Category: Movies

Chris Farley as Shrek

Chris Farley Shrek

Up until a few weeks before his death, Chris Farley was recording the voice for the animated lead character in Shrek (2001). Although the Saturday Night Live alum had recorded the overwhelming majority of the movie before his untimely death at age 33 in 1997, it still was not finished so producers had to re-record the part with Mike Myers taking over the lead. If you have ever wondered what Farley might have sounded like as Shrek, now you can find out.

A newly released video features storyboard drawings with Farley voicing Shrek and Eddie Murphy as the voice of Donkey. Check it out.

After Farley’s death, the voicing of Shrek still took awhile. After Mike Myers was cast, he insisted on a rewrite of the script. Myers tried various accents throughout the process, and it was only after he had recorded the part that he asked to re-record it again with the now-familiar Scottish accent. While Shrek came out very well and Myers did a wonderful job, I still cannot help wondering what the movie might have been with Chris Farley.

What do you think of Chris Farley as Shrek? Leave your two cents in the comments.

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    “Southpaw” Aims High (Short Review)

    boxing film Southpaw (2015) begins with Jake Gyllenhaal’s Billy Hope on top of the boxing world, but we get the impression that Hope is at the top more from his willingness to take a beating than his stellar boxing skills. Soon, Hope undergoes a number of blows outside the ring that further test his ability to take a beating and bounce back. The movie attempts to be a combination of a serious family drama and sports movie in one. Although it is not really a champion in either category, it is a decent summer film that at least aims high in a weak cinema summer.

    The basic plot of Southpaw involves Hope facing a tragic loss that he magnifies because of his inability to manage his anger. As he struggles to win back custody of his daughter, Hope finds some help from the wise boxing coach Tick Wells, played by Forest Whitaker. Will Hope find redemption?

    Yes, Southpaw is full of cliches. After all, the main character’s name is “Hope.” But the acting performances by Gyllenhaal, Whitaker, and Rachel McAdams — along with excellent fight scenes by director Antoine Fuqua — make it decent entertainment. I also appreciated that the movie treated the big fight more realistically than some of the later Rocky films, avoiding the temptation to turn it into a big cartoonish revenge battle.

    Of course, Southpaw is no Raging Bull (1980) or Rocky (1976). Yet, one could have an interesting discussion about how it compares to a movie like Cinderella Man (2005), another boxing family drama, although the latter was aided by the fact it was a true story about James J. Braddock. Overall, if you really like boxing movies and do not mind some moving family drama (or vice versa), you might still find Southpaw entertaining.

    Conclusion?     Rotten Tomatoes gives Southpaw a 58% critics rating but a decent 83% audience rating, which probably reflects audience members who are looking for something to enjoy and not the next great boxing classic. If you want to get out of the heat for a few hours of air-conditioned entertainment, you could do a lot worse than Southpaw.



    What did you think of “Southpaw”? Leave your two cents in the comment.

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    Runaway Train (Missed Movies)

    Runaway Train Movie If you have not seen the 1985 movie Runaway Train, it will take you back to the time when action movies were about more than explosions. Even though there is plenty of action this film, there also is a lot more.

    Runaway Train features one of Jon Voight’s greatest performances.  And it also has a meaningful story that has something to say about life and freedom.

    The movie opens in an Alaska prison, where Voight plays an inmate.  The inmate, Manny, is despised by the prison’s warden. Another prisoner named Buck — who is played by a young Eric Roberts idolizes Manny.

    When Manny makes a move to escape, Buck goes with him. Not long after getting out of prison, the two end up on a train, which as you may guess from the movie’s title, becomes a runaway train due to various circumstances.

    Although that is the basic plot, there is a lot more going on in the story.  Much of the best part of the movie is the interactions between the characters and what the story has to say about life, freedom, and death.

    In many ways Runaway Train is an existential movie about choices we make, either dictated by luck or by our own choosing. If the movie had nothing else going for it, the movie is worth watching for the final haunting scene.

    Runaway Train     also stars Rebecca De Mornay and was directed by Andrei Konchalovsky. One may surmise that some of the depth of the film came from the original version of the screenplay that was written by the great director Akira Kurosawa.

    Kurosawa explored similar themes in his own movies, including in a much quieter way in the wonderful Ikuru (1952). The acting, especially by Voight, is also excellent, as both Voight and Roberts were nominated for Academy Awards for their roles.

    Conclusion?

    If you have never seen Runaway Train, you are in for a treat if you enjoy thoughtful movies. Although the movie features plenty of action, it does not have the myriad of explosions of modern movies.  This movie is really about something. Runaway Train is one of the great existential action films of all time.

    Other Reviews Because Why Should You Trust Me? On Rotten Tomatoes, the movie has an 86% critics rating and a 77% audience rating. If you do not believe me about the movie, Robert Ebert loved the movie, and Gene Siskel did not.

    {Missed Movies is our continuing series on good films you might have missed because they have not received the recognition and attention they deserve.}

    What did you think of Runaway Train? Leave your two cents in the comments.

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    “Star Wars: The Force Awakens” Comic-Con Reel

    Star Wars Simon Pegg

    At Comic-Con this week, a panel unveiled a new video of behind-the-scenes footage of the upcoming Star Wars: The Force Awakens (2015) film. The clip features more than three minutes worth of scenes showing characters, vehicles, technology, and other aspects of the much-anticipated seventh film in the Star Wars franchise.

    The video includes several revelations, including Simon Pegg as some type of alien apparently. Check out the Comic-Con video for Star Wars: The Force Awakens.



    Star Wars: The Force Awakens     hits theaters on December 18, 2015.

    Leave your two cents in the comments.

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    “Terminator Genisys” Is Summer Fun Despite Critics (Short Review)

    Arnold Even before the movie’s release, many critics gave bad reviews to Terminator Genisys (2015), and the movie since has been labelled a “bomb” for several reasons that include problems with the marketing and tough ongoing competition from other summer films. Still, if you are a fan of the Terminator series, Terminator Genisys, directed by Alan Taylor, is a fun way to spend a hot summer evening.

    Many folks have already complained that the trailer for Terminator Genisys spoils a major plot point, so for those who have not seen the movie, I will not say too much about the plot. The movie begins in 2029, as the resistance leader John Connor (Jason Clarke) leads a major offensive against Skynet. In the process, the resistance forces discover Skynet’s time machine, and Connor sends Kyle Reese (Jai Courtney) back to 1984 to protect Connor’s mother Sarah Connor (Emilia Clarke, who does an excellent job channeling Terminator 2‘s Sarah Connor, Linda Hamilton).

    That first part of the film may sound familiar, but when Reese arrives in 1984, things are different from what we have seen in the previous films. Thus, this fifth Terminator film introduces a new timeline where the Guardian played by Arnold Schwarzenegger has already been protecting Connor since she was nine years old. On this new adventure, some Terminators from the original and Terminator 2: Judgment Day (1991) cross paths with the new timeline, including a young Arnold Schwarzenegger facing off against an old Schwarzenegger (the skin on robots does age we are told). Sarah, Kyle, and the Guardian end up in 2017 attempting to stop Skynet, which is linked to our cell phones in this modern retelling.

    Ultimately, we see a similar battle to stop Skynet that we have seen in the previous Terminator films, with new twists and turns, including a “surprise” villain. Yes, the film is not as good as Terminator 2, but it is still entertaining along the lines of some of the other films in the series. And it tells a new story that will challenge Terminator and time-travel fans, unlike completely unnecessary reboots like 2012’s Total Recall.

    Conclusion? Terminator Genisys is good fun for a reboot of a series, even if most critics do not like it. Rotten Tomatoes gives it a low critics rating of 27% while regular movie fans rated it higher at 67%. If you adjust your expectations and want a fun summer movie with lots of action, give it a chance, especially if you do not expect it to be the best of the series.

    Bonus note: If you see the movie in the theater, you might want to hang around after the credits for a short post-credits clip, although it is pretty short and rather predictable.

    Leave your two cents in the comments.

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