Phantasmic Links 3.8.10

Did you guess all the answers to my last ”movie” keyword game? Some of these shows have been made into movies, some will be made into movies, and some should be made into movies. More importantly, these are all shows that I like:

1) LOST.
2) 24.
3) The X-Files.
4) Firefly.
5) Chuck.
6) Smallville.
7) Supernatural.
8) Batman: The Animated Series.
9) Star Trek: The Next Generation.
10) The Simpsons.

Amazingly, I watch that much television, and still find time to find PHANTASMIC LINKS:

(1) In A Ball, there are some truly amazing high resolution panoramic shots of various locales that will make you feel like you're there.

(2) As much as I enjoy original recipe LOST, I really enjoyed a series of videos that play with opening sequences inspired by Baywatch, Smallville, Prison Break, The Wonder Years, The A-Team, Friends and perhaps best of all, Full House. Check out the related videos on any of those links to see if any of your favorite shows were mixed in as well.

(3) This Avatar 2 preview looks so good, I might see it in spite of not yet seeing the first one!

(4) TetriSnake is exactly the frustrating yet addictive combination of two games that it sounds like!

(5) Of all the things I would do with a winning lottery ticket, I can assure you that this is not one of them.
Hat Tip: J-No.

(6) Stan Lee explains why he deserves an Oscar, and I can't disagree.

(7) LOST's Last Supper promo pics offer clues to their final season, possibly improving upon a gimmick that other shows have used before. Fans, take note of who is sitting where, divided by whom...

(8) A simultaneous roll of 20-sided die offers some ‘80s geeks a revealing and terrifying look into the world in which we now live.
H.T.: Krispy.

(9) You never know when you're going to spot a certain superhero at a solemn memorial....

(10) And finally, Trololololololololololo! Turn up your speakers or headphones to full appreciate what I can only assume is some kind of creepy android from the ‘70s....

Have a link to a game, movie, article, or anything else you think might be “phantasmic”? E-mail me and it just might appear in an upcoming PHANTASMIC LINKS!

A Movie Thing Nine.

We haven’t seen the old Movie Keyword Meme in a while, so it’s time to dust it off for a sequel. Here’s a refresher on how this game is played:

1) Go to IMDB.com and look up 10 films.
2) Post five (5) official IMDB "Plot Keywords" for these 10 picks.
3) Have your friends guess the movie titles.

Now here’s where I’m shaking things up a bit; instead of movies, these will all be keywords to television shows. I’m stretching the rules to include shows that have been made into movies, inspired movies, will become movies, feel as epic as movies, or shows I would totally watch if they made theatrical versions. Make sense? I hope so.

1) Plane Crash, Doctor, Survival, Flashback, Wet Jeans.

2) Real Time, Mole, Government Agent, Terrorism, Split Screen.

3) Romantic Tension, Paranormal Phenomena, Federal Agent, Basement Office, UFO.

4) Spacecraft, Smuggling, Clever Dialogue, Psychic Power, Space Western.

5) CIA, Beautiful Woman, Place Of Work, Computer Nerd, Character Name In Title.

6) Alien, Meteor Shower, Kansas, Prequel, Superhero.

7) Demonic Possession, Brotherly Love, Flashlight, Car, Shotgun.

8) Double Life, Gadget Car, Evil Clown, Cult Cartoon, Fictional City.

9) Heroic Captain, Visor, Teleportation, Empath, Android.

10) Nuclear Power, Beer, Small Town, Doughnut, Yellow Skin.

Let the guessing begin! Answers will be revealed on Monday.

Phantasmic Links 6.8.09

What a whirlwind of a weekend! After a long work day on Friday, I met up with some college friends for a movie. Saturday morning saw what was supposed to only be an hour rehearsal with the fire department band I'm in turn into two hours when the new leader pulled out twenty new marches, most of which were better suited for concerts than on the street. After mass Saturday afternoon, I went to a barbecue for my friend's daughter's birthday party, where I got a little too competitive over a game of badminton and didn't realize until some other friends arrived and commented on how sweaty I was. A few cold ones later and I was back to optimum temperatures, able to chill out before heading home to get a good night's sleep for a long day ahead. On Sunday morning, after picking up my friend Bill the trumpet player, we headed into Brooklyn for a procession that ran a few hours longer because of a new Puerto Rican Day parade in the area that intersected our normal route. It was a beautiful day, but without clouds the naked sun was especially brutal. I found out one of my friends rents studio space less than four minutes from where we were playing, and was holding an open exhibit of his paintings. After stopping by to say hello and check out his latest work, I got Bill to his house, then my dad back to ours. He's not up to playing yet but seemed to do fine as a spectator, walking the whole gig on shaded sidewalks. His strength is slowly returning. As he and my mom headed over to feed my Uncle Jerry and give him his medication, I mustered up enough willpower to mow the lawn before collapsing. One nap later, and I'm ready to reveal the answers to yesterday's Movie Keyword Meme:

1) Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me
2) National Treasure
3) Bubble Boy
4) Harold & Kumar Escape from Guantanamo Bay
5) The Hangover
6) Wedding Crashers
7) Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby
8) Hancock
9) Hellboy II: The Golden Army
10) Old School

Astute movie goers may have realized that stars in The Hangover appeared in other films on the list, making that the common element linking them all together. Thanks for playing! I hope I haven't forgotten anything...now I remember! Here's this week's PHANTASMIC LINKS:

(1) Enjoy this visual history of game controllers, and try not to let the absence of Intellivision bother you as much as it did me.
Hat Tip: J-No.

(2) Your favorite comic book, cartoon, and other figures from geek culture get SIMPSON-ized. D'oh! I mean....WOO-HOO! I bet you can't name them all...

(3) Now, where have I seen Conan O'Brien's Tonight Show backdrop before....
H.T.: Rey.

(4) In a related story, a 64 bit Conan game would be mesmerizing...

(5) The Dan Band performs their superior version of Total Eclipse of the Heart from the movie Old School. (Warning: Language))
Those guys return in The Hangover, by the way, and top themselves...
H.T.: B13.

(6) Meet Leroy Smith, the Man Who Motivated Michael Jordan. I swear I've seen that guy somewhere before....Love the game.

(7) Now you can go inside Alcatraz from the comfort of your own home, through this 360 degree digital panorama.

(8) Should this Death Star Grill replace the collapsed and rusting remains of my old one?
H.T.: J-No.

(9) Are you aware of all of Google's Easter Eggs?

(10) There Will Be BRAWL.

Have a link to a game, movie, article, or anything else you think might be “phantasmic”? E-mail me and it just might appear in an upcoming PHANTASMIC LINKS!

A Movie Thing Eight.

Ah, Summer. It’s a time for warmer weather, spending time outside, listening to or making music. It’s also a big movie season, as people escape the heat in the cool darkness of theaters and embrace the biggest box office bombardments. And so, what better time for another round of the Movie Keyword Meme:

1) Go to IMDB.com and look up 10 films.
2) Post five (5) official IMDB "Plot Keywords" for these 10 picks.
3) Have your friends guess the movie titles.

Answers will be posted tomorrow, including the common theme linking my choice of films. Let’s see how sharp you cinephiles can be:

1) Time Machine, Spy Spoof, Retro Style Secret Agent, Actor Playing Multiple Roles, Character Name In Title.

2) Curator, Riddle, Eyeglasses, Invisible Ink, Liberty Bell.

3) Plastic Bubble, Wedding, Ice Cream Truck, Crude Humor, Chosen One.

4) Homeland Security, U.S. President, Hallucination, Interracial Friendship, Sequel.

5) Memory Loss, Holocaust Joke, Bachelor Party, Las Vegas Nevada, Binge Drinking.

6) Best Friend, Party Crashing, Flirting, Touch Football, Blockbuster.

7) NASCAR, French Stereotype, Psychosomatic Illness, Frat Pack, Alabama.

8) Alcoholic, Superhero, Tornado, Soul Mate, Train Wreck.

9) Elf, Anti Hero, Brother Sister Relationship, Steampunk, Based On Comic.

10) Fraternity, Old Age, Hazing, Drunk Scene, Death of Friend.

Phantasmic Links 3.2.09

Today, March 2nd, I am happy to report that my father celebrates his 79th birthday, especially since none of us were sure he'd get here back in January. His infection seems to be gone and with therapy, he's been getting more motion back into his arm. He's even talking about doing yard work or mechanical work, so his spirit is back to normal, even if we can't let him do everything he thinks he can still do.

In other news, B13 nailed 9 of the 10 movies I was looking for in my latest movie keyword game, and then guessed a film based on some clues RC posted. That guy's Netflix membership has been put to good use! Even the film he got wrong was still from the correct series, and I can understand why the word “prequel” might have led him to an installment involving time travel. The only thing no one guessed was the common element, which was that each film included at least one cast member from Heroes. Behold:

1) KEYWORDS: Son, Boxing, Restaurant, Coming Out Of Retirement, Sequel
FILM: Rocky Balboa
HEROES STAR: Milo Ventimiglia

2) KEYWORDS: Premonition, Cheating Death, Field Trip, Dream, Airplane Accident
FILM: Final Destination
HEROES STAR: Ali Larter

3) KEYWORDS: Secret Agent, Disguise, Exploding Car, Implant, Third Part
FILM: Mission: Impossible III
HEROES STAR: Greg Grunberg

4) KEYWORDS: Ferret, Unfaithful Wife, Salsa, Basketball, Insurance Agent
FILM: Along Came Polly
HEROES STAR: Masi Oka

5) KEYWORDS: Warp Speed, Teleportation, Time Travel, Space, Prequel
FILM: Star Trek (2009)
HEROES STAR: Zachary Quinto

6) KEYWORDS: Dragon, Impersonation Of Soldier, Folklore, Loss Of Father, Character Name In Title
FILM: Mulan
HEROES STAR: George Takei

7) KEYWORDS: Fighter Pilot, Singing, Blockbuster, Ejection Seat, Death Of Friend
FILM: Top Gun
HEROES STAR: Adrian Pasdar

8) KEYWORDS: Advertising, Chauvinist, Chick Flick, Exfoliation, Mind Reading
FILM: What Women Want
HEROES STAR: Cristine Rose

9) KEYWORDS: Ant, Grasshopper, Circus, Computer Animation, Bloopers During Credits
FILM: A Bug's Life
HEROES STAR: Hayden Panettiere

10) KEYWORDS: Bedtime Story, Swimming Pool, Apartment Building, Nymph, Critically Bashed
FILM: Lady in the Water
HEROES STAR: Noah Gray-Cabey

And now, this week's PHANTASMIC LINKS:

(1) I love great comic book covers: these are not great comic book covers.
Hat Tip: Rhodester.

(2) Here are 10 Alan Moore comics you must read, besides Watchmen. I've read only two of those titles and realize I have some catching up to do. What was I reading for those eight years I collected comic books?

(3) Nathan Sawaya is a Brick Artist. I need to figure out how to do this to get out of work...

(4) Similarly, Christian Faur creates his art with crayons; just now how you'd expect...

(5) The Turtles hit the NYComicCon and discover more than most fanboys...

(6) AFSCME: bustin' their balls for you.(Warning; Explicit language and hilarious PSA)
H.T.: B13.

(7) Monkey Metric is a cute little puzzle game in which you guide a small geometric monkey through 30 challenging levels to save your village. The last level seems impossible but I found solutions for all the others, so I must be missing something...

(8) Hyspace is a social network for characters from a certain video game realm...I can't believe the work that was put into that and bow before superior geeks.

(9) The Giant Weta is the heaviest insect in the world. I have officially overreacted to any other insect species I may have discovered in my house in the past; they were nothing.

(10) Arrange the Crop Circles to give your army the best strategic chance of repelling invading aliens.

Have a link to a game, movie, article, or anything else you think might be “phantasmic”? E-mail me and it just might appear in an upcoming PHANTASMIC LINKS!

A Movie Thing Seven.

I love movies. I love games. Put them together, and you've got our old friend, the Movie Keyword Meme:

1) Go to IMDB.com and look up 10 films.
2) Post five (5) official IMDB "Plot Keywords" for these 10 picks.
3) Have your friends guess the movie titles.

As always, to put an extra spin on this exercise, there will be some element that links the ten films in question. See if you can guess all ten, as well as what they have in common, and I'll reveal the answers in a few days:

1) Son, Boxing, Restaurant, Coming Out Of Retirement, Sequel

2) Premonition, Cheating Death, Field Trip, Dream, Airplane Accident

3) Secret Agent, Disguise, Exploding Car, Implant, Third Part

4) Ferret, Unfaithful Wife, Salsa, Basketball, Insurance Agent

5) Warp Speed, Teleportation, Time Travel, Space, Prequel

6) Dragon, Impersonation Of Soldier, Folklore, Loss Of Father, Character Name In Title

7) Fighter Pilot, Singing, Blockbuster, Ejection Seat, Death Of Friend

8) Advertising, Chauvinist, Chick Flick, Exfoliation, Mind Reading

9) Ant, Grasshopper, Circus, Computer Animation, Bloopers During Credits

10) Bedtime Story, Swimming Pool, Apartment Building, Nymph, Critically Bashed

Phantasmic Links 9.15.08

Well, I guess the latest Movie Keyword Meme was a lot tougher than I thought! Here are the titles I was looking for:

1) Tropic Thunder
2) A Guide to Recognizing Your Saints
3) A Scanner Darkly
4) Kiss Kiss Bang Bang
5) Wonder Boys
6) U.S. Marshals
7) Two Girls and a Guy
8) Natural Born Killers
9) Chaplin
10) Iron Man

And of course, with that list, one can easily see that Robert Downey, Jr. is the common element in those films. With that kind of range, I should spread a rumor that he'll be playing The Riddler next. I bet Michael Caine would buy that one!

Here are this week's PHANTASMIC LINKS:

(1) Click Myclofigia and get our city to #1!

(2) Hey math geeks! Behold the lost art of Nomography. I have a vague recollection of doing something like this in high school, plotting points on a grid and drawing a series of straight lines between them that somehow formed curves. It's a cool marriage between the two halves of the brain.

(3) Apparently, some people were offended by the package design for Obama Waffles...

(4) Scientists seek dimensions beyond space and time. Coooool....

(5) Use your hook to grab floating mines and escape to the surface in Gravity Hook, but don't hang on too long unless you like to explode...

(6) The FM 100 Hue Test will gauge how well you perceive color, but if you're a former art major like myself those swatches may conjure flashbacks to color theory classes...

(7) Move, mutate, change color, feed flies and more with this cool and creepy Flash Spider.

(8) A collection of images showcases flags photoshopped into everyday items.

(9) Enjoy this Beautiful Rain Photography.

(10) What does the future hold for Iron Man 2?

(11) All productivity has ceased in my free time now that I've become addicted to Gemcraft, a cross between tower defense and RPG leveling. You have been warned and enticed...

Have a link to a game, movie, article, or anything else you think might be “phantasmic”? E-mail me and it just might appear in an upcoming PHANTASMIC LINKS!

A Movie Thing Six.

I haven't done one of those Movie Keyword Meme things in a while, which is why I'm doing one today. It has nothing to do with going out drinking to celebrate a friend's birthday on a Friday night, and I certainly didn't write this a day in advance. Nope, I'm sitting here at the stroke of midnight typing, and not in a bar regretting drinking after donating blood. I also have a nice bridge that might interest you if you believe any of that, but first a refresher of the rules:

1) Go to IMDB.com and look up 10 films.
2) Post five (5) official IMDB "Plot Keywords" for these 10 picks.
3) Have your friends guess the movie titles.

I'm all out of prizes, so this one will be just for fun. As I've sometimes done in the past, there is a common link between these movies. See if you can guess what it is. Answers will be revealed in about two days.

1) White Male Pretending To Be Black; Vietnam; Child Uses Gun; Spoof; Controversial

2) Juvenile Delinquency; Queens New York; Coming Of Age; Based On Book; Flashback Sequence

3) Bath; Drug War; Paranoia; Undercover Work; Rotoscoping

4) Car In Lake; Gay Straight Alliance; Narration; Child Abuse; Magic Act

5) Dog Killed; Professor; Writing; Alcohol; Transvestite

6) Fight The System; Sequel To Remake; Cover Up; Escaped Convict; Falsely Convicted

7) Two Girlfriends; Plant Through Window; Lying; Real Time; Bisexual

8) Villain Played By Lead Actor; Cult Favorite; Blood On Camera Lens; Fugitive Sex; Killing Spree

9) Vaudeville; Nostalgic; Anti Semitism; Based On Multiple Works; Character Name In Title

10) Nonlinear Timeline; Ambush; Artificial Intelligence; Body Armor; Fighter Jet

I'm still working out the balance between too easy and too hard with my choice of keywords. For the most part, I think I skewed toward easy this time, but we shall see.

Sit Still: The Mike Whorenelli Story

As I mentioned yesterday, I'm not famous and you probably won't ever see the story of my life on the big screen. I remember one Summer when my neighborhood friends literally tried to start a garage band, rehearsing in one kid’s garage. For some reason they included me, even though they played guitars and drums and I didn't. Since my only instrumental talent was brass, they opted to make me the lead singer. We recorded various cover songs such Nirvana's Polly and Bush's Glycerine. We never went beyond those recordings, and in hindsight I'm now wondering if they were just playing a trick on me since I really can't sing and certainly don't have the looks of a lead singer. I recently watched Charly, the classic film adaptation of Flowers for Algernon, in which Cliff Robertson doesn't know when his “friends” are making fun of him because he's mentally challenged. Those were some painful scenes, and one wonders if the innocence in not knowing certain things isn't preferable.

So, I never became a rock star. I wanted to become a famous comic book artist when I went to college, even though I was just a margin doodler. Illustration gave way to commercial art, and I make an adequate living now designing stuff that won't make me famous, flyers that the majority of recipients probably rip up. I went through a karaoke phase in the tail end of the ‘90s, co-”starring” in the ensemble cast of a friend's Manhattan public access show. For those of you under the age of 30, that's what we did before YouTube. The digital age makes it a lot easier for nobodies to get into people's living rooms.

I'm not a rock star, famous artist, or television celebrity. Neither is Dewey Cox, but that didn't stop anyone from making a satirical biopic about this fictitious rock star in the tradition of Ray and Walk the Line. The film successfully satirizes the conventions of such movies, condensing a person's life into less than two hours and hitting on milestone events as though everyone knew they were milestones. My favorite aspect of Walk Hard was it's use of something I'll describe as “prophetic irony”. Characters will say certain things like, “Nothing horrible is going to happen today!” when you know the exact opposite is true, especially if you've seen any biography of any rock star or celebrity ever. There's a formula to those which this film exploits to the fullest.

The film offers a lot of cameos in Dewey's rise to fame. David Krumholtz, Harold Ramis, Jack McBrayer(30 Rock), Frankie Muniz, Jack White(The White Stripes), and Eddie Vedder(as himself) are just a few of the faces that pop up, not always recognizably. I won't even spoil the all-star lineup that portrays The Beatles, but it's inspired. And fans of The Office will be happy to spot Ed Helms, Craig Robinson, and of course the lovely Jenna Fischer, who steals Dewey's heart and ours as she does her best impression of Reese Witherspoon in Walk the Line.

As Dewey's drummer, Tim Meadows genuinely cracked me up, even if he wasn't doing anything different from the billion years he spent on SNL. I think it was just his earnest delivery, and repetition of certain key phrases throughout the movie that really got to me. He advises Dewey “against” Marijuana smoking, and his narcotic “advice” only escalates as the story unfolds. But the one name I've yet to mention is John C. Reilly. We've all known his face since at least 1990's Days of Thunder, but I'm not sure how recognizable his name has been over the years. It wasn't until I saw him in Magnolia that I decided to note his name and elevate him from his “Hey It's That Guy” status. He's a skilled character actor with great range and an impressive resume, but Walk Hard marks his first lead role. He's proven equally adept at comedy as well as drama, and his presence elevated what might have been another throwaway role for someone like Will Ferrell. Judd Apatow has been on a solid winning streak lately with films he's either written and/or directed, and his story here continues that streak with a solid star and supporting cast.

* * * * *

Reilly was of course the common theme in yesterday's Movie Keyword Game; all were movies he's appeared in. No one guessed the theme, nor all ten films, so no prize will be awarded this time. Honorable mention goes to B13 who came extremely close with an impressive nine out of ten. Here are the correct answers:

1) Days of Thunder
2) Tenacious D in The Pick of Destiny
3) Magnolia
4) The Perfect Storm
5) Boogie Nights
6) The Hours
7) Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story
8) Chicago
9) Gangs of New York
10) Dark Water

A Movie Thing Five.

I’ve only been off from work for one day, and already I miss it. Do I bore too easily? If they made a movie of my life, would the majority of the film be a montage of me sitting at a computer? And, if so, why are they even making that movie? They don’t make movies about guys like me, but a guy like me watches a lot of movies. By the time I’m back in my office next Thursday, I’ll probably be missing lazy days and long DVDs. While I’m in extreme movie mode though, I might as well manufacture a new Movie Keyword Game. Here’s how we play:

1) Go to IMDB.com and look up 10 films.
2) Post five (5) official IMDB "Plot Keywords" for these 10 picks.
3) Have your friends guess the movie titles.

I’m feeling generous, so the first person to correctly identify all ten films or point out the common theme linking the films will receive a fragment of the Mysterious Master Prize™. What is this prize? It’s so Mysterious, that even those in possession of the ten fragments already awarded this year may not know what they hold. Will you glean a pattern below and win #11?

1) Wheelchair; Racer; Car Accident; Cheating; Manager.

2) Guitar; Satan; Satire; Best Friend; Magic Mushroom.

3) Motivational Speaker; Multiple Story Line; Ensemble; Biblical Passage; Religion.

4) Aerial Refueling; Ice; Blockbuster; Swordfish; Fisherman.

5) Film in Film; Porn Star; Rise And Fall; Roller Skating; Independent Film.

6) Self Determination; Lesbian Kiss; Reading; Title Spoken By Character; Three Women.

7) Character Name In Title; Multiple Cameos; Musician; Drug Humor; Groupie.

8) Bad Girl; Chorus Girl; Crimes Of Passion; Faithful Husband; Crooked Lawyer.

9) Butcher; Epic; Flag; Death; New York City.

10) Flooded Bathroom; Divorced Mother; Dead Girl; Ceiling; Remake Of Japanese Film.

I like watching MOVIES!

I hate this time of year. It's cold and dark, and I'm tired and irritable. I nap frequently, and my head and joints take turns aching. It's a good time to get away from myself and focus on my impossible quest of seeing every single movie ever made. Yesterday I asked readers to guess the last ten movies I've seen, based solely on keywords. Today I'll reveal those films, and share my impressions.

1) The Last American Virgin:
At first glance, it's your typical ‘80s teen sex comedy, clearly an ancestor of the American Pie series. It has nerds, angst, and of course gratuitous nudity. It also has a nostalgic soundtrack apparently comprised of every song that was popular when it was released, from artists such as Devo, Blondie, U2, REO Speedwagon and more. Each song was perfectly chosen and placed to complement each story element of the film. I found ”Just Once” by Quincy Jones particularly heartbreaking. Heartbreak? In a comedy? Indeed. The strange thing is, as the plot unfolds, it becomes less of a fantasy and more painfully real. It shows that the actions of carefree, hormonal teenagers have consequences, and people don't always make the right decisions. If you've ever thought that girls always go for jerks, had a dream deflate, or felt the sting of unrequited love, this film may pain you. I wonder if I would have considered the ending a twist had I seen it when I was a teenager. I saw a few things coming and hoped I was wrong. Even when things played out as expected, I felt like I'd been slapped in the face. Historically, it's an important movie to see and I'm glad I did. Emotionally, I think I can add it to the list of movies I can only see once.
Keywords: Betrayal; Unrequited love; Pizza Delivery; Cult Favorite; Teen Sex Comedy.

2) Midnight Madness:
Here's the flipside of the ‘80s, a happier formulaic piece of cheese in which stereotypical groups of college kids compete with each other in an all night scavenger hunt. This along with the previous film were recently recommended to me by friends, and I can't believe I'd never seen either. Parts of Midnight Madness seemed familiar, and I don't know if I had seen some of it on television at some point or if it bore a resemblance to similar movies. Each group wears convenient team colors, from the jocks to the nerds to the sorority girls to the jerks to the nice middle-ground group you root for. Led by David “American Werewolf”/”I'm a Pepper!” Naughton, the ensemble includes early appearances of Michael J. Fox, who looks exactly the same but much shorter, and Paul Reubens, who simply looks the same. It's corny, defies logic, oozes with puns and slapstick, includes fat giggling twins, and somehow has an old charm that makes it difficult to dislike.
Time for Title; Melon; Scavenger Hunt; Identical Twins; Miniature Golf.

3) Dead Men Don't Wear Plaid:
This is just a brilliant concept, the brain child of star Steve Martin and director Carl Reiner. It spoofs black-and-white film noir with Martin playing a straight-laced private investigator. Rather than rely on a send-up of the old clichés, they edited in a plethora of stock footage from actual old movies in the genre, choosing generic scenes in such a way that Martin appears to interact and converse with Bogart, Grant, Price, Bergman, Davis and many, many more. Combining old scenes with new ones in humorous ways, they managed to craft a new story. It's clever, and I'm surprised it hasn't been done more often.
Parody; Pastiche; Private Detective; Stock Footage; Title Spoken By Character.

4) The Man with One Red Shoe:
This is your standard ‘80s comedy, the kind of role Tom Hanks was known for before evolving into the Actor he is today. His resume might be more impressive now, but it was an entertaining rental. A violin player is mistaken for a spy; hilarity and Dabney Coleman ensue. Jim Belushi also ensues, but I wouldn't feel right putting his name in the same sentence as “hilarity”, even if I just did anyway. Look for Carrie Fisher attempting to avoid being typecast as a space princess by playing a different role, 20 years before appearing on 30 Rock and ultimately quoting the only role she'll really be remembered for. Also of note is Lori Singer and her impressively low cut dress. Otherwise, it's a forgettable rental for when nothing else is on.
Danger; Violin; Mistaken Identity; Shoe; Remake.

5) Scarface:
I only saw the 1983 Pacino version a few years ago, so it shouldn't surprise anyone to find out last week was the first time I saw the 1932 black-and-white original. It's the essential gangster flick, complete with tommy guns, pretty dames, and fast-talking thugs. I'm not sure if people talked that fast in the ‘30s or if they were doing it to save film, but at times I had trouble keeping up with the dialogue. The basic storyline is the same as the remake, with the nationality of the rising gangster originally Italian. It was interesting to see which thematic elements were kept, and which were greatly expanded upon.
Gangster Film; Brother Sister Relationship; St. Valentine's Day Massacre; Bootlegging; Based On Novel.

6) The Tuxedo:
It's not Jackie Chan's worst movie; it's just not his best. It's yet another case of Mistaken Identity(™ & © 1980s), this time an ordinary driver playing the role of a secret agent. Jackie isn't playing his usual martial arts master, but instead relies on a high tech spy tuxedo that grants him fighting prowess. The film might have been marginally better if it focused more on that aspect and less on the “chemistry” between Chan and Jennifer Love Hewitt. All due respect to Mr. Chan, but his strengths lie in reflexes and physical coordination, not witty banter. It might be Hewitt as his foil, as Chris Tucker plays off Jackie's monotone with expert timing in the Rush Hour series. There, it's more about cultural differences and the animated reactions of Tucker to Chan. I can suspend disbelief about the suit, but not that Hewitt believes Chan is the spy he's impersonating. It was entertaining as a rental and not as bad as I was expecting, but I'm glad I missed this one in theaters. So, which movie was Jackie's worst? I'll have to think about that question...
Spy Spoof; Chauffeur; Insect; Concert Scene; Dehydration.

7) Accepted:
This is the modern incarnation of those late 70s and early 80s college movies, and while it's 90% funny, there is story and heart at the core of it. Suspend disbelief as kids would never be able to pass an abandoned building off as the campus of a fictitious university. Once you get past that, it's a fun ride. Justin Long continues a solid trend of good movies, and seems to be the heir to the throne of our ‘80s favorites. This kid will be the next John Cusack yet...
College Kid; Renovation; College Campus; Rejection; Hearing.

8) 16 Blocks:
Bruce Willis is a cop, not the indestructible super cop we've seen him play so many times before, but a broken, aging cop drowning his sorrows in alcohol. Mos Def is a rapper with serious acting ability, and here plays a witness about to testify against some dirty cops. All Willis has to do is transfer him 16 blocks to a courthouse, but that won't be easy when everyone is gunning for them. All Def wants to do is survive, because he genuinely believes people can change and dreams of becoming a baker. It's a tense thriller with a lot of great emotion, and some unique cinematographic choices with gun physics.
Shot In The Hand; Rogue Cop; Bakery; New York Skyline; Prisoner Transport.

9) Firewall:
Meanwhile, Harrison Ford plays the same role we've seen in a thousand other movies, many of which starred Ford. Can he outwit bank robbers and save his family? Is it an important plot point that kidnappers take the little family dog too? Why is Chloe his secretary; is she undercover for CTU? “Open a port” is to the thriller what “reverse polarity” is to science fiction, and I could care less. I've seen versions of this story before, which may have made it predictable, but I think it was just a poor execution. I hope Ford does better with Crystal Skull, because he's still one of my favorite actors, and the only movie of his that was almost as bad as Firewall was Hollywood Homicide. Otherwise, he's had a good run...
Cellular Phone; Banker; Home Invasion; Dog; Video Surveillance.

10) The Mothman Prophecies:
I can't say I've ever been much of a Richard Gere fan; he just has one of those faces that bother me, like his eyes have too much pupil or something. I couldn't explain it. Maybe it's just that I perceived him as a “chick flick” leading man, and there are thousands of movies I'll rent before Dr. T and the Women. In any case, I put off Mothman for a while even though it looked exactly like my kind of movie, dark and potentially supernatural. When I did finally get to it, I found an intriguing story based apparently on actual events. Much like an X-files episode, the supernatural events are left in question and though the story has an ending, questions are left unanswered. When people start having visions of a creepy winged being, and the creepy things it tells them starts coming true, is it delusions or something more? It has a nice atmosphere, and I liked it as much as another Gere movie that came out the same year, Unfaithful. In both instances his character surprised me, so maybe there are other good movies I'm missing out on due to my aversion to this actor.
Bridge Collapse; Based On Supposedly True Story; Tumor; Paranormal; Widower.

Well, I'm off to more movies, starting with Knocked Up. After a while, cinephiles!

A Movie Thing Four.

It's been a long week. I'm happy to say I got to work fifteen minutes early on Friday, hopefully the reversal of a bad trend I'd fallen in to. The extra time helped, as it was my busiest day yet. I took a short lunch and stayed a little late, and in the end I realized that while it might be impossible to get everything done by myself, other people are just as likely to delay me. I actually had one coworker tell me “if someone makes all his deadlines, he doesn't have enough work to do.” I've been a slave to schedules for years, so that kind of attitude can be a little bit frustrating. There are times when it's worth it to spend more time on something to produce better quality results, rather than sacrifice quality just to meet a date on a calendar. It's something I struggle with, and something I need to ponder further.

I want my life to have balance, and I'd like to avoid past mistakes and accept that whatever I don't finish in one day can be faced in the next. I want to be the best worker I can be, but leave work at the office and not have it spill over. If I can recognize patterns I should be able to break them, shouldn’t I? It's been a long week, and I'm glad it's finally the weekend, even if cold rainy weather and a lack of interest led to the cancellation of a paintball outing. Nevertheless, it is the weekend, and I need a good game.

Who wants to play?

For those new to the following Movie Keyword game, the rules are quite simple:

1) Go to IMDB.com and look up 10 films.
2) Post five (5) official IMDB "Plot Keywords" for these 10 picks.
3) Have your friends guess the movie titles.

In the past, I've tried themes from the specific to the obscure, and I've asked readers to guess the connection between my selections. This time, I'm just going to admit up front that these are all recent rentals in the past two weeks, though certainly not all recent releases. Tomorrow I'll reveal the movies, and perhaps say a bit about each one. Please silence your cell phones, and be courteous to the person on the computer next to you.

1) Betrayal; Unrequited love; Pizza Delivery; Cult Favorite; Teen Sex Comedy.

2) Time for Title; Melon; Scavenger Hunt; Identical Twins; Miniature Golf.

3) Parody; Pastiche; Private Detective; Stock Footage; Title Spoken By Character.

4) Danger; Violin; Mistaken Identity; Shoe; Remake.

5) Gangster Film; Brother Sister Relationship; St. Valentine's Day Massacre; Bootlegging; Based On Novel.

6) Spy Spoof; Chauffeur; Insect; Concert Scene; Dehydration.

7) College Kid; Renovation; College Campus; Rejection; Hearing.

8) Shot In The Hand; Rogue Cop; Bakery; New York Skyline; Prisoner Transport.

9) Cellular Phone; Banker; Home Invasion; Dog; Video Surveillance.

10) Bridge Collapse; Based On Supposedly True Story; Tumor; Paranormal; Widower.

Some are obvious, while others are probably impossible. I hope I remember which ones I chose...

Recent Flix

Well, no one guessed all of yesterday's titles, but kudos to Darrell for (correctly) guessing one of them. The loose connection, which likely no one would have guessed anyway, was that these were all things I'd watched in the last few weeks. One was in the theater, while two I'd seen before a long time ago but revisited through Netflix. Here they are, along with some observations and comments:

1) The Stand.
Yes, I saw the miniseries when it first aired back in the ‘90s. A few years ago, I even read the extended edition of the book, which of course was so much better. Effects notwithstanding, the epic tale of a new world order forged by the survivors of a deadly, government-engineered flu was every bit as compelling as I remembered it. The Stand is really what introduced me to the mind of Stephen King, and both the characters and the actors portraying them made six hours and two disks fly by. When I was a kid, I thought for some reason I'd missed a night, but it was all there. There's just a jump between the second and third installments and we don't pick up with some characters exactly where we left them. There are a lot of recognizable names and faces in the cast, more than I remembered. Before I knew him from Scrubs, Ken Jenkins played the father of Molly Ringwald's character. The dad from A.L.F. plays a doctor as does Sherman Howard who seems to have appeared in everything once. Sam Anderson's been around a while and at the time I knew him from various sitcoms and tv shows, but he went on to be more recognizable to me as Holland Manners on Angel and now Bernard on Lost. Even Sam Raimi appears in The Stand! I could go on, but there are nine other movies to comment on.

2) Idle Hands.
I remember the trailers for this ridiculously fun horror comedy, but for the life of me I don't know how I never got to it. A friend reminded me about it this week. It has everything from a wisecracking undead Seth Green to a hot young Jessica Alba, to a murderous severed hand using a pencil sharpener to make its fingers deadlier. It's also a cautionary tale against the dangers of marijuana smoking, because people who are stoned can miss some important details like murder.

3) Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer.
I reviewed it. I like this sort of thing. And the more I reflect on the film, the more I like it in spite of my criticisms. Michael Chiklis also told a great anecdote on the Tonight Show this week about filming a scene with a bear while wearing a heavy rubber costume, and being told not to touch it because the creature's chew-toys were made of the same material.

4) Blood Diamond.
This is a powerful movie. DiCaprio is flawless as a diamond smuggler, playing a great anti-hero and never breaking character. I love Jennifer Connelly. She plays a reporter. She looked a little different in this movie for some reason, and at times I thought it was someone new who looked like her. Maybe her hair was a little lighter or something; I'm not sure what it is. Did I mention I love her? And finally, Digimon Hansolo managed to both break my heart and scare the crap out of me at different points in the film. The dude is a solid actor and you feel his anguish as a father separated from his family as well as his wrath toward those responsible.

5) Akira.
I thought this one would be easy since I reviewed it so recently. I can't add much, other than to reiterate that it's the jumping-on point for anyone who wants to get into anime.

6) I-Spy.
It wasn't great, but it wasn't terrible and had a few laugh-out-loud moments. There's not much in the way of plot but Owen Wilson was funny and Famke Janssen was fun to look at. Eddie Murphy basically played his comic relief sidekick persona ”Donkey” , but as a boxer and in front of the camera. Maybe he should stick with voice acting; his brother Charlie is a lot funnier and edgier these days. (And sweet jumping grandma on a pogo stick, they're making Beverly Hills Cop IV?! Is there any movie from the ‘80s that isn't getting a fourth installment in this decade? And didn't he sort of unofficially make that movie already?)

7) Collateral Damage.
Horrible. A fireman becomes a one-man scourge of Colombian terrorists after losing his family. He does surprisingly well with an axe against trained soldiers. When a film's strongest asset is Elias Koteas(Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles; Some Kind of Wonderful), you know it's in trouble. This was the worst Schwarzenegger movie since Eraser, though not his worst role. I would have retired from acting and taken up politics too.

8) Gangs of New York.
DiCaprio was intense and Diaz was especially hot with fiery red hair and a fierce Irish accent, but Daniel Day-Lewis completely owned his devilish antagonist role. I also liked seeing Manhattan before the days of skyscrapers. I've found myself on those old cobblestone streets before, the neighborhoods that are remnants of another era, but so much of the towering and the modern dominates that it's hard to imagine New York any other way.

9) Weird Science.
I'd seen it many times at a friend's house when I was a kid, but apparently it was on broadcast television since a lot was cut from the version I remember. It reminded me how filmmakers didn't always strive for realism, to be convincing even in complete fantasy. I wonder how many teenage boys hooked a doll up to their computer and ancient modem after seeing this. I wonder if this was what inspired me to build a time machine using a toy car, a no parking sign, and a frayed extension cord. I wonder how I survived my childhood....

10) The Color of Money.
It's one of many iconic ‘80s movies I'm just getting to now. Paul Newman of course is solid, and I had no idea he was reprising an earlier role until I read about the film afterwards. Those critical of this one claimed the original was better, so I'll have to check that out.

A Movie Thing Three

The Movie Keyword Game returns for a third installment, just in time for the Summer season. Will it be a trilogy, or will I keep cranking these things out? History can answer that question.

Here's how the game is played:

1) Choose 10 titles from IMDB.com.
2) Post five (5) official IMDB "Plot Keywords" for these 10 picks.
3) Have your friends guess the movie titles.

The first time I did this, I chose some of my favorite films. The second time, I chose sequels. Today's collection of titles also has a loose connection. Of course it's up to you, my readers, to guess what that is. Guess all ten correctly, as well as my reason for choosing them, and a Mysterious Master Prize™ fragment awaits. Who will be the first to provide all 11 and thus claim the prize? I'll reveal the answers tomorrow along with some other thoughts.

Got your popcorn and/or nachos? Let's begin:

1) Insanity; Cornfield; Crow; Mental Retardation; Apocalyptic.

2) Teen Movie; Knitting; Hanged Girl; Decapitation; Severed Hand.

3) Crane; Wedding; Fire; Alien; Mask.

4) Severed Arm; Shovel; Machete; Photographer; Bill Clinton.

5) Cape; Spiritual; Teenage Boy; Evolution; Breasts.

6) Secret Service; Espionage; Gadget; Buddy Comedy; Kicked in the Crotch.

7) Latin America; Death Of Family; Fireman; Terrorism; Colombia.

8) Gangster; Death; Irish Catholic; Knife Fight; Orphan.

9) Breaking The Fourth Wall; Morphing; Perfect Woman; Buddies; Computer.

10) Con Artist; Sequel; Rebirth; Human Relationship; Pool Cue.

Loose Ends.

Sometimes things are left open. Cliff hangers remain unresolved. Questions have no answers. It's nice when things can be wrapped up in a neat little package. Closure is good.

Last Sunday, I posted the final gang of Blogroll Villains. These rogues may be identified as follows:

26) Captain Eucalyptus.
27) MCF.
28) RC of Strange Culture.
29) Dosetaker.
30) Wil Wheaton.

And so the world is safe...for now. On Saturday, I also ran a second movie meme in which sequels had to be identified solely on their plot keywords. Those films were:

1) The Empire Strikes Back.
2) Superman II.
3) Spider-man II.
4) Army of Darkness.
5) Saw III.
6) Shrek 2.
7) Back to the Future Part III.
8) X-Men 2.
9) Star Trek: The Wrath of Khan.
10) U.S. Marshals.

Excellent! Resolution is a good thing. And now, I can get back to sleep and shake the cold or allergies that seems to be knocking me out...

A Movie Thing Too.

Yesterday, I did a movie meme from The Hidden Blogger. After a night of drinking with some coworkers, I have just enough energy to post a sequel. But first, here are yesterday's answers:

1) Big Fish.
2) The Transformers: The Movie.
3) Flash Gordon.
4) Clash of the Titans.
5) Back to the Future.
6) Ghost Busters.
7) The Naked Gun.
8) The Crow.
9) Wayne's World.
10) Lethal Weapon.

Congratulations to anyone who guessed these! Now let's do it again...with a twist:

1) Go to IMDB.com and look up 10 of your favorite SEQUELS.
2) Post five (5) official IMDB "Plot Keywords" for these 10 picks.
3) Have your friends guess the movie titles.

Let the game begin again:

1) Dismemberment; Outer Space; Training; Spirituality; Secret Identity.

2) Revenge; Bully Comeuppance; Alien; Terrorism; Moon.

3) Agility; Crime Fighter; Guilt; Mad Scientist; Chainsaw.

4) Steampunk; Bizarre; H.P. Lovecraft; Good Versus Evil; Chainsaw; Hit In Crotch.

5) Female Psychopath; Blood; Drill In The Head; Killer; Disturbing.

6) Sword And Sorcery; Secret; Immaturity; Secret Plot; Cat.

7) Girl Next Door; Clock; Manure; 1880s; Model Train.

8) Anti Hero; Super Power; Invasion; Telekinesis; Catholic.

9) Shakespearean Quote; Death Of Hero; Father Son Relationship; Terraforming; Amazing Grace Hymn.

10) Prison Escape; Accident; Prison; Tense; Search.

A Movie Thing.

The Hidden Blogger tagged me with a pretty interesting movie meme. I usually try to pace these things out, and considering how I'll be busy with multiple musical gigs pretty much every weekend until the middle of June, then after a free weekend busy until August, I probably should save meme posts for when I'll really need them. On the other hand, I watched four hours of season finales on Thursday night, so there's that. Anyway, with all the movies I've seen, this caught my attention:

1) Go to IMDB.com and look up 10 of your favorite movies.
2) Post five (5) official IMDB "Plot Keywords" for these 10 picks.
3) Have your friends guess the movie titles.

There was an additional bit about tagging people, but I'll leave it wide open for anyone to do if they so choose. I've seen a lot of movies--well over 1,000--but I haven't seen every movie and my tastes are somewhat specific. This is more than a meme; this will demonstrate just how well my readers know me...or not.

Let the game begin:

1) Thunderstorm; Father Son Reunion; Funeral; Loss Of Husband; Ventriloquist.

2) Messiah; Futuristic; Alien Contact; Space Station; Good Versus Evil.

3) Tragic Villain; Extraterrestrial Being; Emperor; Floating Island; Laser Beam.

4) Bizarre; Ancient Greece; Greek Mythology; Greek God; Medusa.

5) Self Worth; 1980s; Fall From Tree; Telescope; Fire.

6) New York City; Mission; Whimsical; Scientist; Demonic Possession.

7) Student Driver; Mind Control; Femme Fatale; Police Detective; Queen.

8) Vigilante; Sword; Revenge; Supernatural; Industrial Music.

9) Cantonese; Music Video; Breaking The Fourth Wall; Product Placement; Flying Monkey.

10) Loss Of Wife; Blood Splatter; Famous Line; Car Battery; Christmas Tree