Words of wisdom from a big thinker. I hope to share my thoughts and maybe after it is all over we might have had some fun and learned a little something at the same time.
It is time to wrap up my list of gang films and soundtracks and even though I previously said that I tend to group films in equal groups under a topic or genre of film and that I have a hard time narrowing down films to exclusive rankings. This film is a film that is honestly near the top of almost everyone of my lists if I was going to make a list. I think it is one of the best films that Francis Ford Coppola ever made, possibly the best film.
This film, and the talented group of young actors that made it up just kind of blows your mind. Oh sure, it helps that the book by S. E. Hinton that it is based on is very good source material. But honestly the film is far more then that. It is available on Amazon Prime and if you haven't seen it then please do yourselves a favor and watch it. If you haven't read the book, do yourself a favor and read the book.
I grew up pretty much slightly lower middle class I think. We were certainly not a fancy family but we also were not dirt poor either. I am not sure why but growing up I always had a fascination with the idea of street gangs and hoodlums. I think that may be because as a child, Salem just did not have much of a problem with that. I am sure that had I been forced or chosen to join a gang then my fascination with them would have faded. That being said while I am not condoning gang lifestyle or violence there is a certain fascination with this idea and several of my favorite films deal with this issue. Some seemingly glorifying it and others realistically showing how horrible that kind of life can be. But one thing that theses 5 films have in common along with being films about street gangs they are also films with soundtracks that I love. So without further adieu I present to you.
MY TOP 5 GANG FILMS & SOUNDTRACKS
5. The Wanderers
This film could be the number 1 film as well and while I have broken this list up into my top 5 in all honesty I love everyone of these films and the soundtracks as well. This film has a classic early sixties soundtrack But for me the song that really stands out among the many great songs on the sound track is Dion's "The Wanderer"
Such a good song.
4. The Warriors
Can you dig it? Interestingly enough both this film and the previous one were made in 1979 and both took place in New York City. Though The Wanderers was set in 1963 and I think a little more realistic then the stylized gangland of NYC in The Warriors. I really do enjoy both films equally. There are some excellent songs on this soundtrack but I really just like the musical score itself and I have noticed that some modern films and bands are for sure using this soundtrack for inspiration, like "Drive" and the Tron remake as well as the latest album by Daft Punk
I hate to leave you hanging but that is all you are going to get today. I can already tell that this blog post will be to big to be just one. So tomorrow you will get to see 3 and 4.
Today is Film Friday and as most of you know. I do not like remakes. But since I woke up a little early I was stumbling around my Netflix account and I noticed the remake of "Bad News Bears". On most other days this would have made my hackles rise but for some reason. The idea intrigued me. I love the original but what made this stand out for me was that the remake was made by Richard Linklater, who also directed "Dazed and Confused" and "School of Rock", two of the films that I most enjoy and enjoy rewatching. So I thought I would give this one a shot.
Just for comparisons sake and for those of you that haven't seen either of these here are the trailers for both the original and the remake.
Okay I am just going to post the trailer for the remake as I am unable to find the original trailer anywhere. I am a little sad that the internet failed me. I had just assumed that the original trailer would be on YouTube. I mean, everything else seems to be. What is even stranger to me is that the original seems to be available on YouTube in 10 different parts. So I just do not get it.
But back to the matter at hand. I am not sure if it is nostalgia speaking or what. But, I really enjoyed it. It wasn't great there was something about it. The way that the director used music and film effects along with Billy Bob Thorton as Buttermaker made me laugh and smile quite a bit. I realize that what I am doing is not giving you guys a sterling review or anything like that. But I think that is the nature of Netflix. I pay so little each month for basically an unlimited amount of movies that my standards have dropped a bit. I do not think that is a bad thing and when I do see a movie in a theater I do expect a little more. As one of my friends reminded me a couple of weeks ago I have started reviewing movies based more on the amount I paid to watch it as opposed to the quality inherent in the film making.
I think I enjoy this better then how I used to be when I would sniff and look down my nose at whatever film I was watching. Or God forbid what mainstream popular culture is watching. Maybe I am just getting old.
So I went to see "Thor" on Tuesday night for the $5 showings at Cinebarre. I would highly recommend seeing all of your films there on Tuesday nights. Not only is every show $5 they also serve some tasty food and the onscreen presentation is always top notch as well. They show first run movies and other then it not being stadium seating I have never had a bad experience there. Also paying just $5 for a movie makes it a lot more tolerable for me and I am for sure more forgiving in my reviews of them.
Which brings me to my topic at hand. I went to see Thor and I enjoyed it but I am not sure if I was enjoying it because I had only paid $5 or if it was actually a good quality movie. I have mentioned before that I like Kenneth Branagh as a director and he did a fine job in this as he always does. There were some absolutely beautiful shots of space and some amazing CGI work as well. So both his directing and the cinematographer did excellent work. But the script. Oh, the script. When I checked the credits I noticed that the writing credits for the movie had 8 names on it. That is right you heard me. EIGHT NAMES!! IT TOOK EIGHT PEOPLE TO TELL THIS STORY!!! I am incredulous. This is a 115 minute movie. I suppose I should be glad that it was over 90 minutes but I mean seriously eight people. These elite eight are as follows Ashley Miller, Zack Stentz, and Don Payne with a screenplay credit. Then J. Michael Straczynski and Mark Protosevich with a story credit followed up by Stan Lee, Larry Lieber, and Jack Kirby with a Comic Book credit. Now I am not sure how much of these peoples work even made it to the screen or even if this film was based on a graphic novel or was some sort of movie stand alone story. (I know who is who in the comic book world so please do not give me comments citing the importance of Stan Lee and Jack Kirby.)
I just think it odd that any film needs to have this many screen writers. It has kind of been an unwritten rule for me that if a film has a lot of screenwriters it is usually not a good film. But that is a discussion best left for another time.
This is a picture of Thor in one of the Marvel Comics
This is a picture of Thor from the movie.
As you can see they used the comic as a guideline for the costume which is pretty cool. I really did like the visuals of the movie but there were times that the dialogue really seemed awkward to me and a little forced. I thought there were some really good actors in the film and a good if not great director so the flaws really had to be with the script itself. That being said it seemed to rise above it script limitations and when Thor left Asgard and came to earth it really took off for me. Do not get me wrong. I enjoyed some of the stuff in Asgard but what went on when he came to earth was just far more interesting to me.
So I think if I had paid full price for this film it would only get 2 out of 4 for me. But seeing it for so cheap makes it be a 3 and a half easy. It is just a plain fun movie. You might not enjoy it as much if you are not a comic nerd but if you are it is a fun time. I say take next Tuesday and check it out.
I apologize for that title. The title isn't really the problem it is the absolutely horrible song that I lifted the title from. Now, normally in a situation like this I would give you a link or perhaps show you the video from the song but if I do that then I am just encouraging more of the same and I am not going to be part of the problem. Now I realize that my stand may just be a drop in the ocean of terrible that exists out there but at some point a person has to stand up and say enough is enough!!
But enough of that. It seems that lately people around the world have been taking to the internets and putting together two things that previously had not existed together. In particular case someone put together clips from the television show "Community" with the music from the trailer for the Indie-mumblecore-romcom film (500)days of summer but changed the title to (500)days of Britta. I love the show "Community" you all should watch it. Thursday nights at 8 or watch it on Hulu!!!! JUST WATCH IT!!! But first watch this.
Wow!! That link just took me down a rabbit hole of YouTube videos that people have put together from different shows and movies with different songs. Talk about some pretty cool stuff but then I am a sucker for that kind of thing. I love a good pairing of song and video it can have such a good impact if done well.
If that last clip didn't leave with a grin and perhaps a little dance down the hallway then you are dead inside.
Even better one because it combines one of my favorite songs from the 80's with clips from some of my favorite movies. Love it!!! *snap and circle*
Okay I am done with that for awhile. There was some real crap in there as well but I am impressed with some of the creativity that was shown by some of the creators. I hope today's video clips amused you and perhaps put a little spring in your step. Have a Sunshine Day folks!!!
The number one film in America today is a little CGI film called 'Hop'. I really know nothing about it. I did not find the trailer for it all that amusing. But I guess it is working as a kids movie. Maybe this is a good time of year for kids films? Lets hop into...(That was not intended) Lets climb into the time machine and find out.
April 8, 1982: Porky's Rated R
April 8, 1983: Tootsie. Rated PG
April 8, 1984: Police Academy. Rated R
April 8, 1985: Police Academy 2: Their First Assignment. Rated PG13
April 8, 1986: Police Academy 3: Back in Training. Rated PG
April 8, 1987: Police Academy 4: Citizens on Patrol. Rated PG
April 8, 1988: Beetlejuice. Rated PG
April 8, 1989: Major League. Rated R
April 8, 1990: Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. Rated PG
April 8, 1991: Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles II. Rated PG
April 8, 1992: Basic Instinct. Rated R
April 8, 1993: Cop and a Half. Rated PG
April 8, 1994: D2: The Mighty Ducks. Rated PG
April 8, 1995: Bad Boys. Rated R
April 8, 1996: Primal Fear. Rated R
April 8, 1997: Liar Liar. Rated PG13
April 8, 1998: Lost in Space. Rated PG13
April 8, 1999: The Matrix. Rated R
April 8, 2000: Rules of Engagement. Rated R
April 8, 2001: Spy Kids. Rated PG
April 8, 2002: Panic Room. Rated R
April 8, 2003: Phone Booth. Rated R
April 8, 2004: Hellboy. Rated R
April 8, 2005: Sahara. Rated. PG13
April 8, 2006: Ice Age 2: The Meltdown. Rated PG
April 8, 2007: Blades of Glory. Rated PG
April 8, 2008: 21. Rated R
April 8, 2009: Fast and Furious. Rated PG13
April 8, 2010: Clash of the Titans. Rated PG13
April 8, 2011: Hop. Rated PG
So there you are. Now I realize that this is a pretty long and some of you might find it boring list. I actually found it kind of fascinating. I have seen every movie on this list except for two of them. I will give out bonus points to a reader who can guess which two in the comments list. I will also give out bonus points if anyone can tell what movie on this list I think is the best one.
But back to what I found interesting. This list has 30 films on it. Of that 30 there are 0 films rated G. There are 11 films rated PG. There are 6 films rated PG13. Which leaves us with 12 films rated R. So the films are pretty equally spread out amongst the different ratings possibilities.
I was actually surprised by the number of sequels on this list. The four year run of Police Academy films actually made me a little ill. These are not good movies. I mean I think it is almost impossible to find a way to enjoy them ironically. I want to punch 14 yr old Lance in the face for having enjoyed them. If I could go back in time I would meet myself at the Hollywood Video and just slap the VHS tape out of my hand and then I would hit myself right between the eyes. Here is the trailer.
They made four more of these films and the other were not even rated R. The lousy script and acting aside. It doesn't even look like it was filmed by professionals. I am amazed at how bad it looks. Would you like to know how much money it made? It was in the theaters for 14 weeks and grossed $77,743,244. That is in domestic dollars people!!!! The actual domestic total gross which is calculated differently then the other was $81,198,894. So it is not a surprise that they made several sequels. How many you ask?
There have been seven!!! That is right seven!!! The total amount of money made for these and I am sure it is still rising with DVD and cable showings is $239,643,235. They made seven of these films in ten years. So think about that when you wonder why Hollywood continues to make crappy movies. We as consumers encourage it by going to see them. Though I wonder if the internet as it exists today existed back then if this movie would have made as much money. I do not think it would have.
Happy Monday folks. I hope we all had a good weekend. My weekend was pretty good. Well let me rephrase that. On Friday night my right eye was feeling itchy and felt like something was under the eye lid. But when I looked at it I could not find anything. But I spent Friday night and all of Saturday with my eye weeping and my nose running. It was an unpleasant experience to say the least. But, when I woke up Sunday morning everything was fine. I am not sure what was going on. I think I caught a little cold.
That was really about it. I did my best to have a pretty relaxing weekend overall. I really did not hear anything that I think I need to share with you folks today. I did see that 'The Hurt Locker' won the Oscar for best picture as its director won for best director so I am very happy about that screw you 'Avatar'. SCREW YOU!!
Yesterday the big news on the Internet was that Howard Zinn died and J D Salinger. I have not read Zinns work but he seems to have been quite the polarizing figure. I personally know people who are progressives that love him and I know a few conservatives who feel that he was worthless. It makes me want to track down his writings to see what all the hubbub is about.
Now as far as Salinger goes I have read 'The Catcher in the Rye' it was several years ago. Actually over a decade and I am unable to remember if I thought it was good on not. That isn't a good sign for me. If I really like something I am going to remember it and I can point to 'The Hobbit' or 'Fight Club' as books that have carried a real weight for me. Yesterday as I was looking around and seeing different things about Salinger I came across a clip from the film 'Dead Poets Society'. The clip I linked is from the end of the movie after they have SPOILER ALERT.......fired the teacher and he is returning to the class room to collect his personals.
Now when this movie was released I was working at a movie theater in Salem and going to Chemeketa Community College and had a pipe dream of working someday as a film director. I took film classes at school and really lived and breathed the movies. I was a projectionist at the theater and would often watch the movies from the booth as they ran. It wasn't a great viewing experience. The machines would clank and squeal and I would have to make sure the change over happened just right or I would have a real mess on my hands. But every now and then a film would come along that as I watched it from my perch in the booth. Viewing it through a grimy little window, a film would transcend its surroundings and take me away. 'Dead Poets Society' was such a film for me. I would stand in the booth and weep. I want you to watch that clip above and if you have seen the film before just enjoy the power of it. Watch it and think back to when you were younger and things seemed so important. When it felt like no one was listening to you and all that you had was your books or art or movies or music or whatever it was that made you a special person.
When you knew deep down in your heart that 'The Man' existed solely to stop you from achieving your greatness. Then take a look around you and realize that somehow with out you realizing it you have become 'The Man'. I would watch movies like 'Dead Poets Society' and get so mad. I would weep with frustration at the actions of the parents in the films and shake my fists at the screen. "How can they not understand?" I remember yelling out in the middle of 'Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure' as one of them was going to be sent to military school. "Just punch him!!'. Well people around me laughed and that was all well and good but I was not trying to be funny. I was legitimately angry.I miss the passion that movies used to generate in me. I still love film and I think I have a pretty nice and intelligent DVD collection of some classics as well as some more of the modern films. But the passion I used to feel is not there.
I think that is partially the fault of modern cinema but that is a story for another day. All that being said I want to know your top 5 most emotionally impactful films.
1. Dead Poets Society 2. Fight Club 3. Gatteca 4. Requiem For a Dream 5. Charlie or Flowers For Algernon
