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Trailer for The Monuments Men (2013)
The Monuments Men (2013)
The Monuments Men is based on a true story about a team of art historians and museum curators that are brought together during World War II to save priceless works of art before Hitler has them destroyed.
The film is directed by George Clooney and the noteworthy cast includes George Clooney, Matt Damon, Cate Blanchett, Bill Murray, John Goodman, Bob Balaban, and Jean Dujardin.
The all-star cast would be enough to make me want to see the film, but this is an intriguing story that I know nothing about.
I would bet money that it gets nominated for an Academy Award for something, and it will likely deserve it.
The film is set to release on 12/18/13.
Happy Birthday to Kevin Bacon
Happy Birthday to Kevin Bacon! He celebrates his 55th year in this world today.
When I think of Kevin Bacon, the first thing that comes to mind is the game “6 Degrees of Kevin Bacon.” This guy has acted alongside so many of the greats in so many excellent films that they named a game after him.
So how do you play “6 Degrees of Kevin Bacon,” you ask? Well, great question, thanks for asking. The object of the game is to link any given actor to Kevin Bacon in 6 steps or less. The less steps the better. For example I’ll use Angelica Huston as the other actor because she shares birthdays with Kevin Bacon, except today she turns 62. Now let’s try to link Huston with Bacon in the least amount of steps. Huston was in The Royal Tenenbaums (2001) with Bill Murray, that’s the first step; Murray was in Wild Things (1998) with Bacon, and that’s the second and last step. There you go. I successfully linked Angelica Huston to Kevin Bacon in 2 steps. Obviously the only thing better than 2 steps is 1 step. The only way that you could link the two actors together in 1 step is to find a movie that they were both in together. That example was pretty easy. Sometimes the game can get pretty intricate and difficult.
I used to play a variation of “6 Degrees of Kevin Bacon.” The version that I would play was to link any 2 random actors together, rather than always Kevin Bacon and 1 other.
Not everyone can play those games. You almost have to have a real movie obsession to be any good at them.
You know than an actor is pretty awesome when they name a game like that after him.
Click on the links below to read my Kevin Bacon movie reviews:
Zombieland (2009)
Zombieland (2009)
When I saw Zombieland for the first time, I was absolutely shocked at how much I loved it. A friend had recommended it and I watched it shortly after it came out on DVD. I went into it knowing nothing at all about the movie and it caught me completely by surprise.
After a zombie apocalypse, there are few human survivors remaining. Zombieland follows Columbus (Jesse Eisenberg) and Tallahassee (Woody Harrelson) as they fight their way through zombie-ridden America in search of safety, solace, and Twinkies. They run into Wichita (Emma Stone) and Little Rock (Abigail Breslin) along the way and their journey gets bumpy.
Zombieland put Jesse Eisenberg on the map. The only other movie that I had seen him in before was The Village (2004) and at that time I had no idea who he was. His performance in the film blew me away. He proved that he had the power to carry a movie by himself and when he teamed up with Woody Harrelson, it was priceless.
A year after Zombieland, Eisenberg was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for playing the part of Mark Zuckerberg in the film The Social Network (2010). He has since been popping up all over the place with Now You See Me (2013) (also with Harrelson) coming out later this year.
Harrelson was tremendous. He played a great tough-guy and yet he was hysterical. Not many people can pull off that combination. On screen you could really tell that he had a lot of fun with his character.
My friend who recommended the movie to me actually dressed up like Tallahassee for Halloween because he loved the character so much.
Zombieland also served as a big stepping stone for Emma Stone. She was very likable in the movie. Like Eisenberg, she became super popular after Zombieland came out. The only difference is that she was already a little popular from a few previous roles.
Abigail Breslin didn’t need a stepping stone. The youngest of the group, she had already earned an Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actress for her role in Little Miss Sunshine (2006). Zombieland served simply as a tool to further her acting career. She was only 13 when she made the movie, but she held her own along with the rest of the cast.
Bill Murray has one of the best cameo appearances that I have ever seen in a movie. It was completely random and hilarious.
Amber Heard also has a small part in the film.
The film was directed by Ruben Fleischer. Fleischer has since directed Eisenberg in 30 Minutes or less (2011) and Stone in Gangster Squad (2013).
Zombieland is a comical masterpiece. It has already become a cult classic and has recently spawned a TV show. It is a movie that I could watch over and over again. The film is not so much about zombies as it is about the camaraderie between the main characters as they try to survive among the living dead. It is a hilarious thrill ride that will keep you laughing all the way to the end.
I rate this movie a 9 on a scale of 1-10.
Buy, rent, or run? Buy.
Staycation All I Ever Wanted…
To reference the classic Bill Murray movie What About Bob? (1991), I have recently taken a vacation from my problems. I did not actually take a vacation, but I have done a whole lot of nothing recently every chance that I have gotten. I’ve continued to work and do the standard necessary chores, but I have basically done the bare minimum and just tried to relax and recharge my batteries.
In the process of taking my mini “staycation” I have watched a number of movies and TV shows. I obviously have not written anything about them, but I plan to remedy that soon.
I have been very lazy, but I will get back on track soon and have some more reviews for you to read in the near future. If only I could get a job that would allow me more time to write. Baby steps…
Thank you all for your continued support. You have been a great motivator and have kept this fun for me. Hopefully I can give you something fun to read soon.
Groundhog Day (1993)
Groundhog Day (1993)
In honor of Groundhog Day today, I decided to review the 1993 film of the same name.
Phil: “What would you do if you were stuck in one place and every day was exactly the same, and nothing that you did mattered?”
Phil (Bill Murray) is a weather reporter who is sent to Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania on Groundhog Day to cover the Groundhog Day festivities. Although he is unhappy with his assignment, he follows orders and soon finds himself stuck living the same day over and over again.
Groundhog Day is easily Bill Murray’s best performance and greatest movie.
Although I saw the movie in the theatre when I was a kid, I did not truly appreciate the humor in it until I was an adult. The more Phil is forced to repeat the same day, the harder and harder you will laugh.
The film is a comedy classic and this is mostly attributed to the pairing of Harold Ramis directing and Bill Murray starring. The two men were good friends at the time of filming and Ramis had previously directed Murray in Caddyshack. They both also had starred together in Ghostbusters (1984), Ghostbusters II (1989), and Stripes (1981). Ramis wrote the screenplay for all of those films including Groundhog Day. His writing of Groundhog Day is superb and he also has a cameo appearance in the film.
The comedy is very tastefully written and the film is eventually quite touching.
Andie MacDowell, Chris Elliot, and Steven Tobolowsky are all excellent additions to the film. Bill Murray’s brother Brian Doyle-Murray even has a bit part in the movie.
If you have not seen Groundhog Day, I strongly recommend that you do so immediately. Go out and rent it, buy it, download it, or borrow it. Steal it if you have to. You will not be disappointed, and it may become a holiday tradition for you and your family just as it has for me. I have watched it over and over and over again.
I rate this movie a 10 on a scale of 1-10.
Buy, rent, or run? BUY!
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