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Must See DVD - Jerry Maguire

It could be possible that I may be showing a little favoritism when it comes to my selections out here.  You may have noticed that certain actors get a lot more shine.  Namely Tom Hanks, Denzel and Eddie Murphy.  Actually, I don't think Eddie has been highlighted as much as he could have.  But I'm sure Tom Cruise has.  This latest entry has easily got to be at least the third movie featuring him that has showed up in my Vault Picks.

I know I've mentioned this before but it's worth repeating again.  Only because E and I were just talking about this the other day which brought it up again.  That fact being that Cruise's off screen craziness doesn't bother me at all.  I could care less how many aliens he worships and how many talk show couches he jumps on.  As long as whatever he's doing isn't racist and he keeps making incredible flicks then I'm good.  Well this one was down right amazing.

The reason why this one popped in my mind should be obvious.  We are just coming off the heels of the latest NFL labor strike.  All of us football fanatics were immediately showered with all the football we could ever ask for this time of year.  That had me thinking about all the great football movies I had seen.  A few of them have already been mentioned out here as former Vault Picks.  Although this one was not solely about football, it was close enough. 

The word is that role of "Jerry Maguire" was loosely based on the super agent Drew Rosenhaus.  Back when it was first released in 1996 I would have bought that.  Only because I had know idea who Drew was then.  But now we have more than enough information on Rosenhaus to know that he was nothing like Jerry.  Unless he was the Jerry in the first part of the movie that was purely driven by money before he grew a conscience and became more concerned about his clients.

Probably one of the only problems I had with the movie was the moment for which it is most famous.  The whole "Show me the money!" thing.  Not so much that exact moment but the event that led up to it.  What company is going to fire somebody and then let them return to the office to solicit all their old clients?  I may have never been in sales, but I know enough about getting fired to know that wouldn't happen.  But if they didn't take that liberty then we probably wouldn't have had one of the most quoted lines in cinema history.

I'm not so sure that Cuba Gooding Jr. would have had the career he would have either were it not for that over the top sequence.  Any true "Boyz n the Hood" fan had already seen something in Cuba to know he was destined for greatness.  It took "Jerry Maguire" for him to have the crossover success to show the rest of the world the same thing.  7 years later.  But at least he got his Academy Award.  Even if he didn't seem to do any movies near as good after this one.

"Jerry Maguire" sticks out as such a great football movie was because it tells the story from a different perspective.  We were accustomed to seeing it told from the aspect of the players or maybe even the fans.  Never had anyone explored what it was like for an agent.  Not only from that point of view but also showing the agent as a regular person rather than just a shyster-type out to get as much money as possible for his client.

Am I the only one who could care less about the whole romantic slant of this flick?  I understand that it was the main storyline, but I was able to look past it.  I was able to see this guy who had always been defined by his career and then found himself struggling to reinvent due to the necessity.  I saw a guy who was used to being the king of the hill having issues with seeing what life is like at the bottom of the ladder.  And the manner in which Cruise portrayed that character so that we could see him laughing off his troubles made the 2+ hour running time fly by.

Don't get me wrong...there were some other fantastic supporting actors in this one.  Although Rene Zellwegger undoubtedly owes her subsequent success to "Maguire" she certainly proved why she was worthy of it.  And of course there was that little kid with the big head that added the cute factor.  But it still comes back to the fact that Cruise was once again on point with this one.  This wasn't his record-breaking fifth consecutive $100+ million grossing film for nothing.  So worship as many spaceships as you want Tom...just keep making classic movies while you do it.

 

 

 

Must See DVD - Mr. Wonderful

Normally I am SO not one for romantic comedies.  The only one that I can think of that I ever included on here as a former Vault Pick was "When Harry Met Sally".  That was only because it was outside the norm of your standard rom-com.  It didn't follow quite the same formula and Billy Crystal's sarcasm made it much more appealing to us fellas.  Well there's no Crystal in "Mr. Wonderful" so what did it exactly?  As usual, it was a combination of a few different things.

I happened to stumble upon this flick purely on accident one night years ago.  I was doing some channel surfing when I came across what would later become my favorite scene in the entire movie.  It was Annabella Sciorra's character and Vincent D'Onofrio's character doing an impromptu rendition of Aretha Franklin's "Say a Little Prayer for You".  They actually sounded pretty good.  Not only that, but it was cute.  Brought a smile to my face even.  That caused me to dig a little further to see what I was watching.

Had it not been for the happenstance of coming in on that scene, there was probably no way I would have watched a movie with a name like "Mr. Wonderful" from the beginning.  I would have assumed it was going to be very cheesy and mushy like every other rom-com or it was going to be a biopic on the 80s WWF wrestler Paul Orndorff.  But I checked for it the next time it came on and found that it didn't have either of those traits.  Even though I was already 99% certain it wasn't about the wrestler.

This flick made me realize how much more I appreciated the grown-up version of Matt Dillon.  Here he was looking essentially the same from  "The Outsiders" (yet another former Vault Pick) yet he was more mature.  It was as if his Dallas character had grown up.  And moved to New York.  And decided to stay out of trouble.  Because when it comes down to it, Dillon really gives you the same attitude in every role of his.

It was the plot that I was really feeling.  It was something that all of us guys could relate to.  At least at its bare essence.  In this instance Gus (Dillon) was divorced from Leonora (Sciorra) but was still paying alimony.  He wanted to go into business with his friends to refurbish a local bowling alley but he didn't have the funds because of the alimony.  Now if this was a murder mystery, he would have been plotting a way to off her.  However, since it was a rom-com, he instead is trying to find a way to get her married so he won't have the alimony anymore.  The problem is that he slowly discovers he still has a thing for her.

It wasn't the whole ailomony situation that I am referring to when I say many guys can relate.  It's the fact that there is always that special someone that always remains in your heart.  As long as a guy is single, he will always have that one.  Maybe it was his first crush.  Maybe it's his first love.  Maybe that first serious relationship.  It's always something that will have him thinking about "her".  No matter what he does, it's always difficult to shake "her".

The reason why it's problematic is because as guys we have a problem with closure.  Yes, I know I'm not supposed to be letting women behind the curtain, but it's essential to the review so I have to make an exception.  We may do something to make things seem like we have some finality (like in Gus's case, divorce) but it's rare that our emotions end as quickly as we let on.  Gus is the perfect example of what happens when we try to move on but keep running into reminders of how great "she" was.

What I like about the movie is all of the unanswered questions that it poses when you start putting it into perspective with the real world.  Like even in 1993, how successful would a bowling alley really be that had five guy best friends as co-owners?  Or how in the world Leonora would have any problems finding a good guy to date in a city that size with the way she looks?  Or my favorite...how long would Leonoara and Gus's relationship really last once they got back together then start remembering all of the same reasons why they broke up in the first place?

However, you know the routine.  You now you have to dismiss some fo the reality thinking if you intend to enjoy "Mr. Wonderful" as another romantic comedy installment.  The good thing is it doesn't have the abundance of tomfoolery and ridiculous that many of its rom-com peers have though.  Plus, you got the guy from "Law and Order" sounding pretty decent singing an Aretha Franklin song.  That alone makes it worth watching.

Must See DVD - Sweeny Todd : The Demon Barber of Fleet Street

If there is one director who has mastered the dark overtone look of movies, it is Tim Burton.  He has found a way to bring his same style to every film.  So much so that it has become his trademark.  It's pretty safe to say that you will never see Burton doing any feel-good romantic comedies anytime soon.  But if anyone ever wants a sordid tale of gloom, Burton's your man.

That's why it was such an obvious choice for Burton to be the one to bring the Broadway musical of Sweeny Todd to the big screen.   It's a macabre tale of a murderous barber whose victims then become meat pies for customers.  So it's almost a horror movie set to music.  That story had Tim Burton written all over it.

Johnny Depp had to be Burton's first (and probably only) choice to play the lead, Sweeny Todd.  He's essentially recreating his Edward Scissorhands character.  If Edward Scissorhands was a killer.  And talked.  And grew up to have a family that he was trying to avenge.  Oh...and didn't have scissors for hands.

   "Sweeney Todd" is the story of a barber once known as Benjamin Barker who returns to London after being away for years.  He had been sent away by the corrupt Judge Turpin (Alan Rickman) that was after his wife, Lucy (Laura Michelle Kelly).  He runs into a woman (Helen Bonham Carter) who makes the worst pies in all of England.  It is happenstance that she knows Barker's wife took poison to get away from the judge and the judge then took in Todd's daughter as his own ward.

The thought of his wife dead and his only daughter being raised by the man responsible for his wife's death sends Barker over the top.  His Mr. Hyde persona of Sweeney Todd is born.  It works out conveniently for the pie-maker who can now use the meat from his victims to make what quickly become the best pies in all of London.

Burton carries a somber tone throughout the entire movie.  A setting of Victorian England lends itself to the melancholy grays and morose blacks which Burton is famous for.  Maybe the fact that is so dark is the reason why Todd's victims don't notice the blood on the floor from his previous victim as they sit in his chair.

My cousin Makea was telling me before I had seen "Sweeney Todd" that Depp was an amazing singer.  That comment alone was hard to believe.  Johnny Depp?  After seeing this, I was rather taken aback.  I wouldn't go so far as to call him an amazing singer, but he does carry a tune shockingly well. 

The finale was probably my favorite part.  It could not have been more Shakespearean with all of the bitter irony.  It was interesting to see how Todd's influence had impacted those he loved at even his own expense.  There couldn't have been a better movie to avoid the "happy ending" cliche.  Nor a better director to deliver it so perfectly.

Must See DVD - "I Am Legend"

If there was ever anyone who was king of the holiday theatrical release, it's Will Smith.  At first he had the "Independence" holiday on lock and then he decided to switch it up.  Summer blockbusters were too easy so he decided to conquer the Christmas season as well.  It's gotten to the point where when he has a movie coming out, it's not a matter of if I will see it, it's how soon.  "I am Legend" was no different although it did come with a caveat.

Lately, Mom and Dad have been beating me to seeing flicks in theaters.  At least the mainstream ones.  I remember when I talked to Dad about this one when it first came out he expressed how discouraged he was with "I am Legend".  Told me to not even waste my money.  Something told me that it was probably because he still favored the movie it was based on, "The Omega Man".  I still couldn't see Will pulling another "Wild Wild West" so I knew I would have to see for myself.

Both "I am Legend" and "The Omega Man" were based on the book "I am Legend" which I had never heard of.  I can't stress enough how nice it is to enjoy films without being cumbered with the potential of it not living up to the novel.  Having never read the book, I had no idea this was somewhat of a zombie movie also.  I assumed it would be somewhere along the lines of Tom Hanks in "Cast Away" where Smith would spend much of the movie carrying the film by himself.  He was about due to do that to further prove how talented he is.  They did to some extent, but they broke up the monotony nice with flashbacks and also his periodic interaction with a zombie or two...or several.

It took me a minute to figure out one particular scene in the movie.  And when I say "a minute" I mean almost a day after seeing the movie.  Neville is confident he's the only human around, but when he finds a mannequin that he has named Fred has relocated to another entirely different part of the city, he freaks out.  It turns out the zombies were trying to set him up much like he had been doing them all along.  At first, I thought he had maybe been going stir crazy from being alone so long that he just forgot he had moved the mannequin.  But forgot that he had set a trap too? Nope.  The infected were catching on to him.  And quite frankly, they were pretty ticked off at him.

There was something else that I noticed just recently upon another repeated viewing.  That same mannequin's head moves.  You may have to rewind it to catch it, but it definitely moves.  Was it the director trying to show us Nevillie's hallucination of thinking he saw it move?  Or was it the zombie things causing it to move because they knew he'd be watching?  Little nuances like that go a long way to make a movie great.

Probably the only major drawback I had with "I Am Legend" were the effects of the infected.  The CGI on them wasn't as good as it could have been.  They moved and looked an awful lot like creatures from another Smith hit "I, Robot".  Then again, they couldn't look too human because then the movie would be just like every other zombie flick out there.  The version of creatures they came up with were a decent hybrid combination.

I wonder if anyone else saw the parallel of Neville's dog, Sam with the Wilson "character" from "Cast Away".  Although Sam wasn't an inanimate object, both men grew an attachment to the one thing that could keep them sane.  Once that thing is gone, their survival mode suffers until they are ultimately found by another living soul. 

After the critically acclaimed success of former Vault Pick "The Pursuit of Happyness", it was interesting that Smith would go the sci-fi route again.  The thing about "I am Legend" is it incorporates a little of several different types of movies.  The premise of this escaped virus and being set in the future is definitely sci-fi.  However, the storyline of the "dark seekers" makes it a little horror/thriller where every encounter with the infected brings the action factor.  Then of course there is even a little dramatic flair.  Especially when Sam bites it.  Although all I kept thinking about during that scene was the unfortunate timing of the release of this film coinciding with the Mike Vick developments.

All in all, "I am Legend" holds up considerably well as a combination of the different genres it encompasses.  It turns out this will be another one that I will have to add to the list of films that the folks and I disagree on.  Smith definitely delivered another holiday smash.  He very well might already be a legend.

Must See DVD - "Apollo 13"

Sometimes I think that these premium movie channels purposely plan their line-ups to coincide with new releases so they can cash in on the publicity.  This one would fall in that category.  Ever since they started showing the first trailers of "Transformers 3" where it starts with the moon landing, all of the sudden "Apollo 13" starts popping up on Starz.  Not that there was anything wrong with that at all.  I had actually forgotten what a great movie it was until I watched it again.

This flick had so many great things going for it even before the the first frame started rolling.  First and foremost being the fact that it was another Ron Howard vehicle.  It's funny to think that there are probably at least two generations around now that have no idea this is the same guy that helped make "Happy Days" one of the greatest shows back in the day.  Or more than that, the fact that he is the rare exception of a child star (because you have to consider his "Andy Griffith Show" stint also) who actually grew up to do even bigger and better things.

At first, I wouldn't have thought that Howard had these type of movies in him.  How often do you see actors make the transition to highly acclaimed directors? But then that reminded me that something like that should actually happen more happen.  These cats have spent years in front of the camera taking direction so they should know what will and won't work.  Especially if they've been in the game for a minute.  It's just a matter of getting their vision to translate to something that we can all enjoy.  Well Howard's vision is consistently on point.

Then of course there is the fact that "Apollo 13" features the amazing talent of the one and only Tom Hanks.  He had quite the streak going back them coming off of former Vault Pick "Philadelphia"  in 1993, former Vault Pick "Forrest Gump" in 1994 then this one in 1995.  Makes me think that I may be showing some favoritism by making this the third Vault Pick featuring him.  That's just the way it is sometimes though.  The man was on a roll so his skill definitely warrant his repeated mentioning out here.

It's definitely not like Hanks had to carry "Apollo 13" by himself though.  One thing about Howard is he not only knows how to cast but also how to get the most out of the actors he selects.  Bill Paxton and Kevin Bacon as Fred Haise and Jack Swigert respectively were phenomenal.  Here are two actors that up to that point are normally not two of the first names that come to mind as having those type of dramatic skills.  Their portrayals in this film greatly helped improve their stock.

The story itself was also something that really intrigued me.  I have always been a history buff.  Movies that recreate history will constnatly get points with me.  Especially when it's a piece of history I was not familiar with.  Prior to this movie I had no idea this whole incident even transpired.  We really came that close to losing three astronauts in space and the first time I hear about it is the mid-90s?  I definitely thought it would have gotten mentioned more around the same time period of the Challenger disaster but even then it never came up.  The entire story was so incredible that it made the perfect movie.  What they went through really did seem like it was too unbelievable to be true.

It takes a lot of things to fall in place to pull off the greatness that "Apollo 13" achieved.  You basically have a disaster type flick which is also a period piece.  If left in lesser hands, a movie of this nature would be nothing more than made-for-tv fodder.  Thanks to the acting that is convincingly done, direction that is pretty much flawless and a script that keeps it movie the entire 2 hours and 20 minutes we are left with a timeless classic. 

Must See DVD - "The Shawshank Redemption"

I guess it's time for me to get an original post for my Vault Pick selection instead of continuing with the recycling.  Not that there's anything wrong with that though.  I'm still confident that I was putting out recycled movie posts that several folks hadn't seen.  That's going to happen when I post as frequently as I do.  People end up missing a post in its first run so the pseud-repost is a second chance for them to see it.

"The Shawshank Redemption" was coming on TNT on one of its many rebroadcasts that it has had.  I think there must be a law that says that channel has to show it at least twice a week from here until armageddon.  Of course I stuck around and watched it.  Even though it was late at night and I knew full well I had to get up early in the morning for work.  It had been a while since I had seen this Stephen King classic so it was worth it.  It was one of the rare movies that I cherished as a classic yet didn't have on dvd.  The reason I never invested in that purchase is because it's on television so often.  Therefore, there I was at midnight looking at it again.

The fact that this was based on a Stephen King story was something that amazed me when this was first released in 1994.  Not so much the fact that it was based on one of his novellas instead of a full length novel.  I already knew that had been done before with films like "Maximum Overdrive".  What I didn't know was that King also had a collection of non-horror stories.  It made sense that someone as talented as him would be able to tell a regular dramatic story.  I just had no idea it would make such a great film.

I wanted to say that this was my first exposure to Tim Robbins' talents.  That wouldn't be completely true though.  I forgot that he had a bit part in former Vault Pick "Top Gun".  Although not nearly a big enough a part to make any impact whatsoever.  He also had many other roles in other films that I could have cared less about like "Bob Roberts" and "The Hudsucker Proxy".  But it was definitely this one where he proved to me that I had possibly been overlooking him for the longest time.  Either that or he just needed better writing to get that recognition.  I'm going to go with that latter.

Morgan Freeman, on the other hand, had already established an immense body of work before "Shawshank" rolled around.  In fact, the more I think about it as I look at his repertoire prior to 1994 the more I realize that he should have had a Vault Pick much sooner than this one.  It seems that no matter what role he's playing he always come across as that older guy you wished lived next door to you to be known as the cool old guy next door.  It was no different here as his Red is the best character in the movie.  He is the one beacon of light in Andy's (Robbins) personal hell that almost gives you the false sense that maybe prison can be a pretty decent place afterall.

Naturally, there are a host of others that make this one so great.  No classic film is able to gain such lofty acclaim without an amazing supporting cast and this one is no different.  Bob Gunton as the Warden is one of those perfect subdued villains who makes you hate even his subtle nuances.  Then there is the host of actors playing the inmates that befriended Andy.  All of them further aided Morgan into making it Shawshank bearable despite the conditions that the Warden and his number one thug, Captain Hadley (Clancy Brown) imposed on them.

Speaking of the entire premise of a prison theme, I think there may have been another reason I was drawn to the movie on that particular night.  I was associating with the metaphor of the prison itself.  We are all tested every single day.  We are only human so we don't always make the right decisions when dealing with those tests.  Some of those wrong decisions can put one in their own prison of sorts.  Where you can feel like you're isolated from the real world and struggling to see the light at the end of the tunnel.  We all deal with our own "Shawshank Redemption" whether we want to or not.

 

Must See DVD - "The Social Network"

There are a couple of movies that immediately come to mind whenever I'm on The Book.  And I'm actually on there a lot so these movies cross my mind frequently.  Contrary to popular belief, I'm on there often so that I can find different ways to protect XL-Images.  Not so sure it's entirely working, but it's definitely better than nothing.  Anyway, the two movies would be "Catfish" which is already a contender for one of the top films of 2011 and of course this one.

I couldn't stop laughing when I first heard the news they were going to be making a movie about Facebook.  It just had to be a joke.  Even though it really didn't seem that incredulous.  There's a movie about the creation of everything else so why not Facebook?  I just thought something like that would be destined for the small screen instead.  But for a website that 500 million members strong, that would be aiming much too low.  Then the first trailers started surfacing showing signs that the movie showed great promise.  I was in.

"The Social Network" hooks you from the very beginning.  At least it does if you enjoy great writing.  We see  Mark (Jesse Eisenberg) out on a date with with girlfriend Erica Albright (Rooney Mara).  Their conversation is one of those intellectually stimulating exchanges that I'm normally accustomed to seeing in a Quentin Tarrantino film.  However, you already know this is not an action film so it provides proof that the writing of herewas more superior than your average movie.  It keeps you engaged constantly as you become enamored with what appears to be the tunnel vision facet of Zuckerberg's personality.

Eisenberg is the chief reason that this movie is so outstanding.  Here is a kid that I once thought was nothing more than a Michael Cera wannabe. Then he comes along with a dramatic role like this and just KILLS it.  He has some of the best one-liners I've heard in quite a while.  They mostly come at the expense of the attorneys that are attempting to interrogate him, but there are plenty of other instances as well.  But it's not as though they are done solely to solicit a laugh.  It's done to show Zuckerberg's sarcasm and disdain for people trying to get a piece of his passion as well as accusing him of how he derived it.  Eisenberg unquestionably set himself apart with this role.

His co-star Andrew Garfield, playing co-victim Eduardo was just as good.  Dude reminds me of a younger version of Hayden Christensen.  That's pretty sad to say since Hayden really isn't that old yet, but that's what came to mind.  It will be interesting to see how Garfield will take on the role of being the new Spider-Man when the series starts back up again.  Eduardo is almost a tragic hero of sorts. It's obvious that this movie was written from his viewpoint as he doesn't paint a flattering picture at all of the person Mark would become.

Speaking of the attorneys, something else occurrred to me while I was watching this one.  Although they never get into an actual courtroom, "The Social Network" is driven by the legal disputes that marred Zuckerberg's meteoric rise.  All of the different scenes involving the attorneys allowing people to tell their version of how Mark screwed them was enough to classify this one as a Courtroom Drama.  As such, it is easily one of the best Courtroom Dramas I have seen in quite a while.

What was really interesting about "The Social Network" is the way that Mark's fascination with the website is portrayed.  Most movies and/or real-life stories we see about someone creating a business from scratch shows that underlying goal is to become rich.  That wasn't the case for Mark.  He continued to deflect any suggestions that would turn Facebook into a huge revenue generator.  He was all about making sure that it stayed "cool" and littering it with advertising wouldn't do that.  That is still the case 7 years after Facebook's creation.  It's supposedly worth around $50 billion without a lick of traditional advertising on their site.  Imagine how much it would be worth if Mark would ultimately agree to that?

It turns out this movie was pretty spectacular in spite of the fact that it's about a wildly successful and popular website.  The story of how Facebook came to be and evolved really is an extremely interesting one.  It played out like a Hollywood movie anyway so it only made sense to make it into one.  It's just a good thing they did it the right way.  With director David Fincher ("Fight Club") and Eisenberg in top form, they knocked "The Social Network" out of the park.  Yet another accomplishment for MySpace to be envious of.

Must See DVD - "The Other Guys"

You're going to have to forgive me this week because I'm feeling a bit lazy about finding a dvd that digs way back in the archives.  Besides, there's no reason that a recent release can't be considered a classic.  Even TNT has that thing they call the "New Classics" so why can't I?  Some movies are instant classics so there's no reason why some can't show up here less than a year after seeing them.

I have never been the biggest Mark Wahlberg fan.  Even though he has had some decent performances during his acting career, something about him just never resonated with me.  Maybe it was because I could never get the whole annoying Marky Mark thing out of my head.  Or maybe it was because he always had that furrowed brow look in every role.  So teaming him with Will Ferrell did not give me cause to think "The Other Guys" would be anything special.  But...this is Will Ferrell we're talking about.

Some folks were saying that Ferrell was back to form with this one but I personally don't understand that claim.  He has never fell off to me.  I will admit that I initially thought he may have stumbled a bit with "Semi Pro", but even that one was good upon an additional viewing or two.  The guy is just too talented to make a bad movie.  He doesn't have it in him.  I even liked "Bewitched" and "Kicking and Screaming".  Plus, you team him up with Adam McKay and you can pretty much count on gold.

Any misgivings that I had about Wahlberg were quickly dismissed in this role.  It was as if he was playing a character that was making fun of the things about him I had problems with.  He was the perfect polar opposite of Ferrell's tempered character.  The madder his Hoitz character got as Ferrell's Gamble character got calmer made for some of the best moments in "The Other Guys".  It was enhanced even more when Hoitz was understandably pacified by the presence of Gamble's wife Sheila (Eva Mendez).

Anyone that knows anything about movies like this knows that the characters played by The Rock and Samuel Jackson were not going to be in the film long.  If you don't, you do now.  The top billing of the film is supposed to be Ferrell and Wahlberg so of course there had to be something happen for the other big name stars to exit the flick.  I won't go as far as to spoil it for you.  However, let me say that it was the most random thing you would ever expect.  In fact, it easily made for probably the funniest scene in the entire joint.

What I was not expecting was the performances from two secondary characters to almost upstage Ferrell.  Competing detectives Martin (Rob Riggle) and Fosse (Damon Wayans, Jr.) chimed in to give some of the best laughs.  They would only be for seconds at a time but they were priceless.  Like their visit to the elementary classroom and especially the impromptu ride-along that followed.

E and I make it a point to see a movie whenever he comes to town to visit or when I'm down there.  Up until now, our selections have been sub-par at best.  We found a bonafide winner in "The Other Guys" though.  Although there may have been a couple of parts where it dragged a bit, there were still so many other scenes that were gut-busting hilarious that it made up for it.  I was glad to see that this one toppled "Inception" as the box-office winner last year because "The Other Guys" is very clearly a better summer movie.

Must See DVD - "Cars"

I felt compelled to go with a comedy for this week's Vault Pick selection.  It seemed like the most appropriate thing to do in an effort to bring some levity to what has otherwise been a bad news week.  In fact, I almost feel as though choosing a horror pick last week may have very well brought a curse on myself.  And maybe even the family?  Okay...that's a little far-fetched.  Still, in light of dealing with the passing of a true legend, I needed to highlight a light-hearted flick so "Cars" got the nod.

There were a couple of reasons I went with this particular movie.  The first being that the sequel is due to hit theaters anytime soon.  It was important to remember how good the original was in hopes that Pixar won't screw up the sophomore effort.  The other being that I almost forgot "Cars" featured the voice of the late, great Paul Newman.  It's a chance to showcase another legend as I remember the one closer to me that has now gone on.

Does anyone else recall "Doc Hollywood"?  It was forgettable enough according to moneymaking standards, but it actually wasn't that bad of a movie.  Apparently, someone else out there thought the same thing because it turns out "Cars" shares pretty much the same premise.  They just translated it into a version that children of all ages could appreciate.  It wouldn't have been a bad idea to have Michael J. Fox voice one of the characters though.

What was most outstanding about this movie was that it had amazing animation.  Even by Pixar's standards.  There were little details they accentuated to make it really stand out.  Things like when you see the reflection of the neon lights off the moving cars.  It looked more real than any other animation I had ever seen.  Pixar was showing that they were getting  better and better with each release.  And they were already good to begin with.

You could tell there were a lot of inside jokes with NASCAR throughout the flick.  Even folks who have never seen a NASCAR event (*raising my hand*) could easily spot them.  If I were a fan of the "sport", I probably would have enjoyed that humor more.  In spite of not being a fan, the jokes still played well and made this a legitimate crossover to adults and shorties.

As usual, Pixar finds the perfect fit for the voices to their characters.  Owen Wilson gets a long overdue shot at a voice-over and proves the wait was worth it.  Paul Newman's cool demeanor seeps through so much you can almost see him in Doc.  And of course John Ratzenberger.  In fact, the homage they pay to his voice-over abilities at the end is classic.

I have to admit that the trailers for "Cars 2" don't look all that impressive to me.  Maybe I'm a little partial because Newman won't be in this one so I know that will detract from it.  Or maybe I'm still a little jaded from that "Hangover 2" experience.  Sequels haven't been fairing very well with me lately.  So it's best to look back now to remember how great the original "Cars" was.  Even if it was a bit of a retread, it was well worth the money.

Must See DVD - "The Midnight Meat Train"

As I look back now, one could see this title and get the entirely wrong idea when trying to guess the plot of this movie.  At least you would if your mind was in the wrong place.  It never crossed my mind when I heard about it because it came as a reference from another horror movie buff.  It had been lurking in my Netflix near the middle somewhere.  Soon as I got the urge to get my fill of some good horror, it crept to the top.

I usually shy away from doing a synopsis of a movie when it's a Vault Pick.  However, I'm sure there are enough folks out there that don't have a clue about this one so  I will provide some insight as to what it's about.  It involves budding photographer Leon Kaufman (Bradley Cooper) who's on the verge of photography stardom thanks to his gritty photos.  However, the as he becomes obsessed with the pursuit of the darkness of humanity it leads him to cross paths with the serial killer, Mahogany (Vinnie Jones), the subway murderer who stalks late-night commuters-- ultimately butchering them in the most gruesome ways imaginable.

Now when I first saw this flick in 2009 I wasn't near as vested in the photography world as I am now.  But I always partial to photography as an art form so that aspect of this film fascinated me.  Leon was given a piece of advice that could not have been more true.  His photos in the beginning seemed to be missing something to push him to greatness.  It was that he was always in the right place, just at the wrong time.  She told him to stay put and keep shooting.  Eventually something would happen where he would get that gritty edge that he was looking for in his photos.  It is advice that would eventually lead him to delve further into the bowels of the grimy underbelly of New York, but in real-life it does also apply.  That's why I try to keep my camera with me at all times because you just never know when a good photo op will arise.  I still need to stay more consistent with that though.

Still, who in their mind would go out in the middle of the night, in New York City, in the not-so-good parts of town, by themselves to take pictures?  That's just asking for trouble.  That's an extremely big chance to take just to hone one's craft.  But it helps in better defining Leon's character.  A person has to have  a screw loose to even entertain that thought.  It is that precise character flaw that allows Leon to be more susceptible to depravity.

What was even more interesting about watching Cooper in this role was his history he had already established on screen.  He had been making a very good name for himself in comedies like "Wedding Crashers" and  "The Hangover" (although technically, "The Hangover" was released after this one) as the brash funny man.  It was nice to see him play a different role with not only some darkness to it but also in a bonafide horror film.  Just as he was starting to blow up, he was still making sure he won't be typecast.

I always found it fascinating that the subways were such a commonplace for bad things to happen in the movies.  One would think that with all the stereotypes it has, people would be more leery about traveling on them late at night.  Apparently not.  What I like about "Midnight Meat Train" is they somewhat address that.  This one couple is riding the subway late with their cocky friend.  It's the woman who is all nervous about their presence there for the very reason I just mentioned.  It turns out she ended up having good reason to be.

Remember how I was saying that one the best thing about "Thor" was the hammer and hwo it should have been used more?  Well they could have took some cues from Vinnie as Mahogany in this one. Dude was just flat out surgical with that hammer/mallet thingy he was using to take people out.  I don't know if surgical is as much the word as WICKED is.  Even as the imposing Mahogany, Vinnie made this one dynamic horror thriller.  I will never look at butchers the same way again.

For this to be based on a Clive Barker short story, they did an AMAZING job.  Here you are thinking it's going to go one way with the subway murders and it ends up shifting in an entirely different direction.  They managed to make "The Midnight Meat Train" a graphic slasher flick while having it be truly suspenseful at the same time.  Very easily one of the best horror/thrillers I have seen in quite a while.