Robert Downey Jr on Letterman

Robert Downey Jr. converses with Letterman about his recent detention in Japan while promoting Iron Man II. Downey is great per usual. I caught him on Bravo's Inside the Actors Studio last weekend and the man is just freaking entertaining. Sherlock Holmes hits theaters on Christmas day and, of course, Iron Man II is due out next May! Robert Downey Jr. IS Tony Stark! He's just absolutely perfect for the role. Rhodey will be making his first appearance as War Machine and Mickey Rourke will make an interesting Whiplash! Here's the trailer. Bitchin!

Top 10 Movies Set at Christmas!

I watched A Christmas Carol last weekend and It's A Wonderful Life doesn't come on until next Monday so it's time to fire up the DVD player for some movies set at Christmas but aren't about Christmas! Note that the top three features are all written by Shane Black and most are action adventures. Happy viewing and Happy Holidays!

1. Lethal Weapon (1987)
2. Kiss Kiss Bang Bang (2005)
3. Long Kiss Good Night (1996)
4. Die Hard (1988)
5. Gremlins (1984)
6. Serendipity (2001)
7. Die Hard II (1990)
8. Trading Places (1983)
9. The Thin Man (1934)
   
10. The Mothman Prophecies (2002)

Ten Greatest Movies of All Time

I think I've been working on this post for three years now and just can't make up my mind on the proper order and I just couldn't cut it down to ten movies either so we'll just dispense with those requirements and present twenty of my favorite movies in chronological order. I think anyone viewing this list will can guess my age and apparently 1994 and 1999 were particularly good years. Please leave comments! I would be very interested to hear your opinion.

It's a Wonderful Life (1946)
Star Wars (1977)
Star Wars: Episode V - The Empire Strikes Back (1980)
Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981)
Star Trek: The Wrath of Khan (1982)
The Silence of the Lambs (1991)
The Shawshank Redemption (1994)
Legends of the Fall (1994)
Forrest Gump (1994)
Independence Day (1996)
Good Will Hunting (1997)
American History X (1998)
The Green Mile (1999)
The Sixth Sense (1999)
The Matrix (1999)
High Fidelity (2000)
The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers (2002)
The Incredibles (2004)
The Prestige (2006)
No Country For Old Men (2007)

Dinner and a Movie

We may not watch television any more in the Ray household but we do enjoy our movies. NetFlix provides the DVD's and I usually burn a copy and watch them when it's convenient. For PC owners, DVD Shrink and ImgBurn are the ticket if you have similar ambitions.

Entertainment this weekend consisted of Lucky Number Slevin which came highly recommended by one of my cohorts at PCL Cable but not highly regarded by the critics. My wife and I enjoyed it. It's a shoot 'em up thriller with a twist featuring a star studded cast including Josh Harnett, Bruce Willis, and Morgan Freeman.

Everything is Illuminated was an interesting experience. Elijah Wood portrays a young Jewish man who journeys to the Ukraine to find the woman that saved his grandfather from the Nazi's. The movie strays back and forth from comedy to drama and leaves you thinking.

Both get two thumbs up! I hope that Ebert never finds out.

The Incredible Hulk is Back!

Sandi and I ventured to the theater to see Iron Man while I was down in Tampa over Memorial Day weekend. She was leaning toward Indiana Jones but I talked her into seeing it instead. They updated the comic perfectly and Robert Downey Jr was THE choice for Tony Stark. The effects were amazing and there was a lot of humor which Downey excels at. Even Sandi said that it was much better than she expected. I think that was a high compliment from a non-comic book fan that has patiently endured my love for the genre for years. I even got her to sit with me through the credits to check out Samuel L Jackson as Nick Fury. Need to start working on the sainthood paperwork for her! After all, she did stand in line for hours in the heat whilst pregnant to purchase us tickets for Batman in 1989. What a woman!

This weekend marks the opening of The Incredible Hulk, Marvel Comic's second production since going into the movie business for themselves. The big green guy has always been a favorite of mine and Ang Lee's 2003 version just didn't cut it. The trailers look absolutely incredible and I hope that the film is a smash hit. I was concerned that the production stills looked really fake but seeing the Hulk in action in the trailer looks very believable under most conditions... as believable as a 9" tall, 1 ton bundle of muscle can be. The reviews have been mixed but I don't care what they say anyhow. I'll skip the opening weekend rush but hopefully will venture to the theater with the little lady once again here in a few weeks to check it out!

Iron Man 05.02.08

Yes, I admit it.... I'm a geek. I played Dungeons & Dragons, read a lot of fantasy/science fiction, and collected comics when I was younger. Incredible advances in computer technology have made comic book (and fantasy novel) adaptations on the big screen truly believable and they put a huge grin on the face of this 38-year old kid. Watching the characters that I read about come to life in such a realistic manner gives me a rush that I haven't experienced since seeing Superman at the theater in 1978.

While some of these movies have been less than thrilling, others like Spider-Man, Batman Returns, and Ghost Rider have remained faithful to the comics with amazing results. I've got to admit that I feel a certain amount of dread when one goes into production. Memories of The Punisher, Fantastic Four, and The Hulk always raise the cynicism quotient but I'm hoping that Iron Man will be a success.

Directed by Jon Favreau, the Paramount and Marvel Studios comic book adaptation features a star studded cast including Robert Downey Jr. (Tony Stark), Terrence Howard, Gwyneth Paltrow, and Jeff Bridges. Definitely no lack of acting talent and the trailers thus far look amazing and seem to faithfully follow the progression of the armor.

Check out the official site at http://www.ironmanmovie.com/ and don't miss the new international teaser trailer at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RYZ3954lqag. Iron Man hits the theater May 02, 2008.

Remember what John and Paul said.

Listening to my wife Sandi’s crazy quotes got me thinking about great movie quotes. We were watching “The Long Kiss Good Night” (1996) with Geena Davis and Samuel L. Jackson. This movie has some really memorable quotes but not particularly inspirational ones so here’s a few from the movie “Michael”, coincidentally also made in 1996 (good year for movies?). Remember that flick with John Travolta playing the arch angel Michael living on earth, chasing women, drinking beer, etc? Great movie! I love it and Phenomenon as well, possibly two of Travolta's best.

Michael: Remember what John and Paul said.
Frank Quinlan: The apostles?
Michael: No, the Beatles. All you need is love.

Michael: You gotta learn to laugh, it's the way to true love.

Michael: Hey, what's the opposite of white?
Frank Quinlan: Black.
Michael: No. Yolk.

Entertainment and great advice... How can you beat that?

Michael (1996)

Frank Quinlan and Huey Driscoll, two reporters from a Chicago-based tabloid, along with Dorothy Winters, an 'angel expert', are asked to travel to rural Iowa to investigate a claim from an old woman that she shares her house with a real, live archangel named Michael. Upon arrival, they see that her claims are true - but Michael is not what they expected: he smokes, drinks beer, has a very active libido and has a rather colourful vocabulary. In fact, they would never believe it were it not for the two feathery wings protruding from his back. Michael agrees to travel to Chicago with the threesome, but what they don't realise is that the journey they are about to undertake will change their lives forever.

Check out IMDB for more info on Michael and watch it if you get a chance. I think you'll enjoy it.