30 DoM: Day 21

21 - Favorite action movie

Oooh, tough one. Action is one of my favorite genres, so I have quite a few in my own collection. I'm making a distiction between 'action' and 'martial art' films, because while one is the other, the other isn't always the one. Or something like that. Basically, to me, if a movie has enough martial arts in it, it becomes it's own genre. If I included martial art titles, it'd be Bloodsport.

But for full on adrenaline action excitment, it'd be Terminator 2: Judgement Day all the way. Still, I think, one of, if not the, best action movie ever made. It's pacing, it's characters, of course its action, everything works wonderfully. Even it's special effects, top of the line back in 1992, hold up to today's standards. It was also the first Terminator I ever saw, and thinking about it I still haven't seen the first one. T2 was my introduction to movies of its kind and there's no better way to start.

Why I think it's so awesome? It holds story first, something most action movies place third. There is a reason everything happens, and it's stronger than just some string of coincidences. The DVD I have is great as well, it comes with three modes to watch it in; standard, w/ commentary, and with "pop up" extra features, as well as being the extended directors cut.

I'm one of those people who loves extra information and useless knowledgeable things about films, so I think I'll share a tidbit about each of the main cast (and director).

Edward Furlong/John Conner; this was his first film experience. Ever. Kid was going to Boys & Girls Club in California, and I forget who exactly, but it was either the director or casting director who spotted him and basically picked up off the street to star in the biggest action movie ever made.

Linda Hamilton/Sarah Conner; has an idential twin sister (who's a nurse). She appeared in the actual movie in the final factory confrontation, as the T-1000 copy. In a deleted scene, after breaking Sarah out of the mental ward, they do a cyborg lobotomy on the T-800 to reset his processing unit to allow him to learn (the movie follows the scene up to the point he says he is a learning computer; the deleted part starts when he says Skynet sets Terminators to "read-only" when sent on missions). The camera shot is behind them facing a mirror. Expect there is no mirror, the set is two mirrored rooms with Arnold facing the camera to show his face (the foreground head only a model) and Linda and her sister moving in sync. The move was actually a budget saver, saving the time it would take to set up an actual mirror shot or the needed editing and special effects it would take.

Arnold Schwarzenegger/The Terminator (T-800); in his first scene walking naked into the bar, he wasn't actually naked. To get everyone to stare at him as though he were, Arnold wore bright neon colored Hawaiian shorts, but didn't tell anyone (in the shot) that he was. So their reactions to his walkthrough are genuine.

Robert Patrick/The Terminator (T-1000); is a beast. In the beginning of the chase sequence, when John just gets on his bike and the T-1000 chases him on foot through the parking garage in his now infamous sprinters run, during the intial takes Patrick was so in shape and so fast he actually caught up to the mounted rig Furlong was riding on. They thought they would need to speed things up in post, but Patrick was so fast they could film at speed, and actually had to speed up the rig so (in theory) the T-1000 wouldn't actually catch John.

James Cameron; is a douchebag. At the time, he and Linda Hamilton were married. Because he wanted Sarah Conner to be really cut and military, he actually pushed his wife to take steriods during production, on top of her insane workout schedule, so to better fit his idea of the character. While not stated officially, it was one of the reasons of their divorce.

Inventors Inventing Inventions

Everything has weird little trends. Tropes if you will. Things that form patterns that people notice when they happen often enough in a specific order. Little traits that span works of media again and again, sometimes keeping to a rout pattern to the point that they don't even know why anymore; it's just the next piece of a one line puzzle.

Being as I thoroughly enjoy kids films, or at least films aimed at kids, one thing I've found interesting is the high population of inventors. Many of them, usually at the start only getting in the way and making life difficult for everyone else. But only because they are misunderstood! If only they had a dire situation that required their selective skills, as well as a small group of friends, or at minimum friends who used to be puttering antagonists, to help them showcase their unique and timely talents. If only.

It most likely is a trope, but I'm not going to bother hunting for it; a trope is any established trait or pattern in media, whether it has a name or not. But I'm curious as to why inventiveness is such a go-to for writers.

The jaded side of me says that it's about marketing. And when I say marketing, I mean the mass production of toys. Have a character who makes a lot of weird shit, and have that shit throw something, and you have the potential to make it on a lot of Christmas lists. Kids films don't always rake in the dough, so to compensate there usually needs to be an associated toyline to get kids excited as well. When the film does awesome, it's just gravy.

The optomisitic side says that it's that want every kid has to be able to make something really, really cool. Like being MacGyver, only without a mullet or knowing who MacGyver is. To be able to make ray guns, or mini motor vehicles, or just anything that screams "rad" out of things avalible in your own home. Pretending that your mom's hairdryer is a freeze ray is on thing; to be able to actually do it would get you such a grounding, but be so worth it.

But it's still a little weird to be such a go-to personality add on. Even if it doesn't go anywhere, as long as the main character shows that part of the reason they aren't well liked is because they "think different" and their inventions are a physcial representation of that, it like saying clapping your hands and saying "done".

What really got me to notice this trend is How to Train Your Dragon. Main everyman Hiccup isn't well liked by the pretty much the whole village, excluding one hold out mentor figure. While he doesn't make very much weird stuff, his opening scene includes him showing off a bolos launching he made since he can't throw one himself. This is frowned upon, because instead of making up for what he lacks, he should've instead made himself able to throw them without help. And supposedly this is not the first thing he's made to make up for his lacking physique. The only other thing he makes the rest of the movie is a practical saddle for dragon riding, but the seed was planted. It's there, and it's why.

Flick in A Bug's Life. Tries to help by making things that, supposedly, will help the colony. Said invention ends up kickstarting the whole plot of the movie. By the end, his inventive skills not only save the day, but his original invention is adopted into the mainstream just like he dreamed.

Nick Szalinski in Honey, I Shrunk the Kids; actually, he gets a slight pass, as his father is an inventor and he merely wants to follow in his footsteps.

Lewis from Meet the Robinsons.

Artemus Gordon from Wild Wild West (not really a kids film, but still felt like one).

Doc Brown (because he's awesome).

And that not even getting into side or plot device characters.

Is being an inventor something to aspire to? The movies say yes, but think about what they have to go through to get to that point where things are hunky-dory. For the most part, things are not so good for them. Generally they're hated or disliked until such a time that circumstances absolutely require their speific ingenuitity.

Is all this a bad thing? No, not really, not in the long haul of things. The visual of handmade, creative items are almost always appealing, and if it helps jumpstart the creative processes of kids, who am I to complain. But it is weird. Are there that many ackward kids or people out there who need to have their unsung hero template? Are there that many people belittled specifically for thinking and making creative devices? Really?

Randomiscadiddle

Wow, three post in one day. I either have a lot to say or drank too much caffiene.

Either way, random things time!

1) I love the smell and taste of cinnamon. Love it.

2) When I tried to visit my then girlfriend in Bellingham (north of Seattle), I got stuck in a snowstorm going through the mountain pass for four hours (and it was a five/six hour drive on a good day). I was randomly given a slice of pizza from a car window as I walked by.

3) I've been to SeaWorld. I know I have. I had a season pass every year. So why can't I remember any of it? Yes, I was only five, but still.

4) One spring break years ago, my family was in San Fransisco by way of Disneyland. I had a migraine and was miseribly staring out a window as my parents tried to find our hotel. I asked where we were staying; the same one we stay in last time (a Travel Lodge, with the bear logo). I asked if that was it; simply staring out the window, we were right in front of it and my parents almost missed it entirely.

4-b) I later puked over the second floor railing just before we got into the room (luckily just into some plants), felt instantly better, headache was gone ten minutes later. Went to steakhouse for dinner.

5) I'm an internet certified minister. Legally, I can perform any and all religious ceremonies as long as those involved agree. This includes weddings, funerals, baptisms and exorcisims. To date I've only performed one wedding (but it was an important one, so I count it as two).

***

"When a person comes into your place of business talking like Christopher Walken and wishes to speak to you and not paying your 'opps insurance', pay the man the god damn 'opps insurance'. Hey, he's talking with a Christopher Walken accent, you don't know what he's gonna do!"

***

- Long Yawn Shawn
- Your Shallow Complexity
- Magpie's Collection

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I like geniuses; they're stupid in funny ways.

***

"Where did you get those?"
"Marilyn Manson."
"What?!"
"Yeah, he owed me a favor."
"How the hell did Marilyn freaking Manson end up owing you a favor?"
"He was short cash at Wendy's; I spotted him the money."
"What."
"Dude wanted to get his Frostee on, what can I say?"

***

Jonathan Lear
Dainer Cale
Siciline Cour D'Maire
Keller Farsong

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Short Story idea; man/woman sitting in room, alone. Gun; one bullet. Bottle of scotch.