Friday, August 29, 2008

Day 28- "I want to see Meet the Fockers in 3D"- My 14 year old camper Michael Namm after telling him I had just seen Superman Returns in 3D.

So as you can tell, I will not have the time to necessarily update the blog as frequently as I did during the summer. HOWEVER, you should still check it often as a new post may be up there when you least expect it. Having said that....

HERE IS THE NEW SAID POST!

If I had to be one actor from the mid-eighties to early 90s I would probably want to be Christopher Lloyd. Mr. Lloyd has claimed a firm place in cinematic history as one of the best go-to manic character actors, and has also attached himself to some of the best/most popular movies of those days. Lets go through some of them shall we?

1. Back to the Future (1985): There is really nothing to discuss other than to say that this franchise is in my top 4 movies of all time (Airplane, Austin Powers and The Matrix probably being the other 3). It has action, adventure, humor, time-travel, (I guess there is something to discuss) an eighties soundtrack featuring Huey Lewis and the News, a giant clock tower, awesome chase scenes, a wicked cool/trippy concept, Libyans, an awesome logo, plutonium, Crispin Glover, the brother Dwayne from 'The Wonder Years', fire, and the best score of all time (yes, it is my ringtone). Taking all of that into consideration, even though Marty McFly is the hero of the film, Doc Brown is really the heart and soul of that movie. When he was shot by the Libyans, you (and by you I mean I) almost cried.

2. Clue (1985): Not neccessarily a classic, but the board game is, and the witty dialogue ("You see? Like the Mounties, we always get our man") , excellent casting (Tim Curry as the BUTLER!) and zany cast of characters make this movie a must-watch. This movie also has made it through the sands of time to be played on basic cable on Sunday afternoons. It also has developed a bit of a cult following, so thats 2 for 2 Mr. Lloyd.

3. Who Framed Roger Rabbit (1988): This movie is in my top 7. It is one of the most creative, hilarious, innovative, brilliant comedies of the past 25 years. The animation is unbelievable, the plot is engaging, and the cartoon that Christopher Lloyd turns into at the end of the movie is FUCKING SCARY (to be said in an increasingly high pitched voice): "Remember me Eddie! When I KILLED YOUR BROTHER! I SOUNDED JUST...LIKE....THIIIIIS!" Jessica Rabbit (as voiced by the sultry Kathleen Turner) is still the hottest cartoon of all time (No disrespect of course to Tanya Moskowtiz from "An American Tail"). I'd much rather watch her sing in a night club than watch Cameron Diaz sing circa "The Mask."

Furthermore, this is probably going to be THE movie Bob Hoskins is going to be remembered for (Sorry "Super Mario Bros," but Dennis Hopper really mailed in his performance as King Koopa. I much preferred him as Victor Drazen.) Even the Roger Rabbit cartoon that opens the film stands alone as a hilariously violent triumph. The real impressive aspect of the film is that Disney got Warner Bros to let them use Bugs Bunny and the whole gang of WB cartoons. Seeing Mickey Mouse and Bugs Bunny together taunt Bob Hoskins as he falls out of a window? Priceless.

4. The Dream Team (1989): This movie is decidedly much less popular or known, but it did star HUGE HOLLYWOOD STAR (at the time) MICHAEL KEATON. In case you are not familiar with this film, it is like One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest but zany. It's about a bunch of mental hospital patients who go to New York to get fresh air, and end up going astray, getting framed for murder, and just causing a big ruckus in general. If you've never seen it before, well....dont rent it, but if its on TV at some point on Encore or something, I'd take a look. The truth is I remember liking it when I saw it when I was 10, and I havent seen it since. So who knows if it is actually good at all. Lets just move on.

5. The Addams Family (1991). This movie was a huge hit at the time. I havent seen it in years, but I probably never will. Why you ask? Well, when I was on a plane on the way to Israel when I was 6 years old, I sat in the first row right in front of the giant pull down movie screen (remember those?) It was a long flight and I was a very tired boy. I fell asleep and when I woke up, I remember staring into the enlarged face of a bald, pale, hunchbacked, creepy Uncle Fester. He was laughing and to a child of 6...well it wasnt very pleasant sight, especially after a nap. I freaked out and have been freaked out by the Addams Family movies ever since.*

*The other movie that played on that flight was none other than....Mrs. Doubfire! Why I remember this? I dont know. But then again I also dont know any math I learned in high school, so you figure it out.

6. THE FAMILY FRIENDLY 1994 3 PACK: Angels in the Outfield (1994), Camp Nowhere (1994), The Pagemaster (1994). All of these movies are friendly PG movies that champion the power of children's imagination. In AITO cutie patootie Joseph Gordon Levitt thinks he can save the Anaheim Angels season because he can see angels, lead by Christopher Lloyd, helping the team win. "Bahh-humbug" says grizzled manager Danny Glover who acts in every movie as if he is "too old for this shit." Luckily though, Danny begins to believe and everyone wins, including baseball players, Matthew McConaughey, Adrien Brody and Tony Danza. Interesting that Tony Danza was the highest billed guy in the movie at the time, and now he is a poor schumuck probably waiting to appear on "Dancing with the Stars."

"Camp Nowhere" is about a camp that KIDS MAKE THE RULES! NO ADULTS ALLOWED! KIDS RULE! KIDS ARE AWESOME! YEA! Really cool kid stars Jonathan Jackson and Andrew Keegan were the stars of this film (which also featured a young, but still scorching Jessica Alba). Chirstopher Lloyd played the crazy homeless guy who posed as the camp director so the parents wouldnt know what was going on. DID I MENTION--KIDS RULE! I watched this film at camp one summer when I was in the infirmary, sick with a fever. I was drifting in and out of sleep during the movie, but I specifically remember jumping out of my bed to go vomit in the toilet just as the BOY and GIRL were about to kiss. Ahh....good times.

FINALLY-"The Pagemaster" starred Macauly Culkin as a wimpy nerd who gets trapped in a library where all the books came to life and sounded surprisingly like Whoopi Goldberg, Patrick Stewart and Leonard Nimoy. This was a very imaginative idea, and the animation was cool. Ed Begley Jr. as Macauly Culkin's dad was ever cooler. This movie was also surprisingly scary, especially CLloyd as THE PAGEMASTER, but then again, when Christopher Lloyd is in a movie, the fear factor does jump up about 10 notches.

ALL in all C. Lloyd has had a pretty awesome career. He is the craziest mother fucker this side of normal town. I like him a lot. NEW ADDITION--I saw C.Lloyd in this "Goosebumps Haunted Lifehouse" 4D Movie (one of those where if its windy, they blow air in your face) at Sea World a year or so ago and he was in it! He played this crazy old sea captain! But you know who else was in that movie? Michael McKean and Lea Thompson (Lorraine McFly herself!). And then Weird Al had a cameo at the end as a waiter which was totally unexpected and awesome. So the moral is if you go to SeaWorld, EXPECT THE UNEXPECTED.

Until Tommorrow--

PS. Did anyone catch the Mad Men a couple weeks ago where Bobbe was trying to black ball Don Draper in a restaurant? While his wife is at the table, Don follows Bobbe to the restroom, and in the hallway, proceeds to STICK HIS FIST INTO HER VAGINA, and tell her never fuck with him again. Needless to say, she got the message. What message? That DON DRAPER IS THE MAN.

5 comments:

Jeffrey said...

Bobbie just couldn't wait to be Draped...well neither could his wife or the Jewess (best nicknamed character) or that hippie chick. Or Peggie (just wait).

Btw, what was the last movie that Christopher "Blashka" Lloyd was in? And who is the person filling his role in cinema now?

Ethan said...

thats a nice question. he has been doing mostly TV and voice-over work lately, but the last real movie he was in was baby geniuses, which was like 10 years ago. He may have done like 1 indie movie since then, but look it up on imdb and you'll see its almost all TV.

I'm tempted to say that C. Lloyd was one of a kind, but if I had to choose someone who is filling the void, I might say Nick Nolte. He played a crazy villan in the Hulk, he did animation with Over the Hedge, live action kids movie The Spiderwick Chronicles, and also comedy in Tropic Thunder.

But I think he still needs to do some really shitty kids movies to really fill that void. He also needs to be less grizzled and more manic. Nick Nolte is not loveable. Christopher Lloyd is.

ON SECOND THOUGHT. ITS JON Voight. He did crazy principal in Bratz, Baby Geniuses 2, The Karate Dog, Holes...i think its him.

Unknown said...

A few things
1. You forgot "My Favorite Martian" and "Anastasia" where his voice of Rasputin made me all tingly-wingly. And who forget "Rent-A-Kid" with Leslie Nielsen?? That shit was awesome.
2. Have you ever watched an episode of "Taxi"? I credit that show with putting him on the map. HIs character Iggy is the best part of the show. I mean who else could play a Jesus-loving hippy who got to smoke shrooms on the top of a mountain in the 1906s? Only Christopher Llyod.
3. Weird bit of info that I acquired recently.. the guy who composed the music in "Camp Nowhere" also composed all three "High School Musical"s... and I think the first two "American Pie"s, as well...
4. I disagree about Jon Voight. He and Christopher Lloyd are the same age. I am not sure who it would be, though. Maybe Kevin Spacey? I mean, he's done the whole alien thing (K-PAX) and voice stuff (A Bug's Life) and crazy villain (a lot of movies) and even weird kid-ish movies (The Ref, Pay It Forward, and Fred Claus)... but I don't think he totally fits. I am going to have to think about that one...

Unknown said...

You should watch "Who Framed Roger Rabbit," again. if solely for the Ink and Paint night club scene. It's just Donand and Daffy screaming racial epithets at one anther - Donald actually calls Daffy a,
"Dirty nigger."

Scotch on the rocks....AND I MEAN ICE!

Wild Willis said...

Holy shit, I definitely need to rewatch Roger Rabbit. I saw it when I was like seven years old and apparently about 90% of the movie was over my head.

And now I have the most perfect image in my head of baby Ethan on a plane, scared shitless of Christopher Lloyd as Uncle Fester. Priceless.