Greg's other blog for lists and things

My Top 10 Video Games

2008-06-10T14:03:00.000-07:00

This list was hard, of course. There have been countless games played on many different systems throughout my life. I'm probably one of the youngest people that can say "Do you remember "Pong""? Not only do I remember Pong, but I remember enjoying it. For me, Pong begot Atari...which begot Nintendo....which begot Sega....which begot Playstation...which begot Playstation 2. With the exception of computer games, that's where I've stopped. I always told myself that I could play video games up until age 30. To me, being 30 years old was TOO old to play games. Certainly, my video games playing has diminished, but I still enjoy them. I think the people who USED to enjoy video games will ALWAYS enjoy video games. I know people in their 40s that play video games of some sort. I play them enough to enjoy them, without so much that I can't function as a grown adult. If people of ALL AGES can sit and watch their favorite TV shows for entertainment, why can't they sit and play video games for entertainment? Why can an adult play solitaire on the computer and be normal, but playing football on the Playstation be childish? Hmmm?

That being said, I rarely dust off the old PS2. I'll get into a groove where I'll play it for 5-6 nights a week, and then I don't hook it up for months. That's just how it goes. I'll regularly take a few minutes out of my day when I'm on the upstairs computer to play a few minutes of Crysis. It's quick, it's easy, and I'm back downstairs before anyone can say "Maximum Armor". That's obviously a Crysis reference that only Stephen will be able to get.

I'm going to list my Top 10 video games. I will include a few honorable mentions. One of them is Indiana Jones for the Atari. I saw a couple of clips on Youtube about this game a month or so ago. One was how to beat the game in 10 minutes, and another was a critique calling it one of the worst video games ever made. At the time, I thought it was good. After seeing how to beat it off of the youtube, I realize that I could have never beaten it at that age because there were things you had to do that there was NO way to figure out. For a long time after I got my Nintendo, I remember thinking, "I need to go back and beat that game". Other Atari games I remember liking included Asteroids, Berserk, Missile Command, Atari Football, Star Wars, and ET. I also spent a lot of time playing Atari Baseball with Isaac Smith at this house. I owned the game, but when I visited, I brought it and we played it. We loved it.

Most of the great video games were games I enjoyed playing with other people. I remember playing Eternal Champions with all the fellas in High School and College. I remember playing Blades of Steel and Double Dribble with my dad. I remember pumping quarters into the Double Dragon Arcade game at the bowling alley, playing Michael and Phillip Imbriano. Speaking of Philly, I played a lot of NHL Hockey against him at the Imbriano house. We literally played several 7 games series with his Chicago Blackhawks against my Buffalo Sabres. I played Half Life on the computer with Todd and Kris. Half Life was a groundbreaking game that revolutionized 1st person shooting games....or "murder simulators", as they were once dubbed by the video game haters out there. Good times, as evidence by my memory of them all. Oh yeah...I almost forgot "Romance of the 3 Kingdoms", which was a great war strategy game based in 2nd century China. Todd, Michael, and I played this on my Nintendo for hours.

Anyway, on to the list...

Best Video Games

#10 Twisted Metal 2.....This was a great game that Marc and I played religiously. It was kind of a futuristic car combat game. The game was cool, the action was very good. It was a very engaging game. It really got your blood pumping. The music was absolutely awesome. The first Twisted Metal and 2 or 3 sequels have blown. Twisted Metal 2 was so popular that it enabled the company to keep making newer versions despite the fact that they sucked. That is a tribute to it's greatness.

#9 Mortal Kombat 3.....It was hard to pick one of these Mortal Kombat games to put on this list because they were all good for their time. I'm putting the 3rd one on there. I probably played this one as much as any. We all played it, but I'm sure I played Marc more than anyone else. Kano made his return in this game, and although Baraka wasn't in it, they added the new combo feature which really improved the gameplay. To be honest, I think Eternal Champions was as much fun as any of the other fighting games out there, but it wasn't as popular and didn't garner the attention. They never made another one. They've made 1,000 Mortal Kombat games, though.

#8 Crysis....I got this game (and a wonderful computer to play it on) for Christmas. It was part of what will be my last big Christmas from my parents. An awesome machine to play an awesome game on, and I got to PLAY at Christmas...again...after all these years. And, I played throughout the Winter, Spring, and Summer too. This game might be the most amazing video game I've ever seen, much less played. It's heart pumping action. At some point, I'll play Stephen at this game. It's like Half Life in a way, but an updated version of it. It's like being in a movie. You're out there...with automatic weapons..and you have things you need to achieve. You can achieve them however you want. You can walk around and flank your enemy..you can rush them...snipe them or get close and choke them. You can even drive a vehicle into the midst of them. Total freedom. It's a thrill.

#7 Madden 95....How do you separate the Madden and NCAA games? You can't really. All the EA Sports football games were similar each year they came out. I'm putting 95 on the list because it was MUCH better than 94. All of the games have been better than the previous one, but this one was much better than it's prequel. And, it was the version that was new when I was a freshman in college living in the dorm. Marc, Todd, Michael, Dwight, and I played this game like there was no tomorrow. Sadly, there WAS a tomorrow...and that tomorrow meant classes for which we were too exhausted to pay attention. That's what happens when you play video games until 3:00am. Having the EA Sports Football game this far down on my list is probably crazy, since I've played these football games more than any other kind of game...EASILY, in fact. But, since I've played this brand of football video game for about 14 years, it's hard to separate them all. Obviously, the newest ones are better than the older ones...but I'm going with this one because of the camaraderie we all shared via this game.

#6 Mario Kart.....This was another college freshman game for the Nintendo 64, which I didn't own. I had to play this in Marc and Todd's room. This game was just plain fun. It was so exciting and nerve racking that I was frequently laughing while playing because of the tension. Any minute, you knew you could get your clock cleaned by a turtle shell. It was silly, but it was just fun. I played it over and over and over. It wasn't cool or awesome, but it was just a lot of fun.

#5 Contra.....This game means 2 things to me...Stephen and Thanksgiving. It was an awesome (for it's time) action game that we played for hours. I always felt like it was kinda based off of Predator, slightly. Anybody who played Nintendo games back then know the following...up down up down left right left right B A B A select start. That code turned up in a few games. It gave you 30 lives instead of just 3 lives...and I needed them because your "partner" can steal your lives when he runs out. I think Stephen usually took about 50 of our combined 60 lives.

#4 Bases Loaded....This game makes me think of Summer. It was a wonderful Nintendo baseball game that my dad and I played a lot. The teams and player names were fictitious, and the players used metal bats for some reason that I haven't figured out yet...but the game was one of the best baseball games ever. A lot of my Summer days were spent going from the pool to my room, over and over. It was swimming and then video games and then swimming and then video games. This game was great. It looked good, and the controls were fairly easy to master. Like all good games, the music was pretty good. "PING"...that's the sound of Norkus blasting a "Thousand Hitter" Hinter pitch over the left field wall.

#3 Test Drive 4....A lot of the games I've mentioned involved either Stephen or my dad. This game involved both. It was a great racing game that we played a lot. It was very involving and full of action. We hooked Playstations up and could play the game on 2 different TV's. My dad liked it so much that, after Stephen went back home after that visit, he bought his own playstation and video game. I remember my mom telling me that he was making her sit and watch him play. I find that story hilarious to this day. My mom has that experience in common with most of the young women half her age who are made to watch their boyfriends play video games. The '69 Corvette against the Hemi-Cuda. What's not to like?

#2 Tecmo Bowl.....This game was awesome. It was Madden before Madden. Despite the retarded name, the football was great. The teams looked like the real NFL teams (color patterns), and they had an agreement with the player's association so they could use the real names..but they couldn't use the real TEAM names. They had made up helmets designs, but the actual colors and real player's names. Go figure. A little odd, but it didn't matter. They made Bo Jackson the most explosive player ever...and for some reason, made Cleveland Browns Runningback Kevin Mack with a stiff arm that could send anyone flying all the way out of bounds. Then, there was Lawrence Taylor. It was impossible to kick a field goal against the Giants because he could run through the line and assault the holder before the kicker could make it to the ball. The video game music is very soothing to me. I heard it a lot. It played one tune when one side had the ball, and another when the opponent had it. Also, you heard, "hut hut hut hut hut hut hut hut hut hut hut hut hut hut hut hut hut hut hut hut hut" until you finally snapped it. The violence on the field was pretty funny. The linemen looked like they were fist fighting each other, until all of a sudden one of them would go flying backwards. This game was great.

#1 Final Fantasy 7....Unlike most of the other games which were great because you were playing other people, this one was good all by itself. However, it was so good that you wanted other people to experience it. Some did, and loved it (Jon), some bought it, played it for a few minutes, and never touched it again (Stephen). It's a role playing game that involves lots of characters, background stories, and a great Sci-Fi plot that blends it all together. It would have made a great novel, or a long mini-series..but since it was a video game, relatively few people will ever experience it. There were games within the games, like Chocobo ranching. You could play for hours raising Chocobos to race without ever advancing the plot of the storyline. Like a lot of good video games out there (Double Dragon, Mortal Kombat, Street Fighter), this franchise spawned a movie AND this particular GAME spawned a movie in Japan, which I own. The music ingrained itself into your subconscious.
I've played the Final Fantasy games for years. I remember beating Final Fantasy 3 on the Nintendo. I played FF 7 on the Playstation. It was just great, and will never be duplicated again. When it was over, there was no replaying it...for me, anyway. It would have been like trying to rent tuxes and getting your wedding party together to reenact your wedding. You can't do that. It's a one time thing.

Kingdom of the Crystal Skull

2008-05-27T05:10:00.001-07:00

I was like everyone else. I was a little taken aback by how old Indiana Jones looked. I knew Harrison Ford was older, but I didn't know that Indiana Jones had gotten older, too. Turns out, he DID get older.

We found how that he actually got to REALLY fight the Nazis in WW2...officially, that is. Imagine how much harder it would have been if the Nazi's had the ark, huh?

At first, I felt it was just a send off, hoping to suck up a few more dollars before Harrison Ford became an invalid. It just didn't seem right. There was action, sure, and I liked hearing about what he had been doing, but everything just seemed too old. I wanted my heroes to stay the same, I guess. I was liking the movie, don't get me wrong....it was just a little odd.

However, before long, I was really enjoying it. It was like Harrison Ford started being Indiana Jones again...probably about the time they got to Peru. Earlier, he was complaining that Mutt was driving too fast on his bike. That didn't seem like Indy..in fact, it was just like Sean Connery in the Last Crusade while Indy was driving the bike. I didn't see the sense in making Indy be THAT old...but they might have had to try to make the young man seem like a risk taker that even surprised Indiana. I'm assuming they want to groom the next generation, so that couldn't make him a weakling through the whole thing. So, who knows? Anyway, they got to Peru and it picked up right where The Last Crusade ended. All of a sudden, I felt like the movie caught up to the standard created by the other movies.

By the time the movie ended, I thought it fit in right along with the other Indiana Jones movies. They did a good job of making things fit together, connecting the dots, and all that.

The movie had some old stand-bys that most of the movies have had...there is a big man that Indy is having a hard time beating who gets killed in a grisly way (propeller blade, crushed by a rolling rock crusher, eaten by huge ants, etc). The chief bad person gets killed in a horrible fashion (face melting off, falling into waiting crocodiles, getting older really fast before your eyes, and having aliens blow up your brain). Chase scenes, crypt robbing, booby traps, graphic death, powerful music, some humor...it was JUST like the other ones. And, that's a good thing.

I thought Mutt did a good job. I can't see building another movie around him as Junior Indiana, but I guess he wasn't supposed to be an expert at everything yet.

There were a lot of good one liners. I particularly liked when Indiana was defending Mutt to Miriam, until he found how that he was Mutt's dad. I liked that whole scene where they were in quick sand....no wait, it wasn't quick sand. It was dry sand or something.

All in all, I really enjoyed it. As time has gone on, I'm liking it more and more and I feel that it was a really great movie.

The NEW ZULU !!!!!!!!

2008-05-01T20:35:00.000-07:00

I need accents.....but, actors can pretend to have accents. Still, I want a cast with an UK feel to it. I may need to borrow from Australia or New Zealand.
This movie is tough. It has action, acting, singing, etc. Since this is my #1 movie, I'm going to do most of the characters.

Shard and Bromhead have to be stars, at least as big or bigger than most of the others in my version. Shard as to be tough but thoughtful, Bromhead an elitist but tough and well trained when the action starts. He can't overpower Shard, but he can over ACT Shard. They both have action scenes, and have to be able to play off of each other. Shard needs to be much more intense.

Color Sgt. Bourne needs to be big and tough. I would like the person I select to TRY to have some of the bluster, although I've never seen it out of the person I'm picking. My selection here as been a very tough person in all the movies I've seen him in, and he's tough in real life. Intimidating to both his own soldiers as well as the enemy. Rock solid. I think my actor can do that, although like I said, most of the time I've seen him he's been bullet proof and slamming people's heads into car doors. I want bluster, and had considered trying to find the name of the big bearded fella that used to appear in Kenneth Branaugh's films, but I thought he might be too old at this point.

Corporal Allen is also a tough person. He bullies the soldiers, but bravely fights on after being wounded. He appears throughout the film, from start to finish.

Fred Schiss. What do you do with a Fred Schiss? This was the hardest one out of all. He wasn't from the UK..and HE'S NOT DUTCH, HE'S SWISS. I can plug in a violent American in this role. I considered Steve Buscemi, but his voice is too high. I need a deep pounding voice. I couldn't find one. However, the person I picked is a good actor, and he could "act" his way through it, I belive. He has action sequences in here, to be sure. I know he could do that, because I know he's done action scenes before. We'll have to whip a goatee on him, though. I might back out of this later and pick someone else if the right person comes to mind.

James Dalton was mild mannered. Not much shaking here.

Dr. Reynalds was pretty good. He was very brave, but he was a smart aleck Doctor. I've known a few of those.

Henry Hook. He has the most action sequences out of anybody. Most of the movie is shooting and stabbing...he was shooting, stabbing, wrestling, pushing beds on people, etc. He also had a dry sense of humor.

Rev. Witt has to play a serious preacher and a drunk. He's kind of a lowlife in the end because he sabotages them. I know a great person.

Ardendorf. I've got the perfect person.

Owen has to be funny AND he has to be able to sing. The person I selected can do both, although he is an American. He'll just have to swing it.

Goo-rah. I still don't know the name of this character, but Amy and I have always referred to him as Goo-Rah. He needs to "act", because he has some hearfelt scenes. He really doesn't fit in, and wished he was still a farmer. It doesn't demand too much, but the fella I selected can do it.

612 John Williams was funny at the beginning, and then fought bravely. He went back into the burning building to get Hook out. Brave, and fast, and probably considered "cute". Other than that, he was good friends with Hitch.

Hitch is mostly just a skinny solider who screwed up a lot. He sings a little. He doesn't really fit in. He's funny. He won the Victoria Cross because he fought while hurt, though. He's kind of a clutz, so this actor will need to walk around being accident prone.

716 Robert Jones and 593 William Jones: These two are together throughout the movie. They are kinda malcontents, but they do their job. They both pick on Schiss early. 593 almost stabs the old English man and gets frustrated when he can't get out of the way fast enough. 593 also talks more, and will need to act more than 716.

As a bonus, I picked some Zulus.

Here is my cast:

Zulu King: Cedric the Entertainer
Zulu general : Samuel Jackson
Zulu Dancers : The Black Eyed Peas (or whoever shows up at filming)

593 William Jones - Christopher Eccleston
716 Robert Jones - Colm Meany
612 John Williams - Jude Law
Hitch: David Tennant
Goo-rah: Gary Oldman
Owen: Kelsey Grammar
Ardendorf : Barry Corbin
Rev. Witt: Brian Cox
Hook: Jason Statham
Dr. Reynalds: Hugh Laurie
James Dalton: Ian Holm
Fred Schiss: Tom Sizemore
Corporal Allen: Sean Bean
Color Sergeant Bourne: Vinny Jones
Bromhead: Ewan McGregor
Shard : Viggio Mortensen

Special thanks to Amy for reminding me about the new Doctor Who cast. I was able to use 2 of them. Also, I might have used Branaugh or Daniel Craig, but I had just used them for The Wild Geese.

The NEW Wild Geese

2008-05-01T14:37:00.000-07:00

I need British talking people....quick!!!

Just kidding. I've been thinking about these last two for 2 days straight. I think I've got it.
Colonel Faulkner needs to be an actor who can yell, yet be at least a little refined. He has to be a tough man and a drunk. The actor I've chosen isn't a small man, and I can see him doing the yelling scenes because of watching him yell in bridget Jones. He's not done anything like this before, to my knowledge, but he just has to shoot automatic rifles and throw grenades. I can see him doing the intense scene when he's yelling at Richard Harris in the airport tower in Africa. He's good, and I believe he can stretch himself to do the macho stuff.

Rafer was played by Richard Harris, another acclaimed Shakespearian actor. I need one too, that can display humor and be the most loved of the characters.

For Roger Moore's roles, I need a James Bond like handsome actor.

I need a South African character who can be very deep. I've selected someone who has played Germans before. That's close.

And, I need a refined evil man to play Matherson. Elite, arrogant, rich, and evil. Full of himself.

Faulkner - Colin Firth
Rafer - Kenneth Branaugh
Sean Finn - Daniel Craig
Petr - Ed Harris
Sir Edward Matherson - John Cleese

Next, my masterpiece.....ZULU.

I'll have to post it tomorrow morning.

The NEW No time for Sargents

2008-05-01T14:31:00.000-07:00

I have to find the perfect actor for Will Stockdale. I can't trust Larry the Cable guy to do it right, although he might could because comedians usually make great actors. He needs to be big, southern, and REAL southern too, not just make believe Hollywood southern.

I have a huge interest in the movie being a carbon copy of the original. However, I don't know if anyone can do it right. I'm going to have to fall back on someone I've already used. I'll have to trust him to do it right.

Will Stockdale = Stephen Root
Whitledge = David Hyde Pierce
Sargent King = Ryan Stiles

The NEW Quiet Man

2008-05-01T14:26:00.001-07:00

I need a tough man to be charmed by Ireland. I also need a redhead.
It would take years to find all the bit actors to make this movie great. The movie was carried by the small roles.

One thing the first movie lacked was a serious love interest for women. I guess John Wayne did it for women back in the 1950's, but these days, and actor like that won't cut it. My wife thinks The Quiet Man is merely ok, because she can't see a John Wayne smoking cigs as a love interest.

John Wayne = Colin Farrell (he's Irish to boot)
Redhead = Debra Messing

The NEW Wrath of Khan

2008-05-01T14:19:00.001-07:00

Where do you begin? You pretty much have to recreate the entire cast. I'll skip going that far. I'll just do the stars.

You need a dynamic over-actor for both Kirk and Khan. They've got to scream...they've got to drip venom....they've got to ooze passion. They both need to..well, the both need to be able to carry off roles that are social icons that have transcended Sci-Fi. I need might, force, and determination...along with humor..in Kirk. The man I pick to perform Khan has to act the heck out of the role.

Kirk = Bruce Campbell
Khan = Daniel-Day Lewis
Uhura = Beyonce
Spock = Alan Rickman
Bones = Sir Ian McKellen

NEW Predator

2008-04-30T20:06:00.000-07:00

To replace Arnold is impossible. I need likeable mercenaries. These have to be tough men, brutal at what they do. Actions heros. 2 of them need to be a future Governors. Well, I won't put that on them. Put, I'll put a couple of wrestlers in there.

Dutch : Howie Long
Jesse Ventura: Vinn Diesel
Bald headed black fella : Michael Clark Duncan
Carl Weathers: The Rock
The Predator : Kane

The NEW O Brother where are thou..

2008-04-30T19:57:00.000-07:00

I've already used Clooney. Delmar is perfect with what's his face. This is hard.
I need a handsome actor, somebody else, and I have to try to replace Delmar.
Handsome actor who has played in different time periods. Check.
Tall fella who acts crazy. Check.
Good actor with convincing souther dialect. Check.

McGill : Brad Pitt
Hogwallop (who knows if that's how you spell Turturro's name) : Vince Vaughn
Delmar : Billy Bob Thornton
The Devil: Wayne Knight

The NEW 10 commandments

2008-04-30T19:48:00.000-07:00

There is NOT a Charlton Heston to be found in Hollywood these days. Who could possibly be Moses. He'll have to be kind of young, so he can be old later. Another Mr. America person. Even though he's not an American, and the fact that I've already used him for a movie, I really think I'd have to choose Mel Gibson. They would have to make him look young, and then look old. He is the closest thing we have to a Biblical cornerstone these days.

Of course, I've never seen anyone play so many different roles as Brad Pitt. He is very under-rated as an actor.

I'm sticking with noted Christian defender Mel Gibson. He's a little old, but I don't think I have a choice. Plus, I'll need an Edward G. Robinson to play nathan. I guess he's a fat mafia actor, huh? Let's see..... Pharoah? Let me think.

Moses : Mel Gibson
Pharoah : Arnold Vosloo (the Egyptian from The Mummy)
Nathan : James Gandolfini

The NEW Lawrence of Arabia

2008-04-30T18:30:00.000-07:00

Lawrence of Arabia. He was an unathletic smart fella with a LOT of guts. Prince Fiesel was played by Alec Guiness. I think I'd cast a real middle Easterner from the original cast.

Also, I need an American of Italian decent to play the blood thirsty Auda Abu Tayi (I'm sure I didn't spell that right) since they had Anthony Quinn play the role with a fake nose.

Lawrence = Ralph Fiennes
Prince Fiesel = Omar Sharif
Auda = Robert Deniro (with a fake nose)

The NEW Longest Day.

2008-04-30T18:20:00.001-07:00

This movie had an awe inspiring assortment of big time actors. How do you recast this without using huge actors from today. I mean, you have to, right? Also, none of them hogged the movie. They are all in it some. I'll just do a few of the main characters. This might be the hardest because there is no way to start. I would have better luck just matching up today's biggest starts and paying no attention to who they were matched up with. Let me see what I can do.

John Wayne = Tom Hanks
Henry Fonda = Harrison Ford (an older actor)
Robert Mitchem = Will Smith (quota)

I was going to try to NOT use the same actors over and over, but I'll have to call on Hanks again.

This one stinks. I'm sorry. I don't know where to go with it.

The NEW Searchers

2008-04-30T18:10:00.000-07:00

This has to be a Western. I can't change the movie that much.
I need a big, bold actor to play The Duke. Mr. All American. And, it's a western.

John Wayne wasn't a goody two shoes in this movie. He was kind of a...well, a jerk. Also, he's big. My actor doesn't have to be big, but a big fella could do it. He'll have to be intimidating. He'll need to have range as an actor.

The role of Martin Pauley could be played by any young and naive actor.

The Reverand/General would need to be a strong actor with a deep voice.

John Wayne = John Goodman
Martin Pauley = Tobey MacGuire
Reverand/General = Brad Garrett (I'll have to trust that he could do this)

The NEW Raiders of the Lost Ark

2008-04-30T17:43:00.000-07:00

Hmmmm...Harrison is STILL Indiana Jones with the new movie coming out. However, I need a Young Indiana Jones....or rather a NOT old and senile one.
Ashton Kutcher? Believe it or not, I think he would make a good one. I think he could do physical acting, and the women would like him. In fact, the women would like him too much. He's too....cute, I guess. I mean...not that I would say that he's cute, it's just that I think OTHER people would say he was cute. He has to be handsome, I would say. Ashton has done anything other than comedy or romantic comedy. I can't take a chance.

I'll play it safe.

Indiana Jones = Matthew McConaughy

The NEW Cool Hand Luke

2008-04-30T14:28:00.000-07:00

I just remembered this movie and now I'm redoing it.
I need a big star who can act thourgh every emotion, and be good doing it. I need his big fat bully who turns out to be a sidekick. I need a country warden with a mean streak. I also need a killer.

Luke - Mel Gibson
George Kennedy - Randy Quaid (What? I saw him in a serious role. Once.)
Warden - Stephen Root
Man with no eyes - Javier Bardem. Nah, just kidding. How about anybody that can hold a rifle, wear a hat and glasses and never speak? Maybe Keanu Reeves, heck, even HE couldn't screw that up. Maybe Kevin Costner.

The NEW Shoot to Kill

2008-04-30T14:23:00.000-07:00

I need a black man who can play a by the book police officer (can't they all?)
I need a wild, mountain man who plays the love interest. I need a woman who will....well, eventually star on Cheers. Ok, I guess I don't need that per se. I just need a hostage . And, I need a killer.

Sidney Poiter - Denzel Washington
Tom Berenger - Stephen Baldwin (I'm changing it to Val Kilmer now)
Kristie Alley (sp?) - any screaming woman...how about Gwen Paltrow
Killer - Javier Bardem (I think he will be forever type cast for me after No country for old men)

The NEW Fight Club

2008-04-30T14:16:00.001-07:00

This movie was far down on my list considering how much I enjoyed it. I had too many classic before it.

I need an athletic, crazy person and a not UNathletic straight man, who can act very wasp-like and clever. Ultimately, they're both crazy. And they fight a lot. And, I can't use Brad Pitt or Ed Norton. I need a crazy woman, too.

Hmmmmmmm.......

Tyler Durden - Val Kilmer (I'm now changing it to Stephen Baldwin)
Ed Norton's character - Matthew Perry
Crazy woman - Juliette Lewis (by default...she crazy in real life)

The NEW Planes, Trains, and Automobiles

2008-04-30T14:12:00.000-07:00

This is pretty simple. You need an odd couple. You need a neat looking stuffy person, and a jolly fat person that can be funny, but really sad and pitiful. The stuffy person would need to be the bigger star. This movie is widely popular, and had to pretty huge stars, so I would need to recast my new version in the same light.

Steve Martin - Tom Hanks
John Candy - Kevin James (that comedian from Hitch, and King of queens)

The NEW Jaws

2008-04-30T09:06:00.000-07:00

How in the world do you recast Jaws? You can't, without changing the entire movie around.

Brody would have to be a quiet man, who has more than meets the eye. Hero, and unassuming. I've see this actor play many different roles, but they all had something similar.

Hooper was a hard one to figure out. Very funny, yet smart, and rich, and conceited, but likeable. You would have to be very glad that he lives through the ordeal. I'm happy with the choice I made.

Recasting Quint is about as hopeless as recasting Bruce Campbell in Army of Darkness. How do you find actors that can captify an audience, yet pull it off with such a mean spirited manner? He'd have to deilver some serious speeches, and then act like a crazy person. I know the person I selected could act crazy, because I saw him do it in a couple of movies.

Brody: Joaquin Phoenix
Hooper: Phillip Seymour Hoffman
Quint: Tommy Lee Jones

#18 The NEW The good, the bad, and the ugly.

2008-04-30T08:59:00.001-07:00

Finding another Good is tough. You've got to be very one dimensional. Good, to those who haven't seen the movie, isn't an angel by any means. You gotta be tough, and be able to pull off relatively few lines but do them with a quite a bit of force behind it. Still, you're the "good" one.
I considered Val Kilmer, I think because of Tombstone and the fact I like him. It would have to be a big star, and I think Kilmer's had some off years. I decided on Bruce Willis. I can see him doing that role.

Finding another Ugly wasn't near as hard. Ugly was ugly and awful, but funny and kinda likeable. I still don't know who they managed to make Ugly kinda likeable. I thought about it for awhile, and then it hit me who should get the role.

Finding another Bad was hard...at first. Then, it hit me. He's perfect for the role, as I just recently saw him play a remorseless murderer. There isn't anyone who could play it any better. After I saw "No Country for old men", I had to watch the "making of" option just to convince myself that this monster wasn't real and that the actor was just acting.

Good: Bruce Willis
Bad: Javier Bardem
Ugly: Jack Black

The NEW Army of Darkness

2008-04-30T07:10:00.000-07:00

Bruce Campbell could still be Bruce Campbell. This movie is still pretty new, and the role is so perfect for him, I couldn't think of anyone who could do it better.
Still, that's not the point. Who ELSE could I find to do this part today? He would have to be a big star, because Bruce is really the only significant actor in the whole movie.

He has to be able to be funny, cool, arrogant, corny, and fairly athletic and hero like. A comic book character, sorta.

Kenneth Branaugh could do this. He played a role with similar arrogance in that 2nd Harry Potter movie. He is probably a little too old, and not action hero enough.

Nicolas Cage could do it, but not as well. I'm not crazy about him anyway. I can't see him doing it without a LOT of imagination on my part.

This is hard, because I think I know someone who could do it, but he's made me mad in the past with his comments on things he knows nothing about. Yet, I like a lot of his movies. He's still a big star, despite a few bombs here and there. He can be handsome, action hero-ish, but we've all seen him act goofy in movies. I'm going to go ahead and pick him.

Bruce Campbell - Patrick Warburton

The NEW Stir Crazy

2008-04-30T07:03:00.000-07:00

I gave a lot of thought to this one. You need to have actors who can act normal one minute, and then completely off the wall the next. For Pryor's role, I considered that black fella from Whose Line is it anyway, I don't know his name but he had his own talk show for awhil. The fact that I couldn't remember his name made me pass on him. I selected somebody from the old In Living Color cast, who I always think is funny.

For Wilder's role, I had first decided to go with Jim Carrey. He could certainly act crazy, but the one strike against him is that, even though he is actually a great actor in serious roles too, he just has a little too much zaniness to him. Just looking at him, you expect him to make faces. A lot. I decided to go with a comedic actor who is in about every movie right now, but he does a good job. He can act mild mannered one minute and crazy the next, just like Gene Wilder. Plus, he has fuzzy hair. I like him a lot.

Gene Wilder - Will Farrell
Richard Pryor - David Allen Grier

#13 Cool Hand Luke

2008-04-29T18:32:00.000-07:00

I can't believe I forgot this movie. This is a classic, with classic lines. The movie looks great, and you get the feeling you're actually on this chain gang. Paul Newman and whats-his-face star. George somebody. I like the fella a lot.
Also, there is the famous "girl washing a car" scene. I once met an FBI agent that claimed to have dated this girl. The woman is the most attractive woman in the world for the 5 minutes that this scene is taking place.

Luke is a Christ figure, providing hope and salvation to the prisoners. I've never heard anyone say this, but it's what I can see when I watch it these days.

He prays to GOD in the church at the end, like Jesus praying in the garden for GOD to let the cup pass from him. He knows he has to die, and comes out to accept his death from the man with no eyes.

Also, when you watch the movie...after he passes out from eating 50 eggs, he is in the shape of classic Jesus on the cross, even down to having the legs crossed at the ankles. Well done.

The movie is funny, and cool, and powerful.

WHAT WE'VE GOT HERE IS A FAILURE TO COMMUNICATE!!!

George Kennedy, that's his name.

Here is the PETA blog excerpts

2008-02-08T19:15:00.000-08:00

You people destroy what credibility you have when you edit footage and use it to hurt people. I'm not talking about Tyson or KFC, I'm talking about the good people who work there. I know that these poultry companies have extensive animal welfare programs in place....but you don't care about them. There are reasons that explain everything in that clip, but your agenda doesn't permit explanations.
If a sick person does something cruel, that's not a company directive to be cruel. Your informant probably got that idiot say all that about torturing birds, which isn't proof that it happened. Why didn't he get video evidence of all the things that person said he did? He has nothing. He shows workers using knives to kill chickens (did anybody not know that happened?) and then says that those are only the abuses he managed to catch on tape. Hmmmm....sorry bud, you're going to have to do better than that.
People urinating in the room with the live chickens is like a cowboy using the bathroom in a herd of cows and suggesting it's not safe to eat hamburger. You people are clueless to reality. It's not your fault really, you simply aren't qualified to make the statements you make. You don't care about facts, because you have an agenda.You're trying to achieve something that will NEVER HAPPEN. The meat industry isn't going anywhere.
Your informant is an elitist liar. It's cute that he has his voice altered to protect his identity. Doesn't he realize that people know who he is? His friends and family knows who he is, and surely Tyson knows who he is. He's not some ground breaking journalist. He's just a pawn paid off by the veggie-pimps.
I don't support cruelty. I love animals. But, there is a difference between torturing innocent animals and humanely harvesting animals that YOU RAISED FOR FOOD!
Your "investigator" could do MORE good if he remained at the facility and simply tried to be a good worker and done his job correctly. He's obviously not THAT commited to preventing animal cruelty, is he? He would rather try to get poor immigrant workers fired from their jobs. Big man, indeed. I'm sure he's proud.
Posted by: Saxon January 27, 2008 12:32 AM

Saxon: So--if an animal is raised for food, he no longer feels any pain?
Posted by: Antigone1000 January 28, 2008 03:44 AM
Saxon: First of all, there is nothing humane about factory farming. Second of all, eating animals and animal products is not as healthy for humans as is being vegan. Finally--what right do you, or does anyone else, have to raise other beings so that you can kill them? Every being has the right to live his/her own life in peace and that includes non-human beings. Humans are only part of this world, not the reason for its existence as we like to think.
Posted by: Antigone1000 January 28, 2008 03:48 AM

I didn't say these animals don't feel pain. However, they woudn't even be alive if the companies didn't have them bred, hatched, fed and raised.
Also...the companies have extensive animal welfare programs, and the birds are stunned before slaughter.
This coward informant, like in most industries, was trained to report animal abuses to his Supervisor. It's obvious he didn't do it. He double crossed his employer by not reporting them. Of course, most of his claims are bogus and will be laughed at by the meat industry.
Any animal abuses are made by sick people AND NOT condoned by Tyson, Pilgrim's Pride, or any other poultry company.
Sadly for you all, this is America and Americans will eat fried chicken..or baked chicken...or grilled chicken. I want you all to try and understand something that you just don't get, I think. Unlike other industries, the poultry business is driven by VOLUME. They aren't going to grow and slaughter less chickens no matter how many of you decide to "go vegetarian". You aren't changing anything with all your efforts, aside from the fact this investigator probably cost that poor old man his job by editing him. The informant is a deceitful liar.
Posted by: Saxon February 2, 2008 02:45 PM

Do I have the right to kill animals so that people can eat? Uhh....yeah, I do.
Unlike you, I don't put the value of chickens over people. You are in the VAST minority, by the way.
You say you saw baby chicks screaming for their lives? That's just stupid. They would be peeping no matter where they were at that point.

These animals are, to put it bluntly, not very aware of anything. Turkeys drown when it rains because they look up to see what just poked them in the head. Chickens will stand there while other chickens are killed. I don't even think they fear too much, either. They may run, but they have no clue what's going on. They run because of instinct.
You people really need to get ahold of yourselves. You shouldn't let yourself be so hurt by all this. Things really aren't that bad. The animals are unaware, and their death is quick and painless in almost all instances. Unaware, stunned, and quick death. We should all be that lucky when our time comes.
Posted by: Saxon February 2, 2008 02:53 PM

Saxon: Are you so insecure that you need to assert your superiority to a chicken???? I don't understand your attitude because I am secure enough to realize that I do not lose anything by acknowledging the inherent value in each and every being on this planet, I guess because I am intelligent and ambitious enough to realize I will never lose my job to a chicken. You seem to lack that confidence.
Posted by: Antigone1000 February 4, 2008 09:35 PM
Antigone1000..

I think I'm enlightened by your response. I see that it's impossible to discuss things with you. There is NO common ground between us. I don't have a problem with people eating animals, and you put the value of a chicken on the same plane as a human.
In your mind, my standpoint doesn't come from a realistic understanding of the world and our eating habits...but rather comes from the fact that I'm "insecure". You are confident, whereas I feel the need to assert my superiority over a chicken. Next, you'll probably tell me that I want to kill and eat animals to compensate for my penis.

Look, everything I've said on this blog is the truth. You don't have to like it, but it's the truth. I know it isn't what you want to hear, but it's the truth.

I don't hate chickens.

Take my word for it...I'm qualified to talk about the Poultry industry. I'm not blindly debating you people....I'm describing the situation with great accuracy. The death is quick and painless. Millions of people eat healthy protein because of the poultry industry.
We were given charge over animals by GOD. We're obligated to treat them with respect, but we have every right to eat. You say that you can see"the inherent value in each and every being on this planet". If that's all the PETA stood for, I wouldn't be here right now.
PETA hurts people. Do you know that? You enforce your views on real people with real lives. You hurt people, and it's all driven with the engine of your ignorance about the very animals you want to protect.

Companies like Tyson and Pilgrim's Pride employ thousands of people...give them jobs and insurance and careers...and Christmas presents for their children.
You people sit so high and mighty you can't even see the people involved in all this.
I'm proud to say that we have nothing in common.
Posted by: Saxon February 6, 2008 10:03 PM

Saxon: I do not understand why people like you feel you need to choose btw humans and animals instead of understanding that we all work together in this ecosystem. And I really hate when you try to justify your atrocious treatment of animals by invoking God's name. There are many people who know much more about God than you ever will (Dalai Lama, Gandhi) who understand that God does not sanction what we do to animals. If God intended for us to eat them, he would have made us carnivores instead of omnivores. We would not be able to live without animal products in that case. Stop asserting your "right" to mistreat animals as some kind of badge of honor bestowed upon you by God.
Posted by: Antigone1000 February 7, 2008 11:22 AM

Here here Saxon! That is what I have been trying to say in some of my past posts. I think you said it the way I was trying. Well done!
Posted by: Kurt K February 7, 2008 01:03 PM

Antigone1000...
I would argue that the Dalai Lama and Ghandi are/were free to make their own decisions. However, if they were to use the Bible as the ultimate authority within the context of this debate....then they would be forced to agree with my post.
I'm invoking the name of GOD BECAUSE you keep suggesting that we have no "right" to eat animals. I say that we have a right. I also said that we were obligated to treat them with respect.
To be honest, part of the reason I brought up GOD was to stir things up. I have a feeling a lot of PETA people fall into the far left view of things...talking about GOD in real terms tends to make those people uncomfortable.
I DO believe that animals and humans fit in together in this ecosystem, just like you do (hey...we agree on something). You should be aware, of course, that animals in the wild rip each other from limb to limb...they eat each other to survive. Sometimes, animals eat people. I wonder why your perfect view of the world doesn't seem to register the obvious flaws in your belief system? Look at the way animals in the wild behave and tell me that we aren't allowed to eat them. They eat each other.
By the way, you seem to have admited that we were made Omnivores. That means that we were made to eat both veggies and meat. Did that statement you just get your "PETA" card revoked??
Thanks Kurt K. It's not really fair..these people are so far off the mainstream. They need to grow up. They aren't going to change anything....other than the fact that the coward informant probably cost some people their jobs because they urinated in the corner of a live room that was already covered in fecal, feathers, and DOA birds. Sterile urine in that room didn't hurt anything. Heck, those rooms are practically OUTSIDE, for goodness sake.The idiot says, "who knows where the urine ended up". It surely ended up in a waste water facility.
What a moron!
Posted by: Saxon February 8, 2008 12:11 AM

Saxon: Being an omnivore means you CAN eat meat, but you are not required to, and studies have shown that a vegetarian diet is better for humans. The ability to eat meat is most likely a left-over feature from our less evolved days. FYI--The Bible is NOT the ultimate authority on anything (to some, the Koran is, for example) and the Bible is always interpreted favorably to the desires of the person interpreting it. (Don't forget, the Bible was once used to justify slavery.) So--I am not uncomfortable with talking about God, just bothered by people using His name to justify their unjust behavior. If you feel PETA is so insignificant, why are you concerned enough to continue posting? Move on to a redneck board or something like that where people share your antiquated views and you can look like a genius.
Posted by: Antigone1000 February 8, 2008 04:43 PM

Antigone, I don't think you quite understand what Saxon is saying, or at least you choose not to understand. I know you seem to want to be able to call him a redneck, abuse his religious beliefs, and blow off his point of view, but that just kind of makes you sound like an butt-head. Sorry, but this is coming from a fairly non-biased POV here, so maybe you should stop a minute and actually see what he's saying instead of straining it through whatever filter you normally use to justify your ideals. Saxon sounds like someone who might actually work in a poultry factory or at least in the industry. I should think he would know WAY more about how animals in such a place are treated than you do. After all, he probably goes there every day to actually work rather than wave signs and judge people.
It sounds like one of your guys was hired in their company and did an "expose" on the evils of the poultry industry. The problem is, instead of being truthful, he edited together the footage he received and made it out to be something it wasn't. In fact, because of this guy, some people probably lost their jobs. That goes above and beyond being concerned for any animal's welfare, that is JUST. PLAIN. WRONG. Because someone from PETA decided that a lie would further their own agenda, or at least the agenda of the group, some poor schlub is now out of a job. That means he has no insurance, his family may not have any income coming in, and maybe- just maybe - it means that because someone doesn't like to eat meat, that someone's life has been crapped on. Well, BRAVO. Bravo to the brave people who think that a chicken is worth more than a man's life and welfare. Why don't you find out how many people lost their jobs over this stupid act and maybe do a little sign waving for them. I don't care what you eat, that is a terrible, terrible, terrible thing to do.
As for whether or not a vegetarian diet is better for you...so what? That doesn't mean everyone is going to become a vegetarian and therefore, a stunt like this isn't really going to make a dent in the meat eating world. In fact, there are probably a few people who are going to go buy a very large bucket of chicken and enjoy it for dinner just to spit in PETA's eye. I know non-vegetarians who watch things like this on TV while eating a hamburger, so it's practically pointless.
Also, if you are at all familliar with the bible, the part of it that tells people what to eat is not really worded in a way to be interpreted wrongly. It pretty much flat out states that whatever you eat is fine by God. That also means, whatever you don't eat is fine by God. So, you know, if this guy is Christian, and the Bible is his ultimate authority, then I'm pretty sure he has the right to follow what it says. Even if you don't like it or agree.
My whole point is, Saxon isn't ignorant or pig headed, he's mad. Mad because a lie, and yes, I think most people could see what happened as a lie, cost someone their lively hood. Maybe that great PETA "investigative reporter" could go along after those people who lost their jobs and set their houses on fire, too. That sounds about his speed, after-all.
Honestly, I think it would be more productive if PETA chose less destructive ways to get their points across.
Posted by: Pamplemousse February 9, 2008 10:09 AM

Antigone...
Either I went to far in my last post, or the admin guy went to sleep...but they haven't allowed my response.I'll retype...the short version.
You called me a "Redneck". Contrary to popular belief, the term comes from people who suffer from Pellagra (more common in the "old days"). It's a disorder that causes the skin to turn a pinkish color. It results from a lack of dietary niacin and protein.
In other words, "Rednecks" could benefit from eating more meat.
I won't bring up the Bible anymore. I don't care to read you rip it in order to argue your point of view.
In closing, I'll add that I don't need to go to another board to feel like a genius. After reading your posts, along with Michele, Veggiegirl, and Samantha Balk...I feel like a genius here.
Posted by: Saxon February 12, 2008 09:00 PM

Antigone...
Let me add this too.
Is a vegetarian diet better for you? I'll concede that is some respects, it is.
However, any studies that try to illustrate that point are probably comparing vegetarian diets to meat heavy diets with bad cuts of meat and improperly prepared. The person performing the study is probably a vegetarian. I could do a study where someone who ate turkey, chicken, and lean beef would be shown to be healthier.
By the way, are you aware of the common practices of your average produce picker in the field, or perhaps the international farmers who are exporting products (avocados, for example)into this country that were fertilized with human waste?
Don't get me started on organic foods.
I don't have a problem in the world with vegetarian diets, to be honest with you. If they've been adopted due to health concerns OR because someone can't stand the thought of eating animals. I personally have no problem with that.
Of course, PETA isn't doing all of this because they're concerned with anyone's health.
Pamplemousse, I appreciate your support, and you're very perceptive. I am mad about all of this. Going in circles here may not make any difference, but it feels good to make a stand against PETA's bullies.
Posted by: Saxon February 13, 2008 11:23 PM

Just goes to show that you're a redneck. and I mean that in the sense of an uneducated person who needs to stress his superiority over someone, anyone so that he can escape the reality that he just might be the lowest form of being.
Posted by: Antigone1000 February 14, 2008 01:18 AM

AntigoneThat is like the pot calling the kettle black!
Posted by: Kurt K February 14, 2008 03:26 PM

Antigone...
You've been reduced to common name calling. Your last post doesn't make any sense that I can discern. I don't mind the name calling, but please try to include a thought (or as close to one as you can manage) so that I can respond to something.
You say that my post proves that I'm a redneck.You then define redneck as someone uneducated (how am I uneducated) who feels the need to stress my superiority over someone (you had JUST insulted me...I was responding to you). I think you described yourself with that definition.
I'm willing to let this Blog collapse into simple name calling, if that's all you can come up with at this point.
I'm educated, I think my posts illustrate that. Do I feel the need to stress my superiority over someone? How can you even ask that and be a member of PETA? THAT'S WHAT PETA DOES. You all tell us that we're backwards and uneducated, and then pat yourself on the back for it while hurting complete strangers.
I don't think I'm superior to anyone. However, it's hard not to feel superior to you when I read this blog. By your own posts, we have learned that you are of no more value than a chicken. What are we supposed to think of you?
To be honest, I don't really mind being called a redneck by you. I think we can safely define a redneck as "someone with views opposite of Antigone".
I would like Kurt K and Pamplemousse join me in saying the following:

Yee-haw!

There you go...

2008-02-02T15:26:00.000-08:00

A labor of love from a movie buff....or, someone who used to think he was a movie buff until he had kids.

This list might be considered "living", because I might decide later that I made a mistake.

Also, I'm putting some clips from these movies in the column to the left. I don't know if I'm going to put one for every movie...and the clips might not be the best parts...but it will give it a little flair.

#1 Zulu

2008-02-02T06:35:00.000-08:00

No....not "Shaka" Zulu .

I decided a long time ago that Zulu was my favorite movie...narrowly beating out Jaws at the time. I decided it because I didn't see how a movie could be better than Zulu.

It's another British in Africa War movie. It's one of the reasons I am such an Anglophile to this day. I love British people speaking calmly and rationally in the face of great peril.

The war scenes are great....although it's just on the outdated side of realism. My cousin told me the other day that he wasn't impressed with the special effects of Zulu. I started to remind him that he was watching a British war movie made over 45 years ago......but, his point was well taken. There isn't a lot of deep stabbing scenes with gushing blood.

The acting is very good...with Stanley Baker and Michael Caine and Nigel Greene (I think that's the name of Colour Sergeant Bourne, I've only seen him in one other movie besides this one). The music? The music might be the mightiest score ever composed. I can't decide if it is better than Lawrence of Arabia or not....but they might be 1A and 1B on a list of greatest scores.

Filmed on location in Africa, and using real modern day Zulu tribesmen, the feel of the movie is very authentic....down to the tribal dances, chants, and cleavage.

Very dramatic. Very well done. They don't treat the Zulu's like animals, they go to great lengths to portray them with respect.

On a personal note, I used to play Zulu when I was a boy. I would be in the backyard, fighting them off in my own imagination. I even did reports on the Zulu war of 1879 when I was growing up in school. I can tell you, I don't think the teachers had ever seen historical reports on the Zulu War in 5th grade. I have always loved war movies...in fact, I could name about 20 right now that I love...but this one is as well done as any. I give it extra points for being based on a true story, and being fairly accurate to the events that occured.

Sadly, like Jaws, I've seen this movie so many times I've found myself getting impatient when starting from the beginning. These days, I usually only watch the whole think when I'm forcing people to watch it.

I guess I could have put Zulu as my #2 movie like my rankings indicated....but I'm a loyal person. I would have felt like I was turning my back on a childhood friend. Maybe some day in the future, I'll re-rank them and move Zulu down the list....who knows? For now, Zulu is my favorite movie of all time.

#2 The Wild Geese

2008-02-02T04:50:00.001-08:00

This movie is one of the best war movies ever made, although there technically isn't a war going on. It deal with British mercenaries working in Africa, who get double crossed by their employer and have to fight their way out. Great action, with grendade explosions that send people high into the air as if they were on trampolines (I assume they used trampolines when they filmed the movie). The movie is pretty dad-gum violent, especially with the death of the medic.
The music is very different, and it works. This movie is very dramatic....showing the impact of the death of friends as the movie unfolds. You care about the characters...the movie does a great job of developing them in a short period of time.
It also deals with certain race and political issues in Africa, peaking with a famous scene at the upside down tree. Added to all this mix is a little bit of humor.

I've seen this movie a lot, but I've never seen the sequel. I don't see how it could hold a torch to this movie. Most of the characters were.....well....not going to be able to be in the sequel, so how could it be any good?? I think Olivier is in the sequel, but that ain't enough to make me watch it.
Actors? How about Richard Burton, Richard Harris, Roger Moore, and Stewart Granger. Most of those are respected stage actors (I'm pretty sure Roger Moore isn't, but he's the only one).

I rated these movies on 4 or 5 different criteria.....this one rated high in everything from theme/message to actors to rewatch capacity. When I came up with the rankings, I had to make tough decisions. I held with my rankings in almost all instances.

This was the only time I decided to over-ride the rankings. The Wild Geese was number #1 when my list was done. After much thought, I decided to flip flop #1 and #2.

#3 No time for Sergeants

2008-02-01T18:57:00.000-08:00

This movie just turned 50 years old. It's humor is timeless. This movie should remind people that you don't have to be dirty to be funny.

A pre-Mayberry Andy Griffith stars. The movie has great lines, and a simple feel that that is comforting. The comedic acting is really classic. Don Knotts is great in the one scene he's in, and the pyschyitrist is hilarious (I don't know his name). In fact, for my money, that scene with the pyschyitrist is probably one of the funniest ever made IF you take the time to appreciate it. The sergeant is great, as is the general and the infantry private that gets drunk at the purple grotto with them. If you ask me, this movie should be studied as a resource for comedic acting. These actors do more with an expression than Adam Sandler could manage in a whole movie acting stupid.

As usual, Andy Griffith plays a stereotypical southerner that everyone from Carolina to Mississippi could relate to.....in fact, people from other regions might not even realize how dead on he is. I've met a LOT of people in my life who remind me of Andy Griffith.

Andy once said that he refused to play this character as being dumb. He said, he plays Will as innocent and honest. That makes it all funnier.

Everyone seems to love this movie...but it seems to have gotten lost when great comedies are discussed. It will get the respect it deserves here.

#4 The Quiet Man

2008-01-28T18:33:00.001-08:00

I first watched his movie with my mom on St. Patrick's Day many years ago. There were plenty of Irish movies on that day (go figure), and I couldn't turn away from this one.
The scenary is beautiful, and the music is wonderful. I once heard the marching band of Notre Dame play one of the tunes.

It stars John Wayne and Maureen O'Hara, and a long list of great actors...a couple of which are in other movies by the great John Ford...who steered away from Westerns just long enough to make this classic.

If I had to think of one word to describe this movie, it would be "Charm". It's very charming. If you have Irish blood in you, then you'll cherish it. The acting is perhaps a little "dated", but what do you expect from a really old movie?? Hmmm?? It can't help it.

The movie is also funny. There is some physical comedy, but there is also some funny lines.
The fist fight at the end is perhaps one of the longest single fights ever in a movie.

Don't let the hard edge of today's movies tell you that things can't end perfectly. This one ends perfectly. It even has a scene before the ending credits that shows most of the characters that were in the movie...and they're being happy. People might see this movie and think, "yeah right....things don't end that way in real life" or "people wouldn't REALLY act that way in real life"? Well....BIG DEAL. We're not talking about real life. We watch horror movies to be scared and comedies to laugh....what the difference between that and watching a happy movie to make us happy ?

It's uplifting. It's charming. It's funny. It's charming. It's romantic without being a "chick flick". Did I mention it was charming? My wife saw it, and is forced to see it every St. Patrick's Day. We have to watch it and eat a good meal on St. Patrick's Day. She likes it pretty much...I think she would like it better if it was new and had young handsome actors in it. John Wayne isn't much of a love interest for my wife.....bless her heart.

Anyway, I just really like it. I had to put it high up on my list. Even now, I have the fight theme going through my head. Great classic movie.

#5 Star Trek 2: The Wrath of Khan

2008-01-27T17:12:00.000-08:00

I saw this movie in the theater when it came out. When we were all little, it used to be a BIG DEAL to go to the theater. When you get old enough to drive and go out, you see movies all the time. Now that I'm a father...it's become a big deal again.

Anyway, I remember this movie clearly. I was around 6 or 7 years old, but I can remember seeing it for the first time. I still have a crystal clear memory of walking up the aisle after it was over, holding my dad's hand while staring at all the little lights that light up the walkway on either side of the sloped aisle towards the exit. I still remember thinking, "I can't believe Spock is dead...I can't believe Spock is gone forever".

Of course, at that tender age, you can't appreciate the realities of cinema...Sci-Fi in particular. Spock returned in the next movie (imagine my relief).

This movie had the great crew of the Enterprise...while they were seasoned yet not all in their 80's. Ricardo Montalban....I'm not sure if I spelled that correctly, but as I've said before, I don't plan on looking every single name up..... acted the heck out of that role. Khan joins Iago (from Othello) and the Emperor (from the Star Wars movies) as the most evil characters in history.
William Shatner is William Shatner....and he does what William Shatner does best. James T. Kirk is one of the greatest heroes ever.

I love Sci-Fi, but I stop well short of being one of the deluded sort. As I always say about Star Wars, "I love the movies, but I don't dress up like any of the characters". Not that there is anything wrong with that, mind you.

Anyway, that's my disclaimer as to why Star Trek 2 is in my top 5. The movie is filled with drama. There is a lot of action...which was missing from the Star Trek "THE MOTION PICTURE" snooze-fest. There are powerful scenes with characters that are famous and pop culture icons. There are a few laughs...and a few tears....mostly it's just really cool all the way through.

The theater at UGA used to play old movies all the time. A lot of times, you get drunk kids yelling comments at the screen (a la MST 3K). Marc, Kris, and I went to see The Wrath of Khan late one night. To my surprise, the place was packed. Despite a few comments yelled here and there, the crowd was filled with fans and they cheered in all the right places. The movie has a legion of fans that AREN'T just the sci-fi crowd. Even a Seinfeld episode talked about it as being "the best of those movies".

Some people think Kirk and Khan were overacted...but those are the people that forget what is happening in the movie, and that it's a movie. Given everything that was happening to the characters, I would say the movie was acted about perfect.

The movie is great. The movie has become pop culture. The movie is my #5. There isn't anything to dislike about it at all. It's all pros and no cons. Well, just one con. KHAAAAAAAAAAAN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

#6 Predator

2008-01-26T18:04:00.000-08:00

I first saw this movie at my friend Michael's house. When they land in the helicopter, you see all the soldier who you assume aren't going to make it out alive. Then, they cut away to Arnold...sitting in the copter with his feet up, smoking a cigar. You know everything is going to be alright.

This movie replaced Terminator as my favorite Schwarzenegger movie. The action is great, the alien is cunning... it's very cool with a lot of violence. It has 2 future governors in it. This movie inspired a sequel....3 if you count the newer Predator vs Alien movies....as well as several video games.

The movie also stars favorites Apollo Creed ( I can't think of his name) and that built Indian fella from that movie Firewalker (that movie with Lewis Gossett Jr. and what's-his-face).

Boys have frequently had cinema heroes growing up. I had one. He was Arnold. Conan, Terminator, Running Man, Commando.....Predator was the best.

This movie had lots of twists. The Predator was a great hunter...with blades and laser. He was smart, not just some acid-bleedin' alien roach. He met his match, though. Arnold took him down.

From start to finish....this movie was action...... fightin' and shootin' all the way through. It flies by, and is very well done.

Carl Weathers....that's his name.

#7 O Brother, where art thou

2008-01-14T05:46:00.000-08:00

This movie was perhaps the most enjoyable movie I've ever seen in a theater. It has charm, humor, and a southern spin from a simpler time. How did they ever make a movie like this in this day and age? Based on the Odyssey by Homer, this followed the original story fairly closely.
I give it high marks for it's Southern feel. I give it extra points for not making fun of the South, which is an easy target for Hollywood.....ignorant of the realities of life in the South, the great qualities of the people, and the huge contributions made by it's noble people throughout this country's history. Yeah....it had the KKK in there, but it wasn't a huge part of the story. Yeah...some of the characters were kinda....well, simple....but the good characters were Southern too....so there wasn't anything offensive.

It had Tuturro, Clooney before I hated him for his politics, and the 3rd fella...who stole the show but I can't remember his name. It also had Charles Durning and John Goodman, and that actress that I always get confused with 2 or 3 other actresses. I think her name is Holly Hunter.

Oh yeah....the Soundtrack. The Soundtrack blew everyone away....it was a best seller when it came out, and introduced great old time music to new fans. The soundtrack out-sold Madonna's CD when it was released.....which made me very proud.

Overall......it was just fantastic. I saw it 3 times in the theater. It's rare I see a movie in the theater, much less the same movie.

#8 The Ten Commandments

2008-01-11T08:07:00.000-08:00

I'm rattling off some epics, now. This is one of the greatest movies ever made. Charlton Heston (Charlton came close, if you ask me, to being my son's name.... my wife wasn't crazy about it) is at his best as Moses. This biblical epic is powerful, with dramatic scenes and dynamic acting. Sure...it's old. Who cares? The effects were thought of as being fantastic for a long time....only now that they film movies without even using the actors can you consider their effects on the lower quality scale. The movie is long, but it flies by pretty quickly.
Yule Brenner is Pharoah. Edward G. Robinson is Nathan. Herman Munster's wife is in there, too.
The movie means a lot. They always showed it at Easter, so this movie makes me think of the most Holy holiday that there is. If it wasn't for Easter, Christmas wouldn't mean anything.
The movie is important to me for the care it took to be respectful to the Bible. I think I had it at #3 once. I'm not sure why I moved it down. I should probably move it back up. It belongs in my Top 10, at any rate.

#9 Lawrence of Arabia

2008-01-10T18:24:00.000-08:00

Talk about an epic. This movie is frequently brought up in discussions as being one of the greatest movies ever made. Based on a true story, it stars Peter O'Toole (sadly, this great actor has a name that sounds like a made up name for a porn star) as T.E. Lawrence, the British officer who led a rebellion of Arabs against the Turks in World War One. Also stars Alec Guiness and Jack Hawkins (both in Bridge over the River Kwai). The movie is great, and inspiring. I once brought it up in a Leadership Class that I attended as an inspiring movie/book. The character is constantly told he can't do something...by the English and the Arabs....and his sheer willpower enables him to succeed. The musical score is breathtaking. The person who wrote the music would work on the musical score for 4 hours and then sleep 1 hour, and then work 4 hours and sleep one hour....he did this over and over again for 4 MONTHS. You can tell it's great, even if you don't care for orchestra music.

The movie was painstakingly shot on location in the Arabian desert. It was supposed to take 6 months, and it took 2 years and 3 months....due to the sandstorms, heat, and exhausting work.
The movie is long...at least 4 hours. The first half is great...but the second half is kind of a downer as Lawrence lets his success go to his head and things start to fall apart for him. If the entire movie had been like the first half....I might've had to rank it as my #1 favorite.

Unlike many of the other war movies I love (if you can call this a war movie), it isn't a movie I grew up watching and loving. I was turned onto it by my friend Marc's dad. It is one of his favorites. He made it one of mine.

#10 The Longest Day

2008-01-09T17:56:00.000-08:00

I love war movies. There are a lot of them on my lists. This movie was a movie that I not only watched, but it made me want to play war when I was little. Some of the best war movies....from Battleground to Sands of Iwo Jima to The Guns of Navarone, etc.....are almost ALL represented (in my mind) with The Longest Day. Based on sheer star power, interesting storylines, and the entire scope of the D Day invasion (from different points of view)....this movie can carry the weight of representing all of the great war movies made over the last 70 years. I couldn't put down all my favorite war movies..........so, I'm putting this one down to represent them all.

Does it have star power? John Wayne, Robert Mitchem, Henry Fonda, Eddie Albert, Richard Burton, Robert Ryan, Red Buttons, Roddy McDowell, Peter Lawford, Sean Connery, Robert Wagner, Rod Steiger, Christopher Lee, Fabian......yeah, you could say that.

The acting is great, the music is good, very dramatic scenes.......it's an epic. They used a lot of real WW2 footage when they filmed it. It's a heavyweight.

Stay tuned for my sacred Top 10

2008-01-09T17:51:00.000-08:00

There was a lot of tough decisions to be made....what to eliminate, what to make the Honorable Mention list, what to put in the Top 20.

The last 10 movies have something in common.....if I see that they are on T.V., I would say, "Hey....this is one of my favorite movies".

#11 The Searchers

2008-01-09T17:42:00.000-08:00

This is another famous movie. It is a 4 star John Ford western, featuring The Duke. John Wayne plays the hero.....although he is a mean spirited tough guy who hates Indians, and is pretty much an jerk throughout the movie. At the time, it was a big risk to have the biggest star in Hollywood play someone so rough around the edges.....but John Wayne took the risk and turned in the best performance of his career. He's played a lot of cowboys, soldiers, and love interests......but he kinda played them all the same. This movie was a movie that showed that the fella was more than just a big man on a horse....he was more than popular, he could actually act.
I saw this movie when I was younger, and he did a good job of being a good guy who wasn't very good......and you spend most of the movie not really liking him as much as you like his partner Martin Pauley (played by what's his face). This movie might be a little dated for some, but it has a couple of blood chilling scenes, great supporting roles by trusted western actors, some humor thrown in, and great western-type music. It ends with Wayne at his best, swaggering off into the sunset. Hard to beat that, my friends.

#12 Raiders of the Lost Ark

2008-01-08T18:19:00.000-08:00

This movie spawned a very successful triology (about to be 4 of them), and Harrison Ford played the perfect character for him. Lots of action and humor, in a historical setting....trailing after a piece of biblical history. It has famous scenes (rock chasing Indy, snake pit, etc) that are part of American pop culture. A great musical score and memorable lines complete the package. The special effects aren't quite as good as you might remember..but hey, the movie is probably 27 some odd years old now.
This movie is kinda like Jaws or Planes, Trains, and Automobiles in that the movies are famous, everyone has seen them, so there isn't much need to explain why they are on my list. They are great.
Here are the lines that I personally remember...and sometimes quote...

"Now....what shall we talk about"
"I have top men working on it right now......(who?)..........TOP MEN."
"Bad dates"
"We will take what we want..........then decide whether or not to blow your ship from the water".
"You know what a cautious fellow I am".

#13 Stir Crazy

2008-01-07T16:49:00.000-08:00

This movie is another classic that I grew up liking...partly because I knew my parents liked it. As I got older, I realized how funny it actually was...and I appreciate the artists who make it work. Gene Wilder and Richard Pryor in the BIG HOUSE, and they were simply great together. This was their best movie (they made, like 1,000 movies together, I think). Both of them got to act crazy (hence the title), and it's a sight to watch. A lot of actors can act crazy...but they someone seem to have thought behind their foolishness. They can do more with one expression then Adam Sandler could manage in a 90 minute movie. Sandler is a multi-millionaire. Go figure.

When they first get into the prison...they take turns freaking out before they ever get inside the cell...Wilder first, and then Pryor. I'm starting to laugh just thinking about it.

#14 Shoot To Kill

2008-01-06T17:39:00.000-08:00

This is somewhat of a sleeper. I don't think it was a huge hit or anything, but that doesn't mean a hill of beans to me. Sidney Poitier and Tom Berenger go after a kidnapper in the pacific northwest wilderness. Beautiful scenary, great acting, intense action scenes, and a little bit of humor thrown in, make this a great little movie to check out. Pretty dad-gum cool, too.
The bad guy is the fella, played by what's-his-face, that loves to shoot helpless victims in the eye. The actor played a LOT of different bad guys in different movies....but the only one I can remember off the top of my head was the original Highlander movie with Christopher Lambert. How the heck was I ever able to remember HIS name, I have no idea?
Anyway, out of all the people I have forced to watch this movie, I think they all at least liked it. That should count for something.

#15 Fight Club

2008-01-06T17:21:00.000-08:00

This movie absolutely floored me. I went to see it in the theater, almost by accident. My friend Marc went with me, and it was the only thing we both kinda thought we wouldn't mind watching. We were rewarded with a wonderful movie....smart, hilarious, cool, action, suspense, big twists, etc. The language was more harsh than most of these films on my list, but that's just the way it is, I guess. The movie deals with the breakdown of society...and that's a pretty cool POINT to a movie.
Brad Pitt and Ed Norton start an underground ....you know what, I can't talk about it. The movie told us "Do NOT talk about Fight Club".
As far as big twists go, I'm normally not good at seeing anything coming, because I turn my brain off in a movie and let the movie tell me the story. I don't want to ruin the ending by guessing it. Some movies have big twists, like Sixth Sense, and I see it coming a mile away. I can't help it. Well, Fight Club has a big twist in it that completely stunned me. Even when the movie had already spilled the beans about the twist, I was still halfway stunned....considering if it was possible that the twist had actually just been revealed.
I almost never see a movie in the theater more than once. In fact, I've only done that to about 4 different movies. I saw Fight Club more than once...in fact, I saw it 4 TIMES!!! I kept going back with friends to watch it. Marc and I went back with our friend Todd, then I took my cousin Stephen, and then I went with my sister and her husband. That is the highest praise you can give a movie. The reason I don't have it higher??? Well, it's a little out there...on the edge....and I didn't feel right putting it up there with my sacred Top 5 movies.

#16 Planes, Trains, and Automobiles

2008-01-06T13:04:00.000-08:00

Everyone knows that this is a great movie. It's a wonderful John Hughes flick, and a rare Thanksgiving Holiday movie. Steve Martin and John Candy should have made more "buddy" films. This is Candy's best role, and easily his best movie. There is a 20 some odd scene in the car, featuring Candy dancin' to Mess Around by Ray Charles, Candy getting his jacket caught in the car, and the famous "You're Going The Wrong Way" part. Together, it's perhaps the funniest stretch of film ever.
A 1 minute long part with Kevin Bacon makes this movie a must-know for playing the 6 degrees of Kevin Bacon. And, lest we forget, the infamous "F'n" scene where Steve Martin says the word more than Eddie Murphy has ever said it.
The ending is sad...almost so sad that it ruined the movie for me. But, not quite. Wonderful, and everyone knows it.

"THOSE AREN'T PILLOWS".

Terrible oversight

2008-01-06T06:57:00.001-08:00

I pulled out my list and saw 2 movies that I didn't consider when I redid the list. Everything is out of whack now. I'm going to be forced to drop the Terminal out. I've also decided to drop They Live to #20.

#20 They Live

2008-01-05T11:48:00.000-08:00

The best Rowdy Roddy Piper movie ever made (Escape from Frog Town being the 2nd best, and I couldn't even name a 3rd one). John Carpenter Classic about aliens who are brainwashing humans into living mundane lives while they acquire power without anyone knowing. Good social commentary. Good action. Pretty cool blues-ish music throughout. It's made on the cheap....so the effects ain't great. If you ask too many questions about how all of this happened, then you might have trouble swallowing all of it. Some of the lines in the movie are kinda cool, or kinda lame...and sometimes I have trouble telling which is which (e.g. "I have come here to chew bubble gum and kick @$$....and I'm all out of bubble gum"). I think that line is fairly cool, but I'm not entirely certain.
The movie also has, by all accounts (people I've talked to, and comments I've read off of youtube), the GREATEST non-martial arts fight scene ever. The punches and kicks are maybe a little over done, because if you could really hit and kick people that hard, everyone in the world would be dead right now....but they sure look like they hurt a lot.
With some more money, and probably more time, this movie could have been really something. The entire movie is on youtube in about 10 ten minute segments. It's a very under-rated movie. A sleeper in every way.

#17 Jaws

2008-01-05T11:37:00.000-08:00

I love the ocean and the beach. Who knows HOW much I would love it had this movie never been made? Seriously though, this movie was one of my top favorites ever immediately after I saw it for the very first time. Intense, suspenseful, engrossing...it's just well done. Talk about great music...bu-BUM bu-BUM bu-BUM will be around for ever because of this movie. You really care about the characters, and Spielberg builds them together really well. Roy Scheider, Robert Shaw, and what's his face (I can't believe his name has escaped me). Oh yeah, Richard Dreyfus. I used to love him until his politics ruined him for me. Great development. Wonderful ending. Chilling music (yes, I know those aren't really sentences....just follow my thoughts please). It's probably one of the best movies ever made. The only reason I have it THIS far down on my list is due to the fact that, since I've seen it 1,000 times...I have a little trouble sitting through the first hour of it. The suspense builds so slowly, I have trouble sitting through the whole thing. I would rather start out where they are sitting on the boat, with Hooper driving, Marting working the chum bucket, and Quint fishin'.

#18 The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly

2008-01-05T11:16:00.000-08:00

This movie just might be the coolest movie ever made. Clint Eastwood, along with Eli Wallach and Lee Van Cleef, combine to make this easily the best of the spaghetti westerns. The haunting music is as awesome and hypnotic as it is weird. It will stay with you the rest of your life. It has big twists right and left, impossible rifle and pistols shots made with ease, and a lot of back stabbing. Seriously, these gun shots are made about 2 miles away..but that's OK. Plus, there are a lof of great one liners. It's a little bit too long to due a 20 minute long part about the Union trying to blow up a bridge in the Civil War. It doesn't have anything to do with the rest of the movie. Forgive that, and appreciate the rest of it.

#19 Army of Darkness

2008-01-05T11:11:00.000-08:00

Despite the evil sounding title, this is a wonderful slap stick comedy. It's actually part 3 of the Evil Dead series, although it's much sillier than Evil Dead #2. Good fighting scenes, great humor...like I said, it's of the slap stick variety. Bruce Campbell has had a nice little career out of being this type of character over and over again. Good one-liners. It's main quality is that it's just a lot of fun.

#20 The Terminal

2008-01-05T07:33:00.000-08:00

This movie really, really surprised me. I didn't have any interest in watching it. We (my wife and I) cooked a nice meal and ate it on the hearth in front of the roaring fireplace while it was freezing outside. We had the lights down low, and snuggled up. Perhaps that's why I remember this movie so fondly.

It was hilarious. It had great acting with Tom Hanks, and that fella that plays a good JERK. I don't know his name. Anyway, dude gets to the airport and his country has a revolution while he's in the air....he lands in New York but can't leave the airport because his brand new government is only a few hours old and not recognized by the U.S. It has a great theme of not quitting, staying steadfast in your beliefs, and not giving up. Sweet film, but like I said, I thought it was very funny. I wish all movies could be this enjoyable.

My favorite movies

2008-01-05T06:15:00.001-08:00

Right before I began blogging a few months ago, I came up with my Top 20 movies of all time. It spawned from a lengthy cinema conversation at work. I picked out all of my favorite movies, and then rated them on various criteria (storyline/theme/message....actors......ending....rewatch capacity). I rate things a lot at work (ideas, people, interviews, etc), so it seemed almost natural for me to do that for...well, almost anything in my life. I rated them, made some tough decisions, and emailed it to other movies buffs I know (my cousin and sister).

Now that some time has passed, I edited this list, and I'm going to add it to my blog. It's very similar to my first list, with a few exceptions.

First, I'll post my honorable mentions:
True Grit.....great Western with the Duke. It suffered on my list because he was the only notable character in it (although a young Robert Duval played a small role). When it's all said and done, it really didn't have a strong story.
Hang'em High ...this is a great Clint Eastwood western, with a very strong supporting role with "what's his face". Again, it really wasn't anything out of the ordinary, just a very good western.
Dead Again ....great movie with Kenneth Branaugh and his then wife Emma Thompson, along with a great bit part with Robin Williams. I had to penalize it due to a stupid death scene at the end that was laughable. I might have it in my Top 10 if it wasn't for that. Great story, acting, pretty much everything else.
Bridge over the river Kwai..... I just didn't have room for every war movie I ever liked. This was an academy award winner with some of my all time favorite actors (Jack Hawkins, Alec Guiness, and what's his face). I love SO many war movies, I had to pick a few and leave the rest out.
Duel ....one of the early Spielberg movies with Dennis Weaver. Great movie, very intense. An old classic film, but I had to leave it out because the story seemed just a little too singular in nature. That's just nitpicking, though. It doesn't hurt the film, I just had to draw a line somewhere and that's all I could come up with against it. I really struggled not putting this one in there, though, because I just love it.

Brain Donors ..... sleeper that I loved. Witty, yet stupid, it has something for everyone. I still quote from it even though I saw it years and years ago. I left it out because I saw a scene of it on youtube a month ago...and it wasnt' quite as funny as I remembered. Maybe not being a teenager made it less funny.
Ghost Busters, Scrooged, Groundhog's Day...... Bill Murray could read a phonebook and make me laugh. So many of his movies are so similar in how they're funny, I couldn't pick one over the others.
Ace Ventura 2 .....I know, I know, it's stupid. However, I had to at least put it here, because I've never watched a movie that me laugh THAT hard, THAT many times. I saw it in the theater back in college, after Georgia had just dropped a tough game to Auburn, and I was in the mood to just escape a little. This movie did that, for sure. I owe it something.
Southern Comfort ... I still can't believe I took this movie out. This was #17 or so on my first list. Chilling scenes, groovy cajun music, graphic killing...this movie has it all. It's like "Deliverance" without the anal rape...which for me is a HUGE bonus. I took it out because I remembered a movie when I remade the list and I just didn't have room. There you go.

One more thing...I'm not counting ANY of the Star Wars movies. They are classics, and part of American culture. They are TOO similar, they are like 6 movies that are somehow the very same movie. It made the list too hard. It's my list, and I'm not counting Star Wars movies.

I'll post the movies every now and then, and list them to the side.