This Months Video
RAS Video #12 - The Battle of Iwo Jima
Friday April 20, 2012
Each month we put together a video program for you. You will find everything from classic cartoons to full length movies. So, come join us and see what we have this month.
Friday April 20, 2012
Each month we put together a video program for you. You will find everything from classic cartoons to full length movies. So, come join us and see what we have this month.
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Amazing Movies - What are your top ten?
Monday April 23, 2012
Monday April 23, 2012
I love movies, all kinds of them. Whether it is science fiction or an epic drama I probably have watched it. The other day a friend asked me to list out my ten favorite movies for a project that she was working on. I said, “Sure, how hard could that be.” Well, as it turns out it is actually a difficult thing to do. I started going through, in my mind, all of the movies that float my boat. A flood of films came to me, but thinking a movie is good is a lot different than loving it. It became clear that I would have to come up with some sort of criteria to weed the list down. In the end the deciding factor would be: How many times have I watched the film and would that continue into the future? So, after sitting down and working through my list I was able to pare down it to ten films.So, why am I am I telling you this? Well, I am guessing that you figured out I am going to share my list with all of you. I will list the first five in this blog and next time finish it up. Do you agree with my top ten? What ten films are your favorites?
Here are mine and why:
#10 Armageddon - There are films that come out that just make all the right moves. This is just one of those: Powerful music, super sound, outstanding special effects and good chemistry between the actors all make this a great movie. The plot is a simple one. When mans survival is at stake heroes step up and deal with it. An asteroid the size of Texas is headed for Earth and the world's best deep core drilling team is sent to nuke the rock from the inside. I know that Armageddon will never be a classic, but for me it is one that I watch at least once a year.
#9 Ben Hur - When it comes to the classics or epic movies of the 60’s and 70’s there are a lot of great ones to chose from. You can go with The Greatest Story Ever Told, The Ten Commandments or even the true epic The Bible. However, for me the best of the best of those is Ben Hur starring Charlton Heston. I would watch it again and again just for the famous chariot scene alone. Unlike the other films of that genre Ben Hur is a fictional tale that tells the story of a Jewish prince that is betrayed and sent into slavery by a Roman friend. In the end he regains his freedom and comes back for revenge, but the journey we take with Judah Ben Hur is nothing short of spectacular. It was actually released in 1959 and it garnished an amazing eleven Oscars. About the only downside to the film is that it takes over 3 hours to watch it. I have to say that they just don’t make movies like this anymore.
#8 Silverado - Westerns is one of my favorite categories. After all who does not love a good old cowboy tale. When I started to break down which western was going to make the top ten I ended up looking at the elements of a great old west tale. Silverado not only meets the requirements, but should actually be the mold. You have the town in peril, a group of super cowboys thrown together to come to it’s aide. Throw in some well done gunfights, amazing scenery and a twist and turn or two and what you have is a true classic. The tag-line for the film was, “Four strangers became friends. Four friends became heroes. On the road to... Silverado.” That alone makes me want to watch the film right now. The movie was released in 1984 and sports one of the best casts of the era: Scott Glenn, Kevin Kline, Kevin Costner and the great Danny Glover. It was nominated for two Oscars and has been recognized for it’s musical score by Bruce Broughton.
#7 E.T.: The Extra-Terrestrial - In the family films category I had two finalists for my favorites. The first was the original Disney production Swiss Family Robinson. But, when it came right down to it E.T. got the nod. I guess it was because here we have a feel good story about an alien. In most cases we are told to fear the coming invasion of the horrible beasts that have come to destroy us and take our planet. All E.T. wanted was to “Phone Home”. I can’t say how many times I have watched this one and if I figured it out it would probably be considered borderline obsession. E.T. was released in 1982 and forever changed the face of the movie industry. It took 4 Oscars and is already a true classic.
#6 Forbidden Planet - I was not alive in the 50’s, but I have a true respect for science fiction movies of the era. That is why two films of this genre has made my top ten. Forbidden Planet is the first we will talk about. America was just coming around to the whole concept of flying through space and warming up to the fact that someday we will be out there. This movie’s tag-line was: “It’s Out of this World” and it was far ahead of its time. Even the music was all done with what we call today synthesizers. I have spent an amazing amount of time analyzing the plot, characters and hidden meanings buried deep in movie’s production. I even wrote a 10 page report in high school for an English class. Forbidden Planet was released in 1956 and has been nominate for a number of awards, but has never won any. For me this movie represents more than just a great science fiction story, it gives us pause to think about our own future. If you have never seen this one, shame on you!
#5 The Great Escape - This was a difficult choice for me. There have been so many great war epics. You have to consider such movies as The Longest Day, The Bridge on the River Kawi and even new movies like The Windtalkers. In the end I chose to go with The Great Escape. The cast alone is worth watching this classic. Actors like: Steve McQueen, James Garner, Richard Attenborough and James Coburn take the story to a whole new level. It is a 1963 American film about an escape by Allied prisoners of war from a German POW camp during World War II. The film is based on the book of the same name by Paul Brickhill, a non-fiction account of the mass escape from Stalag Luft III in Sagan (now Zagan, Poland). I love the character interactions and the great dialogue through out the film. It translates well over the decades and is worth grabbing some popcorn and give it a view.
#4 Young Frankenstein - Ah yes, the comedy. Who does not like to laugh once in a while. For me, I not a big fan of comedic movies, but I do make exceptions. Just about anything done by Mel Brooks is okay in my book. He had a great sense of timing and silliness that just makes fun times at the ole theater. My very favorite of his films is Young Frankenstein starring Gene Wilder. This movie puts a whole new twist on the classic monster movie and is guaranteed to put a smile on your face. The basic plot is: Dr. Frankenstein's grandson, after years of living down the family reputation, inherits granddad's castle and history repeats itself. Well, kind-da-sorta. An interesting fact about the film is that most of the lab equipment used as props was created by Kenneth Strickfaden for the 1931 film, Frankenstein.
#3 When Worlds Collide - This is our second SciFi film from the 50’s. To call this one out of date is a bit of an understatement, but I still love it. The science is all wrong, the special effects is “very” 50’s and storyline is impossible. However, I love it just the same. The acting is wonderful and don’t get me started on the characters. The matte paintings used are beautiful and I have been on the lookout for years to get a couple of them. The story can be described as the a disaster film. A group of scientist discover that a planet is going to collide with the earth. They decide to build a rocket to fly to this new world and escape the destruction. Do they make it? Well I highly recommend this film and then you can find the answer for yourself.
#2 Raiders of the Lost Ark - Some films stir memories and this one brings back quite a few. I remember the very first time I saw Raiders and the excitement I felt. I can also remember every person that I went to film with that night and the bound we shared. To a person we were sure that he had just seen the greatest action film ever made. Raider's of the Lost Ark was released June 12, 1981 and was the creation of Steven Spielberg. I have very little doubt that anyone reading this has not seen or heard of this one. But just in case, you owe it to yourself to grab a copy and watch it. Raider’s garnished 4 Oscars and was nominated for 3 others. So, with credentials like that it is easy to see why it is a must see.
#1 Star Wars - In truth Star Wars and Raider’s are 1 and 1a because they both inspire the same type of response from me. Total and utter awe. Star Wars takes the lead simply because this film changed the film industry forever. It was first released May 25, 1977 and took the world by storm. I was in high school at the time and during its initial run I saw it a total of 33 times. No I am not ashamed to admit that. What can I say about this one that has not already been said a thousand times. It is a classic and I guess that will have to do. At the Oscars in 1978 it won a staggering 7 academy awards and was nominated for 4 more. This movie single handed revived the science fiction genre and made George Lucas a very rich man.There you have my list of the top ten movies that make me say, "WoooHooo". What are your top ten films? I am sure your list will be very different from mine. Also, I think you will find that when you sit down to figure yours out, it is going to be a lot harder than you thought. Thank you for reading!
-Ron
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On this episode we have a western hybrid story for you. It comes from the classic crime drama, Tales of the Texas Rangers. It is the audition show and is called, Just a Number. It tells the tale of a rough neck cowboy who is running from Ranger Jayce Pearson. The series was a western adventure that used the latest scientific techniques to identify the criminals. However, it still represented the old west using horses, gunplay and fisticuffs to bring them to justice. The series ran from 1950 to 1952 and were reenactments of actual Texas Ranger cases.
The show’s star Joel McCrea was born in South Pasadena, California. McCrea, a grad from Pomona College in 1928 took courses in drama and public speaking. He also appeared regularly at the Pasadena Playhouse. McCrea was working as a stunt man when he signed a contract with MGM. He was cast in a major role in the film The Jazz Age in 1929. He moved to RKO pictures in 1930, where he established himself as a handsome leading man who was considered versatile enough to star in both dramas and comedies.
A note on the Texas Rangers: They were founded in 1823. Stephen F. Austin employed ten men to protect newly settled families who arrived in Texas following the Mexican War of Independence. While there is some discussion as to when Austin actually employed men as "rangers", lore dates the anniversary year of their organization to this event. The Texas Rangers were formally constituted in 1835, and in November Robert Williamson was chosen to be the first Major of the Texas Rangers. Within two years the Rangers comprised more than 300 men.
This week we begin the program with a short presentation written by Philip K. Dick. Back in episode 38 we heard from Philip with the short story, Beyond Lies the Wub. This short, also by him, is a humorous look at writers and perceptions. What if we took everything that was said literally? Well, listen to the podcast and find out.After the funny stuff we have a freighting tale from The Hermit’s Cave. It was one of the first of the horror shows in old time radio that was best listened to in the dark. The Hermit's Cave starred John Kent and Mel Johnson as the Old Hermit who shambled out of the mouth of his cave warning the faint of heart not to listen. The show was a regional creation of G.A. Richards of WJR in Detroit, but later ran from 1940-1944 on Richard's West Coast station KMPC. Our Story, Mystery of the Thing is largely unknown and its origin was untraceable. It was most likely written for the show by its creator. The story has twists and turns that are bound to send you scurrying for your best hiding place. I was unable to determine exactly when it aired, but my best guess is the middle months of 1940.
Our story is from the wonderful series Lux Radio Theater. What we have is the Guadalcanal Diary. The origin of it comes from a memoir written by war correspondent Richard Tregaskis. The book recounts the author's time with the United States Marine Corps on Guadalcanal during the early stages of the battle in 1942.Guadalcanal Diary was also a 1943 World War II war film starring Preston Foster, Lloyd Nolan, William Bendix, and Anthony Quinn. It was directed by Lewis Seiler. The story recounts the fight of the United States Marines in the Battle of Guadalcanal, which occurred only a year before the movie's release. While the film has notable battle scenes, its primary focus is on the characters and back stories of the Marines.
It was adapted to radio by Lux and stared most of the original cast. By the time the episode aired in February of 1944 the battle for that rugged island had long since ended. Historian Eric Hammel sums up the significance Guadalcanal this way: Before the battle The Japanese Imperial Navy had the better ships and the better tactics. After November 15, 1942, its leaders lost heart and it lacked the strategic depth to face the budding U.S. Navy. The Japanese never got better while, after November 1942, the U.S. Navy never stopped getting better.This episode of Lux Radio Theater It first aired Feb 28, 1944.
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