RIP David Bowie :(

I grew up watching Labyrinth and always loved David Bowie in the part. I also enjoyed his brief cameo in Zoolander and am now a big Flight of the Conchords fan. So here in honor of the great David Bowie's passing, I present to you my favorite Bowie Moments, both real and imaginary :)

The Hobbit - Movie Review

Yes! Finally, "The Hobbit" is now available at redbox! So, we checked it out last weekend and enjoyed it with our son, who loved it. "The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey." by Peter Jackson based (loosely) on the novel of the same title by J. R. R. Tolkien. It is the prequel to "The Lord of the Rings Trilogy" (in case you didn't know). I read this book right after high school when "The Fellowship of the Ring" was about to come out in theaters. Immediately afterward I read the rest of the series.

I, for one, love Tolkien's elaborate and poetic storytelling and enjoyed the books immensely. However, since I read the book over ten years ago, I couldn't remember it all with perfect clarity. After watching the film version I felt like I needed to re-read the book; just to verify whether what's in the film's plot was an invention of Tolkien or a creative liberty taken by Jackson.

The film starts off with old Bilbo Baggins writing his memories of his adventures from his youth to leave for Frodo after he's gone. (This is supposed to take place before Bilbo's birthday party in "The Fellowship of the Ring"). From there we go back into the tale and see Bilbo as a young man meeting Gandalf as he passes by his home. The conversation turns to adventuring and somehow, without even knowing it, Bilbo agrees to go on a quest. Later that night random Dwarves-- whom he's never met before in his life--start showing up at his door and inviting themselves in for dinner. Finally, when Bilbo is at his wits end, Gandalf arrives to explain everything. It turns out Bilbo is to be the 13th member of this company, sworn to take back their home, Erebor, from the evil dragon, Smaug. From there we go on a whirlwind adventure into unknown parts of Middle Earth. Along the way we learn the history of the Dwarf Prince, Thorin Oakenshield, and his fallen kingdom. I remember some of this from the book, but then they tell of the Dwarf Prince and all the homeless Dwarves trying to take back the ancient Dwarf kingdom called Moira. Only problem is there are Orcs already squatting there. So a battle ensues involving a legendary Pale Orc astride a white Warg (Giant Wolf) who has sworn to end the Dwarf royal line of Thorin.

However, he doesn't succeed in killing Thorin because the Dwarves end up winning the fight but not regaining the mines of Moira (this is all back story). Before the company of 13 finally reaches The Lonely Mountain, Bilbo the Hobbit accomplishes many things. First, he saves the Dwarves from being eaten by Trolls. Second, he escapes capture from an Orc hunting party. Then, he stumbles into the Elvish kingdom of Rivendale. Then, he escapes from the Goblin fortress. And finally, he saves Thorin's life. Not to mention he wins a magic ring of invisibility from Gollum in a game of riddles. For such a humble little fellow, Bilbo Baggins proves to be quite the hero in this tale.

As far as the movie goes, the production value is just as excellent as "The Fellowship of the Ring". The story is well told if only a bit off course from time to time. The only things that really bothered me were the parts that turn out aren't in the book. The Pale Orc astride a white Warg is a Jackson invention to give us more of a definite villain. In the book it was always Smaug the dragon. However, since Peter Jackson decided to break this tale up into a trilogy, Smaug seems more like a mythical creature instead of an imminent threat. Also, the whole thing with Moira confuses me. This is why: in "The Fellowship of the Ring", Gimli, son of Glóin, takes Frodo and the Fellowship through the mines of Moira expecting to meet his kinfolk who rule there. However, they find out that the Dwarves are all dead, and Balrog, the fire demon, and his orc minions, now inhabit it. Now if "The Hobbit" happened quite some time before "The Fellowship of the Ring" then how come no one knew Moira was inhabited by evil until they got there? Why didn't Gandalf warn anyone? (Listen to me, I sound like A Tolkien fanatic!) I was confused a little, yes, however these plot holes did not take away from my enjoyment of the film.

Overall I give "The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey" three and a half stars. It was well done and definitely got me excited to see the next film in the series. Now go forth and see it yourself (if you haven't already). Or, go re-read the book that inspired it. Either way you'll be having a good time.

R.J. Craddock

www.rjcraddock.com

facebook.com/RJCraddockAuthor

Favorite Movie Quotes - Classic

Here’s another post of my favorite movie quotes. This one is of American film classics. By this I mean films from the golden age of Hollywood. I’ve always enjoyed older films, whether black and white, Technicolor, comedies, or epics.  So here are some of my favorite classic movie quotes.

1)      “Of all the gin joints, in all the towns, in all the world, she walks into mine.” – Rick Blaine, Casablanca (1942). Starring Humphrey Bogart, Ingrid Bergman, Paul Henreid. During the beginning of World War II, Rick Blaine (Bogart), an American without a country, owns a bar in unoccupied Casablanca (Africa). He helps refugees escape from the Nazi’s for a price. Until one day the girl that left Rick without a word in Paris shows up at his bar with a husband, and in need of his help.

2)      “I don't think I've ever drunk champagne before breakfast before. With breakfast on several occasions, but never before, before.” - Holly Golightly, Breakfast at Tiffany’s (1961). A young New York socialite (Audrey Hepburn,) becomes interested in a young man (George Peppard) who has moved into her apartment building. There really isn’t a whole lot to the plot of this film, but the writing is good and the characters are interesting. The performances by both leads (especially Audrey) are fantastic. It’s one of my favorite movies of all time. 

3)      “Great balls of fire. Don't bother me anymore, and don't call me sugar. “- Scarlett O’Hara, Gone with the Wind (1939). Starring Vivien Leigh and Clark Gable. Based off the novel by Margaret Mitchell, a two hundred and thirty-eight minute long epic about an equally epic love story during and after the civil war. I loved the book, I love this movie, and I even love the sequel “Scarlet.” And the mini-series spin off of that book, too. There are plenty of good quotes in this film, but this one sounds a little like something I might say myself, so it makes me giggle.

4)      “He wouldn't have died of pneumonia if I hadn't shot him! “ - Jonathan Brewster, Arsenic and Old Lace (1944). A drama critic (Cary Grant) learns on his wedding day that his beloved maiden aunts are homicidal maniacs, and that insanity runs in his family. A very funny movie. If you haven’t seen it, you really should. The whole film, start to finish, is a gold mine of comic timing and great one- liners.

5)      “Boy. When you come on, you come on.“ - Cary Grant “Well, then, come on.” - Audrey Hepburn, Charade (1963). Romance and suspense in Paris as a woman is pursued by several men who want a fortune that her murdered husband had stolen. Who can she trust? This film also stars a young Walter Matthau, and a lot of great performances from a great cast. Audrey and Cary are great together in this romantic thriller. Again if you haven’t seen it you should. They tried to remake this movie a while ago. Perhaps you’ve heard of the awful Mark Walberg flick called “The Truth about Charlie.” Yeah, it’s pretty bad. Tim Robbins does a pretty good version of Walter Matthau’s character from the original, and Thandie Newton was okay as a modern take on Audrey Hepburn, but Walberg was, well… just terrible. So watch the original, Charade. It’s by far superior.

If you have a favorite movie quote please share it on this blog, or else go forth and check out these ones. Well, that’s it for now. Thanks for reading.

R.J. Craddock

Dark Shadows – Movie Review

Some of you out there may not know this but Tim Burton's film "Dark Shadows" is based off of the popular daytime soap opera. With Vampires, Witches, Warlocks, Werewolves, and other supernatural creatures, it was the phenomenon that ran on ABC-TV from 1966-1971.

With two Dark Shadow films, multiple tries at re-vamping (pun intended) the series, a score of fans and even a Dark Shadows Festival, the show's legend has lived on in various forms. I, myself, am an old fan of the soap opera and watched the re-runs on the Sci-Fi Channel in junior high. When I heard that Tim Burton was remaking "Dark Shadows" with Johnny Depp as Barnabas Collins, I was out of my mind with ecstasy. Burton and Depp are the perfect pair to tackle this project, and I knew they would do it justice. I have to admit if I had millions of dollars I might have done a "Dark Shadows" movie myself.

The show started with Victoria Winters, the outsider who comes to Collinwood, to be the new governess. She soon finds out that the Collins family has more than just skeletons in its closet. In the soap opera Barnabas Collins wasn't introduced to the cast until nine months into the show, becoming the first Vampire with a conscious in pop-culture history. However, in Burton's film version the story begins with Barnabas Collin's mortal life before he was cursed by Angelique Bouchard (Eva Green)--his jilted Witch lover--and transformed into a Vampire and entombed for two centuries. We jump a head in time to 1972 with Governess Victoria Winters, played by Bella Heathcote, on her way to Collinsport Maine. When she arrives at the old gothic-style Collinwood mansion she meets the Collins played by an all-star cast.

Michelle Pfeiffer plays her employer, and head of the Collins family, Elizabeth Collins Stoddard. The family's live-in-shrink, Dr. Julia Hoffman, is played by the very talented and always awesome Helena Bonham-Carter. The brother, Roger Collins, a drunken widower and negligent father, is played by Jonny Lee Miller (who was once married to Angelina Jolie just so you know). The Collins children are played by Chloë Grace Moretz (also seen in "Kick-Ass" and "Hugo") and Gulliver McGrath (also seen in "Hugo" and "Lincoln"). The family has plenty of personality all their own, but things get even stranger at Collinwood when Barnabas Collins is accidently released from his coffin. He returns to his home to find that Collinsport has changed considerably.

His family's fishing company is all but extinct and his family manor in shambles. Luckily, he has a hidden stash of wealth in the mansion and goes about trying to reconnect with his family and return the family business to its former glory. Only problem is his wicked Witch of an old flame is still alive and owns the rival fishing company and pretty much owns the town. What ensues is a hilarious farce of dark magic, Vampires, and 1970's culture. There's even a part where Barnabas kills a bunch of hippies (awesome)! I loved this movie and laughed out loud all the way through. However, they never explain exactly how Angelique Bouchard managed to live two hundred years. The film likewise does not explain where the modern day Collins descendants came from. In the beginning of the film, they portray Barnabas Collins as an only child; his parents both killed by one of the Witches' curses before he became a Vampire. These two plot holes bugged me a little but not enough to take away from my enjoyment of the film. I would recommend this movie to anyone who likes Tim Burton, Jonny Depp, supernatural beings, and has a dark sense of humor. You don't have to be an original "Dark Shadows" groupie to love the movie, but it doesn't hurt.

Below is a link to the movie trailer and a dark shadows fan site for you to check out as well. Now go forth, children of the night, and view this flick. Love it or hate it, I'd love to hear what you thought of it.

Till next time,
R.J. Craddock

http://www.collinwood.net/info/

Favorite Movie Quotes - Comedy

So, I noticed the other day that my movie quoting turrets doesn’t seem to be carrying over into my blog. Apparently, I only suffer from this condition verbally. However, to make up for this oversight I have decided to do a series of my favorite movie quotes from different genres. Today’s genre is Comedy. The following will be the quotes and a brief description of the film and why I love these lines. These are in no particular order so let’s get to it shall we?

1)      “There’s a shortage of perfect breasts in this world, t’would be a pity to damage yours.”  - The Princess Bride

Released 1987, it stars Cary Elwes, Robin Wright (before she was married to Sean Penn) and Mandy Patinkin. It’s got fencing, fighting, giants, monsters, revenge, chases, escapes, true love, and Miracles. It’s a med-evil comedy not to be missed. Honestly, if you haven’t heard of this movie then you might have been living under a rock for the last thirty years.

2)      “We’ve got a piper down. I repeat, a piper is down!” – So I Married an Axe Murderer

It stars Mike Meyers, Nancy Travis, and Anthony LaPaglia, with Alan Arkin in the supporting role. This hilarious comedy/mystery came out in 1993. About a young poet with a phobia of marriage and a tendency to find strange flaws in all his girlfriends, who suddenly falls in love only to find out that his dream girl just might be a husband killing maniac!

3)      “I was in love once… she was Brazilian, or Chinese, or something weird.” – Anchorman

It’s a 1970’s period piece about a legendary anchorman suddenly having to share his spotlight with a female co-anchor. With an all-star cast including: Will Farrell, Christina Applegate, Paul Rudd, and Steve Carrell (along with many famous cameos). This film just might be one of the funniest and most quotable movies of all times.

4)      “It’s called a day spa! D-a-i-y-e… Daiye. – Zoolander

Released in 2001 starring Ben Stiller, Owen Wilson, and Will Farrell. A ridiculously funny film about the hard life of a male model, and the pressures of being professionally really, really, ridiculously good looking. One of my favorite movies to quote.

5)      “He can’t forgive me and I can’t forgive him for that.” - Money Pit

A young couple desperately needs to find a new place after the girl’s ex-boyfriend returns from Europe, kicking them out of his apartment. They end up being conned into buying a beautiful disaster of a house and the story follows their renovation nightmare and the havoc it wrecks on their romance. Released in 1986; starring the very funny Tom Hanks and Shelly Long, in what is perhaps the best comic performance of either of their careers.

There’s my top five. Each of these films had multiple great quotes but these are the ones that come to my mind the most readily. Unfortunately, I had to leave a few of my other favorite comedies off this list, so I might end up doing a part two Favorite Movie Quotes - Comedy later on. Anyhow, there they are. I hope you enjoyed the quotes and share my excellent taste in comedy. Or, if you haven’t heard of or seen some or all of these flicks, perhaps you’ll go check them out after reading this. Now go forth and share the cinematic love.

R.J. Craddock