Hard to quibble with the list. You have great taste, Ben Shapiro. If I could argue, I'd try to muscle in a spot for Jerome Moross (who's theme for "The Big Country" still gives me goosebumps), Lalo Schiffrin (who gave such punch to the original action thrillers- "Bullit" and "Dirty Harry") and, of course, John Barry (shaken, not stirred).
Still, it boggles my mind on how bland today's movie scores have gotten. They're all so damned unmemorable.
“I am from the pre-crack generation. When I was growing up, we never, ever, never ridiculed someone because they were a good student,”
That is, unless the good student began to think for himself and ended up a conservative Republican. Then that "good student" becomes an "Oreo Cookie, Uncle Tom, white wannabe, sellout. Right, Spike?
"I mean, they picked the guy who directed “Jumanji” to direct “Captain America!”
Have some respect. The "guy" is Joe Johnston who also directed "The Rocketeer." A fact that you either were too lazy to Google or conveniently left out since "Rocketeer" has lots of fans and is very close in spirit to the nostalgic, old-fashioned story-telling of "Captain America." And just how were the early Steve Rogers CGI effects "sad and awkward?' If your writing wasn't sad and awkward you wouldn't have to elaborate.
"80's porn star appearance?" What are you talking about? The above photo from "Mean Girls" where she played a High School hottie from hell? C'mon! Sure, she's another clueless actress parroting her left wing friends but she's a talented actress with classy good looks. Check her out in "The Wedding Crashers" and her downplayed appearance in the thriller "State Of Play."
In "Sherlock Holmes" she was THE LOVE INTEREST!!! It's not hard, people.
...and if "doubling down" these liberal-themed movies don't work, Hollywood will call for a massive re-education program for ignorant Americans languishing in fly over states. Like fat kids gorging on happy meals, people who can't enjoy the goodness of liberal lies rammed down their throats will ultimately be deemed a threat to our nation's security.
Is see a joint George Clooney/ Michelle Obama press conference on the horizon.
As a black conservative (I hate writing that- I usually consider myself an American), it warms my heart that I still have to endure "Black on the outside/ white on the inside" slurs from hateful cretins like George Lopez. In Lopez's world, if I wore my pants below my butt, spoke barely intelligible English, and was a slave to some Big Government entitlement program then I can keep my "black identity card." Get an education, speak fluently, and put God and Country first, than I'm some laughable buffoon like the "Carlton Banks" character from "Fresh Prince of Bel-Air."
Isn't this Obama "Post Racial" Presidency grand?
" In 20 years George Clooney’s career (thus far) will already have bored itself into oblivion. "
Because back in the day of the Hollywood Studio System,(when ADULTS ran the entertainment industry) an actor with Clooney's talent would have been put through the production mill. The result: dozens of truly entertaining movies; a half a dozen of which would have been possible classic ( Look at the five year filmography of Errol Flynn, as an example). Today I get the feeling that guy like Clooney only descends from his lofty liberal perch to bang out a couple of arty flicks a year. You may get an occasional crowd-pleaser like "Up In The Air," but most will only give a Chris Matthew- like tingle to someone at the New York Times. Meanwhile, us "Great Unwashed" would rather eat up "The Blind Side."
Politics aside (if possible) despite their celebrity, I always feel a disconnect with guys like Clooney or Brad Pitt and I think their constant pursuit of "“edginess” and "nihilism" is the problem.
Glad we're on the same page on two of Roger's most maligned Bonds, but, wow, so hard on Pierce and Timothy. In regards to Brosnan's lack of manliness for the part, my favorite scene in "Tomorrow Never Dies" is when Bond gets the upper hand on the creepy torturer Dr. Kaufman and points a gun to his head. Kaufman: "I'm just a professional doing my job!" Bond: (Calmly) Me too." Bang! Cold blooded murder and Brosnan plays it perfectly. As for Dalton, I agree he never fully closed the deal as James Bond (listen to the sounds of Bond elitist screaming). The man always struck me as a good British theater actor slumming through movies for an extra pay check. But "The Living Daylights" is a solid entry in the series and Dalton looked good. "License to Kill?" I guess I'll wait for Mr. Meyer's take on that one.
I don't agree that FYEO is Roger's best-"Octopussy" is a personal fave (and to further make Bond elitists skin crawl I'd take a "Moonraker" or "A View To A Kill" over "License to Kill" any day). Nonetheless a great review of James Bond entering the 80's. FYEO was a game changer. The films recipe of grittier action sequences and complex characterizations (for a Bond movie) is still the template for today's Bonds. Timothy Dalton and Pierce Brosnan could easily step into this movie with little or no changes. It also the first movie where Roger Moore became- for me, at least, completely appealing as Bond. Oh, he still acts with one eyebrow but this time out he seems more down to earth and less the leering playboy. I love the scene where he is heard audibly huffing and puffing as he chases after Logue's getaway car on foot.
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