March 6, 2013
Greg's Top Ten Living Actors/Actresses Who Flamed Out Too Quickly:
1. Haley Joel Osment - I was determined he was going to be a superstar after watching him nail his breakout role in the Sixth Sense. Good luck trying to name two decent movies he's been in since then. And, no, A.I. and Pay it Forward don't qualify as decent movies.
2. Christian Slater - Nevermind that his mother, Mary Jo Slater, is one of Hollywood's most successful casting directors and producers. It seems her son Christian can't buy a role unless it goes directly to DVD or gets cancelled before it gets going (see Breaking In, The Forgotten and My Own Worst Enemy). Perhaps I'm just nostalgic for the Chrisitan of old who starred in classics like "Pump Up the Volume" and "Heathers."
3. Val Kilmer - Seriously, did Val Kilmer eat Slider and Wolfman? Have you seen him lately? The man looks like an aircraft carrier. My hope was that the weight gain was for a role he was preparing for. Alas, he's just let himself go the route of Marlon Brando, who ballooned up nicely after being a heartthrob for decades. The last good movie Kilmer starred in was the brilliant Kiss, Kiss, Bang, Bang from 2005.
4. Natasha Lyonne - I loved her in Slums of Beverly Hills and thought she was a "can't miss" star waiting to happen. Today, she might actually be living in a slum. After multiple arrests for substance abuse, she's not exactly on anyone's A-list these days.
5. Eddie Furlong - He inspired this list with his recent six month prison sentencing for violating probation. After starring as John Connor in Terminator 2 and making a brief comeback in the disturbing American History X, he's likley finished in Hollywood.
6. Macaulay Culkin - Yeah, that whole "cute kid from Home Alone" thing didn't last too long. He followed up his adorable turns in "Uncle Buck" and "Home Alone" by ruining his squeaky-clean image with an arrest for drugs and a short marriage to actress Rachel Miner. At least he rebounded by dating Mila Kunis.
7. Corey Feldman - Bash me all you want for putting him on the list. He's a 80s icon and has been in some of the best movies of the decade including "The Lost Boys", "The Goonies" and "Stand By Me" before his career flamed out.
8. Cuba Gooding Jr. - How do you follow up an Academy Award win? By starring in "Snow Dogs" of course! Seriously, is Scooby Doo your agent?
9. Adam Sandler - I bash poor Adam Sandler quite a bit on here but with good reason. His movies suck harder than a two-dollar hooker and leave you just as satisfied. What bites about his career path is that he used to actually be REALLY funny. Today he just mails it in at every turn with crap like "Jack & Jill" and "That's My Boy" both of which earned Sandler Razzie Awards.
10. Kathleen Turner - Remember her? Sadly, few people under the age of 30 do and it's a damn shame.
Wednesday, March 6, 2013
Tuesday, March 5, 2013
March 5, 2013
Top Ten Least Favorite Things About Star Wars Prequels:
1. Overusage of Special Effects
2. Underusage of Character Development
3. Completely Losing Sight of how Anakin Skywalker/Darth Vader was a tragic hero and turning him into a bratty, snot-nosed kid who nobody felt sorry for.
4. Jar Jar Binks
5. Killing of the Most Interesting Character in the series (Darth Maul) and giving him one of the dumbest death scenes in the history of the Star Wars saga.
6. Turning an actress as brilliant as Natalie Portman into a talentless hack who delivered lines about as convincingly as Lindsay Lohan.
7. Making the prequels look sleeker and more modern than the sequels which take place before the prequels. I know it sounds confusing but think REAL HARD about it.
8. Jar Jar Binks
9. The refusal of certain Star Wars junkies to admit that the prequels are a steaming pile of donkey crap. No, really, they are. In fact, I'd rather watch two donkeys create a steaming pile of donkey crap than watch those pitiful excuses for movies.
10. The fact that I actually tried to convince myself that I enjoyed the first two movies in the prequel trilogy after first viewing them and now having to admit I was completely in denial of how ridiculously stupid they were.
Top Ten Least Favorite Things About Star Wars Prequels:
1. Overusage of Special Effects
2. Underusage of Character Development
3. Completely Losing Sight of how Anakin Skywalker/Darth Vader was a tragic hero and turning him into a bratty, snot-nosed kid who nobody felt sorry for.
4. Jar Jar Binks
5. Killing of the Most Interesting Character in the series (Darth Maul) and giving him one of the dumbest death scenes in the history of the Star Wars saga.
6. Turning an actress as brilliant as Natalie Portman into a talentless hack who delivered lines about as convincingly as Lindsay Lohan.
7. Making the prequels look sleeker and more modern than the sequels which take place before the prequels. I know it sounds confusing but think REAL HARD about it.
8. Jar Jar Binks
9. The refusal of certain Star Wars junkies to admit that the prequels are a steaming pile of donkey crap. No, really, they are. In fact, I'd rather watch two donkeys create a steaming pile of donkey crap than watch those pitiful excuses for movies.
10. The fact that I actually tried to convince myself that I enjoyed the first two movies in the prequel trilogy after first viewing them and now having to admit I was completely in denial of how ridiculously stupid they were.
Friday, March 1, 2013
Tuesday, February 26, 2013
February 25, 2013
Greg's Top Ten Worst Oscar Snubs of All Time:
1. Val Kilmer, Best Supporting Actor, Tombstone (1993) - Ask anyone of my generation what Val Kilmer's best performance was and I guarantee you the majority will say his extremely memorable and scene-stealing portrayal of gunfighter Doc Holliday takes the cake. I do think that Tommy Lee Jones' win in this category of the 1993 Oscars was accurate. He was incredible in The Fugitive, but how Kilmer failed to even get mentioned for Best Supporting Actor is beyond me, even though the other four nominees in the category were strong that year (Leonardo DiCaprio for What's Eating Gilbert Grape was among them).
2. The Shining, Best Picture (1980) - Seriously, how do you snub The Shining? When the Stanley Kubrick classic was released in 1980, it wasn't well received by critics. In fact, Kubrick was nominated for a Razzie Award for worst director. Yeah, those Razzie Awards. Shocking, right? Best Picture ended up going to Ordinary People, which is really fine by me. The Robert Redford directed movie was a tour de force with an all-star cast led by Donald Sutherland and Mary Tyler Moore, but to not see The Shining among the nominees is a crime.
3. Anthony Perkins, Best Actor, Psycho (1960) - Yeah, I guess the Academy doesn't have the luxury of hindsight. Perkins' performance as the deranged Norman Bates is considered one of the greatest and most revered performances of the decade. Yet, at the time, he wasn't given a tremendous amount of praise for his role in the Alfred Hitchcock classic. Though Hitchcock films were notoriously given little recognition by the Academy, it's hard to believe Perkins wasn't given his due.
4. Do the Right Thing, Best Picture (1989) - For this reason alone, I hate the Oscar winning film Driving Miss Daisy. It's so fitting. A movie that highlights racial violence loses out to a film that features racial segregation and a little old lady with an African American servant. Other nominees that year were Born on the Fourth of July, Field of Dreams, Dead Poets Society and My Left Foot. Personally, I think the winner of the bunch (Miss Daisy) shouldn't have even garnered a nomination. Fight the Power!!!
5. Best Director, Steven Spielberg, Jaws (1975) - Horror films are rarely given their due recognition, especially when the director is a wet behind the ears rookie. Although Spielberg had directed many films before this shark tale, it was the first that gained him worldwide recognition. Today, he's considered one of the finest filmmakers of all time and I still find it a bit shocking he didn't get a nomination for Jaws. At least he was able to win a pair of Oscars for Best Director when he took home top prize in 1994 (Schindler's List) and 1999 (Saving Private Ryan).
6. Best Supporting Actor, Dennis Hopper, Blue Velvet (1986) - Hopper was always known for being different but there's little doubt in my mind he's at his craziest and most bizarre in David Lynch's masterpiece, Blue Velvet. At least Hopper was given a nomination the same year for his performance in the Indiana basketball classic Hoosiers. Still, I think his performance in Blue Velvet was more deserving.
7. Best Picture, The Dark Knight (2008) - 2008 was the year of The Dark Knight. It seemed everywhere you turned the Batman sequel was the talk of Tinseltown and it wasn't all because of the late Heath Ledger's incredible performance as The Joker. The entire movie was a massive achievement in storytelling and suspense. Slumdog Millionaire ended up taking home the award for Best Picture and I completely understand why, but how The Dark Knight did not get nominated is a head-scratcher, IMO.
8. Best Actor, Malcolm McDowell, A Clockwork Orange (1971) - Maybe it's just me, but I think McDowell might be one of the most underrated actors of our time. I guess the Academy really doesn't like to honor Stanley Kubrick movies or the actors featured in them. McDowell might be the most memorable of Kubrick's leading men and that's saying a lot considering some of the main men he's used over the years (Jack Nicholson in The Shining for example).
9. Best Actor, Gary Oldman, Sid and Nancy (1986) - I only recently saw this movie for the first time and I have to admit it's one of those movies I cannot believe I never saw earlier in my life. Oldman is the total personification of Sex Pistols guitarist Sid Vicious in one of Oldman's greatest performances to date.
10. Best Supporting Actor, Alec Baldwin, Glengarry Glen Ross (1992) - He's only in the movie for seven minutes, but he makes every second count. IMO, Baldwin's speech about real estate sales is the single greatest speech in the history of film. And, before you say, "He wasn't on screen long enough for a nomination" let me point out that Dame Judi Dench won an Oscar in 1998 for her eight minutes of screen time in Shakespeare in Love. I say bump David Paymer's nominated performance in the forgettable Billy Crystal movie Mr. Saturday Night and give Baldwin his due.
Greg's Top Ten Worst Oscar Snubs of All Time:
1. Val Kilmer, Best Supporting Actor, Tombstone (1993) - Ask anyone of my generation what Val Kilmer's best performance was and I guarantee you the majority will say his extremely memorable and scene-stealing portrayal of gunfighter Doc Holliday takes the cake. I do think that Tommy Lee Jones' win in this category of the 1993 Oscars was accurate. He was incredible in The Fugitive, but how Kilmer failed to even get mentioned for Best Supporting Actor is beyond me, even though the other four nominees in the category were strong that year (Leonardo DiCaprio for What's Eating Gilbert Grape was among them).
2. The Shining, Best Picture (1980) - Seriously, how do you snub The Shining? When the Stanley Kubrick classic was released in 1980, it wasn't well received by critics. In fact, Kubrick was nominated for a Razzie Award for worst director. Yeah, those Razzie Awards. Shocking, right? Best Picture ended up going to Ordinary People, which is really fine by me. The Robert Redford directed movie was a tour de force with an all-star cast led by Donald Sutherland and Mary Tyler Moore, but to not see The Shining among the nominees is a crime.
3. Anthony Perkins, Best Actor, Psycho (1960) - Yeah, I guess the Academy doesn't have the luxury of hindsight. Perkins' performance as the deranged Norman Bates is considered one of the greatest and most revered performances of the decade. Yet, at the time, he wasn't given a tremendous amount of praise for his role in the Alfred Hitchcock classic. Though Hitchcock films were notoriously given little recognition by the Academy, it's hard to believe Perkins wasn't given his due.
4. Do the Right Thing, Best Picture (1989) - For this reason alone, I hate the Oscar winning film Driving Miss Daisy. It's so fitting. A movie that highlights racial violence loses out to a film that features racial segregation and a little old lady with an African American servant. Other nominees that year were Born on the Fourth of July, Field of Dreams, Dead Poets Society and My Left Foot. Personally, I think the winner of the bunch (Miss Daisy) shouldn't have even garnered a nomination. Fight the Power!!!
5. Best Director, Steven Spielberg, Jaws (1975) - Horror films are rarely given their due recognition, especially when the director is a wet behind the ears rookie. Although Spielberg had directed many films before this shark tale, it was the first that gained him worldwide recognition. Today, he's considered one of the finest filmmakers of all time and I still find it a bit shocking he didn't get a nomination for Jaws. At least he was able to win a pair of Oscars for Best Director when he took home top prize in 1994 (Schindler's List) and 1999 (Saving Private Ryan).
6. Best Supporting Actor, Dennis Hopper, Blue Velvet (1986) - Hopper was always known for being different but there's little doubt in my mind he's at his craziest and most bizarre in David Lynch's masterpiece, Blue Velvet. At least Hopper was given a nomination the same year for his performance in the Indiana basketball classic Hoosiers. Still, I think his performance in Blue Velvet was more deserving.
7. Best Picture, The Dark Knight (2008) - 2008 was the year of The Dark Knight. It seemed everywhere you turned the Batman sequel was the talk of Tinseltown and it wasn't all because of the late Heath Ledger's incredible performance as The Joker. The entire movie was a massive achievement in storytelling and suspense. Slumdog Millionaire ended up taking home the award for Best Picture and I completely understand why, but how The Dark Knight did not get nominated is a head-scratcher, IMO.
8. Best Actor, Malcolm McDowell, A Clockwork Orange (1971) - Maybe it's just me, but I think McDowell might be one of the most underrated actors of our time. I guess the Academy really doesn't like to honor Stanley Kubrick movies or the actors featured in them. McDowell might be the most memorable of Kubrick's leading men and that's saying a lot considering some of the main men he's used over the years (Jack Nicholson in The Shining for example).
9. Best Actor, Gary Oldman, Sid and Nancy (1986) - I only recently saw this movie for the first time and I have to admit it's one of those movies I cannot believe I never saw earlier in my life. Oldman is the total personification of Sex Pistols guitarist Sid Vicious in one of Oldman's greatest performances to date.
10. Best Supporting Actor, Alec Baldwin, Glengarry Glen Ross (1992) - He's only in the movie for seven minutes, but he makes every second count. IMO, Baldwin's speech about real estate sales is the single greatest speech in the history of film. And, before you say, "He wasn't on screen long enough for a nomination" let me point out that Dame Judi Dench won an Oscar in 1998 for her eight minutes of screen time in Shakespeare in Love. I say bump David Paymer's nominated performance in the forgettable Billy Crystal movie Mr. Saturday Night and give Baldwin his due.
Saturday, February 23, 2013
February 23, 2013
Greg's Top Ten Favorite Duran Duran Non-80s Tracks:
1. Ordinary World from "The Wedding Album"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dDLiVwpv89s
2. Girl Panic! from "All You Need Is Now"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LZd8-aI9c7M
3. Perfect Day from "Thank You"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rf3C6rLwK0Y
4. Serious from "Liberty"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0ihtEg_hWIM
5. Nice from "Astronaut"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=auinfQWZenc
6. All You Need Is Now from "All You Need Is Now"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VvqnJ8AGhFg
7. Come Undone from "The Wedding Album"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ICnlyNUt_0o
8. Electric Barbarella from "Medazzaland"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MK1g5dMYR3s
9. White Lines from "Thank You"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VmIN9ulmy-E
Now, I love the actual video for White Lines, but this Craig Ferguson intro might be my all time favorite...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fq-QaTO7a-4
10. My Antarctica from "Liberty"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kTNMvA1l5fw
Greg's Top Ten Favorite Duran Duran Non-80s Tracks:
1. Ordinary World from "The Wedding Album"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dDLiVwpv89s
2. Girl Panic! from "All You Need Is Now"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LZd8-aI9c7M
3. Perfect Day from "Thank You"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rf3C6rLwK0Y
4. Serious from "Liberty"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0ihtEg_hWIM
5. Nice from "Astronaut"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=auinfQWZenc
6. All You Need Is Now from "All You Need Is Now"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VvqnJ8AGhFg
7. Come Undone from "The Wedding Album"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ICnlyNUt_0o
8. Electric Barbarella from "Medazzaland"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MK1g5dMYR3s
9. White Lines from "Thank You"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VmIN9ulmy-E
Now, I love the actual video for White Lines, but this Craig Ferguson intro might be my all time favorite...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fq-QaTO7a-4
10. My Antarctica from "Liberty"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kTNMvA1l5fw
Tuesday, February 19, 2013
February 18, 2013
Greg's Top Ten Favorite Brat Pack Movies:
1. The Breakfast Club (Ringwald, Estevez, Hall, Sheedy, Nelson)
2. Pretty In Pink (Ringwald, Spader, McCarthy)
3. Weird Science (Hall, Downey Jr.)
4. One Crazy Summer (Cusack, Moore)
5. Sixteen Candles (Ringwald, Hall, Cusack, Gertz)
6. St. Elmo's Fire (Lowe, McCarthy, Moore, Estevez, Sheedy, Nelson)
7. Less Than Zero (Spader, McCarthy, Downey Jr., Gertz)
8. The Outsiders (Estevez, Lowe)
9. Mannequin (McCarthy, Spader)
10. Class (Lowe, McCarthy, Cusack)
Greg's Top Ten Favorite Brat Pack Movies:
1. The Breakfast Club (Ringwald, Estevez, Hall, Sheedy, Nelson)
2. Pretty In Pink (Ringwald, Spader, McCarthy)
3. Weird Science (Hall, Downey Jr.)
4. One Crazy Summer (Cusack, Moore)
5. Sixteen Candles (Ringwald, Hall, Cusack, Gertz)
6. St. Elmo's Fire (Lowe, McCarthy, Moore, Estevez, Sheedy, Nelson)
7. Less Than Zero (Spader, McCarthy, Downey Jr., Gertz)
8. The Outsiders (Estevez, Lowe)
9. Mannequin (McCarthy, Spader)
10. Class (Lowe, McCarthy, Cusack)
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