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Stars in Rewind: Ken Ober & 'Remote Control'
Filed under: Obits, Trailers and Clips, Stars in Rewind
Attention children of the '80s: If you haven't already heard, television's Ken Ober died at the age of 52. The cause of death is not yet determined, although his agent noted that Ober "complained of headaches and flu-like symptoms on Saturday night." While he produced shows like Mind of Mencia and The New Adventures of Old Christine, he's probably best known for his time as the host of MTV's '80s quiz show: Remote Control.Remember it? Three players would get strapped into arm chairs, answer questions about television and film (basically anything that could be found on TV), find food raining down on their heads, and get entertained by the likes of Colin Quinn, Kari Wuhrer, Denis Leary, and Adam Sandler. It was part classic MTV ridiculousness, and part media junky geek party.
In memory of the host and show, I thought I'd take us back in time for a few movie-centric bits after the jump. First, there will be Adam Sandler as the awkward "Stud Boy" while Ober doesn't think about the innuendo before saying "I'd love to give it to her." After that, scribe Zak Penn, who wrote flicks like PCU, Elektra, and X-Men: The Last Stand, pops up as a contestant. Now the latter is a little confusing, since the Zachary on the show says he's a biochem major at USC, and bios have him graduating from Wesleyan, but one look at the vid and this pic should quell confusion.
Ken Ober, you're missed already.
Stars in Rewind: Yo! The Marky Mark Workout!
Filed under: Fandom, Trailers and Clips, Stars in Rewind
Before Mark Wahlberg was a successful and respected actor in the movie industry, he was Marky Mark. He wore big gold chains, overalls, and tightie whities. We're all glad those days are gone. One thing can be said about those dark days of Calvin Klein underwear ads -- he did have a rocking body. He probably still does, but Martin Scorcese doesn't exactly make shirt-stripping a requirement for his Boston cops. At least, I hope he doesn't.
Luckily, the glory gangsta (yes, I mean that sarcastically) days have been preserved in The Marky Mark Workout video. I'm sure some of you out there have seen this before (and judging from one Wahlberg fan site, it's something the devoted have watched numerous times), but I hadn't and thought it was worth a giggle. Wahlberg doesn't exactly have the cheeriest public persona, but his youthful self was really someone you might not want to hang around. Marvel at the way he comes onto his workout partners, and their forced smiles of "Ok, but only because you're paying me!"
I know, Wahlberg wants us to forget this part of his life. But YouTube makes it too easy to remember and hey, we all did stuff we regret. Let's laugh together, Mark. Say hello to your mother for me, all right?
Go below the jump for the video.
Stars in Rewind: Tom Waits, Crystal Gayle, and Francis Ford Coppola
Filed under: Drama, Music & Musicals, Romance, Trailers and Clips, Stars in Rewind
Know what this trio of names has in common -- Tom Waits, Crystal Gayle, and Francis Ford Coppola? They collaborated on the music for Coppola's 1982 film One from the Heart. Waits was the creative mind behind the film's music, he performed a number of duets with the country singer, and he also earned an Academy Award nomination for his efforts.
However, that was about all the notoriety the film got. As Roger Ebert wrote in his review some 27 years ago: "This must be the first movie in history to arrive with more publicity about its production techniques than about its stars," describing the film as "a major disappointment." Heart focused on two people in love (Teri Garr and Frederic Forrest) who get swept away by the throes of passion with Raul Julia and Nastassja Kinski. But rather than simply tell the story, it was an art piece for Coppola, using creative filming techniques and a carefully plotted score that interacted with the characters.
After the jump you can see a behind-the-scenes look at the music from the film, mainly focused on Waits, but also revealing footage from initial discussions about the project, and how the music came together. It might sound old-hat in a world where we are saturated by DVDs with special features, but I love seeing the old process -- minds coming together in the back yard for a "musical summit," how each piece of a film can be so carefully plotted, and the utter strangeness of seeing someone like Gayle collaborating with Waits.
Stars in Rewind: Alexander Skarsgard on a Frappuccino Joyride
Filed under: Comedy, Horror, Fandom, Stars in Rewind
One of the silliest pleasures of revisiting older films is seeing actors in small roles, back before you had any idea who they were. Sometimes it's the only reason to watch something over again -- after all, why else would you rent 1990's Tales From the Darkside: The Movie if not to giggle at Julianne Moore being terrorized by a mummy controlled by Steve Buscemi, or pick up Leprechaun other than to mock the performance of the young Jennifer Aniston?Sometimes the now-familiar faces pop up in stuff that's still worth watching, as with Laurence Fishburne as Cowboy Curtis on TV's Pee-Wee's Playhouse, or Johnny Depp in the original A Nightmare on Elm Street. That's a bonanza. And when the earlier role is vastly different from the sort of thing they've settled in to playing now, it's all the more delightful.
Take, for example, Alexander Skarsgard, who sets hearts a-flutter on HBO's campy vampire series True Blood. As Eric, the 1,000 year old, once-Viking "sheriff" who bosses around the show's regional office of the undead, Skarsgard was called Vampire McSteamy and "TV's hottest set of fangs" by Newsweek. The son of actor Stellan Skarsgard, he'll also be seen in Rod Lurie's remake of Sam Peckinpah's Straw Dogs, and alongside Jason Statham, Ray Liotta and Mickey Rourke in 13, director Géla Babluani's reworking of his 2006 crime thriller 13 Tzameti. He also showed up the music video for Lady Gaga's "Paparazzi."
After the cut: A surprising early performance by everyone's favorite Norse bloodsucker.
Stars in Rewind: Viggo Mortensen in 'The Prophecy'
Filed under: Horror, Trailers and Clips, Stars in Rewind
As you probably remember, we were supposed to get a little movie called The Road this week, but it was delayed until November 25. But that doesn't mean you can't enjoy some Viggo Mortensen anyway. Seeing as we're celebrating villains, and The Road will be one of those affairs you don't want to cheese up with a clip like this, now is the perfect time to remind you of Mortensen's pre-Aragorn screentime. I don't mean that disparagingly (they all start somewhere), but I'm very glad Lord of the Rings helped leave the dark days of The Prophecy behind for critical and popular acclaim.
But hey, not every actor has the Prince of Darkness on his early resume. Not surprisingly, he manages to turn in a good performance and makes a very frightening Lucifer (I would bravely argue that makes a scarier Satan than Al Pacino or Robert De Niro, but I'm not sure the fingernails and rose eating will help my case). He even manages the tricky balance of being horrible and seductive enough to slip you out of your soul, a balance few Lord of Darknesses achieve. Plus, he manages it in a mullet. Come on, you always knew that Satan not only invented that hairstyle, but rocks the business in the front and party in the back.
Pop below the jump for all of Mortensen's Prophecy scenes, neatly collected by a YouTube fan.
Cinematical Seven: Scariest Movie Characters on Wheels
Filed under: Action, Music & Musicals, Sci-Fi & Fantasy, Sports, Cinematical Seven, Lists, Stars in Rewind
In this week's Whip It, director-star Drew Barrymore shines a loving light on one of the most brutal and devilishly entertaining sports around: roller derby. If you've ever seen a derby match, you know what I'm talking about: 60 minutes of fast-skating, bruising action between players with names like Axles of Evil and Juana Beat'n. In celebration of the badass beauties of the roller derby world and their Whip It counterparts – including Ellen Page as "Babe Ruthless," Kristin Wiig as "Maggie Mayhem," Barrymore as "Smashley Simpson," and Zoe Bell as "Bloody Holly" – here's a Cinematical Seven remembering some of the scariest, fiercest movie characters to ever lace up a pair of roller skates.
1. Rollergirl - Boogie Nights
In Paul Thomas Anderson's Boogie Nights, Rollergirl (Heather Graham) is a fixture in Jack Horner's porn family who's up for anything but never, ever takes off those skates. She's young, blonde, and always ready like Freddie for some fun – but don't cross Rollergirl, or you might get a face full of wheels in return. When one unlucky frat boy insults her – and her fine feature films – he gets a sidewalk beating from Jack (Burt Reynolds) before Rollergirl glides over to give him the business end of her silver '70s four-wheelers.
Stars in Rewind: Clint Eastwood in 'Revenge of the Creature'
Filed under: New Releases, Trailers and Clips, Stars in Rewind
I'm a little guilty (but perhaps no more than our own Jeff Anderson) of writing too many posts about Clint Eastwood lately, but seeing as Gran Torino comes out on DVD today, and it's slow on news, it's time for a blast from the past. Sure, we could post a clip focused on his iconic sneer and handiness with a gun, but I think his last role deserves to be celebrated by watching his embarrassing first. Take heart, up and coming actors, because everyone starts somewhere.
Look at him, all young and squeaky, with Inspector Callahan and the Man with No Name not even a glimmer in his eye. This is how you know that destiny plays some part in the mess that is Hollywood moviemaking, because he really should have been handed nothing but screwball comedies after this. (Not that he didn't try slapstick at least one more time -- watch The Witches if you haven't already.) Thank goodness for Rawhide, and for demanding a low enough salary that Sergio Leone hired him over just about everyone else he wanted. The rest is history, a fistful of Oscars, and a thousand cinematic homages.
If you want an extra laugh (and can put up with some YouTuber's annoying editing tricks), check out the MST3K version of Revenge, but the pure version is below the jump.
Look at him, all young and squeaky, with Inspector Callahan and the Man with No Name not even a glimmer in his eye. This is how you know that destiny plays some part in the mess that is Hollywood moviemaking, because he really should have been handed nothing but screwball comedies after this. (Not that he didn't try slapstick at least one more time -- watch The Witches if you haven't already.) Thank goodness for Rawhide, and for demanding a low enough salary that Sergio Leone hired him over just about everyone else he wanted. The rest is history, a fistful of Oscars, and a thousand cinematic homages.
If you want an extra laugh (and can put up with some YouTuber's annoying editing tricks), check out the MST3K version of Revenge, but the pure version is below the jump.
Stars in Rewind: Land of the Lost
Filed under: Sci-Fi & Fantasy, Fandom, Remakes and Sequels, Trailers and Clips, Stars in Rewind
No longer is Land of the Lost merely a wonderful series from the seventies with atrocious acting and laugh-worthy, unforgettable special effects. June 5th marked the new incarnation, where unintended laughs make way for scripted chuckles and big-budget effects as Will Ferrell, Danny McBride, and Anna Friel take over the series.In honor of the remake, I couldn't help but go back to the original. Perhaps this look back is unnecessary -- out of the six reviews I've skimmed about the film thus far, only one was remotely positive. Then again, Paul Blart wasn't a mecca of achievement and it did really well, so back we shall go.
There really is nothing like the original series, where even the opening sequence (seen below) doesn't get the slightest lick of a budget -- where the trio's boat looks like it's traveling in a fishtank before landing next to a dinosaur finger puppet. But that's the charm, and as cool as FX dinos are, I can't help but wish that they'd gone the spoof angle and made it all as ridiculous and hand-made as the original. Maybe next time.
Hit the jump to watch the video and an extra treat featuring Jake Gyllenhaal's rockin' ode to Land of the Lost in Bubble Boy.
Terrific Trailers: This Is Spinal Tap
Filed under: Comedy, Trailers and Clips, Stars in Rewind, Scenes We Love
I had completely forgotten about this trailer of brilliance until I caught Unwigged and Unplugged Thursday night -- the excellent acoustic tour that has Christopher Guest, Michael McKean, and Harry Shearer playing tunes from their days as Spinal Tap and The Folksmen. (Go see it if you have a chance!)In the middle of the show, they aired the trailer below. Shot by Shearer, it's not like any other trailer, and not at all like This is Spinal Tap. But it does tap into the excellence that would make them wacky comedic icons. Rather than show clips of the film and how they take it up to 11, the trailer features Rob Reiner talking about the film, and how he's still editing. Since he isn't ready to show a clip, he has something else to share -- footage of a Scandanavian Cheese festival. Oh yes, Shearer, McKean, and Guest pop up in parts, and you're sure to recognize the King of Cheese. But do you also recognize the little tyke in the middle? They say it's a young Jake Gyllenhaal.
Not every movie could pull it off, in fact, most couldn't. But for these guys, and this film, it's absolutely perfect. I'm just glad I was too young to catch this trailer when it first aired. I can't imagine waiting twelve years until Waiting for Guffman.
Note: This is the super-long and complete version. There was also a shorter version.
Stars in Rewind: Morgan Freeman Takes a Bath in a Casket
Filed under: Trailers and Clips, Stars in Rewind
I've had Morgan Freeman on the mind lately, between pride that he was able to inspire Prom Night in Mississippi, the fact that he once played Coriolanus (someone must re-release that!), and then memories of him in the past. As we once mentioned in an old Rewind from 2007, before he was God, or the narrator king, right-hand man of the Dark Knight, or Frederick Douglass, he was Count Dracula on the so-cool-it-should-never-have-ended The Electric Company (amongst other equally cool characters).In the below clip, which makes me want to marry YouTube for its awesome usefulness, Freeman is taking a bath in a casket, bubbles and all. He's not only taking a bath -- he's singing while he does it, about his love for bathing in a casket, where a bath will never leave a ring. I suddenly want a full EC DVD set...
And since his time on The Electric Company was so cool, I'm also going to include a clip of him as a sexy reading guy after the jump. Happy Monday!
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