Spotlight On: Christian Bale

This week's spotlight is on one of my favorite actors, Christian Bale. He is an actor who has appeared in two of my favorite film franchises, Batman and Terminator. He is also very dedicated to his roles and has lost a lot of weight for several roles and has gained a lot of muscle for others. I have never seen The Machinist, but I have seen photos of Bale in that role, and it is just eery how much weight he lost for that movie. Anyways, he is a very talented actor, and here are some of my favorite roles of his.

Little Women

Little Women is still on my list of books I need to read, but I love this movie. One of the best things about it is Bale as Laurie and his relationship with Winona Ryder as Jo. It just breaks my heart everytime she rejects his marriage proposal.



Pocahontas

I added this one just because I think it is hilarious that Bale voiced Thomas in Disney's Pocahontas.



A Midsummer Night's Dream

Here he is in the film version of Shakespeare's famous play. He plays Demetrius, a man who is under a love spell and falls in love with Calista Flockhart's character.



American Psycho

My absolute favorite role of his, I love Christian Bale as Patrick Bateman. He is just this total yuppie rich guy who has to have the best everything and hates it when someone has stuff that is better than his. Oh yeah, and he is also a crazy psycho murderer...or is he?
Here are some of my favorite scenes:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qwicLgOGJOI
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BqJsycuqILM&feature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6VXRVq_1EYg

Batman Begins/ The Dark Knight

Here Bale plays one of the most well-known superheros of all time. What makes Batman different from other superheros is that he doesn't have any powers. What he does have is a lot of money, a cool car, a batsuit, and a utility belt.



Terminator Salvation

Here he plays sci-fi hero John Connor, the man who is prophesized to lead the resistance against the machines. While not the best Terminator movie, I still really liked it and am looking forward to another one!!!



The Fighter

This is the movie that Bale won his Oscar for. He plays Dickie Eklund, a former boxer and crackhead whose younger brother is getting his chance to be great. I thought that Bale was brilliant in this film, and think that he really deserved his Oscar.




Upcoming: I am super excited to see Bale in the remake of Oldboy. I loved the original, so naturally I was pissed about a remake. But with Josh Brolin confirmed to be in it and Bale rumored to be in it, it should be great. What I am REALLY excited to see, however, is The Dark Knight Rises, which will be the last time he will be playing Batman.

My Favorite Movie Lines

My first YouTube video! A compilation of my favorite movie lines. As soon as I made it, I thought of a million more so I'll probably have to make another one...

Spotlight On: Christina Ricci

This spotlight is on Christina Ricci, who is an actress that I have loved since I was a little kid. I grew up watching her movies and basically loved everything that she was in, especially the Addam's family movies. I remember this one Halloween I was really excited about my Wednesday Addam's costume and I was PISSED because noone knew who I was supposed to be! Stupid people... Anyways, here are the roles that I loved her in as a kid (and still love), as well as my favorites of her more recent roles.

Mermaids

I watched this movie a million or so times when I was little, and I always loved Ricci as Cher's youngest daughter, and younger sister to Winona Ryder. She plays Kate Flax, a little girl who wants to grow up to be an Olympic swimmer. Although I absolutely loved this movie, the one thing that I remember the most was Cher's music video to The Shoop Shoop Shoop Song that went with it that featured both Winona and a very adorable little Christina Ricci.



The Addam's Family/ The Addam's Family Values

I LOVE WEDNESDAY ADDAMS! The Addam's Family and The Addam's Family Values were two of my favorites when I was a kid, and of course Wednesday was my favorite character. She had the best lines, and the best moments of those movies were the parts where she was onscreen. Favorites: the sword fight between her and Pugsley, forcing a smile at camp, basically anything she says...



Casper

Another one of my favorites that I watched a million times as a kid. I was obsessed with Halloween when I was a kid (and still am..), so how could I have not loved this movie? Not only did I love Christina Ricci, but I also had a huge crush on Devon Sawa when I was a kid, so my favorite scene was when Casper turned human and went to the Halloween party and danced with Ricci.



Now and Then

This is a really cute movie that also featured other young actresses I liked as a kid (Thora Birch and Gaby Hoffman).



Buffalo '66

I didn't really care for this movie because I CAN'T STAND Vincent Gallo, but I did love the scene where she tap dances in the bowling alley. You can watch that scene HERE

Sleepy Hollow

This movie features Ricci at her loveliest. She plays Katrina Van Tassell, a girl who lives in a village that is tormented by the Headless Horseman. I must also say that Christina Ricci has one of the best movie screams ever. Here's a cute little video I found...



Pumpkin

This is a sort of dark comedy about a sorority girl who falls in love with a mentally challenged guy. It's kind of a weird movie, but I was watching it on IFC one day and I have to admit that it is kind of cute. It is definitely not your typical romantic comedy...

Monster

This movie is mostly remembered for Charlize Theron's Oscar winning role as a serial killer, but it also features a great performance by Christina Ricci as her lesbian lover.



Cursed

This is probably the cheesiest werewolf movie ever, but that's kind of why I like it. Ricci plays a girl who, along with her brother, is turning into a lycanthrope.



Black Snake Moan

In this movie, Ricci plays a sex addict who is chained to a radiator by Samuel L. Jackson, who plans to teach her a lesson.



Penelope

Here Ricci plays a girl who is cursed with a big pig nose. In order to break the spell she needs to find true love, and she finds it (spoiler alert...) with the adorable James McAvoy.



Upcoming: Now she has her own show called Pan Am on AMC. I haven't seen it yet, but it looks interesting. She also has some movies coming up called Bel Ami and War Flowers.

Spotlight On: Johnny Depp

He's been mentioned in a lot of my other blog posts, so now I thought that it was time to give Johnny Depp his own spotlight. He is one of my all-time favorite actors and has appeared in several of my favorite films. I just love the different types of roles that he has played. I love how he can play super serious roles, but also ones that are completely goofy. Say what you will about Johnny Depp, but one thing you could never say is that he is boring. He is an actor who, when I see his name attached to a project, makes me instantly want to go see it. He is also incredibly handsome, so that is a definite plus. Here are some of my favorite Johnny Depp films.

Nightmare on Elm Street

Depp's very first films role was in the classic Freddy Krueger film. While he is basically just playing the love interest role to the main character, he does have one of the most memorable NOES deaths...



Cry-Baby

This is a John Waters film, so naturally it is going to be over the top and cheesy as hell. But...that is why I like it I guess. Depp also looks mighty fine in that 50s bad boy look!



Edward Scissorhands

I love this movie! This was Depp's first film directed by Tim Burton, and is also one of my favorite movies. It is a sort of Beauty and the Beast type story, except here the beast has scissors for hands and is really sweet and softspoken.



Benny and Joon

This is a really cute movie where he plays a really eccentric guy who does sort of Charlie Chaplin/ Buster Keaton type routines. The scene at the park and the scene at the diner where he does the Charlie Chaplin roll dance are really cute scenes, but my favorite was always the part where he swings by Joon's window.



Ed Wood

This is another Burton/ Depp film that is also one of my personal favorites. It is about B-movie director Edward D. Wood Jr. and all of the shitty movies he made. I have never seen any of Wood's movies, but if they are anything like they are portrayed in this film, then I know that they are pretty bad.

Donnie Brasco

I don't think that I've seen this entire movie, but there is always a scene that sticks in my mind. It is the scene where Depp's character is explaining what "forget about it" means.



Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas

My favorite thing about this movie is hearing Depp's inner monologue. His character is a paranoid, drugged out journalist, so everything he thinks is just twisted and funny. This is probably my favorite of Depp's not-Tim Burton films. It is just really odd and hilarious, and there aren't really any other films like Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas.



Sleepy Hollow

"It was a horseman, a dead one...headless!" I love Johnny Depp's portrayal of Icabod Crane. Apparently he wanted to add prosthetics to his face because Icabod is supposed to be ugly, but I am really glad that they didn't...



Blow

This is another movie where I have only seen bits and pieces when it was on TV, but I always remember the ending. The part where he gets arrested and can't pick up his daughter always makes me sad. Another really good scene is when he is making the recording for his father.



Pirates of the Caribbean

You don't see too many people getting Oscar nominations for playing pirates. I love Johnny Depp as Captain Jack Sparrow! I remember that I was so excited to see this movie when I was 13 that I read the novilization of the movie, and showed up to the theatre while the previous showing was still playing. And I wasn't disappointed! (With the first one anyway...)



Charlie and the Chocolate Factory

Although noone will ever been Gene Wilder's portrayal of Willy Wonka, I still think that this one is worth mentioning. This is my least favorite of all the Depp/ Burton films, but I do think that its still a fun movie that has its good parts here and there.



Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street

I love musicals and I love gore, so when you mix them up and add Johnny Depp and Helena Bonham Carter you know I'm gonna love it! While he didn't do his own singing in Cry-Baby, he does do his own singing here, and I must say that he's pretty good!



Public Enemies

While this film wasn't my favorite as a whole, I did love Depp's performance as John Dillinger. My favorite scenes were the ones with him and Marion Cotillard.



Alice in Wonderland

It came as no surprise to me (or to anyone else I'd imagine) when I read that Depp was cast as the Mad Hatter in Tim Burton's Alice in Wonderland. He was the obvious choice really...

Upcoming:
He has two movies coming out within a year that I am really excited about. The first is The Rum Diary, which is another film version of a Hunter S. Thompson novel. The one that I am REALLY excited for, however, is Dark Shadows. It is directed by Tim Burton, and Depp plays a vampire! It also has greatest cast. Johnny Depp, Helena Bonham Carter, Eva Green, Jackie Earle Haley, and more! It is going to be awesome!

Spotlight On: Winona Ryder

This week's spotlight is on an actress that I have loved since I was a kid. I grew up watching Beetlejuice, Mermaids, Dracula, and Edward Scissorhands a million or so times, and now that I am older I still love all of those movies, along with several others of hers. Here are my favorites in chronological order...

Beetlejuice

In Beetlejuice, Ryder plays goth girl Lydia Deetz, the only member of her family who can see the ghosts living in her attic. This was one of her very first movie roles, and is probably the one that helped start out her career. I have seen this movie a million or so times, so I could probably quote the whole thing. Here are some of my favorite parts...




Heathers

Ryder also starred in my all-time favorite teen movie. (You can find the whole list HERE) She plays Veronica, a girl who hangs out with a clique of bitchy girls called the Heathers. Veronica and her boyfriend start a little killing spree, and make all of the deaths look like suicides. As you can see, this movie is very dark, but also absolutely hilarious and is one of my favorite movies.




Edward Scissorhands

This was her second film that she did with Tim Burton, and is another one of my favorite movies. She plays Kim, a suburban girl who ends up falling for a guy with scissors for hands. Here is one of the best (and sweetest and saddest) moments in the film...



Mermaids

This is another movie that I watched a million times growing up. She stars along with Cher and Christina Ricci (another actress that I loved growing up.) She plays Charlotte Flax, a girl who wants to be a nun (even though she's Jewish) and ends up crushing on an older guy.



Dracula

In Dracula Winona plays Mina, a girl who Dracula falls for because she looks an awful lot like his dead wife Elizabeta (also played by Ryder.) While she doesn't have the best British accent in the world, I still really love this movie, and I think that she looks great in her period costumes.




Little Women

Louisa May Alcott's Little Women is on my list of books that I want to read, and a big majority of that reason is because of how much I like this movie. I think that Ryder is great as Jo, and my favorite scenes were all of the ones with her and Christian Bale.



Girl, Interrupted

Although this film is usually remembered for Angelina Jolie's performance as Lisa Roe, it also features a great performance by Winona Ryder as Susanna Kayson, the film's protagonist. She plays a girl who is sent to a mental institution and is diagnosed with Borderline Personality Disorder. She becomes friends with the other inmates, forming a close bond with a sociopath named Lisa Roe who she finds out is even more messed up than she thought...



Mr. Deeds

While I think that overall this movie is pretty stupid, it is worth watching just for one clip of Winona Ryder. Its in the video at about 2:06. It always makes me laugh...



Black Swan

In my favorite film of 2010, Ryder plays an aging ballerina who becomes jealous of Natalie Portman's character and gets really depressed.

Upcoming: She will next be lending her voice to Tim Burton's Frankenweenie, and will also star in a film called The Stare.

My 16 Favorite Teen Movies

This is my list of my favorite movies centered around teenagers. In order to prevent this list from being rediculously long, I have excluded horror movies and musicals, so this is basically a list of my favorite teen comedies. Here goes...

16. Ferris Bueller's Day Off

"Ferris Bueller, you're my hero."




15. She's All That

I watched this movie dozens of times in my preteen years and, along with basically every other girl in the country, I had a huge crush on Freddie Prinze Jr. Weird artsy girl Laney Boggs gets made over by cool guy Prinze Jr. so that he can win a bet by making her prom queen. So, he falls in love with her (of course) and she eventually finds out and blah blah blah...happy ending.



14. Bring It On

Another movie that I watched a billion times, Bring It On was HUGE when it first came out. I remember that tons of girl at my school used to quote this movie all the time, and made girls want to be cheerleaders even though my school never really had any (and still doesn't.)



13. Weird Science

Not only did I love this movie when I was a kid, but I actually used to watch the TV show that was based on this movie as well. While I do think the whole Frankenstein-esque storyline is great, the main reason to watch this movie is for the scenes with Chet.



12. All I Wanna Do

"Up your ziggy with a wa-wa brush!" This is a movie that I would watch whenever it was on TV. I actually haven't seen it in forever, but I really want to now because I remember that this used to be one of my favorite movies. I loved all of the girls in the cast, and it actually made me wish that I went to an all girls school.





11. Jawbreaker

Looking back, this is kind of an odd movie for an elementary school age girl to love, but this was one of my favorites back in the day. Rose McGowan as Courtney Shane was always my favorite.



10. Say Anything...

Such a cute movie!!! I love John Cusack as Lloyd Dobler and Ione Skye as Diane Court, the girl of his dreams. I also really love Lili Taylor as his songwriter friend. "Joe LIES...when he cries..." What this movie is best known for is definitely the boombox scene.



9. Juno

I love the movie Hard Candy, and I also read Diablo Cody's book, so I was already a fan of Cody and Ellen Page before I saw this movie. I remember being really excited for this to come out, and I was not disappointed. I loved the cast and the soundtrack, and I remember laughing really hard when I saw this in theatres.



8. Pretty In Pink

Growing up in my house, I saw a lot of John Hughes movies. One that I always loved was Pretty In Pink. Even though I think that Molly Ringwald is a total whiny whiner in this movie, I always loved Annie Potts as her punker friend, and Jon Cryer as Duckie.



7. Superbad

Apparently the script for this movie was written by Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg when they were only thirteen years old. I never would have guessed that because this is one of the funniest movies to come out in the new millenium. This movie is actually really funny to listen to with the commentary, especially when they start talking about this one bad review that someone have the movie.




6. 10 Things I Hate About You

This modern day version of Shakespeare's Taming of the Shrew was my favorite movie after it first came out. I LOVED Julia Stiles as Catarina Stratford, as well as Joseph Gordon-Levitt as Cameron, and Heath Ledger as Patrick Verona. I even had the soundtrack to this movie, and I listened to it all the time.



5. The Breakfast Club

The Breakfast Club is my favorite of the John Hughes/ Brat Pack movies. It is basically just a movie about five people stuck in a room together, but it is, in my opinion, one of the best movies from the 80s.



4. Mean Girls

"That's so fetch!" Even though I have never been a big Lindsay Lohan fan, I love this movie! Tina Fey's script is great, and this movie has some of the best dialogue! Its also the movie that helped make stars out of Rachel McAdams and Amanda Seyfried.



3. Ghost World

This movie is based on my favorite graphic novel Ghost World by Daniel Clowes. I love Enid and Rebecca's somewhat codependant friendship, and this movie shows how friends can grow apart after high school.



2. Clueless

I've probably seen this movie a million times, and it just keeps getting better. I knew that this was a modern adaptation of Jane Austen's Emma, but I didn't realize how close it was to the actual story until I read the book. It's actually a pretty faithful adaptation considering that it is set in Beverly Hills in the 90s.




1. Heathers

"Lick it up, baby. Lick. It. Up." Heathers is my all-time favorite teen movie. It features Winona Ryder, who I have always been a huge fan of, as Veronica, girl who hangs out with the Heathers. They are pretty much like the Plastics from Mean Girls except a lot bitchier. This movie is both dark and hilarious, and is a lot different from most teen comedies.