tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-80058088751583310762024-03-19T01:19:32.222-06:00Finding The Wrong WordsPriceless Musings On Movies And Other CrapD.W. Lundberghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03709428152190690075noreply@blogger.comBlogger196125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8005808875158331076.post-20028421026533020342016-01-16T22:38:00.000-07:002016-01-22T15:07:02.804-07:00... FOR "CINEMA STAPLES AND THE MYSTERY OF THE MAGICALLY BENDING WRIST"<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdD2iMRRhYhabyqzxBr1UibdwLIt9GBmRnVrbsWjJ0TPRw1O8n3yZ4mSGDdzKVCuo4JJH-vL_7SHsUmYwxgndpldWjtLWlUmfM6cc4RncZG1KInrsgeolfLyxydHW3f1drRAHULFcuUarw/s1600/intro.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="250" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdD2iMRRhYhabyqzxBr1UibdwLIt9GBmRnVrbsWjJ0TPRw1O8n3yZ4mSGDdzKVCuo4JJH-vL_7SHsUmYwxgndpldWjtLWlUmfM6cc4RncZG1KInrsgeolfLyxydHW3f1drRAHULFcuUarw/s400/intro.png" width="400" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">Method acting is a serious craft. It requires you to commit completely to a role, to surrender to it, to take on every quality and mannerism of the character you're playing - in essence, you "become" the character, inside and out. Developed by </span><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Konstantin_Stanislavsky" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"><span style="color: #3d85c6;">Konstantin Stanislavski</span></a><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"> during the years 1911-1916, then later cultivated by "star" practitioners such as Stella Adler and Lee Strasberg, "</span><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stanislavski%27s_system" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"><span style="color: #3d85c6;">The Method</span></a><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">," as it's called, emphasizes the importance of emotional truth, conveyed internally and externally by the actor. Yet the demands of immersing yourself that deeply into the mind of a character can also have its negative effects, often to the detriment of your own health or sanity. Famous examples of actors taking their "Method" to the extreme include Marlon Brando, who confined himself to a hospital bed for an entire month to prepare for his role as a paraplegic in </span><i style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">The Men</i><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"> (1950); Robert De Niro, who gained a whopping 64 pounds to play aging boxer Jake LaMotta in </span><i style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">Raging Bull</i><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"> (1980); and Daniel Day-Lewis, who never moved from his wheelchair during the entire six-week shoot for </span><i style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">My Left Foot</i><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"> (1989), learned how to track and kill his own food for </span><i style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">The Last Of The Mohicans</i><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"> (1992), and caught a slight case of pneumonia while shooting </span><i style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">Gangs Of New York</i><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"> (2002) because he refused to wear clothes that were untrue to the period.</span></div>
</div>
<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">The authenticity of these performances aside, there are limits, of course, to how much an actor is willing to sacrifice for his art. To play a character who returns from the dead, for example, it's probably unnecessary for anyone to die and be resuscitated in order to achieve the "emotional truth" of the moment (that's what the Internet was invented for, people!). The same goes for trying to relive a past sexual or childhood trauma, or resorting to actual drug use for a part, which any medical processional will tell you, is likely to cause more psychological and physical damage than it's probably worth. (I am reminded of a scene from 1976's <i>Marathon Man</i>, in which Dustin Hoffman kept himself awake for three days straight to accurately portray his character's disorientation and terror. When co-star Laurence Olivier heard this, he told Hoffman, "Why don't you just try acting?")</span><br />
<a name='more'></a><br />
<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">And what about films featuring amputees? Characters who've lost limbs or appendages, either during on-camera exploits or off? Luckily, history records no cases of actors deliberately deforming their bodies for the sake of a part, though some - like De Niro paying an actual dentist to file down his teeth for </span><i style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">Cape Fear</i><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"> (1991), or Jamie Foxx doing the same for </span><i style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">The Soloist</i><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"> (2009) - have come uncomfortably close. And while actors with disabilities have famously starred in motion pictures before (Harold Russell, a double amputee who lost both hands during World War II, won an Oscar for his work in </span><i style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">The Best Years Of Our Lives</i><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"> [1946]), examples of this are few and far between.</span><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLIcOiSa-PE0-U_uXlJuHT4HdNPamVzW4smaLlX6k0zs4vkI_j_q2GHNoDYIesP5_H2O24EyVNY2PDyxuP1jmoTL-heMDibpT4_E3OOjRXhHM3DIdn0ZdcDfJigkkX9KSNR6yOBozsADk7/s1600/bestyearsofourlives.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLIcOiSa-PE0-U_uXlJuHT4HdNPamVzW4smaLlX6k0zs4vkI_j_q2GHNoDYIesP5_H2O24EyVNY2PDyxuP1jmoTL-heMDibpT4_E3OOjRXhHM3DIdn0ZdcDfJigkkX9KSNR6yOBozsADk7/s400/bestyearsofourlives.png" width="400" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">So when a script literally calls for a character to lose an arm or a leg, what options are available for filmmakers? Well, if you're Robert Zemeckis (</span><i style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">Forrest Gump</i><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">), Danny Boyle (</span><i style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">127 Hours</i><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">), or Sean McNamara (</span><i style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">Soul Surfer</i><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">), you resort to the latest in revolutionary digital effects - green screens or complex computer graphics to help "erase" limbs from the film frame. If you're John Carpenter (</span><i style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">The Thing</i><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">), Steven Spielberg (</span><i style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">Saving Private Ryan</i><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">), or Sam Raimi (</span><i style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">Spider-Man 3</i><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">), you hire actual amputees as stand-ins or extras. Or if you're Guy Hamilton (</span><i style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">Live And Let Die</i><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">), Robert Clouse (</span><i style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">Enter The Dragon</i><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">), or Bobby and Peter Farrelly (</span><i style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">Kingpin</i><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">), you simply do what the rest of us did when we play acted as children - have your actors tuck their hands inside their shirt sleeves and walk around as if they'd just been lopped off their bodies.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">Like it or not, decapitations and dismemberment have always been a part of our cinematic language, from the days of D.W. Griffith's <i>Intolerance</i> (1919) onward. But the <i>crudeness</i> of that violence - cutting away, say, from a live actor to a mannequin during a public execution scene, at the exact moment the guillotine pierces flesh - that keeps us distanced from it, outside of it, reminds us that what we're watching is only a movie. The same goes for the hand-inside-the-shirt-sleeve trick, a crude yet effective tool for getting the point across... or would be, at least, if the actors themselves weren't so consistently bad at giving the game away. In <i>Live And Let Die</i> (1973), for example, Julius Harris plays Tee Hee Johnson, right-hand man (sorry) to the movie's big bad, Mr. Big. He's mean, he's menacing, he's got a mechanical pincer for an arm, and at 6'3", would be considered quite a threat in any situation. But it's hard to feel threatened by Mr. Harris when he's constantly doing this:</span><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisZeMUgAmhAObKrYGn6P1mSxfZoZJwkvjVNcVtF29mTQaZvUgOekX4rOl4dSil29CShYWL_QfijnGSpyfzAQNT3vD-nGNgw1ed0w5rzlWJoXaU8TLUSuPZoiBmTKkZ-beC1X0ZtVFzBQ2E/s1600/liveandletdie01.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="216" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisZeMUgAmhAObKrYGn6P1mSxfZoZJwkvjVNcVtF29mTQaZvUgOekX4rOl4dSil29CShYWL_QfijnGSpyfzAQNT3vD-nGNgw1ed0w5rzlWJoXaU8TLUSuPZoiBmTKkZ-beC1X0ZtVFzBQ2E/s400/liveandletdie01.png" width="400" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">Or this:</span><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0j3A3HwkNo84_JOPHmvU7F8Yi28_WhJhcIA2HbnEx5ajbsfPkwCPFtvYrNTVH5WGH8K1DqC809hDeSfsfulAqOxcHv80qqK1XOUWmJn1FtyEvYKDUO6drx2mLON8dkxOqBWMbMV54swFB/s1600/liveandletdie02.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="216" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0j3A3HwkNo84_JOPHmvU7F8Yi28_WhJhcIA2HbnEx5ajbsfPkwCPFtvYrNTVH5WGH8K1DqC809hDeSfsfulAqOxcHv80qqK1XOUWmJn1FtyEvYKDUO6drx2mLON8dkxOqBWMbMV54swFB/s400/liveandletdie02.png" width="400" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">You see how the claw keeps bending where his wrist should be? Now take a moment and do the same with your own hand. Bend it, flex it, rotate it. Moves pretty much the same way, does it not? Imagine, though, you had no hand at the end of that wrist. Would you still have the same flexibility there? Of course not: because your forearm is made up of two bones, the radius and the ulna. No joints, no flexors, just plain, immovable bone.</span><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">A quick perusal of Harris's </span><a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0364918/" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"><span style="color: #3d85c6;">IMDb</span></a><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"> and </span><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Julius_Harris" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"><span style="color: #3d85c6;">Wikipedia</span></a><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"> pages reveals that at no point in his life had he ever lost his arm to an alligator, nor had it replaced with a stainless steel substitute. So that is clearly his hand holding that contraption under his sleeve, like Captain Hook in Peter Pan. Even later, when </span><a href="http://findingthewrongwords.blogspot.com/2015/11/for-details-you-probably-never-noticed.html" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"><span style="color: #3d85c6;">James Bond</span></a><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"> (Roger Moore) disarms (sorry again) Tee Hee Johnson by tossing him off a moving train, you can clearly see the metal rods holding the pincer in place, making it physically impossible for it to be bending there at all:</span><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2FxfqJkqj7PQUMV18DC7g2inwBhVwuTcJcMFfIwsGUrNMTaqVnHZtypSHbHurS0Mt6LGZ1JvHCTvFhog94H4SHw6wTHCKml9w1tZsqf2BFzBbrzf9K5OV-wNSqxYxpaMgSoWsd7s0V5n3/s1600/liveandletdie03.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="216" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2FxfqJkqj7PQUMV18DC7g2inwBhVwuTcJcMFfIwsGUrNMTaqVnHZtypSHbHurS0Mt6LGZ1JvHCTvFhog94H4SHw6wTHCKml9w1tZsqf2BFzBbrzf9K5OV-wNSqxYxpaMgSoWsd7s0V5n3/s400/liveandletdie03.png" width="400" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">The big bad in Robert Clouse's </span><i style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">Enter The Dragon</i><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"> (1973), meanwhile, Mr. Han (Shih Kien), is a vicious drug lord and sex trafficker by trade, who hosts a tri-annual martial arts tournament on a secluded island as cover for his evil doings. He's also missing his left hand for unspecified reasons, and can replace it with a prosthetic cast iron limb, a bladed limb, or a bear claw, depending on his penchant for violence at the time. During Han's climactic battle with Bruce Lee, Han loses his bear claw attachment and reacts like many of us would, with self-righteous shock and wrist-bending indignation:</span><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgvuKKLPP5RE59s-NU7PPnJMJDXQ9cPjwmHutVEMPNF5vBSHx1B9kVzV-NMKmb7TKb_xim41981FqVQ_ceDlcvgUxBO_lRTNO0kU5nlGY5onzCHWSVQNH_GWvCwVbxqPpu5hSsgQjvYyqr/s1600/enterthedragon.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="170" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgvuKKLPP5RE59s-NU7PPnJMJDXQ9cPjwmHutVEMPNF5vBSHx1B9kVzV-NMKmb7TKb_xim41981FqVQ_ceDlcvgUxBO_lRTNO0kU5nlGY5onzCHWSVQNH_GWvCwVbxqPpu5hSsgQjvYyqr/s400/enterthedragon.png" width="400" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">Not even </span><i style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">Star Wars</i><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">, it seems, is immune from this sort of phalangical flub. In </span><i style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">Return Of The Jedi</i><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"> (1983), after getting his hand lopped off by Luke Skywalker, Darth Vader fulfills his destiny by saving his son and flinging the evil Emperor deep into the bowels of the Death Star. Afterward, Vader reflects upon his actions, peering into the shaft with his stumped arm draped - yes, <i>draped</i> - over a barrel (or is that a Shop-Vac?) for support:</span><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMdzl8EU9JHc3VhFYih-vB_EeKa_Nl4bDqAJMNaQ_bhhUJIc3MKbKMhP-Ilnq-c8KgSTiHjsWGEa-yKtIy77UqT0Ua4yi2C9RmvjWWQ184rpelLL409Ky0OpoAzYWiOm2GteIPT2igtHIi/s1600/returnofthejedi.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="170" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMdzl8EU9JHc3VhFYih-vB_EeKa_Nl4bDqAJMNaQ_bhhUJIc3MKbKMhP-Ilnq-c8KgSTiHjsWGEa-yKtIy77UqT0Ua4yi2C9RmvjWWQ184rpelLL409Ky0OpoAzYWiOm2GteIPT2igtHIi/s400/returnofthejedi.png" width="400" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">Granted, it's easy to spot a fake once you know what to look for. For </span><i style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">Total Recall</i><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"> (1990), director Paul Verhoeven decided to pull no punches at the climax of his film, by completely severing the forearms of one of the characters. It's a grisly, gross-out image to be sure (in a movie chock-full of grisly, gross-out images): While duking it out with good guy Quaid (Arnold Schwarzenegger) on a moving freight elevator, bad guy Richter (Michael Ironside) gets both his arms sliced off as he's tossed over the side, leaving Quaid holding the bloodied body parts in his hands. But the impact is severely lessened once we get a shot of Richter as he falls, and can clearly see the stuntman's arms folded neatly into the sides of his shirt. (I've removed the "offensive" bits from the shot below, even though it's clearly nothing more than latex and colored corn syrup.)</span><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZdwXjdjOl4YrPiNbeSyegEa65nki46_LZubPMvM_MRm68iT6nj274ZLBEeLubq22eH1fJsnqQDwOyrpcJcDNdzmmVT7_ERHM4xlvYMg9eITTw0q82qFXjvpmDKWkGCaQvtbcyo0Dr1APq/s1600/totalrecall.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="218" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZdwXjdjOl4YrPiNbeSyegEa65nki46_LZubPMvM_MRm68iT6nj274ZLBEeLubq22eH1fJsnqQDwOyrpcJcDNdzmmVT7_ERHM4xlvYMg9eITTw0q82qFXjvpmDKWkGCaQvtbcyo0Dr1APq/s400/totalrecall.png" width="400" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">In </span><i style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"><a href="http://findingthewrongwords.blogspot.com/2014/03/for-details-you-probably-never-noticed.html"><span style="color: #3d85c6;">Terminator 2: Judgment Day</span></a></i><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"> (1991), it's Arnold who loses an arm during his battle with the bad guy - but with significantly less gore, since the Austrian Oak is technically playing a robot. Yet in a movie loaded with state-of-the-art special effects, how do you pull off the illusion that Schwarzenegger has lost an all-important appendage? Simple: you pull a </span><i style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">Total Recall</i><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">, and tuck his arm inside his shirt down the back of his pants. Which makes it just the slightest bit awkward when that arm is roughly the size of a tree trunk:</span><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9PEP15uO7btH7QKnJYyyxJtqeUGE4HvUY0EkEaEhoRv9tndHH190kTtDvvez5692PjbyKFdJo6bWzibaAPF2W-0Q_nPFoTmkyxEFVConRlIsGaaxiG47gp1-V8dhDcbu-Vj7_PeoIWvxr/s1600/terminator2.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="168" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9PEP15uO7btH7QKnJYyyxJtqeUGE4HvUY0EkEaEhoRv9tndHH190kTtDvvez5692PjbyKFdJo6bWzibaAPF2W-0Q_nPFoTmkyxEFVConRlIsGaaxiG47gp1-V8dhDcbu-Vj7_PeoIWvxr/s400/terminator2.png" width="400" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">At least in </span><i style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">The Fugitive</i><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"> (1993), the filmmakers had the good sense to hide actor Andreas Katsulas's "missing" arm in plain sight. Hid it so well, in fact, that the movie actually fooled me into thinking they hired a one-armed man for the part... until the end, that is, when Katsulas finally faces off against Harrison Ford on a Chicago el train, and then this happens:</span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjV82G5dvGFhiyDzbZV-QpSyJydi4-Mqr0QYJg2SKtwqjV335RsYV53i7ypUmTPJ_viRtj8rIREcRBchjIMTEw2R0S_r7BdnhtHYtzgnh4FXH5DXO5qAxBl_Q_wEIWqTzOdYZSJd6Dv-9mE/s1600/fugitive.gif" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjV82G5dvGFhiyDzbZV-QpSyJydi4-Mqr0QYJg2SKtwqjV335RsYV53i7ypUmTPJ_viRtj8rIREcRBchjIMTEw2R0S_r7BdnhtHYtzgnh4FXH5DXO5qAxBl_Q_wEIWqTzOdYZSJd6Dv-9mE/s400/fugitive.gif" width="400" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">Look closely, and you can clearly see the fingers on Katsulas's left hand flex for a moment as he's kicked backwards. Turns out his mechanical arm was his actual arm the entire time - painted to look like a prosthetic!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><br />Of course, you can hardly fault the filmmakers (or, for that matter, the actors) for trying to pull off the impossible - especially during the pre-CGI days, before fancy schmancy computers made it much easier to portray peg-legged or hook-handed characters onscreen. (It's also comforting to see that our favorite actors prize their precious body parts over their paychecks.) Even all these days afterward, when budget constraints and paucity of imagination run rampant, it's good to see so many comedy directors, at least, taking such a thing in stride.</span><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQda0Tpn13eqZhuhd6yZPdKjf5ykUpbwQYD8kw5DLstEqRerHYZ8TYTU6hxelakZTfAPrh-AaWKKWLj6CZdOQIylKoOJPnB5PLqHxfpHfCbBVz590OzCmb2d4fGvrEluPsDQZ2-KFvZ7xz/s1600/happygilmore.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQda0Tpn13eqZhuhd6yZPdKjf5ykUpbwQYD8kw5DLstEqRerHYZ8TYTU6hxelakZTfAPrh-AaWKKWLj6CZdOQIylKoOJPnB5PLqHxfpHfCbBVz590OzCmb2d4fGvrEluPsDQZ2-KFvZ7xz/s400/happygilmore.png" width="400" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>Happy Gilmore</i> (1996)</span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><br /></span>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigAEJiKdgvgUNArfeLtL7JZyYnAwZHOSVA2bxFp18dy5BJO8RHS-6TRD6J0ucH1qW5R0AZpMRdk05l59__GM-NqsTQ3RARK6xUTSWlpMmhdCRPnL5sid49thuOSfV7PkCxTaIro69ldsnr/s1600/kingpin.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="170" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigAEJiKdgvgUNArfeLtL7JZyYnAwZHOSVA2bxFp18dy5BJO8RHS-6TRD6J0ucH1qW5R0AZpMRdk05l59__GM-NqsTQ3RARK6xUTSWlpMmhdCRPnL5sid49thuOSfV7PkCxTaIro69ldsnr/s400/kingpin.png" width="400" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>Kingpin</i> (1996)</span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><br /></span>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbcWfa0kTHpWTxglKs2znkGWig34gFSbcsd807mRSktPsv4u2CylCK1Dd1PcepHfZEnq4cWiX02TkG7ftxBzEQ5NmOtRTB2EYUshUHhASrKy8n6TgfydRlBWj26gtmcx1HUCiXa12kiZuv/s1600/arresteddevelopment.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="218" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbcWfa0kTHpWTxglKs2znkGWig34gFSbcsd807mRSktPsv4u2CylCK1Dd1PcepHfZEnq4cWiX02TkG7ftxBzEQ5NmOtRTB2EYUshUHhASrKy8n6TgfydRlBWj26gtmcx1HUCiXa12kiZuv/s400/arresteddevelopment.png" width="400" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>Arrested Development</i> (2013)</span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><br /></span>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPWsbYCi755GR-RHX85hbUgZU5hbAhRvwBCJ_WcnJz6LSmd9Hd24JPyzWdLwubeiT6A1QLjW26yPEPkMEYqKk4feA542D7o2B6i5o7hyphenhyphenfewwuaq5w2US5BqzuqVLjXcc8gWtKDr1Qfmj0M/s1600/ashvevildead.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPWsbYCi755GR-RHX85hbUgZU5hbAhRvwBCJ_WcnJz6LSmd9Hd24JPyzWdLwubeiT6A1QLjW26yPEPkMEYqKk4feA542D7o2B6i5o7hyphenhyphenfewwuaq5w2US5BqzuqVLjXcc8gWtKDr1Qfmj0M/s400/ashvevildead.png" width="400" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace; font-size: x-small;"><i>Ash Vs. Evil Dead</i> (2014)</span><br />
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace; font-size: x-small;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace; font-size: x-small;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: courier new, courier, monospace;"><i>For previous articles highlighting other films flubs and movie maxims (or, as we like to call them, Staples of the Cinema), head on over <a href="http://findingthewrongwords.blogspot.com/2013/05/for-cinema-staples-part-one.html"><span style="color: #3d85c6;">here</span></a>, <a href="http://findingthewrongwords.blogspot.com/2013/07/for-cinema-staples-and-mystery-of_6994.html"><span style="color: #3d85c6;">here</span></a>, <a href="http://findingthewrongwords.blogspot.com/2013/10/for-cinema-staples-and-omniscient-first.html"><span style="color: #3d85c6;">here</span></a> and also <a href="http://findingthewrongwords.blogspot.com/2013/11/for-cinema-staples-and-peculiar.html"><span style="color: #3d85c6;">here</span></a>.</i></span></div>
</div>
D.W. Lundberghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03709428152190690075noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8005808875158331076.post-26512492469119590642015-12-10T15:02:00.000-07:002015-12-21T15:04:42.145-07:00... FOR "MOVIES AS METAPHORS"<div class="MsoNormal">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiX5EPqJwG9v82o9Gy_UbvGugL2lpSFNaTqZolhpSH4m7BxqKYHWnKZjiBkxdvVN03GoMPeQSg_Pm-JoGl-2anKuHuuZlUv0iyQPAJgoANcONXBSAlgdiB6J6jYfCgLZ9duChHFbd2oHdAx/s1600/inside-intro.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="227" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiX5EPqJwG9v82o9Gy_UbvGugL2lpSFNaTqZolhpSH4m7BxqKYHWnKZjiBkxdvVN03GoMPeQSg_Pm-JoGl-2anKuHuuZlUv0iyQPAJgoANcONXBSAlgdiB6J6jYfCgLZ9duChHFbd2oHdAx/s400/inside-intro.png" width="400" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: "courier new";">Disney/Pixar's
<i>Inside Out </i>tells the story of 11- year-old Riley Andersen, uprooted from her
home in Minnesota and carted off to San Francisco, where her father just landed
a new job. On the cusp of adolescence, Riley is completely unprepared for the
mental and emotional turmoil the move is about to cause herself and her family;
her parents, likewise, can't understand why their little girl, once so bright
and open and the light of their lives, suddenly turns so irritable and distant.
Ultimately, Riley is able to reconcile her feelings and make up with Mom and
Dad (SPOILER), and they live in perfect harmony together forever after. All
this, of course, is just the springboard for the really interesting stuff, in
which we learn that Riley's emotions are sentient beings operating a giant
control room inside her head. There's Joy, green-yellow and eternally
optimistic; Anger, who's always on the verge of blowing his red brick top;
Fear, a bug-eyed purple nebbish; Disgust, who can barely hide the look of
disdain on her face; and Sadness, mopey and morose and blue. So far, Joy has
been Riley's dominant personality trait, until circumstances force Sadness to
challenge that position, and when both Joy and Sadness are ejected from
headquarters and plunged deeper into the recesses of Riley's brain, it's up to
Anger, Fear, and Disgust to keep up appearances - with often disastrous
results.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "courier new";"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "courier new";">Suffice it to say
<i>Inside Out</i> is unlike anything Pixar has ever attempted before - eye-popping and
funny and heartfelt, yes, but clearly conceived as a metaphor for the way our
emotions sometimes get the better of us... and how our children learn to cope
with those emotions during their formative years, much to the chagrin of their
parents. It's an idea rife with dramatic possibilities, which director Pete
Docter (<i>Up</i>) and co-screenwriters Meg LeFauve and Josh Cooley are consistently
able to mine for comedy and visual gold. (I haven't even begun to describe
Riley's "Personality Islands," or the color-coded translucent orbs in
which her memories are "stored" and then carted off to Long Term
Memory when she sleeps, or Bing Bong, or the stopovers in Imagination Land or -
my personal favorite - Abstract Thought, where the characters are rendered as
cubist shapes that would make Picasso proud.)</span><br />
<a name='more'></a><span style="font-family: "courier new";"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "courier new";"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "courier new";">And yet, prior to
its release, a portion of the moviegoing public seemed genuinely confused as to
what the movie was actually <i>about</i>. That's partially the fault of the marketing,
which accentuated all the slapstick-y bits and silly character voices but none
of the nuance or emotional underpinnings that make up the meat of the movie.
(Audiences would be wise to remember that the people at Pixar always have their
best interests at heart. Unless it's a movie <a href="http://findingthewrongwords.blogspot.com/2011/06/for-unfair-expectations-and-critics.html"><span style="color: #3d85c6;">populated by talking cars</span></a>, that
is.) Then there's the matter of the movie being so difficult to categorize -
neither science-fiction nor fantasy, though parts of it certainly lend
themselves to that interpretation, with ideas firmly rooted in neuroscience.
(Pay particular attention to the maze-like shelves of Riley's <a href="http://disney.wikia.com/wiki/Long_Term_Memory?file=Inside-Out-76.png"><span style="color: #3d85c6;">Long Term Memory</span></a>,
which closely resemble the wrinkles and folds of the brain.)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "courier new";"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "courier new";">Another reason for
the initial pushback against the film: audiences don't usually think in
metaphors. We like our movies straight up and to the point, thank you very
much, with nothing to distract us from the action or the jokes or the plot. So
when something like <i>Inside Out </i>comes along, it's easy to scoff and say the
story makes no sense, when in fact it's our brains struggling to rationalize it
both emotionally and intellectually at once. (For the record, the film isn't
saying our emotions are actually sentient beings living inside our heads, but
is a <i>visual representation</i> of that, to make it more palatable for the kiddies.)
Of course, it doesn't hurt that <i>Inside Out</i>'s surface-level pleasures are so
irresistible in their own right. And Disney/Pixar is hardly the first major
studio to pass a "message" off as "entertainment." Below,
some sterling examples of movies as metaphors - big themes and big ideas boxed
up in consummately-wrapped packages. As the saying goes, these films are not
"about" what they're actually "about." Here, however, we'll
attempt to decipher what sort of high-minded concepts the filmmakers had in
mind.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "courier new";"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "courier new";">__________<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_flPSlV7r_U1xUGsgIqlilWqdTgZXFgvYHIjuiJrdu6Gfs8NFEQJYKRzK4f1Y0ql7yzsuJIFxgCKbMTDfPje7fANfIxrj5MxsUWJ-cNisaBwcA7QUHDrM93dtf1go1l5fSvIo79uJwEcv/s1600/gojira.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="282" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_flPSlV7r_U1xUGsgIqlilWqdTgZXFgvYHIjuiJrdu6Gfs8NFEQJYKRzK4f1Y0ql7yzsuJIFxgCKbMTDfPje7fANfIxrj5MxsUWJ-cNisaBwcA7QUHDrM93dtf1go1l5fSvIo79uJwEcv/s400/gojira.png" width="400" /></a></div>
<b><u><span style="font-family: "courier new";">Title</span></u></b><b><span style="font-family: "courier new";">:</span></b><span style="font-family: "courier new";"> <i>Gojira</i>
(Ishirō Honda, 1954)</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "courier new";"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><u><span style="font-family: "courier new";">What It's "About"</span></u></b><b><span style="font-family: "courier new";">:</span></b><span style="font-family: "courier new";"> A prehistoric monster rises from the ocean
depths to terrorize the people of Japan.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "courier new";"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><u><span style="font-family: "courier new";">What It's Actually About</span></u></b><b><span style="font-family: "courier new";">:</span></b><span style="font-family: "courier new";"> Nuclear Holocaust<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "courier new";"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><u><span style="font-family: "courier new";">Explain Yourself, Mister</span></u></b><b><span style="font-family: "courier new";">:</span></b><span style="font-family: "courier new";"> The Japanese answer to <i>King Kong</i> and <i>The
Beast From 20,000 Fathoms</i>, yes, is nothing more than a man in a rubber suit
stomping on miniature trains and buildings (and even looks like a sock puppet
in certain shots). But he's also the living, fire-breathing personification of
nuclear fallout, still fresh in the minds of audiences just nine years after
the bombings in Hiroshima and Nagasaki. (The screenplay was also partly
inspired by the fate of the doomed fishing trawler <i>Daigo Fukuryu Maru</i>, about
which you can read about <a href="http://birthmoviesdeath.com/2013/07/28/lucky-dragon-5-and-the-terrifying-truth-that-inspired-godzilla"><span style="color: #3d85c6;">here</span></a>.) Countless sequels, remakes, and rip-offs have
severely diluted the impact of the film, which, when watched today, is
shockingly somber and laser-focused on all the death and destruction Godzilla
leaves in its wake. And its final resolution - using H-bomb technology to
destroy something created by H-bombs - suggests an endless cycle of violence
we're only doomed to repeat. (Beware the 1956 Americanized version, with 40
minutes excised and footage of actor Raymond Burr awkwardly added in).<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "courier new";"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjz_g18Ubv1fRD5qQO0N7UwwEUbmJCyxApY3giltaBWTSYWsL3rPHKekz5YGjdX84ND5_OXd7tFellvEhpIaW5QQ1jtVjR5teLbN22T9X9d7USH6rACsK8sLw4GNtz67tdu5TmNubKQBOOn/s1600/birds.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="220" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjz_g18Ubv1fRD5qQO0N7UwwEUbmJCyxApY3giltaBWTSYWsL3rPHKekz5YGjdX84ND5_OXd7tFellvEhpIaW5QQ1jtVjR5teLbN22T9X9d7USH6rACsK8sLw4GNtz67tdu5TmNubKQBOOn/s400/birds.png" width="400" /></a></div>
<b><u><span style="font-family: "courier new";">Title</span></u></b><b><span style="font-family: "courier new";">:</span></b><span style="font-family: "courier new";"> <i>The
Birds</i> (Alfred Hitchcock, 1963)</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "courier new";"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><u><span style="font-family: "courier new";">What It's "About"</span></u></b><b><span style="font-family: "courier new";">:</span></b><span style="font-family: "courier new";"> An idyllic seaside town finds itself under
siege from marauding killer birds.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "courier new";"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><u><span style="font-family: "courier new";">What It's Actually About</span></u></b><b><span style="font-family: "courier new";">:</span></b><span style="font-family: "courier new";"> Anti-feminism<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "courier new";"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><u><span style="font-family: "courier new";">Explain Yourself, Mister</span></u></b><b><span style="font-family: "courier new";">: </span></b><span style="font-family: "courier new";">Hitchcock's most abstract film can be
interpreted in so many different ways - an apocalyptic horror tale, a parable,
a dire warning against man's irresponsibility to the planet - but since one of
The Master's favorite obsessions was demeaning his leading ladies for the sake
of his "art" (see also <i>Psycho</i>, <i>Marnie</i>, <i>Vertigo</i>), we'll stick with
that one instead. The whole film, in fact, is about "birds" both in
the <a href="http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/bird"><span style="color: #3d85c6;">ornithological</span></a> and <a href="http://onlineslangdictionary.com/meaning-definition-of/bird"><span style="color: #3d85c6;">colloquial</span></a> sense, in which an overzealous, sexually
aggressive socialite (Tippi Hedren) inadvertently brings a whole host of
avian-based terror to a helpless town. There, she becomes embroiled in tensions
between a lawyer (Rod Taylor), his mother (Jessica Tandy), and ex-girlfriend
(Suzanne Pleshette), and there's literally a two-shot, late in the movie, of
Taylor being yanked through a window by squawking, pecking creatures as he
tries to board up his family home, only to be pulled back through the other
side by all the females in his life. Much is made, meanwhile, of the women's
constant attempts to take over roles typically filled by men - the aggressor,
the protector, the official checker-outer of strange noises in the attic. Is it
any wonder that it's only at the end, after Hedren's character has been
thoroughly violated, humiliated, and effectively silenced (put in her place,
really) when the birds inexplicably halt their attacks?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "courier new";"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjidSceBYXRE2HOktm5GSCMP4EKMiNp_4BgzgfbrBqdg2gJFZ_57DYRtvT9q_I8_hQM_8xcfLGsOFk8S_yFvqIV6b2NQOcPWuHBtP-UKo_HZc3AaGD9HxeIN0SrxkiK9I7yRnY5fllaRm0Z/s1600/picnichangingrock.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="227" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjidSceBYXRE2HOktm5GSCMP4EKMiNp_4BgzgfbrBqdg2gJFZ_57DYRtvT9q_I8_hQM_8xcfLGsOFk8S_yFvqIV6b2NQOcPWuHBtP-UKo_HZc3AaGD9HxeIN0SrxkiK9I7yRnY5fllaRm0Z/s400/picnichangingrock.png" width="400" /></a></div>
<b><u><span style="font-family: "courier new";">Title</span></u></b><b><span style="font-family: "courier new";">:</span></b><span style="font-family: "courier new";"> <i>Picnic
At Hanging Rock</i> (Peter Weir, 1975)</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "courier new";"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><u><span style="font-family: "courier new";">What It's "About"</span></u></b><b><span style="font-family: "courier new";">:</span></b><span style="font-family: "courier new";"> In Victorian-era Australia, schoolgirls
disappear during a rural picnic and are never heard from again.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "courier new";"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><u><span style="font-family: "courier new";">What It's Actually About</span></u></b><b><span style="font-family: "courier new";">:</span></b><span style="font-family: "courier new";"> Sexual Repression<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "courier new";"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><u><span style="font-family: "courier new";">Explain Yourself, Mister</span></u></b><b><span style="font-family: "courier new";">:</span></b><span style="font-family: "courier new";"> Weir's gauzy, hypnotic masterpiece has <a href="https://thedissolve.com/reviews/884-picnic-at-hanging-rock/"><span style="color: #3d85c6;">alternately frustrated and fascinated audiences for decades now</span></a>, though its
auditory and visual clues are clearly meant to raise questions, not to answer
them. Erotic early images of the girls going about their morning rituals
(bathing, dressing, tightening each other's corsets) are juxtaposed soon after
with phallic shots (lizards, jutting granite formations) of Hanging Rock itself
- and all on a sweltering St. Valentine's Day afternoon, as if awakening them
to sexual stirrings both intoxicating and dangerous. Three girls heed the call
and vanish into thin air, leaving behind them a trail of questions and not much
else. Were they murdered? Abducted by aliens? What of the teacher who also
disappeared that day, seen later wandering the cliffs in nothing but her
undergarments? And when one of the girls miraculously turns up days later, why
does she retain no memory of where she's been or the others have gone? The
movie never says, but hints at something far more sinister instead: that the
deeper we bury our innermost wants and desires, the closer we come to losing
ourselves to them.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "courier new";"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVpFxHsgEBUDBdWowutLLEO6CWS5b56QA6iC9ODObsajU9xIlByttP8u6ZglGRXh9NoyfrV6YzX-4rocRmVErFSNaDCuYYHFPFLe3iwceo8xMRBxnju04JHN0McStm6-o3qVepkn0iXCq9/s1600/fly.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="216" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVpFxHsgEBUDBdWowutLLEO6CWS5b56QA6iC9ODObsajU9xIlByttP8u6ZglGRXh9NoyfrV6YzX-4rocRmVErFSNaDCuYYHFPFLe3iwceo8xMRBxnju04JHN0McStm6-o3qVepkn0iXCq9/s400/fly.png" width="400" /></a></div>
<b><u><span style="font-family: "courier new";">Title</span></u></b><b><span style="font-family: "courier new";">:</span></b><span style="font-family: "courier new";"> <i>The
Fly</i> (David Cronenberg, 1986)</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "courier new";"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><u><span style="font-family: "courier new";">What It's "About"</span></u></b><b><span style="font-family: "courier new";">:</span></b><span style="font-family: "courier new";"> A scientist's experiments in teleportation
take a horrific turn when his genes are swapped with that of a common housefly.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "courier new";"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><u><span style="font-family: "courier new";">What It's Actually About</span></u></b><b><span style="font-family: "courier new";">:</span></b><span style="font-family: "courier new";"> Body Decay/Disease<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "courier new";"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><u><span style="font-family: "courier new";">Explain Yourself, Mister</span></u></b><b><span style="font-family: "courier new";">:</span></b><span style="font-family: "courier new";"> <a href="http://findingthewrongwords.blogspot.com/2010/10/for-remakes-and-rehashes-halloween.html"><span style="color: #3d85c6;">Oh, man, is this movie gross</span></a>. Don't get me
wrong... I love it... but there are images here - a baboon with its guts turned
inside out, a man's hand and foot dissolved via "vomit drop," a woman
who gives birth to a maggot - that make repeat viewings kind of a slog.
Cronenberg has never been one to shy away from <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Videodrome"><span style="color: #3d85c6;">body horror</span></a> or <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Brood"><span style="color: #3d85c6;">psychosexual deviance</span></a> before (or <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crash_(1996_film)"><span style="color: #3d85c6;">after</span></a>), but here, working with Oscar-winning makeup and
creature effects by the great Chris Walas (<i>Gremlins</i>, <i>Enemy Mine</i>), he reaches
new heights of gore and grotesquerie that have yet to be matched on the screen.
Beneath this story of a scientist (Jeff Goldblum) who gradually succumbs to the
molecular devastation that's ravaging his body, however, is the heartbreak of a
woman (Geena Davis) forced to stand idly by as the man she loves disintegrates
before her very eyes. It's a perfect metaphor for AIDS, or for cancer, or for
Alzheimer's, or for any degenerative disease, really, that slowly saps away our
humanity while our loved ones watch, helpless, from the sidelines.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "courier new";"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjupWwVw5On35guewKWHY7jwgvnpt8gWVKsEfPE-Ulx5D3vC2airsRi9OCJ6FcfRQr0eFB5flnJcw7_D0QOcyvPVHA1iTknm2SkBtR9PaN0H-yO2YbZG_oZg5rMw9_TwtljwccT5Z8pX7wq/s1600/groundhogday.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="220" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjupWwVw5On35guewKWHY7jwgvnpt8gWVKsEfPE-Ulx5D3vC2airsRi9OCJ6FcfRQr0eFB5flnJcw7_D0QOcyvPVHA1iTknm2SkBtR9PaN0H-yO2YbZG_oZg5rMw9_TwtljwccT5Z8pX7wq/s400/groundhogday.png" width="400" /></a></div>
<b><u><span style="font-family: "courier new";">Title</span></u></b><b><span style="font-family: "courier new";">:</span></b><span style="font-family: "courier new";"> <i>Groundhog
Day</i> (Harold Ramis, 1993)</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "courier new";"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><u><span style="font-family: "courier new";">What It's "About"</span></u></b><b><span style="font-family: "courier new";">: </span></b><span style="font-family: "courier new";">A snarky TV weatherman is cursed to relive
the events of February 2nd over and over again.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "courier new";"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><u><span style="font-family: "courier new";">What It's Actually About</span></u></b><b><span style="font-family: "courier new";">: </span></b><span style="font-family: "courier new";">Buddhism/Judaism/ Catholicism<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "courier new";"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><u><span style="font-family: "courier new";">Explain Yourself, Mister</span></u></b><b><span style="font-family: "courier new";">:</span></b><span style="font-family: "courier new";"> And you thought it was just the story of a
self-centered jerk who learns to be a better person. Well, it's <i>still </i>about
that, but like our most enduring classics, <i>Groundhog Day</i> has evolved into
something richer with deeper meaning, especially for anyone looking for it.
Buddhist scholars, for example, see the film's endless loops as cycles of the
samsara, or "Wheel of Life" - birth, life, death, and rebirth. (This
would technically make Bill Murray the bodhisattva - one who achieves
Enlightenment but comes back to help others experience it as well.) Jewish
rabbis, meanwhile, view Murray's countless good deeds as mitzvahs - charitable
acts which bring him closer to God, rather than achieving Nirvana or
Enlightenment. Then there's the Catholic belief that Puxatawney, PA, is
actually Purgatory, where Murray is forced to relive the day's events until he
gets them "right" - as penance for some original sin. Ramis, for his
part, <span style="color: #3d85c6;"><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BkEUpymTanA&feature=youtu.be"><span style="color: #3d85c6;">seemed characteristically amused</span></a> </span>by all the hubbub but took the movie's
secrets to his grave. Or perhaps he was too good a filmmaker (and comedian) to
take away our enjoyment of the film as anything other than a self-centered jerk
who learns to be a better person.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "courier new";"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLhL7C-SSjXuH3RlmH2zlJrbMvL4V4iWXyxXO0nO33A6DNGOEAn3Pywhe-Rf0Iuz-rl4Y1vX2e79DxEftzDnlIINbLSCTl4N0woFzBTT6Yk1kuEo_t47jwCiN_Yf8dQv5gzGoNFIZaOOhA/s1600/mr%2526mrssmith.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="171" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLhL7C-SSjXuH3RlmH2zlJrbMvL4V4iWXyxXO0nO33A6DNGOEAn3Pywhe-Rf0Iuz-rl4Y1vX2e79DxEftzDnlIINbLSCTl4N0woFzBTT6Yk1kuEo_t47jwCiN_Yf8dQv5gzGoNFIZaOOhA/s400/mr%2526mrssmith.png" width="400" /></a></div>
<b><u><span style="font-family: "courier new";">Title</span></u></b><b><span style="font-family: "courier new";">:</span></b><span style="font-family: "courier new";"> <i>Mr.
And Mrs. Smith</i> (Doug Liman, 2005)</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "courier new";"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><u><span style="font-family: "courier new";">What It's "About"</span></u></b><b><span style="font-family: "courier new";">:</span></b><span style="font-family: "courier new";"> A disenchanted couple discover they are
secretly spies for rival government agencies.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "courier new";"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><u><span style="font-family: "courier new";">What It's Actually About</span></u></b><b><span style="font-family: "courier new";">:</span></b><span style="font-family: "courier new";"> The Sanctity of Marriage</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><u><span style="font-family: "courier new";">Explain Yourself, Mister</span></u></b><b><span style="font-family: "courier new";">:</span></b><span style="font-family: "courier new";"> Screenwriter Simon Kinberg originally penned
the film as his master's thesis at Columbia University, based on conversations
with his friends about how their couple's counseling sessions <a href="http://movies.about.com/od/mrandmrssmith/a/smithsk060905.htm"><span style="color: #3d85c6;">had turned combative and mercenary</span></a>. Wouldn't it be fun, he thought, to watch a couple on
the downward slope of a relationship rekindle their love by beating each other
to a bloody pulp? But the problem here isn't that John and Jane have sunk into
a rut; it's that they simply <i>aren't communicating about it</i> in any meaningful
way - their double lives literally prevent them from doing so. And it's only
after they discover each other's "infidelities" that they reclaim
some of the spark that helped them fall for each other in the first place. They
bicker, they fight, and in the movie's centerpiece sequence, come to literal
blows over all the resentment that's been building between them over the years,
at which point they reveal themselves at their most open and vulnerable. Even
the characters' fateful, final decision to stick together at the end has an
unexpected emotional truth to it, as if telling us that, yes, separate they may be
strong, but as a unified front, they're indestructible.</span></div>
D.W. Lundberghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03709428152190690075noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8005808875158331076.post-90134625341142370442015-11-06T15:31:00.000-07:002015-11-11T16:49:58.679-07:00... FOR "DETAILS YOU PROBABLY NEVER NOTICED IN POPULAR FILMS BEFORE ('DIE ANOTHER DAY' EDITION)"<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2Fry6YnewhWX4BUhTWxmoHugo3hovIE7YNN3jCftkTs5P7iQATWoWKgivfOiTsGkvFqJqte0W5XZNxck8Ep9kLKDtn9r7Wdz97Qb5_Aw_8l3MEbKR5EID-55SnIOjiyF-jz4XA4hhxHuC/s1600/intro.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="166" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2Fry6YnewhWX4BUhTWxmoHugo3hovIE7YNN3jCftkTs5P7iQATWoWKgivfOiTsGkvFqJqte0W5XZNxck8Ep9kLKDtn9r7Wdz97Qb5_Aw_8l3MEbKR5EID-55SnIOjiyF-jz4XA4hhxHuC/s400/intro.png" width="400" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">One of the most derided entries in the James Bond canon, <i>Die Another Day</i> opened in November of 2002 to coincide with 007's 40-year cinematic anniversary. It was Pierce Brosnan's fourth and final outing as the inimitable superspy, and the first Bond film to embrace the use of CGI for its action scenes (which was a major source of said derision). Yet despite the misgivings of critics and Bond fans alike, <i>Die Another Day</i> managed to gross $432 million worldwide - the highest-grossing franchise entry up to that point (unadjusted for inflation). The plot, for the uninitiated, centers around a failed mission in North Korea during which Bond is captured and held prisoner for 14 months. Once released, Bond finds he's been disavowed by MI6 and that his 00 status has been rescinded... but never one to shrink from a challenge (ahem), decides to go "rogue" in order to clear his name and discover the identity of the agent who betrayed him. Along the way, Bond makes friends with a bikini-clad sidekick, engages his enemy in a “winner takes all” sporting match, drives around in his patented Aston Martin with built-in patented ejector seat, hangs off cliffs, has his cover blown by facial recognition software, and disarms a solar-powered superweapon (not in that order).</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">If any of that sounds at all familiar to you, congratulations: you've seen enough James Bond in your lifetime to know that <i>Die</i> <i>Another Day</i> cribs from the best (and some of the not-so-best) of them. (And those are: Bond going rogue = <i>Licence To Kill</i>; betrayed by fellow agent = <i>GoldenEye</i>; bikini sidekick = <i>Dr. No</i>; sporting match + ejector seat = <i>Goldfinger</i>; cliff-hanging = <i>For Your Eyes Only</i>; facial recognition = <i>A View To A</i> <i>Kill</i>; solar superweapon = <i>The Man</i> <i>With The Golden Gun</i>.) But is this a case of pure laziness on the filmmakers' part, or simply par for the course at this point? Like any good soup or stew, we expect our Bond films to be stuffed with all the familiar ingredients - a sprinkle of outlandish gadgetry here, a dollop of double entendres there, three cups of vehicular mayhem over there. And while I admit having a soft spot for the film itself (I like the devil-may-care, adrenaline-pumping pace of the thing, despite the ridiculousness of the plot), I'll also be the first to admit that <i>Die</i> <i>Another Day</i>, more than <i>The World Is Not Enough</i> before it, plays more like a Greatest Hits assemblage of previous Bond adventures than an actual movie.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">The franchise's 40th Anniversary might have more to do with this than we initially suspected. The makers of <i>Die Another Day</i> had two simple requirements: one, make the movie accessible to <i>The Fast And The Furious </i>set, and two, include enough homages to Bond's cinema past while trying to appeal to the <i>The Fast And The Furious</i> set. As such, 007's 20th big-screen endeavor is not only loaded with crash-zooms and extreme sports sequences but also references to every (official) Bond film ever made. Some of these are subtle - others, not so much. Then again, James Bond has never been one for subtlety.</span><br />
<a name='more'></a><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><b><i><span style="font-size: large;">Dr. No</span></i></b> (1960)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">This one's a big bucket of double-oh-duh, but for strictly... um... </span><i style="font-family: 'courier new', courier, monospace;">professional</i><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"> reasons we'll kick off our list with</span><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"> </span><i style="font-family: 'courier new', courier, monospace;">DAD</i><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">'s most obvious homage. Here, Halle Berry (as Jinx) makes a perfectly suitable stand-in for Ursula Andress's Honey Ryder.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"></span>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAZHKhcQH4HoxC4ZS6qMzGwwBG_w6G0gLNSygPClFsQXdgPBqxyUACAQEweNIo_GO8S0tPZhyphenhyphenbKh4SnTBaSP4HNmmXMdkwYu7LR-uQURk_0_S3EwY5958wFm7mdrH-VP9icRFq19JrO_WT/s1600/drno-die01.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="242" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAZHKhcQH4HoxC4ZS6qMzGwwBG_w6G0gLNSygPClFsQXdgPBqxyUACAQEweNIo_GO8S0tPZhyphenhyphenbKh4SnTBaSP4HNmmXMdkwYu7LR-uQURk_0_S3EwY5958wFm7mdrH-VP9icRFq19JrO_WT/s400/drno-die01.png" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwOSLutmjVbYfDr9wps7ie-jnXnWmhmTRH3ets0pJKl6zhgcFvBwHe82q885pfInrjZwyCJvqNCVZdAaujwvgNehWRPmyRiLs4QwMm94eb6mcPJ2feWKEAl-Ru3K7xPVsLSMiXZc1mrJ7T/s1600/drno-die02.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="166" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwOSLutmjVbYfDr9wps7ie-jnXnWmhmTRH3ets0pJKl6zhgcFvBwHe82q885pfInrjZwyCJvqNCVZdAaujwvgNehWRPmyRiLs4QwMm94eb6mcPJ2feWKEAl-Ru3K7xPVsLSMiXZc1mrJ7T/s400/drno-die02.png" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><b><i><span style="font-size: large;">From Russia With Love</span></i></b> (1963)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">Bond's briefcase and Rosa Klebb's infamous shoe dagger make a memorable appearance in Q's work lab.</span><br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjar5Cn3FMe-WOrtF9Ns6Kk8uOLgJHxo7Yd9xcR4RKjcw7YsNC4mx575TkheRIUMpBPQmcWHyrHQrOgTECLbimExKg-QGwziPYZ2l3QrRUerjeh4NhEQP0NdyoieTccsoNBLzBZD5CrtIy0/s1600/fromrussia-die01.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="242" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjar5Cn3FMe-WOrtF9Ns6Kk8uOLgJHxo7Yd9xcR4RKjcw7YsNC4mx575TkheRIUMpBPQmcWHyrHQrOgTECLbimExKg-QGwziPYZ2l3QrRUerjeh4NhEQP0NdyoieTccsoNBLzBZD5CrtIy0/s400/fromrussia-die01.png" width="400" /></a><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1yU4mRKVWcWfq5ZDQjv3L9lKiTFHLV3K-ZkvLkzlwVdI6HGyUGw42p1PEleLLpYdxkFIL2WbaGPzywf7qlX0Yg5xyPQbOJZ57pHBFsmDM0hsloMeR0fb-IFra02DP582vczApi9UjFj6f/s1600/fromrussia-die02.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="242" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1yU4mRKVWcWfq5ZDQjv3L9lKiTFHLV3K-ZkvLkzlwVdI6HGyUGw42p1PEleLLpYdxkFIL2WbaGPzywf7qlX0Yg5xyPQbOJZ57pHBFsmDM0hsloMeR0fb-IFra02DP582vczApi9UjFj6f/s400/fromrussia-die02.png" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0kHIVYpWQVZc-LQw50C7m5LbExZwjdBZRcMgAlJCxWfkbwDZHj_juiGeWEmW1l6ti4xDkl62mJ-lN46oSOgYh7_Tg2wzwI_lR6VpuhzFca_uSKvZLaf708DxPlg8wPQJAwuNrwSKLd4pS/s1600/fromrussia-die03.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="167" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0kHIVYpWQVZc-LQw50C7m5LbExZwjdBZRcMgAlJCxWfkbwDZHj_juiGeWEmW1l6ti4xDkl62mJ-lN46oSOgYh7_Tg2wzwI_lR6VpuhzFca_uSKvZLaf708DxPlg8wPQJAwuNrwSKLd4pS/s400/fromrussia-die03.png" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<b style="font-family: 'courier new', courier, monospace;"><i><span style="font-size: large;">Goldfinger</span></i></b><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"> (1964)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">Of </span><i style="font-family: 'courier new', courier, monospace;">DAD</i><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">'s many </span><i style="font-family: 'courier new', courier, monospace;">Goldfinger</i><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"> references, my favorite is Q's liberal pilfering of that film's (second) most quotable quote.</span><br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhp3oSVOxpGCXVl-HJSGDD5b5AI2U0OZ1HMAmecUEVN1baTho4XVtiI6Hw6Pm6Szimh0QHmPyIpNT2FOhH8H8AcXFBkFZf0M7yF_z79OxlDb8MLN22mvXLCTjtKeBZhnqsBXCSAorIn_xVZ/s1600/goldfinger-die01.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="242" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhp3oSVOxpGCXVl-HJSGDD5b5AI2U0OZ1HMAmecUEVN1baTho4XVtiI6Hw6Pm6Szimh0QHmPyIpNT2FOhH8H8AcXFBkFZf0M7yF_z79OxlDb8MLN22mvXLCTjtKeBZhnqsBXCSAorIn_xVZ/s400/goldfinger-die01.png" width="400" /></a><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwR7cjydJ5nOSUocBK4wG_WABbOGoWYnzCJbcsDOffliTzLO0EH2m1qAAFK9usxDcg2IJqz4zNPNzr2iVvtRYg9Au3x4Cj4zB9r_JfjdxjAVm5-IrB7C3OQJ2JSDtxZ2MTnSvlRniowdYa/s1600/goldfinger-die02.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="166" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwR7cjydJ5nOSUocBK4wG_WABbOGoWYnzCJbcsDOffliTzLO0EH2m1qAAFK9usxDcg2IJqz4zNPNzr2iVvtRYg9Au3x4Cj4zB9r_JfjdxjAVm5-IrB7C3OQJ2JSDtxZ2MTnSvlRniowdYa/s400/goldfinger-die02.png" width="400" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><br /></span>
<br />
<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><b><i><span style="font-size: large;">Thunderball</span></i></b> (1965)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">Another Q-lab cameo from Bond's gadget-laden repertoire. Glad to see that jetpack still fires up after all these years!</span><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiG5p07USE9W4Vqaxvr3zt0hqDUrc2E3fg0RDRgKpxbYUiLDRn1kriChjzDrETj4Gukqw70FHZozivtlnqNPn5VNGVFNoKZUpnZ0PPiMdPjiEYlh-7YnK_5bsXuADxbT7zDaEOCD12jjPdI/s1600/thunderball-die01.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="167" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiG5p07USE9W4Vqaxvr3zt0hqDUrc2E3fg0RDRgKpxbYUiLDRn1kriChjzDrETj4Gukqw70FHZozivtlnqNPn5VNGVFNoKZUpnZ0PPiMdPjiEYlh-7YnK_5bsXuADxbT7zDaEOCD12jjPdI/s400/thunderball-die01.png" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtfaOezwkDh7v_6xjEUxC3p_jzThd08sFgGUQsHuEjEarez6ChjYFxDf89psLKUTQixEAyr09Ise1nZ9LdiVuIFzwFVXXtBSeg4sPGAWpHFOtckNcbZ1k8557scDT-9WFgBPgGcUjmRU6V/s1600/thunderball-die02.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="166" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtfaOezwkDh7v_6xjEUxC3p_jzThd08sFgGUQsHuEjEarez6ChjYFxDf89psLKUTQixEAyr09Ise1nZ9LdiVuIFzwFVXXtBSeg4sPGAWpHFOtckNcbZ1k8557scDT-9WFgBPgGcUjmRU6V/s400/thunderball-die02.png" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><b><i><span style="font-size: large;">You Only Live Twice</span></i></b> (1967)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">Late in </span><i style="font-family: 'courier new', courier, monospace;">YOLT</i><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">, ninjas rapel down ropes into Blofeld's super-secret volcano lair, a trick Jinx copies as she lowers herself into Gustav Graves's diamond mine.</span><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgqxWI4reea6SKDTwl9Kzk-dzUHN69YTNP9TBSpHCFuwoAQyPsQxTVoudSpO7SekA17Wy0tqnMyBdmYKBunh83UxNimvCeFHecJhshLVb2DoV_43yZIvQI3UGs6PwCUsXHV6nUfodo09ms/s1600/youonlylive-die01.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="167" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgqxWI4reea6SKDTwl9Kzk-dzUHN69YTNP9TBSpHCFuwoAQyPsQxTVoudSpO7SekA17Wy0tqnMyBdmYKBunh83UxNimvCeFHecJhshLVb2DoV_43yZIvQI3UGs6PwCUsXHV6nUfodo09ms/s400/youonlylive-die01.png" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLerQiBfSP9SdHiNFku0b62JK380olXwKPrT84zuKNODUhpeM7Dvly1pdE9BzCIJbmRTBrq3In_Jvv3GhkcKAhqwnSkCihf9CNWKH6g-8sgluR77IJs8D_Kjz-I0sbtFDEyBzEvIqzHfoA/s1600/youonlylive-die02.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="167" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLerQiBfSP9SdHiNFku0b62JK380olXwKPrT84zuKNODUhpeM7Dvly1pdE9BzCIJbmRTBrq3In_Jvv3GhkcKAhqwnSkCihf9CNWKH6g-8sgluR77IJs8D_Kjz-I0sbtFDEyBzEvIqzHfoA/s400/youonlylive-die02.png" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><i><b><span style="font-size: large;">On Her Majesty's Secret Service</span> </b></i>(1969)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">Bond's office in MI6 Headquarters is seen for the first time since </span><i style="font-family: 'courier new', courier, monospace;">OHMSS</i><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"> (where it was also littered with trinkets from previous films.)</span><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEpv-rr-ckOxElO0htH6o4PYx7oRslzk8snf-RJQAL54e1-sL3GgndfcwYZweUZ8qVoohIj7GRt4PLe877Abb5NoOQSY7fQyRFNKWinIqipghyjz74Mfn0sPvhb_kksazYNRBSsiISLndP/s1600/ohmss-die01.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="175" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEpv-rr-ckOxElO0htH6o4PYx7oRslzk8snf-RJQAL54e1-sL3GgndfcwYZweUZ8qVoohIj7GRt4PLe877Abb5NoOQSY7fQyRFNKWinIqipghyjz74Mfn0sPvhb_kksazYNRBSsiISLndP/s400/ohmss-die01.png" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLgi5zj7-xViA-LsnyaZYnLQvYTNAS7k4Z5i9H92A_5pIwzfKsT0D00ms1zcri_WCzO_d1c8tVO_qVHS3TN0A-s6kx_UsIVmVCQrBVF22FKc1MzFda5bK91pMkXnJ7EEZPAZcMkAs-XN_m/s1600/ohmss-die02.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="167" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLgi5zj7-xViA-LsnyaZYnLQvYTNAS7k4Z5i9H92A_5pIwzfKsT0D00ms1zcri_WCzO_d1c8tVO_qVHS3TN0A-s6kx_UsIVmVCQrBVF22FKc1MzFda5bK91pMkXnJ7EEZPAZcMkAs-XN_m/s400/ohmss-die02.png" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><b><i><span style="font-size: large;">Diamonds Are Forever</span></i></b> (1971)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">Another obvious homage, literally spelled out for eagle-eyed viewers.</span><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjScr0bIANpgjKsINVlX_GF_rhVpFNsMFJJqV_8ptgiLySwIJrbfkVqJPbftwaSFaPX1Q5p07eKimNel8_vceCddomTu3yHZBpuZ5KT7gDm6SGLJMmaRopK8teNbK5SSoXOD9Kw6jusPXrm/s1600/diamonds-die01.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="167" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjScr0bIANpgjKsINVlX_GF_rhVpFNsMFJJqV_8ptgiLySwIJrbfkVqJPbftwaSFaPX1Q5p07eKimNel8_vceCddomTu3yHZBpuZ5KT7gDm6SGLJMmaRopK8teNbK5SSoXOD9Kw6jusPXrm/s400/diamonds-die01.png" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjXaQXiatTpCk-gBRf4yCGu4K8d186i0WWihTpk49wz50k76CllfO1KzbnF1BY1E5Z0Px8IDXxRsgZVJDfc_7wHW8m5_cAAavCvIZKdblND4BJRn5P_xeMPtZGISk7iSt23s4YGjwVnYbm/s1600/diamonds-die02.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="166" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjXaQXiatTpCk-gBRf4yCGu4K8d186i0WWihTpk49wz50k76CllfO1KzbnF1BY1E5Z0Px8IDXxRsgZVJDfc_7wHW8m5_cAAavCvIZKdblND4BJRn5P_xeMPtZGISk7iSt23s4YGjwVnYbm/s400/diamonds-die02.png" width="400" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><b><i><span style="font-size: large;">Live And Let Die</span></i></b> (1973)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">Kananga's poppy fields in <i>LALD</i> are obliterated by row after row of timed landmines. The same blast pattern appears during the climax of <i>DAD</i>, thanks to Graves's Icarus space laser (you heard me).</span><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdlTF2ELltDqAAkT999AJuQbYOo0usBQEw-aqpu0eR4hX_NFw3N5qKJ0bRcAB1Raa-_SGM4U4k1dxKD6w54YHBLNrcM9oov-C1f6UDK8AFACQQ0PMBDWiD0JwCEE9X4yQDtPFgqGXQvDgG/s1600/liveandlet-die01.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="227" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdlTF2ELltDqAAkT999AJuQbYOo0usBQEw-aqpu0eR4hX_NFw3N5qKJ0bRcAB1Raa-_SGM4U4k1dxKD6w54YHBLNrcM9oov-C1f6UDK8AFACQQ0PMBDWiD0JwCEE9X4yQDtPFgqGXQvDgG/s400/liveandlet-die01.png" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0DGNNBrAHeTIoIlOjX02wRShw95qfEXuzU84_OjuKCk7RvEkAzuD7hj88ksSRqrzlBvVVfK6jZQ6CVUWnHYS51AB0iZX4eE3VG3cERSZghQlli6i0-iA9hLwQqDZLJ2xhbzr2z7_J9PpB/s1600/liveandlet-die02.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="167" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0DGNNBrAHeTIoIlOjX02wRShw95qfEXuzU84_OjuKCk7RvEkAzuD7hj88ksSRqrzlBvVVfK6jZQ6CVUWnHYS51AB0iZX4eE3VG3cERSZghQlli6i0-iA9hLwQqDZLJ2xhbzr2z7_J9PpB/s400/liveandlet-die02.png" width="400" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"> </span><br />
<b style="font-family: 'courier new', courier, monospace;"><i><span style="font-size: large;">The Man With The Golden Gun</span></i></b><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"> (1974)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">Apparently, 007 has a serious belly-button fetish.</span><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIXCtAEVpfbTj8PUaVvVnsGSHTnZrLQSyOWSnalp536Y2kJPdWwb4vjOTNglV9W-Unx2JCsUWlVAXA9ysPp32eWqwEB2VIQZzcbkDJDeX0mpiKCzc7ta-zCw1Rh7v1jwxDagr032yXg25H/s1600/mangolden-die01.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="227" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIXCtAEVpfbTj8PUaVvVnsGSHTnZrLQSyOWSnalp536Y2kJPdWwb4vjOTNglV9W-Unx2JCsUWlVAXA9ysPp32eWqwEB2VIQZzcbkDJDeX0mpiKCzc7ta-zCw1Rh7v1jwxDagr032yXg25H/s400/mangolden-die01.png" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_mDA7ilgtvKWzXcSMYOEGeYV_Gs0kenV6KL0k6ZaIzTcRkKeorCUWcE_ggxcAJgitohTa37d0oGO4hbuL9UFOv7wnfhZt3UXNRp6Pesi0mJgfu769jxh8mAFx42vy5w19Dzt7J2XgnexW/s1600/mangolden-die02.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="167" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_mDA7ilgtvKWzXcSMYOEGeYV_Gs0kenV6KL0k6ZaIzTcRkKeorCUWcE_ggxcAJgitohTa37d0oGO4hbuL9UFOv7wnfhZt3UXNRp6Pesi0mJgfu769jxh8mAFx42vy5w19Dzt7J2XgnexW/s400/mangolden-die02.png" width="400" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><b><i><span style="font-size: large;">The Spy Who Loved Me</span></i></b> (1977)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">Graves uses a Union Jack parachute during his introductory scene in <i>DAD</i>. Clearly a man after Bond's own heart.</span><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYfS2Jhdv2JByk-CSg_Nv0Iyh4hAxC2ySH8ysVvmXijiKCoML27MOOa5Rt2_9zERJz5kIKSTSHLcul-_EzaWJBJJsncUwN9um1zkkRHA1_cC-pBaSJa5gcEYQRJwIIcPwUARUR6beh7jV1/s1600/spywho-die01.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="167" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYfS2Jhdv2JByk-CSg_Nv0Iyh4hAxC2ySH8ysVvmXijiKCoML27MOOa5Rt2_9zERJz5kIKSTSHLcul-_EzaWJBJJsncUwN9um1zkkRHA1_cC-pBaSJa5gcEYQRJwIIcPwUARUR6beh7jV1/s400/spywho-die01.png" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfb9XvJ0wHTwSglaDuTowi3sV70nBmSoggdKtP3ilTP2tGNsoZjEzUh39ZNhXG7UNy23wQSig7WQ4fUimM7rtq3rva5rsXix5ltll5c7qLXoK506eRE_NyA1UqmYJ6DnoQ-kjZnWo4Pirv/s1600/spywho-die02.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="167" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfb9XvJ0wHTwSglaDuTowi3sV70nBmSoggdKtP3ilTP2tGNsoZjEzUh39ZNhXG7UNy23wQSig7WQ4fUimM7rtq3rva5rsXix5ltll5c7qLXoK506eRE_NyA1UqmYJ6DnoQ-kjZnWo4Pirv/s400/spywho-die02.png" width="400" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><b><i><span style="font-size: large;">Moonraker</span></i></b> (1979)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">Rule #757 in a Bond film: bad guys and waterfalls don't mix.</span><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgD3eN-hCjtuAWGm9zIf8zO3l-zJs8zgq21kCreEw-Q4iQp6tVWQkcvDPS2UCtJIEXZnsFGnkGlb5uADIY4hhPiNV_OUozYHc8laa6UjEQZq85YAU-I0Smv9rIIR1Rb_Pg3hONbBXmTBOxE/s1600/moonraker-die01.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="167" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgD3eN-hCjtuAWGm9zIf8zO3l-zJs8zgq21kCreEw-Q4iQp6tVWQkcvDPS2UCtJIEXZnsFGnkGlb5uADIY4hhPiNV_OUozYHc8laa6UjEQZq85YAU-I0Smv9rIIR1Rb_Pg3hONbBXmTBOxE/s400/moonraker-die01.png" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6kj4tbKbIKc4edotVGKaqwdO6OyiWEuEI7yicZNezO9xJl2MFM1StCtvIG6_BbBqEn7A2D89PNw4qEVUtdSWULocOwDEPwrew-tN4yjvvSNFXGYRoji-9vkBEV_Mzco0IVG9RUFiNtcvI/s1600/moonraker-die02.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="167" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6kj4tbKbIKc4edotVGKaqwdO6OyiWEuEI7yicZNezO9xJl2MFM1StCtvIG6_BbBqEn7A2D89PNw4qEVUtdSWULocOwDEPwrew-tN4yjvvSNFXGYRoji-9vkBEV_Mzco0IVG9RUFiNtcvI/s400/moonraker-die02.png" width="400" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><b><i><span style="font-size: large;">For Your Eyes Only</span> </i></b>(1981)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">Bond's yellow diving helmet also gets a cameo in Q's lab...</span><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheZznT72fMsGCsZ8kRP2GsJTqOS93MiSSndIeMJsKI-5LwKKJV46YJG8-JBgPwBp6G_tnJTcnpVAplEySXjLaDUaitXozWVDhr9VYtdgrM_sjw5X8u8GXRScg3T-51fxcQWhy3Lf3TlLPK/s1600/foryoureyes-die01.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="167" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheZznT72fMsGCsZ8kRP2GsJTqOS93MiSSndIeMJsKI-5LwKKJV46YJG8-JBgPwBp6G_tnJTcnpVAplEySXjLaDUaitXozWVDhr9VYtdgrM_sjw5X8u8GXRScg3T-51fxcQWhy3Lf3TlLPK/s400/foryoureyes-die01.png" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhn6Avfk8eDBYSLFeuGFDiCC5I0_dtIpHQNs0Z6B91Bb9D1_YWvi60AL4XJDZMX4s00x7wTG27fPQlxg9tVfxqFBYM_qNLmiSjU72k3CrjWkn4tBqMCTJPAJ4nVPWSIq_GDgGzm9MhJFEFX/s1600/foryoureyes-die02.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="166" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhn6Avfk8eDBYSLFeuGFDiCC5I0_dtIpHQNs0Z6B91Bb9D1_YWvi60AL4XJDZMX4s00x7wTG27fPQlxg9tVfxqFBYM_qNLmiSjU72k3CrjWkn4tBqMCTJPAJ4nVPWSIq_GDgGzm9MhJFEFX/s400/foryoureyes-die02.png" width="400" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><b><i><span style="font-size: large;">Octopussy</span></i></b> (1983)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">... as does his </span><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">AcroStar mini-jet and </span><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">crocodile submarine...</span><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8OB9-QpXkVlDHhllJmIfrwmd79K2vFKIs7d9B7a66RtcuoFJse7HmpNnNPHoMRWt5rjdsKakR7dxkRw2loevANrKjjI7g9e1XQNH5dDSf4H9-o6jJIKndI_Ysb-ipVvBLOgeFLeq5r3lR/s1600/octopussy-die01.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="167" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8OB9-QpXkVlDHhllJmIfrwmd79K2vFKIs7d9B7a66RtcuoFJse7HmpNnNPHoMRWt5rjdsKakR7dxkRw2loevANrKjjI7g9e1XQNH5dDSf4H9-o6jJIKndI_Ysb-ipVvBLOgeFLeq5r3lR/s400/octopussy-die01.png" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgS99Lz7USLOVtDQPa0cZsq6CIINMdA5E_nA-F06yI7o_OP7cFmx3mjg52TpFK_qmX8SYjKgpyq-4YKI8b1i0OoDPJb_c0w4e9w89FV_NxLg9UuIyo0nw3nPRsLp44HlURpU6_H0LSzc0u5/s1600/octopussy-die02.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="167" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgS99Lz7USLOVtDQPa0cZsq6CIINMdA5E_nA-F06yI7o_OP7cFmx3mjg52TpFK_qmX8SYjKgpyq-4YKI8b1i0OoDPJb_c0w4e9w89FV_NxLg9UuIyo0nw3nPRsLp44HlURpU6_H0LSzc0u5/s400/octopussy-die02.png" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKhrlyQ7rEXzS0wK-F7TbXV3IOQsQrvEevpoGg25OcDok3HHRm2BO0OohqQE52whiAEamIx-YA7mrN7rXcuDtJPG8BeA8TNs9cRVu2oxLKaX3oaM-l_-PZWAYqeCJVDpz5VyKWKePXJas2/s1600/octopussy-die03.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="166" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKhrlyQ7rEXzS0wK-F7TbXV3IOQsQrvEevpoGg25OcDok3HHRm2BO0OohqQE52whiAEamIx-YA7mrN7rXcuDtJPG8BeA8TNs9cRVu2oxLKaX3oaM-l_-PZWAYqeCJVDpz5VyKWKePXJas2/s400/octopussy-die03.png" width="400" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><br /></span>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<b style="font-family: 'courier new', courier, monospace;"><i> </i></b><br />
<b style="font-family: 'courier new', courier, monospace;"><i><span style="font-size: large;">A View To A Kill</span></i></b><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"> (1985)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">... and also his adorable electronic snooper. Seems Q's workspace is a veritable treasure trove of Bond-ian easter eggs!</span><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7cHMh837Y85D_APqGp3kiT5AH-mQvyuFCXKgNKf8J6M74Viz32J8S_fl9sBMSLEROzK82oZOLiOXjP7Rv7W6Gqqfama1lGOl7FC5-dd503i6r_hJD9kk22ZreABwBcjzkC2_0PyG_fU99/s1600/viewto-die01.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="167" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7cHMh837Y85D_APqGp3kiT5AH-mQvyuFCXKgNKf8J6M74Viz32J8S_fl9sBMSLEROzK82oZOLiOXjP7Rv7W6Gqqfama1lGOl7FC5-dd503i6r_hJD9kk22ZreABwBcjzkC2_0PyG_fU99/s400/viewto-die01.png" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguDJb-HpZdE_G9HfZIO6ltwusGMkaTF-lia7Kvso0tXqh2UAjGqJ0AwESjQBNsIyuypTrMjmrRF4ap-mikvm0FfGlMDNBMNa4_4_FKvT8U7I6u5XX1iW3Sa8SbmMG2MM8olVktJ_wBQ91F/s1600/viewto-die02.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="166" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguDJb-HpZdE_G9HfZIO6ltwusGMkaTF-lia7Kvso0tXqh2UAjGqJ0AwESjQBNsIyuypTrMjmrRF4ap-mikvm0FfGlMDNBMNa4_4_FKvT8U7I6u5XX1iW3Sa8SbmMG2MM8olVktJ_wBQ91F/s400/viewto-die02.png" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<b style="font-family: 'courier new', courier, monospace;"><i><span style="font-size: large;">The Living Daylights</span></i></b><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"> (1987)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">Rule #294 in a Bond film: every MI6-issued Aston Martin must come equipped with retractable tire spikes for sub-zero action sequences.</span><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipm7xx6gLOrVV8_X9VMxrvVTQDWIRIhXuGS1ARSAHhHQyMbkjQ26duuyPbFgVdXi16ZCn9n1T_kYBzQ5b4k-BqB5jeEQN7BagPjAXinfgXLuP0THGinf2DojtHByJEf-lJqUN7uGK8Y2ql/s1600/livingday-die01.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="167" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipm7xx6gLOrVV8_X9VMxrvVTQDWIRIhXuGS1ARSAHhHQyMbkjQ26duuyPbFgVdXi16ZCn9n1T_kYBzQ5b4k-BqB5jeEQN7BagPjAXinfgXLuP0THGinf2DojtHByJEf-lJqUN7uGK8Y2ql/s400/livingday-die01.png" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTcFBTW3ioeF_IH1A_kdvPT0Nmj1YER9ssfjfLNM4K2YzsQSHhm4Gih5GaoL0lRjeoFco6PAmBww46wIYaSzebQ8iZ0wZ0nHyVc71y7h9t-bnzc45Y-cgsTVM12kLCPtFFx5oyYixjSnXf/s1600/livingday-die02.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="166" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTcFBTW3ioeF_IH1A_kdvPT0Nmj1YER9ssfjfLNM4K2YzsQSHhm4Gih5GaoL0lRjeoFco6PAmBww46wIYaSzebQ8iZ0wZ0nHyVc71y7h9t-bnzc45Y-cgsTVM12kLCPtFFx5oyYixjSnXf/s400/livingday-die02.png" width="400" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><b><i><span style="font-size: large;">Licence To Kill</span></i></b> (1989)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">This one's a bit more inside baseball. In <i>LTK</i>, Bond slips his airplane ticket into his right jacket pocket as he enters the airport, but later pulls the ticket from his left pocket as he approaches the desk. <i>DAD</i> repeats the same gaffe outside the Alvarez Clinic.</span><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOhAJZTH7EPxDSlemZyDPuT7wOtAQYTTIHlLqrM0nS-xCtvj9ghfbKleFBcGo7neHXGEm71Q7qDVhzPYCvRYwTs47gPwtcOWfr7e8DyGwxTjIpAYsck6Zf_rMX14ySrbAg1Zqx3rKGKcoc/s1600/licenceto-die01.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="168" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOhAJZTH7EPxDSlemZyDPuT7wOtAQYTTIHlLqrM0nS-xCtvj9ghfbKleFBcGo7neHXGEm71Q7qDVhzPYCvRYwTs47gPwtcOWfr7e8DyGwxTjIpAYsck6Zf_rMX14ySrbAg1Zqx3rKGKcoc/s400/licenceto-die01.png" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhq0jwXgMd5rl7cG1CVGST4mD7JtYSUhEr1b0ywYpYAa22MRZplL1aMn2MkApcsaI3gq7chwKcnnIkBDmjWd8hS09rv43_870loQNAL7BqLOOciMGUUCMjVohbiRLZZ0nBX-TZBdA8jcyNZ/s1600/licenceto-die02.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="168" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhq0jwXgMd5rl7cG1CVGST4mD7JtYSUhEr1b0ywYpYAa22MRZplL1aMn2MkApcsaI3gq7chwKcnnIkBDmjWd8hS09rv43_870loQNAL7BqLOOciMGUUCMjVohbiRLZZ0nBX-TZBdA8jcyNZ/s400/licenceto-die02.png" width="400" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><b><i><span style="font-size: large;">GoldenEye</span></i></b> (1995)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">During a brief bit of soul-searching before the climax of <i>GoldenEye</i>, Bond tells Natalya Simonova that being "cold" is what "keeps [him] alive." As if to underline the idea that Jinx is his female American counterpart in <i>DAD</i>, Bond tells Jinx that the "cold must have kept you alive" while trying to resuscitate her outside Graves's melting ice palace (you heard me).</span><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_vj9h1fOTadk__ajb2P56lYyf26qQvw67X7lJbywavwkWrOuxWLNOckwhfURPm5xPer2M9ENSz9nEHf3fxMzltKEjHwD5rYfShhsTj9V5qkfCGrhRZB73lkhzKEldJi5WKKJXR41GB4GJ/s1600/goldeneye-die01.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="167" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_vj9h1fOTadk__ajb2P56lYyf26qQvw67X7lJbywavwkWrOuxWLNOckwhfURPm5xPer2M9ENSz9nEHf3fxMzltKEjHwD5rYfShhsTj9V5qkfCGrhRZB73lkhzKEldJi5WKKJXR41GB4GJ/s400/goldeneye-die01.png" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbfkTuCV5Y3VuAP0aELrrszPboiK3DCPTyBmB7Ajx1sPze5WHtJqPmtHW4NYvc8uTLFeCDgnoC2bLmRyWMtgV-82ovWU0SYI4C9cK3FCHhugJcIwBSvR5hSKbV17sphg2BiPoRTSOo8HoD/s1600/goldeneye-die02.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="166" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbfkTuCV5Y3VuAP0aELrrszPboiK3DCPTyBmB7Ajx1sPze5WHtJqPmtHW4NYvc8uTLFeCDgnoC2bLmRyWMtgV-82ovWU0SYI4C9cK3FCHhugJcIwBSvR5hSKbV17sphg2BiPoRTSOo8HoD/s400/goldeneye-die02.png" width="400" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><b><i><span style="font-size: large;">Tomorrow Never Dies</span></i></b> (1997)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">We've spoken a bit about recycled footage in franchises before, but this one seems a little more deliberate. And no amount of fancy-shmancy CG recoloring of your rocket is gonna cover that up.</span><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEHwKVQ0Eoa2Q02_iiy8Chkst2GwDNUq0Arq6Ls6lq0HgPesS1d2BnY_smZ9fvXRZSvc3pi01pCbra7FJpVItPbEthGoxQ7Npfn-BbCRiIfvuTjohHWErIwgx2in0cq_z0A3qIi94xB493/s1600/tomorrow-die01.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="167" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEHwKVQ0Eoa2Q02_iiy8Chkst2GwDNUq0Arq6Ls6lq0HgPesS1d2BnY_smZ9fvXRZSvc3pi01pCbra7FJpVItPbEthGoxQ7Npfn-BbCRiIfvuTjohHWErIwgx2in0cq_z0A3qIi94xB493/s400/tomorrow-die01.png" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZqRoS0Monro5iNMsiJim9sGaT4LG4KQa06t2p21iKajC3oByPepIWnO6KR7lpb1jkl6GS-WKxnm_Lyiiir1eJ3QK-d_HuYHqajVAUVNbmznt2s_fuGsMudN36iJ09ObIgdGj7xQRVxK_9/s1600/tomorrow-die02.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="167" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZqRoS0Monro5iNMsiJim9sGaT4LG4KQa06t2p21iKajC3oByPepIWnO6KR7lpb1jkl6GS-WKxnm_Lyiiir1eJ3QK-d_HuYHqajVAUVNbmznt2s_fuGsMudN36iJ09ObIgdGj7xQRVxK_9/s400/tomorrow-die02.png" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><b><i><span style="font-size: large;">The World Is Not Enough</span></i></b> (1999)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">Ah, yes, 007's signature dive-and-roll-to-avoid-getting-chopped-in-half-by-his-enemy technique. Fools 'em every time.</span><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfDTUOY-QaHmj1f50kZ-Gj4tROP6hfK_IwW79qKKl4sTNcs6ey7AxvHnkh3GcduqlZnGvfnHflTYAyExGMUUYeLxCKo5Sxi_F-4nfIpuOn2JqaCYQAIUT5Iv_6_bdEM2UgkBqgtSLrdBu7/s1600/worldnot-die01.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="167" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfDTUOY-QaHmj1f50kZ-Gj4tROP6hfK_IwW79qKKl4sTNcs6ey7AxvHnkh3GcduqlZnGvfnHflTYAyExGMUUYeLxCKo5Sxi_F-4nfIpuOn2JqaCYQAIUT5Iv_6_bdEM2UgkBqgtSLrdBu7/s400/worldnot-die01.png" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimlDoXg0BpUhg74leaByn33THEKv_y1BzkqlE-kgrKC4RFxgUo6eYB6wcUNdBQTth2wg8HfnduTNLZkWH0Yl_K_MUhM51skcizX2pWPg12bq1uEflRcoX3ZEO8DSZrKV6NyoYShJGJRMit/s1600/worldnot-die02.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="167" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimlDoXg0BpUhg74leaByn33THEKv_y1BzkqlE-kgrKC4RFxgUo6eYB6wcUNdBQTth2wg8HfnduTNLZkWH0Yl_K_MUhM51skcizX2pWPg12bq1uEflRcoX3ZEO8DSZrKV6NyoYShJGJRMit/s400/worldnot-die02.png" width="400" /></a><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWlrytOqSZ3WUO8r9TTr5Ipj5evUptwdbAdZt6Ya2d_jiQpTGzXGEMWVDQN5l168Fr_oho8R0s1k9PtYuaR7am22b1h2K1hsUP6oyzX02I7uED1G51MqnqmPJttQZDeFl93RzmVRIZb-WF/s1600/worldnot-die03.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="167" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWlrytOqSZ3WUO8r9TTr5Ipj5evUptwdbAdZt6Ya2d_jiQpTGzXGEMWVDQN5l168Fr_oho8R0s1k9PtYuaR7am22b1h2K1hsUP6oyzX02I7uED1G51MqnqmPJttQZDeFl93RzmVRIZb-WF/s400/worldnot-die03.png" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkS2eh-ICCEHNAd5elNXerl8hLTL3Q4NnXCHuX1EJyPQsR00XhryOxblBk9LCZ_ajXNQk1JjqUFD8phg5JVk2nmwgv3ZVpoXSk0aot6c_pBp-oqM2fe4ZoXd0HmLZIQajMWcTVRC5T0mth/s1600/worldnot-die04.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="167" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkS2eh-ICCEHNAd5elNXerl8hLTL3Q4NnXCHuX1EJyPQsR00XhryOxblBk9LCZ_ajXNQk1JjqUFD8phg5JVk2nmwgv3ZVpoXSk0aot6c_pBp-oqM2fe4ZoXd0HmLZIQajMWcTVRC5T0mth/s400/worldnot-die04.png" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">Finally, some non-canonical fun tied specifically to the creation of the character himself. While trying to come up with a "dull, uninteresting" nom de plume for his literary super agent in <i>Casino</i> <i>Royale</i> (1952), Ian Fleming settled on the name James Bond, ornithologist and author of the 1936 field guide <i>Birds of the West Indies</i>, of which Fleming was a fan. In <i>DAD</i>, while working undercover in Havana, Bond poses as an ornithologist, using this same book as his inspiration:</span><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7e04CNvkL-wVFbSMbjNzxbNYZ4Fm6i9tG8JJ565hhEDAtU1tVlmfIVTcgs72KwH3OckJRG_AmGyYZdtv_Ij-4I-YVhcBoMDX0w5DJ7H4FQN3DhnqTtbspaugYOF-z7kC6HBJQZj_8Pz9P/s1600/fleming-birds.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="166" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7e04CNvkL-wVFbSMbjNzxbNYZ4Fm6i9tG8JJ565hhEDAtU1tVlmfIVTcgs72KwH3OckJRG_AmGyYZdtv_Ij-4I-YVhcBoMDX0w5DJ7H4FQN3DhnqTtbspaugYOF-z7kC6HBJQZj_8Pz9P/s400/fleming-birds.png" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">Well played, Mr. Bond. Well played.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">(For a complete list of references in <i>Die Another Day</i>, visit </span><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><a href="https://www.mi6-hq.com/sections/articles/dad_homages.php3?t=dad"><span style="color: #3d85c6;">https://www.mi6-hq.com/sections/articles/dad_homages.php3?t=dad</span></a></span><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">.)</span>D.W. Lundberghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03709428152190690075noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8005808875158331076.post-86722683966432586122015-10-30T19:25:00.000-06:002015-12-13T13:12:16.677-07:00... FOR "HALLOWEEN HORROR PROJECT 2016"<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJKY563vg72Q3Dgusnjcw4GZxHpIyvZOWJyyXg25ydSM_clYJqcd4u0YNT2NNeXw5PVmJK1x0luo4WjWbwfJ1TyTF9morjF5vDqSXSrYHa5yA_Eg-1H6A2IVhsPtlyF_LfNLp0Pfd-f_at/s1600/intro.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="250" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJKY563vg72Q3Dgusnjcw4GZxHpIyvZOWJyyXg25ydSM_clYJqcd4u0YNT2NNeXw5PVmJK1x0luo4WjWbwfJ1TyTF9morjF5vDqSXSrYHa5yA_Eg-1H6A2IVhsPtlyF_LfNLp0Pfd-f_at/s400/intro.png" width="400" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: "courier new"; line-height: 115%;">Well, it's Halloween again, folks! That time when we fire up our
cauldrons and our jack-o'-lanterns, and line the grocery stores for our Kit
Kats and costumes for the kiddos, all in anticipation of everyone's <i>second</i> favorite holiday of the year (or,
as we like to call it in the Lundberg home, The Night We Stock Up On Enough Stinking
Candy To Last Us Through Easter At Least). It is also the time for <i>movies</i> about ghouls, ghosts, and goblins
to flood our cinematic consciousness, and in keeping with tradition here at
FTWW, I wanted to do something fun for you guys as a countdown to the big
night.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "courier new"; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "courier new"; line-height: 115%;">This year, though, I wanted to make it a bit more personal, so
instead of offering up a generic list of Horror titles guaranteed to worm their
way into everyone's torture chamber at night, I've decided to share 31 (31 - <i>get it?</i>) of the biggest frights of my
entire movie-going experience - specific moments from specific films, in order
of intensity, which managed to scare the ever-living bejeebus out of me since I
first fell in love with movies as a kid.</span><br />
<a name='more'></a><br />
<span style="font-family: "courier new"; line-height: 115%;">The funny thing about Horror: the stuff that keeps <i>me</i> awake at night is probably the very thing that puts you to sleep. So much of what frightens us depends on our upbringing and our environment and the way we've led our live up to this point, it's silly to think that your list (should you be inclined to conjure one up yourself) would be topped by such things as banshees, sharks or killer cyborgs... but that doesn't mean we can't get together and compare notes. So consider this a jumping-off point to a wider conversation about the nature of fear - a conversation I'd love to continue with you, either on Facebook or in the comments below.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "courier new"; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "courier new"; line-height: 115%;">Also note: a film's placement on this list does not necessarily reflect the quality of the movie itself. Horror masterpieces such as <i>Night Of The Hunter</i> (1955) and <i>Dawn Of The Dead</i> (1978) have been deliberately left of the list not because they fail to be "scary," per se, but because I admire them more for their ambition that their actual scare quotient. (The same goes for <i>Bride Of Frankenstein </i>or <i>Evil Dead II</i>, which I love, but which I also find more funny than frightening.) This, after all, is a list of Most Frightening Movie <i>Moments</i>, not Most Frightening <i>Movies</i>. So go ahead, flip off all the lights, huddle close to your computer screen or tablet, and pay no mind to that scratching sound at your window - it's just me, trying to get myself invited in.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "courier new"; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "courier new"; line-height: 115%;">Now, without further a-Boo...</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "courier new"; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "courier new"; line-height: 115%;">__________</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "courier new"; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<span style="font-family: "courier new"; line-height: 115%;">#31: </span><b><i><span style="font-family: "courier new"; font-size: large; line-height: 115%;">The Thing (From Another World)</span></i></b><br />
<span style="font-family: "courier new"; line-height: 115%;"> (Christian </span><span style="font-family: "courier new"; line-height: 115%;">Nyby, 1951)</span><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgopLg2Nu2sMOD1QFXIS6I_Re3CjH4CjgsLVHcoD6ke1hk8T2Dfh-FPz6bbex0kTnKmiSDFiLhWk7GOki7VqszjyalN1-wfI7_MIxA0cPgcd2bGQ1aGYCE5VEmM3ZH75SA8y5j90l63z8oC/s1600/thing1951.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="283" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgopLg2Nu2sMOD1QFXIS6I_Re3CjH4CjgsLVHcoD6ke1hk8T2Dfh-FPz6bbex0kTnKmiSDFiLhWk7GOki7VqszjyalN1-wfI7_MIxA0cPgcd2bGQ1aGYCE5VEmM3ZH75SA8y5j90l63z8oC/s400/thing1951.png" width="400" /></a></div>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "courier new"; line-height: 115%;"></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "courier new"; line-height: 115%;">Howard Hawks's '50s classic keeps its monster hidden in
the shadows for so long that it hardly matters when it turns out to be nothing
more than a dude in fright makeup and platform boots. The movie's countless
shots of characters opening and closing doors throughout their Arctic outpost
has a brilliant payoff later on, when our heroes try to enter the greenhouse
only to find the alien creature standing on the other side!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "courier new"; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "courier new"; line-height: 115%;">#30: </span><b><i><span style="font-family: "courier new"; font-size: large; line-height: 115%;">Arachnophobia</span></i></b><span style="font-family: "courier new"; line-height: 115%;"> (Frank Marshall, 1990)</span><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5CAYuE4l0VebGjHMdi0xiQOXMQh3tSPakdeN5uBh3n3nr6I6ZhsVfgL5PSrMtJYGa4SbSDKRjfsQfLPl_WW9H4sEiRew9fIScxZ4IoalAAg6AlUK0Gkd63GUf6-mU-frVtPbN-kDAuAEf/s1600/arachnophobia.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="215" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5CAYuE4l0VebGjHMdi0xiQOXMQh3tSPakdeN5uBh3n3nr6I6ZhsVfgL5PSrMtJYGa4SbSDKRjfsQfLPl_WW9H4sEiRew9fIScxZ4IoalAAg6AlUK0Gkd63GUf6-mU-frVtPbN-kDAuAEf/s400/arachnophobia.png" width="400" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: "courier new"; line-height: 115%;">"It's a Thrill-omedy!" the ads proclaimed - a crude
yet concise description of director Frank Marshall's creepy-crawly
mini-masterpiece, which doles out the shocks and snickers in equal fashion. The
biggest jump comes early on, when a particularly hairy arachnid - supposedly
dead from toxic jungle fumes - suddenly rights itself and lunges straight at
the camera!</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "courier new"; line-height: 115%;">#29: </span><b><i><span style="font-family: "courier new"; font-size: large; line-height: 115%;">Cloverfield</span></i></b><span style="font-family: "courier new"; line-height: 115%;"> (Matt
Reeves, 2008)</span><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBT2rL7yMvAsfyAqkHJDY8Blnko2r8LiaZGl4nbmOz06Yvgq_KtFvBqRUmlS0XO1fDySlkTaCIag6lHkX-DGVLO-MZpVWWu4sqMF2kwiZls4eHiIAZpccVP4G0TUejyVG76c1hVtwaa4Eo/s1600/cloverfield.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="228" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBT2rL7yMvAsfyAqkHJDY8Blnko2r8LiaZGl4nbmOz06Yvgq_KtFvBqRUmlS0XO1fDySlkTaCIag6lHkX-DGVLO-MZpVWWu4sqMF2kwiZls4eHiIAZpccVP4G0TUejyVG76c1hVtwaa4Eo/s400/cloverfield.png" width="400" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: "courier new"; line-height: 115%;">Speaking of spiders, no scene in this found-footage/monster
movie mashup gave me a bigger case of the heebie-jeebies than the parasites-in-the-subway
scene. The tension mounts quickly, playing on our fears of the dark, homicidal
homeless people (don't ask), rats, and finally giant eight-legged beasties
(revealed via night vision camcorder) with shrieks so horrific and guttural, I
get the shakes just thinking about them.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "courier new"; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "courier new"; line-height: 115%;">#28: </span><b><i><span style="font-family: "courier new"; font-size: large; line-height: 115%;">The Mothman Prophecies</span></i></b><span style="font-family: "courier new"; line-height: 115%;"> (Mark</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "courier new"; line-height: 115%;"> Pellington, 2002)</span><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcSfKMfs4VqYdC2KrUtphIlFlKIPnt_Ib1kCoTJkPUdlsQaW63NBRQkJ41IwVR-4yab1VLp2ug9fxWV50rOWglAqe-g9-nZFl6s2J01Y2COPtoYesMAs3daeFhKIB8LdjXidQlehITVSVe/s1600/mothman.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="173" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcSfKMfs4VqYdC2KrUtphIlFlKIPnt_Ib1kCoTJkPUdlsQaW63NBRQkJ41IwVR-4yab1VLp2ug9fxWV50rOWglAqe-g9-nZFl6s2J01Y2COPtoYesMAs3daeFhKIB8LdjXidQlehITVSVe/s400/mothman.png" width="400" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: "courier new"; line-height: 115%;">Based on an actual case from the 1960s, this eerie box-office
underachiever plays (for the most part) like a splendid episode of </span><i style="font-family: 'Courier New'; line-height: 115%;">The Twilight Zone</i><span style="font-family: "courier new"; line-height: 115%;">, with editing tricks
and camera shots that keep us off-kilter throughout. The monster, thankfully,
is never glimpsed in full, save for a quick, </span><i style="font-family: 'Courier New'; line-height: 115%;">What the heck was THAT?!!</i><span style="font-family: "courier new"; line-height: 115%;"> subliminal close-up reflected in a mirror
on a slamming door.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "courier new"; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "courier new"; line-height: 115%;">#27: </span><b><i><span style="font-family: "courier new"; font-size: large; line-height: 115%;">What Lies Beneath</span></i></b><span style="font-family: "courier new"; line-height: 115%;"> (Robert
Zemeckis,</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "courier new"; line-height: 115%;"> 2000)</span><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhghmHKVGCeJGXOce5xU8BTtAzUimEiq-yIWhzsmDbLkvVC7lgWlZZeHe7pJ0A_GHwMOkZT_5L7xd68acJZ4E7fHzpw660PSjRw_9J7aEUctMg7G6kVSMCOmQ3ukkZmJo8QeVP8PhVByhvH/s1600/whatliesbeneath.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="166" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhghmHKVGCeJGXOce5xU8BTtAzUimEiq-yIWhzsmDbLkvVC7lgWlZZeHe7pJ0A_GHwMOkZT_5L7xd68acJZ4E7fHzpw660PSjRw_9J7aEUctMg7G6kVSMCOmQ3ukkZmJo8QeVP8PhVByhvH/s400/whatliesbeneath.png" width="400" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: "courier new"; line-height: 115%;">Zemeckis shot this sub-Hitchcockian horror-thriller while on
hiatus from </span><i style="font-family: 'Courier New'; line-height: 115%;"><a href="http://findingthewrongwords.blogspot.com/2010/05/for-best-films-of-decade-part-5.html"><span style="color: #3d85c6;">Cast Away</span></a></i><span style="font-family: "courier new"; line-height: 115%;">, but the scares
are so clever it's hard to dismiss as a simple one-off. For the climactic bathtub
scene, the moment where (name retracted) tilts (name retracted)'s head back to
reveal (name retracted)'s face instead caught me so off-guard that I let out an
actual "YELP!" at the screening we attended.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "courier new"; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "courier new"; line-height: 115%;">#26: </span><b><i><span style="font-family: "courier new"; font-size: large; line-height: 115%;">The Sixth Sense</span></i></b><span style="font-family: "courier new"; line-height: 115%;"> (M. Night
Shyamalan,</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "courier new"; line-height: 115%;"> 1999)</span><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEithOHVAQqgZ6LOFoXwDUvN4pojbfRvQ_t8zDmURP2Bf_HCg78V19jcVkXcfTpr7tRSlKOod86Wt7z95qmjvtZYx-yzBHiUSOZYXseRII5UfENfnLAyIRr1WxgHuTvX1M4VdtEnc8SZDujN/s1600/sixthsense.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="222" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEithOHVAQqgZ6LOFoXwDUvN4pojbfRvQ_t8zDmURP2Bf_HCg78V19jcVkXcfTpr7tRSlKOod86Wt7z95qmjvtZYx-yzBHiUSOZYXseRII5UfENfnLAyIRr1WxgHuTvX1M4VdtEnc8SZDujN/s400/sixthsense.png" width="400" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: "courier new"; line-height: 115%;">Yes, we were all bowled over by the big twist ending, yada yada
yada, blah de blah de blah - but I've always marveled at <a href="http://findingthewrongwords.blogspot.com/2014/07/in-defense-of-films-of-m-night-shyamalan.html"><span style="color: #3d85c6;">Shyamalan's</span></a> old-school
use of the camera frame to generate scares. The shot in which we first meet the
ghost of Kyra Collins is like a master class in suspense - Cole's breath, the
color red, and the popping clothespins all building to a reveal that shocks us
precisely because we didn't expect to see it there in the first place.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "courier new"; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "courier new"; line-height: 115%;">#25: </span><b><i><span style="font-family: "courier new"; font-size: large; line-height: 115%;">Carrie</span></i></b><span style="font-family: "courier new"; line-height: 115%;"> (Brian De Palma, 1976)</span><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2yauCgzcb3Z92aOE1Pt8wyD8j9KeA_myh6sGweKhQ1pjsjaoJyuWiicuuX_NvD06BDkp3qcuO5MWtYGnq395WM_iUhQeyQDiwzjPUJzLM12wt6DllCau2t2SJOMSifm6vAFRF25O0f6-Y/s1600/carrie1976.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="223" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2yauCgzcb3Z92aOE1Pt8wyD8j9KeA_myh6sGweKhQ1pjsjaoJyuWiicuuX_NvD06BDkp3qcuO5MWtYGnq395WM_iUhQeyQDiwzjPUJzLM12wt6DllCau2t2SJOMSifm6vAFRF25O0f6-Y/s400/carrie1976.png" width="400" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: "courier new"; line-height: 115%;">De Palma's dreamlike, erotically-charged adaptation of Stephen
King's blockbuster novel features one of the most memorable "Gotcha!"
endings in cinema history, after the horrors have (we think) subsided and we
settle in for what (we think) will be the movie's final hallucinatory shot. It's
a scare so unexpected, countless directors have been copying it shamelessly ever
since.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "courier new"; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "courier new"; line-height: 115%;">#24: </span><b><i><span style="font-family: "courier new"; font-size: large; line-height: 115%;">Wait Until Dark</span></i></b><span style="font-family: "courier new"; line-height: 115%;"> (Terence
Young, 1967)</span><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEju0oE3X7NSuz53rLZw0wn1f0q5A948o4ZLkoMHUfEDcwyuBBNyNU9z7pX3_32SX7VfnDO2JwrrdgOSRMdJoAjXH5v48AbIDe2P0kJhwRCTnfYwJQrIpx7K5MAHAYcSuOQkYVP1sRGlHVJK/s1600/waituntildark.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="223" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEju0oE3X7NSuz53rLZw0wn1f0q5A948o4ZLkoMHUfEDcwyuBBNyNU9z7pX3_32SX7VfnDO2JwrrdgOSRMdJoAjXH5v48AbIDe2P0kJhwRCTnfYwJQrIpx7K5MAHAYcSuOQkYVP1sRGlHVJK/s400/waituntildark.png" width="400" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: "courier new"; line-height: 115%;">The essential part of any good scare is goosing us when we least
expect it, and the climax of this Hitchcock-ian suspense thriller is a virtuoso
example of that. After spending much of the movie in utter distress, blind
Audrey Hepburn finally gets the upper hand on psychotic killer Alan Arkin and
stumbles off to safety, and just when we think she's reached minimum safe distance... well,
let's just say you'd be hard-pressed not to toss your popcorn after what happens
next.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "courier new"; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "courier new"; line-height: 115%;">#23: </span><b><i><span style="font-family: "courier new"; font-size: large; line-height: 115%;">Se7en</span></i></b><span style="font-family: "courier new"; line-height: 115%;"> (David Fincher, 1995)</span><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmNlzgzhSaZ-IdDNfA-k1QW9zFNOMLIKejN26beOiijY2pnQAEKtk2D_rRMhYc2vz-ZpYM_ZWYhFAEqFuiSxg447-ZEQQyvm_UvVGAx31ades1CPmz0l4Is2veHD6NY76AP87IHuMN409R/s1600/se7en.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="173" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmNlzgzhSaZ-IdDNfA-k1QW9zFNOMLIKejN26beOiijY2pnQAEKtk2D_rRMhYc2vz-ZpYM_ZWYhFAEqFuiSxg447-ZEQQyvm_UvVGAx31ades1CPmz0l4Is2veHD6NY76AP87IHuMN409R/s400/se7en.png" width="400" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: "courier new"; line-height: 115%;">The most disturbing aspect of everyone's favorite serial killer
thriller is how it flat-out refuses to show us any actual violence, but
constantly forces us to </span><i style="font-family: 'Courier New'; line-height: 115%;">think</i><span style="font-family: "courier new"; line-height: 115%;"> about
the repercussions of that violence instead. Which is probably why John Doe's third murder
("SLOTH") gives us such a jolt: the movie has lulled us into such a
false sense of security that the </span><i style="font-family: 'Courier New'; line-height: 115%;">last</i><span style="font-family: "courier new"; line-height: 115%;"> thing we expect is the victim to suddenly
spasm and spring to life!</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "courier new"; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "courier new"; line-height: 115%;">#22: </span><b><i><span style="font-family: "courier new"; font-size: large; line-height: 115%;">Paranormal Activity</span></i></b><span style="font-family: "courier new"; line-height: 115%;"> (Oren
Peli, 2007)</span><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJwx3uNscrRAabqT1rXms1vwSMElGUGrxQlzsbrjxCynMHvkCaLaX8RcDdkzoqVVOTsdQyGH4D9vnonrqHgL5hfiK-7DnlScmSG0mtnWYtBj9_xKOrn7r4kd0r_IqKA8NCateyUJqcDlAI/s1600/paranormalactivity.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJwx3uNscrRAabqT1rXms1vwSMElGUGrxQlzsbrjxCynMHvkCaLaX8RcDdkzoqVVOTsdQyGH4D9vnonrqHgL5hfiK-7DnlScmSG0mtnWYtBj9_xKOrn7r4kd0r_IqKA8NCateyUJqcDlAI/s400/paranormalactivity.png" width="400" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: "courier new"; line-height: 115%;">The <a href="http://findingthewrongwords.blogspot.com/2011/10/for-franchise-face-offs-part-9.html"><span style="color: #3d85c6;">first found-footage movie</span></a> to give </span><i style="font-family: 'Courier New'; line-height: 115%;">Blair Witch</i><span style="font-family: "courier new"; line-height: 115%;"> a run for its money has more than its share of bumps
and things that go BANG! in the night, none more hair-raising than the moment,
64 minutes in, when Katie is yanked from her bed and dragged down the hallway
by an unseen force. It's a gag so perfectly timed and executed, I had to rewind
it several times (yes, we watched this for the first time on DVD at home - sue me)
just to see how they did it.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "courier new"; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "courier new"; line-height: 115%;">#21: </span><b><i><span style="font-family: "courier new"; font-size: large; line-height: 115%;">Kairo</span></i></b><span style="font-family: "courier new"; line-height: 115%;"> </span><span style="font-family: "courier new"; line-height: 115%;">(</span><b><i><span style="font-family: "courier new"; font-size: large; line-height: 115%;">Pulse</span></i></b><span style="font-family: "courier new"; line-height: 115%;">) (Kiyoshi
Kurosawa, 2001)</span><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTGziNXQhaj3AXdVhdD0xBZk59JzbKXdelLyIoKrSaLwTAkuHyYZhEFhuBcTHdXEmUIgtSmh0S-dCjOAJ6s19JFIp0j-Fw1-EvMT9AWqFepp9rOKP4CAwUTds_4am53WaOrA0guYSp6Enx/s1600/kairo.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="222" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTGziNXQhaj3AXdVhdD0xBZk59JzbKXdelLyIoKrSaLwTAkuHyYZhEFhuBcTHdXEmUIgtSmh0S-dCjOAJ6s19JFIp0j-Fw1-EvMT9AWqFepp9rOKP4CAwUTds_4am53WaOrA0guYSp6Enx/s400/kairo.png" width="400" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: "courier new"; line-height: 115%;">It's no secret that </span><span style="color: #3d85c6; font-family: "courier new"; line-height: 115%;"><a href="http://findingthewrongwords.blogspot.com/2010/11/for-best-films-of-decade-part-8.html"><span style="color: #3d85c6;">this was my favorite Horror film of the Noughties</span></a> </span><span style="font-family: "courier new"; line-height: 115%;">- a panic-inducing, soul-searching indictment of the dangers of chat
rooms and social media sites, which pre-dated Facebook by a full three years
and Twitter by five. The film is shockingly short on jump scares but high in
existential dread, so that when Ryosuke (Haruhiko Katô) is confronted by a particularly ghastly ghost
toward the end, you're mulling over the ramifications of death as you're
watching through your fingers.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "courier new"; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "courier new"; line-height: 115%;">#20: </span><b><i><span style="font-family: "courier new"; font-size: large; line-height: 115%;">The Ring</span></i></b><span style="font-family: "courier new"; line-height: 115%;"> (Gore Verbinski, 2001)</span><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg09Vg8OFxIPBEK2CFymqor_EeY8EYJyIY0mo89wcTCK1IgScgWWgJcIHbWcGgoOk9Up-weShOQhrsdVWDOXE7r7WJfOStxWel-PlbyPMyunpTj9x2x2bANC8O1V8njLemGX23E4UEnWz4u/s1600/ring2001.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="230" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg09Vg8OFxIPBEK2CFymqor_EeY8EYJyIY0mo89wcTCK1IgScgWWgJcIHbWcGgoOk9Up-weShOQhrsdVWDOXE7r7WJfOStxWel-PlbyPMyunpTj9x2x2bANC8O1V8njLemGX23E4UEnWz4u/s400/ring2001.png" width="400" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: "courier new"; line-height: 115%;">Understand, this remake of Hideo Nakata's 1998 masterwork is by
no means "better" than the original, which arguably kickstarted the
whole J-Horror movie craze in the first place. But the climactic scene in which
Samara's ghost emerges </span><i style="font-family: 'Courier New'; line-height: 115%;">slooooowly</i><span style="font-family: "courier new"; line-height: 115%;">
through the television set haunted us for weeks afterward, especially late at
night while rocking our (then) newborn son during his 2am feeding.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "courier new"; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "courier new"; line-height: 115%;">#19: </span><b><i><span style="font-family: "courier new"; font-size: large; line-height: 115%;">The Terminator</span></i></b><span style="font-family: "courier new"; line-height: 115%;"> (James
Cameron, 1984)</span><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhR-i0KxSY43T-dv7rgKGccM0Jc7ZK0R5oRabjaGlY4BsH1HIsuqAdmqkobNO_tisoDSXe477yL53baK2PXsJg2SRJzkwp0jK8COEpMKgBJa5PMIG_gr3O9qGsvpBK0nsuytjEsYXwiA_YF/s1600/terminator.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="216" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhR-i0KxSY43T-dv7rgKGccM0Jc7ZK0R5oRabjaGlY4BsH1HIsuqAdmqkobNO_tisoDSXe477yL53baK2PXsJg2SRJzkwp0jK8COEpMKgBJa5PMIG_gr3O9qGsvpBK0nsuytjEsYXwiA_YF/s400/terminator.png" width="400" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: "courier new"; line-height: 115%;">Cameron's career-making Sci-Fi tour de force is a slasher movie at heart, in which a remorseless, unstoppable killer mows down a whole host of
innocent bystanders until a resourceful Final Girl stops him in his tracks. The
shot of Terminator's blown-apart metallic torso dragging itself toward its
intended target is like something out of an apocalyptic nightmare - and also, incidentally, the image that inspired Cameron to make the movie in the first place, brought on by a fever-induced dream while shooting a different movie.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "courier new"; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "courier new"; line-height: 115%;">#18: </span><b><i><span style="font-family: "courier new"; font-size: large; line-height: 115%;">Alien</span></i></b><span style="font-family: "courier new"; line-height: 115%;"> (Ridley Scott, 1979)</span><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiudANtAMp8mz0YaGqAhDBs5nBbmLtsLCSnLU0uXw3XldeJibpi874HVlBBo9e1TkJFSM-_2zmYVv16bN_B5ve1Mo5ij1zNS0FsT8TLCCJXQ7bKq57_z1a7NhNGIPQOg5I4z1lYyyoT_Pop/s1600/alien.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="175" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiudANtAMp8mz0YaGqAhDBs5nBbmLtsLCSnLU0uXw3XldeJibpi874HVlBBo9e1TkJFSM-_2zmYVv16bN_B5ve1Mo5ij1zNS0FsT8TLCCJXQ7bKq57_z1a7NhNGIPQOg5I4z1lYyyoT_Pop/s400/alien.png" width="400" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: "courier new"; line-height: 115%;">Take your pick of scares from Scott's
haunted-house-in-space Horror classic - the infamous "chest-burster"
sequence, Ripley's final encounter with the fully-formed title xenomorph - but I've
always been partial to the late second-act reveal in which the murderous
intentions of Science Officer Ash (Ian Holm) are made violently (and disturbingly) clear.
If you can't trust your crew in moments of crisis, who can you trust?</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "courier new"; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "courier new"; line-height: 115%;">#17: </span><b><i><span style="font-family: "courier new"; font-size: large; line-height: 115%;">Return To Oz</span></i></b><span style="font-family: "courier new"; line-height: 115%;"> (Walter
Murch, 1985)</span><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKywgsLIOwmhi28iOJuCZxTumVc6r5f26H9y71z1EJxTaCztnI7YVJLrTZd8ODOruxaLiXvvzBicyfKysKQgRKRaFe3VvfXGTBuSYXQsv6bguyrNTstJfLIenM-wDEO_JYPX8hJZ7bN2Tf/s1600/return2oz.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="223" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKywgsLIOwmhi28iOJuCZxTumVc6r5f26H9y71z1EJxTaCztnI7YVJLrTZd8ODOruxaLiXvvzBicyfKysKQgRKRaFe3VvfXGTBuSYXQsv6bguyrNTstJfLIenM-wDEO_JYPX8hJZ7bN2Tf/s400/return2oz.png" width="400" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: "courier new"; line-height: 115%;">Confession: I've never liked </span><i style="font-family: 'Courier New'; line-height: 115%;">The
Wizard Of Oz</i><span style="font-family: "courier new"; line-height: 115%;">, if only because by the time I was finally exposed to it, my
mind was already too preoccupied with monsters and maniacs to give much of a
crap. Which helps explain why this much-belated sorta-sequel (released by
Disney!) resonated so deeply instead - it's dark, it's twisted, and its
centerpiece sequence, of Dorothy's horrifying encounter with Mombi's headless
body, is the stuff of absolute nightmares.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "courier new"; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "courier new"; line-height: 115%;">#16: </span><b><i><span style="font-family: "courier new"; font-size: large; line-height: 115%;">Pinocchio</span></i></b><span style="font-family: "courier new"; line-height: 115%;"> (Ben Sharpsteen / Hamilton
Luske,</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "courier new"; line-height: 115%;"> 1940)</span><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiO3qDf2Fy-hV5I-3NLFPB84-QRvnlNcDyOloeg2JY12VrRQgHdgw_fPtX9pTzmmaUvTWj7fBH4KYqJFeB3vBZcJgww8naHJofW5nDGuObQIMtz3mUoaZ-MVHuIlj8ls2_GfZHRkkfGmi1h/s1600/pinocchio.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="296" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiO3qDf2Fy-hV5I-3NLFPB84-QRvnlNcDyOloeg2JY12VrRQgHdgw_fPtX9pTzmmaUvTWj7fBH4KYqJFeB3vBZcJgww8naHJofW5nDGuObQIMtz3mUoaZ-MVHuIlj8ls2_GfZHRkkfGmi1h/s400/pinocchio.png" width="400" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: "courier new"; line-height: 115%;">Even our most beloved cartoon classics have the power to shock
and disturb us, since, when we're kids, they plumb the dark recesses of our
imagination like no live-action movie ever could. That said, nothing in <a href="http://findingthewrongwords.blogspot.com/2011/04/for-walt-disneys-animated-fifty-part.html"><span style="color: #3d85c6;">the history of Disney</span></a> hit me like Lampwick's terrifying transformation into a
(literal and figurative) jackass - as dire a warning against the dangers of smoking,
drinking, and not listening to your parents as we're likely to get.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "courier new"; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "courier new"; line-height: 115%;">#15: </span><b><i><span style="font-family: "courier new"; font-size: large; line-height: 115%;">An American Werewolf In London</span></i></b><br />
<span style="font-family: "courier new"; line-height: 115%;"> (John
Landis, </span><span style="font-family: "courier new"; line-height: 115%;">1981)</span><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYzIHYBRX4Xq-fPsg7qRSCxvwwxQGYoWgQegIlEP6Tftqu0oDPqAKm-yr787t35D4vF7vbLG2846veBeiLVECNEFyZEMdr-J9wJfxNf0MwgUVCD_8Z7yMeE-DOcvnSKeyzcjLA3z8oATOn/s1600/americanwerewolf.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="215" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYzIHYBRX4Xq-fPsg7qRSCxvwwxQGYoWgQegIlEP6Tftqu0oDPqAKm-yr787t35D4vF7vbLG2846veBeiLVECNEFyZEMdr-J9wJfxNf0MwgUVCD_8Z7yMeE-DOcvnSKeyzcjLA3z8oATOn/s400/americanwerewolf.png" width="400" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: "courier new"; line-height: 115%;">Look, I'm into werewolves as much as the next guy, but the fact
is, our post-</span><i style="font-family: 'Courier New'; line-height: 115%;">Twilight</i><span style="font-family: "courier new"; line-height: 115%;">, post-CG pop
culture climate has romanticized the idea, de-fanged it, taken the terror out
of becoming something you're not. The signature scene in this in-jokey Comedy/Horror
hybrid captures that feeling in all its agonizing, bone-crunching glory, thanks
to Rick Baker's revolutionary makeup and animatronic effects, and scored to
Bobby Vinton's "Blue Moon" on the soundtrack.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "courier new"; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "courier new"; line-height: 115%;">#14: </span><b><i><span style="font-family: "courier new"; font-size: large; line-height: 115%;">Freaks</span></i></b><span style="font-family: "courier new"; line-height: 115%;"> (Tod Browning, 1932)</span><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipinEqI92fjeIXGjaYO63NHy8e-yO-o5nPFP6-N93vw5PxaIuGuNymPtXQnONtRuF6Kpxfr9MBkEeNtyN8x1A-vbfmg48vp8lu3ATc_xpy2cEddBQs64trathsNuYcE9z1ndTd2jvXGT5c/s1600/freaks.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipinEqI92fjeIXGjaYO63NHy8e-yO-o5nPFP6-N93vw5PxaIuGuNymPtXQnONtRuF6Kpxfr9MBkEeNtyN8x1A-vbfmg48vp8lu3ATc_xpy2cEddBQs64trathsNuYcE9z1ndTd2jvXGT5c/s400/freaks.png" width="400" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: "courier new"; line-height: 115%;">Browning's controversial follow-up to </span><i style="font-family: 'Courier New'; line-height: 115%;">Dracula</i><span style="font-family: "courier new"; line-height: 115%;"> (1931) was heavily cut prior to its release, and banned in
many countries for its honest depiction of midgets, microcephalics, and
"half-boys" in their natural environment. For the film's climactic
showdown, in which our deformed friends take revenge on the "normal"
folk who wronged them, it's hard to say which is scarier: the "freaks" themselves, or the idea that their victims get exactly what was coming to them.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "courier new"; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "courier new"; line-height: 115%;">#13: </span><b><i><span style="font-family: "courier new"; font-size: large; line-height: 115%;">The Silence Of The Lambs</span></i></b><span style="font-family: "courier new"; line-height: 115%;"> (Jonathan</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "courier new"; line-height: 115%;"> Demme, </span><span style="font-family: "courier new"; line-height: 115%;">1991)</span><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0Xhsppg8DMkpXMm19pydr-6V3TGb2DHy0YYNukpoLN5xBOtXsbUMUbSOVlKeULUA90MJsVF6Mh6Ll6xQhkCGyZOfnSMZZvGMmEUQIFaOZKVMEX3njFaNZ1njyBd4jugJvJ6bFUU7emoFv/s1600/silenceoflambs.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="217" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0Xhsppg8DMkpXMm19pydr-6V3TGb2DHy0YYNukpoLN5xBOtXsbUMUbSOVlKeULUA90MJsVF6Mh6Ll6xQhkCGyZOfnSMZZvGMmEUQIFaOZKVMEX3njFaNZ1njyBd4jugJvJ6bFUU7emoFv/s400/silenceoflambs.png" width="400" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: "courier new"; line-height: 115%;">More psychological thriller than out-and-out Horror film, this exquisitely-shot
adaptation of Thomas Harris's best-selling novel is also a love story between
two platonic mates, ostracized by society for their gender and/or peculiar
eating habits. Sir Anthony Hopkins is so charismatic as the devious Hannibal "The
Cannibal" Lecter that (SPOILER!) when he carries out his ingenious escape,
we </span><i style="font-family: 'Courier New'; line-height: 115%;">want</i><span style="font-family: "courier new"; line-height: 115%;"> to see him get away with it,
as uncomfortable and conflicted as that makes us feel inside.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "courier new"; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "courier new"; line-height: 115%;">#12: </span><b><i><span style="font-family: "courier new"; font-size: large; line-height: 115%;">Psycho</span></i></b><span style="font-family: "courier new"; line-height: 115%;"> (Alfred Hitchcock, 1960)</span><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_PCF_4sKFwx8t4oN7qhRYckMFwy0cA8ixGkGWPJh-bMS5rHQs4kPiR-PWs9cty-lE0akPE9ERj3xhRaMUNNiMVzgk6sHPZcRPdAtUbXIIVpbv8xzzYeI04yo9x2csuNpymMII_ic4a3eo/s1600/psycho1960.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="217" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_PCF_4sKFwx8t4oN7qhRYckMFwy0cA8ixGkGWPJh-bMS5rHQs4kPiR-PWs9cty-lE0akPE9ERj3xhRaMUNNiMVzgk6sHPZcRPdAtUbXIIVpbv8xzzYeI04yo9x2csuNpymMII_ic4a3eo/s400/psycho1960.png" width="400" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: "courier new"; line-height: 115%;">When people think of </span><i style="font-family: 'Courier New'; line-height: 115%;">Psycho</i><span style="font-family: "courier new"; line-height: 115%;">,
they undoubtedly think of the shower sequence, a shock so iconic, it's
ingrained in our brains even if we've never seen the movie itself. For my
money, though, the purest example of the movie's power is Detective Arbogast's
death scene: Hitch draws out the inevitable for so long - the steep climb up
the stairs, the door slowly creaking open - that when "mother"
finally appears, I am putty in the Master's hands.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "courier new"; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "courier new"; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "courier new"; line-height: 115%;">#11: </span><b><i><span style="font-family: "courier new"; font-size: large; line-height: 115%;">Les Diaboliques</span></i></b><span style="font-family: "courier new"; line-height: 115%;"> (Henri-Georges
Clouzot,</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "courier new"; line-height: 115%;"> 1955)</span><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuEf4K0PgskOhXNcJtYLYGIofzaLEhehhyeHvnIOroTqEjuHzaPLlpbiCNfNLXDzkyuX_XlrmvoLGAIgHHAZn76zRjKilmsSIySvYPiVAJC3dmR1WxVY5a5tkoHO3noORPWsB8g7RBgxLI/s1600/diaboliques.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="310" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuEf4K0PgskOhXNcJtYLYGIofzaLEhehhyeHvnIOroTqEjuHzaPLlpbiCNfNLXDzkyuX_XlrmvoLGAIgHHAZn76zRjKilmsSIySvYPiVAJC3dmR1WxVY5a5tkoHO3noORPWsB8g7RBgxLI/s400/diaboliques.png" width="400" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: "courier new"; line-height: 115%;">The film - along with </span><i style="font-family: 'Courier New'; line-height: 115%;">Psycho</i><span style="font-family: "courier new"; line-height: 115%;">
- that inspired </span><a href="https://quotesnantidotes.wordpress.com/2009/07/04/the-master-of-suspense/" style="font-family: 'Courier New'; line-height: 115%;"><span style="color: #3d85c6;">this</span></a><span style="font-family: "courier new"; line-height: 115%;"> famous quote from Hitchcock follows the exploits of an
abusive headmaster's wife and his mistress, who conspire to kill the man and
dump his body in the dilapidated school pool out back. The plan goes smoothly
at first, then the body disappears... and the suit he wore that night comes
back from the cleaners... and the screws tighten and tighten until that
heart-stopping final twist, unrivaled by anything since... well, </span><span style="font-family: "courier new"; line-height: 115%;"><i style="font-family: 'Courier New'; line-height: 115%;">Psycho</i>.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "courier new"; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "courier new"; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "courier new"; line-height: 115%;">#10: </span><b><i><span style="font-family: "courier new"; font-size: large; line-height: 115%;">Night Of The Living Dead</span></i></b><span style="font-family: "courier new"; line-height: 115%;"> (George A.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "courier new"; line-height: 115%;"> Romero, </span><span style="font-family: "courier new"; line-height: 115%;">1968)</span><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOC_sOzXuQQNC0c-zIabBDHCXsOt_FDzmKSYN6OkqH3aNjKInwiOwAaaIHmA8oedHN78ny5V_MY_sbjRfbYKukRmiiR-_jYQfE_NdPNg2TxwuFGmY54LURncrdZK4aOcuZdqOOlFZTmHdq/s1600/nightlivingdead1968.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="283" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOC_sOzXuQQNC0c-zIabBDHCXsOt_FDzmKSYN6OkqH3aNjKInwiOwAaaIHmA8oedHN78ny5V_MY_sbjRfbYKukRmiiR-_jYQfE_NdPNg2TxwuFGmY54LURncrdZK4aOcuZdqOOlFZTmHdq/s400/nightlivingdead1968.png" width="400" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: "courier new"; line-height: 115%;">The movie that gave "birth" to modern zombie culture is
still just as merciless as ever, with (brief) nudity and (mostly implied) blood
and gore that pre-dated the MPAA ratings system by only a month. The scene in
which the undead munch on Tom and Judy's charred remains (actually baked ham
and chicken bits) is particularly gruesome, as if telling us, for the first
time, that if movies could show us </span><i style="font-family: 'Courier New'; line-height: 115%;">that</i><span style="font-family: "courier new"; line-height: 115%;">,
they could show us anything.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "courier new"; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "courier new"; line-height: 115%;">#9: </span><b><i><span style="font-family: "courier new"; font-size: large; line-height: 115%;">[REC]</span></i></b><span style="font-family: "courier new"; line-height: 115%;"> (Jaume Balagueró / Paco
Plaza, 2007)</span><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcToNr2wdkqhnPOP5VFmIxGUXz7NwNgKLzQ-uhbGNoI2N2pLpupd8VOO1qqaokCmkIxmvfL1dtkNkLMtHnKafxs1Y6XFU5UFewYWmWnMCVxSrzQzA_m5TfGObanUcWFgPd1UFumJ2QiHZ2/s1600/rec.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="220" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcToNr2wdkqhnPOP5VFmIxGUXz7NwNgKLzQ-uhbGNoI2N2pLpupd8VOO1qqaokCmkIxmvfL1dtkNkLMtHnKafxs1Y6XFU5UFewYWmWnMCVxSrzQzA_m5TfGObanUcWFgPd1UFumJ2QiHZ2/s400/rec.png" width="400" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: "courier new"; line-height: 115%;">Spanish directors Jaume Balagueró and Paco Plaza inject a
welcome dose of adrenaline into the shaky-cam/found footage format, proving
there's still plenty of juice left in the ol' genre yet. For the film's final
scene, our plucky heroine and her trusty cameraman find themselves trapped in a
darkened penthouse with... </span><i style="font-family: 'Courier New'; line-height: 115%;">something</i><span style="font-family: "courier new"; line-height: 115%;">
they can hear but just barely see, at which point I literally forgot to breathe
until the credits rolled.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "courier new"; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "courier new"; line-height: 115%;">#8: </span><b><i><span style="font-family: "courier new"; font-size: large; line-height: 115%;">The Babadook</span></i></b><span style="font-family: "courier new"; line-height: 115%;"> (Jennifer
Kent, 2014)</span><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJfLT_TozUfcLhyTYJz9hGPTToGOr6JnFLJO05m1IjCtDz0woNGFUGioC0r41x_Tl9pT1wMFzVDvjqe_C8Fpr8jWndw0LaykPU4Vd4DHzyGjtDmlkZ1_033L800xhFaksb246Jh7oG6b1v/s1600/babadook.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="171" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJfLT_TozUfcLhyTYJz9hGPTToGOr6JnFLJO05m1IjCtDz0woNGFUGioC0r41x_Tl9pT1wMFzVDvjqe_C8Fpr8jWndw0LaykPU4Vd4DHzyGjtDmlkZ1_033L800xhFaksb246Jh7oG6b1v/s400/babadook.png" width="400" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: "courier new"; line-height: 115%;">Too many Horror films affect us from the outside in when they
should actually do the opposite, a fact this Australian-made masterpiece
rectifies with stunning precision. Its monster-as-metaphor for raging,
inconsolable grief (plus the idea that, deep down, we all might secretly resent
our children) is so strong that when mother and son finally face off against
the demon(s) consuming them both, the horrifying truth is that there may be no
ridding themselves of it after all.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "courier new"; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "courier new"; line-height: 115%;">#7: </span><b><i><span style="font-family: "courier new"; font-size: large; line-height: 115%;">The Conjuring</span></i></b><span style="font-family: "courier new"; line-height: 115%;"> (James
Wan, 2013)</span><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaj6Is7D1kGooCxu0eut1Jtd2JoNEDoyNTSpKBARXPcbeHehdJX38FZGQ1hPJwYMjpaKAQ4iJ6AG68hBZhXXNnbciBPWe-dCqx3gKUHvVB7Srez_YSSq36nWaENQVolRNRYiCIVp-PseMu/s1600/conjuring.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="172" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaj6Is7D1kGooCxu0eut1Jtd2JoNEDoyNTSpKBARXPcbeHehdJX38FZGQ1hPJwYMjpaKAQ4iJ6AG68hBZhXXNnbciBPWe-dCqx3gKUHvVB7Srez_YSSq36nWaENQVolRNRYiCIVp-PseMu/s400/conjuring.png" width="400" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: "courier new"; line-height: 115%;">Wan's modern-day riff on </span><i style="font-family: 'Courier New'; line-height: 115%;">Poltergeist</i><span style="font-family: "courier new"; line-height: 115%;">
and </span><i style="font-family: 'Courier New'; line-height: 115%;">The Amityville Horror</i><span style="font-family: "courier new"; line-height: 115%;"> overflows
with so many goosebump-y bits and jump scares it's hard to choose among
favorites. Yet I'll go ahead and vote Mrs. Perron's chill-tastic game of "hide
and clap" with an unseen entity in her basement, an instant classic of
suspense and surprise that all but confirms the former director of <i>Saw</i> as the new
reigning champion of old-fashioned thrills.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "courier new"; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "courier new"; line-height: 115%;">#6: </span><b><i><span style="font-family: "courier new"; font-size: large; line-height: 115%;">Poltergeist</span></i></b><span style="font-family: "courier new"; line-height: 115%;"> (Tobe
Hooper, 1982)</span><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6XW8idyiE31A9O03XMnlJfRxpLSEmMLLPERPXAMQhCpRreJtGRFch41jZ6yLh97y8T0XJzgsPV1XE6HEERDpnsvYeF4b_RJQAO1Ss7-v927-MV2r_hvyiwTf7YIXORY535fvhv3WKxK0g/s1600/poltergeist1982.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="168" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6XW8idyiE31A9O03XMnlJfRxpLSEmMLLPERPXAMQhCpRreJtGRFch41jZ6yLh97y8T0XJzgsPV1XE6HEERDpnsvYeF4b_RJQAO1Ss7-v927-MV2r_hvyiwTf7YIXORY535fvhv3WKxK0g/s400/poltergeist1982.png" width="400" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: "courier new"; line-height: 115%;">I bet I'm not the only one who had recurring nightmares about
that <a href="http://findingthewrongwords.blogspot.com/2015/02/for-tale-of-two-poltergeists.html"><span style="color: #3d85c6;">stupid, stupid clown</span></a>. Not helped by the fact that the toy actually started
choking actor Oliver Robins (who was nine at the time of filming), until
producer Steven Spielberg noticed the poor kid's face was turning purple.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "courier new"; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "courier new"; line-height: 115%;">#5: </span><b><i><span style="font-family: "courier new"; font-size: large; line-height: 115%;">Halloween</span></i></b><span style="font-family: "courier new"; line-height: 115%;"> (John Carpenter, 1978)</span><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaqFd3FQ7lo31P1se758PA6mA90vgLoficIMbLjpBjAFOJzICCbpOD4U3R9olwJAd3IIOFadaDmFKe3q5-eKFDWAeK2sHO7oYAFODOQDRAwK189snz2dFZt-WUSRduOjMa73OGswjpXn20/s1600/halloween.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="170" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaqFd3FQ7lo31P1se758PA6mA90vgLoficIMbLjpBjAFOJzICCbpOD4U3R9olwJAd3IIOFadaDmFKe3q5-eKFDWAeK2sHO7oYAFODOQDRAwK189snz2dFZt-WUSRduOjMa73OGswjpXn20/s400/halloween.png" width="400" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: "courier new"; line-height: 115%;">Michael Myers may not be quite as creative with his kills as
Jason or Freddy, but his "less is more" approach (along with
Carpenter's relentlessly creeping camerawork) has never been equaled since he
<a href="http://findingthewrongwords.blogspot.com/2010/10/for-franchise-face-offs-part-2.html"><span style="color: #3d85c6;">first started slashing his way across cinema screens</span></a>. The film's final twenty
minutes are a nonstop sensory assault, culminating in a shot of Michael's
bleached-white, expression-less mask being ripped from his face, revealing the
banality of evil underneath.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "courier new"; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "courier new"; line-height: 115%;">#4: </span><b><i><span style="font-family: "courier new"; font-size: large; line-height: 115%;">Spoorloos</span></i></b><span style="font-family: "courier new"; line-height: 115%;"> (</span><b><i><span style="font-family: "courier new"; font-size: large; line-height: 115%;">The
Vanishing</span></i></b><span style="font-family: "courier new"; line-height: 115%;">) (George</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "courier new"; line-height: 115%;"> Sluizer, </span><span style="font-family: "courier new"; line-height: 115%;">1988)</span><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpjjha8DephyphenhyphenKrophxqkUZCY3429M3EWA1W3EG5kiyG0TfsIn8HFqm4eE0og0kjpARq2CvMUGSEhKY9U8DU2mbugN1oIE6c6VHK3_w-i14pNBKFRNRzX9y_uL9nGVcU5QPQYCv2uCo1hXK/s1600/vanishing1988.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="243" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpjjha8DephyphenhyphenKrophxqkUZCY3429M3EWA1W3EG5kiyG0TfsIn8HFqm4eE0og0kjpARq2CvMUGSEhKY9U8DU2mbugN1oIE6c6VHK3_w-i14pNBKFRNRzX9y_uL9nGVcU5QPQYCv2uCo1hXK/s400/vanishing1988.png" width="400" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: "courier new"; line-height: 115%;">Sluizer's minimalist Dutch shocker features one of the most talked-about
twist endings of all time, which, once you've seen it, will get you thinking twice about the
nature of obsession and the dark and dangerous places it can lead us if we let
it. The key to the movie's mystery, though, is the "vanishing" itself, and it's the look in Saskia's eyes - pleading, horrified, helpless - that's haunted me all these years afterward.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "courier new"; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "courier new"; line-height: 115%;">#3: </span><b><i><span style="font-family: "courier new"; font-size: large; line-height: 115%;">The Blair Witch Project</span></i></b><span style="font-family: "courier new"; line-height: 115%;"> (Daniel
Myrick</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "courier new"; line-height: 115%;"> / </span><span style="font-family: "courier new"; line-height: 115%;">Eduardo Sánchez, 1999)</span><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipzVA5UF1tFYzOpJDMxQXX7fIMTayJRLBaNcPRq6hRejqqF-fqeRSCuyUyVkmITfLqlR8PEuRDDHahjHjSTlGFteAhi_odmRbwJEjtclnXc5d-uloUIZcPSwdodkbhxxw9kBPuG_z7sKJO/s1600/blairwitch.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="311" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipzVA5UF1tFYzOpJDMxQXX7fIMTayJRLBaNcPRq6hRejqqF-fqeRSCuyUyVkmITfLqlR8PEuRDDHahjHjSTlGFteAhi_odmRbwJEjtclnXc5d-uloUIZcPSwdodkbhxxw9kBPuG_z7sKJO/s400/blairwitch.png" width="400" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: "courier new"; line-height: 115%;">Its reputation may have soured a bit over the last decade and a half, but
watching this game-changing genre classic with a theater full of like-minded
Horror junkies remains one of the defining communal experiences of my lifetime.
There's a slow-burn kind of intensity that creeps over the entire movie, and
the frights are kept off-screen for so long that, by the time its climactic,
pants-wetting reveal finally comes, our imaginations are officially firing on
all cylinders.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "courier new"; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "courier new"; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "courier new"; line-height: 115%;">#2: </span><b><i><span style="font-family: "courier new"; font-size: large; line-height: 115%;">The Texas Chain Saw Massacre</span></i></b><span style="font-family: "courier new"; line-height: 115%;"> (Tobe</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "courier new"; line-height: 115%;"> Hooper, </span><span style="font-family: "courier new"; line-height: 115%;">1974)</span><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHCN18uUUzSZUR8R4pCKjFqvVga-Fvim7zDUM1RJKCQ6k9fYfo5UJTnJuBuIp7gTQVfHaqOiShVvylV782SMVHFX5wcloZxiS0meU_Y37wsmIvBoSAtarVkbBSGS0_-BE5EEl4KngzAkDB/s1600/texaschainsaw1974.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="222" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHCN18uUUzSZUR8R4pCKjFqvVga-Fvim7zDUM1RJKCQ6k9fYfo5UJTnJuBuIp7gTQVfHaqOiShVvylV782SMVHFX5wcloZxiS0meU_Y37wsmIvBoSAtarVkbBSGS0_-BE5EEl4KngzAkDB/s400/texaschainsaw1974.png" width="400" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: "courier new"; line-height: 115%;">The most notorious "slasher" flick ever made holds
that distinction not for graphic violence or gore, but because of what it </span><i style="font-family: 'Courier New'; line-height: 115%;">suggests</i><span style="font-family: "courier new"; line-height: 115%;">, our brains fully registering
what our eyes clearly do not. For Sally's "dinner date" with her
cannibalistic captors, the fear is so palpable you can practically smell the
sweat and rotting flesh, and it's that looming, inescapable </span><i style="font-family: 'Courier New'; line-height: 115%;">threat</i><span style="font-family: "courier new"; line-height: 115%;"> of actual violence that makes the
scene so unbearable to sit through.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "courier new"; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "courier new"; line-height: 115%;">#1: </span><b><i><span style="font-family: "courier new"; font-size: large; line-height: 115%;">Jaws</span></i></b><span style="font-family: "courier new"; line-height: 115%;"> (Steven Spielberg, 1975)</span><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGC07QHzk3o5Bt1CON2binUmrjCPVYHhRBiQjZ4LJMB-FM1ZeRF3j8gIkRga72KMNlOwr3TRojYMer_0Vjurk4AGesAWvB5vz8CuwKPylEbeMhl-39rXl-wDcVZFRgsI9ammT67bQxxAp7/s1600/jaws.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="170" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGC07QHzk3o5Bt1CON2binUmrjCPVYHhRBiQjZ4LJMB-FM1ZeRF3j8gIkRga72KMNlOwr3TRojYMer_0Vjurk4AGesAWvB5vz8CuwKPylEbeMhl-39rXl-wDcVZFRgsI9ammT67bQxxAp7/s400/jaws.png" width="400" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: "courier new"; line-height: 115%;">Our most primal fears are the ones that envelop us from childhood - hence my endless obsession with Spielberg's blockbuster fish tale since I was a kid. My first movie memory, in fact, is of poor Chrissie Watkins (Susan Backlinie) getting yanked underwater by that three-ton, 25-foot shark, that fear - of deep, deep ocean, and being eaten alive by a force beyond our control - hanging over every inch of the movie and also my life</span><span style="font-family: "courier new"; line-height: 15.3333px;">.</span></div>
D.W. Lundberghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03709428152190690075noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8005808875158331076.post-12181974598557041872015-08-31T09:50:00.000-06:002015-11-02T11:31:08.039-07:00... FOR "EVEN MORE ACTORS WHO SHOULD PLAY OTHER ACTORS' FAMILY MEMBERS"<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiK3E1bO7vjisuLfa32ICB2pXAtuDipzlMNDlX_oz5EsPglLBme_edLJ8khjje3AUpBfHoG9QDWc5zW0JqrggVJ2kBFA8T3tr_We2fg39qb9fllEx8M3GBYIflPLEvaRTq3fXc5SsBp7-Mb/s1600/intro.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><img border="0" height="250" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiK3E1bO7vjisuLfa32ICB2pXAtuDipzlMNDlX_oz5EsPglLBme_edLJ8khjje3AUpBfHoG9QDWc5zW0JqrggVJ2kBFA8T3tr_We2fg39qb9fllEx8M3GBYIflPLEvaRTq3fXc5SsBp7-Mb/s400/intro.png" width="400" /></span></a></div>
<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">If I pride myself on anything here at FTWW, it's that I'm constantly trying to go against the grain of what every other blog on the 'net is doing. By this I mean no disrespect. There are plenty of quality ways to spend your time online, especially if you're as movie-hungry as I am. Movie trivia sites. Aggregate movie review sites. Sites which cover every aspect of the history of film, or scoops and spoilers about every upcoming film. Yet <a href="http://findingthewrongwords.blogspot.com/2010/02/about-best-films-of-decade.html"><span style="color: #3d85c6;">ever since the beginning</span></a>, it's been my mission statement of sorts to fly in the face of all that - because why bother giving you something you can literally experience thousands of places elsewhere? And so from this idea came regular columns such as <a href="http://findingthewrongwords.blogspot.com/search/label/FRANCHISE%20FACE-OFFS"><span style="color: #3d85c6;">Franchise Face-Offs</span></a> or <a href="http://findingthewrongwords.blogspot.com/search/label/MACGUFFIN"><span style="color: #3d85c6;">MacGuffin With Egg</span></a> or <a href="http://findingthewrongwords.blogspot.com/search/label/DETAILS%20YOU%20PROBABLY%20NEVER%20NOTICED"><span style="color: #3d85c6;">Details You Probably Never Noticed</span></a>, the purpose of which is not to preach, or sound smarter than the average person off the street, but to open your eyes to the many ways we look at films - the little things that make them work (or not work), and maybe make us view them in a whole new light.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">Which is why it's been just a tad disheartening while researching these AWSPOAFMs to find that many other sites have kinda/sorta covered the same idea already. <a href="http://www.popsugar.com/celebrity/Celebrity-Lookalikes-Celebrities-Look-Same-34357837"><span style="color: #3d85c6;">Popsugar</span></a>'s done it. <a href="http://www.denofgeek.com/movies/143688/top_150_actors_that_resemble_each_other.html"><span style="color: #3d85c6;">Den of Geek</span></a> has done it. Heck, even <a href="http://www.cracked.com/photoplasty_1424_25-ridiculously-uncanny-celebrity-clones-you-never-noticed/"><span style="color: #3d85c6;">Cracked.com</span></a> has done it (their Alec Baldwin/Millard Fillmore connection is an especially nice touch). And in those moments when I've thought to myself, <i>Why bother then?</i>, I am reminded of the simple fact that there is no longer anything new under the sun, this idea of the Celebrity Lookalike included. It's something that's obviously crossed the minds of many a blogger or casual TV watcher/movie goer (even yourself) on many an occasion. That's part of the fun, isn't it? Because it isn't the subject itself you're tackling, but how you go about it that makes all the difference.</span><br />
<a name='more'></a><br />
<span style="font-family: 'courier new', courier, monospace;">So I guess what I'm saying in a roundabout way is: Yes, I'm aware we're treading very familiar ground here, despite my claims that the blog is always aiming for the contrary. By asking you to play along, however, I continue to hope that we can turn this into something interactive and special. The match-ups I post here are merely a jumping off point; feel free, as always, to submit your own suggestions, no matter how outside-the-box they may be, either in the comments below or on Facebook. And if not, so be it! If I've at least got you </span><i style="font-family: 'courier new', courier, monospace;">thinking</i><span style="font-family: 'courier new', courier, monospace;"> about it, that's victory enough.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">Let's get to it!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">__________</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><br /></span>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgP4cWi2Xo6zz7a_DUsgr87Q5sjeVmltbplQJDyHWSBP-Ci5vsKsf57AxZU866R4MVx8EEph-0YkwtqBrwp4iBIMB5OUhFqwzKiFEeA5ppuvJ_xwrkXoqXYO5qCnhL5IMX8izofIBC8CDqy/s1600/cruise-wolf.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="250" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgP4cWi2Xo6zz7a_DUsgr87Q5sjeVmltbplQJDyHWSBP-Ci5vsKsf57AxZU866R4MVx8EEph-0YkwtqBrwp4iBIMB5OUhFqwzKiFEeA5ppuvJ_xwrkXoqXYO5qCnhL5IMX8izofIBC8CDqy/s400/cruise-wolf.png" width="400" /></a></div>
<b style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"><u>Tom Cruise</u></b><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"> </span><b style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"><u>Scott Wolf</u></b><br />
<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">(<i>Risky Business</i>, <i><a href="http://findingthewrongwords.blogspot.com/2015/05/for-movie-coincidences-of-day-10-movie.html"><span style="color: #3d85c6;">Mission:</span></a></i> (<i>Party Of Five</i>, <i>Everwood</i>,</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><i><a href="http://findingthewrongwords.blogspot.com/2015/05/for-movie-coincidences-of-day-10-movie.html"><span style="color: #3d85c6;">Impossible</span></a></i>, <i>Magnolia</i>) <i>Go</i>) </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><b><u>Possible Relation</u>:</b> Brothers</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><b><u>Notes</u>:</b> Called "the poor man's Tom Cruise" in certain circles (or so I've heard), Mr. Wolf's vocal inflections and adorably dimpled grin have always had an uncanny Cruise-ness about them, ever since his <i>Party Of Five</i> days. (Also, check out the shape of their eyes!)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><br /></span>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7xXHWZ2e0yUR6_GgWPKUgP43g0q4fwehMDEeRAGcCrmvXijJabvw7Zt_FEnreS0r642AT5BtShOqxq5a2Tm8q_Py3zRC8T3Fx8ARyOE-aaPhaOW3xmc_YzP5rLHj9Ny87Eg77WHlzz-v0/s1600/graham-gyllenhaal.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="250" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7xXHWZ2e0yUR6_GgWPKUgP43g0q4fwehMDEeRAGcCrmvXijJabvw7Zt_FEnreS0r642AT5BtShOqxq5a2Tm8q_Py3zRC8T3Fx8ARyOE-aaPhaOW3xmc_YzP5rLHj9Ny87Eg77WHlzz-v0/s400/graham-gyllenhaal.png" width="400" /></a></div>
<b style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"><u>Lauren Graham</u></b><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"> </span><b style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"><u>Maggie Gyllenhaal</u></b><br />
<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">(<i>Gilmore Girls</i>, <i>Bad </i> (<i>Donnie Darko</i>, <i>Secretary</i>,</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><i>Santa</i>, <i>Parenthood</i> [TV]) <i><a href="http://findingthewrongwords.blogspot.com/2010/03/for-best-films-of-decade-part-3.html"><span style="color: #3d85c6;">The Dark Knight</span></a></i>)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><b><u>Possible Relation</u>:</b> Sisters</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><b><u>Notes</u>:</b> Yes, we're all very aware by this point that Ms. Gyllenhaal already has an equally famous real-life celebrity sibling. But her cuddle-worthy puppy-dog cheeks are a perfect match for Ms. Graham's, which (one hopes) Hollywood will rectify sooner rather than later.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><br /></span>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiI-EoGP7bNrHFeMhZaZ2X4SoeygVu32w6J_eLjT8JRU-4zfLffrL-nDLPT6gGexdb0A_GdS1HJdPrE7pQcJAkzrCH1kIGZFo1hnghLycM-kpO4MNGO1kLlaPFrH7gGVTLioGZuC416mF9/s1600/sheffer-boreanaz.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="250" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiI-EoGP7bNrHFeMhZaZ2X4SoeygVu32w6J_eLjT8JRU-4zfLffrL-nDLPT6gGexdb0A_GdS1HJdPrE7pQcJAkzrCH1kIGZFo1hnghLycM-kpO4MNGO1kLlaPFrH7gGVTLioGZuC416mF9/s400/sheffer-boreanaz.png" width="400" /></a></div>
<u style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace; font-weight: bold;">Craig Sheffer</u><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"> </span><b style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"><u>David Boreanaz</u></b><br />
<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">(<i>Some Kind Of Wonderful</i>, (<i>Buffy The Vampire</i></span><br />
<i style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">A River Runs</i><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"> </span><i style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">Through It</i><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">) <i>Slayer</i>, <i>Angel</i>, <i>Bones</i>)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><br /></span>
<b style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"><u>Possible Relation</u>:</b><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"> Brothers</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><b><u>Notes</u>:</b> </span><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">Sheffer kinda-sorta faded into relative obscurity after his starring role in 1992's <i>A River Runs Through It</i>, a fact which would hurt far worse if not for his regeneration as one-time vampire Boreanaz, who currently fishes for criminals on Fox's <i>Bones</i>. (Suggested by Becky Sisson Dallin.)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><br /></span>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKQUqtLyTiClrlKdAXN6ZTqw1ojU4sQSI_pVxzjrZSjUmiPzNYcaWu8y0UeYh8is5ICFoWIXC4zhcAVGe2taRPbEcVHz_YG829boBPrLjVt1Bz6Sl9yHM98bBc070_mTLwNX8fDtUDNEbn/s1600/neeson-walker.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="250" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKQUqtLyTiClrlKdAXN6ZTqw1ojU4sQSI_pVxzjrZSjUmiPzNYcaWu8y0UeYh8is5ICFoWIXC4zhcAVGe2taRPbEcVHz_YG829boBPrLjVt1Bz6Sl9yHM98bBc070_mTLwNX8fDtUDNEbn/s400/neeson-walker.png" width="400" /></a></div>
<u style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace; font-weight: bold;">Liam Neeson</u><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"> </span><b style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"><u>Benjamin Walker</u></b><br />
<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">(<i>Schindler's List</i>, <i>Rob</i> (<i><a href="http://findingthewrongwords.blogspot.com/2010/09/for-best-films-of-decade-part-7.html"><span style="color: #3d85c6;">Flags Of Our Fathers</span></a></i>,</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><i>Roy</i>, <i>Taken</i>, <i>The Grey</i>) <i>In The Heart Of The Sea</i>)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><br /></span>
<b style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"><u>Possible Relation</u>:</b><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"> Father/Son</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><u style="font-weight: bold;">Notes</u><b>:</b><i> </i></span><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">Watching <i>Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter</i> the other day (a mistake, I know), I was struck by the similarities between star Benjamin Walker and his older, wiser counterpart, Mr. <i>Taken</i>/Qui-Gon Jinn himself – as if they'd simply smeared age-rejuvenating makeup all over Neeson's face and tried to pass him off as our undead-hunting, Emancipation Proclamation-wielding President of the United States. (Irony alert: Neeson was Spielberg's long-time choice to star in <i>Lincoln</i> before Daniel Day-Lewis got the part.)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><br /></span>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNdx4DkPN0TZC8UD-jO3TDbRpiPVhmBICk6UdSTql1n3i0LFEOkGeDgQYJsD6X8Sg3yIBFhXYPPED4ekBvsFvcTRUOCcZBkUlqsFkA1238lC8pd4MbaTsKSNCpRd6nJ0Pzplf9yKv2OCxt/s1600/panabaker-robertson.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="250" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNdx4DkPN0TZC8UD-jO3TDbRpiPVhmBICk6UdSTql1n3i0LFEOkGeDgQYJsD6X8Sg3yIBFhXYPPED4ekBvsFvcTRUOCcZBkUlqsFkA1238lC8pd4MbaTsKSNCpRd6nJ0Pzplf9yKv2OCxt/s400/panabaker-robertson.png" width="400" /></a></div>
<u style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace; font-weight: bold;">Danielle Panabaker</u><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"> </span><b style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"><u>Britt Robertson</u></b><br />
<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">(<i>Sky High</i>, <i>Piranha 3DD</i>, (<i><a href="http://findingthewrongwords.blogspot.com/2010/02/for-best-films-of-decade-part-2.html"><span style="color: #3d85c6;">Dan In Real Life</span></a></i>, <i>Scream</i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><i>The Flash</i> [2014]) <i>4</i>, <i>Tomorrowland</i>)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><br /></span>
<b style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"><u>Possible Relation</u>:</b><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"> Sisters</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><br /></span>
<u style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace; font-weight: bold;">Notes</u><b style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">:</b><i style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"> </i><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">I admit: I totally confused Robertson for Panabaker during the trailers for <i>Tomorrowland</i> this summer. But now that I've become infatuated with <i>The Flash</i> on the CW, it's become much easier to tell them apart.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><br /></span>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj78hwKSXhFB07OL9DaCX1YVgx6tQ3s8nHinjZwnJeY_ygwtVAOeHPpmHqLDooLACVjaoDJpXihb-Tkuwv_iNJmmd4EeWJNqThWHa-BgINVnyx0lMKZkVkv4rremCZz7-bC9im_-yjV7OY4/s1600/monaghan-cross.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="250" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj78hwKSXhFB07OL9DaCX1YVgx6tQ3s8nHinjZwnJeY_ygwtVAOeHPpmHqLDooLACVjaoDJpXihb-Tkuwv_iNJmmd4EeWJNqThWHa-BgINVnyx0lMKZkVkv4rremCZz7-bC9im_-yjV7OY4/s400/monaghan-cross.png" width="400" /></a></div>
<u style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace; font-weight: bold;">Dominic Monaghan</u><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"> </span><b style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"><u>Joseph Cross</u></b><br />
<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">(<i><a href="http://findingthewrongwords.blogspot.com/2011/01/for-best-films-of-decade-part-10.html"><span style="color: #3d85c6;">The Lord Of The Rings</span></a></i> (<i>Flags Of Our Fathers</i>,</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><a href="http://findingthewrongwords.blogspot.com/2011/01/for-best-films-of-decade-part-10.html"><span style="color: #3d85c6;">Trilogy</span></a>, <i>Lost</i>) <i>Milk</i>, <i>Lincoln</i>)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><br /></span>
<b style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"><u>Possible Relation</u>:</b><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"> Cousins</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><br /></span>
<u style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace; font-weight: bold;">Notes</u><b style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">:</b><i style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"> </i><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">Uncanny resemblance to Monaghan aside, at least Mr. Cross can rest easy knowing he'll eventually be cast as Meriadoc Brandybuck in the eventual roadshow revival of <i>The Lord Of The Rings</i>.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><i><br /></i></span>
<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><i>__________</i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><i><br /></i></span>
<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><i><br /></i></span>
<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">Your turn. Contribute! Make suggestions! And chances are they'll appear here in a future post. And f</span><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">or past AWSPOAFMs, click </span><a href="http://findingthewrongwords.blogspot.com/2015/01/for-actors-who-should-play-each-others.html" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"><span style="color: #3d85c6;">here</span></a><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"> and </span><a href="http://findingthewrongwords.blogspot.com/2015/03/for-more-actors-who-should-play-other.html" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"><span style="color: #3d85c6;">here</span></a><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">.</span>D.W. Lundberghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03709428152190690075noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8005808875158331076.post-16610626390755113312015-08-23T19:43:00.000-06:002015-08-23T19:45:47.723-06:00... FOR "'ANT-MAN,' 'TERMINATOR GENISYS,' AND THE ART OF DE-AGING ACTORS FOR BIG SCREEN PURPOSES"<div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCLLh_1e716x5YEUUhiTDw6r8PJQpfr8c0kLp9SMNNeW_5YPd4Qn9dojTK8Mu7OKWG9qJ3OGAB7JRR6fnvr1GUudHfQx0FBErNT4SuNFp4FN5wBhpo8OdGaV_wfLEIVo9zuZkXu_Ygkk01/s1600/intro.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="250" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCLLh_1e716x5YEUUhiTDw6r8PJQpfr8c0kLp9SMNNeW_5YPd4Qn9dojTK8Mu7OKWG9qJ3OGAB7JRR6fnvr1GUudHfQx0FBErNT4SuNFp4FN5wBhpo8OdGaV_wfLEIVo9zuZkXu_Ygkk01/s400/intro.png" width="400" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">If <i>Ant-Man</i> and <i>Terminator Genisys</i> have taught us anything this summer, it's that there's still plenty of life left in our older generation of actors yet. And I don't mean that in the metaphorical, gee-I-never-knew-they-still-<wbr></wbr>had-it-in-them sprightly performance kind of way. After all, Michael Douglas is merely a supporting player in Marvel's latest bid for superhero supremacy, and spends most of his time standing on the sidelines, spouting exposition. Schwarzenegger, too, plays more of an expository machine than killing machine this time out, trying to make sense of so many fractured timelines and cracking jokes about being "old but not obsolete" (though box office pundits might beg to differ on that last one). The problem is, most of our marquee movie stars of yesteryear simply can't compete with the Vin Diesels and Dwayne "The Rock" Johnsons of today - Douglas, for all his vim and vigor, turns 71 this September, while Schwarzenegger celebrated his 68th birthday on July 30 - so they've been "promoted" to mentor roles or crotchety figures of fun in order to stay relevant. For one brief shining moment in both <i>Ant-Man</i> and <i>Terminator Genisys</i>, however, we're reminded of their past glories (and unwithered faces) with the help of some revolutionary CG effects, and the results, for a change, are breathtaking. Never before has a digital face-lift looked so good.</span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Granted, CGI hasn't always had the best track record for replicating human flesh on screen. Skin tones tend to look plastic, and contrary to popular belief, human beings do not move with the dexterity of stop-motion animated figures, with rubbery, elongated limbs. And yet filmmakers insist on pushing the technology to its absolute limits, regardless of necessity or common sense. Close-ups of faces, in particular, are especially unforgiving, since we're practically invited to get a cold, hard look at the imperfections of the process. Like this computer-generated visage of actor Bruce Lee, resurrected for a <a href="https://youtu.be/Di0Gtdsp8LE"><span style="color: #3d85c6;">Johnnie Walker whiskey commercial</span></a> that aired on Chinese television in 2013:</span><br />
<a name='more'></a><br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5GVE3CxJ8hVt7XgaYKirLC1cUyDkLMiZ-c1ClyY_4FvrAW-qSZPRS9YDgrrstHdlrCp3zidXX34x0doJnKAxF2yyzyR8JtUd25j6lDNJDPaRzO48tAmuMh7AxHyQxNHgq2ntvA-mtlz9D/s1600/bruceleewhiskey.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; display: inline !important; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><span style="color: black;"><img border="0" height="250" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5GVE3CxJ8hVt7XgaYKirLC1cUyDkLMiZ-c1ClyY_4FvrAW-qSZPRS9YDgrrstHdlrCp3zidXX34x0doJnKAxF2yyzyR8JtUd25j6lDNJDPaRzO48tAmuMh7AxHyQxNHgq2ntvA-mtlz9D/s400/bruceleewhiskey.png" width="400" /></span></a></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">Or this CG'd shot (mentioned </span><a href="http://findingthewrongwords.blogspot.com/2012/04/for-cg-atrocities-and-those-who-commit.html" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"><span style="color: #3d85c6;">elsewhere on the site</span></a><span style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"><span style="color: #3d85c6;">)</span> of Jeff “The Dude” Bridges, grafted onto the body of a completely different actor for </span><i style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">TRON Legacy</i><span style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"> (2010):</span><br />
<span style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNA3vUMlP6wS_5enbTMP-S6hBohpyppV2p2vIX2RJIKerKW3OYBU2y8PZdRUaPpgvt6E5pz0IUuU_tf0rWoSrl4Ul4cMEyFNNrEWqnPZSauNcbSZdITPNQmS9Ykp4vqVIVPizVmvksTjSS/s1600/tronlegacy.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="250" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNA3vUMlP6wS_5enbTMP-S6hBohpyppV2p2vIX2RJIKerKW3OYBU2y8PZdRUaPpgvt6E5pz0IUuU_tf0rWoSrl4Ul4cMEyFNNrEWqnPZSauNcbSZdITPNQmS9Ykp4vqVIVPizVmvksTjSS/s400/tronlegacy.png" width="400" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">For </span><i style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">Terminator Salvation</i><span style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"> (2009), director McG resorted to this egregious use of a CG Arnold Schwarzenegger for the climax of his film:</span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2RV5sVYAkv3mB12sgvArTAXj4qAfnnodzoI0w0yBJGc5em49d6dsgVPQ2G4q66_wa03tlqliZgkoO8s4nzXmz19q_dOxBc1rut2TkLiGbF38Q6BvXP52HhhU6J16FYFFt5HS7wxPI7YYi/s1600/salvation.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="250" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2RV5sVYAkv3mB12sgvArTAXj4qAfnnodzoI0w0yBJGc5em49d6dsgVPQ2G4q66_wa03tlqliZgkoO8s4nzXmz19q_dOxBc1rut2TkLiGbF38Q6BvXP52HhhU6J16FYFFt5HS7wxPI7YYi/s400/salvation.png" width="400" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">The inanity of the moment aside (the machines of Skynet, intent on wiping future-savior-of-humanity John Connor from the face of the earth, capture his future-father Kyle Reese in order to lure Connor into an elaborate trap... excuse me, what?), the tragedy here is that it takes us out of the movie itself. Did the filmmakers honestly think we'd mistake this plasticine Schwarzenegger for the actual one? To be fair, the real-life Governator was busy fulfilling his duties to California at the time of filming, so he understandably couldn't commit to a cameo. And the demands of the script, as empty-headed as they may be, required a younger, sprightlier Schwarzenegger identical to the Terminator he originally played two decades ago. (Legacy Effects, a San Fernando-based company, took a life-sized bust of Arnold's face - as well as reference photos circa 1984 - and fed them into a computer, <a href="http://www.popularmechanics.com/technology/gadgets/a4426/4318434/"><span style="color: #3d85c6;">essentially creating their digital actor from scratch</span></a>.) </span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">The screenplay for <i>Terminator Genisys</i> also called for a 1980s-era Schwarzenegger to make an appearance, this time for scenes re-created from James Cameron's original film. This junior Terminator would not only be required to speak (unlike its <i>Salvation </i>incarnation, which glowered completely in silence), but would also share the screen with an older version of itself - aka, middle-aged, present-day Schwarzenegger! MPC, the FX house assigned to the project, <a href="http://www.fxguide.com/featured/terminator-new-makes-new-models-new-vfx/"><span style="color: #3d85c6;">took 12 months to complete 31 shots for the film</span></a>, using performance capture of Arnold's facial expressions plus archival footage of his '77 documentary <i>Pumping Iron</i>. The difference is uncanny: even the most obsessive Terminator fan would be hard-pressed telling the old film apart from the new one. (<i>Genisys </i>director Alan Taylor was forced to copy shots exactly as they appeared in <i>T</i>1, because of the obvious mismatch between film stock.) Here, compare two shots of Schwarzenegger from 1984 and his "synthespian" counterpart from 2015:</span><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaFrM5OqcFkMgHYKnIvleTsSmUj2fHLMBa6ApgawKKrdl4u6QxdwKL-SSiSBHq-5A7XnOo489XSMzk860Pm0GRPw8VcSoAsKeW4hUb6mHkOBfRJUTVMB8Wr46YR7FxNfv5ISocuhX5V9O7/s1600/t-compare.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: black;"><img border="0" height="250" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaFrM5OqcFkMgHYKnIvleTsSmUj2fHLMBa6ApgawKKrdl4u6QxdwKL-SSiSBHq-5A7XnOo489XSMzk860Pm0GRPw8VcSoAsKeW4hUb6mHkOBfRJUTVMB8Wr46YR7FxNfv5ISocuhX5V9O7/s400/t-compare.png" width="400" /></span></a></div>
<span style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">The lighting, the textures, the muscle movement all combine for what is perhaps the most persuasive case for CG skin replication ever committed to film. Until later when it turns it head, that is, at which point the seams begin to show:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiL7kPCxKlPeWXlW3myoF3vcUlvzIs4t54XxygBvN5Qw_LZD1gqkKW-cA_5mTtB4oJS04EQEX76gpsDVjnx5_KuLk3TFINsMVznlaS0D_GNOHACu1Tky1LHx_8BaHqhSbjrVUnyforkYrvI/s1600/genisys01.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: black;"><img border="0" height="250" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiL7kPCxKlPeWXlW3myoF3vcUlvzIs4t54XxygBvN5Qw_LZD1gqkKW-cA_5mTtB4oJS04EQEX76gpsDVjnx5_KuLk3TFINsMVznlaS0D_GNOHACu1Tky1LHx_8BaHqhSbjrVUnyforkYrvI/s400/genisys01.png" width="400" /></span></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyJEgm5LecSI3c9_p2WT05L9vXt7JTeWQMsrPl-AmWi_OhAlhB3WIXJNXHuBcB5QmoMMj_-g33z5HneAVpLwX9mf1lDUrmJ2mdPcQ5amISruSI2WX4XLqVlH30Pt6IC1mZd5zOtusJe32H/s1600/genisys02.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: black;"><img border="0" height="250" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyJEgm5LecSI3c9_p2WT05L9vXt7JTeWQMsrPl-AmWi_OhAlhB3WIXJNXHuBcB5QmoMMj_-g33z5HneAVpLwX9mf1lDUrmJ2mdPcQ5amISruSI2WX4XLqVlH30Pt6IC1mZd5zOtusJe32H/s400/genisys02.png" width="400" /></span></a></div>
<span style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">It's one thing, of course, to conjure up a living, breathing, believable human being from an infinite number of one's and zero's. It's another thing entirely to take existing footage of an actor and shave decades off his/her face and frame. For </span><i style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"><a href="http://findingthewrongwords.blogspot.com/2013/01/for-franchise-face-offs-part-15-x-men.html"><span style="color: #3d85c6;">X-Men: The Last Stand</span></a></i><span style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"><span style="color: white;"> </span>(2006), Twentieth Century Fox hired Lola Visual Effects to <a href="http://www.cgw.com/Publications/CGW/2006/Volume-29-Issue-6-June-2006-/Face-Off.aspx"><span style="color: #3d85c6;">digitally "de-age" Patrick Stewart and Ian McKellen</span></a> for a scene set twenty years in the past. The actors were filmed on a closed set with minimal makeup. That footage was then handed over to Lola's FX artists, who applied "digital skin grafts" to the actors' faces - removing wrinkles and re-sizing facial features including their noses and ears. The results, shall we say, are somewhat unnerving, as if someone literally took some skin-colored paint and smeared it across Stewart and McKellen's foreheads, cheeks and chins:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghJ97ncYupEmWdVYYqKb5w2sQMv00cQK1nGxDWMb56rq6s12p4tFbcZBUJy6Uz41XzYcykexyKQJ4v_avSaVS9R7HqdKB82khYNvslikNSdCBgg-cFzIkpZbsTtBlKCa3Gwxo_qdso7yUN/s1600/xmen-stewart.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="250" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghJ97ncYupEmWdVYYqKb5w2sQMv00cQK1nGxDWMb56rq6s12p4tFbcZBUJy6Uz41XzYcykexyKQJ4v_avSaVS9R7HqdKB82khYNvslikNSdCBgg-cFzIkpZbsTtBlKCa3Gwxo_qdso7yUN/s400/xmen-stewart.png" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1VqfUvOSp8-Csd9O-OdFt7dXn_XdqxPm_sB0zQNGhbJwFx8yZ3Bu1GqKiSNWYZr0CZl_AFifLtr_SBlcYFTZsPsm-UdrzfesMQvIlnTDPnR2MopfFJtEN6y1dkqsby7EdkJxYGojKogJt/s1600/xmen-mckellan.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="250" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1VqfUvOSp8-Csd9O-OdFt7dXn_XdqxPm_sB0zQNGhbJwFx8yZ3Bu1GqKiSNWYZr0CZl_AFifLtr_SBlcYFTZsPsm-UdrzfesMQvIlnTDPnR2MopfFJtEN6y1dkqsby7EdkJxYGojKogJt/s400/xmen-mckellan.png" width="400" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">Since then, Lola has become one of the top special effects companies in the industry, working on high-profile films such as </span><i style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">The Curious Case Of Benjamin Button</i><span style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"> (2008), </span><i style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">The Social Network</i><span style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"> (2010) and </span><i style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">Life Of Pi</i><span style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"> (2012). With </span><i style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">Ant-Man</i><span style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">, Lola relied on <a href="http://www.vulture.com/2015/07/how-did-ant-man-make-young-michael-douglas.html"><span style="color: #3d85c6;">some of the same tried-and-true techniques</span></a> they'd been using since </span><i style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">X-Men</i><span style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"> - shooting Michael Douglas on set sans makeup, say - as well as technological breakthroughs which helped them shrink Chris Evans in </span><i style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">Captain America: The First Avenger</i><span style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"> (2011). The effect is stunning; for a moment there, I was convinced they'd simply repurposed scenes from </span><i style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">Wall Street</i><span style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"> or </span><i style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">Basic Instinct</i><span style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">, using CG trickery to move Douglas's mouth à la </span><i style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">Forrest Gump</i><span style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">:</span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6uX_Nv5oEAmsNcC33aBN0Y9HCVGBFfV11w09pbqYZJbOR95wlJ6OEZpjINSUNBqueVTRAMzVbH5JQjBTtuA-cbQViIbtyDExrLHhbc3zwj3dC0ugl2YcnihHDwIBSQWKN9z4BEdAgMIk8/s1600/antman.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="250" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6uX_Nv5oEAmsNcC33aBN0Y9HCVGBFfV11w09pbqYZJbOR95wlJ6OEZpjINSUNBqueVTRAMzVbH5JQjBTtuA-cbQViIbtyDExrLHhbc3zwj3dC0ugl2YcnihHDwIBSQWKN9z4BEdAgMIk8/s400/antman.png" width="400" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">The scene is similar - in concept, at least - to what we see in <i>The Last Stand</i>: set two decades prior to the events of the film, with some of the cinema's most famous faces looking for all the world like they'd just stepped out of a time capsule, and making vague threats/promises that will no doubt reverberate throughout the rest of the plot that's about to unfold. But where <i>X</i>3 lingered on the abstract expressions of its actors, our initial admiration slipping from "How'd they <i>do</i> that?" to "Please make it stop!", <i>Ant-Man</i> does the opposite, with shots of Douglas's miraculous mug so fleeting, they leave us wanting more. </span><span style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">It's that attention to detail which separates a really good special effect from a particularly bad one.</span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">Looks like there's hope for the future after all.</span></div>
D.W. Lundberghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03709428152190690075noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8005808875158331076.post-35417713918743022892015-07-22T14:48:00.000-06:002015-07-22T14:48:39.450-06:00... FOR "THE DC/MARVEL CHARACTER CASTING SHUFFLE"<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjI10WGm7tBsQkJRTtBDpz85q0uljxFZ3RNTJdHNPMPIxCkfrDK5EgpAgkgXnGAmoRC8yO7GQg_hiLx8-91YuyPRsvfHtRegubeh7KZEUmMvigIMnUjeIdpjeAcc9WzCGPb2L_cYEz718CO/s1600/wilson-jordan.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="250" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjI10WGm7tBsQkJRTtBDpz85q0uljxFZ3RNTJdHNPMPIxCkfrDK5EgpAgkgXnGAmoRC8yO7GQg_hiLx8-91YuyPRsvfHtRegubeh7KZEUmMvigIMnUjeIdpjeAcc9WzCGPb2L_cYEz718CO/s400/wilson-jordan.png" width="400" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;">When we last saw him in 2009's <i>X-Men Origins: Wolverine</i>, depending on <a href="http://www.ign.com/articles/2009/05/05/wolverine-the-secret-endings"><span style="color: #3d85c6;">which screening you were (un)lucky enough to attend</span></a>, Mr. Wade Winston Wilson (Ryan Reynolds) - aka Deadpool, aka Weapon X - was lying amongst the rubble of Three Mile Island, having literally lost his head in a battle with a certain adamantium-clawed superhero. Of course, not even a good decapitation can keep a good Deadpool down, which is why our final fleeting glimpse of the Merc With A Mouth came as a shock to absolutely no one: As his clearly not-dead hand crawled toward his clearly not-dead severed head, his eyes fluttered open, and his lips offered a pre-emptive "Shhhh...", in a bit of fourth-wall breaking that was perfectly in keeping with the comic books. <i><a href="http://findingthewrongwords.blogspot.com/2013/01/for-franchise-face-offs-part-15-x-men.html"><span style="color: #3d85c6;">X-Men Origins</span></a></i> didn't get a lot of things right, but that was certainly one of them, and fans have spent the last six years anxiously awaiting the promise of that shot - a Deadpool solo spin-off movie, or at the very least, a follow-up film in which Deadpool played anything other a superfluous side character.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;">Which, come February 12, 2016, is exactly what we're gonna get. Directed by former VFX artist Tim Miller, and starring Reynolds, Ed Skrein, and Morena Baccarin, <i>Deadpool: The Movie</i> finally sprung to life following a two-minute sizzle reel that leaked to the Internet in July 2012. This bootleg test footage (also directed by Miller), in which a fully-costumed, heavily-CGI'd Deadpool slices, dices, and sarcasms his way through a car-load of hapless henchmen, really seemed to get the character's trademark snark down pat, and wowed 20th Century Fox executives enough to greenlight a feature film. Production then began on March 23, 2015, and ended on May 29; in between, Mr. Reynolds, always the cad, Tweeted a number of memorable reveals about the shoot (<a href="http://www.mtv.com/news/2218490/ryan-reynolds-perfect-deadpool/"><span style="color: #3d85c6;">most of them NSFW</span></a>), in an epic attempt to assure fans that the property was in good hands. And then, on July 11, all fears about the movie were finally laid to rest, when an exclusive trailer debuted to cheering crowds at the San Diego Comic-Con. It will be everything Deadpool devotees have come to expect from the character: quippy, profane, gratuitously violent, and a kick in the pants to all other comic book movies that came before it.</span><br />
<a name='more'></a><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;">A high point of the trailer comes early on (like everyone else who skipped out on the 'Con, I was able to catch a bootlegged version on the 'net, before it vanished conveniently from circulation), when a pre-Deadpool Deadpool, strapped to a gurney as he's prepped for some mysterious operation, begs the doctors in charge, "And please don't make the super suit green. Or animated!" It's a delicious meta-jab, not just at Hollywood's affinity for CG- ing everything in sight, but also at the expense of Reynolds's previous attempt at superheroism, 2011's critically-panned <i>Green Lantern</i>. That character, of course, is the property of DC Comics, while Deadpool is owned by Marvel, which kicked up some controversy back in the day when the actor was cast as the Emerald Crusader. Was Reynolds being disloyal to the brand, crossing over to DC while his Merc With A Mouth movie waited in the wings? Or worse, would his commitment to future <i>Lantern</i>s actually prevent him from suiting up again for Marvel? Thankfully, <i>Green Lantern</i> was such a non- starter at the box office that the question was quickly rendered moot. A better question might be: Were there no hard feelings between studios, no fierce rivalries like the ones that existed for so many years in comic shops, that could possibly prevent any actor from jumping from one team to the other at will?</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;">After all, we've come a long way from the 1930s and 40s, when stars like Cary Grant or Bette Davis were <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Star_system_(filmmaking)"><span style="color: #3d85c6;">kept under contract</span></a> by certain studios and loaned out to rivals for trade. Actors, these days, are free to pursue projects however they (or their agents) see fit - and comic book franchises are the bread and butter that can keep them fed for the rest of their natural lives. Is it any wonder we see so many of our modern movie stars hopping from franchise to franchise, regardless of publication or character? Keep in mind, this happens more than you probably think. And while most of these comic book casting crossovers fail to make a splash the way Reynolds has done (die-hard fans will actually recall Reynolds's first foray into superhero-dom as the wisecracking Hannibal King in 2004's <i>Blade: Trinity</i>, which no doubt got him the job in <i>Wolverine</i>), spotting the connections can always be fun.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;">And so. Below, I offer you a list of two dozen additional CBCCs (that's 25 total, for those who can count). Some are old, some are new, and, as always, by no means is this list all-inclusive. I think even Deadpool himself would appreciate the self-referential-ness of it all.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;">______</span><br />
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgbDxHG-YHGGowdKRns3PY6Ogftsdv026N_mtwsLYJFO-U6Z_Pqi98d6PZ0Xf5J3GTV7Enq6A5BXPuJ4BTD93CKLMX6RpbXoahl5X2TN8Tryiq1j89217qgCh4SE8E1PKks5dy4sYIDj0W/s1600/murdock-wayne.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="250" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgbDxHG-YHGGowdKRns3PY6Ogftsdv026N_mtwsLYJFO-U6Z_Pqi98d6PZ0Xf5J3GTV7Enq6A5BXPuJ4BTD93CKLMX6RpbXoahl5X2TN8Tryiq1j89217qgCh4SE8E1PKks5dy4sYIDj0W/s400/murdock-wayne.png" width="400" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;"><b><u>Actor</u>:</b> Ben Affleck</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;"><br /><b><u>First Appeared In</u>:</b> <b><u>Crossed Over To</u>:</b><br /><i>Daredevi</i>l (2003) <i>Batman V Superman: Dawn<br /> Of Justice</i> (2016)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;"><br /><b><u>Role</u>:</b> <b><u>Role</u>:</b><br />Matt Murdock Bruce Wayne</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;"><b><u>Publisher</u>:</b> <b><u>Publisher</u>:</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;">Marvel Comics DC Comics</span><br />
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjird9EfAX9SKrA5gXL26RAS6OOhw8kNEKCy6c90kKKNw_VQ8njdmcp1-rMJ44om04tzhKpr0qis5Z_iULXhdCy7h8ntA021N4JT6v9-i01OaBbPBLmagUQqTy-6pgvbgrF0r8ZjnUUexVK/s1600/callahan-storm.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="250" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjird9EfAX9SKrA5gXL26RAS6OOhw8kNEKCy6c90kKKNw_VQ8njdmcp1-rMJ44om04tzhKpr0qis5Z_iULXhdCy7h8ntA021N4JT6v9-i01OaBbPBLmagUQqTy-6pgvbgrF0r8ZjnUUexVK/s400/callahan-storm.png" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;"><b><u>Actor</u>:</b> Jessica Alba</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;"><br /><b><u>First Appeared In</u>: </b> <b><u>Crossed Over To</u>:</b><br /><i>Sin City</i> (2005) <i>Fantastic Four</i> (2005)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;"><br /><b><u>Role</u>:</b> <b><u>Role</u>:</b><br />Nancy Callahan Sue Storm</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;"><b><u>Publisher</u>:</b> <b><u>Publisher</u>:</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;">Dark Horse Comics Marvel Comics</span><br />
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjCW79RvkIS1UWQ6X2nH3lTU3i22YaF_vKoHeUXl4PUgrsCxK3FyNkVwttrdbt7lO84gUWW1mntTgSI-AhlQ65tsl9g4VlZzsJeHTJFmEMea3DFYqN0VCCDqHJlrJxoXX_Ql7aoFTmXp55/s1600/munroe-phillips.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="250" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjCW79RvkIS1UWQ6X2nH3lTU3i22YaF_vKoHeUXl4PUgrsCxK3FyNkVwttrdbt7lO84gUWW1mntTgSI-AhlQ65tsl9g4VlZzsJeHTJFmEMea3DFYqN0VCCDqHJlrJxoXX_Ql7aoFTmXp55/s400/munroe-phillips.png" width="400" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;"><b><u>Actor</u>:</b> Halle Berry</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;"><br /><b><u>First Appeared In</u>:</b> <b><u>Crossed Over To</u>:</b><br /><i>X-Men</i> (2000) <i>Catwoman </i>(2004)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;"><br /><b><u>Role</u>: <u>Role</u>:</b><br />Ororo Munroe Patience Phillips</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;"><b><u>Publisher</u>: <u>Publisher</u>:</b><br />Marvel Comics DC Comics</span><br />
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbrhdfpCVxWzU2y5OXEBsQsw-OlZervl2PSirbmeEBXgt-U6lgtEVFVJe1_QZFrD9eej6Jp92tI95vSJ4AWLPSYtPQvjb9ENmchGKcufQZrC05CimJYmj4f73c3xsGzMzoi1AdqSSE7C4b/s1600/blaze-macready.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="250" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbrhdfpCVxWzU2y5OXEBsQsw-OlZervl2PSirbmeEBXgt-U6lgtEVFVJe1_QZFrD9eej6Jp92tI95vSJ4AWLPSYtPQvjb9ENmchGKcufQZrC05CimJYmj4f73c3xsGzMzoi1AdqSSE7C4b/s400/blaze-macready.png" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;"><b><u>Actor</u>:</b> Nicolas Cage<br /> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;"><b><u>First Appeared In</u>: <u>Crossed Over To</u>:</b><br /><i>Ghost Rider </i>(2007) <i>Kick-Ass </i>(2010)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;"><br /><b><u>Role</u>: <u>Role</u>:</b><br />Johnny Blaze Damon Macready</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;"><span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;"><b><u>Publisher</u>: <u>Publisher</u>:</b></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;">Marvel Comics Icon Comics</span><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5yUEbTM_3pd1iu0hENhNIdC-KixRilIggZR2MOk3mfXST0GYFuEwm1pbs8brX6oG_mKlk_RSYFYLKvlIZNbI6hvgRUp-z7nfwvzylCnn_ML69ObgB0PyVFJ9aCxdTRmyJ0yOk-hCHP3Vs/s1600/ipkiss-nygma.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="250" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5yUEbTM_3pd1iu0hENhNIdC-KixRilIggZR2MOk3mfXST0GYFuEwm1pbs8brX6oG_mKlk_RSYFYLKvlIZNbI6hvgRUp-z7nfwvzylCnn_ML69ObgB0PyVFJ9aCxdTRmyJ0yOk-hCHP3Vs/s400/ipkiss-nygma.png" width="400" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;"><b><u>Actor</u>: </b>Jim Carrey</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;"><span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;"><b><u>First Appeared In</u>: <u>Crossed Over To</u>:</b></span> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;"><i><span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;"><span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;"><i>The Mask</i> </span></span></i><span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;"><span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;">(1994)</span></span> <i><a href="http://findingthewrongwords.blogspot.com/2012/10/for-franchise-face-offs-part-14-batman_1.html"><span style="color: #3d85c6;">Batman Forever</span></a></i> (1995)</span><span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;"><span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;"></span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;"><span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;"><b><u>Role</u>: <u>Role</u>:</b></span> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;">Stanley Ipkiss Edward Nygma</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;"><span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;"><span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;"><b><u>Publisher</u>: <u>Publisher</u>:</b></span></span> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;">Dark Horse Comics DC Comics</span><br />
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1QmGgyD4METm9VOzC5lVUa9ga_519pBfgxayJ1f7KMNFqJBB04pWjI3pQ6bRwAKYLHVazZ0duWw4XwZ4dN_991xooxKkkuAkj7NYGj1c-BqCSJGSGb62ls8_n5YhMLD3dso0U30zLuTxl/s1600/storm-jensen.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="250" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1QmGgyD4METm9VOzC5lVUa9ga_519pBfgxayJ1f7KMNFqJBB04pWjI3pQ6bRwAKYLHVazZ0duWw4XwZ4dN_991xooxKkkuAkj7NYGj1c-BqCSJGSGb62ls8_n5YhMLD3dso0U30zLuTxl/s400/storm-jensen.png" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;"><b><u>Actor</u>:</b> Chris Evans</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;"><span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;"><b><u>First Appeared In</u>: <u>Crossed Over To</u>:</b></span><br /><i>Fantastic Four</i> (2005) <i>The Losers</i> (2010)</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;"><span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;"><b><u>Role</u>: <u>Role</u>:</b></span> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;">Johnny Storm Jensen</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;"><span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;"><span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;"><b><u>Publisher</u>: <u>Publisher</u>:</b></span></span> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;">Marvel Comics Oni Press</span><br />
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqmHc4sn9bjYDKpvcYMpz-qFqGjfGnSaE4SSYQ0VTgYxclYXs2cOrSrDNe2JQ4uE_50AY1daQh3X6tSEX5tSpNTDTeBQ5QEX08uM6oGXbAA3BkOcyA0Qq6VaPqAtfM8Sv5vdJBWYwFrJLF/s1600/fox-sloan.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="250" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqmHc4sn9bjYDKpvcYMpz-qFqGjfGnSaE4SSYQ0VTgYxclYXs2cOrSrDNe2JQ4uE_50AY1daQh3X6tSEX5tSpNTDTeBQ5QEX08uM6oGXbAA3BkOcyA0Qq6VaPqAtfM8Sv5vdJBWYwFrJLF/s400/fox-sloan.png" width="400" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;"><u><b>Actor</b></u>: Morgan Freeman</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;"><span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;"><b><u>First Appeared In</u>: <u>Crossed Over To</u>:</b></span><br /><i>Batman Begins</i> </span><span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;"><span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;">(2005)</span> <i>Wanted </i>(2010)</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;"><span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;"><b><u>Role</u>: <u>Role</u>:</b></span> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;">Lucius Fox Sloan</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;"><span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;"><span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;"><b><u>Publisher</u>: <u>Publisher</u>:</b></span></span> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;">DC Comics Top Cow Productions</span><br />
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLJF-G8NynA3fUIFCTUO-aeYNNxSErHkmXX76_lPZzZ4XAJOSbTvL3AIJ435eO-q3LXWAxF7OcL0NzMLTT_qYE0I1xEnstjQDqeo_R3tNq85GnKeFpZvlRyOKuvbvXZBcdEzUKElz-lqPK/s1600/pekar-sytsevich.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="250" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLJF-G8NynA3fUIFCTUO-aeYNNxSErHkmXX76_lPZzZ4XAJOSbTvL3AIJ435eO-q3LXWAxF7OcL0NzMLTT_qYE0I1xEnstjQDqeo_R3tNq85GnKeFpZvlRyOKuvbvXZBcdEzUKElz-lqPK/s400/pekar-sytsevich.png" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;"><b><u>Actor</u>:</b> Paul Giamatti</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;"><span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;"><b><u>First Appeared In</u>: <u>Crossed Over To</u>:</b></span><br /><i>American Splendor </i></span><span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;"><span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;">(2003)</span> <i><a href="http://findingthewrongwords.blogspot.com/2014/05/for-tale-of-two-spider-mans.html"><span style="color: #3d85c6;">The Amazing Spider-Man 2</span></a></i><br /> (2014)</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;"><span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;"><b><u>Role</u>: <u>Role</u>:</b></span> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;">Harvey Pekar Aleksei Sytsevich</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;"><span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;"><span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;"><span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;"><b><u>Publisher</u>: <u>Publisher</u>:</b></span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;">Dark Horse Comics Marvel Comics</span><br />
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjULkmosbdUzec9LwvnBuhZ2ch1y7wTFBtGEfaM_lxyHTU68RArLqw1eKY-WfuyPdwVtRbC3_05Di3iaYZDlhPuN2_9YuRIFRuFgJXVIzMgOhc2cMsTCzTpvxWPPcl73gMGXl-bbKYQH97x/s1600/gorgo-mama.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="250" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjULkmosbdUzec9LwvnBuhZ2ch1y7wTFBtGEfaM_lxyHTU68RArLqw1eKY-WfuyPdwVtRbC3_05Di3iaYZDlhPuN2_9YuRIFRuFgJXVIzMgOhc2cMsTCzTpvxWPPcl73gMGXl-bbKYQH97x/s400/gorgo-mama.png" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;"><b><u>Actor</u>:</b> Lena Headey</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;"><span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;"><b><u>First Appeared In</u>: <u>Crossed Over To</u>:</b></span><br /><i>300 </i>(2006) <i>Dredd </i>(2012)</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;"><span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;"><span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;"><b><u>Role</u>: <u>Role</u>:</b></span></span> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;">Queen Gorgo Ma-Ma</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;"><span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;"><span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;"><b><u>Publisher</u>: <u>Publisher</u>:</b></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;">Dark Horse Comics IDW Publishing</span><br />
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgd3A-7pxndO31hnEVAUXOluPrCDcKJp9_bkz2kGK1_HLeJcpU9J0tVS_b-It-BQAy6OkT27rHIfcGEkWLaUicevzrfxB6RwpmaIlJrKhaWklhpvxKrZYbwLEJpMO0YwNFZQ1uLGxHCn8Ya/s1600/cusack-ross.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="250" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgd3A-7pxndO31hnEVAUXOluPrCDcKJp9_bkz2kGK1_HLeJcpU9J0tVS_b-It-BQAy6OkT27rHIfcGEkWLaUicevzrfxB6RwpmaIlJrKhaWklhpvxKrZYbwLEJpMO0YwNFZQ1uLGxHCn8Ya/s400/cusack-ross.png" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;"><b><u>Actor</u>:</b> William Hurt</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;"><span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;"><b><u><span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;"><b><u>First Appeared In</u></b></span></u><span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;"><b>: </b></span><u><span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;"><b><u>Crossed Over To</u></b></span></u><span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;"><b>:</b></span></b></span><br /><i>A History Of Violence </i> <i>The Incredible Hulk</i><br /> (2005) (2008)</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;"><span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;"><span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;"><b><u>Role</u>: <u>Role</u>:</b></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;">Richie Cusack Gen. "Thunderbolt" Ross</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;"><span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;"><span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;"><span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;"><b><u>Publisher</u>: <u>Publisher</u>:</b></span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;">Vertigo/DC Comics Marvel Comics</span><br />
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgihfeZPaTmO_g1l9kzICm0tBD3QVi5HsxqY7tIt1bLgeiGy6ts68j0RGRGzHvKgSZ1uV5x3jlDFN5bZkVzauAX9a8H9zSwlkm8K0RhNep1ZLeUuSm-z36sjJ6yCAzB4x7yftI-DyTUmy1x/s1600/dent-kay.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="250" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgihfeZPaTmO_g1l9kzICm0tBD3QVi5HsxqY7tIt1bLgeiGy6ts68j0RGRGzHvKgSZ1uV5x3jlDFN5bZkVzauAX9a8H9zSwlkm8K0RhNep1ZLeUuSm-z36sjJ6yCAzB4x7yftI-DyTUmy1x/s400/dent-kay.png" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;"><b><u>Actor</u>:</b> Tommy Lee Jones</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;"><span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;"><b><u><span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;"><span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;"><b><u><span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;"><b><u>First Appeared In</u></b></span></u></b></span></span></u><span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;"><span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;"><b><span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;"><b>: </b></span></b></span></span><u><span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;"><span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;"><b><u><span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;"><b><u>Crossed Over To</u></b></span></u></b></span></span></u><span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;"><span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;"><b><span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;"><b>:</b></span></b></span></span></b></span><br /><i>Batman Forever</i> (1995) <i><a href="http://findingthewrongwords.blogspot.com/2011/11/for-franchise-face-offs-part-10-men-in.html"><span style="color: #3d85c6;">Men In Black</span></a></i> (1997)</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;"><span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;"><span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;"><b><u>Role</u>: <u>Role</u>:</b></span></span> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;">Harvey Dent Kay</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;"><span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;"><span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;"><span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;"><b><u>Publisher</u>: <u>Publisher</u>:</b></span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;">DC Comics Marvel Comics</span><br />
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOglookI7Tk1ox9f52Wfr3Wvz5mH0eaqqKg-gHZpjI8IXsdp2CFtP3DXsuXwITGD3m3qotv5flrlFM78tF1K5aW-DJL__zyWvJtdh1KhINVwd8UP4bDVn7BQ8GAvrpU429NPjdlIhertDb/s1600/hershey-kent.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="250" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOglookI7Tk1ox9f52Wfr3Wvz5mH0eaqqKg-gHZpjI8IXsdp2CFtP3DXsuXwITGD3m3qotv5flrlFM78tF1K5aW-DJL__zyWvJtdh1KhINVwd8UP4bDVn7BQ8GAvrpU429NPjdlIhertDb/s400/hershey-kent.png" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;"><b><u>Actor</u>:</b> Diane Lane</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;"><span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;"><b><u>First Appeared In</u>: <u>Crossed Over To</u>:</b></span><br /><i>Judge Dredd </i>(1995) <i>Man Of Steel</i> (2013)</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;"><span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;"><span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;"><b><u>Role</u>: <u>Role</u>:</b></span></span> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;">Judge Hershey Martha Kent</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;"><span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;"><span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;"><span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;"><b><u>Publisher</u>: <u>Publisher</u>:</b></span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;">IDW Publishing DC Comics</span><br />
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIH6h_HazAH3505IHM6ay6Dn-r4QV4KXVxK5ik2XGy45v-g4wwJfMABG1ujGY4tWXeizoMnKrCvVvANspfeZQLZB2WW8vDgxqBbAGtjJswOv45uZ9prPp8_1Eks_P5CPLEUVQjdeVWN0qb/s1600/summers-white.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="250" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIH6h_HazAH3505IHM6ay6Dn-r4QV4KXVxK5ik2XGy45v-g4wwJfMABG1ujGY4tWXeizoMnKrCvVvANspfeZQLZB2WW8vDgxqBbAGtjJswOv45uZ9prPp8_1Eks_P5CPLEUVQjdeVWN0qb/s400/summers-white.png" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;"><b><u>Actor</u>:</b> James Marsden</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;"><span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;"><b><u>First Appeared In</u>: <u>Crossed Over To</u>:</b></span><br /><i>X-Men</i> (2000) <i><a href="http://findingthewrongwords.blogspot.com/2012/05/for-franchise-face-offs-part-13.html"><span style="color: #3d85c6;">Superman Returns</span></a> </i>(2006)</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;"><span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;"><span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;"><b><u>Role</u>: <u>Role</u>:</b></span></span> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;">Scott Summers Richard White</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;"><span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;"><span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;"><span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;"><span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;"><b><u>Publisher</u>: <u>Publisher</u>:</b></span></span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;">Marvel Comics DC Comics</span><br />
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgly_io_BYJgMjHSQblYlLa3O_Jpx1hEaQ_uHJ8CZkxk3n0Am5UF6Ogq9aFhsLxEtXNQW0l5MkT3fURx6eLkLEkZ2HtL-8cF1QQEyAmDF6V7TkarLMI8NB04OXYwA3-9tFva5lXZhjzAjgw/s1600/gibson-xavier.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="250" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgly_io_BYJgMjHSQblYlLa3O_Jpx1hEaQ_uHJ8CZkxk3n0Am5UF6Ogq9aFhsLxEtXNQW0l5MkT3fURx6eLkLEkZ2HtL-8cF1QQEyAmDF6V7TkarLMI8NB04OXYwA3-9tFva5lXZhjzAjgw/s400/gibson-xavier.png" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;"><b><u>Actor</u>:</b> James McAvoy</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;"><span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;"><b><u>First Appeared In</u>: <u>Crossed Over To</u>:</b></span><br /><i>Wanted </i>(2008) <i>X-Men: First Class</i> (2011)</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;"><span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;"><span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;"><b><u>Role</u>: <u>Role</u>:</b></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;">Wesley Gibson Charles Xavier</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;"><span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;"><span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;"><span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;"><b><u>Publisher</u>: <u>Publisher</u>:</b></span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;">Top Cow Productions Marvel Comics</span><br />
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGw-W-HIPe_dccwOLyZlje56H6Bs5NQIrK99apyd8jph9QNsodVHle-zjFVz2I0J8CLipOhOPGmL2bWdOw8qkkHpAxMbXsYVCbvRHBA6UBg7w8wTjXa2s16O6cXytk-yEPfenL_fs-9_JF/s1600/reinhardt-hellboy.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="250" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGw-W-HIPe_dccwOLyZlje56H6Bs5NQIrK99apyd8jph9QNsodVHle-zjFVz2I0J8CLipOhOPGmL2bWdOw8qkkHpAxMbXsYVCbvRHBA6UBg7w8wTjXa2s16O6cXytk-yEPfenL_fs-9_JF/s400/reinhardt-hellboy.png" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;"><b><u>Actor</u>:</b> Ron Perlman</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;"><span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;"><b><u>First Appeared In</u>: <u>Crossed Over To</u>:</b></span><br /><i>Blade II</i> (2002) <i>Hellboy </i>(2004)</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;"><span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;"><span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;"><b><u>Role</u>: <u>Role</u>:</b></span></span> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;">Reinhardt Hellboy</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;"><span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;"><span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;"><span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;"><b><u>Publisher</u>: <u>Publisher</u>:</b></span></span></span> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;">Marvel Comics Dark Horse Comics</span><br />
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUMVtgJoUwVRtinCZ6VvEZxhXgPcKv4zxquqKjhfENiMfEUctiVSQh0M6uVYoF8ZXjQPmxj3iA3Yaqe92jkGmj_MR6GMQRWsBvCa1BOT5hIOjBKwdIlvWcQC343Os3pvnTPsxgsE50XAQ1/s1600/hammond-foster.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="250" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUMVtgJoUwVRtinCZ6VvEZxhXgPcKv4zxquqKjhfENiMfEUctiVSQh0M6uVYoF8ZXjQPmxj3iA3Yaqe92jkGmj_MR6GMQRWsBvCa1BOT5hIOjBKwdIlvWcQC343Os3pvnTPsxgsE50XAQ1/s400/hammond-foster.png" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;"><b><u>Actor</u>:</b> Natalie Portman</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;"><span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;"><b><u>First Appeared In</u>: <u>Crossed Over To</u>:</b></span><br /><i>V For Vendetta</i> (2005) <i>Thor </i>(2011)</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;"><span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;"><span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;"><b><u>Role</u>: <u>Role</u>:</b></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;">Evey Hammond Jane Foster</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;"><span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;"><span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;"><span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;"><b><u>Publisher</u>: <u>Publisher</u>:</b></span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;">DC/Vertigo Comics Marvel Comics</span><br />
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzKr2ZPyaKxo7v1eD5rWwp-JOsy8pqriX5gApkkGh0hSSxkRqwlmmMK3SSNyW61ojRR5tdQkIjAO7M2i9rG75K47NaI4y43CeZ_ZxrgsI5mO7u9p_f9IC3-diejYa7Qrp5O59q2KOHsPEB/s1600/marv-vanko.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="250" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzKr2ZPyaKxo7v1eD5rWwp-JOsy8pqriX5gApkkGh0hSSxkRqwlmmMK3SSNyW61ojRR5tdQkIjAO7M2i9rG75K47NaI4y43CeZ_ZxrgsI5mO7u9p_f9IC3-diejYa7Qrp5O59q2KOHsPEB/s400/marv-vanko.png" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;"><b><u>Actor</u>:</b> Mickey Rourke</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;"><span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;"><b><u>First Appeared In</u>: <u>Crossed Over To</u>:</b></span><br /><i>Sin City</i> (2005) <i>Iron Man 2</i> (2010)</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;"><span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;"><span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;"><b><u>Role</u>: <u>Role</u>:</b></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;">Marv Ivan Vanko</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;"><span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;"><span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;"><span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;"><b><u>Publisher</u>: <u>Publisher</u>:</b></span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;">Dark Horse Comics Marvel Comics</span><br />
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFSO-AeM58Fw0zPpJO6VfvBm5aD3dWneR3-aFyAU9Xd6dVw8629BYXOJH3DvrBcOnYvBNF6nGe1bMBLOeKs0WBX-zi5Cn1Kv60VJtFjV0w0Q449CBKGcTMWFLIC9EyhmF-9HzdvN5Elqe0/s1600/aisha-gamora.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="250" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFSO-AeM58Fw0zPpJO6VfvBm5aD3dWneR3-aFyAU9Xd6dVw8629BYXOJH3DvrBcOnYvBNF6nGe1bMBLOeKs0WBX-zi5Cn1Kv60VJtFjV0w0Q449CBKGcTMWFLIC9EyhmF-9HzdvN5Elqe0/s400/aisha-gamora.png" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;"><b><u>Actor</u>:</b> Zoe Saldana</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;"><span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;"><b><u>First Appeared In</u>: <u>Crossed Over To</u>:</b></span><br /><i>The Losers</i> (2010) <i>Guardians Of The Galaxy</i><br /> (2014)</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;"><span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;"><span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;"><b><u>Role</u>: <u>Role</u>:</b></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;">Aisha Gamora</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;"><span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;"><span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;"><span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;"><b><u>Publisher</u>: <u>Publisher</u>:</b></span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;">DC/Vertigo Comics Marvel Comics</span><br />
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbCEb55Y_Ttjg8GNmCQ-uSwHFQU1e3T6A1MLAtS7_rIZTgJUFJmoIO5rKRlxVslqLwyav5f_7zmjHZEaFNitRTEldhZrNDXXNGQ2xHR_K-Xo215cYQAad0OyfaFZRXWKBRs8AePhJmEysR/s1600/jay-lawton.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="250" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbCEb55Y_Ttjg8GNmCQ-uSwHFQU1e3T6A1MLAtS7_rIZTgJUFJmoIO5rKRlxVslqLwyav5f_7zmjHZEaFNitRTEldhZrNDXXNGQ2xHR_K-Xo215cYQAad0OyfaFZRXWKBRs8AePhJmEysR/s400/jay-lawton.png" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;"><b><u>Actor</u>: </b>Will Smith</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;"><span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;"><b><u>First Appeared In</u>: <u>Crossed Over To</u>:</b></span><br /><i>Men In Black</i> (1997) <i>Suicide Squad</i> (2016)</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;"><span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;"><span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;"><b><u>Role</u>: <u>Role</u>:</b></span></span> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;">Jay Floyd Lawton</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;"><span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;"><span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;"><span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;"><b><u>Publisher</u>: <u>Publisher</u>:</b></span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;">Marvel Comics DC Comics</span><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixpsU7-6xeogOlCBPB38ejisv4FiOIZ9MwcWWJpJLqErHU-x47pziOOhSLOHjrU0VTg0fZLZAliBRZDh89guyo9FVLK2EHx2PUZlBDL4zTKkEMD5u2shXa3-SqtZKYr0Fkzlc7H_rPGjA0/s1600/zod-stick.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="250" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixpsU7-6xeogOlCBPB38ejisv4FiOIZ9MwcWWJpJLqErHU-x47pziOOhSLOHjrU0VTg0fZLZAliBRZDh89guyo9FVLK2EHx2PUZlBDL4zTKkEMD5u2shXa3-SqtZKYr0Fkzlc7H_rPGjA0/s400/zod-stick.png" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;"><b><u>Actor</u>:</b> Terence Stamp</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;"><span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;"><b><u>First Appeared In</u>: <u>Crossed Over To</u>:</b></span><br /><i>Superman II</i> (1981) <i>Elektra </i>(2005)</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;"><span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;"><span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;"><b><u>Role</u>: <u>Role</u>:</b></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;">General Zod Stick</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;"><span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;"><span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;"><span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;"><b><u>Publisher</u>: <u>Publisher</u>:</b></span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;">DC Comics Marvel Comics</span><br />
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxha6QWEzz__yE7KbV0HWVSar0eaMnQkl7LkJeZveKghigjOCOEACTo8NeZxcmPN-A9M1vXb4DCLcuDGaVW7V05eFVKqRL5RHS7CR2sxiD5HnvwTfmPMl4npr3lSLvRAbyd5Vic_n921ua/s1600/lizewski-maximoff.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="250" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxha6QWEzz__yE7KbV0HWVSar0eaMnQkl7LkJeZveKghigjOCOEACTo8NeZxcmPN-A9M1vXb4DCLcuDGaVW7V05eFVKqRL5RHS7CR2sxiD5HnvwTfmPMl4npr3lSLvRAbyd5Vic_n921ua/s400/lizewski-maximoff.png" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;"><b><u>Actor</u>:</b> Aaron Taylor-Johnson</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;"><span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;"><b><u>First Appeared In</u>: <u>Crossed Over To</u>:</b></span><br /><i>Kick-Ass</i> (2010) <i>Avengers: Age Of Ultron</i><br /> (2015)</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;"><span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;"><span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;"><b><u>Role</u>: <u>Role</u>:</b></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;">Dave Lizewski Pietro Maximoff</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;"><span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;"><span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;"><span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;"><b><u>Publisher</u>: <u>Publisher</u>:</b></span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;">Icon Comics Marvel Comics</span><br />
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGUMYJG5e6cQ8km6XVXBmOhn4t_57R0sgufVKdzQas-yPuaDuvXHEhuywSkcvW04OLAUpWV3po5lwZ8d8GJxrw_Qp87_6aarEul_5sMp8F3GG9X7MYxfy9rQZsKjIPXGdqk7pM_yASLBVn/s1600/v-schmidt.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="250" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGUMYJG5e6cQ8km6XVXBmOhn4t_57R0sgufVKdzQas-yPuaDuvXHEhuywSkcvW04OLAUpWV3po5lwZ8d8GJxrw_Qp87_6aarEul_5sMp8F3GG9X7MYxfy9rQZsKjIPXGdqk7pM_yASLBVn/s400/v-schmidt.png" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;"><b><u>Actor</u>:</b> Hugo Weaving</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;"><span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;"><b><u>First Appeared In</u>: <u>Crossed Over To</u>:</b></span><br /><i>V For Vendetta</i> (2005) <i>Captain America: The<br /> First Avenger</i> (2015)</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;"><span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;"><span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;"><b><u>Role</u>: <u>Role</u>:</b></span></span> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;">V Johann Schmidt</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;"><span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;"><span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;"><span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;"><b><u>Publisher</u>: <u>Publisher</u>:</b></span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;">DC/Vertigo Comics Marvel Comics</span><br />
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhT5bavXzwSPMinVORdBpDPqExeYq7uVTjOdtrxm97scKRdpeGh1PwkOLO0vwEG-ZCDPjFvHKnvZ7nOt6kvTjMyPJW8AJR73Ptp2UijDCzNebQ7fy7k5IgosFod0DPEA0AG8Vno88tt7663/s1600/simmons-gambol.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="250" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhT5bavXzwSPMinVORdBpDPqExeYq7uVTjOdtrxm97scKRdpeGh1PwkOLO0vwEG-ZCDPjFvHKnvZ7nOt6kvTjMyPJW8AJR73Ptp2UijDCzNebQ7fy7k5IgosFod0DPEA0AG8Vno88tt7663/s400/simmons-gambol.png" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;"><b><u>Actor</u>:</b> Michael Jai White</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;"><span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;"><b><u>First Appeared In</u>: <u>Crossed Over To</u>:</b></span><br /><i>Spawn </i>(1997) <i>The Dark Knight</i> (2008)</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;"><span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;"><span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;"><b><u>Role</u>: <u>Role</u>:</b></span></span> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;">Al Simmons Gambol</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;"><span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;"><span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;"><span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;"><b><u>Publisher</u>: <u>Publisher</u>:</b></span></span></span> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;">Image Comics DC Comics</span><br />
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6XbatKH3buxvpM0ZU0EclFyQXfKtIIq84B45P9kyu-FMRkMhqfMmjJlrTvGNkFNYLFWGjUPGo-9ANxCJ-GwPSnLLupg9iqX5hARffXRApRCGNe_Gf0DozWTLZsCwMG0U_GQAMLj4e7Dd0/s1600/lorvan-marianna.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="250" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6XbatKH3buxvpM0ZU0EclFyQXfKtIIq84B45P9kyu-FMRkMhqfMmjJlrTvGNkFNYLFWGjUPGo-9ANxCJ-GwPSnLLupg9iqX5hARffXRApRCGNe_Gf0DozWTLZsCwMG0U_GQAMLj4e7Dd0/s400/lorvan-marianna.png" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;"><b><u>Actor</u>: </b>Ayelet Zurer</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;"><span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;"><b><u>First Appeared In</u>: <u>Crossed Over To</u>:</b></span><br /><i>Man Of Steel </i>(2013) <i>Daredevil </i>(2015)</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;"><span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;"><span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;"><b><u>Role</u>: <u>Role</u>:</b></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;">Lara Lor-Van Vanessa Marianna</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;"><span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;"><span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;"><span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;"><b><u>Publisher</u>: <u>Publisher</u>:</b></span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;">DC Comics Marvel Comics</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;">__________</span><br />
<br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;">That's 25 down - yet we're barely scratching the surface here, people! Do you feel I left anyone important off the list? Do you have any issues (Get it? Issues? As in <i>comic books</i>?) with anyone I included? Feel free to add examples/complaints in the comments section below! </span>D.W. Lundberghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03709428152190690075noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8005808875158331076.post-38760730904932306712015-05-15T16:42:00.000-06:002015-12-15T13:59:34.081-07:00... FOR "CRASHING PLANES AND SUPER-RESCUES"<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="275" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/Lm46-envrHo" width="410"></iframe></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">On Wednesday, CBS released the extended trailer for their
upcoming <i>Supergirl</i> series (set to
debut this November), to general acclaim from fanboys and network nitpickers
alike. Developed by Greg Berlanti (whose production company also oversees <i>The Flash</i> and <i>Arrow</i> for The CW) and Ali Adler (ABC'S <i>No Ordinary Family</i>), <i>Supergirl</i>
stars Melissa Benoist as Kara Zor-El, Superman's Kryptonian cousin, who,
"<a href="http://www.dccomics.com/blog/2015/05/13/supergirl-get-your-first-look-at-the-trailer"><span style="color: #3d85c6;">after 12 years of keeping her powers a secret on Earth, decides to finally embrace her superhuman abilities and be the hero she was always meant to be.</span></a>" In short, it's your typical superhero origin story, on a TV
budget, with all the comic book existentialism and witty romantic comedy banter we've
come to expect from our modern-day pop entertainments.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">For her part, Benoist captures the cheerfulness and
naivete of the character quite well, thank you very much, especially during the
action scenes - check out her obvious glee, for example, at 4:35, when she discovers she's bulletproof. (Speaking of <i>Glee</i>:
Benoist and her <i>Flash </i>counterpart, Grant Gustin, are both veterans of Fox's musical melodrama.) The writing, too, takes obvious delight poking at gender
stereotypes ("What do you think is so bad about 'girl'? I'm a girl, and
your boss, and powerful, and rich, and hot, and smart. So if you perceive
'Supergirl' as anything less than excellent, isn't the real problem...
you?"), and, of course, includes its share of <a href="http://www.ign.com/videos/2015/05/14/secrets-of-the-supergirl-trailer-ign-rewind-theater"><span style="color: #3d85c6;">Easter Eggs</span></a>.</span></div>
<a name='more'></a><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><br />
Kara's first reveal to the world, meanwhile - rescuing a
downed passenger plane from a fiery crash - should strike a chord with
anyone well-versed in the Superman mythos. Fans of 1978's <i><a href="http://findingthewrongwords.blogspot.com/2012/05/for-franchise-face-offs-part-13.html"><span style="color: #3d85c6;">Superman: The Movie</span></a></i>, no doubt, will recall this iconic scene of the
Man of Steel (Christopher Reeve) coming to the rescue of Air Force One, after
one of its engines is struck during a lightning storm:</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9TY0iZkXvil8P04jCbWpC_DjP2SlW5-i0kDxAVuLnMoNNMk1qa1xqN_uCO0hIlhrPv5DZvK_haByFlTxnyFDjUEQFawWY7pDDVS_8IoidHHAGtXlAN63WOAnEPyHcSNLLhU5MzYXlIdbS/s1600/superman.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><img border="0" height="167" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9TY0iZkXvil8P04jCbWpC_DjP2SlW5-i0kDxAVuLnMoNNMk1qa1xqN_uCO0hIlhrPv5DZvK_haByFlTxnyFDjUEQFawWY7pDDVS_8IoidHHAGtXlAN63WOAnEPyHcSNLLhU5MzYXlIdbS/s400/superman.png" width="400" /></span></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">The inspiration for this scene, however, dates even further
back in Superman's cinematic history. In "Japoteurs" (1942), the
tenth episode of Max Fleischer's classic <i><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Superman_%281940s_cartoons%29"><span style="color: #3d85c6;">Superman </span></a></i><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Superman_%281940s_cartoons%29"><span style="color: #3d85c6;">cartoon series</span></a> (and yes, the film itself is <a href="https://youtu.be/Okl9vSJCRNg"><span style="color: #3d85c6;">every bit as ethnically insensitive</span></a> as its
title suggests), the Caped Wonder prevents an out-of-control bomber from
decimating half of Metropolis:</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZK9_eoWs_seDghou84AAo6Q0tMrCc5ecoMGCc5KVbaXwHaE1-ErECY0H2-qfv_2QxSA-RIzp4inO8522zWgu7t1jkm_ZnN9dOA3UObXOUS4r4FZT3pdF39K4ttqRZyuRv2Ew9SPR7mxzF/s1600/japoteurs.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><img border="0" height="307" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZK9_eoWs_seDghou84AAo6Q0tMrCc5ecoMGCc5KVbaXwHaE1-ErECY0H2-qfv_2QxSA-RIzp4inO8522zWgu7t1jkm_ZnN9dOA3UObXOUS4r4FZT3pdF39K4ttqRZyuRv2Ew9SPR7mxzF/s400/japoteurs.png" width="400" /></span></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">That shot, of Superman catching the plane by its nose and
lowering it to safety, would be copied almost beat-for-beat 64 years later,
during <i>Superman Returns</i> (2006):</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmWLuo7WDqyoyCy3ZcPPCh7q_a-80JNUsErUHqmtuZagPX1PlwuUAy_qNmHUO4Bj8cYKhR5rslBkUklJPy3UIk8VQVhoOmO28cM3qVG1I9C_8GYIbN7VuIqJmfrRZqtJZA7uJp8e_ozge_/s1600/supermanreturns.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><img border="0" height="167" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmWLuo7WDqyoyCy3ZcPPCh7q_a-80JNUsErUHqmtuZagPX1PlwuUAy_qNmHUO4Bj8cYKhR5rslBkUklJPy3UIk8VQVhoOmO28cM3qVG1I9C_8GYIbN7VuIqJmfrRZqtJZA7uJp8e_ozge_/s400/supermanreturns.png" width="400" /></span></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">As it turns out, Supes's knack for jousting with jumbo
jets wended its way onto the small screen as well. Part Three of
"The Last Son Of Krypton" (1996) from Warners' acclaimed <i>Superman: The Animated Series</i> shows Big Blue up to
his usual antics, as he reveals himself in his red-and-blue duds </span><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">for the first time</span><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">:</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhC0xJAWo3NHLDcy6zGTI__xNqXBxjq22Nc6RXfUiGAjdKXTV7mpxhNlkxJBL10LJ2uFBB3Q7xrZRV_OiuLM26mR-lR8_NysH3oJkPJahN-Z6DwrwZ5Oqj7NWx1jqka1k32Zs28yJ1Ud7Dn/s1600/lastson.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><img border="0" height="283" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhC0xJAWo3NHLDcy6zGTI__xNqXBxjq22Nc6RXfUiGAjdKXTV7mpxhNlkxJBL10LJ2uFBB3Q7xrZRV_OiuLM26mR-lR8_NysH3oJkPJahN-Z6DwrwZ5Oqj7NWx1jqka1k32Zs28yJ1Ud7Dn/s400/lastson.PNG" width="400" /></span></a></div>
<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">Later, in a special Batman crossover episode ("World's
Finest," Part One, 1997), Superman is introduced rescuing Lois Lane on
board Air Force One (again), which has been hijacked by a team of unsuspecting terrorists:</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvlsZF8mwjdKPGjyfUcioXK8GkPpay250S-n8nS9jDVGUxQfAKScDF3Gj8BuoWgcpa6e8D5w2xIT3NHxmhWlxHgtqJL9cp9XDeJivS40jCmOvU6OMlN10h_-5q_7IU3IwiLkR27B82RFI9/s1600/worldsfinest.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><img border="0" height="285" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvlsZF8mwjdKPGjyfUcioXK8GkPpay250S-n8nS9jDVGUxQfAKScDF3Gj8BuoWgcpa6e8D5w2xIT3NHxmhWlxHgtqJL9cp9XDeJivS40jCmOvU6OMlN10h_-5q_7IU3IwiLkR27B82RFI9/s400/worldsfinest.PNG" width="400" /></span></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">Then, in 2011, Lois finds herself in a similar situation
during the finale episode of The CW's <i>Smallville</i>.
(Ever the trouble-seeker, Lois was also present during the plane-rescuing
sequences in "Japoteurs" and <i>Superman
Returns</i>.) Here, Clark Kent (Tom Welling), finally accepting his superheroic destiny
after anext interminable ten-season run, steers Air Force One in the right direction (again) before
it's <a href="http://smallville.wikia.com/wiki/Finale,_Part_2"><span style="color: #3d85c6;">crashed by Apokolips</span></a>:</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi21jqKoX8FLUyxTzhrp1eFp9m6PogQSDbCCj4UHbqRgsdgemt6XOIJLQ2I3H0dbcsvxyIj0bn0HTY_S75uldWPvfwlKX2dwqfVj1NP3FFwEN-fUhK45_7cM4FREXDA5FVymCZpGOBo8dc8/s1600/smallville.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi21jqKoX8FLUyxTzhrp1eFp9m6PogQSDbCCj4UHbqRgsdgemt6XOIJLQ2I3H0dbcsvxyIj0bn0HTY_S75uldWPvfwlKX2dwqfVj1NP3FFwEN-fUhK45_7cM4FREXDA5FVymCZpGOBo8dc8/s400/smallville.png" width="400" /></span></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">And now, finally, this. Seems Kara is destined to follow
in her famous cousin's footsteps after all:</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRj0RKaiUKx68swVmqH3JkWFLyyWGJQDlTBW_IZjBQw7GP9JbG4JKUkuOpNlzyDpcStf7rEgzp8dzowIpK1WSqx1Au8xq90du8FeLi9HFWMv8fBTbxn4fIdwVorq8lV3RU0ezqXaHP3Dhf/s1600/supergirl.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRj0RKaiUKx68swVmqH3JkWFLyyWGJQDlTBW_IZjBQw7GP9JbG4JKUkuOpNlzyDpcStf7rEgzp8dzowIpK1WSqx1Au8xq90du8FeLi9HFWMv8fBTbxn4fIdwVorq8lV3RU0ezqXaHP3Dhf/s400/supergirl.png" width="400" /></span></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">Which naturally begs the question: What is it about these Kryptonian super-beings that inadvertently causes airplanes to fall from the sky? Are they crashing on purpose? Is it a case of the universe striking a balance - one body's defiance of gravity forcing another to plummet towards Earth? Or is it something deeper on a metaphorical level, a rite of passage each Superman (or Supergirl) must face to prove their individual worth?</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><br />
It's an important part of the characters' iconography, I suppose, which might explain why 2013's rebooted <i><span style="color: #3d85c6;"><a href="http://findingthewrongwords.blogspot.com/2013/07/for-summer-of-unofficial-remake-2013.html">Man Of Steel</a> </span></i>failed to click completely with audiences - it featured no such scene or sequence. Snyder's Superman spent so much of his movie feeling introspective (and causing so much </span><span style="font-family: 'courier new', courier, monospace;">inadvertent </span><span style="font-family: 'courier new', courier, monospace;">destruction of his own), he barely had the time for anything else.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><br /><span style="font-family: "courier new"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"></span></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcLRyts0fRd3oUnTTDFOwPwqAzU9oEvbt6L-IatheELs0Pb9nkw__6XwSXbXHz-fVTb2aMUpLJrTC2lH_Q_8nUz2iUY5I8NAP2Od0lkdVVeLFZpZKPqbcHkgd4_8UHKwluFCeQ6f7pDRL-/s1600/manofsteel.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><img border="0" height="166" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcLRyts0fRd3oUnTTDFOwPwqAzU9oEvbt6L-IatheELs0Pb9nkw__6XwSXbXHz-fVTb2aMUpLJrTC2lH_Q_8nUz2iUY5I8NAP2Od0lkdVVeLFZpZKPqbcHkgd4_8UHKwluFCeQ6f7pDRL-/s400/manofsteel.png" width="400" /></span></a></div>
<o:p></o:p>D.W. Lundberghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03709428152190690075noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8005808875158331076.post-71870641747349146952015-05-07T09:53:00.000-06:002015-12-17T10:37:56.270-07:00... FOR "MOVIE COINCIDENCE(S) OF THE DAY #10 - MOVIE TRAILERS, 2015 EDITION"<div class="MsoNormal">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5R5_c1O7ImmoMdu7SVztyyECEj6WHUnoE7csD7bm2WqNQ9V2McBwIQ1W_c_ltc4mu2yJY15K5nfdbiyGFctkoydEz9sUZp8vMFNsu20jsvZs7zE8Q7MZfOTwfMywTA6WMsfacFbJVtkzx/s1600/intro.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5R5_c1O7ImmoMdu7SVztyyECEj6WHUnoE7csD7bm2WqNQ9V2McBwIQ1W_c_ltc4mu2yJY15K5nfdbiyGFctkoydEz9sUZp8vMFNsu20jsvZs7zE8Q7MZfOTwfMywTA6WMsfacFbJVtkzx/s1600/intro.png" /></span></a></div>
<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Last week, <a href="http://findingthewrongwords.blogspot.com/2015/04/for-marketing-ploys-and-teaser-for_27.html"><span style="color: #3d85c6;">we spoke a bit</span></a> about the current state of advertising in Hollywood - specifically, how
film distributors have figured out a way to tease the trailers for upcoming
films, of all things, only to fall prey to Internet hackers and piracy. What we
<i>didn't</i> talk about, though the topic certainly merits some discussion, is how
these trailers seem to be advertising for films you may have already seen on
the big screen. And I'm not just talking about sequels repeating the vices and
virtues of their respective originals, as is so often the case. I'm talking
about specific shots or sequences lifted from previous blockbusters. They just
might be too subtle for anyone to notice them.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">There's Marvel's <i>Avengers: Age Of Ultron</i>, of course,
which just opened to $191 million in the U.S. (and crossed the $631-million
mark at the box office worldwide). But while you can expect the sequel to the
<a href="http://www.boxofficemojo.com/alltime/world/"><span style="color: #3d85c6;">Third Most Successful Film Of All Time</span></a> to continue many of the MCU's
long-standing traditions - sequel baiting, mystical doodads, killing off major
characters only to bring them back in future installments - there's a moment,
approximately 1:30 into the third and final trailer for <i>Age Of Ultron</i>, that should be instantly familiar to fans of <i><a href="http://findingthewrongwords.blogspot.com/2011/02/for-franchise-face-offs-part-3-matrix.html"><span style="color: #3d85c6;">The Matrix Reloaded</span></a></i>:</span><br />
<a name='more'></a><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="275" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/iyUQeqOxGVY" width="410"></iframe><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Note the rapid-fire
glimpses of Steve Rogers/ Captain America battling the titular baddie atop a
speeding semi truck, objects occasionally spilling into oncoming traffic, as
leather-clad Natasha Romanoff/Black Widow races after them via motorcycle...<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsHRVYT3826IvTtZyWJ21HxSeIxuWPW53KiMVJgZALQEKoBoCpkODRCkJrsWguS5yBLpvKjGxMXGrnMub8qyonm0x3-mkPzcpGJSGszEQGbKmBaXMN_lbiXD0Rk_H6U9mlO5KAb4U4Uhtu/s1600/marvelmatrix01.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><img border="0" height="167" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsHRVYT3826IvTtZyWJ21HxSeIxuWPW53KiMVJgZALQEKoBoCpkODRCkJrsWguS5yBLpvKjGxMXGrnMub8qyonm0x3-mkPzcpGJSGszEQGbKmBaXMN_lbiXD0Rk_H6U9mlO5KAb4U4Uhtu/s1600/marvelmatrix01.png" width="400" /></span></a></div>
<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><br />
</span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZiYgEY3UAjOje8-F-6Bczm4BlrxMWV4RrN_eGM-TB7kUO9mLntr1ksACjI1XGYmu_9j-WNE1ehcC-3vlskWJRgT51RXL1sL1T_vwh6WJQLF76LP1oRPz3mQpg6bMp6d7bFdpaFsLH-a9U/s1600/marvelmatrix02.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><img border="0" height="167" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZiYgEY3UAjOje8-F-6Bczm4BlrxMWV4RrN_eGM-TB7kUO9mLntr1ksACjI1XGYmu_9j-WNE1ehcC-3vlskWJRgT51RXL1sL1T_vwh6WJQLF76LP1oRPz3mQpg6bMp6d7bFdpaFsLH-a9U/s1600/marvelmatrix02.png" width="400" /></span></a></div>
<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><br />
</span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVG7NP__V97m_KzyuEm2dNfl6LuOVoZRR8wpuuD563EpHQFX0eLI9kiOpcrIvwSuvxLuQSqh0ttwo1OGxskUJNbyVI3TQaddjrf89t74sc69zwzRecMRZvd44-5gXY_Wn6LrkZh7W7PGQA/s1600/marvelmatrix03.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><img border="0" height="167" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVG7NP__V97m_KzyuEm2dNfl6LuOVoZRR8wpuuD563EpHQFX0eLI9kiOpcrIvwSuvxLuQSqh0ttwo1OGxskUJNbyVI3TQaddjrf89t74sc69zwzRecMRZvd44-5gXY_Wn6LrkZh7W7PGQA/s1600/marvelmatrix03.png" width="400" /></span></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">...action beats and
even certain camera angles that play out in a similar fashion during the
Wachowski Brothers' polarizing 2002 super-sequel. (Not to mention both films pit their protagonists against an evil artificial intelligence bent
on human destruction!)</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0tmBB44Fhabnj32ON4vXEYGP-YiKY5a90TghwBl66hdGV-jlqbKYDlIWij-I577MzJyDC_vGyknHbhCB8-cR4R_qG5wvA06rHCfqCHyVUcUP3IewWgweKEK7UNoaWCGcD8vpByl8cGVNp/s1600/marvelmatrix04.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><img border="0" height="167" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0tmBB44Fhabnj32ON4vXEYGP-YiKY5a90TghwBl66hdGV-jlqbKYDlIWij-I577MzJyDC_vGyknHbhCB8-cR4R_qG5wvA06rHCfqCHyVUcUP3IewWgweKEK7UNoaWCGcD8vpByl8cGVNp/s1600/marvelmatrix04.png" width="400" /></span></a></div>
<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><br />
</span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgncuJT3677nn9ldzqFpvV_jBqTVeXFtWIQ5goiFbibSNm9utNxPrc-GT6yDHUwQn9o1glUedhiDFu_DApJGCS_QntCoBSCiT8A0yRRmPWmuVhY_tTdnY4bX_FR7S5WzNeWlajpQJyqj6Jg/s1600/marvelmatrix05.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><img border="0" height="167" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgncuJT3677nn9ldzqFpvV_jBqTVeXFtWIQ5goiFbibSNm9utNxPrc-GT6yDHUwQn9o1glUedhiDFu_DApJGCS_QntCoBSCiT8A0yRRmPWmuVhY_tTdnY4bX_FR7S5WzNeWlajpQJyqj6Jg/s1600/marvelmatrix05.png" width="400" /></span></a></div>
<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><br />
</span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBEtvTx3lypnpswWAsRN2I_XnifiPKLp9e7Vbal8AL2D7RkjPoYAdPOWAVlMHU3ZkiqgnCwYZ7waQilZ1qEFYf-iGAHspeZ-XIc2tokVbHntPkqrysh5lbXQVzK5C9xOrK_b0_ieOd-aHQ/s1600/marvelmatrix06.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><img border="0" height="167" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBEtvTx3lypnpswWAsRN2I_XnifiPKLp9e7Vbal8AL2D7RkjPoYAdPOWAVlMHU3ZkiqgnCwYZ7waQilZ1qEFYf-iGAHspeZ-XIc2tokVbHntPkqrysh5lbXQVzK5C9xOrK_b0_ieOd-aHQ/s1600/marvelmatrix06.png" width="400" /></span></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Equally polarizing, at
least among disgruntled fanboys, is the trailer for </span><i style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Batman v Superman: Dawn Of Justice</i><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"> (man, does it hurt my fingertips having to type that out!), due March 25, 2016:</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="275" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/IwfUnkBfdZ4" width="410"></iframe><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Oppressive imagery
aside (cripes, even the <i>daytime scenes</i>
look like they're shot through red and orange filters), <i>BvS</i> looks to repeat the same Judeo-Christian symbolism of <i>Man Of Steel</i>, plus that essential part
of the Batman mythology, Alfred Pennyworth's incessant insistence on dishing
out advice to his beloved master ("That's how it starts. The fever, the
rage, the feeling of powerlessness that turns good men... cruel"). This
image at 1:34, on the other hand, while <a href="http://www.fatmovieguy.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/IMG_0234.jpg"><span style="color: #3d85c6;">clearly inspired</span></a> by Frank Miller's <i>The Dark Knight Returns</i> (Holy
high-powered rifle, Batman!)...<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFMAHGju9TPiA0Mw5-S08aGjvWmWR4kstzusSuBL4j3dXco23-ut0XrysnXmhtDLpLMkIRWCF2PRL4DSFkQBhYUWVJnCjhU1OSOWc0Thw930xlgnRxjgcdkleOe-L8YkELAkXi3mj9ILpf/s1600/batmancityscape01.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><img border="0" height="167" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFMAHGju9TPiA0Mw5-S08aGjvWmWR4kstzusSuBL4j3dXco23-ut0XrysnXmhtDLpLMkIRWCF2PRL4DSFkQBhYUWVJnCjhU1OSOWc0Thw930xlgnRxjgcdkleOe-L8YkELAkXi3mj9ILpf/s1600/batmancityscape01.png" width="400" /></span></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">...is more likely copied from this shot from </span><i style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">The Dark Knight
Rises</i><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"> (2012), with the Caped Crusader brooding over a vast cityscape:</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIQmOEGEnGeS838Lmwk-UYmg9HgOY6rJmV2MTbneCzg6FYAAjeEj5UqV8mZ13GruTQxv0KChdInPfuMAK5WLEMncIVf5Bqi5BZ6x0w1Sqwywgom_jf8NEuyxoCMcJXX_ELGYwPMP7Wheva/s1600/batmancityscape02.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><img border="0" height="227" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIQmOEGEnGeS838Lmwk-UYmg9HgOY6rJmV2MTbneCzg6FYAAjeEj5UqV8mZ13GruTQxv0KChdInPfuMAK5WLEMncIVf5Bqi5BZ6x0w1Sqwywgom_jf8NEuyxoCMcJXX_ELGYwPMP7Wheva/s1600/batmancityscape02.png" width="400" /></span></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">The trailer for </span><i style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Star Wars: The Force Awakens</i><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">, meanwhile,
has been greeted with something closer to pure joy and adoration from fans and non-fans alike. This
after much speculation that J.J. Abrams would "ruin" the franchise
with his signature lens flares and time-jumping narrative tricks, the same way
he "<a href="http://www.theguardian.com/film/2013/oct/03/star-trek-into-darkness-jj-abrams-lens-flare"><span style="color: #3d85c6;">ruined</span></a>" his <a href="http://findingthewrongwords.blogspot.com/2011/01/for-best-films-of-decade-part-10.html"><span style="color: #3d85c6;">rebooted </span></a></span><i style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><a href="http://findingthewrongwords.blogspot.com/2011/01/for-best-films-of-decade-part-10.html"><span style="color: #3d85c6;">Star Trek</span></a></i><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">.
Well, not only is the new trailer blessedly free of lens flares (whether time
travel plays a part in the plot remains to be seen), it teaches us something
that George Lucas's frowned-upon prequels apparently could not: that no matter
how many fantastical CG creatures you shove in our faces, nothing gets us quite
so nostalgic for </span><i style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Star Wars </i><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">as a
simple shot of a man and his Wookie.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="275" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/ngElkyQ6Rhs" width="410"></iframe><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Lest you forget Abrams also had a hand in that <i>other</i> prolific science-fiction franchise,
however, we</span><span style="font-family: "courier new"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">'re also treated with
these rhyming shots, first from <i>The Force
Awakens</i> and then from <i>Star Trek</i>
(2009):<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzVtWqImTiJF0pWBTf20KCRLCxbnT8o-8i7JG8-BbP3tyVBMIxV5rZaFDE8KrwwebuVLxJ3L7QiY3ZckgQpTLOkXAVew29aSnYu8UxGLaZYXUcBBEuhPn3KhrUxrD7eHtYZyXzZMD90loB/s1600/starwarstrek01.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><img border="0" height="172" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzVtWqImTiJF0pWBTf20KCRLCxbnT8o-8i7JG8-BbP3tyVBMIxV5rZaFDE8KrwwebuVLxJ3L7QiY3ZckgQpTLOkXAVew29aSnYu8UxGLaZYXUcBBEuhPn3KhrUxrD7eHtYZyXzZMD90loB/s1600/starwarstrek01.png" width="400" /></span></a></div>
<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><br />
</span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3O7SvKG9A9fuuGw2XnFyR_0N7Saj5pyn0WbS_U7Gc1l906R0B8jBw-DJzWefmeXMGMbvUvxuj3xF-QHgga_LgXA1-7wHlGXsuZ3P4fxcG8oU0SoxBgfpJDILBjYck_spiBweNzE0nNi5m/s1600/starwarstrek02.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><img border="0" height="167" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3O7SvKG9A9fuuGw2XnFyR_0N7Saj5pyn0WbS_U7Gc1l906R0B8jBw-DJzWefmeXMGMbvUvxuj3xF-QHgga_LgXA1-7wHlGXsuZ3P4fxcG8oU0SoxBgfpJDILBjYck_spiBweNzE0nNi5m/s1600/starwarstrek02.png" width="400" /></span></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Finally, some thoughts on </span><i><span style="font-family: "courier new"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Mission: Impossible - Rogue Nation</span></i><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">, opening July 31st. Originally slated for a December 25th
release, Paramount decided to move up the film by <i>a full six months</i> instead, to avoid competition with <i>Star Wars</i> and <i>Spectre</i>. While that certainly says a lot for the studio's
confidence in the sequel itself, the trailer for <i>Rogue Nation</i> (which, one day prior to its release, was also teased
with a <a href="https://youtu.be/p9UbBU-4mSI"><span style="color: #3d85c6;">truncated version of the very same trailer</span></a>) seems to be trading on a
different sort of nostalgia. Note the similarities between this preview for
2011's <i>Mission: Impossible - Ghost
Protocol</i> and its immediate follow-up:</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="275" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/EDGYVFZxsXQ" width="410"></iframe><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="275" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/gOW_azQbOjw" width="410"></iframe><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">The stunts. The exotic locales. The cryptic voiceover (from the boss
at the IMF</span><span style="font-family: "courier new"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">, no less)</span><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"> describing
sinister machinations afoot. Tom Cruise punching bad guys, showing off his still-chiseled
50-year-old physique. Cruise and his team, plotting their next move. The team</span><span style="font-family: "courier new"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">'s lone femme fatale, in a leg-revealing dress as she heads
off to the movie's penultimate party sequence. </span><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">The wordless montage of dudes
pointing guns, set to a Top 40</span><span style="font-family: "courier new"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">'s hip
hop track (Eminem's </span><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">"Won</span><span style="font-family: "courier new"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">'t
Back Down</span><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">"</span><span style="font-family: "courier new"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> in <i>Ghost Protocol</i>, The Fugees' </span><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">"Ready
Or Not"</span><span style="font-family: "courier new"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> in <i>Rogue Nation</i>). And the climactic shot of
Mr. Cruise, performing his latest act of death-defying insanity, dangling
thousands of feet in the air as Lalo Schifrin's iconic <i>Mission: Impossible </i>theme sends us off with a silly grin on our
faces.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimrq9uSAz75FkM8INDVmG2jEYguWrI05ueNPLwAhNBAAXfPLd_QvxclI9JE9e_Fk1uDpbsa-K6HhVq-vRiDFvn1ySKhsgQZ3co26rXAbbyKyBKCJ4PzUvQ5RTHP970nHsI3dMFkdCa9Ij_/s1600/missiondangle01.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><img border="0" height="167" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimrq9uSAz75FkM8INDVmG2jEYguWrI05ueNPLwAhNBAAXfPLd_QvxclI9JE9e_Fk1uDpbsa-K6HhVq-vRiDFvn1ySKhsgQZ3co26rXAbbyKyBKCJ4PzUvQ5RTHP970nHsI3dMFkdCa9Ij_/s1600/missiondangle01.png" width="400" /></span></a></div>
<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><br />
</span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5LwNngMk7Vba2IKVHWE9yrFvohAWkT02YGHNCO7IJZgp_QeuNI0gjM_hncNh31GSlBznJAn6f6ewsq7-pBkWqhLmUM54lpuwElBG4XJPvlDGyVv9JSysphBSFGgnrpai0bBSA7bfhEuXM/s1600/missiondangle02.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><img border="0" height="163" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5LwNngMk7Vba2IKVHWE9yrFvohAWkT02YGHNCO7IJZgp_QeuNI0gjM_hncNh31GSlBznJAn6f6ewsq7-pBkWqhLmUM54lpuwElBG4XJPvlDGyVv9JSysphBSFGgnrpai0bBSA7bfhEuXM/s1600/missiondangle02.png" width="400" /></span></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">To repeat, it is
absolutely the job of a sequel to recycle the best bits and pieces from the movies
that preceded it. That, after all, is their basic appeal in a nutshell - the fun of the familiar. But for a </span><a href="http://findingthewrongwords.blogspot.com/2011/05/for-macguffin-with-egg-part-3-mission.html" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="color: #3d85c6;">franchise</span></a><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"> that initially prided
itself on each chapter reflecting the different personality of its director -
the cold, enigmatic reserve of Brian De Palma's </span><i style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">M:I-1</i><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">, the flamboyant action of John Woo's </span><i style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">M:I-2</i><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">, the spy-tastic thrills of J.J. Abrams's </span><i style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">M:I-3</i><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">, and the high-wire imagination of Brad Bird's </span><i style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">M:I-4</i><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"> – the </span><i style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Mission: Impossible</i><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"> films are now in danger of becoming stale, homogenized, a </span><i style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">product</i><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">, virtually
indistinguishable from everything else churned out by the Hollywood hype
machine. (The director of </span><i style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Rogue Nation</i><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">
is Christopher McQuarrie, who wrote </span><i style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">The
Usual Suspects </i><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">and directed Cruise in the excellent, stripped-down </span><i style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Jack Reacher</i><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">.)</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Time will tell if <i>M:I-5</i> stands proud and apart from its
blockbuster brethren or simply offers up more of the same. For now, though, the
prognosis isn't looking good. Whether it's Mr. Cruise reacting to car bombs...<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJQyInhByiD_Aa89p4DQJDwYnl29u3xcIQA-otq2nw99Sl4MIRuZcqtQbqfeR_PcHpUKLRPZtsK3SbHX48kFkL6nNa7HAAI6jB4yD5205XNZleT20f3eRNO7xpY0O_WZgRDGYpBgGtgBPB/s1600/missionboom01.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><img border="0" height="168" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJQyInhByiD_Aa89p4DQJDwYnl29u3xcIQA-otq2nw99Sl4MIRuZcqtQbqfeR_PcHpUKLRPZtsK3SbHX48kFkL6nNa7HAAI6jB4yD5205XNZleT20f3eRNO7xpY0O_WZgRDGYpBgGtgBPB/s1600/missionboom01.png" width="400" /></span></a></div>
<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><br />
</span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZ2QSIR1HbvgzAtYEF7W_InsoAVF1Z13wVOHNsRZz_urqUf12QgBTZITQzUPmKfmfvqSmlPQE_BfANVZ_vngSRaIqYRSiUE19O6XngfemF5blzuIJ6Kt5FnH0NA5CfI0K7PB14p6qz_yEY/s1600/missionboom02.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><img border="0" height="163" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZ2QSIR1HbvgzAtYEF7W_InsoAVF1Z13wVOHNsRZz_urqUf12QgBTZITQzUPmKfmfvqSmlPQE_BfANVZ_vngSRaIqYRSiUE19O6XngfemF5blzuIJ6Kt5FnH0NA5CfI0K7PB14p6qz_yEY/s1600/missionboom02.png" width="400" /></span></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">...riding motorcycles...</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4R7s3WzXrPL2k8YJC0hU38G4IQ5Lz6R0awkEhlz-1rPU5YURo5FNUcvikOvgiSk2q_wz6j9mx9DTpap9LNPPNZf-MkeElLPowlp16kaJuyFNKPHtW6KTzaF4VM0GQvlv2pzFrvtSWDWcL/s1600/missioncycle01.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><img border="0" height="168" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4R7s3WzXrPL2k8YJC0hU38G4IQ5Lz6R0awkEhlz-1rPU5YURo5FNUcvikOvgiSk2q_wz6j9mx9DTpap9LNPPNZf-MkeElLPowlp16kaJuyFNKPHtW6KTzaF4VM0GQvlv2pzFrvtSWDWcL/s1600/missioncycle01.png" width="400" /></span></a></div>
<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><br />
</span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOUegbNwS6-yPiX63Khlis-ttydDMclQYxVuDZsqsGrqPFEu5n2oq9hsqDvK9JNYtQSkssFE8nYcUN7ncAXnoTqsqHHsdLy0GeX_IZHnF3a3AEN4-ge0QBsKB83oGmUQqAaWLKAx3nhD5a/s1600/missioncycle02.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><img border="0" height="163" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOUegbNwS6-yPiX63Khlis-ttydDMclQYxVuDZsqsGrqPFEu5n2oq9hsqDvK9JNYtQSkssFE8nYcUN7ncAXnoTqsqHHsdLy0GeX_IZHnF3a3AEN4-ge0QBsKB83oGmUQqAaWLKAx3nhD5a/s1600/missioncycle02.png" width="400" /></span></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">...or leaping tall buildings in a single bound...</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTE3MmSy3zfIUv4KDxMq0M-I41hyphenhyphenj9inaQs7ynY3E5WG1BS_O0rr0ejYLVcmdrCrTayXkSCEd7LXCofuUUslMhyphenhyphen6x6T25sOclO-qvOMcnqxh5fpomV25_TfhWCEwW6_vyWqW1_uUpgVC-4/s1600/missionleap01.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><img border="0" height="167" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTE3MmSy3zfIUv4KDxMq0M-I41hyphenhyphenj9inaQs7ynY3E5WG1BS_O0rr0ejYLVcmdrCrTayXkSCEd7LXCofuUUslMhyphenhyphen6x6T25sOclO-qvOMcnqxh5fpomV25_TfhWCEwW6_vyWqW1_uUpgVC-4/s1600/missionleap01.png" width="400" /></span></a></div>
<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><br />
</span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8MM-fFc2DdqDEA8SuLAad0NqKiqMKh4y4We4vwHqr19WYlxZlim_ajLgbfc5Nq6EDXKWnICwHucOBo38vsar_dmyzB_Jf8OkUIComzkjTZongSp29_orNnQesNxbCbyyAdYabhoc8MCFe/s1600/missionleap02.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><img border="0" height="163" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8MM-fFc2DdqDEA8SuLAad0NqKiqMKh4y4We4vwHqr19WYlxZlim_ajLgbfc5Nq6EDXKWnICwHucOBo38vsar_dmyzB_Jf8OkUIComzkjTZongSp29_orNnQesNxbCbyyAdYabhoc8MCFe/s1600/missionleap02.png" width="400" /></span></a></div>
<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">...everything old, it seems, will be new again.</span></div>
D.W. Lundberghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03709428152190690075noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8005808875158331076.post-43204411420063355272015-04-27T14:55:00.000-06:002015-04-27T14:55:08.142-06:00... FOR "MARKETING PLOYS AND THE TEASER FOR THE TEASER FOR THE TRAILER FOR THE MOVIE YOU'RE DYING TO SEE"<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsTgfJQ93qFa0X1Szj3i877LxBP4zJz4YwC_j-KzVpEO8lAutnTwiCu5CjS54yTRTUcV8sOIj3ElV1VT3Yfca_KXJt1jPM9cMruk6M13Cd2fCD9CqV80BkqwGDaIIEaHNqNzs3QUmEcJ1W/s1600/intro.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsTgfJQ93qFa0X1Szj3i877LxBP4zJz4YwC_j-KzVpEO8lAutnTwiCu5CjS54yTRTUcV8sOIj3ElV1VT3Yfca_KXJt1jPM9cMruk6M13Cd2fCD9CqV80BkqwGDaIIEaHNqNzs3QUmEcJ1W/s1600/intro.png" height="250" width="400" /></a></div>
<div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Courier New"; font-size: 12.0pt;">Could
someone please tell me when trailer-worship became an actual thing? By
"trailer," of course, I mean "a short promotional film composed
of clips showing highlights of a movie due for release in the near
future," as <a href="http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/trailer"><span style="color: #3d85c6;">Dictionary.com</span></a> defines it, and by "worship" I mean
"people completely losing their s#@% over two minutes of random footage
for a movie that probably hasn't even finished shooting yet." Most
unsettling is the fact that you no longer need to venture down to your local
theater to view these trailers in all their big-screen glory, as was the case
in my day. Now, you can download the latest trailers onto your computer, or
access them on YouTube or some attention-seeking celebrity's Facebook or
Twitter feed, to your heart's content.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
</div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Courier New"; font-size: 12.0pt;">As
if that weren't enough, we have now reached a point where studios have started
releasing trailers for their trailers - 30-60-second teasers for full-length
previews soon to debut on TV or the web. I first noticed this during the
build-up to <i><a href="http://findingthewrongwords.blogspot.com/2013/07/for-summer-of-unofficial-remake-2013.html"><span style="color: #3d85c6;">Star Trek Into Darkness</span></a></i>
(2013), when Paramount rolled out this minute-long teaser on December 6th,
2012:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<a name='more'></a></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="275" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/4pFjsiN2SRY" width="410"></iframe></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Courier New"; font-size: 12.0pt;">Which
basically this turned out to be something of a bait and switch, advertising an extended trailer that would follow less than two weeks later. This
super-sized trailer, which premiered December 17th (online, naturally), is
really nothing more than a longer, less truncated version of the exact same
footage:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
</div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="275" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/ijxMPlgTwqs" width="410"></iframe></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Courier New"; font-size: 12.0pt;">Am
I wrong, or is this exactly the sort of roundabout studio thinking that makes
sense only in Hollywood? As if some marketing guru discovered a way of dangling
a tasty carrot in front of... a larger carrot. ("Right this way, ladies
and gents!" you can hear them shout. "Step right up and feast your
eyes upon this preview of what's to come... for a preview of what's to
come!") Have we become so starved for entertainment that the trailer for a
movie now equals the experience of the movie itself?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
</div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Courier New"; font-size: 12.0pt;">This
being the Information Age, of course, some enterprising folk have discovered a
way to scoop these trailers ahead of their actual debuts, sometimes days before
studios have a chance to give them a proper roll-out - capturing blurry cell
phone footage and posting it to the Internet. On October 22nd of last year, as
a matter of fact, an anonymous scooper managed to upload the full teaser to <i>Avengers: Age Of Ultron</i> to the web,
which had originally been scheduled to air with Marvel's <i>Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. </i>the following week. Marvel took the high
ground, Tweeting <a href="https://twitter.com/marvel/status/525071656306626560"><span style="color: #3d85c6;">this</span></a> response and releasing the actual trailer later that day.
(They've since <a href="http://deadline.com/2014/11/avengers-age-of-ultron-trailer-leak-google-subpoena-marvel-1201275692/"><span style="color: #3d85c6;">subpoenaed Google</span></a> for the source of the leak.)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
</div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="275" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/tmeOjFno6Do" width="410"></iframe></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Courier New"; font-size: 12.0pt;">Then,
on April 16th, after director Zack Snyder announced <a href="https://twitter.com/ZackSnyder/status/588528448827621376"><span style="color: #3d85c6;">via Twitter</span></a> that the
trailer for <i>his</i> upcoming superhero
opus, <i>Batman v Superman</i>, would get a
special IMAX treatment on April 20th, shaky-cam footage of said trailer also
managed to magically make its way online. DC, too, decided to bite the speeding
bullet, and, following in Marvel's footsteps (which, to be honest, <a href="http://whatculture.com/film/6-reasons-dcs-cinematic-universe-will-never-rival-marvels.php/2"><span style="color: #3d85c6;">seems to be their overall plan as of late</span></a>), released an official version shortly after.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
</div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="275" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/IwfUnkBfdZ4" width="410"></iframe></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Courier New"; font-size: 12.0pt;">Naturally
this begs the question, Do movie studios bring this upon themselves? Are they
purposely asking for trouble, practically daring potential hackers and Internet
trolls to spoil the fun for everyone? Or is this simply the inevitable and
unwanted side effect of attempting new and amazing ways to draw attention to
themselves?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
</div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Courier New"; font-size: 12.0pt;">Not
all Teasers For Upcoming Trailers, however, have been so obvious in their
unending quest for fanboy attention. Marvel's <i>Ant-Man</i>, for example, took its title a bit... <i>literally</i>, when this 18-second tease appeared on January 3rd:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
</div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="275" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/JSS62eOuytM" width="410"></iframe></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: 'Courier New'; font-size: 12pt;">Finally,
you have to give it up for Lucasfilm, Disney, and the makers of this December's
</span><i style="font-family: 'Courier New'; font-size: 12pt;">Star Wars: The Force Awakens</i><span style="font-family: 'Courier New'; font-size: 12pt;"> (official
title pending). Last week, it was widely rumored that the latest teaser for
J.J. Abrams's expected box office juggernaut would be unveiled at Lucasfilm's
semi-annual </span><i style="font-family: 'Courier New'; font-size: 12pt;">Star Wars</i><span style="font-family: 'Courier New'; font-size: 12pt;"> Celebration in
Anaheim, California. Even the most reluctant fan could feel the excitement as
they <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uv3S0-1NTAk"><span style="color: #3d85c6;">live-blogged</span></a> the event that Thursday morning. </span><i style="font-family: 'Courier New'; font-size: 12pt;">Entertainment Weekly</i><span style="font-family: 'Courier New'; font-size: 12pt;">'s Anthony Breznican hosted the main panel,
with Abrams and producer Kathleen Kennedy as special guests, and introduced new
cast members Daisy Ridley (Rey), John Boyega (Finn) and Oscar Isaac (Poe Dameron), as well as some of the
special effects-meisters who worked on the film. Then Peter Mayhew (Chewbacca),
Anthony Daniels (C-3PO), Carrie Fisher (Leia Organa), and Mark Hamill (Luke
Skywalker) took the stage, and seemed honestly humble and sincere and as they
spoke to the crowd, grateful for the fame and attention the franchise had
afforded them over the years.</span><span style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"> </span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Courier New"; font-size: 12.0pt;">They
premiered the new teaser, as promised, immediately afterward. To say this was
the icing on the cake does the experience little justice. No bitterness. No
hate. No attempts to "scoop" the event or spoil it for anyone else.
Just millions of fans the world over, sharing in their love for something
greater than themselves.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
</div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Courier New"; font-size: 12.0pt;">Now
<i>that's</i> how you tease a teaser.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
</div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="275" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/ngElkyQ6Rhs" width="410"></iframe></span></div>
D.W. Lundberghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03709428152190690075noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8005808875158331076.post-80186820401183630532015-04-15T17:00:00.000-06:002015-06-02T19:44:10.279-06:00... FOR "THE MASCULINIZATION OF DISNEY PRINCESSES (A VISUAL GUIDE)"<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhw3EsMjNVxRuFmAKcwd_kHnNSOGpWaD6FWMsRjao2N_btlGnCbIUkBLJt8ZSVTphMY6Dme-KsKUwESlbDHTNKNlrN_bIm5lP1CAOSi98IH1p4NqQt1HzDvAqMtIfAron_UC4CZzClIrpvd/s1600/intro.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="250" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhw3EsMjNVxRuFmAKcwd_kHnNSOGpWaD6FWMsRjao2N_btlGnCbIUkBLJt8ZSVTphMY6Dme-KsKUwESlbDHTNKNlrN_bIm5lP1CAOSi98IH1p4NqQt1HzDvAqMtIfAron_UC4CZzClIrpvd/s1600/intro.png" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Courier New"; line-height: 115%;">As the Disney live-action remake/cartoon nostalgia train rolls on (this morning, Sir Ian McKellan posted <a href="http://www.slashfilm.com/ian-mckellen-beauty-and-the-beast-report/"><span style="color: #3d85c6;">this</span></a> report from the <i><a href="http://findingthewrongwords.blogspot.com/2011/11/for-walt-disneys-animated-fifty-part-30.html"><span style="color: #3d85c6;">Beauty And The Beast</span></a> </i>table read), I thought we'd take a gander at the effects these
films have had in our current pop culture climate.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: 'Courier New'; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: 'Courier New'; line-height: 115%;">Tim Burton's </span><i style="font-family: 'Courier New'; line-height: 115%;">Alice In
Wonderland</i><span style="font-family: 'Courier New'; line-height: 115%;"> (2010) came first, of course - a (some would say) drastic
re-conceptualizing of </span><a href="http://findingthewrongwords.blogspot.com/2011/07/for-walt-disneys-animated-fifty-part-13.html" style="font-family: 'Courier New'; line-height: 115%;"><span style="color: #3d85c6;">the animated Disney classic</span></a><span style="font-family: 'Courier New'; line-height: 115%;">, with Johnny Depp as a bug-eyed Mad Hatter and Helena Bonham Carter suffering from the most
horrifying case of elephantiasis ever captured on film. Next, Universal took a
crack at </span><a href="http://findingthewrongwords.blogspot.com/2011/04/for-walt-disneys-animated-fifty.html" style="font-family: 'Courier New'; line-height: 115%;"><span style="color: #3d85c6;">the fairest one of them all</span></a><span style="font-family: 'Courier New'; line-height: 115%;"> with </span><i style="font-family: 'Courier New'; line-height: 115%;">Snow White & The Huntsman</i><span style="font-family: 'Courier New'; line-height: 115%;"> (2012), starring Charlize Theron and
Kristen Stewart. Then in 2014, Disney earned themselves a mint by casting
Angelina Jolie in </span><i style="font-family: 'Courier New'; line-height: 115%;">Maleficent</i><span style="font-family: 'Courier New'; line-height: 115%;">, a faux-feminist
retelling of </span><i style="font-family: 'Courier New'; line-height: 115%;"><a href="http://findingthewrongwords.blogspot.com/2011/08/for-walt-disneys-animated-fifty-part-16.html"><span style="color: #3d85c6;">Sleeping Beauty</span></a></i><span style="font-family: 'Courier New'; line-height: 115%;"> from the
POV of the villain. And while I didn't much care for </span><i style="font-family: 'Courier New'; line-height: 115%;">Maleficent</i><span style="font-family: 'Courier New'; line-height: 115%;"> ("This is an ugly, embittered film on many levels," I wrote </span><a href="http://findingthewrongwords.blogspot.com/2014/09/for-maleficent-and-disapprobation-of.html" style="font-family: 'Courier New'; line-height: 115%;"><span style="color: #3d85c6;">here</span></a><span style="font-family: 'Courier New'; line-height: 115%;">, and I stick by that - just not for the reasons you'd
expect), I did pick up on a strange sort of trend that popped up at the end of
all three films - namely, the desire to turn beloved Disney princess-types into pant-wearing warriors.</span><br />
<a name='more'></a><br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjzQjf46cWEeFqrNb_ZVUQqjJse_20sfY2lOt8kMlljfONAf27IruVMvZegIrdB5E91k8Qh8inlofrFHo6K2kfhiaddSo1ZYpUrbgYjqHpV110PvKY0_yFaCDuxK-w6CJnKReDpD6qh415/s1600/alice.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="250" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjzQjf46cWEeFqrNb_ZVUQqjJse_20sfY2lOt8kMlljfONAf27IruVMvZegIrdB5E91k8Qh8inlofrFHo6K2kfhiaddSo1ZYpUrbgYjqHpV110PvKY0_yFaCDuxK-w6CJnKReDpD6qh415/s1600/alice.png" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6E6ekHqIYrpDjowfYJCltG7pji_9XaGy7EB_mhLNk5M7g8wVx4pWNuaEnOrzc4kTHQ8MBRTryEmXczppqCd8Ub38jqMcPG1rjJbQiRMv8aqPswS3cAxSCadzu9FZuYXcrZmrm1adR4erd/s1600/snow.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="250" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6E6ekHqIYrpDjowfYJCltG7pji_9XaGy7EB_mhLNk5M7g8wVx4pWNuaEnOrzc4kTHQ8MBRTryEmXczppqCd8Ub38jqMcPG1rjJbQiRMv8aqPswS3cAxSCadzu9FZuYXcrZmrm1adR4erd/s1600/snow.png" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJYXgQuRiDqA0iKyllBHPktdAf7HYrTAOFXuZFwkNkiIEEFERull4O4FCdFvyTHQipBoDtGhw_l_arhyR8AyC8Jgo29P3cGoqujfc-B1r8xV8_8_SHErxHc3fmDYFQ9BSSnBRB3CGoJ5cL/s1600/maleficent.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="250" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJYXgQuRiDqA0iKyllBHPktdAf7HYrTAOFXuZFwkNkiIEEFERull4O4FCdFvyTHQipBoDtGhw_l_arhyR8AyC8Jgo29P3cGoqujfc-B1r8xV8_8_SHErxHc3fmDYFQ9BSSnBRB3CGoJ5cL/s1600/maleficent.png" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Courier New;"><span style="line-height: 115%;">Last month, however, gave us Kenneth Branagh's </span></span><i style="font-family: 'Courier New'; line-height: 115%;">Cinderella</i><span style="font-family: Courier New;"><span style="line-height: 115%;"> - which, coincidentally, just
crossed the $180 million mark at the U.S. box office. In the months
leading up to its release, I bet I wasn't the only one who feared the titular
waif would end up arming herself with sword and shield to battle her wicked
stepmother for absolute control of the kingdom. But then the unthinkable
happened: The movie turned out to be a relatively faithful adaptation of <a href="http://findingthewrongwords.blogspot.com/2011/07/for-walt-disneys-animated-fifty-part-12.html"><span style="color: #3d85c6;">Disney's studio-resuscitating 1950 </span></a></span><span style="line-height: 115%;"><a href="http://findingthewrongwords.blogspot.com/2011/07/for-walt-disneys-animated-fifty-part-12.html"><span style="color: #3d85c6;">classic</span></a>! Poor Cinderella even has to suffer through the climactic ballroom sequence wearing a dress!</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Courier New"; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNjkMI8pPVbxogN5f8ErXlEH0f0Ni8EP1UyMfur_oX14Wp95-xQYXRQIXSfuvkANa_8qgcnXMndaNYlkS8jIp70GHZNzuYKb54fyPUdycdrNnPJlIYE6xuasLEBOXVb_Qzrli0CtKijcq1/s1600/cinderella.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="250" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNjkMI8pPVbxogN5f8ErXlEH0f0Ni8EP1UyMfur_oX14Wp95-xQYXRQIXSfuvkANa_8qgcnXMndaNYlkS8jIp70GHZNzuYKb54fyPUdycdrNnPJlIYE6xuasLEBOXVb_Qzrli0CtKijcq1/s1600/cinderella.png" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: 'Courier New'; line-height: 115%;">Now tell me, folks and feminists... is this what you call progress? Or a violent regression of everything Hollywood hoped to achieve over the past five years?</span><br />
<span style="font-family: 'Courier New'; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: 'Courier New'; line-height: 115%;">"Feminism," by the way, is <a href="http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/feminism"><span style="color: #3d85c6;">defined</span></a> by Merriam-Webster as "the belief that men and women should have equal rights and opportunities." Which, according to the filmmakers of today, apparently means covering their female leads from head to toe in armor and getting them to engage in hand-to-hand combat with a bunch of dudes. Yay, feminism!</span></div>
D.W. Lundberghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03709428152190690075noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8005808875158331076.post-70712728826233920252015-04-03T17:00:00.001-06:002015-06-02T19:35:45.091-06:00... FOR "MOVIE COINCIDENCE OF THE DAY #9 ('THE IRON GIANT'/'WRECK-IT-RALPH'/'THE DARK KNIGHT RISES' EDITION)"<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><i><span style="font-family: "Courier New"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Our
continuing series of blog posts in which we take a look at odd movie
coincidences – scenes, jokes, dialogue, even specific camera shots shared
between two (or more) seemingly unrelated films. Anyone who's sat through a
particular scene in a movie and thought, "Gee, haven't I seen someone so
this somewhere before?" will know exactly what I’m talking about.</span></i></b><br />
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpykscCieQmcojSk1k-jR5uxMEI2nF8pNINq1Rw_hXrROt95mv5liUcXcmpmeDjbFAEzAWqUkNU9O6p48D6I1LzLtt7BRswdzok9XzGY4FOEFqWnDudywMJdWCefRD4mSVcCH59XcsW3Aq/s1600/intro.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="166" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpykscCieQmcojSk1k-jR5uxMEI2nF8pNINq1Rw_hXrROt95mv5liUcXcmpmeDjbFAEzAWqUkNU9O6p48D6I1LzLtt7BRswdzok9XzGY4FOEFqWnDudywMJdWCefRD4mSVcCH59XcsW3Aq/s1600/intro.png" width="400" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: 'Courier New'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">One of the most underrated animated films of the last twenty
years, Brad Bird's </span><i style="font-family: 'Courier New'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">The Iron Giant</i><span style="font-family: 'Courier New'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">
(1999) tells the gentle story of a nine-year-old boy who befriends a sentient
robot from outer space. It was based on a children's book, </span><i style="font-family: 'Courier New'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">The Iron Man</i><span style="font-family: 'Courier New'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">, written by Ted Hughes and published in 1968 (then
later adapted as a rock musical by The Who's Pete Townshend). The movie was
adored by critics but largely (some would say </span><i style="font-family: 'Courier New'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">criminally</i><span style="font-family: 'Courier New'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">) ignored by audiences, thanks to a half-hearted
marketing push by Warner Bros, who apparently couldn't make heads or tails of
it. Since then, it's grown in stature not just as a classic of animation but as
a classic American </span><i style="font-family: 'Courier New'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">film</i><span style="font-family: 'Courier New'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"> - as much for
its rich 50s period setting as its wicked sense of humor, showcased already by
Bird during his stint on </span><i style="font-family: 'Courier New'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">The Simpsons</i><span style="font-family: 'Courier New'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">
(1989-1998) and again during </span><i style="font-family: 'Courier New'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><a href="http://findingthewrongwords.blogspot.com/2010/06/for-best-films-of-decade-part-6.html"><span style="color: #3d85c6;">The Incredibles</span></a></i><span style="font-family: 'Courier New'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"> (2004) and </span><i style="font-family: 'Courier New'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><a href="http://findingthewrongwords.blogspot.com/2011/05/for-macguffin-with-egg-part-3-mission.html"><span style="color: #3d85c6;">Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol</span></a></i><span style="font-family: 'Courier New'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"> (2011).</span><br />
<a name='more'></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Courier New"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">The comparisons to <i>E.T. -
The Extra-Terrestrial</i> (1982) are apt, if a bit off the mark. Sure, some of
the plot points may be the same - lonely, fatherless boy, wayward alien being, shadowy
government types who perceive said alien as a threat - and even some of the
shot selections seem like they're torn directly from Spielberg's timeless
classic.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJEcP3AAUs0dMYUFMNadt4jwMDlopygeiJNpBuuMSzebOFHiJwN7BaB9CSedfMmGT2aCgxWB8GJ1M_KXbDSHKXcmwboWlYuZEcRvcmsn2LG_rSFzTvagSRjq1I_kJh7S22MDuv8vdr3S9k/s1600/ironextraterrestrial01.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="216" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJEcP3AAUs0dMYUFMNadt4jwMDlopygeiJNpBuuMSzebOFHiJwN7BaB9CSedfMmGT2aCgxWB8GJ1M_KXbDSHKXcmwboWlYuZEcRvcmsn2LG_rSFzTvagSRjq1I_kJh7S22MDuv8vdr3S9k/s1600/ironextraterrestrial01.png" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzyXd2cRdEB2ad74Z-0R3VJJOZAu31vLp9wZymKiyCxVRageAwMQktl5imXrkuGN-0xcEuryLhKa0l2TiToQVWBRe1DIeYp9tJjXr3bKxv956gB2-yFpm2Xqy83x4SYDK7CVnLmL7KsDmj/s1600/ironextraterrestrial02.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="166" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzyXd2cRdEB2ad74Z-0R3VJJOZAu31vLp9wZymKiyCxVRageAwMQktl5imXrkuGN-0xcEuryLhKa0l2TiToQVWBRe1DIeYp9tJjXr3bKxv956gB2-yFpm2Xqy83x4SYDK7CVnLmL7KsDmj/s1600/ironextraterrestrial02.png" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikUazt9xKEZXGohIDDVRibNzYesRYUKIJzPBkZWTFtdfzdxXMFzmOXWqGFwzstaZL0oHLxKrd6xqmQCuDTUsL_3WdF0vn4l6bN1VXhH47ayOfiVjQVqFXGmKejj8IrWCCgEiNRm3ppRNhH/s1600/ironextraterrestrial03.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="216" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikUazt9xKEZXGohIDDVRibNzYesRYUKIJzPBkZWTFtdfzdxXMFzmOXWqGFwzstaZL0oHLxKrd6xqmQCuDTUsL_3WdF0vn4l6bN1VXhH47ayOfiVjQVqFXGmKejj8IrWCCgEiNRm3ppRNhH/s1600/ironextraterrestrial03.png" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg66g11DRcuGtbIOqf-yX9vDz24wgu_f9IMS1T4gX64qECPfbGapS0NzPKFzpmdcXGW9k2yE1h44SSINk-31b9MuPJmtmvhIm64Vv4QuC-v3Gy_pIQz2SxKDun4Gg338YLNZB2NORYWWA7p/s1600/ironextraterrestrial04.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="166" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg66g11DRcuGtbIOqf-yX9vDz24wgu_f9IMS1T4gX64qECPfbGapS0NzPKFzpmdcXGW9k2yE1h44SSINk-31b9MuPJmtmvhIm64Vv4QuC-v3Gy_pIQz2SxKDun4Gg338YLNZB2NORYWWA7p/s1600/ironextraterrestrial04.png" width="400" /></a></div>
<i><span style="font-family: "Courier New"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">The Iron
Giant</span></i><span style="font-family: "Courier New"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">, however, stands proud and apart. The 2D design of the film is
striking yet refreshingly retro (released at a time when CG animation was still
in its relative infancy). Characters are well-defined and realistic. And its
tone and (somewhat shocking) anti-gun stance never once panders to the
audience. (The line, "It's bad to kill. Guns <i>kill</i>. And you don't have to be a gun," never fails to bring
tears to my eyes.) Ingeniously, Bird set the film at the height of the Cold
War, when the majority of Americans believed they were under threat of nuclear
holocaust. Signs of impending doom are everywhere - in newspapers, in school
PSAs, in the comic books Hogarth reads at home (one of which is titled, simply,
<i>Red Menace</i>). Then in strolls the
Giant, and teaches everyone the true meaning of acceptance and love - and that
everything alien need not be feared.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Courier New"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Hogarth teaches him something in return: that the thing you are
built for doesn't necessarily reflect the person you become. (The Giant seems
especially enamored with Hogarth's Superman comics, as opposed to the ones
about gigantic metal monsters.) When a nuclear missile is inadvertently launched
towards Earth at the end of the film, the Giant selflessly decides to sacrifice
himself rather than allow his friends fall victim to the ravages of war. As
Hogarth's words ring true in his head, the Giant's final epiphany is both
heart-wrenching and heroic:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJyCJFkVHP13IMODB_y0aCKA_qPSTRlPRtA0uxV8eUZsK6fZe0OgFj4d7FQ1shTNVr6sMKR2ClH14WmynEDbzoX6NrNwpdmD3hSq4hiVLOKdlqYR-O9dq_8wMV5Is5hg2tdGXanMA0rm64/s1600/ironwreckit01.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="166" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJyCJFkVHP13IMODB_y0aCKA_qPSTRlPRtA0uxV8eUZsK6fZe0OgFj4d7FQ1shTNVr6sMKR2ClH14WmynEDbzoX6NrNwpdmD3hSq4hiVLOKdlqYR-O9dq_8wMV5Is5hg2tdGXanMA0rm64/s1600/ironwreckit01.png" width="400" /></a></div>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Courier New; font-size: x-small;"><span style="line-height: 18.3999996185303px;">"<i>You are who you choose to be.</i>"</span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Courier New; font-size: x-small;"><span style="line-height: 18.3999996185303px;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkxGlcqnLxkacAoPUzaM6gxhCWkVveSS38JFtcGmCqJ6XoUk6PEjVF7rlfu3HSl0zCMPM4jU24kbUQHNmcpDmQLsMmbs3zTlXVPw1SRlxZQryG00cQI2YnAuKlYNb7EU9_TRnIgeeXhKiq/s1600/ironwreckit02.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="166" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkxGlcqnLxkacAoPUzaM6gxhCWkVveSS38JFtcGmCqJ6XoUk6PEjVF7rlfu3HSl0zCMPM4jU24kbUQHNmcpDmQLsMmbs3zTlXVPw1SRlxZQryG00cQI2YnAuKlYNb7EU9_TRnIgeeXhKiq/s1600/ironwreckit02.png" width="400" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: 'Courier New'; font-size: x-small; line-height: 18.3999996185303px;">"Superman..."</span></div>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Courier New"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "Courier New"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">While the notion of sacrificing oneself for the greater good is
certainly nothing new to film (or to storytelling, for that matter), the ending
to <i>The Iron Giant</i> has reverberated in
multiple films since then, most recently during Disney's <i><a href="http://findingthewrongwords.blogspot.com/2015/03/for-big-hero-6-and-capturing-that-old.html"><span style="color: #3d85c6;">Big Hero 6</span></a> </i>(2014). A variation of this also pops up during <i>Wreck-It Ralph </i>(2012), when our titular
hero brandishes a similar line of (repeated) dialogue as his mantra for
self-sacrifice:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg31x-HV_-jxELpssXciACP6CN-fggEznNVPeeaPJS1AvmkjMwNObUP_h3rXydnjIU9ZVr70ZAOgvpFsgWlv6-NwwcPtJ6knZiC8r6AqjWX7m6fLg4-XCyQdxwX2Y5iq1eCt4KeJ8Dt2OJV/s1600/ironwreckit03.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="167" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg31x-HV_-jxELpssXciACP6CN-fggEznNVPeeaPJS1AvmkjMwNObUP_h3rXydnjIU9ZVr70ZAOgvpFsgWlv6-NwwcPtJ6knZiC8r6AqjWX7m6fLg4-XCyQdxwX2Y5iq1eCt4KeJ8Dt2OJV/s1600/ironwreckit03.png" width="400" /></a></div>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Courier New; font-size: x-small;"><span style="line-height: 18.3999996185303px;">"I'm bad, and that's good! I will never be</span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Courier New; font-size: x-small;"><span style="line-height: 18.3999996185303px;">good, and that's not bad!"</span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-BqUpNEvMbMGlqPh0YIVEcX-LYmd-x97fFaxIcIg0Xe3dU0bEpW72OdEQ9KFNxVMJwFs9Tr1gvAGhgJEkqUXZ1pEwwtZF4UxQfm3DWDySkTTh-q9FOFp90UtOffGMTOixpdQhXlGImFfD/s1600/ironwreckit04.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="167" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-BqUpNEvMbMGlqPh0YIVEcX-LYmd-x97fFaxIcIg0Xe3dU0bEpW72OdEQ9KFNxVMJwFs9Tr1gvAGhgJEkqUXZ1pEwwtZF4UxQfm3DWDySkTTh-q9FOFp90UtOffGMTOixpdQhXlGImFfD/s1600/ironwreckit04.png" width="400" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: 'Courier New'; font-size: x-small; line-height: 18.3999996185303px;">"There's no one I'd rather be... than me."</span></div>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Courier New"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "Courier New"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Even high-profile live-action blockbusters like <i>The Dark Knight Rises</i> (2012) ape <i>The Iron Giant</i> to an extent. At the end
of Christopher Nolan's <a href="http://findingthewrongwords.blogspot.com/2012/09/for-unfinished-projects-part-one-batman.html"><span style="color: #3d85c6;"><i>Dark Knight</i> trilogy</span></a> capper, Batman/Bruce Wayne hauls a nuclear bomb out over Gotham City
Bay in his trusty Bat plane. As the device explodes, the city reacts in awe to
the Caped Crusader's final act of heroism. Note the similar use of shots:</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjydtXMAmEExEydEKlqiRFfH_oWD08Yb4z8c0vR2XP4HOBqhrS8Umd0UXBf2rGobbfulYG9Ys_86rC2rKy8x6sQd4SY99g117e1Tmh09yB4qlqC9jTCVljERpYdRmekZIPqCyor2VgJuyF/s1600/ironbat01.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="166" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjydtXMAmEExEydEKlqiRFfH_oWD08Yb4z8c0vR2XP4HOBqhrS8Umd0UXBf2rGobbfulYG9Ys_86rC2rKy8x6sQd4SY99g117e1Tmh09yB4qlqC9jTCVljERpYdRmekZIPqCyor2VgJuyF/s1600/ironbat01.png" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXOaCT4gVlXW-583QTd34SIrIDmKrvF0SEA_ThUIW2nfO1jKZKmA8IKbg9lecYqE8_jpn55wheyMKQf4ECluJH_JtUPYu7wMi4UJV0_aMsnzg1yOr4yBgg-GnhYe72sQkYdglZwiuWdDYd/s1600/ironbat02.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="227" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXOaCT4gVlXW-583QTd34SIrIDmKrvF0SEA_ThUIW2nfO1jKZKmA8IKbg9lecYqE8_jpn55wheyMKQf4ECluJH_JtUPYu7wMi4UJV0_aMsnzg1yOr4yBgg-GnhYe72sQkYdglZwiuWdDYd/s1600/ironbat02.png" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjr79nb-h1Gtz-2x39737r9TGBNL5NxtE4qRx31NVIZzpRL3ID_4Dr9lSMo3EL1IhfizrNOZ11WDsB6wSJTVbtCL-X0Yb-dA9EdSTWQ5eu67XYikqW8j1bZ8s-dvLiPJKLEB2QHtwM5C55-/s1600/ironbat03.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="166" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjr79nb-h1Gtz-2x39737r9TGBNL5NxtE4qRx31NVIZzpRL3ID_4Dr9lSMo3EL1IhfizrNOZ11WDsB6wSJTVbtCL-X0Yb-dA9EdSTWQ5eu67XYikqW8j1bZ8s-dvLiPJKLEB2QHtwM5C55-/s1600/ironbat03.png" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8qo5oct2u6xz_AFXJY6cj6pO5BG7h5-PhgDdp2BJKdzifSVfownphm0sa0TqYX8mgHVrESJQw-dVYXQtYMd-8cj2V-B1pZixyhPWBKScMpTg1opwD-_l0G1E7SKdX1Y1L5pWq-NCq1VRT/s1600/ironbat04.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="227" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8qo5oct2u6xz_AFXJY6cj6pO5BG7h5-PhgDdp2BJKdzifSVfownphm0sa0TqYX8mgHVrESJQw-dVYXQtYMd-8cj2V-B1pZixyhPWBKScMpTg1opwD-_l0G1E7SKdX1Y1L5pWq-NCq1VRT/s1600/ironbat04.png" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj75UQsO8994gfujyS3Eq3yb46BIxX6IvtUX0xDvjFaGTo75sGrLM31zq7F2y1FmbKYyY0bYSUlTeH9bbADjrlDdFGJuKVTJyOUeJ3PFbZeY93LB6te5eZkZ3LGtI_5QPVLXuPtwWXDJQ-N/s1600/ironbat05.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="166" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj75UQsO8994gfujyS3Eq3yb46BIxX6IvtUX0xDvjFaGTo75sGrLM31zq7F2y1FmbKYyY0bYSUlTeH9bbADjrlDdFGJuKVTJyOUeJ3PFbZeY93LB6te5eZkZ3LGtI_5QPVLXuPtwWXDJQ-N/s1600/ironbat05.png" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiOQRj6_GlWplrGuPEkkkk6YdG4LqPnglonZNAD1dN2Av8-F7-SnIM2n_4RwYiAG_pSleAke8wDK1bTDovpsY-FyzzQItSvUDN8XxyuTKyNHkueSiZNGIaNayjUlgEBUanfxiZGAVeDsEp/s1600/ironbat06.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="227" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiOQRj6_GlWplrGuPEkkkk6YdG4LqPnglonZNAD1dN2Av8-F7-SnIM2n_4RwYiAG_pSleAke8wDK1bTDovpsY-FyzzQItSvUDN8XxyuTKyNHkueSiZNGIaNayjUlgEBUanfxiZGAVeDsEp/s1600/ironbat06.png" width="400" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: 'Courier New'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Also, in both cases, a statue is erected in honor of the
people's fallen hero!</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTCJ8mlX54f9cTPU8rUMBmvqHZ4HodpkS0CrEjVz9Pt2wt_Nz134mixgGyhn04hOd5WSX5AVfYR-RapHvEfX6ZI7Xexy2IFmt2-O0FlRn9DeQK_xskmTHSbD0HtsU5dCL7GoJJQJ0Xuzhc/s1600/ironbatstatue01.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="166" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTCJ8mlX54f9cTPU8rUMBmvqHZ4HodpkS0CrEjVz9Pt2wt_Nz134mixgGyhn04hOd5WSX5AVfYR-RapHvEfX6ZI7Xexy2IFmt2-O0FlRn9DeQK_xskmTHSbD0HtsU5dCL7GoJJQJ0Xuzhc/s1600/ironbatstatue01.png" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5zI01T1ZvanHEoNnSw7VJNCoXdock381PGcDptxhhNREqzKlW89HdITjqqkVfIrsuI9LW1wOUBUEVP-APwrLEn_GqADOp-Z1IJVwWhyB_iHrL1DfYKyqmNJR4_fttvXoCplJC-gZiGlyj/s1600/ironbatstatue02.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="227" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5zI01T1ZvanHEoNnSw7VJNCoXdock381PGcDptxhhNREqzKlW89HdITjqqkVfIrsuI9LW1wOUBUEVP-APwrLEn_GqADOp-Z1IJVwWhyB_iHrL1DfYKyqmNJR4_fttvXoCplJC-gZiGlyj/s1600/ironbatstatue02.png" width="400" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: 'Courier New'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Different, yet somehow oddly the same. Might the influence of </span><i style="font-family: 'Courier New'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">The Iron Giant</i><span style="font-family: 'Courier New'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"> be far more
prevalent than we initially thought?</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Courier New"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Courier New"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">__________</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><i><span style="font-family: "Courier New"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Interested
in more Movie Coincidences of the Day? Click <a href="http://findingthewrongwords.blogspot.com/2013/10/for-movie-coincidence-of-day-1.html"><span style="color: #3d85c6;">here</span></a> for our introductory article.
Then click <a href="http://findingthewrongwords.blogspot.com/2013/11/for-movie-coincidence-of-day-2_7.html"><span style="color: #3d85c6;">here</span></a>, <a href="http://findingthewrongwords.blogspot.com/2014/01/for-movie-coincidence-of-day-3_28.html"><span style="color: #3d85c6;">here</span></a>, <a href="http://findingthewrongwords.blogspot.com/2014/02/for-movie-coincidence-of-day-4_18.html"><span style="color: #3d85c6;">here</span></a>, <a href="http://findingthewrongwords.blogspot.com/2014/06/for-movie-coincidence-of-day-5_13.html"><span style="color: #3d85c6;">here</span></a>, <a href="http://findingthewrongwords.blogspot.com/2014/09/for-movie-coincidencemarketing-ploy-of.html"><span style="color: #3d85c6;">here</span></a>, <a href="http://findingthewrongwords.blogspot.com/2014/11/for-movie-coincidence-of-day-7-or-that.html"><span style="color: #3d85c6;">here</span></a>, and <a href="http://findingthewrongwords.blogspot.com/2014/12/for-movie-coincidence-of-day-8-santa.html"><span style="color: #3d85c6;">here</span></a> for everything after.<o:p></o:p></span></i></b></div>
D.W. Lundberghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03709428152190690075noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8005808875158331076.post-18422619695844040162015-03-30T14:55:00.000-06:002015-06-02T19:43:39.214-06:00... FOR "'BIG HERO 6' AND CAPTURING THAT OLD MARVEL MAGIC"<div class="MsoNormal">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFwi96OUNAVZc4I3BaZToWXaT0E50Mo8TEu9sHRKuuUQLckhmtWcKP8hIu001cuwWbBi3ps-ey-78SHF9N2KyenjZlyu58UQA9EX3vQRY0nd0V-xKHMnL3O9NpWqhNJyT0S_9mMhEakQXg/s1600/bigherointro.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="162" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFwi96OUNAVZc4I3BaZToWXaT0E50Mo8TEu9sHRKuuUQLckhmtWcKP8hIu001cuwWbBi3ps-ey-78SHF9N2KyenjZlyu58UQA9EX3vQRY0nd0V-xKHMnL3O9NpWqhNJyT0S_9mMhEakQXg/s1600/bigherointro.png" width="400" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";">First things first: <i>Big
Hero 6</i>, Disney's 54th <a href="http://findingthewrongwords.blogspot.com/search/label/DISNEY%20ANIMATED%20FIFTY"><span style="color: #3d85c6;">Animated Classic</span></a>, is a charming, heartwarming, often
exhilarating adventure that also happens to teach a valuable lesson about grief
- how we cope with it, what we do with it, and how we channel that grief into
something destructive or used for the greater good. (The screenplay, believe it
or not, even incorporates Kübler-Ross's <a href="http://dying.about.com/od/glossary/g/DABDA.htm"><span style="color: #3d85c6;">five stages of grief</span></a> to some degree.)
Having watched it at home for the 60th or 70th time (my five-year-old is
obsessed with it), I can safely say that the fun and impact of the movie
haven't lessened a bit since our first initial viewing - a sign of a quality
film if there ever was one. What's also clear, and I'm surprised most reviews
failed to focus on it, is that <i>Big Hero 6</i>
is very much a Comic Book Movie in the Marvel mold, with cuddlier characters
and a CG bubble gum sheen to rank with Disney's finest.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: 'Courier New';">"What's
this?" you ask. "</span><i style="font-family: 'Courier New';">Big Hero 6</i><span style="font-family: 'Courier New';">
is based on a comic book?" "Why, yes," I reply, but one so
obscure you're forgiven if you've never heard of it. Created by Steven T. Seagle and
Duncan Rouleau (who own and operate Man of Action Entertainment, a
writers' collective responsible for cartoons such as </span><i style="font-family: 'Courier New';">Ben 10</i><span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"> and </span><i style="font-family: 'Courier New';">Generator Rex</i><span style="font-family: 'Courier New';">),
<i>Big Hero 6</i> first appeared in a three-issue Marvel mini-series in September of
1998. They were a group of highly-intelligent super-beings, sanctioned by the
Japanese government to protect the country from enemy attack. The team's
initial roster included Silver Samurai/Kenuichio Harada (whose name should have extra resonance for <a href="http://findingthewrongwords.blogspot.com/2013/01/for-franchise-face-offs-part-15-x-men.html"><span style="color: #3d85c6;">X-Men</span></a> fans), Sunfire/Shiro Yoshida,
GoGo Tomago/Leiko Tanaka, Honey Lemon/Aiko Miyazaki, and Hiro Takachiho and his
monster guardian, Baymax. (Future team members included Ebon Samurai,
Fredzilla, and Wasabi-No-Ginger.) Needless to say, their comic book
incarnations differ greatly from the characters in the film.</span><br />
<a name='more'></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhr0u6Z_LBCgcKD4ecOEYuO671EoWIx5Y9Iqx1v2pyfdVrofOhJ5oU1GB_Jg_NFZKdO4aGfr4ClaDLPi5UXt7xC81-Dqb9ga52idzmOV1xvzo_T6lCdDA3ZBzVw9SznV0nRKzS6Kpt-vqxZ/s1600/bigherocomic.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="250" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhr0u6Z_LBCgcKD4ecOEYuO671EoWIx5Y9Iqx1v2pyfdVrofOhJ5oU1GB_Jg_NFZKdO4aGfr4ClaDLPi5UXt7xC81-Dqb9ga52idzmOV1xvzo_T6lCdDA3ZBzVw9SznV0nRKzS6Kpt-vqxZ/s1600/bigherocomic.png" width="400" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: 'Courier New';">Following Disney's acquisition of Marvel in August of 2009, Mouse House executives quickly scoured Marvel's databases for a property they could turn into an animated film. </span><i style="font-family: 'Courier New';">Big Hero 6</i><span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"> fit that bill rather nicely, since they could take a lesser-known title and adapt it to their own sensibilities - without raising the ire of too many comic book fans. And so the characters become sufficiently Disney-fied. In the movie, Hiro gets a new last name (Hamada), an older brother (Tadashi Hamada has no equivalent in the original story), and dead/ absentee parents (in the comics, Hiro's mother is very much alive at the time Baymax is created). Baymax is no longer a "synthformer" capable of dragon, robot and humanoid modes, but a "personal healthcare companion" who dresses up as a rocket-powered robot. The rest of the team gets downgraded too: no longer super-powered, they are simply classmates of Hiro's, equipped with high-tech exosuits and weaponry to fight evil. (In the comics, Honey Lemon is a renowned martial artist and secret agent, GoGo is a reformed criminal who can transubstantiate her body into pure kinetic energy, Wasabi-No-Ginger is a chef/samurai with the ability to create weapons from his id, and Fred is able to conjure up a giant, Godzilla-like aura to protect him during battle.)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: 'Courier New';">These changes were
made, no doubt, to make the film more accessible to children (it's easier, for example, to identify with characters who are super- smart rather than super-powered). Yet the story also appealed to Disney, Marvel CCO Joe Quesada says, because
"</span><a href="http://herocomplex.latimes.com/movies/big-hero-6-disney-animations-first-marvel-movie-gets-new-poster" style="font-family: 'Courier New';"><span style="color: #3d85c6;">it's combined with these Marvel heroic arcs.</span></a><span style="font-family: 'Courier New';">" And indeed, the script
for </span><i style="font-family: 'Courier New';">Big Hero 6</i><span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"> seems to follow the
same basic template as the last 6-7 Marvel movies, including a) the mystical/ magical whatsit that everyone tries to get their hands on, b) the
characters who don't get along until the plot requires that they do, c) the
lovable sidekick who "sacrifices" his/herself only to come back to
life at the end, d) the obligatory Stan Lee cameo, and e) the obligatory end credits
stinger that sets up the inevitable sequel. (Okay, so </span><i style="font-family: 'Courier New';">Big Hero 6</i><span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"> actually combines the last two.) The result is a film
that can sit comfortably on a shelf alongside Disney's Animated Classics as well as
Marvel's Cinematic Universe.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";">The Marvel-Disney
connection doesn't end there, however. The makers of <i>Big Hero 6</i> also manage to stuff the fringes of their film with
equally obscure Marvel cameos. Fred's room is a virtual treasure trove of comic
book references, including life-size replicas of </span><span style="font-family: 'Courier New';">(reformed) Daredevil villain <a href="http://marvel.wikia.com/Brock_Jones_(Earth-616)"><span style="color: #3d85c6;">Torpedo</span></a>...</span><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPTwG1iDBK0aHrjFz5BPTjBY_XrG5EwbzO5x2ET_jKoDRL2rEgth66YadJhSKhRGKdv6MBAV6TIXaABWi3VI3XNINs-tM1g6N2ra29BTENKFQsmYhCg1-ehOlLHP59hfo1YpqE8icqyw4g/s1600/bigherotorpedo01.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="162" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPTwG1iDBK0aHrjFz5BPTjBY_XrG5EwbzO5x2ET_jKoDRL2rEgth66YadJhSKhRGKdv6MBAV6TIXaABWi3VI3XNINs-tM1g6N2ra29BTENKFQsmYhCg1-ehOlLHP59hfo1YpqE8icqyw4g/s1600/bigherotorpedo01.png" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-xoiviSHzh9zj4unADqlwwemLo3Q4E2E-eE6KdChlaOyg4O9Vd-lFimd9RDnCB0EsbfQ9WfKM2WhlQMXRJGsaTdZ01TKqQ7MT4qzHEfqKDh2sDwMEetxknc1iF9LvqZ5gmRGOlNKKQrhM/s1600/bigherotorpedo02.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="250" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-xoiviSHzh9zj4unADqlwwemLo3Q4E2E-eE6KdChlaOyg4O9Vd-lFimd9RDnCB0EsbfQ9WfKM2WhlQMXRJGsaTdZ01TKqQ7MT4qzHEfqKDh2sDwMEetxknc1iF9LvqZ5gmRGOlNKKQrhM/s1600/bigherotorpedo02.png" width="400" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: 'Courier New';">...plus </span><span style="font-family: 'Courier New';">Sub-mariner villain <a href="http://marvel.wikia.com/Orka_%28Earth-616%29"><span style="color: #3d85c6;">Orka</span></a> (whose best friends were killer whales) and </span><span style="font-family: 'Courier New';">voodoo cult villain <a href="http://marvel.wikia.com/Desmond_Drew_(Earth-616)"><span style="color: #3d85c6;">Black Talon</span></a> (who dressed like a chicken, for some reason):</span><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisPRlaz31fJa8VouapPtexC2TqkPO18qJHDa1LYQLLwo4ZbRRm9naKXiv4nhp8KLjPjIB22slqpCGCPHgCSjCg_414gzD9B98ebb6E9P6RBVWHcEm7BKgb9kfxBhqmWwnD6-A5-Ez_9CfX/s1600/bighero-okra&talon01.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="162" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisPRlaz31fJa8VouapPtexC2TqkPO18qJHDa1LYQLLwo4ZbRRm9naKXiv4nhp8KLjPjIB22slqpCGCPHgCSjCg_414gzD9B98ebb6E9P6RBVWHcEm7BKgb9kfxBhqmWwnD6-A5-Ez_9CfX/s1600/bighero-okra&talon01.png" width="400" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBQfXmezGluHa-rL_WLT6Q5NVAAkNr2upuqZ17KgYq9kx66MWu6WCO9ilmvgysiKZs7OQnyZK8HjGqi_S1oQkc_rIELc8isII1E_li-q_VWllQYq26rK7MkNDv3-6XAyFP-shd95LWQaBy/s1600/bighero-okra&talon02.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="250" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBQfXmezGluHa-rL_WLT6Q5NVAAkNr2upuqZ17KgYq9kx66MWu6WCO9ilmvgysiKZs7OQnyZK8HjGqi_S1oQkc_rIELc8isII1E_li-q_VWllQYq26rK7MkNDv3-6XAyFP-shd95LWQaBy/s1600/bighero-okra&talon02.png" width="400" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: 'Courier New';">Orka's grimacing
visage also appears as a pencil caddy on the desk where Baymax spoons with his
friends like a "warm marshmallow":</span><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRF1Pk-TZlFRzjz7REWSO0armfWdOmSP8Fi6q_96h3eSBPopokpvzGY_-8tniL1IyDmWcJesaMRPW24RjzmcEThQ_BwOGC_6YdRT0Le6Fxno3o2pYBWLkoZVPXRDrHzJ7IK3xhU9G56PN5/s1600/bigherocaddy01.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="162" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRF1Pk-TZlFRzjz7REWSO0armfWdOmSP8Fi6q_96h3eSBPopokpvzGY_-8tniL1IyDmWcJesaMRPW24RjzmcEThQ_BwOGC_6YdRT0Le6Fxno3o2pYBWLkoZVPXRDrHzJ7IK3xhU9G56PN5/s1600/bigherocaddy01.png" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPmPigVp6JcfTmBlGE9ra5iMIVnaaKra5tUIOaCOlxgmiYREUzZGfO9pxLtR5qnlSR08s4sOnmqDl0HYUg_MJsgi6M9zA723uGdno6dWK8s-7NnKW3RS9yLU2IlwWrOx_JFLvKxIImKvtt/s1600/bigherocaddy02.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="250" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPmPigVp6JcfTmBlGE9ra5iMIVnaaKra5tUIOaCOlxgmiYREUzZGfO9pxLtR5qnlSR08s4sOnmqDl0HYUg_MJsgi6M9zA723uGdno6dWK8s-7NnKW3RS9yLU2IlwWrOx_JFLvKxIImKvtt/s1600/bigherocaddy02.png" width="400" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: 'Courier New';">Later, we see
Hiro leafing through a copy of </span><i style="font-family: 'Courier New';">Marvel
Premiere </i><span style="font-family: 'Courier New';">#32, starring <a href="http://marvel.wikia.com/Monark_%28Earth-7643%29"><span style="color: #3d85c6;">Monark Starstalker</span></a>:</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjh4zY5e8T2o-yTaTiucwgAz34V4rv4FTeTR9suMPL89AI7CuGd9Q7gzXeRVMtVVbFUKIfV-PW5kzpf9av-RfTaoHtSacPR-kegjojZwSLQx2cSl4KhaCSibkK5B6JhpNFnY7FoCea-Z2hE/s1600/bigherostarstalker01.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="163" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjh4zY5e8T2o-yTaTiucwgAz34V4rv4FTeTR9suMPL89AI7CuGd9Q7gzXeRVMtVVbFUKIfV-PW5kzpf9av-RfTaoHtSacPR-kegjojZwSLQx2cSl4KhaCSibkK5B6JhpNFnY7FoCea-Z2hE/s1600/bigherostarstalker01.png" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgO3tfJHrv9wHvwji3Cv3NCJjdIGUzeXg7jEux4LLbxWIjQGbSKcIEWeintXZMWBWZMEvwT3azbM99knQag_rGDW6sIpD1fN4ukCGbESbv3vLpyJVWChdY0-Q72KpyvElWi-GgE3Ye8Kggu/s1600/bigherostarstalker02.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="250" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgO3tfJHrv9wHvwji3Cv3NCJjdIGUzeXg7jEux4LLbxWIjQGbSKcIEWeintXZMWBWZMEvwT3azbM99knQag_rGDW6sIpD1fN4ukCGbESbv3vLpyJVWChdY0-Q72KpyvElWi-GgE3Ye8Kggu/s1600/bigherostarstalker02.png" width="400" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: 'Courier New';">As if those weren't
obscure enough, check out the easter egg in this shot, from earlier in
the film. The words "Ivy Gellar" are clearly printed on a sign just
above Baymax's shoulder to the right:</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDS-CHZXimjAmjDE0lBvG8bArP6vm0IQ7lra1GfnIPTOzRT3w6xFFQNnoU5mZ9tGABVMkx5Hdrrp9rDtlMLa5NsRKYfT-owidgb5cH5L1CU522Bl2zv3tbKdgkShn6L2vOST3L-gmTAKvf/s1600/bigherodarkhawk.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="163" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDS-CHZXimjAmjDE0lBvG8bArP6vm0IQ7lra1GfnIPTOzRT3w6xFFQNnoU5mZ9tGABVMkx5Hdrrp9rDtlMLa5NsRKYfT-owidgb5cH5L1CU522Bl2zv3tbKdgkShn6L2vOST3L-gmTAKvf/s1600/bigherodarkhawk.png" width="400" /></a></div>
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";">That's an odd name
for a store, is it not? Yet it's also the name of a character who appears in
issue #48 of Marvel's <a href="http://marvel.wikia.com/Christopher_Powell_%28Earth-616%29"><span style="color: #3d85c6;">Darkhawk</span></a>. (Ivy's role is so inconsequential, in fact, you
can't even find a picture of her online!) Clearly, the filmmakers traveled
further down the rabbit hole than we probably expected.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";">This being Disney,
of course, you can also expect characters from previous films to pop up in
fleeting appearances. No doubt you're already well aware of the movie's many</span><span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"> c</span><span style="font-family: 'Courier New';">ameos from </span><i style="font-family: 'Courier New';">Frozen</i><span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"> (2013):</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Courier New;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="275" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/hfgwx9WP6xM" width="410"></iframe></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Courier New;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: 'Courier New';">But did you also
happen to spot these </span><span style="font-family: 'Courier New';">references to</span><span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"> </span><i style="font-family: 'Courier New';">Wreck-It Ralph</i><span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"> (2012)</span><span style="font-family: 'Courier New';">?</span><br />
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJ5uhp7YULUj_Ul3wiPKOHXCVrHJn8qac9BNkgOlc-1H8GmBPXla-PTdW-_XeMtR1fMjf2uFcZZSsDSggaIxIVc-tsjRcVzfdKu9CvfneXWKxcLKTVXJQG65CeycL7WjWk6IJ9Z0qDFr2y/s1600/bigheroralph01.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="162" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJ5uhp7YULUj_Ul3wiPKOHXCVrHJn8qac9BNkgOlc-1H8GmBPXla-PTdW-_XeMtR1fMjf2uFcZZSsDSggaIxIVc-tsjRcVzfdKu9CvfneXWKxcLKTVXJQG65CeycL7WjWk6IJ9Z0qDFr2y/s1600/bigheroralph01.png" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpq6QSg9s5MLSW9qOgYPE8ZZqNCh3WTUbjxmN8Q14-1QHbDBhXIbZXGow_fsdrW6BOCGfjaSzSdDfqTJEsIJ1B7GX-Hs0Ri3w9RxlfMoiDLfQsXF6UE0b_-mDEnRafn4wBBbNnHVO4SfUc/s1600/bigheroralph02.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="250" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpq6QSg9s5MLSW9qOgYPE8ZZqNCh3WTUbjxmN8Q14-1QHbDBhXIbZXGow_fsdrW6BOCGfjaSzSdDfqTJEsIJ1B7GX-Hs0Ri3w9RxlfMoiDLfQsXF6UE0b_-mDEnRafn4wBBbNnHVO4SfUc/s1600/bigheroralph02.png" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEW0H8MtYuCWejpAMiuah2LmwWMo1m7MkJOH2GFeB9aGCudK9Th_k7Gt_vU9ZzX94sRlb2SpANXoQf3tajz6c5POx1YhnO4IpdlYezwCbI76ggjIEOgeDbdm8gr7sYfte7ymiiN2oPQsjY/s1600/bigheroralph03.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="162" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEW0H8MtYuCWejpAMiuah2LmwWMo1m7MkJOH2GFeB9aGCudK9Th_k7Gt_vU9ZzX94sRlb2SpANXoQf3tajz6c5POx1YhnO4IpdlYezwCbI76ggjIEOgeDbdm8gr7sYfte7ymiiN2oPQsjY/s1600/bigheroralph03.png" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEip9AELwZ-TobtNR9eHPB7dapxvkepkfIIu4iJLS0W3uo5XbnoQtT-FEXe180RRzi_CU75mUJg8QiPZ7ybCnOYCdIOIOO40LAmFOGiw_c02l9oqHoMA7Lgw5n0egR3X8A0LbFFGk0MMpsrQ/s1600/bigheroralph04.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="250" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEip9AELwZ-TobtNR9eHPB7dapxvkepkfIIu4iJLS0W3uo5XbnoQtT-FEXe180RRzi_CU75mUJg8QiPZ7ybCnOYCdIOIOO40LAmFOGiw_c02l9oqHoMA7Lgw5n0egR3X8A0LbFFGk0MMpsrQ/s1600/bigheroralph04.png" width="400" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: 'Courier New';">Or, better yet,
these character cameos com </span><i style="font-family: 'Courier New';"><a href="http://findingthewrongwords.blogspot.com/2013/08/for-walt-disneys-animated-fifty-part-48.html"><span style="color: #3d85c6;">Bolt</span></a></i><span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"> (2008)?</span><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTRT71w_cycLyBoJEsrrVK6l0leOphh3XZWKcSLNwPe2lHIZRfKTtAqfDT-JHzTuvCRTr9vDdWgG8CLLd6gjjnM7LNMck5MooNDCzkCk3o16Djrg3Vq2P026O1l1tLzwcSxHnKQm2X4KO0/s1600/bigherobolt01.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="162" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTRT71w_cycLyBoJEsrrVK6l0leOphh3XZWKcSLNwPe2lHIZRfKTtAqfDT-JHzTuvCRTr9vDdWgG8CLLd6gjjnM7LNMck5MooNDCzkCk3o16Djrg3Vq2P026O1l1tLzwcSxHnKQm2X4KO0/s1600/bigherobolt01.png" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVdt5njEQ5bswhxD2CgY_qqsomhCPbiphLvmkYq2y6c_Rmz-WVgBYKGtfEiO0hWOsBVryxcn6q-kW8qzCGN3rj4q3vYr7KPccMg0JPIdIvwumfZDekYpztm4xO3ZDN7KB5bNPnKZ5SZdm3/s1600/bigherobolt02.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="250" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVdt5njEQ5bswhxD2CgY_qqsomhCPbiphLvmkYq2y6c_Rmz-WVgBYKGtfEiO0hWOsBVryxcn6q-kW8qzCGN3rj4q3vYr7KPccMg0JPIdIvwumfZDekYpztm4xO3ZDN7KB5bNPnKZ5SZdm3/s1600/bigherobolt02.png" width="400" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: 'Courier New';">What about this blink-and-you'll-miss-it
appearance <a href="http://disney.wikia.com/wiki/Oswald_the_Lucky_Rabbit"><span style="color: #3d85c6;">Oswald the Lucky Rabbit</span></a>?</span><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiz78s-kzhiGJRzQDWBmiwPyhGS2EpUwH6-y-Tz37yAiGO0FeD3HRYD3cbyk8pk1e2dZPCT2v-AwesgW7EnamigpaHa5aGeVxRRVKMOZEh4hH5YWxGioonBteGAic_EpKObjGS2qJG9JtiV/s1600/bighero-oswald01.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="162" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiz78s-kzhiGJRzQDWBmiwPyhGS2EpUwH6-y-Tz37yAiGO0FeD3HRYD3cbyk8pk1e2dZPCT2v-AwesgW7EnamigpaHa5aGeVxRRVKMOZEh4hH5YWxGioonBteGAic_EpKObjGS2qJG9JtiV/s1600/bighero-oswald01.png" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjh-o6LfdVHt7dU4wuaUC_nMzkWxwhVeV6kNjY8UItFapvWQorGpM_b2qZDA6-pTCTyOPs8PLGOy00RxUFhlf3uJLGWJ2npORrJG8fUjUPzPjdrXC-bOKqU9FmD-o0gh7FTyyJPxRkJ88_e/s1600/bighero-oswald02.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="250" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjh-o6LfdVHt7dU4wuaUC_nMzkWxwhVeV6kNjY8UItFapvWQorGpM_b2qZDA6-pTCTyOPs8PLGOy00RxUFhlf3uJLGWJ2npORrJG8fUjUPzPjdrXC-bOKqU9FmD-o0gh7FTyyJPxRkJ88_e/s1600/bighero-oswald02.png" width="400" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: 'Courier New';">Setting </span><i style="font-family: 'Courier New';">Big Hero 6</i><span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"> in the fictional city of San
Fransokyo pays unexpected dividends for anyone (like myself) who grew up on a
steady diet of GoBots, </span><a href="http://findingthewrongwords.blogspot.com/2011/07/for-franchise-face-offs-part-5.html" style="font-family: 'Courier New';"><span style="color: #3d85c6;">Transformers</span></a><span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"> and all things Japanese <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tokusatsu"><span style="color: #3d85c6;"><i>tokusatsu</i></span></a><span style="color: #3d85c6;"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tokusatsu"></a></span>.</span><span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"> Hiro's </span><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mazinger_Z" style="font-family: 'Courier New';"><span style="color: #3d85c6;">Mazinger Z</span></a><span style="font-family: 'Courier New';">-inspired
wall clock, for instance:</span><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9xPZUfSwpcxSbNieldKmyLaGFC1IU_gwHDqwMUseU1TyAudPVn2YEDjtSlnpoO6m1J8PN7A6_tAyhXLwJeT6oxF2nMFni2Wr737IvumyCOFHKys37Op4aGk-Do96_ZvJYkeAILV7-5XCq/s1600/bigheromazinger01.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="162" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9xPZUfSwpcxSbNieldKmyLaGFC1IU_gwHDqwMUseU1TyAudPVn2YEDjtSlnpoO6m1J8PN7A6_tAyhXLwJeT6oxF2nMFni2Wr737IvumyCOFHKys37Op4aGk-Do96_ZvJYkeAILV7-5XCq/s1600/bigheromazinger01.png" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIIJMoXL92jImlhr4NrcUO5DNvezIz_DFry3pQNYBK0whJb4PXw0H-bUmsM7LEwRJzVO_KFje3fSp92NWFJkzYGYH-zbaO8GAUBOMUrPcCTR5ZFVE_d-gY1liwbRVu70EbcD8z7FoZ2FgE/s1600/bigheromazinger02.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="250" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIIJMoXL92jImlhr4NrcUO5DNvezIz_DFry3pQNYBK0whJb4PXw0H-bUmsM7LEwRJzVO_KFje3fSp92NWFJkzYGYH-zbaO8GAUBOMUrPcCTR5ZFVE_d-gY1liwbRVu70EbcD8z7FoZ2FgE/s1600/bigheromazinger02.png" width="400" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: 'Courier New';">Baymax's carbon
fiber costume, while looking nothing like the comic book, could be inspired by
Mazinger's fellow super robot Getter Dragon, from Japan's </span><i style="font-family: 'Courier New';"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Getter_Robo_G"><span style="color: #3d85c6;">Getter Robo G</span></a></i><span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"> cartoon series:</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6M-jPnzAN5IwPT8ZaPZIidu5UZM1v4Ee1ooMSEZt7n-AH-Y4mTLsKOzZfbUSp4LucNGwXOhQZRoIX9rN-FqU8-t0RSUVYSvL3hQVoHXghRJXgImf4VybU-zpVmmcKGEl205WqJ1OWsG7-/s1600/bigherodragon.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="250" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6M-jPnzAN5IwPT8ZaPZIidu5UZM1v4Ee1ooMSEZt7n-AH-Y4mTLsKOzZfbUSp4LucNGwXOhQZRoIX9rN-FqU8-t0RSUVYSvL3hQVoHXghRJXgImf4VybU-zpVmmcKGEl205WqJ1OWsG7-/s1600/bigherodragon.png" width="400" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: 'Courier New';">Not even </span><i style="font-family: 'Courier New';">Big Hero 6</i><span style="font-family: 'Courier New';">, it seems, is immune from the
conventions of traditional storytelling. The ever-popular </span><a href="http://findingthewrongwords.blogspot.com/2010/04/for-screenwriting-and-rule-of-threes.html" style="font-family: 'Courier New';"><span style="color: #3d85c6;">Rule of Threes</span></a><span style="font-family: 'Courier New';">, for
example. The line "Look for another angle" is spoken three times
throughout the script, first when Tadashi helps Hiro come up with the idea for
his microbot experiment, a second time after the team's first encounter with
the villain Yokai, and again during the climax, when the team is finally able
to out-think and defeat their opponent.</span><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPWuWzn6PATWYCa5nJO7PGPPYsJXAy9kTLTK_NHpeW-3ZPRpphjS2FEyaU6rNMkws41WVIZHgPi9ZI_URw98EhghgT9_0mb8CsxS89jwvJcKgkuViPZlJNiauB5JW_babHf64QiLWL0aaa/s1600/bigherothrees01.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="162" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPWuWzn6PATWYCa5nJO7PGPPYsJXAy9kTLTK_NHpeW-3ZPRpphjS2FEyaU6rNMkws41WVIZHgPi9ZI_URw98EhghgT9_0mb8CsxS89jwvJcKgkuViPZlJNiauB5JW_babHf64QiLWL0aaa/s1600/bigherothrees01.png" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNr1S7gGPBjMR-vV-gooGAUPe8CaCnsjXaPcDZFA9QavGckKl4k-HdHaNOjkBLVcZWPsGHkt9MMuMWcjSOkS8HxhQb63IwqugreAVYDPSqNFGSvSlyuab9H8K2KR3NbIanqkyTV-EuWEA8/s1600/bigherothrees02.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="162" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNr1S7gGPBjMR-vV-gooGAUPe8CaCnsjXaPcDZFA9QavGckKl4k-HdHaNOjkBLVcZWPsGHkt9MMuMWcjSOkS8HxhQb63IwqugreAVYDPSqNFGSvSlyuab9H8K2KR3NbIanqkyTV-EuWEA8/s1600/bigherothrees02.png" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUUOO0clpd-9cv9e2VV18iHAVtpRjX4MwNVXtQYwKDqNA-eRXdmdVvfG8Q0-q2k6WtoN05t7T2ovXtwQ6ZFHl6lqduN-ZOlLl0x_2ZXXBs4PEbpG4m9tvgppocWuRs__R2VdBxLulwPKLq/s1600/bigherothrees03.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="162" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUUOO0clpd-9cv9e2VV18iHAVtpRjX4MwNVXtQYwKDqNA-eRXdmdVvfG8Q0-q2k6WtoN05t7T2ovXtwQ6ZFHl6lqduN-ZOlLl0x_2ZXXBs4PEbpG4m9tvgppocWuRs__R2VdBxLulwPKLq/s1600/bigherothrees03.png" width="400" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: 'Courier New';">No modern movie, as
well, would be complete without the requisite </span><a href="http://findingthewrongwords.blogspot.com/search/label/MOVIE%20COINCIDENCE%20OF%20THE%20DAY" style="font-family: 'Courier New';"><span style="color: #3d85c6;">Hey, Haven't I Seen This Exact Same Thing In Some Other Movie Before?</span></a><span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"> scene. In this case, Hiro's realization that his best
friend isn't quite dead will have extra resonance for anyone who remembers the end of </span><i style="font-family: 'Courier New';">The Iron Giant</i><span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"> (1999)</span><span style="font-family: 'Courier New';">, when
Hogarth Hughes makes a similar discovery:</span><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikf_uOlpJ4AUTiEVSgW1k_U1QxidcfomcogaxnCOpAm5qTeEYXktpyaBXN7D5731ou7wgeY6t0zoFtqOfRACle7LX2sTmEoh4-MtXFrw8qB8oRrWsIurpFB3YgSMJCUk22PtZNOFw7CmK9/s1600/bigherogiant01.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="162" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikf_uOlpJ4AUTiEVSgW1k_U1QxidcfomcogaxnCOpAm5qTeEYXktpyaBXN7D5731ou7wgeY6t0zoFtqOfRACle7LX2sTmEoh4-MtXFrw8qB8oRrWsIurpFB3YgSMJCUk22PtZNOFw7CmK9/s1600/bigherogiant01.png" width="400" /></a></div>
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgn2VIoDFZRzvJzxSzgM8hiHsl5kSMYuuWd-rbhwU46BLIhBArT1jDxh4p4DlJQowqpRCSVZpcOTMUPxxWYPy4__50LrSC9qH65vB7Mt7Y_u4EMMWu-0vtLn_guB_KcPEIHsxnceJ3ZhP-p/s1600/bigherogiant02.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="168" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgn2VIoDFZRzvJzxSzgM8hiHsl5kSMYuuWd-rbhwU46BLIhBArT1jDxh4p4DlJQowqpRCSVZpcOTMUPxxWYPy4__50LrSC9qH65vB7Mt7Y_u4EMMWu-0vtLn_guB_KcPEIHsxnceJ3ZhP-p/s1600/bigherogiant02.png" width="400" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Courier New;">So it would appear that <i>Big Hero 6 </i>shares quite a lot with our cinema-going past, both Disney/Marvel-wise and otherwise-wise. Its success practically guarantees more comic book-based animated features in our future. (Its recent win for Best Animated Feature at this year's Academy Awards only cemented its reputation among its peers.) Which isn't necessarily a bad thing, per se. Just a friendly reminder that nothing rings the box office bell these days quite like our over-familiarity with a subject. Even if we aren't acutely aware of it at the time.</span></div>
D.W. Lundberghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03709428152190690075noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8005808875158331076.post-9315026201941673652015-03-20T15:00:00.001-06:002015-03-20T15:00:29.957-06:00... FOR "MORE ACTORS WHO SHOULD PLAY OTHER ACTORS' FAMILY MEMBERS"<div class="MsoNormal">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1vbuBY5zu97yOCgf0oBp53sKDI4_DTRllXrV2zJVNfoPXsJtdY-IBeVVQFruX6gTNdf8pGk9Cz7n0bpKFb5cYgOOBlyTrLchZb4sBMVv2Yu1lEgjEJ3Z0z4XcQA3etrcrcy-gt53mXdNm/s1600/intro.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1vbuBY5zu97yOCgf0oBp53sKDI4_DTRllXrV2zJVNfoPXsJtdY-IBeVVQFruX6gTNdf8pGk9Cz7n0bpKFb5cYgOOBlyTrLchZb4sBMVv2Yu1lEgjEJ3Z0z4XcQA3etrcrcy-gt53mXdNm/s1600/intro.png" height="250" width="400" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";">So here we are, back
for another round of celebrity doppelgangers. Believe it or not, I'd just
barely finished up our <a href="http://findingthewrongwords.blogspot.com/2015/01/for-actors-who-should-play-each-others.html"><span style="color: #3d85c6;">previous post</span></a> on the subject when I immediately thought
of 15-20 more AWSPOAFMs who could have just as easily made the cut. But that's
all for the greater good, I guess, since I was hoping to expand this into a regular
column anyway.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";">As expected, the
reaction was a typical one, with enough Facebook friends submitting their own ideas
for future brother/sister/parent pair-ups to last us an additional post or two.
Also as promised, I will be taking those suggestions and including them here,
one per post, in addition to some of my own. As always, your recommendations
are welcome, either below or on <a href="https://www.facebook.com/pages/Finding-The-Wrong-Words/144659562283697?ref=hl"><span style="color: #3d85c6;">FTWW's Facebook page</span></a>. Let's keep this game
going for as long as we can!</span></div>
<a name='more'></a><o:p></o:p><br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi69-cHS-fDhzpu3V1LR3pkNcFDFQG3qpxRI0BdLm-4UNm2jx2nEU3XdNMt4RFiNm3g5hk9kClA7NpkMshuo2TbWCW468n389zc5jyDBzyy2C_YXZD6bRc6QTfInL4xFlEtEjSRVKWoyYf1/s1600/anderson-farmiga.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi69-cHS-fDhzpu3V1LR3pkNcFDFQG3qpxRI0BdLm-4UNm2jx2nEU3XdNMt4RFiNm3g5hk9kClA7NpkMshuo2TbWCW468n389zc5jyDBzyy2C_YXZD6bRc6QTfInL4xFlEtEjSRVKWoyYf1/s1600/anderson-farmiga.png" height="250" width="400" /></a></div>
<b><span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"><u>Gillian Anderson</u> <u>V</u></span></b><b><u><span style="font-family: 'Courier New';">era Farmiga</span></u></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";">(<i>The X-Files</i>, <i>The House </i>(</span><i style="font-family: 'Courier New';">The Departed</i><span style="font-family: 'Courier New';">,</span><i style="font-family: 'Courier New';"> Orphan</i><span style="font-family: 'Courier New';">,</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";"><i>Of Mirth</i>, <i>The </i><i>Fall</i>) </span><i style="font-family: 'Courier New';"><a href="http://findingthewrongwords.blogspot.com/2011/05/for-wink-wink-nudge-nudge-rimshot.html"><span style="color: #3d85c6;">Source Code</span></a></i><span style="font-family: 'Courier New';">, </span><i style="font-family: 'Courier New';">Bates Motel</i><span style="font-family: 'Courier New';">)</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><u><span style="font-family: "Courier New";">Possible Relation</span></u></b><b><span style="font-family: "Courier New";">:</span></b><span style="font-family: "Courier New";"> Sisters<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><u><span style="font-family: "Courier New";">Notes</span></u></b><b><span style="font-family: "Courier New";">:</span></b><span style="font-family: "Courier New";"> It was the eyes, and that ferocious
intelligence behind them, that sparked my unending crush on Ms. Anderson from
the very first episode <i>of The X-Files</i>
(1993). And it's not hard to spot those same sultry smarts behind Ms. Farmiga's
eyes, in films such as <i>Up In The Air</i> (2009)
and <i>The Conjuring</i> (2013). The two
could play sisters fiercely loyal to their cause and to each other.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEim-X7NAAWoI5nN0NfIl4OtQy2lppXcZNzzeLeugkdvTvui1zrCnalLQ54c8-JqEhrpI2kf91K8-DYFjc6KLCE8xz5TTLz8-FsuZq4RYPyUIcXAr6ziyvOULm9BwUqBsDSApLvWhDoGIYVI/s1600/foster-hutcherson.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEim-X7NAAWoI5nN0NfIl4OtQy2lppXcZNzzeLeugkdvTvui1zrCnalLQ54c8-JqEhrpI2kf91K8-DYFjc6KLCE8xz5TTLz8-FsuZq4RYPyUIcXAr6ziyvOULm9BwUqBsDSApLvWhDoGIYVI/s1600/foster-hutcherson.png" height="250" width="400" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"><u style="font-weight: bold;">Ben Foster</u> </span><span style="font-family: "Courier New";"><o:p></o:p></span><b><u><span style="font-family: 'Courier New';">Josh Hutcherson</span></u></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";">(<i>The Punisher</i>, <i>3:10
To</i> </span><span style="font-family: 'Courier New';">(</span><i style="font-family: 'Courier New';">Bridge To Terabithia</i><span style="font-family: 'Courier New';">,</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";"><i>Yuma</i>, <i>Lone Survivor</i>) </span><i style="font-family: 'Courier New';"><a href="http://findingthewrongwords.blogspot.com/2014/01/for-shia-labeouf-isms-or-how-to.html"><span style="color: #3d85c6;">The Hunger Games</span></a></i><span style="font-family: 'Courier New';">)</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><u><span style="font-family: "Courier New";">Possible Relation</span></u></b><b><span style="font-family: "Courier New";">:</span></b><span style="font-family: "Courier New";"> Brothers<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><u><span style="font-family: "Courier New";">Notes</span></u></b><b><span style="font-family: "Courier New";">:</span></b><span style="font-family: "Courier New";"> As if the actor playing Angel/Warren
Worthington III (Foster) in <i><a href="http://findingthewrongwords.blogspot.com/2013/01/for-franchise-face-offs-part-15-x-men.html"><span style="color: #3d85c6;">X-Men: The Last Stand</span></a></i> (2006) split his body into the actor playing Peeta Mellark
(Hutcherson) in <i>The Hunger Games</i>
(2012). Like a variant on <i>The Portrait Of
Dorian Gray</i>, with one becoming ruggedly handsome while the other retains
his boyish good looks.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";">And finally, our
last AWSPOAFM for the day was actually suggested by two friends at once, so you
know that makes it too good to pass up. Special thanks to <b>Liz Peterson Ibarra</b>
and <b>Becky Sisson Dallin</b> for the suggestion(s)!<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOQzfEE6PHbRLtPIqH0HPLxibCyAqYYnAkFnzWri60_uffY921GIP0ZqxqK921drmG7xXl71DMWKCD0a8NYvCzORAo2aReEQ4mASIDttwV9VpNKYjVzfEy7K-wGkjQJYDaY1mcJViKYOCO/s1600/roberts-potter.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOQzfEE6PHbRLtPIqH0HPLxibCyAqYYnAkFnzWri60_uffY921GIP0ZqxqK921drmG7xXl71DMWKCD0a8NYvCzORAo2aReEQ4mASIDttwV9VpNKYjVzfEy7K-wGkjQJYDaY1mcJViKYOCO/s1600/roberts-potter.png" height="250" width="400" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"><u style="font-weight: bold;">Julia Roberts</u> <u style="font-weight: bold;"><o:p></o:p></u></span><b><u><span style="font-family: 'Courier New';">Monica Potter</span></u></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";">(<i>Pretty Woman</i>, <i>Notting</i> </span><span style="font-family: 'Courier New';">(</span><i style="font-family: 'Courier New';">Con Air</i><span style="font-family: 'Courier New';">, </span><i style="font-family: 'Courier New';">Patch Adams</i><span style="font-family: 'Courier New';">,</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";"><i>Hill</i>, <i><a href="http://findingthewrongwords.blogspot.com/2010/02/for-best-films-of-decade-part-2.html"><span style="color: #3d85c6;">Ocean's Eleven</span></a></i>) <o:p></o:p></span><i style="font-family: 'Courier New';">Parenthood</i><span style="font-family: 'Courier New';">)</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><u><span style="font-family: "Courier New";">Possible Relation</span></u></b><b><span style="font-family: "Courier New";">:</span></b><span style="font-family: "Courier New";"> Sisters<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<b><u><span style="font-family: "Courier New";">Notes</span></u></b><b><span style="font-family: "Courier New";">:</span></b><span style="font-family: "Courier New";"> Since Ms. Potter first caught my attention
in <i>Con Air</i> (1997), I've always
thought the similarities were uncanny. It's the lips, maybe, or the shape of
their faces. Or their fearless, take-no-crap-from-anybody attitude. But Monica could definitely play Julia's wise-beyond-her-years baby
sister any day.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";">__________</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";">Okay, Faithful Reader. The floor is now yours. Can you spot the connections above? Or think they look nothing alike? Agree/disagree at will!</span>D.W. Lundberghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03709428152190690075noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8005808875158331076.post-70308266281427376222015-03-13T15:00:00.001-06:002015-11-10T11:08:02.678-07:00... FOR "'THE IMITATION GAME,' 'A BEAUTIFUL MIND,' AND THE PERILS OF HISTORY VERSUS HOLLYWOOD"<div class="MsoNormal">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvaZghyb8KNZgjz0Jdk_xWsDKT8yGWFGYI3qW0jSgqdBJhXzR3E7oWBkBlw_9uQnn69Bn3sgeeUIEhoIZo1JdEzWnjHzQvc4Ns3szRgTwEURnZIhhR7D7UjIBAQCfACe7zD-vFWiZiQEhA/s1600/intro.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="250" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvaZghyb8KNZgjz0Jdk_xWsDKT8yGWFGYI3qW0jSgqdBJhXzR3E7oWBkBlw_9uQnn69Bn3sgeeUIEhoIZo1JdEzWnjHzQvc4Ns3szRgTwEURnZIhhR7D7UjIBAQCfACe7zD-vFWiZiQEhA/s1600/intro.png" width="400" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: "courier new";">A couple of months
ago, a friend messaged me on Facebook, asking me for a recommendation on which
film he should see on the big screen for the weekend. Browsing the showtimes
for local theaters, I told him to avoid <i>Taken
3</i> at all costs (the big release for that Friday, and, let's face it, a
ripoff of <i>The Fugitive</i>, with bigger
explosions and less logic) and heartily recommended <i>The Imitation Game</i> instead, starting Benedict Cumberbatch and Keira
Knightley. "Oh, yeah," my friend wrote back, "[that] reminded me
of <i>A Beautiful Mind</i> a little. I'm
sure it's very different, but the decrypting idea was similar."<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "courier new";"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "courier new";">Immediately I jumped
to the new movie's defense. "Except the encryption stuff in <i>The Imitation Game</i> actually
happened," I snapped, and instantly regretted it. First of all, who was I
to say that the film shouldn't remind him of <i>A Beautiful Mind</i>? Both are period pieces. They're both shot in the
same drab monochromatic browns. Both feature eccentric actors at the height of
their star power. And yes, if you watch the trailers for both, they each seem
to center around code-breaking and high-stakes government intrigue. But the
simpler truth is that Biopics have always been known for futzing the truth when
it comes to their larger-than-life historical subjects. What makes <i>The Imitation Game</i> any different? Though
the film doesn't shy away from the fact that Alan Turing was homosexual, the
events leading up to his arrest for "gross indecency" in 1952 Britain
(among other things) differ greatly from how they're presented on-screen.
Details about the codebreakers' work ethic have been glossed over, characters
have been left out completely or invented for dramatic purposes, and it's even
suggested that Turing suffered from Asperger Syndrome (he didn't) to make his
actions seem more heroic. And yet we're meant to accept all this as gospel
truth!</span><br />
<a name='more'></a><span style="font-family: "courier new";"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "courier new";"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "courier new";">The difference, I
think, depends on the quality of the movie itself. I, for one, enjoyed <i>The Imitation Game</i>. I liked the
performances (Cumberbatch, as always, is entertainingly twitchy), the
flirtation between Turing and Joan Clarke (which, by all accounts, was an
actual thing), and the old-fashioned can-do camaraderie of the movie, in which
a band of polar opposites sets aside their differences for the greater good.
Most of all, I liked how the filmmakers stayed true to the spirit of the actual
incident, namely how the Allies managed to beat the Nazis at their own game.</span><br />
<i><span style="font-family: "courier new";"><br /></span></i>
<i><span style="font-family: "courier new";">A Beautiful Mind</span></i><span style="font-family: "courier new";">, on the other hand, is obvious and offensive
in its treatment of schizophrenia, reducing John Nash Jr.'s struggle with the
disease (for the most part) to a paranoid conspiracy thriller with car chases
and a <i>Sixth Sense</i>-ian twist. (In
reality, Nash's hallucinations were purely auditory.) Understand, I don't claim
to be an expert on the subject, but having dealt with schizophrenic family
members in the past, I can tell you the symptoms rarely come across as glossy
melodrama. The screenplay purposely omits the "uglier" aspects of
Nash's life (illegitimate children, homosexual affairs, raging anti-Semitism)
to make his plight as palatable as possible for modern moviegoers, but despite
vivid performances from Russell Crowe and Jennifer Connelly, <i>A Beautiful Mind</i> is irresponsible
Hollywood hokum at its finest.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "courier new";"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "courier new";">Which brings me to
our topic of the week: What, exactly, defines a "quality" Biopic? Is
it the slavish attention to detail, precisely as it happened in the history
books? Or is it the manner in which the filmmakers stay true to the legacy of
their subject, and their triumph over adversity, warts (or lack of warts) and
all? Real life is rarely as exciting as the films inspired by it, so it's only
natural for screenwriters and directors to dramatize events for the sake of the
plot. It's a conundrum that's faced everyone from Abel Gance to Andrei
Tarkovsky to Steven Spielberg to, yes, even Ron Howard and Morten Tyldum. (You
want to know every little thing that happened, exactly as it happened? Go rent
the documentary. Or better yet, read the book.)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "courier new";"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i><span style="font-family: "courier new";">A Beautiful Mind</span></i><span style="font-family: "courier new";"> and <i>The
Imitation Game</i> certainly aren't the first of their kind to engender
controversy because of historical inaccuracy, and they won't be the last. Here
is a list of five notable Biopics that blatantly, sometimes hilariously fudged
the facts for the sake of entertaining audiences. Yet somehow, they still
manage to stay true to the spirit of their subject.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "courier new";">__________</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "courier new";"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "courier new";"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrp3cFyxMS9CXufrL7hCIWtSXxRil4nibq6hYRTul2KBpPMsblQQ5SMdOO_zLxV5n8N8Izo0N_Rn58qAKr3CKT6GoPPfYFxbtAnu4Xh9xr5crZ5BrS6GCAMz8euKawTYaCqiQwnoBooco4/s1600/savingmrbanks.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="167" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrp3cFyxMS9CXufrL7hCIWtSXxRil4nibq6hYRTul2KBpPMsblQQ5SMdOO_zLxV5n8N8Izo0N_Rn58qAKr3CKT6GoPPfYFxbtAnu4Xh9xr5crZ5BrS6GCAMz8euKawTYaCqiQwnoBooco4/s1600/savingmrbanks.png" width="400" /></a></div>
<b><u><span style="font-family: "courier new";">The Film</span></u></b><b><span style="font-family: "courier new";">:</span></b><span style="font-family: "courier new";"> <i>Saving
Mr. Banks</i> (John Lee Hancock, 2013)</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "courier new";"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><u><span style="font-family: "courier new";">The Facts</span></u></b><b><span style="font-family: "courier new";">:</span></b><span style="font-family: "courier new";"> Let's see... where to begin? Walt Disney
already owned the rights to <i>Mary Poppins</i>
by the time author P.L. Travers arrived in Los Angeles, having signed a
preliminary agreement in 1960 to adapt the book into a feature film. (Travers
made the trip to L.A. to make sure production was running smoothly.) After
almost a day haggling over details, Disney left Burbank to vacation in Palm
Springs, so his creative team could butt heads with Travers. The disgruntled
author contested every aspect of Dan DaGradi's script and tried to convince the
filmmakers that mixing animation with live action footage was a terrible idea.
She also never danced with DaGradi during rehearsals, and disliked Robert and
Richard Sherman's classic song score (in fact, she forbade any of the songs
from being associated with the 2004 stage musical). The film presents Travers
as childless and alone, when in reality she adopted a boy, Camillus (from whom
she was estranged in 1959, but still). Travers's tears during <i>Mary Poppins</i>'s premiere were not brought on by bittersweet memories of her father, but because she was
wrecked emotionally by the changes Disney made to her beloved books. When she
confronted him about it afterwards, Walt told her flatly, "that ship has
sailed."<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "courier new";"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><u><span style="font-family: "courier new";">The Fiction</span></u></b><b><span style="font-family: "courier new";">:</span></b><span style="font-family: "courier new";"> On Facebook after watching <i>Mr. Banks</i> for the first time, I wrote it
was "a lovely, lovely movie. You shouldn't believe a word of it, but a
very lovely fairy tale indeed," and suddenly found myself in constant conversations
with people who bought the movie's narrative hook, line and sinker. (I especially liked telling people their beloved Walt was a notorious chain smoker, which they had to cut from the movie <a href="http://www.entertainmentwise.com/news/135713/Tom-Hanks-Forced-To-Quit-Walt-Disneys-Heavy-Smoking-In-Saving-Mr-Banks"><span style="color: #3d85c6;">for fear of an R rating</span></a>.) But that's the thing
with historical films of any kind: you have to take every detail with a grain of salt.
It is our job to separate the real from the reel, and judge the film on its own
merits. While Travers's legendary cantankerousness is captured perfectly on
screen, what matters most is <i>Mary Poppins</i>
itself - a film so iconic and effervescent (cartoon penguins included!), it transcends all behind-the-scenes
dramas that befell its production.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "courier new";"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "courier new";"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1hcIdTBh0USaw2Vb25S1X7aMIq3ZsVrmeXshpwWbj2mBJUu1FGmWeHf6_F8__-HreT5b-gPWxDlPOoliFVkpew5mX6RaZT5B5IfhXRo87WAD4uzMXdKsBnPFgPxZF54kC8f0fDCKbFSgg/s1600/i'mnotthere.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="250" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1hcIdTBh0USaw2Vb25S1X7aMIq3ZsVrmeXshpwWbj2mBJUu1FGmWeHf6_F8__-HreT5b-gPWxDlPOoliFVkpew5mX6RaZT5B5IfhXRo87WAD4uzMXdKsBnPFgPxZF54kC8f0fDCKbFSgg/s1600/i'mnotthere.png" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><u><span style="font-family: "courier new";">The Film</span></u></b><b><span style="font-family: "courier new";">:</span></b><span style="font-family: "courier new";"> <i>I'm
Not There</i> (Todd Haynes, 2007)</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "courier new";"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><u><span style="font-family: "courier new";">The Facts</span></u></b><b><span style="font-family: "courier new";">:</span></b><span style="font-family: "courier new";"> Well, for starters, at no point in Bob
Dylan's prolific existence was he ever a) an 11-year-old African-American child
prodigy, b) an Old West grifter by the name of Billy The Kid, or c) a bemused
Cate Blanchett in drag. And at no time during Haynes's outside-the-box Biopic
are the words "Bob" and "Dylan" ever uttered (except in a
caption: "Inspired by the music and the many lives of Bob Dylan").
The famed singer/songwriter did, however, idolize Woody Guthrie in college,
received the Tom Paine Award from the National Emergency Civil Liberties
Committee in 1963, held a televised press conference about his political views
at KQED Studios in 1965, was heckled by a fan ("Judas!") at a concert
in 1966 and involved in a near-fatal motorcycle accident that same year, played
a supporting part in Sam Peckinpah's <i>Pat
Garrett And Billy The Kid</i> (1973), and performed songs including
"Maggie's Farm," "Tombstone Blues," "Ballad Of A Thin
Man," "Pressing On," and "Mr. Tambourine Man."<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "courier new";"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><u><span style="font-family: "courier new";">The Fiction</span></u></b><b><span style="font-family: "courier new";">:</span></b><span style="font-family: "courier new";"> A
truly audacious approach to the Biopic, with six different actors embodying the
different persona Dylan adopted throughout his career: Marcus
Carl Franklin as impressionable, Guthrie-worshipping Dylan; <a href="http://findingthewrongwords.blogspot.com/2010/03/for-best-films-of-decade-part-3.html"><span style="color: #3d85c6;">Christian Bale</span></a> as
folk-singing, fight-the-establishment Dylan (and later, born-again Christian
Dylan); Ben Whishaw as sardonic, Rimbaud-spouting Dylan; Blanchett as 1960s
electric Dylan; Heath Ledger as media-savvy superstar Dylan; and Richard Gere as
reclusive, retired-from-fame Dylan, living out a self-imposed exile in the Old
West (don't ask). The plot may be a jumble, but that's exactly the point; a
more literal, A-to-Z recycling of Dylan's life and times (with all the phony
Hollywood uplift in between) might have "solved" the man for us, but
would have denied us the essence - and the mystery - of his art. You get the feeling even Dylan himself would have approved - which he did, in <a href="http://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/bob-dylan-unleashed-a-wild-ride-on-his-new-lp-and-striking-back-at-critics-20120927"><span style="color: #3d85c6;">typical fashion</span></a>.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "courier new";"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5hcEeZizLPFjHt2FnHfhjwVzo9AIrTffg0e5vMs71MB5VRiwcfBq3SSy9fsSrw-6N1ou9UmgpOXkFLm0GY8wIPXuprGFjAnl21rJ76Gt6I_2TluY8pxpG8C0JeGZryKxzOcZTtjDv1Ocl/s1600/dragonbrucelee.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="162" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5hcEeZizLPFjHt2FnHfhjwVzo9AIrTffg0e5vMs71MB5VRiwcfBq3SSy9fsSrw-6N1ou9UmgpOXkFLm0GY8wIPXuprGFjAnl21rJ76Gt6I_2TluY8pxpG8C0JeGZryKxzOcZTtjDv1Ocl/s1600/dragonbrucelee.png" width="400" /></a></div>
<b><u><span style="font-family: "courier new";">The Film</span></u></b><b><span style="font-family: "courier new";">:</span></b><span style="font-family: "courier new";"> <i>Dragon:
The Bruce Lee Story</i> (Rob Cohen, 1993)</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "courier new";"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><u><span style="font-family: "courier new";">The Facts</span></u></b><b><span style="font-family: "courier new";">:</span></b><span style="font-family: "courier new";"> Born Lee Jun-fan on November 27, 1940, Bruce
Lee was also given a girl's name (Sai-fon, meaning "small phoenix")
to ward off evil spirits - but this was simply a Chinese custom and nothing
more. Lee didn't actually start his martial arts training until he was 13,
after a run in with a local street gang. In 1959, Lee's parents sent him to the
U.S. to keep him out of trouble. He attended the University of Washington where
he majored in philosophy and met his future wife, Linda. He also opened his own
kung fu studio at this time. In 1964, Lee was confronted by kung fu
practitioners about his decision to teach non-Chinese, and engaged in a private
match with another man to settle the matter. Contrary to the film, on however,
Lee did not injure his back during the fight (which Linda attended), but later
in 1970, while lifting weights. He refined his martial arts philosophies and
wrote <i>The Tao Of Jeet Kune Do</i> while
in recovery, but the book wasn't published until after his death. By the time
he was cast in <i>The Green Hornet</i>, Lee
had already acted in over 20 films. After the show's cancellation, Lee and his
family moved to Hong Kong, where he landed starring roles in <i>The Big Boss</i> (1971) and <i>Fists Of Fury</i> (1972). He became a
national star but still longed for the kind of international celebrity that
Hollywood films could afford him. While shooting <i>Enter The Dragon</i> in May 1973, Lee was briefly hospitalized for a
cerebral edema, which would be the ultimate cause of his death. On July 20,
1973, Lee complained of a headache while visiting his mistress's apartment. He
took a prescription painkiller and lied down on her couch to take a nap, but
never woke up. <a href="http://bruceleefansite.com/bruce-lee-death.html"><span style="color: #3d85c6;">It is believed</span></a> that he died from an allergic reaction to the
painkiller, causing his brain to swell.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "courier new";"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><u><span style="font-family: "courier new";">The Fiction</span></u></b><b><span style="font-family: "courier new";">:</span></b><span style="font-family: "courier new";"> The kung fu equivalent of <i>Yankee Doodle Dandy</i> (1942), <i>Dragon</i> tells your typical rags-to-riches
story of one man's triumph over adversity, with occasional dips into the exact
sort of acrobatic nonsense that made him famous in the first place. It's corny
and romantic and everything you'd expect from a film about the most influential
martial artist of our time. While the real Bruce Lee certainly got into his
share of scuffles, they probably weren't on the scale of the fights seen here
(the choreography is by John Cheung, a member of Jackie Chan's stunt team), and
his inner demons personified by an <i>actual</i>
demon is a little too on the nose, thank you very much. Jason Scott Lee,
though, is endearing in the lead (he's bulkier than Lee was in real life, but
that's okay), and the movie is sincere about the many ways its
subject opened our eyes to the beauty of his culture.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "courier new";"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinUKrwj6CurwsCW6Xhfw2C-O6CJo8mCugDvFcRoAb8YAv_eoofUi2d9TVBUp9EE_kiEH26JrV11fsDNivBL5S22O2zz2R_Prb2a9CKTLaAYaJXz1-q-Y1w-qzmorMLmoEIogL5z16jhzmy/s1600/amadeus.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="175" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinUKrwj6CurwsCW6Xhfw2C-O6CJo8mCugDvFcRoAb8YAv_eoofUi2d9TVBUp9EE_kiEH26JrV11fsDNivBL5S22O2zz2R_Prb2a9CKTLaAYaJXz1-q-Y1w-qzmorMLmoEIogL5z16jhzmy/s1600/amadeus.png" width="400" /></a></div>
<b><u><span style="font-family: "courier new";">The Film</span></u></b><b><span style="font-family: "courier new";">:</span></b><span style="font-family: "courier new";"> <i>Amadeus</i>
(Milos Forman, 1984)</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "courier new";"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><u><span style="font-family: "courier new";">The Facts</span></u></b><b><span style="font-family: "courier new";">:</span></b><span style="font-family: "courier new";"> Both Peter Shaffer's script and stage play
(based on the play <i>Mozart i Salieri</i>
by Alexander Pushkin), assert that Antonio Salieri and Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
were bitter enemies. Yet history records it differently. While some animosity
did exist between the German and Italian schools of music in 1780s Vienna, the
rivalry between Mozart (born 1756 in Salzburg) and Salieri (born 1750 in
Verona) was strictly a professional one, each trying to stake a claim for
themselves in Emperor Joseph II's court at the time. Mozart was indeed the rock
star of his time, enjoyed wearing fancy clothes and hats, and was especially
fond of toilet humor. Salieri, on the other hand, never took a vow of celibacy
as shown in the film; in reality, he was married with eight children and had an
open affair with Catarina Cavalieri, who accompanied Salieri to a performance
of Mozart's <i>The Magic Flute</i>. Both <i>Don Giovanni</i> and <i>The Marriage of Figaro</i> were rapturously received by audiences
(Figaro had so many standing ovations during its first three performances,
Joseph II had to issue an edict limiting its encores). The mysterious
benefactor who commissioned Mozart's Requiem Mass was not Salieri but a count
named Franz von Walsegg, who secretly planned on passing off the work as his
own. Salieri played no direct part in Mozart's declining health and was not
present at his death (Franz Xaver Süssmayr, a protégé of Salieri's, is widely
believed to have completed the Requiem posthumously). Since the cause of
Mozart's death has <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Death_of_Wolfgang_Amadeus_Mozart"><span style="color: #3d85c6;">never been officially explained</span></a>, rumors persist that he was
either poisoned or died from a subdural hematoma. When Salieri was committed to
an asylum during his later years, he reportedly "confessed" to the
murder of Mozart but then later recanted.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "courier new";"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><u><span style="font-family: "courier new";">The Fiction</span></u></b><b><span style="font-family: "courier new";">:</span></b><span style="font-family: "courier new";"> "Lush" is the best way to
describe Milos Forman's Oscar-winning Biopic, rife with rich performances,
baroque cinematography, and costume and set design so sumptuous, you might just
forget that the plot has no basis in actual fact. Shaffer's entire screenplay
is built on a lie - yet it does so at the risk of telling a good story. The film
makes a grand sort of statement on the nature of those with God-given talent
versus the rest of us schlubs who struggle at everything we do. It's the music,
though, that speaks for itself. Conducted by Sir Neville Marriner and performed
by the Academy of St. Martin-in-the-fields, Mozart's genius is on full display: elegant, robust,
architecturally structured in ways that transcend space and time. Just like
the movie that accompanies it.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "courier new";"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfj35yN5sn55Sp_FgqfN5H7T3MCsSplfahl-3OAo-Fa-GFlilBlt0u_igD8UIohrhMOL5O1LR3n7rua6wS5tvZSZEhxryazrhsGN0M0r4UAmecRFDU5Te-sdeMTa1EkeYU7SNEjX7XWjpL/s1600/patgarrett&billythekid.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="172" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfj35yN5sn55Sp_FgqfN5H7T3MCsSplfahl-3OAo-Fa-GFlilBlt0u_igD8UIohrhMOL5O1LR3n7rua6wS5tvZSZEhxryazrhsGN0M0r4UAmecRFDU5Te-sdeMTa1EkeYU7SNEjX7XWjpL/s1600/patgarrett&billythekid.png" width="400" /></a></div>
<b><u><span style="font-family: "courier new";">The Film</span></u></b><b><span style="font-family: "courier new";">:</span></b><span style="font-family: "courier new";"> <i>Pat
Garrett & Billy The Kid</i> (Sam Peckinpah, 1973)</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "courier new";"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><u><span style="font-family: "courier new";">The Facts</span></u></b><b><span style="font-family: "courier new";">:</span></b><span style="font-family: "courier new";"> While there's evidence to suggest that Pat
Garrett and William H. Bonney certainly knew each other, it's never been proven
that the two were actually friends. As Lincoln County's newly-appointed
sheriff, Garrett had vowed to rid the land of all cattle thieves and murderers,
and Billy was his first priority. His posse tracked The Kid and four of his men
to their hideout in Stinking Springs, NM, and on the morning of December 23,
1880, ambushed them when they stepped outside. (Only one man, Charlie Bowdre,
was killed during the ambush; the other man killed in the scene, Tom O'Folliard,
was shot by Garrett four days earlier). In life, Billy was fun-loving and loyal
and had many friends (none of whom were named "Alias" or bore a
striking resemblance to Bob Dylan). It was no doubt some of these friends who
aided in Billy's escape from the Lincoln jailhouse on April 28, 1881. Garrett
spent the next three months relentlessly pursuing The Kid, who darted in and
out of U.S. territory while stubbornly refusing to disappear into Old Mexico.
Their fates finally converged during the early hours of July 14, when Garrett,
acting on a tip that Billy been hiding in Fort Sumner, NM, arrived there to
question rancher Pete Maxwell about Billy's whereabouts. Billy had been with
Maxwell's sister Paulita ("Maria" in the film) at the time and just
happened to back into the room, barefoot and shirtless, after spotting two of
the sheriff's deputies outside. When he turned, Garrett promptly drew his
pistol and shot Billy in the chest, killing him instantly.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><u><span style="font-family: "courier new";">The Fiction</span></u></b><b><span style="font-family: "courier new";">:</span></b><span style="font-family: "courier new";"> Looking to add another revisionist Western
under his belt, after <i>Ride The High Country</i>
(1962) and <i>The Wild Bunch</i> (1969),
Peckinpah saw <i>PG&BTK</i> as his
chance to put a definitive spin on the genre. Problems <a href="http://www.mensjournal.com/magazine/pat-garrett-and-billy-the-kid-the-wildest-western-ever-made-20131001"><span style="color: #3d85c6;">plagued the production</span></a>,
however, and drove Peckinpah deeper into alcoholism
to deal with the stress. When post-production was completed, MGM re-cut the film to their own specifications; this version, shown in theaters, was greeted
indifferently by critics and audiences alike. Only later, when Turner Home
Video released Peckinpah's original version in 1988, was it <a href="http://listology.com/list/pat-garrett-and-billy-kid-three-films-one-mans-opinion-comparing-three-different-cutsnow-screen"><span style="color: #3d85c6;">rightly regarded as a classic</span></a>. The movie is vintage Peckinpah, mixing equal parts
existentialism, slow-motion balletic deaths, and characters defined by their
moral and ethical codes. What the
film "gets" better than any other version of the story, however, is
the tragedy of one man too stubborn to change with the times, and another who
realized - too late - that he didn't have to.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
D.W. Lundberghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03709428152190690075noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8005808875158331076.post-88509713342547982832015-02-27T15:01:00.000-07:002015-03-06T09:55:43.800-07:00... FOR "A TALE OF TWO 'POLTERGEIST'(S)"<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><b><u>UPDATE</u>:</b> <b><i>Via </i><a href="http://variety.com/2015/film/news/poltergeist-reboot-release-date-spy-release-date-melissa-mccarthy-1201447391/" style="font-style: italic;"><span style="color: #3d85c6;">this report</span></a><i> from Variety.com, MGM and 20th Century Fox have moved up the release date for </i>Poltergeist<i> to May 22, 2015. The article that follows remains unaltered from its original post.</i></b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><br /></span>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";"><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="275" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/YCmAaNk_iIQ" width="410"></iframe></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";">Excuse me for
sounding a little churlish, but the newly-released trailer for 20th Century
Fox's <i>Poltergeist</i> remake has my
stomach in knots, and I don't mean in a good way. The film, which opens July
24th, has been touted as "a revisionist take" on <a href="http://findingthewrongwords.blogspot.com/2014/10/in-defense-of-horror-films.html"><span style="color: #3d85c6;">Tobe Hooper's 1982 horror classic</span></a>, with "modern" updates including cell phones and
flat-screen TVs. Which is fine, I guess - I mean, this is Hollywood, after all,
where people aren't truly happy unless they're busy ripping off someone else's
work or exploiting the latest adventures of the world's greatest superheroes.
And this is hardly the first time <a href="http://findingthewrongwords.blogspot.com/2014/05/for-franchise-face-offs-part-16-spider.html"><span style="color: #3d85c6;">Sam Raimi</span></a>'s Ghost House Pictures label has
tried rejiggering a modern classic, with remakes of <i>The Grudge</i> and <i>The Evil Dead</i>
burning up theater screens in 2004 and 2013, respectively. My question, though:
what's the point in remaking something if you don't have anything new to bring
to the table? Why reproduce the same thrills and chills if you can't be
bothered to give a fresh spin on old material?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";">Despite the change
in cast (Sam Rockwell and Rosemarie DeWitt make fine replacements for Craig T.
Nelson and JoBeth Williams from the original movie), the new <i>Poltergeist</i> looks to be a rehash of the
same exact plot - close-knit family moves into suburban home and is immediately
beset by supernatural forces. Again, this is nothing new. Remakes have been a
part of our cinematic diet since the days of the earliest films, when Cecil B.
DeMille remade his 1914 silent <i>The Squaw
Man</i> in 1918 and again in 1931. (Trivia bit: DeMille also directed a silent
version of <i>The Ten Commandments</i> in
1923, then later reused some of the same props and sets for his 1956 remake.)
True, the marketing gurus behind <i>Poltergeist</i>
2015 could be deliberately trying to goad us into seeing the new movie by
plumbing our nostalgia for the previous one. And yes, the final film as
released could be entirely different from what the trailer lets on. But the
fact that <i>so many</i> elements come
directly from Hooper's version suggests a paucity of imagination on the
filmmakers' part.</span><br />
<a name='more'></a><span style="font-family: "Courier New";"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";">That creepy clown
doll, for instance, played so memorably 33 years ago, here gets a postmodern upgrade:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-dPYZK4zJDZMail_iv9bZfl_z8G9fi83F6yH-n7npDrChINEzdT7heU8WCBLXey-hulpb8kh3RZSNj6MOwme1CUSmNZmQHTB1K0jOnaRx6TSfzDyiNOaI_oObXrkI-vTwHqUJHvYJTrMD/s1600/polterclown01.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-dPYZK4zJDZMail_iv9bZfl_z8G9fi83F6yH-n7npDrChINEzdT7heU8WCBLXey-hulpb8kh3RZSNj6MOwme1CUSmNZmQHTB1K0jOnaRx6TSfzDyiNOaI_oObXrkI-vTwHqUJHvYJTrMD/s1600/polterclown01.png" height="163" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZ1AoSGfkvnVoW4K8V1Uc0Fv1l0J9-syTa46blwK7AiI0bcMY2jr8BpiXxP1-HTdzz3vCC8uEJPyVjY2NWGZJLdNFx4pPLrqAFUDEu_6LpeFV-dT0LQKcZIe6eZdZMsEV5vX-dRGGji8AU/s1600/polterclown02.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZ1AoSGfkvnVoW4K8V1Uc0Fv1l0J9-syTa46blwK7AiI0bcMY2jr8BpiXxP1-HTdzz3vCC8uEJPyVjY2NWGZJLdNFx4pPLrqAFUDEu_6LpeFV-dT0LQKcZIe6eZdZMsEV5vX-dRGGji8AU/s1600/polterclown02.png" height="171" width="400" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: 'Courier New';">This shot, too, of a television set as gateway to another dimension:</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjC7CWiaN5xxIdhTzYVeOUAZoX1yLhkTCRGX2qmeARIXW0PWIC8lU61v8jZiunNv6pmWjdnni8YGPOZe7HhI5bedel6LUWPhoiknv58ypW21BZ_J5Q2cNHHwLyjCBnkwjzcN1iX0vH9gEX/s1600/poltervision01.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjC7CWiaN5xxIdhTzYVeOUAZoX1yLhkTCRGX2qmeARIXW0PWIC8lU61v8jZiunNv6pmWjdnni8YGPOZe7HhI5bedel6LUWPhoiknv58ypW21BZ_J5Q2cNHHwLyjCBnkwjzcN1iX0vH9gEX/s1600/poltervision01.png" height="163" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxq45RVEDyCQms2bE7KdlU3PnXUnu64vMXmen_8_pfRK9b-0WAZm5VhcK6SvblQsZnH5RgTYFkIdgFPFaKxYCGkEUKPNMeBZ0QvqnnJMaEMrbG4cxlOQFgOOQ4I6TyZasENh9VHkxa7KFn/s1600/poltervision02.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxq45RVEDyCQms2bE7KdlU3PnXUnu64vMXmen_8_pfRK9b-0WAZm5VhcK6SvblQsZnH5RgTYFkIdgFPFaKxYCGkEUKPNMeBZ0QvqnnJMaEMrbG4cxlOQFgOOQ4I6TyZasENh9VHkxa7KFn/s1600/poltervision02.png" height="171" width="400" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: 'Courier New';">Or this shot </span><span style="font-family: 'Courier New';">(you
have to look fast for it) of a prepubescent boy almost swallowed up by a
possessed monster tree in his backyard:</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPNmt9b6t3-EPMMcibs52qbWw9YoWdhg4ftNawANtAQvffGXrXe646q1yYFsYbRtBf-4XpYircyTOPwmjsv0iLQej6z_VTUUI0YYCKDguyiN4lnNIG9yU3DQy1vdo2jhKgdS769z4KVKwA/s1600/poltertree01.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPNmt9b6t3-EPMMcibs52qbWw9YoWdhg4ftNawANtAQvffGXrXe646q1yYFsYbRtBf-4XpYircyTOPwmjsv0iLQej6z_VTUUI0YYCKDguyiN4lnNIG9yU3DQy1vdo2jhKgdS769z4KVKwA/s1600/poltertree01.png" height="163" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUQ5frYurriF_VDxUvX2UmzZzmH-zyCo1XLPtKpDmHwr17UX84gVQvggF4naTphd8mgV1Ty9Ch8hWgElQ0CqSs-12MZRda04fqL-Xt0l5EhkljPJhTphv8QIdk_d42WhxqvKQm9yLF5iwJ/s1600/poltertree02.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUQ5frYurriF_VDxUvX2UmzZzmH-zyCo1XLPtKpDmHwr17UX84gVQvggF4naTphd8mgV1Ty9Ch8hWgElQ0CqSs-12MZRda04fqL-Xt0l5EhkljPJhTphv8QIdk_d42WhxqvKQm9yLF5iwJ/s1600/poltertree02.png" height="171" width="400" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: 'Courier New';">Even the patented
youngest-daughter-gets-sucked-through-her-bedroom-closet trick gets a replay...</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYS5k8XjRUdZnlH-A2Ls3exOjQPTIXJKjgHNmdu33K7R8hVsO74qfAj78YamirViIvv344GQYwjSIpd0ifVu77O4B4A1b1DJuEu3f6n_wMs491HLEmsHrl1VBUZrltwYT8lJHtMNBfWwvo/s1600/poltercloset01.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYS5k8XjRUdZnlH-A2Ls3exOjQPTIXJKjgHNmdu33K7R8hVsO74qfAj78YamirViIvv344GQYwjSIpd0ifVu77O4B4A1b1DJuEu3f6n_wMs491HLEmsHrl1VBUZrltwYT8lJHtMNBfWwvo/s1600/poltercloset01.png" height="163" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPxtzGqIVQTeqQz5pnvzIvBxrjKJ4klp8kwTUeXejyKy7ftIkkH6C1BLCtXfC8e8em_sgy2tWBzwVvnUAEDzR75NyM8tSfCGkM0uHxQKqOv-EYG-br4JKho3mPE8Wq0wCkXqh-uRdA0nnN/s1600/poltercloset02.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPxtzGqIVQTeqQz5pnvzIvBxrjKJ4klp8kwTUeXejyKy7ftIkkH6C1BLCtXfC8e8em_sgy2tWBzwVvnUAEDzR75NyM8tSfCGkM0uHxQKqOv-EYG-br4JKho3mPE8Wq0wCkXqh-uRdA0nnN/s1600/poltercloset02.png" height="171" width="400" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";">...as does this shot, of the </span><span style="font-family: 'Courier New';">family's house (presumably) getting sucked into who-knows-where:</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXXpCYiltQgNB9RnEbgh5q-TtgaKwTrQ6O4r_akoFy_bUh1bBZ9dm4s0xDb39_l3A3RLU3fQ2d-LTXmUfjE3ph8bbDxB8hIddSYZD2KVhoZw4TZK_rbcIHE91ArorvHXWF3q17wHLeeAWh/s1600/polterhouse01.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXXpCYiltQgNB9RnEbgh5q-TtgaKwTrQ6O4r_akoFy_bUh1bBZ9dm4s0xDb39_l3A3RLU3fQ2d-LTXmUfjE3ph8bbDxB8hIddSYZD2KVhoZw4TZK_rbcIHE91ArorvHXWF3q17wHLeeAWh/s1600/polterhouse01.png" height="163" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWB3tWUJF6flEQ1IsW8a8q9ntKtm4wP3QLlrO2SuYR-W7DBpMmfbKhkfMxd6HGgIDbuTFpsyvQjGr_nV0ahfAlZLqFcbiMjBf913U_vJuFsjPWE11mkKsPMae0y4gNImE-rrZnpA8Td7q7/s1600/polterhouse02.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWB3tWUJF6flEQ1IsW8a8q9ntKtm4wP3QLlrO2SuYR-W7DBpMmfbKhkfMxd6HGgIDbuTFpsyvQjGr_nV0ahfAlZLqFcbiMjBf913U_vJuFsjPWE11mkKsPMae0y4gNImE-rrZnpA8Td7q7/s1600/polterhouse02.png" height="171" width="400" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: 'Courier New';">Some of director Gil
Kenan's callbacks to the 1982 version are a little more subtle, however. This
scene, for example, in which Griffin Bowen (Kyle Catlett) and his sister
Madison (Kennedi Clements) encounter supernatural goings-on outside their
closet door...</span></div>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicsp3tgjryz8kdp8pmuk8f0iagmaUGGtvtkG-_4qCLc6L7rGU4tNjzcwnXDy8QHbU_-G-FdU3DXWRJVQ3diKD75e_UCrMfIiRVOtGKXg3HEYIYML4K31nEfzjyx7q66xZqYnSrQalSKWz-/s1600/polterfun01.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicsp3tgjryz8kdp8pmuk8f0iagmaUGGtvtkG-_4qCLc6L7rGU4tNjzcwnXDy8QHbU_-G-FdU3DXWRJVQ3diKD75e_UCrMfIiRVOtGKXg3HEYIYML4K31nEfzjyx7q66xZqYnSrQalSKWz-/s1600/polterfun01.png" height="163" width="400" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: 'Courier New';">...echoes this scene
from the earlier film, in which Steve and Diane Freeling make a similar
discovery in their kitchen:</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZT-8pJw2kQzbpxkbihr7rxKq6ny47Onsw_dc_lrfm1cw6y2KS4M2UfKOp88ulnmYNi-r1s0VYRkcmJadk1G2j4vwGKh_fA7TBPoxEAxE9M6MTc279dorVCTjEQzNHPfBvbaVK-OpcIS25/s1600/polterfun02.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZT-8pJw2kQzbpxkbihr7rxKq6ny47Onsw_dc_lrfm1cw6y2KS4M2UfKOp88ulnmYNi-r1s0VYRkcmJadk1G2j4vwGKh_fA7TBPoxEAxE9M6MTc279dorVCTjEQzNHPfBvbaVK-OpcIS25/s1600/polterfun02.png" height="171" width="400" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";">The switch in
characters seems to jibe with this statement Rockwell gave to <a href="http://collider.com/poltergeist-remake-details-sam-rockwell/#Qd3JlqpwzwSv4IF3.99"><span style="color: #3d85c6;">Collider.com</span></a>,
about the new movie being told from the children's point of view. But is that
really an improvement over the original film, in which the Freeling family
functioned as a single protagonist? At least Kenan and company have the good
sense to give away the movie's Big Twist in the trailer (SPOILER ALERT - in the
original <i>Poltergeist</i>, the house is
built on top of a cemetary). Jared Harris, </span><span style="font-family: 'Courier New';">meanwhile, <a href="http://findingthewrongwords.blogspot.com/2012/02/for-franchise-face-offs-part-12.html"><span style="color: #3d85c6;">as much as I love him</span></a>, can't hold a candle to Ms. Zelda Rubenstein:</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhF0tPRAJHULGZpzLps98ShOVEoRs0ghK058x2Ag-c2R4KxBs0XCb9C8oWBIky8betU1uVqbTVr58t7l0GPF-tu5Moe60ugiy7vf9amIMXqwx-uGFMGDFLWz8udPwdc6ISRmYC6jn1Zsfoz/s1600/polterpsychic01.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhF0tPRAJHULGZpzLps98ShOVEoRs0ghK058x2Ag-c2R4KxBs0XCb9C8oWBIky8betU1uVqbTVr58t7l0GPF-tu5Moe60ugiy7vf9amIMXqwx-uGFMGDFLWz8udPwdc6ISRmYC6jn1Zsfoz/s1600/polterpsychic01.png" height="163" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrBJfrAnQ1GFGlxs2c0L5muV5gBwdkrztiicR2b6NzgtZ1_vFZKxeNd_qZ7CRAtJOkzsSjo8pLR27eAJ4MsU2VMsmAfn7PLWX9fnM4XGOp9x2bpYote_T5SUAk2p03Y1BVAn46VrsbENLl/s1600/polterpsychic02.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrBJfrAnQ1GFGlxs2c0L5muV5gBwdkrztiicR2b6NzgtZ1_vFZKxeNd_qZ7CRAtJOkzsSjo8pLR27eAJ4MsU2VMsmAfn7PLWX9fnM4XGOp9x2bpYote_T5SUAk2p03Y1BVAn46VrsbENLl/s1600/polterpsychic02.png" height="171" width="400" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: 'Courier New';">Is there a statute
of limitations on the movies of our childhood? Had is now become common
practice to take the classics of yesteryear and remake and reboot them every
thirty years? We've seen it happen already with Gus Van Sant's shot-for-shot
remake of </span><i style="font-family: 'Courier New';">Psycho</i><span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"> in 1998, </span><a href="http://findingthewrongwords.blogspot.com/2011/08/for-80s-remake-palooza.html" style="font-family: 'Courier New';"><span style="color: #3d85c6;"><i>Footloose</i> in 2011</span></a><span style="font-family: 'Courier New';">, and </span><i style="font-family: 'Courier New';">RoboCop</i><span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"> in 2014; and we'll see it yet
again with Paul Feig's all-female </span><i style="font-family: 'Courier New';">Ghostbusters</i><span style="font-family: 'Courier New';">
come 2016. What's next, </span><i style="font-family: 'Courier New';">Top Gun</i><span style="font-family: 'Courier New';">? </span><i style="font-family: 'Courier New';">E.T.</i><span style="font-family: 'Courier New';">? </span><i style="font-family: 'Courier New';">Back To The Future</i><span style="font-family: 'Courier New';">? (Purists may take solace in the fact that
Poltergeist is the first remake of a Steven Spielberg production [so far.])</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";">Time will tell if
this "revisionist" <i>Poltergeist</i>
actually honors the memory of the original movie or trounces all over it. In
the meantime, it's comforting to know that the trailer's three (count 'em)
concluding money shots rip off not only <i>Poltergeist</i>
'82 but two other Horror "classics" as well. After the bit with the
creepy clown doll, we get this "homage" to Alejandro Amenábar's <i>The Others</i>:</span><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmlRF3Sywuaq33WrA3WgGjkk24CNEcBHt1KNghuNjmtqere9Us8K-MAZMzDy7KK6gyfp4UJmoPMOAArfWWBxIhrUIyLLhSy3dJ4ajTQzRWxCXD4ZwT4fSATgpUQE3Kll-sipVzjbVeSRE6/s1600/polterothers01.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmlRF3Sywuaq33WrA3WgGjkk24CNEcBHt1KNghuNjmtqere9Us8K-MAZMzDy7KK6gyfp4UJmoPMOAArfWWBxIhrUIyLLhSy3dJ4ajTQzRWxCXD4ZwT4fSATgpUQE3Kll-sipVzjbVeSRE6/s1600/polterothers01.png" height="163" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjMRnd0j_9brOGabdsPrxnqUleuWdk14MGUQ_W4-NXxgrLSODgnuI3w9AfRF3AOO0dmu-GkJAjbyk77fJs-fNvpp-gSJQDRdXS98i0xABuJRgXOM5SENHBs4L3OlgjaxSvPLX8I5oziei5/s1600/polterothers02.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjMRnd0j_9brOGabdsPrxnqUleuWdk14MGUQ_W4-NXxgrLSODgnuI3w9AfRF3AOO0dmu-GkJAjbyk77fJs-fNvpp-gSJQDRdXS98i0xABuJRgXOM5SENHBs4L3OlgjaxSvPLX8I5oziei5/s1600/polterothers02.png" height="221" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHIRm7Qm0ANADJJpZhCHOzeudgGZdmFYsJplRxZxI-CVadSMOeGxHzCnpnwm5nvkcDG5JCw5-s_LmY_9Pb0Mt9uQgxP_nUwjrKhlX7ZujOyZMVisgoiCc2M3h6au1EJ1q7iRMf2W3_PlFk/s1600/polterothers03.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHIRm7Qm0ANADJJpZhCHOzeudgGZdmFYsJplRxZxI-CVadSMOeGxHzCnpnwm5nvkcDG5JCw5-s_LmY_9Pb0Mt9uQgxP_nUwjrKhlX7ZujOyZMVisgoiCc2M3h6au1EJ1q7iRMf2W3_PlFk/s1600/polterothers03.png" height="163" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzqOJmx7H5lm7I6ANo8UlBVRbn9IsuCuy2vCRHEq-d5e6idonV2IJ99zJwzzMevfNFu_WjsqVRk0LoSUADajrXLFNw5tOljY8kOYbCiXXAVREHac-3PDLhA6JijE1ng-J0Ig3EW7kponJV/s1600/polterothers04.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzqOJmx7H5lm7I6ANo8UlBVRbn9IsuCuy2vCRHEq-d5e6idonV2IJ99zJwzzMevfNFu_WjsqVRk0LoSUADajrXLFNw5tOljY8kOYbCiXXAVREHac-3PDLhA6JijE1ng-J0Ig3EW7kponJV/s1600/polterothers04.png" height="221" width="400" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: 'Courier New';">Or how does this one
grab you, from </span><i style="font-family: 'Courier New';">Paranormal Activity</i><span style="font-family: 'Courier New';">
(2009)?</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkWq3iCFTzCFoT1nxzHixl5iYm9veC_eSGpQUoM6aeGBUtJ4pDvMFHiFGADUFWz3StKMreqgSRdsaD_IpbEaEDzAqF0rn7Ur8_zGg-CmJXfkDOliduaiYuCD-GuqrU3ItcTuwu7IdcjX40/s1600/polternormal01.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkWq3iCFTzCFoT1nxzHixl5iYm9veC_eSGpQUoM6aeGBUtJ4pDvMFHiFGADUFWz3StKMreqgSRdsaD_IpbEaEDzAqF0rn7Ur8_zGg-CmJXfkDOliduaiYuCD-GuqrU3ItcTuwu7IdcjX40/s1600/polternormal01.png" height="163" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9S7KsdeIWeCio0kE237E6u9SmEAFKT94J0KW69CH1UzQWkR3uqFqkgYb8iKnd9kE3-qGnG0EDl3hHDMjh1AjfuaMnlmmTIgyWMWyJC6doJ26UoVADV6RKl3C2pFOzco_NO6jHZgS_bbZM/s1600/polternormal02.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9S7KsdeIWeCio0kE237E6u9SmEAFKT94J0KW69CH1UzQWkR3uqFqkgYb8iKnd9kE3-qGnG0EDl3hHDMjh1AjfuaMnlmmTIgyWMWyJC6doJ26UoVADV6RKl3C2pFOzco_NO6jHZgS_bbZM/s1600/polternormal02.png" height="227" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfKQMBXsKk8UVVfjIApXv2yDCm22f4CPCInm7q4WdfzcYu9exL3G9JTcIBnOxog3ZuNBGUj1pdfHZjaNSB-_5pNIo3mNpnocEzwoXmztE17b235n1_cmga10e7an0E_tCSvCxglK7qBtXH/s1600/polternormal03.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfKQMBXsKk8UVVfjIApXv2yDCm22f4CPCInm7q4WdfzcYu9exL3G9JTcIBnOxog3ZuNBGUj1pdfHZjaNSB-_5pNIo3mNpnocEzwoXmztE17b235n1_cmga10e7an0E_tCSvCxglK7qBtXH/s1600/polternormal03.png" height="163" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHwkBZYKFKcydXs0nnS8FwpVoogcCatPB93r9hYSXK_VXeHWVVr-6oOl6pZKXYNDlUIWRWAJCrCF03zZzR0foHkk999kuYyPjWd9TITZMdNUeBU9AyuP-FDwRvycWfS-QgZFw1m7_p5cQq/s1600/polternormal04.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHwkBZYKFKcydXs0nnS8FwpVoogcCatPB93r9hYSXK_VXeHWVVr-6oOl6pZKXYNDlUIWRWAJCrCF03zZzR0foHkk999kuYyPjWd9TITZMdNUeBU9AyuP-FDwRvycWfS-QgZFw1m7_p5cQq/s1600/polternormal04.png" height="227" width="400" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: 'Courier New';">Look closely at the
screenshots for </span><i style="font-family: 'Courier New';">Poltergeist</i><span style="font-family: 'Courier New';">, and you
can tell that little girl isn't even human, she's a CG special effect - straight
out of Kenan's own animated </span><i style="font-family: 'Courier New';">Monster House</i><span style="font-family: 'Courier New';">,
it would seem. Ah, well. All's fair in love and remakes, is it not?</span></div>
D.W. Lundberghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03709428152190690075noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8005808875158331076.post-43572392653613348412015-02-20T15:13:00.000-07:002015-02-24T07:50:25.841-07:00... FOR "HOLLYWOOD'S BIGGEST NIGHT" (aka "OSCARS 2015") - UPDATED!<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Courier New;"><b><i><u>UPDATE</u>: Well, it seems <a href="http://www.cracked.com/article_17608_6-cheap-acting-tricks-that-fool-critics-every-time.html/?utm_source=facebook.com&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=crackedfbfanpage"><span style="color: #3d85c6;">Cracked was absolutely right</span></a>. In a move that should surprise absolutely no one in retrospect, Oscar bestowed Eddie Redmayne and Julianne Moore with Best Actor/Actress honors at last night's 87th Annual Academy Awards, for playing disease-ridden screen characters and/or historical figures. Moore's win is especially grating, not because she didn't deserve it, but because she's already given at least a half dozen worthwhile performances, and since this year she happened to play a Columbia University professor suffering from Alzheimer's, the Academy finally decided to give her her due. (Like Meryl Streep in </i>The Iron Lady<i>, Moore was awarded for a film people respected but didn't particularly enjoy.)</i></b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New;"><b><i><br /></i></b></span>
<span style="font-family: Courier New;"><b><i>As for the rest, I guess I really shouldn't be too upset that </i>Birdman <i>took home top honors for Best Picture, Director and Original Screenplay. It is, after all, a terrific entertaiment, with stellar performances and knockout cinematography. But its meta-tale of artists under pressure is as old as Fellini's </i>8½<i>, and the illusion that it's all shot in one long, uninterrupted camera take has been pulled off before, in Sokurov's </i><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Russian_Ark"><span style="color: #3d85c6;">Russian Ark</span></a><i> and Hitchcock's </i><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rope_(film)"><span style="color: #3d85c6;">Rope</span></a><i>. I'm convinced more than ever that every film today is a copy of something else, and that the only thing "original" about them is the way their stories are told.</i></b></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New;"><b><i>So why didn't </i>Boyhood<i> win the Oscar for Best Picture? As far as I'm concerned, it was the only film released last year that broke ground in any way, this 12-year odyssey, shot with the same actors, of a boy growing up and the "moments" that make up his life. The movie may seem uneventful to the average viewer, but then again that isn't the point. (The point is: What do you do with the moments that make up your life? Do the curve balls steer you in the right direction or hold you back?) </i>Boyhood <i>was a labor of love for its director and actors and everyone else involved, and no other film aimed higher or accomplished more by saying so little. And that will be cherished and remembered decades from now while everything else fades into oblivion.</i></b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New;"><b><i><br /></i></b></span>
<span style="font-family: Courier New;"><b><i>As for the show itself, we were attending a family function so I really didn't get to see much of it. But I managed to stick around long enough to hear host Neil Patrick Harris say of the Oscars, "Or, as I like to call them, the </i>Dependent<i> Spirit Awards." That pretty much summed it all up for me.</i></b></span><br />
<div>
<br /></div>
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWb6yNGmrl9INp9YE0MObObgWJqKXXd1ohhTNNESG4iYuFG0YAO60nrzsXCpdtebCfcBPZ3vZejYsABT0zwWUUzJgGouwfQb055Bw3axao2ZkMwp6SczvFYnnelc5W0A5xaWjr-hoEoQk6/s1600/intro.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWb6yNGmrl9INp9YE0MObObgWJqKXXd1ohhTNNESG4iYuFG0YAO60nrzsXCpdtebCfcBPZ3vZejYsABT0zwWUUzJgGouwfQb055Bw3axao2ZkMwp6SczvFYnnelc5W0A5xaWjr-hoEoQk6/s1600/intro.png" height="250" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: 'Courier New';">A (relatively) short
one today, since you've no doubt already formed an opinion of what the Academy
Awards do or do not mean to you at this point. To sum up the blog's annual
stance on the subject, the Oscars <a href="http://findingthewrongwords.blogspot.com/2010/03/for-hollywoods-biggest-popularity.html"><span style="color: #3d85c6;">a)</span></a> are really nothing more than a glorified
high school popularity contest, <a href="http://findingthewrongwords.blogspot.com/2011/02/for-hollywoods-biggest-night-aka-oscars.html"><span style="color: #3d85c6;">b)</span></a> pride themselves on celebrating that old "independent
spirit," <a href="http://findingthewrongwords.blogspot.com/2012/02/for-hollywoods-biggest-night-aka-oscars.html"><span style="color: #3d85c6;">c)</span></a> sometimes rally around a unified theme, <a href="http://findingthewrongwords.blogspot.com/2013/02/for-hollywoods-biggest-night-aka-oscars.html"><span style="color: #3d85c6;">d)</span></a> try to seem
"edgy" and "of the moment" only to revel in time-worn
clichés in the end, and <a href="http://findingthewrongwords.blogspot.com/2014/02/for-hollywoods-biggest-night-aka-oscars.html"><span style="color: #3d85c6;">e)</span></a> celebrate everything that's mediocre about American
film. And yet, without fail, something will compel me to tune in, at least for
a bit, to see if all the tried-and-true traditions still hold. If you can
resist the temptation to check out even a part of the telecast for yourself
(and, let's be honest, who couldn't use a little Neil Patrick Harris fix every now
and then?), then congratulations, you're a better person than I am.</span></div>
<a name='more'></a><br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: 'Courier New';">So. What can we
expect from Sunday's Oscar telecast? Well, aside from the usual
self-congratulatory acceptance speeches and bloated Hollywood memorials, let me
venture a guess and say, "more of the same." That's especially true
for the following three criteria:</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><u><span style="font-family: "Courier New";">Surprising Snubs and Foregone Conclusions <o:p></o:p></span></u></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><u><span style="font-family: "Courier New";"><br /></span></u></b></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzOJ55y6niE87bXWaGAgsYon3AqVLm_schaQyrupSmJ6A2TnnsFr9I9e57h2PuRBcTqJMal9LyN_31fcVkt3Bez0aOqZp8YzOQWSvC5MmkxyHiNj81rm_cxFh5JLud7DasOnT-DygehGXb/s1600/selma-lego.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzOJ55y6niE87bXWaGAgsYon3AqVLm_schaQyrupSmJ6A2TnnsFr9I9e57h2PuRBcTqJMal9LyN_31fcVkt3Bez0aOqZp8YzOQWSvC5MmkxyHiNj81rm_cxFh5JLud7DasOnT-DygehGXb/s1600/selma-lego.png" height="250" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: 'Courier New';">Read any reaction to
this year's list of nominees (announced January 15th) and you'll find the usual
uproar over who was ignored (No Jennifer Aniston for Best Actress! No Best
Director nod for Angelina Jolie!) versus those who were never expected to be
nominated in the first place (Laura Dern for </span><i style="font-family: 'Courier New';">Wild</i><span style="font-family: 'Courier New';">! </span><i style="font-family: 'Courier New';">Inherent Vice</i><span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"> for
Best Adapted Screenplay!). You have your veterans (Meryl Streep, Robert Duvall)
and your first-timers (Benedict Cumberbatch, Patricia Arquette), your comeback
kids (Michael Keaton) and your sentimental favorites (Roger Deakins, him, had
been nominated a whopping </span><i style="font-family: 'Courier New';">12 times</i><span style="font-family: 'Courier New';">
for cinematography without winning an award). And, of course, it just wouldn't
be "Oscar" without Academy members purposely turning their backs on past
favorites (</span><i style="font-family: 'Courier New';">cough*Amy Adams*cough*</i><span style="font-family: 'Courier New';">The
Hobbit</span><i style="font-family: 'Courier New';">* cough</i><span style="font-family: 'Courier New';">) and/or anything that
garnered too much success over the last year (seriously - no Best Animated Feature
nod for </span><i style="font-family: 'Courier New';">The Lego Movie</i><span style="font-family: 'Courier New';">? Is that
because of its $468 million at the box office or the fact that the climax of
the movie - SPOILER! - was actually filmed in live-action?).</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";">Perhaps no other
snub this year, though, caused more controversy than director Ava DuVernay
getting passed over for her work on the critically-lauded, Martin Luther King
Jr.-on-the-march-to-Montgomery epic, <i>Selma</i>.
Couple this with the fact that <i>Selma</i>
managed to score a Best Picture nomination but nothing for its acting or
cinematography and it's no wonder AMPAS has come under fire for racial
inequality all over again. It's a hot-button topic that Oscar pundits like to
dredge up whenever they can. Never mind that Mr. John
Ridley, last year's winner for Best Adapted Screenplay (for <i>12 Years A Slave</i>) is African-American,
or that Ms. Lupita Nyong'o, who won for Best Supporting Actress (for <i>12 Years A Slave</i>), is too. Never mind,
as well, that Oscar has long since earned a reputation for failing to nominate
directors whose films were also up for Best Motion Picture honors. (Ten slots
for Best Picture but only five for Best Director? Hm. The math just doesn't
quite work out, does it?)<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";">That so much talent
has gone unrecognized throughout the decades shouldn't come as much of a
surprise, however. Because at the end of the day...<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><u><span style="font-family: "Courier New";">The Awards Themselves Don't Actually Mean A Thing<o:p></o:p></span></u></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><u><span style="font-family: "Courier New";"><br /></span></u></b></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtbHF_EDKDpw8RJIxVEkqdIba7_qQmDn8d7it5WWNrAXuxC8hQBeebUJrXgbgmCWphJPaJ_kNpjpWqRpEWEE39BYUKnGpVaPDzdrwiWWRjMbOZfyyJtPgp_VDo-eS4BV1qgdO77rkwvkpp/s1600/bestpicture.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtbHF_EDKDpw8RJIxVEkqdIba7_qQmDn8d7it5WWNrAXuxC8hQBeebUJrXgbgmCWphJPaJ_kNpjpWqRpEWEE39BYUKnGpVaPDzdrwiWWRjMbOZfyyJtPgp_VDo-eS4BV1qgdO77rkwvkpp/s1600/bestpicture.png" height="250" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: 'Courier New';">Quickly now: which
film won the award for Best Picture last year? If you said "</span><i style="font-family: 'Courier New';">12 Years A Slave</i><span style="font-family: 'Courier New';">," congratulations
again - you're a bigger Oscar fan than I am (I had to look it up). Try to
recall every Best Picture of the past ten years, on the other hand - or Best
Actor, or Best Song, or Best Costume Design, for that matter - and it becomes a
stickier proposition indeed.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";">But that's just the
point, see: Winning an Oscar doesn't necessarily make you "better" or
more memorable than the next person. And it's hardly an indicator of how your
film will be regarded twenty, thirty years in the future. (All it really means
is: Academy voters watched your movie and a bunch of others, and then they
voted for you - or did not - depending on their mood at the time.)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";">Think about that. Is
the span of a single year really enough to judge how a film will stand the test
of time? Sure, John Ford's <i>How Green Was
My Valley</i> may have won the award for Best Picture in 1942, but it's Orson
Welles and <i>Citizen Kane</i> - now widely
regarded as the Greatest Motion Picture of All Time - whose countless innovations
continue to reverberate in the films of today. And while Norman Jewison's <i>In The Heat Of The Night</i> took top honors
at the '67 Academy Awards, does that make it "better" than <i>The Graduate</i>, or <i>Bonnie And Clyde</i>, nominated that same year? What about <i>Annie Hall</i> over <i>Star Wars</i> (1977)? <i>Ordinary
People</i> over <i>Raging Bull</i> (1980)? <i>Shakespeare In Love</i> over Saving <i>Private Ryan</i> (1998)?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";">It's the same for
actors, too. Just because Tom Hanks tapped out at two Best Actor wins (for <i>Philadelphia</i> and <i>Forrest Gump</i>, back to back), does that mean he's become incapable of
giving superior performances ever since? (Absolutely not; in fact, I'd argue <i>Cast Away</i> and <i>Captain Phillips</i> as better examples of the actor's art.) Or when Al
Pacino picks up a win for <i>Scent Of A
Woman</i>, or Morgan Freeman does the same for <i>Million
Dollar Baby</i> (or this year - fingers crossed - Julianne Moore for <i>Still Alice</i>), is that because they'd
finally given a performance worthy of Oscar's attention? (Not at all; by then,
that little gold statuette is simply validation for a lifetime of good performances
if nothing else.)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";">I could go on. (Did
anyone else realize Stevie Wonder's "I Just Called To Say I Love You"
won the award for Best Song the same year that "Footloose" and
"Ghostbusters" were also nominated?) Just don't be too hard on
yourself when you forget half the names of this year's winners by lunchtime the
next day.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><u><span style="font-family: "Courier New";">Pushing The Envelope</span></u></b><span style="font-family: "Courier New";"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><u><span style="font-family: "Courier New";"><br /></span></u></b></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioyfrx-P7ImPKfMg1Ozv0PnpRiKkBAtlL9Mu0pPGkBqKPVzyr3_O3LsUo9MuRPThGVCZGe8qjuD1TR_7Pn_v631BAiZUVHxyByBfX9AYjGNuq0GKMyGV0hR-VGI0z7ziViKsTrux3X5NQc/s1600/bird-boy-hotel.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioyfrx-P7ImPKfMg1Ozv0PnpRiKkBAtlL9Mu0pPGkBqKPVzyr3_O3LsUo9MuRPThGVCZGe8qjuD1TR_7Pn_v631BAiZUVHxyByBfX9AYjGNuq0GKMyGV0hR-VGI0z7ziViKsTrux3X5NQc/s1600/bird-boy-hotel.png" height="250" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";">To reiterate my
point from last year (and, to a lesser extent, from the top of this post): The
Oscars, more than ever, represent everything that is mediocre about American
films. Most movies these days are nothing more than carbon copies of previous
movies, either structure-wise or otherwise-wise. (Even the harshest critics of <i>American Sniper</i> failed to mention that
its war-is-hell/war-takes-its-toll central dynamic dates back to everything
from <i>The Hurt Locker</i> to <i>All Quiet On The Western Front</i>.)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";">2015's batch of Best
Pictures is no exception, but like <i>Gravity
</i>before them, the three frontrunners - <i>Birdman</i>,
<i>Boyhood</i>, and <i>The Grand Budapest Hotel</i> - at least try pushing the boundaries of
how those stories are <i>told</i>. Both
Alejandro González Iñárritu's <i>Birdman</i>
- with its high-wire cinematography, shot by Emmanuel Lubezki <a href="http://www.esquire.com/entertainment/movies/a30653/birdman-movie-tracking-shot/"><span style="color: #3d85c6;">as if in a single camera take</span></a> - and Wes Anderson's <i>Grand
Budapest Hotel</i> - with its <a href="http://www.slate.com/blogs/browbeat/2014/03/06/grand_budapest_hotel_aspect_ratios_new_wes_anderson_movie_has_three_different.html"><span style="color: #3d85c6;">flip-flopping aspect ratios</span></a>, to match the span of
its story - are technical marvels as well as classical Hollywood entertainments
in their own right. And Richard Linklater's <i>Boyhood</i>
is the type of grand experiment filmmakers just aren't willing to make any more
- <a href="http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2014/07/10/the-making-of-boyhood-richard-linklater-s-12-year-journey-to-create-an-american-masterpiece.html"><span style="color: #3d85c6;">shot over a 12-year period</span></a>, gathering his actors together once every year to
shoot scenes, so that we literally watch as star Ellar Coltrane matures before
our very eyes.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: 'Courier New';">Any of these films
could make a case for Best Pictures That Could Actually Stand The Test Of Time.
Yet even they have their detractors. That </span><i style="font-family: 'Courier New';">Boyhood</i><span style="font-family: 'Courier New';">
is so matter-of-fact about its storytelling, for example (refusing, say, to </span><a href="http://www.dazeddigital.com/artsandculture/article/20708/1/boyhood-was-painful-to-watch-for-lorelei-linklater" style="font-family: 'Courier New';"><span style="color: #3d85c6;">kill off any characters</span></a><span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"> for </span><span style="font-family: 'Courier New';">the sake of simple melodrama), is hardly in line
with the Academy's knack for rewarding films that are much more epic in
scope. </span><i style="font-family: 'Courier New';">Birdman</i><span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"> might also be too
"personal" a project to satiate Oscar tastes (and Lubezki previously
proved his mastery of the long, uninterrupted camera take with </span><i style="font-family: 'Courier New';">Gravity</i><span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"> and </span><i style="font-family: 'Courier New';"><a href="http://findingthewrongwords.blogspot.com/2011/01/for-best-films-of-decade-part-10.html"><span style="color: #3d85c6;">Children Of Men</span></a></i><span style="font-family: 'Courier New';">). And although I'm a big fan of Anderson's (as evidenced </span><a href="http://findingthewrongwords.blogspot.com/2010/02/for-best-films-of-decade-part-2.html" style="font-family: 'Courier New';"><span style="color: #3d85c6;">here</span></a><span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"> and </span><a href="http://findingthewrongwords.blogspot.com/2010/06/for-best-films-of-decade-part-6.html" style="font-family: 'Courier New';"><span style="color: #3d85c6;">here</span></a><span style="font-family: 'Courier New';">), his quirky, uniquely idiosyncratic style
of filmmaking is a talent he perfected a long time ago. I'm all for splitting the
vote, however. Hey, Academy: How about </span><i style="font-family: 'Courier New';">Boyhood</i><span style="font-family: 'Courier New';">
for Picture, Iñárritu for Best Director and Mr. Anderson for Best Original
Screenplay? That way everyone gets a little something. And we wouldn't have to
regret it in the morning.</span></div>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";">And the nominees
are... (winners have been bolded and marked with an asterisk)...<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><u><span style="font-family: "Courier New";">BEST PICTURE<o:p></o:p></span></u></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i><span style="font-family: "Courier New";">American Sniper<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><i style="font-family: 'Courier New';">Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance)</i><span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"> *</span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i><span style="font-family: "Courier New";">Boyhood<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i><span style="font-family: "Courier New";">The Grand Budapest Hotel<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i><span style="font-family: "Courier New";">The Imitation Game<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i><span style="font-family: "Courier New";">Selma<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i><span style="font-family: "Courier New";">The Theory Of Everything<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i><span style="font-family: "Courier New";">Whiplash<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><u><span style="font-family: "Courier New";">BEST DIRECTOR<o:p></o:p></span></u></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";"><b>Alexandro G.
Iñárritu, <i>Birdman</i> *</b><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";">Richard Linklater, <i>Boyhood</i><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";">Bennett Miller, <i>Foxcatcher</i><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";">Wes Anderson, <i>The Grand Budapest Hotel</i><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";">Morten Tyldum, <i>The Imitation Game<o:p></o:p></i></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><u><span style="font-family: "Courier New";">BEST ACTOR<o:p></o:p></span></u></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";">Steve Carell, <i>Foxcatcher</i><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";">Bradley Cooper, <i>American Sniper</i><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";">Benedict
Cumberbatch, <i>The Imitation Game</i><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";">Michael Keaton, <i>Birdman</i><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><span style="font-family: "Courier New";">Eddie Redmayne, <i>The Theory Of Everything</i><o:p></o:p></span><span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"> *</span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><u><span style="font-family: "Courier New";">BEST ACTRESS<o:p></o:p></span></u></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";">Marion Cotillard, <i>Two Days, One Night</i><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";">Felicity Jones, <i>The Theory Of Everything</i><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><span style="font-family: "Courier New";">Julianne Moore, <i>Still Alice</i><o:p></o:p></span><span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"> *</span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";">Rosamund Pike, <i>Gone Girl</i><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";">Reese Witherspoon, <i>Wild</i><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><u><span style="font-family: "Courier New";">BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR<o:p></o:p></span></u></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";">Robert Duvall, <i>The Judge</i><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";">Ethan Hawke, <i>Boyhood</i><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";">Edward Norton, <i>Birdman</i><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";">Mark Ruffalo, <i>Foxcatcher</i><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><span style="font-family: "Courier New";">J.K. Simmons, <i>Whiplash</i><o:p></o:p></span><span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"> *</span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><u><span style="font-family: "Courier New";">BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS<o:p></o:p></span></u></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><span style="font-family: "Courier New";">Patricia Arquette, <i>Boyhood</i><o:p></o:p></span><span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"> *</span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";">Laura Dern, <i>Wild</i><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";">Keira Knightley, <i>The Imitation Game</i><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";">Emma Stone, <i>Birdman</i><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";">Meryl Streep, <i>Into The Woods</i><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><u><span style="font-family: "Courier New";">BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY<o:p></o:p></span></u></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";">Jason Hall, <i>American Sniper</i><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><span style="font-family: "Courier New";">Graham Moore, <i>The</i> <i>Imitation
Game</i><o:p></o:p></span><span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"> *</span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";">Paul Thomas
Anderson, <i>Inherent Vice</i><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";">Anthony McCarten, <i>The Theory Of Everything</i><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";">Damien Chazelle, <i>Whiplash</i><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><u><span style="font-family: "Courier New";">BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY<o:p></o:p></span></u></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";"><b>Alejandro G.
Iñárritu, Nicolás Giacobone, Alexander</b></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><span style="font-family: "Courier New";"> Dinelaris, Jr. & Armando Bo, <i>Birdman</i><o:p></o:p></span><span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"> *</span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";">Richard Linklater, <i>Boyhood</i><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";">E. Max Frye and Dan
Futterman, <i>Foxcatcher</i><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";">Wes Anderson &
Hugo Guinness, <i>The Grand Budapest</i></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";"><i> Hotel</i><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";">Dan Gilroy, <i>Nightcrawler</i><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><u><span style="font-family: "Courier New";">BEST FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM<o:p></o:p></span></u></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><i><span style="font-family: "Courier New";">Ida</span></i><span style="font-family: "Courier New";">
(Poland)<o:p></o:p></span><span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"> *</span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i><span style="font-family: "Courier New";">Leviathan</span></i><span style="font-family: "Courier New";"> (Russia)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i><span style="font-family: "Courier New";">Tangerines</span></i><span style="font-family: "Courier New";"> (Estonia)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i><span style="font-family: "Courier New";">Timbuktu</span></i><span style="font-family: "Courier New";"> (Mauritania)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i><span style="font-family: "Courier New";">Wild Tales</span></i><span style="font-family: "Courier New";"> (Argentina)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><u><span style="font-family: "Courier New";">BEST ANIMATED FEATURE<o:p></o:p></span></u></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><i><span style="font-family: "Courier New";">Big Hero 6<o:p></o:p></span></i><span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"> *</span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i><span style="font-family: "Courier New";">The Boxtrolls<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i><span style="font-family: "Courier New";">How To Train Your Dragon 2<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i><span style="font-family: "Courier New";">Song Of The Sea<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i><span style="font-family: "Courier New";">The Tale Of Princess Kaguya<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><u><span style="font-family: "Courier New";">BEST DOCUMENTARY (FEATURE)<o:p></o:p></span></u></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><i><span style="font-family: "Courier New";">Citizenfour<o:p></o:p></span></i><span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"> *</span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i><span style="font-family: "Courier New";">Finding Vivien Maier<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i><span style="font-family: "Courier New";">Last Days Of Vietnam<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i><span style="font-family: "Courier New";">The Salt Of The Earth<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i><span style="font-family: "Courier New";">Virunga<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><u><span style="font-family: "Courier New";">BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY<o:p></o:p></span></u></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><span style="font-family: "Courier New";">Emmanuel Lubezki, <i>Birdman</i><o:p></o:p></span><span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"> *</span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";">Robert Yeoman, <i>The Grand Budapest Hotel</i><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";">Lukasz Zal and
Ryszard Lenczewski, <i>Ida</i><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";">Dick Pope, <i>Mr. Turner<o:p></o:p></i></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";">Roger Deakins, <i>Unbroken</i><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><u><span style="font-family: "Courier New";">BEST ORIGINAL SCORE<o:p></o:p></span></u></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><span style="font-family: "Courier New";">Alexandre Desplat, <i>The Grand Budapest Hotel</i><o:p></o:p></span><span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"> *</span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";">Alexandre Desplat, <i>The Imitation Game</i><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";">Hans Zimmer, <i>Interstellar</i><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";">Gary Yershon, <i>Mr. Turner</i><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";">Jóhann Jóhannsson, <i>The Theory Of Everything</i><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><u><span style="font-family: "Courier New";">BEST ORIGINAL SONG<o:p></o:p></span></u></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";">"Everything Is
Awesome" from <i>The Lego Movie</i><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><span style="font-family: "Courier New";">"Glory"
from <i>Selma<o:p></o:p></i></span><span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"> *</span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";">"Grateful"
from <i>Beyond The Lights</i><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";">"I'm Not Gonna
Miss You" from <i>Glen Campbell... I'll</i></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";"><i> Be Me</i><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";">"Lost
Stars" from <i>Begin Again</i><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><u><span style="font-family: "Courier New";">BEST PRODUCTION DESIGN<o:p></o:p></span></u></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><i><span style="font-family: "Courier New";">The Grand Budapest Hotel<o:p></o:p></span></i><span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"> *</span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i><span style="font-family: "Courier New";">The Imitation Game<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i><span style="font-family: "Courier New";">Interstellar<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i><span style="font-family: "Courier New";">Into The Woods<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i><span style="font-family: "Courier New";">Mr. Turner<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><u><span style="font-family: "Courier New";">BEST COSTUME DESIGN<o:p></o:p></span></u></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><i><span style="font-family: "Courier New";">The Grand Budapest Hotel<o:p></o:p></span></i><span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"> *</span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i><span style="font-family: "Courier New";">Inherent Vice<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i><span style="font-family: "Courier New";">Into The Woods<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i><span style="font-family: "Courier New";">Maleficent<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i><span style="font-family: "Courier New";">Mr. Turner<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><u><span style="font-family: "Courier New";">BEST FILM EDITING<o:p></o:p></span></u></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i><span style="font-family: "Courier New";">American Sniper<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i><span style="font-family: "Courier New";">Boyhood<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i><span style="font-family: "Courier New";">The Grand Budapest Hotel<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i><span style="font-family: "Courier New";">The Imitation Game<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><i><span style="font-family: "Courier New";">Whiplash<o:p></o:p></span></i><span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"> *</span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><u><span style="font-family: "Courier New";">BEST MAKEUP AND HAIRSTYLING<o:p></o:p></span></u></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i><span style="font-family: "Courier New";">Foxcatcher<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><i><span style="font-family: "Courier New";">The Grand Budapest Hotel<o:p></o:p></span></i><span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"> *</span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i><span style="font-family: "Courier New";">Guardians Of The Galaxy<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><u><span style="font-family: "Courier New";">BEST SOUND EDITING<o:p></o:p></span></u></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><i><span style="font-family: "Courier New";">American Sniper<o:p></o:p></span></i><span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"> *</span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i><span style="font-family: "Courier New";">Birdman<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i><span style="font-family: "Courier New";">The Hobbit: The Battle Of The Five Armies<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i><span style="font-family: "Courier New";">Interstellar<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i><span style="font-family: "Courier New";">Unbroken<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><u><span style="font-family: "Courier New";">BEST SOUND MIXING<o:p></o:p></span></u></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i><span style="font-family: "Courier New";">American Sniper<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i><span style="font-family: "Courier New";">Birdman<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i><span style="font-family: "Courier New";">Interstellar<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i><span style="font-family: "Courier New";">Unbroken<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><i><span style="font-family: "Courier New";">Whiplash<o:p></o:p></span></i><span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"> *</span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><u><span style="font-family: "Courier New";">BEST VISUAL EFFECTS<o:p></o:p></span></u></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i><span style="font-family: "Courier New";">Captain America: The Winter Soldier<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i><span style="font-family: "Courier New";">Dawn Of The Planet Of The Apes<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i><span style="font-family: "Courier New";">Guardians Of The Galaxy<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><i><span style="font-family: "Courier New";">Interstellar<o:p></o:p></span></i><span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"> *</span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i><span style="font-family: "Courier New";">X-Men: Days Of Future Past</span></i><span style="font-family: "Courier New";"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><u><span style="font-family: "Courier New";">BEST ANIMATED SHORT<o:p></o:p></span></u></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i><span style="font-family: "Courier New";">The Bigger Picture<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i><span style="font-family: "Courier New";">The Dam Keeper<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><i><span style="font-family: "Courier New";">Feast<o:p></o:p></span></i><span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"> *</span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i><span style="font-family: "Courier New";">Me And My Moulton<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i><span style="font-family: "Courier New";">A Single Life<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><u><span style="font-family: "Courier New";">BEST LIVE ACTION SHORT<o:p></o:p></span></u></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i><span style="font-family: "Courier New";">Aya<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i><span style="font-family: "Courier New";">Boogaloo And Graham<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i><span style="font-family: "Courier New";">Butter Lamp<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i><span style="font-family: "Courier New";">Parvaneh<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><i><span style="font-family: "Courier New";">The Phone Call<o:p></o:p></span></i><span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"> *</span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><u><span style="font-family: "Courier New";">BEST DOCUMENTARY (SHORT)<o:p></o:p></span></u></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><i><span style="font-family: "Courier New";">Crisis Hotline: Veterans Press 1<o:p></o:p></span></i><span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"> *</span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i><span style="font-family: "Courier New";">Joanna<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i><span style="font-family: "Courier New";">Our Curse<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i><span style="font-family: "Courier New";">The Reaper</span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i><span style="font-family: "Courier New";">White Earth</span></i></div>
D.W. Lundberghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03709428152190690075noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8005808875158331076.post-18038692317926636712015-02-13T21:39:00.002-07:002015-03-17T13:16:22.184-06:00... FOR "GREAT SCENES IN OTHERWISE CRAPPY MOVIES" ("THE AMAZING SPIDER-MAN 2" EDITION)<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><b><i>There are good movies and there are bad movies. There are bad movies with pieces you admire and good movies with scenes you'd be happy to do without. And it's hard to tell which is worse. I vote the former, because any stinker that seems to get so much wrong from the outset is only that much more frustrating when you catch glimpses of its greatness - those moments, however fleeting, where its makers have an absolute grasp of their material. It's scenes like these which we'll highlight for the purposes of this series.</i></b></span><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVjd-LEN_Xg1h6dp3CiYLGeiNaXqRTQlKKAFOU1kmj-Xu7z4EfSw76oiXOGnmTORHe37ur_KKxfRHNhalzEZII-jAHj2-FGMr3BbU31tlruiRoQkwnoQGsHauDVTUGZGl0LU4B6X-h-HSE/s1600/intro.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVjd-LEN_Xg1h6dp3CiYLGeiNaXqRTQlKKAFOU1kmj-Xu7z4EfSw76oiXOGnmTORHe37ur_KKxfRHNhalzEZII-jAHj2-FGMr3BbU31tlruiRoQkwnoQGsHauDVTUGZGl0LU4B6X-h-HSE/s1600/intro.png" height="163" width="400" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">I apologize if I've been harping on Sony Pictures' rebooted <i>Amazing Spider-Man</i> series a <a href="http://findingthewrongwords.blogspot.com/2012/07/for-amazing-spider-man-and-art-of.html"><span style="color: #3d85c6;">little too much</span></a> <a href="http://findingthewrongwords.blogspot.com/2014/05/for-tale-of-two-spider-mans.html"><span style="color: #3d85c6;">as of late</span></a>. I don't mean to sound like some disgruntled fanboy, unhappy with even the slightest attempt at "modernizing" everyone's favorite web-slinging superhero for the silver screen. Watching them mishandle the property so spectacularly for so long, however (I'm talking about 2007's woebegotten <i><a href="http://findingthewrongwords.blogspot.com/2014/05/for-franchise-face-offs-part-16-spider.html"><span style="color: #3d85c6;">Spider-Man 3</span></a></i> and onward), it's only natural that the reboot became the proverbial punching bag among comic book-to-movie franchises, especially in lieu of Marvel Studios' continued dominance at the box office. (Which is what makes Sony's <a href="http://marvel.com/news/movies/24062/sony_pictures_entertainment_brings_marvel_studios_into_the_amazing_world_of_spider-man"><span style="color: #3d85c6;">recent decision</span></a> to "loan" Spider-Man out to Marvel such an exciting prospect - if you're going to reboot the character, you might as well give it to people who know what they're doing.)</span><br />
<a name='more'></a><br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">As you're no doubt aware, I have not been a fan of <i>The Amazing Spider-Man </i>(2012) - it's too dour, tries too hard to re-imagine everything that's come before it, and Andrew Garfield's Peter Parker is much more confident and charismatic than his comic book counterpart ever was (though that probably has more to do with Garfield's real-life persona than anything else). And while it's not much of an improvement, last year's <i>Amazing Spider-Man 2</i>, at least, tries to offer up a few decent thrills (and a different villain) than we've seen in the past - that is, when it, too, isn't working overtime to re-imagine everything that's come before it. (Relationship troubles and Harry Osborn <i>again</i> as the Green Goblin? Really?)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">In fact, if you take the centerpiece scene of <i>TASM2</i> - Spidey and Electro's first confrontation in Times Square - and watched it completely out of context from the rest of the movie, you might think you'd dropped smack-dab in the middle of the perfect Spider-Man adventure:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="275" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/mMolvr2wq9o" width="410"></iframe></span><br />
<div>
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">All the essential elements are there: Spidey's sarcastic sense of humor ("Yo, Sparkles!"), used to catch his enemies off-guard...</span><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikBTN_bdHLBMo-WkuBa7cJ8QIMNodwsvs7MIMlu9j4l3ptchn_a713HBW5RqSYD45lcB9S2YDvPi0rdkJrG0ikQEe0D6gomQm8-QhzIP36lw78Zztqb7Q1p88jT5slCuPneI7pJa3W7ib9/s1600/spideyhumor.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikBTN_bdHLBMo-WkuBa7cJ8QIMNodwsvs7MIMlu9j4l3ptchn_a713HBW5RqSYD45lcB9S2YDvPi0rdkJrG0ikQEe0D6gomQm8-QhzIP36lw78Zztqb7Q1p88jT5slCuPneI7pJa3W7ib9/s1600/spideyhumor.png" height="167" width="400" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">... homemade web-shooters...</span><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhVZ-oaSZpBYMk6zO_UX1iWXWJ7K9THRFrDTtLendfixHkBVxPqko7ElDHT8auFR38PGLqMlNQrPIbni9_nNws_ieggRClEG00LLqtS1Qdl8s4zu9OOuNPBAhvY-TubyXTfo8zlUO2r88t/s1600/spideyshooters.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhVZ-oaSZpBYMk6zO_UX1iWXWJ7K9THRFrDTtLendfixHkBVxPqko7ElDHT8auFR38PGLqMlNQrPIbni9_nNws_ieggRClEG00LLqtS1Qdl8s4zu9OOuNPBAhvY-TubyXTfo8zlUO2r88t/s1600/spideyshooters.png" height="167" width="400" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">...</span><span style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"> h</span><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">is uncanny Spider-sense, which gives him the ability to detect potential dangers before they actually happen</span><span style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">...</span><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh44THdoMwmyCzpTw-oHooDLOcpFvfFfSw3MLpMzXQ_D-A3k_YoC0SoO3lwOG8jyqvvT5M_ZwL-hDwnoxeQSxnxW8tJVurEiJuTvtugvSkld_w3hcGMo6MQHSMzYR506Ta2bypWPIZEFYQP/s1600/spideysense01.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh44THdoMwmyCzpTw-oHooDLOcpFvfFfSw3MLpMzXQ_D-A3k_YoC0SoO3lwOG8jyqvvT5M_ZwL-hDwnoxeQSxnxW8tJVurEiJuTvtugvSkld_w3hcGMo6MQHSMzYR506Ta2bypWPIZEFYQP/s1600/spideysense01.png" height="167" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcCWyMu9HXTo2NsRvPdbyoD5x_M8R21oZzoePVddH_xyaQU8X0azUfVvJT_lGqPW3uN8Gteembme-FmMNyUtYb5gBH3hnlLAOtYiatpuvUEBg09xetgNakXEwvdjgthzI4HAu6wnC7OBQR/s1600/spideysense02.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcCWyMu9HXTo2NsRvPdbyoD5x_M8R21oZzoePVddH_xyaQU8X0azUfVvJT_lGqPW3uN8Gteembme-FmMNyUtYb5gBH3hnlLAOtYiatpuvUEBg09xetgNakXEwvdjgthzI4HAu6wnC7OBQR/s1600/spideysense02.png" height="167" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjv47z6a2mW_jaMxqaEnWzwWQZtRFUtQlc-0z5VN7DHGLWNuifnO3Jx1bNM86h-Z1DW39Kjwcy2ZnkILjIAYil0014jDis0gtc3feLEuNS2hYS9jkOcTA1vp6n0Pz3lKSZfFKsHyzDfMw1J/s1600/spideysense03.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjv47z6a2mW_jaMxqaEnWzwWQZtRFUtQlc-0z5VN7DHGLWNuifnO3Jx1bNM86h-Z1DW39Kjwcy2ZnkILjIAYil0014jDis0gtc3feLEuNS2hYS9jkOcTA1vp6n0Pz3lKSZfFKsHyzDfMw1J/s1600/spideysense03.png" height="167" width="400" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">...</span><span style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"> </span><span style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">t</span><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">he look of utter joy and gratitude on the faces of the people he saves (the one aspect, I'll admit, where these rebooted <i>Spider-Man</i>s excel and Raimi's films come up short)</span><span style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">...</span><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEFW2tHxwh-f5XmGhYOwYtdxJJGbuK5hdW8SBKaZL20TJOyrNv3sI1P1LPKFScPLfeGdM164qhpGgDWnYik4fW-4jWMjmEZ7Sqik8a-SFG_J_dowRTuI_-5gPRBYIL6-doFIoSyDZ9VkfV/s1600/spideysave01.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEFW2tHxwh-f5XmGhYOwYtdxJJGbuK5hdW8SBKaZL20TJOyrNv3sI1P1LPKFScPLfeGdM164qhpGgDWnYik4fW-4jWMjmEZ7Sqik8a-SFG_J_dowRTuI_-5gPRBYIL6-doFIoSyDZ9VkfV/s1600/spideysave01.png" height="167" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiK40dLRt0cRn_oeM5UqQW5ef3FPuuRkeACOCMP9wCPvNDgLOx78ETfMBGdXbYF23N62J8zTzqBmqrU7LDr7Em8adEHO3-ormScKuIOsTePmM6erf-6h-UD2qiU0IQsmJ_dTfZjCBnLclD6/s1600/spideysave02.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiK40dLRt0cRn_oeM5UqQW5ef3FPuuRkeACOCMP9wCPvNDgLOx78ETfMBGdXbYF23N62J8zTzqBmqrU7LDr7Em8adEHO3-ormScKuIOsTePmM6erf-6h-UD2qiU0IQsmJ_dTfZjCBnLclD6/s1600/spideysave02.png" height="167" width="400" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">...</span><span style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"> a</span><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">nd finally, Spidey working hand-in-hand with authority figures (here, cops and firemen), ending the clip on a clever joke</span><span style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">:</span><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKlx11ldw3GyaNWFMVr256y3_WHWnu5B00AT0UbbMrps1blIQllPFcmFVRxUmp8EsIlTOwqy3bAqppHyricalGhylUBYxoqk4aCMn-TIDm4ttCNvoODaa06qMJnpXrWpcSjE606wUG4UE_/s1600/spideyhose.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKlx11ldw3GyaNWFMVr256y3_WHWnu5B00AT0UbbMrps1blIQllPFcmFVRxUmp8EsIlTOwqy3bAqppHyricalGhylUBYxoqk4aCMn-TIDm4ttCNvoODaa06qMJnpXrWpcSjE606wUG4UE_/s1600/spideyhose.png" height="167" width="400" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">Even the color palette is brighter and less diluted than the first </span><i style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">ASM</i><span style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"> - ice-cold blues and neon reds, like the pages of a comic book:</span><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiHzoyGeEMkzM74vzWq7wLWEq57BROmpl6lQHqO51ahgYm-I77dXUP1xsTVje7B0xX3pvlXo07Qd1KdtIUx4Y_ULKnD19poLlrcf2xdHk_Pjfn0OUrkmtm9sg8j2_npcJX3oCQeUUH9PEn/s1600/spideycolor01.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiHzoyGeEMkzM74vzWq7wLWEq57BROmpl6lQHqO51ahgYm-I77dXUP1xsTVje7B0xX3pvlXo07Qd1KdtIUx4Y_ULKnD19poLlrcf2xdHk_Pjfn0OUrkmtm9sg8j2_npcJX3oCQeUUH9PEn/s1600/spideycolor01.png" height="167" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKMcL12WllwksT0plaaz4eT3oQSjVE1WW0BorGuSuJbU8ZPwHuEa4Eug3YwyWNQY81yhyphenhyphend14DVuI1nJPfxjKNGm-x0XRcde_GVLW4rYHN79LH1NtgzUhG7mvTg6nAHsMP1DA_Dd9eVk3-V/s1600/spideycolor02.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKMcL12WllwksT0plaaz4eT3oQSjVE1WW0BorGuSuJbU8ZPwHuEa4Eug3YwyWNQY81yhyphenhyphend14DVuI1nJPfxjKNGm-x0XRcde_GVLW4rYHN79LH1NtgzUhG7mvTg6nAHsMP1DA_Dd9eVk3-V/s1600/spideycolor02.png" height="167" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVM5UTi3bQiwxIYz5gvUqO-1w_HeTxPQdfcy-zRuHyEwYtnUzI3xhIgBQG6vidxX7q_OrJOz5VtdLUytc4lM2Gi1HJleXg8GOKBkiP3sc5lggP7RS1lMtaN0brg8MNOLcLHBK7kw394iEk/s1600/spideycolor03.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVM5UTi3bQiwxIYz5gvUqO-1w_HeTxPQdfcy-zRuHyEwYtnUzI3xhIgBQG6vidxX7q_OrJOz5VtdLUytc4lM2Gi1HJleXg8GOKBkiP3sc5lggP7RS1lMtaN0brg8MNOLcLHBK7kw394iEk/s1600/spideycolor03.png" height="167" width="400" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">It's the one scene in the movie where director Marc Webb (</span><i style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">love</i><span style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"> that name for a Spider-Man gig, by the way), his army of screenwriters (including Alex Kurtzman and Roberto Orci, of </span><i style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"><a href="http://findingthewrongwords.blogspot.com/2013/07/for-summer-of-unofficial-remake-2013.html"><span style="color: #3d85c6;">Star Trek</span></a></i><span style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"><a href="http://findingthewrongwords.blogspot.com/2013/07/for-summer-of-unofficial-remake-2013.html"><span style="color: #3d85c6;"> reboot</span></a> fame) and the rest </span><span style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">get everything unabashedly, unequivocally </span><i style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">right</i><span style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"> - where Spider-Man gets to be Spider-Man and we don't have to worry about questions like, "Hey, didn't they do this already in a previous movie?" or "Gee, I wonder how many films it will take before <i>that</i> not-so-subtle </span><a href="http://screenrant.com/amazing-spider-man-2-easter-eggs-trivia-comics/" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"><span style="color: #3d85c6;">Easter egg</span></a><span style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"> pays off?" or "Just how </span><i style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">does</i><span style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"> Harry learn to pilot that glider after riding on it for, like, only ten minutes?" </span><span style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">And that's a particular point of frustration because, had the rest of the film followed suit, we might have been treated to something truly special. As it is, </span><i style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">The Amazing Spider-Man 2</i><span style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"> spends too much time treading familiar ground and too little time telling a story worth justifying its existence.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Oh, well. Bring on the (re)reboot!</span></div>
D.W. Lundberghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03709428152190690075noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8005808875158331076.post-25639432709427228682015-02-03T10:04:00.000-07:002015-02-05T14:05:38.508-07:00... FOR "MILESTONES AND SUCH"<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgw2-qYS8BOE5Ng4v2ovpjVf2ujdTF_9b50Y2bU4zt8MK5QPEMia945rjSodGvGF8_Ym9FQL66oqccWgFTm7t6vRNMhuQ_75D7Mrokpz8yrT7dz2Ycr7AynzY_6c7zDLMrggUT9m3NBDpjC/s1600/happy5th.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgw2-qYS8BOE5Ng4v2ovpjVf2ujdTF_9b50Y2bU4zt8MK5QPEMia945rjSodGvGF8_Ym9FQL66oqccWgFTm7t6vRNMhuQ_75D7Mrokpz8yrT7dz2Ycr7AynzY_6c7zDLMrggUT9m3NBDpjC/s1600/happy5th.png" height="250" width="400" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Finding The Wrong Words celebrates an important milestone today: 5 years up and running! Hard to believe when I started this blogging adventure on February 3, 2010, that we'd still be going strong all this time later. Thanks to everyone who's given their unwavering support over the last half decade. I appreciate your comments and your readership more than I can possibly express. Now let's keep it going for another five years and beyond!</span>D.W. Lundberghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03709428152190690075noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8005808875158331076.post-21411501719395866532015-01-16T20:36:00.000-07:002015-01-17T10:21:16.986-07:00... FOR "ACTORS WHO SHOULD PLAY OTHER ACTORS' FAMILY MEMBERS"<div class="MsoNormal">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQ7CP_1T1RwZoRoLT_7aTW0sutAS9Fpx6JY14nWLBbroahlHbLO9J0A9EujoaYcMyBkrFAfu8vvDa9jY7ZSo19TeYUDTTrUl4EGYDFXJ2hEOwbqmczjFhxGOZKm3fRioEXkH7qYFwSRSfo/s1600/intro.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQ7CP_1T1RwZoRoLT_7aTW0sutAS9Fpx6JY14nWLBbroahlHbLO9J0A9EujoaYcMyBkrFAfu8vvDa9jY7ZSo19TeYUDTTrUl4EGYDFXJ2hEOwbqmczjFhxGOZKm3fRioEXkH7qYFwSRSfo/s1600/intro.png" height="250" width="400" /></a><span style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace; line-height: 115%;">New year, new feature here at Finding The Wrong Words...</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Have you ever looked at a particular actor and thought, "Why,
he/she is the spitting image of this other actor/actress I love so much! This
can't be a coincidence. If I didn't know better, I'd say they were separated at
birth!" And the idea fascinates you so much that you're compelled to check
the IMDb, only to find that the two actors are not, in fact, related in any
way?<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">How can this be? More importantly, why hasn't anyone had the bright
idea to cast these folks as family members in a movie before? This is
especially distressing once you realize that Hollywood has a long and tortured
history of casting people who obviously have no business being siblings. Kurt
Russell and William Baldwin in <i>Backdraft</i>,
for example (wouldn't it have been simpler to hire, I don't know, <i>Alec Baldwin</i> as Billy's older brother?).
Or Denzel Washington and Keanu Reeves, cast as (half) brothers in Kenneth
Branagh's <i>Much Ado About Nothing</i>
(yeah, right). The eclectic ensemble of 2003's <i>Cheaper By The Dozen</i> are clearly the product of an extramarital
affair or two, with blonde, brunette and redheaded children all running around
under the same roof. And can anyone point out the family resemblance between
Arnold Schwarzenegger and Danny DeVito in <i>Twins</i>?
(Okay, so that last one's a joke).</span></span><br />
<a name='more'></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">To be fair, casting directors are sometimes
inclined to hire an actor based on actual talent, rather than how much they
resemble the person playing their mother/father/ distant cousin. But that's no
excuse for (thus far) failing to cast people who not only look alike but who
are also capable of turning in a good performance on occasion.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Needless to say, this topic has been nagging at me for quite some
time. Below, I've compiled a list of examples I've noted in the past - six for
now, more to follow, for reasons I'll explain in a moment. The similarities
could be minor, from the color of their hair to the way their lips move when
they talk, to the swell cleft in their chin. Or they could be major, like an
identical hairline or facial structure. I'll leave it to you to decide which is
which:<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNYbCJTH8Zbuncc6tBrWju1QkhFBEoHRpXuAn4y-hiqRSWj8wHe92RAJdkFbzosvHGYm1y8ryk38ZSkUIpYg3LB04kDC41LBCiUTw90pWTA1oH71VjuU7E9zLZMTGremwCBtXvwAd1EJ99/s1600/hunt-sobieski.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNYbCJTH8Zbuncc6tBrWju1QkhFBEoHRpXuAn4y-hiqRSWj8wHe92RAJdkFbzosvHGYm1y8ryk38ZSkUIpYg3LB04kDC41LBCiUTw90pWTA1oH71VjuU7E9zLZMTGremwCBtXvwAd1EJ99/s1600/hunt-sobieski.png" height="250" width="400" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><span style="line-height: 115%;"><u style="font-weight: bold;">Helen Hunt</u> </span></span><u style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace; font-weight: bold; line-height: 18.3999996185303px;">Leelee Sobieski</u></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace; line-height: 115%;">(<i>Twister</i>, </span><i style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace; line-height: 115%;">As Good As </i><span style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace; line-height: 115%;"> </span><span style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace; line-height: 18.3999996185303px;">(</span><i style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace; line-height: 18.3999996185303px;"><a href="http://findingthewrongwords.blogspot.com/2011/06/for-hollywood-deja-vu.html"><span style="color: #3d85c6;">Deep Impact</span></a></i><span style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace; line-height: 18.3999996185303px;">, </span><i style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace; line-height: 18.3999996185303px;">Joy</i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace; line-height: 18.3999996185303px;">It Gets</i><span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><i>, Soul Surfer</i>) </span></span><i style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace; line-height: 18.3999996185303px;">Ride</i><span style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace; line-height: 18.3999996185303px;">, </span><i style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace; line-height: 18.3999996185303px;">Public</i><span style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace; line-height: 115%;"> </span><i style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace; line-height: 18.3999996185303px;">Enemies</i><span style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace; line-height: 18.3999996185303px;">)</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><span style="line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><b><u><span style="line-height: 115%;">Possible
Relation</span></u></b><b><span style="line-height: 115%;">:</span></b><span style="line-height: 115%;"> Mother /
Daughter<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><span style="line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><b><u><span style="line-height: 115%;">Notes</span></u></b><b><span style="line-height: 115%;">:</span></b><span style="line-height: 115%;"> One of the earliest examples of
AWSPOAFMs, and an idea that's been plaguing me since <i>Deep Impact</i>. Neither actress seems incredibly busy these days...
what say you, Hollywood?<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><span style="line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiLh6gFy7RSUAsz9Bx-Dmgw6BdRoorLAgZI7vh2c7FDwbQVvEwt21II_9HxfALZxDoPb-YE-Da-JOgTd2I1e30nguqUfmMiR1A_N0YuCk0k3nASThZhxZaFtDf3w2GnkMIzTH_tSkF3lJK/s1600/duchovny-myers.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiLh6gFy7RSUAsz9Bx-Dmgw6BdRoorLAgZI7vh2c7FDwbQVvEwt21II_9HxfALZxDoPb-YE-Da-JOgTd2I1e30nguqUfmMiR1A_N0YuCk0k3nASThZhxZaFtDf3w2GnkMIzTH_tSkF3lJK/s1600/duchovny-myers.png" height="250" width="400" /></a></div>
<b style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"><u><span style="line-height: 115%;">David Duchovny</span></u></b><span style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace; line-height: 115%;"> <u style="font-weight: bold;">Mike Myers</u></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">(<i>Californication</i>, <i>The</i> (<i>Wayne's World</i>, <i>Austin</i><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><span style="line-height: 115%;"><i>X-Files</i>, <i>Return To Me</i></span><span style="line-height: 115%;">) </span></span><i style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace; line-height: 18.3999996185303px;">Powers</i><span style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace; line-height: 18.3999996185303px;">, <i>Shrek</i></span><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><span style="line-height: 115%;">)<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><span style="line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><b><u><span style="line-height: 115%;">Possible
Relation</span></u></b><b><span style="line-height: 115%;">:</span></b><span style="line-height: 115%;"> Brothers<b><o:p></o:p></b></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><span style="line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><b><u><span style="line-height: 115%;">Notes</span></u></b><b><span style="line-height: 115%;">:</span></b><span style="line-height: 115%;"> I'm not the only one to notice
this. Myers even did a spot-on Duchovny impression on <i>Late Night With David Letterman </i><a href="http://youtu.be/E_U8rX9QPi4"><span style="color: #3d85c6;">here</span></a>.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVRtFUT1grTBo0qTcsSulC9dk9h8RM5Ul6x44tVPxSkrm71BRhX7F9mQZ5zSERg75hWhBUXyfyon4bSDN5KUfHpDgE5TElhu5zoq4bmpnzcKfODaVORgvcdBFKB3aD5u18tEK7CSmrd9Mq/s1600/reeves-wyle.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVRtFUT1grTBo0qTcsSulC9dk9h8RM5Ul6x44tVPxSkrm71BRhX7F9mQZ5zSERg75hWhBUXyfyon4bSDN5KUfHpDgE5TElhu5zoq4bmpnzcKfODaVORgvcdBFKB3aD5u18tEK7CSmrd9Mq/s1600/reeves-wyle.png" height="250" width="400" /></a></div>
<b style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"><u><span style="line-height: 115%;">Keanu Reeves</span></u></b><span style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace; line-height: 115%;"> <u style="font-weight: bold;">Noah Wyle</u></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">(<i>Bill & Ted</i>, <i>Point</i> (<i>A Few Good Men</i>, <i>ER</i>,<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><i><span style="line-height: 115%;">Break</span></i><span style="line-height: 115%;">, <i><a href="http://findingthewrongwords.blogspot.com/2011/02/for-franchise-face-offs-part-3-matrix.html"><span style="color: #3d85c6;">The Matrix</span></a></i>) </span></span><i style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace; line-height: 18.3999996185303px;">Donnie </i><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><span style="line-height: 115%;"><i>Darko</i>)<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><span style="line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><b><u><span style="line-height: 115%;">Possible
Relation</span></u></b><b><span style="line-height: 115%;">:</span></b><span style="line-height: 115%;"> Brothers<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><span style="line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><b><u><span style="line-height: 115%;">Notes</span></u></b><b><span style="line-height: 115%;">:</span></b><span style="line-height: 115%;"> Don't think to hard about this one. Or the
Matrix might have to reset itself. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><span style="line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpRj0vmVM-oHRf879Q7RdVT_7CnvCk_rzU63Vz-qOAe3ezyZwNnN7H14ARRfRreFcpkHKhV49cT1zrpTZ7p-qYaXw9bWXsaXQGLJZoStdqWzfuPCf_DIVag98ixOKdMiq_neMEj58sZiHD/s1600/adams-fisher.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpRj0vmVM-oHRf879Q7RdVT_7CnvCk_rzU63Vz-qOAe3ezyZwNnN7H14ARRfRreFcpkHKhV49cT1zrpTZ7p-qYaXw9bWXsaXQGLJZoStdqWzfuPCf_DIVag98ixOKdMiq_neMEj58sZiHD/s1600/adams-fisher.png" height="250" width="400" /></a></div>
<b style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"><u><span style="line-height: 115%;">Amy Adams</span></u></b><span style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace; line-height: 115%;"> <u style="font-weight: bold;">Isla Fisher</u></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">(<i>Junebug</i>, <i><a href="http://findingthewrongwords.blogspot.com/2010/06/for-best-films-of-decade-part-6.html"><span style="color: #3d85c6;">Enchanted</span></a></i>, (<i>Wedding Crashers</i>, <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace; line-height: 18.3999996185303px;">American </i><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><i><span style="line-height: 115%;">Hustle</span></i><span style="line-height: 115%;">) </span></span><i style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace; line-height: 18.3999996185303px;">Definitely Maybe</i><span style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace; line-height: 18.3999996185303px;">)</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"><u><span style="line-height: 115%;">Possible
Relation</span></u></b><b style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"><span style="line-height: 115%;">:</span></b><span style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace; line-height: 115%;"> Sisters</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><b><u><span style="line-height: 115%;">Notes</span></u></b><b><span style="line-height: 115%;">:</span></b><span style="line-height: 115%;"> I have to admit, before my Amy Adams
infatuation kicked in, I often got the two of them mixed up. Is it the
red hair?<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><span style="line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkoE4-uR8PnrPc-3m1_d4fIkcyaG_8VAXnl8fnSsAzPAgVg8wx0dhYD1M7iLB6LrBn-IE04Dq2eIYYqeVKWxNdLrEoAC7qGY0qfBUxOr0LjxqF2nNWRvXNNA5NQzYiZuPAKuW-tI3BKEVX/s1600/kilmer-roberts.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkoE4-uR8PnrPc-3m1_d4fIkcyaG_8VAXnl8fnSsAzPAgVg8wx0dhYD1M7iLB6LrBn-IE04Dq2eIYYqeVKWxNdLrEoAC7qGY0qfBUxOr0LjxqF2nNWRvXNNA5NQzYiZuPAKuW-tI3BKEVX/s1600/kilmer-roberts.png" height="250" width="400" /></a></div>
<b style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"><u><span style="line-height: 115%;">Val Kilmer</span></u></b><span style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace; line-height: 115%;"> <u style="font-weight: bold;">Dallas Roberts</u></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">(<i>Top Gun</i>, <i>Tombstone</i>, <i> </i> (<i>The </i></span></span><i style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace; line-height: 18.3999996185303px;">Good Wife</i><span style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace; line-height: 18.3999996185303px;">, </span><i style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace; line-height: 18.3999996185303px;">Dallas</i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<a href="http://findingthewrongwords.blogspot.com/2010/06/for-casting-shifts-continued.html" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace; font-style: italic; line-height: 18.3999996185303px;"><span style="color: #3d85c6;">Batman</span></a><span style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace; line-height: 18.3999996185303px;"> </span><a href="http://findingthewrongwords.blogspot.com/2012/10/for-franchise-face-offs-part-14-batman_1.html" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace; font-style: italic; line-height: 18.3999996185303px;"><span style="color: #3d85c6;">Forever</span></a><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><span style="line-height: 115%;">) </span></span><i style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace; line-height: 115%;">Buyers Club</i><span style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace; line-height: 115%;">)</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><b><u><span style="line-height: 115%;">Possible
Relation</span></u></b><b><span style="line-height: 115%;">:</span></b><span style="line-height: 115%;"> Brothers<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><span style="line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><b><u><span style="line-height: 115%;">Notes</span></u></b><b><span style="line-height: 115%;">:</span></b><span style="line-height: 115%;"> First off, if you aren't watching <i>The Good Wife</i> on CBS, then you're missing
what is consistently the best-written show on television. But it's <i>TGW</i> that initially had me and my wife
convinced that Mr. Roberts and Mr. Kilmer were actually brothers, even if their
biographies rudely suggest otherwise.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><span style="line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgysTvCPHcxFkmn5cznWecoyTZmot2xk4JEAj6qwKfSB08wIuHKo4TA29MxNq4Ab9tbpWrWNiW2c0aPFEV33RWt4L9OpXWrW7EzyFTuyRIW5YrHII9ryQA1Kn-Ja56qufhRr9g0Uvv1k7AK/s1600/palmer-stewart.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgysTvCPHcxFkmn5cznWecoyTZmot2xk4JEAj6qwKfSB08wIuHKo4TA29MxNq4Ab9tbpWrWNiW2c0aPFEV33RWt4L9OpXWrW7EzyFTuyRIW5YrHII9ryQA1Kn-Ja56qufhRr9g0Uvv1k7AK/s1600/palmer-stewart.png" height="250" width="400" /></a></div>
<u style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace; font-weight: bold; line-height: 18.3999996185303px;">Teresa Palmer</u><span style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace; line-height: 18.3999996185303px;"> </span><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><b><u><span style="line-height: 115%;">Kristen Stewart</span></u></b></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace; line-height: 18.3999996185303px;">(<i>I Am Number Four</i>,</span><i style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace; line-height: 18.3999996185303px;"> </i><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">(<i>Panic Room</i>, <i>Twilight</i>,<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace; line-height: 18.3999996185303px;">Warm Bodies</i><span style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace; line-height: 18.3999996185303px;">) </span><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><span style="line-height: 115%;"><i>Adventureland</i>)<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><span style="line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><b><u><span style="line-height: 115%;">Possible
Relation</span></u></b><b><span style="line-height: 115%;">:</span></b><span style="line-height: 115%;"> Sisters<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><span style="line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><b><u><span style="line-height: 115%;">Notes</span></u></b><b><span style="line-height: 115%;">:</span></b><span style="line-height: 115%;"> I don't care if Ms. Palmer is
Australia-born with blonde hair, while Ms. Stewart is obviously not. It's the
eyes. The same emotionless eyes. Also their shared love for the undead.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><span style="line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><span style="line-height: 115%;">__________</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><span style="line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">So there you go. Do you agree with my choices? Or fail to see the
parallels? Are there any celebrity doppelgangers you yourself may have noticed,
which I've neglected to include on this list? In the five years I've written
for the blog, it's been a struggle to make it more interactive, something I
hope to remedy in 2015. So, for the purposes of future posts on the subject, I
leave it to you, Avid Reader, to suggest other famous faces you think should be
paired as filmic family members.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">This can be done in a variety of ways. First, you can always leave a
suggestion in the comments section below. Or you can message me on FTTW's
<a href="https://www.facebook.com/pages/Finding-The-Wrong-Words/144659562283697?ref=hl"><span style="color: #3d85c6;">Facebook page</span></a>. Or <a href="https://twitter.com/DWLundberg"><span style="color: #3d85c6;">Twitter</span></a>. Or <span style="color: #3d85c6;">Medium</span>. And it doesn't have to be today, or tomorrow, or
even the next week, but whenever the feeling strikes you - whether you're
watching television, or sitting in a darkened movie theater with your significant
other, and the thought crosses your mind ("Gee, that person on the screen
looks almost exactly like..."). The point is, if you suggest something I
find especially interesting, I will post that here at a later date, and will
happily credit you for it, so the idea can be mulled over and debated for centuries
to come. I'd love to get your input on the subject, in the hopes that it tickles
your fancy enough to make it a regular column here on the site.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">C'mon, Hollywood. Must we do all your dirty work for you?</span><span style="font-family: Consolas; font-size: 10pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
D.W. Lundberghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03709428152190690075noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8005808875158331076.post-27634397366646059962014-12-24T15:18:00.000-07:002014-12-24T15:25:46.132-07:00... FOR "THE GREATEST ANTI-CHRISTMAS CHRISTMAS MOVIES OF ALL TIME"<div class="MsoNormal">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0vT61WMH-y-HgNBo5I2Ldda0tscEX2lK3ccMm7lOgL9ywBi7D9OxlNZ2hlJiqLyt3yL4ITcmPWrsao073LOmKTuyx_EeOLgeuiBEO-hA4G2XhSHd3RN7mHsH2Y2bMTYFc6zfV3Y16J4Gs/s1600/intro.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0vT61WMH-y-HgNBo5I2Ldda0tscEX2lK3ccMm7lOgL9ywBi7D9OxlNZ2hlJiqLyt3yL4ITcmPWrsao073LOmKTuyx_EeOLgeuiBEO-hA4G2XhSHd3RN7mHsH2Y2bMTYFc6zfV3Y16J4Gs/s1600/intro.png" height="250" width="400" /></a></div>
<span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Well, it's Christmas time again, folks! Which means exactly one thing
here around the office: endless conversations about what does and does not
constitute a Christmas movie. This debate began roughly three years ago, when
someone (I think it was myself) singled out <i>Die
Hard</i> as the Greatest Christmas Movie Of All Time. This choice, of course,
was met with heaping doses of disapproval and disdain (including the immortal
argument: "<i>Die Hard</i> doesn't
count! Santa Claus isn't even in it!") and has only gotten worse over
time.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace; line-height: 115%;">To which I reply: Why shouldn't it count? What is it about </span><i style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace; line-height: 115%;">Die Hard</i><span style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace; line-height: 115%;"> that screams </span><i style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace; line-height: 115%;">NOT A CHRISTMAS MOVIE!</i><span style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace; line-height: 115%;"> anyway? I mean, </span><i style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace; line-height: 115%;"><a href="http://findingthewrongwords.blogspot.com/2013/12/for-details-you-probably-never-noticed_1862.html"><span style="color: #3d85c6;">Home Alone</span></a></i><span style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace; line-height: 115%;"> counts as a Christmas movie. Why
discount </span><i style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace; line-height: 115%;">Die Hard</i><span style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace; line-height: 115%;"> when </span><i style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace; line-height: 115%;">Home Alone</i><span style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace; line-height: 115%;"> tells <a href="http://www.cracked.com/article_19710_6-movies-inadvertently-remade-as-other-movies.html"><span style="color: #3d85c6;">the same basic story</span></a> -
albeit with less gunplay and foot-slicing – yet still counts itself as a
holiday staple in households across America? What makes </span><i style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace; line-height: 115%;">Die Hard</i><span style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace; line-height: 115%;"> any different from your </span><i style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace; line-height: 115%;">It's A Wonderful Life</i><span style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace; line-height: 115%;">s or your </span><i style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace; line-height: 115%;">Miracle
On 34th Street</i><span style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace; line-height: 115%;">s, despite the fact that it centers around Mr. Bruce
Willis killing the crap out of terrorists for two hours, rather than reindeer
and festive good cheer?</span><br />
<a name='more'></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace; line-height: 115%;">Okay, so while I'm willing to admit that </span><i style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace; line-height: 115%;">DH</i><span style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace; line-height: 115%;"> may not fill you with the same kind of holiday spirit as, say,
Bing Crosby romancing the crap out of Rosemary Clooney in </span><i style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace; line-height: 115%;">White Christmas</i><span style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace; line-height: 115%;">, I maintain that </span><i style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace; line-height: 115%;">Die Hard</i><span style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace; line-height: 115%;"> is very much an X-mas movie, if simply for the fact that
it takes place during the holiday itself. Sort of an anti-Christmas Christmas
movie, if you will, but one nonetheless. And if you count </span><i style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace; line-height: 115%;">Die Hard</i><span style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace; line-height: 115%;"> as part of that "unofficial" list, then surely there
must be others, don't you think? </span><i style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace; line-height: 115%;">Lethal
Weapon</i><span style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace; line-height: 115%;"> takes place during Christmas. </span><i style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace; line-height: 115%;">Batman
Returns</i><span style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace; line-height: 115%;"> takes place during Christmas. Wouldn't they count as "anti"
Christmas movies too?</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace; line-height: 115%;">And so today I present to you a list of </span><s style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace; line-height: 115%;">my</s><span style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace; line-height: 115%;"> the 20 Greatest
Anti-Christmas Christmas Movies Ever Made, to help this holiday go down just
right. To make the list, these titles must a) occur on or around Christmas, b)
include dialogue, costume or set design that clearly signifies the season, and
c) must not include any reference to Christmas at all in its title, lest that
be a dead giveaway. That's it. This list is not meant to be traditional in any
way (in fact, you were probably never aware that most of these took place
during Christmas at all), nor is it meant to be completely comprehensive, so if
you're looking to find </span><i style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace; line-height: 115%;">National Lampoon's
Christmas Vacation</i><span style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace; line-height: 115%;"> or </span><i style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace; line-height: 115%;">The Santa Clause</i><span style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace; line-height: 115%;">
here, well, expect a lump of coal in your stocking instead.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace; line-height: 115%;">The write-up for each film will be limited to 2-3 sentences, for
brevity's (and my sanity's) sake. Oh, and just to ratchet up the tension a bit,
</span><i style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace; line-height: 115%;">Die Hard</i><span style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace; line-height: 115%;"> is no longer #1 (the
horror!), now that I've had a little time to think about it, although it does
come dangerously close. How close? You'll have to stick around to find out. Merry
Christmas!</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace; line-height: 115%;">__________</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace; line-height: 115%;">#20: <i style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="color: red; font-size: large;">Iron Man Three</span></i> (Shane Black, 2013)</span><br />
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSaYwqJxTafQEWLIuGUnxFAWYGDkNW88RgBoFCq6sM2YpTHBUzh9CM7D4Nv7V_kyzViuRIRsg8F_0WdulqED_VJx8clTJDIMq5v4PgNcE1IqaVTACbxudLHP_o3SGsFa5NJ_3p3krJQeHm/s1600/ironman3.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSaYwqJxTafQEWLIuGUnxFAWYGDkNW88RgBoFCq6sM2YpTHBUzh9CM7D4Nv7V_kyzViuRIRsg8F_0WdulqED_VJx8clTJDIMq5v4PgNcE1IqaVTACbxudLHP_o3SGsFa5NJ_3p3krJQeHm/s1600/ironman3.png" height="162" width="400" /></a><br />
<span style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace; line-height: 115%;">My least favorite </span><i style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace; line-height: 115%;">Iron Man</i><span style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace; line-height: 115%;">, for what it's worth, though not for a lack of trying. Credit co-writer/ director Shane Black, given free rein to Marvel's giant toy box without straying too far outside his comfort zone (superfluous Christmas setting included). The problem is, every scene seems to build to some elaborate punchline, from the ultimate reveal of the Mandarin's identity to the love-hate relationship between Tony and his new Mark 42 suit, so all the integrity of the characters is lost.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace; line-height: 115%;">#19:<i> </i></span><b style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"><i><span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="color: lime; font-size: large;">Gremlins</span></span></i></b><span style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace; line-height: 115%;"> (Chris
Columbus, 1984)</span><br />
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidlhoZHmcQnsWRdIKYu1Lwn5Df9ZuZFGgvjqaFmnphqM8-0iLY7Jvlvl_A5xSbYD9vL9nzrslbIbWqTYx9c_1wjpnjJRJsuKf-VVupKkKegX20fhlEXoyJzA1uRlYqhtmxA2YyqXxThoGq/s1600/gremlins.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidlhoZHmcQnsWRdIKYu1Lwn5Df9ZuZFGgvjqaFmnphqM8-0iLY7Jvlvl_A5xSbYD9vL9nzrslbIbWqTYx9c_1wjpnjJRJsuKf-VVupKkKegX20fhlEXoyJzA1uRlYqhtmxA2YyqXxThoGq/s1600/gremlins.png" height="222" width="400" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace; line-height: 115%;">Nothing says "holiday cheer" like a horde of ugly,
despicable trolls who want nothing more than to eat you after midnight,
preferably poolside. Its countless scenes of menace and mayhem, plus an
all-around negative streak ("And that's how I found out there was no Santa
Claus...") are practically guaranteed to get you overdosing on the eggnog.
Yet it's all meant to be in good fun!</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><span style="line-height: 115%;">#18:<i> </i></span><b><i><span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="color: red; font-size: large;">Edward
Scissorhands</span></span></i></b><span style="line-height: 115%;"> (Tim Burton, 1990)</span></span><br />
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqVMPIJXTCBQ9ynxhajSkuvYkENKvzaIkiODSTbrm86OSougfs0Q_viZTbAyf48n3aqG54SXbRlhv-fnn2ikOwylvM4mT3TFTBDidl3YfAkmu-2QZPSXO78lqI3ZYL7vLYBmiN55qX7DG4/s1600/edward.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqVMPIJXTCBQ9ynxhajSkuvYkENKvzaIkiODSTbrm86OSougfs0Q_viZTbAyf48n3aqG54SXbRlhv-fnn2ikOwylvM4mT3TFTBDidl3YfAkmu-2QZPSXO78lqI3ZYL7vLYBmiN55qX7DG4/s1600/edward.png" height="217" width="400" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace; line-height: 115%;">Before you tell me, "So it's got snow in it, that doesn't make
it a holiday movie," consider the opening and closing scenes, with an
elderly woman and her granddaughter on a wintry Christmas night. And its
explanation for that snow - an annual tradition, in honor of the love its
titular character could never have - is as yuletide bittersweet as you can get.
A truly original concoction from director Burton, even if it does resort to
substandard action movie clichés at the end.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><span style="line-height: 115%;">#17:<i> </i></span><b><i><span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="color: lime; font-size: large;">Lady And The
Tramp</span></span></i></b><span style="line-height: 115%;"> (Clyde Geronimi,</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><span style="line-height: 115%;"> Wilfred Jackson & Hamilton Luske, 1955)</span></span><br />
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiav2hZphVPzxkmbAR8wEiN-WD03uvcSGKUEWtyhz_AdGHJn0kcMIc1QTLvC5qVREdYzk9J2iZzUEm2G4z79C-H5KMPDnv7O4h3kza68U0mx5LDvpdWITBFV7jlo8cP3nb47dBDkbFXd6K2/s1600/lady&tramp.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; display: inline !important; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiav2hZphVPzxkmbAR8wEiN-WD03uvcSGKUEWtyhz_AdGHJn0kcMIc1QTLvC5qVREdYzk9J2iZzUEm2G4z79C-H5KMPDnv7O4h3kza68U0mx5LDvpdWITBFV7jlo8cP3nb47dBDkbFXd6K2/s1600/lady&tramp.png" height="156" width="400" /></a><br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><span style="line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><span style="line-height: 115%;">Walt Disney's </span></span><a href="http://findingthewrongwords.blogspot.com/2011/08/for-walt-disneys-animated-fifty-part-15.html" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace; line-height: 115%;"><span style="color: #3d85c6;">effervescent canine classic</span></a><span style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace; line-height: 115%;">, bookended by a couple of
scenes set on Christmas morning. In between, we get "La La Lu," "He's
A Tramp," "The Siamese Cat Song" (not necessarily in that
order), and our two title characters splitting a plate of spaghetti to the
strains of "Bella Notte." The gift is everyone's.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><span style="line-height: 115%;">#16:<i> </i></span><b><i><span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="color: red; font-size: large;">Love,
Actually</span></span></i></b><span style="line-height: 115%;"> (Richard Curtis, 2003)</span></span><br />
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhf408nSlYGvy5EPEt6eVqdbyKLXhLHreM43h4I7SLhJRN5ooh_ZaZQ1jXdXE-sx5U_k6ddi509LI1oBepLs5_aoFEyKOZrfWf1ZzaBeOgQ3oJKEqHAJ2StrpJB6NAMhxeDBSCmZunYGVKw/s1600/loveactually.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhf408nSlYGvy5EPEt6eVqdbyKLXhLHreM43h4I7SLhJRN5ooh_ZaZQ1jXdXE-sx5U_k6ddi509LI1oBepLs5_aoFEyKOZrfWf1ZzaBeOgQ3oJKEqHAJ2StrpJB6NAMhxeDBSCmZunYGVKw/s1600/loveactually.png" height="170" width="400" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace; line-height: 115%;">The ensemble Romantic Comedy </span><a href="http://findingthewrongwords.blogspot.com/2010/12/for-best-films-of-decade-part-9.html" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace; line-height: 115%;"><span style="color: #3d85c6;">par excellence</span></a><span style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace; line-height: 115%;">, set in London during the
five weeks leading up to Christmas. Its stellar cast (Hugh Grant, Keira
Knightley, Liam Neeson and Emma Thompson among them), heartfelt humor, and
unwavering belief that love can indeed conquer all goes a long way toward
offsetting Curtis's first-time directorial flourishes. And I dare you to keep
Billy Mack's <a href="http://youtu.be/t_KI-mRyE_0"><span style="color: #3d85c6;">X-Mas rendition</span></a> of "Love Is All Around" out of your
head.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><span style="line-height: 115%;">#15:<i> </i></span><b><i><span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="color: lime; font-size: large;">Lethal Weapon</span></span></i></b><span style="line-height: 115%;"> (Richard
Donner, 1987)</span></span><br />
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgg-Bci_DLak_i5RXQ10hJMFk2vuwOrXbKP4Jm1bncKT8G3tbCXl77Xhzo_MvSwIAm3qtJPTtwKNA-dHCK6LbEkSLDHa2_SMIHSkYQaN3rEzfi8sMDxPL8VlUYCOZPnpGvKhHXYj09RCk7c/s1600/lethal.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgg-Bci_DLak_i5RXQ10hJMFk2vuwOrXbKP4Jm1bncKT8G3tbCXl77Xhzo_MvSwIAm3qtJPTtwKNA-dHCK6LbEkSLDHa2_SMIHSkYQaN3rEzfi8sMDxPL8VlUYCOZPnpGvKhHXYj09RCk7c/s1600/lethal.png" height="227" width="400" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><span style="line-height: 115%;">A Romantic Comedy </span></span><a href="http://findingthewrongwords.blogspot.com/2011/10/for-franchise-face-offs-part-8-lethal.html" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace; line-height: 115%;"><span style="color: #3d85c6;">of a different sort</span></a><span style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace; line-height: 115%;">, between two platonic polar
opposites on the trail of vicious drug smugglers. Mel Gibson, Danny Glover and
screenwriter Shane Black's signature one-liners deliver the goods, set against
a harsh Los Angeles backdrop that's anything but merry and bright. The opening
scene sets the tone, in which a half-naked prostitute climbs onto the balcony
of her high-rise apartment and leaps to her death, while Bobby Helms's "Jingle
Bell Rock" plays in the background.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><span style="line-height: 115%;">#14:<i> </i></span><b><i><span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="color: red; font-size: large;">Kiss
Kiss Bang Bang</span></span></i></b><span style="line-height: 115%;"> (Shane Black, 2005)</span></span><br />
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKGrr8Dl1fv-DrIZBbo_XtSdF06ICvIqAkhisujAHJTIi4-c9TuI5wUb6BZJv5M_B248TaR60HEZYJPQhRBfgZ220raduwtIyeSQebdwrUwrSbhdRYRPDA7iSvuwWQLwZ9sA1qycllSEeH/s1600/kissbang.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKGrr8Dl1fv-DrIZBbo_XtSdF06ICvIqAkhisujAHJTIi4-c9TuI5wUb6BZJv5M_B248TaR60HEZYJPQhRBfgZ220raduwtIyeSQebdwrUwrSbhdRYRPDA7iSvuwWQLwZ9sA1qycllSEeH/s1600/kissbang.png" height="168" width="400" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace; line-height: 115%;">"My name's Harry Lockhart, I'll be your narrator." So
begins Shane Black's delightfully meta, deliciously entertaining directorial
debut, with all the trimmings we expect from his prodigious oeuvre - rapid-fire
banter, noir-ish murder mystery plot, and, of course, cool-as-a-cucumber
Christmas setting, already exploited to full effect in </span><i style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace; line-height: 115%;">Lethal Weapon</i><span style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace; line-height: 115%;">, </span><i style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace; line-height: 115%;">The Long Kiss
Goodnight</i><span style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace; line-height: 115%;">, and later, </span><i style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace; line-height: 115%;">Iron Man 3</i><span style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace; line-height: 115%;">.
Plus, you can't go wrong with Val Kilmer and Robert Downey Jr. at their
playful, criminal best.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><span style="line-height: 115%;">#13:<i> </i></span><b><i><span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="color: lime; font-size: large;">Three Days Of
The Condor</span></span></i></b><span style="line-height: 115%;"> (Sydney</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><span style="line-height: 115%;"> Pollack, 1975)</span></span><br />
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUFi2yFHQvyc447m07KKL8dTAR4KS9d3HG6nXYVFCuRfeslNaPlNLTX1-YaUNaQdvOc2mxYwd4UybhN6Rj5RXefcWguBTSYGu-Lnj2_LduXJ3aTxe_eXuJxHkYUkKegIetNjfsDpU3YBss/s1600/threedays.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUFi2yFHQvyc447m07KKL8dTAR4KS9d3HG6nXYVFCuRfeslNaPlNLTX1-YaUNaQdvOc2mxYwd4UybhN6Rj5RXefcWguBTSYGu-Lnj2_LduXJ3aTxe_eXuJxHkYUkKegIetNjfsDpU3YBss/s1600/threedays.png" height="171" width="400" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace; line-height: 115%;">Yes, it takes place during Christmas; but that's the backdrop, not
the filler. Its government-is-out-to-get-you suspense plot, so timely after the
"Family Jewels" and Watergate scandals of the 70s, stands toe-to-toe
with the political thrillers of today. Yet it's the romance between Robert
Redford and Faye Dunaway (recounted so memorably during Steven Soderbergh's </span><i style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace; line-height: 115%;">Out Of Sight</i><span style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace; line-height: 115%;">) you'll probably like best
about it anyway.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<span style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace; line-height: 115%;">#12:<i> </i></span><b style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"><i><span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="color: red; font-size: large;">The
Hudsucker Proxy</span></span></i></b><span style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace; line-height: 115%;"> (Joel Coen, 1994)</span><br />
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMl8PnN8BjU90YGcu_qviOFNxQjplxhIiaSQ9Lp_BIjDH9FyXrFxQ982zD7w4FZZIwC8d3iDZFOWhKaBd-BmNhhlHNElfVW8eev2k_maRrJEqMdQpDQb49riuCNuHC8_k_N8wKSQxytQYk/s1600/hudsucker.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMl8PnN8BjU90YGcu_qviOFNxQjplxhIiaSQ9Lp_BIjDH9FyXrFxQ982zD7w4FZZIwC8d3iDZFOWhKaBd-BmNhhlHNElfVW8eev2k_maRrJEqMdQpDQb49riuCNuHC8_k_N8wKSQxytQYk/s1600/hudsucker.png" height="226" width="400" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace; line-height: 115%;">The Coen Brothers' most underrated gem, in which a simpleton (Tim
Robbins) groomed to become a highfalutin' company patsy becomes a media
sensation instead. The hula hoop, of course, was invented in July 1958, not
Christmas 1958 as depicted here, but then everything here is delightfully
artificial: the sights, the sets, even Jennifer Jason Leigh's faux Katherine
Hepburn/ Rosalind Russell-ish accent (which annoyed many critics). The countless
references to past Hollywood classics are a nice bonus, too.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><span style="line-height: 115%;">#11:<i> </i></span><b><i><span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="color: lime; font-size: large;">Batman Returns</span></span></i></b><span style="line-height: 115%;"> (Tim Burton,
1992)</span></span><br />
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmJ2yQhIwJl95_quA2ru_RoVbcAlH1H44qhPIlG9F6YKiQdh9nrRs5GYEIgKqyKIvTlkbdatVJGjp2tz32vERnJwgnGPwK2UBIpHDP-E7TPi5iurHWdbM4hnelV7mkPjg1Fp3HuvgBPwQ0/s1600/batreturns.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmJ2yQhIwJl95_quA2ru_RoVbcAlH1H44qhPIlG9F6YKiQdh9nrRs5GYEIgKqyKIvTlkbdatVJGjp2tz32vERnJwgnGPwK2UBIpHDP-E7TPi5iurHWdbM4hnelV7mkPjg1Fp3HuvgBPwQ0/s1600/batreturns.png" height="226" width="400" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace; line-height: 115%;">The best of </span><a href="http://findingthewrongwords.blogspot.com/2012/10/for-franchise-face-offs-part-14-batman_1.html" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace; line-height: 115%;"><span style="color: #3d85c6;">the Burton <i>Batman</i>s</span></a><span style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace; line-height: 115%;">,
packed with his signature wit and off-kilter quirkiness. I still maintain that
the movie is more about its Caped Crusader than the critics care to let on,
with each villain a fractured funhouse mirror of Bruce Wayne's tortured psyche
(as always, I direct you </span><a href="http://www.angelfire.com/film/batman/movies/returns/reviews/itscool.htm" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace; line-height: 115%;"><span style="color: #3d85c6;">here</span></a><span style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace; line-height: 115%;"> to Mr. Drew McWeeny's insights on the subject,
which delve much deeper than mine). Its macabre tone and psychosexual overtones
are completely inappropriate for the kiddies, however.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><span style="line-height: 115%;">#10:<i> </i></span><b><i><span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="color: red; font-size: large;">The
Bourne Identity</span></span></i></b><span style="line-height: 115%;"> (Doug Liman, 2002)</span></span><br />
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTHy898JZESqycSOnw7pjNguJtinUfqqxDzufPOGeG2xrMCeEqXg8VibF8SYq2RDxxmGiCzcuXY5pZ0cxbpFqYbmznN2wffI7WwAMyno7y6X0CuWCcOm9kHdvWalZqf9MHRaxghn_d86Nh/s1600/bourne.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTHy898JZESqycSOnw7pjNguJtinUfqqxDzufPOGeG2xrMCeEqXg8VibF8SYq2RDxxmGiCzcuXY5pZ0cxbpFqYbmznN2wffI7WwAMyno7y6X0CuWCcOm9kHdvWalZqf9MHRaxghn_d86Nh/s1600/bourne.png" height="171" width="400" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace; line-height: 115%;">Didn't realize this one was set at Christmas? Neither did I - until I
re-watched it recently and noticed the snow, the frost coming from the
characters' mouths, and if that weren't enough to convince you, the X-Mas
decorations set up in the house where Matt Damon holes up before Clive Owen
comes to kill him. The first big-screen </span><i style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace; line-height: 115%;">Bourne</i><span style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace; line-height: 115%;">
is </span><a href="http://findingthewrongwords.blogspot.com/2010/02/for-best-films-of-decade-part-1_09.html" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace; line-height: 115%;"><span style="color: #3d85c6;">the gift that keeps on giving</span></a><span style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace; line-height: 115%;"> - a taut, efficient little thriller that only
gains in stature the bigger and bloatier our current action movie tentpoles
have become.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><span style="line-height: 115%;">#9: </span><b><i><span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="color: lime; font-size: large;">The French
Connection</span></span></i></b><span style="line-height: 115%;"> (William</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><span style="line-height: 115%;"> Friedkin, 1971)</span></span><br />
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhp3ExKZt7c4qVxAjBtsIPQNl4bpcfl6TLVilSULjvkAhd1EkLpW7oOwBixHtuRuGgbFa2z_kl0P6F-pgSv0fydxZYPhkkUW6xDLagFCq0yJOMtDbqmwOscG4WUH7d9suP9aUSYROd6o9RY/s1600/frenchconn.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhp3ExKZt7c4qVxAjBtsIPQNl4bpcfl6TLVilSULjvkAhd1EkLpW7oOwBixHtuRuGgbFa2z_kl0P6F-pgSv0fydxZYPhkkUW6xDLagFCq0yJOMtDbqmwOscG4WUH7d9suP9aUSYROd6o9RY/s1600/frenchconn.png" height="218" width="400" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace; line-height: 115%;">From its opening sequence, in which hard-nosed NYC detective "Popeye"
Doyle (Gene Hackman) busts a petty drug smuggler while wearing a Santa costume,
you can tell this classic police procedural will have no qualms about flipping
convention on its head. The rest of the movie follows suit - shot hand-held
(long before the "shaky cam" became the norm), on actual location,
with an ending that's as abrupt as it is morally ambiguous. The climactic
train/car chase is justly subversive, too.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><span style="line-height: 115%;">#8:<i> </i></span><b><i><span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="color: red; font-size: large;">L.A.
Confidential</span></span></i></b><span style="line-height: 115%;"> (Curtis Hanson, 1997)</span></span><br />
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8ikPimfMGfIfvM8SNmu0wHP3OGmHg-14eV6mXa6zUJfdjVauwfErKDMRnDzDAJ9mri7Z65VmvyRMXFiEDVmRRGzuChS45xiLRi251dxs9NVTFkM0AQZocQSF-7UI7PRDbsrAv0K8QhIZ7/s1600/laconfidential.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8ikPimfMGfIfvM8SNmu0wHP3OGmHg-14eV6mXa6zUJfdjVauwfErKDMRnDzDAJ9mri7Z65VmvyRMXFiEDVmRRGzuChS45xiLRi251dxs9NVTFkM0AQZocQSF-7UI7PRDbsrAv0K8QhIZ7/s1600/laconfidential.png" height="170" width="400" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace; line-height: 115%;">Based on the infamous "Bloody Christmas" beatings of 1951,
James Ellroy's pulp detective novel makes a glorious leap to the big screen
courtesy director Curtis Hanson (</span><i style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace; line-height: 115%;">The Hand
That Rocks The Cradle</i><span style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace; line-height: 115%;">) and writer Brian Helgeland (</span><i style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace; line-height: 115%;">A Knight's Tale</i><span style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace; line-height: 115%;">). It's a deliberate throwback to classics such as </span><i style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace; line-height: 115%;">Chinatown</i><span style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace; line-height: 115%;"> and </span><i style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace; line-height: 115%;">The Big Sleep</i><span style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace; line-height: 115%;">, with a plot so dense, there's practically a twist
every 15 seconds. And the cast (including Kevin Spacey, Kim Basinger and
Russell Crowe, to name a few) is absolutely killer.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><span style="line-height: 115%;">#7:<i> </i></span><b><i><span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="color: lime; font-size: large;">The
Thin Man</span></span></i></b><span style="line-height: 115%;"> (W. S. Van Dyke, 1934)</span></span><br />
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPoOG6NxcoGgwGR19Tv68M2ezm1C6GkMOY-Ib01BfgaU47NGAUjJjab6Mr9k0dnm90jJzL588i5wRZSgAhGmE68f_mWIz4FgKC-lNVQigX3mBPBZHbUEWNRHb4T7ouJd5HrH3EO8_JF22-/s1600/thinman.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPoOG6NxcoGgwGR19Tv68M2ezm1C6GkMOY-Ib01BfgaU47NGAUjJjab6Mr9k0dnm90jJzL588i5wRZSgAhGmE68f_mWIz4FgKC-lNVQigX3mBPBZHbUEWNRHb4T7ouJd5HrH3EO8_JF22-/s1600/thinman.png" height="232" width="320" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><span style="line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Nick and Nora Charles, the cinema's most beloved alcoholic
husband-and-wife detective team, make their film debut in the quintessential
comedy-mystery thriller. They fight, they flirt, they slosh back their share of
martinis - and, boy, do they know how to throw a cocktail party at Christmas!
Above all else, a masterpiece of witty one-liners and romantic chemistry; Roger
Ebert <a href="http://an%20all-dialogue%20version%20of%20an%20astaire%20and%20rogers%20musical/"><span style="color: #3d85c6;">once called it</span></a> "an all-dialogue version of an Astaire and Rogers musical,"
and watching it today, it's easy to see why.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><span style="line-height: 115%;">#6: </span><b><i><span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="color: red; font-size: large;">The Apartment</span></span></i></b><span style="line-height: 115%;"> (Billy Wilder, 1960)</span></span><br />
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhquZsS1Dk1QaTKV2CnyZWh08nE7BZePCLaundV4YqAWp284Y7Lf49IAPe67YT5Dopuu7lntojgFvjdBdnWPyfVQY_OQ2EmGazbNdsQsijm7R-XB0x_10lA5HllOWamnYRONXpibGNq3Xe/s1600/apartment.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhquZsS1Dk1QaTKV2CnyZWh08nE7BZePCLaundV4YqAWp284Y7Lf49IAPe67YT5Dopuu7lntojgFvjdBdnWPyfVQY_OQ2EmGazbNdsQsijm7R-XB0x_10lA5HllOWamnYRONXpibGNq3Xe/s1600/apartment.png" height="173" width="400" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace; line-height: 115%;">Billy Wilder's brilliant, bracingly cynical take on the lives of
lowly office workers hasn't lost any of its bite since the 60s. In fact, it's
probably more relevant today than it was back then - marital infidelity,
corporate misconduct, </span><span style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace; line-height: 18.3999996185303px;">even an</span><span style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace; line-height: 115%;"> attempted suicide (on Christmas Eve, no less!)
all wrapped up in one sparkling holiday package. Also one of the few comedies
to use the widescreen frame to its advantage, its stark, forced-perspective
photography meant to mimic the melancholy of the characters.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><span style="line-height: 115%;">#5:<i> </i></span><b><i><span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="color: lime; font-size: large;">Die
Hard</span></span></i></b><span style="line-height: 115%;"> (<a href="http://findingthewrongwords.blogspot.com/2014/07/for-directors-trademarks-john-mctiernan.html"><span style="color: #3d85c6;">John McTiernan</span></a>, 1988)</span></span><br />
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimA544KF8dN86y40w94CjsTNPIl_P9TfPJNLrYM6OHnK4QAod69ZtA2ur3JJJqMMK95VWWPZihLUapbirIo0iduI_vJJWhRAuyaorQ2r-McOOXQx1AaAMehKSWiTZomXeFHsoFZkcFFSNT/s1600/diehard.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimA544KF8dN86y40w94CjsTNPIl_P9TfPJNLrYM6OHnK4QAod69ZtA2ur3JJJqMMK95VWWPZihLUapbirIo0iduI_vJJWhRAuyaorQ2r-McOOXQx1AaAMehKSWiTZomXeFHsoFZkcFFSNT/s1600/diehard.png" height="175" width="400" /></a></div>
<a href="http://findingthewrongwords.blogspot.com/2014/07/for-details-you-probably-never-noticed.html" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace; line-height: 115%;"><span style="color: #3d85c6;">The most influential action picture of the past three decades</span></a><span style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace; line-height: 115%;">, and
yes, all the essential X-mas elements are here, including (but not limited to)
Christmas wrapping, Christmas parties, a Santa hat, and "NOW I HAVE A
MACHINE GUN. HO-HO-HO." Also, if busting your butt to complete a task at
hand (in this case, butchering an entire team of terrorists who ransom the
building where your wife works) so you can spend more time with your family
doesn't scream "Happy Holidays," I don't know what does.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><span style="line-height: 115%;">#4:<i> </i></span><b><i><span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="color: red; font-size: large;">The Shop Around
The Corner</span></span></i></b><span style="line-height: 115%;"> (Ernst</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><span style="line-height: 115%;"> Lubitsch, 1940)</span></span><br />
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDDRjEnnnugRuZ1OUDlfLdud4qDDF9lvo5Dx9S1tSsqIfQuCXjeIDWIcAW5d29HwHWmHE4R5WtNT6IHvY1fzMSTXeCi56kDHgDXsMoZHN_SyGxw6N8LenY4dhTnGpmcOgh2gWegiLQDdO6/s1600/shoparound.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDDRjEnnnugRuZ1OUDlfLdud4qDDF9lvo5Dx9S1tSsqIfQuCXjeIDWIcAW5d29HwHWmHE4R5WtNT6IHvY1fzMSTXeCi56kDHgDXsMoZHN_SyGxw6N8LenY4dhTnGpmcOgh2gWegiLQDdO6/s1600/shoparound.png" height="239" width="320" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><span style="line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">My vote for the greatest Romantic Comedy of all time, overflowing
with memorable supporting characters, a pungent sense of place, and a gooey, often
hilariously push-pull relationship at its center. That the bulk of its plot
centers exclusively around Christmas hardly seems to matter much; neither does
the fact that virtually no one in the entire cast makes even a passable attempt a
Hungarian accent. Remade as <i>In The Good
Old Summertime</i> and <i>You've Got Mail</i>,
though no one could match the ol' Lubitsch touch.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><span style="line-height: 115%;">#3:<i> </i></span><b><i><span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="color: lime; font-size: large;">Fanny
And Alexander</span></span></i></b><span style="line-height: 115%;"> (Ingmar Bergman,</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><span style="line-height: 115%;"> 1982)</span></span><br />
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbBXaxZ_qhuCVX8ZN9pqM58uBJLD37rmK4pvxmsbLgE4eWkw4ailXs_QpZUD_7WNKbkQfA3rmmRj4YTE1NDKaP_8_RoPo7MqtjHEmdRKLsyJ18Ke_gPgjzfqMWBO9CG1gXMc3BV7rLrIdF/s1600/fanny&alex.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbBXaxZ_qhuCVX8ZN9pqM58uBJLD37rmK4pvxmsbLgE4eWkw4ailXs_QpZUD_7WNKbkQfA3rmmRj4YTE1NDKaP_8_RoPo7MqtjHEmdRKLsyJ18Ke_gPgjzfqMWBO9CG1gXMc3BV7rLrIdF/s1600/fanny&alex.png" height="242" width="400" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace; line-height: 115%;">Ingmar Bergman certainly made tougher films (</span><i style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace; line-height: 115%;">Persona</i><span style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace; line-height: 115%;">, </span><i style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace; line-height: 115%;">Cries And Whispers</i><span style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace; line-height: 115%;">),
and also more prestigious, Culturally Significant films (</span><i style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace; line-height: 115%;">The Seventh Seal</i><span style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace; line-height: 115%;">). Yet he never made anything as joyful or deeply
personal as this, a culmination of sorts of everything that obsessed him
(family, fantasy, theology, the theater) throughout his lustrous career. The
film's sumptuous first half, set in the Ekdahls' familial home during
Christmas, gives way to the stark, sterile corridors of the latter half - a
feeling, no doubt, all of us have felt while de-decorating our homes after the
holidays.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><span style="line-height: 115%;">#2:<i> </i></span><b><i><span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="color: red; font-size: large;">Brazil</span></span></i></b><span style="line-height: 115%;"> (Terry Gilliam,
1985)</span></span><br />
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWPD0Srfjtnv6iqJxfWAQDmHhWtrSEKDXOtjwNr2akpuNC6LYhUpPcpHVxLECUAqRl9RQKNGh_KsOlp-1gWYj615fWmXOheZqigPW7NdDiHtXCQyn4zg4gGzWrvFuqYmfIHU6c-kZRKL2W/s1600/brazil.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWPD0Srfjtnv6iqJxfWAQDmHhWtrSEKDXOtjwNr2akpuNC6LYhUpPcpHVxLECUAqRl9RQKNGh_KsOlp-1gWYj615fWmXOheZqigPW7NdDiHtXCQyn4zg4gGzWrvFuqYmfIHU6c-kZRKL2W/s1600/brazil.png" height="225" width="400" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace; line-height: 115%;">One of the most uniquely personal visions ever committed to
celluloid, Terry Gilliam's Orwell-sian masterpiece was greeted with downright
hostility from Universal Pictures, who couldn't make heads or tails of it. But "understanding"
the film isn't necessary to your enjoyment of it - like the best Sci-Fi satires,
it's the ideas and the visuals that matter most, and, boy, does this one
deliver. The icy Christmas setting and slapstick-y comedy bits add some extra sting to the dystopian goings-on.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><span style="line-height: 115%;">#1:<i> </i></span><b><i><span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="color: lime; font-size: large;">Citizen
Kane</span></span></i></b><span style="line-height: 115%;"> (Orson Welles, 1942)</span></span><br />
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcirfK97edG1jqrs_vhQQ7pcoihmk7FtjrzaE0qMjvYzKe9aaG-8tty7ry-z3C_TQ5efDBM677Qf7KTFVYKbMNlmR47nMRtmjjP0GzrM4pajO1flAy93b2pSWaHcLUx9LxLEPa_zM7_quN/s1600/citizenkane.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcirfK97edG1jqrs_vhQQ7pcoihmk7FtjrzaE0qMjvYzKe9aaG-8tty7ry-z3C_TQ5efDBM677Qf7KTFVYKbMNlmR47nMRtmjjP0GzrM4pajO1flAy93b2pSWaHcLUx9LxLEPa_zM7_quN/s1600/citizenkane.png" height="242" width="320" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><span style="line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">The ultimate Anti-Christmas Christmas Movie, and the Greatest American Film to boot, in which
the symbol of one man's happy childhood - "Rosebud," taken away from
him one fateful Christmas - helped chart the course for the rest of his life.
Including it here may be a stretch, but I can't think of a better example of
the many ways the holiday (good or bad) shapes who we are, what we become, and
the legacy we leave behind for our loved ones. It's the film that firmly broke
all the rules; so forgive me if I break one here myself.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">__________</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">What say you, Faithful Readers? Is it a "Ho Ho Ho"
or </span></span><span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">hearty </span></span> "Bah Humbug" to this Anti-Christmas Christmas list? Did I leave
anything off, or include any that should have been left off completely? Take a break from your Christmas caroling and sound off in the comments below! And above all have a Happy Holiday!</span><span style="font-family: Consolas; font-size: 10pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
D.W. Lundberghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03709428152190690075noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8005808875158331076.post-17018639083088800802014-12-19T12:00:00.001-07:002015-11-18T13:37:21.000-07:00... FOR "MOVIE COINCIDENCE OF THE DAY #8 ('THE SANTA CLAUSE 2' / 'BACK TO THE FUTURE PART III' EDITION)"<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibuXo0S-1Jiu1wRZSHzV6lY71Xmcb6hje2w4e1ixsTQptY3d6-hFQc3FzJhk_mJI4caKg7Gpq7-cJoVlYvjsjbXl_GCRIZU3rz4DRmC0Jv83Airv4FhSj5IrtL-8GpKjIYxHCiYYSYmruX/s1600/intro.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><img border="0" height="250" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibuXo0S-1Jiu1wRZSHzV6lY71Xmcb6hje2w4e1ixsTQptY3d6-hFQc3FzJhk_mJI4caKg7Gpq7-cJoVlYvjsjbXl_GCRIZU3rz4DRmC0Jv83Airv4FhSj5IrtL-8GpKjIYxHCiYYSYmruX/s1600/intro.png" width="400" /></span></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">Ah, Christmas. That time of year when we gather close to the ones we
love, preferably in front of a warm fireplace with a cup of fresh wassel in our
hands. A time to bask in the warming glow of each other's company with the snow
falling in thick blankets outside. A time of peace, joy, and understanding. And
if you're Santa Claus in desperate need of finding a wife before your
contractual obligation to do so expires on Christmas Eve, a time to come clean
to the beautiful high school principal you've been wooing in hopes she'll
return with you to the North Pole to live out the rest of her natural life.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><span style="line-height: 115%;">Complicated? To say the least. In this scene from Disney's </span><i style="line-height: 115%;">The Santa Clause 2</i><span style="line-height: 115%;"> (2002), Scott Calvin
(Tim Allen), shrunk down in size the closer he comes to his deadline, tries to
convince the lovely Carol Newman (Elizabeth Mitchell) that he is, in fact, the
most famous holiday mascot in the history of the world. Needless to say what
happens does not exactly bode well for their relationship. Then again, the last
time </span><i style="line-height: 115%;">I</i><span style="line-height: 115%;"> tried convincing a girl that I
was actually Santa Claus, she reacted in pretty much the same way:</span></span><br />
<a name='more'></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='410' height='275' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dw0n3c6OlGQNTUgF8p1lnr81uTStgSsh_YcRQpFBgHO8UpPy3UJFkheB6GWD0aiEPRlvVUsWYrOaHPQEhpLgw' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">Ah, but lest we forget, Christmas is also a time for reflecting on
times past - on those moments and memories that shape us into what we've become,
and what we hope to pass on to future generations. And like us, movies can definitely
inform other movies. Take this scene from <i>Back
To The Future Part III</i> (1990), in which Dr. Emmett Brown (Christopher
Lloyd), having finally adjusted to life in the Old West, tries to convince his
beloved Clara (Mary Steenburgen) that he is, in fact, <i>not</i> a well-respected blacksmith from town but a reclusive
scientist/inventor front the year 1985. Their conversation goes about as well
as expected, although to be honest, every time <i>I've</i> tried breaking it off with a girl by telling her I had to
travel one hundred years into the future, her reaction was pretty much the
same:<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='410' height='275' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dwGefeIZ-vnlWqhdf5TgEYPmGkOh_mgc0aBJfTkKXveT2FJ0SM4cOJst3IUmRCpiMfKBiQe_TFh4Hjy7iyIPw' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">The situations may be different, but the structure of each individual
scene is unmistakably similar. The average length of each clip, for example, or the fact
that they take place at roughly the same time (1:06 into <i>Back To The Future</i>, 1:08 into <i>The
Santa Clause 2</i>). Even the shot structure is basically the same, of the
shot/reverse shot, over-the-shoulder variety:<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFKuOAD6W_r1uc6TjRMhVaDVjC7JC69lbgmILlc3I8XA8fy0LMfwfzU50Hp9Uhdfe6_-v4VQp2SnZEK8mnvj7-bGvbRvFVytuFlCQk4lqAMcKF5wG3vU9vZ23WkRvsP82qf3iYPEtxW86p/s1600/santa-ots01.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="216" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFKuOAD6W_r1uc6TjRMhVaDVjC7JC69lbgmILlc3I8XA8fy0LMfwfzU50Hp9Uhdfe6_-v4VQp2SnZEK8mnvj7-bGvbRvFVytuFlCQk4lqAMcKF5wG3vU9vZ23WkRvsP82qf3iYPEtxW86p/s1600/santa-ots01.png" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgKAXui6Zwd7R6JRsFwkrxoKYj4v4dwMDbyj1EluUYYZ2f-f1FW6hv9Rr4fFSkdPA2_lceO1PvcXfjCGX_hfE_JsXgOOARYgXja21dwp93qDg_UeAJZaSqXeuN44xcXXY8_9q9D6haPS-f/s1600/santa-ots02.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="216" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgKAXui6Zwd7R6JRsFwkrxoKYj4v4dwMDbyj1EluUYYZ2f-f1FW6hv9Rr4fFSkdPA2_lceO1PvcXfjCGX_hfE_JsXgOOARYgXja21dwp93qDg_UeAJZaSqXeuN44xcXXY8_9q9D6haPS-f/s1600/santa-ots02.png" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRzHj0cOti75nhScBXdNOAgN1i_bEMk1ZkT5ri9fdUgeb-XAM7BXcMFTuyHmXgeuey669bTk-AXmao20h6zzKAVvvTkh5uE8g75zFGzF23PZ4U4b4CeMyoz5guT5rHAPtAbswLAz1i9GDn/s1600/bttf-ots01.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="216" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRzHj0cOti75nhScBXdNOAgN1i_bEMk1ZkT5ri9fdUgeb-XAM7BXcMFTuyHmXgeuey669bTk-AXmao20h6zzKAVvvTkh5uE8g75zFGzF23PZ4U4b4CeMyoz5guT5rHAPtAbswLAz1i9GDn/s1600/bttf-ots01.png" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbgDWgnh9dNYtcYI3Z8_kM0YaVQx0-GNfu40rpM0YplSH_lN1QQ1IITEXaJ9nan0JkmXHjiGjpdRENRK6nZP7ADy5qKWgGTfQFSFcVWK2rM3TNNhPDck1yHM3yGtYnHQsObWE8P_-9PElP/s1600/bttf-ots02.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="216" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbgDWgnh9dNYtcYI3Z8_kM0YaVQx0-GNfu40rpM0YplSH_lN1QQ1IITEXaJ9nan0JkmXHjiGjpdRENRK6nZP7ADy5qKWgGTfQFSFcVWK2rM3TNNhPDck1yHM3yGtYnHQsObWE8P_-9PElP/s1600/bttf-ots02.png" width="400" /></a></div>
<span id="goog_1317204163"></span><br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">Then there's the dialogue. At first, both Carol and Clara (cripes,
even their names sound alike!) seem open to their lover's
"confession" - until, that is, he gets to the inevitable truth, which of course she takes as a personal attack:<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEip2mrxOLXygTH4IuolShNIPWpr20Giv1DUkT1AlaY3_Az_C2wCpuKUADVH6Eg_0ikcmUrh-xtiG3NIehhj8SNZnR7Roto7yH40pkQ1LD5QDdJidmTG2pwoPfdoJXneIqJ8dNhDF2Ly0an7/s1600/santa-prsnl01.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="216" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEip2mrxOLXygTH4IuolShNIPWpr20Giv1DUkT1AlaY3_Az_C2wCpuKUADVH6Eg_0ikcmUrh-xtiG3NIehhj8SNZnR7Roto7yH40pkQ1LD5QDdJidmTG2pwoPfdoJXneIqJ8dNhDF2Ly0an7/s1600/santa-prsnl01.png" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyinARRxjkznAm91YrJYZ9eVDvwtsgCdv2dTxoj-FFMgh1Z1xWuS_8NhCHKA21VwmHCbbjAtcoC2jIrOtw_CJBEwRwuoEAZTycbDs0fcufOr6zQDcPnEA_7JSSEl_4ae5oTXnDQZe5LAHI/s1600/santa-prsnl02.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="216" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyinARRxjkznAm91YrJYZ9eVDvwtsgCdv2dTxoj-FFMgh1Z1xWuS_8NhCHKA21VwmHCbbjAtcoC2jIrOtw_CJBEwRwuoEAZTycbDs0fcufOr6zQDcPnEA_7JSSEl_4ae5oTXnDQZe5LAHI/s1600/santa-prsnl02.png" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUs9Cx_96Ik0A86DcmdmEugzG8iD6AUfJqWoWIJ6FY0xRCR2TpAkG8wDQsPs8GDQSSaBzY9oOInYW7YKbnecQVrcazStIexXg4qUWYLAsGnD6nQVVubj4qTt883Pw6WBbFJlheLat_oIES/s1600/bttf-prsnl01.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="216" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUs9Cx_96Ik0A86DcmdmEugzG8iD6AUfJqWoWIJ6FY0xRCR2TpAkG8wDQsPs8GDQSSaBzY9oOInYW7YKbnecQVrcazStIexXg4qUWYLAsGnD6nQVVubj4qTt883Pw6WBbFJlheLat_oIES/s1600/bttf-prsnl01.png" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAsAmcYSbzY_oIFONJAR3WGPmTMozXXEp9cTSX958pkPwGT2FPwMiXq3MP_cFjrsdlpfJZiZJ_xuHa6xb4ikf86jlzXCOxxC-Rdd4IBlLPSkef70vgyXjDu_WMZTU0lrBoITTQgFwbBNdY/s1600/bttf-prsnl02.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="216" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAsAmcYSbzY_oIFONJAR3WGPmTMozXXEp9cTSX958pkPwGT2FPwMiXq3MP_cFjrsdlpfJZiZJ_xuHa6xb4ikf86jlzXCOxxC-Rdd4IBlLPSkef70vgyXjDu_WMZTU0lrBoITTQgFwbBNdY/s1600/bttf-prsnl02.png" width="400" /></a></div>
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">Now thoroughly hurt and humiliated, Carol/Clara slam their front door
firmly in his face, leaving Scott/Emmett wounded on the porch:<o:p></o:p></span></span><br />
<span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGy1bDeC-k7kZeUmgehWn5B0D1DCrM7aZULO1QG462WsgIOHxc14hf7hADmjkgoNzIJ08O1CdQfW93bEqFSgjxhvUDK7EJ2Ezd8-to6ZUs-txpMbyX9EUI7GMJW069SISjGgTm-3YAfTN1/s1600/santa-porch.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="216" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGy1bDeC-k7kZeUmgehWn5B0D1DCrM7aZULO1QG462WsgIOHxc14hf7hADmjkgoNzIJ08O1CdQfW93bEqFSgjxhvUDK7EJ2Ezd8-to6ZUs-txpMbyX9EUI7GMJW069SISjGgTm-3YAfTN1/s1600/santa-porch.png" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOo7KxrIhh7rQqLCOAPSA77_4hstqMciwEkzXLyJSgY7pUI73M7k03oJ39OBKE2eE6GYulllhtDLi5nmP4WMS3Z4438VtfpHw09rTkKmrLEqR5yGsB53B-4X8rm-oEDrBOsSsxj6ou9nll/s1600/bttf-porch.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="216" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOo7KxrIhh7rQqLCOAPSA77_4hstqMciwEkzXLyJSgY7pUI73M7k03oJ39OBKE2eE6GYulllhtDLi5nmP4WMS3Z4438VtfpHw09rTkKmrLEqR5yGsB53B-4X8rm-oEDrBOsSsxj6ou9nll/s1600/bttf-porch.png" width="400" /></a></div>
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">Finally, each scene ends with our hero trudging off (presumably) to live
a meaningless and solitary existence, while the love of his life nurses the
shattered remnants of her heart:<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiQb-4qX82qEe6HF-ts_rEAPN9UG1DnEfwea-CkhgViOfN8_0lKCJOayzz_-2nNyw6EbgV57b5ZTCK5lhyZNUdrdyITFdKhUJFOyeYS6BEpPBXAPv_2p4kNWXDjayYe0CgOF21lfVDp5f2/s1600/santa-hurt.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="216" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiQb-4qX82qEe6HF-ts_rEAPN9UG1DnEfwea-CkhgViOfN8_0lKCJOayzz_-2nNyw6EbgV57b5ZTCK5lhyZNUdrdyITFdKhUJFOyeYS6BEpPBXAPv_2p4kNWXDjayYe0CgOF21lfVDp5f2/s1600/santa-hurt.png" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgv7lptOWbyoTvmKccrRAJ59JoPNuQd_yicNZmGunL7Fd-1Zs6y8WpnRaVnW_t0DNJlLdnUkYuOQKEDQs5ehyphenhyphenLcOQjH7og54y0zeaWaMbRCDHhQXyGcheODOnaruAias5TlRu4akwMtTjtL/s1600/bttf-hurt.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="216" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgv7lptOWbyoTvmKccrRAJ59JoPNuQd_yicNZmGunL7Fd-1Zs6y8WpnRaVnW_t0DNJlLdnUkYuOQKEDQs5ehyphenhyphenLcOQjH7og54y0zeaWaMbRCDHhQXyGcheODOnaruAias5TlRu4akwMtTjtL/s1600/bttf-hurt.png" width="400" /></a></div>
<br /></div>
<span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">Not to worry, though. It all turns out candy
canes and cinnamon bears for everyone in the end. After all, this is Christmas... would we have it any other way?</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">__________</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><i><b>Interested in more Movie Coincidences of the Day? Click <a href="http://findingthewrongwords.blogspot.com/2013/10/for-movie-coincidence-of-day-1.html"><span style="color: #3d85c6;">here</span></a> for our introductory article. Then click <a href="http://findingthewrongwords.blogspot.com/2013/11/for-movie-coincidence-of-day-2_7.html"><span style="color: #3d85c6;">here</span></a>, <a href="http://findingthewrongwords.blogspot.com/2014/01/for-movie-coincidence-of-day-3_28.html"><span style="color: #3d85c6;">here</span></a>, <a href="http://findingthewrongwords.blogspot.com/2014/02/for-movie-coincidence-of-day-4_18.html"><span style="color: #3d85c6;">here</span></a>, <a href="http://findingthewrongwords.blogspot.com/2014/06/for-movie-coincidence-of-day-5_13.html"><span style="color: #3d85c6;">here</span></a>, <a href="http://findingthewrongwords.blogspot.com/2014/09/for-movie-coincidencemarketing-ploy-of.html"><span style="color: #3d85c6;">here</span></a>, and <a href="http://findingthewrongwords.blogspot.com/2014/11/for-movie-coincidence-of-day-7-or-that.html"><span style="color: #3d85c6;">here</span></a> for everything after.</b></i></span></div>
D.W. Lundberghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03709428152190690075noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8005808875158331076.post-38622427328265056922014-12-10T15:08:00.001-07:002014-12-18T11:57:48.762-07:00... FOR "RANDOM UPDATES TO THE SITE"<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhX5C9rR48roKElP69MnTR9nIW6OWg-hCb4q5eQOOUiwVN2qsQgafuqvB4LPs6iN25CHyiDRsQFeyPkma86EEHgMCUfDKo-If3M32YwoRdsS_Ao6oBFJQ1ewhezxDD_Yc5AFkznFjedudAf/s1600/pleasestandby.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhX5C9rR48roKElP69MnTR9nIW6OWg-hCb4q5eQOOUiwVN2qsQgafuqvB4LPs6iN25CHyiDRsQFeyPkma86EEHgMCUfDKo-If3M32YwoRdsS_Ao6oBFJQ1ewhezxDD_Yc5AFkznFjedudAf/s1600/pleasestandby.png" height="250" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: 'Courier New';">When I first
embarked on this blogging adventure in <a href="http://findingthewrongwords.blogspot.com/2010/02/about-best-films-of-decade.html"><span style="color: #3d85c6;">February of 2010</span></a>, I'll admit I was a
novice at it in more ways than one. Learning to let my freak flag fly, for one
thing, figuring out how to stand toe to toe with (and sometimes head and
shoulders above) the millions of other movie blogs out there, by offering up a
different spin on the basics of filmcraft - technique, trivia, retrospectives,
reviews - than you're probably used to. Or struggling to stay relevant, by paying
respect to the films of the present (which, let's be honest, is all people
really want to hear about) and also to the films of the past (which, let's face
it, is where all modern motion pictures get their ideas). Also learning that you can't
be everything to everyone all of the time; sure, people love their <a href="http://findingthewrongwords.blogspot.com/2010/03/for-best-films-of-decade-part-3.html"><span style="color: #3d85c6;">Comic Book Movies</span></a> and their <a href="http://findingthewrongwords.blogspot.com/search/label/MACGUFFIN"><span style="color: #3d85c6;">MacGuffin With Egg</span></a>, but try blogging <a href="http://findingthewrongwords.blogspot.com/2010/04/for-quiz-time-part-1.html"><span style="color: #3d85c6;">a</span></a> <a href="http://findingthewrongwords.blogspot.com/2010/07/for-little-face-time-or-quiz-time-part.html"><span style="color: #3d85c6;">quiz</span></a> <a href="http://findingthewrongwords.blogspot.com/2010/10/for-quiz-time-part-3-halloween-edition.html"><span style="color: #3d85c6;">or</span></a> <a href="http://findingthewrongwords.blogspot.com/2010/11/for-marketing-ploys-and-disneys-tangled.html"><span style="color: #3d85c6;">two</span></a> (<a href="http://findingthewrongwords.blogspot.com/2010/12/for-quiz-time-part-5-christmas-edition.html"><span style="color: #3d85c6;">or</span></a> <a href="http://findingthewrongwords.blogspot.com/2011/03/for-number-crunching-or-quiz-time-part.html"><span style="color: #3d85c6;">three</span></a>,
<a href="http://findingthewrongwords.blogspot.com/2011/12/for-santa-said-what-or-quiz-time-part-7.html"><span style="color: #3d85c6;">or</span></a> <a href="http://findingthewrongwords.blogspot.com/2012/03/for-quiz-time-part-8-superhero-edition.html"><span style="color: #3d85c6;">eight</span></a>), and readers will have nothing to do with it. (It took me too long,
perhaps, to realize that once one person responds with the answers, it's pretty
much pointless for everyone else.)</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";">Still, the thing
that's disappointed me the most is that I haven't been able to build up an audience to the
degree I'd initially hoped for. I have my core readership, of course, to whom
I'm eternally grateful. Ultimately, though, the responsibility of bringing
traffic to the site rests entirely on me, and only me, and I've been slow in
making that happen. Never one to toot my own horn, I was uncomfortable at first
posting updates to Facebook, or anywhere else for that matter, expecting, I
guess, to succeed on the strength of my words alone. But it takes a certain
amount of shameless self-promotion to make it anywhere in this world, a fact
I've only started warming up to, and now that I've started posting to <a href="https://twitter.com/DWLundberg"><span style="color: #3d85c6;">Twitter</span></a>
and <a href="https://medium.com/@FTWW"><span style="color: #3d85c6;">Medium.com</span></a>, we'll see what that does for the site. (Special thanks to Ether
Ling for crafting a marketing plan to help bolster the blog.)</span><br />
<a name='more'></a><span style="font-family: "Courier New";"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";">Part of the fun
about blogging, particularly for a narcissistic perfectionist such as myself,
is that I'm able read past posts and edit them as I see fit: a spelling
correction here, a redundancy there, a grammatical error or forgotten factoid
there. (By the time you read this sentence, I'll have gone back and re-edited
it 4-7 times.) This may not be the most honest way of representing myself, but
whatever; generations from now, people will read FTWW and marvel at just how
streamlined and articulated it actually is. That's the dream, anyway.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";">Pictures, too, have
been getting an upgrade. The reasons for this are twofold: One, because when I
first started the blog, I uploaded all my screencaps in JPEG format, which has
a nasty habit of degrading in quality over time. This is especially true if the
images are cropped or edited - the compression rate for JPEG is so high that
bits of "data" are lost each time the file is saved, like making a
copy of a copy of a copy. So a photo that <a href="http://findingthewrongwords.blogspot.com/2010/06/for-casting-shifts-and-plots-that.html"><span style="color: #3d85c6;">initially</span></a> looks like this...<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgww3XW2q5jPliS_dYFQFyZG3DsmyYvKM0MFunjIr-w0qSV5k3ujnUk8pRbkLca9PlJSosZuqoHqpgB0KDl12Kg8qgw51yYL1K9VN5yAQM5QRONPWA46JpoY8CukocveMfxZBMD3jlJlecr/s1600/sam&mikaela.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgww3XW2q5jPliS_dYFQFyZG3DsmyYvKM0MFunjIr-w0qSV5k3ujnUk8pRbkLca9PlJSosZuqoHqpgB0KDl12Kg8qgw51yYL1K9VN5yAQM5QRONPWA46JpoY8CukocveMfxZBMD3jlJlecr/s1600/sam&mikaela.png" height="250" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: 'Courier New';">...will eventually
look like this:</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikr3N1j3tl7N9D3_DdXtkuo716YBPQHafH2JsbdWLrVySifGe6kHFKmByKr2VT5meF9p2q587K9GY9y1DQNJAETwVA2HkUe1OUJP7eHI-RbfGfAYgSCnkZeFHVco-fZmG4DaF0jq2K5uOd/s1600/sam&mikaela.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikr3N1j3tl7N9D3_DdXtkuo716YBPQHafH2JsbdWLrVySifGe6kHFKmByKr2VT5meF9p2q587K9GY9y1DQNJAETwVA2HkUe1OUJP7eHI-RbfGfAYgSCnkZeFHVco-fZmG4DaF0jq2K5uOd/s1600/sam&mikaela.jpg" height="250" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";">Was anyone else
aware of this? I may not be the most tech savvy person in the world, but I have
to say even this important fact took me by surprise. To the untrained eye, of
course, the difference may be negligible. Try posting this same photo to a site
like Medium, however, which allows for much larger image space than Blogger
currently does, and the difference can be downright embarrassing. Needless to
say I've been updating random posts throughout the site, this time in lossless
PNG format, and will continue to do so as the moment strikes me.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";">My second reason for
upgrading FTWW's photo cache is more of a personal one, and it feels
hypocritical that I've been ignoring it for so long. Allow me to explain. Even
at an early age I was well aware of widescreen aspect ratios - how, for
instance, a rectangular image in the theater didn't fit too well on a square
television at home. On plain old pan & scan VHS, that meant up to half a
film's image could be missing at any given moment, taking the artistry right
out of the thing. (By now you're probably well-versed in the whole widescreen
versus pan & scan debate. If not, you can check out this link <a href="http://www.dummies.com/how-to/content/aspect-ratios-widescreen-letterbox-pan-and-scan.html"><span style="color: #3d85c6;">here</span></a>.) So
when movie studios finally started embracing the letterbox format (on
videotape, then later on DVD and Blu ray; laserdisc was always too rich for my
blood), I made it my mission to point out the difference to everyone who would
listen - trying to explain that those pesky black bars at the top and bottom of
the screen gave you <i>more</i> of the picture, not less. Just as the filmmakers
intended.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";">Why, then, would I
intentionally crop my photos for the blog? Had I retained nothing from my
formative film-going years? What was the point in defending my beloved
letterboxing if I turned around and presented you with images altered from
their original format? Even from the beginning I was doing this. Consider <a href="http://findingthewrongwords.blogspot.com/2010/03/for-where-wild-things-are-and-risky.html"><span style="color: #3d85c6;">March 2010's post</span></a> on Spike Jonze's live-action <i>Where
The Wild Things Are</i>, a movie I still feel is better to look at than to
actually listen to. The film's Academy ratio is actually fairly wide, at
2.40:1, like this:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkHndMMgleqRZoN-Omm39mU77Nyba09PDJRb3iB_cMyUP9kulp1gSe723ZgT6OxnAFzJ7qZnckubq6STBFo36v07A0VkcK_34pHGdWgfasEm-zlJX7ejKmgQCPDcRhELObD42ZjT4OMa9F/s1600/wtwta01.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkHndMMgleqRZoN-Omm39mU77Nyba09PDJRb3iB_cMyUP9kulp1gSe723ZgT6OxnAFzJ7qZnckubq6STBFo36v07A0VkcK_34pHGdWgfasEm-zlJX7ejKmgQCPDcRhELObD42ZjT4OMa9F/s1600/wtwta01.png" height="165" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: 'Courier New';">For the initial
post, though, I cropped the image down to this, presumably so I could bring Max
and his buddy Carol front and center:</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfbL7QKY_wJSbsOrgauPEdhXJjHJZC6NuBVqr1bwU6GEQFRpL3dom2TUGw5p6jyVBWNfZqTrNVS-QSJd5S9muST-yi1g3-6jSkWP0O7SenMtPCvbPw2fqGwbdvQ01laVOtXhhEgY2vBgdB/s1600/wtwta02.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfbL7QKY_wJSbsOrgauPEdhXJjHJZC6NuBVqr1bwU6GEQFRpL3dom2TUGw5p6jyVBWNfZqTrNVS-QSJd5S9muST-yi1g3-6jSkWP0O7SenMtPCvbPw2fqGwbdvQ01laVOtXhhEgY2vBgdB/s1600/wtwta02.png" height="250" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: 'Courier New';">Not much of a
difference, you might think, since the area I discarded is basically empty
space to begin with. The image in its entirety says a lot about the alienation
of the characters, however, isolated from everything and everyone (at least
that's what <i>I</i> think it says; the movie is plagued with so many Meaningful
Silences my mind has a tendency to wander), and lopping the information off the
sides eliminates all integrity of the shot. Somehow I doubt even Maurice Sendak
would approve.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";">Granted, not all
films are shot so equally wide. The <i>Batman</i>
films of the 90s, for example, shot in a "matted" 1.85:1 ratio:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBl-cZrzLBZ4sy6b_PFm4PS64_LuK5Y3SKRkl8E1qZAfnoV_en7Xa_ZsMr5HzxGq32zbX22f5ICg1d5hirOjPBSSDnf18G42-pKJOzJswCbeqWGdnDqvgLHU_Nk_0Mq9YAAnmtM1_6wEHp/s1600/batman01.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBl-cZrzLBZ4sy6b_PFm4PS64_LuK5Y3SKRkl8E1qZAfnoV_en7Xa_ZsMr5HzxGq32zbX22f5ICg1d5hirOjPBSSDnf18G42-pKJOzJswCbeqWGdnDqvgLHU_Nk_0Mq9YAAnmtM1_6wEHp/s1600/batman01.png" height="221" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: 'Courier New';">Cropping this same
image for the blog, the difference, again, is somewhat negligible:</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKKs8ZtIDVxGLTFZKAxoBVs_Jkyvgx31eDDmPtM3tbMNmzs7HCeitoVDyIqVUGG50ON8BVtbKKoC18f4aubAqrIr8RA84s717bQq4-KFr0yOjdEt0_4PFduEvYAmfEohSjUhD0OaUxZAm4/s1600/batman02.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKKs8ZtIDVxGLTFZKAxoBVs_Jkyvgx31eDDmPtM3tbMNmzs7HCeitoVDyIqVUGG50ON8BVtbKKoC18f4aubAqrIr8RA84s717bQq4-KFr0yOjdEt0_4PFduEvYAmfEohSjUhD0OaUxZAm4/s1600/batman02.png" height="250" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: 'Courier New';">Still, professional
courtesy dictates that I stay true to the filmmakers' original vision. Call it
busy work or just plain obsessiveness, my aim is to make FTWW as uniform as
possible, and to provide you guys with the most comprehensive cinema-going
experience you can possibly imagine.</span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";">As I continue to
post to Twitter and Medium over the next year, figuring out simultaneously how
to expand the blog and make it more accessible to non-readers, you can expect
to see more consistency in terms of regular updates to the site. I think, as
well, that my lackadaisical approach to blogging prevents people from checking
back on a regular basis, so a weekly post every Friday, say, might help to
remedy that in the long run. Also expect to see a continuation of series we've
run in the past (i.e., more <a href="http://findingthewrongwords.blogspot.com/search/label/FRANCHISE%20FACE-OFFS"><span style="color: #3d85c6;">Franchise Face-Offs</span></a>, <a href="http://findingthewrongwords.blogspot.com/search/label/DETAILS%20YOU%20MAY%20NEVER%20HAVE%20NOTICED"><span style="color: #3d85c6;">Details You Probably Never Noticed</span></a>, <a href="http://findingthewrongwords.blogspot.com/2014/08/for-unsung-heroes-stellan-skarsgard.html"><span style="color: #3d85c6;">Unsung Heroes</span></a> and the like) as well as some new ones I intend to
introduce in the coming months, which I hope will lead to plenty of
conversations about the nature of film and the many ways we take it for
granted. We're quickly closing in on the 5th Anniversary of the site, with no
signs of slowing down in the future, and I hope to see you back here, bringing
your friends along with you, happy and hungry for more.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";">Until </span><span style="font-family: 'Courier New';">then, we'll see you around the blog-o-sphere!</span></div>
D.W. Lundberghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03709428152190690075noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8005808875158331076.post-59441722037524832532014-11-13T16:15:00.000-07:002015-11-18T15:55:13.460-07:00... FOR "MOVIE COINCIDENCE OF THE DAY #7" (OR, "THAT TIME 'PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN' TOTALLY RIPPED OFF AN OLD BUGS BUNNY CARTOON")<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiX4dNQ6kT-iC-KSCr4ZaWmGHEV0HaWeV0JVe7yQ7_BTosbPK-x5vBFUsXHX-M8ca3dIsFYg54DC59aNG-c1icMFkqt3yZ6FtDQ3MWzwND3uPFQ_gPYzPjmg1xMEKNPzW-gxhXsYojJ8aek/s1600/intro.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiX4dNQ6kT-iC-KSCr4ZaWmGHEV0HaWeV0JVe7yQ7_BTosbPK-x5vBFUsXHX-M8ca3dIsFYg54DC59aNG-c1icMFkqt3yZ6FtDQ3MWzwND3uPFQ_gPYzPjmg1xMEKNPzW-gxhXsYojJ8aek/s1600/intro.png" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">So I was able to enjoy some much-needed rest and
relaxation last month, while on vacation with the in-laws at Disneyland, and
during one particularly lackadaisical morning in our hotel room, managed to
catch the tail end of a <i>Looney Tunes</i> marathon on Cartoon Network. That sounds a
bit like sacrilege, I know (Warner Bros created its <i>Looney Tunes</i>/<i>Merrie
Melodies</i> cartoon shorts to compete with Disney's <i>Silly Symphonies</i> during the
1930s), but my love for Bugs, Daffy and the rest apparently knows no bounds,
and it's always good to catch up with them on occasion. Even my 12-year-old
nephew seemed to get a kick out of them, laughing along with the jokes and
staying one step ahead of the characters, which was especially good for my ego.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">One cartoon on the rotation, 1954's <i>Captain Hareblower</i>, has always been a
personal favorite. It stars Yosemite Sam as a high-seas pirate who tries
(unsuccessfully) to commandeer a vessel piloted by that wascally wabbit himself, Mr. Bugs Bunny. (Says Bugs, after Pirate Sam's first declaration of war, "Now, he should know better than that!") Naturally, hilarious hi-jinks
ensue, involving a shark, a match, an axe, close-range cannon fire, and a bomb
that somehow stays lit underwater - not necessarily in that order. Of course, only Bugs
escapes with his dignity intact. Here it is in its entirety, courtesy of YouTube:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"></span><br />
<a name='more'></a><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="275" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/sdlW83GVf3Y" width="410"></iframe></span>
<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">And yet, as the short played out, something about it really seemed to nag at me
this time. Perhaps it was because I hadn't seen it in a while. Perhaps because
we were sitting there in Anaheim, I had Disney on the brain. Either way, I
couldn't help thinking that certain gags and even specific shots bore a
striking resemblance to the </span><i style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">Pirates Of The Caribbean</i><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"> movies, the third one in
particular.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">Checking our Blu-ray when we returned home, it
turns out I was right: on at least three separate occasions (there may be
more), the climax of <i>At World's End</i> seems to take <i>Captain Hareblower</i> as its
inspiration. First, a POV shot of characters waiting to fire a cannon at the
enemy:</span><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjISDLj0rfx4rihKDFtT_fsyudiBwxfi9VoQ2wcnevYnTD_CgmaVgrMQ4xmnpuYd3p9Wjcx37iOkceUDGc6pPNp8onGll9-EM06rvBKW-9vk_1GZSPgXbYHXqbzvkw0Z0jreo685UWKydVR/s1600/piratecannon01.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="163" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjISDLj0rfx4rihKDFtT_fsyudiBwxfi9VoQ2wcnevYnTD_CgmaVgrMQ4xmnpuYd3p9Wjcx37iOkceUDGc6pPNp8onGll9-EM06rvBKW-9vk_1GZSPgXbYHXqbzvkw0Z0jreo685UWKydVR/s400/piratecannon01.png" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicL23u8FxrwE5gSoe2kc8m97iSM60tKhnQPiEXWi2FhenDtfRsk9iPrHCa5kRf-zdBo4JZCguTeS_IV9kQ3LvmcqxKFyr7dGXFFelUO2Xfm_IAw-PfoHGpMV2363AUNf5UhY4M0sTQi2aW/s1600/piratecannon02.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="291" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicL23u8FxrwE5gSoe2kc8m97iSM60tKhnQPiEXWi2FhenDtfRsk9iPrHCa5kRf-zdBo4JZCguTeS_IV9kQ3LvmcqxKFyr7dGXFFelUO2Xfm_IAw-PfoHGpMV2363AUNf5UhY4M0sTQi2aW/s400/piratecannon02.png" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">Next, a shot of Captain Jack Sparrow and Davy Jones battling atop the ship's scaffolding:</span><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0OI0xpi5FpOCpMfF_J-7BWErKqXRjwpcIRg5VLACIyRisNJ_hfpLBibbX3kzTtYexKGCTLmncxupcR3sA88mB7VcE7xPNCmgamOHvrSs0fbTPXH8sEnjuy2AbkKS37eOQVzzhocxm93Vc/s1600/piraterigging01.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="163" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0OI0xpi5FpOCpMfF_J-7BWErKqXRjwpcIRg5VLACIyRisNJ_hfpLBibbX3kzTtYexKGCTLmncxupcR3sA88mB7VcE7xPNCmgamOHvrSs0fbTPXH8sEnjuy2AbkKS37eOQVzzhocxm93Vc/s400/piraterigging01.png" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyvgHsq43riyhciFIaWi65NrVppCdKzMPCwLVDNLi8CgavIq6P9nVAEhsg4i6pzdxc0GRn0zbyV-uh6mcUo_7nzMYMUFBGsvxHD5ZDZE_YIFm-IofLRWMSLQG4p56Dpw-_RGRPzFkERAfV/s1600/piraterigging02.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="291" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyvgHsq43riyhciFIaWi65NrVppCdKzMPCwLVDNLi8CgavIq6P9nVAEhsg4i6pzdxc0GRn0zbyV-uh6mcUo_7nzMYMUFBGsvxHD5ZDZE_YIFm-IofLRWMSLQG4p56Dpw-_RGRPzFkERAfV/s400/piraterigging02.png" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">Finally, a shot of two similarly-constructed ships
silently passing each other before combat:</span><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQ0Zi9w8ayr0GYIM1694tK1YSHGygUlL2fQRug_3kiJkHqJBHx158bbczVsxQ8Pi1U0OPUgXvKUp4w064nkUq2v7Re0Vkxk6yF5nlDt0-dPsXrFWcRtDycf5fIvU37Ez-5hSNSyO6IL2ld/s1600/piratepassing01.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="163" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQ0Zi9w8ayr0GYIM1694tK1YSHGygUlL2fQRug_3kiJkHqJBHx158bbczVsxQ8Pi1U0OPUgXvKUp4w064nkUq2v7Re0Vkxk6yF5nlDt0-dPsXrFWcRtDycf5fIvU37Ez-5hSNSyO6IL2ld/s400/piratepassing01.png" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoRxI3EsZ59LeKLjVzV9VJX6QbLJ02erOWTUJ94eEkrPm0ydtrb1eSbb0j7NL8lm_Azr7O8tmWza7q_dmn1p5M98ut2yIMEMNZOgFM6pJKM6s26ywMby4QD8wJRCn7Azk0VzQGCWuSXCys/s1600/piratepassing02.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="291" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoRxI3EsZ59LeKLjVzV9VJX6QbLJ02erOWTUJ94eEkrPm0ydtrb1eSbb0j7NL8lm_Azr7O8tmWza7q_dmn1p5M98ut2yIMEMNZOgFM6pJKM6s26ywMby4QD8wJRCn7Azk0VzQGCWuSXCys/s400/piratepassing02.png" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">This isn't really a problem, per
se, especially since the entire <i>Pirates Of The Caribbean</i> franchise plays like
a live-action <i>Looney Tunes</i> anyway. And I'm sure further research would show
that all pirate movies have employed similar shots at one time or another.
(Seriously... how many ways can you visualize a cannon firing?) Wouldn't life
be so much simpler, though, if every movie modeled itself after a Bugs Bunny
cartoon?</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">__________</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;"><i><b>Interested in more Movie Coincidences of the Day? Click <a href="http://findingthewrongwords.blogspot.com/2013/10/for-movie-coincidence-of-day-1.html"><span style="color: #3d85c6;">here</span></a> for our introductory article. Then click <a href="http://findingthewrongwords.blogspot.com/2013/11/for-movie-coincidence-of-day-2_7.html"><span style="color: #3d85c6;">here</span></a>, <a href="http://findingthewrongwords.blogspot.com/2014/01/for-movie-coincidence-of-day-3_28.html"><span style="color: #3d85c6;">here</span></a>, <a href="http://findingthewrongwords.blogspot.com/2014/02/for-movie-coincidence-of-day-4_18.html"><span style="color: #3d85c6;">here</span></a>, <a href="http://findingthewrongwords.blogspot.com/2014/06/for-movie-coincidence-of-day-5_13.html"><span style="color: #3d85c6;">here</span></a>, and also <a href="http://findingthewrongwords.blogspot.com/2014/09/for-movie-coincidencemarketing-ploy-of.html"><span style="color: #3d85c6;">here</span></a> for everything after.</b></i></span>D.W. Lundberghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03709428152190690075noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8005808875158331076.post-26792999404254084272014-10-31T16:00:00.000-06:002015-02-24T11:22:24.447-07:00... IN DEFENSE OF "HORROR MOVIES"<div class="MsoNormal">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOtGWQCfzBK99633Dayf5hFNt4nKjbe7A2vrx6pNxoTH2uEEh410O2u8blpSi7LaKFPfvG-eEi-cZKhbQDir1FYaeH-MK3lsJp1HrSd4cQiNOgS31fFNDFlvgw3N1XcGxsy1bJiXUz5NHU/s1600/intro.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOtGWQCfzBK99633Dayf5hFNt4nKjbe7A2vrx6pNxoTH2uEEh410O2u8blpSi7LaKFPfvG-eEi-cZKhbQDir1FYaeH-MK3lsJp1HrSd4cQiNOgS31fFNDFlvgw3N1XcGxsy1bJiXUz5NHU/s1600/intro.png" height="250" width="400" /></a></div>
<span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Why do we love Horror movies? What is it about them we find so
consistently fascinating? Is it the childlike thrill of the dark? A secret love
for things that jump out and go "Boo!"? Or is it something deeper - a
catharsis, say, a way of facing our fears head on, only to emerge, two hours
later with a silly grin on our faces, into the light? The fact is, most of us
like to be scared on one level or another. It's the adrenaline you feel, that
thumping in your chest when you're forced to step outside your comfort zone.
This is true whether you're jumping from a plane, climbing a rock face, or
riding a roller coaster - you get addicted to it, like a drug. Horror films affect
us in much the same way.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Even so, Horror movies tend to illicit different reactions from
the people watching them. It's hard to feel threatened by Dracula, for
instance, if you don't find vampires particularly frightful or menacing. The
shark scenes in <i><a href="http://findingthewrongwords.blogspot.com/2010/11/for-macguffin-with-egg-part-2.html"><span style="color: #3d85c6;">Jaws</span></a></i> may turn your
basic aquaphobe to a quivering mess on the floor, but the effect will be
decidedly different for anyone who's spent a great deal of time out on the
ocean. From the silent Expressionist films of the 20s (<i>The Cabinet Of Dr. Caligari</i>, <i>Nosferatu</i>)
to Universal's classic monsters of the 30s and 40s (<i><a href="http://findingthewrongwords.blogspot.com/2012/11/for-franchise-face-offs-part-15.html"><span style="color: #3d85c6;">Frankenstein</span></a></i>, <i>The Wolf Man</i>)
to the slasher flicks of the 70s and 80s (<i>The
Texas Chain Saw Massacre</i>, <i>Halloween</i>
and their countless clones) and finally to the J-Horror and "torture
porn" films of the Noughties (<i>Ju-On:
The Grudge</i>, <i>Hostel</i>), the genre
has been fractured and splintered into so many subcategories that there's
practically something for everyone. The question becomes: What kind of Horror
fiend are you?</span></span><br />
<a name='more'></a><span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">I've never been much of a gore hound myself. There's just
something about endless scenes of torture and dismemberment which I find, I
don't know, <i>not very fun</i>. And while I
admit there's a market for this sort of thing (the <i>Saw</i> franchise alone <a href="http://www.boxofficemojo.com/franchises/chart/?id=saw.htm"><span style="color: #3d85c6;">has grossed over $877 million worldwide</span></a>), that
doesn't mean I have to like it. Or watch it. There are exceptions, of course -
Sam Raimi's <i>Evil Dead 2</i> (1987) comes to
mind, which at least has a sense of humor to back up its scares, or George
Romero's <i>Dawn Of The Dead</i> (1978), with its
zombie apocalypse as metaphor for mindless consumerism in America. But for me,
the most effective horrors are the ones you <i>don't</i> see - i.e., those
"bumps" you hear in the middle of the night, rather than the things
doing the actual bumping. (Think <i>The
Thing</i> from 1951 - sufficiently spine-tingling for its first half, until you
see that the creature is nothing more than a man in monster makeup.)<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">This is not to say that all Horror movies must be gutless to be
good. The best ones, in fact, have the power to rattle and disturb you without
resorting to unnecessary on-screen violence. To illustrate this, we'll take a
look at specific "splatter"-free examples from every decade since the
'60s - when gore-meisters like Herschell Gordon Lewis began eking out a living
grossing us out on a regular basis.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQ_9DOc0Ol0Tzuyy9NZ-eNkokTukn41ddjuGorNL0PnQvlRtQ7ps72DRgKDZnNSN9TPmEwxhg78ko9bJNVHO1wQrS-dGvvgaUj6Z5iAJAVSU1b3CO9ztxr_0PRPuG9e9iWOm28sBaZ00df/s1600/psycho.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQ_9DOc0Ol0Tzuyy9NZ-eNkokTukn41ddjuGorNL0PnQvlRtQ7ps72DRgKDZnNSN9TPmEwxhg78ko9bJNVHO1wQrS-dGvvgaUj6Z5iAJAVSU1b3CO9ztxr_0PRPuG9e9iWOm28sBaZ00df/s1600/psycho.png" height="205" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace; font-size: x-small;"><i>Psycho </i>(1960)</span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><br /></span></div>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">The granddaddy of all "slasher flicks" is of course
Alfred Hitchcock's <i>Psycho</i> (1960),
made on a minimal budget by a television crew. Everyone remembers the infamous
shower scene, but do you recall a single shot where the knife pierces actual
flesh? That's because there isn't one: In all of the scene's 50+ camera shots,
the blade touches Marion's skin exactly once, and even then we only see its
aftermath, as blood gathers around her feet and circles down the drain. The
cutting (ahem) is so fast, and the motion so violent, that we only think we see
what clearly isn't there (many viewers have even commented on the color of the
blood, even though the movie was shot in black and white!). Audiences lapped it
up, despite the film's overt themes of incest, transvestism and necrophilia -
a testament to The Master's sheer command of the medium, and also to <i>Psycho</i>'s anti-climactic final minutes,
in which a talking-head psychotherapist helpfully explains away Norman Bates'
condition. The perfunctory-ness of this final scene lets the audience off the
hook, so to speak - makes everything we've just witnessed the horrors seem
ordinary, clinical even, so that you walk away happy and humble that the
horrors have been kept at bay. (Michael Powell's similarly-themed <i>Peeping Tom</i>, released just two months
prior to <i>Psycho</i>, features no such
explanatory sequences and was summarily denounced by the public.)<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuyy5f_kQfd1g93lMCw1aMwXECqevAkF9ZiXzj29EfrP7rn75AxUWopDqaUU_jrR5Ee7kFnOzJ5kpBslmQFCFLbfWpeuCd5BEwdqkhMFWxAQllEJg72_ddIe4lh2udi75jiDCveVU-iI3L/s1600/texaschainsaw.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuyy5f_kQfd1g93lMCw1aMwXECqevAkF9ZiXzj29EfrP7rn75AxUWopDqaUU_jrR5Ee7kFnOzJ5kpBslmQFCFLbfWpeuCd5BEwdqkhMFWxAQllEJg72_ddIe4lh2udi75jiDCveVU-iI3L/s1600/texaschainsaw.png" height="220" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace; font-size: x-small;"><i>The Texas Chain Saw Massacre</i> (1974)</span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><br /></span></div>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Tobe Hooper, on the other hand, makes every effort to implicate
his audience with <i>The Texas Chain Saw
Massacre</i> (1974), and he does this by showing you almost next to nothing.
Incredibly, Hooper set out to make a PG-rated film, avoiding the buckets of
blood favored by his "splatter film" contemporaries, Wes Craven and
Dario Argento. (The movie is based on the real-life murders of serial killer Ed
Gein, who was also, coincidentally, the inspiration for <i>Psycho</i>.) But when he submitted the film to the MPAA, it received an
R rating; it was the tone, they said, the mood it created, and nothing he cut
from the movie would change that. Seen today, it's surprising how much of the
violence happens off-screen; characters may get clomped on the head with a
hammer or hung from a meat hook, but the acts themselves are often shot from a
distance, or blocked by objects within the camera frame (despite the title,
only one character is killed by actual chainsaw). Which is precisely the point:
<i>TTCSM</i> creeps into your skull because
of what it <i>doesn't</i> show - your mind
makes up the rest, makes you an active part of it, like watching an amateur
snuff film you can't look away from. That's a big part of its primal appeal,
and why audiences feel so fascinated and disgusted by it.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">The success of <i>The Texas
Chain Saw Massacre</i> (and also <i>Black
Christmas</i>, released later that same year) paved the way for countless
clones and copycats, most notably John Carpenter's <i><a href="http://findingthewrongwords.blogspot.com/2010/10/for-franchise-face-offs-part-2.html"><span style="color: #3d85c6;">Halloween</span></a></i> (1978), another low-budget shocker with minimal blood.
Carpenter favored good old-fashioned suspense over gross-outs and gore, and his
villain, the maniac Michael Myers, was an emotional blank the audience could
pin all their fears on. (Indeed, when Michael's mask is peeled off at the end of
the film, audiences shrieked at the sight of his perfectly "normal"
face underneath.)<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">By the mid-1980s, however, slasher films became virtually
indistinguishable from each other, with a glut of cinematic serial killers -
Freddy Krueger from <i>A Nightmare On Elm
Street</i>, Jason and Mrs. Voorhees from <i>Friday
The 13th</i>, the masked killers of <i>Prom
Night</i> and <i>My Bloody Valentine</i> -
all vying for a slice of the box office pie. The gore became gorier, the deaths
more elaborate, and the plots an endless string of victims to be vivisected and
debased for audience enjoyment. Even Michael Myers, Norman Bates and
Leatherface got back in the action, with <i>Halloween
II</i> (1981), <i>Psycho II</i> (1983) and <i>The Texas Chainsaw Massacre Part 2 </i>(1986)
- sequels with far more blood than their respective originals, as if trying to
compete.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBhljQ3cJacDg2A51t5EVsm8pgoQL26VUwesjVfsIXIn4dmKzkAi4BXhyphenhyphenR7xAHSnSX9voEkYBonx62U0KuHB1S0adfrht9xM-15Ctb_sxbyH_kbv9tMs774l6rp0wPNDlhkgNKZLIRUK9e/s1600/poltergeist.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBhljQ3cJacDg2A51t5EVsm8pgoQL26VUwesjVfsIXIn4dmKzkAi4BXhyphenhyphenR7xAHSnSX9voEkYBonx62U0KuHB1S0adfrht9xM-15Ctb_sxbyH_kbv9tMs774l6rp0wPNDlhkgNKZLIRUK9e/s1600/poltergeist.png" height="167" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace; font-size: x-small;"><i>Poltergeist</i> (1982)</span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace; font-size: x-small;"><br /></span></div>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">80s alternatives to the slasher film included movies about
vampires (<i>The Hunger</i>, <i>Fright Night</i>), werewolves (<i>An American Werewolf In London</i>, <i>The Howling</i>) and ghosts (<i>The Shining</i>, <i>Lady In White</i>). Undoubtedly the most famous of these "haunted
house" movies is <i>Poltergeist</i>
(1982), directed by Tobe Hooper and produced by Steven Spielberg. Like Hooper's
original <i>Chain Saw Massacre</i>, it's
practically bloodless yet every bit as frightening (despite its many scenes of
face-ripping and marauding, kid-swallowing trees, the movie still managed to
squeak by with a PG rating), and will give you second thoughts about leaving on
your television late at night. It is also one of the only films in history in
which an entire family functions as the primary protagonist, rather than a
single character trying to overcome obstacles alone. (Todd Alcott talks a bit
<a href="http://www.toddalcott.com/poltergeist.html"><span style="color: #3d85c6;">here</span></a> about the nature of "the Beast," the entity that threatens the
Freeling family in the film. From a screenwriting perspective, I can see his
point - as a villain, it's hard to pin down what hijinks the Beast might
actually be up to. On the other hand, these poltergeists/hauntings/paranormal
activities are notorious for making hardly any sense at all, so logic need not
apply.)<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Three new subgenres came into prominence during the 1990s: the
Meta Horror film, J-Horror (Japanese Horror) film, and the Found Footage film.
Movies that are "meta" - i.e., self-consciously aware that they are,
in fact, movies - seemed to thrive in the wake of Quentin Tarantino's films,
which often referenced pop culture in their screenplays. The most successful of
these meta Horrors, Wes Craven's original <i>Scream</i>
trilogy (1996-2000) and in-jokey <i>New
Nightmare</i> (1994) spoofed the director's splatter-ific reputation (and the
Horror genre in general) to spectacular effect. Yet even these mini-classics,
clever as they are, devolved into non-stop bloodbaths from time to time.</span></span><br />
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjL9AzRUfQUW3Vc8eyttGzGcncaQ5hdW8rbtJKhHVc3p9P4cxTk05TayMV0sqXV8Jp33mdvhjLGvXSe4z04V5sCkqt8Sco_lE6wCl9vWhUR-WRilMtRE0WvN8iRExUen6_vEBjZaD17DnGR/s1600/ringu-blair.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjL9AzRUfQUW3Vc8eyttGzGcncaQ5hdW8rbtJKhHVc3p9P4cxTk05TayMV0sqXV8Jp33mdvhjLGvXSe4z04V5sCkqt8Sco_lE6wCl9vWhUR-WRilMtRE0WvN8iRExUen6_vEBjZaD17DnGR/s1600/ringu-blair.png" height="220" width="400" /></a></div>
<span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace; font-size: x-small; line-height: 115%;"><i>Ringu</i> (1998) /</span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace; font-size: x-small; line-height: 115%;"><i>The Blair Witch Project</i> (1999)</span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<span style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace; line-height: 115%;">In Japan, meanwhile, Horror films had been experiencing similar
growing pains. Artsy fare from the 50s and 60s such as </span><i style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace; line-height: 115%;">Ugetsu</i><span style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace; line-height: 115%;"> (1953) and </span><i style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace; line-height: 115%;">Kwaidan</i><span style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace; line-height: 115%;">
(1964) soon gave way to the so-called "<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pink_film"><span style="color: #3d85c6;">pink films</span></a>" of the 70s and 80s
- movies high in violent and sexual content. Then, in 1998, came the film that
turned the J-Horror industry on its head. Based on the novel by Koji Suzuki, </span><i style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace; line-height: 115%;">Ringu</i><span style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace; line-height: 115%;"> (directed by Hideo Nakata) retains
all the elements we regularly associate with the genre: vengeful black-haired
spirit girls, an aversion to technology (in this case, cursed videotapes), and
a dreamlike, nonsensical plot that poses more questions than it actually
answers. It also relies extensively on suspense and atmosphere to generate
chills. (Says Nakata: "I'm not really into grotesque stuff."). </span><i style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace; line-height: 115%;">Ringu</i><span style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace; line-height: 115%;">'s success at the box office led to
multiple sequels and a host of similar films, including </span><i style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace; line-height: 115%;">Spiral</i><span style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace; line-height: 115%;"> (2000) and </span><i style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace; line-height: 115%;">Ju-On: The
Grudge</i><span style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace; line-height: 115%;"> (2002). Just as quickly, though, the novelty wore off, and the films
grew stale and repetitive, sometimes to the point of self-parody. (And the glut
of vastly inferior American remakes certainly didn't help).</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><span style="line-height: 115%;">The same could be said for Found Footage films, shot entirely in
the first-person (usually on digital video) and built around the improbable
(borderline reprehensible) idea that the characters would </span><i style="line-height: 115%;">stubbornly refuse to put their camera down</i><span style="line-height: 115%;">, despite whatever's
happening to them. Over the past 15 years, this sort of thing has been
literally done to death (if you'll pardon the expression), with every genre -
from </span><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diary_of_the_Dead" style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="color: #3d85c6;">zombie flicks</span></a><span style="line-height: 115%;"> to </span><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cloverfield" style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="color: #3d85c6;">monster movies</span></a><span style="line-height: 115%;"> to the occasional </span><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Project_X_(2012_film)" style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="color: #3d85c6;">comedy</span></a><span style="line-height: 115%;"> - trying to put a
new spin on age-old material. None, however, could hold a stick figure to </span><i style="line-height: 115%;">The Blair Witch Project</i><span style="line-height: 115%;"> (1999), Daniel
Myrick and </span><span style="line-height: 18.3999996185303px;">Eduardo Sánchez</span><span style="line-height: 115%;">'s $600,000-budget, $248 million-grossing sensation,
which actually held the title of Most Successful Independent Film for a time. </span><i style="line-height: 115%;">Blair Witch</i><span style="line-height: 115%;"> might not have been the
first Found Footage film ever made (by then, </span><i style="line-height: 115%;">Cannibal Holocaust</i><span style="line-height: 115%;"> [1980] and </span><i style="line-height: 115%;">The
Last Broadcast</i><span style="line-height: 115%;"> [1998] had already beaten it to the punch), but it was
definitely the first to capture the public consciousness, backed by a pre-release,
pre-social media marketing blitz that was nothing short of genius. (So genius,
in fact, the film's groundbreaking guerrilla tactics are <a href="http://www.denofgeek.com/movies/viral-marketing/28368/blair-witch-and-the-rise-of-viral-movie-marketing"><span style="color: #3d85c6;">still duplicated to this day</span></a>.) The movie itself is a masterpiece of suspense and slow-sustained
dread, much like its J-Horror counterparts, with a plot that seems to follow no
basic set of rules.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">If only more movies aspired to be more <i>Blair Witch</i>-like. Instead, the Horror films of the Noughties took a
sharp left turn toward sadism, torture, and all-around depravity, the likes of
which hadn't been seen since the exploitation-hungry 70s. The rise of the
"torture porn" film - titles like <i>Hostel</i>
(2005), <i>Wolf Creek</i> (2005) or <i>Saw</i> (2004) - signified a new low in
American moviemaking, showing everything, leaving nothing to the imagination,
pushing the limits of what could or could not be shown on a screen. And
audiences couldn't get enough. Add to that Hollywood's unquenchable thirst for
gorier, grittier remakes of popular "classics" (<i>The Texas Chainsaw Massacre</i> [2003], <i>Halloween</i> [2007] and <i>The Last
House On The Left</i> [2009], to name a few), and you had a recipe for the most
divisive decade in the entire history of Horror.</span></span><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiB3YBYngkM7HzK2LMJq3wbjG193UAj5lXWCUpByy2Fst3gPE_FsxvnrTZbBFWoSkMZkvMrbBvBWEHo7lKC9VldRVcpyok2QOcYdHJMPWq2MBEyJdUn_XlTRem3THEaveuoG5UTT9V4OCLY/s1600/kairo-activity.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiB3YBYngkM7HzK2LMJq3wbjG193UAj5lXWCUpByy2Fst3gPE_FsxvnrTZbBFWoSkMZkvMrbBvBWEHo7lKC9VldRVcpyok2QOcYdHJMPWq2MBEyJdUn_XlTRem3THEaveuoG5UTT9V4OCLY/s1600/kairo-activity.png" height="220" width="400" /></a></div>
<span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><br /></span></span>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace; font-size: x-small;"><i>Kairo</i> (2001) /</span></span><br />
<span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace; font-size: x-small;"><i>Paranormal Activity</i> (2009)</span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><br /></span></span></div>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">A few films stood out from the dross. Danny Boyle's <i>28 Days Later</i> (2002), Jaume Balagueró
and Paco Plaza's <i>[REC]</i> (2007) and
Tomas Alfredson's <i>Låt den Rätte Komma In</i>
(<i>Let The Right One In</i>, 2008), for
example, elevated their respective genres to new heights of menace and meaning,
despite being relatively high in violence and gore. Paramount's <i><a href="http://findingthewrongwords.blogspot.com/2011/10/for-franchise-face-offs-part-9.html"><span style="color: #3d85c6;">Paranormal Activity</span></a></i> franchise, on the other
hand, managed to wring new life from the Found Footage genre (for a while at
least) by taking a page from the <i>Blair
Witch</i> playbook - shot on minimal sets on a minimal budget with minimal
blood. (By October 2010, <i>Paranormal
Activity</i> had begun to trounce the <i>Saw</i>
series regularly at <a href="http://screenrant.com/saw-3d-release-date-paranormal-activity-2-ross-69756/"><span style="color: #3d85c6;">the box office</span></a>. So maybe there's hope for audiences yet.) Even
the Noughties' one true Horror masterpiece, Kiyoshi Kurosawa's somber, dread-ridden <i>Kairo</i> (<i>Pulse</i>, 2001), was a rehash of familiar J-Horror tropes, but with
much more on its mind than simple scares. (For a deeper dive into <i>Kairo</i>, <i>[REC]</i> and <i>Let The Right One
In</i>, click <a href="http://findingthewrongwords.blogspot.com/2010/11/for-best-films-of-decade-part-8.html"><span style="color: #3d85c6;">here</span></a>.)</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace; line-height: 115%;">Could it be that we've reached a saturation point as far
as Horror movies are concerned? Now that the industry's covered the gamut of everything
from zombies to serial killers to <a href="http://findingthewrongwords.blogspot.com/2011/03/for-leprechaun-fun-time.html"><span style="color: #3d85c6;">vengeful murdering fairies</span></a>, to terrors seen
and others best left </span><i style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace; line-height: 115%;">un</i><span style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace; line-height: 115%;">seen, are
there any stones left unturned, any dark recesses of the mind left to explore?
Or are we destined to repeat the same tropes and formulas with only minor
variations in between?</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcAceN1bHz9CH-JmMzn03tv0sg2R1U2fjpSLyaM4ohmDiW1YO_tAgcbXaqvNNWJKiOOPV0mpohQdDJv0dqo0IEtkbyY12pwTgEO8RHGz6aEYhgHXkgd3XsnhthVe6qhUgq8NSEq0ZHcONL/s1600/conjuring.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcAceN1bHz9CH-JmMzn03tv0sg2R1U2fjpSLyaM4ohmDiW1YO_tAgcbXaqvNNWJKiOOPV0mpohQdDJv0dqo0IEtkbyY12pwTgEO8RHGz6aEYhgHXkgd3XsnhthVe6qhUgq8NSEq0ZHcONL/s1600/conjuring.png" height="163" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace; font-size: x-small;"><i>The Conjuring</i> (2013)</span></span></div>
</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: 'Courier New'; line-height: 115%;">Indeed, even the most enjoyable genre film of the decade so far,
last year's surprise blockbuster <i>The
Conjuring</i>, plays like a retread of everything that's come before it. Like <i>The Texas Chain Saw Massacre</i>, it's based
on "real" events, this time the actual case studies of paranormal
investigators Earl and Lorraine Warren. Also like <i>Chain Saw</i>, the film was shot with a family-friendly rating in
mind, but when it was submitted to the MPAA, the members there gave it an "R," because "<a href="http://www.worstpreviews.com/headline.php?id=27921"><span style="color: #3d85c6;">[i]t's just so scary</span></a>." (Only one act of violence is shown
during the entire movie, when a man is bitten on the cheek.) Like <i>Poltergeist</i>, it tells the story of a
family under siege from supernatural forces. And like <i>The Blair Witch</i>, <i>Ringu</i>
and <i>Pulse</i>, it's a masterwork of slow-build tension, parceling out
its scares ever so slowly before pulling out all its stops at the end. (The
screenplay, too, is uncommonly <i>structured</i>
for a Horror movie: by the time we catch up with the Warrens, teaching </span><span style="font-family: 'Courier New'; line-height: 18.3999996185303px;">a class full of mouth-breathing college students about </span><span style="font-family: 'Courier New'; line-height: 115%;">the three
stages of a haunting, we've
already witnessed the first stage - infestation - and, ingeniously, will </span><span style="font-family: 'Courier New'; line-height: 18.3999996185303px;">experience</span><span style="font-family: 'Courier New'; line-height: 115%;"> the second two - oppression and possession - as the story progresses.)</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: 'Courier New'; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: 'Courier New'; line-height: 115%;">Finally,
the coup de grâce: the director is none other than Mr. James Wan, the same man who
kicked off the "torture porn" genre only nine years before, with <i>Saw</i>! </span><i style="font-family: 'Courier New'; line-height: 18.3999996185303px;">The Conjuring</i><span style="font-family: 'Courier New'; line-height: 18.3999996185303px;"> </span><span style="font-family: 'Courier New'; line-height: 115%;">might not exactly
break the mold, but it's scary and it's fun and it's definitely proof that you
really can teach a new dog old tricks. If you like that sort of thing, that is.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: 'Courier New'; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Courier New;"><span style="line-height: 18.3999996185303px;"><b><i><u>POSTSCRIPT</u>: As with anything I write, the films included in this article are of a personal preference and should not be mistaken for a definitive list. For every one who appreciates the freaky frights of </i>Ringu <i>or </i>The Conjuring<i>, a dozen more will prefer the subtle nuances of </i>Wait Until Dark<i> or </i>The Changeling<i>. You're welcome to your opinion, of course, and I'd love to hear about it in the comments below, as well as any titles you feel have been unjustly ignored. (My favorite "scary" movie, </i>Jaws<i>, plays more like a solid adventure story than an out-and-out Horror film, and so barely gets a mention here.) Also remember, just because a movie like </i>The Texas Chain Saw Massacre<i> refrains from actual on-screen violence does not mean you should immediately pop it into your DVD player for the kiddies. Quite the contrary, in fact. My point was simply to highlight the notion that not all horrors need to be seen to be believed. Imagine a Hollywood-ized version of </i>The Blair Witch Project <i>in which the creature, played by a middle-aged woman in a fright wig, shows up early and often, cackling like Margaret Hamilton in </i>The Wizard Of Oz<i>, and you get the idea.</i></b></span></span></div>
</div>
D.W. Lundberghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03709428152190690075noreply@blogger.com0