Welcome to the 222nd Edition of my blog. One of the very few times
where the numbers are the same and it's hard to believe that I have
actually done this many but I do it because I enjoy it. This week I
return with one selection from the Random Myspace Profile selection
process. I also pay tribute to the late PICKET FENCES alum Zelda
Rubinstein, DAYS OF OUR LIVES alum Frances Reid, and Sir John
Dankforth. I also want to wish everyone a Happy Valentine's Day if you
celebrate it and if you don't like that day just disregard my
statement. I guess I did not really accommodate to the holiday with my
selection. Get your Netflix and Blockbuster Queues out and read on.
Quest
for Camelot (1998): I start this week with some animation in this
interesting variation towards the legend of Camelot. This shows King
Arthur who has been king for some time and encounters a former knight
of the round table, Ruber, who takes Excaliber from Arthur. We then see
a young girl named Kayley whose late father was one of the knights of
the round table. She aspires to become a knight just like her dad and
teams with a blind knight who wants to become a knight of the round
table but has not been able to due to his disability. The other person
in the picture is a two-headed dragon who cannot fly or breathe fire
and the two heads argue a lot. They set out to get Exbaliber back to
Camelot to save them. This includes the voice talents of Pierce
Brosnan, Jane Seymour, GLEE co-star Jessalyn Gilsig, Eric Idle, Don
Rickles, Gary Oldman, Cary Elwes, and many others. Steve Perry, Celine
Dion, Andrea Corr, and Bryan White provide the singing for the
characters when they sing. This did not hit greatness but entertained
pretty well and is good for the family. This is based on a book that is
actually quite dark but they wanted a family film.
The Wreck of
Mary Deare (1959): Charlton Heston plays small-boat rescue worker John
Sands who comes up the sinking Mary Deare ship. Gary Cooper, in near
the end of his film career plays the Captain Gideon Patch who is the
only survivor of the ship. Patch has had quite a dark past in his
career but wants to go to trial to prove it was deliberately sunk. John
Sands reluctantly agrees to go along with his plan. This was not the
greatest film for either one but seeing them together is worth a view.
Also look for a young Richard Harris.
Behind the Mask: The Rise
of Leslie Vernon (2006): This is my tribute to Zelda Rubinstein who
recently died. My high school friend Chris suggested this to me so I
put it in my Netflix queue and I intended to save this for Elizabeth's
Horror Movie Madness contest but with recent events I decided to check
it out early. This movie is shot like a documentary where Nathan Baesel
plays the title character and aspires to be the next big slasher like
Freddy Kruger, Jason Voorhies, and Michael Myers. He then has a
documentary crew following him around talking about his plans. Robert
Englund plays Doc Halloran who is kind of the equivalent to Donald
Pleasance's Dr. Loomis character from the HALLOWEEN films. Also look
for Kane Hodder as an Elm Street resident. For those of you that don't
know Englund was know for Freddy Kruger and Hodder was know as Jason.
This was an interesting tribute to the slasher films where we first see
Leslie planning what he wanted to do and even getting support from the
family while the last half plays like a slasher film.
Invisible
Girlfriend (2009): I found this one on the documentary channel. This
centered around a man claiming to have an invisible girlfriend in Joan
of Arc. He then sets out on a long trip to find the statue so he can
supposedly see her. There are lots of interviews with his family
members and townspeople who accept his issues. He makes a lot of stops
along the way on his bike trek. It does not seem to have gotten much
exposure but was rather likable even the main person. Look for it on
the Doc channel.
Fathom (1967): This is my tribute to Sir John
Dankworth who wrote the music score for this film. Raquel Welch stars
in this action-comedy as the title character. She is recruited by a
government agency to pursue a lost atomic device stolen from a
defector. She soon realizes that nobody is who they really seem and
does not know who to trust. Tony Franciosa and Richard Briers co-star
in this spy-spoof. This can become a guilty pleasure pretty quick if
you are not expecting an absolute blockbuster.
Requiem for a
Dream (2000): Darren Aronofsky directed this film based on the novel by
Hubert Selby Jr. Ellen Burstyn stars as Sara Goldfarb who becomes
hooked on pills and television becoming convinced she is to become part
of a game show just not knowing when. Jared Leto who is her junkie son
Harry who wants to get his life together but cannot get off the drugs.
Jennifer Connelly plays Harry's girlfriend Marion who is also a drug
addict wanting a better life. Marlon Wayons plays Harry's friend Tyrone
who is a drug dealer. This movie takes a look at the disturbing effects
of being on drugs. This is by no means an upbeat film but being a drug
addict is not very upbeat. Christopher McDonald also co-stars as the
host of the infomercial that Sara loves. The performances in this film
were very good with Wayons playing a more serious role than usual.
McDonald did a lot of improvising in his part and his scenes were shot
in one day. Leto lost 25 pounds and befriended some New York junkies to
prepare for his role. All this really worked in the cast to make a good
movie but it is not for everyone.
Baby Sitters (40s/50s): This
is my short film for the week but I do not know the year but I believe
it is in this range somewhere. This is an animated short of the Three
Stooges where Larry, Curly, and Moe are looking for employment as baby
sitters but must pass some difficult tests. It is part of my animated
shorts boxed set which was very inexpensive at Wal-Mart. The
live-action was far better but this was a pretty entertaining few
minutes.
Alice Adams (1935): George Stevens directed this
classic which stars a young Katherine Hepburn as the title character in
this study of class. Alice is part of a poor but happy family. Her
father has worked a pretty low-end job for many years which he likes
but his wife feels he needs to make more money so that Alice can climb
the social ladder like other people she knows. Alice then meets Arthur,
Fred MacMurray who has a lot of money so she asks her family to impress
him with a more upscale dinner which she finds is not easy for them.
This movie takes a look at class and does have some good messages in
the film. Katherine Hepburn was much different in her usual personality
that she is known for in her roles. It is hard to explain but if you
see this and compare it to about ten of her roles in her later career,
you will understand. Maybe she is more feminine in this character where
other films she plays parts where she is determined to have gender
equality. She was very good in the movie and was nominated for an Oscar.
DVD REVIEW: ROCKY BALBOA (2006)
PREVIEWS
Here is a list of all the available previews before the film.
Are
We Done Yet (2007): This is the sequel to ARE WE THERE YET where rapper
Ice Cube where he has married and has a couple stepkids. He also
decides to move his new family to the suburbs. I have honestly not seen
either one and it just does not look like my thing. When seeing this, I
was reminded of the Cary Grant film MR. BLANDINGS BUILDS HIS HOUSE and
when looking into this I find this is a remake.
Casino Royale
(2006): This is much better where Daniel Craig makes his debut as James
Bond. This movie is actually more of a prequel to what we have known
over the years where we see 007 get promoted to his double-O status and
becomes a very loose cannon. This is actually the original novel which
has gotten a spoof in 1967 and a teleplay on CBS in the 60s. CBS had
the rights at the time and that is why DR. NO came first instead of
this one. United Artists finally got the rights and we get this
wonderful treatment. This shows Bond as a very dark person and I found
that Daniel Craig is my favorite. I consider this one as more of a
character study towards Bond.
The Pursuit of Happyness (2006): I
have seen this one which stars Will Smith as a struggling salesman and
single father. He then hopes for something big but must take an unpaid
internship in order to pursue what he wants making it very difficult
for him and his son which is his real-life son Jaden Smith who is about
to star in the remake of THE KARATE KID. Yes you heard me right.
Spider-Man
3 (2007): This is the third part of this trilogy which appears to be
the last for director Sam Raimi and Tobey Maguire. This one was not
nearly as well received as the first two. I admit, I put it in my
recommendations but I don't claim to put my favorites. I feel this had
its moments but they tried to do too much. I did like Thomas Haden
Church as the Sandman. I feel the Venom character was used incorrectly
and could have been a main villain in a future film. But at least we
have a great cameo from Bruce Campbell.
Surf's Up (2007): This
was the time period where we had this big penguin craze and the first
time I saw this preview I thought "not another penguin movie". However,
I decided one day to give it a shot when I had the opportunity and it
was pretty good to me. It is shot kind of like a documentary where we
see a penguin named Cody Maverick who dreams of becoming a surfer like
his idol Big Z, voiced by Jeff Bridges. However, Big Z became very
reclusive so part of it was finding him and the other part was the
struggles of Cody who just was not meant for the business. This is from
Sony animation.
Daddy Day Camp (2007): This is the sequel to
DADDY DAY CARE which have different people in it including Cuba Gooding
Jr playing the Eddie Murphy character. Looks like a couple dads trying
to run a day camp and seeing the kind gross-out humor which I just
really don't care to see. It is directed by none other than WONDER
YEARS alum Fred Savage. I have not seen the first movie but I might
look into though, it's got to be a classic compared to the previews I
watched.
Stranger Than Fiction (2006): I thought this was a
pretty clever comedy and a much different role for Will Ferrell who is
comedic but not as much as usual and becomes a little more serious. He
is an IRS auditor named Harold Crick. When an author writes a book with
his name, and whatever is written happens to Harold.
Gridiron
Gang (2006): This movie stars Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson as Juvenile
Center worker Sean Porter who does not like the statistics of kids in
the juvenile center that end up in prison. He then forms a football
team and manages to get them into a high school football team hoping to
give these kids something to live for. This is based on a true story
and I really liked the authentic feel it gave to the juvenile system.
It was also a very good look at it. I have a small background in that
department which I volunteered and saw these kids were pretty nice but
made a mistake and even came from a broken home. Many kids go to
juvenile detention and find a way to get back because for many of them
it is a better home than their own.
Spider-Man 2.1 (2004): This
is a dvd advertised which gives about 8 extended minutes of the film.
Much better than the one listed above. This was a very good superhero
film and sequel.
The Natural (1984): Now here is a great
baseball film with Robert Redford starring as the title character. He
was set to play pro baseball but very unfortunate circumstances happen
where he starts baseball many years later and becomes a phenomenon.
Stomp
the Yard (2007): This looked like one of those formulaic films which
focuses a lot on dancing and not much on story. I'm sure it gets mixed
opinions. I have not tried it.
Crossover (2006): I see this was
not a very well-received film by both critics and fans. Looks a movie
of someone going to college on a basketball scholarship but wants to
become a doctor than than a professional ballplayer.
FEATURE FILM
Rocky
Balboa (2006): This is a selection from the Random Myspace Profile
selection process and for this one I chose Voices who is a local
wrestler in my area. Sylvester Stallone wrote, directed, and stars in
the 5th installment of the series. I know many of you are going to
catch what you believe is a mistake when you see 5th and reference what
is called ROCKY V. As far as I am concerned, that one does not count.
This is the real part five in my opinion. When I first heard about this
coming out I started thinking "what?" and maybe I added a couple other
words but then I looked into it more and realized Sly knew what he was
doing. Many people questioned if this would work and people seemed to
think Sylvester Stallone's age and why would someone get back into the
boxing ring. Sly is in pretty good shape and George Foreman fought at a
young age. With Sly knowing of these questions, he acknowledges
people's speculation. Now, let's get onto more of the movie. Sylvester
Stallone reprises the role he created which when he wrote the first
ever ROCKY, he was broke, down and out, and this was make or break. In
this movie, he is long retired from boxing. He loses his beloved wife
Adrian to cancer, he has a difficult relationship with his son, and he
seems like a rather lonely person. He also runs a restaurant called
Adrian's where people come to hear his great stories. He then decides
he wants to go back to boxing but just on a small-time, local basis.
Real-life boxer Antonio Tarver stars as the boxing champion Mason "The
Line" Dixon who carries the belt but many question his legitimacy of
opponents. Tarver may not have much acting experience but obviously
knows his role in this movie since that is what he does and plays the
part well. Dixon's PR guys immediately get word of Rocky getting his
boxing license back and ask Rocky to face Dixon in an "exhibition"
fight which is intended as a publicity stunt to get Dixon more
popularity. We all know the rest on this. HEROES star Milo Ventimiglia
co-stars as Rocky's grown-up son Robert who has a hard time having the
Balboa name and feeling he is in his father's shadow. Burt Young
reprises his role as Paulie. Geraldine Hughes I felt was really good as
Marie who Rocky befriends. I really liked that they had this friendship
without becoming romantic plus who can ever replace Adrian anyways but
I really liked the moments with Marie and Rocky. The next highlight of
the film is the actual so-called Exhibition fight which turns into an
actual boxing match when people see that Rocky can still go. They did a
great job of making this look like any normal sporting even seen on
television. Sly had all the actual broadcasters, referees, and so when
this starts, it is very authentic. As you all see, I have a lot to say
about this movie. Rocky Balboa really ranks up there in my favorite
fictional characters and the reason ROCKY BALBOA had to be made is to
bring the needed closure to Rocky. Just about everything in this movie
clicked. It was cast right, actors did a great job, we got to see good
references to the first four Rocky films, and we still got to hear the
wonderful theme song.
FEATURE FILM W/ COMMENTARY
This is
commentary by Sylvester Stallone which I really looked forward to
listening to knowing how passionate he is about this character. I
really liked listening to his commentary and explains lots of things
that finally clicked into my head. He explains that he used to go to
Jack Dempsey's restaurant and he would always tell stories about his
boxing career which inspired him to do that with Rocky. He also had
some interesting information on his casting of some of the actors and
how many people are just locals who have never acted but bring the
authentic feel because they have lived the life. I usually don't care
about the audio commentary but I did like.
DELETED SCENES AND ALTERNATE ENDING
These
are a few clips of things that got cut. Much of it centers around
Paulie. It also shows the original meeting of Rocky and Marie in the
bar. In this scene there are more people present and the bar is more
crowded where Rocky is actually speaking to the owner who is in a
wheelchair. He then starts talking some to Marie but not as directly
like what was shot so I believe that was a good decision to have the
more uncrowded place. They also show an alternate ending which has a
slight difference.
BOXING BLOOPERS
This just shows a minute and a half of what happens in all movies, mishaps. Some pretty funny moments.
SKILL VS. WILL: THE MAKING OF ROCKY BALBOA
This
is a 17 minute video talking about what went on in the filming. There
are interviews with producers and actors all reflecting on what they
did. This is a good short documentary taking a look at Stallone's
vision. It also talks about how Rocky Balboa is an icon in Philadelphia
where they were determined to film there to use the landmarks from the
original films. This includes the steps of where Rocky ran and they
made the statue. People really do run up there now and put up their
arms.
REALITY IN THE RING
This talks about putting the
fight together and Sly talking about how he wanted the fight to look as
real as possible. This was a very well staged fight with people like
Michael Buffer and all the other announcers were there. The punches in
the fight were very real and Stallone insisted that Tarver hit him.
VIRTUAL CHAMPION: CREATING THE VIRTUAL FIGHT
What
I have not mentioned yet is that in the movie, ESPN creates a virtual
fight between Rocky Balboa in his prime and Mason Dixon right now. This
is what sparked the ideas of public relations to have this "exhibition"
in the first place. This was done in real life to discuss who would win
between Muhammad Ali and Rocky Marciano.
OVERALL
It is
obvious in the writing how much I loved this film and I really liked
watching the special features to go along with it. I was glad to use
this in the DVD review. I guess this shows that if you really like a
movie, that you are more inclined to want to see the features. However,
I have made it clear since doing this segment of the blog that I don't
like it overdone and this was not.
Well, that is it for this
week, stay tuned for next week which includes Barbara Hershey, Woody
Allen, Meryl Streep, and many others.
No comments:
Post a Comment