So Nate and I watched “An American Tail: Fievel Goes West” on Valentine’s Day…
And I haven’t been able to get the soundtrack out of my head ever since. It’s probably because the soundtrack was done by James Horner, who was one of the best orchestrator of film scores ever (he did Apollo 13 and Titanic which are both good movies made INFINITELY BETTER by their soundtracks).
So I had to buy the whole freaking soundtrack on iTunes ‘cause I needed it. I was listening to it while walking the other day and heard the “Cat Rumble” track.
Listen to it. Does it sound really familiar?
Why?
Perhaps you’ve seen the title sequence to “Honey, I Shrunk the Kids.”
Was this James Horner, too? Yup (1:43).
I already mentioned this one on here a while back (like a year and a half ago? I dunno, man, time makes no sense anymore), but I love how Horner used Aaron Copland’s “Hoedown” as a base for the “In Training” song.
Finally, I’d forgotten how much I liked the “Way Out West” scene:
I distinctly remember this as being one of the first movies I saw where I really connected with the music. I mean, I think I’ve always been attuned to the music in all movies/TV, but this was one where I was like holy crap the music is so freaking good and adds so much!
Triplet
Does anyone else remember this super artsy movie?
This odd little movie was something I first watched back in high school. In 10th grade, I had to get a few* EEGs done due to a weird blackout thing I had during English class one day. They were testing me for some sort of epilepsy or something and I had to be sleep deprived for it, which meant staying awake for 24 hours before the test.
Somebody (a neighbor? One of my mom’s friends? I don’t remember) knew that I had to do this, so they bought me a few movies to watch to help pass the time. One of them was Triplets.
I love the exaggerated style of the characters and how there’s very little dialogue. The music is fantastic, too. Give it a watch if you can find it!
*It should have just been one EEG, but Gritman is incompetent and they kept screwing it up. I had to get three of them total.
Favorite Movies
Heyo, buttbandits.
So remember back in February sometime when I did my “Top 5 Books” blog post? Let’s do movies today.
‘Cause I’m trying to avoid all the work I’m going to need to do to move my three classes online for the rest of the semester.
From fifth to first:
#5: Toy Story
This movie came out around the time I was in first grade and I loved it so very much. As in, “let’s-force-the-whole-first-grade-class-to-pick-characters-and-then-make-our-own-version-of-it,-‘cause-I-was-mini-Stephen-Spielberg-and-no-one-was-going-to-stop-me” level of love. It still holds a very special place in my heart. Also, Tom Hanks.
#4: Armageddon
Armageddon kind of terrified me when I first saw it as a kid (specifically when the Independence shuttle bit it in the debris, that was horrifying to me as a little). But I love it now. It’s just such an American film, yeah? Awesome music. Bruce Willis. Manly drilling…in space. I love it.
#3: Mystery Men
I had my appendix removed in 2000 (literally as I was supposed to be attending my 6th grade graduation). I couldn’t do much for a few weeks after that, so there were two movies I watched incessantly while I had to stay home: The Music Man and Mystery Men. Mystery Men is kind of a nostalgia trip for me because it just brings me back to that time of my life. It’s funny and weird and has a lot of very quotable lines in it (“you threw a spoon at the guy, Jeff!” “Yeah, what was up with that?”).
#2: Apollo 13
I’ve loved this movie ever since the first time I saw it. It’s a very beautifully-put together movie with AWESOME music. Seriously. The music is probably what pushes this over the top for me. My favorite is “The Launch.” Also, Tom Hanks.
#1: Sunshine
(I have a thing for space disaster movies, can you tell?) Not a lot of people know about Sunshine, which is a shame because it’s freaking fantastic. You look at the DVD cover or you read a brief synopsis of it and you’re like, “oh, so it’s Armageddon but with the sun instead of an asteroid?” Nope, not even close. It’s so different from Armageddon, and I think that’s why I like it. Oh, right, and THE MUSIC OMFG. Here’s one of my favorite scenes with one of my favorite parts of the soundtrack.
It’s so beautiful. And yeah, the whole movie is about that level of intensity.
More Sunshine
If I haven’t yet convinced you that Sunshine is a beautiful, heart-wrenching, mind-wrenching movie, give this a watch and see if it does it for you.
It really is a wonderful movie (with the most beautiful score).
Oh, Ferngully…
Heyo.
So I was browsing Tumblr, as I commonly do, and I came across a post someone made about the “Toxic Love” song from Ferngully. “Toxic Love” is the villain’s song, and the villain, Hexxus, happens to be voiced by Tim Curry. The poster was basically saying how they used to be scared by the song when they were a kid but absolutely loved it now ‘cause it’s Tim Curry being Mr. Sexy Voice for like 2.5 minutes.
Then I had to look it up on YouTube and oh my god, the comments.
Everyone: choking on pollution
Y’all: H A R D E R D A D D Y
Us as kids: Oh no it’s the bad guy!
Us now: [Sexual Tension Intensifies]
Never thought I’d see a cartoon where Tim Curry orgasms on-screen over the thought of destroying a rainforest, but here we are.
We know the real reason he was locked in a tree and this song proves it.
I may be an environmentalist, but if this is what pollution actually looked like, lemme just say I wouldn’t be drinking out of a metal straw.
Every 90’s child’s sexual awaking
thank you all for making me feel less weird about this XD
I can’t stop freaking laughing, oh my god.
(I always liked this scene when I was a kid, too, hahaha).
Movie Throwback: Team America
So for whatever the hell reason, YouTube recommended a clip from the movie “Team America” for me today and I was having flashbacks to when this movie was prime ‘Murica satire back in like 2005/2006. I watched it with my friends quite a few times because we all thought it was great.
Anyway, I’d completely forgotten about this movie, but now that I’ve seen a few clips, I remember how wild it was. The puppets, oh my god.
It’s amazing how some things have changed since then and how some things have not changed at all.
HmmmMMMMMmmm
Hahaha, I found this movie terrifying as a kid as well.
Edit: aaaaaand of course they’re making a sequel this year. Nothing is safe. Humans are terrible.
Hoof
Go see Endgame, it’s good.
You probably won’t have to walk 16 miles through the snow to go see it like Nate and I did (‘cause, you know, it’s freaking May, why shouldn’t it be snowing?), but go see it anyway.
Ugh.
Disney (and Pixar), why?
The Toy Story trilogy was fine as it was. We got our character arcs. We got closure. We got the furnace scene, which, in my opinion, was the most heart-wrenching thing I’ve ever seen in a “kid’s” movie (and some kid’s movies are goddamn terrifying).
I get that your whole thing is just making as much money as possible off of nostalgia, which is unfortunately something that is happening more and more now that entertainment makers are realizing that millennials love nostalgic shit, but Toy Story?
My beloved Toy Story, which was finished with a nice little bow already and did not need to be torn open and sewn together into a sloppy fourth movie?
I am disappoint.
Totoro
I completely forgot to mention this, but on my birthday, Nate and I watched My Neighbor Totoro because it was one of those movies that I watched repeatedly as a kid and he had never seen it before.
The “original” one with the first set of English-dub voice actors is, I guess, ridiculously hard to find now; the only English-dub version you can find now is the Disney dub version.
It makes a huge difference. It’s not nearly as enjoyable in my opinion. That might just be because I’m *that person* who memorizes every inflection, pause, and emphasis in dialogue because my brain has decided that’s more important information than, say, remembering to shower every once and a while—but the only thing I could focus on for the whole movie were all of the differences in the dialogue and the way it was spoken.
I hope Nate found it okay (he probably did because he hadn’t seen the original?), but it was super distracting for me and detracted from the amazingness that is My Neighbor Totoro.
Edit: this was the best comparison I could find. It’s hard to tell what’s what if you haven’t heard both of them; maybe try with earbuds and listen to the original through the left ear only and the new one through the right ear only.
Christmas Movies
I was looking through all my (currently unpublished ‘cause I’m garbage) blog posts and came across the one I did last December where I ranked Christmas songs from favorite to least favorite.
So since I’m the least interesting human being on the planet, let’s do that with Christmas movies.
GOOOOOO!
(Also, just like the Christmas songs, only movies that I’ve seen and remember are on here.)
A Christmas Story
This is THE Christmas movie. Fight me. I always loved how TBS had this running all day (like, all 24 hours) on Christmas.
The Santa Clause
Tim Allen!
Home Alone 2: Lost in New York
My mom will not be pleased with me, but I do really enjoy the Home Alone movies. The second one was better than the first one.
Home Alone
A Muppet Christmas Carol
I like to think that Charles Dickens would have been down with Gonzo playing him in this movie.
The Nightmare Before Christmas
Tim Burton, pre-Johnny Depp.
Jingle All the Way
Arnold Schwarzenegger in comedic roles is the best Arnold Schwarzenegger.
Miracle on 34th Street
I just like this story.
Beauty and the Beast: The Enchanted Christmas
This is like some weird little off-shoot, straight to DVD movie. It’s like a mid-quel or something, but I like it, okay?
How the Grinch Stole Christmas
The original only. LEAVE DR. SEUSS ALONE
White Christmas
The only reason this isn’t last on the list is because I’d probably actually appreciate it now that I’m older. My dad would make me watch this every Christmas and I was so done with it.
It’s a Wonderful Life
Too…grim? I just never liked this one.
WAIT WAT
So here’s something that just surprised the hell out of me. You know Sunshine, that movie I never shut up about?
Chris Evans was in it. “Captain America” Chris Evans.
He was “Mace.”
And I had no idea it was him.
What is this universe.
KICKS
YES.
YES.
OH MY GOD.
Why do people keep watching these? Can’t people see they’re just money grabs? You know they’re not going to be as good as the originals. You will come away disappointed. And yet they perpetuate because people keep spending money to go see them.
Stop, you turds.
Dudes, Primer is on YouTube
Ever since I met Nate, I’ve been raving to him about Primer, a movie made back in 2004 that focuses on some ordinary people accidentally discovering time travel. It was a super low budget movie ($7,000) and wasn’t very widely released, which means it’s super hard to find.
But hey, there’s a legit version of it on YouTube, which is awesome! I haven’t seen this movie since we watched it in high school physics.
So for anyone who wants some super dense time travel fun, here ya go.
Oh dear god
Matt, do you remember when we watched this whole DVD at Maggie’s after that horrible winter semester in 2007? I think we also played some near-naked Rock Band, but that might have been later.
Sometimes I miss undergrad.
The Prince of Egypt is Underrated
I think I’ve blogged about this movie in the past in various forms, but I just found this:
And it reminded me of how underrated this movie is. Not just in terms of the songs, but the whole thing.
I mean, this scene? This is some of the most beautiful animation I’ve seen.
I don’t know if it’s because my little stupid kid brain always pictured like 200 people going for like a quarter of a mile to cross the Red Sea when we read about all of this stuff in Catholic school, but when I first saw this movie I was amazed at the immense number of people and how long of a walk it was to cross the sea. It makes the story that much more impactful, I think.
And yeah, I know, bible stuff, but still. This movie is really well done. Watch it if you haven’t.
Edpool
The highway scene in Deadpool overdubbed with sound effects from Ed, Edd, n’ Eddy? FANTASTIC.
Ed makes a great Deadpool, honestly. And this made me realize just how sound effect-heavy EE&E was. Such a good cartoon.
THE AVALANCHE
I’ve seen my fair share of movies in my life.
But this damn avalanche scene from Seven Brides for Seven Brothers is still one of my favorite movie moments.
Couldn’t tell you why, but I’ve always loved the avalanche. Ask my mom.
Anyway.
RAGNAROK
HOLY CRAPPLES, Y’ALL.
Go see Thor: Ragnarok. Do it. It’s so good. It’s probably my second favorite Marvel movie after The Avengers.
(Edit: OKAY I LIED IT’S MY FAVORITE)
I knew I was going to love it after that first fight scene. Go watch it and tell me that scene doesn’t get you PUMPED.
Act
‘Sup, my dudes?
So for whatever the hell reason, I was thinking about the movie Sister Act this afternoon. My mom and I had it on VHS.
And thanks to YouTube, I can relive my absolute favorite part of the movie.
Loved it then. Love it now.
Claudia Ranks the Pixar Movies (That She’s Seen)
Read the title. LET’S DO IT! From least favorite to favorite.
#10: Cars
Oh, Cars. The black sheep of the Pixar family (at least until Cars 2 came along). I didn’t hate Cars…it just wasn’t Pixar-level good. I had trouble immersing myself in the universe it created, mainly because I think I had more questions about how the universe worked (e.g., are there still humans in this world?) than I’d had for other Pixar-spun universes.
#9: Ratatouille
Ratatouille wasn’t bad, either, but it wasn’t, in my opinion, as memorable as the movies higher on this list. Granted, I’ve only seen it all the way through once, but it still just didn’t stick with me like most of the other Pixar movies.
#8: Toy Story 3
I thought the ending of Toy Story 3 was very predictable. Not that that’s a bad thing, but it took a bit of the emotion away when I watched the ending because I’d anticipated what was going to happen. Not sure if that’s because the Toy Story movies and I are like bros or because it was supposed to be predictable.
But that furnace scene, man. That furnace scene. The first time I watched Toy Story 3 was while I was running on a treadmill on a cruise and man, I had to stop and cry at this, seriously.
#7: Inside Out
Inside Out was a lot better than I was expecting it to be based on the previews. Like any good Pixar movie, it had at least one scene designed to murder your soul. Welcome to pain. Good ol’ Pixar pain. (Those of you who have seen Inside Out know exactly what part of the movie I’ve linked to even without clicking the link, don’t lie.)
#6: Toy Story 2
I have an aversion to sequels like no one else I’ve ever met. But this was a good sequel. I really liked the idea of bringing in some history/context to Woody and there being this contrast between him being this extremely rare collector toy versus just this “regular” toy that Andy adores. Also, Kelsey Grammer as a villain = instant win.
#5: Finding Nemo
I don’t know of anyone who doesn’t like Finding Nemo. This is one of Pixar’s best, both in terms of storytelling and animation (and sad scenes). Plus, I found this picture and can’t stop laughing at it, so there ya go.
#4: The Incredibles
Waaaay underrated. For some reason, this one didn’t seem to get as much publicity as most of Pixar’s other films, even though I think it’s one of their best ones. The story’s good, the pacing’s good, and again, really good animation. Even before getting into the Marvel movies, I’ve always kind of liked movies about people with superpowers/special abilities, so that’s definitely one big reason why this is so high on my list.
#3: Monsters, Inc.
I think this is one of the most original Pixar movies. Very clever. I really like the humor in this one, plus the voice actors that were chosen are pretty much perfect.
#2: A Bug’s Life
Here’s another Pixar movie that I think is incredibly underrated. I don’t know if it’s because it came out practically at the same time as Antz, but it didn’t seem to get much publicity (at least as far as I remember) But I think it is another very original concept.
#1: Toy Story
Pixar’s finest. I adore this movie. Toy Story will always have a special place in my heart because it was really the first movie I remember really loving. (Unless you count Brave Little Toaster, but I don’t, ‘cause that’s not a movie, it’s a drug trip.) I don’t remember exactly when it was when I first saw Toy Story—all I know is that I was pretty obsessed with it. I was obsessed with it enough that I spent a lot of time trying to convince my fellow elementary school classmates to do a live re-enactment of it. Do you know how hard it is to coordinate first graders, especially if you yourself are a first grader? DO YOU?! We got like the first scene done and then their attention spans drove them elsewhere. Kids, man.
ANYWAY. Toy Story. My favorite Pixar movie without a doubt.
(Yeah, I’ve neither seen Up nor WALL-E. I’m a bad person.)
Favorite Disney Songs
Have a list of my favorite Disney songs/animated sequences, ‘cause now that the thesis nonsense is over, I don’t know what to do with my time other than provide crappy blogs.
OH WAIT I WAS DOING THAT BEFORE, TOO.
Let’s do it.
5. Be Our Guest (Beauty and the Beast)
Lumiere, man.
4. The Bells of Notre Dame (The Hunchback of Notre Dame)
That high note at 5:01, holy hell. Gives me the chills.
3. Just Around the River Bend (Pocahontas)
I don’t know why, but I’ve always just really liked this song. It’s my favorite Pocahontas song.
2. Hellfire (The Hunchback of Notre Dame)
Frollo is great, man. I love that he’s a villain not because he’s got that “I know I’m doing something wrong but I’m going to do it anyway because it benefits me” thing that so many Disney villains have, but because he really thinks he’s in the right and doing things according to his religious beliefs.
1. I’ll Make a Man out of You (Mulan)
Does this one need an explanation? Really?
Inside Out!
Nate and I went to see Inside Out today. It was very enjoyable! When I first saw the previews back in May (when we went to see Age of Ultron), I didn’t think it would be a movie that was up to Pixar’s usual standards, but the reviews are right: it’s a very good movie. I really like what they did with the geography of Riley’s brain and how it all fit together at various points in the story.
Also, the Bing-Bong part (you know what I’m talking about if you’ve seen the movie) was really freaking sad.
But yeah, it’s definitely worth seeing in my opinion. While I still haven’t seen some of Pixar’s films (Up and WALL-E are the big ones), of the ones I’ve seen, Inside Out ranks pretty high up there. Not Toy Story high, but high.
Holy crap, I went to a movie theatre.
Nate and I saw Age of Ultron today!
It was pretty damn good overall. It seemed really rushed at times, especially in the beginning, but considering Whedon’s original version was supposedly quite a bit longer, that might explain things. We’re hoping that when the DVD comes out it’ll have a director’s cut.
I’d definitely watch it again; I always seem to get waaay more out of any given movie if I watch it a second time.
Also, this was the first movie I’ve seen in theatres since Watchmen way back in 2009.
Wonderful Noise
Holy crapples. If you haven’t watched Gravity yet, you need to do so, even if it’s just for the scene that goes along with this amazing song:
Or just for that song alone.
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