A Husband's Perspective

Movies ... Windows Into Ourselves Television is good too         Movies   Welcome back to the movie page. It's been a very long time since this, or any other page on this site, has been updated. I've been busy with work and getting the family settled. Lots of new films to write about. I really enjoyed Inside Man, Lucky Number Slevin, The Breakup,16 Blocks,and The Incredibles. The Covenant had potential that was never realized and was uneven at best. Batman Begins was slow to start but patience was rewarded. Superman Returns and I have to ask, why? Narnia was a treat for the eyes and was a richly realized story that needed a bit more of an edge. I've been working in China, and Geocities, and a host of other sites are blocked there. It didn't stop me from watching films,just writing about them. WRITING Films Well, I wrote a script. Wanna read it? I'll attempt to make up for lost time in the next few months. We all have dreams. We all have heroes. From our earliest memories come the images of older siblings, parents, uncles and friends. Some will recall the exploits of Movie heroes. A list of evocative names may begin with John Wayne, Richard Burton, Charlie Chaplin, Clark Gable, Bruce Lee, John Cleese, Yul Brenner, Mel Gibson, Gena Rowlands,Al Pacino, Sidney Portier, Jamie Lee Curtis, Jodie Foster, Richard Gere, Nicholas Cage, Meryl Streep, Clint Eastwood,Errol Flynn, Susan Sarandon, Harrison Ford, Bette Davis, Robert Deniro, Leonardo Dicaprio, Denzel Washington, Halle Berry, Tim Robbins, Sean Connery, Cuba Gooding Jr., Jackie Chan, Christopher Reeve, Sigourney Weaver,Tom Hanks, Christian Bale, Michael Keaton, Michael Douglas, Kirk Douglas, Peter O'Toole,Elizabeth Taylor,Henry Fonda,Warren Beatty, Gary Oldman, Jack Nicholson, Katherine Hepburn,Matt Damon, Ben Affleck, Jimmy Stewart, and of course, Humphrey Bogart. Even for those not enamored of the silvered reality of movie magic, many of these names have become iconic. These names have become symbols of achievement. These symbols are the faces in front of the screen. These faces could not have existed without the names behind the screens. Behind the glamour were, and are, the writers, the producers and the directors. From early directors who pioneered the craft; men like Howard Hawks, Charlie Chaplin, Hal Foster, Akira Kurasawa, Max Sennet, Darryl Zanuck, Buster Keaton,Ida Lupino, David Lean and Alfred Hitchcock; to directors like Stephen Spielberg, Roman Polanski, John Cassavetes, Woody Allen, George Lucas, Francis Ford Coppola, William Friedkin, Penny Marshall,Quentin Tarantino, Robert Rodriguis,Ron Howard, John Woo, James Cameron,Peter Jackson,The brothers W. and Richard Donner who grew up in theaters. In addition to these people there are the designers, the costumers, the camera people and the stunt people. Movies are a collaborative art.   Check out http://www.starwars.com/ You'll find elegant testimony to the contributions of crafts people.   If I've left people out, and I have, it's not intentional. It's due to a lack of knowledge. Send any information, links and/or images that you feel would be appropriate, entertaining and informative. I will add one caveat. This is a family-friendly site. Nudes, profanity and links to such will not be posted.   I will post contributions with full credits. "Babe, I can make you a star". 48 Hours starred Nick Nolte and Eddie Murphy. This was one of the best buddy flicks of the `80s. Was there a better one? You tell us.   They are The Men in Black A strange,bloody and often exciting movie. Quentin Tarantino plays a misfit bank robber, and the brother of George Clooney's character. He's even more frightening than the multitude of blood-suckers who appear to complicate George Clooney's life. Cheech Marin(Television's Nash Bridges) plays two characters. You can also catch Marin in Desperado. Sometimes movies confront us with our worst fears. What was the most frightening movie you ever saw? Mel Gibson and Julia Roberts work well together in this tale of shadows and whispered realities. Patrick Stewart plays an interesting character that's a radical departure from the upright Captain Picard he became famous for. Canadian Stars Pamela Anderson Lee and Michael J. Fox Two stars with surprising longevity and very different public images. They've both known the heady altitudes of superstardom and a number of its pitfalls. Pamela has had marital and image problems. Michael has been plagued by a recurring stalker. He had been secretly battling Parkinsons disease for the last few years. Now his struggle is public knowledge. Fox was recently the voice of "Stuart Little". Pamela's VIP television series was about an under-prepared, but amply endowed bodyguard. Valery Irons finds herself the head of a celebrity protection company. Great books do not always make for great movies. A notable exception is John Grisham's The Firm. Titanic: starring Leonardo Dicaprio and Kate Winslet. Costarring Billy Zane, Eric Braedon and one mother of an icecube. An outstanding special effects achievement. This is not one of my favorite films. The stars are fine, the production is lavish, but the story left me cold. He may have had a very short career, but Bruce Lee's impact on movies, and on other media,is undeniable. Fifth Element is a wonderful blend of science-fiction and comedy. Bruce Willis is at the top of his game. An excellent film. This is not for the faint of heart. Drug addiction, withdrawl trauma,despair, poverty and desperation push four young men to the brink, and beyond. Watch it with someone you trust. You'll find one of the actors in the new Star Wars films. Bud Abbott and Lou Costello were a classic comedy team of the 30's and 40's. Their baseball routine,"Who's on First?", is a classic piece of comedic writing and timing.   As with most other mediums, films have types, or genres. There are comedies, dramas, action flicks, romances, fantasies, science-fiction tales, war films, sex flicks, animated stories, horror flicks and even films set in the recent or the distant past. One of the newer actresses is Neve Campbell. Neve has made her mark on television's 'Party of Five', and in the Scream series. Scream 1 and Scream 2 ... and then came Wild Things. Next up ... SCREAM 3. Hey, Neve's from Canada. Films are often inspired by other mediums. A good example is Wesley Snipes' new movie, Blade. Wesley is the half human,half vampire hero. He hunts his full-blooded brethren. Blade is based on a recurring character in Marvel Comic's classicTomb of Dracula series. You really have to look at the art on Gene Colan's site. It's both stunning and subtle. Blade's mother was attacked and killed even as she gave birth to Blade. Hence Blade's unique status, and his motivation. Clint Eastwood and Don Rickles in Kelly's Heroes "Let's get something straight Kelly, ... I ain't some computer geek." "What the hell is a homepage anyway?" Ghost is a romantic, fantasy/adventure/comedy starring Patrick Swayze and Demi Moore ... Ghost also features Whoopie Goldberg. Local Hero concerns the adventures of a hotshot oilman who finds out about real life in a small Scots village. This one has a few surprises. The perfect antidote for the jaded moviegoer. Stars Peter Reigert and Burt Lancaster. Movies are larger than life. They can transport us to different worlds and alternate realities. John Wayne defined the way the world thought of movies,war and cowboys. This self-described ugly man' had, and continues to have,an effect on generations. His influence has been both positive and negative. We hope to have a page spotlighting the Duke and his works soon. Visit the linked sites, and enjoy. My wife's favorite action star is Steven Segal. I always enjoy work by Michael Douglas. He's a solid actor and a very capable producer. See Ghost and the Darkness. It's a period piece set in Africa. Val Kilmer is an engineer assigned to build a bridge. Douglas is the big game-hunter. He's hired to destroy the Ghost and the Darkness. Some experiences are sad, some are exciting, some are pleasurable, and some are traumatic. Some experiences, like some movies, are just DUMB. Hey, I think Demi is a darn good actor. She's also proven herself to be a competent producer. I just think both her and ex-husband Bruce should let other people pick their projects. ... Just a thought. What do you think? Okay, ... it's time to apologize. I'm sorry Bruce. My wife and I just saw Mercury Rising and Armageddon. Hey, you're 'da' man. These are great action flicks. In Mercury, Bruce is a haunted FBI agent, supposedly at the end of his rope. He gets sent to investigate a routine missing person's case. He discovers ... well, I'm not going to tell you. In Armageddon, Bruce is a rough, tough oil driller. Bruce enters the film driving golf balls onto the deck of a Greenpeace ship. Somehow we end up with this guy, and all his rowdy buddies in space. Bruce in Space. It's darn fine entertainment. You also get to see Liv Tyler. "This is too weird". Michael J. Fox and Leigh Thompson in Back to The Future Movies are the ultimate time machine. You can take a leisurely trip to the past or a high-powered joyride to the future. You can view yesterday through rose-colored glasses,or see tomorrow in the cracked surface of a hellish mirror. Whether you see Roddy McDowell's early work in How Green Was My Valley, or Arnold's earlier work in Terminator, movies allow you a vantage on another world. Jimmy Stewart ... This slow talking, but decisive actor epitomized a nation's ideal of itself. He was patient, generous, helpful, and strong. With his 'gee-shucks' modesty, and slow delivery he might have seemed at first to be dismissible. Yet, he was strong-willed, heroic and funny. He was also charismatic. Whether as the naive country senator John Smith or as young lawyer in The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance,Stewart essayed the fears and hopes of generations of movie-audiences. Clint Eastwood has been an actor in over 40 films, a director of more than 20 films, and a legend whose abilities shine outside of the theater. TOMBSTONE A great western. This is the better of the Wyatt Earp movies. The other starred the usually interesting Kevin Costner, and it was a major yawn. If you want to see Costner in peak form, watch '3,000 Miles To Graceland' Tombstone stars Kurt Russell, Sam Elliot, Dana Delaney, Bill Paxton, Michael Biehn, Jason Priestly, Val Kilmer, and Powers Booth. Sharp-eyed viewers may recognize Billy(Phantom, Titanic,Dead Calm)Zane. Veteran actor Charlton Heston also makes an appearance. The language in the subtitle is Bahasa Indonesian. Mr. Hooker(Heston)is telling Wyatt Earp(Russell)what to do with the very sick 'Doc' Holiday(Kilmer). "Bring him to the house. You're only staying for one night." Some films, like Casablanca, will always stand the test of time. A good story, interesting characters, good actors,and wonderful black and white photography are all this movie needs to transport you to a time when a kiss was just a kiss. Don't waste your time with colorized versions.   Links Be a hero. Come and teach English in Asia. Get certified. Train to be an EFL teacher. Come back and visit. PLUG Chris Hogan has been making independent films for a few years now. With his partner Nick Hagen he's made Decisions, and Cold Fear. He's also made a TV pilot called White Trash Cafe Chris and I wrote a screenplay that will likely never see the light of day, but it was a good experience.   ....WHO AM I KIDDING !?! Someone give us the money and we'll produce the thing ! I was able to do some voice-over work while I was in China. I recorded voices for various ESL tapes, as well as a locally produced cartoon series called Mimi Lamb. I also did three commercials. One for the school,one for cooking oil; in which I played a foreign CEO. My last project to date was narrating a car promotion. I'll try to get Chris to post some synopsis of his various projects here. Ball's in your court Mr. Hogan.