Popcorn in Bed - Duel

 

 Girls watching "Duel"? Sign me up.

Duel seems to be one of those rare movies where it's both a classic and underrated. 

Popcorn in Bed - Bringing Up Baby

Absolutely delightful.

And now I'm looking forward to "The Philadelphia Story" which DOES star Jimmy Stewart and Cary Grant and Katharine Hepburn.

Popcorn in Bed - Gladiator

 

"Gladiator" is one of those classics that I should be re-watching consistently but, in reality, I can't tell you the last time I watched it. The first time I saw it in the theater, it was such an intense, transcendent,  experience but then every time I watched it thereafter I found I liked it a little less each time. So I stopped the bleeding.

If you've followed along, Carly is not a fan of violence in movies so watching "Gladiator" is at least a precarious proposition, if not a very bad idea.

I never put it together that Oliver Reed is in this as Proximo (the gladiator owner). All I know of him comes from the disastrous "Late Night" interview. His excellent performance is possibly due to the fact that he promised Ridley Scott he would not drink during production. According to Wikipedia, he went to an Irish bar, was challenged to a drinking match, accepted, and died of a heart attack. The rest of his scenes had to be completed with a body double and CGI.

Popcorn in Bed - National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation

Another classic.

Growing up, we never had advent calendars. I remember my friend had one in 1st or 2nd grade but that was it. Whenever I would watch this movie, the thing that would fill me with Christmas awe and wonder was the advent calendar. As the date of the calendar increases, childlike joy and excitement build inexorably.

It's good... it's good... it's good.

Popcorn in Bed - Uncle Buck

"Uncle Bucke?" Aw, heck yeah!

A John Hughes/John Candy classic.

Popcorn in Bed - Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me

Cassie watches "Austin Powers 2" for the first time.

By total coincidence, I re-watched this movie recently. It's a very uneven movie and a lot of it falls flat. The character of Fat Bastard seems like an old relic, the plot isn't even trying to make sense, there's never been anything funny about the coffee/lab scene... 

The musical numbers. When Austin introduces a Burt Bacharach number, it's completely appropriate. But then when Dr. Evil sings "One of Us" I was baffled and wondered how many people today are even aware of that song. Finally you get to Dr. Evil singing "Just the Two of Us" and it's a "jump the shark" level of bonkers. Why are there so many musical interludes?

Still, the good jokes outnumber the bad and so if you look at it as a series of gags - which it is - and you add to it the extreme nostalgia of seeing it during a college summer, it's an enjoyable movie. I have my criticisms but I don't want to go too far.

Popcorn in Bed - Star Trek TNG Series Finale

 

Cassie has reached the end of her goal to watch the most important "Star Trek: The Next Generation" episodes. In this episode, she watches the series finale.

She's certainly going to go on to the TNG movies but we know how that goes...

Popcorn in Bed - No Country for Old Men

 

I've never really penetrated what the Coen Brothers are trying to say with "No Country for Old Men." I have a general guess but that's it. Even so, it is a masterpiece in the aspect of creating tension and dread.

Popcorn in Bed - Invincible

  

I'm appreciative of this reminiscence of "Invincible" - it's not a movie I think of often or one that I've thought of recently, but it is a good one.

Popcorn in Bed - Miracle

 

Is anyone excited about the Olympics? I can't say I am. But "Miracle" is great.

Popcorn in Bed - Star Trek TNG Season 5 Part 2

 

"Cause and Effect" and "Inner Light" - two of the greats.

Popcorn in Bed - Star Trek TNG Season 5

This episode includes the famous "Darmok" episode.

"Unification" guest stars Stephen Root and I'm blown away. He plays a Klingon and he is absolutely unrecognizable, both visually and voice-wise. Even now that I know that it's Stephen Root I still don't understand.

Popcorn in Bed - Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure

 Most Excellent.

Popcorn in Bed - Star Trek TNG - Best of Both Worlds

 

Still in Season 3, it's a two-part episode from the Season Finale cliffhanger to the first episode of Season 4.

Popcorn in Bed - Star Trek TNG Season 3

More Star Traaaak. Cassie believes that the ship's seats should have seat belts. This is most logical. Likely TNG has no seat belts because the original series didn't have them. And the original series didn't have them because it was made before they were invented. What is past is future.

And Shooter McGavin shows up.

Popcorn in Bed - Steel Magnolias

 

Are you ready for a chick flick? Are you ready to get EMOTIONAL. Time for "Steel Magnolias," if you can handle it.

You can read my weak observations on "Steel Magnolias" here.

This movie was right in the middle of an epic run of theater-going. October 1989 was "Look Who's Talking" and "The Bear"; November 1989 was "Back to the Future II" and "Steel Magnolias"; December 1989 was "The Wizard." Then January of 1990 was "Driving Miss Daisy" and February was "Glory" and it just goes on.

One thing I never noticed before. The old guy who's a love interest for Shirley MacLaine... that's friggin' Dropo, the laziest man on Mars from "Santa Claus Conquers the Martians." Holy moly.

Popcorn in Bed - Star Trek TNG

 

Good news everybody! Cassie is watching Star Trek: The Next Generation. She's going season by season. First she watched a few season 1 episodes and now a few episodes from season 2, where things get better.

When Judge Advocate General Captain Philippa Louvois calls Picard "a pompous ass and a damn sexy man," is that appropriate in the military?

Popcorn in Bed - Silver Linings Playbook

 

"Oh my gosh, if the Eagles lose everyone is gonna be in deep depression."

Cassie's ability to distill my entire life and community down to one simple sentence is unbelievably impressive.

I love this movie. It's so well made that it actually succeeds in making me care about a dance competition, it's just that amazing.

And an additional note... I had forgotten that it features Johnny Cash and Bob Dylan doing "The Girl from the North Country." Here's that song.

Dylan and Cash got together to record a few songs in a very rough, informal session. Very shambolic and haphazard. I have a bootleg (can't find it online anywhere, maybe it was a Napster hoax) where "they" do "Just a Closer Walk with Thee" and Cash does all the singing because Dylan doesn't know the words. It ends with Cash saying, "What's one you know, Bob?"

Popcorn in Bed - Star Trek VI

Cassie watched, I think, 3 episodes of Star Trek and since then has been making her way through the movies.

I think my favorite Star Trek movie is VI.

I've always loved the nonsensical but dramatic line "DON'T WAIT FOR THE TRANSLATION, ANSWER ME NOW!" I've never found anyone else who feels the same way. In fact, I'm realizing now that people generally hate that line. They resent it, even. Particularly at the DMV.

Popcorn in Bed - White Christmas

 

Perfection.