redblog

The Blind Side

Of all the horror movies I watch, all the CG and rubber gore I rarely blink at, I felt an inescapable sense of dread at the start of The Blind Side and instinctively moved to cover my eyes. The film opens with Sandra Bullock’s Southern syrup-drenched voice over, but on screen we’re seeing an old NFL film. Look, it’s the Redskins and there’s John Riggins, so it must be from the ‘80s. Yep, there’s Joe Theismann… and it’s a night game… which means a Monday night game… and… oh my god no… they’re playing the Giants… and there's L.T….

Every football fan over 30 remembers what comes next, and as Bullock’s character explains in her narration, it changed professional football and Michael Oher’s life. Thanks to that oh-god-cover-your-eyes moment live on Monday Night Football, when Joe Theismann’s shin suddenly went 90 degrees the wrong way (a moment that in the days before YouTube was still seen over and over again on television), the left tackle’s need to protect the quarterback’s blind side became much more important—hence much more valuable and financially lucrative.

And because of that, the real-life Michael Oher, a hulking, surprisingly quick mountain of a man, went from living on the streets at age 16 to avoid daily life in the projects to becoming a first-round draft pick for the Baltimore Ravens last spring. In fact, in one of those nifty little art-and-life serendipities, this past Monday evening I got home from a screening of The Blind Side—the wonderfully moving dramatization of Oher’s story—just in time to catch Oher himself live on TV, helping the Ravens crush the hapless Browns on Monday Night Football.

The Blind Side tells the true tale of young Michael Oher (Quentin Aaron), a looming giant growing up in a solemn, silent self-protective cocoon. Big Mike, as he’s called by others, goes anywhere in the Memphis night to escape his mother’s broken home, but he’s not getting anywhere.

Then Oher is given a couch to sleep on for a night by Leigh Anne Touhy (Bullock), an interior designer, Taco-Bell-franchise socialite, and a bona fide bull-headed, Ol’ Miss-loving, Southern belle. Michael’s night on the expensive Touhy Family couch turns into two, then a week, then a month, as all the Touhys end up helping the behemoth of a boy find his place first in the classroom and only later on the gridiron. (Football is barely mentioned during the film’s first half.)

Based on the book The Blind Side: The Evolution of a Game by Michael Lewis, the film is written and directed by John Lee Hancock (The Rookie) with a sure-hand for negotiating obvious sports-movie clichés past the dopey and right into your heart. The Blind Side may draw its inspiration from how Oher’s quiet, mammoth gentleness hides deep, protective strength, but its tone comes at you like Lawrence Taylor himself, bearing down with every heavy pound of crushing, inescapable power.

A Little Freeze Frame for Your Friday

We had a good streak going for the past several weeks with lots of people taking a shot at Freeze Frame glory... until it all came crashing down last Friday when the stills from Raising Arizona, The Rock and Adaptation clearly stumped so many of you that you threw in the towel without even trying.

Therefore, I tried to make the images for this weekend's game a little easier -- but I'm not just going to hand it to ya, folks!  What fun would there be in seeing your name in bold and creating a dazzling aluminum foil trophy for yourself if everyone could identify movie images in a matter of milliseconds?  None, I tell you.  There would be no fun in that at all.

So we shall soon see what brave men and women are up to the task this time around.  As always, enter your guesses into the comments link directly beneath this post, and we'll announce the winner in bold on Monday, AND give selfmade Common Thread Button o' Pride pins out (rather, we'll tell you to make them yourself because it's more meaningful when you put a little elbow grease into something) to anyone who mentions the link amongst the trio.  I think this one is reeeeeaaaallly easy, but then again, I said the same thing last week and only a handful of people got it.

Will you be one of the triumphant ones for this challenge?  I've got a good feeling that you will, so get ready to give it the ol' college try...

Movie #1

Movie #2

Movie #3

Good luck!  And be sure to check back on Monday for the winners (and the answers, of course).

Thursday Threes: The Answer

When I asked what actor was in Men Don't Leave, Titanic, and Primary Colors, I got enough "Leonardo DiCaprio" guesses I worried for a second maybe he was in all three and I'd finally committed the dreaded "Double Threes Answer" foul-up I've been fearing. But a quick double check confirmed that while of course Leo was in Titanic, no he was not in Men Don't Leave (perhaps confusion with This Boy's Life?) or Primary Colors. Whew.

Most of you did get it correct, but the most correct fastest was faithful redblogger and reader who rocks Matthew S.! Matthew gets the construction-paper medal while in second was steady Threes placer Jim and in third was Arianaa. Congrats, all!

So who was in all three of those films? Light up the Inviso-Text for the answer!

It was indeed Kathy Bates, appearing this weekend in the terrific The Blind Side as a Memphis-based tutor--not much of a geographic stretch for Bates, who was born there. Before her big break-out role in 1990's Misery, Bates was working as an actor on stage and in film and television for two decades--she had bit parts in Two of a Kind and Arthur 2, and did guest spots on TV shows such as St. Elsewhere, L.A. Law, and China Beach.

In 1990, Bates also appeared in the under-rated, under-seen family drama Men Don't Leave, starring Jessica Lange, Joan Cusack, Arliss Howard and young Charlie Korsmo and Chris O'Donnell. Men Don't Leave was the second film from Risky Business director Paul Brickman, one of the great "lost" directors of the past 20 years. The very talented Brickman hasn't made a film since then.

Of course in 1997's Titanic Bates played the "unsinkable" Molly Brown, and in the following year's thinly veiled Clinton roman a clef Primary Colors, she was Libby Holden, the campaign adviser and old friend of the "Stantons." Holden was very loosely based on the real-life Betsey Wright, Governor Bill Clinton's chief of staff in Arkansas.

Bates recieved a supporting-actress Oscar nomination for Primary Colors--she was also nominated in 2002 for About Schmidt and won the best-actress Oscar for playing super-fan Annie Wilkes in Misery.

The Twilight Saga: New Moon

Last summer I read the four Twilight novels back to back and immediately understood why millions of women around the world went gaga for Stephenie Meyer's fictional Forks, Washington-based universe.  While I don't consider myself a Twihard by any means, I'm also not too proud to admit that I did, in fact, enjoy the books.  And even though New Moon was my least favorite in the series, I still had high hopes for its adaptation. I mean, it just kinda had to be better than Twilight, right? 

If you were reading redblog a year ago then you know that while I had several issues with the first film, I did find some of its cheesiness a bit charming. (What you might not know is that I watched it in the theater again -- twice -- after I wrote that review and actually liked it more each time.)  Therefore, I figured that with a new director (Chris Weitz) and a bigger budget that would surely remedy the embarrassingly bad "special effects situation," there was no way the sequel wouldn't be a superior film.  Alas, fellow Twilight fans, I have bad news for you: I was very, very disappointed by New Moon.

For the most part, the adaptation follows the story arc of the novel. Vampire Edward Cullen (Robert Pattinson) and mortal high schooler Bella Swan (Kristen Stewart) are happy together for like two seconds, but then a few members of Edward's family start lusting after Bella's blood when she gets a paper cut (at her own birthday party, no less), and so Edward's all, "Sorry, babe, but this isn't gonna work."  Bella sinks into a deep depression when the entire Cullen clan skips town, and the only person who is eventually able to cheer her up is her old buddy Jacob Black (Taylor Lautner), who's put on approximately one gazillion pounds of muscle -- and continued to use Crest White Stripes without abandon on his already-blinding choppers -- since we last saw him.  It is then revealed that he simply cannot bear to have his shirt on.  It physically pains him to do so -- he gets a really wicked contact rash and no one on in La Push (where he and his fellow Quileute tribe members hang) can figure out how to help him.  OK, so I made that part up. Jacob's shirtlessness is never actually explicitly explained in the film, but one can infer that it has something to do with him being a werewolf. But forget about the werewolf part for a second because I just need to say that it is seriously Ridiculous (notice the capital r?) how much Jacob's running around half-nekkid in this movie.  Or running around half-nekkid in the pouring rain.  Or in slo-mo.  I just kept thinking, "This is like Baywatch... with guys" during all of his scenes (and some of Edward's -- he also goes shirtless a few times and has a classic/hilarious bad-boy-walking-in-slo-mo scene to boot). I suppose I should be happy that some dudes are getting objectified-to-the-max up on the big screen for a change, but instead I just felt embarrassed for them.

Back to the plot... Just as Bella's life finally regains some normalcy and her friendship with Jacob starts turning into something more (no one can resist all that shirtlessness), the Cullens pop up again. Specifically, Edward's sister Alice (Ashley Greene) decides to drop by, and around that same time the girls learn that Edward thinks Bella is dead (long story). Because she can see glimpses of the future, Alice knows that Edward plans to take a page from Romeo and Juliet and -- since vampires can't off themselves -- will attempt to join Bella in death by putting on a fab-u light show over in Italy.  Meaning, he's going to stand in the sun and reveal his sparkling vampire skin to humans, thus ensuring he'll be killed by the royal vampire clan, the Volturi, 'cause showing your bling-bling face in public is against their rules.  Why would Edward be so distraught over Bella's death?  Wasn't he the one who left her?  Yes, of course, but he was just trying to protect her -- he really does love her -- but vampires shouldn't be with humans -- daaahhhh!!!!!   Don't you see how complicated their relationship is?!?!  Why else do you think they're always fumbling over their words and gasping and sighing and breathing heavy?!?  Because it's hard to be a human and vampire in love, people!

Coincidence? I Think Not.

A teeny film called New Moon opens tomorrow and stars a homely, unpopular, random dude named Robert Pattinson.  Why Summit Entertainment, the same studio behind the Twilight adaptations, would choose today to release the trailer for Pattinson's 2010 romantic drama Remember Me is just beyond comprehension.  Certainly there are no women out there who experience Pavlovian drool responses to his voice, his image or that crazy hair.  Why would anyone think this trailer would get any attention right now?

</End sarcasm.>

Hmm, I'm not feelin' it. First off, I can't even really tell what this is about. So then I read its plot description (which I'll put below in Invisotext because some might consider it spoilery) and subsequently felt like the trailer was trying to make the film out to be something it's not. However, there are lots of clips of RPattz looking pretty (even when he's all banged up, he's pretty... it's amazing!), so I guess that's all that matters in the end. And while I like Lost's Emilie de Ravin and LOVE Chris Cooper, what's scaring me off from this one is the fact that it was written by Jenny Lumet, who also penned one of my most-hated films of 2008, Rachel Getting Married.

Since I'm not a crazy Pattinson stalker (you know who you are), as of right now I'm putting Remember Me on the I Hope A Better Trailer Comes Out Or I'm Definitely Not Seeing This in the Theater list.  Does anyone out there feel differently? 

Oh, and if you want the possibly spoilery plot summary, click and roll to reveal the Invisotext: "Tyler (Pattinson) and Ally (de Ravin), find their relationship tested after Ally witnesses her mother's murder and Tyler reels from the suicide of his brother, which leads to his parents' (Pierce Brosnan, Lena Olin) divorce." From the trailer, I thought this would be a "boy from the wrong side of the tracks falls in love with a girl whose dad thinks he's garbage" type of story. I guess that might still be applicable, but I was really surprised to read about the murder and suicide subplots -- weren't you?

Your Thursday Threes

You know how it works!

I give you three films, you tell me what single actor was in all three of them.

Enter your guess in the comments section directly below this post, and if you are the first with the correct answer you'll find yourself with the homemade construction-paper medal! (You do all the making. And provide all the materials. But it's really an honor. Trust us.)

I won't publish any guesses until tomorrow when I put the correct answer up.

What actor was in:

Men Don't Leave

Titanic

Primary Colors

The Close-Up Poster Answer

Aw, here I thought I was being tricky, but most of you had no problem. Almost everyone nailed it, though there was one guess of Encino Man. Um, no.

Jessica was first with the right answer, followed by Paul N. in second (Paul's closing in on a win one of these days!) and Christopher Welch in third.

Here, take another look at the close-up view of this movie poster:

Hang on, I'm about to make it way too easy for you:

Follow me over the jump for the full poster and some fun, informative facts!

redblog Readers Who Rock: Donna

Yes, dear redblog readers, today we are talking with THAT Donna. The Donna who, along with Millar74, has dominated our Threes challenges for as long as we can remember. The Donna who won a free DVD rental per week for a year in redbox's Facebook Photo contest. The Donna who handily snagged herself a swag bag during our September Month o' Contests With Actual Prizes. 

So sit back, relax, and prepare to meet the movie trivia whiz that is...

Name: Donna G.

Posts as (username): Donna

Age: 41

Location: Oak Creek, WI

Occupation: Teacher

When did you start using redbox, how did you find out about us, and how close is the redbox you usually go to?

I started using redbox about a year ago, when there were free codes every Monday. I had heard about redbox online and when one appeared in my local grocery store, I was hooked. My nearest redbox is about a mile from home.

Are there certain types of movies that you prefer to see in the theater… and along those same lines, are there certain types of movies that you prefer to watch at home?

I’m cheap and watch most of my movies at home on DVD (from redbox, of course). But there are some movies that need to be seen on the big screen (big, epic, action movies for instance) and then I’ll go to the theater. Although I do like to see scary movies at home where I can watch it in bed and pull the covers up over my eyes.

Do you prefer a packed theater or a nearly empty one, or does that depend on the movie? 

It depends on the movie. I finally went to see Paranormal Activity the other day and there were only like 5 other people in the whole theater and I was there alone. I didn’t find it scary in the least, but it might have been different with a packed theater. Action movies need a full theater. Sad or dramatic movies are better in an empty theater where I can cry in privacy. 

Enjoy Yourself Some Close-Up Poster Contest!

Let's make it a little trickier for a change, eh?

All you have to do is study the image below, a close-up bit of the original poster for a famous movie. Then just enter the correct title of the film in the comments section below this post.

I won't post any of your guesses until I put the answer up and announce the winners tomorrow.

Take a look and take your best shot:

 

Tuesday Threes: The Answer

So, I asked you what film featured Dwayne Johnson (voicing the lead human in this weekend's Planet 51), Peter Facinelli (reprising his role as a vamp-pa in Twilight: New Moon), and Roger Rees (you might remember him as Rebecca's boyfriend Robin Colcord on Cheers, or Lord John Marbury on West Wing, or the Sheriff of Rottingham from Robin Hood: Men in Tights, or the owner of the Titanic).

Quite a few of you got it right, some of you got close, but only Nichol was right and first! (I believe this is your second win in recent weeks, isn't it, Nichol?) Nichol gets the homemade construction-paper medal, while Paul N. and Jim came in second and third. Congrats, all!

Still not sure what the film was? Embrace your destiny! And the Inviso-Text!

Yes, it was 2002's The Scorpion King, starring the actor formerly known as The Rock as Mathayus,  the um king of the scorpions or sumthin'. Johnson's character was introduced at the end of 2001's The Mummy Returns--his first non-wrasslin' movie role. The idea was to then spin the anthropodian warrior off into a new Mummy-related franchise, a la Conan the Barbarian. Alas, the spin-off spun out at the box office.

Smarty pants historical trivia: There really were a couple Egyptian "scorpion kings"--not pumped-up beefcake warriors with mystical blood, but rather pre-dynastic pharaohs who used the scorpion as their ruling symbol.)

Facinelli was the fratricidal Prince Takmet, while Rees was the wise King Pheron  who got himself fratricided. Also appearing in The Scorpion King as the Rock's sidekick thief was Grant Heslov, the actor-turned-writer-director who helmed this fall's The Men Who Stare at Goats.