Triumphant Return of the Movie List

Good Afternoon Ladies & Gentlemen,

So yesterday I basically just ranted about football…because it's awesome. Now to catch you up on what happened over the weekend. Well, I woke up Saturday a little under the weather. Not sure why…but it happens. I drank me some cranberry juice and decided that I was going to sweat it out at the gym. It kinda worked…but I wouldn't recommend that method to too many people. I may have overworked it. Oh well, I had fun shooting hoops to cool down…then took a nap…after being awake for about three hours. As mentioned, I also paid bills and watched a lot of football (I guess about 12 hours worth while cleaning during the commercials) along with laundry and general cleaning about the apartment. I also watched a few movies like "Hamlet 2" and on TV, a few like "Joe Dirt", "Empire Strikes Back" (first time in about fifteen years) and "Mr & Mrs Smith" (yes, AGAIN!!!).

I also watched "Righteous Kill" starring Robert DeNiro and Al Pacino. Now, I was expecting a great movie…because we're talking about two of the finest American actors ever…and past performances together were "The Godfather II" and "Heat", both classics…and it was highly recommended by Bubbles. It did not disappoint. Basically, two old NYPD detectives (Deniro & Pacino) are trying to find a serial killer who targets sociopathic criminals…so it brings up some issues about "Do we arrest this guy or give him a medal?" However, as the number of victims add up…the evidence turns to one of their own. I like cop dramas for the most part…and this one was pretty good. Great ensemble cast with John Leguizamo, Carla Gugino (hotchuma hotchuma), Donnie Wahlberg (Donnie Don?), Brian Dennehy, and 50 Cent…and directed by Jon Avnet who's done everything from thrillers like "88 Minutes" and "Red Corner" to "Fried Green Tomatoes" and "Up Close & Personal" (you all remember the Celine Dion song, don't lie). I would recommend checking it out…especially if you're one of those people who'll watch an all-day Law & Order Marathon on TNT. Great flick.

Anyway, that's really about it for my weekend. I'm feeling much better now than I was…and got to see that beautiful full moon the past few nights outside of my window…and don't worry, I didn't feel lonely at all…with no cell phone or anybody to share it with. Please don't think that for a second. (Sniff sniff) It's okay though…because my mama's coming to visit on Friday…and she's bringing a phone…and my aunt. Should be fun…and guess what, here's the first Movie List in a long ass time…

Elisabeth Shue Movies

Medal Winners

Gold - Leaving Las Vegas (1995) - Okay, so for the longest time, I really had no desire to watch this movie…because I heard it was basically about a down-on-his-luck guy (Nicolas Cage) drinking himself to death…and at the time, if I wanted to see a tired looking man with a receding hairline do that, I would have just hung out with my dad more (almost seven years sober now, praise Jesus!!!). So yeah, it took time to get over that…and somebody mentioning that Elisabeth Shue played a Las Vegas prostitute named Sera…and there was nudity…and that somehow convinced me to give it a gander…or two. Little did I know that it would be a pretty heart-wrenching little movie with great acting and I sadly connected with it a bit. That's why it gets my Gold Medal. Watch it if you want…but don't say that I didn't warn you about the emotional stuff.

Silver - Adventures in Babysitting (1987) - This was the movie that made her my first crush…and I watched it a LOT back in the day (though not as much as "Back to the Future 2 & 3", which she was also in). All us eighties babies have seen this movie a few dozen times…and I still wake up a few mornings and have that damn "He Kissed Me" song stuck in my head, dancing around in my boxers (hot, right?). Anyway, it's the story of babysitting in suburban Chicago…and the adventures that ensue…involving Thor and jazz clubs and knife fights and gangsters and frat parties. I don't care what you say…I still want to f**k with the babysitter…and she's 45 now…oh yeah, and married with three kids…but that's just semantics.

Bronze - The Karate Kid (1984) - Another movie from my youth that has been burned into my psyche so bad that I will occasionally catch myself saying "Wax on, wax off" while doing chores. I would work on the catching flies with chopsticks thing…but apparently I'm too good at the cleaning because of it. Anyway, Jersey kid moves to California, bullies give him crap, he stumbles upon the maintenance guy Mr Miyagi (Pat Morita) and learns the way of Karate…and lessons in life. Oh…and he finds a cute girl (Shue) who I noticed wore a lot of layers & sweaters in the movie for being a Cali girl…but it's okay, she's still gorgeous…and thick girls need Love too. Another classic…and "YOU'RE THE BEST…AROOOOUND!!! NO ONE'S GONNA EVER KEEP YA DOWN!!!"

Suggestion - The Saint (1997) - I keep hearing that they're going to remake this movie…which is itself a remake…but how are you going to top Val Kilmer as a master of disguise with Biblical references, Russian mobsters, and a hottie scientist (Shue) who stumbled upon the formula for cold fusion? By the way, the taking our clothes off and warming each other to keep from freezing to death…always works. "If we don't act now, you'll surely freeze to death. Take your clothes off. Quickly, before it's too late." "$teve, it's sixty-four degrees…and I just spilled a little wine on my…" "I'll get you another bottle…but PLEASE…take them off NOW, for your own safety." Okay, so that was an awkward first date…but the weather was nice. Also, if you get time, check out "Hollow Man" (2000) where she's yet again a hottie scientist with Kevin Bacon playing the role of everybody's teenage fantasy, the Invisible Man…only creepier. "Hamlet 2" (2008) is probably too damn funny for any of you. I can't in good faith recommend it to anybody, it's just so damn funny…and she plays the role she was born to play - Herself…as a nurse.

Flush It - Cocktail (1988) - I'm sure that I wasn't the only person that watched this movie…and when asked about it later said something along the lines of, "Well, there's this bartender…and a hot chick…and he flips bottles…and there's a Beach Boys song playing all the time…and you know what, I honestly don't remember what it was about. Something about him wanting to open his own bar…but couldn't…because he was whoring himself out or something…" Not a great flick at all. I also imagine Tom Cruise standing on a milk crate or something just so that he can see over the bar…and juggling those little bottles from hotel minibars. So rather than show anything to do with the movie...I put this picture instead. My blog, my rules. I was also a little disappointed with the horror flick "Hide & Seek" (2005) with Elisabeth, Dakota Fanning and Robert DeNiro…but I think it was just because it was a horror flick…and I expected so much from Bobby, Dakota and my first crush. It's not their fault it's about imaginary friends that are killing people, right?

Future Watch - The Hard Ride (2009?) - Just read about this on IMDB but apparently it's her pairing back up with Val Kilmer ("The Saint") and it's about gunslingers in 1876 Deadwood, Dakota Territory…so a little Saint, mixed with some Tombstone…and a dash of Last of the Mohicans (Wes Studi playing Black Coyote) and you may have a movie I'll check out. There's also "Don McKay" (2009) costarring one of my favorite actors Thomas Haden Church as Don McKay, a high school janitor who leaves his hometown after a tragedy, returns 25 years later to rekindle a romance with his old flame (Shue), who is dying of cancer. Yeah, lame. That's what I thought to. There's also "Waking Madison" were a woman suffering from multiple personality disorder (Sarah Roemer, the hot chick from "Disturbia" & "Grudge 2") tries to piece her life back together. I think Shue plays her doctor. It's a shame when a great actress and lovely young woman reaches "that age" in Hollywood. Now if she wants work as an actress she has to pick up a phony-bologna European accent and play the Queen of Hungary or something…and nobody wants to see a movie like that. Oh well, we'll always have Vegas…and suburban Chicago…and Moscow…and Riverside…and Kokomo or wherever the hell Cocktail was set.

Hope you all enjoyed the Movie List. Have a great day everybody!!!