I Will Remember You

This is a beautiful song by Sarah McLachlan called I Will Remember You.  It was used on the soundtrack for the movie "The Brothers McMullen" which is a great movie from 1995.

Here is the video for the song -

http://youtu.be/uHooH4464dQ

And here is a link to the movie reviews, although I would give it at least 8 stars.  I am a big fan of Edward Burns -

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0112585/

Good Movies You've Never Seen

Here is Entertainment Weekly's list of the 50 best movies you've never seen -

http://www.ew.com/ew/gallery/0,,20483133_20609091,00.html?xid=email-top25-today-50+best+movies+you%27ve+never+seen#21180887

I've seen several of them already.

Rest in Peace Nora Ephron - gone too soon...

Legendary screenwriter and director Nora Ephron died of acute myeloid leukemia and pneumonia on 6/26/12 at the age of 71.  I was shocked and saddened to hear this news.  Nora earned three Oscar nominations for writing the screenplays for "Silkwood," "Sleepless in Seattle," and my personal favorite "When Harry Met Sally..." from 1989.  I always list "When Harry Met Sally..." as one of my favorite films of all time.  I also read several of her books including Heartburn and I Feel Bad About My Neck: and Other Thoughts on Being a Woman.  Nora directed eight movies including "Sleepless in Seattle," You've Got Mail," and "Julie and Julia." 

Here are the thoughts of Rob Reiner, who directed "When Harry Met Sally..." -

http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2012/06/27/rob-reiner-remembers-nora-ephron-the-sally-to-his-harry.html

And here is an article from the Huffington Post which includes videos and quotes from people who knew and worked with Nora -

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/06/26/nora-ephron-dead-dies-age-71_n_1627757.html

Nora Ephron married her third husband, the author Nicholas Pileggi in 1987.  He wrote Wiseguy, one of my favorite books which was made into the classic movie "Goodfellas."  Nora had two sons Jacob and Max Bernstein with her second husband Watergate journalist Carl Bernstein. 

I love this quote of hers - "Above all, be the heroine of your life, not the victim."  Nora Ephron will be truly missed.

Woody Allen news

According to the following article in www.variety.com, Woody Allen's next film will be shot mostly in San Francisco and New York not Copenhagen as was reported.  His newest movie since winning the Oscar for "Midnight in Paris" is called "To Rome With Love" and stars Roberto Benigni, Penelope Cruz and Alec Baldwin.

More details can be found here - http://www.variety.com/article/VR1118052612.html?cmpid=RSS%7CNews%7CFilmNews

I've been a big fan of Woody Allen for years so I always look forward to his films.

Two is One Too Many

Here is an interesting article about movie sequels that thankfully were never made:

Two is One Too Many
 Sequels that thankfully never happened.

Some of the worst films ever made are, in fact, sequels to some of the best films ever made. While some have gotten it right (Godfather II, anyone?), many more have left people longing for the originals. Luckily, some studio executives had the wherewithal to put the kibosh on these prospective sequels.

Just a few short weeks after the release of the smash hit E.T., director Steven Spielberg and screenwriter Melissa Mathison reunited to write a treatment for a proposed sequel. It sounded like a good idea, until you read the treatment. Seems the duo planned to turn the heartwarming family classic into a total fear fest. The proposed story called for a new breed of evil aliens to come crashing down to earth and abduct the film’s main child protagonists, and charged poor little E.T. with their rescue. Yikes.

According to the film, if you say the name “Beetlejuice” three times, he will appear. But judging by the script for the proposed sequel, America would have been begging for him to disappear had the film ever come to fruition. Beetlejuice Goes Hawaiian – yes, you read that right, Beetlejuice Goes Hawaiian – was the working title of the Warner Brothers follow-up that was in pre-production for some 10 years before someone finally realized what a bad idea it was. Calling for Beetlejuice to help the Deets family as they opened a tropical resort, that just so happened to be built on an old burial ground, and also win some sort of surfing competition, was all a bit convoluted. Let’s just say the film was ready for the discount bin before it was even fully written.

Although many people have likely repressed the memory of George Clooney as Batman, before the epic box-office failure that was Batman & Robin, Joel Schumacher had planned the third film in the trilogy to be titled Batman Triumphant. Although it was Irish actor Cillian Murphy who took on the role of Scarecrow in the first two films, Schumacher’s choice for the role in the proposed third was none other than Jeff Goldblum. There were also some regrettable plans for the return of Jack Nicholson’s Joker in hallucination sequences and a vengeance subplot featuring the Joker’s daughter Harley-Quinn. All in all, the ideas were anything but triumphant and the film was nixed by studio bosses.

Gladiator was arguably the best film of 2000, winning the Best Picture Oscar and introducing America to the mega-talent and mega-temper of Russell Crowe, so it comes as no surprise that a sequel was in the works. However (SPOILER ALERT), when the lead character dies in the first movie, how does that character get featured in a sequel? Answer: Set it in the afterlife, naturally. The plan was to have the ghost of Maximus fight Roman Gods. Luckily, a very smart studio exec realized that some things – and characters – are better left dead.

Following both the critical and commercial success of Forrest Gump, the studio optioned a script based on the follow-up book. Seeing everyone’s favorite bow-legged Southerner trek through notable events of the 1980s and 90s, Forrest Gump 2: Gump & Co. was scrapped by none other than Tom Hanks himself. Hanks felt the film would be nothing but an unnecessary repeat of the original, and that just might be why Tom Hanks is America’s favorite actor.

Perhaps it was Revenge of the Nerds II: Nerds in Paradise,or Dumb & Dumberer: When Harry Met Lloyd, but it seems studios have finally learned that filmmaking might not be rocket science, but great films are like lightning – rarely do they strike twice.

 

 

Michael Douglas movies

I am a big fan of Michael Douglas.  He was in Seattle filming some scenes on location for the movie Disclosure (not one of my favorites) years ago.  I didn't get to see him but I actually went to the hotel where they were filming to see if I could catch a glimpse of Michael!  No dice, but it was fun anyway!

I really like Fatal Attraction and Basic Instinct (we have both on DVD).  I  recommend both films, if you haven't already seen them.

Afternoon Delight

Here's another classic song - Afternoon Delight by Starland Vocal Band from 1976 - 



It was used in the soundtrack for the Oscar winning movie Good Will Hunting - which you should see if you never have!

Bounce

The movie Bounce starring Ben Affleck and Gwyneth Paltrow was on TV recently.  I really liked it when it came out in 2000.  One of Ben's best and I'm a big fan of Gwyneth Paltrow -

Great Movie

We watched The Kids are All Right the other day.  I really loved it.  Annette Bening, Julianne Moore and Mark Ruffalo are all outstanding.  I highly recommend it!  I may watch it with the Director's Commentary if I have time before I need to return it to the library.

Oscar snubs

I read that people thought the director of Inception should have been nominated.  I have to say - I hated that movie.  I thought it was incredibly boring and I had a hard time even staying awake.  I told Jackson it was a good sleeping pill.

My Oscar predictions

I haven't seen The King's Speech but I think the Oscars are pretty predictable this year -

Best Picture - The King's Speech

Best Actor - Colin Firth

Supporting Actor - Geoffrey Rush

Best Actress - Natalie Portman

Supporting Actress - Annette Bening

The Human League

I was watching a movie today called Cyrus starrring John C. Reilly and Marisa Tomei.  There is a scene where the song "Don't You Want Me?" by the British new wave band called The Human League, is played at a party and John's character really gets into it and starts singing and dancing to the song.  This is a song from the 80's and I hadn't heard it in a long time but it was such a fun scene that I looked for "Don't You Want Me?" on YouTube.  Cyrus is not the greatest movie but it's well acted.  Anyway, I'm glad I saw it, if for no other reason than I had the chance to hear this song again! 

Enjoy! -

Actor Pete Postlethwaite died

Oscar nominated British actor Pete Postlethwaite died of cancer on Sunday at age 64.  I had seen him recently in The Town where he played a tough Boston mob boss.  I remember him most from his Oscar nominated role as Daniel Day-Lewis' father in In the Name of the Father in 1993.  Recently, he was in Inception with Leonardo DiCaprio but I haven't seen that one yet.  I hope to see it soon.

Here are the reactions of Day-Lewis and Ben Affleck (who directed him in The Town):

Daniel Day-Lewis, who played Postlethwaite’s son in 1993′s In the Name of the Father (for which they both earned Oscar nominations), and co-starred with him in 1992′s The Last of the Mohicans: ”Pos was the one. As students, it was him we went to see on stage time and time again. It was him we wanted to be like; wild and true; lion hearted; unselfconscious, irreverent. He was on our side. He watched out for us. We loved him and followed him like happy children, never a breath away from laughter. He shouldn’t have gone. I wish so much that he hadn’t. There’s a tendency to make lists at this time of the year. When we get to the Best of British, if Pete isn’t at the top of that list, he shouldn’t be far from it.”

Ben Affleck, who co-starred with and directed Postlethwaite in last fall’s The Town: “Pete was a wonderful actor and an extraordinary man. I will miss him as will the countless others whose lives he touched either personally or through his work. This is a great loss of a wonderful man. My prayers go out to his family.”

It's sad when anyone dies but it's especially hard at the age of 64.  He sounds like a great guy.

The Town

I finally went to the theater to see The Town, a crime drama starring, co-written and directed by Ben Affleck.  I had heard great reviews of the movie but I must admit that I was especially motivated to see it on the big screen because Jon Hamm is in it! 

Ben Affleck plays Doug MacRay, the leader of a Boston gang of bank robbers.  They are actually from Charlestown, a tough Boston neighborhood where over 300 bank robberies occur every year.  Jon Hamm plays the lead FBI agent who pursues the team of criminals. 

Doug finds himself falling in love with the bank manager (played by Rebecca Hall) who was briefly taken hostage by the gang in their first heist in the movie.  She helps Doug realize that he wants out of this life of crime and out of town.

Jon Hamm does a great job with his supporting role and I hope this performance leads to many more movies for him.  I'm really impressed with Ben Affleck's direction and performance in this movie.  He was in virtually every scene and the movie is really well done.  The DVD will be out soon.

A Christmas Story

One of my favorite Christmas movies is the classic family film A Christmas Story from 1983.  The story takes place in Indiana in the 1940's and revolves around nine-year-old Ralphie Parker and his little brother Randy and their parents.  Ralphie's only wish for Christmas is to receive an official Red Ryder air rifle (BB gun) but is constantly told, "You'll put your eye out!"   

The film was written by Jean Shepherd based on his book In God we Trust, all others Pay Cash and the movie perfectly captured all the fun of a family Christmas.  Jean Shepherd narrates the movie from the perspective of the adult Ralphie.  Peter Billingsley is wonderful and adorable as Ralphie and Darren McGavin and Melinda Dillion are so great as the parents.  By the way, Peter Billingsley plays an elf in the movie Elf.

This is one Christmas movie I never get tired of seeing.  If by some chance you haven't seen it, TBS runs a marathon of the movie every Christmas Eve. There is now a stage play of the movie called A Christmas Story: The Musical.

Songs from Elf

One of my favorite Christmas movies is Elf starring Will Ferrell in the charming role of Buddy the Elf who grew up at the North Pole.  His adopted elf father (Bob Newhart) tells him that his real father is Walter Hobbs (James Caan) who lives in New York with his wife and son.  Buddy finds his father and meets a great girl named Jovie played by Zooey Deschanel.  This fun, heartwarming movie from 2003 is sure to be a Christmas classic.

Here is a clip from the movie with Jovie and Buddy singing Baby, it's Cold Outside.

Stephen King's Best Movies of 2010

Here are author Stephen King's picks for the best films this year -

http://www.ew.com/ew/gallery/0,,20446799,00.html?xid=email-top25-today-Stephen+King%3A+Top+10+films+of+%2710

I have to admit I haven't seen any of these yet.  The Town and The Social Network are the two at the top of my list.

The 10 Most Over-Used Movie Catchphrases

According to http://www.moviefone.com/ these are the most over-used movie catchphrases.  See if you agree!

http://blog.moviefone.com/2010/04/08/most-over-used-movie-catchphrases/
 

Que Sera Sera

The song for today is Que Sera Sera sung by Doris Day and was featured in the 1956 Alfred Hitchcock classic The Man Who Knew Too Much.  This suspense film stars Jimmy Stewart and Doris Day.  Que Sera Sera means Whatever will be, Will be and won the Academy Award for Best Song. 

Doris Day was in a ton of movies but I think Pillow Talk with Rock Hudson and Tony Randall is my favorite.  She is 88 years old now.

Here is Que Sera Sera -

Quote of the Day

Today's quote is from Woody Allen -

"I'm not afraid of death; I just don't want to be there when it happens."

I'm a big fan of Woody Allen.  My favorite movie of his is the classic comedy Annie Hall from 1977.  It is one of the few comedies to have won the Academy Award for Best Picture.  Woody also received the Oscar for Best Director and Best Writing, Screenplay Written Directly for the Screen.  Diane Keaton won the Best Actress Oscar for her wonderful performance.  Evidently Woody wrote the part of Annie for Diane.  Her real name is Diane Hall.

Another favorite Woody Allen movie is the lesser known film Love and Death from 1975.  It's a satirical take on Russian epic novels.  I remember seeing it in the theater when I was in high school and recently watched it on DVD.  It's really funny and unique.  Here is a funny quote from the film -

"To love is to suffer. To avoid suffering one must not love. But then one suffers from not loving. Therefore, to love is to suffer; not to love is to suffer; to suffer is to suffer. To be happy is to love. To be happy, then, is to suffer, but suffering makes one unhappy. Therefore, to be happy one must love or love to suffer or suffer from too much happiness."

I recommend both Annie Hall and Love and Death highly if you haven't seen them.