Tuesday, February 23, 2010

Movie Clip Wednesday - Bad Guys


Boxer is hosting a Movie Clip Wednesday Meme where everyone picks a clip from their favorite movies based on a weekly theme. This week's theme is Bad Guys (way better than Musicals)!

First, I had to decide what "Bad Guys" meant to me. It could be evil, calculating, cold-blooded men (or women). Or it could be cool, macho, tough guys (or girls). To me though, bad guys are black hat wearing sociopaths. And they have to be men because women (in my world, and I'm not being chauvinistic here - I don't think) aren't capable of the cold-blooded brutality that men can unleash. So my choice will be a guy.

But which guy? This theme was a real challenge for me. I like to watch a lot of action, war, western, crime type thrillers. They all have bad guys. So, in honor of the Olympics, I will list my top 3 with an honorable mention (relax, they're mostly short clips).

My earliest recollection of a really bad guy was the Scorpio Killer from Dirty Harry. In particular, the scene where he hijacks the school bus. I saw this when I was 17 and it scared the crap out of me. Scorpio gets honorable mention as a deranged hippie terrorist. I couldn't embedded the clip but it's here:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l2q4NPa56v0

Third place goes to everyone's favorite offbeat character actor, Gary Oldman. When I first saw him as Stansfield in Léon (The Professional), it was on cable and I vividly remember the cold-bloodedness of the scene where he kills Matilada's family while talking about Beethoven. The bronze goes to a psychotic DEA officer with a passion for the classics.

(Warning - graphic violence)



And of course, I had to include the most famous line from the movie.



Most people will argue that Joe Pesci's Tommy DiVito from Goodfellas was his best, bad guy character. But I think it was just a warm up for his much more sociopathic Nicky Santoro from Casino, the epitome of mobster violence and worthy of a Silver medal. There are two scenes that demonstrate my point. The infamous vice scene (which I will not show) and the "Is this your pen?" scene.

(Warning - extreme graphic violence)



This brings us to the Gold Medal. I think I will probably get blogger jinxed on this one, but Javier Bardem as Anton Chigurh in No Country for Old Men is absolutely the scariest hitman I've ever seen in a film. With his monotone voice, Neal Diamond haircut and cryptic questions and observations, he will track you down and kill you in the most violent ways and his pulse rate won't get above 70. He even kills to keep his word to people who are already dead. He makes his own tools and weapons and performs surgery on himself. He's like a human Terminator. I'll leave you with (what I think) is the scariest scene in the movie - and he doesn't even kill anyone in it.




If you liked this Meme, head on over to see our hostess-with-the-mostest, Boxer, for even more bad guys.

Sunday, February 21, 2010

MUTE MONDAY - FURNITURE

















This is the end
Beautiful friend
This is the end
My only friend, the end
Of our elaborate plans, the end
Of everything that stands, the end
No safety or surprise, the end
I'll never look into your eyes...again


Well, I guess this is the end of Mute Mondays (according to Troll although I hope it's only a hiatus). And my last Mute is eerily fitting I suppose. I really enjoyed these challenges and they are really what got me started in the blogging world. So thanks to Troll and all who have made the rounds to all the MM sites. Your comments were funny and inspiring. Troll will continue to do his newer Haiku Thursday Meme and Boxer is doing a Movie Clip Wednesday Meme - so I hope to still see all of you around.


Wednesday, February 17, 2010

Movie Clip Wednesday - Musical


Boxer is hosting a Movie Clip Wednesday Meme where everyone picks a clip from their favorite movies based on a weekly theme. This week's theme is Musicals - MUSICALS! I'm a straight guy, how am I suppose to do this? Am I suppose to check my genitalia at the door and pick something from West Side Story, Cabaret or Hello Dolly? Should I drink so much tequila that I could actually watch all of Seven Brides for Seven Brothers and be so happy at the end that I don't have a problem with crying (don't ask me how I know this)?

After I finished breathing into a paper bag, I thought for a minute about movies with songs that may not necessarily be classified as your typical, Broadway musical. Willy Wonka, the Blues Brothers and the Rocky Horror Picture Show came to mind and I like all of those movies. But then I thought, is there a manly man's musical out there? One that was macho enough that the watching of it would never call my sexuality into question. Then it hit me - yes there is...







1969's Paint Your Wagon - truely horrible I know, but my manhood is still in tact. I can live with that.

Sunday, February 14, 2010

Wednesday, February 10, 2010

Movie Clip Wednesday - Raising Arizona

Boxer is hosting a Movie Clip Wednesday Meme and I played along with a favorite scene from a favorite movie. And this is by far (and in my opinion) the funniest scene in the movie. Enjoy.

Sunday, February 7, 2010

Oh, My Back - 27.3" of snow, are you kidding me again?

Jesus H. Christ - this was the 2nd biggest snow Storm in our history! The 3rd biggest was back in December. So that's 2 record snow storms in a season and we have more snow coming Wednesday. I really hurt my back this time with digging out driveway entrances up and down the street. And there are kids clothes piled everywhere waiting to be dried. I've had enough!

The Bird Feeder with squirrel shield


The Deck (note the hanging basket snow cones)


The Driveway

The bird bath and little boy statue

The Mrs Flower Bed

MUTE MONDAY - SUPER