Heathers - The Original Mean Girls

I recently saw Heathers for the first time - I know, I know, how had I not seen it until now! Starring a pre-klepto Winona Ryder, and a pre-90210 Shannen Doherty, Heathers screams and oozes the essence and style of the (fabulous) 1980s.

Veronica (Winona Ryder) is the only non-Heather member of her exclusive high school clique, and along with her diabolically demented new boyfriend JD (Christian Slater), goes on a violent rampage to bring down the clique from the inside.

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With snappy dialogue and memorable one-liners, this cult 80s classic - yes, I said classic! - is one of those really bad films that is so much fun to watch. Heathers satirizes high school life in a pretty unbelievable way, but at the same time, addresses the many every-day issues that teens face - bullying, suicide, homosexuality, and eating disorders. Of course, in no way is Heathers an after-school-special. It's dark and sadistic, while managing to be pretty funny, and the Heathers clique is so bitchy and deliciously evil, they make the cast of Mean Girls look like harmless pussycats.

Actors Recreate Iconic Scorsese Scenes for Harper's Bazaar

Harper's Bazaar has put together a series of photographs that recreate iconic scenes from legendary Martin Scorsese films, recast with today's most intriguing and celebrated actors. Seriously, I couldn't love this more if I tried.

I think we need a Mad Men-Boardwalk Empire crossover of sorts, because I love Joan Halloway (Christina Hendricks) with Richard Harrow (Jack Huston) in this image. Oh to be her in this photo...



































Boardwalk Empire's Michael Pitt and Vincent Piazza make an appearance, as does the Ben Kingsley, unrecognizably playing Robert De Niro's Mickey Conway. Here they are, quite convincingly recreating a scene from (the greatest movie ever, of all-time) Goodfellas. Doesn't Michael Pitt make a dreamy Henry Hill?

As You Wish - Princess Bride Cast Reunites After 25 Years

It's hard to believe it's been 25 years since The Princess Bride came out. "Inconceivable!" 80s cult classic and one of the most quotable movies of all time, it's got romance of epic proportions, effortless comedy from comic geniuses (Billy Crystal included), and cleverly-constructed satire mixed-in to create an almost-perfect movie. To commemorate the 25-year mark, most of the film's cast reunited on 'Good Morning America'.

Do you remember how swoon-worthy Cary Elwes' Westley was back then? Have you noticed that, aside from The Princess Bride, Elwes always seems to play the bad guy?



And I'm sorry but, were Fred Savage and Mandy Patinkin really too busy to make it? I guess we'll have to wait another 25 years for a reenactment of the classic line, "My name is Inigo Montoya. You killed my father. Prepare to die."

The Music of Martin Scorsese's Films

Flavorwire has written and posted a phenomenal analysis of the classic rock 'n roll music Scorsese used in his epic films. Taking a look through Scorsese's accomplished filmography, the post highlights memorable scenes from his body of work, and goes through the iconic music that has come to epitomize those groundbreaking scenes. It's a must-read for anyone who calls themselves a Martin Scorsese fan.

"By 1985 I stopped really listening to popular music. But the earlier songs created images in my head. Somehow some of those images and feelings—not all of them—were able to be used in certain pictures. Certain scenes suddenly reminded me of a piece of music that I thought would be perfect for a film." – Martin Scorsese, Conversations with Scorsese (2011)

 
The opening sequence of Mean Streets - Ronettes’ “Be My Baby.”

25 Greatest Unscripted Scenes in Films

"Leave the gun", is nothing without, "take the cannoli". Just like, "I ate his liver with some fava beans and a nice Chianti", is incomplete without the chilling and iconic hissing noise Anthony Hopkins makes in The Silence of the Lambs.

This video of the 25 greatest unscripted movie scenes is a great compilation featuring some of the most iconic scenes in film history. Scenes you wouldn't expect, were apparently spur-of-the-moment, authentic improvisations, which might just explain why they made such a significant impact on audiences, and continue to resonate after so many years.

Girl, You'll Be a Woman Soon

Urge Overkill's cover of "Girl, You'll Be a Woman Soon", just came up on my iPod shuffle - yes, of course I've got the entire Pulp Fiction soundtrack on there. As always, I felt like watching this scene for the millionth time. Just cuz. Tarantino is the master of choosing the best pop songs for his soundtracks and the Pulp Fiction track-list is no exception. Eclectic beyond words, he mixes classic rock and roll, soul, and of course, the surf music that has come to represent Pulp Fiction, to perfection.

The music doesn't act as simply a filler, playing in the background of whatever's happening on-screen. It IS what's happening. Tarantino brings the music to the forefront, seamlessly weaving it with the characters and plot. Somehow it seems natural when characters start dancing and singing along to a track that's playing, at least in Tarantino's world.

Jay-Z & Kanye Release "Otis", but Duckie Did a Better Job

Earlier this week, Jay-Z and Kanye released a track off of their highly anticipated upcoming collaboration, Watch the Throne. An ode to the late, great, intoxicating soul-man, Otis Redding, an artist so talented and beloved that really, he needs no last name. He's Otis. The track is good, featuring some memorable and jarring lines from good-ol Mr. West (I say that sarcastically because although his talent is indisputable, I can't stand the essence that is Kanye: the brand). But really, as I was listening to it, I couldn't stop wishing that Jay-Z and Kanye would just shut up so I could hear the Otis sample underneath their rhymes.

So, for everyone who listened to Jay-Z and Kanye's tribute to Otis, and hoped they'd stop being so rude as to talk over a classic soul track, here is the iconic scene from Pretty in Pink (you know the one...), with  Duckie Dale so perfectly lip-syncing along to Try a Little Tenderness.



"This is a very good tune. My mother used to sing this. This is Otis, I love Otis."
- Duckie Dale (Pretty in Pink)

Lords of Dogtown - Swooning Over Emile Hirsch

This scene epitomizes why I love Emile Hirsch. He's so bad-ass and this might be the best seduction scene ever seen on film. OK, I may be over-doing it a bit.



Great. Freaking. Movie. I cry every time. Lords of Dogtown perfectly plays out a coming-of-age story about a group of skate-boarding friends, growing up in 1970s Venice Beach. It stays true to the gritty and scrappy surf/skate lifestyle, and it's especially sad seeing Heath Ledger as Skip Engblom, raw and engaging as always. Mostly because he can no longer steal an entire movie like he always seemed to do. This is Director Catherine Hardwicke at her best - she should stick to indies.

Review: Running Scared - the best movie no one's seen

We all have movies we love, that are not exactly Oscar-winners. That favourite movie that you adore for reasons you can't really explain with any sort of high-level film speak. Whether they were Box-office bombs or just plain bad, it doesn't matter because there's something about them that makes you watch them over and over again.

No one, including me, noticed when Running Scared came out in 2006. An over-the-top crime film starring Paul Walker, who's basically made a career out of all those Fast and Furious movies. It's even got Vera Farmiga (before she got all famous and Oscar-nominated), who manages to steal the spotlight in every scene she's in. Her portrayal of a mom doing whatever she has to do, to protect her family, is gut-wrenching and quite impressive.

Although it received mixed reviews, I absolutely love it. The plot follows the characters searching for and running after after a missing gun. It's a dark, excessively violent, mob-movie with twists and turns that keep you on the edge of your seat the entire time. As a huge Tarantino and Scorsese fan, I'm perfectly alright with the over-the-top, brutal violence and blood - in fact, it doesn't feel like a mob-movie without those elements. That's what an obsession with Goodfellas and The Sopranos will do to you.

For Crime Film fanatics - the first four minutes of the movie should be enough to convince you.

As far back as I can remember, I always wanted to be a gangster - Goodfellas

How do you even begin to write about something, anything that you love? It’s almost impossible, with the fear that you won't be able to express your true appreciation for it. But since it’s been 20 years since Goodfellas was released, I feel I have to at least pay homage to my favourite movie of all time. Directed by the genius 'Marty' Scorsese, it's hands-down my favourite gangster film, changing the genre into what we know it as today.

To commemorate the anniversary, GQ put together a feature interviewing 60 of the film's castmembers. Michael Imperioli who played Christopher on The Sopranos, got his start in Goodfellas, as 'Spider' in the memorable scene where he gets shot in the foot by the lunatic Joe Pesci ("..It happens"). He said it perfectly, that there would have been no Sopranos (or Boardwalk Empire for that matter) if Goodfellas hadn't come first.

Goodfellas did an amazing job showing the gritty, brutality of the lives of wiseguys. Although extremely glorified at times, it wasn’t about the Godfather-like grandeur of being up at the top, but about the low-level guys working the streets just trying to make it. Showing the anti-hero that you identify with even though he’s a killer, Henry Hill made way for characters like Tony Soprano and of course Dexter. You somehow want the bad guy to end up scot-free in the end.

Without going on a 10-page rant that ends up making no sense, let me just highlight my favourite scene of the film. Henry takes Karen (lovely and talented Lorraine Bracco, aka Dr. Melfi) for a night out at the Copacabana. First of all, the way Scorsese plays this scene out is intoxicating, in a long, uncut shot following them into the Copa. Who cares that there’s a mile-long line up to get in, Henry takes her in the back door, through the busy kitchen, and a table is set up for them right up front. All because people want to show him respect. It’s a great scene that not only conveys the glamour and style of the early 60s, but the authority and power that even a mid-level gangster carried at that time. It also explains why women are always flocking to guys like Tony and Henry on-screen, who aren't that good-looking, but possess a certain smooth power that women are attracted to. Whether it’s out of fear, loyalty or because he’s got money, it’s all the same that he has the ability to make stuff happen.

Watch this scene

I Heart the Geek

The Laws of Attraction are weird and unexplainable.  Take for instance, mainstream America’s growing attraction to the underdog.  Pop Culture has officially welcomed the age of the Geek.  I like to pinpoint it to the first season of The OC, where Seth Cohen stole every girl’s heart, including that of California girl, Summer. 

Gone are the days of the popular jock, now coming in second to the emo-loving, tech-savvy, comic book enthusiast of today.  With the growing popularity of geeky comedies like Superbad and Knocked Up, awkward boys like Michael Cera and Seth Rogen are attractive, I think, because when hairlines recede and good looks fade, there has to be something more than the superficial.

Actually, comedians have kind of always been exempt from the conventional romance rules of Hollywood.  Guys like Jim Carrey and Kevin James (from King of Queens) get the girl even while not exactly having Brad Pitt-like good looks.

It's kind of like the fairy tales we all grew up with, like Aladdin, where audiences identify with seeing the street urchin end up with the princess.

My Top 5 Geeks of All-Time:

#5 Steve Urkell  from Family Matters.  The stereotypical geek, Steve had the too-short pants kept up with suspenders, plaid shirts and oversized glasses, not to mention the annoying nasal-y voice.  But, his alter-ego Stefan Urquelle shows us that beneath every geek there’s a smooth guy just waiting to get out, so you should stick around for when that happens.   

#4 Carlton Banks from Fresh Prince of Bel-Air.  So annoying and such the tattle-tale, with his endless supply of sweaters and preppy clothes, poor guy pretty much never got the girl.  Not to mention his obsession with Tom Jones...And the Carlton dance, ohhhh the dance.

#3 Duckie Dale from Pretty in Pink.  Molly Ringwald’s best friend, complete with the goofy hair, shoes, and desperation.  He wasn’t cool enough to get into the hottest spot in town but always waited for his beloved, red-headed Andie.  Jon Cryer will always be remembered for serenading Andie with Otis Redding’s Tenderness.

#2 Samuel (Screech) Powers from Saved by the Bell.  Zack Morris’ best friend with a heart of gold!  For some reason, Saved by the Bell never actually followed typical High School conventions.  At Bayside, the head cheerleader hung out with the class valedictorian and the biggest geek in school.  With that said, Screech’s goofiness and cluelessness made the show what it was, comic gold for the 80s, and somehow, still in syndication almost 20 years later.

#1 Dwight Schrute from The Office.  From his awkward display of useless knowledge on bears and beets, to his love of Battlestar Gallactica, he gets #1 for being so uncool that he’s cool.  He wears his geekiness as a badge of honour, embracing what he loves and stands for, and does so with so much confidence that he transcends the traditional characteristics of the geek, creating a new genre with his unique personality.