salty chewbacca

Wednesday, February 1, 2017

Hold On

A League of Their Own (1992)

Rating: PG

Runtime: 128 minutes

Box Office (in today’s dollars): 182 million (approximately)

Characters: Dottie Hinson, Kit Keller, Jimmy Dugan, “All the Way” Mae Mordabito, Doris Murphy, Linda “Beans” Babbitt, Shirley Baker, “Mumbles” Brockman, Connie Calhoun, Neezer Dalton, Beverly Dixon, Vivian Ernst, Evelyn Gardner, Alice Gaspers, Ellen Sue Gotlander, Helen Haley, Marla Hooch, Betty “Spaghetti” Horn, Marbleann Wilkinson, Stillwell Gardner, Ernie Capadino, Miss Cuthburt, Ira Lowenstein, Walter Harvey, Bob Hinson

Favorite Quote: “There’s no crying in baseball!”

Favorite Scene: Jimmy Dugan’s pre-game 50+ second pee

Favorite Character: Dottie Hinson

Other need-to-see nineties movies directed by Penny Marshall: Awakenings

This was one of the movies that was playing when I first started working at a theater when I was in high school. I remember cleaning up popcorn and soda while Madonna was singing “This Used to Be My Playground” during the credits. I can’t believe that was 25 years ago!! Ok, the movie review: lots of characters to love. Younger sister Kit is fighting to get out of her sister’s shadow; Mae goes all the way from 2^nd base to home on a single to center, if you know what I mean; and there are ladies with nicknames like Beans, Mumbles, and Spaghetti. But my favorite character is Dottie Hinson. She is the heart and soul of the Rockford Peaches, and the perfect player to lead this team to the top of the All American Girls Professional Baseball League.

And who is the manager of this team you ask?? Jimmy Dugan. A washed-up old baseball star whose pre-game speech is no more than a long trip to the urinal (favorite scene), who yells “there’s no crying in baseball!” at his players (favorite quote), and who gives great advice to kids: “avoid the clap.” There are many funny moments in this movie, but at its core, it is all about sisterly love (the opposite of my last movie reviewed, Boyz in the Hood, which was all about the love of your brothers). Oh, and did I mention the baseball action is great, and even Madonna is believable as a ballplayer??

There is a great debate on the ending of movie during game seven of the World Series. Spoiler alert: The Rockford Peaches vs. The Racine Belles. Dottie vs. Kit. Does Dottie let her sister win, or did she earn it?? I say she let her win. But others see it differently. I would ask Jon Lovitz’ character Ernie Capadino how he saw it, but he probably skipped the game to give his wife a little pickle tickle.

Next movie to review: Groundhog Day

Goin' Out West

Boyz n the Hood (1991)

Rating: R

Runtime: 112 minutes

Box Office (in today’s dollars): 100 million (approximately)

Characters: Tre Styles, Doughboy, Ricky Baker, Chris, Brandi, Furious Styles, Reva Styles, Brenda Baker, Dooky, Monster, Shalika, Shanice, Ferris

Favorite Quote: “Domino motherfuckers!”

Favorite Scene: Doughboy’s speech at the end

Favorite Character: Doughboy

Other need-to-see nineties movies directed by John Singleton: none

Do the Right Thing was snubbed in my eighties movie bracket challenge, so I am glad that Boyz n the Hood made it onto my nineties movie list. This movie takes place in South Central Los Angeles (a long way away from Do the Right Thing’s Brooklyn). I think it may be the early favorite to win the “movie that looks the most like a nineties movie” award. Run-D.M.C. played during the barbecue, and the fashions ranged from Georgetown and UNLV gear (oh the days when Zo and LJ were stars) to Tre and his Gordon Gartrelle shirt. Speaking of Tre, my girlfriend couldn’t get over the fact that Cuba Gooding Jr. looked 35 and played someone that was 18. I think my younger self would have said Ricky was my favorite character, but my older self says Doughboy . . . we will get back to him later.

There were a lot of powerful messages spoken throughout the movie, but my favorite quote is when Doughboy yells “Domino motherfuckers!” at a barbecue. I got all choked up at the end when Tre told Dough, “You still got one brother left, man”, so that was probably my second favorite. It was definitely not anything Tre and Furious said during their uncomfortable talks about sex. I can’t even type the words into this review . . . but what I can type is that I wish I had friends growing up with names like Dooky and Monster. Though I did grow up with a friend named Brownie and that is pretty cool I guess.

Ok, back to Doughboy; easily the best character from the movie. He is funny and tough, and he even gets emotional. Even though Tre is the main character, I feel that the movie is at its best when Doughboy is on screen. He is the one that chills us at the end with his powerful words telling us, “Either they don’t know, don’t show, or don’t care about what’s going on in the hood.” He then pours a 40 on the curb and disappears. I wish Dough had lived longer and enjoyed more days where the Lakers beat the SuperSonics and his name was in lights on a Goodyear blimp.

Next movie to review: A League of Their Own

Thursday, January 12, 2017

Gun Street Girl

Terminator 2: Judgement Day (1991)

Rating: R

Runtime: 154 minutes

Box Office (in today’s dollars): 356 million (approximately)

Characters: The Terminator, Sarah Conner, John Conner, T-1000, Miles Dyson, Dr. Peter Silberman, Enrique Salceda, Kyle Reese’s ghost

Favorite Quote: “I need your clothes, your boots, and your motorcycle.”

Favorite Scene: Tractor-trailer/bike chase or the helicopter/tanker chase . . . they are both fantastic

Favorite Character: Sarah Conner

Other need-to-see nineties movies directed by James Cameron: Titanic

This is the only sequel to make my list of must-see nineties movies. I do have a prequel, but we won’t be getting to that for a while. The fun thing is I get to compare this movie to its original in the series, The Terminator. The special effects in T-2 are so much better than in T-1 . . . though the effects in T-1 are so bad they are good. The Terminator is back (and naked again) in this movie, and we are given a naked T-1000 as well. Sarah and John return with Sarah being even more awesome this time around and John just swearing a lot and wearing a Public Enemy t-shirt. Miles Dyson, Dr. Silberman, and Enrique are good characters, and Kyle Reese’s ghost (?) makes an appearance. But Sarah is what makes this movie great. She gets my vote for favorite character.

There were a bunch of great quotes to choose a favorite from: in this film The Terminator says “Come with me if you want to live”, “I’ll be back”, and “Hasta la vista, baby”, but I really like “I need your, clothes, your boots, and your motorcycle.” It’s really funny, and it makes The Terminator seem cool and badass at the same time. There were two scenes from the movie that were both very action-packed and awesome that I had a hard time choosing between: the tractor-trailer/bike chase from the early part of the movie and the helicopter/tanker chase scene near the end of the movie. Stuff went fast, and stuff blew up. That is all you need to know.

This may be the rare time for me when I like the sequel more than the original. Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope, The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring, and Kill Bill: Volume 1, are my favorites of those series, whereas my girlfriend Rebecca (and probably many others) prefer the second movies in those respected series. I should probably watch The Godfather and The Godfather 2 one of these days to see on which side I fall in that argument.

Next movie to review: Boyz n the Hood

Sunday, December 25, 2016

A Salty Chewbacca Holiday

Some of you may know this, some of you may not: Salty Chewbacca worked at a movie theater for about seven years, and a video store for about ten more. So I have seen many holiday movies, and I have seen what other people are watching. There are good ones, and there are bad ones. I figure it is time for Salty Chewbacca to make a top 50 list . . . because that is what I do. I apologize in advance if your favorite did not make the cut. Feel free to tell me I am wrong for not including it, but be prepared to have to argue a movie off the list in order for it to take its place. I believe I have been fair to include a variety of movies, not just one particular genre. Because everyone feels differently about Christmas (or whatever you may celebrate).

Family