Movie Clip Wednesday - Favorite Actor from the '90s

With Boxer quickly getting her life back to normal, Milk River Madman is still graciously continuing to host the Movie Clip Wednesday Meme where everyone picks a clip from their favorite movies based on a weekly theme. This week's theme is FAVORITE ACTOR FROM THE 90s. A quick google search told me what I already knew. Tom Hanks is the man of the 90's. With such movies as A League of Their Own, Sleepless in Seattle, Philadelphia, Forrest Gump, Apollo 13, Toy Story, Saving Private Ryan and The Green Mile, it's pretty easy to see why.

So I decided to go with my second favorite actor of the 90s - Morgan Freeman. With such movies as Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves (1991), Unforgiven (1992), Se7en (1995), Amistad (1997), Glory (1989) and Driving Miss Daisy (1989) , well he's right up there with Hanks. Wait, I left out the best movie he ever made - The Shawshank Redemption (1994). This could easily have been in last weeks theme about movies you stop on when channel surfing. A haunting story about prison life and after prison life. I can listen to Freeman tell a story all day long. Here is one of my favorite scenes (the ending) but unfortunately, I couldn't embed it, so you're going to Youtube:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YInN9mc9vXA
I'm sure there will be more good, favorite actors of the 90s at the Madman 's (including Hanks). I hope we get a good variety.

Movie Clip Wednesday - "Movie that when I see it while channel surfing I stop and watch no matter what part of the movie is showing"

With Boxer still tying up loose ends (her stripper chair project), Milk River Madman is graciously continuing to host the Movie Clip Wednesday Meme where everyone picks a clip from their favorite movies based on a weekly theme. A few weeks ago I said I didn't think the theme title could get any longer or wordier, I stand corrected. This week's theme is MOVIE THAT WHEN I SEE IT WHILE CHANNEL SURFING I STOP AND WATCH NO MATTER WHAT PART OF THE MOVIE IS SHOWING. What? How much Crown was the Madman drinking when he came up with that? OK, it's actually a no-brainer for me and I'll get to that in a minute. But here was my problem this week. I totally missed this weeks theme buried in the Madman 's last weeks entry. I sat patiently waiting for the Madman to post a theme. Then I saw Pam's entry for this week (last night), went back and read all of Madman 's post from last week, and there it was - crap.

Anyway, the movie I've seen a hundred times (and I don't think that's an exageration) on TNT, BRAVO and a host of other commercial-laden channels and the movie I will always stop and watch - 1989's Road House featuring the legendary Patrick Swayze as the badass cooler - "His name is...Dalton". It also features a very hot (and naked) Kelly Lynch, the man's man Sam Elliot (I could listen to him talk about beef all day) and the incomparable Ben Gazzara as the sociopathic Brad Wesley. This is the best "B" movie ever made - EVER MADE. There's not a bad scene anywhere.

I submit for your viewing pleasure one of the best bar room fight scenes ever filmed.



Other great movies that when I see it while channel surfing ...blah blah blah ...are going on over at the Madman 's. Go on over and see what everyone else's guilty pleasures are because - opinions vary.

Fish Dinner for the Eagle

The Boy is making a big push right now for the rank of Eagle Scout in the Boy Scouts of America. You must have 21 merit badges (12 are required, 9 are elective) and complete an Eagle Project by your 18th birthday. He has about 6 1/2 months left and (as of this writing) still needs 4 merit badges and the Eagle Project. He just completed summer camp 2 weeks ago and was able to crank out 5 merit badges there to get down to the 4 he still needs.

I'm very impressed with his ability to get this done in such a short amount of time, although he has put himself behind schedule more than a couple of times because of "other priorities". He didn't join Boy Scouts until he was almost 15 (most scouts join at 11). And he didn't realize he really wanted Eagle (and all the honor and weight that it carries) until he was 16 1/2. Needless to say he's on a fast-track schedule. If he can hold it together and get done in 6 1/2 months, I will be very impressed and very proud. I never made Eagle when I was in scouts (I made Life, one rank below Eagle) and have always regretted it.

Anyway, of the 4 merit badges he needs, 3 of them are about 3/4 of the way completed. One elective merit badge he almost has completed is the Fishing Merit Badge. One of the requirements is to clean and cook a fish. He also needs to show evidence that he caught a fish too. The merit badge counselor (who is also his Scout Master) said that the cleaning and cooking requirement allows for a store bought fish. Because quite frankly, I wouldn't want to eat a fish caught in one of our local lakes and we don't have time to do any ocean fishing.

So off we went to the local Asian Food Market. They had a pretty good selection of whole fish. We chose Striped Bass (with guts in) and Red Snapper (with guts out).

Here he is cleaning the fish. This will be sent to his MB counselor as proof.

Here he stuffed the fish with butter, lemon slices, salt, pepper, fresh thyme and fresh rosemary. Salt, pepper, lemon juice and butter were placed on top of the fish, then it was sealed in tin foil.

After about 15 minutes on the grill, it's ready to eat.

I made some glass noodles and added them to a wok with eggplant, onion, green and orange pepper, jalapeno pepper, teriyaki sauce, garlic, salt and pepper. This came out really good and the Boy and I dusted off all thie fish. The Mrs won't eat fish but had seconds on the vegetable lo mein, so I guess that was a success too.

All he has left for this badge is to catch a fish and demonstrate some fishing knots. I'd say he has this one is in the bag. Now on to the remaining badges and the dreaded Eagle Project.

Movie Clip Wednesday - Best Opening Scene

With Boxer still missing but quite possibly almost ready to retake the hostess reigns, Milk River Madman is graciously continuing to host the Movie Clip Wednesday Meme where everyone picks a clip from their favorite movies based on a weekly theme. This week's theme is BEST OPENING SCENE and the Madman has given me ample time to consider the theme. It's a good thing too because I needed the time.

For starters, I will concede that the 2 best opening scenes in movie history are from Raiders of the Lost Ark and Saving Private Ryan. Interesting, action-packed and (in the Case of SPR) unforgettably horrific images burned into the brain. These 2 are far and away the best and on a level that no other movies to date can hold a candle to. So, I will take a pass on these 2 movies and come up with 3 other possible choices for best opening scene.

Spoiler Alert (of sorts)
The first is a lesser known Clint Eastwood movie, 1968's Hang 'em High. This is great opening because Clint "gets hanged" before the opening credits. I believe the Police Squad movies of the 1980s copied this and used it as a running gag on the 6 episodes that they made. Unfortunately, the scene is 10 minutes long, so I won't torture you with it.

My second choice was 1996's From Dusk Till Dawn. It's offbeat, violent and funny as most Tarrantino flicks are. What other movie kills a cop, sets a redneck on fire and blows up a gas station in the opening scene? But again, the scene is very long, so nixed it too.

So my third choice is 1994's Natural Born Killers. I have to admit that I didn't like this movie the first time I saw it. It had directing that I had never seen before (Oliver Stone - go figure) and I wasn't prepared for it. Then I let it sink in and watched it a few months later and I got the movie. It's a great commentary on everything that's wrong with the tabloid media. Juliette Lewis is a hot sociopath in this scene. And I forgot that James Gammon, who recently passed away and played Redneck's Buddy in the Diner, was in this movie (think Lou Brown from Major League - "Forget about the curve ball Ricky, give him the heater."). Enjoy the carnage.



Mickey: I realized my true calling in life.
Wayne Gale: What's that?
Mickey: Shit, man, I'm a natural born kill.


Other great movie openings are going on over at the Madman 's.

Movie Clip Wednesday - Best Twist Ending in a Movie

With the very punctual and very-good-about-advance-notice on-the-theme Boxer still missing, the last-minute, oh-one-day-is-enough-time Milk River Madman is graciously continuing to host the Movie Clip Wednesday Meme where everyone picks a clip from their favorite movies based on a weekly theme. This week's theme is BEST TWIST ENDING IN A MOVIE (or words to that effect). Jeez, these short-fuse themes are killing me. Understandable because the Madman has been out and about with his childhood buddies doing God knows what in the middle of the Montana Wilderness. So he gets a pass - this week.

There are a couple of great movies out there with right field type endings that you don't see coming. The Sixth Sense, Fight Club, Citizen Kane and even Soylent Green come to mind immediately. But the movie I think of is the first ending twist to a movie that I saw as a child. And that would be 1968's Planet of the Apes. I know it seems hokey and cliche by today's standards, but back then when I saw this ending, I had no idea it was coming. There was no Internet or movie review shows, so there weren't many plot spoilers out there. I think that made it so powerful back then. But all the horrible sequels came out and just ruined it. Anyway, here's the famous ending which I haven't seen in many years, just as I remembered it:





And you know it's an iconic ending if Homer Simpson uses it:



So, dam you all to hell and go over to the Madman 's. He's got stuff there you'll never see coming.