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Archive for September 15th, 2009

Wide Screen VS Full Screen

I hate it when people knowingly watch films in the wrong format on TV. They’ll happily put up with stretched out or cropped images, justifying that they “don’t like them black bars! Fill up mah screen, durnit!”

And an unrelated thought… Why aren’t more films being shot on IMAX like the Dark Knight?

[via: slashfilm & Kottke] Thank you Classic Fun for the tip.

Patrick Swayze’s Five Best Films

Actor Patrick Swayze passed away this morning, after a long battle with pancreatic cancer. His performances in Dirty Dancing and Ghost made him famous, and an eternal heartthrob to a generation of girls. Swayze had a turbulent career in Hollywood, with as many ups as downs.

We’ve compiled his top 5 films according to Criticker users, and the results are pretty interesting. Most occur in the later stages of his career, suggesting he was not losing his touch. And besides the undeniably entertaining Point Break, the apex of his popularity, the late 80s to early 90s, is ignored. It also begs mentioning that these tend to be films in which Mr. Swayze has supporting roles. Perhaps not his most iconic movies, but they’re quality and he shines in each.

1. Donnie Darko (2001)


A genre-busting fable that blasts the American suburban drama into a wildly imaginative realm of time travel, alternative universes and the manipulation of one’s fate.

2. 11:14 (2003)


11:14 tells the seemingly random yet vitally connected story of a set of incidents that all converge one evening at 11:14pm. It’s a sort of musical chairs with a corpse, with the structurally intriguing storytelling style of “Memento” and “Run Lola Run.”

3. The Outsiders (1983)


When two poor greasers, Johnny, and Ponyboy are assaulted by a vicious gang, the socs, and Johnny kills one of the attackers, tension begins to mount between the two rival gangs, setting off a turbulent chain of events

4. Keeping Mum (2005)


Walter Goodfellow (Atkinson) is the well-meaning vicar of the parish of Little Wallop. So obsessed with writing the perfect sermon, he’s oblivious to his wife Gloria’s (Thomas) dalliance with her brash golf instructor Lance (Swayze), has trouble keeping track of his daughter Holly’s parade of new boyfriends, and neglects his young son Petey. Enter the charming and discreet new housekeeper Grace (Smith), the answer to the family’s prayers. Problems solved only lead to more problems created in this story of good intentions run amok.

5. Point Break (1991)


An FBI agent goes undercover to catch a gang of bank robbers who may be surfers.

And the worst? That would be his 1986 hockey epic Youngblood

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