Why That 70's Show Beat Freaks and Geeks

Freaks and Geeks is a comedy/drama from 1999-2000 that takes a look at the lives of an “average” family in 1980.

Starring Linda Cardellini and John Francis Daley, Freaks and Geeks has a cast of secondary characters that would go on to become some of the biggest names in television in movies. The crew of “Freaks”, the high school kids who party and break all the rules, features James Franco, Seth Rogen, and Jason Segel.

While 1999 may have been before these big name actors really broke out, it’s surprising that the show only aired one season and did not get picked up for another. The main reason for this was probably the show’s competition with That 70’s Show, which started around the same time. The two shows are very similar; both show a group of high school kids that are a mix between news and rule breakers. Both shows featured high school aged kids smoking weed, and both shows had characters who would freak out over all the developments in the “nerd community”.

 While Freaks and Geeks had many characters who would go on to be well known actors, they didn’t gain any advantage over That 70’s Show because of this. That 70’s Show featured Ashton Kutcher, Mila Kunis, and many more successful actors.

Probably the biggest reason That 70’s Show was picked up for 8 seasons and Freaks and Geeks only got 1 was because of the length of the shows. That 70’s Show consisted of quick, 22 minutes episodes full of cheap laughs and minimal overarching storylines. Freaks and Geeks, however, took more of the “dramedy” route, requiring viewers to watch each episode in order to really understand what’s going on. Following a series of hour long episodes before the era of online streaming was difficult, and thus it was easier for That 70’s Show’s viewers to follow along. Even still, Freaks and Geeks is an entertaining show with likable characters that deserved more than the one season it got.

Moonstruck

Moonstruck is an American romantic comedy, debuted in 1987, directed by  Norman Jewison, and written by John Patrick Shanley. It stars Cher, Nicolas Cage, Danny Aiello, Vincent Gardenia, and Olympia Dukakis.

The film was released into theaters on December 16, 1987 in New York City, and then nationally on December 18, 1987.  This film received many popular reviews from film critics, and went on the gross a whopping $91, 640, 528 at the North American box office, making it the fifth highest-grossing film of that year. 

Moonstruck was nominated for six Oscars at the 60th Academy Awards, winning for Best Original Screenplay, Best Actress, and Best Supporting Actress.

Loretta Castorini, Cher, a widowed Brooklyn bookkeeper in her late 30s whose husband died several years earlier in a bus accident, decides that it's time to get married again. So she accepts the proposal of a nice, middle-aged fellow named Johnny Cammareri. Johnny Cammareri is not spoken well, quite afraid of life, and obviously not a perfect match for Loretta.  Loretta is convinced her first marriage was cursed because she and her husband had gotten married at City Hall; this time, she's determined to do things right and have a real wedding with everything (hopefully paid for by her father, as is customary for the father of the bride to do). She admits to her mother, Rose, that she's not really in love with Johnny. (To which Rose replies: "Good. When you love them, they drive you crazy, 'cause they know they can." Rose speaks from rueful experience; she suspects, with good reason, that her husband, Cosmo, is cheating on her.) Loretta is convinced that marrying Johnny is the safe and sure thing to do, she just wants a normal life. Until she meets his estranged younger brother Ronny, who tends the ovens in a neighborhood bakery. Loretta discovers that in startling contrast to the pleasant, mild-mannered Johnny, Ronny is moody and passionate; what follow are complications worthy of a comic opera.

Ronny Cammareri: I'm in love with you. 

Loretta Castorini: (slaps him twice) Snap out of it! 

This movie, to me, is a classic.  I couldn't imagine growing up without this movie!  The love story is my favorite; it is witty, hilarious, romantic, and full of relatable family scandal.  Cher and Nicolas Cage fall in love in a very passionate and very Italian inspired movie.  The movie itself is a less dramatic version of an opera, which they attend and complete the spell of their love.  They decide to get married, and it is the reality of a true love story. 

I would definitely recommend this movie to everyone and anyone. This love story is way more relatable, I think, to most people and their love stories.  Not everything works out as planned, and this story portrays that in a realistic and witty way.  There is so much scandal in love, and this movie also illustrates that fact.  Also, family is a heavy factor in your life, and if you are a certain nationality, sometimes even more so.  In conclusion, below, I have what is one of my favorite quotes of the movie: 

Ronny Cammareri: Loretta, I love you. Not like they told you love is, and I didn't know this either, but love don't make things nice - it ruins everything. It breaks your heart. It makes things a mess. We aren't here to make things perfect. The snowflakes are perfect. The stars are perfect. Not us. Not us! We are here to ruin ourselves and to break our hearts and love the wrong people and *die*. The storybooks are *bullshit*. Now I want you to come upstairs with me and *get* in my bed!

Throwback Thursday: "The Princess Bride" and all its glory

The Princess Bride is a movie for the ages. This unconventional fairytale directed by Rob Reiner was released almost 30 years ago, but it will always be one of my favorite movies of all time. The film is based off of the novel of the same title by William Goldman, who also wrote the screen adaptation.



If you are reading this and haven't seen it yet, I highly recommend you make it the next film you watch. It is well-written, witty, beautifully costumed & constructed, and just an all-around fun film. A fair warning, though, if you're someone that does not enjoy quirky/slapstick humor, this is probably not the film for you.

Buttercup & Westley

The Princess Bride is told as a Grandfather (Peter Falk) reading a fairytale book to his ill grandson (Fred Savage); is voiceover is heard throughout the film as a narration. The "classic" fairytale tells the love story of Princess Buttercup (Robin Wright) and her love affair with Westley the farm boy (Cary Elwes). Westley is captured by the Dread Pirate Roberts so Buttercup must marry Prince Humperdinck (Chris Sarandon), but she is kidnapped by the annoying Vizzini (Wallace Shawn), swordsman Inigo Montoya (Mandy Patinkin) and the large and strong Fezzik (André the Giant). The remainder of the film follows Buttercup, Inigo Montoya, and Vizzini as they try to escape the grasps of the evil Prince Humperdinck while bringing Westley back from the "mostly" dead. (along the way we meet Miracle Max, an expert on the matter played by Billy Crystal--whom we can hardly recognize under all that costume & make-up.)

My initial reaction to The Princess Bride was that the pace moved way too slowly (but I was ten the first time I saw it). When I saw it again a few years later I understood and appreciated the humor such more. Now each time I watch it, I pick up on the nuances that I did not see in previous viewings.

Some of the special effects may seem a bit wonky nowadays, but considering the nature of the whole movie it fits in nicely. It simply adds to the effect of how ridiculous the subject matter is.

So if you like stories with swordplay, fun rhymes, and only a few ROUS'es (rodents of unusual size), then check out The Princess Bride, you won't regret it!

This is England

This is a British film that focuses on the life of an average boy going up in England during the 1980s. The story revolves around the boy becoming part of a gang, the skinheads. According to Wikipedia "A skinhead is a member of a subculture that originated among working class youths in London, England in the 1960s and then soon spread to other parts of the United Kingdom, and later to other countries around the world."

This is not a film that glorifies the country of England. In fact it makes the viewer aware of how even countries that seem to be wealthy have poverty and gangs. this film contradicts and makes fun of ideas commonly thought of when thinking about England. In the title sequence there is a compilation of images of common perceptions of England mixed with images of poverty, war, and riots. This not only aids with the setting of the film but also helps communicate the plot. 

The film is rather slow and focuses strongly on racism and oppression. There is a heavy focus on white supremacy in the film and it is not communicated subtly. It is very in your face and evokes the audience's emotions on the topic. 

 

Even though this is not an uplifting film and it seems to end abruptly I believe that it is very entertaining story that focuses on issues that are important in our culture. A powerful force behind getting this point across is the protagonist "Shane Meadows" who is the young boy played by Thomas Turgoose. It is very powerful seeing a young boy being adopted into the violence of white supremacy. 

Long Live the B-Movie

I'm finally back on campus...back for another semester, another year of college life and all the challenges, stress and struggles that come with it. I find myself transitioning into the IC flow once again and with the first day of classes now over, the summer's relaxation seems distant. Last night offered a nice opportunity, though. It was a chance to become immersed in the atmosphere of a film favorite one last time without the bothersome reminders of deadlines and upcoming assignments hanging over my head. I had a 9am, but my materials were all together and I had nothing better to do, so I figured why not pick something fun and practice some cinematic meditation. Naturally, my choice was Sam Raimi's Evil Dead II.

Now, Evil Dead II was never a film I expected to love. It's a bloody, zany horror comedy with extensive practical effects work and a wild, untamed energy. The film is relentless in its commitment to the weird and outlandish, the demented dark humor and the gory kills. Prior to this summer, the world of 80's horror schlock was not one I was familiar with. Stubbornly holding onto my Criterion collection and the ponderous art house cinema I treasured, there was something about that era/genre mix that made me uneasy. The addiction to foreign art house film is overstated, as I am not one to shy away from the occasional blockbuster (Guardians of the Galaxy, anyone?) or hesitate to revel in some unabashedly comedic cheese (I'm looking at you, Coming to America). Still, 80's b-horror was an untapped area for me and I wanted to finally give it a shot.

The power of camp compels you!

Fright Night was the beginning of my little endeavor. Not a perfect film, but perfectly entertaining for what it is. Vampires, flamboyant hair styles, an 80's dance club and Roddy McDowall. All good fun, but I was only scraping the surface. Next came the gut-busting Re-Animator, the ridiculously unintelligent The Stuff and the comic book come to life, Creepshow. It all crescendoed in my first viewing of Evil Dead II. The film was mad. Limbs were flying. Cartoonish blood geysers everywhere. Bruce Campbell gets into a life-or-death scuffle with his freshly possessed right hand and a mounted deer head comes alive and laughs hysterically as all the other objects in the room follow suit. 

Taxidermy has never been so lifelike.

By the time the credits rolled, I knew I had just seen an instant favorite. The film didn't take itself too seriously and had the best balance of horror and comedy that I'd ever seen. The one-liners were goofy, the story was strung out and yet, there was something endearing about it. This wasn't the end of the horror-thon, though. Twenty films (including the dreadful Maximum Overdrive and Galaxy of Terror) would be viewed before my movie intake went back to normal, but none would reach the heights of Evil Dead II.

Don't worry, I'm getting there!

So, patient reader, why is it that I have gone to the trouble of sharing my adventures in the 80's campiness of ghosts and ghouls, monsters and slashers? It's because today we talked about passions. What do we want to do? What makes us happy? I've recently had my doubts about filmmaking. I question my abilities. Am I up to it? Is it genuinely enjoyable?

Peter Jackson, circa 1991

Perhaps I should pair Peter Jackson's Dead Alive (AKA Braindead) with Evil Dead II on this point. Here are two films that convey an excitement, a zest for filmmaking in every frame. With the energy, the tone and the sheer creativity of visual effects, scenario setups and comedy, they showcase a go-for-broke mentality and no matter how bizarre the subject matter is, one can't help but admire the spirit of these two directors. I'm not the only one that saw past the gore and bad taste, as Raimi was given the chance to direct the Spider-Man trilogy and Jackson went on to make Lord of the Rings. Noticeable passion kickstarting flourishing careers and more ambitious projects.

Not bad, Mr. Jackson.

Watching Evil Dead II again reminded me of the fervor that can come with filmmaking (even under extreme budget constraints). I won't necessarily be breaking into the realm of b-horror this semester, but I aim to recapture the same passion that was expressed in so many of the 80's horror flicks I viewed this summer. For all their indulgences and gross-out tactics, these movies represent a level of creative commitment and raw enthusiasm that is often missing from today's soulless studio tentpoles and pandering, end-of-the year Oscar bait.

Long live the B-movie!

Labyrinth: Not Just For Children

If I could sum up my childhood with one movie, it would be Labyrinth. Every chance I got, I was watching that movie, and still to this day, it is one of my favorites. It explores a fantastical world of goblins and magic, all created by the power team of director Jim Henson and producer George Lucas. This movie also has a dream cast of Jennifer Connelly and the infamous David Bowie. If you are not familiar with the movie, it is about a young girl names Sarah who dreams of a world where she does not have the responsibility of her annoying baby brother and she is the ruler of her own world. When she wishes upon the Goblin king to come take her brother, she finds that she gets more than she bargained for. Jareth, played by David Bowie, swoops in to capture the child, and says that the only way for Sarah to get her brother Toby back is to find her way to his castle hidden somewhere within a magical labyrinth. On her journey, Sarah meets an eclectic cast of characters, all of which are puppets created by Henson himself.

The beauty of this movie truly comes from the set, costumes, and puppets. The viewer is transported to a magical land that is both fascinating and a bit frightening, especially to a young child. There is a dream sequence in this movie that I believe is beyond beautiful. It involves Sarah at a masquerade party and Bowie singing as she gets lost in the crowd of beautiful costumes and strange masks.

Of course the scene is very 80’s, (1986 to be exact) but who doesn’t love a romantic 80’s scene now and then.

Labyrinth is a movie that I will watch over and over again. I would recommend it to everyone, if not for the story, at least for the creative characters from the mind of the brilliant Jim Henson. And if you are still not into any of those things, at least you can be mesmerized by the voice of musical icon David Bowie.

Hot Rod

As I mentioned in our class introductions, I am extremely interested in comedy. I love comedy films, stand up, SNL, and pretty much anything on TV that will make me laugh. In my current college lifestyle that is filled with class, athletics, and campus activities, I think that it is essential to create time for yourself and just laugh. This week during my own free time, I decided to cruise Netflix for a comedy that could brighten my day. I came across the film, Hot Rod.

Hot Rod stood out to me because of it's star studded cast. Headlined by Andy Samberg, the cast also includes Jorma Taccone, Bill Hader, Danny McBride, Isla Fisher and Will Arnett. Andy Samberg plays Rod Kimble who is an aspiring stuntman like his deceased father, who was Evil Knievil's side kick. The only problem is Rod thinks he is much better than he is actually is: Hilarity ensues. Throughout the movie Rod tried to raise money for his dying step dad so he can prove to him that he is a man. Only his step Dad continually beats him up everyday to prove that he is quite the contrary. Rod finds himself a team and decides to raise money to help pay for his step dad's heart operation. Throughout this process Rod lights himself on fire, attempts a full pool jump (fail), and blows himself up. 

What truly makes this comedy a standout is the references to the 1980's. Weather it is the whacked out apparel that Rod trots out in, or the lines he drops during scenes ("2 Legit 2 Quit"), Samberg steals the show. My favorite scene is the movie is the spoof of the Footloose "Angry Dance Scene." Here is a clip: 

Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed this film and it served as a perfect pick me up for this week. I would recommend this to any of the readers who feel the need to belt out a few chuckles. Enjoy!

-Mike Vulcano

Nostalgia

When I came across this video mixing clips from 1980's movies and television shows with electronic music, I was interested to see how many of the movies and shows I would recognize off the top of my head. Some of my favorite movies are from the 80's. Ferris Bueller's Day Off, Back to the Future (only the first one of course), Weird Science, Risky Business, Terminator, Fast Times at Ridgemont High and The Goonies are among my all-time favorites. While I have to say 95 percent of the stuff was completely unrecognizable to me, I did manage to recognize some clips. How much can you recognize?

Skinemax from Smash TV on Vimeo.