Minority Report Film/Disc Review

With the encouragement of the very kind Rachel over at Scientist Gone Wordy, I'm writing a post on one of the best sci-fi films to be released within the last ten years, IMO. Minority Report, the 2002 commercial hit directed by Steven Spielberg, is based upon a short story from the famed science fiction writer/novelist Philip K. Dick. For the last few decades, the late and influential author has given film studios plenty to work with in optioned novels and short stories, though with varying degrees of critical, box office, and sci-fi fan success (and that more than likely was due to the manner filmmakers re-interpreted his work). Though I'm sure I've taken in a short by PKD somewhere along the span of my life, I've hardly read any of his written pieces. My exposure to this fine author has been byway of the films Hollywood has adapted from his source material (with varying degrees of alteration). Rachel, whose blog and writing I really admire, has agreed to join me in this endeavor and will be posting in parallel on PKD's Minority Report short story and the differences between it and the film she so loves (see link below):

The Minority Report by Philip K. Dick

I think I may have my work cut out for me in keeping up with her (what have I gotten myself into?). Oh, well. My father had a saying he repeated often enough, and it may be appropriate here.

"God hates a coward."

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

One of a Kind: Charlie Huston and The Mystic Arts of Erasing All Signs of Death

Author Charlie Huston doesn't seem capable of writing quiet or cautious fiction. Surprising would be the word I'd use when it comes to experiencing or explaining his work (and it's a highly recommended one at that by my book blogger friends). Sick, and not for the squeamish, could well be on the warning label for his book covers (if publishers did that sort of thing). Hysterically funny should certainly be listed there, too. One should take note, perhaps as a warning to some, of the novelist's marvelous and creative use of profanity in the dialogue of his characters  (I think only filmmaker/writer Quentin Tarantino rivals him in the expletive arena). Like him or not, there's no way you can ignore this man's talent. Exciting and unexpected would be the words that summarize my latest foray into Huston territory (my second behind Caught Stealing).

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

Friday Forgotten Song: Linda Ronstadt's Long, Long Time

One of my all-time favorite ballads. From Linda Ronstadt's second solo album, Silk Purse, 1970.

My Favorite Lines From Favorite Movies Part 3

This is my continuation of an arc I started a short while back, containing some of my all-time favorite lines from the movies I never tire of watching. So, for those times when you need something to say...

• Part 1
• Part 2

Forbidden Planet

"Another one of them new worlds. No beer, no women, no pool parlors, nothin'! Nothin' to do but throw rocks at tin cans, and we gotta bring our own tin cans."

Fail-Safe

"If we can't convince them it's an accident that we're trying to correct, by any means, we're going to have something on our hands that nobody bargained for... and only a lunatic wants."

Charade

Reggie Lambert: "I already know an awful lot of people and until one of them dies I couldn't possibly meet anyone else."
Peter Joshua: "Well, if anyone goes on the critical list, let me know."

Reggie Lampert: "Why do people have to tell lies?"
Peter Joshua: "Usually it's because they want something. They are afraid the truth won't get it for them."

My Favorite Year

[Alan Swann has blundered into the wrong restroom]
Lil: "This is for ladies only!"
Swann: "So is this, mum, but sometimes I have to run a little water through it."

Red River

"There are only two things that are better than a gun: a Swiss watch and a woman from anywhere. Ever had a good... Swiss watch?"

Pulp Fiction

"Jules, if you give that f*ckin' nimrod fifteen hundred dollars, I'm gonna shoot him on general principles."

Goldfinger

"Choose our next witticism carefully, Mr. Bond. It may be your last."

The Duelists

"I am going to be killed responsibly, on horseback, as a compliment to the cavalry."

Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb

"You can't fight in here, this is the War Room!"

The Third Man

"Don't be so gloomy. After all it's not that awful. Like the fella says, in Italy for 30 years under the Borgias they had warfare, terror, murder, and bloodshed, but they produced Michelangelo, Leonardo da Vinci, and the Renaissance. In Switzerland they had brotherly love - they had 500 years of democracy and peace, and what did that produce? The cuckoo clock. So long Holly."

Technorati Tags: movie quotes

Related articles by Zemanta:

• Oscars 2010: the 10 worst injustices in Academy Award history
• Revised Experience: The Longest Best Picture Titles
• 30 reviews of Dr. Strangelove
• Monsters from the Id!

The Best Movie You Ever Saw at a Drive-in

Hot (and Cold) Favorites

The recent movie article in the New York Times (linked above), in honor of the upcoming kick-off of the summer movie season with this week's release of Iron Man 2, had some film insiders pick and discuss some of their favorites from past summers. This included, in their own words, memories from a screenwriter (Erin Cressida Wilson) and a couple of directors (James Mangold, Neil Jordan). However, the one recollection that really piqued my interest (enough to write a post about it) was the one written by the legendary independent filmmaker, George Romero. For him, the summer meant the 'drive-in.' That one really struck a chord with me. While growing up, the drive-in (as a venue) was my introduction to film as a child. The Bronx, where Romeo grew up, had only one drive-in (as he states, The Whitestone). But as he grew older, he got more opportunities to visit road-side cinemas:

"So, a few years later, I go off to college in Pittsburgh. At that time, in the ’50s, don’t ask me why, Pittsburgh had maybe more drive-ins than any American city except Los Angeles. I used to go a lot."

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