stand by me Tagged Articles at Cinematical

Summer doesn't officially end for another few weeks, but I tend to think in terms of semesters, even though I've been out of school for many years. Labor Day weekend used to signify a return to classrooms, but these days kids go back to school even before that three day weekend, which seems like a cruel trick. Our end-of-summer three day weekend always meant trips to a lake somewhere, someone cutting their foot on a pop-top pull-tab from a can of Coke, and my Dad watching the Jerry Lewis telethon until he fell asleep.

There's a distinct change in movie attitude as you shift from summer to fall, and the Oscar-weighty movies start appearing out of the woodwork like ants at a picnic. No more spectacle movies, and on to the talking head snoozers that kids just can't stand. The bright lights of fall are Thanksgiving and Christmas, but those are but blips in a sea of other movies. To celebrate the end of the season, this list is about those movies that capture the true spirit of summertime.

Stand By Me
It's hard to believe that 23 years have passed since this movie came out, although it's fairly evident if you happen to catch a glimpse of Jerry O'Connell in anything, since he went from chubster to pretty boy in the intervening years. This movie crystalizes those summer moments of wandering in the woods with friends and having adventures that you'll talk about for years to come. More childhood truths and friendship are forged in circumstances like there than in any classroom ever created. Of course my buddies and I never found a dead body. That might have pushed us over the edge.

Best line: "Chopper, sic balls."

Considering we've been shoveling out tons of posts featuring Scenes We Love, you knew it was only a matter of time before we flipped it over and began a series of posts on Scenes We Hate. And since I'm usually the one who goes first with this sort of stuff, the first scene I'm highlighting is from a film I very much adore: Stand By Me. You probably already know where I'm going with this -- as someone who grew up with an extreme phobia of not only throwing up, but throwing up in public, this classic scene from Stand By Me has (and always will) disgusted me beyond belief.

In fact, I've probably only watched the scene once in its entirety. I'm so creeped out by this part in the movie that whenever I take in a screening of Stand By Me, I leave the room when it comes on. It's gross, it's nasty -- just thinking about it makes me want to hurl. It's funny, too, because puking has definitely made its way back into all types of films as of late. Have you noticed that? There's been a whole lot of puking going on. Pay attention a little more and you'll see what I mean. Yuck. Watch at your own risk ...

Who doesn't love pie? And more importantly, who doesn't love pie in the face? Well, as long as it's not YOUR face. (Though of course you can balance out the humiliation of being served -- so to speak -- with the knowledge that what you were being served was dessert goodness.)

The history of pie-fighting in movies is vast and varied, ranging from the simple to the sublime. Oh heck, who am I kidding? It's all just a messy, slapstick good time. Take a look at these famous movie pie fights, and then let us know: What's your favorite? Which ones did we miss? If you were to get hit in the face with a pie, what type would you prefer? And ... are you hungry yet?

It usually takes about a week after the kids get out of school for summer to kick in, and if there was ever an official starting line, it's Fourth of July weekend. Maybe you're hitting up a barbecue with some friends this weekend, relaxing by the pool or shooting off some fireworks -- and that's cool. Enjoy yourself. Me? I'll be doing a little of the BBQ, but I'll also enjoy a screening of at least one of the following seven films. See, what's summer without a memorable summertime flick ... or several?

This year's best summertime film (according to me), The Wackness, hits theaters in limited release tomorrow before rolling out to other cities. That film caters a bit more toward a specific time period (1994) and a specific location (NYC), but those summer-in-the-city flicks are rare, especially a good one. Instead of following all those kids who left town, went to camp, traveled abroad, what have you, The Wackness remains with the one dude who didn't leave town. The kid who was stuck spending his summer on hot pavement, dealing pot to his therapist while chasing the girl of his dreams.

But perhaps that's how you remember summer growing up. Or maybe you spent most of your summers in camp, or on the baseball field, or with a few of your best pals on another bizarre adventure. Those summer months hold a lot of memories for you, I'm sure, as they do for me. And what's up with summertime movies and awesome soundtracks? Ever notice that? Anyway, here are some of my favorites ... feel free to tell me yours.

The completely deranged practice of watching movies on cell phones just got a boost. The Hollywood Reporter has a story on Sony's recent deal to put some of its classics catalog on AT&T's "Mobile TV" network starting this May. Soon, subscribers will be able to watch movies such as Philadelphia, Stand By Me and Ghostbusters while on the subway or in the dentist's waiting room. Whether or not they will want to is an open question.

To their credit, the honchos behind this seem to recognize that people aren't going to sit there and stare into a tiny cell phone screen for two hours. According to a Sony exec, the objective isn't to get people to watch the whole movie, and they don't expect too many customers to watch Ghostbusters for the first time on a two-inch display. Rather, this is intended for those who've already seen the films and want to rewatch certain scenes on a whim.

Sony, of course, was responsible for the fleeting phenomenon of watching movies on your PSP (portable Playstation), and they don't seem to be giving up on "mobile entertainment." I guess there's been some traction; I have friends who keep up with their favorite TV shows on their commutes. My mind still boggles at the concept of this actually being a viable business model -- Don't your arms get tired? What do you even see in there? -- but I suppose people are starting to embrace anything they can carry with them on their gadgets. I'll leave you with David Lynch's immortal -- and entirely correct -- words on the subject, after the jump.

Anyone else annoyed at the fact that McG calls himself McG? Man, it's these little things that bother me ... and most of the time I have no idea why. In a recent interview with Coming Soon, the We Are Marshall director talked about one of the more (fascinating? ridiculous?) projects his name is currently attached to -- a movie based on Hot Wheels. Ya know, those toy cars you grew up with?

While IMDB lists him as director, McG admitted he will only be producing (gee, I wonder why?) saying, "... it doesn't feel right for me as a director at this time." No sh*t, really? Is that just his way of saying, "There's no way in hell I would jeopardize my entire career on a movie about friggin' Hot Wheels?" McG, whose birth name is Joseph McGinty Nichol (see, the things you learn on Cinematical ... ), also divulged a bit of plot for the film: "We just have a take on that, it's the story of a kid trying to reconcile with his father. It's a kid who steals his dad's race car and ends up going through a sort of "Back to the Future" portal into this world, and he has to reconcile his relationship with his father." Seeing as he threw Back to the Future in there, it seems the race car might really be ... a time machine! Wait, perhaps McG will tell us what this all has to do with, ya know, Hot Wheels: "It's very "Stand by Me", and it should be a good family movie."

Wait, Stand by Me is about a group of kids who find a dead body? So, according to McG, it's Back to the Future meets Stand by Me ... but based on Hot Wheels, the toy. Is it just me, or are you a little dazed and confused right about now? When asked whether it was important to get Hot Wheels in theaters before Speed Racer, he wasn't sure -- the project is still in development (hell?). More on Hot Wheels as it hits the net ...

[via Moviehole]

Here's a fairly cool idea: William Hurt as the evil Kevin Costner. Not that they look alike or anything - actually, maybe I just like the idea of Hurt being evil. Apparently I'm not the only one who likes it, because that seems to be the plot of Mr. Brooks, a psychological thriller that MGM is planning to start shooting next month. Costner's character (he's Brooks) is described as "a tortured man who tries to be disciplined and remain in control," while Hurt, though it doesn't sound like he's, you know, sitting on Costner's shoulder with horns and a tails, nevertheless somehow represents his dark side - the one that likes "murder and mayhem." Whoa. Costner's always been a solid actor when he doesn't try to do idiotic things, and there's a creepy menace to Hurt no matter what he's doing that could be used to great effect here - call me crazy, but this sounds promising.

The movie was written and will be directed by Bruce Evans, the crowning achievement of whose writing career is still Stand By Me. Which is great and all, but since it was made 20 years ago, pointing at it as the most current reason to respect his work means we're overlooking a lot of crap. Like the hideous Kuffs, for example, which was his only other attempt to both write and direct. Yeah. You see now why it's best to go all the way back to Stand By Me.