Thursday, August 13, 2009

Yo Joe & Goodbye To A Great

All I have to say is WOW!!! "GI Joe: The Rise of Cobra" was everything I thought it would be and more. While some of the story went away from what we know from the comics and cartoons, it was awesome nonetheless. Great story, awesome action, and some pretty mind-blowing special effects. You have to understand that not many movies can take the liberties that Joe & Transformers have and still deliver to the die hard fans. I will not spoil the fun for everyone, but Snake Eyes delivers in every way that the fans would have hoped for and the accelerator suits seen in the previews were actually really cool. I would say that this is a great way to end the summer, but wait there's more.

The summer movie season is now reaching full tilt with the release this Friday of "District 9." This movie is generating so much buzz that it has now become a must see. When all the critics are raving, you know it could be something special. The trailers for this have been appetizing and anything that has Peter Jackson's name on it has to be good. Also, what could be the second comedy sleeper hit of the season opens this weekend with "The Goods - Live Hard, Sell Hard". Jeremy Piven leads an eclectic cast of characters on a ride to save his used car dealership. The trailers have been a trip and it should make some noise in the weeks to come.

For some reason this has been a summer of goodbyes. The latest being the great John Hughes (1950 - 2009). Being a child of the 80's, I have seen most his films at least once. He directed such classics as "The Breakfast Club," "Weird Science," and "Ferris Bueller's Day Off." Little did I know that he was a screenwriter for "Animal House" and 3 of the 4 "Vacation" Movies. For those who think there is not enough comedy in the world, please check out his filmography as I guarantee you will not stop laughing for days.

And Now For Another Top Ten - This Is Dedicated To John Hughes

My Favorite Top Ten John Hughes Movie Moments (Directing, Producing, or Screenwriting)

10 - The Breakfast Club - As the credits roll and Judd Nelson is walking towards the football field, you hear Anthony Michael Hall tell the story of the Rebel, the Geek, the Jock, the Princess, and the Outcast coming together for that one morning and forever remembering "The Breakfast Club"

9 - Vacation - I'll never forget when the Griswolds arrived at Wallyworld only to find the park closed and Clark (Chevy Chase) taking the security guard (John Candy) hostage for a day of amusement park chicanery.

8 - Uncle Buck - When Buck (John Candy) has the meeting with his nieces school principal (the one with the mole) and after a heated argument he tosses her a quarter and tells her to go downtown and have a rat gnaw that thing off her face - priceless.

7 - Home Alone - Kevin's (Macauley Caulkin) defense of the house against Harry and Marv (Joe Pesci and Daniel Stern) made the entire movie, especially the little girl scream Marv gives when Kevin puts the tarantula on his face.

6 - Planes, Trains, and Automobiles - When Steve Martin invites John Candy back to his home at the end of the movie. After all the trouble caused and craziness shared, it was a great way to end it.

5 - Weird Science - Gary (Anthony Michael Hall) and Wyatt's (Ilan Mitchell-Smith) first night on the town with Lisa (Kelly Lebrock) and the conversation about Gary's ex at the bar when she "kicked him in the nuts and called him a faggot" was hilarious. I have seen people that drunk and it was dead on accurate.

4 - The Great Outdoors - The boat ride when Dan Aykroyd ends up on the skis. It was scenes like this that make me miss John Candy.

3 - Christmas Vacation - When Clark (Chevy Chase) realizes that his "bonus" was the jelly of the month club and one of the most hilarious diatribes in movie history ensues. Hallelujah - Holy Shit - Where's the Tylenol? Indeed.

2 - Ferris Bueller's Day Off - The "Save Ferris" campaign that causes all his enemies to lose it. For anyone looking to skip school, this is where you learn to do it properly.

1 - Animal House - Bluto's (John Belushi) speech to the Delta's after Wormer (John Vernon) drops the big one, Bluto being a peeping tom, the horse in the dean's office, oh forget it - just go buy the movie - it is the greatest comedy of all time.

See you next week,
Ryno



This Blog Is The Opinion Of One Guy And Does Not Reflect On Any Member Of The Entertainment Industry

1 comment:

  1. I have to agree, although somewhat biased because I went to the movie with Ryno. Nonetheless, we were still Joe fan growing up together. The movie beginning was interesting and a nice twist to the plot to show some origin to the whole MARS network and ultimately the beginning of Destro. Within the first five minutes the action started and I was glued to my seat the remainder of the movie. I felt that the characters Storm Shadow and Snake Eyes lived up to the expectation of a real fan and will not disappoint. Not to mention that everytime that Scarlett or the Baroness where on screen it was difficult to pay attention to anything else that was going on. If you pay attention to the movie, there are several "Easter Eggs" as well which are always pleasant to find and kinda fun to look for to see if you really are a true fan!
    However, if one were to really critique this movie, I really only found a few things that I would say I didn't like about it. It doesn't mean that it's bad, I just thought they could have been different. First, Dennis Quaid was a decent selection to play Hawk, the commander of the Joe Army. I just felt that his part was underplayed and was somewhat lack-luster. Second, there was almost to much CGI in parts. How hard would it have been for them to get a REAL Apache helicopter, a couple of Camels, and a polar bear??? Third, there are a few cameos in the movie that I had no idea what character they were even playing. Which brings me to my last point which is that I think that for nostalgia purposes it would have been nice to see some of the characters in their actual costumes that they wore in the cartoons and action figures other than Snake Eyes and Storm Shadow. Because apparently Gung Ho was in it and I had no clue that he was.
    In short, the movie was well worth it. Definetly one of those movies that, I believe, if I would have waited to rent and NOT seen it first at the theatre I would have been upset. The trailers do NOT do this movie justice so if you are basing it off of them don't because the movie is way better than the trailers and, yes, it actually has a plot that you can follow as well. On a scale of 1 to 10...G.I. Joe gets a very strong 9 in my book!

    ReplyDelete