Category Archives: Friday Favorites

Friday Favorites: Favorite Sequence – The Hunt for Red October

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Welcome to “Friday Favorites” which highlight some of my favorite movie-related things.

The death of Tom Clancy this week at age 66 has brought to mind many of his works over the years, which were immensely popular.  He wrote many books, but he was more than just a writer, he was a brand.  His name was attached not only to his own novels and their four film adaptations (with another reboot of his most famous character, Jack Ryan, coming out later this year), but to several other book series he produced and seemingly countless videogames.  For many years he was the most popular name in military/espionage stories, and while I may not have personally enjoyed his writing (I read half of The Hunt for Red October before I quit from boredom.  My father once said that he thought Clancy must have been paid by the word for some of his later books.), I will be forever grateful to him for the existence of the film version of The Hunt for Red October, which I consider a masterpiece. Continue reading →

Friday Favorite: Favorite Scene – The King’s Speech

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Do you ever get the impression that a movie gets all of its acclaim and awards because of one scene?  One good moment can elevate a movie from ordinary to extraordinary, and can make the rest of the film shine with reflected glow.  And while I don’t think The King’s Speech was such a hit because of this one scene, I still could see how someone could make that argument.  It’s rare that I wish while watching a film in the theater that I could rewind a scene and watch it over, but that was definitely the case with this scene.  Take a look:

This is one of those great scenes that remains funny no matter how many times I watch it, and in some ways it’s almost funnier and more random without context.  Continue reading →

Friday Favorites: Favorite Character – Babe

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Welcome to “Friday Favorites” which highlight some of my favorite movie-related things.

Babe is one of my favorite movies.  And while I love all of the things that everyone else praises, the story of an “unprejudiced heart” who challenges preconceptions, the fantastic music (which will be a post of its own one day soon) and the Oscar-winning effects, my favorite part of the movie is one that is often overlooked: Arthur Hoggett.  Though James Cromwell was nominated for an Oscar for the role, losing to Kevin Spacey for his deserving role in The Usual Suspects, his performance in this Best Picture nominee has been mostly ignored in the 18 years since Babe’s release.  So today, I’d like to highlight one of my favorite characters/performances, who turns out to be deeper than he might seem on one viewing.

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Friday Favorite: Favorite News

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Today’s Friday Favorite is a bit different. I wasn’t going to do one at all, because I’m still on vacation and have trouble getting the formatting correct on my phone, but I thought I’d make an attempt. Instead of picking a favorite scene or moment or character or something else from a movie an TV show, I’m instead going to offer a few thoughts about this week’s big news about J.K. Rowling.
It was announced today (at least I think it was today, but I lose track of time when I’m on vacation) that Rowling has reached a new deal with Warner Bros., the studio behind the wildly successful adaptations of her Harry Potter books. Continue reading →

Friday Favorites: Favorite Speech – Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End

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Welcome to “Friday Favorites” which highlight some of my favorite movie-related things.

I’ve mentioned my love for a good movie speech before.  So it was only a matter of time before we got to Elizabeth Swann’s speech at the end of Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End.  Take a look:

There are a lot of things that are required for a good speech.   Continue reading →

Friday Favorites: Favorite Absurdity – The Muppets

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Welcome to “Friday Favorites” which highlight some of my favorite movie-related things.

There’s an exchange in the preshow for Muppet*Vision 3-D at Disney World that goes a little something like this:

Sam the Eagle: Will you stop this foolishness?

Gonzo the Great: What kind of foolishness would you like to see?

To me, that statement is the essence of the Muppets.  And with that in mind, here’s today’s Friday Favorite, presented without context:

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Mega Friday Favorites: Favorite Shots from Serenity

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Welcome to “Friday Favorites” which highlight some of my favorite movie-related things.

Joss Whedon gets a lot of praise for his writing, often at the expense of his skills as a director.  He is able to get creative and varied performances out of his actors, though some of that can also be attributed to his writing ability.  However, seeing Serenity on the big screen again reminded me how creative he is with a camera.  So I decided to take today’s Friday Favorite to go beyond just my usual one item and instead highlight all of my favorite shots from Serenity.  Some of these are great examples of Joss’s use of visual storytelling, others are creative or unconventionally framed, and some are just ones that I like the way they look.  And while some of the credit has to go Jack N. Green, Serenity‘s cinematographer, when you listen to Joss’s commentary on the film and read his script it becomes apparent how many of these shots he planned far in advance.

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Friday Favorites: Favorite Joke – Scott Pilgrim vs. the World

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Welcome to “Friday Favorites” which highlight some of my favorite movie-related things.

After last week’s super-sized Friday Favorite, today’s will be a bit simpler.  For some reason, I absolutely love this joke.  It might be my favorite part of the whole movie.  Take a look and then read on:

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Mega Friday Favourites: The James Bond Series

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Welcome to “Friday Favorites” which highlight some of my favorite movie-related things.

For today’s Friday Favorite I’m going to do something a little different.  I just finished another rewatch of the James Bond series (minus 1967’s Casino Royale and the Thunderball remake, Never Say Never Again) in order, with the exception that I started with Skyfall and ended with Quantum of Solace.  So for today’s Friday Favorite I’ll be highlighting and listing some of my favorite, and least favorite, things from 50 years of James Bond movies.  And at the end, I’ll list all of the films based on my preference.  (Maybe I should start calling them “favourites” for this post?)

It’s interesting as you rewatch the films in order and in a short amount of time how the bad moments fade away and the good moments stick with you.  It’s like a sensory overload of Bond, and your brain can only hold so much so it picks the good stuff.   Continue reading →

Friday Favorites: Favorite Scene – Ghostbusters

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Welcome to “Friday Favorites” which highlight some of my favorite movie-related things.

Ghostbusters came out the year I was born (which was a good year for movies), but I didn’t get a chance to see it on the big screen until 2011.  I was amazed, but not completely surprised, at the reaction from the crowd, who clearly loved it.  I knew it was one of my favorites, but I didn’t realize that the jokes were still funny to everyone else.  And while there are many things to love about Ghostbusters, for me the highlight of the film is this: Continue reading →