COWBOYS & ALIENS: A fun summertime movie....

When it was first announced that Daniel Craig and Harrison Ford would be teaming up for a sci-fi/western bybrid film, I was in geek heaven. I mean James Bond and Indiana Jones in the same movie. Hell Yeah! My expectations were high for this movie, and I was not disappointed. The movie opens in Arizona circa 1873 with Daniel Craig as a man named Jake Lonergan, who wakes up in the middle of the desert with no boots, hat, or horse. And no clue as to who he is. After being stumbled upon by three nefarious men, Jake quickly dispatches the trio and heads to the nearest town, which is called Absolution. Once there he meets a mysterious woman named Ella (played by Olivia Wilde) who may have a clue to his loss of memory. Jake also runs afoul of a drunk young man named Percy (played by Paul Dano) who happens to be the son of Colonel Dolarhyde (played by Harrison Ford). Jake slaps Percy around and both men are arrested by the sheriff (Keith Carradine). The Colonel gets wind of this and rides into town to get his boy and also get his revenge on Jake, who evidently stole money from him a while back.

Once in town, some commotion occurs and lights fill up the skies. The lights turn out to be alien spaceships which attack the town and start snatching up the local townsfolk. Jake happens to have some type of alien weapon on his wrist and learns how to use it. This leads to a spectacular 15 minute sequence of cool and frenetic action. The town bands together to track down the ships that took their fellow townspeople. Lonergan and Dolarhyde put aside their differences to work together.

This movie worked on several levels and the sci fi meets western angle worked pretty good. It got kind of too much sci-fi mumbo jumbo toward the end but things turn back to the western side and everything ends nicely. The cast is top notch. Daniel Craig once again shows he is a strong actor and even a stronger action star as he has several key scenes where he gets to flex his muscle. Harrison Ford is good too as Dolarhyde and gets a few emotional scenes that let us know why he is such a hardened man. And Olivia Wilde is more than just eye candy to look at. She is very pivotal in this movie and does not disappoint in her scenes where she to explain a lot to everyone else.

So all in all Cowboys and Aliens is a cool movie. Perfect for summertime viewing. From the director of Iron Man, Jon Favreau.
B

BLADE RUNNER: A visual masterpiece back in 1982 and still one today almost 30 years later...

Harrison Ford as Rick Deckard looking for some replicants..

Awesome sci-fi film. I loved it from the first time I ever saw it. The story has our hero Rick Deckard, played by Harrison Ford, as a policeman who hunts down replicants in the year 2019. Replicants are human clones used to work in conditions too dangerous for normal people. Well, a crew of replicants escape from their ship and hide out in LA wanting to meet their creator to give them more life. Replicants are built with a specific time span of only 4 years. So Deckard is called back in to track them down. He's the best blade runner there is. This film will blow you away with innovative special effects, a great storyline, and terrific characters. Ford is solid as usual. But Rutger Hauer as head replicant Roy Batty is phenomenal. Also starring Sean Young, Daryl Hannah, Joanna Cassidy, Pat Hingle, Edward James Olmos and Brion James. Check out this movie if you haven't seen it. I just bought the recently released collector's edition DVD and it's a keeper. This is what you call a game changer. It showed that sci-fi could be smart, cool and exciting. And almost 30 years later, it is still quite impressive. Expertly directed by Ridley Scott.

Watch out Deckard..that ain't no doll...

Memorable scenes include Deckard chasing down Zora through the streets of Los Angeles. Deckard being roughed up by Leon in a back alley. Deckard's first meeting with Rachael to give her a test to see if she is or isn't a replicant. Roy Batty finally meeting his maker/designer. Pris giving Deckard all he can handle with her amazing gymnastic moves. And of course the final showdown between Deckard and Batty in a huge mansion like complex. Talking about this movie has got me all excited to watch it again. Time to break out the DVD.
A-

Roy Batty: I've seen things you people wouldn't believe. Attack ships on fire off the shoulder of Orion. I watched C-beams glitter in the dark near the Tannhauser gate. All those moments will be lost in time, like tears in rain. Time to die.

Deckard on the job, hunting down some bad replicants

Los Angeles 2019...amazing visuals

Sean Young as Racheal

Rutger Hauer as Roy Batty

Joanna Cassidy as Zora

Daryl Hannah as Pris looking all so punk...

Edward James Olmos as Gaff, Deckard's partner

Brion James as Leon...Wake up! Time To Die!

Zora on the run...hey at least we know they still have beer in the future..

Hey I told her to stop, but she didn't listen..

Deckard meets Zora with her pet snake...
 

Fun Summer Movies: RAIDERS OF THE LOST ARK (1981)

Summer Release Date: 12 June 1981. Stars Harrison Ford, Karen Allen, Denholm Elliott, John-Rhys Davies, Paul Freeman, Alfred Molina. Directed by Steven Spielberg. Produced by George Lucas. Written by Lawrence Kasdan and George Lucas. Released by Paramount Pictures.

Film makers Steven Spielberg and George Lucas teamed up for the very first time to create movie magic. A wonderful throwback to the Saturday afternoon cliff-hanger serials of the 30's and 40's. Harrison Ford is perfect as archaeologist/adventurer Indiana Jones, who also is a teacher. He travels the world seeking out grand artifacts. The film opens with a sensational sequence in the jungles of South America as Indiana is searching for this gold statue. He has to avoid countless booby traps and nearly gets crushed by a gigantic boulder, which is an iconic scene. Look for Alfred Molina in an early role as Indy's helper. Molina couldn't have been more than 20 years old. After that thrilling opening which features an escape by Indy from angry natives via an airplane, things settle down for a bit. He is back in the classroom, teaching about archaeology when he is recruited by the U.S government to track down the Lost Ark of the Covenant, before the Nazis find it. He takes the assignment and first has to deal with an old flame who may have information he needs about possible locations for the ark. Her name is Marion Ravenwood (played with gusto by Karen Allen), whose father and Indy had several adventures back in the day. Marion fell in love with Indy but he left and she holds resentment toward him to this day. There is a rousing fight scene in the bar she owns between Indy and the bad guys before the whole building comes down. So Marion decides to tag along with Indy to find the ark. They end up traveling to Egypt and hook up with Indy's old friend Sallah (Davies) who learns where the ark is located. Indy not only has to deal with the Nazis but also a rival French archaeologist named Belloq. The action in Egypt features the best scenes in the movie: Indy and Marion trapped in the Well of Souls with tons of snakes (which our hero is deathly afraid of); an intense slug fest between Indy and a hulk of a Nazi; and the thrilling chase by Indy on horseback after the Nazis who have procured the Ark. All this leads to a rousing finale that breathed new life into the action genre and brought a new hero into the 20th century. Ford is awesome as Indiana Jones, as he brings his considerable acting talent along with a lot of heroic derring. Karen Allen is positively engaging as Marion, a truly memorable female character that hold her own with the men amid all the action and what not.  Spielberg once again shows why he is one of the best directors of all time. Also the thrilling music score by John Williams is awesome. I was twelve when I first saw Raiders and it blew me and everyone else away. A truly iconic and fun summer movie. Just a good old fashioned thrill ride. I ended up seeing it 2 more times at the theater and looked forward every few years for the next grand adventure of Indiana Jones. Followed by three sequels: The Temple Of Doom (1984), The Last Crusade (1989) and The Kingdom Of The Crystal Skulls (2008).

Notes:

1981's biggest grossing film with $230 million in North America alone.

The original name of the lead character in the script was Indiana Smith. His name was changed to Jones on the first day of production.

Tom Selleck was Steven Spielberg's second choice for the role of Indiana Jones. Harrison Ford was his first, but George Lucas objected, since Ford had been in both American Graffiti (1973) and Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope (1977). Selleck was not able to take the role because he was committed to "Magnum, P.I." (1980). However, that series did not go into production until Raiders' filming had already wrapped. Selleck was in fact in Hawaii waiting for the series to start as the final scenes to be filmed (the opening sequence) were being shot in Hawaii. "Magnum" did an episode called "Legend of the Lost Art" that parodied "Raiders", complete with hat, whip, booby traps, etc.

The out-of-control airplane actually ran over Harrison Ford's knee, tearing his ligaments. Rather than submit to Tunisian health care, Ford had his knee wrapped in ice and carried on.


During filming in Tunisia, nearly everyone in the cast and crew got sick, except director Steven Spielberg. It is thought that he avoided illness by eating only the food he'd brought with him: cans and cans of Spaghetti-O's.

I met Karen Allen at the Dragon Convention in Atlanta in 2009 and she was awesome. Funny and so nice in person and looked great.  Check out the pic below of me and her.