WALL-E: A DVD Review

WALL-E

DVD- 4 Stars

I already posted a review for WALL-E. You can read that here. This review is about the DVD itself.

First off, the standard bonus feature for DVD’s… Deleted scenes. For me, when it comes to deleted scenes, I like ones that may have been cut for time, or were interesting, but didn’t make sense, something that makes them worth watching. And while the two provided are in fact alternate takes on existing scenes, and Andrew Stanton’s director’s commentary on the scenes themselves explains why they were taken out (story changes), they don’t really provide enough entertainment to keep one interested.

Speaking of Andrew Stanton’s commentary, his running commentary throughout the entire film is worth listening to. He provides some valuable production insights into the developement of not only the character of Wall-E, but how the film and it’s story came to be. This was a passion project for Stanton, and by all accounts, it shouldn’t have worked. Basically a silent animated film about a robot who falls in love. That’s the driving force behind the movie. But he talks about all the planning that went into it to make it work. And he does make it work.

As with all Pixar films, the short film that accompanied the theatrical release is included on the DVD, as well as an additional short exploring a minor character named BURN-E, that plotwise, takes place at the same time as the main feature. Just as good as the film.

The real gem of the DVD is the “Building Worlds with Sound” feature, because not only does it do an intensive study on how they did the sound effects for WALL-E, which is an SFX heavy film, but also the history of SFX at Disney, exploring the career of legendary sound man Ben Burtt, who also supplied the voice of WALL-E.

For the movie alone this one is worth the rent, but the SFX documentary, animated shorts and director’s commentary make it one to own.

18/11/2008 0

Quantam of Solace

Quantum of Solace

4 Stars

When one walks into a Bond film, one expects an air of class, suaveness and a certain something that elevates it above your average spy/action flick. That’s not entirely so with Quantum of Solace. But with the new direction the Bond films seem to be taking, is that a bad thing. Yes. And no.

Quantum of Solace picks up immediately where 2006’s Casino Royale leaves off, with Bond taking Mr. White captive in an effort to figure out what led Vesper Lynd to double cross MI6. This leads to a mysterious collective of business men, including Dominic Greene, a wealthy environmentalist with eyes on controlling Bolivia’s water supply. Beautiful location shooting, the always lovely Bond girls, and intense action sequences highlight this recent entry into the Bond cannon.

While there is still a distinction between the two super cinema spies, Jason Bourne and James Bond, with each new Bond film, the line continues to blur. Untill 06’s Casino Royale, Bond was suave, charming, gadget intensive, over-the top action, and humourous. Bourne was stripped down, gritty, brains, brawn and not much else, over the top, but more direct action sequences. There were clear stylistic differences between the two, and no one would dare confuse them. But following the success of the Bourne saga, and the diminishing critical acclaim for the Brosnan Bond flicks, producers and filmmakers decided to follow a similar Bournian path with the new films.

The performance of Daniel Craig (Layer Cake, Munich) ranks as not only one of the finest in the Bond catalogue, but in the genre, and of the year. He brings an emotional depth to a character traditionally played as emotionally detached. That’s not to say the character was flat, just… in control. Craig not only launches himself to another tier of acting, but the character to a whole new level.

But this brings up the aforementioned conflict. This new Bond shows off not only the evolution of the character, but the evolution of the spy genre and the evolution of cinema in general. From Sean Connery in Bond’s debut in Dr. No, to Pierce Brosnan’s Bond swan song Die Another Day, there was always a knowing wink that the action was fictionally over the top, as were the gadgets and what not. That’s what made Bond such an admirable hero. He was played as a larger than life character who couldn’t possibly be real.

The conflict is, do we want the old Bond? Or is this new Bond where it’s at? There’s part of me that wish it was the way it was, the old Bond. But as I mentioned, the character, the genre and movies in general have all evolved since 1962, hell since 2002 (Die Another Day). So Bond is just adjusting to the times.

I think director Marc Foster (Finding Neverland, Stranger Than Fiction) knew exactly where to put the character. In not just a personal moral dilema to explore his raw emotions, but in a professional dilema, and have the two decidedly cross.

And that brings him to Dominic Greene, one of the more fascinating villains in Bond history. He was brought to life by French actor Mathieu Amalric (Munich, Marie Antoinette). Amalric plays Greene with restrained bombacity. Yeah… I know, an oxymoron if there ever was one. He’s everything you ever liked about the villains, but reigns in the performance to bring a sense of reality to the character. Sure guys like Dr. Julius No, Auric Goldfinger, Max Zorin and even Le Chiffre couldn’t possibly exist, but Greene, there’s a very real chance of it. And that’s pretty scary.

And dear lord are the Bond girls ever beautiful. Ukrainian actress Olga Kurylenko (Max Payne, Paris, je t’aime) as the deeply troubled and vengeful Camile gives great life to the Bond girl, the character type which has gotten completely ridiculous in the more recent entries. Sure Eva Green’s Vesper Lynd in Casino Royale was great. But did anyone really buy Denise Richards as a nuclear physicist? Especially one named Dr. Christmas Jones? Though conflict continues when a low level agent babysits and subsequently sleeps with Bond. She is just as absurdly named, with the moniker Strawberry Fields, though the relatively unknown Gemma Arternon brings beauty, grace and depth to her character’s brief stint on camera.

As it’s own movie, leaving the Bond legacy behind, it’s a damn fine movie. But you can’t rate it without looking into the legacy. It suffers from the same thing that makes it great. Progress. Though I’m glad it’s progressing. It makes for much more interesting films.

16/11/2008 0

W.

4.5 Stars

No one knows controversial films about Presidents better than Oliver Stone. See JFK and Nixon for proof. But he made those with a nice 20 – 30 year cushion between film and subject. How does one tactfully take on the life of not only the sitting president… but a now unpopular one? With a life and presidency fill with controversy, the story of George W. Bush would not be an easy one to bring to film, especially with a few months still left in his term in office. But the decidedly left Oliver Stone did a phenomenal job.

W. is not so much an indictment of Bush as president or as a person, but an exploration of both. Josh Brolin (No Country For Old Men, Goonies) stars as the titular president, and brings a humanity to the character that through the past 8 years, a humanity that we as the American people hadn’t been privy too. He plays the character with respect, careful to stay far away from charicature.

There were certain members of the supporting cast who did unfortunately walk, and subsequently cross, the line of character and charicature. I couldn’t get past the noticably awkward gruff voice Jeffery Wright (Casino Royale) uses for Colin Powell. Or the bizzare make-up on Thandie Newton (Crash) to make her look like Condoleeza Rice.

There were, however, outstanding performances given by the supporting cast. James Cromwell (L.A. Confidential) and Elizabeth Banks (Zack and Miri Make A Porno) as Bush Sr. and Laura Bush, respectively, were the shining stars of the non Brolin variety. With Richard Dreyfus (Jaws) and Scott Glen (Backdraft) as Cheney and Rumsfeld also clocking in outstanding performances. If Brolin doesn’t garner a nomination come award season (and he damn well should), on of these four definitely will.

I think Stone’s own reputation is what did him in with this film. He’s known for being a leftist conspiracy nut, with a flare for style and audacity. But while W. was a genuinely good film. It was mostly a bland entry into the Stone canon.

As I said, it was a damn fine film, but safe and tame. You will walk away from this film respecting Bush as a man, as a person, if not as a politician.

08/11/2008 0

How To Lose Friends and Alienate People

3 Stars

Simon Pegg has had tremendous success in his native UK, and his projects have done well state-side as well. But can he carry a U.S. film? Short answer: Yes, but not yet. In my opinion anyway.

How To Lose Friends and Alienate People is based on the book of the same name by Toby Young, a British Journalist who traveled to the states to pursue a job at Vanity Fair. Sidney Young (Simon Pegg) is the ficitional representation of Toby, and his small time UK magazine caught the attention of Sharpe’s editor Clayton Harding (Jeff Bridges) who asks Young to come write for their entertainment and lifestyles section. Young’s borish, obnoxious and cavalier behaviour, however, clashes with the upscale temperments of the magazine’s writers, editors and clientele. He soon learns, with the help of fellow writer Alison (Kirsten Dunst) and uber-publicist to the stars, Elanor Johnson (Gillian Anderson) that if you want to go anywhere, you have to play the game.

Rarely do I complain that a movie is too long. I have absolutely no problem sitting down and watching a 3.5 hour movie. But the problem with this movie is that it’s overly long. At nearly 2 hours, a good 25 minutes longer than it needed to be. It could be argued that some of the awkward scenes were put in to heighten the awkwardness of the character. But most of the time it comes off as just… awkward. A good portion of the time I was squirming in my seat out of discomfort.

But to the credit of the actors, they did a pretty good job with what they were given. They weren’t given much. Pegg (Shaun of the Dead, Hott Fuzz) proved he can move comfortably outside of the Edgar Wright collaboration that has treated him so well in years past. But his effectiveness in carrying a movie has yet to be proven. Luckily his next major American release is an ensemble (Star Trek, he plays Scotty).

I still have yet to see anything of value (outside her stunning looks) in Megan Fox (Transformers, that’s about it). She just so happens to be the IT girl of the moment, which gives dubious credence to her casting in just about anything. Kirstin Dunst is still somewhat of an oddity. Her script choices never seem to make use of her talent. Start picking edgier fair, Ms. Dunst. Stay away from the romantic comedies. You’re treading the waters Meg Ryan drowned in.

The film wasn’t completely dreadful, it did find the humour from a cliche fish out of water story. Something tells me the real life stories were much more interesting than the film has you believe, but the film was restricted by it’s attempts to appeal to a broader audience (and be a cliche rom-com). Had a different director (Robert B. Weide’s directorial filmography includes just a handful of biographical documentaries and few episodes of “Curb Your Enthusiasm”) taken on the subject matter, say Alexander Payne, it probably would have been a better film. Edgier, tighter, funnier, better.

At best, it’s an enthusiastic “meh.” I don’t completely endorse nor completely condemn this film. It had it’s moments, but not enough to warrant anything more than 3 stars. It gets to three on Pegg alone. Wait for it to show up on HBO, bypass the theatrical and DVD releases.

11/10/2008 0

Burn After Reading

4 stars

How dark and violent was last year’s Coen Bros. offering No Country for Old Men? Now… imagine that… only funny. And without Tommy Lee Jones. Such is the case of Burn After Reading. It’s dark. It’s violent. It’s hilarious. Really it is. In a year filled with several funny movies, this is another interesting entry into that cannon.

After finding what they believe to be top secret government documents, personal trainers Linda and Chad (Frances McDormand and Brad Pitt) engage CIA analyst Osborne Cox (John Malkovich) in a blackmailing scheme for the return of said documents. Unbeknownst to Linda, Chad and Osborne, the documents are actualy Osborne’s personal finance records, which his wife, Katie (Tilda Swinton), had prepared in advance of the divorce papers she is filing. The divorce papers are because she is leaving Osborne for U.S. Marshall Harry Pfarrer (George Clooney).

Sound complicated? It’s not, really. The comedy doesn’t draw from how they’re connected, but from that they’re even connected in the first place. Rarely does Brad Pitt take on roles that challenge his comedic prowess, but he was really able to sink his teeth into a role that let him shine. He showed glimpses of timing in the Ocean’s saga and Mr. and Mrs. Smith, but this was his moment to prove himself, and prove himself he did. With a cast of great actors playing great characters (including Clooney, Swinton, McDormand and the always fantastic Malkovich), Pitt was truly the one to watch.

The thing about the Coen brothers, and I have yet to decide if this is a good thing or not, is that even when it seems like they’re phoning it in, they’re still a cut above the rest. They’ve been funnier (The Big Lebowski, O Brother Where Art Thou?) and they’ve been darker (Fargo, No Country For Old Men), but even when they’re just so-so (Intolerable Cruelty, The Ladykillers), they’re still watchable, if for nothing more than the quirkiness of their scripts. They were quirky and bizarre before it was trendy, and continue to transcend the palate of “quirky indie” to always remain a level above everyone else. With stories about wholly unlikeable characters, you find yourself siding with them for some reason or another.

Such is the case with Burn After Reading. It’s a story populated with cheaters, vain people, and all around total assholes. The few “good people” are disregarded by the rest, and Pitt, while generally good, is still an annoying D-bag. But you end up liking them for some reason. Can’t put my finger on it.

When compared to their previous effort, No Country For Old Men, this comes off as an easy follow-up, meant to rest their creative processes, and hopefully prepping for something bigger and better. But I would never decry someone to take an alternate route with a new film. And while we’ve seen similar efforts from the Coens, I don’t feel they’ve ever quite so successfully fused the comedy and the dark. They are filmmakers for which the term “black comedy” was practically invented.

30/09/2008 0

Paul Newman RIP 1925-2008

Legendary actor, race car driver, philanthropist, sauce maker, gentleman and all around cool guy Paul Newman passed away Friday after a long battle with cancer. He was 83.

As per usual, videos below:

From Cool Hand Luke:

27/09/2008 0

Pineapple Express AND Tropic Thunder

I’ve been away for awhile, I know. Demands of the new job. But I’m returning with a double dose of reviews. Both comedies… both good.

Pineapple Express

4.5 Stars

There’s something to be said for stoner comedies. Some people will get them. Some people won’t. But they are generally funny if they aren’t too reliant on cliched jokes. Judd Apatow is proving himself to be the Pixar of R-Rated comedies: he just can’t seem to miss.

Dale (Seth Rogan) witnesses a dirty cop (Rosie Perez) and the city’s most ruthless drug-lord (Gary Cole) murder a member of a rival drug cartel, and subsequently drops a joint in his panic. But this isn’t any joint. This joint is some of the rarest weed on earth, the titular Pineapple Express. Since Ted Jones (Cole) is the primary supplier of it, he can easily track it to Dale and the dealer he bought it from, Saul (James Franco). Thus Dale and Saul embark in a game of cat and mouse, trying to stay one step ahead of their pursuers, all while trying to keep the groovy buzz going.

Apatow and Rogan have been ever pushing the boundries of the R-Rated comedy, ever since their break out success with The 40 Year Old Virgin. And this goes balls to the wall with action. The action comedy ground work laid down by Eddie Murphey in the 80’s, coupled with the stoner-buddy comedies of Cheech and Chong makes for a potent combination, one that I was initially wary of. But I shouldn’t have been. I should know that if it’s done by Apatow and crew, I need not worry.

It could have been a dumb little flick about weed. It could have been a mediocre entry into the Apatow cannon. But the bar keeps getting pushed higher (no pun intended) and the boundries expand further and further.

I wouldn’t say it’s completely brilliant, but it is a mostly original entry into the stoner comedy sub-genre. It’s one of the finer comedies to be released in recent years, especially amid all those *Insert random genre* Movie pieces of shit flicks that have been churned out with disturbing frequency.

The real hub of the film, the glue that kept it together, was James Franco. He takes a break from his more serious roles and takes on a role that he seems almost born to play. It’s good to see an actor play a character that’s out of his usual range and stock. It’s like when you go back and watch Sean Penn as Jeff Spicolli.

I laughed the whole way through, and it probably hasn’t been since Seth Rogan’s previous flick, Superbad, that I laughed so hard and so consistently at a flick. Highly recommended.

Tropic Thunder

4 Stars

Perhaps my expectations on this one were too high. But I couldn’t get into this one as much as I wanted to. It was good. I enjoyed it. I laughed a lot. It certainly wasn’t a bad movie, far from it. But I kinda wanted more. But Tom Cruise was the bomb.

Ben Stiller, Jack Black and Robert Downey, JR. play prima-donna stars in a new Vietnam War epic, who are dropped into an actual South-East Asian war zone when their on and off screen antics get to be too much for rookie director Damien Cockburn (Steve Coogan). Stiller’s action star Tugg Speedman, Black’s comic actor Jeff Portney and Downey, Jr.’s method actor Kirk Lazarus unfortunately don’t know they’re in a real warzone and continue “acting” through real raids, real kiddnappings and real deaths. Hilarity ensues.

It does. It really does. There are times when there are several in-jokes, where if you’re an astute observer, as well as being well-versed in war flicks, you’ll get the jokes. I got them, but I’m a film nerd like that. Everybody did a damn fine job playing off each other, and no one stole the show (except Tom Cruise).

But… I don’t know. I can’t put my finger on it. I was just expecting more, I guess.

As for the controversy… To me, the retard thing wasn’t that big of a deal. They weren’t making fun of the mentally handicapped. They were making fun of actors who feel like they have to play a mentally handicapped people in order prove their worth as an actor, and the sometimes ignorance of the actual affliction. Same thing with Downey, Jr. in black face. He was making fun of “method acting.” They’re highlighting the extremes of each, blowing it out of proportion to comedic effect. And it worked.

I felt everyone did a good job. And especially Cruise’s over-the-top cameo as bad ass movie producer. It almost seemed as if he was making fun of both his real life role as head of United Artists, and his role in Jerry Maguire. I dug it.

It was funny, I liked it, go see it in theatres… but to me, it was missing something that I just can’t put my finger on.

18/08/2008 0

Dear DC…

So, Brodie Fanns…

I’ve never really made an effort to hide that when it comes to the great Marvel vs. DC debate, I side with Marvel. I think their characters are better written and better developed. And Superman’s kind of a pansy. He is. Face it.

Anyway, I came across this interesting article over at Movie Retriever, about the future of DC films. And it raises some very interesting points. Basically that while The Dark Knight is the greatest cinematic achievement known to man, woman, child and certain cave dwelling amphibians, two great movies out of three since the comic book genre caught fire seven years ago isn’t exactly a stellar track record when compared to other comic book publishers, say for instance, Marvel, who have gone back and forth with their adaptations, but their top-tier flicks tend to be solid offerings.

So far DC’s offered us two great Batman flicks, and a barely passable Superman retread. I would have liked to see Singer do to Superman what Nolan did with Batman. Forget the first franchise, and take it in a newer, more mature level. I don’t mean “mature” in the boobies and swear words sense, but mature in the advanced story telling sense.

They had some great ideas for the future of DC and I agreed with some of them. It boils down to Keep Batman confined to his movies, Superman confined to his movies, set up a Wonder Woman franchise, keep her confined, and then bring out the B-Listers for crossovers (Green Lantern, Green Arrow, The Flash, Hawkgirl, Aquaman, Martian Manhunter). That’s all well and good.

But I was discussing Batman, Superman and DC with a good friend of mine and came up with the following strategy:

Christopher Nolan, who is doing absolutely amazing things with Batman, signs a longterm contract with Warner Bros./DC. ties him to at least two more movies, with the allowance to do side projects if he so chooses (The Prestige, anyone?). But he is contracted for 2 more DC movies, at least.

The third Batman film needs to start introducing more aspects of the DC Universe, particularly Metropolis and Superman. And this is where he starts a creative collaboration with Bryan Singer.

For the next Superman movie… Singer basically needs to abandon the notion of tying the Routh Superman to the Reeve Superman, and take it in it’s own direction. And he can start doing tie-ins and crossovers to the rest of the DC Universe, particularly Gotham City and Batman.

Now, Singer and Nolan do a full on creative collaboration for the subsequent films in their series’. Here’s why… do a two part Batman/Superman flick, Nolan taking part I, Singer taking part II.

So the franchises would go in this order: Superman II, Batman III, Batman/Superman I, Batman/Superman II. In the second part, you could introduce some of the other DC heroes, though not in major roles. Oliver Queen/Green Arrow, Hal Jordan/Green Lantern, Diana Prince/Wonder Woman, and Wally West/The Flash.

You could do that to do introductions of characters. Then once you’ve got it all set, move on to the big Justice League Movie, and the runs of Batman and Superman with that, and spin off with the aforementioned heroes.

It follows an opposit pattern as Marvel, and it does away with the “Origins story” for them, because we’re setting them up. Then once they get to their own flicks, they can jump right into their own stories.

It works. Trust me. You hear that, Joe Quesada. Put me in charge of cinematic development. Cause I’m a cat who knows what’s what. Hells yeah.

– Brodie Mann

01/08/2008 0

The Dark Knight aka BEST MOVIE EVAR!

The Dark Knight

5 Stars

There’s been a lot of advance press concerning this new Batman, The Dark Knight flick. And I know a lot of you… well a lot of you probably already saw it. But for the 2 people in the civilized world who have yet to see it, and are sitting on their couch, reminiscing of the good old Jack Nicholson days of the Joker, wondering whether or not the film is worth all the positive press it’s receiving. Wondering whether or not Heath Ledger’s Joker really is Oscar worthy. Wondering if it does in fact live up to the hype. Well wonder no more, Brodie-maniacs. Cause as a person who actually saw the film, and as a well respected, admired, and not very well paid film critic, everything you’ve heard is not only true, but also a vast understatement of the true greatness of the film. I only give it 5 stars because that’s how many my usual rating system would allow. On the IMDb, I gave it 10.

Christian Bale returns as Bruce Wayne/Batman, this time fighting a mysterious and demented criminal known only as The Joker (Heath Ledger). Aiding him in his fight against the scarred madman are his trusty butler Alfred (Michael Caine), the now Lt. James Gordon (Gary Oldman), Gotham City D.A. Harvey Dent (Aaron Eckhart), wise businessman Lucius Fox (Morgan Freeman) and Bruce’s former girlfriend, A.D.A. Rachel Dawes (this time played by a real actress, Maggie Gyllenhaal).

One thing the Batman franchise as a whole, from the comics to the movies to the animated shows and movies, has always done is blurred the line between hero and villain. Batman is a hero, but he’s not a clear cut hero (like his DC counterpart, Superman). He fudges the moral and ethical line to take down the bad guy, and makes no effort to show remorse for doing so. So he’s the hero, but he’s no Boy Scout.

On the flipside of that, the villain isn’t necessarily pure evil. The way John and Chris Nolan wrote the character, and to an even greater extent, how Ledger (Lords of Dogtown) played The Joker, presents the villain as doing villainous things, as being a morally devoid entity, as being chaos incarnate, but it’s not entirely clear that his motives are all that wrong. Sure his methods are destructive, murderous and utterly criminal. But is chaos for the sake of chaos all that wrong?

And that’s the magic of Chris Nolan’s directing and writing. He upholds, skewers and satirizes the traditional comic book notion of Hero vs. Villain, all at the same time. To intensify the point even more, there’s Dent’s downward spiral from beam of hope D.A. to corrupt and deranged Two-Face, fascinatingly portrayed by Eckhart (Thank You for Smoking). Eckhart portrays the cool, confidence of a D.A. who champions the fall of organized crime. And for the first two acts, you believe in Harvey Dent as the symbol of all that is good in Gotham. Then, after certain events, he begins his rapid descent into cynicism and madness. And to a character shift like that takes a special kind of moxie. And Eckhart exudes the talant to do so.

But make no mistake, there is one clear hero amongst the villains and near-heroes- Lt. James Gordon. Oldman (Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban) brings gravitas to what has previously been nothing more than an ancillary character. And his desire to do good and keep the people of Gotham safe is the shining beacon of good in a city shrouded in moral ambiguity.

It would seem that the three supporters of Batman are the only three truly “good guys.” Gordon, who we already talked about, but there’s also Caine’s (The Prestige) Alfred Pennyworth as the guiding voice of reason for Bruce. And there’s Freeman’s (Wanted) Lucius Fox, who, in a very poignant scene, objects to Batman’s methods, offers to help, then tenders his resignation due to his objections. Proving that standing by one’s ethic code is more important than the alleged greater good.

Nolan’s direction was perfect. He paces the movie just right. You never look at your watch, in the entire two hours and thirty minutes, wondering when it’s going to be over. In fact, once the credits start rolling, you’re asking yourself “Wait… it’s over? No, there has to be more.” Part of that is due to Nolan’s deep understanding of how to construct his characters in their action sequences.

I’ve saved the elephant in the living room for last. Heath Ledger’s performance as The Joker. If you’re a regular follower of my blog, you’ll remember that I’ve been ranting and raving about his performance since the first teaser hit theatres back in December. And I did the appropriate memorial page when he passed in January. So it may seem like people have been fawning over his performance on the merit that he did pass away.

But oh how you would be wrong, if that’s your mentality. Ledger digs way deep down to find the true essence of The Joker. He’s a mystery. He’s an enigma. And he is the personification of pure insanity, pure chaos. He exists to create anarchy. Ledger takes Joker’s lack of real purpose and motivation to exemplify himself as a counterpoint to Christian Bale’s Batman. The performance is not only the best cinematic villain ever (take that Hans Grueber), but it is also one of the most nuanced and perfect performances ever committed to film.

Ledger’s performance is completely Oscar worthy. Ledger lost himself in the role, and it is pure acting, at it’s core. And there are plenty of other aspects to this film that are Oscar worthy. It is not only the perfect super-hero movie, but it’s a perfect crime drama epic, oddly reminiscent of Goodfellas and The Godfather.

I give it 5 stars, because it truley deserves all 5 of them, and then some.

– Brodie Mann

20/07/2008 0

My Perfect Day: In Movie Scenes

Brodie Fanns!

I was perusing other movie blogs, as I do from time to time. And one of my favourites is “Misfortune Cookie”, really cool stuff over there. Last week, I was checking it out, and she wrote this cool post on constructing the perfect day, using scenes from movies. This link takes you to the actual post.

I rather enjoyed it, and I figured I’d take a crack at it.

– I’d most likely start the day off recovering from the night before with Russell Hammond of Stillwater in Almost Famous.
– Then I’d probably grab a cheeseburger from Big Kahuna Burger, the cornerstone of any nutritious breakfast, like in Pulp Fiction.
– After breakfast, I’d probably want to pick up some new records. First I’d head to High Fidelity’s Championship Vinyl, and try to trade barbs with Rob, Dick and Barry. Then I’d cruise over to Empire Records for “Rex Manning Day.” Say no more, mon amour.
– For lunch, I’d have to do Chotchkie’s, the favourite coffee spot for Office Space’s Peter, Michael and Samir.
– I’d probably take a trip to the convention center, see if they’ve got a comic book convention going on, like in Chasing Amy.
– I of course can’t make it through the day without taking in a Sonny Chiba flick or two, hook up with my good buddy Clarence Worely from True Romance.
– Dinner at American Psycho’s Dorsia with some co-workers, but only if we have reservations.
– In the late evening I’d probably go bowling for a game or two with The Dude, Walt and Donny from The Big Lebowski. Of course, I’d make sure not to step over the line.
– I’d spend the rest of the night chillin’ on the football field with the Robert E. Lee Class of ’77 out of Dazed and Confused. When I first conceptualized this list, I thought about just making my entire day out of that movie, but that would be cheating.

18/07/2008 1