“Mother Nature just pissed her pantsuit!” – Danny McBride in Tropic Thunder

Okay, so maybe it’s not exactly the perfect transition into my mother’s day weekend post I was hoping for, but what better actor to ring in the holiday with than Danny McBride? After Dazzling audiences with his stunning performance of Rico in Hot Rod, McBride stepped away from his independent roots (All the Real Girls; The Foot Fist Way) into more serious roles, working with such Hollywood royalty such as George Clooney and Julie Andrews. Now at the top of his game, you can expect to see McBride in future classics Despicable Me, Your Highness, and more. Looking to fill in the gaps in your McBridefest 2010? Well, grab your mother and get on down to Moviecycle to find one of these fine cinematic McBride rides! And hey, if it’s sold out, ask us about special ordering or getting on the reserve list!

1. Hot Rod. Truly a cinematic masterpiece. By far the best comedy of 2007. McBride shines in this break-out role of Rico, the mechanic to stunt-superstar-wannabe Rod (Andy Samberg). Will Rico help Rod achieve his dreams? “I’m freakin pumped! I’ve been drinking green tea all goddamn day!”, Rico shouts excitedly.

2. Pineapple Express. Another stunning performance, this time with McBride tackling the diverse role of Red. Will Red be a saving grace to on-the-run innocents Dale and Saul (Seth Rogen and James Franco)? Or is Red pumping some dangerous iron up his sleeves (not a drug reference)? “I’m like the nerd at the sleepover who fell asleep at nine,” Red blushes.

3. Tropic Thunder. Cast along comedy heavyweights Jack Black, Ben Stiller, and even Robert DJ, McBride shames his A-list counterparts with his portrayal of Cody, the special effects specialist for the fictional film the characters are shooting on location in Vietnam. “Damian, what’s the dealie dude? Are we gonna blow up this tree line or what?”, Cody inquires.

4. The Foot Fist Way. Back from McBride’s independent days, The Foot Fist Way is both a gripping and harrowing look into the industry of childrens’ karate instruction. McBride is explosive in his role as Fred Simmons, whose goal is to be the best karate teacher this side of America. “Dentistry? I can’t even believe that’s something that’s real,” Simmons defends.

5. Eastbound & Down. McBride collaborates again with frequent collaborator Jody Hill (The Foot Fist Way, Observe and Report) in this gripping look into fictional baseball star (and ex-Seattle Mariner) Kenny Powers, whose efforts to raise his career from the dead are both fascinating and lovely. Airing on HBO, the show’s first season can be found on DVD for the rest of us. “I honestly just feel that America is the best country and the other countries aren’t as good. That used to be called patriotism,” Kenny swoons.

Last year, I was on a trip to Hawaii and a police officer pulled me over. His name was Paul. Paul Pfeiffer. FBI. Fussy Boy Inspector. What? I know, I lie. But here you go, my 5 fav Pauls!

1. Paul Thomas Anderson. Yeah, I like Paul. Maybe it’s because he’s married. Maybe it’s because all of his movies are amazing. Maybe it’s because he likes Radiohead. Maybe it’s because he likes footlong subs. Who knows? Well, it’s actually because his movies are amazing and I’d recommend every one of them. I’m actually appalled that we have copies of Punch-Drunk Love and There Will Be Blood in stock because you great people need to get off your lazy butts and purchase them. No, don’t rent them, they must be owned! Okay, maybe you should rent them if you’re unsure. But hey, why don’t you purchase it from us, watch it, and then decide if you want it to be a rental or not. You know we’re cool with it!

2. Paul Rudd. Yeah, I like Paul. He’s in a lot of cool movies. I don’t even think I need to name any because they’re all good. Some of his movies I’ve enjoyed are Anchorman, The Baxter, Clueless, Diggers, Fast Track, Forgetting Sarah Marshall, The 40 Year Old Virgin, I Could Never Be Your Woman, I Love You Man, Overnight Delivery, Role Models, Romeo + Juliet, The Ten, Walk Hard, and Wet Hot American Summer.

3. Paul Montgomery Shore. To be honest, I don’t know if I’m a fan. To be honest, Encino Man was great but that doesn’t mean I like Paul Montgomery Shore. Yeah, that’s his name. Shore, Paul Montgomery. You know the one. “Excellentè!” Wait, that was Teddy on Pete and Pete. Fudge… I don’t know. Pauly Shore is Dead is another movie.

4. Paul Giamatti. Brilliant Actor. Big Fat Liar = Big Fat Oscar. Big Mommas House = Big Millionaire House. He also loves the letter S… Sabrina, Safe Men, Saving Private Ryan (AKA Safe Men 2), Shoot ‘Em Up, Sideways, Singles,  Storytelling… All big fat shoe-ins for a good Giamatti gathering! No, but seriously, he’s pretty good…

5. Paul Newman. The legend who used my hometown of Carnation to set up a camp for sick children. Pretty legit, Paul. He’s also starred in some of the greatest movies ever made, including Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, Cool Hand Luke, and Cars. But seriously (I never saw Cars), the man was a screen legend, a natural do-gooder, and he has about the most classic name ever (take that, Lincoln!). He may be gone, but he’s still the coolest.

…”Do I feel lucky?”

We do, that’s a fact. We’ve got so many Clint Eastwood films here in the store we’ve  given the man his own shelf on the Wall O’ Cool.  Whether he’s The Man With No Name or he’s the .44-Magnum-toting, authority-bucking Harry Callahan, you gotta love Clint.

Dirty Harry is one of my all-time favorite films. Loosely inspired by the Zodiac Killer who terrorized San Francisco in the late ’60s and into the ’70s, this film introduced us to the the ultimate take-no-crap cop: Harry Callahan. The only thing Harry hates more than criminals is, well, everyone else. You definitely do not want to get on the wrong side of Harry’s code of honor.

And then there’s the followup, Magnum Force, in which Harry goes after a rogue group of vigilante cops who are taking the law into their own hands and picking off the bad guys that slip through the system’s cracks. Of course, Harry hates rogue vigilante cops maybe even more than criminals and, well, everyone else. Plus, this is the film that contains one of my favorite quotes ever: “A man’s got to know his limitations.”

One thing I was surprised to discover was just how many Clint Eastwood films he’s directed as well. The Outlaw Josey Wales is just one of those. Josey Wales is essentially The Man With No Name (from his old Spaghetti Western days), only this time around he has a name. After his avenging his family’s murder, Josey Wales is on run as a pack of killers hunts him down. Along the way he picks up a rag-tag group of hangers-on (including long-time girlfriend Sondra Locke, who ended up costarring with him several more times in the ’70s and ’80s) that he feels compelled to protect.

Clint didn’t do another western for 9 years after Josey Wales, not until 1986’s Pale Rider (again directed by himself). As a man known only as “Preacher”, he  goes up against an evil mining boss bent on driving the local independent miners out of the area. The boss hires some killers who work for whomever pays, and he pays in gold. On the other hand, Preacher pays in lead.

Up next we’ve got a couple of political thrillers featuring Clint on both sides of the law. In Absolute Power, he plays a career thief named Luther Whitney who witnesses a murder which could spell scandal for the President of the United States and finds himself in a game of cat-and-mouse with local cops and the Secret Service. Also stars Gene Hackman and Ed Harris and is once again directed by Mr. Eastwood.

Speaking of the Secret Service, In The Line Of Fire has our man playing veteran agent Frank Horrigan who has the unfortunate distinction of having been unable to protect JFK on that fateful day in November 1963. Now, many years later, that failure still haunts him as he’s drawn into a plot to kill the current President. The would-be assassin, a former-CIA agent played with creepy brilliance by John Malkovich, taunts him by phone and teases him with clues, giving Horrigan the chance at redemption he so desperately craves.

In True Crime, Clint is Steve Everett, a boozing, skirt-chasing reporter whose job is on the line when he’s assigned to interview a death row inmate in the hours before his scheduled execution. After just a little research, Everett is convinced that an innocent man is about to die and it becomes a race against time. Of course, when you’re a drunk, a bad dad and you’ve slept with the wife of your boss, who’s gonna listen to you? Costars Denis Leary and James Woods.

And to round things out we have Million Dollar Baby, another film directed by Clint, in which he plays trainer Frankie Dunn who is quick to growl “I don’t train girls!” Of course, when the girl is Hilary Swank and won’t quit showing up at the gym, what’s a cranky old guy to do but take her in? Costarring Morgan Freeman as the gym caretaker and non-cranky old guy. Clint Eastwood also composed music for this one. Is there anything he can’t do?

So that wraps up the Clint Eastwood shrine on our Wall O’ Cool. There were some also-rans that didn’t make the cut, like The Bridges Of Madison County, Blood Work, Flags Of Our Fathers, Letters From Iwo Jima and Space Cowboys, not to mention titles we’re out of right now, like Gran Torino, Unforgiven, High Plains Drifter…. the list really truly goes on and on. Come on in and check it out. We might just make your day.