Top 5 Taxi Drivers in Film

Well, as I told you last week, I got a new job recently. This is the big reveal (for those of you who didn't hear about it already). I'm working at Yellow Cab, mostly because you can make your own hours, take days off or weeks off when need be, and I reckon one can meet lots of interesting characters, like these guys, who famously drove cabs in movies.

5. Jim Varney as Ernest P. Worrell in Ernest Saves Christmas

Confession: Ernest P. Worrell is a guilty pleasure of mine, which is why he beat several contenders for the last spot on this list. Yeah, Ernest movies are corny, cheaply produced and reuse many jokes. But the character of Ernest has a sweetness and innocence to him which is missing in today's comedies, and that should count for something. Plus, his version of "O Christmas Tree" is a holiday classic.




4. Robert Duvall as Weisberg in Bullitt



This movie came out right before Duvall's career exploded in the seventies, with major roles in such films as The Godfather parts 1 and 2, True Grit, Apocalypse Now, and Network. So this character is special because it was one of Duvall's last small roles before he made it big. Of course, now he does nothing BUT small roles, so the cycle is complete, I guess.



3. Jamie Foxx as Max in Collateral


Michael Mann directed this tense thriller about a cabbie who is taken hostage by a hitman and forced to drive him around as he kills several targets. Something like this probably actually happened, but I really don't want to know anymore.


2. Frank Faylen as Ernie in It's a Wonderful Life




Had to include this because it is one of my all time favorite movies. Ernie has a dual role, first as the friendly small-town cabbie who knows where everyone lives and probably gives rides for free, then as a more hard boiled, down on his luck taxi driver in the reality without George Bailey.


Speaking of hard boiled...

1. Robert De Niro as Travis Bickle in Taxi Driver



Honestly this one shouldn't require an explanation. Just know it is an awesome movie about a taxi driver who turns into a vigilante after witnessing the crumbling of society through his taxi windows.




Honorable mentions: Peter Falk in It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World, Bruce Willis in The Fifth Element

Olympus PEN Your Short 48 Hour Contest

Well, it was a long crazy weekend but it is finally over! The Vail Film Festival is where I spent much of it and let me tell you, it was a blast. Hanging out at my first real festival (My Bloody Violentine doesn't count), with a laminate and everything, was way cool.

As for the contest, well, our team didn't quite win. We did shoot a really solid film called The Getaway, and had a great chance at victory, but the winning film Running Colors was spectacular, so mad props to those guys.

But the weekend was certainly not a total loss. Team Running Riot (this time featuring Jeffrey Gustafson, Jason Breheny, Anthony LaRocca, and my girlfriend Stephanie filling in for Steve Valdeck) made a neat little film that I hope you will all enjoy, and we once again improved on our techniques and are already looking forward to our next challenge. The awards ceremony featured a Q&A session with celebrities Josh Lucas, Michael Imperioli, and Kate Bosworth, which was interesting. So all in all, it was a great experience, even without the win.

New Job/Next Assignment

The last couple weeks have been pretty busy for me, as I have been in the process of starting at a new job. I'll get into the details of that later on today in a special Top Five List...

In other news, next weekend is the Vail Film Festival! Olympus is sponsoring a 48 hour film making contest in conjunction with the festival and I am happy to say I will be participating! We will be a very small team this time around, please wish us luck.




Anyway, back to business with a long forgotten feature, the Follower Suggestion Box. In honor of his birthday, this week I am featuring my friend Jeff's choice, American History X. Jeff cites the film's take on the negative aspects of racism and violence as his reason for the Ed Norton flick being his #1 favorite. A review will be posted shortly :)

Featured New Release Poll- 3/11

These next couple of weeks have a recurring theme at the box office; that's right, it is alien season at the local cineplex!

This week sees Battle: Los Angeles square off against Mars Needs Moms. One is a gritty action movie in the vein of Independence Day, the other features a motion capture performance by Seth Green as a rambunctious 9 year old. We'll leave it up to you which is which.

Also in the mix this week is a twist on Red Riding Hood, directed by Twilight's Catherine Hardwicke and starring Amanda Seyfried.

Winner: Rango

Wasn't much of a contest as Johnny Depp's Rango easily beat out the competition.

Have to say I am glad this one won, I am intrigued with the way they made it (filming Depp and the other actors, recording their audio performances, and animating over the visuals) and the CG effects looks very impressive as well.

Featured New Release Poll- 3/4

This week makes up for the lack of highly anticipated releases last week... here we have four big ones with A-list talent, big budgets, or impressive animation.

The Adjustment Bureau features Matt Damon as a political candidate who uncovers a big-brother organization attempting to control his fate.

Next is Beastly, a modern day retelling of Beauty and the Beast with Vanessa Hudgins, Alex Pettyfer, and one of the Olsen twins (I know right?).

The long awaited Rango fills the third slot. Johnny Depp voices the eponymous Chameleon, a timid sort of lizard who winds up as the sheriff of a lawless Wild West town populated by various animated critters.

Take Me Home Tonight is the final film this week, an '80s buddy comedy with Topher Grace and Anna Faris.

Haven't had a poll this big for a while, go vote!

Winner: Hall Pass

Hall Pass won last week's abysmal poll, which is probably good because if history is any indicator Nicolas Cage's Drive Angry might not stay in theaters long enough for me to have seen it. Will be nice to see a comedy, here's hoping it is actually, you know, funny.

Unknown

I am writing this review half asleep, but that shouldn't matter, and in fact it may be fitting for this film, because Liam Neeson looked like he was generally half asleep while making it.

I'm not saying that Unknown is a BAD movie, only that it could have been much much better.

The action starts with Dr. Martin Harris (Liam Neeson) and his wife Elizabeth (January Jones) arriving in Berlin for a biological conference of some kind. A luggage mishap sends Martin back towards the airport when a car crash derails his vacation plans and sends his reality spinning.

It seems that a coma has dropped Martin Harris off the face of the Earth. He finds his wife, who doesn't recognize him and is married to a man who has assumed his identity. Martin must unravel the mystery of who he is, or was; is his situation the result of a brain injury, or is he caught up in a sinister plot?

I checked the film out with my friends Jeff, Casey, and Greyson. While we were somewhat divided on how we felt about the film overall, we all agreed on what was wrong with it, so I'll start there. (I think a simple Pros/Cons list should be easy enough at this hour...)

Cons:

1. It is Stupid

Specifically, the ending is stupid. Without giving too much away, there is at one point a giant digital clock attached to... something...(use your imagination) which is completely and ridiculously unnecessary.

Besides that, the viewer is required to take a few too many leaps of faith for my liking.

Also I'd like to point out that, while the marketing team for Unknown would like you to believe it is an action packed thriller, there are only very few adrenaline-soaked moments. Mostly, Martin goes about uncovering the mystery the peaceful (read: boring) way. You know, running around Berlin, telling his crazy story to anyone who will listen.

2. January Jones

Ouch. She was really bad in this. Jeff pointed out a moment in the film, when Martin has tracked her down, that the audience (the one's who didn't watch the trailer anyway) learns that she no longer recognizes him. She did that little head tilt to the side, you know like a dog? Here I'll just show you:




I still to this day have not seen Jones project any emotion in a role other than icy ruthlessness. She's beautiful and all, but seriously, it might be time to hang it up. She hasn't improved since the 2003 Adam Sandler flick Anger Management, which says a lot.

She wasn't alone in this film though... most of the acting was pretty subpar, even from Liam and Inglourious Basterd's Diane Kruger.

3. The Corny Subplot

If you've seen the movie, you get it.



Ok, it's time for...

Pros:

1. High Production Value

The writers and actors may have phoned it in, but the production crew tried their darndest to make up for it. For the most part the movie looks and sounds great. At this point in film making history, anything not shot exclusively in front of a green-screen is good in my book. This movie gets props for using real locations in Berlin, and having actual sets with pretty good set design.

Take a decent, extended action sequence and some fairly well done "trippy" parts, and the filmmakers could have had a good movie on their hands. Oh well.

2. Bruno Ganz

Ganz, who played in one of my favorite movies, Wings of Desire, is the lone acting standout. Jurgen, an ex-Stasi private detective, is an early ally for Harris, and helps him piece the mystery together. This sickly old man provided pretty much the only tension I felt in the film, while waiting for the tottering, coughing old man to suddenly keel over in every shot.


3. SPOILER ALERT!!




January Jones got blown up.




The film is entertaining enough if you go into it with low enough expectations. I did and enjoyed the few moments of quality enough to not give it a failing grade. Unknown does take itself too seriously however, which annoyed me. I would have liked the film more if it accepted its own cheesiness. As it stands, Unknown is a poor man's Bourne.



Attendance: 3/5
Crazy Fan Boy Factor: 0/5
Crowd Response: 1/5

-----------------------------------------------------

Production Value: 4/5
Plot: 2/5
Action: 1/5
Liam Neeson < 90's Harrison Ford




Overall: 5/10

Featured New Release Poll- 2/25

Oscar week's poll is pretty light on releases, with only two big movies coming out, and neither looks to be in the "mega-blockbuster" category. But we shall see....

Drive Angry 3D stars Nicolas Cage as a man who escapes from hell to take on a cult that murdered his daughter. Sounds interesting enough but Nic hasn't been choosing the best material lately... lets hope for a change in his fortune.

In the other corner, Hall Pass, starring Owen Wilson and Jason Sudeikis. Looks like yet another entry in the rapidly growing comedic subgenre of thirty-something men behaving badly, started by The Hangover.

You know what to do!

Top Five Car Chases

I think we can all agree that nothing makes a movie interesting faster than a good car chase. Knowing this one simple fact, I looked into cinema history for some of the greatest, coolest, craziest, and most intense chases ever put to film.

As a rule, I eliminated any chases that overly rely on CGI effects and quick cut editing to enhance the chase. Only old fashioned car chases with real stunts and crashes allowed. So, unfortunately, I had to cut some of the cooler ones from recent years (Matrix Reloaded, Quantum of Solace.


5. The Blues Brothers

Honestly, if we were rating chases based on property damage alone this film would have no competition. Unfortunately, other factors had to be taken in to consideration and that's where The Blues Brothers misses points.

Still, there are some pretty nifty, memorable car chase moments in this 1980 musical-comedy directed by John Landis.

For example, when this film came out it set the record for number of vehicles destroyed in a movie, a record which stood until it's sequel, Blues Brothers 2000, came out in 1998.



The chases in this movie are mostly over the top for comedic effect, featuring hilariously inept driving by the police, insanely physics-defying stunts, and a great punchline at the end of the chase when Jake and Elwood make it to their ultimate destination.

I couldn't find a good video of the police car pileup in the final long chase scene, so here instead you can see the first chase early in the film.


4. The French Connection

This is one of the most often mentioned of all car chases on film, and with good reason.



For starters, the inclusion of Gene Hackman gets you automatic points. Not to mention the great editing and some fantastic (real) crashes. Much of the chase was shot guerrilla style, without permits, which if you live in New York must be a terrifying thought. Plus, this sequence pretty much invented the "woman pushing a stroller" bit which I'm sure has been done to death by now.

Mostly, this chase rules because it is a car chasing a TRAIN. A runaway train with a gunwielding madman onboard, So so cool.


3/3.5 Ronin

The "Michael Bay Law of Car Chases" states in article three that a car chase is made infinitely cooler if you add guns. Case in point: 1998's Ronin, a film that would suffer badly if not for the three well placed car chases through European meccas. Add Robert De Niro brandishing a rocket launcher from the sunroof and you automatically have one of the awesomest chases ever...



Then they had to go and one up it with this gem!


With some excellent stunt driving, impeccably choreographed stunts, and some of Europe's finest automobiles, Ronin easily makes this list.


2. To Live and Die in L.A.



William Friedkin is better known for the chase in The French Connection, but this is the better true car chase. Both scenes have terrific cinematography and editing though, which is an absolute must in any good car chase.

Also of note is the staging of the "driving against traffic" sequence in such a bizarre way. Notice how Chance (William Peterson) gets back into the correct flow at the end? No, the movie doesn't take place in England. Friedkin had the entire highway driving the wrong way, making for an even more disorienting scene.


1. Bullitt



The hilly streets of San Francisco. Mustang vs. Charger. The sweet reveal at 2:10 in the above clip. The tense buildup. Steve McQueen at his prime. THE iconic movie car chase. Bullitt's chase seems to have it all. But is it the best?

Did you read the above paragraph? Of course its the best!

(just for fun, watch the clip again and count how many times they pass the green VW Beetle)

The My Bloody Violent-tine Film Festival

This past weekend I had the pleasure of spending two nights at a bar watching various local independent horror shorts. The event, The "My Bloody Violent-tine Film Festival". The venue, 3 Kings Tavern. I found the festival on Craig's List and decided to enter Ring Finger in the thriller/suspense category on a lark. Happily, my film was accepted and screened both nights!

The audience reaction was definitely positive, which any filmmaker can tell you is the greatest part of making movies. When you hear people gasping in disgust, laughing, loudly exclaiming "Oh YEAH!" at the end of your movie... nothing feels better than that, my friends!

Granted, a bar is not the venue of choice for anyone showing a film. The Saturday showing was worse in that there was more noise from the patrons sitting at the bar and not watching the films, but overall the experience was a good one.

Ring Finger ended up taking home an award for "Favorite Ending", which I am particularly proud of, and also came in third place in the audience choice voting. Got lots of positive feedback from the other filmmakers there as well.

For anyone who hasn't yet seen the film, here it is.

Winner: Unknown

Liam Neeson and his psychological thriller barely eked out a win against I Am Number Four, while Big Momma was a no show (thank goodness). Was busy this weekend (will get to that in a later post ^) but I will see it this week, scout's honor!

Just Go With It

There are some actors who compel you to see every film they are in, because you never know what to expect. Actors like Daniel Day-Lewis, Russell Crowe, even Leonardo DiCaprio of late.

And then there is Adam Sandler.

Sandler has played the same part for the better part of twenty years and is still reeling in massive audiences. He may have had more misses than hits over the last decade, but box office wise the eternal man-boy is going strong.

Some of you may remember my scorn filled review of his last effort, Grown Ups, which was my least favorite film of the year. Well, you can put all your fears of a repeat aside because Just Go With It was welcomely, shockingly, mediocre! Huzzah, Mr. Sandler!

The plot of Just Go With It centers on Sandler's Danny, a shallow plastic surgeon (is there any other kind?) who is caught in a web of lies as he tries to bed a beautiful, much younger teacher Palmer, played by new-comer Brooklyn Decker of Sports Illustrated fame. The rookie actress held her own playing the dumb blonde here and she could make a career of it, but lets hope her self esteem convinces her to try other career paths.

Just Go With It also stars Jennifer Aniston as Danny's endlessly loyal assistant Katherine, whom he finagles into posing as his soon to be ex-wife.

Naturally, the lie begins to roll out of control, and rather than just admitting the truth, simple as it may be, Danny is soon buying a weekend get away at a posh Hawaii resort for Palmer, Katherine, her two kids, and Danny's cousin Eddie (Nick Swardson, who as far as I could tell was only there for "comic" relief; his often unfunny character was a low point in the movie).

There are actually some laughs to be had in Just Go With It, which was a relief. Sandler's one liners and funny voices actually hit their mark more often than not, and Katherine's kids (named Kikidee and Bart by Danny) were also a comedic high point. Their smart milking of the situation was good for quite a few chuckles at least.

As promised by the trailer there is plenty of female flesh on display, which could be what pushed this film to a weekend box office victory over the Bieb. Having Decker come out of the water Ursula Andress style in a too-small bikini was a no brainer. But Aniston, at 41 years old, held her own in a later scene and was the more appealing female character throughout the film, making Danny look like even more of an idiot.

As mentioned earlier, amongst the low points of the film is Swarsdon's character who really just seems along for the ride. His incessant antics were mildly entertaining at best, and at one point I honestly hoped his character would be killed by a feral pig. Alas, no such luck.

The film has some stretches of poorly directed and edited exposition at its beginning, as well as some mistimed physical gags. The introduction of Palmer into Danny's life happens mind-numbingly fast even by romcom standards. However, the movie was saved by some good lines and a few well used cameos and small appearances.

At the end of the day, regardless of quality this film will break 100 million box office just because Sandler is in it. I'm ok with that, having learned to accept it as one of the immutable laws of Hollywood (along with biopic+big name= Oscar nomination). I only hope that audiences going to see it are ok with accepting the immutable laws of Adam Sandler; He will play a morally suspect man, learn a few lessons about love and honesty along the way, and there will be nut shots.

Attendance: 3/5
Crazy Fan Boy Factor: 0/5
Crowd Response: 3/5

-----------------------------------------------------

Production Value: 3/5
Humor: 3/5
Plot: 2/5
Best Running Gag: Plastic surgery gone wrong

Overall: 6/10

Featured New Release Poll- 2/18

Since Justin Bieber's unwarranted 3D concert extravaganza arrived last week, I can now safely resume the featured new release poll! No way I was letting myself get sent to that.

Anyway back to business, you remember the drill.

First is I Am Number Four, a sci-fi spectacle produced by none other than Michael Bay (goody!). Second is the psychological actioner Unknown with Liam Neeson. How Neeson has transformed himself from Shakespearean thespian to kick ass action hero in the last few years, I will never know, but I'm sure George Lucas was involved. Finally, Big Mommas: Like Father Like Son. Yes once again Martin Lawrence dons a fat lady suit and goes undercover. Did anyone really ask for another sequel in this franchise?

Poll ends Friday so get your votes in!

Oscar Nominations: Predictions, Preferences and Snubs

With today's announcement of the 83rd Oscar nominations, a month long period of speculation, campaigning, and anticipation was kicked off. In other words, it's a great time to be a movie buff!

As with every Oscar season, every category has it's favorites and dark horses, and a few disappointed contenders who didn't quite garner a nod. We will look into the high profile categories here. I'll give you my prediction as well as who I want to win.

(please remember: just because I think something will win doesn't mean I liked it better. You have to realize The Oscars are 90% politics. Ok, I was exaggerating. Its more like 98%)

*PICKS
*FAVORITES


Animated feature film:

How to Train Your Dragon
The Illusionist
Toy Story 3

Academy voters obviously appreciate animated films that appeal to adults as well as kids. No contest here, only one of these film's is also nominated for BP... Toy Story 3! Count on Pixar coming away with a fourth straight Oscar in this category, and the 6th in the last 8 years. Impressive.

By the way, in case you missed it, here is a look at the great TS3 For-Your-Consideration ad campaign. Looking back at some of Oscar's most prolific Best Picture upset winners is an interesting tactic, it got them a nod but Toy Story 3 is a long shot to get a statue for Best Picture.


Actor:

Javier Bardem, Biutiful
Jeff Bridges, True Grit
Jesse Eisenberg, The Social Network
Colin Firth, The King's Speech
James Franco, 127 Hours

I don't really have much of a bias in this one, I like all these guys and they are all fine actors who deserve an Oscar. I see it as Firth vs. Bridges yet again. Bridges took round one last year with his win for A Mighty Heart, while Firth lost out despite being great in A Single Man. Look for his fortunes to reverse this time around, as his performance as the stuttering monarch is getting all the buzz lately.

Jesse Eisenberg's turn as Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg got a lot of attention when The Social Network came out a few months ago. He manages to portray the social ineptness and ruthless drive of the tycoon while still maintaining a layer of innocence. He is my dark horse here. (Keep in mind, out of the four acting awards given out each year, one winner is usually a surprise).

Actress:

Annette Bening, The Kids Are All Right
Nicole Kidman, Rabbit Hole
Jennifer Lawrence, Winter's Bone
Natalie Portman, Black Swan
Michelle Williams, Blue Valentine

There's really only one sure thing in this year's batch of nods, and it is Portman for Best Actress. She has all the buzz in the world over her performance, was in a movie people actually saw and endured a year of ballet training in preparation for the role. That's the kind of dedication Oscar loves.


Director:

Darren Aronofsky, Black Swan
David O. Russell, The Fighter
Tom Hooper, The King's Speech
David Fincher, The Social Network
Joel Coen and Ethan Coen, True Grit

I expect Fincher to win, despite the fact that The Social Network is pretty over rated. To those who went so far as to call it a modern day Citizen Kane, please, stop. It is good but not THAT good. He did manage to get some top shelf performances from young actors, and a decent one from Justin Timberlake (shudder) but that alone does not an Oscar win. The film's pacing and score didn't do it for me.

You will notice that I didn't include my personal favorite above... that's because my favorite nominee didn't technically get nominated. Christopher Nolan, director of the visionary sci-fi actioner Inception, was blatantly snubbed by the academy, and I'm not the only one who thinks so. Maybe he will get a sympathy Original Screenplay Oscar out of it at least.




Best Picture:


Black Swan
The Fighter
Inception
The Kids Are All Right
The King's Speech
127 Hours
The Social Network
Toy Story 3
True Grit
Winter's Bone

Although it was upset by The King's Speech at the Golden Globes, David Fincher's biopic of Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg still holds a lead on the competition, albeit a narrower one than many thought. However don't count King's Speech out, it has been getting plenty of buzz the last few weeks, and as any Hollywood insider like myself knows, buzz is everything.

My favorite films of the year, Inception and Toy Story 3, will likely be shut out. The latter due to its being "just an animated film" (pfft) and the former because the academy apparently doesn't like Christopher Nolan.

As for the category as a whole, I can't think of any snubs in this race. All the nominated films are worthy of a win. Haven't seen The Fighter but it is a contender with several acting nominations under its belt. True Grit has plenty of nominations, but the Coens' have had their time in the sun lately and the Academy likes to honor fresh faces. Winter's Bone, 127 Hours, and The Kids are Alright are all long shots with less buzz than the aforementioned films.

That leaves Black Swan as my dark horse to possibly "jeté" in and swipe the Oscar from front runners The King's Speech and The Social Network.

Would like to hear some of your thoughts!

The Academy Awards are on February 27th.

We're Baaaaack....

Howdy faithful followers, hope you didn't miss me too much. In case you forgot, I decided to take the months of December and January off for the Holidays (in my family, Christmas, New Years, my Dad's birthday, and the NFL playoffs).

After having had an extended break from writing the blog, I am ready to be back. And what better day to be back than OSCAR NOMINATION DAY! Yes, it is an exciting time in the Hollywood Universe, and I have an article on Oscar cooking up as we speak. Look for that later tonight. Also, another Top 5 List is in the works, and I will be back in the swing of things with Follower Suggested Movies and Featured New Releases as well! Have to go now, though. I have an interview for a "real" job to get to, so I can pay for all the cheap popcorn and pretzels.


G.