Listening to the classic rock station and hearing "On the Dark Side" made me tell this story of this movie. The 20-something gym instructor had never heard of either.
Turns out that was a pretty good lead-in for this plot. The story unfolds as a mystery - whatever happened to Eddie? His body was never found after that crash off the bridge. And whatever happened to the tapes of the final music he made?
It fades back in time to 1963 where the band got its start in New Jersey. A very early precursor to Jersey Boys. It was an 80s movie through and through, and reminded me of Dirty Dancing,
St. Elmo's Fire and especially Stealing Home, a flashback book at the old days.
Starring an early Tom Berenger and Ellen Barkin.
Turns out Eddie was ahead of his time. He'd be making a million off the classic rock craze. Like I said, I'm still listening to it and telling the next generation about it.
Reminds me of a famous story about classic rock. "Like many parents of teenagers, Steven Tyler can't believe the music coming out his son's room - 'He's listening to the same music that I listened to at that age'
Allegiant * Divergent Series Part 3
Shailane Woodley and Theo James are back as Tris and Four in Part 3. It's a big budget movie ($110 Million?) that is bound to disappoint at the box office and in your heart. The thrill is gone as detailed here. And to think we still have the next movie "Ascendant" to look forward to.
http://www.rollingstone.com/movies/news/allegiant-fail-why-ya-movies-dying-is-bad-for-everyone-20160321
The good news is that it could be a better movie. A group of divergents escapes over the wall to go through the Fringe of No Man's Land seeking the answer to "What is Past That Wall?" Fortunately they are rescued and brought to safety. But at what price?
The find out what the wall was built and why the faction system was created. They become trapped in the Death Star, and that is too good a proven plot line to miss out on. Don't forget the bad guys who can't shoot straight. What's a girl to do? Escape again!
Jeff Daniels plays the Evil Bureaucrat as usually, pretty well.
* * of 5
http://www.rollingstone.com/movies/news/allegiant-fail-why-ya-movies-dying-is-bad-for-everyone-20160321
The good news is that it could be a better movie. A group of divergents escapes over the wall to go through the Fringe of No Man's Land seeking the answer to "What is Past That Wall?" Fortunately they are rescued and brought to safety. But at what price?
The find out what the wall was built and why the faction system was created. They become trapped in the Death Star, and that is too good a proven plot line to miss out on. Don't forget the bad guys who can't shoot straight. What's a girl to do? Escape again!
Jeff Daniels plays the Evil Bureaucrat as usually, pretty well.
* * of 5
10 Cloverfield Lane
Billed as a "spiritual successor" to Cloverfield, I went into this one blind, since I had not seen Cloverfield. Produced by J.J. Abrams, I figured it must be pretty good.
Not much more need to be said. It becomes a mashup of familiar movie plots, from Ex Machina, to Lifeboat, to Close Encounters, to Misery, and so on. I'll let you be surprised like I was.
Starring John Goodman ( the R-Rated version) and some other no-names.
* * * * of 5 stars
Not much more need to be said. It becomes a mashup of familiar movie plots, from Ex Machina, to Lifeboat, to Close Encounters, to Misery, and so on. I'll let you be surprised like I was.
Starring John Goodman ( the R-Rated version) and some other no-names.
* * * * of 5 stars
Whiskey Tango Foxtrot
Tina Fey playing a journalist - who would've thought? Lorne Michaels, that's who, who made her famous on Weekend Update on Saturday Night Live, is also the producer here. It's kind of a middle age, Walter Mitty fantasy, about a woman who has a existential crisis and heads around the world for some excitement. She finds it in the 2003-2006 war in Afghanistan. Eat Pray Love meets George W. Bush's America.
It's an interesting recent history lesson and 2003 never seemed so far away. Life in the Kabul-bubble is not all bad for a lot of the movie is like a grownup college movie - the partying, the dorm sex, the drinking and smoking. But real life sneaks in with attacks, injuries and death of soldiers and civilians alike.
The war cinematography was very good, and the US Air Force participated in a lot of the movie, although the Marine Corps is the star. Decent supporting cast especially Margot Robbie. But couldn't we find a real Afghan actor rather than use Alfred Molina?
* * *
It's an interesting recent history lesson and 2003 never seemed so far away. Life in the Kabul-bubble is not all bad for a lot of the movie is like a grownup college movie - the partying, the dorm sex, the drinking and smoking. But real life sneaks in with attacks, injuries and death of soldiers and civilians alike.
The war cinematography was very good, and the US Air Force participated in a lot of the movie, although the Marine Corps is the star. Decent supporting cast especially Margot Robbie. But couldn't we find a real Afghan actor rather than use Alfred Molina?
* * *
Simpsons movie references
I enjoy a good episode of the Simpsons every now and then - I always thought it was a bit derivative.
Now I know for sure:
Now I know for sure:
The Simpsons movie references from cgmzz on Vimeo.
Against All Odds (1984)
The noted author of 5 Unlucky Days, Diego Kelly, recommended this as an inspiration to him so I pulled it up on Amazon video. A very 80s movie, I must say, as the misfit in L.A. solving a mystery with larger and darker forces behind it reminded me of Beverly Hills Cop and even Lethal Weapon.
Jeff Bridges is Terry, a soon to be washed up football player. With no career prospects he takes a flyer on his shady friend Jake (James Woods) to go down to Cozumel, Mexico to look for his girlfriend who has run away from him and disappeared.
The historical quirk of being able to disappear is going the way of the Dodo Bird. Movies with plots like these have to be set in a certain period now. GPS, security cameras, social media are make that obsolete.
When Terry finds Jessie (Rachel Ward), they fall in love (of course) setting up a showdown back in the USA with the shady boyfriend and her parents who of course own Terry's football team, and his soul, they would say.
Great scenery in Chichen Itza and Tulum. Having just been to Chichen Itza, it was really cool to see the areas that I had just walked.
A nice bit of film noir, reminiscent of some other good 80s mysteries, Body Heat and No Way Out. It even made me think a bit of the underrated Sharky's Machine, which also starred Rachel Ward. I told you it was very 80s! And a great soundtrack with Phil Collins' first number one hit.
* * * * of 5
Jeff Bridges is Terry, a soon to be washed up football player. With no career prospects he takes a flyer on his shady friend Jake (James Woods) to go down to Cozumel, Mexico to look for his girlfriend who has run away from him and disappeared.
The historical quirk of being able to disappear is going the way of the Dodo Bird. Movies with plots like these have to be set in a certain period now. GPS, security cameras, social media are make that obsolete.
When Terry finds Jessie (Rachel Ward), they fall in love (of course) setting up a showdown back in the USA with the shady boyfriend and her parents who of course own Terry's football team, and his soul, they would say.
Great scenery in Chichen Itza and Tulum. Having just been to Chichen Itza, it was really cool to see the areas that I had just walked.
A nice bit of film noir, reminiscent of some other good 80s mysteries, Body Heat and No Way Out. It even made me think a bit of the underrated Sharky's Machine, which also starred Rachel Ward. I told you it was very 80s! And a great soundtrack with Phil Collins' first number one hit.
* * * * of 5
Deadpool
"Deadpool is not for kids!" - warned the advertisments. "It's Rated R for a reason" The red band trailer showed him stabbing a villain. Gasp!
The only thing that made this rated R was the sex - some bare breasts and some simulated - intercourse - both natural and otherwise. Ho hum.
As to the violence, no different from any other James Bond/ Jason Bourne/ Liam Nesson spy movie. Note to studios, don't give bad guys semi auto weapons if they can't hit the side of the barn with them.
As to the plot, Ryan Reynolds play the lead, Wade, who we are expected to think it a bad ex-soldier. When the badder guys get to him and nearly kill him, he seeks revenge through his alter ego, the red-suited character named Deadpool for being the winner of a certain game, the Dead Pool. Don't worry, its not worth trying to understand.
At its best, certain scenes, the 12 bullets, reminded me of Fight Club. But unlike that movie, there's not much reason for fighting here. At its worst, the dialogue was a stream of inane references to other movies, books, actors which made it seem like a spoof. But a spoof of superhero movies, with no hero, no story, no calling, makes this remind me of the masturbation scenes in the movie (there are more than 1 of such scenes).
* * of 5
The only thing that made this rated R was the sex - some bare breasts and some simulated - intercourse - both natural and otherwise. Ho hum.
As to the violence, no different from any other James Bond/ Jason Bourne/ Liam Nesson spy movie. Note to studios, don't give bad guys semi auto weapons if they can't hit the side of the barn with them.
As to the plot, Ryan Reynolds play the lead, Wade, who we are expected to think it a bad ex-soldier. When the badder guys get to him and nearly kill him, he seeks revenge through his alter ego, the red-suited character named Deadpool for being the winner of a certain game, the Dead Pool. Don't worry, its not worth trying to understand.
At its best, certain scenes, the 12 bullets, reminded me of Fight Club. But unlike that movie, there's not much reason for fighting here. At its worst, the dialogue was a stream of inane references to other movies, books, actors which made it seem like a spoof. But a spoof of superhero movies, with no hero, no story, no calling, makes this remind me of the masturbation scenes in the movie (there are more than 1 of such scenes).
* * of 5
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