Best sunglasses in movies

There have been heroes and villains, freaks and weirdoes in movies. But they also are important because of what they wear, in this case, sunglasses. Let’s take a look at characters that are recognized for their cool shades.

4. Joel Goodsen (Tom Cruise) in Risky Business (1983): When Joel’s parents are out of town, he sees it as an opportunity to have some fun. He puts on some retro Ray Bans to add to his style. Very Awesome!

3. Jeff “The Dude” Lebowski (Jeff Bridges) in The Big Lebowski (1998): The Dude has no job, no money, and he’s drugged up. What he does have, though, are some sweet sunglasses that he wears almost all the time. He might not be cool, but the shades are.

2. Neo (Keanu Reeves), Trinity (Carrie-Anne Moss), and Morpheus (Laurence Fishburne) in the Matrix trilogy (1999-2003): In their fight against a fabricated “reality”, our heroes dress in appropriate attire, including awesome sunglasses created by Blinde. This makes them look badass while taking out the enemies the way they know how: kung fu!

1. The Terminator (Arnold Schwarzenegger) in The Terminator (1984): This robot’s sunglasses are perhaps the best in any movie. After getting shot in the eye, he is forced to don a pair of Gargoyles, which make him look awesome while he is killing a bunch of cops in a police station.

 

DREW’S QUOTE OF…

DREW’S QUOTE OF THE WEEK

“Geology is the study of pressure and time. That’s all it takes really. Pressure… and time. That, and a big goddamn poster.” 

Red (Morgan Freeman) in The Shawshank Redemption (1994)

Quentin Tarantino

For over 20 years, Quentin Tarantino has been entertaining us with so many genres and an even bigger amount of blood than seen anywhere else. He’s done a heist movie, a series of crime vignettes, a samurai saga, a WWII tribute, and homage to spaghetti westerns. Here is my selection of his four best movies. (Until I see Kill Bill)

4. Reservoir Dogs (1992): This debut feature was considered a breakthrough for not only Tarantino, but also for Tim Roth, Michael Madsen, and Steve Buscemi. Reservoir also marked the return of 40s toughie Lawrence Tierney, and the legendary Harvey Keitel. The plot revolved around a heist gone wrong and the police arriving faster than expected, causing the robbers to believe that one of them is a police informer. This non-linear hit was memorable for its unforgettably graphic ear torture scene, which also made Michael Madsen a star.

3. Django Unchained (2012): Tarantino’s most recent film, Django is about a slave who gets rescued by a dentist-turned-bounty-hunter looking for the Brittle Brothers. Django goes along, but only if they rescue his wife, Broomhilda Von Shaft, from a ruthless plantation owner, Calvin Candie. This film, despite its frequent N-bombs, is memorable for the casting of two Tarantino alums, Samuel L. Jackson and Christoph Waltz. But the real casting triumph is Leonardo DiCaprio as Candie, insisting on being called Monsieur Candie. Django is also memorable for the return of Don Johnson to the silver screen, this time as Big Daddy, a plantation owner.

2. Inglourious Basterds (2009): The popularity of this edgy hit can be summed up in two words: Hans Landa! Oscar winner Cristoph Waltz is brilliant as the suave yet psychotic “Jew Hunter”. Brad Pitt displays some previously unknown acting chops as Lt. Aldo Raine, hungry for 100 “Nat-cee” scalps. This film is memorable for a bar scene filled to the brim with utter suspense. And the horrific opening slaughter helps set the tone for what’s coming next.

1. Pulp Fiction (1994): My all time favorite Quentin Tarantino film, I like it for its non-linear story structure where you have to put the story in order yourself. This landmark extravaganza is memorable for the surprise casting of John Travolta as Vincent Vega, and helped boost the careers of Uma Thurman and my favorite actor in Pulp, Samuel L. Jackson. My favorite scene is a tie with Jules and Vincent’s memorable “raid” on a couple of young thieves led by Brett (Frank Whaley), and Vincent’s effort to revive Mia after she OD’s on heroin. This film will be revered by many for years and years to come.

Similarities in The Shawshank Redemption and The Green Mile

The man himself: Frank Darabont.

Best prison movie ever!

One of Tom Hanks’ best performances, hands down!

The author behind the masterpieces

Frank Darabont has had a good career, the highlights being The Shawshank Redemption and The Green Mile. Despite the movies being completely different, there are a few parallels. Both movies are successful adaptations of Stephen King novels. There is an animal: Jake the crow in Shawshank and Mr. Jingles the mouse in Green Mile. In both, the best performance comes from the African-American costar: Morgan Freeman as Ellis Boyd Redding, or Red, and Michael Clarke Duncan as John Coffey. There is always a tearjerker of a scene: Andy Dufresne (Tim Robbins) and Red’s reunion in Shawshank and the death of John in Green Mile. Always sad! The appearance of a new prisoner signals the possible exoneration of the main character: Tommy’s (Gil Bellows) story of another killer convinces Andy that he is innocent, and “Wild Bill” Wharton’s (Sam Rockwell) revelation, as told to John, clears the latter’s name. There is a mean guard who is always picking on the prisoners; it’s Byron Hadley (Clancy Brown) in Shawshank, and the diminutive, yet equally sadistic, Percy Whitmore (Doug Hutchison). There is a satisfying scene that pretty much settles everything; Hadley gets arrested, and the corrupt Warden Samuel Norton (Bob Gunton), his cooking the books exposed, shoots himself in the head, and a possessed Percy shoots Wharton, and is then admitted into a mental hospital. Both The Shawshank Redemption and The Green Mile are classics worth seeing over and over. Thanks, Frank!

Zero Dark Thirty- a review

Hey guys. What’s going on? I saw Zero Dark Thirty and it was unbelievable. Jessica Chastain deserves the Best Actress Oscar for her brilliant and poignant portrayal of Maya, a CIA operative tasked with hunting down Osama bin Laden. The whole movie is a good take on the back-story of the decade long hunt for the terrorist. There are some disturbing water boarding scenes that have stirred quite a ruckus in Congress. I think that it is necessary despite it being disturbing. My favorite scene was the raid on bin Laden’s compound in Abottabad, Pakistan. Overall, a great movie for any history lover, and one of the most intense movies I have ever seen.

Drew’s QUOTE OF THE WEEK

 

“The time has come for someone to put his foot down. And that foot, is me.”
-Dean Vernon Wormer(John Vernon) in Animal House (1978)

 

Mr. Drew’s QUOTE OF THE WEEK

“Guns. Lots of guns.”

Neo (Keanu Reeves) in The Matrix (1999)