Blog Archives
‘I Have the Power’ to Transport Us Back to 1987
‘Masters of the Universe’ is a superhero movie released in 1987 that told the story of He-Man (Dolph Lundgren) and his skull-faced enemy Skeletor (Frank Langella).
Yes, that’s really acclaimed actor Frank Langella underneath that costume!
Mixing actors and practical effects with (then) state of the art graphics, this movie became a cult classic. Not exactly admired by critics yet some of our favorite movies have received similar (unfair) treatment.
What may surprise people is that this ’80s superhero classic featured young up-and-coming actress named Courtney Cox.
Again, that’s really true. And she delivered a great performance.
Oh, and the actor who played the principal in those ‘Back to the Future’ movies, James Tolkan, was in this movie too.
For this Throwback Thursday, let’s relax and enjoy the trailer for 1987s ‘Masters of the Universe.’
While a new live-action He-Man movie is set to be released in March 2021, it’ll be very difficult to match the ’80s superhero nostalgia and soundtrack of ‘Masters of the Universe.’ While it’s a movie that was made before its time, we should still be thankful that it was made when it was in 1987. It has a unique feel and cast that modern superhero movies just can’t match.
You can call it the differentiating (cosmic) key for ‘Masters of the Universe.’
The Critics’ Knives Will Be out for Rian Johnson’s New Movie
Screenwriter and film director Rian Johnson will forever be tied to his small independent film ‘Star Wars: Episode VIII – The Last Jedi.’ For those who have seen the movie and who have followed the fan reaction to it, there’s certainly been a mixed response, to say the least. And this extends to the cast, with Mark Hamill and Daisy Ridley sharing their thoughts on the plot as well as understanding the strong fan reactions from 10,000 feet/the movie theater seat.
As a ‘Star Wars’ movie fan, ‘The Last Jedi’ was good in parts and not so great in parts concerning individual scenes, characters, dialogue, and overall plot points and major plot decisions.
Returning back to Rian Johnson, he has written the screenplay and directed a murder mystery movie that takes place in a spooky mansion. This movie with a star-studded cast has the tone of the 2017 adaptation of ‘Murder on the Orient Express’ sans train with some four-letter words and a hint of fun circa the 1985 murder mystery classic ‘Clue.’
‘Knives Out’ Cast:
- Daniel Craig
- Jamie Lee Curtis
- Christopher Plummer
- Chris Evans
- Toni Collette
- Don Johnson
- Michael Shannon
- Lakeith Stanfield
- Ana de Armas
Check out the brand new official trailer for ‘Knives Out.’
(FYI – There’s a rant with a four-letter word that starts with the letter “s”)
‘Knives Out’ looks — admittedly on a less consequential scale — like it will be just as divisive as ‘The Last Jedi’ with audiences concerning how the writing and plot twists play out by the end. Is it intended to be goofy, serious or a gutsy combination of the two? ‘Clue’ is the gold standard for a murder mystery movie with thrills and humor intertwined just so perfectly.
We’ll find out if Rian Johnson’s aptly titled ‘Knives Out’ set for a Thanksgiving release date will carve up a winner.
Maybe Rian Johnson included a scene that was a future wish of Marshall in ‘How I Met Your Mother’?
The opportunity is right there for ‘The Last Jedi’ director. I’m sure he still has access to a lightsaber…
Happy Monday!
Just minutes ago (literally), the first official trailer for ‘Jumanji: The Next Level’ dropped online by Sony Pictures Entertainment. It’s the third film in the series, but the immediate sequel to the 2017 movie ‘Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle’ that was made without Robin Williams. The latest two films have, appropriately, been made with a different tone and direction than the original classic from 1995. And this new level of ‘Jumanji’ cinematic storytelling centered around a vintage video game called Jumanji gone awry has been surprisingly entertaining and interesting.
The primary cast includes Kevin Hart, Dwayne Johnson, Jack Black, and Karen Gillan. A couple of the newcomers to the series includes movie veterans Danny DeVito and Danny Glover.
Ladies and gentlemen, without further ado…
What’s old is new again.
‘Jumanji: The Next Level’ arrives in a theater near you this Christmas.
Have a Better Week Than Last Week.
Bob Ley’s Legacy Is Exceptional, Sportive, Professional & Newsworthy
Bob Ley, 64-years-old, was one of the original ESPN SportsCenter reporters from 1979. Now, 40 years later, Bob Ley has announced he’s leaving the same yet different ESPN.
In addition to his sincere thanks to ESPN senior leadership and his loyal ESPN viewers for the past four decades, Mr. Ley posted the following on his Twitter account. This is an excerpt.
“Now it’s time for a change.
I will be retiring from ESPN, as of the end of this month.
To be clear, this is entirely my decision. I enjoy the best of health, and the many blessings of friends and family, and it is in that context that I’m making a change.”
In the final part of his Twitter statement, Mr. Ley ended with the following.
“In September, I signed off my last show saying, “I’ll catch you on the flip side.” Now it’s time to take that vinyl off the turntable (ask your folks), flip it over, and drop the needle on the B-side. There are always great cuts, and hidden gems on the B-side.
Thank you for a great run.”
What is Bob Ley’s next step? He didn’t say.
One thing we do know is that he is one of the original anchors who helped make ESPN the worldwide leader in sports. He has been — and surely will continue to be — a reliable sports journalist with wit who delivered uncompromised trust and authority to his audience. And as a soccer fan, I always enjoyed his high-quality analysis and reporting during ESPN’s past coverage of the FIFA World Cup.
As a matter of fact, the image below is Mr. Ley’s Twitter profile picture.
As a matter of another fact, Dan Patrick — an anchor of ESPN from 1989-2006 — shared his thoughts on Bob Ley’s retirement announcement from the “DaDaDa, DaDaDa” network on his radio show.
Bob Ley will be viewed as one of the standard-bearers and nostalgic reference points for what made ESPN the worldwide leader in sports. He did his part by taking journalism as seriously as he took having fun and covering sports as a future unfolds in which that revolutionary network is being challenged by a wide variety of sports network upstarts — and established network giants — attempting to replicate those original (and wildly entertaining) sports journalists with those iconic four letters sewn on their jackets.
Thank you, Bob Ley.
And good luck with your future, which will hopefully involve covering the beautiful game in either human form or in 16-bits.
Jimmy's Daily Planet 