeds show animals did not like it. The 3 Biggest Mistakes I Made When Selecting Movies 1. Death Race 2000 (1975) -- Watch the trailer. Why did I do it? My family likes comedies, so I thought I'd introduce them to camp. My family started a mutiny at about the ten minute mark. 2. Rescue Dawn (2006) -- Watch the trailer. We actually didn't even watch this one because my sister had the sense to talk me out of it. I thought everyone would find it hopeful, but now I don't know what I was thinking. 3. About Schmidt (2002) -- Watch the trailer. For the love of God, don't show this one to your family, especially if the film reminds you of your family! *My uncle's picks. The only time I saw Highlander was on Thanksgiving, when I was far too young for it. And I was the oldest child in the room! Another year I remember we watched The Rock with Nic Cage and Sean Connery ("Lomax, you bastard!") Sure we had fun, but in retrospect, I wonder what the adults were thinking? http://www.spout.com/blogs/spoutblog/archive/2008/9/12/35065.aspx Post By: SpoutBlog
Post To: SpoutBlog on spout.com
Post Date: 9/12/2008 2:00:54 PM
Body: Everybody remembers the bigger name Coen Bros. regulars, such as John Turturro, Steve Buscemi, John Goodman, Frances McDormand, Billy Bob Thornton and now George Clooney. And of course, there are the one-shot stars, like Nicolas Cage, Gabriel Byrne, Jeff Bridges, William H. Macy, Catherine Zeta-Jones, Julianne Moore, Paul Newman, Albert Finney, Woody Harrelson, Tim Robbins and now Brad Pitt and John Malkovich. But who ever talks about Michael Lerner? He received an Oscar nomination for his supporting role in Barton Fink, yet he never seems to get the same kind of respect that Javier Bardem gets, and it’s not just because Bardem won the award for No Country for Old Men. With their new film, Burn After Reading, the Coens have again recast some lesser known character actors that I hope get the recognition they deserve. Both Richard Jenkins and J.K. Simmons have previously appeared in the Coens’ films, but each has seriously risen in notability since their last collaboration with the filmmakers. Hopefully, they’ll continue to be cast by the brothers. Obviously, all my favorite Coen Bros. actors can’t be in every Coen Bros. movie (especially since some of them are dead). And interestingly enough, the brothers’ next film, A Serious Man, is being cast with (so far) only actors they’ve never employed. So, I’d like to take a moment to acknowledge the less-recognized actors and actresses who have done tremendous work for Joel and Ethan, not so much in the hopes that they’ll be re-employed (some can’t be) but in the general interest of giving them some much-needed praise. Tony Shalhoub (Barton Fink; The Man Who Wasn’t There) At the rate he’s going with his Coens film appearances, he’s due for another role come 2011. And seeing as his hit TV series Monk may be in its final season, the guy is probably going to be available. I’ve highlighted his performance as the defense attorney Freddy Riedenschneider, from The Man Who Wasn’t There, above, but be sure to also take another look at his portrayal of movie producer Ben Geisler, from Barton Fink, which can also be seen on YouTube. Stephen Root (O Brother, Where Art Thou?; The Ladykillers; No Country for Old Men) I got so excited when I saw Root in No Country for Old Men, but he was again underutilized. After appearing in three of the Coens’ films, the actor best known for playing Milton in Office Space and Jimmy James on TV’s News Radio, is due for a more substantial role. In fact, he really needs to be getting better parts in general, not just in the works of the Coens. In the video above he can be seen as the blind character credited only as “Radio Station Man.” Jon Polito (Miller’s Crossing; Barton Fink; The Hudsucker Proxy; The Big Lebowski; The Man Who Wasn’t There) He’s been really great in five Coen Bros. films, so it’s a shame he’s not as well-known as Turturro or Buscemi. For some reason, only the Coens seem to employ him in worthwhile roles, and even they haven’t been able to give him as juicy a part as he had in Miller’s Crossing. He really shines here, and he’s got some memorable lines (”did somebody hit you?”; “always put one in the head”). In the selected scene, Polito opens the film with a monologue about ethics. I love it when he gets so angry that his whole bald head turns bright purple. For a great montage of his work, produced for his reception of a special award at the Cinequest San Jose Film Festival, check out this other clip, too. Philip Seymour Hoffman (The Big Lebowski) Obviously by including Hoffman on this list I don’t mean to claim he’s an underappreciated actor. He’s certainly recognized as one of the best we’ve got. But his bit work in The Big Lebowski often goes forgotten, despite it being yet another fine performance by Hoffman, even for such a minor role as the Big Lebowski’s assistant, Brandt. The Oscar-winner more recently worked with the Coens for a radio play titled “Sawbones,” but it would be great to see him work with the brothers again on camera. Trey Wilson (Raising Arizona) One of my favorite scenes in my favorite Coen Bros. movie (Raising Arizona) is the one in which the late, great Trey Wilson, as Nathan Arizona, gets extremely frustrated with the police investigating his son’s kidnapping (best line: “They were jammies. They had Yodas ‘n’ shit on ‘em!”). Wilson’s part isn’t huge, but he makes it seem like it is. And considering how many talented character actors appear in the film, it’s no small feat to deliver such a standout performance. Unfortunately, none of his scenes are separately available on YouTube, but the above clip is at least primarily the police investigation scene. M. Emmet Walsh (Blood Simple; Raising Arizona) I must confess something horrible: while compiling this list, I discovered that M. Emmet Walsh is alive. See, I’ve always confused him with J.T. Walsh, who died ten years ago. And when planning out this piece, it was constantly in my mind that I was featuring two deceased actors — Trey Wilson and M. Emmet. I guess it hasn’t helped my confusion that M.E. Walsh hasn’t really done much of worth in the decade since we lost J.T. (Roger Ebert’s “Stanton-Walsh Rule” was said to be broken after Walsh appeared in Wild Wild West). Anyway, I’m ecstatic that he’s still around, and my desire to celebrate his Coen Bros. roles isn’t changed one bit. In an even smaller part than Wilson’s, Walsh is also quite memorable in Raising Arizona as H.I.’s machine shop co-worker who won’t stop yapping (”… his sandwich in one hand, the fuckin’ head in the other…”). But it’s for his more prominent role in Blood Simple, as a scummy private dick, that the rarely leading actor should be remembered when he actually does pass on. I’m always astonished that after giving such a terrific performance in their debut, Walsh wasn’t utilized by the Coens more. Also, they probably should have worked again with Dan Hedaya, another great character actor who can be seen opposite Walsh in the selected clip from Blood Simple above. Michael Badalucco (Miller’s Crossing; O Brother, Where Art Thou?; The Man Who Wasn’t There) It was great seeing Badalucco cast in a major role for The Man Who Wasn’t There, but I get more excited over his short but recurring stint as George “Don’t Call Him Babyface” Nelson in O Brother. His portrayal of the in-and-out, seemingly bipolar bank robber, he’s like a regenerating firecracker, exploding then fizzling then later exploding again. I wish there were more of his scenes available online, but since his police chase bit seems only to be found in Italian, I’ve highlighted his final appearance in the film, which can be seen near the end of the above clip. William Forsythe (Raising Arizona) If you were to judge Forsythe based on just any random role, such as his FBI agent from last year’s 88 Minutes, you might accept him as simply a serviceable supporting actor, hardly someone to honor in even one-tenth of a list on a blog. But look at a more selective sampling of his work — specifically his performances in The Waterdance, Dick Tracy, Palookaville and Raising Arizona — and you’ll see that he has more range than he’s probably given credit for. While watching him as the rather simple-minded Evelle Snoats in Arizona, in fact, I often forget that he’s the same guy that was later reunited with Nicolas Cage (as a fellow FBI agent) in The Rock. Though he’s somewhat overshadowed by his onscreen big brother, played by John Goodman, he does get in a good amount of memorable lines and actions, as you can see in the clip above. John Carroll Lynch (Fargo) Norm Gunderson is such a thankless role, especially since it’s so overshadowed by the Oscar-winning performance by Frances McDormand as Marge Gunderson. But it came early in Lynch’s career, which is still not rising as fast as it maybe should be, and now it’s time for the understated yet often hilarious and/or creepy actor to properly appear in a more comedic Coen Bros. part. For lack of a precise clip, I’ve featured a montage reel of Lynch’s work, which includes one of his scenes from Fargo as well as some of his more showy roles, like his recurring cross-dressing character from The Drew Carrey Show. Another one of his scenes as Norm can also be found at the end of another montage reel specifically spotlighting his comedy work. Beth Grant (No Country for Old Men) You kind of want to hate her for how inadvertently awful her character is in No Country, but the Coen Bros. are too good at giving us such wonderfully irksome characters, like Glen (Sam McMurry) in Raising Arizona, Gaear (Peter Stormare) in Fargo and Homer Stokes (Wayne Duvall) in O Brother. And Grant is so good at delivering such delectably despicable performances that her part as Carla Jean’s mother left me wanting more. Considering the Coens rarely reuse previously employed actresses (McDormand is a constant probably more because she’s Joel’s wife than because she’s such a talent, and both Holly Hunter and Jennifer Jason Leigh have just barely been recast), it would be even more of a treat if they someday work with Grant again. Between the distinctness of her physical features and voice and her ability to be so nasty makes her a perfect candidate for future Coen Bros. movies. Because no clips of her in No Country could be found — plus most of her scenes would include spoilers anyway — I’ve showcased her other most memorable and hated character from Donnie Darko. Originally posted on:SpoutBlog
]]>Fri, 12 Sep 2008 18:00:54 GMTSpoutBlogSpoutBlog on spout.com9/12/2008 2:00:54 PM Everybody remembers the bigger name Coen Bros. regulars, such as John Turturro, Steve Buscemi, John Goodman, Frances McDormand, Billy Bob Thornton and now George Clooney. And of course, there are the one-shot stars, like Nicolas Cage, Gabriel Byrne, Jeff Bridges, William H. Macy, Catherine Zeta-Jones, Julianne Moore, Paul Newman, Albert Finney, Woody Harrelson, Tim Robbins and now Brad Pitt and John Malkovich. But who ever talks about Michael Lerner? He received an Oscar nomination for his supporting role in Barton Fink, yet he never seems to get the same kind of respect that Javier Bardem gets, and it’s not just because Bardem won the award for No Country for Old Men. With their new film, Burn After Reading, the Coens have again recast some lesser known character actors that I hope get the recognition they deserve. Both Richard Jenkins and J.K. Simmons have previously appeared in the Coens’ films, but each has seriously risen in notability since their last collaboration with the filmmakers. Hopefully, they’ll continue to be cast by the brothers. Obviously, all my favorite Coen Bros. actors can’t be in every Coen Bros. movie (especially since some of them are dead). And interestingly enough, the brothers’ next film, A Serious Man, is being cast with (so far) only actors they’ve never employed. So, I’d like to take a moment to acknowledge the less-recognized actors and actresses who have done tremendous work for Joel and Ethan, not so much in the hopes that they’ll be re-employed (some can’t be) but in the general interest of giving them some much-needed praise. Tony Shalhoub (Barton Fink; The Man Who Wasn’t There) At the rate he’s going with his Coens film appearances, he’s due for another role come 2011. And seeing as his hit TV series Monk may be in its final season, the guy is probably going to be available. I’ve highlighted his performance as the defense attorney Freddy Riedenschneider, from The Man Who Wasn’t There, above, but be sure to also take another look at his portrayal of movie producer Ben Geisler, from Barton Fink, which can also be seen on YouTube. Stephen Root (O Brother, Where Art Thou?; The Ladykillers; No Country for Old Men) I got so excited when I saw Root in No Country for Old Men, but he was again underutilized. After appearing in three of the Coens’ films, the actor best known for playing Milton in Office Space and Jimmy James on TV’s News Radio, is due for a more substantial role. In fact, he really needs to be getting better parts in general, not just in the works of the Coens. In the video above he can be seen as the blind character credited only as “Radio Station Man.” Jon Polito (Miller’s Crossing; Barton Fink; The Hudsucker Proxy; The Big Lebowski; The Man Who Wasn’t There) He’s been really great in five Coen Bros. films, so it’s a shame he’s not as well-known as Turturro or Buscemi. For some reason, only the Coens seem to employ him in worthwhile roles, and even they haven’t been able to give him as juicy a part as he had in Miller’s Crossing. He really shines here, and he’s got some memorable lines (”did somebody hit you?”; “always put one in the head”). In the selected scene, Polito opens the film with a monologue about ethics. I love it when he gets so angry that his whole bald head turns bright purple. For a great montage of his work, produced for his reception of a special award at the Cinequest San Jose Film Festival, check out this other clip, too. Philip Seymour Hoffman (The Big Lebowski) Obviously by including Hoffman on this list I don’t mean to claim he’s an underappreciated actor. He’s certainly recognized as one of the best we’ve got. But his bit work in The Big Lebowski often goes forgotten, despite it being yet another fine performance by Hoffman, even for such a minor role as the Big Lebowski’s assistant, Brandt. The Oscar-winner more recently worked with the Coens for a radio play titled “Sawbones,” but it would be great to see him work with the brothers again on camera. Trey Wilson (Raising Arizona) One of my favorite scenes in my favorite Coen Bros. movie (Raising Arizona) is the one in which the late, great Trey Wilson, as Nathan Arizona, gets extremely frustrated with the police investigating his son’s kidnapping (best line: “They were jammies. They had Yodas ‘n’ shit on ‘em!”). Wilson’s part isn’t huge, but he makes it seem like it is. And considering how many talented character actors appear in the film, it’s no small feat to deliver such a standout performance. Unfortunately, none of his scenes are separately available on YouTube, but the above clip is at least primarily the police investigation scene. M. Emmet Walsh (Blood Simple; Raising Arizona) I must confess something horrible: while compiling this list, I discovered that M. Emmet Walsh is alive. See, I’ve always confused him with J.T. Walsh, who died ten years ago. And when planning out this piece, it was constantly in my mind that I was featuring two deceased actors — Trey Wilson and M. Emmet. I guess it hasn’t helped my confusion that M.E. Walsh hasn’t really done much of worth in the decade since we lost J.T. (Roger Ebert’s “Stanton-Walsh Rule” was said to be broken after Walsh appeared in Wild Wild West). Anyway, I’m ecstatic that he’s still around, and my desire to celebrate his Coen Bros. roles isn’t changed one bit. In an even smaller part than Wilson’s, Walsh is also quite memorable in Raising Arizona as H.I.’s machine shop co-worker who won’t stop yapping (”… his sandwich in one hand, the fuckin’ head in the other…”). But it’s for his more prominent role in Blood Simple, as a scummy private dick, that the rarely leading actor should be remembered when he actually does pass on. I’m always astonished that after giving such a terrific performance in their debut, Walsh wasn’t utilized by the Coens more. Also, they probably should have worked again with Dan Hedaya, another great character actor who can be seen opposite Walsh in the selected clip from Blood Simple above. Michael Badalucco (Miller’s Crossing; O Brother, Where Art Thou?; The Man Who Wasn’t There) It was great seeing Badalucco cast in a major role for The Man Who Wasn’t There, but I get more excited over his short but recurring stint as George “Don’t Call Him Babyface” Nelson in O Brother. His portrayal of the in-and-out, seemingly bipolar bank robber, he’s like a regenerating firecracker, exploding then fizzling then later exploding again. I wish there were more of his scenes available online, but since his police chase bit seems only to be found in Italian, I’ve highlighted his final appearance in the film, which can be seen near the end of the above clip. William Forsythe (Raising Arizona) If you were to judge Forsythe based on just any random role, such as his FBI agent from last year’s 88 Minutes, you might accept him as simply a serviceable supporting actor, hardly someone to honor in even one-tenth of a list on a blog. But look at a more selective sampling of his work — specifically his performances in The Waterdance, Dick Tracy, Palookaville and Raising Arizona — and you’ll see that he has more range than he’s probably given credit for. While watching him as the rather simple-minded Evelle Snoats in Arizona, in fact, I often forget that he’s the same guy that was later reunited with Nicolas Cage (as a fellow FBI agent) in The Rock. Though he’s somewhat overshadowed by his onscreen big brother, played by John Goodman, he does get in a good amount of memorable lines and actions, as you can see in the clip above. John Carroll Lynch (Fargo) Norm Gunderson is such a thankless role, especially since it’s so overshadowed by the Oscar-winning performance by Frances McDormand as Marge Gunderson. But it came early in Lynch’s career, which is still not rising as fast as it maybe should be, and now it’s time for the understated yet often hilarious and/or creepy actor to properly appear in a more comedic Coen Bros. part. For lack of a precise clip, I’ve featured a montage reel of Lynch’s work, which includes one of his scenes from Fargo as well as some of his more showy roles, like his recurring cross-dressing character from The Drew Carrey Show. Another one of his scenes as Norm can also be found at the end of another montage reel specifically spotlighting his comedy work. Beth Grant (No Country for Old Men) You kind of want to hate her for how inadvertently awful her character is in No Country, but the Coen Bros. are too good at giving us such wonderfully irksome characters, like Glen (Sam McMurry) in Raising Arizona, Gaear (Peter Stormare) in Fargo and Homer Stokes (Wayne Duvall) in O Brother. And Grant is so good at delivering such delectably despicable performances that her part as Carla Jean’s mother left me wanting more. Considering the Coens rarely reuse previously employed actresses (McDormand is a constant probably more because she’s Joel’s wife than because she’s such a talent, and both Holly Hunter and Jennifer Jason Leigh have just barely been recast), it would be even more of a treat if they someday work with Grant again. Between the distinctness of her physical features and voice and her ability to be so nasty makes her a perfect candidate for future Coen Bros. movies. Because no clips of her in No Country could be found — plus most of her scenes would include spoilers anyway — I’ve showcased her other most memorable and hated character from Donnie Darko. Originally posted on:SpoutBlog http://www.spout.com/groups/Coming_Soon/Upcoming_Movies_Week_of_9_5/216/34631/1/ShowPost.aspx Post By: SkyPilot
Post To: Coming Soon
Post Date: 9/1/2008 10:56:40 PM
Body: (Friday, September 5) Mister Foe -- (limited release) I'm looking forward to this one. Hallam Foe, played by Jaime Bell (Billy Elliot!) is a peeping tom looking for love on the rooftops of Edinburgh. The trailer makes this film look funny and invigorating and sad, like Juno's older, more mature Scottish cousin. Bangkok Dangerous -- This trailer shows Cage cutting off a guy's hand with a boat propellor. I can't decide if that's cool, funny, or neither. What do you guys think? If you're fans of Cage's older action flicks like The Rock, Face/Off, and Con Air, does Bangkok Dangerous look worse? Or is it us that's changed, not the quality of Cage's movies? (I have a soft spot for The Rock myself, and I wonder if I'd ruin that by watching it again.) I'd be interested in hearing from someone who's seen the original Bangkok Dangerous (2000). Did you like it? Are you excited for the remake? Passengers -- Anne Hathaway, grief counselor, is assigned a group of plane crash survivors. Of course she falls for one of them (Patrick Wilson of Hard Candy and upcoming Watchmen) and it appears he's developed ESP. This looks like a mix between Fearless and Lost. My sixth sense says it's skippable. Ping Pong Playa -- (limited release) I like the tagline: "Don't just win. Destroy." The trailer leaves me undecided, though. A comedy about ping-pong and being Asian-American. Everybody Wants to Be Italian -- (limited release) Romantic comedy. A guy's obsessed with a girl who broke up with him 8 years ago. The guy's trying to impress another girl by pretending he's Italian. Could be charming, but I will never find out. Save Me -- (limited release) A gay man enters a religious rehabilitation facility. I read in New York Magazine that it avoids caricature, but it's boring visually and the story's nothing to write home about. Some sources out there are saying Ballast will be released Sept. 4 or 5. To the best of my knowledge, it's not being released until October 1. Anyway, in case it does come out: Ballast -- (limited release) An ex-addict, her 12-year old son, and her brother-in-law (who recently failed a suicide attempt) all realize how helpless they are on their own. Together, they try to become the community that each one of them needs. SpoutBlog writer Karina Longworth reviewed it when it was at Sundance. Director Lance Hammer said in an interview with FilmCouch that he filmed Ballast in the Mississippi Delta because he "fell in love" with the Delta's sadness and authenticity. Two movies I can think of that were filmed in the Delta are also filled with sadness and authenticity. They're the blues documentaries Deep Blues and You See Me Laughin.
]]>Tue, 02 Sep 2008 02:56:40 GMTSkyPilotComing Soon9/1/2008 10:56:40 PM (Friday, September 5) Mister Foe -- (limited release) I'm looking forward to this one. Hallam Foe, played by Jaime Bell (Billy Elliot!) is a peeping tom looking for love on the rooftops of Edinburgh. The trailer makes this film look funny and invigorating and sad, like Juno's older, more mature Scottish cousin. Bangkok Dangerous -- This trailer shows Cage cutting off a guy's hand with a boat propellor. I can't decide if that's cool, funny, or neither. What do you guys think? If you're fans of Cage's older action flicks like The Rock, Face/Off, and Con Air, does Bangkok Dangerous look worse? Or is it us that's changed, not the quality of Cage's movies? (I have a soft spot for The Rock myself, and I wonder if I'd ruin that by watching it again.) I'd be interested in hearing from someone who's seen the original Bangkok Dangerous (2000). Did you like it? Are you excited for the remake? Passengers -- Anne Hathaway, grief counselor, is assigned a group of plane crash survivors. Of course she falls for one of them (Patrick Wilson of Hard Candy and upcoming Watchmen) and it appears he's developed ESP. This looks like a mix between Fearless and Lost. My sixth sense says it's skippable. Ping Pong Playa -- (limited release) I like the tagline: "Don't just win. Destroy." The trailer leaves me undecided, though. A comedy about ping-pong and being Asian-American. Everybody Wants to Be Italian -- (limited release) Romantic comedy. A guy's obsessed with a girl who broke up with him 8 years ago. The guy's trying to impress another girl by pretending he's Italian. Could be charming, but I will never find out. Save Me -- (limited release) A gay man enters a religious rehabilitation facility. I read in New York Magazine that it avoids caricature, but it's boring visually and the story's nothing to write home about. Some sources out there are saying Ballast will be released Sept. 4 or 5. To the best of my knowledge, it's not being released until October 1. Anyway, in case it does come out: Ballast -- (limited release) An ex-addict, her 12-year old son, and her brother-in-law (who recently failed a suicide attempt) all realize how helpless they are on their own. Together, they try to become the community that each one of them needs. SpoutBlog writer Karina Longworth reviewed it when it was at Sundance. Director Lance Hammer said in an interview with FilmCouch that he filmed Ballast in the Mississippi Delta because he "fell in love" with the Delta's sadness and authenticity. Two movies I can think of that were filmed in the Delta are also filled with sadness and authenticity. They're the blues documentaries Deep Blues and You See Me Laughin. http://www.spout.com/blogs/marymcilwain/archive/2007/7/13/13854.aspx Post By: marymcilwain
Post To: Dollar Video Curator
Post Date: 7/13/2007 4:00:22 PM
Body: The power of film. You recognize it when you see it. Or feel it. Quotes that stick with you, or a glistening tear rolling down a beautiful cheek. A soaring score that tugs at your heart strings, or a heroic death, a sacrifice that was made for the good of all humankind. Eh. What of the overlooked? The filler parts of the film, meant to amuse, move the story’s plot or suspense along, or to act as comic relief? For every poignant film death forever memorialized on the big screen, an extra, a bad guy or some other lesser character has to take one for the team. The yang to the hero’s yin. The black to the white of your starlet’s blank, emotionless eye. Let us look at some of the unfortunate sacrifices that have been made for the good of the plot, and share a moment of silence for these unfortunates. Raiders of the Lost Ark - The Egyptian guy with the sword. He comes out swinging with the biggest, shiniest, sharpest sword any of you fools have ever seen. Poor guy. For all his bravado and talent all he gets is shot in the gut by an indifferent Indy, and hoards of third world idiots swarm and cheer. While we laugh. Jurassic Park - The “professional” hunter Robert Muldoon This guy spent the entire film talking about what great hunters the Velociraptors are, and how deadly they are, and how they should never be underestimated, and how they always hunt in packs, and he still gets cocky and eaten. Real “clever” dumb ass. Armageddon - The pilots of the “back-up” space shuttle These two should have known they were doomed from the second they were cast as the pilots of the back-up space shuttle "Independence." They fly all the way to the deadliest of all meteors on a mission to save the entire world from destruction only to get creamed by some flying debris right as they arrive. Morons. The Matrix - The cops in the government building Granted, these guys probably didn’t have any idea what was coming, but they just get slaughtered. They figured their metal detector would be enough to protect the building from any extremist wackos, and boy did they get schooled. Nothing sadder than a faceless, surprised extra in a police uniform, fumbling for his weapon, only to get smoked. Speed – Hysterical Helen This shrieking mess of a woman tearfully tries to escape the ill-fated bus after she was warned not to, tempting Dennis Hopper to show the true meaning of his uncompromising nature, by blowing her up. Everyone else survived the bus, Helen. This was your own fault. The Usual Suspects – Fenster Benicio del Toro seemingly has received equal billing here, supposedly as important as the four other “suspects,” but when push comes to shove, he’s the first to go. And he doesn’t even merit a death with screen time. Instead, he is conveniently swept under the “Oh that guy? He tried to skip out and was killed” rug. The Rock – Rouge Marine trying to steal the deadly nerve gas This guy bites it in the first 5 minutes of the film. He’s got to go, and only to show us, the naïve viewer, what happens to someone when this gas is released. He gets locked in a room with no escape and only one window, to be stared at by David Morse as he dies slowly, painfully, and sizzlingly. Sorry dude. Those are the breaks. Fargo – The parking lot attendant This guy exists solely to get shot by Steve Buscemi leaving the Dayton Hudson parking lot after he was shot in the face. Ouch. Star Wars IV: A New Hope - Every single person on the Death Star Absolutely classic. The bigger and stronger you get, the more egomaniacal you become. That it would not EVER cross your mind that you are not too powerful to be taken down by a lone rebel is the very height of movie stupidity. A failure of leadership at the highest levels. We’re looking at you, Tarkin. Way to sign the death warrants of all your employees. Wonder how much insurance the Galactic Empire had to pay out on that one. For all the sacrificed: a moment of silence. May future non-essential characters, actors and extras learn from their important lessons. Originally posted on:Dollar Video Curator
]]>Fri, 13 Jul 2007 20:00:22 GMTmarymcilwainDollar Video Curator7/13/2007 4:00:22 PMThe power of film. You recognize it when you see it. Or feel it. Quotes that stick with you, or a glistening tear rolling down a beautiful cheek. A soaring score that tugs at your heart strings, or a heroic death, a sacrifice that was made for the good of all humankind. Eh. What of the overlooked? The filler parts of the film, meant to amuse, move the story’s plot or suspense along, or to act as comic relief? For every poignant film death forever memorialized on the big screen, an extra, a bad guy or some other lesser character has to take one for the team. The yang to the hero’s yin. The black to the white of your starlet’s blank, emotionless eye. Let us look at some of the unfortunate sacrifices that have been made for the good of the plot, and share a moment of silence for these unfortunates. Raiders of the Lost Ark - The Egyptian guy with the sword. He comes out swinging with the biggest, shiniest, sharpest sword any of you fools have ever seen. Poor guy. For all his bravado and talent all he gets is shot in the gut by an indifferent Indy, and hoards of third world idiots swarm and cheer. While we laugh. Jurassic Park - The “professional” hunter Robert Muldoon This guy spent the entire film talking about what great hunters the Velociraptors are, and how deadly they are, and how they should never be underestimated, and how they always hunt in packs, and he still gets cocky and eaten. Real “clever” dumb ass. Armageddon - The pilots of the “back-up” space shuttle These two should have known they were doomed from the second they were cast as the pilots of the back-up space shuttle "Independence." They fly all the way to the deadliest of all meteors on a mission to save the entire world from destruction only to get creamed by some flying debris right as they arrive. Morons. The Matrix - The cops in the government building Granted, these guys probably didn’t have any idea what was coming, but they just get slaughtered. They figured their metal detector would be enough to protect the building from any extremist wackos, and boy did they get schooled. Nothing sadder than a faceless, surprised extra in a police uniform, fumbling for his weapon, only to get smoked. Speed – Hysterical Helen This shrieking mess of a woman tearfully tries to escape the ill-fated bus after she was warned not to, tempting Dennis Hopper to show the true meaning of his uncompromising nature, by blowing her up. Everyone else survived the bus, Helen. This was your own fault. The Usual Suspects – Fenster Benicio del Toro seemingly has received equal billing here, supposedly as important as the four other “suspects,” but when push comes to shove, he’s the first to go. And he doesn’t even merit a death with screen time. Instead, he is conveniently swept under the “Oh that guy? He tried to skip out and was killed” rug. The Rock – Rouge Marine trying to steal the deadly nerve gas This guy bites it in the first 5 minutes of the film. He’s got to go, and only to show us, the naïve viewer, what happens to someone when this gas is released. He gets locked in a room with no escape and only one window, to be stared at by David Morse as he dies slowly, painfully, and sizzlingly. Sorry dude. Those are the breaks. Fargo – The parking lot attendant This guy exists solely to get shot by Steve Buscemi leaving the Dayton Hudson parking lot after he was shot in the face. Ouch. Star Wars IV: A New Hope - Every single person on the Death Star Absolutely classic. The bigger and stronger you get, the more egomaniacal you become. That it would not EVER cross your mind that you are not too powerful to be taken down by a lone rebel is the very height of movie stupidity. A failure of leadership at the highest levels. We’re looking at you, Tarkin. Way to sign the death warrants of all your employees. Wonder how much insurance the Galactic Empire had to pay out on that one. For all the sacrificed: a moment of silence. May future non-essential characters, actors and extras learn from their important lessons. Originally posted on:Dollar Video Curator http://www.spout.com/blogs/bigjefflebowski/archive/2007/6/29/12608.aspx Post By: BigJeffLebowski
Post To: BigJeffLebowski Blog
Post Date: 6/29/2007 2:58:00 PM
Body: I'll admit I have dual biases. Biases which are in direct conflict. On one hand, I grew up loving the Transformers, and to this day consider Optimus Prime a personal hero on par with Atticus Finch or Abraham Lincoln. On the other hand, Michael Bay sucks. I mean he really sucks. Excluding The Rock, has he done anything worthwhile? Well, I suppose now that Transformers is out, the answer is, surprisingly, yes. Rather than let Autobots and Decepticons fight to the death with nary a human around to ask "...um, wha?" the film focuses on the military response to a "Non-Biological Extra-Terestrial" invasion. It's a wise choice, lending at least a modicum of credibility to a franchise that is, essentially, the world's longest toy commcercial. (The film was, in fact, co-produced by Hasbro). Still, no one goes to see Transformers -- or, hopefully, any Michael Bay film -- for things like character arcs and plot points. No, we go to Transformers to see big robots kicking the crap out of each other. And on this score, the film delivers. The plot, for what it's worth, basically revolves around Sam Witwicky (Shia LaBeouf), the grandson of a little known explorer who went blind and insane after some unpleasantness in Antarctica. This unpleasantness, it turns out, was none other than Megatron, leader of the Decepticons; the easiest analogy for the uninitiated is to say that Megatron is the Devil to Optimus Prime's God, a former comrade who has subsequently fallen from grace and amassed a team of likeminded Decepticons to wage war against Optimus and his Autobots. Megatron came to earth in search of the All Spark, a cube which bestows sentience to any mechanical device, and which is the only remnant of their destroyed planet Cybertron. Optimus and the Autobots have arrived to protect humankind from Megatron and to find the All Spark before he or any of the other Decepticons are able to. The coordinates of the All Spark have somehow been encoded onto the late Witwicky's glasses, which Sam has been trying to sell on eBay to raise money for a car. And so on and so forth. What really matters is whether or not Bay makes good on the Autobot-Decepticon action. For the first half of the film, none of the Transformers are given much onscreen time, save for Bumblebee, Sam's Camaro. But once the entire team of Autobots roll out, the action steadily escalates. Screenwriters Roberto Orci and Robert Kurtzman at least make an attempt to characterize the Autobots, giving them qualities not far removed from their previous 1980s cartoon incarnations. But the Decepticons, who are not introduced until the film's final act, are nearly indistinguishable from one another. The new designs and fast action don't help matters much, and you'll probably find yourself taking a couple seconds to orient yourself with each new battle, reminding yourself which robot is the good guy. But like Professor Xavier and Magneto in The X-Men, it's the binary opposition between Optimus and Megatron that gives the film its heart. It does make the same mistake the original 1986 film made (making Optimus noble to a fault, but not a particularly good fighter), which could be more easily forgiven if the characters and backstory had been more fully developed. But then again, I went with someone who had never watched the show and who had relatively low expectations for the film, and she ended up liking it even more than I did. (She is a decent arbiter of good movies, despite her admission that she only came to see "robots and explosions.") Regardless, I still contend that little in-jokes for the faithful (most obviously, a yellow VW Beetle to which Bumblebee doesn't take very kindly) give the film much of its charm. The movie does try a little too hard to explain some of the logical gaps from the original cartoon (the Transformers can adapt to the form of whatever mechanical device they see and analyze, hence the reason alien robots look like earth cars) and does feature a couple too many moments of cheesy action movie humor (and this is cheesy by both action-movie and 80s-kid standards), but is ultimately so damn entertaining that it doesn't really matter. The special effects are phenomenal, and the performances by Shia LaBeouf and especially John Turturro as a special agent on a bit of a power trip are surprisingly strong for a film of this caliber. And after the lackluster Spider-Man and Fantastic Four sequels, it's nice to see a big budget action franchise film that doesn't buckle under its own weight (although, I am in the minority of filmgoers who thought Pirates 3 was excellent). It's very rare that this kind of film truly rises above its genre. X-Men 2 is one example I can think of. Superman Returns, also by Bryan Singer, is another, although that was an entirely different approach to the action film, and was unfairly maligned (much like Ang Lee's underappreciated Hulk) by an audience expecting less visual poetry and more Things Go Boom. Considering that, I can forgive Transformers for its ocassional concessions to cliche and rather cursory (re: half-assed) attempt at characterization and savor it for what it is: just the kind of big, brash, mindless entertainment the summer is known for producing.
]]>Fri, 29 Jun 2007 18:58:00 GMTBigJeffLebowskiBigJeffLebowski Blog6/29/2007 2:58:00 PMI'll admit I have dual biases. Biases which are in direct conflict. On one hand, I grew up loving the Transformers, and to this day consider Optimus Prime a personal hero on par with Atticus Finch or Abraham Lincoln. On the other hand, Michael Bay sucks. I mean he really sucks. Excluding The Rock, has he done anything worthwhile? Well, I suppose now that Transformers is out, the answer is, surprisingly, yes. Rather than let Autobots and Decepticons fight to the death with nary a human around to ask "...um, wha?" the film focuses on the military response to a "Non-Biological Extra-Terestrial" invasion. It's a wise choice, lending at least a modicum of credibility to a franchise that is, essentially, the world's longest toy commcercial. (The film was, in fact, co-produced by Hasbro). Still, no one goes to see Transformers -- or, hopefully, any Michael Bay film -- for things like character arcs and plot points. No, we go to Transformers to see big robots kicking the crap out of each other. And on this score, the film delivers. The plot, for what it's worth, basically revolves around Sam Witwicky (Shia LaBeouf), the grandson of a little known explorer who went blind and insane after some unpleasantness in Antarctica. This unpleasantness, it turns out, was none other than Megatron, leader of the Decepticons; the easiest analogy for the uninitiated is to say that Megatron is the Devil to Optimus Prime's God, a former comrade who has subsequently fallen from grace and amassed a team of likeminded Decepticons to wage war against Optimus and his Autobots. Megatron came to earth in search of the All Spark, a cube which bestows sentience to any mechanical device, and which is the only remnant of their destroyed planet Cybertron. Optimus and the Autobots have arrived to protect humankind from Megatron and to find the All Spark before he or any of the other Decepticons are able to. The coordinates of the All Spark have somehow been encoded onto the late Witwicky's glasses, which Sam has been trying to sell on eBay to raise money for a car. And so on and so forth. What really matters is whether or not Bay makes good on the Autobot-Decepticon action. For the first half of the film, none of the Transformers are given much onscreen time, save for Bumblebee, Sam's Camaro. But once the entire team of Autobots roll out, the action steadily escalates. Screenwriters Roberto Orci and Robert Kurtzman at least make an attempt to characterize the Autobots, giving them qualities not far removed from their previous 1980s cartoon incarnations. But the Decepticons, who are not introduced until the film's final act, are nearly indistinguishable from one another. The new designs and fast action don't help matters much, and you'll probably find yourself taking a couple seconds to orient yourself with each new battle, reminding yourself which robot is the good guy. But like Professor Xavier and Magneto in The X-Men, it's the binary opposition between Optimus and Megatron that gives the film its heart. It does make the same mistake the original 1986 film made (making Optimus noble to a fault, but not a particularly good fighter), which could be more easily forgiven if the characters and backstory had been more fully developed. But then again, I went with someone who had never watched the show and who had relatively low expectations for the film, and she ended up liking it even more than I did. (She is a decent arbiter of good movies, despite her admission that she only came to see "robots and explosions.") Regardless, I still contend that little in-jokes for the faithful (most obviously, a yellow VW Beetle to which Bumblebee doesn't take very kindly) give the film much of its charm. The movie does try a little too hard to explain some of the logical gaps from the original cartoon (the Transformers can adapt to the form of whatever mechanical device they see and analyze, hence the reason alien robots look like earth cars) and does feature a couple too many moments of cheesy action movie humor (and this is cheesy by both action-movie and 80s-kid standards), but is ultimately so damn entertaining that it doesn't really matter. The special effects are phenomenal, and the performances by Shia LaBeouf and especially John Turturro as a special agent on a bit of a power trip are surprisingly strong for a film of this caliber. And after the lackluster Spider-Man and Fantastic Four sequels, it's nice to see a big budget action franchise film that doesn't buckle under its own weight (although, I am in the minority of filmgoers who thought Pirates 3 was excellent). It's very rare that this kind of film truly rises above its genre. X-Men 2 is one example I can think of. Superman Returns, also by Bryan Singer, is another, although that was an entirely different approach to the action film, and was unfairly maligned (much like Ang Lee's underappreciated Hulk) by an audience expecting less visual poetry and more Things Go Boom. Considering that, I can forgive Transformers for its ocassional concessions to cliche and rather cursory (re: half-assed) attempt at characterization and savor it for what it is: just the kind of big, brash, mindless entertainment the summer is known for producing. http://www.spout.com/blogs/marymcilwain/archive/2007/6/26/12286.aspx Post By: marymcilwain
Post To: Dollar Video Curator
Post Date: 6/26/2007 7:01:01 PM
Body: The power of film. You recognize it when you see it. Or feel it. Quotes that stick with you, or a glistening tear rolling down a beautiful cheek. A soaring score that tugs at your heart strings, or a heroic death, a sacrifice that was made for the good of all humankind. Eh. What of the overlooked? The filler parts of the film, meant to amuse, move the story’s plot or suspense along, or to act as comic relief? For every poignant film death forever memorialized on the big screen, an extra, a bad guy or some other lesser character has to take one for the team. The yang to the hero’s yin. The black to the white of your starlet’s blank, emotionless eye. Let us look at some of the unfortunate sacrifices that have been made for the good of the plot, and share a moment of silence for these unfortunates. Raiders of the Lost Ark - The Egyptian guy with the sword. He comes out swinging with the biggest, shiniest, sharpest sword any of you fools have ever seen. Poor guy. For all his bravado and talent all he gets is shot in the gut by an indifferent Indy, and hoards of third world idiots swarm and cheer. While we laugh. Jurassic Park - The “professional” hunter Robert Muldoon This guy spent the entire film talking about what great hunters the Velociraptors are, and how deadly they are, and how they should never be underestimated, and how they always hunt in packs, and he still gets cocky and eaten. Real “clever” dumb ass. Armageddon - The pilots of the “back-up” space shuttle These two should have known they were doomed from the second they were cast as the pilots of the back-up space shuttle "Independence." They fly all the way to the deadliest of all meteors on a mission to save the entire world from destruction only to get creamed by some flying debris right as they arrive. Morons. The Matrix - The cops in the government building Granted, these guys probably didn’t have any idea what was coming, but they just get slaughtered. They figured their metal detector would be enough to protect the building from any extremist wackos, and boy did they get schooled. Nothing sadder than a faceless, surprised extra in a police uniform, fumbling for his weapon, only to get smoked. Speed – Hysterical Helen This shrieking mess of a woman tearfully tries to escape the ill-fated bus after she was warned not to, tempting Dennis Hopper to show the true meaning of his uncompromising nature, by blowing her up. Everyone else survived the bus, Helen. This was your own fault. The Usual Suspects – Fenster Benicio del Toro seemingly has received equal billing here, supposedly as important as the four other “suspects,” but when push comes to shove, he’s the first to go. And he doesn’t even merit a death with screen time. Instead, he is conveniently swept under the “Oh that guy? He tried to skip out and was killed” rug. The Rock – Rouge Marine trying to steal the deadly nerve gas This guy bites it in the first 5 minutes of the film. He’s got to go, and only to show us, the naïve viewer, what happens to someone when this gas is released. He gets locked in a room with no escape and only one window, to be stared at by David Morse as he dies slowly, painfully, and sizzlingly. Sorry dude. Those are the breaks. Fargo – The parking lot attendant This guy exists solely to get shot by Steve Buscemi leaving the Dayton Hudson parking lot after he was shot in the face. Ouch. Star Wars IV: A New Hope - Every single person on the Death Star Absolutely classic. The bigger and stronger you get, the more egomaniacal you become. That it would not EVER cross your mind that you are not too powerful to be taken down by a lone rebel is the very height of movie stupidity. A failure of leadership at the highest levels. We’re looking at you, Tarkin. Way to sign the death warrants of all your employees. Wonder how much insurance the Galactic Empire had to pay out on that one. For all the sacrificed: a moment of silence. May future non-essential characters, actors and extras learn from their important lessons. Originally posted on:Dollar Video Curator
]]>Tue, 26 Jun 2007 23:01:01 GMTmarymcilwainDollar Video Curator6/26/2007 7:01:01 PMThe power of film. You recognize it when you see it. Or feel it. Quotes that stick with you, or a glistening tear rolling down a beautiful cheek. A soaring score that tugs at your heart strings, or a heroic death, a sacrifice that was made for the good of all humankind. Eh. What of the overlooked? The filler parts of the film, meant to amuse, move the story’s plot or suspense along, or to act as comic relief? For every poignant film death forever memorialized on the big screen, an extra, a bad guy or some other lesser character has to take one for the team. The yang to the hero’s yin. The black to the white of your starlet’s blank, emotionless eye. Let us look at some of the unfortunate sacrifices that have been made for the good of the plot, and share a moment of silence for these unfortunates. Raiders of the Lost Ark - The Egyptian guy with the sword. He comes out swinging with the biggest, shiniest, sharpest sword any of you fools have ever seen. Poor guy. For all his bravado and talent all he gets is shot in the gut by an indifferent Indy, and hoards of third world idiots swarm and cheer. While we laugh. Jurassic Park - The “professional” hunter Robert Muldoon This guy spent the entire film talking about what great hunters the Velociraptors are, and how deadly they are, and how they should never be underestimated, and how they always hunt in packs, and he still gets cocky and eaten. Real “clever” dumb ass. Armageddon - The pilots of the “back-up” space shuttle These two should have known they were doomed from the second they were cast as the pilots of the back-up space shuttle "Independence." They fly all the way to the deadliest of all meteors on a mission to save the entire world from destruction only to get creamed by some flying debris right as they arrive. Morons. The Matrix - The cops in the government building Granted, these guys probably didn’t have any idea what was coming, but they just get slaughtered. They figured their metal detector would be enough to protect the building from any extremist wackos, and boy did they get schooled. Nothing sadder than a faceless, surprised extra in a police uniform, fumbling for his weapon, only to get smoked. Speed – Hysterical Helen This shrieking mess of a woman tearfully tries to escape the ill-fated bus after she was warned not to, tempting Dennis Hopper to show the true meaning of his uncompromising nature, by blowing her up. Everyone else survived the bus, Helen. This was your own fault. The Usual Suspects – Fenster Benicio del Toro seemingly has received equal billing here, supposedly as important as the four other “suspects,” but when push comes to shove, he’s the first to go. And he doesn’t even merit a death with screen time. Instead, he is conveniently swept under the “Oh that guy? He tried to skip out and was killed” rug. The Rock – Rouge Marine trying to steal the deadly nerve gas This guy bites it in the first 5 minutes of the film. He’s got to go, and only to show us, the naïve viewer, what happens to someone when this gas is released. He gets locked in a room with no escape and only one window, to be stared at by David Morse as he dies slowly, painfully, and sizzlingly. Sorry dude. Those are the breaks. Fargo – The parking lot attendant This guy exists solely to get shot by Steve Buscemi leaving the Dayton Hudson parking lot after he was shot in the face. Ouch. Star Wars IV: A New Hope - Every single person on the Death Star Absolutely classic. The bigger and stronger you get, the more egomaniacal you become. That it would not EVER cross your mind that you are not too powerful to be taken down by a lone rebel is the very height of movie stupidity. A failure of leadership at the highest levels. We’re looking at you, Tarkin. Way to sign the death warrants of all your employees. Wonder how much insurance the Galactic Empire had to pay out on that one. For all the sacrificed: a moment of silence. May future non-essential characters, actors and extras learn from their important lessons. Originally posted on:Dollar Video Curator http://www.spout.com/groups/Dish_Me_Up_Some/Re_sean_connery/332/10469/1/ShowPost.aspx Post By: divinemsjunebug
Post To: Dish Me Up Some
Post Date: 6/9/2007 1:41:09 AM
Body: Ahhhh, Sean Connery, that accent, so manly...let's see...my favorite movies that I love to watch him in are The Rock, A League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, and I loved him in the Highlander. There is just something about him, he is still sexy at almost 80 years old. sheeez.
]]>Sat, 09 Jun 2007 05:41:09 GMTdivinemsjunebugDish Me Up Some6/9/2007 1:41:09 AMAhhhh, Sean Connery, that accent, so manly...let&#39;s see...my favorite movies that I love to watch him in are The Rock, A League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, and I loved him in the Highlander. There is just something about him, he is still sexy at almost 80 years old. sheeez. http://www.spout.com/groups/Top_5/Re_Top_5_Movie_To_Suprise_You_In_A_Good_Way/190/7932/1/ShowPost.aspx Post By: lbenschwartz
Post To: Top 5
Post Date: 5/1/2007 9:52:57 PM
Body: Amen on your comments on Batman Begins Mattypro. Nolan handles the material perfectly, balancing some dark realism with comic book thrills. It's a Batman movie all us Batman fans hoped would be made. And what else can be said about Christian Bale as Batman - home run. Have you seen the much overpraise Tim Burton version recently. I thought it was it was a mess the first time I saw it, and it just gets sillier with every viewing. It's Batman, not Joker. 1. Clerks 2. Given that I hadn't liked a Kevin Smith movie since Mallrats, I was blown away by how funny and affecting this movie is. Recasting these two unknown actors, ten years later, shouldn't work - but it does. 2. Waking Ned Devine. The only movie in which the combination of a quaint Irish village and cute old people doesn't make me want to claw my eyes out. 3. The Rock. Three things that are 9 times out 10 horrible. Michael Bay movies, Nick Cage movies made after 1990, Sean Connery movies made after 1987. There's an exception for everything. This is a very entertaining movie.4. Pursuit of Happyness. Why is this movie good? I have no idea. 5. Moulin Rouge - The first fifteen minutes are among the most thrilling in movies. And I don't even really like musicals
]]>Wed, 02 May 2007 01:52:57 GMTlbenschwartzTop 55/1/2007 9:52:57 PMAmen on your comments on Batman Begins Mattypro. Nolan handles the material perfectly, balancing some dark realism with comic book thrills. It&#39;s a Batman movie all us Batman fans hoped would be made. And what else can be said about Christian Bale as Batman - home run. Have you seen the much overpraise Tim Burton version recently. I thought it was it was a mess the first time I saw it, and it just gets sillier with every viewing. It&#39;s Batman, not Joker. 1. Clerks 2. Given that I hadn&#39;t liked a Kevin Smith movie since Mallrats, I was blown away by how funny and affecting this movie is. Recasting these two unknown actors, ten years later, shouldn&#39;t work - but it does. 2. Waking Ned Devine. The only movie in which the combination of a quaint Irish village and cute old people doesn&#39;t make me want to claw my eyes out. 3. The Rock. Three things that are 9 times out 10 horrible. Michael Bay movies, Nick Cage movies made after 1990, Sean Connery movies made after 1987. There&#39;s an exception for everything. This is a very entertaining movie.4. Pursuit of Happyness. Why is this movie good? I have no idea. 5. Moulin Rouge - The first fifteen minutes are among the most thrilling in movies. And I don&#39;t even really like musicals http://www.spout.com/members/0/tags/death/MemberTagFilms.aspxdeath
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