Happy Ash Wednesday!

Happy Birthday Abe Lincoln!

Happy Birthday Burt Reynolds!

Burt Reynolds got his start in Hollywood on TV in the late 50s with bit parts but then got regular gigs on shows like Gunsmoke, Riverboat, Hawk, and Dan August.  Burt did the rounds on TV talk shows and was a regular on the Dinah Shore Show and the Tonight Show.  Burt was very charismatic on these shows and really showed he was an entertainer and had a growing fan base, especially with the ladies, so a transition to movies was quite easy for the rising star.

In the 70s Burt headlined all sorts of movies from action, westerns, and some light hearted comedies.  Movies like Fuzz, Shamus, The Longest Yard, The Man Who Loved Cat Dancing, W.W. and the Dixie Dancekings, and White Lightning were all great successes but 1972’s Deliverance made Reynolds a legitimate super star.  The movie is a about a group of guys that go on a weekend canoe trip in the South and run into some trouble.  Burt plays the survivalist of the group, a modern day Rambo, which is a bit prepared for the trip.  This movie features one of my favorite lines from Reynolds, “Sometimes you have to get lost to find yourself.”

In 1976 Reynolds got in the director’s chair for Gator, a sequel to White Lightning, and proved he had some directorial chops to him too.  In 1977 Reynolds was cast in Smokey and the Bandit by old friend and co-worker stuntman and now director Hal Needham. Bandit was a huge success being the #2 movie at the box office playing runner up to some little sci-fi movie called Star Wars.  I even named my dog The Bandit.  Reynolds and Needham made several more movies together combining southern comedy, women, and stunts.  Lots of stunts.  Hooper, Smokey and the Bandit 2, The Cannonball Runs, and Stroker Ace were absolutely loved by the fans, loathed by the critics, and made tons of money.  You might actually say these movies ruined Reynolds career when you look back at them.  He seemed to fall back on these a few too many times.

In 1981 Burt starred in and directed Sharky’s Machine, a very good hard edge cop thriller in the vein of Dirty Harry.  Reynolds alternated between action and comedies in the 80s as his popularity began to dwindle a bit.  In 1984 he teamed with Clint Eastwood in the action comedy City Heat that turned out to be a mess of a movie.  Reynolds was injured on the set during a stunt gone wrong and missed a small portion of the production and had to have his jaw wired and was quite sick.  He amazingly returned to the set and finished the movie and impressed all during the rest of the production.  

 Reynolds may be more known for turning down the role of the astronaut in Terms of Endearment, a role that was tailor written specifically for him.  Jack Nicholson accepted the part and the Oscar that came with it.

In the 90s Reynolds returned to TV and had a hit in the comedy Evening Shade and even won an Emmy for his performance as a Southern football coach on the show that ran for four years.  Reynolds had bit parts in other TV shows and movies but got the comeback role he was looking for in 1997’s Boogie Nights.  Reynolds plays a porn producer that discovers a star and this led to an Oscar nomination. Sadly he lost out to Robin Williams. Reynolds continues to work on TV and direct to DVD movies and gets some theatrical releases like Mystery, Alaska, The Dukes of Hazzard, and Driven with Sylvester Stallone.

Happy Birthday Burt and thanks for all the great work and I look forward to more!

Walking Dead-Starts back on Sunday!

Movie Poster Wednesday-Iron Man 3

Stallone: 3 in 13

It's like the 80s all over again as Sly has 3 movies set to be released this year.  At age 66 the dude is shows no sign of slowing down.

On February 1 we have Bullet to the Head.  Sly stars as a hit man who teams up with a cop to take out some bad guys.  I checked this out last week and it is not bad.  I loved that director Walter Hill gave this such an 80s action movie feeling and Sly was great in it as he got quite a few good lines in it.  Bad guy Jason Momoa really did some nice work in this too.  I expect to see him in more action flicks soon.

On September 27 we have Sly and Arnold teaming up to break out of a state of the art prison that Sly has been wrongly incarcerated. 

And finally on November 15 the Italian Stallion takes on the Raging Bull (Robert De Niro)  in Grudge Match.  This is said to be a comedy but I don't think it is quite Grumpy Old Boxers.

So we have alot coming from Sly this year. And in the near future The Expendables 3 has been given the green light and Rambo 5 is still getting some talk so Sly rolls on.

New Release Tuesday

Proof that drunk pilots do fly better.  Denzel makes anything he is in better but I am most excited about director Robert Zemeckis getting back to live action movies.

I am a sucker for any kind of monster movie and this is no exception.  This was a fun flick to watch the kids.  Only thing that bugged me is that they call Frankenstein's monster Frank.  Frankenstein is the doctor not the monster.

Dark Knight Returns is my favorite comic book and it is about an older Batman coming out of retirement after laying low for ten years.  Batman makes some new enemies and then sees some old ones resurface.  Part of one this was excellent and Peter Weller (Robocop) voicing Batman is perfecting casting.  Can't wait to watch this.

Good lucking cop drama that makes being an LA cop one insane job.

Loved the first two Death Race movies and glad to see the cast from part 2 returning.  I expect lots of great car stunts.

Obvious cash grab from Fox to coincide with Die Hard 5.  I would steer clear of this because it does not even have the R rated cut of Live Free or Die Hard that has been issued on DVD.  I will wait for the ultimate box set that has all 5 movies.

I grew up watching the Duke and this was one of his best movies.  It also features awesome cinematography showing off the hills of Ireland.  Highly recommended.

Scream Factory keeps churning out great old horror movies and this is an early one from the great Wes Craven.  Great art work and loaded with special features.  Can't wait for Phantasm 2 and The Town that Dreaded Sundown later this year.