I was driving back from Koriyama last week (2 weeks ago? Time flies.) with a friend, listening to Movie Ticket Radio out of Chicago and Tom Jones sang "She's a Lady." The "dj" rhymed off a dozen movies in which that song was sung, including Pushing Tin in 1999. "Hey," I said to myself, "I'm in that movie!" So I watched it online, for I'd never seen it. Here's a sampling.
(It looks like that Japanese title translates as, "I'm not Crazy!")
Director Mike Newell had seated all us extras in and around the STAR and we enjoyed a flight while she lamented on her life choices. I vaguely recognized the STAR and later learned that she was destined to be a 7-time nominee and twice winner of the Academy Award! The STAR delivered her monologue and later spoke with John Cusack on the phone. (He literally phoned in his performance, he was in LA at the time!) If you look at these two pictures, you can distinctly not see me.
Here you can see the muted STAR in action. I am sitting right behind her (HONESTLY!) although the fine director left any cameo of me on the cutting room floor.
IF you can espy me, let me know.
So I can now add STAR, Cate Blanchett, to my list of celebrities with whom I share aKevin Bacon Number Six Degrees of Separation Number of ONE. Thus, I am two numbers away from Peter Jackson and everyone else who has starred with Cate. (I suppose I share a ONE with the director as well and therefore all the cast of Four Weddings and a Funeral.) One of these days, I need to make a list of my ONEs.
My Kevin Bacon Number, by the way, is a THREE. I was in Blues Brothers 2000 with John Landis directing. He also directed Kevin Bacon in Animal House. That's OUR connection.
So congrats to all of you who know me, you all have a Number TWO with Cate!
Sad to report that Wilford Brimley has taken the final flight to the planet Antarea from Cocoon.
As recounted here, I met Mr. Brimley and we were seated near each other at a banquet. In between takes, he'd chat up the waitresses and used his line from Cocoon, "Blue Steel. A cat couldn't scratch it." We scammed one of the above flyers, I only wish I'd gotten it autographed.
I'm one of the hardhats at the 30 sec. mark who gets in a tussle until saved by Charles Bronson, and I'm at the congratulatory banquet at the 1:13 mark but good luck espying me.
I think I'll start watch a bit of 遊星からの物体X (The Thing) before I turn in.
If you haven't figured out today's movie pamphlet from the title of the post, try this picture. (Mainly because it's a really creepy image for the thumbnail on Facebook.)
If you're still having a problem, here's the cover. I love the font they use for the katakana translation of Changeling, チェンギリング.
Watch a bit of the trailer and tell me if it doesn't send a tingle up your spine.
Revisiting the pamphlet brings back some creepy memories, in particular this:
(Full disclosure. I scammed that from the internet.) Here is a picture of the ball from the pamphlet.
What follows are a whole bunch more stills from the movie, the Black and White ones are even creepier than the colour ones.
The primary cast of George C. Scott, Trish Van Devere and Melvyn Douglas. Missing is Toronto's own, John Colicos, who I know best as the Klingon, Kor, from Star Trek TOS and DS9 and everyone else will remember him from Battlestar Galactica. We Canucks were overjoyed to learn that this was a Canadian production with a few scenes filmed around Toronto. This was back before Hollywood adopted Canada as a tax write-0ff.
And the director, Peter Medak.
I have a personalGeorge C. Scottconnection. One of his final roles was in 1999 as Pierino Marchegiano, the father of Rocky portrayed by John Favreau in the eponymous Rocky Marciano. I had the aspiring role of "dude in the background watching boxing". I quickly scanned through the following movie hoping to see myself, to no avail. Perhaps you'll have better luck.
All of the scenes I was in were filmed somewhere on the UofT campus and one day we were given a treat for Mr. George C. Scott himself came to the arena and bade us all hello. He didn't act in any scene with us but his very presence and deep powerful voice was inspiring. That is my only memory of the filming, perhaps I met John Favreau or Judd Hirsch, I just don't remember doing so. (I had other things on my mind, I was moving to Japan in just a few short weeks after filming.)
Today, I was downtown at Jupiter and came across today's snack and Ghostbusters content. A pack of marshmallows shaped like the ghosties. Looked good but for almost 5 bucks, it wasn't worth it.
I was planning on posting the above pamphlet later this month but one of the founding members of the Countdown watched this last night (check outJohn Rozum's Grim Gallery here) so I bumped Changeling up to today. I don't have an appropriate selfie that goes along with a Changeling theme, so how about me as a Tengu? John likes those.
More mischief tomorrow, including an extra entry for Friday of which I was too busy to prepare.
Hey anyone want to buy a remake of Total Recall? It'll only cost you about 10x as much and rake in about 1/10th the box office!
The movie started off slowly, in fact, I nodded off at the beginning of the movie, so I think I missed the gal with the 3 boobies.
Once it got going, it was non-stop action. Nothing new, but a few good effects here and there. It was also a chore to try and guess the Toronto locations. I think I noticed King St. & Union Station but the other locales were less easy to espy. Furthermore, a buddy of mine Daunting Derek Powers plays a cop who gets thrown across a room. I may have seen him, just not so sure. There goes your 15 seconds of fame, DDP!
In one of several tributes to the original, this little lady makes a guest appearance. All in all, an okay movie, a little dull at times and I found myself mixing up the two leading ladies from time to time, although that may have been intentional. If you've never seen the original nor read the book, then it's worth checking out. But if you're not interested in looking for Toronto's hotspots nor a friend of DDP, you might want to give it a pass...
The nice thing about the cinema, is that they gave out these little fans for the fans to help keep the heat at bay.
I really need to get a new scanner, I'm tired of flash reflection showing up on my pics! Speaking of which, here is another fan for fans of the Avengers! They also give out a little flyer with some bio-info of the players. I like the picture of Lou FerrignoEric BanaEdward NortonMark Ruffalo the best.
The main reason I went out today was to catch a matinee of DKR again with fellow Mike. It was just as enjoyable the second time around but this time I knew where to duck out to take a quick pee! Here is a pretty funky tune about it. Beware: Very Catchy!
Batman Maybe, baby!
While at Nagamachi Mall, I noticed that there is a mini-shrine behind the parking lot. Not very well attended as the trough of green slimy water can attest.
In a mini-parkette next to it, there are a couple of cool sculptures by Shin Matsunaga. Funky!
Finally I landed a few flyers and took some pics of some posters for upcoming movies.
The Avengers merchandising has begun (Where the heck are my Batman goodies!!), with an overpriced retro t-shirt and a incredibly difficult to UFO-Catch clock.
Monster Hostel Hotel looks okay, Lincoln looks silly and Frankenweenie promises to be full of Burtony goodness!
This one is for BigBob, a new Evangelion is coming!
