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Post by serin on Sept 1, 2011 5:24:07 GMT -5
A quarter of a century on: 25 ways Top Gun changed the world August 31, 2011 . ..IT was the end of the Cold War and some young kid called Tom Cruise was making a name for himself in Hollywood. Men the world over were too nervous to serenade women in bars, wear bad ass shades, fly planes and play volleyball topless. But all that was about to change - Top Gun was about to hit the big screen. It's a quarter of a century since we flew into the Dangerzone with Maverick, Goose and Iceman. The world's never been the same since. Here are 25 ways Top Gun has changed the world: 1. Inspired a generation of drunk men to warble You've Lost That Loving Feeling to uninterested girls in bars. 2. Began, and ended, Kelly McGillis’ career. In the decades since she played everyone's favourite tough-but-vulnerable flight instructor, she has pretty much disappeared from view. 3. If your friends call you Goose, then you’re going to die – horribly. 4. Started the Tom Cruise movie formula: Tom Cruise is a cocky guy who plays by his own rules. Loses his confidence. Meets and falls in love with a girl who helps him be that cocky guy again. 5. We all feel the need, the need for speed! 6. Aviators and bomber jackets became the epitome of cool - heck, they still are! 7. People started calling their kids Maverick. 8. People stopped calling their kids Maverick. 9. Applications for US Air Force shot up. The film turned jet fighters into sex symbols - even those with moustaches. 10. Without Top Gun, we'd never have the world's greatest karaoke song of all time - Berlin's Take My Breath Away. 11. Without Top Gun, there would be no Captain Jack Sparrow. Top Gun made producer Jerry Bruckheimer's name in Hollywood, allowing him to go on to make Pirates of the Caribbean. 12. Introduced the world to the word "wingman". 13. Sure, he'd starred in Risky Business and Colour of Money before he became Maverick, but Top Gun propelled Cruise into the Hollywood stratosphere and set him on track to meet an certain Aussie actress named Nicole. Here are some of the actors who turned down the role: Patrick Swayze, Emilio Estevez, Nicolas Cage, John Cusack, Matthew Broderick, Sean Penn, Michael J. Fox and Tom Hanks. 14. Gave us a new way of putting people down: "Your ego is writing cheques your body can’t cash." 15. White pants started to look pretty sexy on men. 16. Gave Pulp Fiction director Quentin Tarantino his best party piece - Top Gun isn't about men flying planes, it's about the unspoken love between Maverick and Iceman. . 17. Taught everyone the important lesson of why never to drink hot coffee in a flight control tower. 18. "Ma'am" – both sexy and condescending at the same time. 19. Introduced the world to an adorable young actress called Meg Ryan. 20. Took the high five and added a low reverse five to it, thus creating an awesome way for guys to congratulate each other. 21. Turns out women can be hot and in charge – whodathunk? Top Gun was a boost to female bosses everywhere. 22. When the person sitting next to you on a plane puts their thumb up on take-off, it's because of Top Gun. 23. Val Kilmer earned his heartthrob stripes after playing THAT game of volleyball. Shame about what's happened to his abs and career. 24. Men (and women) everywhere want a best friend just like Goose and Maverick. 25. "Negative, Ghost Rider, the pattern is full" – an excellent way of saying no. www.news.com.au/entertainment/movies/
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Post by serin on Sept 1, 2011 5:27:05 GMT -5
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Post by serin on Sept 13, 2011 4:53:18 GMT -5
'Top Gun' To Be Re-Released In 3D
September 12th, 2011 3:05pm EDT Well, we're about to see a return to the ''danger zone.'' Top Gun is about to be re-released in 3D.
A four minute 3D world premiere preview of the "Danger Zone" flight sequence was screened on Monday at the International Broadcasting Convention in Amsterdam today.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, the conversion is being done at Legend3D. CEO Rob Hummel made a few statements about the conversion. the clip as well as its unique business model during an IBC panel.
"We think there is great potential for catalog titles in 3D, but studios have had trouble justifying the expense,...As I understand it, they are planning to release it in 3D in early 2012, though I known [sic] they want to get Tony Scott’s approval before they go forward.''
He continued, "I think Top Gun lends itself to 3D due to the aerial flight. You can have fun with 3D by bringing things off the screen if they are not attached to the edge of the screen.''
It was previously announced that Titanic will be re-released in 3D as well. And of course, we all know Star Wars is getting the 3D treatment too.
Just think, ladies. No matter what you think about 3D, you know you want to see that volleyball scene in all three dimensions. Yeah, we can't wait for that either.
Star Pulse
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Post by serin on Sept 24, 2011 5:08:34 GMT -5
LEGEND in Blue Ray
The Charge
There may never be another dawn.
Opening Statement
Ridley Scott filmed Legend at a time when he felt particularly vulnerable. Blade Runner had not lived up to box office expectations, and studios were demanding an audience pleasing hit that would make money. And so Ridley ended up releasing two distinct versions of this film—a more languid European cut with a classical score as well a faster-moving American release with pop group Tangerine Dream on the soundtrack. Eight years ago an elaborate DVD release of Legend provided us with great extras and two cuts of the film including a director's cut with the full Jerry Goldsmith score reinserted. This Blu-ray edition ups the transfer just a bit, but doesn't add much in the way of supplements. Still, it's a nice package that offers fans several ways to enjoy the cult film.
Facts of the Case
Set inside a fairy tale world this bedtime story is about a Lord of Darkness (Tim Curry, The Rocky Horror Picture Show) who seeks to plunge the world into "forever night" by killing the last two unicorns. Tom Cruise (Top Gun) plays the hero out to save the world, and Mia Sara (Ferris Bueller's Day Off) is the princess caught in-between the good guy and the bad. It becomes a mystical opera full of demons and fairies as light and darkness fight it out in the magical woods.
The Evidence
Legend continued Ridley Scott's tradition of style above substance at each turn, and did so without as strong a plot as his earlier works such as Blade Runner or Alien. This was his bid at making a family freindly movie using heroic archetypes. It was a simple fantasy story that worked in the director's uniquely sophisticated visual landscape. Back in 1985 it wasn't a box office success thanks to an audience that didn't appreciate the material, but it seems time has been kind to the project. It's a gorgeous film full of practical effects that were shot at Pinewood Studios on the Bond set. It also contains a bravura performance by Tim Curry who quite easily bests any portrayal of the devil before or since. Hard to believe that Mia Sara was only 15 and Tom Cruise in his early 20s when this was made. They do a fine job playing the innocents who must grow up quickly in the face of darkness. Legend is a lot of fun, great to look at, and has solid performances.
There have always been multiple versions of the film floating out there in the world because Legend was tinkered with endlessly by the director and the studio. Most fabled is an assembly cut that ran over two hours that Ridley Scott used at a preview where it was decided the film drifted on far too long. By the time it reached theaters in Europe the running time was trimmed to 94 minutes, and in the United States it clocked in five minutes shorter. This Blu-ray edition includes the original US theatrical release as well as a "preferred director's cut" which runs one hour and fifty-four minutes. The theatrical version works quite well and has its merits, but fans seem to prefer the longer version which affords some more substantial character beats and more of the journey for the hero and his rag tag team of dwarves and fairies. The endings are a bit different, and the director's cut even suggests perhaps everything was a dream in a princess's mind.
The Rebuttal Witnesses
What we have here is a trend that gets played out again and again as studios upgrade their releases from DVD to Blu-ray. There were rumors that additional interviews with Tom Cruise might surface or that more footage might be unearthed. None of this came to pass, and instead we simply get a minor bump in visual quality along with most of the supplements ported over from the DVD set.
Visually, if you look at the theatrical cut of the film it has a noticeable upgrade in its presentation. Contrast levels are balanced throughout, colors look warmer, and details jump out in new ways. It's a beautiful treatment, and one that makes this set worth a purchase. The preferred "director's cut" doesn't fare as well because the new footage was never up to snuff to begin with. They used an "answer print" as the source, and so it was never meant to be the source for a high definition showing. Contrast is increased to help the visuals, but there is less detail and colors look less vibrant. Grain crops up a lot more in the longer version, and quite often the seams show revealing what footage is completely new. Both versions do get the full DTS-HD Master Audio treatment which works with both the classical as well as the pop score quite well.
Extras include most of what was assembled by Ridley Scott scholar Charles de Lauzirika for the 2002 DVD. There is the making-of feature that clocks in at just over fifty minutes and includes interviews from director Ridley Scott, producer Arnon Milchan, writer William Hjortsberg, editor Terry Rawlings, director of photography Alex Thomson, makeup artists Rob Bottin and Peter Robb King, production designer Assheton Gordon, set director Ann Mollo, stunt coordinator Vic Armstrong, Universal chief Sid Sheinberg, and actors Tim Curry, Alice Playton, Billy Barty, Cork Hubert, Robert Picardo, and Mia Sara. The only people missing are Tom Cruise and David Bennent really when you think about it. Also included is a director's commentary track by Ridley Scott that deals with even more detail about the project. Two "lost scenes" are shown with one being a very rough look at an alternate opening and the other a combination of footage, drawings and animatics to show a never completed dance sequence. '80s music aficionados will find their favorite features are intact. The Bryan Ferry video for "Is Your Love Strong Enough" is here as well as an option to isolate the Tangerine Dream soundtrack on the theatrical cut. Trailers and promo materials including a photo gallery round everything out. Missing from this new Blu-ray are all the DVD-ROM features such as a script to screen comparison as well as some other animatics. Production notes and biographies are also absent.
Closing Statement
Legend is a great fairy tale movie crafted by Ridley Scott as only he could in the '80s. It's over the top and wonderfully operatic with plenty of visuals to adore, something perfect for high definition. It comes from an era when effects were practical and live—no CGI was used to make this magical world. It's a great, charming cinematic experience. What a pity, though, that Fox has decided that the 2002 DVD extras are good enough to keep without any further supplementation. So we are paying only to see a better transfer and nothing else which seems a bit of a cheat. But hey, anything that makes this film look better is okay in my book at the end of the day.
The Verdict
Not guilty because it's a grand fairy tale that still looks amazing decades later.
DVD Verdict
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Post by serin on Oct 12, 2011 4:25:24 GMT -5
Tom Cruise "Pre-Crime" Minority Report machine brought to life
Homeland Security creates a “pre-crime” detecting machine that can sense “mal-intent”
PC World | Published: 11:30, 11 October 2011
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Are you sceptical of pre-crime detection by psychics? The US government has come up with a Big Brother-esque machine that senses if an individual intends to do harm. Minority Report, anyone?
The Electronic Privacy Information Center, a public interest research center in Washington, DC, recently filed two Freedom of Information Act requests to obtain information about a new sensor array developed by the Department of Homeland Security that can detect “mal-intent”. The system revealed in the internal documents is known as Future Attribute Screening Technology or FAST.
FAST determines if a person intends to do harm by using a mal-intent algorithm that uses data from sensors that monitor a person’s physiological and behavioral changes. FAST is designed to detect anything from changes in body movement, body heat, eye movements, breathing patterns, voice pitch, and your prosody (the tone and rhythm in which you speak).
US Homeland Security agents target Vietnam online scam artists|US homeland security agency seeks to replace open source Snort security engine As of now the FAST has only been tested in lab and at least one undisclosed location in the northeast, and the system is proven to be up to 81 percent classification accurate in a laboratory setting. When DHS has deployed FAST in field tests, it has only been used to help security guards pick out and interview suspects, so final judicial judgment won’t be delivered by a robot… just yet.
Techworld
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Post by architect on Oct 17, 2011 23:10:01 GMT -5
Hell that much Closer to Freezing Just about one year ago, Tony Scott sent his "Top Gun" fans into a frenzy over the news that a sequel is not only planned, but Scott will take the directorial reins on the project. There has been little forward movement since then, but now we have word that "X-Men: First Class" writers Ashley Miller and Zack Stentz have been hired to helm the script.
According to Variety, Miller and Stentz are in final negotiations to get to work on the screenplay, with Jerry Bruckheimer and David Ellison signed on to produce.
The trade publication claimed that there are no plot details to reveal yet, but we're hoping the "First Class" writing duo sticks with the outline Scott shared with us last year.
"It's not even a reinvention, it's not even a sequel. It's a re-thinking," Scott said of his plans for the sequel. "What inspired me is that the world today is great, it's so different from the world we touched originally. It's really run by guys sitting in Nevada on computers playing war games."
Scott teased that the film will focus on the new generation of fighter pilots. "It's a mixture of that, and it's the end of the generation of fighter pilots. Not in a complete end to the generation, because these guys they go up in F-35s and they carry 10 drones with them. [But] it's a very different movie." SOURCE
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Post by architect on Oct 19, 2011 19:51:12 GMT -5
Spain to get Paramount Theme Park The $1.5 billion Paramount Park in Spain hopes to rival Disneyland Paris as a European tourist destination when the movie theme park debuts in spring 2015.
Located on the Mediterranean coast about 270 miles southeast of Madrid, Paramount Park Murcia will feature 30 attractions with an adjacent shopping center, hotels and casino.
Paramount Park Murcia will feature four themed lands based on adventure, fantasy, the future and the American Wild West as well as a main entrance promenade.
> Adventure City
The action-oriented land will be set amid a small American town during the 1950s, with teenagers in period dress performing amid hot rod cars in the square.
Among the attractions in Adventure City:
Mission: Impossible - Visitors waiting in the queue are recruited as sleeper agents before climbing aboard a military-style vehicle for a 4D special effects ride through action scenes inspired by the Tom Cruise movies. The ride appears to employ motion based simulator vehicles similar to the Amazing Adventures of Spider-man at Universal's Islands of Adventure theme park in Florida.
> Plaza Futura
The neon-tinged futuristic land focuses on science fiction fantasy and outer space flights of fancy.
Among the attractions in Plaza Futura:
War of the Worlds - A 4-D show based on the 2005 Steven Spielberg alien invasion movie.
SOURCE
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Post by serin on Oct 25, 2011 4:55:01 GMT -5
Jonathan Lipnicki turns 21 ... yes, you're old October 24, 2011 2:17 PM ET [/URL] He was an adorable little tyke who charmed Tom Cruise in 'Jerry McGuire.' This past Saturday, Jonathan Lipnicki turned 21. Yes, that means you're old. According to People, Lipnicki celebrated his birthday with friends and family, including his parents, in Las Vegas. (Of course. Parents are exactly who you pick to party with in Vegas on your 21st birthday.) The group had dinner at Tao on Friday night, then headed over to the Surrender night club. Saturday included a cake and dinner at Lavo. Lipnicki spends most of his time studying and working out, spending six days a week weightlifting and training in jujitsu. "I live in Hollywood," Lipnicki told the site back in September. "Go three feet and you will run into someone more cut and better looking than me. For me, working out is more about keeping my temperament great. Jujitsu and lifting keep me very even.' The little man who told us that the human head weighs 8 pounds is now old enough to drink in Vegas. Happy birthday Jonathan. We're going to go get our cane now.
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Post by serin on Dec 18, 2011 8:14:57 GMT -5
How Tom Cruise and Sean Penn Got Their Big Breaks 12/17/2011 Decades of The Hollywood Reporter: The most glamorous and memorable moments from a storied history. The Hollywood Reporter's review of Taps in 1981 showed prescient understatement when it said the supporting cast demonstrated a "potential for future assignments." That would include the unknown pair of Tom Cruise, then 19, and Sean Penn, 21. The film, which grossed $35.9 million domestically and marks the 30th anniversary of its release Dec. 18, was about military academy students who initiate an armed occupation to save their school from real estate developers. The lead cadet role had gone to Timothy Hutton, 21, who'd won a supporting actor Oscar for Ordinary People just months earlier. Producer Stanley Jaffe says Cruise originally had been set to play a background character but was shifted to a key role when he impressed director Harold Becker during the four weeks of rehearsal that resembled a boot camp. "He was out-marching the other cadets on the parade field," said Becker in 2004. Penn was chosen after being spotted starring as the timid son of an abusive father in the small Broadway play Heartland. The trio formed an incredibly potent cast. "It's that thing some people have," says Jaffe. "If you knew how to describe it, you'd bottle it." Cruise's next role was in Francis Ford Coppola's The Outsiders, Hutton's was in Sidney Lumet's Daniel, and Penn got a major career boost when he played Jeff Spicoli in Fast Times at Ridgemont High. Although the Amy Heckerling comedy brought Penn much more attention, he told biographer Richard T. Kelly he looks back fondly on working with Cruise and Hutton because it "was like I'd gone to high school, and now Taps was college for me. And it was Fraternity Row." Hollywood Reporter
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Post by serin on Dec 18, 2011 8:28:57 GMT -5
TAPS trailer - 30the Anniversary of its release 18 December
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Post by serin on Feb 10, 2012 12:50:08 GMT -5
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Post by serin on Mar 20, 2012 7:02:01 GMT -5
BORN ON THE FOURTH OF JULY
There have been many anti-war films over the years, but most take place nearly exclusively on the battlefield. Rarer are anti-war films that focus on what happens to soldiers who actually survive the war. Films in this sub-genre of a sub-genre include Coming Home (1978) and Oliver Stone’s Born on the Fourth of July (1989).
Born on the Fourth of July is a biopic of Ron Kovic (Tom Cruise). Kovic’s odyssey starts in early 1964 when, as a typical 18 year old product of that period, he joined the Marines. At this point, Kovic viewed fighting in Vietnam as a necessity for safeguarding American ideals. When shipping out after boot camp, he left a United States where this was still the majority opinion.
After a series of harrowing combat experiences, Kovic took a bullet that severed his spine, leaving him permanently paralyzed from the mid-chest down. After nearly dying, he found himself in a dangerously inadequate VA hospital system frighteningly reminiscent of the much more recent Walter Reed scandal. Even after this, he retained a belief that winning the war in Vietnam was a necessity. He was shocked to discover that the country he returned to no longer agreed with him. Shock gradually turned to outrage as Kovic the pro-war Marine became Kovic the anti-war veteran activist.
Born on the Fourth of July highlights a serious problem that always seems to come up where the Vietnam War is concerned. The war was an event so divisive and so polarizing that most people couldn’t separate a government’s policy from (often unwilling) soldiers who were forced to execute said policy. Even the author has made this mistake. It was ignored that these soldiers were just as much the victims of the government’s lies as everyone else was.
The good news: Born of the Fourth of July is the best acting performance of Tom Cruise’s career. The tragedy of Mr. Cruise is that, though he can act, most of the time he chooses not to. He can act…Born of the Fourth of July proves it. Cruise was nominated for an Oscar and actually won a Golden Globe for role of Kovic.
You can read the rest here : Examiner.com Born on the Fourth of July (1989)
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Post by architect on May 3, 2012 21:34:24 GMT -5
'The Color of Money' Announced for Blu-ray In an early announcement to retailers, Disney/Buena Vista is readying 'The Color of Money' for Blu-ray on June 5.
Experience legendary actor Paul Newman in the role that earned him an Academy Award® (Best Actor, 1986, 'The Color Of Money'). Newman joins Hollywood megastar Tom Cruise ('Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol') in Academy Award winning Martin Scorsese’s (Best Director, 2006, 'The Departed') brilliant and powerful drama, 'The Color Of Money' – now available for the first time on Blu-ray with an astonishing digital transfer. Revisiting one of his most memorable roles, Newman stars as Fast Eddie Felson from 'The Hustler.' Eddie forms a profitable alliance with the flashy and talented young pool shark Vince (Cruise), but all bets are off when Vince’s arrogance costs them more than just a few matches. Celebrate the 25th anniversary of this dazzling classic – now better than ever on Blu-ray!
Specs and supplements have yet to be revealed, but suggested list price for the Blu-ray is $20.00. SOURCE
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Post by serin on May 4, 2012 11:39:55 GMT -5
Films To Watch Before You Die #100 - Top Gun (1986)
D.J. Haza presents the final entry in his series of films to watch before you die...
Top Gun, 1986.
Directed by Tony Scott.
Starring Tom Cruise, Kelly McGillis, Anthony Edwards, Val Kilmer, Tom Skerritt, Michael Ironside and Meg Ryan.
Top Gun is possibly the coolest film ever made. It has the coolest characters – fighter pilots, wearing cool clothes, leather jackets and aviator glasses, saying cool things, “I Feel the need the need for speed” – and has the coolest soundtrack – kick-ass rock anthems from the 80’s. Oh and it’s also got a pretty girl in there with a blokes name – Charlie.
The films follows the story of a young naval aviator with an attitude problem, Lieutenant Pete “Maverick” Mitchell (Cruise), as he aims to become the best of the best at the Top Gun training camp. Aided by his Radar Intercept Officer Goose (Edwards) the pair enjoy flying their plane, »
- flickeringmyth
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Post by serin on May 28, 2012 5:23:00 GMT -5
Roger Donaldson On Directing Cocktail
May - 27 - 2012 Roger Donaldson’s 1988 directorial credit is a film that cultivated and still supports a huge fan following. “Cocktail,” starring Tom Cruise, Elizabeth Shue and Bryan Brown, made everyone want to learn how to mix drinks and live the fast-paced life of a bartender. “Cocktail”‘s success is something Donaldson’s very proud of. “In terms of audience reaction and longevity, it’s one of my most successful films,” he said. “I’ve had people who have told me how much they love the film. They can recite the whole script back to me, that’s how passionate they are about the film.” Donaldson enjoyed working with the cast of “Cocktail,” and spoke very highly of Cruise. “I can’t talk highly enough about Cruise,” he said. “He gave it everything. He was a pleasure to work with.” Cruise was a shoo-in for the role of Brian Flanagan due to his similarities to the character. “Tom is a bit like the character in that he’s incredibly ambitious, incredibly dedicated,” he said. This dedication can be seen in Cruise’s bartender training. He worked with flair bartender John J.B. Bandy to learn the ins and outs of flair bartending. One reason why “Cocktail” has connected with so many, Donaldson said, has to do with the universal messages the film has. “[The film is] about finding something you love to do. It’s living life,” he said. The great soundtrack didn’t hurt, either. “All the elements came together to create a memorable film that, if you were a moviegoer in the ’80s, you really enjoyed.” “Cocktail” comes to Blu-ray for the first time June 5. www.shockya.com/
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