Hey Star Wars fans, check this out. This is a cool and fun looking project I read about over at suvudu.com the other day. It’s called the Star Wars Uncut Fan Project and it really looks like a ton of fun. I really like the variety of styles and quality, plus the huge amount of creativity on display here. I’m looking forward to seeing the final product of all this work.

Have a great weekend!

So the boys all wrote what 5 films they would take if stuck on an island.

I would be totally annoyed with any movie if I only had 5 to choose from and nothing else! Variety is even the spice of island life!

But….here are 5 films I can watch repeatedly without becoming too disgusted.

Ocean’s Eleven – Steven Soderbergh’s 2001 remake of a 1960 heist film. Even though the following sequels kind of ruined the coolness of this first one by making us OD on the plot lines, I am still tickled watching the story of Danny Ocean and his 10 partners in crime rob snotty Andy Garcia’s fabulous Vegas casinos. The cast has great chemistry, the photography and editing are flawless, and the jokes are intelligent.

Dazed and Confused -Richard Linklater’s tale of the last day of school in a small Texas town during 1976. A collection of intertwining stories of a group of kids embarking on their senior year with freshman hazing, tons of weed, and a kick-ass soundtrack. Also the only time I have found Matthew McConaughey tolerable. “L-I-V-I-N”

Dogma – My favorite Kevin Smith movie! Two angels who have been banished from Heaven find a loophole in Catholicism to get themselves back in. Only problem is, if they do, they will unmake existence! A cast of crazy characters try to stop them and swear a lot while challenging every bible story you know. I heart this one big time.

The Lost Boys – 1987. The first scary movie I recall seeing in a theater. Bad 80’s clothes, two Coreys, and vampires with baby faces. I know every line of dialogue in this film….so it is kind of annoying to watch it with me.

Better Off Dead- John Cusack repeatedly tries to kill himself because his girlfriend broke up with him in this hilarious 1985 movie. How anyone could break up with John Cusack is beyond me.

Runners up: Sixteen Candles, The Goonies, Stand By Me….what can I say? I love the 80’s!

As our good friend Geoff wrote a review on Michael Showalter’s The Baxter, I had to fight the urge to not write about another Showalter movie, Wet Hot American Summer. Then I said, “urge, you need to take a hike.” And I felt really lame for using such a cliché idiomatic expression. But then I remembered that the expression… nevermind, I’m not really going anywhere with this.

Wet Hot American Summer is one of the best movies in the world. I mean it. In my opinion. You can’t say anything to refute it, because it’s my opinion. Booom!

This film is chock-full of good stuff. It was directed by David Wain, who has hit more mainstream success as of recent with his film Role Models (which features Wet Hot alums Paul Rudd and Elizabeth Banks). Back to Wain, I like to think of him as 1/11 of the classic MTV comedy troupe The State or 1/3 of the non-MTV comedy group (I’m not sure what constitutes a troupe compared to a group) Stella, which is also known as 3/11 of the classic MTV comedy troupe The State.

Moreover, Wet Hot features sketch-comedy pros Michael Showalter and Michael Ian Black, also from Stella and the State. If that didn’t grab your attention, which it very well may not have, this film also has Paul Rudd in what I believe is his best role ever, the angsty camp counselor Andy. It must be seen to be believed.

What is this film about? The easy answer is to say it’s about the last day at a children’s summer camp in 1981, but the actuality of the plot is much more ridiculous. Rudd, Showalter, and Black, along with Elizabeth Banks, Molly Shannon, Amy Poehler, Bradley Cooper (in his first film role), and more play camp counselors who aren’t very good at their job. Also notable are Janeane Garofalo as Camp Owner Beth, David Hyde Pierce as her love interest Henry, and most importantly, Law and Order SVU’s Christopher Meloni, in the best thing he’s ever done. I won’t even tell you who he plays, except it’s a cook. And I will also mention that H. Jon Benjamin plays the voice of a can of beans. I met Benjamin at Sasquatch Music Festival and he gave me a bottle of non-alcoholic wine.

This movie will be hated by people who take their comedy seriously. Which, to me, is weird in-and-of itself. When I’ve recommended it to people at my old rental store job, I received a lot of dirty looks. But come on guys, it’s the 21st century. Paul Rudd is an A-list celebrity now. And if you love the 80s (Michael Ian Black, I’m looking at you), you very well might want to check out this 2001 parody of the 80s summer camp scene, back when kids spent time outside rather than writing on blogs (Gary Wilson, I’m looking at you). Unfortunately, you probably won’t be able to peep Wet Hot American Summer from Moviecycle because we can’t keep the DVD in stock for more than a day or two. Proof to how amazing it is.