Movie #240 - The Goonies

The Goonies
1985 - Rated PG-13 - 1 hr 54 min
Director: Richard Donner
Starring: Sean Astin, Josh Brolin, Jeff Cohen, Joe Pantoliano, Corey Feldman, Kerri Green, Martha Plimpton, Jonathan Ke Quan, Robert Davi, Anne Ramsey

Oh, the goonies.  Suburban American gets it's very own pirate adventure in this 80s classic, rife with young stars. Little baby Sean Astin.  Teenage Josh Brolin. Skinny Joe Pantoliano.  And Cyndi Lauper's all over the place, in case you missed her.

The best part about revisiting this childhood favorite as an adult is all the jokes I've just understood.  And the pirate's name is One-Eyed Willy.  One. Eyed. Willy.  How did I not get that? And how do all these people make it through the movie without laughing?

We also got to watch the deleted scenes on the DVD, including the illusive octopus attack scene that Mike has been obsessed with finding since childhood.  Well, here it is.  Hooray.

So I love this movie for what it represents from my childhood, for being led by a talented cast of tweens, and for introducing us all to the possibility that we could become treasure hunters. And actually find something.

Movie #217 - The Fugitive

The Fugitive
1994 - Rated PG-13 - 2 hr 10 min
Director: Andrew Davis
Starring: Harrison Ford, Tommy Lee Jones, Sela Ward, Julianne Moore, Joe Pantoliano, Jane Lynch

Another classic film for the letter F and a fan favorite, too.  Harrison Ford vs. Tommy Lee Jones.  Can Ford find his wife's real killer and prove to Jones that he didn't murder her?  Will Jones even care? This wild chase across Chicago is fun to watch and definitely sucks you into the compelling storyline.  Ford's character is the kind of wronged good-guy you cheer for.  And, as we discovered, he's the perfect fugitive: quick and nimble with a medical degree.  He runs quick, thinks quick, and can fix his own wounds. Perfect.

There are some great cameos in here as well.  Julianne Moore as a doctor who spots him in the hospital.  Jane Lynch as a former colleague of his.  And Neil Flynn (Janitor on Scrubs) who plays a Transit Cop, has one line, then gets shot and killed on the train.  Good stuff.

Movie #143 - Daredevil

Daredevil
20th Century Fox
2003 - Rated PG-13 - 1 hr 43 min
Director: Mark Steven Johnson
Starring: Ben Affleck, Jennifer Garner, Colin Farrell,
Michael Clarke Duncan, Jon Favreau, Ellen Pompeo, Joe Pantoliano

Do you think Ben and Jen watch this movie like its a home video? 

"Look, kids! This is how your mother and I met!"

"Dad, you're a superhero?"
"Only on TV. But look, it's our first kiss, Jen!"

"Ben, you know that was like, Take 15 or 20, right?"

"No one needs to know that, honey."

See, I've got the whole awkward scene in my head now.  In any event, this movie's one of those comic-book-turned-film messes. It's not all bad - it does have Stan Lee in it, can you spot him? - and the fighting scenes kick ass.  But really, is my life enriched by this movie? Not particularly.  I'm glad it was useful for Hollywood match-making (and to let Jennifer Garner take Alias to the big screen, more or less), but I could live without it. You know?

Movie #50 - Bad Boys II

Bad Boys II
Columbia Pictures
2003 - Rated R - 2 hr 27 min
Director: Michael Bay
Starring: Martin Lawrence, Will Smith, Gabrielle Union, Joe Pantoliano

Eight years later, Michael Bay is still blowing sh*t up. And getting better at it, too. Mike and Marcus are still at each others' throats in a way that makes you forget their profession of love to one another at the end of the first movie. Especially since Mike is involved with Marcus's sister. Uh oh...

So we open on a shoot out with the KKK, which features Martin Lawrence "singing" the verse to the song Bad Boys. I remember this scene from the preview. And somehow, even though it's shot using Michael Bay's classic 360-degree circle approach, it's still funny.

Gabrielle Union is really just the eye candy here (sorry, Gabs) and sets up the plot by getting kidnapped. Save the girl, get the bad guy, uncover the money laundering. Standard stuff here, fellas. Still, it's done with such explosive panache from the director and such charming wit from its stars that you can't help but enjoy this one.

And, oh by the way, that's 50 MOVIES DOWN, ONLY 500+ TO GO!

Movie #49 - Bad Boys

Bad Boys
Columbia Pictures
1995 - Rated R - 1 hr 58 min
Director: Michael Bay
Starring: Martin Lawrence, Will Smith, Joe Pantoliano, Tea Leoni

In this movie, Michael Bay blows some sh*t up. Shocking, I know. Also, Tea Leoni tries her hand at action films. That actually is shocking, but not as disastrous as you might think.

Martin Lawrence and Will Smith are lots of fun to watch in this movie. The whole "who's Mike Lowrey" subplot probably goes on a bit too long, but the mix up makes the interactions between them all the more priceless. Many shoot outs ensue, Tea Leoni is apparently a "bullet magnet," and the Bad Boys win. But they probably overuse the slo-mo action sequence thing. Guess I can't blame them... that technique was pretty revolutionary in 1995, wasn't it?

Overall, this is a fun buddy cop movie that's a little more intense than your average Starsky & Hutch episode. Lots of fire and guns, lots of diving through the air, and a little bit of a body count, too. Good times.