What Movie Sparked Your Love for Cinema?

I saw this question on Twitter as part of a "get to know me" game and when I tried to think of the answer for myself, what I came up with kind of surprised me.

I've mentioned before that working at a movie theater as a teenager is what broadened my horizon for films, but what was the movie that got me to look at cinema beyond the comedic and horror films that I normally stuck with?

At first I thought of American Beauty. It's my all time favorite movie which I saw for the first time at age 13. While it's very important to me because it was the first time I considered dysfunctional families and stopped feeling alone about it, I never really got into anything like it until years later. 

I thought of all the Shirley Temple movies I would record off of AMC when I was little just so I could watch her tap. I loved those too, but I never watched other classic films. 

I loved big franchises like Star Wars, and Lord of the Rings, and Harry Potter, but back then I was just enjoying the ride and not thinking about the process. At least not right away. 

Weirdly enough, I think the movie that changed cinema for me was a small, tough to watch indie called Mysterious Skin. You see, when I worked at that theater we'd get magazines showing all the upcoming films. And because I lived in a small town it means we rarely, almost never got independent films. When I read about Mysterious Skin, it intrigued me. And it starred Joseph Gordon-Levitt, who I was familiar with. 

The funny thing about this is that there was a decent amount of time between me learning about the film and it actually coming out on DVD to rent. But just reading about it changed something. I remember finding IMDb, getting recommendations, saving titles, learning about the Sundance Film Festival and going on a movie watching spree. When I'd actually see it in the fall of 2005, it was heavy. It deals with child abuse and plenty of things that make me uncomfortable to think about but I was in awe of how well it was made and how good JGL was in it. How director Gregg Araki shot around those uncomfortable scenes made me appreciate the film making aspect that I had rarely considered before. All I had to compare it to at the time were those shitty Lifetime movies my mom would try to scare me with. This was in another league. 

That same fall, my boyfriend and I drove to the nearest big city and spent a few days doing nothing but watching all the movies in theaters that our local one would never get. We ended up seeing a lot of the eventual Oscar nominees for that year, and that started my tradition of religiously watching it. 

Because of Mysterious Skin, I looked for more independent films. Joseph Gordon-Levitt stopped being the kid from 3rd Rock and 10 Things and became my favorite actor. Because of Mysterious Skin, I'd look up Brady Corbet's filmography and find Thirteen, a film that remains in my Top 5 today. That led to me seeing Evan Rachel Wood, and her becoming one of my favorite actresses too.  It's probably because of Mysterious Skin that I tend to gravitate towards all this dark and dysfunctional story telling. (Actually, maybe I can blame that one on American Beauty. Or all those slashers my parents somehow allowed me to watch.) 

Regardless, while I always liked watching movies, I don't think I truly loved everything about them until I was 18, reading that theater magazine in between stringing up projectors and having an obscure title catch my eye. 

What movie did that for you? 

Also thank you for making it to the end of this rambling. 

Quick TV and Movie Reviews Courtesy of Netflix

I go through entertainment moods. Sometimes I'm in a reading mood, other times I'm in a watching mood. For pretty much all of October, I've been glued to my Netflix account. While I wrote a few full reviews for some of the movies I watched, such as The Kindergarten Teacher and Apostle,  the rest I decided to do in one post. Here are some movies and TV series I've been binging lately. 

DVD 
The first three reviews are from their DVD rental service. Side note, how do more people not use this? It's amazing! Do you all still have video rental stores in your neck of the woods because I sure as hell don't.

Eighth Grade

Elsie Fisher is a gem. This is a very quite movie, some would say "nothing happens" but really, everything does. I laughed pretty hard a few times and cringed at others because I could relate. Middle school was hell. I had ICQ and MSN Messenger to make mine awkward, I couldn't imagine having even more social media to add to it now.
Grade: B+

How To Talk To Girls At Parties

God damn this movie is weird. Aliens are touring Earth in 1970's London and one of them decides to check out the punk rock scene. I think this film balances being bizarre and endearing very well. The script it messy but I had fun watching it.
Grade: B-

Kinky Boots

I started watching this back when it first came out on DVD and never finished. I'm so glad I did, this movie is a joy. It drags a bit in the middle but Chiwetel Ejiofor is dynamite. 
Grade: A-

Streaming

22 July

Not that I'm an expert...but Paul Greengrass is the wrong director for this movie, right? I mean, it's awkward as hell that he's making all of these Norwegian actors speak English in a story that happened in their native land. It also feels like most of the effort was put into recreating the terror attack that happened and not much on the legal battle that followed. This film needed a lot of trimming. Though it did have two very convincing performances from Anders Danielsen Lie and Jonas Strand Gravli. I definitely hope to see more of those too.
Grade: C

The Haunting of Hill House

The male characters in this story drove me crazy and the ending tread into Hallmark movie cliche territory but this series was really well done. The actors were good, it was creepy, and the best part was they tied up ALL of their lose ends. They didn't pull a Castle Rock on their audience and they deserve all the credit in the world for that. 
Grade: B+

The Sinner (season one)

I feel some type of way about this. I really liked the murder mystery aspect of the story. Jessica Biel is great, her motives for murder were interesting, but man Bill Pullman.....he was bad. He looked like he was on the verge of laughter in every scene and the side characters were all very one dimensional. At eight episodes, this was a quick watch and I'm glad I saw it. But I felt there was something holding this series back. Maybe it was budget, maybe the network, but the writers had some great ideas and then the rest were just cut and paste from Murder Shows 101.
Grade: B-

Making A Murderer (season two)

Did this need a second season? Probably not. Did I watch it all? Of course. This case still fascinates me. I'm still in the camp of thinking Avery is innocent and that a bunch of fuckery went on with that crime scene. Zellner was a nice addition to the narrative. She brings up a few possible suspects in Teresa's murder, which they didn't get to do that last time around. I can't decide which one I think is more plausible. I don't buy getting flagged down by someone and actually pulling over for it, but that's just me. I'll continue to follow this case as it unfolds, if it ever goes anywhere.
Grade: B-

Daredevil (season three)

Since I'm watching this with my husband I haven't finished it yet. We're currently on the 8th episode. This is still the best Netflix series, the fights are so well done, but Karen Page is bothering me this season even more than I thought possible. I like Deborah Ann Wohl. She's a good actress, if you've seen True Blood you know, but she plays Karen as if she's constantly on the verge of having an anxiety attack. There's a scene where her character comes face to face with Wilson Fisk (Vincent D'Onofrio) and it's tragic how much he out acts her. Otherwise, so far so good. I'm not buying the Defenders not showing up though. They don't have the huge contract issue that the Avengers have when they don't show up in each others movies, and the story kind of calls for one of them to at least check in, and no one has yet. That's distracting.
Grade: TBD

Hold The Dark

Man...I was really looking forward to this and even though it got lukewarm reviews I still wanted to watch it myself. The script is kind of awful and it wastes its very talented cast. I felt like they didn't know how to end this film either. Wasted potential.
Grade: D

Little Remembered 90's Shows

Putting together my three picks for the Non English TV Show edition of Thursday Movie Picks got me all nostalgic. Now I'm remembering all these shows/movies I used to watch and I felt like making a list out of them.

I'm not going to include the big ones like Doug, Rugrats, Rocko's Modern Life, Hey Arnold, All That, Clarissa Explains it All, Alex Mack etc. Those are very popular with my fellow 90's kids and are easily memorable. These are the ones I had to dig a bit for in my brain. I'm going to start with the shows that I remember the earliest, and go from there. Most of these are TV shows, with a few movies thrown in.

1) Eureeka's Castle

This can best be described as a derpy puppet show. They had a bat that constantly flew into things, but you bet your ass my 2 to 3 year old self was watching this every morning. 

2) David The Gnome

Like I said during TMP, this was a show I never realized was a dub until I found IMDb. It was originally a Spanish show and it's one of the first cartoons I ever remember watching. I still remember seeing an advertisement for an episode that never aired (or at least I never saw it) It bothered me. 

3) The Litt'l Bits

My other TMP pick that was a dub. This one was originally from Japan, and like I said there I was beginning to think I imagined this cartoon. When my friends and I got on the topic of old shows, no one every remembered this. I was starting to think I imagined the whole thing. Luckily, IMDb was right there a decade later to reassure me I didn't go full Tommy Westphall with a Saturday morning cartoon. 

3) Scamper the Penguin

We learned a lot about penguins in my first grade class and my teacher had happened to tape this movie when she caught it on TV and showed it to us. I loved it. It had a cringey theme song but it was so cute, I didn't care. I wanted nothing more than to own this film and my parents couldn't find it anywhere. It's not like we could hope on Amazon in 1994. I thought I was going to be stuck with The Pebble and the Penquin as my go to Penguin movie, then we happened to find a VHS combo pack with this movie and my next pick. Turns out, Scamper wasn't originally Scamper, but "The Adventures of Lolo The Penguin" and it was a Russian mini series that was dubbed into English.

4) Samson and Sally

The VHS buddy to Scamper was this cartoon about two Sperm Whales that I really dug because none of my other friends had it. Turns out, this was another dub, only from Denmark. 

5) Gullah Gullah Island

Now, this wasn't a show I really watched regularly. I was a little old for it, and it was one of those things I remember only watching when I was home sick or bored during the summer. The thing I remember best is the theme song, but the reason I'm including it is because this is the first time I ever noticed re-casting. One of the kids was played by one actress in the early episodes, then replaced with a new girl in the later ones, and damn it I NOTICED! 

6) Welcome Freshman

Everyone I knew loved Saved by the Bell, but I always preferred this little seen show. The one episode I remember is when the kids eat yogurt at school and it turns the skin around their mouths blue and they end up quarantined at the school. That sounds kind of messed up typing it up. Oh well. 

7) Scruffy

This is hands down the most depressing dog cartoon in existence, and I can't believe my parents taped this for me. Basically this dog mother's dies, then she gets taken in by a homeless man who had a heart attack in front of her and dies. Then she goes to live with some other dogs in a junk yard, one of whom had a puppy that died so she carries around a sock and pretends that's her baby. Then people from the pound are trying to catch them and put them to sleep. What the actual fuck? 

8) The Adventures of Pete and Pete

I feel like this show doesn't get talked about enough when it comes to 90's nostalgia. It made Danny Tamberelli and Michelle Trachtenberg into big Nick stars. One of the kids' fake tattoos had it's own name in the opening credits. That's classic. 

9) Thumbelina 

To be fair, I bet this movie is massively stupid and I'd probably cringe if my kid watched it now, but I loved Don Bluth's movies. The Secret of NIMH was my favorite, and another I will talk about in an upcoming post. This one though, I have a memory of going running through the sprinklers with my neighbor, then watching this movie for the first time in the living room while our parents probably got drunk out on the patio. 

10) The Black Cauldron 

Disney's bastard child of a movie they like to pretend never happened. For what it's worth, I thought this was really cool. I remember watching it with my sister after I stepped on a nail and had to get a tetanus shot. I'd like to see it again. 




Horable Mention: Salute Your Shorts

Slightly breaking my popularity but for some reason people always talk about Hey Dude and not this. Salute Your Shorts was SO MUCH BETTER than Hey Dude. I just needed to say it.
Do you remember any of these? What did you think?

Quick Documentary Reviews

I love true crime documentaries. I was always one of those kids who would get stuck on crimelibrary.com for hours in the middle of the night. That's probably super weird but it's hard to look away from the massive fuck up that is the criminal justice system sometimes. Over the past few weeks I've watched three docs about crimes or the prison system in general. I decided to share them all in one post.


13th (watched on Netflix Instant)

This is a documentary I expect to see on a lot of "best of" shortlists. I think it will rightly snag an Oscar nomination too. 13th follows the prison system in the United States and how it's unfairly structured to affect black men and women the most. It takes it's title from our 13th amendment. “Neither slavery nor involuntary servitude, except as a punishment for crime whereof the party shall have been duly convicted, shall exist within the United States, or any place subject to their jurisdiction.” 

There are some very alarming stats in this doc, and they keep getting worse. I think many could tell you in broad strokes why the prison system is unfair, but this film will give you the specifics. It's one everyone should watch. It gives off a somewhat helpless feeling though. How does this get fixed for good and will the United States ever drop their prison population significantly? (The US has 5% of the world's population, but 25% of the prison population)
Grade: A

Southwest of Salem (watched on Youtube)

I had never heard of this case until Candice reviewed the documentary a while ago. This is so completely batshit that I'm shocked I never came across it in all those hours of mindless somebody hug me true crime reading. In 1994 four women in San Antonio, TX were accused of gang raping two young girls They were all lesbians and their trial sat on "this is what lesbians do." They were sent to prison for 15+ years, and only recently exonerated of the crimes after they went to a new trial and one of the victims recanted.  

The sad thing is even after they were paroled they had a judge tell them they couldn't fully clear them of the crime and needed to go through an entire new trial. The bias was still there, just not as strong. Since it was the early 90's, the prosecutor even threw in a little satanic panic for good measure. I wish they would've included a bit more information on the court cases but the doc was very solid.
Grade: B

Who Took Johnny? (watched on Netflix Instant)

This I was familiar with prior. I've read plenty of missing children cold cases. Johnny Gosch is an interesting (ie: depressing) case because the police department seemingly did fuck all to try to find him even after 1) People reported seeing a suspicious car near him 2) He had no reason to run away. 3) Another paperboy was taken two years later under similar circumstances 4) Someone confessed to helping kidnap him and being involved in a huge human trafficking ring. That last guy they never interviewed by the way. They talked to his siblings or something instead.

This doc is probably best for those who have never or vaguely heard of Johnny and his case. For those who have, it doesn't offer much new. In fact, they went pretty easy on the police department. They didn't go into much detail about the human trafficking ring either, but someone did write a book about that. Noreen Gosch is hard to watch. I think she was given some seriously bad advice on how to handle some of her claims after the kidnapping, and the police department labeled her as "pushy." (wouldn't you be if your son was missing and you were told to wait 72 hours to report it?)
Grade: B-

Enron: The Smartest Guys in the Room (watched on Netflix instant) 

Okay, so no one got murdered or kidnapped, but there's lots of fraud going on. Kevin raved about this doc when we did Drew's Four Years a Best Picture project. I've had it in my queue ever since. I was a young teenager when this Enron fiasco was going on and it's something I never would've paid attention to back then. In a way, I was learning about Enron for the first time. I just knew they were a big company that went under. It's very by the books, interesting interviews, nice songs and transition clips. I think I could've actually watched more of it, it was so interesting. Anything about money kind of depresses me sometimes. Especially watching these execs get huge amounts of it while screwing over everyone else. In retrospect, I'm kind of shocked Enron went on so long operating the way it did.
Grade: A-

Random Ramblings: Can Harry Potter fans kill 3D?

Earlier this week the folks at Entertainment Weekly posted that pre-sales for the highly anticipated Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part II are showing more people are opting for 2D rather than the current fad, 3D. I was curious as to what my fellow movie goers locally were choosing, so I asked my buddy that works at the theater. 2D is selling more than 3D as well. In fact, with the sales they've gotten for 2D, they are actually saving one of their biggest screens for just that. Originally their plan was to have both of their largest theaters in 3D.

Anyone who reads my blog knows how unnecessary I think 3D is. I've been patiently waiting for this to fade out. I jumped for joy when Part I of Deathly Hallows nixed the decision to show in 3D. Now with arguably the biggest film of one of the most successful franchises on it's way, can Harry Potter fans show the world that movies can make bank without the 3D price tag?

I find 3D a negative for plenty of reasons. Here's why I don't like it, and why Harry Potter in particular could suffer from it.

1) Darkness. I found Thor hard to watch at times because the screen was so damn dark. 3D films in general are darker on screen, and every single Potter film after Prisoner of Azkaban has been especially dark. Lots of blacks and greys and gloomy scenery. Plus 3/4 of Part II is going to be the battle of Hogwarts, which takes place in the middle of the night. This can't be good.

2) It wasn't shot for 3D. Movies that are converted into 3D in post production are especially useless. Certain films like How to Train Your Dragon use 3D to an advantage that works. One could also argue that cartoons are easier to convert than live action. What was the point of 3D in Thor? What was the point in Alice in Wonderland? Hell, Tron: Legacy didn't have a need for it either! This movie is going to be intense, it doesn't need any gimmicks added.

3) This isn't a theme park, I don't care if shit jumps out at me. Sure seeing Honey, I shrunk the audience at Disney World when I was 12 was fascinating, but I don't need to have Neville Longbottom lunging at me in my seat. I don't understand the appeal. Things get in my face on a daily basis, it's nice to sit back and watch a movie and not have that happen. I also can't stand when you're watching something in 3D, it goes at you, you flinch, then laugh loudly about it. IT WASN'T GOING TO GET YOU!

4) It's expensive. Theaters tack on an additional $3.00-$8.00 per ticket to buy 3D glasses. (that you can't reuse) Ok, so this wouldn't hurt the movie at all. The studios do this on purpose, but when you're breaking all your records, deep down you'll know you didn't deserve it. The Dark Knight still holds the record for best Midnight showing. I've always thought the last Harry Potter film could come close or surpass it, but is it really as great if you add that surcharge?

5) Glasses. Ask anyone who wears glasses if they like having to wear ANOTHER pair on top of them. I'll give you a hint, no one likes it.

What do you think? Do you think more people buying 2D tickets for Harry Potter will give studios a clue that 3D is over? I can only hope.

Random Ramblings: 10 Things I want to see in Deathly Hallows part 1

I just got done reading 'Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows' (again) and it got me thinking about the film. I thought I'd make a list of things I really want to see, then on Nov 18th when the film comes out, I will re-visit this list and see if I got any of my wishes. Of course it will be impossible to incorporate every little detail from the book into the movie, so I'll try to be as fair as possible with my "demands". Also after I see the film I'll write up another column of 10 things I'd like to see in part 2.

1) The opening sequence: There are certain parts of the book that really don't need to be toned down for film. This is one of them. Members of the Order of the Phoenix are trying to get Harry safely from his home on Privet Dr. to random portkeys. (objects that essentially teleport you to another place) These portkeys will all lead them to a safe place. Ron, Hermione, Fluer, Fred, and George are all dressed as fake "Harrys" and they fly with a member of the Order to their portkey. Of course the Death Eaters are waiting, and there's a spectacular chase scene which includes Voldermort flying (sans broomstick) after them. This needs to be left alone. All of it. It was such an intense part of the book, even more so since it happened in the 2nd chapter. It also includes two surprising deaths. People that haven't read the books need to appreciate what we HP nerds see when we read it. This scene is so epic it deserves to be shown in it's entirety.

2) It's RON/HERMIONE. Ok? Thanks. My biggest problem with "screen writer" Steve Kloves is that he is an obvious Harry/Hermione shipper. Even though JK Rowling turned down the idea of Harry and Hermione ever being together, then essentially made fun of anyone who thought they should be. I blame Kloves for this because reading the books, I never had the idea of Harry and Hermione being a couple, although after watching the films (particulary Prisoner of Azkaban) I can totally see where people got that idea. *Spoiler Alert* Ron and Hermione get together in the end, and it's heavily hinted throughout this book. Let it happen, don't litter it with all this touchy feely Harry/Hermione crap when it's supposed to be building up Ron and Hermione's relationship. It's bad enough they left the huge Ron/Hermione moment in the funeral scene out of 'Half Blood Prince'.

3) There's no such thing as too much Alan Rickman Ok, so Snape technically plays a bigger part in "Part II" but let's not get stingy on the Snape scenes in the first part. I love Alan Rickman as Snape, he needs to be on screen as much as possible.

4) There will be blood This was a bloody book, screw the PG rating and go full on PG-13. I don't think they should have a problem with this, especially since they actually got away with a PG rating for HBP when they included the "Sectumsempra" scene.

5)Can 3D just f**k off, please? The plan right now is to show the film in 3D, there is still plenty of time to nix this horrible Idea. 3D is going to drive more people away. Hardcore fans will shell out the $16 a ticket for it but not everyone else will. Harry Potter could have a record breaking opening without the added ticket price. Not to mention this film wasn't originally shot for 3D, and will likely have crap effects like Alice in Wonderland and Clash of the Titans. This film is going to be way to dark for 3D. I'm hoping by November this 3D phase will calm down. Roger Ebert actually wrote a really good piece on why 3D is so lame, go read it. I agree. Let's hope the summer 3D movies bomb, and they can save it all for the IMAX crowds.

6) Let the split happen gradually I already know how annoyed I will be when this film ends. We all will be. Just don't end it at a cliff hanger. What I really admired about Peter Jackson's "Lord of the Rings" trilogy is that he ended them after something great happened, and they transitioned into black nicely. Please don't end us on a fight scene we have to wait another 7 months for. I have this horrible feeling that they are going to split it right after we learn what the Deathly Hallows are, but right before the Death Eaters break into the Lovegood household and find them there. There's plenty of walking around and searching for horcruxes. Let it end somewhere around there. Where we've seen enough to call it a great film, but we're not cut off and feeling empty. Also don't cut it off when Ron leaves then resume when he comes back. I hated that part of the book enough as it is. I really just should stop guessing on where I think they will split it.. *patience*.

7) House Elves They managed to cut out Dobby's character in every single movie since he first appeared in 'Chamber of Secrets' even though he played important parts in many of the following books. I know for a fact Dobby is in this. (pictures I've seen of them filming) Let both him and Kreacher get some screen time. They're very important to this story.

8) Who was the Half Blood Price again? I really doubt this will happen, but since they so conveniently added a scene to HBP that wasn't in the book and served absolutely no purpose the least they can do is EXPLAIN why Severus Snape is the Half Blood Prince. That was the entire f**king point of the 6th book and they really casted it aside in the film. How about a run down for those non-readers that left the movie seriously confused? It'll only take a minute!

9) Tone down Emma Watson Of all the young actors in the film she's consistently the worst. I want to like her, but I can't. She can't act. Please tell her to tone down the eyebrows, get another expression besides "shocked/pissed" and actually have poofy hair like Hermione is supposed to have. Less Emma Watson is fine with me.

10) Godric's Hallow Harry's place of birth felt down right creepy in the book, lets keep it that way in the film. Especially Nigini crawling out of the women's head. Yeah, that's the part of Harry Potter that is never shown in the films, the fact that the book gets down right creepy at times.

Random Ramblings: The Radio Flyer Conundrum

Recently, I was talking to someone about who I thought were the best child actors when I was also a child.  Two that really stood out to me were Elijah Wood and Joseph Mazello, and one film those two were in together was called Radio Flyer. Then I was reminded about the uniqueness of this film. Instead of reviewing the film, I wanted to have an open discussion about the ending.

It deals with a tough issue; child abuse. What I’ve noticed is the way that the film ends is interpreted many different ways, and the filmmakers never came forward to say what was right and wrong. I’m interested in hearing everyone’s opinions on it. How did you interpret the ending? Obviously spoiler alerts will follow..

For those of you who haven’t seen the film, the basic premise is this: Two young boys, Mikey (Wood) and Bobby (Mazello) move in with their single mother and her boyfriend, who refers to himself as ‘The King’. It doesn’t take long for The King to start physically abusing Bobby, and the mother turns a blind eye. The end of the film shows the boys building their Radio Flyer (named after the red wagon they have) for Bobby to fly away and be free of The King. He succeeds, and we are being told this story by the adult Mikey, who in turn is telling it to his own children. Now, I’ve read people’s opinions on the ending, and these are the most common ones I’ve found. Please excuse me if I’ve left one out.

1) Bobby was actually killed by The King, and this is just Mikey’s way of coping with it. But telling his children that his brother really did fly away in his wagon.

2) There was no younger brother, it was all in Mikey’s head. This was just a way of him coping with his own abuse. He imagined that he had a weaker younger brother that was really the brunt of all the abuse.

3)There was no older brother, same situation as the previous, only it’s the abused child pretending he has a strong older brother.

4) The kid actually did fly away in his magic wagon.

Now, I was five when this movie came out, and I remember seeing it on TV around the age of seven or eight. So at my young age, the thought of Bobby actually flying away in a wagon wasn’t too far-fetched (hell, the clown from The Poltergeist seemed pretty real to a seven year old) I thought okay, it was a fantasy film and that’s how it ended. Then re-watched it as an adult, and it got me thinking. This wasn't the film I remembered.

I see it now as reason 1. Bobby really died after a particularly intense beating from The King. (Though some think he died when he plummeted to his death in the Radio Flyer, but the beating makes more sense to me) When elder Mikey is telling this story to his children, they question his ending. He says he can change it since he’s the one telling the story, which to me meant that his children were aware their uncle was dead, but he wasn’t revealing exactly how. The “letters” that Mikey gets as an adult from his brother, that I couldn’t really explain. Maybe he writes them, maybe his mother felt guilty and wrote them. (though that’s a bit extreme to continue it into adulthood) What do you think? I’ve heard theories that when Mikey is being beat up during the game of football he is playing with the neighborhood kids is just his way of handling the beat down from The King. Good point, I can see that. Some people point out during the film that the mother really doesn’t address both boys at the same time. (which I disagree with) I think there were two boys.

I’m interested in hearing your opinions.

Thanks for reading!

ETA: Since I published this post back in 2010, This popped up about a year later. It's referenced a few times in the comments, but I figured I would edit my original post to show that I have indeed read it. 

Random Ramblings: Films Featuring Pro Wrestlers.

It's pretty obvious that I'm in love with movies. I'm intrigued by everything about them, but one other thing I've loved for a long time is Pro Wrestling. I've been a fan since about 1994. I mostly watched WWF, but I lived near a video store that had all the old videos so I could see what was going on before my time. Wrestling has drastically changed since I first watched it. I got used to the Hulkamania days, then when I got a bit older the 'Attitude Era' as it's known to fans started. This was truly the best time in wrestling. Nowadays WWE pushes the PG product while it's competitor TNA is trying to bring it back. I appreciate everything about wrestling, the stuff those guys and gals put their body through is ridiculous and their schedules are insane. They really are the best athletes out there, because there at it all year round. While I spend a good deal of my time poking fun at Raw (mostly at http://www.thejohnreport.net) and admiring what I see on Smackdown, my two favorite things don't always mix well. I'm talking about Wrestlers in films. Wrestlers do alot of acting in the ring and in their promos. Some are naturals. For example, The Rock gives the best promos of all time and Chris Jericho is right up there with him. Some wrestlers are perfect fits on the big screen, others are not so lucky. They're out of their comfort zone, it's not their fault. I'm going to list a few films I've seen with wrestlers in them, whether it's a lead, supporting or even a cameo. Grade the flick its self. Then say a bit about them.

Let's start with the most recognizable wrestler turned actor: Dwayne "I refuse to call you anything about The Rock" Johnson.


Get Smart Grade: C. This movie had a great cast (Steve Carrell, Anne Hathaway, Alan Arkin) based on a popular TV series it had my hopes way up, but bad directly and lame script brought them down.

The Game Plan Grade: B. I took my niece to this expecting to cringe and I actually felt sort of uplifted by the end of it. It was cute.

Doom Grade: B. It gets a higher grade for The Rock saying "Semper Fi, Mother Fucker" alone. Decent for a movie based on a video game. Definitely better than 'Mortal Kombat'.

Be Cool Grade: C-. The Rock took a bit of a stretch here playing a flamboyant wannabe actor in this sequel to 'Get Shorty'. However the cast was overcrowded and the plot was all over the place. It's hard for anyone to stand out in this busy flick.

Walking Tall Grade: B+ I never saw the original (or the straight to DVD sequels starring someone else) but I actually really enjoyed this movie. When I first saw it, I had mono and I actually fell asleep, woke up about 45 mins later and still managed to enjoy it. (don't worry, i re-watched what I missed) The Rock is good in these action roles, much better than the Disney kiddie stuff we've been seeing lately.

The Rundown Grade: B+. Another good action film for The Rock, extra points are given due to the fact that Seann William Scott looks ridiculously good sans shirt.

The Scorpion King Grade: D. My dad and I went to this because The Rock was my favorite wrestler and I just had to see him even though we both hated 'The Mummy' movies. He made me apologize when it was over.

Stone Cold Steve Austin


The Condemned Grade: F. I'm sure this seemed really macho on paper, but the finished product was one of the worst movies I've ever seen. It's not Austin's fault at all, he was the best actor in the movie!

The Longest Yard Grade: C+. A lot of people hated this, I actually enjoyed it. Adam Sandler makes me laugh for the most part. Austin's part was small, but he was believable as a racist prison guard.

John Cena

The Marine Grade: F. I might be bias, because I'm not a John Cena fan at all. (and I wont be until he turns heel or starts being interesting) I don't remember why I even agreed to see this, but what sticks out in my mind the most was during the scene where The guy is yelling at someone on his phone, and it turns out to be his cable provider, a good portion of the audience got up and left. Funniest part of the film. Cena's got charisma, but he doesn't show a lot of it here.

Christian


Shoot 'Em Up Grade: B-. This film wasn't meant to be a comedy, but I thought it was hilarious. Christian only had a cameo as a prison guard, but he's one of my favorite wrestlers and he's got tons of talent. He could carry an entire film. If this movie teaches us anything, it's that we can do simple tasks such as running, walking, talking, eating, fucking, and carrying a baby, all while shooting at people. You stay classy, Michael Davis.

Edge

Highlander: Endgame Grade: C. He was in the film for roughly 45 seconds, nothing really memorable but Edge is awesome and the Highlander theme song is catchy.

'Rowdy' Roddy Piper.

They Live Grade: B. I love campy Horror/Sci Fi crap. This isn't a critically acclaimed film and it wasn't meant to be. It's just fun to watch.

Last to Surrender Grade: D. Roddy Piper in a badly directed kung fu movie. Enough said.

Jerry 'The King' Lawler

Man on the Moon Grade: A. Ok, so technically he was playing himself, but I'm lacking A rated films on my list. Lawler played a big part in Kaufman's life. This was just all around a good film. Great performances by all.

Kane

See No Evil Grade: D- The only reason I don't give it an F was because I was legitimately surprised that the horrible marketing campaign actually had some significance. (May 19th, the film's initial release date) May 19th was actually the air date when Kane originally found out that The Undertaker was his brother and that Paul Bearer was his father. Well done, I wonder if the writers thought of that themselves or if some internet journalist pointed it out first. Other than that the film wasn't scary and you come out feeling dirty if anything.

Triple H

Blade: Trinity Grade: C+. HHH was legit creepy in this film. Although it was the worst of the Blade films, I give it a + for 1) Ryan Reynolds has his shirt off. and 2) It provides for the following picture. How Twlight should've ended.



I thought it was funny.

Andre The Giant

The Princess Bride Grade: A. Here's a fun fact, I actually can't stand this movie. But, I appreciate it. It's well acted, directed, shot. It's endearing, it teaches lessons. It's got Andre the Giant! I can suck up my own personal taste to admire a classic.

Hulk Hogan

3 Ninjas: High Noon and Mega Mountain Grade: D. My 9 year old self probably liked it, my adult self is embarrassed. I do remember a few kids I knew didn't know who Hulk Hogan was. That was surprising to me. Didn't ever kid know about wrestling?

Mr. Nanny Grade: F. Seriously, who the hell came up with this? Director Michael Gottlieb's only other major feature was 'A Kid in King Arthur's Court' if that tells you anything.

Vladimir Koslov

The 25th Hour Grade: A. Did you know Vladimir "I have no charisma" Koslov has a cameo in this as a mobster? I didn't either until about a week ago. Still, props go to him for picking this as extra work. I love this film. The cast, the way it was shot. Everything! This is damn good film making.


Bam Bam Bigelow

Major Payne Grade: B-. The Waynes Bros are like my guilty pleasure. Well, this film, Scary Movie 1 and 2 and White Chicks anyways. I still laugh at the sight of Bigelow in this movie. Perhaps I shouldn't be admitting this?

Kevin Nash

The Punisher Grade: D. This is one of the worst Marvel films they've made. Nash's part was more of a cameo, but I forgive him for his next cameo in this film...

Grandma's Boy Grade: B. He was just a mover in this film, he's in one scene. Still, 'Grandma's Boy' was unexpectedly hilarious.

The Big Show

The Waterboy Grade: B-. He had a cameo as a wrestler on TV that makes fun of Bobby. (Adam Sandler) I'm a sucker for Sandler films. A lot of people got annoyed with Sandler's accent in the film, I didn't. Captain Insano shows no mercy.

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That was fun. I love to talk about movies, but I love to talk about wrestling too. I'm getting psyched for Wrestlemania. Thanks for reading.