Thanks to everyone for listening and giving feedback on our last series of Movie Homework films featuring Criterion Collection Features. We’re super stoked about our new series of films where we answer the question “Does it Hold Up?”
In this series we’ll look at a few films that the three hosts haven’t seen in years; a film that we enjoyed previously but wonder if time has been kind to it.
This week’s feature is 2000’s Ridley Scott directed Gladiator.
Mexi-AIDS has taken one of our own so Ammon, Jack, and Law come together to honor the fallen by getting drunk and yelling about things that don’t matter in life.
Google Voice is pretty sad this week as we have only one call. It is, however, a new celebrity that yells at Ammon and then immediately apologizes.
We kick off the celebration of a new President by playing the Fake POTUS Championship, where we take 16 fictional movie presidents and make them go head-to-head until there’s only one left standing.
TV Round-Up explores the likes of Homeland, It’s Always Sunny, Man Seeking Woman, The Affair, The Bachelor, Workaholics, The Young Pope, Scientology: The Aftermath.
Movie Homework gets deep with the xXx. It’s super gross.
Finally, What Did You Watch has lots of shit talk about FENCES, MOONLIGHT, SILENCE, JACK REACHER: NEVER GO BACK, PATRIOT’S DAY, GLADIATOR, and a massive fight over LA LA LAND.
No matter how you feel about Deadpool -and if you heard this week’s Binge Cast you know exactly how I feel- there is no arguing that the success of Ryan Reynolds’ starring comic book film means a brand new awakening for the future of comic book filmmaking. The perseverance Reynolds displayed in getting Deadpool made has to be commended, and there will come a time in the next decade or so, much like we currently do with 2008’s Iron Man, that we will point to February of 2016 as the month ‘it all changed.’ There is no question that the box office results of Deadpool make for a hell of a success story. Reynolds fell on his ass so many times for the twelve plus years he took in getting it made, that I am not going to put him down for finally succeeding in his goals. That is a story which cannot be written if you tried, and I have all the respect in the world for him.
But it didn’t take long for its wave of success to cause word of Wolverine 3, supposedly the very final time Hugh Jackman dawns the iron fisted claws, now specifically aiming for an R rating. Fans of the character can be heard jumping for joy every which way you go. And this site’s very own Jackie Boy recently posted a well written article about comic book adaptations he would like to see slapped an R rating as well. Look. It’s great to be a ground breaker, and I think I have been fair enough in my praise of Deadpool‘s ability to be as much. Even if PLENTY of successful R rated comic book adaptions have been released in the years leading up to this one.
Interestingly, that leads right into my topic of this article. I decided to do some major digging, and research just what films in years past started trends, and how said trends keep going through the distillation machine that Hollywood is so very well known as having.
5) Space Movies
Yes, there had been Star Trek, Battlestar Galactica, and 2001: A Space Odyssey to fill our hearts and heads with enough space imagery to last a lifetime. But it wasn’t until George Lucas’s 1977 space opera Star Wars was released to massive success that they started becoming a Hollywood trend. Legend has it the sole reason for Ridley Scott’s Alien being greenlit was because it was the only other space script in 20th Century Fox’s offices at the time. But that wasn’t the only movie trying to capitalize on a trend. Enter The Black Hole, Enemy Mine, Solarbabies, Dune. And my favorite, James Bond’s very own Moonraker.
All of these were met with varying degrees of artistic and box office success, and the Hollywood machine keeps cranking them out to this day. Where’s a Bill Pullman motivational speech when we need one?
4) ‘Found Footage’ Films
Now, it can be argued that 1999’s The Blair Witch Project was the first film to put this genre in the widest of stratospheres (no, The Last Broadcast does NOT count), and there had been sporadic ‘found footage’ movies like 2007’s Rec beforehand. But 2009’s Paranormal Activity created what can only be described as a phenomenon. To put its success in perspective, there have been 397 found footage movies released since Paranormal Activity was released six years ago, and only 113 released before then.
Hatred is generally spewed at these films. Every once in awhile, a Cloverfield comes along to knock us on our asses. But for every Cloverfield, there are four or five Apollo 18s.
3) Gladiator Movies
Airplane captain Captain Oveur must have been living on cloud nine in the 2000s. After Ridley Scott’s Gladiator won five Academy Awards, earning over $450 million in the process, we saw more and more ‘sword and sandal epics’ hit the circuit with no abandon to spare. Movies like Kingdom of Heaven, Pathfinder, 300, and Scott’s own telling of Robin Hood came and went with barely a whimper. The only one I REALLY enjoyed from this time was Wolfgang Peterson’s 2004 Brad Pitt starring epic Troy. And even that was released to mixed reviews. Despite this, Troy would go on to make close to $500 million.
2) Die Hard on a (blank)
Anyone who grew up on the late 80s – early 90s remembers this trend. In fact, if you count recent films like Olympus Has Fallen, the trend is still going strong. After the Bruce Willis starring Die Hard was released to propulsive box office thunder in 1988, studios found another formula to mix into their money making medicine. Before long, Speed wasn’t Speed. It was ‘Die Hard on a Bus.’ Under Siege wasn’t Under Siege. It was ‘Die Hard on a Ship. Awakenings wasn’t just Awakenings. Ok, that one stuck.
There is no question about it. Die Hard remains one of the most influential films -not just ‘action’ films- ever made. With the perfect mix of violence and salty one liners, John McClane stepped into movie immortality. Yippee Kii Yayy is right.
1) 3D Movies
Ahhh, hello Avatar. One thing about Deadpool‘s success that seems to be getting overlooked in all the shock & awe over its opening weekend take, is how the movie took the film going public by storm –without the advent of its audience having to put on a pair of dirty recycled 3D glasses. This can only be a good thing, as the 3D experience has very rarely been anything of the sort, and is just an added incentive by studios to get audiences out of their houses and into theaters. Let me make clear: I see nothing wrong with that. But the problem is that 3D, with the exception of the aforementioned Avatar, adds absolutely nothing to the experience.
Immediately following Avatar‘s massive success, movies like Alice In Wonderland, 2010’s Clash of the Titans, almost the entire Marvel Universe, etc etc jumped on the bandwagon. Hell, even The Force Awakens didn’t turn down the opportunity to capitalize on the trend. Despite all of this, I have a feeling that if James Cameron doesn’t get off his ass and put Avatar 2 on the release board within the next couple years, executives are going to look mighty close at that little non 3D factor in Deadpool‘s success.
Let me reiterate here. I, in no way, feel these or any of the other trends in movie history are necessarily bad. I also understand that all of the examples I have mentioned above had examples of such before them. But there was always one which stuck out head and shoulders above the rest, planting itself in cinematic history. And Deadpool is one of those films. But I think James Gunn beautifully outlined the dangers of the lessons learned from the surprise $150 million take of Deadpool in its opening weekend. Wolverine 3 would already seem to be the trickle effect Gunn was talking about. And yes, as long as there are angry teenage boys, there will always be an audience for an ultra violent yuk-fest like Deadpool. But the danger of watering down your product to the point of obscurity hovers like a black cloud. A character like Superman does NOT warrant slapping an R rating on his movie just…because. Even when movies like Alien vs Predator and Terminator Salvation were getting PG-13 ratings, the incentives that drove so-called ‘outcries’ over the movies before they were even released never bothered me. A movie is never good based on its rating. Its rating is an organic off shoot of the film itself. With this in mind, I wish all filmmakers luck with the new current trend. Let’s hope it’s Die Hard by nature of lasting ability.
Welcome to a very special edition of Working the Weekend with Luke. If you’re looking for the next entry in the trilogy countdown, you won’t find it here today. I will continue the countdown next week, but today, I’ve got something else in mind. This weekend marks the second anniversary of the passing of my father. For more on that, you can always head to The Luke Norris Experience and more specifically the latest post that I put up late last night, A Talk With Pop.
Now to business here at Binge Media. In lieu of the trilogy countdown, I bring you a list of 10 movies that I’ll always link the old man. But before I get to the strangest top 10 list of all time, here’s a quick bonus movie that currently resides in my own personal top 10. It’s a movie that hit me so hard the first time I saw it and continues to do so each time. It’s a movie that almost perfectly described the relationship that I had with Pop. He was a storyteller like no other and honestly, it was hard sometimes to know what was real and what wasn’t. Have you figured it out yet?
BIG FISH
Seriously, I was floored when I saw this movie. I couldn’t believe what I was seeing. I’m usually not a big Tim Burton guy, but he nailed it with this one. The writing was simply amazing and the parallels were downright frightening, even down to the fact that my father once ran away and joined the circus. Yes, that actually happened. To my knowledge, my dad never saw this movie and I think I was just afraid to watch it with him. I wasn’t sure how he would react or even understand why I love it so much, especially when he was at the end. But Big Fish is definitely a movie that I’ll forever link to Pop.
AT THE MOVIES WITH POP
10. THE WAY OF THE DRAGON
Pop was a big martial arts movie guy and this certainly won’t be the last one on this list, but I know this was one of his favorites. Sure, we all love Bruce Lee, but my father loved Chuck Norris. I don’t know how many of his movies I watched when I was a kid, but I know it was a ton. But this one was one of Pop’s favorites and we would watch the final fight scene over and over again. Pop always said that if there was one person who could get the better of Chuck Norris, then it was Bruce Lee. I haven’t watched this one in a long time, but I’m thinking it’s about time to give it a revisit.
9. NO HOLDS BARRED
I’m a big Hulk Hogan guy and I’ll never be ashamed to admit that. In fact, the first time I ever saw Hulk Hogan wrestle was with my dad. He was in the main event that night against One Man Gang, but I couldn’t see. So my dad put me up on his shoulders for the entire match, which the Hulkster ultimately won. So a few years later, this movie comes out and I was there on the first day it came out and I’m sure I saw it a couple of times before it left theaters. A few months later, I broke my arm. To make me feel better, my dad took me to the video store, Stars & Stripes Video to be exact. Remember that place, Peoria? I could pick out anything I wanted and after walking around for a few minutes, I happened upon the box for No Holds Barred. I didn’t even know it had come out on video yet, but I was so excited. The problem was that the release date wasn’t until the next day. The girl working had just put the boxes out the night before to save the space for the next day, so I couldn’t actually rent it. That was unacceptable to Pop. It took some doing, but he talked the girl into letting us rent it anyway. Having worked at a video store, I know that’s a big no-no, but hey, it made me the happiest kid in the world that night.
8. GOOD WILL HUNTING
This was Dad’s favorite scene from Good Will Hunting. We watched this movie together a few times, and he just loved it. He was a big Robin Williams fan and dramatically speaking, this was arguably his greatest role. My father also spent some time in foster homes as a kid, so I think he could identify with the movie better than a lot of people. It was actually after seeing this movie for the first time that he filled me in on some of those years of his l
7. TOTAL RECALL
I’m not going to ever pretend that this is one of my favorite movies, but what I remember about Total Recall is the night my dad and I went to see it in the theater. We went to the Metro Centre when there will still theaters there and I remember that there was this couple sitting in front of us and during one of the few quiet moments during the movie, Dad scared the shit out of these two for no apparent reason. So there’s that. But the coolest part of the night was after we left. There was a bad storm that night and I think the entire side of town just blacked out. I remember the drive home was very intense and to this day, I can’t remember a darker night. We got home and got the flashlights out and just hung out as a family. My brother was very young so he was asleep, but my mom and sister were still up waiting for us. So it really wasn’t the movie that did it, but the rest of the night that I’ll remember. But I can’t come across the movie and not think of him, so that’s why this is here.
6. THERE’S SOMETHING ABOUT MARY
My dad and I watched a lot of comedies when I was growing up and there’s so many that I could put on this list. It could be 48 Hrs. or Another 48 Hrs or Moving or any number of Eddie Murphy or Richard Pryor movies, as he loved both of those guys. But I’ve never seen my dad laugh so hard or talk about a comedy like he talked about There’s Something About Mary. I remember when we went to see it at the theater that I swear he nearly had a heart attack from laughing so hard. He made sure I got him a copy when it came out on video and he watched it constantly. Dad really wasn’t one to quote movies that often, but he did with this one.
5. GLADIATOR
Pop loved this movie and what’s not to love? I’m not the biggest Crowe guy, but this one is very solid and will always hold a special place in my heart as this is the last movie that the Norris boys all saw together in the theater. My father, my brother, and myself. We saw it at Willow Knolls 14 and it was just a great day. In fact, one of the last things he ever talked about with my brother was that day. Pop couldn’t remember much at the end, but he remembered that great afternoon and that’s pretty amazing.
4. NO COUNTRY FOR OLD MEN
This is the last movie that I ever took Pop to see in the theater. I remember how much he would talk about the previews he’d seen on TV, and I remember how excited he was to go. And he loved it, as did I. He particularly loved the Javier Bardem character, as did I. Dad had a lot of VHS tapes at the nursing home, but this is actually one DVD that he had. There were quite a few times that I’d go to the nursing home to visit him, and he’d be watching it on his computer. I think I still have the stronger connection to Gladiator because it was the three of us there, but No Country For Old Men will always be special to me.
3. BLOODSPORT
I’m a big Van Damme guy and I owe that to my father. It started with No Retreat, No Surrender but the one we watched more than any other was Bloodsport. I don’t think I was supposed to be watching this at the age I did, but that could have been applied to any number of things Pop let me do as a kid. But seriously, this was the movie that really got me into martial arts as a kid, and I actually began taking classes soon after we watched it together for the first time.
2. SUPERMAN III
Let’s be honest. Superman III isn’t a strong film, but the story connected to it is. I’ve always been big into Superman, so when I was a little boy, we went as a family to the old Fox Theatre here in town for the latest installment in the franchise. And as I explained earlier, my dad was a big fan of Richard Pryor, so it was a win for everybody. I wore my shirt and cape to the movie, but that was a constant thing for me anyway. In any event, we got out of the movie and of course I was excited. I was running around and happened upon a monstrous rock. Now obviously I didn’t know that it was one of those hollow and decorative types, but Pop did and he told me that if I could lift it, then I really was Superman. So I gathered all my strength and all my might and I picked it up. Dad said that I had the biggest look of surprise and joy on my face. I heard that story dozens of times and it never got old.
BILLY JACK
Because Pop loved it. Because it’s awesome. Because it’s fucking Billy Jack.
Tell me that’s not the most jacked up top ten list you’ve ever seen. But it’s an awesome one. Do you have a movie that reminds you of your dad? I’d love to hear about it. Tell me the story below or follow me and tweet @THElukenorris.
The reason I love movies is that you can lose yourself in them, even some of the “bad” ones on this list. They can take us anywhere, sometimes whether we want them to or not. The great thing about these movies is that they can take me to a place where Pop was still with us, a time when things were good, and they can bring a smile to my face because I know they made him happy too. Pop, I love you and I miss you every single day.
Don’t worry, I do still have your Beverly Hills, 90210 clip of the week. This week’s come from my favorite episode of all time, “The Child Is The Father To The Man”. Forgive the subtitles, but this is the only clip I could find that had the original song. Until next time everyone. Thanks for joining me today for this very special column.