Everybody loves The Princess Bride, although as the Honest Trailer notes, most probably never saw it in the movie theater. The film, which was directed by Rob Reiner, has become a classic of repeated viewings on VHS, DVD, cable, and through the Internet. I cannot even count how many times I have seen it.
So, sit back and enjoy a little fun being poked at The Princess Bride.
What is your favorite Honest Trailer? Leave your two cents in the comments.
John Glenn passed away today on December 8, 2016 at the age of 95. The former NASA astronaut and Senator is one of the few people who could accurately be described as an American hero.
An American Hero
Glenn served his country well in a number of ways. He left college to join the service after Pearl Harbor, eventually serving in the Navy and then the Marines. He served in the Korean War and later as a test pilot and as an astronaut.
As a Marine Corps pilot, he broke the transcontinental flight speed record. In 1962, he became the first American to orbit the Earth. In 1998, at age 77, he became the oldest man in space as part of the crew of the shuttle Discovery.
In politics, Glenn represented Ohio in the U.S. Senate for 25 years. During that period, he ran for the Democratic presidential nomination and was often considered for a place on the ticket as vice president.
The Right Stuff
But of all his accomplishments, one scene about his life stands out for me. In the movie The Right Stuff (1983) about the original Mercury 7 astronauts, Ed Harris plays Glenn as a somewhat moralizing goody two shoes, who still comes across as admirable.
One scene in the film centers on events from January 27, 1962 after Glenn’s flight is postponed due to weather conditions. Vice-President Lyndon Johnson and the press are outside Glenn’s house wanting to talk to Glenn’s wife, Annie. Annie, upset and not wanting to meet with the press or the vice president, talks to Glenn on the phone.
In the scene, Glenn is aware of the political and media pressure on the space program. And he is pressured to tell his wife to talk to the vice president. But instead, he backs his wife “100%.” The other astronauts also come off well in the scene, putting aside any differences to back up Glenn.
The incident and Glenn’s response is a true story, even if a bit stylized with a humorous take on LBJ for the big screen. Johnson and the media were pressuring Annie, and Glenn backed up his wife all the way.
Glenn later explained, “She said she was tired, she had a headache, and she just wasn’t going to allow all those people in her house … I told her whatever she wanted to do, I would back her up 100 percent.”
There would be a few more delays due to a fuel leak and weather problems. But of course, Glenn did get off the ground on February 20, 1962 in Friendship 7, becoming the first American to orbit the earth. But he was already a hero to those who knew him.
A Harry Potter fan has taken the eight Harry Potter films and edited them to create one film that tells the story of Mr. Potter’s adventure in less than 80 minutes. Tim Stiefler has entitled his creation Wizardhood, in a reference to the movie Boyhood (2014), where we similarly watched the actors age in real life.
So, if you do not have time for all of the films, you may track Harry (Daniel Radcliffe), Hermione (Emma Watson), Ron (Rupert Grint), and Voldemort (Ralph Fiennes) across the years in one film (at least for now while it is still available). Check it out. [December 1, 2016 Update: Unfortunately, it appears that the video is no longer available online.]
The Harry Potter films were released from 2001 to 2011. And they are Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone (2001); Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (2002); Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (2004); Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (2005); Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (2007); Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (2009); Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 1 (2010); and Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 2 (2011).
What scene from the eight movies would you add to Wizardhood? Leave your two cents in the comments.
One of the more challenging aspects of acting is when an actor must speak in a dialect or with an accent that is not native to the actor. Sometimes the actor does a great job, and sometimes they don’t.
In this video from Wired, dialect coach Erik Singer analyzes 32 different accents from actors such as Brad Pitt, Kate Winslet, Tom Cruise, Nicolas Cage, Heath Ledger, and many more.
Singer is generally generous in his criticisms, noting how difficult it is to get the correct accents on everything. He points out several times where actors get some things right and some things wrong. And he has strong praise for others.
Check out Erik Singer giving us a nice lesson in accents in Movie Accent Expert Breaks Down 32 Actors’ Accents.
What is your favorite movie accent? Leave your two cents in the comments.
On November 15, 1956, Elvis Presley made his movie debut in Love Me Tender as the film premiered at New York’s Paramount Theater. The film is set in Texas after the U.S. Civil War.
In the movie, Elvis plays Clint Reno, the brother of a former Confederate soldier. If you are going to make a movie with the most popular rock and roll star of the era, apparently someone thought it would be a good idea to put him in a period piece.
Presley started his music career with Sun Records in 1954, and then his first album for RCA was released in March 1956. So at the time of the release of Love Me Tender, Presley had only been recording music for a few years. Also, he had made his first appearance on The Ed Sullivan Show on September 9, 1956, only a few months before the release of Love Me Tender.
The film initially had the title, The Reno Brothers. But after advance sales of the single “Love Me Tender” went through the roof, the movie was renamed after the song. Elvis sang “Love Me Tender” in the movie, along with three other songs.
The film was similar to Elvis’s later films in that it combined a story with Elvis singing. But it differed from many of his later films in that he did not play the lead role in Love Me Tender. Additionally [spoiler alert!], Presley’s character died at the end, which would have been unthinkable in his later movies.
What is your favorite Elvis Presley movie? Leave your two cents in the comments.
On November 15, 1956, Elvis Presley made his 