Happy Birthday Ric Flair

Russell Kane = Sarah Jessica Parker?

Did anyone else think that Russell Kane looked like Sarah Jessica Parker when dressed as a woman on Let's Dance?

50th Post!!!

To celebrate my 50th blog post, here's a little 50 cent:

Top 10 (non-John Hughes) Teen Films

I’ve given you a list of the King Of Teen Films, John Hughes, best films. So now I’m going to give you a list of the best of the rest. 

The teenage years are a trying time – raging hormones, finding one’s identity, trying to fit in, parental expectations, new found independence and restrictions. This awkward transition from childhood to adulthood has been addressed by many film-makers, but it is a relatively new Hollywood subject area. Until the 1950s the word teenager didn’t even exist and teens were just mini versions of their parents. This all changed with the emergence of that dastardly rock n roll music when teen attitudes got more rebellious and skirts got shorter. Every decade since has had its share of teen movies reflecting the fantasy and reality of teen life, leaving me with a list of hundreds of films that I want to include on this list - but unfortunately I can only include ten: 

10) Juno [2007]

An endearing Academy Award-winning film about teen pregnancy. It is a rare pro-life film that isn’t preachy or smarmy; instead it is vibrant with reality. It is filled with humour, love and reality and focuses on the feelings of the characters and their attempts to deal with this unexpected situation – Juno (Ellen Page) trying to live her teenage life as the ‘cautionary whale’, the father (Michael Cera) awkwardly and embarrassingly trying to show he cares, her parents trying to be supportive and compassionate but still real and snarky and the adoptive parents (Jennifer Garner and Jason Bateman) trying to deal with their inability to conceive, the coming of a new member of their family and growing older. It was the latest in a series of films emphasising female self-awareness and attitude modification.

9) Bring It On [2000]

They’re sexy, they’re cute, they’re popular to boot. A champion high school cheerleading squad discovers its previous captain stole all their best routines from an inner city school and must scramble together a routine to compete at this year’s championships and compete with their new rivals. Along with their new member, a gymnast with attitude, we learn that there’s more to cheerleaders than perky, bitchy, football groupies. They’re athletes don’t you know?

8) Empire Records [1995]

Not a huge success at the box office, but has since become a cult favourite. It is a stellar cast with young performances by Liv Tyler and Renée Zellweger amongst other familiar faces. Not all the characters are teenagers, but they are certainly all coping with high school issues. The A+ student taking drugs to cope with her studies and her father’s pressure, the artist who has fallen for her but doesn’t know how to tell her, the seemingly carefree girl trying to compete with her best friend’s perfect image and the abandoned, suicidal girl who shaves her hair off for attention and to feel loved. And despite all these dramatic topics, it still manages to be funny. Plus it has a great soundtrack that I regularly blast out my headphones for everyone on the tube to hear. 

7) Porky’s [1982]

It is the first, and best, of what has now come to be known as gross out comedy. The toe curlingly cringey gym scene with ‘Lassie’, the ladies locker room incident with the burly female coach and the stripping down to be inspected by the prostitute provide memorable moments that resulted in the film being banned when it was first released. The dialogue of the film includes obsessions of losing their virginity, measuring their penis’s and putting the condom on before the date. It is what led to films like American Pie being made and allowed films to explore the realities of teenage sexuality. It’s off the wall manner, shocking content and locker room humour has made it the cult hit it is today. 

6) Heathers [1989]

This is a morbidly funny film that examines that warm fuzzy feeling we get when we contemplate offing someone we hate. A familiar feeling to any teenager, particularly ones with a bitchy group of popular girls at school – even if those girls are your ‘friends’. It is a dark, deadly satire about Winona Ryder being accepted by a clique of three popular girls named Heather and her spectacular fall from grace as Christian Slater assists her with a killing spree. Murder and arson has never been so hilarious.

5) Clueless [1995]

This classic high school movie is loosely based on Jane Austen’s Emma as it follows Alicia Silverstone as a popular valley girl’s transition from self-centred airhead to do-gooder. It is an intimate look at the life of a self-absorbed teenager with a heart of gold as she learns that there is more to life than fashion and social status. The characters in this movie are spoilt but still lovable.

4) 10 Things I Hate About You [1999]

Another teen movie based on classic literature, this time William Shakespeare’s comedy The Taming of the Shrew. A brilliant cast full of now famous faces. The overprotective dad of two daughters tells the younger popular sister that she can’t date until the older man-hating, feminist sister (Julia Stiles) does. When the sweet new kid (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) falls for her, she convinces him to help her get a date for her sister so she can date the popular model. He then pays the brooding, outcast heartthrob (Heath Ledger) to get her to date him - a difficult task to complete - which of course he does. Who could turn down Heath after that musical number?

3) Napoleon Dynamite [2004]

This cult hipster comedy is a look at life from the perspective of a goofy, unpopular teen in Idaho. The deadpan one-liners, killer soundtrack and hilarious dance scene make this movie a classic. It has been criticized for having no real plot, but when a film is that funny it doesn’t matter what it’s about. Vote for Pedro!

2) Mean Girls [2004]

Stars a pre-gossip rag Lindsay Lohan as a teenage girl attending public school for the first time after being home schooled in Africa for most of her life. After being invited into the popular clique of mean girls, which includes Rachel McAdams and Amanda Seyfried, her new best friends convince her to join their clique and help get revenge on their leader. It revels in the sinister and archaic hierarchy of adolescent communities. This high school dramedy sets the perfect tone between satirical and sentimental, thanks to a great script by Tina Fey.

1) Grease [1978]

Probably the film I have watched the most times in my life. It deals with popularity, teen virtue, teen pregnancy, gang rivalry and education. This film has stood the test of time and continues to be a favourite amongst all ages today. After a summer romance, Sandy enrols in the same high school as Danny, but soon finds out he is a different guy than he previously portrayed. After several attempts to rekindle their romance, love eventually prevails as each alters their appearance to appeal to the other. Not a great message for teenagers, but with a classic, sing-a-long soundtrack, who cares? And it’s even better once you have worked out the correct time to turn it off before the car starts to fly. 

What are your top ten?

Happy Birthday Alan Rickman

Top 10 John Hughes Films

John Hughes’ death was one of the saddest things to happen to Hollywood. His ability to balance comedy with understanding relationships has provided us with many classics that have greatly influenced modern film-makers. Today, on his birthday, I have a list of my top ten Hughes films:

10) Curly Sue [1991]

This was the last film John Hughes ever directed – although he went on to write and produce many more. An orphan Curly Sue and her guardian James Belushi make their way through life by scamming innocent people - but before you start to dislike them, it’s not for profit but just so they have enough to eat. Divorce lawyer Kelly Lynch hits Belushi with her car and feels so guilty she invites them to stay with her, much to the objections of her stereotypically horrible boyfriend. Queue fireworks as Belushi and Lynch fall in love and they become a nice little family. Sugary sweet but very enjoyable. Curly Sue is like the Artful Dodger meets Annie, minus the singing.

9) National Lampoon’s Vacation [1983]

This is the second film that Hughes wrote for National Lampoon, and the first of the classic comedy series that showed Hughes’ talent for writing trips that go awry. It is considered by many to be Chevy Chase’s best non-Saturday Night Live work (obviously not including Community). Hughes creates a cursed vacation that’s fun to watch and makes you glad you can’t afford a holiday.

8) Weird Science [1985]

Completely off the wall and fulfils all teenage boys fantasies. The lesson of this film is that if you are lonely virgin, instead of going out and socialising, create a woman. Two geeks create the perfect woman on their computers and out pops Kelly LeBrock making me seriously question my sexuality and changing their lives forever. Hughes regular Anthony Michael Hall and barely known IIan Mitchell-Smith take the lead as the geeks alongside some lad called Robert Downey Jr and another called Bill Paxton. But they've gone on to do nothing with themselves. An underrated and completely stupid teen comedy.

7) Pretty In Pink [1986]

A modern day Cinderella story: girl from the poor side of town dates the dashing, rich boy until outside influences cut their epic romance short. That is until the dance where Molly Ringwald wears the ugliest prom dress ever and they realise that nobody matters but each other. A sugar-coated, girly flick but one you just can’t help but love. The formulaic love story is overshadowed by James Spader as the smarmy, bad boy and, of course, the quirky (and stalkerish) best friend Duckie. 

6) Uncle Buck [1989]

John Candy stars in this movie as a slovenly uncle who cares for his brother’s kids armed with the crappiest car in existence and some good old-fashioned power tools. Hughes and Candy worked together on numerous occasions and made a great partnership. On this occasion they managed to take a formulaic story, about a no-good uncle learning the meaning of love and family, and turn it into a classic. 

5) Ferris Bueller’s Day Off [1986]

The best role of Matthew Broderick’s career - he plays the high school slacker who fakes illness so he can skip school and take his girlfriend and best friend on a series of amazing adventures. Ferris should be considered a jackass – he forces his best friend to skip school, steals his dads car and then convinces his to take the fall for the destruction of it (the joys of peer pressure) - but Broderick manages to make his rebellious nature seem endearing. How dare Edward Rooney do his job and try to make sure students attend school. Teachers these days.

4) Planes, Trains and Automobiles [1987]

Two of the greatest comedy actors of all time: John Candy and Steve Martin. John Candy, a regular to John Hughes films, was never used more effectively than as the annoying salesman with a heart of gold. He drives forced his forced companion nuts as they struggle to get home for Thanksgiving. This film brings laughs from start to finish, when Hughes delivers his textbook heart-warming ending. It is extremely well written with two of the greatest comedy actors of their time. 

3) Home Alone [1990]

This is Hughes’ most successful film and still remains one of the top grossing movies of all time. It defines the childhoods of every kid born in the 1980s and 1990s, and made Culken a household name. Kevin’s irresponsible parents leave him behind when they go on holiday and instead of calling social services, the police treat his mum like an overbearing mother. When two dim-witted thieves, played brilliantly by Joe Pesci and Daniel Stern, try to break in, Kevin is forced to use everything at his disposal to fight them off. This leads to an awesome 10 minutes of Kevin torturing them with tarantulas, irons and groin hitting. It also teaches kids to talk to strangers no matter how scary they look (clearly a good idea).  

2) The Breakfast Club [1985]

The Nerd, the Jock, the Princess, the Basketcase and the Criminal. This is the most iconic and influential teen film of all time. The five teenagers are forced to spend their Saturday together in detention and soon discover that they have more in common then they realised as they bond over dancing, weed and running from the teacher. It might be a clichéd premise now, but at the time it was one of a kind. Despite the majority of the film taking part in one room, every second of this film is hilarious. It is a poignant and honest look at high school life that teaches us many life lessons: everyone has feelings, cleavage can be used for lipstick application and fist pumping is always cool.  

1) Sixteen Candles [1984]

In at number one I am going to have to choose the inspiration of The Donger Needs Food, Sixteen Candles. It was the movie that started the 80’s teen movie craze, the Brat Pack and Molly Ringwald’s career, and on top of that it brought us Jake Ryan, Long Duck Dong and Farmer Ted. Caught up in the excitement of her older sister’s wedding to an oily bohunk, Ringwald’s family forget her sixteenth birthday. Dreams of a big party and a black Trans Am are replaced by a series of embarrassing moments: felt up by her grandma, forced to show around a foreign exchange student and a freshman showing everybody her underwear. That is until the perfect guy, Jake Ryan, makes her day of hell completely worthwhile by dumping his perfect girlfriend and whisking her off her feet – and since he cut his film career short and moved to Pennsylvania, this is one of very few chances to watch his beautiful face.

What are your favourite John Hughes films?

Happy Birthday John Hughes and Molly Ringwald

10 Films You Should Watch Before Justin Bieber: Never Say Never

The Bieber Fever epidemic is at an all-time high with his new documentary Justin Bieber: Never Say Never. Usually I say each to their own but in this case....you’re just wrong! If you’re under sixteen, that’s fine – I had my days of Blue and 5ive – but once you’re legal, your love for him is not. Now I know I’m not going to change your mind, but here are ten music films that are more worthy of your time, if only for the fact that the subject of these films have been around longer than two minutes...

Nowhere Boy [2009]

I’ll ease you in slowly. If it’s a pretty face you’re after, why not watch Nowhere Boy with rising star Aaron Johnson. A touching look at John Lennon’s adolescence as he takes his first step towards global stardom. Bieber Fever is probably the closest we’ve gotten to Beatle Mania – but the longevity of their popularity makes it a more worthy subject for a film.

Spinal Tap [1984]

This has long been upheld as the funniest mockumentary of them all. In recent years the mockumentary style of film-making has become so common that even makers of real documentaries have to bat off accusations of fakery, but at the time this was a much more original concept. Okay, so they’re not a real band, but their tunes ain’t bad – Lick My Love Pump, Sex Farm and Big Bottom.

This Is It [2009]

A film that documents Michael Jackson’s rehearsals and preparation for his 2009 concert, which was cancelled 18 days prior to the first show due to his sad and surprising death. The film is now the highest grossing concert movie and documentary in the history of cinema. Still able to sing and dance like a pro so soon before his death and you could tell it was going to be an amazing show. Sends shivers down your spine.

In Bed With Madonna [1991]

After watching the King of Pop, why not take a look at the life of the Queen. Madonna takes us into her world, managing to humanise herself in the midst of the cone-bra period of her career. This was back when she was cool (before she started adopting African children and trying to act like a teenager in her 50s).

Ray [2004]

Watch the Oscar-winning performance of Jamie Foxx as the legendary performer Ray Charles. It tells the story of his battle with blindness, racial prejudice and drug dependency to become a giant of his profession and an inspiration to all. Charles wasn’t even allowed into certain buildings because of the colour of his skin, despite being a big star. What’s Biebs story? He was discovered on YouTube and became an overnight success. It’s been a hard battle.

It Might Get Loud [2008]

A film that explores the history of the electric guitar, focusing on the careers of Jimmy Page, The Edge and Jack White. These three globally celebrated guitarists are thrown together to try and explain the world’s obsession with the six-string instrumentation. It’s an entertaining gathering of characters and an interesting watch.

The Pianist [2002]

Roman Polanski’s Oscar-winning portrait of Wladyslaw Szpilman – a Jewish-Polish pianist who survived the Nazi Holocaust. It was Adrien Brody’s stunning performance in this film, as a musician kept alive by his love for his art, that made him the youngest person to win the Academy Award for Best Male Actor in a Leading Role and got him a kiss on stage with the beautiful Halle Berry.

Anvil: The Story of Anvil [2008]

This band of grey-haired Canadian rockers are the exact opposite of Justin Bieber. While Justin Bieber’s first album sold platinum when he was 15, Anvil have been in the rock business for over 30 years and still can’t bring in more than 12 punters per gig on their European tour. Joyfully, this film brought them the success they have strived for all these years.

The Last Waltz [1978]

Like Never Say Never, this is essentially a concert documentary. But with a line-up as brilliant and talented as the one captured so masterfully by Martin Scorsese in The Last Waltz – Bob Dylan, Neil Young, Joni Mitchell, Eric Clapton, and Neil Diamond – I don’t think Bieber can really compete.

Walk The Line [2005]

The biopic of the greatly talented Johnny Cash. The film focuses on his younger life, his romance with June Carter and his ascent to the country music scene. It was nominated for five Oscars and won one. I really hope the world doesn’t truly lose its mind and give Never Say Never a nomination.

What other music films do you love?

Happy Birthday Jerry "Vern" O'Connell

Plagiarising The Social Network

"That's an original poster...oh right, now everybody's copying it."

The King's Speech obviously deleted all traces of their blatant plagiarism from the internet in a moment of embarrassment...all except this one courtesy of Ultra Cultre: 

Nice Aliens, Mean Aliens, Slimy Aliens, Super Aliens - Top 10 Alien Films

Nothing sparks fear and paranoia like the thought of alien species coming to invade Earth. No matter how many films depict aliens to be our friends (E.T, Mac & Me and more recently Paul) we will always fear that aliens will want to blast our planet into oblivion (Independence Day, War of the Worlds, Mars Attacks). In Paul, out in cinemas today, Nick Frost wets himself upon meeting the moniker of the film, and most of us probably would too. Hollywood can’t seem to decide whether aliens from other planets are friends or foe, or similar to us or very different. I’ve put together a list of my top 10 alien films: nice aliens, mean aliens, slimy aliens, super aliens…

10) Starship Troopers (1997)

An action-packed and gory sci-fi film about earth’s war with big, old nasty bug aliens. Not particularly subtle in style but an extremely exciting alien butt-kicking extravaganza. A great cast, entertaining script and terrifically gory battle scenes. Starship Troopers gets this list off to a fighting start.

9) Mars Attacks (1996)

A parody with an all star cast, Tim Burton’s comedy spoofs War of the Worlds, Independence Day and any other alien film that takes itself seriously. The aliens aren’t just mean, they’re downright sadistic – zapping humans and blowing things up for sport.

8) Men In Black Franchise (1997)

I love MIB and I’m not ashamed to say it. It is a family-friendly, light-hearted alien movie with phenomenal chemistry between the two stars. It’s magic is that it never takes itself too seriously. The aliens are like people, some good and some bad, including Frank as a grumpy old alien disguised in a pug’s body and an alien couple giving birth to an adorable little octopus-like alien in the back of the car. The way to make any alien cute is to give it huge eyes. 

7) Close Encounters of the Third Kind (1977)

The first of many Steven Spielberg, John Williams and 1970s films in the list. An intelligent sci-fi film about a first contact with alien beings features some very cool special effects, knock out performances and an amazing score.

6) Superman Franchise (1978)

On first glance you will say this is not an alien film, but why not? Superman aka Clark Kent aka Kal El is the most bad-ass alien to step foot on Earth. Super strength, super speed, bullet proof skin, laser eyes and the ability to fly? I’m glad he’s on our side.

5) Independence Day (1996)

The film that made Will Smith’s movie career makes full use of the special effects available to 1990s sci-fi filmmakers. It may ignore certain rules of science, but the fast-paced, action-packed film provides fun for the whole family as the aliens threaten to wreak havoc on every landmark held close to our hearts. It is also good to know that despite their superior technology, our computers can still connect to theirs to send a virus. Phew!

4) Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1956)

A classic sci-fi from the golden age, the 1950s. Full of subtlety, innuendo and overflowing with paranoia; this film is just as powerful as any other film in the list and manages to do so with far less technology. Philosophical and eerily believable – if any alien film can be at all believable. Add to this John Williams masterful score and you get a powerfully emotive piece of work.

3) Star Wars Franchise (1977)

Ignoring Episodes I, II and III, Star Wars is the greatest sci-fi collection of all time. Not specifically an alien film, but there are an awful lot of aliens in it, including possibly the greatest alien in movie history, Yoda. The first instalment upped the ante on sci-fi films, with its lavish special effects, powerful score and innovative use of miniatures.

2) Alien Franchise (1979)

This is such a terrifying film; it overlaps between thriller, horror and sci-fi genres. Unlike many of the aliens on the list, it is so alien to our own species that we are unable to effectively communicate with it, reason with it or dominate it. We are practically helpless to its attacks. This is a brilliant piece of sci-fi work with stunning effects and a riveting script full of tension and suspense. I am still scared that an alien is going to come through whenever I see an air vent.

1) E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial (1982)

What makes this movie so endearing is its light-hearted, good-natured innocence. The alien with a head like an enormous Raisinet and eyes the size of golf balls, is a gentle being with powers to cure and his interaction with a naive little boy are innocently pure and guileless. One of Spielberg’s most enduring classics.


Do you agree with my list?