2007 Movies

Okay, so it took a little longer than I expected to do a blog about Pop Culture in 2007. But better 6 days late than never, right?

The year past was mostly inundated with celebrity gossip as opposed to media achievements. Any more coverage of Paris, Britney or Linsday and I think I would’ve snapped, more so than usual.

You know you’re getting older too when you recognize more of the celebrities that leave us each year, and 2007 saw some greats. Two of my all-time favorite authors, Norman Mailer and Kurt Vonnegut Jr., passed away. Also lost were Deborah Kerr, Dan Fogelberg, Brett Somers, Charles Nelson Reilly, Robert Goulet, Denny Doherty, Bobby Pickett, Brad Delp, Evel Knievel and several more.

The end of the year also calls for “Best of” and “Worst of” lists. I already referenced an Indie Music list in a previous post, but now it’s time for movies.

Entertainment Weekly critics, for one, have listed their Best and Worst movies of 2007. I have trouble critiquing these lists because even with the amount of time I devote to movie viewing, I have not seen a lot of the “top” movies yet, such as I’m Not There, Before the Devil Knows You’re Dead, Michael Clayton, There Will Be Blood, or No Country for Old Men. Therefore, all I can do is have my own list of Best and Worst Movies of 2007 out of the movies that I have seen.

My Favorite Movies of 2007:

10. Hairspray

I wasn’t sure if I’d actually like this one, considering it’s based-on a musical which is based-on an original movie that I actually enjoyed. But after a recent viewing I understand why it did so well this past year.

9. Fracture

Okay, I’m not going to lie…it probably has something to do with Ryan Gosling.

8. Zodiac

…and this with Jake Gyllenhaal…

7. The Simpsons Movie

Another one I was also apprehensive of, but I actually had some outloud laughing moments at it. I especially enjoyed Ralphie’s exclamation of “I like men now!” after seeing a naked Bart on a skateboard.

6. Blades of Glory

I always will enjoy things that star Will Arnett. And even with this comedy doing well commercially and being enjoyed by the mainstream, there were some good moments in the theatre for this one where Eileen and I were the only ones laughing.

5. Evening

This one made one of the Worst lists in EW, and I’m not sure why, since I really enjoyed it. Maybe it’s because I’m a girl.

4. Transformers

This one surprised me the most. I was very adamant about being upset that 80s cartoons were being turned into modernized movies. But the beginning scenes with Bumblebee playing awesome music (I was caught with The Cars, but sold by Player) and Mojo the Chihuahua had me hooked.

3. Enchanted

Very sweet movie, with some good laughs. I was pleasantly surprised.

2. Knocked Up

People have debated over this, even if it was very popular. Personally I liked this much better than Superbad. While some may argue the relationship between the main characters unrealistic, I felt it was one of more realistic relationship comedies. I especially enjoy Paul Rudd and Leslie Mann. There were many great lines out of this one.

1. Broken English

What can I say, I love Parker Posey. This one is not highly rated or critically acclaimed at all. But for one reason or another, I’m going to pick it as my favorite movie of last year.

My Least-Liked Movies of 2007:

5. License to Wed

What can I say? It just wasn’t funny.

4. Fantastic 4: Rise of the Silver Surfer

…and this one just was not good…

3. Evan Almighty

…and this one was not funny at all. And excruciatingly long…

2. High School Musical 2

I’m sorry, I know the kids love it. But I didn’t think that it could be more cheesy and horrible than the first one. But it was.

1. Lucky You

I wondered why it took so long for this one to be released. And now I know why. Unlucky me.


So lovely readers, what are your favs and hates?

Star Wars...Lego?

I still am working on my master thesis of a 2007 year in review...okay, I'm still daydreaming about the master thesis. But in the mean time, to buy me an extra day, I'd like to present this gem!

Discovered by my brother-in-law, this video is mesmerizing for fans. Apparently my nephew is just getting into the "scene" if you will, and received some legos for Christmas.

The accuracy, plus time and detail it must've taken, astounds me. Right down to Luke's black hand and Leia's bikini top, this YouTube work of art gets an A+ from me.

So here it is. Enjoy!

Happy New Year, from your Pop-Pop

It's now 2008. I know several of us at Pop-Pop (Culture) in the Attic have resolved to post more this year. Of course, life gets hectic for everyone and we do what we can. That said, I predict good things for the blog this year. We are all quite opinionated when it comes to pop culture, and I'm sure that will shine through in the coming twelve months. We are also hoping to have a stronger visibility by our readers, if you're willing. We know you're out there (as people talk to us about the blog a lot), and we remind you that comments can be anonymous. But no pressure. We love you, even if you're comment-shy. We just ask that you think about it.

Moving on, this week's Classic Music Video of the Week comes to us from that legendary group ABBA. I'll be honest, I had never heard of this song until I stumbled upon it on YouTube. However, a lot of people had it up, so it must be pretty popular somewhere in the world. I find the title fitting for this, the first day of 2008. So, everyone out there,

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Merry Christmas!

I must be off to work (yes, I know, it is Christmas Eve), so I'll be brief.

Merry Christmas everyone!

Classic Music Video of the Week

It's Christmastime, so it seems appropriate to use a holiday song for this week's CMVotW!

This week we are featuring one of the oddest duets...Mr. Bing Crosby and Mr. David Bowie. The stellar acting in the beginning is so convincing.

Recorded in 1977 for Bing Crosby's Christmas Special, this was one of his last recorded appearances and songs before his death in October of that same year.

So Happy Holidays, and enjoy!

RETURN OF THE POP TEN

Wow, it has been way, way, way, way, way too long since my last Pop Ten, or even my last post for that matter. And now, more than ever, you need us here at Pop-Pop Culture to fill a void. Yes, this is one writer who is not on strike! Of course I also don't get paid to write this, so going on strike would be fairly futile. Unless of course I was striking to get wages for my contribution to the blogosphere. But that won't happen folks. At least not yet. Anyways, moving along, so much time and so little to do. Wait a minute. Strike that. Reverse it. Yes, yes must move forward. You may or may not have noticed, but there is an Alvin and the Chipmunks movie, starring Jason Lee about to hit theaters. Of course Jason Lee was also the voice of Underdog in the live action Underdog movie. Now, I'm sad to report that I did not go and see Underdog and will most likely not go to see Alvin and the Chipmunks. It has nothing to do with Jason Lee, or even the cartoons these movies are based on, far from it. No, no. I don't want to see them because it miffs me when they try and and rape my childhood by turning my favorite cartoons characters into live animals or cgi'd something or others! But I digress. You see this whole thing has really got me thinking, and I think most of you know how much that hurts my head. But this actually inspired three, count 'em three, Pop Tens. Part One of which you are about to read right now. Unless of course my rambling has had you move along or click that next blog icon, in which case you would probably be enjoying porn or a wonderful little Korean blog with strange writing and pictures. Or perhaps even some sort of mishmash of the two. Who knows? But if you are still here, I thank you, and don't worry you are in for a treat my friends. For I now present to you the Pop Ten "Cartoons I'd like to see be made into a movie with real actors, sets and everything (the no GCI edition, or CGI: Miami for that matter.)

10. GoBots- You had to see this coming, right? I still remember when I asked for Transformers for Christmas and got a GoBots sleeping bag. I was none to happy. Anyways, I think it would be cool to have dueling transforming robot franchises, building up to the two series' meeting up in one epic movie! You can count me in!



9. Smurfs- Yes people painted blue, a set of mushroom houses, a feisty feline and of course Gargamel. La, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la. Oh imagine the possibilities, here. I mean you know you could get the blue man group on board. And that's comedy right there kids! And I say bring in the Hobbits! Let's get Elijah Wood, Sean Astin, Dominic Monaghan, and the other guy who may as well be the third tenor, cause no one can remember his name. But as for Gargamel, I think there really is only one man who has the range to play him. You guessed it, David Graf, Tacklebury from the Police Academy movies. No, I'm just kidding, I was actually thinking Alan Rickman would be perfect for this role. He could just keep the wardrobe from Harry Potter and he'd be good to go.



8. The Littles- This was another one of my favorites, and would be another easy one to make. I again would push the hobbits to star in this, but I'm sure they could get others. I'm thinking maybe Luke Edwards, you know that kid from Little Big League. This could do for him, what Pulp Fiction did for John Travolta! All you do is strap some tails and funny ears on actors and make a set that makes them look, well, little.



7. The Jetsons- They've done the Flintstones, but why no Jetsons? I mean c'mon! I'm seeing perhaps Danny Devito as Mr. Spacely and possibly Steve Carrell as George? As long as they don't make Astro CGI, that'd really irk me. How easy would it be to put this together, honestly? It's all in outer space, so you don't need any sort of logic in the plot, plus there's a robot. I mean next to monkeys and midgets, I think robots are the #1 draw to a cinematic feature.



6. Bananaman- Another classic that often gets lost in the shuffle, Bananaman rode the coat tails of Danger Mouse all the way to the bank! Okay well it may not have been that popular, but c'mon a guy who is a nerdy reporter who turns into a superhero by eating bananas, that's brilliant. I'm seeing Patrick Wharburton making this an instant classic!



5. GI JOE- Is there a better time than now to get this one in the works? We need patriotism and what better way than a G.I. Joe movie? Hmmm? I'm waiting. They could either have it set in the 80s or redo it for our modern times. I'm sure Seargent Slaughter's in either way, I mean what's he got goin' on, besides watching old Wrestlemanias? GO JOE!



4. M.A.S.K.- An oft forgotten cartoon by many, this was one of my favs. Cool vehicles, cool masks, evil rival organization. Oh, it had it all my friends! This would blow the doors off any action series around. This would eat the Fast and the Furious franchise for lunch! For lunch I say! Matt Trakker was the epitome of ruggedly handsome, maybe a Treat Williams type or something.



3. Thundercats- "THUNDERCATS HOOOOOOOOOO!" And I ain't just talking about Cheetara. Okay so there are already plans for this one in the works, but the casting has not been released, so we've worked up some ideas. I'm thinking Rebecca Romijn as Cheetara, maybe Mark Wahlberg as Lion-O and possibly Vin Diesel in the role of Panthro.



2. Voltron- This is another one that is going to be made and you, but there are very few details abound except that Mark Gordon is on board to produce. Now I can only hope this is done as well as Transformers was, but I can't wait for the casting details. I'm thinking possibly Jack Black as Hunk and, I dunno, maybe Daniel Radcliffe as Pidge? Sounds great! Although I always wondered why they had to call out what was happening? I mean wouldn't Keith feel goofy having to say, "And I'll form the head," every single time they formed Voltron? I know I would, and did, everytime I played Voltron in my basement.



1. JEM and the Holograms- What would be more totally outrageous, than a live movie version of JEM? Um, I think the answer you are looking for is, "nothing." I mean if they can make Josie and the Pussycats into a movie, why not JEM and the Holograms? Hmmm? Hmmm? Now obviously Josie and the Pussycats did not do wonders for the cartoon female bands, but JEM is a little more hardcore than the Pussycats, am I right? I'm saying, you ink Angelina Jolie as Jem/Jerrica Benton and this could be the hottest girl movie franchise in all the land!




Well there you have the Pop Ten cartoons that need to be made into movies with real actors, sets and everything, sans the CGI. Hope you've enjoyed.

Favorite Song of 2007

It’s that time of year again…the local Indie station’s annual vote for the favorite song. Last year’s winners included “Hide and Seek” by Imogen Heap and “Crazy” by Gnarls Barkley.

Out of all the choices listed here for 2007, my top 5 votes are:

1. “Running Up That Hill” by Placebo
2. “Love Song” by Sara Bareilles
3. “Back In Your Head” by Tegan And Sara
4. “Realize” by Colbie Caillat
5. “You Know I'm No Good” by Amy Winehouse

So what are your thoughts and picks, dear readers?