In brainstorming for the best blog post idea ever, I came across the radically mind-banteringly fascinating gun-dungaree skip hoppin’ idea of picking 5 notable movies we’ve received in the store this week. 5 flavors for 5 days, Monday through Friday or Sunday through Thursday (whatever you like, french fry).
First film. Say Anything. That’s right. Anything you want. This pretty picture features John Cusack as Lloyd Dobler, an average day teen, chillin’ in Seattle, graduating and all that. College is surely on everyone’s minds, sept for Lloyd, whose main concern regards asking out the super smart and popular Diane Court. Featuring that one scene and directed by Cameron Crowe, this movie helped set the 80s as the decade for teenage tomfoolery. Fun fact: when Lloyd drives down 45th, he passes the Guild 45th theater which happens to be playing another Cusack flick, Tapeheads. Reality just got pretty crazy in this mud!
Second film. 12 Monkeys. Originally not conceived as a TV biopic based around the casting dilemmas behind a fictionalized 1960s pop group, 12 Monkeys was eventually adapted by Terry Gilliam as a futuristic sci-fi thriller where a virus has killed millions and survivors such as Bruce Willis and Brad Pitt must live underground. A bunch of stuff happens. Fun fact: Director Gilliam gave Bruce Willis a list of “Willis acting clichés” that he was refused to use during filming (such as the “steely blue eyes look”).
Third film. Memento. Directed by one of my favorites, Christopher Nolan, this film is a crazy ride where Guy Pearce repeatedly loses his short-term memory, relying on sticky notes to remember just what the hell he’s been up to. Throw in some mystery and murder and you’ve got yourself a fascinating driller (drama-thriller… insanely clever, i know). Fun fact: Christopher Nolan originally wanted Alec Baldwin for Guy Pearce’s roll. Let me tell you, it’s a good thing they didn’t have any costumes fitted for the character beforehand… Because Alec Baldwin is pretty large and Guy Pearce isn’t. Okay, not funny. Moving on.
Fourth Film. White Chicks. Directed by Kenan Ivory Wayans, this film features his brothers Shawn and Marlon as two kind of crappy FBI agents who are told to go undercover in an abduction case by disguising themselves as the daughters of a tycoon (hence, “white chicks”). What could possibly go wrong? Fun Fact: The original title of the movie was called the Miltons, in attempts to showcase a more direct spoof of the Hilton family.
Fifth Film. No. Fifth TV Show. No. First TV Show. The Kids in the Hall: Season 1. A wonderous sketch comedy show anyone my age should recognize from reruns on Comedy Central, this Canadian sketch comedy show originally aired in 1988 under the guise of Saturday Night Live creator Lorne Michaels. Most of the sketch comedy is wild and out there, reminiscent of Shakespeare, with most female roles being commandeered by the all-male cast. Great late 80s/early 90s comedy. Fun fact: The name of the troupe comes from comic personality Sid Caesar, who, when telling a joke that didn’t go over well, attributed it to “the kids in the hall”.
Summer Time Blues
How The Movies Of Summer Ruined Everything
By Geoffrey Robert Reed
As a lot of you might have noticed, here in Seattle the summertime weather has apparently decided to shun us and not show up at all! This is what Traci Allison my high school prom date did to me, so I’m pretty use to it. (Actually, she did show up that night, with her real prom date Rick Morrison. They raided my dad’s liquor cabinet, and then Rick gave me a swirly in my own toilet. I did not get the rental deposit on my tux back) But don’t worry Seattle! This gloomy weather will pass, and soon you will be basking in the 62 degree, mildly sunny weather that is the Seattle Summer!
Until then, here are some of my top picks of summer movies, and a few things that happened to me while I tried viewing them!
Summer School: (1987) – Mark Harmon is a gym teacher who teaches a rag-tag group of misfit during the summer months in this 80’s comedy from the always reliable Carl Reiner. We have this in stock a Moviecycle! This film makes summer school look like a lot of fun, but believe me it is not. I was a straight A student in junior high, but during my last week of English class, my arch enemy & bully Ryan Carter switched my final paper “Mark Twain: American Hero“ with a paper he wrote called “F**K You Miss Jenkins!” Miss Jenkins was our teacher. I failed her class, and had to go to summer school for 2 months. This meant not only did I miss out on computer camp, but I had to attend summer school class with Ryan every day and endure endless after class beatings. Also, he stole my shoes three times that summer.
Caddyshack II: (1988)- This amazingly funny movie (which we currently have in stock here at Moviecycle) which actually manages to be even funnier that the original, was a box-office smash when it came out. Not only did it breathe new life into the golf-comedy, (or Golfedy as it is now known) it made Jackie Mason a star who had crossed generations as American’s new sex symbol. This film doesn’t have much to do with summer, but it does have a great water-park scene. A mishap on a water slide may seem like comedy gold when it happens in the movies, but believe me, when it happens in real life; nope. For my 16th birthday my uncle Clair bought me a free summer pass to Wild Waves. Man was I excited. I was in line for my first ride on a slide they called Admiral Rampage when a girl in front of me said I could go ahead of her! I thanked her, and jumped into the tube. Moments before I headed down, I felt two hands at the legs of my bathing suit. Yup. She pantsed me. I spent the next 4 hours waiting for my mom to pick me up naked, runnning around the park looking for cover & screaming “Help me! Someone Help me! while crying uncontrollably. It was then that I earned the nick-name “Tic-Tac”
American Pie 2 : (2002)- Those wacky teens in their mid to late 20’s are back! This time the “gang” heads out for some fun in the sand & sun and a bunch of stuff happens that should surprise no one! They also rent a summer cabin, which reminds me of a little story. Summer, 1992. Last day of school. I am cleaning out my locker, and underneath my Crash Test Dummies c.d. I find a note inviting me to share a summer cabin with a bunch of dudes from the basketball team & Heather Davidsondearinton. One of the cutest girls in school! I had my “weekend step-dad” drive me out to the beach the next day. The house was a beautiful summer cabin. As my stepdad drove off, I knocked on the door, my duffle bag & Snoopy Sno-Cone macine at my feet. The Door swung open… Yup. It was Ryan Carter. He pulled out a water gun and shot a thick stream of hot sauce directly into my eyes. As I was doubled over in agony, he pulled me up and handed me a mop and bucket. That summer I was held captive as the in-house janitor. Cleaning up after each party was a nice break from being tied up in the basement every day and night. Oh….and the Snoopy Sno-Cone machine was broken, but not before I was fed a Lemon Sno-cone. (It was really pee, not lemon) We have this movie in stock at Moviecycle as well.
Well. Have a good summer everyone. Don’t forget to drop by Moviecycle to pick up some of your favorite Summertime flicks!
Happy Father’s Day! In honor of this groundbreaking article, which states, “Jude Law’s character in 2006 film The Holiday has been named the hottest film father in a recent poll,” I would like to talk about some Jude Law films that I’ve actually seen and liked (or would like to see, at least). Turns out he hasn’t done that many movies that pertain to my interests personally, but hey, he’s hot so who cares, right?
1. Alfie Just Kidding.
1. eXistenZ This might be the first Jude Law movie I’ve seen, and it’s certainly one I’d recommend. This sci-fi thriller is directed by the great David Cronenberg and has Jude playing a marketing trainee, stuck fleeing with the world’s leading virtual reality game creator, played by Jennifer Jason Leigh, after a group of people try to kill her. I don’t want to give much away about the movie, but if you like weird stuff or are familiar with Cronenberg’s work, I would check it out. If not, proceed with caution.
2. Gattaca And I guess this must be the best Jude Law movie I’ve seen. In another flick from his sci-fi days, Jude plays a genetically superior man to Ethan Hawke’s character (big stretch), who is not genetically engineered like the rest of them and therefore gets crapped on by modern society. Therefore, Hawke sets out to impersonate Law, whose suicide-attempt left him paralyzed from the waist down and super bummed out. Luckily, money solves everything, so Law is all set to sell his identity to Hawke, which isn’t quite as easy as either of them may be hoping for. With a classy blend of drama and sci-fi, this movie stretches far beyond a simple popcorn flick. Highly recommended.
3. The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus Perhaps best known as Heath Ledger’s final and unfinished performance, Jude, along with Johnny Depp and Colin Farrel stepped in to play the remainder of Ledger’s character for the scenes he was not able to complete. These scenes take place inside the imaginarium, which is an imaginary world created by Doctor Parnassus as part of a traveling show to the public. Directed by another great, Terry Gilliam, this movie is certainly a trip.
4. Repo Men I haven’t seen this movie yet, but was glad to hear Jude was revisiting the sci-fi genre, something that could have helped his street cred 5 or so years ago. As far as I know, the movie is set in the future where artificial organs can be bought on credit. Need a new heart? Sure, just sign this form. Six months later… Oh, you can’t pay for it? We’ll have to send Jude Law and Forest Whitaker in to get that heart back. Sorry dude! The movie should be something along those lines.
5. Sherlock Holmes This is another on my to-see list. This is one of those movies I’ll have to force myself to see, however. I mean, I’m sure it will be fun and entertaining, but I’ve never cared about Sherlock Holmes in the first place. Still, it’s nice to see Jude playing a character that isn’t a sex-god (unless we have differing opinions on the character of Doctor Watson… I guess I should see the movie before I talk). Plus, Robert Downey Jr’s been hitting it out of the park lately, with films like Zodiac and Iron Man. I hear the chemistry between Law and Downey is legit, so hopefully the movie will not disappoint!