The H.M.S. ABC Project: E

The most common letter in the English language. This should be an entry filled with great candidates, correct? False. "E" is a surprisingly thin letter for movies, yet there are couple of quality flicks to discuss here.

Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind was widely regarded as one of the top films of the past decade, and rightfully so. It's truly unique in such a way that few films are. I admire, respect, and revisit the film often. Eastern Promises is also worth mentioning - though there is a little too much of Viggo's tallywhacker to be selected here.

Trying to sneak attack Viggo dick hangin' in a bath house will not bode well for you.

Naturally, they didn't make the cut. Get over it, hermano (or at least direct your less piercing profanities to the comments below).

Edward Scissorhands

I have long been a fan of Tim Burton and his extraordinary imagination. His original Batman was the class of the comic book genre until recent years. Big Fish and Sweeney Todd are also extremely enjoyable. But let's be honest, when you think of Tim Burton you think of Edward Scissorhands. This take on alienation and suburbia is so easy to like how could I not pick it here?

Winona Ryder's career after this movie: 2 Oscar nominations and shoplifting.

Side note: I distinctly remember the first time that I heard a female mention how attractive Johnny Depp was I thought "wait, the pasty ass hedge trimmer? Clearly you must jest, you worthless nincompoop."

Anyway, there you have the "E" pick from the Snobs. Please let me know what I forgot in the comments.

(Colin's "E" pick: The Emperor's New Groove)

The H.M.S. ABC Project: D

Yeah, I know. Tuesday's "B" entry was a little questionable. I ignored reason and a lot of really good movies, and went purely with my heart. A heart that yearns for silly 80s Tom Hanks comedies. Call me crazy if you'd like, I'll call me a maverick. (And not the kind of maverick who can see Russia from her house. A real maverick. One who participates in fly-bys even when the pattern is full and who...is...dangerous...Ice...man.)

Yet, even if my "B" pick was borderline befuddling, I daresay today's "D" selection could definitely be indefensibly dumb...downright dangerous, even.

Apologies to the following:

The Dark Knight
The Departed
Days of Thunder
Die Hard
Dumb & Dumber
District 9
Dawn of the Dead
and especially Dante's Peak

But there can be only one winner here, and I've been waiting four long days to type the following:

Dazed and Confused

 Rumored to be even better while high...rumored.

Dazed and Confused takes place on the last day of school in the year of our country's bicentennial...a time where, apparently, 96-97% of the population was chain smoking pot, and it was totally acceptable to chase down younger kids from your high school and beat them senseless with your homemade, elaborately decorated paddle.

 How to lose a girl in 10 days? Wear pink corduroys.

And what does this movie teach us? Well, admittedly, not a whole lot. Except for the absolute fact that Matthew McConaughey used to be a terrible actor (ok he didn't get much better). But what we do get is undoubtedly the best soundtrack ever, and a huge ensemble cast of talented young actors (excluding the aforementioned stud muffin and a young Tim Lincecum). And a damn good time. And isn't that what it's all about? Hear, hear.

Did ya ever look at a dollar bill, man? There's some spooky shit goin' on there. And it's green too,

Colin

(Nixaliciousness's "D" pick: The Dark Knight)

The H.M.S. ABC Project: C

Of the many letters of the alphabet we've covered thus far, "C" is by far the letter most littered with some of the medium's most influential films. I mean, look at this list of certifiable classics.

Citizen Kane

Casablanca

A Clockwork Orange

Chinatown

Cool Hand Luke

There is no doubting those credentials. But, naturally, they all missed the cut. For me, this came down to a more personal choice. As much as I wanted to choose Closer or The Count of Monte Cristo, alas I could not. The former was too vulgar (fittingly, too many "C words"), the latter just not quite good enough, despite being one of my most watched films (if that makes any sense). This was really a two horse race. Children of Men is a fantastic movie as many of you know, and certainly one of the more amazing movies technically. The degree of difficulty and badassery (yes, a word) of some of the tracking sequences is astounding. Ultimately, the movie is too much like Casablanca (ex-lover comes back to her former man to get papers to transport somebody out of the country....sound familiar?) to win a tight race against your eventual winner.

City of God

This shouldn't be much of a shock for those of you that have been fortunate enough to see this Brazilian classic. Many people I know haven't seen this because "oh it's foreign? I don't do subtitles." Undoubtedly as big an error in judgment as when Myles Brand fired Bob Knight. Fine, go watch Michael Bay take another dump on celluloid. Satisfied?

Michael Bay, just after filming himself take a dump, gets his megaphone out to scream at his crew and make sure they objectify women more appropriately in his next film

City of God is such a tremendous story with great characters that you cannot help but be completely swept up in the story, whether it's told in Portuguese, French, Na'vi, Ebonics, or English. Literally, I have never found someone that didn't love this movie, and that is something I cannot say about many other movies, if any at all. Please, do yourself a favor and watch it, you won't regret it.

That's all from me tonight, be sure to check back tomorrow for Colin's "D" pick, as well as Friday when I return to discuss eeeeeEEEEEE...(Blue?) movies.

(Colin's "C" Pick: City of God - the first unanimous selection by the snobs)

The H.M.S. ABC Project: B

When Nix came to me with this fantastic idea, I was admittedly a bit hesitant at first. I mean, 26 posts in 26 days?! We can barely manage two in that time frame. But here we are at the B's already! We're just chugging along, and I'm really proud of our effort thus far. We're simply two guys with a vision of blogging immortality, and right now all of our wildest dreams are coming true. We have so many people to thank for helping get us here, but there's really no time for that. Onward!

Let me first say...there's a hell of a lot of "B" movies I love. Just look at this list of "B" comedies!

Billy Madison
Blues Brothers
Beverly Hills Cop (1&2...screw 3)
Blazing Saddles
Brokeback Mountain
Back to the Future (all of them!)
Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure (Keanu's greatest work)
Beetlejuice
Batman & Robin

There's some other quality "B" movies (Boogie Nights, Braveheart, Breaking Away, A Beautiful Mind, Battlefield Earth), but screw it. I'm sticking with a comedy. And my favorite Tom Hanks movie ever...

The 'Burbs

Admit it, you were expecting "Big"

Yes, The 'Burbs! It's got everything...Explosions! Satanic rituals! Epic 80s zooms! Corey Feldman!

If we kept up a list of "criminally underseen" movies (and don't put it past us), this would be right at the top for me. It's been out for 21 years, go see it already! (You can buy The 'Burbs AND The Money Pit together...what a great night of movies that would be.)

And if we had a movie character draft (and again...probably coming soon), Rumsfield would go somewhere in the 3rd-5th pick for me. The guy is a legend, chock full of one-liners.

All right, that's it for me. I'll see you Thursday, D-Day.

I've never seen anybody drive their garbage down to the street and bang the hell out of it with a stick,

Colin

(Nixy's "B" pick: Boogie Nights)

The H.M.S. ABC Project: A

In the coming days, the two wittiest, most attractive, and most Hoosier bloggers on the web will be beginning an EPIC series of posts. The premise is this: each day we will list our favorite movie beginning with each letter of the alphabet in (you're not going to believe this) alphabetical order. Needless to say your mind will be blown, prepare yourself accordingly. Yours truly will be starting the series with A, followed by Colin with B, and we will alternate letters (I need to brush up on my Q and Y movies) all the way until Colin wraps it up with Z, which I'm sure will be a real shocker. Along the way we hope to stir controversy, but most importantly to introduce you to a few great movies you may not have seen.

The following rules should go without saying, but I'm going to say them:

1) Each entry must be a movie, no TV series are eligible.

2) Articles will be ignored during alphabetization ("a(n)" and "the" for those of us that failed grammar), so as much as you want A Very Brady Sequel to be featured today, you'll just have to wait until Colin does "V" to see if it makes the cut.

The rules are simple enough even for this guy, so let's get started with A.

Is it too early in the series to break rule #1 and pick Arrested Development? Argh, but since I set the rules I should probably obey them. This was a much more difficult decision than I originally thought it would be. The more I thought about it, the more great movies I found. Let's first list some great movies that just missed the cut but deserve some recognition:

Almost Famous

Amadeus

American History X

Animal House

Annie Hall

The Aviator

The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford

Not too shabby, eh? (pun intended). But if you look closer (that's a hint), you'll notice that there is one glaring omission from that list, and it is your deserving winner...

American Beauty

A movie that's poster makes you believe it's about roses and belly buttons, but really isn't

As my fellow snob so eloquently put it, "the best-ever movie opening with Kevin Spacey masturbating in a shower." That really sums it up. But really, this is a phenomenal movie, despite the ever annoying Mena Suvari. Lester Burnham redefines midlife crisis in such a way that creates movie bliss. On the surface it's about an old man lusting for a teenager, but when you "look closer" as the poster suggests, you see it goes deeper and explores how society can shape people. Along the way it will change the way you look at plastic bags floating in the wind, as well as how you respond when someone asks you to pass the asparagus (just pass it, okay?), and make you wonder why you haven't seen more of Wes Bentley (drug addiction). You will laugh and be entertained, but also be challenged. It's a movie unlike any I've seen and I can only wish that I can see more like it in the future. If you haven't seen it, shame on you.

Unfortunately that's all from me today, you'll just have to wait until I "C" you again....I know, I'm hilarious. Once you recover from your side-splitting fit of laughter, please let me know what you think in the comments below. Nixy out.

(Colin's "A" pick: Almost Famous)

Which is Your Favorite?

Upset that the best movies I've seen in recent memory were both made by the French, I had to revisit some of my favorites to restore confidence in American filmmaking. This led me to watch a number of movies, two of which were Gangs of New York and the incredible There Will Be Blood. Neither of these should be titles you're unfamiliar with, assuming you're a respectable member of society. But it got me thinking....the one thing I think about when I hear either of these movies mentioned is Daniel Day-Lewis. Rightfully so, might I add, because the man is truly amazing.

I started to wonder, though, which of his two roles I enjoyed the most....and really struggled with an answer. I continue to go back and forth recounting my favorite scenes from each movie and it does nothing but make the decision more difficult. Let's review the two roles:

Daniel Plainview

He will consume your beverage if and when he chooses

By all accounts a despicable human being, Daniel Plainview will stop at nothing to get what he wants and further expand his oil empire. He absolutely carries the best movie in the last decade (if not longer), appearing in about every scene. If you humiliate him in public, there's a good chance he will seek revenge. It's a great performance in a great movie....how can it be beaten?

Bill the Butcher

He will paint the Five Points with your blood...two coats

Just when you think Daniel Plainview cannot be outdone, you remember Bill Cutting. In my humble opinion, there is no rival to DDL, he is on his own level. He is to acting as Tiger Woods (pre-infidelity) is to golf. And to me, these are his most defining characters and more memorable roles. What makes this such a challenge is that the Butcher can be as vial a human being as Mr. Plainview, but also shows a dash of perspective and higher moral code. The film does not rely as heavily on DDL (perhaps why it's not as good as TWBB), but when he is in the movie he COMMANDS the screen in the same way he does as Daniel Plainview.

I find the decision very difficult. It boils down to choosing either: the equivalent of watching a volcano erupt for 150 minutes (Plainview) or watch a character with less screen time and more depth carry a movie with far less screen time (the Butcher). I can't decide, which is your favorite role?

Why Ridley Scott is NOT Among Today's Top Directors

Ridley Scott's next film, Robin Hood, opens this weekend, so I thought we could take a closer look at the man behind the film. Ridley is widely considered one of the top directors in the business today. Studios love him thanks to his ability to attract top acting stars and open movies to box office success. But is Ridley really as great a director as he's given credit for? Does he really deserve to be mentioned in the same breath as Scorsese, Eastwood, or Spielberg? It seems like a no brainer, but let's take a closer look at Scott's history before rushing to judgment.

First let me say this: I thoroughly enjoy many of Ridley Scott's movies. Gladiator is among my all time favorites. Blade Runner and Alien are influential classics within their genre. American Gangster is good (not great, a near AJ Ratliff), Black Hawk Down, Kingdom of Heaven, and Hannibal are all enjoyable enough to take a few hours of my valuable time. Why then, Mr. Nix, would you not consider him among the top directors working? The answer lies in what all of the movies listed above share: they're rip-offs. Not one movie of Ridley Scott's that you can name right now is original. That being said, I understand that few movies these days are truly a breath of fresh air, and that you can basically argue that every movie these days is very similar to another movie. But when the majority of your movies follow the same blueprint as another successful movie in the few years preceding your film's release, you're a rip-off. Below I have listed all of Sir Ridley's films that meet this criteria.

Alien (1979):

Details:

His first commercial success and one of his most popular movies to date. By any measure this is the film that got Ridley Scott into the mainstream. It was a Science Fiction game-changer and one of the more celebrated films in its genre.

The Rip-Off:

This is very clearly a slight tweak on the movie that created the blockbuster: Jaws. Jaws was released just four years prior to Alien and was tremendously successful. Ridley himself pitched the idea to studios as "Jaws in space." Hell, even the posters are similar. At this point in his career, we can't blame him because he's just getting his foot in the door.

Blade Runner (1982):

Details:

His next film and another classic. Blade Runner is also admired by nerds-I mean sci-fi fans. A movie set in the future with all kinds of advanced technology.

The Rip-Off:

Star Wars. George Lucas had released the first two of his original trilogy to much commercial and critical praise. Scott, not to be outdone, presents his own epic sci-fi and even went as far as to cast Harrison Ford as well. He followed the blueprint and enjoyed the spoils of Lucas's idea.

Thelma and Louise (1991):
Details:
Fast forward nine years and we get to Scott's next successful film. Susan Sarandon and Geena Davis are outlaws on the road after they murder a rapist (not to be confused with an analrapist).

The Rip-Off:

Admittedly, this is the biggest stretch on the list, but the similarities are there. The most obvious comparison would be to Bonnie and Clyde, but that was made long before Thelma and Louise to qualify for my list. However, even though it reminds me a lot of B&C, it has a fair amount of Rain Man to it as well, which was released just three years prior to massive sums of money and awards. The signature Ridley Scott tweak here would be the female heroes and the reason that the two hit the road that separate Thelma from Rain Man.

Gladiator (2000):

Details:

If you really need to read about this movie's details, shame on you. Go watch the movie now, even though you've surely seen this scene, which is but one of a number of badass scenes in the movie.

The Rip-Off:

This is among the more obvious comparisons. Braveheart was released a few years prior, and despite Mel Gibson's efforts was a huge success. Scott tweaked Gibson's blueprint and developed it into a masterpiece, winning the Best Picture and earning Scott his second Best Director nomination.

Hannibal (2001):

Details:

The second adaptation of the series of books revolving around Dr. Hannibal Lecter, who, among other hobbies, enjoys fava beans and a nice Chianti. Not nearly as good as its predecessor, The Silence of the Lambs, but still enjoyable.

The Rip-Off:

Well, duh. Once Hollywood decided it was time to revisit Dr. Lecter you knew you could rely on Sir Ridley coming through to revisit the successful franchise. You cannot necessarily blame Scott for how inferior this was to the original, because the story is just not nearly as compelling. Regardless, another carbon copy to put on the resume.

Black Hawk Down (2001):

Details:

A lot of US Troops head into an intense war atmosphere to save some select US Lieutenants.

The Rip-Off:

Sounds a lot like Saving Private Ryan, which redefined both the war movie and the realism with which they are portrayed....all while raking in obscene amounts of cash. Ridley, not yet satisfied with stealing just one of Spielberg's successful formulas, decides to take his crack at it, this time in modern day Somalia.

Matchstick Men (2003):

Details:

Nicolas Cages and Sam Rockwell are con artists preparing for a lucrative heist.

The Rip-Off:

Ocean's 11, where Brad Pitt and George Clooney are con artists preparing a lucrative heist. Now, admittedly I have chosen my words wisely here and these movies are not as similar as some of my comparisons. That being said, Ocean's 11 scored big time for heist movies within two years of this film's release, and given Scott's track record I am not giving him the benefit of the doubt.

Kingdom of Heaven (2005):

Details:

Orlando Bloom and company are assigned the task of defending their 12th century city from an attacking army.

The Rip-Off:

Released one year earlier, Troy is remarkably similar to Kingdom of Heaven. Put a Hollywood hunk and throw them into epic battle in ancient Europe. I think he even used the same font for the poster.

American Gangster (2007):

Details:

I'm sure we've all seen it, so we don't need to get too in depth here. Russell Crowe and Denzel star in a film revolving around a big city's main crime boss.

The Rip-Off:
The vastly superior The Departed. Scott's first knock off of a Scorsese flick, and quite frankly one of his more lackluster efforts. I had to choose between this and Public Enemies for the AJ Ratliff last week, ultimately giving Public Enemies the nod. The logic is the same though: a lot of really great scenes, but the sum of its parts simply should have been a lot better than it was.

Body of Lies (2008):

Details:

Leonardo DiCaprio is an international spy and badass trying to take down terrorists, all the while uncovering corruption at every step.

The Rip-Off:

The Bourne movies. Ridley Scott was having none of Paul Greengrass's success with international spy thrillers and had to steal his thunder. Unfortunately for Scott, Body of Lies sucked, the Bourne movies didn't.

So, if you take all of the above films out of the discussion, you're left with the following list of movies that had no successful inspiration in the years preceding its release (or at least nothing that I can remember):

Legend (1985)

Someone to Watch Over Me (1987)

1492: Conquest of Paradise (1992)

White Squall (1996)

GI Jane (1997)

A Good Year (2006)

Not exactly a filmography worthy of much acclaim. In fact, Scott's only original movies are borderline failures, receiving some of his worst reviews and performing poorly at the box office.

Again, this is not to say that his movies aren't good, or that they are any less impressive as a result. In many cases, his copies were as good as or better than the film he decided to emulate. Top directors do this frequently. But Ridley Scott's career is defined by the films he has borrowed ideas for. To Scott's credit, even despite this he is in the discussion of top directors working.

The reason that I cannot place him in that echelon is because I enjoy Scott's movie with a reservation. As much as I try not to, I always tend to compare him to a true no talent ass clown - Michael Bay. Unfair? Maybe. But how is he any different than Michael Bay? They are both incredibly successful. They both have a formula and follow it to a T. It's just that Bay's formula consists of objectifying women and loud noises, not crafting movies based off of a successful business model in recent memory.

So that we are abundantly clear, I don't want to bash Sir Ridley. I will see Robin Hood when it comes out and I hold some of Ridley's movies among my all time favorites. However, when it comes to today's top auteurs, does he really belong?

(Update from Colin: Ridley Scott has traded Russell Crowe to Tim Burton for Johnny Depp.  Click here for the exclusive story.)

Amidst a terrorist scare, I saw a movie in Times Square

As I mentioned in my last post, I went to visit a friend in the biggest city of these United States last weekend. Despite suffering an embarrassingly bloody tooth brushing accident (sadly not kidding) within 45 minutes of our arrival, I had an amazing time. We rode the Staten Island ferry, ate one slice each of the largest pizza known to man (see below), enjoyed the...scenery in Central Park (85 degrees and sunny = bikinis), and hung out 70 floors up on the roof of Rockefeller Plaza (by far the coolest part of the trip).

And while I caught up with an old friend I hadn't seen in a few years, the guys went to a 3:30am techno show in Brooklyn and danced their asses off. My only complaint for the trip is that we didn't run into Jay-Z or Andy Samberg...maybe next time.  Also, we shot the following music video.



Odds are pretty good you've already been told about this video 8-10 times on Facebook in the last few days, so I'm sorry if this is overkill. But hell, music videos are mini movies, right? Totally belongs on the blog. Plus, I finally figured out how to embed videos onto the page instead of just linking to everything. So...hooray me! 

Anyways...as the title of this newest post suggests, The Bo'z caught a midnight showing of Kick-Ass in Times Square Saturday night. You may not have heard, but there was an SUV filled with all kinds of things that blow up a few blocks away from us. The news would have you believe that this was a huge deal. But to us visitors who were in Times Square pretty literally the whole time this event was taking place, it was just annoying that we had to walk around the giant police barricades a few times. (The following picture was taken in the part we WERE allowed to be in..still pretty awesome) So...long story made a little bit longer, we weren't really worried about going KABOOM while watching our flick.

About that flick...Kick-Ass pretty well lives up to its name. There's a few pretty egregious plot problems, but a couple great fight scenes and Nicholas Cage's hilarious acting (yeah, I said it) more than make up for them. Definitely worth your $9 and my $12.50. (Speaking of the price: 1) I was honestly expecting it to be like $15 in New York, and 2) we sat in by far the most legit, non IMAX theater I've ever seen. Huge digital screen, awesome sound, and it probably sat 2,000. Awesome. Worth it.)

Until the next four paragraph intro to a half assed one paragraph review,

Colin

P.S. Here's a small taste of the best scene of the movie. Yes, that's Nick Cage, and no, he's not batman.

The AJ Ratliffs: Movies that Should Have Been Better than They Are

I'm not going to touch on the title. Perhaps it is a low blow, but sometimes the truth hurts. Here we will discuss movies that were disappointing. Not disappointing in the Michael Bay sense, and not disappointing in the cancellation of the greatest show on television way either. You see, these are movies that had one or more elements of greatness. They may have even ended as good movies, but something left me wanting more. They were a tease. They trick you. At one point or another, each of the following movies had me convinced they were going to be better than they were. They are the AJ Ratliffs:

I Am Legend:

This will certainly be a controversial choice, but this movie pissed me off. Look, I love the fresh prince himself. The two snobs themselves, in the flesh, karaoked Wild Wild West to a lucky crowd at Duty's one fateful night last November. It was legendary, although Orange County's own singing Meredith Brooks was far more memorable.

Why was it so upsetting? I got dragged to see this movie. I had little to no interest in seeing this, but decided to donate my street cred to a group of friends and grace them with my presence. Much to my surprise, I was loving the movie. I was certain that this was going to be your average Sci Fi movie. Alas the first two thirds were brilliant. The movie was refreshing, not retreating to the conventions of the genre. Big Willy was brilliant and the movie seemed to be taking the 28 Days Later route and redefining zombies. Throughout the first part of the movie, we are given suggestions that the monsters are intelligent creatures. They even nearly beat Will at his own game and trap him.

But then all of this build up leads to...nothing. All of a sudden, Will goes ballistic on the docks and gets miraculously saved by two people that heard his radio calls. From there on the film is rubbish. Worst of all, IT DIDN'T HAVE TO BE. Had they stuck with the book's ending everything would have been fine. But they have to give something that will please the masses and they sacrifice the tone of the movie and completely flip the film's effect. ARGH.

300:

The trailer was phenomenal. The creative team responsible for Sin City was in tact. Everything seemed to be falling in place. This had to be as good as Sin City, there was no way for it to fail. Alas, it was a disappointment. Entertaining? Sure. It is what it is, a one-dimensional blood bath that made me think it could have been more.

Public Enemies:

It had so many great elements to it. Michael Mann, Johnny Depp, Marion Cotillard, Christian Bale, bank heists, a rural Indiana (aka the land of milk and honey) setting....how could it go wrong? This one I just can't put my finger on. It had great scenes that showed you it's potential. Ultimately, the sum of its parts was good not great. I guess I was expecting Heat set in the early 1900s and that wasn't fair.

Zoolander:

This is going to get me in trouble, but so be it. I would love to provide reasons why this movie upsets me so much, but I can't finish it. To this day I have not been able to make it more than 30 minutes into the movie before deciding to turn it off and do something more enjoyable like wipe my butt with sandpaper. (Too much?)

Million Dollar Baby:

I must have missed something here. There is nothing in the movie worthy of an Oscar. I'm going to revisit this film in the near future and I hope to see something I missed because I HATE this movie so much. The X-Factor for me was Hilary Swank. She annoyed the hell out of me and I wasn't the least bit upset with her character's fate. I hope I prove myself wrong and enjoy it, because this movie alone is preventing me from putting Eastwood alongside the Scorsese's and PTA's of the world as top directors.

That's all from me folks. Surely there are other movies that have left me wanting more, but I want to hear what you think. Do you disagree with my choices? Do you have your own list of movies that piss you off? Please let me know below. Until we meet again, Nixy out.

Shameless Cross Promotion

Around this time tomorrow, I'll be packing up an attractive, yet manly, gray duffel bag with the absolute essentials: 1 neon Bert & Ernie t-shirt, 2 pairs LeBron James Nike shorts, maybe some extra boxers and shorts, and my insanely fresh Steve Francis Rockets jersey. This one. (Maybe if I wear it with some P.F. Flyers and re-engineer myself with several more fast twitch muscle fibers, I can get that high. Here's hoping. Or, more appropriately...here's HOPPING.)

You may or may not know this about me, but I'm in one of Fort Wayne's most popular 6-white-guy rap parody groups: The Bo'z N Da Hood. And while all of the Bo'z hail proudly from the 2-6-0, there are times when there are indeed Bo'z in different area codes. This is one of those times.

Founding Bo member Jon Rocholl is at Columbia in New York City finishing up his high-fallutin' Ivy League degree. And since it's getting to be finals time and he should be studying, most of the rest of the Bo'z are heading out to see him for the weekend. Rage, rage, rage.

So that got me thinking: there have been some phenomenal movies made in the Big Apple. Hell, the city has been partially or totally destroyed a few dozen times (three times in '98 alone...looking at you, Armageddon, Deep Impact, and Godzilla!). And even though it's happened more than twice, they still can't figure out how to keep the top of the Empire State Building giant monkey-free. Get your act together New Yorkers.

Anyways, here's a rundown of some favorite NYC-centric films, in no particular order.


Ghostbusters & Ghostbusters 2 - Doooo...Raaaaay...Egonnnnn! I love these movies, and no, I can't choose or distinguish between them. All I know is that they check in right at the top of my "Scared the bejesus out of me when I was a kid but now I think they're hilarious" list. Right behind E.T. Also, they filmed a lot of Ghostbusters on the campus of Columbia. So if I see Slimer this weekend, I'll be sure to tell him you said "What up."


The Muppets Take Manhattan - Has anyone checked to see if they ever gave it back? Fozzie might still own half of Greenwich Village for all we know.

Coming To America - Also makes my "Awesome movies filmed in Zamunda" list. I don't know if you remember this, but Eddie Murphy used to be really funny, and Arsenio Hall used to be alive. This movie is living proof. And let's not forget that it's soul-ly responsible for the Jheri curl craze in the 80s.

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles 2: The Secret of the Ooze - Go ninja, go ninja, go! Ninja...ninja...rap!


I Am Legend - I really don't like this movie. Probably because it has one of the dumbest endings of all time (and to make matters worse, they give you an ending that makes complete sense as a deleted scene on the DVD...why didn't you just use that one morons?!). But, that having been said, the movie gives you a WALL-E-esque glimpse into what would happen to a big city if it was suddenly people-less for a while. And so you get some pretty sweet scenes with Will Smith hunting deer in the middle of a Manhattan city block and. what. not.


#1) Zoolander - (Yes, this list is suddenly in order of increasing importance.) Fun fact: If you look closely at the New York skyline, you will actually see a skyscraper with a giant "M" on top of it. And you'd better damn well believe I'll be making a visit to the Derek Zoolander Center For Kids Who Can't Read Good, which, thankfully, at press time was at least three times bigger than its model.

So yeah, I'm looking forward to this trip. Oh, and the shameless, cross/self promotion I promised? Let's just say there'll be a Bo'z N Da Hood music video or two (those are movies, right?) filmed in the city this weekend. (Like this one and this one, but way cooler.) And I'll holla next week with some pictures I took, because I know this blog has just been aaaaching for some ColinThompsonPhoto(.com!)s. So until next time...

I'm not an ambi-turner,

Colin