Category: Celebs

“Way of the Gun” Trivia from Director Christopher McQuarrie!

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I recently posted about my love for Way of the Gun.  It’s got a great cast and was written/directed by Christopher McQuarrie.  If you haven’t seen it you might want to give it a try.

Rob Hunter, at Film School Rejects, posted 28 Things We Learned from Christopher McQuarrie’s ‘The Way of the Gun’ Commentary.  As usual, before you click over, here are three of my favorites and thoughts to go with each…

McQuarrie was “very resistant” to casting Phillippe, but the actor wouldn’t take no without the opportunity for a meeting. (When McQuarrie asked Phillippe why he wanted to be in his small film instead of a higher profile project, Phillippe’s response that he wanted to be an actor, not a movie star was classic!  I love Phillippe’s persistence and attitude towards his craft. – Craig)

The kidnapping scene sees lots of collateral in the form of dead or wounded people in both the foreground and background. McQuarrie points out the couple in the car at 17:43 — “a guy crying over his dead wife with three bullets in the windshield” — and says it’s all meant to leave viewers questioning who their loyalty is aimed towards. (One of the things I really like about Way of the Gun is that the two leads aren’t movie star bad guys.  You know, bad guys that are really good at heart or misunderstood.  These guys aren’t heroes. – Craig)

“The character is a survivor,” said James Caan about his character Joe Sarno, “I want to show what he survived.” The result was a highlighting of the scars on his face and neck. (There are a lot of great lines in Way of the Gun and James Caan’s character gets his fair share.  One of my favorites: “The only thing you can guess about a broken down old man is that he is a survivor.” – Craig)

Val Kilmer – Little Known & Surprising Trivia!

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Jake Rossen, at Mental Floss, has come up with 10 Surprising Facts About Val Kilmer.  Rossen’s list is a good one, with some truly surprising trivia.  Before you click over, here are three of my favorites with my thoughts…

VAL KILMER WAS THE YOUNGEST PERSON TO EVER BE ACCEPTED INTO THE JUILLIARD SCHOOL’S DRAMA DIVISION.  (That is a testament to Kilmer’s talent that isn’t subjective. – Craig)

VAL KILMER TURNED DOWN THE OUTSIDERS TO DO BROADWAY. (I’m sure that was a tough decision — work with a group of up and coming young stars directed by Francis Ford Coppola or appear on Broadway with Kevin Bacon and Sean Penn.  I’m a bit surprised that he didn’t go with Coppola and the movie. – Craig)

VAL KILMER DIDN’T WANT TO MAKE TOP GUN. (Kilmer felt Top Gun had a pro-war message and almost didn’t accept the role that is arguably his second most famous! – Craig)

I still believe that Val Kilmer not getting nominated, let alone win an Oscar for his role as Doc Holiday in Tombstone is one of the biggest oversights in Academy Award history.

“Copshop” starring Gerard Butler & Frank Grillo – The Poster and Trailer are Here!

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Normally I like crime movies to be serious, but every once in a while it is fun to watch one that leans deeply into comedy.  Copshop looks to be one that fits in that category.  With a cast that includes Frank Grillo and Gerard Butler, how can I resist?  Deal me in.

Screaming through the Nevada desert in a bullet-ridden Crown Vic, wily con artist Teddy Murretto (Frank Grillo) hatches a desperate plan to hide out from lethal hitman Bob Viddick (Gerard Butler): He sucker-punches rookie officer Valerie Young (Alexis Louder) to get himself arrested and locked up in a small-town police station. But jail can’t protect Murretto for long. Viddick schemes his own way into detention, biding his time in a nearby cell until he can complete his mission. When the arrival of a competing assassin (Toby Huss) ignites all-out mayhem, mounting threats force Viddick to get creative if he wants to finish the job and escape the explosive situation.

The Best American Neo-Noir Films!

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Swapnil Dhruv Bose put together a list of 10 Essential Films from the American Neo-Noir Movement.  The list is a good one.  Here are my thoughts on each of the films and a few others that would have made my list…

Point Blank (John Boorman – 1967):  I’m a Lee Marvin fan and I’ve liked Point Blank more with each viewing.  

The Long Goodbye (Robert Altman – 1973): While I’m a Raymond Chandler fan, I didn’t like this adaption of his novel. Part of the problem was that I didn’t think Elliot Gould was a good choice to play Chandler.  

Chinatown (Roman Polanski – 1974): Chinatown is a classic.

The Conversation (Francis Ford Coppola – I’ve never watched The Conversation which is a surprise even to me because it is held in such high regard and I’m a Coppola fan. Perhaps this will be the year I watch it.

Taxi Driver (Martin Scorsese – 1976): I like Scorsese. I like Deniro. I didn’t like Taxi Driver. I thought it was slow and excessively violent. Perhaps another viewing is in order.

Blade Runner (Ridley Scott – 1982): I’ve enjoyed every version of Blade Runner. (Although I wasn’t a huge fan of the sequel.)

Blue Velvet (David Lynch – 1986): I didn’t care for Blue Velvet.

Pulp Fiction (Quentin Tarantino – 1994): I loved Pulp Fiction. It remains one of Tarantino’s best films.

L.A. Confidential (Curtis Hanson – 1997): L.A. Confidential is perhaps the best film on this list. I love it.

The Big Lebowski (Coen Brothers – 1998): I’ve never seen it. I know, I know. I need to fix that.

Films that would have made my neo-noir list:

The Killers (1964 – Don Siegel)

Sin City (2005 – Robert Rodriguez & Frank Miller)

Blood Simple (1984 – Cohen Brothers)

Seven (1995 – David Fincher)

John Wick (2014 – Chad Stahelski, David Leitch)

Heat (1995 – Michael Mann)

Thief (1981 – Michael Mann)

RIP: Ron Popeil

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Ron Popeil an American inventor, business man and marketing genius.  He died yesterday at the age of 86.  No cause of death was given.

Popeil became famous not only for his inventions but more so in the way he marketed them.  He began with television ads promoting his Chop-O-Matic vegetable slicer calling it “the greatest kitchen appliance ever made.”  Popeil’s claims were over the top but he made them with enthusiasm and likability.  He followed the Chop-O-Matic with the Veg-A-Matic which could “slice a tomato so thin it only has one side.”

His company Ronco continued to put out ads marketing their products: The Pocket Fisherman, Mr. Microphone, The Bedazzler, Hair in a Can Spray, The Kitchen Magician, Mr. Dentist, and The Smokeless Ashtray were just some of the products you could find Mr. Popeil hawking in television ads.  Ronco also branched out to Ronco Records to release compilation albums featuring popular songs from a few years ago now at popular prices.

In addition to his grandiose  product claims, Ron Popeil was the first to use the catch phrase used in most late night television commercials hawking products, “Wait… There’s more!”   Ron Popeil’s enthusiasm for his products and his unabashed hucksterism made him a popular culture celebrity.  He was parodied on everything from Saturday Night Live to the Simpsons.  Even Gallagher’s most popular bit, The Sledge-O-Matic could be traced back to Ron Popeil.

Our thoughts and prayers go out to Ron Popeil’s family, friends and fans.

“The Gate Way” Starring Shea Whigham, Olivia Munn, Frank Grillo & Bruce Dern – The Poster and Trailer are Here!

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The Gateway looks good!  While the poster mostly goes with the big photoshopped heads of the stars, it does have a lower half of art.  The real joy though is the trailer.  It features a compelling story and what a cast!  Deal me in.

Shea Whigham (American Hustle), Olivia Munn (X-Men: Apocalypse) and Frank Grillo (The Grey) star in this edge of your seat, gritty crime thriller. Whigham is Parker, a down on his luck social worker who finds himself in over his head when he tries to protect his client from her recently paroled husband. Can Parker save the family from the violent threat of the maniacal drug dealer and his crew, desperate to reclaim their priceless stash at any cost?

THE GATEWAY – In select theaters September 3rd and on Blu-ray/DVD September 7th- Shea Whigham (Parker), Olivia Munn (Dahlia), Taryn Manning (Corey), Mark Boone Junior (Gary), Taegen Burns (Ashley) with Frank Grillo (Duke) and Bruce Dern (Marcus).

“Untold” – The Poster and Trailer are Here!

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The poster for Untold is okay, but the trailer makes me want to learn the rest of the stories.  Deal me in.

From the creators of WILD WILD COUNTRY, comes a five-part sports docuseries event that brings fresh eyes to some of the greatest stories in sports. From tennis to boxing to basketball, these stories aren’t the ones you’ve heard before, even if you think you have.

“The Card Counter” Written/Directed by Paul Schrader; Starring Oscar Oscar Isaac, Tiffany Haddish, Tye Sheridan and Willem Dafoe – The Poster and Trailer are Here!

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Wow!  I love the poster and trailer for The Card Counter.  Written and directed by Paul Schrader it stars Oscar Isaac, Tiffany Haddish, Tye Sheridan and Willem Dafoe.  Deal me in!

Redemption is the long game in Paul Schrader’s THE CARD COUNTER. Told with Schrader’s trademark cinematic intensity, the revenge thriller tells the story of an ex-military interrogator turned gambler haunted by the ghosts of his past decisions, and features riveting performances from stars Oscar Isaac, Tiffany Haddish, Tye Sheridan and Willem Dafoe.

M. Knight Shyamalan’s Films From Best to Worst!

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Chris Evangelista at /Film took a swing at ranking M. Knight Shyamalan’s Movies From Worst to Best.  Evangelista took into account all of M. Knight’s films including his newest (Old – which I haven’t seen) and his earliest work (that didn’t see wide release).  I decided to rank Evangelista’s top five to see how we’d compare.  I also included my thoughts on some of M. Knight Shyamalan’s films that didn’t make the top five.

Evangelista

Zablo
5. Split 5. The Village: I liked The Village up until the twist. It just didn’t work for me.
4. Signs 4. Unbreakable: I enjoyed Unbreakable but not as much as most. I need to revisit it.
3. Unbreakable 3. Split: I thought Split was surprisingly good.
2. The Village 2. Signs: I really love Signs, great cast and fun story with scares along the way.
1. The Sixth Sense 1. The Sixth Sense: Absolutely loved it. Proud to say I figured out the twist early on.
  • Lady in the Water: I’ve seen this once and remember liking it better than most folks.
  • Old:  I haven’t seen this and am in no rush to.
  • The Happening:  I had really high hopes for The Happening.  The trailers were creepy and I was excited to get to a theater to experience it.  What a let down The Happening turned out to be. I do remember that the scariest part was the old lady.
  • The Visit: I am a fan of The Visit.  I thought it was pretty good.  The tension builds and builds. It had the M. Knight twist near the end that he is known for.  I’d have included in this in the top five.

J.J. Abrams’ “UFO” Documentary Series – The Poster and Trailer are Here! “Are You Ready?”

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J.J. Abrams’ UFO documentary series looks interesting.  If I had Showtime, I’d tune in.  Oh, and I like the movie’s tagline: Are You Ready?

UFO is a four-part docu-series from J.J. Abrams’ Bad Robot and Glen Zipper exploring our fascination with unidentified flying objects, and what clandestine influence the American government, lucrative private companies and the military may have in shielding the truth behind extraterrestrial phenomena to further their own agendas. Watch the premiere on Sunday, August 8 at 9/8c on SHOWTIME.

 

 

“Way of the Gun” – Any fans of this film? I am!

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This alt movie poster for Way of the Gun by Derek Zimmerman got me thinking about the movie.  I’m a big fan of it, yet Way of the Gun isn’t a movie you often hear discussed.  That’s a shame.

Way of the Gun was written and directed by Christopher McQuarrie lately best known for writing and directing the Mission Impossible mega-hits.  When Way of the Gun came out McQuarrie was best known as the writer of The Usual Suspects and that was enough to get me in the theater.  I wasn’t disappointed.

Way of the Gun also contains a amazing cast: Ryan Phillippe, Benico Del Toro, Juliette Lewis, Taye Diggs, Nicky Katt, Geoffrey Lewis, Scott Wilson, James Caan and Sarah Silverman.  

Here’s the synopsis:

Two criminal drifters without sympathy get more than they bargained for after kidnapping and holding for ransom the surrogate mother of a powerful and shady man.

I think perhaps the opening turned off some folks and they didn’t finish the movie.  I’ve watched Way of the Gun more than a couple of times and enjoyed it more with each revisit.  Perhaps it’s time for another viewing.

Charles Bronson is “The Mechanic” in Nikos Bogris’ Poster!

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I really like this poster for Charles Bronson in The Mechanic.  The artist who created it is Nikos Bogris.  You can see more of his work here.  

The original movie poster had the tagline: “The call him the Mechanic.  He has 100 ways to kill… and they all work.”  Bogris left off the tagline, so his poster doesn’t really tell/show you that Bronson is a hit man.  For all we know he is a womanizing auto mechanic.  I still prefer Bogris’ poster to the original.  I hope you like it as well.