Gandalf VS The Vuvuzela

Lord of the Rings as A-Team

This is hilarious - an edited clip from LOTR with the theme of A-Team. Well done!



The Lord of the Rings: The Motion Picture Trilogy (Theatrical Editions) [Blu-ray]

Top 10 Movie Speeches and Monologues

A few days ago I came across an interesting list, presenting the top 35 speeches in history. Of course, the list can be debated for ever and more, but it also reminded me of a different kind of speeches - those we see in the movies.

A good speech or a dramatic monologue can be the pivotal point of a movie, and if it's well done - can really raise goose bumps. There are quite a few lists out there that present top speeches in movies, so allow me to add mine to the mix.

Here are my Top 10 Movie Speeches and Monologues, in no particular order (I only numbered them so you can see there are ten speeches).


#10
Braveheart - The Freedom Speech: Although I don't care much for Mel Gibson these days, Braveheart was a good movie. The speech William Wallace gives in front of the Scots before going to battle is dramatic and moving.

Braveheart Freedom Speech - The funniest bloopers are right here

#9
A Few Good Men - You can't handle the truth: You can't ignore this monologue. It comes at a crucial point in the film and it is performed marvelously by the all-mighty Jack Nicholson. And of course, the quote "You can't handle the truth" has become widely popular.




#8
Good Will Hunting - The Bar Scene: Matt Damon let's a cocky student have it, and does it in a very cool way.




#7
Life of Brian - We are all individuals: This speech mocks a lot of things, and that's mainly why it's so hilarious and cool.




#6
Team America - The world explained in Dicks, Pussies and Assholes: I was just recently introduced to this speech, which is very funny, rude and to the point. "Sometimes pussies get so full of shit that they become assholes themselves". HA!




#5
Lord of the Rings - The Return of the King - Aragaron's speech at the black gate: I adore the LOTR books and movies. Viggo Mortensen was amazing as Aragorn and this speech makes him mighty and kingly to the max.




#4
Lord of the Rings - The Return of the King - King Theoden's speech before the charge of the rohirrim: I told you I love LOTR, didn't I?




#3
The Princess Bride - To the pain: Only Westley can be so cool, ironic, rude and sleek in the face of death.




#2
Independence Day - The president's speech: When the future of mankind is on the line, everything is dramatic and thrilling.




#1
Tootsie - Emily Kimberly reveals it all: Dustin Hoffman is an amazing actor, and this role was one of the best he ever played. Here, in an "improvised" monologue, he shocks everybody into understanding who he really is.





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The Surprise of Stardust

It's been a while since I have seen a really good movie. I go to the cinema almost every week, sometimes twice a week, but if you ask me "When was the last time you saw a really good movie", I'll have a hard time remembering.

I loved Borat and Hairspray, Transformers was pretty cool... And that's about it. Since Lord of the Rings, I can't recall a movie that really left an impression, or that made me want to see it again.

It's getting worse when talking about sci-fi and fantasy movies. The choices there are slim to begin with, and the performance is lame, most of the time. Eragon and Bridge to Terabithia are just two examples of shallow, unimpressive movies.

That's why I went to see Stardust with very few expectations. The very impressive cast (Robert De Niro, Michelle Pfeiffer, Sienna Miller, Charlie Cox etc.) only made me even more suspicious. Such an amount of heavy hitters is usually a recipe for failure (Shh, don't say "Kingdom of Heaven", ok?).

Actually, I didn't hear a thing about this movie until I saw that there's a screening of it in one of our local theaters. Which was also weird - I see a lot of trailers online and in the cinema, and I didn't recall seeing anything about Stardust.

The bottom line is that it's always good to have low expectations. Stardust really caught me by surprise - and I enjoyed it immensely. It's a fun movie, that doesn't take itself very seriously and has a lovely storyline, full of action and humor. The actors are excellent. De Niro gives a hilarious performance (I won't spoil it for you - I'll just say he's not what he seems at first), Pfeiffer plays a wonderful evil witch and Charlie Cox gives the fresh and young touch. I am not much of a fan of Claire Danes, but she wasn't all bad, either.

The plot isn't all that sophisticated: "In a countryside town bordering on a magical land, a young man makes a promise to his beloved that he'll retrieve a fallen star by venturing into the magical realm". Your basic Quest-For-Love kind of thing. It's not about CGI and special effects, either, but mostly about the humor, the fun and the lightness of it all.

Mostly it reminded me of The Princess Bride, which became a real cult movie over the years. Stardust isn't an epic of the kind of LOTR, but it's a movie I would love to see again - if only for the wittiness and De Niro's performance.