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Matt's Rail
Mike's Rant
Filmmaking, Sir Alec, miss Phillip, more Top Ten movies adjustments, Star Wars memories.
You know, it seems like just when I get my column complete and sent in to Nolan, it's time to turn around and do it again. I wonder if that has something to do with me submitting it on Fridays in a semi-ritualistic kind of way?!? Hmmmmmm?!?!
SIR ALEC
How depressing to learn that Sir Alec Guinness passed away at the age of 86. I often joke around with people in reciting the classic "When I left you I was but the learner, now "I" am the master"...."Only a master of evil, Darth". I am, and yet am not, suprised about Guinness' regret for participating in Star Wars, given his more than awesome resumé and what he accomplished to that point, but I can't help but wonder if his dislike intensified when he saw it become a commercial, gimmick rip-off aimed at 2-year-olds with "Phantom Sucks..er, Menace". Be certain to read Pop Culture Review's Home Page and the excellent epitaph of Sir Alec Guiness. (Thanks. Readers, click here--N)
NAPSTER ROCKS
I'm sure most of you, as I, are sick of paying thru the nose, out the ass, or thru some equally crappy variation, for a disk that cost pennies to make, called a CD. You may also know of Napster, the music sharing system, in which you can find damn near any song ever recorded and download it "for you own personal enjoyment" for free. If you know this, you probably are aware the music industry is trying to shut them down, saying their software supports piracy, which by definition is recording copyrighted materials in any form for the purpose of financial gain. Now, I was under the impression that you could simply "buy" a CD for $11.99 on sale at Best Buy, and then copy to your heart's content, which is a hell of a lot faster than downloading Napster tunes, and sell 'em off the street for 5 bucks a piece. The recording industry has done itself a HUGE injustice in their attacks on Napster, as we are now learning that, ta-da, they have been price fixing CD's for the better part of a decade, and are now in deep shit with the federal government. (That was exposed years ago; nobody cared until now, for some reason.---N) You gotta love business stupidity. Everytime you turn around, it seems the accuser is worse than the accused. This is another example. Anyway, all the people I know that use napster, including myself, still buy CD's religiously...and the fact is, I would "NEVER" pay 10 bucks for a CD for one song, which is pretty much all I download, you know, the one-hit wonders. If you haven't yet, check it out. It downloads in seconds and is user friendly. Just go to www.napster.com.
Well, gotta run, till next time God Bless and take care
Matthew
I remember hearing the first esposé on CD "price fixing" years ago. I had still not forgiven them for the vinyl conspiracy. "Oh, prices are coming down as vinyl is phased out." WRONG! The profits were just too good.
This is an explosive issue to many other rock fans and CD collectors. Any one else care to comment? ---Nolan.
Some news and notes for the loyal readers. Can't wait to see "The Horror Writer." Images look great! You da man! (Thank you....thank you.---N)
Hello all..............lots to say, hope you have time.
AND THE WINNER IS
Once again my sincere congratulations and admiration go out to our esteemed editor Nolan B on the successful debut of "The Horror Writer." I was more then impressed by the images on the site, (4 pix in issue 19, check 'em out!---N) and can't wait to see the whole thing. I made several student films in high school (thank you Bob McGinnis, guidance counselor, who put a 16mm camera in my hand and told me to do something with it).............in fact, I made "The Terminator" before James Cameron did (I had a cyborg come back to the past to alter the future) but it's probably too late to sue. (And Harlan Ellison's already taken his best shot....---N) Just from what I've seen of Nolan's work, I can clearly state that he has truly found a place in his chosen medium. I predict nothing but good things ahead! (Cross our tentacles!---N)
WE'LL GET TOGETHER THEN, DAD
I am officially going through son withdrawal. Phillip left last Sunday for two weeks at baseball camp, and the past week has been weird! This is the longest I haven't seen him since I moved to Kansas, and I must admit I miss him terribly. I was 13 when "Cats in the Cradle" by the late, great Harry Chapin came out, and the song spoke volumes to me, capturing my relationship with my own father. It seems like only yesterday I was playing catch with son for the first time, and now he's borrowing my car. Today I went out to dinner with some friends and contemplated the fact that I am going to be 40 next month. It seems like only yesterday that our "gang" was hanging out at the Book Nook, going to movies, singing our songs. Time does fly.
STOP THE PRESSES
Just caught a great headline on the front of the "Pitch Weekly," which is KC's version of the local city paper. The paper featured an interview with Mary Cheney, who is the daughter of Republican Vice Presidential candidate Dick Cheney. She is also a lesbian. In the article, she spoke of her admiration for George W. The headline reads, "Cheney's daughter is a lesbian............and she loves Bush!" Good thing Bush doesn't have a gay son..............the headline could claim that "he loves Dick!"(LOL!---N)
HAPPY TRAILS
This weeks obits include:
Sir Alec Guinness, 86. Obi-Wan Kenobi to a generation of filmmakers, succumbed to liver cancer and died in England last weekend. See "addendum" below.
Max Showalter, a popular character actor for over 50 years, passed away this week at the age of 83. Readers will best remember him as Grandpa Fred in the film "Sixteen Candles."
Jerome Smith, original rhythm guitarist for KC and the Sunshine Band, died Tuesday when he fell off of the bulldozer he was operating and was crushed. He had been a heavy equipment operator for many years and was working on a job in Florida when the accident happened. He was 47.
Very sad indeed to hear of the passing of Gordon Solie. My cousin Margie's husband was a good friend of wrestler Ox Baker, and one day I came upon Ox sitting poolside at the hotel the wrestler's stayed at (I know it was on Dale Mabry, but I can't for the life of me think of the cross street...........I know it was before Kennedy). (Hmm...Henderson? Azeele?---N) Anyway, when Ox was in town he would get us tickets to the Wed. afternoon television tapings. On a couple occasions, we got to speak to Mr. Solie, and he was indeed a true gentleman. Thanks to Steve Beasley for his genuinely heartfelt tribute.
TRAILER OF THE WEEK
On September 22nd, Warner Brothers will re-issue "The Exorcist," with about 20 minutes of original footage never seen before. The trailer for this re-issue is great............capturing I'm sure a new generation of fans who never had the chance to see this classic in theatres. There is a shot in the trailer of Regan (Linda Blair) going down a flight of stairs on her back, her arms and legs bent behind her like a crab! (Rumored, but never seen, yes!---N) I will be in New York City that weekend, and I plan on taking time out to see this one!
SPEAKING OF MOVIES
Like Matt, there is no way I can choose 10 films and call them my favorites. But I can do this:
#1. Jaws - Nothing compares 25 years later to the experience I had watching this film for the first time. And I don't think anything ever will. My favorite line (add libbed on the set by Roy Scheider): "You're gonna need a bigger boat!"
#2. Everything else. Too many to list, but I'll give you seven all time faves and a favorite line:
a. Blazing Saddles - "Oh, blow it out your ass, Howard!" Actually, David Huddleston, the actor who delivered that line, was kind enough to sign an autograph for me using that line. His P.S - "Oh Prairie Shit!"
b. To Kill A Mockingbird - "Thank you for my children, Arthur." Robert Duvall played Boo Radley in his film debut. Mary Badham, who played Scout, is the older sister of director John Badham (Saturday Night Fever, Blue Thunder). For those of you who read the book, the character of Dill, the boy who came to visit each summer, is based on author Harper Lee's yearly summer visitor Truman Capote.
c. Arthur - "Usually one must go to a bowling alley to meet a woman of your stature." John Geilgud in his Oscar winning role and Dudley Moore in a role he was made to play. Sadly, writer/director Steve Gordon died the year after the film was released.
d. Saturday Night Fever - "Can you dig it? I knew that you could!" Man, how many times did we see this movie Matt? One of the most influential films of the 70's, it brought disco to the forefront of American music and made television actor John Travolta a star.
e. Schindler's List - "I pardon you." It took Steven Spielberg 10 years to make this film from the day he bought the book rights. He wisely waited until he had matured enough to handle this story with the dignity it deserved. He was rewarded with his first, long overdue, Academy Award.
f. The Goodbye Girl - "I feel like an asshole..........I passed foolish last Tuesday." Richard Dreyfuss gives an Oscar winning performance in this Neil Simon classic. Ironically, this is actually a "prequel" to a film Simon wrote entitled "Bogart Slept Here," which was to star Robert DeNiro in Elliot Garfield's adventures in Hollywood after he became a star.
g. Rocky - "You want the bird? Go in the alley and eat the bird!" With $106 in the bank, little used actor Sylvester Stallone sprung for a ticket to attend the Muhammad Ali/Chuck Wepner fight. Wepner, who was primarily a bar room brawler, was given no shot against the champ. Amazingly, Wepner went the distance and even knocked Ali on his ass. After the fight, Stallone went home and sat down at his typewriter. Three days later , he had a script. Turning down in excess of $100,000 for his screenplay for the chance to play the title role, Stallone eventually got his chance. Made for less then $1million, the powers at United Artists thought they would have a cheap film to add as a double bill at the drive ins. One Best Picture Oscar later, they realized they had a classic.
Well, I could go on, but space is limited! Next week I'll address VH1's top rock and roll moments on television. Until then, have a great week!
© 2000 by Matt Drinnenberg
Visit Matt's Horror Fan Site!
Ashley's Movies and Music
Charlton Heston checked into rehab for alcohol abuse. (Holy Moses!---N) Jerry Seinfeld spent an estimated $1 million on a garage--just to park his cars! Waste of money with a baby on the way, but with millions.... Jennifer Anniston, 31, and Brad Pitt. 36, got married in a million dollar Malibu wedding. Her dress alone was $52,000! All the guests were required to sign a non-disclosure agreement about the event's location and activities. (At least until the media throws a few thousand in their face!) Christina Aguilera, Alanis Morissette, and Bon Jovi joined forces to protest Napster. They also reminded fans to pay for their music. (Catch that, Matt?--N) Personal trainers and Gucci shoes don't grow on trees, ya know? Sebastian Bach is critically acclaimed for his role in "Jekyll & Hyde". Jennifer Lopez won't sleep on sheets with a thread count less than 250! Next issue: THE MISFITS!
Addendum. Readers, Nolan here. Mike's Rant got to my email box just as Sir Alec's death was announced. Mike wishes to add the following:
I did not intentionally leave any of the Star Wars films off my list................I just pretty much pulled titles out of my head that I could watch over and over and not get bored with. That would also include the "Holy Trilogy" as Kevin Smith refers to it. Feel free to change my other seven to ten: (Done and done...read on...---N)
The Star Wars Trilogy - Or should I say the 2nd trilogy - "A New Hope" ("let the Wookie win"), "The Empire Strikes Back" ("I love you. I know") and "Return of the Jedi." ("and now young Skywalker.............you will die!"). The success of "Star Wars" (as it was called in 1977 before anyone knew there would be sequels) re-opened the door for science fiction/fantasy films. Films such as "The Black Hole,"
"Battlestar Galactica (the series and reedited feature film) would never have been made, given their expensive special effects. Even "Star Trek - The Motion Picture" only got the green light because of the phenomenal success of "Star Wars." To me, "Empire" is the best of the three. Dark, full of unanswered questions and featuring an epic duel between father and son..........now that's entertainment. Perhaps 5 years from now I will list "Episodes 1-3".................well at least 2 and 3!
"Mike's Rant" is © 2000 by Michael A. Smith
Ashley's Movies and Music is © 2000 by Ashley Lewis