That is, with respect to style. For many people, style is everything. What they wear, how they wear it, and when they wear it – these are very important factors. And what better inspiration than the movies? How many times have you walked away from a movie thinking, “Wow, I should try to emulate the style of so and so!” I be that you have experienced this more than once – and you are not alone.
In the history of films and movies, there is probably a small percentage of flicks which actually held the power to influence the general public in terms of style. I think that The Los Angeles Times hit the nail right on the head with its list of 10 classic style movies that inspire moviegoers. Interested in finding out if you were ever influenced by the “right” movies? Here’s a snippet of the article:
Movies have always influenced style. In 1934 — when Clark Gable shed his shirt in the Frank Capra comedy “It Happened One Night” to reveal his bare chest — men’s undershirt sales reportedly plummeted. Men didn’t suddenly tire of layering. They saw an easy “in” to becoming a bit like Gable, who played an extraordinarily dashing ordinary Joe.
A woman slips into her husband’s trousers and striped necktie and she suddenly has entree to be as zany as Diane Keaton in “Annie Hall.” A guy, tired of his milquetoast silhouette, adopts the gait of a hungry thug wearing a slim-cut suit and Wayfarers, à la “Reservoir Dogs.” Clothes help shape our identities, and copying a film icon is like taking a shortcut to cool.
That’s just the tip of the iceberg, folks. You can read the whole story in the link above. Reading this left me wondering, though…are we ever going to have movies that would leave us wanting to be like the characters like the old films?
The Dark Knight Breaking Records Yet Again
Even before the Dark Knight came out, the hype reached immense proportions. Some people say that it was because of the untimely passing away of Heath Ledger – and that certainly is one of the critical factors. However, no one in his right mind can deny that the movie was a big hit on its own. The acting was superb, the effects magnificent, the story great. The result was that it broke box office records – not surprisingly.
It is also thus not a surprise that, not long after the movie’s release in DVD and Blu Ray, it is breaking records one more time. It was released on Tuesday in Canada, the United Kingdom, and the United States. After the first day of being in the market, the figures that were tallied amounted to 3 million copies. Right now, the current record holder is Iron Man – another high profile movie that did not fail to impress – with a 7.2 million DVD and Blu Ray debut week. With almost half of that number in the bag within a day, it is thus safe to project that The Dark Knight will surpass that figure within its first week.
With the Oscars just around the corner, the sales of the DVD and Blu Ray copies just might skyrocket even more. If The Dark Knight receives a good number of nominations – which many (including yours truly) think will happen, the sales are sure to go up even more. So what about you, have you gotten your copy yet?
The Dark Knight Disappoints
You all have probably seen The Dark Knight – who hasn’t, right? I just read an article from Popwatch, written by Mike Bruno, which highlights how disappointed the writer was with the movie. Apparently, he only saw the movie over the weekend due to a busy schedule. His main message is this: he thinks that all the hype ruined the movie for him. He writes:
Don’t get me wrong: I enjoyed The Dark Knight, and I was not disappointed in the slightest by Ledger’s freakish, lip-smacking fiend. But at the same time, I was let down given the movie’s gargantuan box office haul, the almost universal critical praise, and the Oscar buzz surrounding it and its fallen star. I could see Ledger taking Supporting Actor, but while I haven’t yet seen all the other Oscar contenders this year, I would be a bit surprised if The Dark Knight took Best Picture.
Mostly, I think this movie was successful –- as well as hugely popular –- because it featured a character that we couldn’t take our eyes off of played by an actor who recently died way too young. Before it appeared on a single screen this summer, the movie was already larger-than-life because of Ledger’s passing, and six months of the hype machine working at full steam had no doubt set my expectations way too high. So maybe this really is an Oscar-worthy movie and I just need to hire a babysitter more often and catch movies earlier and with less context. But if I’m to be honest, I was disappointed with The Dark Knight and hope for more from this year’s other Best Picture contenders.
I have to agree with him that one reason behind the movie’s success was Heath Ledger’s untimely death. In fact, that was one observation I made right after seeing the movie – The Joker overshadowed Batman. However, I do think that the movie deserves an Oscar. How about you?
Valkyrie Something To Look Forward To
In spite of the fact that Tom Cruise’s credibility has suffered from some serious blows (yeah, who can forget his sofa-jumping episode at Oprah?), we cannot discount his talent as an actor. This is the man who brought Jerry Maguire – among many other movie characters – to life.
Come Christmas Day, I find myself looking forward to seeing Valkyrie, Tom Cruise’s newest movie. It is actually more than a good movie – as many critics are already saying – as this year marks his 25th year since Risky Business, the film that many say made Tom Cruise into what he is today.
In Valkyrie, Tom Cruise plays a real life character. The last time that he did this was in the movie Born on the Fourth of July, which was way back in 1989. Undoubtedly, that movie was a success. Would Valkyrie prove to be the same?
Tom Cruise, the director and star of the new movie, has done as much as he could to make that possible. He actually did research on his own – research on Germany, its history, the Third Reich, and even met some of von Stauffenberg’s descendants; von Stauffenberg being the main character of the film.
What does the star have to say about his latest film?
Because the picture is a suspense-centered film, to really understand von Stauffenberg was obviously very important. You try to comprehend the kind of pressure he was under. Things he couldn’t even discuss with his children. The odds that he was up against, and to make the choices that he made — I found it to be inspiring and very interesting.
I am hoping that my anticipation – and yours – will not be unfounded.
Best Movies Of 2008
Year in and year out, when December comes and January is just around the corner, we see all sorts of lists. Countdowns, best games, best songs, best TV shows, and of course, best movies. Naturally, every agency, person, and web site has his own “best list.” Which to believe? I’d say go ahead and make your own best movies of 2008 list!
If you’re too lazy to do that on your own and you need some help, though, here is one very interesting list from a reputable source – CNN International’s list. I wouldn’t be surprised if you find some of your favorite movies of this year on this list.
1. The Dark Knight
2. Slumdog Millionaire
3. Hunger
4. Wall-E
5. Leonera
6. Gomorrah
7. Waltz with Bashir
8. Hellboy II: The Golden Army
9. W.
10. Elite Squad
11. The Good, The Bad, The Weird
12. Il Divo
13. Cloverfield
14. The Wrestler
15. Happy Go Lucky
16. Linha De Passe
17. Man on Wire
I think that the beauty of this list is that it includes more than American movies. Truth be told, a large number of people are limited to what Hollywood churns out year after year. There are, however, countless other excellent films to be seen and experienced, which are created by people from the international scene. Perhaps it is time for you to try and see what they are about; expand your horizons so to speak? This list is a good place to start.