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Showing posts with label Favorites. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Favorites. Show all posts
Monday, October 29, 2018
Sunday, February 1, 2015
Sunday, September 7, 2014
Football Scenes!
The NFL season is officially underway. Yay!
The college kids are finishing up their second week of games. Yay!
It's Sunday. Double Yay!
And I'm lazy. Triple...wait, what?
Yup.
But I must do something.
After all, even though this is a movie blog I always mark the beginning and possibly the ending of football season somehow. At the start of last year, I gave you my 11 favorite football movies. What I did at SuperBowl time turned into a pair of my most popular posts. I created my very own fictional football team.
Since I did say I was lazy, I'm not even going to try and top it this year. Instead, I'll shut up now and just share some of my favorite football scenes with you. Enjoy!
And one real life football scene, just because I can. To put it in movie terms, I hope this is foreshadowing...
Sunday, July 13, 2014
Harrison Ford's Top 5 Characters
Happy Birthday Harrison Ford!
Today, one of the heroes of my movie going youth turns 72 years young. With some very recent critical acclaim and some rather big upcoming projects, the man is still going strong. Hopefully, he'll be all healed up from his injury soon so he can resume work on the new Star Wars flick. In the meantime, we might as well honor him by taking a look at his top 5 characters. Characters is the key word. These are not necessarily individual performances because, as many of you know, he's played several characters more than once. With that in mind, let's get started...
#5
President James Marshall
(Air Force One)
Obviously, I could have went a lot of different ways here. I chose this character because the movie he was in was truly all about him. Air Force One is such a fun, if at times goofy movie, and every bit of our enjoyment is due to Harrison Ford. And when he finally says "Get off my plane!" we can't help but cheer.
#4
Dr. Richard Kimble
(The Fugitive)
I absolutely love this movie. There really is no way around it. Anyone who tells me that Harrison Ford wasn't brilliant in this is either lying or crazy. His cat-and-mouse with Tommy Lee Jones is truly epic.
#3
Branch Rickey
(42)
Wait a minute...this? Ahead of his work as Dr. Kimble or Pres. Marshall? This? Yup. Here's the deal, I don't think 42 is a better movie than either Air Force One or The Fugitive, but Ford is better personally. If there's one character he truly disappears into, this one is it. The person, or persona, I think of when I hear the name Harrison Ford never surfaces during this performance. Not once.
#2
Han Solo
(Star Wars Franchise)
Okay, so you probably knew this one was coming. That doesn't make Han Solo any less iconic. And let's not forget cool. In fact, the biggest thing this character has going for him is that he's the coolest character in the Star Wars universe. Some of you are thinking "What about Darth Vader?" Answer this question for me: which one would you rather hang out with?
#1
Indiana Jones
(Indiana Jones Franchise)
Given my #2, there could only be one answer for the top choice. Indy is cool, especially under pressure, super smart, gets the ladies, and travels the world taking down archaeological terrorist. Oh, I almost forgot, he does it all with his hat on. For me, that last factor is enough to put him over the top. For you, I'll throw in the fact that Indy doesn't have to take a back seat to anyone and can save the world with or without help.
Well, there's my 2 cents on the matter. The man has credits going back almost 50 years so I'm sure I left a character out that you're just dying to tell me about. Feel free.
Saturday, June 21, 2014
100,000 Views!
Today is a cause for a celebration. At least for me, anyway. After years of toiling in obscurity nearing on isolation, and one year of slightly less isolation, I've finally reached a plateau some of my fellow bloggers will scoff at: 100,000 views.
Reaching such a milestone has put me in a reflective mood...a greatest hits kind of mindset, if you will. With that, below are links to some of my personal favorites among my own posts, in no particular order, and including a wee little excerpt so you can see what you might be getting into.
Alas, this is 1983 and there are no cell phones. This means we’re stuck with watching mom play hide and seek with this behemoth of a dog who’s coat grows more matted by the second. If you held a gun to my head and asked me which one were smarter I’d have to say the dog.
Watching her really feels like we are looking at Queen Elizabeth II wrestle with the idea of how to address her nation about the passing of Princess Diana whom she is known have her differences with.
Reaching such a milestone has put me in a reflective mood...a greatest hits kind of mindset, if you will. With that, below are links to some of my personal favorites among my own posts, in no particular order, and including a wee little excerpt so you can see what you might be getting into.
Brothers and sisters, like Satan has a plot to enter our souls and turn us away from our Salvation, so too does Chipwrecked have a plot.
However, even icons are not perfect. JFK has The Bay of Pigs, Jay-Z has "Kingdom Come," LeBron James has the 2011 NBA Finals. Morgan Freeman has The Magical Negro.
Throughout the 90s, he supplied me with many of the most awesome martial arts flicks featuring an American actor ever made, no matter how much alike they all were. I know, I know, Chuck Norris, blah blah.
Why don’t the bad guys just shoot him? Rest assured, dear reader, they try. Our hero’s handy little homemade darts, thrown with the kind of accuracy that would make a sniper jealous, takes care of that minor inconvenience.
You already know how I feel about this so-called film. Therefore, I’m going to do something constructive while I bang out a few more paragraphs. I’m attempting to take the art of onomatopoeia to new heights, just like this, boom.
No doubt, Philippe’s quirky, not quite all there personality and obvious zest for life makes the stories of planning and carrying out of his moment at the top of the world into compelling drama.
Certain people are lucky I’ve not yet been named Supreme Ruler of the Universe. Cataclysmic events may have erupted the very moment it came to my attention that the ever-invisible and unquestionably guilty “they” were going to make another Big Momma’s House.
Once you apply the criteria I'm using, the pool of linebackers thins out tremendously. That said, I'm excited about what we have up front. Sgt. Engleheart can be a little soft, but Lattimer more than makes up for him with his 'roided out insanity and passion for having a place at the table.
We're taking some chances with our guards, though. Billy Bob isn't in the best shape and is prone to concussions, but he's hard to move. He also might be able to sneak out and catch a pass or two.
While doing a little self-research for this post, I've come to realize something about me. Generally speaking, the worse the movie, the better the review. With that in mind...
Thanks to everyone who has stopped by Dell on Movies, and an extra special super duper shout out goes out to those brave souls who keep coming back to the place even after they've had a look around. Hopefully, we'll get to 200,000 a whole lot faster.
Sunday, June 8, 2014
Sunday, May 18, 2014
Favorite Movie Titles Blogathon
1) Going through the alphabet, list your favorite movie title beginning with each letter.
2) You don't have to necessarily like the movie to use it's title.
3) Use the banner at the top of this post in yours.
4) Please have submissions in by Friday, May 23rd.
You can either leave a link to your post in the comments (t)here (on her site), tweet it to Brittani (@ramblingfilm) or drop her an email (ramblingfilm@yahoo.com)
I just went with my favorite movies with the corresponding letters. I have posted about a few of these on this site. You can click on the appropriate title to get my whole two cents. Enough chatting, let's get to it...
#
Airplane!
Boyz n the Hood
Do the Right Thing
The Empire Strikes Back
(I know, technically Star Wars: The Empire...don't judge)
Full Metal Jacket
The Godfather, Parts I & II
(Yup, two movies. What did I say about judging?)
Heat
(Pacino who?)
Jaws
Kill Bill, Vols. 1 & 2
(Save it before I put you on my list)
Leon: The Professional
Malcolm X
(We didn't land on Dell on Movies, Dell on Movies landed on us!)
(We didn't land on Dell on Movies, Dell on Movies landed on us!)
Naked Gun: From the Files of Police Squad!
Once Upon a Time in America
Pulp Fiction
The Quick and the Dead
(Qut me some slaq, it's friqin' Q for qryin' out loud)
Raging Bull
The Terminator
(No, really, he'll be back.)
(No, really, he'll be back.)
The Untouchables
X-Men 2
Zombieland
Tuesday, January 14, 2014
Pointless Lists: Top 10 Portrayals of Real Women
In my last post I reviewed the 2002 film
Frida (here) which is a biopic about the late Mexican artist
Frida Kahlo. I gushed about how amazing Salma Hayek was in the title role. This
got me to thinking about a number of other great performances of real women
that have graced our screens. Of course, my next thought was where does Hayek’s
rank, if at all. This is no definitive list as it is only based on movies I
have seen. Still, these are my…
Top 10 Portrayals of Real
Women
Honorable Mentions:
(alphabetically by actress’ last name)
Hope Davis as Joyce Pekar in American
Splendor
Faye Dunaway as Bonnie Parker in Bonnie and
Clyde
Mariel Hemingway as Dorothy Stratten in Star ‘80
Lynn Whitfield as Josephine Baker in The Josephine
Baker Story
10. Helen Mirren as Queen Elizabeth II
In
The Queen
(2006)
As the iconic monarch Helen Mirren brings tremendous grace
and dignity to the screen. Watching her really feels like we are looking at
Queen Elizabeth II wrestle with the idea of how to address her nation about the
passing of Princess Diana whom she is known have her differences with. Mirren
was also outstanding as Alma Reville, the wife of The Master of Suspense in
2012’s largely lackluster Hitchcock.
9. Michelle Williams as Marilyn Monroe
In
My Week with Marilyn
(2011)
Williams captures Marilyn’s fragility and the manner in
which she wields her sexuality as the only weapon she feels comfortable using.
It’s remarkable work that threatens to reduce Monroe to a caricature but
manages enough humanity to make her a sympathetic figure. (Review)
8. Meryl Streep as Margaret Thatcher
In
The Iron Lady
(2011)
As usual, Meryl Streep keeps us engaged. She again
demonstrates her ability to get lost within the character and draw out both
their despair and their dignity. Like a number of others on this list, she also
breathed life into another historic figure. In her case, she was delightful as
culinary legend Julia Child in 2009’s Julie & Julia. (The Iron Lady Review)
7. Cathy Moriarty as Vicki La Motta
In
Raging Bull
(1980)
Moriarty quite literally came from nowhere to earn an Oscar
nomination for playing the wife of boxing great Jake La Motta opposite Robert
De Niro. It was a fiery performance nearly as raw and visceral as her iconic
co-star.
6. Jennifer Lopez as Selena Quintanilla
In
Selena
(1997)
Lopez is simply phenomenal as the Mexican-American singer
who achieved superstar status in Mexico and appeared to be on the verge of a
breakthrough in the United States before being gunned down by the president of
her fan club. She brings an abundance of energy to her role and makes us love
her. This is still her best work.
5. Reese Witherspoon as June Carter
In
Walk the Line
(2005)
It takes a tough woman to handle The Man in Black. In
Walk the Line, Witherspoon gives us that plus a whole lot
more. She was ridiculous feisty and perfect all the way through. By the way,
give her extra kudos for doing all of her own singing.
4. Salma Hayek as Frida Kahlo
In
Frida
(2002)
Salma Hayek is an unstoppable force of nature. She emanates
an irresistible flame that torches the screen. Aided by a prominent unibrow,
Hayek is simply impossible to look away from. It is a magnificent performance
starting with the very first time we see her.
3. Hilary Swank as Brandon Teena
In
Boys Don’t Cry
(1999)
Swank’s role is, in my mind, the second most challenging on
this list. After all, she’s playing a woman who isn’t sure she was really meant
to be one. Swank does a masterful job making us feel empathy for a person whose
actions eventually cause pain in others. Ten years later, Swank would also play
famed aviator Amelia Earhart. (Review)
2. Angela Bassett as Tina Turner
In
What’s Love Got to Do with It
(1993)
Right before our eyes, Angela Bassett morphs from being a
shy country girl from Nutbush, Tennessee to one of the most iconic women in the
history of American music who also happens to be desperately trying to figure
out how not to be a punching bag for the husband that made her a star. It’s a
powerhouse performance if ever there was one and I will go to my grave saying
Bassett was robbed of the Oscar for Best Actress in 1993. In a quieter role
just one year earlier, she was also excellent as Betty Shabazz, the wife of
slain Civil Rights leader Malcolm X.
1. Charlize Theron as Aileen Wuornos
In
Monster
(2003)
The one role on this list more inherently challenging than
Swank’s in Boys Don’t Cry is Theron’s, here. Physically,
she literally transformed herself. Always the glamorous sort with classic
Hollywood beauty, she was just about unrecognizable. For the role, she gained
thirty pounds and shaved her eyebrows. And that’s before all the makeup and
prosthetics were applied to her. But that was only the beginning. She still had
to sell us on the idea that she was a serial killer. Theron certainly managed
to do just that with a flat-out disturbing performance.
I’m sure I have missed one or a dozen. Let me know some of
your faves.
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