March 18, 2019 · 1:18 pm

The Set of 400: #383 – My Favorite Old Timey Boat Construction

Today! Because she mis-interpreted my intention entirely –

Sherlock Holmes (2009)

Directed by Guy Ritchie

Starring Robert Downey Jr., Jude Law, Rachel McAdams, Mark Strong, Eddie Marsan, Geraldine James, Robert Maillet

I’ve also got a thing for Sherlock Holmes movies, which I recognize is a little specific, given that I’m not a huge Holmesaphile (Sherlockaphile? Moriaritypants? What would you call them?), but as you’ll see in the days to come, there are more movies featuring some version of the Holmes character than you might expect. The hyper-stylized 2009 Guy Ritchie version and its sequel get a bit maligned, I feel, maybe because this performance of Downey’s appears to be all he’s interested in doing over the last decade. That’s a shame, as this totally works for this character (and for Tony Stark, too) and makes for a pretty great interplay with Law’s atypical take on Watson. Bring in fun action sequences, Mark Strong’s totally solid villain, McAdams great trip as Irene Adler, and I frankly don’t get the backlash to this movie. Why the hell is the third film taking so long to come, for Conan Doyle’s sake??

Also, the movie MVP, obviously – Gladstone

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March 15, 2019 · 1:22 pm

The Set of 400: #384 – My Favorite Hobo Appropriation

Today! Because if they knew what they liked, they wouldn’t live in Pittsburgh –

Sullivan’s Travels (1941)

Directed by Preston Sturges

Starring Joel McCrea, Veronica Lake, Robert Warwick, William Demarest, Franklin Pangborn, Porter Hall, Byron Foulger, Margaret Hayes

Preston Sturges’ masterpiece brings us to another sub-genre I’ve got a soft spot for – movies about movies. I also like plays about plays, books about writers, movies about plays, books about movies, but not necessarily movies about writing, as that doesn’t often translate well. Make sense? So get out of here with your Finding Forrester!

“Punch the keys” my ass

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March 14, 2019 · 1:10 pm

The Set of 400: #385 – My Favorite Tournament of Roses

Today! Because he’s not a goodfella, he’s a badfella!

Bee Movie (2007)

Directed by Simon J. Smith, Steve Hickner

Starring Jerry Seinfeld, Renee Zellweger, Matthew Broderick, Patrick Warburton, John Goodman, Chris Rock, Kathy Bates, Barry Levinson, Larry King, Ray Liotta, Sting, Oprah Winfrey, Larry Miller, Rip Torn, Michael Richards, Megan Mullally, Tom Papa, Carol Leifer, Tress MacNeille, John DiMaggio, Carl Kasell, David Herman

Are you as worried as I am that this list could devolve into late ’00s animated comedies? For the second time in three days, here we are! But for an old Seinfeld fan like me, this one had to make the list. Figure, outside of Curb Your Enthusiasm across that decade, there wasn’t much to throw us ’90s fans back into that Seinfeldian vein of yuks, and then came this to scratch that itch. Thanks, Dreamworks! Sure, the actual driving plot is kinda nothing, and the ending works hard to break the reality they’ve built up, but the premise was solid enough to facilitate a ton of Seinfeld-style jokes, and isn’t that really what we were there for in the first place? I mean, what else did we have, American Express commercials? “That was a wicked googly!” is still a great catchphrase, though. Continue reading →

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March 13, 2019 · 1:15 pm

The Set of 400: #386 – My Favorite Harlequin Messiah

Today! Because old now is Earth and none may count her days (da dah da dah dah) –

Godspell (1973)

Directed by David Greene

Starring Victor Garber, Lynne Thigpen, David Haskell, Jerry Sroka, Katie Hanley, Merrell Jackson, Joanne Jonas, Gilmer McCormick, Jeffrey Mylett, Robin Lamont

I do love me some live action musicals. We’re finally broaching one of the genres I take pretty guilty pleasure in – sure, there are some great big screen musicals, but even something like, say, the second best Jesus based musical film of the early 1970’s manages to sneak onto the list. And why not? Godspell has got a lot of pretty good songs from the legendary composer and lyricist Stephen Schwartz (Wicked, Pippin, Disney’s Pocahontas and Hunchback of Notre Dame). So what if it doesn’t make a particularly easy transition to screen? The modern, unpopulated New York City setting of 1973 is cool to look at, but it somehow tends to take the air out of the proceedings, like they’re all kids performing for their stuffed animals or something. Sure, you get to see a full blown musical number atop the just completed World Trade Center, but the visuals never quite jibe with the story. Godspell was always tricky that way – even on stage it’s a bit too improv-y, too freeform to really pack an emotional punch in the end. And it didn’t help that it arrived right after Jesus Christ Superstar, a considerably better movie, and a downright masterpiece on stage. But hey, if you’ve never seen it – and it’s not a particularly popular movie, from what I can gather – Godspell is worth checking out. Lots of talented actors and singers, lots of fun songs. Continue reading →

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March 12, 2019 · 1:13 pm

The Set of 400: #387 – My Favorite Animated Representation of My Life Goals

Today! Because we’ve got a diem to carpe –

Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs (2009)

Directed by Phil Lord and Christopher Miller

Starring Bill Hader, Anna Faris, James Caan, Andy Samberg, Bruce Campbell, Mr. T, Bobb’e J. Thompson, Neil Patrick Harris, Benjamin Bratt, Al Roker, Lauren Graham, Will Forte, Laraine Newman, Ariel Winter, Neil Flynn

They had a few writing and producing credits, mostly on TV, before this, but Cloudy 1 would kick off the big screen careers of the great Lord and Miller, responsible for a number of solid comedies in the years since as directors/producers, including 21 and 22 Jump Street, The Lego Movie, The Lego Batman Movie, and Cloudy 2 as well as the entire run of FOX’s great The Last Man on Earth. They were also at the helm of the funniest Star Wars movie we’ll never see – Solo: A Star Wars Story – The First Two Weeks of Production, before Disney fired them, and the movie went on to be a colossal failure (I still liked Solo, but man, what might’ve been!). Continue reading →

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March 11, 2019 · 2:19 pm

The Set of 400: #388 – My Favorite Paper Cut Riddled Sex Scene

Today! Because it was like mainlining adrenaline –

The Wolf of Wall Street (2013)

Directed by Martin Scorsese

Starring Leonardo DiCaprio, Jonah Hill, Margot Robbie, Matthew McConaughey, Kyle Chandler, Rob Reiner, Jon Bernthal, Jon Favreau, Jean Dujardin, Shea Wiggam, Christine Ebersole, Cristin Milioti, Joanna Lumley, Ethan Suplee, Thomas Middleditch, Kenneth Choi, Katarina Cas, P.J. Byrne, Brian Sacca, Henry Zebrowski

My third favorite Scorsese/DiCaprio outing felt like a glorious return to vulgar form for Marty, following the excellent kid-centric Hugo in 2011. He never stopped making good-to-great movies, but Wolf so revels in the obscene decadence of unabashed douchebag Jordan Belfort’s life that it is more reminiscent of Goodfellas than anything Scorsese has made since. It is also by far his funniest movie, whether that was the original intention when rights were purchased or not. The excellent, epic screenplay by Sopranos/Boardwalk Empire helmer Terence Winter turns what could’ve been a harrowing, drug-fueled Wall Street knock-off into a hilarious Scarface/Bachelor Party hybrid. DiCaprio was never better, and was roundly robbed of the Oscar by co-star McConaughey for Dallas Buyers Club, thus enabling him to later win for the lesser work in The Revenant (I know this the second post already where I take swipes at Revenant, which isn’t a movie I realized I didn’t care for until this month). Also, if Jonah Hill and Margot Robbie don’t win Oscars in the next decade, I’ll be surprised – put me on record saying it! Continue reading →

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March 8, 2019 · 2:26 pm

The Set of 400: #389 – My Favorite Transparent Skiing

Today! Because I can see through my eyelids, I can see through the top of my head –

Memoirs of an Invisible Man (1992)

Directed by John Carpenter

Starring Chevy Chase, Daryl Hannah, Sam Neill, Michael McKean, Patricia Heaton, Stephen Tobolowsky, Ellen Albertini Dow

So if, like me, your exposure to this movie was brought about by its endless cable airings in the early-to-mid ’90s and never since, I can tell you, it’s not really holding up like you’d hope. Sure, the invisible man sequences are still pretty cool, and the effects aren’t bad, given the 1992-ness of it all, but that crusher combo of a Chevy Chase who has no business playing this part and Daryl Hannah, who has her typical rough time in any significant speaking role, drop this near the bottom of this list. Continue reading →

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March 7, 2019 · 2:21 pm

The Set of 400: #390 – My Favorite Clooney Hallucination

Today! Because half of North America just lost their Facebook –

Gravity (2013)

Directed by Alfonso Cuaron

Starring Sandra Bullock, George Clooney

Not so much a movie as a 91 minute amusement park ride, Gravity is a non-stop thrilling time at the movies. I’ve never tried to watch it on television, as I just can’t imagine it holding up on a small screen, but man, in theaters, this thing was outstanding. It’s just hurtling objects, spinning bodies, flying debris, and brief fever dreams packed into a simple, straightforward space survival story. The shame of Sandy Bullock winning that Oscar ten-ish years ago for The Blind Side is that she way scaled back on moviemaking (this is endemic of people who win Oscars after hectic careers, unfortunately) – only appearing in five live action movies in the last decade – but her handful of films have all at least been interesting, if not great, such as this seven-pack of Oscars winner right here. Hey, if you can get to a place in your career where you can only choose to do stuff that interests you and sit out the rest of the time, go for it!

Even if you’re making them for Netflix!

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March 6, 2019 · 2:25 pm

The Set of 400: #391 – My Favorite Cartoon Shakespeare

Today! Because it hurt that my friends never stood downwind –

The Lion King (1994)

Directed by Rogers Allers and Rob Minkoff

Starring Matthew Broderick, James Earl Jones, Rowan Atkinson, Whoopi Goldberg, Jeremy Irons, Moira Kelly, Nathan Lane, Ernie Sabella, Cheech Marin, Jonathan Taylor Thomas, Robert Guillaume

Even if it doesn’t have the most entries on this list, I often hold up 1994 as being possibly the best year ever for movies. The highs are just so high – and it kicks off with what was the top grossing animated movie ever for a very long time afterward. Coming on the heels of the superior The Little Mermaid/Beauty and the Beast combo and the funnier Aladdin, Disney crashed the summer and dominated with what is often accurately described as “Savanna Hamlet.” Home video was already well established by this point, however in the early ’90s you saw successful movies stay in theaters for lengthy runs, and I ended up seeing Lion King some five times at movie theaters and drive-ins across ’94 and ’95. This would stick around at least tied for Movie I Saw in Theaters Most for many, many years. Continue reading →

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March 5, 2019 · 2:25 pm

The Set of 400: #392 – My Favorite Drake Hotel, Chicago Plot Device

Today! Because you’ve never seen me very upset –

Mission: Impossible (1996)

Directed by Brian De Palma

Starring Tom Cruise, Jon Voight, Emmanuelle Beart, Ving Rhames, Jean Reno, Emilio Estevez, Kristin Scott Thomas, Vanessa Redgrave, Henry Czerny, Ingeborga Dapkunaite, John McLaughlin, Garrick Hagon

Ah, the glorious summer of 1996! While it was expected to be the big draw that season, and would only end up third behind ID4 and Twister, it proved to have the longest legs, cranking out sequels straight to the present day. And even though I think it’s fair to say the first one is no one’s choice for best film in the series, the De Palma outing does have a lot going for it. Because all the follow-ups would get helmed by action directors (I don’t care what else you might think of J.J. Abrams), this one stands out for the underlying suspense De Palma (at the end of his effectiveness as a director) brought to it, the first of many fake masks and double-crosses, and for that sequence where they break into Langley to steal the list. The effects may get bigger and wilder as the series goes on, but nothing will ever quite compare to panicky Cruise quietly dangling from a rope as Jean Reno kills that rat. Holy wow. Sure, the plot is convoluted nonsense, and some of the motivations are a bit fuzzy to say the least, but it’s still a pretty exciting running/jumping/punching flick. Continue reading →

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March 4, 2019 · 2:20 pm

The Set of 400: #393 – My Favorite Mentally Ill Buddy Picture

Today! Because who dares to tow the van of the living Christ?

The Dream Team (1989)

Directed by Howard Zieff

Starring Michael Keaton, Christopher Lloyd, Peter Boyle, Stephen Furst, Lorraine Bracco, Philip Bosco, James Remar, Dennis Boutsikaris, Milo O’Shea

My second favorite Michael Keaton film of 1989! Released two and a half months before Batman, Keaton was coming off the bizarre ’88 double feature of Beetlejuice and Clean and Sober when this insane asylum road trip hit theaters. I’m pretty sure I saw every Keaton movie of the era once the big black bat came into my life, and this weird little comedy has stuck around through time. His exaggerated Randle P. McMurphy bit (and alongside Cuckoo’s Nest alum Lloyd too!) is fine, but the best parts belong to Boyle’s messianic former ad man Jack and Lloyd’s delusional faux doctor Henry. Like a lot of ’80s comedies, they shoe horn in a gritty plot to give the thing a purpose, besides get lost and be crazy on their way to the ballgame – it’s something about corrupt cops – which all gets resolved fine in the end. Just to digress, do you remember the whole thing about there being, like, cocaine in a diaper bag in Three Men and a Baby? And there are shootouts and shit in that movie? Why the hell couldn’t it have just been those assholes taking care of that baby? Continue reading →

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March 3, 2019 · 2:17 pm

The Set of 400: #394 – My Favorite Sword-Wielding Goofball

Today! Because the enemy isn’t a bunch of sparrows and crows –

Seven Samurai (Shichinin no Samurai) (1954)

Directed by Akira Kurosawa

Starring Toshiro Mifune, Takashi Shimura, Keiko Tsushima, Yukiko Shimazaki, Yoshio Inaba, Daisuke Kato, Seiji Miyaguchi, Minoru Chiaki, Isao Kimura, Yoshio Tsuchiya

This one is a major outlier on the entire list. Not to spoil the forthcoming year(s), but don’t expect a ton of foreign films down the road, and really don’t anticipate this kicking off a deluge of samurai films. I mean, I love me some shitty kung fu movies, the ones you find in dollar bins at the Steamtown Malls of the world (Shoutout, downtown Scranton, PA!), but you won’t see them crop up in the limited space of my favorite movies ever made. Sorry, Catman in Lethal Track!

But don’t sleep on this movie, if you like unmitigated garbage

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March 2, 2019 · 2:29 pm

The Set of 400: #395 – My Favorite Medieval Malcolm X

Today! Because we didn’t land on Sherwood Forest, Sherwood Forest landed on us –

Robin Hood: Men in Tights (1993)

Directed by Mel Brooks

Starring Cary Elwes, Richard Lewis, Dave Chappelle, Roger Rees, Tracey Ullman, Amy Yasbeck, Mark Blankfield, Patrick Stewart, Mel Brooks, Isaac Hayes, Dom DeLuise, Dick Van Patten, Robert Ridgely, Eric Allan Kramer, Megan Cavanagh, Matthew Porretta, Avery Schreiber, Clive Revill

While far from the best Mel Brooks outing, it is the last good movie he’d direct (in fairness, this was only followed by the thoroughly meh Dracula: Dead and Loving It), and it was on TV constantly in the early/mid nineties. But I’m not trying to make excuses for its inclusion here – there is a lot to like about Men in Tights. Cary Elwes was perfect for this sort of comedy – only really on display here and in Hot Shots! – and effortlessly carries the mayhem along. I also can never keep straight whether he appeared in Mel’s Dracula or Coppola’s Dracula that inspired it, so solid is he at both types of movies. Sure, it revels in the dated, Catskills-style jokes Mel would lean more and more into as the years wore on, but between Chappelle’s great early work here as Ahchoo, Tracey Ullman uglying it up as the witch Latrine, and Richard Lewis doing his best Richard Lewis impersonation as Prince John, there is plenty to enjoy. Does it have the laugh-out-loud highs of Mel’s early films? Not really, but it also pushes harder on parody, and really dials up the number of jokes per minute. So what if the success rate is 50/50? I still really enjoy Men in Tights. Continue reading →

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March 1, 2019 · 2:19 pm

The Set of 400: #396 – My Favorite Southeast Asian Driving Range

Today! Because if I nail Hot Lips and punch Hawkeye, can I go home too?

MASH (1970)

Directed by Robert Altman

Starring Donald Sutherland, Elliott Gould, Sally Kellerman, Robert Duvall, Tom Skerritt, Rene Auberjonois, David Arkin, John Schuck, Gary Burghoff, Jo Ann Pflug, Roger Bowen, Fred Williamson, Bud Cort, Michael Murphy, Timothy Brown, Carl Gottlieb, Bobby Troup

For the longest time, the beginning and end of my interest in the entire MASH franchise was the play. Like the movie, it is based on the book by Richard Hooker, but except for the same basic plot and characters – football game and all – it shares few real similarities. The TV show is even further afield, again with the same characters, but even less like the play, movie, or book. All have different tones, different dialogue, and different interactions among the primaries. I was in the play my junior year of high school, having never really watched the show, and was pretty dismissive of the film at the time. I was Hawkeye, by the way, and I think it was a pretty decent show, as far as a high school production of a very adult war satire could be.

Not sure why the play pictures I have are in black and white, but here’s young me to the right, with pals young Phil and young Munchak

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February 28, 2019 · 2:15 pm

The Set of 400: #397 – My Favorite Endless Novel

Today! Because he probably calls everybody Vernon –

Wonder Boys (2000)

Directed by Curtis Hanson

Starring Michael Douglas, Tobey Maguire, Robert Downey Jr., Frances McDormand, Katie Holmes, Rip Torn, Alan Tudyk, Philip Bosco, Richard Thomas

I loved this movie when I first saw it nineteen years ago – That screenplay! Those characters! – but I’ll admit it may not be holding up quite so well anymore. I’m not sure I ever would’ve had this in the top 100, but 200 seems totally reasonable, had I been ranking down that far in the early ’00s. Something resonated with me in Douglas’s writer cranking out a seemingly never-ending book, amidst the spiraling chaos of his academic environs. I especially remember the ending (not to spoil it, but you have had nearly two decades to watch it by now) being one of the most devastating things I’d seen at the time. I really fancied myself a writer back then, so I think that makes sense. Continue reading →

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