Spoiler.....

Lets sum up Sean Bean in one picture....

Respect for Christian Bale

This is not going to be about a movie today, but rather about an actor I and slowly gaining more respect for.

I will admit, Christian Bale was never my favorite person. He seemed so self centered and cocky at times and when he had that yelling fit on the Terminator set, I couldn't stand him at all. Did I like his acting, yes, but as a person I almost detested him.

After the midnight showing shootings at Aurora it became well known that Bale, one of the most demanded actors in Hollywood at the moment, took time go spend they day with the hospitalized victims from the shooting. It was then that I began to gain more respect for him as a person.

But it was a video that make me truly see that he is growing and becoming more than a great man, but a great human being.

Zach Guillot is an eight-year-old boy suffering from Leukemia. He spends most of his time in in a hospital and loves Batman more than anything. The Guillot even tells people HE is Batman and his younger brother believes him.

While in the hospital one day, Guillot received a phone call from none other than Batman himself, Christian Bale. Guillot's mother videotaped the entire phone conversation where Bale is on speaker and posted it on youtube.

If this doesn't touch your heart, I'm not sure what will.

But wait! There is more! Yesterday Zach received another gift sent to him by Christian Bale, a backpack filled entirely of Batman themed items. The gifts included action figures, coloring books, a blanket, and a signed photo of Batman from Christian Bale.

I truly bow my head in respect to Bale for reaching out to this young boy. It is not easy for children to live like this but it's acts such as this that can make their lives so much better. So hats of to Christian Bale, please keep up the kind acts, there should be more actors and celebrities reaching out in this way.

Woman to Honor

With the Academy Awards coming up, I think it is time to tell you about a woman that made history at the Academy Awards in 1993.

It is safe to say that it is rare for a sifi/comedy/action/adventure/fantasy to win an award at the Awards. Not saying it has never happened, Lord of the Rings Return of the King still has the shared lead for most Oscars won for a single film with 11 (tied with Titanic and Ben-Hur.) BUT for a comedy to win, almost never happens. In fact, one of the first comedy to ever WIN an Academy Award was My Cousin Vinny when Marisa Tomei won best supporting actress.

Tomei plays the character of Mona Lisa Vito, an overly gaudy city girl who is engaged to Vinny Gambini. She is loud, opinionated, impatient and fascinated with southern life. With her camera in hand she is taking pictures of everything from grits to the crime scene. And be careful when her temper flares, she has a reputation for causing a scene and causing your jaw to drop

BUT THATS WHY WE LOVE HER!

Here is an example of why Tomei won. Though Joe Pesci also should have won or at least been nominated, it is refreshing to see something so over the top and hysterical win.

Tomei never held back when portraying Mona Lisa and truly pushed her limits to show the true contrast between her and the southerners.

Oscars normally go to more serious roles and films, but as another Oscar winning character once said, "Why so serious?" It's roles such as this that show that sometimes the "rules of the Academy Awards" can be broken. Hopefully soon we will have another Marisa Tomei to get comedies back in the spotlight of the Oscars. Maybe we have hope this year with Silver Linings Playbook.

Who Do You Think Will Win?

As you may know, the Academy Awards are not far away. This year there are many great films nominated for a line of great awards. But who do you think will win the award for Best Picture?

The Nominees For Best Picture Are...
Amour
Life of Pi
Argo
Silver Lining Playbook
Lincoln
Beast of the Southern Wild
Django Unchained
Zero Dark Thirty
Les Miserables

My bet is that Lincoln will win, but please, share what YOU think. WHO WILL WIN???

Who Is This?

Can anyone tell me who this classic movie monster is?

Hint: The film was by Universal Studios.

Extra points to the person who can name the actor!

Sick of Superheroes But Want Some Action?

Sick of super heros but want a good action movie to watch one night? Well here is one you may not be familiar with.  1996 The Phantom, directed by Simon Wincer.

Acting skill, reasonably good....but cheesy and overdone at times, but still entertaining. Storyline, also cheesy but entertaining. Everything about it can make you laugh and shake your head, but at the same time it is addicting.

Set during the 30s, the film focuses around the character "The Phantom," who lives in the Bengala Jungle, wears a purple skin tight body suite and is known as the protector of the land and sacred grounds. The Phantom starts quest to stop The Same Brotherhood from gaining possession of three ancient skulls. When the skulls are combined they will give the holder power to overthrow the world. Of course that sounds too easy, so of course there are many "bad guys" thrown in, love triangles, and guns.

What makes this unique? The Phantom is based off of a comic written in the 30s by Lee Falk. Because of this, there are no super powers, no fancy weapons that only the rich could have, just ones physical strength, will, and a gun. This hero COULD be possible unlike Batman or Superman.

The film stars Billy Zane, Kristy Swanson, Treat Williams, and Catherine Zeta-Jones.

By far not the greatest movie every made, but if you want something thats fun with action and a good 90s flashback, I recommend this film for anyone in the mood for action.

Trivia

TRIVIA!!!

Name TWO Mel Brooks films that have remakes or adaptations done by Mel Brooks himself.

Hint: One of the remakes is not a film.

Classic Hitchcock

I'm going to tell you a name and I want to know what the first film is that you think of.

Hitchcock!

Let me guess, you said Psycho. When Hitchcock's name is said, more often then none, people will think about his most violent or terrifying films. The leading film of his and the most notorious of them all is Psycho which he directed in 1960. But did you know, though he is considered one of the fathers of suspense films, Hitchcock never won an Academy Award? He was nominated five times for best director, but even his most famous of films, Psycho, never won. 

Psycho is about a young woman takes off with $40,000 dollars that she stole and tries running from the police. In doing so she comes across the Bates Motel where she rest for the night. During her one night stay she meets the owner of the Motel, Norman Bates, and hears about his mother who lives at the top of the hill. The same night as her check-in, the young woman is stabbed to death in her shower. Who did it? What about the money? Will anyone find out? All questions that linger after her murder. 

Did you know that Psycho was based off of a novel? The novel is based off of true events. The film was based off of a book of the same name by Robert Bloch. Bloch based his novel off of Ed Gein, a murderer and grave robber from Wisconsin. He was known for collecting body parts from graves and keeping them. When he was caught by the police he confessed to killing two women but it is thought that there may have been more.

From this story Hitchcock not only created one of the greatest horror films of all time, but one of the most famous villains of all time, Norman Bates. Anthony Perkins started in his hit role of Norman Bates when he was casted in Psycho. With his cross dressing and murdering and antics, he becomes balanced with his young, charming and awkward first appearances. When Norman Bates is first seen, it would be hard to think that such a young gentleman could hurt anyone, but at the same time, that is what makes hims so terrifying. Years after the films success, Anthony Perkins took part in creating the less successful sequels to Psycho which he stared in.

Though it is over 50 years later, Psycho remains one of the greatest horror/suspense films ever made. If ever you are looking for a good thrill or a film that will make you think, I recommend you have a night in and watch this film. But, next time you check into a hotel, watch out for any dark shadows on the shower curtain.