Random Factoid #334

27 06 2010

As you might know from January when I spent three weeks in Argentina, I am a student of the Spanish language.  My goal is to ultimately become bilingual because it is a useful skill to have when you live in Texas.

I also love foreign cinema, and a lot of what I watch happens to be in the Spanish language (mainly because there are so many cinematically vibrant countries that are mostly Spanish speaking).  Pedro Almodovar, Guillermo del Toro, and many more.

The farther I get in my study of Spanish, the less I need the subtitles.  For the most part, the characters speak fairly simply.  I usually only need them for vocabulary that I am unfamiliar with.  In fact, sometimes I can listen to the characters speak and find a more literal translation than the subtitles.

I also use watching these movies as an exercise in learning more Spanish.  I try to take away vocabulary from each of the movies and incorporate the words into my speaking.  For instance, I only know that carcel means “jail” because of “Talk to Her.”


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Random Factoid #333

26 06 2010

Back during the Winter Olympics (Random Factoid #209), I talked about my good ear for picking up familiar sounds even when they aren’t where I normally recognize them.

A little while ago, I was watching “Shrek 2” just for comparison’s sake with “Shrek Forever After.”  Finally, the climactic end came about and the clock rang.

Suddenly, I realized that the clock ring sounded very familiar.  It’s the exact same noise that I wake up to every morning.  It’s the “Bell Tower” ring from the iPhone.


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Random Factoid #332

25 06 2010

I kinda sorta caved into Netflix.  Only kinda.  Back in Random Factoid #260, I said that I hadn’t used Netflix because I don’t have any sort of consistency in my moviewatching rhythm.

My dad recently got an iPad for his birthday, and he managed to get a free trial of Netflix through the iPad app.  He told me about the offer, so I started fidgeting around and discovered a whole heaping lot of movies available to stream straight to the iPad.  So I watched “Memento” for the first time, and I loved it.  Not just the movie, but the fact that I was streaming it!

Then I started scrolling through the other movies available to stream – and it had me at “The Pianist.”  I haven’t had time to watch it, but I certainly hope the free trial doesn’t expire any time soon!  I’m dying to watch that and “Letters from Iwo Jima,” one of the two Best Picture nominees from the last decade I still haven’t seen.

And then, while still experimenting with the technology, I wound up ordering the discs of “Road to Perdition” and “Hustle and Flow.”  Now, they are sitting on my desk.  What my dad wants to do with them is up to him – the trial expires in a few days.  Soon enough, they’ll start charging.


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Random Factoid #330

23 06 2010

GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOAL!

In a surge of patriotic pride for the U S of A, today’s factoid celebrates the unlikely American victory in extra time in this morning’s World Cup game!  WE ARE ADVANCING TO THE NEXT ROUND!

I’m not a huge soccer fan, but I certainly am a fan of my country!  I love these big sporting events like the Olympics – they provide real, human drama and competition that really brings you to the edge of your seat.  As much as I love movies, I have to recognize that nothing brings the world together better than a big sporting event.  Even “Avatar,” which made nearly $3 billion worldwide didn’t foster a bond between nations.

Of course, Hollywood tries to bring that same jolt of energy that fierce competition brings to the silver screen.  In my lifetime, the big surge began with the success of “Remember the Titans.”  Ever since then, the genre has been pretty hit or miss.  If you happen to catch a sports movie with a big crowd, there’s always a chance that the theater will get really into the action and cheer.

I can only recall that happening once in my moviegoing career.  It was February 6, 2004 – the opening night of Disney’s “Miracle,” a movie celebrating the United States’ unlikely victory in hockey over the USSR in the 1980 Lake Placid Winter Olympics amidst tensions between the two nations.  The United States went on to win the gold medal, but no game provided more drama or excitement than the semi-final against Russia.

The entire movie builds up to the big game, and it absolutely delivers.  My entire theater was so into the movie, cheering at the U.S.’ shining moments and jeering when the Russians did something right.  The crowd erupted into applause at the Americans’ goals, and by the end of the movie, everyone was chanting, “USA!  USA!  USA!  USA!”  It’s pretty rare to get that kind of enthusiasm while at a movie, and it’s an experience I won’t soon forget.

So who knows, maybe in a few decades we will be watching a movie about the unlikely success of the United States at the 2010 World Cup.  We’ve got to keep cheering, and they’ve got to keep playing at the top of their game.

LET’S GO AMERICA!


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Random Factoid #329

22 06 2010

Today, I went to the San Diego Zoo.  I saw all sorts of pandas, koalas, and polar bears.  But what I really couldn’t get off my mind was “Anchorman.”

Anyone who has seen Will Ferrell’s comedic gem knows that the climactic moments take place at the San Diego Zoo.  Ron Burgundy has relapsed into drunkenness until the love of his life, Veronica Corningstone is in danger at the zoo.  She is doing a report and winds up in the bear cages.

So naturally, when we passed the bear cages, I couldn’t help but wonder if Will Ferrell, Christina Applegate, Paul Rudd, and Steve Carell had filmed in them.  I’m sure they probably used some sound stage for the trained bears, but I can imagine, can’t I?

On a closing note, stay classy, San Diego.


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Random Factoid #328

21 06 2010

I’m currently on vacation in San Diego at the La Costa Resort, and this morning I took a Chopra Yoga class.

What significance does this have in terms of cinema? Basically, none.

Except to tell you that I only knew who Deepak Chopra, the Chopra of “Chopra Yoga,” was because of Mike Meyers’ comedic bomb of 2008 “The Love Guru.” So I guess that makes one good thing that movie gave us.

Let’s just say all the chanting and vague spirituality of the class didn’t really allow me to relax all that much.  I’ll put it at that and leave it at that.


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Random Factoid #327

20 06 2010

Well, it’s another one of those memes.  I do this much less begrudgingly than the first time I tried one (for those who don’t remember, I was greeted with a chorus of “diva” and disapproving comments).

First of all, I’m certainly honored to be doing this meme after being cited by not just one but two blogs.  And these are two FANTASTIC blogs.  If you haven’t checked these sites out, you need to do that now.  In fact, I’ll even include screenshots of their sites that will take you straight to these amazing blogs.

Kaiderman’s The List is a ridiculously funny and entertaining site, always offering up some sort of fresh and imaginative lists that spark my own creativity.  This is usually the first site I visit when I’m struggling for factoid material.

Ryan/Univarn’s A Life in Equinox is a site that I have just recently discovered thanks to the LAMMYs.  His site is a deserving Best Blog nominee, brimming with insightfulness and packed with lots of recurring features.  And if you don’t mind, I think I may have to model my upcoming “About Me” page after yours.

This is the nifty little patch I’m supposed to display in the post.  Some graphic designer did a pretty nice job here.

Univarn got to define versatile already, so I guess I’ll do my own variation.  I went and looked up all the times I have used the word versatile on “Marshall and the Movies.”  It appears I have used it only three times, and they all have one thing in common: Matt Damon.

In my review of “Invictus,” I wrote, “2009 has reminded us that Damon is one of the most versatile working actors, constantly working to improve his craft.”

In a preview of “Green Zone,” I wrote, “‘Green Zone’ reunites the versatile Matt Damon … with Paul Greengrass.”

In my review of “The Informant,” a movie starring Matt Damon, I wrote, “Soderbergh, ever the versatile filmmaker, takes a fairly conventional tale of corporate crime and satirizes the genre.”

So, Kaiderman and Univarn, if you are suggesting that I share some sort of mythical tie of versatility with Matt Damon, I sure hope you are right!

Much like I did for the last meme, I’m going to give the 7 facts about myself by linking to past random factoids.  Really, each random factoid is a fact about myself.  But this one is going to be slightly different that the last meme (which was Random Factoid #265, for all those wondering) in that I will be giving a slight description along with each link.

Oh, and I have two themes working.  The first is to show that I could possibly be a fraction as awesome as Matt Damon, and the second is a bit of a “Friends” motif in the presentation.

The One Where Marshall Whips Out An Amazing Memory (originally published as Random Factoid #35)

The One Where Marshall Impersonates Julia Child (originally published as Random Factoid #97)

The One Where Marshall Recognizes An Amazing Tune (originally published as Random Factoid #207)

The One Where Marshall Schools The Experts (originally published as Random Factoid #224)

The One Where Marshall Defeats 3D Headaches (originally published as Random Factoid #237)

The One Where Marshall Does Crossword Puzzles In Pen (originally published as Random Factoid #280)

The One Where Marshall Wins A Prize (originally published as Random Factoid #323)


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Random Factoid #326

19 06 2010

I don’t watch much late night TV, not even the talk shows.

How does this tie in with the movies, which I tie everything into?  Well, I watch Letterman, Leno, Jimmy Fallon, and Jimmy Kimmel whenever there is a big comedic movie coming out with a whole lot of stars doing the promotional parade.  The campaign has to take them to late night, so I buy in and watch them talk.  It’s pretty entertaining stuff.

The last time I made a concerted effort to watch a lot of guests was at the release of “Funny People” last summer when Adam Sandler, Seth Rogen, Leslie Mann, Jonah Hill, and more were doing the rounds.  This summer, I’ll be watching around the release of “Grown Ups” with its five stars that will most likely be lighting up the late night circuit.  It kicked off last night with David Spade on Leno, and I’m sure it will be in full force next week.

But let me share the three top moments of the “Funny People” cast’s appearances from last summer.

3. Seth Rogen gets rejected by Megan Fox

2. Jonah Hill and his fake Twitter account

1. Leslie Mann likes to Google herself


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Random Factoid #325

18 06 2010

Rejoice!  “Toy Story 3” opens today!

However, it will be without one familiar face.  Wheezy, the lovable penguin that Woody risks his life to rescue, does not appear in the latest installment of the beloved series.  His absence is quickly explained, but it’s easy to let out a sad “aww” when the news is broken.

Why is there no Wheezy?  Unfortunately, there’s some tragedy behind that.

Joe Ranft, the Pixar animator who lent his voice to the character, passed away in a car accident in 2005.  He was 45 years old with a wife and two children.  Ranft was the head of story at Pixar beginning in 1991, helping to craft every story from “Toy Story,” for which he received an Oscar nomination, to “Cars.”  He also lent his voice to many Pixar characters, most memorably Wheezy, Heimlich the caterpillar in “A Bug’s Life,” Jacques the Shrimp in “Finding Nemo,” and Red the shy firetruck in “Cars.”

The movie “Cars,” which he co-directed, was dedicated to his memory.  And I’d like to dedicate today’s random factoid to Ranft, who stole our hearts with Wheezy 11 years ago.

As part of my tribute, enjoy Wheezy’s song from the end of “Toy Story 2” (although it’s sung by Robert Goulet – also RIP – and not Ranft).


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Random Factoid #324

17 06 2010

In keeping with the Pixar/”Toy Story” theme of the week for Random Factoids, I was planning on whipping out some massive nostalgia today.

I was planning on referencing this section of Random Factoid #19, describing a birthday party of mine:

Age 7 – 1999: The movie was “Toy Story 2,” which is still one of my all-time favorites.  We hosted it at the AMC Studio 30 theater, and I remember that we got to go upstairs, which is restricted to the general public, to the special party room.  The only other thing particularly memorable was that one of my friends had to leave in the first five minutes because he was terrified by Buzz Lightyear on his own planet (which turned out to be Rex playing a video game).  And he was one of the tough kids.

As I was thinking about factoids, I could have sworn that we still had some “Toy Story 2” pencils lying around my house somewhere.  I was planning on announcing to the world that 11 years later, I still had those pencils (which were used as party favors).

But as it turns out, they must have bit the dust because I couldn’t find them.  I only bother to still tell you because I had big plans and big ambitions.  Sorry to disappoint, but sometimes there’s entertainment in failure.  How else can you explain the popularity of the FAIL Blog?

So to compensate, here are some of my favorite clips from the first two movies:


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Random Factoid #323

16 06 2010

I saw “Toy Story 3” last night.  Be EXTREMELY jealous.  Sorry to gloat … my review will be up very soon.

Anyways, I won a prize at my screening last night!  Unlike at the “Step Brothers” screening where I had to answer an insanely challenging question about Will Ferrell, I won the prize based on my knowledge of a running segment on a morning radio show.  The segment always runs about the time I leave to drive to school in the morning, so I know it very well.

As soon as I heard a word that tipped me off to the segment, I stood up in my seat and yelled “CARMEN CALLS!!!!!!!!” at the top of my lungs.  The DJ running the contest made some comment about me being enthusiastic as I ran down to claim my prize like a contestant on “The Price Is Right.”

I got three things: a giant “Toy Story 3” poster that now takes up a third of my bulletin board, a game where you use a Buzz Lightyear gun to shoot disk that save the other toys, and a lovely photo op.  The game is officially titled the “Space Shooter Target Game,” something I only found out after my brother threw it in the trash (whole lot of gratitude for me winning it, I guess).

The best thing of all: the movie made me want to play with the toy.  But alas, I didn’t get to.


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Random Factoid #322

15 06 2010

Back in Random Factoid #73, I manned up enough to say that I cry in movies occasionally. But what I didn’t tell you is what those movies were.

Now, 249 days later, I’m ready to reveal some of those movies. In keeping with the spirit of Pixar, you can probably guess what I’ll tell you.

Three Pixar movies have made me cry.

The song “When She Loved Me” from “Toy Story 2” makes me sob. It’s so beautiful and wonderfully done.

The climax of “Monsters, Inc.” – which I won’t ruin for those dumb enough not to have seen it – made me cry the first time, although I don’t think I’ve cried since.

And I pretty much cry the first and last 15 minutes of “Up.” The “Married Life” sequence at the beginning is so incredibly powerful that I cry earlier and earlier every time, anticipating the tragic end.


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Random Factoid #320

13 06 2010

Yesterday, I finally got to see a movie that I’ve been wanting to see for many, many years.  13, to be exact.

Ever since I was five years old, I have wanted to see the movie “Masterminds.”  I remember watching the trailer and wanting to be old enough to watch the movie.  The story involves a kid rebel (Vincent Kartheiser) sticking it to oppressive authority (Patrick Stewart).  The preview showed him kicking butt, and they didn’t have many youngsters doing that back in the day (being the year 1997).  It appealed to my wilder side, and ever since, it’s been buried on my “to see” list.

Turns out I saw the movie 3 years ago when it was called “Die Hard.”  Disappointingly, “Masterminds” turned out to be just a junior version of the 1988 Bruce Willis classic.  But now I can say that I saw it, and my inner five-year-old is smiling.

Plus all that ’90s nostalgia was AWESOME.


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Random Factoid #319

12 06 2010

Standardized tests make me _____ .

a. nervous
b. stressed
c. frenzied
d. ALL of the above

It was a test day for the ACT today, and I was there taking the lovely standardized tests with my #2 pencils, calculator, and a brain in what I dub “testing mode.”

But what I didn’t expect my brain to bring was a desire to hear Russell Brand singing.  Throughout the test, some of the Infant Sorrow numbers kept playing over and over in my head.  I fought off these voices better than I had in the past; at times, I would begin to think that the lyrics were the reading passages.

(The answer is D, by the way.)


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Random Factoid #318

11 06 2010

Well, isn’t this disgusting.

Good Houskeeping tested 3D glasses at theaters in New York, New Jersey, and Connecticut and found that NOT ONE PAIR was sterile.  How gross is that?!  The study reports:

“3D glasses given out at cinemas were found to be contaminated with bacteria that can cause conjunctivitis, skin infections, food poisoning, or even sepsis or pneumonia…”

That’s great, I really wanted a pneumonia when I went to see “Shrek Forever After” in 3D.  For those in need of comfort, listen to the end of the sentence above:

“…but docs say that the germs found are no more threatening than what you find on the arm rest, box of popcorn, or movie seats.”

So as much as I would love to use this as another point against 3D or an excuse to turn people away, I really can’t.  Because if I didn’t start bringing plastic covers for the seats or wearing plastic gloves to handle concession items, it would be incredibly hypocritical.  But there’s definitely something disconcerting about knowing the glasses that you put close to your eyes can have such disgusting bacteria on them when they could be clean!


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