The Happening 2: Arbor Day
Tagline: Make like a tree and leaf
Synopsis: Elliot Moore (Mark Wahlberg) is once again stalked by plants, but this time they’re from the future. These future plants are out for blood and they’re self-aware. They send a time traveling plant-bot assassin, Fichus1000 (Arnold Schwarzenegger), to kill Elliot. His only options are to run, or fight. Since he’s humanity’s only shot, let’s hope he chooses fight.
Memorable Scene: Elliot is outside trimming his hedges when he notices something peculiar. He notices what look like various knives protruding from the bush. When Elliot goes in for a closer inspection he cuts himself on a knife and the hedge begins to rustle with what appears to be laughter. Elliot backs away slowly as he bleeds onto the knife-wielding hedge, as it laughs at him manically.
Plot: In the not too distant future, ArborNet, a once flourishing Botanical Preserve has become self-aware and is out for revenge on all of human kind. [Read more…]
6 Movies About Moving
While we may not realize it, there have been quite a few movies about moving. Relocating to New York or a new home or area anyway has been a favorite topic of Hollywood for years. Next to the ‘coming of age’ movie, it is a sure bet that moving has been and will be in many more feature films. Check out this list and see how many you remember!
Karate Kid: The iconic first film in the now (depending on your view) overdone series, this 1984 movie follows a teen that moves to California from New Jersey. Ralph Macchio stars as Daniel Larusso along with Pat Morita as Mr. Myagi, the apartment complex’s maintenance man. Daniel learns to believe in himself after many trials with the help of Mr. Myagi.
Money Pit: Tom Hanks and Shelley long star as a couple buying a home. Their search ends with what at first glance seems like an amazing deal- a mansion at a rock-bottom price. Once the two move into the home they find that it is literally a money pit that will take a ton of money to repair. One remodeling project turns into another as the house seems to fight against them the whole way. If you think your move was bad, just give this 1986 movie a view.
Moving: Richard Pryor plays an engineer from New Jersey who finds that he must relocate after losing his job in this 1988 film. His new employer is in Idaho and just getting there is the least of his problems. It turns out that the movers he hires are ex-convicts and the person he has drive his car across the country has multiple personalities. [Read more…]
7 Must-See Movies for College Students
Back in college, I remember stumbling upon a list of the “best movies of all time” in one of my media intro courses. I was surprised to discover that I hadn’t watched very many of them at all (I fell asleep watching Gone with the Wind as a child). I was temporarily ashamed at my apparent lack of culture, but the discovery sparked a film rampage that lasted until I graduated. Remembering the profound impact some of those films had on me, I decided to put together a list of must-see movies for college students containing some of these, interspersed with a few rite-of-passage flicks, college cult classics and movies to make you think.
1.) The Godfather. As a woman, I thought this was merely a dude movie, and I admit the only reason I watched it was to finally understand the references to it in one of my favorite romantic comedies, You’ve Got Mail. But when watching this Academy Award-winning film, I got wrapped up in the complex plot, the family dynamics, the considerations on good and evil, and the inevitability of Michael’s rise to power in the mob world. In this vein, I also recommend cult classic Boondock Saints, another supposedly stereotypical dude movie that actually transcends gender. I remember posters for both of these movies plastered all over dorm room walls. [Read more…]
Gaily, Gaily: Disappointing, Disappointing
I caught Gaily Gaily on late night cable. Why would I devote two hours of my life to this particular 1969 release? Well, in theory, Gaily Gaily should be a meaningful, insightful, socially significant movie. Consider:
- It co-stars Melina Mercouri, the anti-Junta Greek actress who later became a member of the Pan-Hellenic Parliament and Greece’s minister of culture after spending years as an outspoken critic (and target) of anti-democratic forces.
- Abram S. Ginnes wrote the screenplay. Ginnes was a lifelong radical, a labor organizer and a victim of anti-communist blacklisting during the 1950s.
- The movie is an adaptation of Ben Hecht’s undoubtedly embellished autobiographical works. Hecht, a prolific Oscar-winning screenwriter, spent time on an English blacklist due to his strong support of the Zionist movement in Palestine.
- United Artists released Gaily Gaily in 1969, in the thick of a movement toward more overtly political film making.
- Norman Jewison, who has tackled a variety of social and political issues in his movies, directed Gaily Gaily.
In reality, Gaily Gaily is anything but a politically charged movie. It’s really nothing more than a sepia-toned dramedy with an impressive cast, nice period costuming and a glass smooth Henry Mancini score.
Beau Bridges is Ben Hecht. Actually, he’s Ben Harvey. That’s right, they somehow managed to turn Ben Hecht, the very namesake of the SS Ben Hecht that braved the British blockade of Palestine, into a WASP-y blond kid. Anyway, young Bridges is a sexually frustrated teen from Galena who has a thing for cleavage. With the support of his dear grandmother, he heads off to Chicago in hopes of a slightly more exciting and cleavage-rich lifestyle than Galena can provide.
He’s robbed on the train. Bordello boss Queen Lil takes care of him. He becomes a cub newspaper reporter. There are minor twists and turns as comedic reporters and politicians drink, drink and drink some more. People chase one another as bouncy Mancini music plays in the background.
Old school newspaper reporters are loveable rascals. Irish guys are drunks. Prostitutes have hearts of gold. Politicians are corrupt, but not necessarily evil. Melina Mercouri is beautiful. Margot Kidder makes her film debut. Bridges has that vaguely confused look on his face that dominates most of his early performances. Every scene features an instantly recognizable character actor (Brian Keith, Hume Cronyn, George Kennedy, etc.).
Gaily Gaily is pretty like a gilded old photograph. It snagged three Oscar nominations (costumes, art/set decoration and music).
Unfortunately, it’s boring. And, to be honest, it’s pretty damn stupid. It’s certainly disappointing.
It’s also strange. Gaily Gaily is a throwback movie made and released during a period of innovation and boundary testing. Hollywood’s output was commenting on larger issues in a grittier way than ever before. Yet Gaily Gaily’s collection of politically aware and talented artists made a movie that, at its very best, is nothing more than a quaint source of vanilla half-chuckles.
Sequels We Want to See: Forrest Gump 2
Forrest Gump 2 – Forrest Does Fatherhood
Synopsis: After the death of his dear Jenny, Forrest is forced to adapt to life as a single dad in his hometown of Mobile, Alabama.
Memorable Scene: Little Forrest questions his dad about death, in particular his mother’s. His father responds, “Life is like a box of chocolates, you never know what you’re gonna get”. Then little Forrest asks, “What does that mean? That doesn’t explain anything”. His father asks, “You wanna go play ping pong or somethin’?”
Plot: Forrest starts out teaching little Forrest the alphabet, but when his son brings home an F on his report card, Forrest scolds him “Remember what I told you, Forrest. A is for almond shrimp, B is for Barbeque Shrimp, C is for Coconut Shrimp, D is for Dumplings and Shrimp, E is for…”
Forrest and his son visit Lt. Dan Taylor for a lesson in discipline, but find out he’s back to his old ways. [Read more…]