My Favorite Lines From Favorite Movies Part 6

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This is my conclusion of a film arc I started a short while back. Each segment contained some of my all-time favorite lines from the movies I never tire of watching. Some of the best writers of dialogue on the planet have written for film throughout the decades, and this has been a celebration of what they've achieved and immortalized on film. In no way has this been comprehensive, that's for sure. But, it's been fun to recall those special moments when the words registered on the screen, and in my memory. For those who wish to look back on what's come before, below are the links to the previous posts in this series:

• Part 1
• Part 2
• Part 3
• Part 4
• Part 5

So, for those times when you need something to say...

Ronin

Sam: "So, how'd you get started in this business?"
Dierdre: "A wealthy scoundrel seduced and betrayed me."
Sam: "Same with me. How about that?"

The Eagle Has Landed

"A wink from pretty girl at a party results rarely in climax, Carl. But a man is a fool not to push a suggestion as far as it will go."

The Dirty Dozen

"You've all volunteered for a mission which just gives you just three ways to go. Either you can foul up in training and be shipped back here for immediate execution of sentence. Or you can foul up in combat, in which case I'll personally blow your brains out. Or, you can do as you're told."

Prizzi's Honor

"If Marxie Heller's so f**kin' smart, how come he's so f**kin' dead?"

Rob Roy

Montrose: "Great men, such as yourself, draw rumors as shite draws flies."
Duke of Argyll: "You are the shite, Montrose, and the flies upon it!"

"One must never underestimate the healing power of hatred."

Ghostbusters

Dr Ray Stantz: "You know, it just occurred to me that we really haven't had a successful test of this equipment."
Dr. Egon Spengler: "I blame myself."
Dr. Peter Venkman: "So do I."
Dr Ray Stantz: "Well, no sense in worrying about it now."
Dr. Peter Venkman: "Why worry? Each one of us is carrying an unlicensed nuclear accelerator on his back."

Dr Ray Stantz: "Everything was fine with our system until the power grid was shut off by dickless here."
Walter Peck: "They caused an explosion!"
Mayor: "Is this true?"
Dr. Peter Venkman: "Yes it's true... This man has no dick."

Thelma and Louise

"Look, you shoot off a guy's head with his pants down, believe me, Texas is not the place you want to get caught."

"Well, we're not in the middle of nowhere, but we can see it from here."

Some Like It Hot

"The story of my life. I always get the fuzzy end of the lollipop."

"Will you look at that! Look how she moves! It's like Jell-O on springs. Must have some sort of built-in motor or something. I tell you, it's a whole different sex! "

Duck Soup

"Remember you're fighting for this woman's honor, which is probably more than she ever did."

Moonstruck

"But love don't make things nice. It ruins everything. It breaks your heart. It makes things a mess. We aren't here to make things perfect. The snowflake is perfect. The stars are perfect. Not us. Not us. We are here to ruin ourselves and to break our hearts and love the wrong people and die."

Mommy Dearest

"Don't f--k with me, fellas. This ain't my first time at the rodeo."

Raiders of the Lost Ark

Marion: "You're not the man I knew ten years ago."
Indiana Jones: "It's not the years, honey, it's the mileage."

When Harry Met Sally

Harry Burns: "There are two kinds of women: high maintenance and low maintenance."
Sally Albright: "Which one am I?"
Harry Burns: "You're the worst kind. You're high maintenance but you think you're low maintenance."

"I love that you get cold when it's 71 degrees out. I love that it takes you an hour and a half to order a sandwich. I love that you get a little crinkle above your nose when you're looking at me like I'm nuts. I love that after I spend the day with you, I can still smell your perfume on my clothes. And I love that you are the last person I want to talk to before I go to sleep at night. And it's not because I'm lonely, and it's not because it's New Year's Eve. I came here tonight because when you realize you want to spend the rest of your life with somebody, you want the rest of your life to start as soon as possible."

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Death List Part 4

Continuation of the Death List series:

• Part 1 - Self Sacrifice
• Part 2 - Villain Comeuppance
• Part 3 - Bad Guy's 'Oops' Moment
  

"You know, Books; I'm not an especially brave man. But, if I were you and had lived my entire life the way you have, I don't think that the death I just described to you is not the one I would choose." ~ Dr. E.W. Hostetler (The Shootist)

It is a sobering point of fact that everyone dies (and I'm not very crazy about highlighting that actuality, neither) -- I guess you could reference the Lost finale if you want to get any solace out of it. We all have a start date (which most of us are aware of) and an end date (the something we are blissfully ignorant about). Even if we could, many of us wouldn't particularly want to learn anything specific about that latter rendezvous with the Reaper, in any case. But certainly, just about everyone would want it pushed back to the furthermost point in the future, that's for sure. I guess there is something to said about the core beliefs of Buddhism, with all apologies to my Catholic mother and wife.

On the big (or small) screen, we have all seen moments in movies when the protagonist gets to chose that specific end date because the story demands it. As I mentioned in Part 1 of this series, there are times when self sacrifice is the only way to solve a particularly tough problem for the hero. A greater good is to be gained, and other lives to be saved, byway of the principal character's martyrdom. Nonetheless, there are other instances when the situation laid out before the man or woman of the hour where there isn't much to attained, at all. The protagonist is not given a chance for his death to mean more beyond her/his own situation. At those times, it's more personal. The hero is going to die in the piece... and nothing is going to prevent that. Even so, for a small set of films the character does get to impact the circumstances of their own demise and leave their own distinct mark on the final outcome. Here then, in no particular order, is my Going Out on Your Own Terms list.

[Spoiler Alert: keys plot points are revealed below]

In Tight Places

I don't know at what age I realized it -- nor what spurred or caused it -- but I suffer from the irrational fear of tight spaces. Claustrophobia. That is such a marvelous and terrible (19th century) word. It's made up from the Latin claustrum "a shut in place" and the Greek φόβος, phóbos, "fear". Wikipedia says one study estimates that "from 5–7% of the world population is affected by severe claustrophobia". I'm bad enough, but I hope I don't think I qualify as 'severe'. Ever wonder if you're claustrophobic? There are a couple of easy ways to find out. You'll know it rather quickly if you ever have to go through a MRI of your head, or have to lie flat (with your arms over your head) under a Gamma-ray Camera (by way of experiencing a Thallium Stress Test). Believe me on this... I've experienced both.

This post has been moved and updated to my current blog, which can be found here.

Ready for the FoB: Favorite Movies of L.A.

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The city of Los Angeles has been my home since birth. The same goes for my wife of 21 years, and naturally, my kids. One of the ongoing joys for this Angeleno family of mine is our annual trek out to the neighborhood of Westwood and participating in the annual L.A. Times Festival of Books on the campus of U.C.L.A. Besides all of the festival exhibitions, panels, and indy book store booths available for those who love books, there are all sorts of happenings, references, and information on the history and the ongoing discourse of film at the festival, too. Every year, some of the book panels are dedicated to the movies in our lives, along with the remarkable craft of screenwriting. You even have actors and directors promoting their written work from time-to-time. I found out today that David Lynch will be on hand to sign his latest book, Catching the Big Fish, at Book Soup's booth come Saturday.

As well, there's always something going on in this city, and sometimes they involve both book and film... and they conflict. Case in point, TCM (Turner Classic Movies) chose this same weekend for their inaugural TCM Classic Film Festival in Hollywood (April 22 - 25). Late last year, my friend Corey encouraged me to go this (he'd been having his own TCM-fest on cable). I didn't realize, at the time, it was going to all occur on this weekend! Arghhh... So, on top of the Festival of Books, some of the all-time great film classics will be on glorious display in theaters by the area of the Cahuenga Pass. I'll still try and make a couple of the films late at night this weekend (if time and energy allow) while spending my daylight hours with my good blogger friends over at the book fest by the Sepulveda Pass. I'll also begin lobbying TCM to move next year's film fest away from the same traditional weekend as the Festival of Books (we'll see how that goes). In the meantime, I will complete the latter segment from yesterday's FoB post which was based upon the recent Jacket Copy blog interview of author T. Jefferson Parker and his annual attendance at the festival. JC's last question for the local  author fit well into this week's forthcoming festivities:

"Do you have a favorite book or movie about Los Angeles?"

TJP's favorite L.A. movie: Chinatown. In keeping with his excellent book choice of yesterday, the author sure knows his movies (my answers are after the jump).



I've moved and updated this post to my current blog, which can be found here.

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Friday's Forgotten Children

If you recall the old children's nursery rhyme, Monday's Child, you may or may not be aware that it's gone through some changes since it was written down in the 1800's (and likely, it's way older than that). Today's prevailing version of this verse is as follows:

Monday's child is fair of face,
Tuesday's child is full of grace;
Wednesday's child is full of woe,
Thursday's child has far to go;
Friday's child is loving and giving,
Saturday's child works hard for its living;
But the child that is born on the Sabbath day
Is bonny and blithe, and good and gay.

However did you know, initially, it was Friday's child that was full of woe in the rhyme? It was only later that Wednesday and Friday flip-flopped their day fortunes (the fate's of Thursday and Saturday were also exchanged, but that takes us away from where I wish to go with the post). If you were born on a Wednesday, you have to feel a bit ripped off by this (BTW, if you don't know what day of the week you were born on, you can find out here). Wikipedia reports that the original fortune telling (by day of birth) for Friday likely reflected old traditional superstitions associated with back luck pertaining to Friday the 13th. At least for me, that explains the reason for the title of one of the better original Star Trek series episodes.  I wonder if my mother knew about this (its meaning, not the sci-fi TV show), or what she'd have felt about it, since both of her surviving children were born on Friday. As a kid, I recall her telling me that my father warned her in no uncertain terms, on Thursday the 12th, that she better NOT have his child the very next day. I like to think that my mother took that admonition as a dare. As one would have expected, things didn't quite work out with my dad's talking-to, now didn't it?. With 13 as my lucky number... and Friday being my favorite day of the week, I look at it as Mom winning that challenge.

I do prefer the current version of this poem with its loving and giving aspect for my fortune, though. With that in mind, I also get a kick from the themes that have come to be associated with the conventional last day of the work week within the blogosphere. One such distinction are the posts and series by various bloggers that promote Friday's Forgotten Books (Lesa's contributions and pattinase's series are prime example of this, and some of the best things I discovered last year). Some great books have come back to the forefront via this, so I look at the endeavor as heady and very good material for the mind. Literary works and the day named after the German word Freitag aren't the only thrust on the web, however. If reading is for the mind (warning: cliche alert!), music has to be that which touches one soul. Notwithstanding my poor attempt at grand meaning, music is well represented with the Old School Friday inter-tube thread (great examples can be found with Nordette and others). And variations on the theme can be found, if you look hard enough. So I thought for this day, the last Friday of January Twenty-Ten, I'd hope, in a small way, to resurrect one book, a film of course, and a couple more forgotten songs that have crept onto someone's known tech device (and lightened his pocket somewhat... shhh, don't tell my wife), with this post.

For some strange reason, the year 1970 has pulled at me recently, and my choices here will reflect that. For the book, I'll select James Dickey's first (and best known) novel, Deliverance. Though I read it only after seeing John Boorman's excellent film adaptation of the novel, it still managed to surprise and grip me with its poetic violence and power. Its tale of a outdoor weekend going down a doomed (and soon to be dammed) river, and how it goes harrowingly wrong for four city men in the wilderness, remains the stuff of adventure and nightmare. Although the film was beautifully and hauntingly lensed by cinematographer Vilmos Zsigmond for the film, the author's descriptions and elegiac prose within his novel will linger, I think, in the reader's mind perhaps a bit longer than the pictures.



Kelly's Heroes is an absolutely wonderful oddity of a film. How many World War II movies do you know that are also a crime caper? I dare say there are not many of them. This one is Clint Eastwood's second go around (and war picture) with director Brian G. Hutton (the fine and fun Where Eagle Dare being the first). The movie is pure entertainment (as is WED), with a dash of old hippie cool running through it because of Donald Sutherland's surfer mellow-like performance. Besides the hijinks plotting that's central to its story, the other unconventional facet that makes this film so engaging is how the film begins. It audaciously drops the audience right into the middle of a night time German armored convoy while our hero (Eastwood, of course, as Kelly) attempts to drive his jeep (along with his captive, kidnapped German colonel) out from among them. And all of this as the movie's theme song plays (and as the credits roll by). It is the curious but fitting, Burning Bridges, sung by the Mike Curb Congregation along with music by the famed Lalo Schifrin. As well, one could count it as one of the forgotten songs (it's on my iPod due to this movie). This brazen and totally unexpected beginning to a movie is one reason I (and my Monday teen) love to watch it:

Finally, although 1970 was the year many significant groups broke up (Beatles, Simon & Garfunkel, Dave Clark Five and others), a lot of great music was still being released (happily, disco had yet to arrive). Among them, were this pair of forgotten tunes. The first one might quality as a one-hit wonder in the U.S., but Indiana Wants Me proved to be a big best seller that year, and it was Motown Record's first crossover hit performed by a white artist (R. Dean Taylor). The second, Turn Back The Hands of Time, showcased Tyrone Davis' outstanding voice and the heartfelt delivery that he was known for by fans (unfortunately, he left this world far too soon, for many of us). Anyway, I hope you enjoy... and happy Friday.

Tyrone Davis - Turn Back The Hands
by DwightFrye

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A Friday of Forgotten Movies, Books, and Music

As the southland looks forward to a rain-free weekend after the deluge of this week, that dry hope does lift the spirit when all you've seen since last Sunday is dark clouds and inundated roads. I know we here will not get much sympathy because our weather is relatively mild compared to most parts of the country during winter. Heck, even the sunny and tropical city of Miami, Florida turned frigid last week when the temperature went down into the high 20's (degrees you can only find around here in our local mountains). Nope, we're not even close to that cold. Just wet.

Of course when we turn soggy, things tend to get exciting, locally. Our drivers routinely forget how to drive in this weather (no kidding... many have the penchant to actually speed up in a downpour). I remember long ago, one of our local radio DJ's was quoted as saying 'that it rains psychedelic drugs' in our basin due to our proclivity for horrible driving in wet weather. Approximately 300 rain-related accidents were reported Wednesday... and 500 more only a day later. Plus, try driving through flooded streets like those in the low lying sections of L.A. County that will flood when the precipitation turns heavy (Carson and Long Beach are notorious for this). You'll know pretty quickly how water tight your car really is. And all of that doesn't include the sliding ground, that has a tendency to move anyway (earthquakes), when the mudslides start happening in our hills. This is especially true for the areas left bare when they suffered major brush-fires this past summer (our other annual event). Many areas are still under mandatory evacuations.

So, I look for a little cheer on this Friday. And, I find it in the sky that is trying to peek a little blue (now and then), and in the blogosphere.

---

Book blogger Jen alerted me this morning that our favorite Robert Crais novel, the great L.A. Requiem, was gathering attention once more. Author Ken Bruen cited it in his novel, The Dramatist (along with the Jolie Blonde Bounce by James Lee Burke). Additionally, author David White did the same with a Friday Forgotten Book post of his today:

And then came Crais. For a while I didn't notice anything different about him. He had the same thing... a witty PI, a crazy sidekick, some good characters. And then came REQUIEM.

Crais blew the whole genre up.

I don't say that lightly.

He blew it up.

If you haven't read the book, it is well worth your time. You can read as a standalone, but I (along with book blogger Corey and the nerdy one, Elyse) believe it is savored better once you have the first seven in the Cole - Pike series under your belt. The payoff is that much more sweeter when the reader crosses that boundary with a familiarity of Elvis and Joe to that point (and the maturity of Crais as an author).

---

Movie blogger J.D. gave out some well deserved kudos to some of the great film bloggers from that community with yesterday's My Favorite Posts/Blogs from 2009. From Midnight Run to Point Blank, Nightbreed to White Hunter, Black Heart, and from Che to Birth, there are some great (and forgotten) films reviewed and examined by a select group. All are listed here by an equally gracious and talented blogger who makes a habit of doing worthy film appraisals himself. I'm still working my way through the cited posts, but they are all worth the read (maybe even by that one guy who touched on an 80's film about a high school football game).

---

Author Tom Schreck put out one fun post this morning with his FRIDAY HAPPY HOUR: Greatest Album Cover EVER! The fact that he named my all-time favorite album cover surely had nothing to do with it ;-).

---

Christian highlighted Ridley Scott's forgotten film gem, Legend, with his Friday Song post with a music video by Roxy Music maestro Bryan Ferry. Some of the film's background is discussed and makes the trip over there well worth it.

---

Lastly, in keeping with this post's theme of forgotten, here are a couple of musical gems from the 70's that recently made it into my iPod library. These long overlooked tunes seem fitting for this week with their beautiful and moving laments (especially since it's started raining, again).

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Being Bad, and Good, At The Same Time

Cover of Road House (+ Widescreen DVD) [Blu-ray]

Mr. Peel's wonderful look back at the Sylvester Stallone and Sharon Stone howler, The Specialist, had me in stitches this morning. Moreover, it had me reminiscing about what films would constitute my list of bad movies. Specifically, we're talking about the ones that are both defective and (when we admit it) supremely guilty pleasures to watch whenever we catch them on cable (or tee them up in the disc player because we happen to own a copy). The so-called, They're So Bad They're Good (and Fun) category of movies. So, off the top of my head, I've come up with these masterpieces of mixed blessings:

This post has been updated and moved to my current blog, which can be found here.

Death List Part 3

Continuation of the Death List series:

1. Part 1 - Self Sacrifice
2. Part 2 - Villain Comeuppance
   

I will think on you dead, until my husband makes you so. And then I will think on you no more. ~ Mary MacGregor (Rob Roy)

Everyone makes mistakes. It's likely the one tendency that makes all of us human. Some of these slip ups are more serious than others, too. And since this is another of my death lists, you can probably guess where I'm going with this. I'm sure some folk will point to those who chronicle the mistakes of some that result in their leaving this world, permanently. The Darwin Awards track what many deem as enterprising demises:

Honoring those who improve the species... by accidentally removing themselves from it!

Image via Wikipedia

This post has been updated and moved to my current blog, which can be found here.

That's a quite a playlist, and actor.

When I started this blog, over 18 months ago now, I never really had an idea of what subjects I'd write about. Hence, that's how the word lazy got into the title for this archive. And at first, I struggled to come up with something to put into it. The more I tried, the less that got in. So when I got frustrated enough, I swallowed my pride and went to the wife and asked her what should I scribble about. She took about 10 or 20... milliseconds, before answering with a simple question in response. "What do you like?" Damnit! How does she come up with this! Honestly, I think there must be some sort of double secret, double-X chromosome, married woman by-law which states:

When asked by your lesser-half about something he clearly doesn't conceive of, or understand, always respond with the answer that is, a) straight to the point; b) obvious to everyone, but him; and c) is an answer that makes him feel like a menso.

So, that's what I've been doing ever since. If I like it, it's in--as long as it's greater than 140 characters in length. That, and I learned to stop whatever I'm doing at the moment to write about a subject whenever synchronicity came into play. That's why actor, producer, and author Don Cheadle is pictured and the subject for this post. Jung's concept arose again when, first, blogger J.D. final post of 2009 mentioned 15 of his favorite soundtracks/scores from the past decade. And two of them, Ocean's Eleven and Swordfish, have one thing in common (besides the great music scores)--Cheadle stars in both. Next, I got into a discussion with a friend about last month's post from Mr. Peel highlighting Steven Soderbergh's The Limey in a movie review. My friend asked, "If The Limey is almost your favorite Soderbergh film, then what is?" I said, Out of Sight, for so many reasons. Its Elmore Leonard story and adaptation, the David Holmes soundtrack, cinematography, and an absolutely fantastic cast doing splendid work. None more chilling in the supporting role than Mr. Cheadle as Maurice Miller. And finally, as I was stumbling around the iTunes Music Store today, I found the man's own Celebrity Playlist from September 2008 (recreated below). So here I am again, typing away.

Cover of The Rat Pack

I guess I'm like many that discovered this great talent of an actor with his work in film and cable TV in the mid-90's. His turn as the scary Mouse Alexander from the 1995 adaptation of Walter Mosley's Devil in a Blue Dress was nothing less than stunning (for which he was justly nominated for supporting actor by The Academy). And as good as Denzel was in the film, I found Cheadle's portrayal closer to Mosley's sadistic and trigger-happy character from that Los Angeles-based P.I. book series than Washington's turn as Easy Rawlings (he was still good, though). And from that, I recalled his small roles in Hamburger Hill and Colors from the late-80's. The HBO original movie, Rebound: The Legend of Earl "The Goat" Manigault, was another of his I couldn't help but notice. His Buck Swope, for me, was the most sympathetic character from Anderson's Boogie Nights. The man is just a human chameleon with his ability to become whatever character on whatever medium he appears on. But when he followed Out of Sight with another HBO movie, The Rat Pack, I was very much blown away. I really wondered if the guy could pull off the Sammy Davis, Jr. role. Would it be caricature or parity? Needless to say, I should have known better by this time to have doubted the man. IMO, he was easily the most believable of all of the actors taking on the rat pack parts, and he deservedly won the Global Globe for his performance (and I reckon that dance number sealed the decision).

Image by marrngtn (Manuel) via Flickr

Nothing this actor does surprises me anymore. I expect nothing but excellence whenever he's on the screen. Even if he's in a bad movie, like After the Sunset, he's remains at the least very good. He never looks like he's 'mailing it in'. I don't think the guy knows how to coast. Crash and Hotel Rwanda in 2004, and Talk To Me in '07... 'nuff said. And for being one of the best things in 2008 for the too little seen, Traitor, the man is already a legend by my thinking. And while I'm already looking forward to his Col. James 'Rhodey' Rhodes/War Machine action movie role in the upcoming Iron Man 2, I have to ask: why doesn't he have an Oscar as yet? Add to all his actor/producer work, Cheadle has done philanthropic and writing work for those in Darfur. Amazing. The man's acting repertoire can have me be inspired by or sympathizing with his character, love or hate him in a role, or be scared as hell by the guy. How the heck does he do that?!? To me he's one of kind. But, if I was forced to name a comparable, outstanding great actor, he is this generation's Robert Duvall. And when you take into account his all-embracing music tastes in his iPod's playlist, in his own words, I think I've discovered another facet of this man worth exploring [note: iTunes still carries no Beatles tracks, as yet]. What do you think?

Don Cheadle's iTunes Celebrity Playlist:

1. Black Cow - "'On the counter, by your keys, was a book of numbers and your remedies...' Donald Fagan and Walter Becker proved you can have jazz, rock, funk and cool. Love the arrangements, the lyrics, the vibe..."
   
2. Can't Hide Love - "The all time Junior High School grind jam, second only to 'Always and Forever'. Walk off the dance floor and drape your jacket over your lap. How do you pick up one EWF song? Damn you, iTunes."
   
3. I Want to Spend the Night - "All love. What a pure soul. He sounds like he really means every word he's singing. That's pretty rare."
   
4. Spectacular - "The name of the tune says it all. When I got pseudo-serious about my sax, before I got into Charlie Parker, I would spend hours after school transcribing this Cannonball solo to figure out what he was doing. One of my all time favorite musicians."
   
5. Continuum - "A master. He created a style and sound on the bass that changed the game forever. All bass players who followed have been judge against the standard set. A one man paradigm shifter."
   
6. Giant Steps - "The Heavyweight Champion playing one of my favorite solos ever recorded. Sublime, rich, passionate, complete, incomplete, jagged, raw like his un-cut soul is being piped directly form his solar-plexus."
   
7. Misty Mountain Hop - "Like any of the artists I've selected, I could have picked 10 songs for this band alone. Greatest Rock Band ever? Damn close. I especially love the way Robert Plant slides all over this one: 'And baby, baby, bady, do you like it...?'"
   
8. You Got It Bad Girl - "So cool, so smooth, so right. The only person that had me tongue-tied just from being in his general proximity. Always my go to 'desert island' answer. Super-naturally prolific. His music gets into my marrow."
   
9. A Little Priest - "Come on, I had to put a show tune on there. But this one is twisted fun. Great lyrics, music (Stephen Sondheim) and two perfect performances."
   
10. I Will Not Apologize - "This title could be the theme for my (thought I'd better include a song from this decade, though). I love this group, and this beat. Especially how Black's cadence lays behind the track. It's good to nod your head and rattle some thoughts around in there while you're doing it too."
    

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Death List Part 2

Continuation of the Death List series:

1. Part 1 - Self Sacrifice

He had it coming! They all have it coming! ~ Strawberry Alice (Unforgiven)

Image by le0pard13 via Flickr

Cinema is simply a wonderful art. It not only fills your eyes with moving, startling images, but it can seize your mind and emotions with the story that only it can tell so uniquely. Be it while you sit in a darkened movie theater, or comfortably at home in front of whatever screen you have, film just captivates. And sure, it's easy as sin to root for the hero. Especially, when the tale involves the audience, and gets them to relate with the hero through her hardships and travails, affectingly.

The cause for this can be innocent but heartbreaking happenstance, bad luck (or weather), and/or the result of a flaw in his personality that brings it down upon him. All true. However, is that the only way? Not on your life! Don't forget the villain (Hollywood sure hasn't). When nature wreaks havoc on our man/woman of the hour (or two), it's good. But, it's not great (IMO). For that, we need someone, another human being, to mete out that pain. That old testament kind of tribulation and suffering has to come by way of another character (preferably, from someone who's pores seemingly reek of evil and wrongdoing). They have to lay it right on to our hero... and then some.

This post has been updated and moved to my current blog, which can be found here.

Tales from the (Movie) Theater: Part 8b

Continuation of the series--see Intro, parts 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8a:

It Is A Movie Theater

As we return from the break, I continue to reflect on the movie side of my experience of working as a projectionist at the Warner Huntington Park Theater, circa 1976 - 77. For some, I can still see those cue marks in my head from the movies during that span. And they've left a dent in my memory. So, before they disappear from my mind and this world, here are some of them:

The rest of the chapter has been updated and relocated to my current blog, found here.

Next Up: Journey's End (Part 9)

Tales from the (Movie) Theater: Part 8a

Continuation of the series--see Intro, parts 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7:

It Is A Movie Theater

I guess when you come down to it, this involvement of working as a projectionist from 1976 - 1977 at the Warner Huntington Park Theater was a unique one. It simultaneously fed me concession stand food & drink (for years afterward, I couldn't stand to drink Pepsi), pocket money, and experiences that couldn't have come from anywhere else. Add to that, I screened a supply and range of movies, in a relatively short period of time, that I couldn't have dreamt to have seen, or let alone afford during that span.

The rest of the chapter has been updated and relocated to my current blog, found here.

Next up: more of It Is A Movie Theater (Part 8b)

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Death List Part 1

The whole world is a homicide victim, Father. Would a god who is good invent something like death? Plainly speaking, it's a lousy idea; it's not popular, Father. It's not a winner. ~ Lt. William Kinderman talking with his friend Father Dyer (Exorcist III)

Death in the movies. I guess I've been thinking about this subject, subconsciously, since last weekend. Ever since I participated in another of Dennis Cozzalio's semi-regular movie quizzes (fun as they are), in fact. And, I can point to the specific question that triggered it, too:

44) Favorite moment of self- or selfless sacrifice in a movie.

Stephen King via last.fm

It shouldn't surprise that an answer came forthwith. Plus, I marveled at the answers leveled by those who participated in the quiz to that question. I don't recall where I read it, but someone wrote, given the choice, men secretly hope for a demise such as the one nobly characterized in the question above. Sure, I bet everyone would rather have the idyllic, dying in bed of old age. Author Stephen King once described a good death as that (following a great dinner and a prime bottle of wine, that is). However, for most normal folk, it doesn't happen under those ideal circumstances. So, going out by giving up your own (for something greater) has an appeal. It's a Y-chromosome kind of thing, I guess. This kind of selfless, life-ending, act sure sounds better than the bad death King countered to the ideal one: that of being under your car to change the fluids, and the jack collapses; and as you're slowly crushed to death, as lousy as that is, the last insult is the slow drip of oil onto your forehead. Ugh.

This post has been updated and moved to my current blog, which can be found here.

Tales from the (Movie) Theater: Part 7

Continuation of the series--see Intro, parts 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6:

Surprise!

After being promoted by attrition to lead projectionist at the Huntington Park Warner Theater, following an all too short stint of a few months showing movies, I attempted to settle into a semblance of routine. This was helped by the arrival of the summer of '76 and the completion of my college spring semester (which gave me more time to work). And more work hours meant more money in my pocket, which simply fed my preoccupation of dating young women at the time (my wife would have referred to this as an HBL thing). The sad economic fact young males learn early is that good looking girls rarely had dirt poor boyfriends.

The rest of the chapter has been updated and relocated to my current blog, found here.

Next up: It is A Movie Theater (Part 8a)

Lee, or Li?

A recent and fun post by Pop Culture Nerd, included a passing reference to the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), and it made me think of someone I've long admired (and still think about from time to time). The original and iconic Bruce Lee. Then, I thought of the more recent martial arts movie hero, Jet Li. Both are favorites in my martial arts movie collection. Similar in some ways, and very different in others. Jet, as a youth, once performed a demonstration for President Nixon during a tour of the Beijing Wushu Team. This was at a time when Bruce was trying to make his mark in Hollywood and the realm of martial arts in general. Both made their careers, and mark, in their own (very different) times and became action icons of the screen. Who would you choose then as the best between them? For me...

It's Bruce, easy

Having a childhood that stretched through the 60's, I don't think I could have avoided not being exposed to this man's talent and drive while growing up. Ask anyone near my age when they first noticed this charismatic and mesmerizing figure, and dollars to donuts they'd mention it was when they watched The Green Hornet on television. And as good as the lead masked crime fighter was (as a character), everybody's favorite from the show was

Image via Wikipedia

Kato (as portrayed by Lee). I have no doubt that he picked up fans after his death when they watched the syndicated repeats of the show. Kids, my age, would talk amongst ourselves after every show, in awe. Granted this was decades before any internet access and its speed of light news or rumor capability, but the talk (and whispers) were always flying around and about Bruce Lee. And it didn't matter who you were. He attracted the attention of everyone. He cut across all ethnic lines at a time when cultural barriers were only beginning to be breached.

The fact that Bruce was, above all else, a martial artist, inspired many my age. People of small stature with the ability to kick butt has the tendency to grab your attention (whether you're big or small). That certainly came across when you watched Kato on TV. So when he talked, people listened. His personality was infectious, and his drive to succeed was only slightly higher than his willingness to share his knowledge and teachings (this at a time his own community's martial art establishment did not do those things, and mainstream America was in the midst of its own historic change). Regardless, his dynamism and persona was going to get heard, one way or another. His presence and impact on that short-lived weekly show may have been the vehicle that started it all (for a sadly a too short career), but it's had lasting reverberations.

Image via Wikipedia

Still, this is not to slight Jet Li's career or popularity in any way. There are films of his that I'd pick over a couple of Bruce's. Breaking into the Hollywood (Western) film-making mainstream has not normally been via a China or Hong Kong route. Unless I'm reading it wrong, back then being Asian in Hollywood meant swimming against many currents, and the thinking behind it. Perhaps, it's better now (I don't walk in either's shoes to be a good judge). All the same, Jet's body of film work is gargantuan ("You know, I've always liked that word... ”gargantuan"... so rarely have an opportunity to use it in a sentence.") compared to Bruce's, though. Most of it in the Eastern film market (which is growing in scale and importance compared to others). And, Jet Li's following is worldwide (and deserved). But, so is Bruce Lee's, and his was acquired more so across the decades starting right after his death. Plus, he was a pioneer in the truest sense of the word. Without him arriving on the scene when he did, the latter martial arts action stars would have been delayed (not prevented, they would have arrived anyway, just later). I believe Jet Li followed a path clear cut by someone who was a human buzz-saw of an individual.

Not that it's a bad thing (okay... it is, somewhat), but today's action stars reek of corporate, and their handlers, in their career management, touring, and publicity. I don't believe one could ever have said that about Bruce Lee [at least, not without King Kong having their back ;-)]. And why did I think of Bruce when UFC was mentioned in PCN's post? Given his martial arts skills and philosophy, he believed and espoused a mixed martial art (MMA) discipline way, way before it was ever popular to promote it in fighting systems (and their schools) or corporate boardrooms. IMO, the seeds behind the MMA/UFC craze of late were those planted by Bruce and the likes of a Hélio Gracie, along with a host of others. But, they were key and are who I think of when I see UFC advertised on pay-per-view commercials, cable shows, or write-ups in the sports pages. They just didn't get any of the profits or options from it, and certainly not enough of the credit for making MMA as popular as it's become. But, such is life. Both Bruce Lee and Jet Li are worthy of all the acclaim that comes their way. But, for my money, it's all pushed back without Bruce's arrival. Not that I consider him a god or anything worthy of worship, though. I just think his accomplishments and their effects, on a human scale, merit well deserved admiration.

Okay, it's clear that I believe impact and legacy thumb the scale in Bruce Lee's favor, big-time. But, if I'd break it down further between them, this is what I think:

• better actor: okay, we're not talking about Russel Crowe vs. Tom Hanks here, but given his larger filmography, it's Jet; he just had a longer career to practice this art (though, if he'd have lived as long, IMO, Bruce would have overtaken him in this category)
  
• better loved by the camera: both are exciting people to watch, but it's easily Bruce; look at the interviews below, and this clip, for proof
  
• better fighter on camera: close, but it's Jet; again because of a longer career, plus, the benefit of working with latter day Asian choreographers (like Yuen Wo-Ping) who spent years continuing development of fight stage craft - although, you could say Bruce's impact on Hong Kong martial art films in the early 70's contributed to this, as well
• better fighter, period: Bruce; I don't think there is any question here due to his pioneering in physical fitness/nutrition, and mixed martial arts, in general, and his own fighting art, in particular. Plus, just like a the fastest gun was always tested in the western, Bruce had to and did fight off all comers in real life (check out his fight history). Many established martial artists (and even professional boxers) say Bruce was the best there ever was.
  

Bruce Lee Interview (Part 1)

Bruce Lee Interview (Part 2)

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What? Me Worry?

Okay, I'll admit to another weakness of mine (besides being a crime-fic junkie). I enjoy disaster flicks (the more recent of which, along with their elaborate special effects, are now referred to as disaster porn). I don't know why I do. Perhaps, it's because I live in a state where we are all just a size 7 earthquake on the Richter Scale away from living it ourselves. And, watching the cataclysm on the movie screen is a perverse distraction from dwelling upon that fact. It doesn't help that Los Angeles has been employed in so many movies as fiasco fodder that it's actually a surprise when it's not used in one. So, with 2012 coming out this week (my son and I are already scheduled for this cinema mayhem), L.A. will again be on display, and on the losing end. Don't believe me? Take a gander at the sneak:

Director Roland Emmerich lives in the southland so I expect him to put in some nice little touches for local accuracy. For example, in the above clip the overhead expressway you see collapsing is our world famous (and locally infamous) 405 freeway. I hope you noticed that it was packed with vehicles as it collapsed and dumped its payload into the chasm. The end of traffic congestion! See, it's the little things you get the most joy out of, don't ya think? So, I've put together a small list of my favorite movie scenes where my hometown gets plastered [spoiler alert: some endings and key plots points are revealed in the films listed below].

War of the Worlds

We're talking about the classic 1953 version (not the Spielberg/Cruise 2005 vehicle). Director (Bryan Haskin) and producer, the great George Pal, do a fantastic job of bringing the vision of H.G. Wells to the screen. It may start somewhere else in a small town, but it ends triumphantly among the debris and rubble of L.A. This was the one film, as a child, that made me think about sneezing on my kid-era foes.

Independance Day

From Lazy Thoughts From a Boomer

Director Emmerich's first real special effects laden beat down of LaLa Land. He ignored the symbolism of taking out the well-known and familiar City Hall (like the previous film), and went after the tallest building we have, the fomerly named Library Tower on Fifth Street in downtown L.A. (it's also the tallest skyscaper west of the Mississippi River).

Miracle Mile

Steve De Jarnatt's 1988 gem of an apocalyptic thriller is a highly underrated film. Not only does it correctly capture the area's character for which the movie is named after, but it ends with the Miracle Mile neighborhood of Los Angeles (along with the rest of the city) being hit by multiple nuclear missile strikes. What can I say? It's the 80's.

Kiss Me Deadly

From Lazy Thoughts From a Boomer

I have to include this famous, and restored, final scene from Robert Aldrich's Mike Hammer 1955 movie. Mickey Spillane hated the movie, along with its screenwriter (who only had contempt for the novel). Though Hammer, with the help of his girl Velda, break free of the burning house, there is no escape for them (or L.A.) when the femme fatale of the tale unleashes the atomic genie from the valise.

Terminator 2: Judgment Day

From Blogger Pictures

Alright, too much of a good thing is bad. So, this is the last nuclear pasting that involves the city of my birth (but it's a great one). The scene is from James Cameron's 1991 Terminator sequel, and it includes the Sara Connor dream sequence that recreates, with the stark and realistic special effects, the chilling consequences of a nuclear explosion upon downtown.

The Day After Tomorrow

I'll end this list with Emmerich's last calamity film, from 2004, and its weather gone wild scenario. Tornadoes wreak havoc on The City of Angels (and wipeout the Hollywood Sign, in the bargain)! The key lesson from the movie: NEVER go back to the office in a disaster film!

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